Author's Note:
Well welcome back all the peeps who randomly vanished during my spamming updates. I hope everyone's still on board with this story, I'm having a lot of fun with it right now. I decided to give Rae her own POV since I was really into her recently. I drew a picture on my deviantart account/art blog on tumblr of her sitting on Jet's shoulders. It's kinda like a cute addition to the story even though it's technically in the future of what's going on now. So check it out if you wanna!
She hung onto Jet's back and watched as the hall slipped by, Jet's pace was uneven and his breathing had grown ragged. She could feel his skin had cooled off and was even a little clammy. Part of her knew what it was, that Jet was going into shock. She silently prayed that his adrenaline would hold out but it was clear he wasn't going to make it upstairs on his own.
"Wait, we went this way," she told him and he slowed down, stopping to lean against a wall and look both ways.
"You sure?" he mumbled and ran his hand down his face and suddenly hissed as he tried to move his left arm. "Ah! Fuck, shit, goddamn it, fuck!"
Desirae bit her lip and waited though she could hear something behind them, "They're coming," she whispered as if to remind him and shook his head.
"Right, this way?" he asked and pointed the same way she'd told him not to go. He was confused, very confused and she wasn't sure how to handle that.
"No, that way," she tried to steer him and it worked for the most part. He was shaky and nowhere near as fast as he was at the start of it all. She could hear desperate breathing and wanted to believe it was the clones coming for them and not Jet trying to stay awake.
Her hopes weren't enough to keep him upright and soon they stumbled and fell. He hit the floor face first and she tumbled a little ways before scrambling back up and hurrying to his side. "You gotta get up," she grabbed his right arm and pulled but he gave no indication of helping her.
"Just go," he wheezed and tried to pull his hand away, he wasn't strong enough to do it.
"No!" She yelled at him and tried to push him up to his feet but he was nothing but dead weight. "You're coming with me," she groaned and tried a little harder but quickly realized it wasn't going happen, he wasn't standing up.
"I can't move," Jet muttered, his face still down against the floor. Desirae turned his head, he was so pale and it started to scare her.
"You have to, Sam's waiting for us." She hoped maybe pushing a button or two would do the trick, he just laughed bitterly and looked at her. His eyes were dark and hazy, he was having trouble keeping them open.
"Tell him I'm sorry, 'kay?"
"I won't, you have to do that." She demanded and looked down the hall as her ears burned, there were more of those things and they were getting close. "Get up, please get up." She pleaded anxiously and tugged lightly at Jet's arm again but he didn't. "Please, please, please get up!"
He was losing his battle with his eyelids and they were closed before she even said the second 'please.' Desirae balled her hands into fists, tears in her eyes as frustration over took her. "Goddamn it, dad! Just get up!" Jet stirred a little, his eyelids fluttered but remained shut. He really couldn't do anything.
She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears and setting her nerves on fire. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't go back to Sam and tell him that Jet was eaten because she messed up.
Her eyes lingered on the bloody end of Jet's arm; the part where she'd bitten him had been taken off. She wouldn't be reminded of what she did by seeing a scar, she'd look and see he was missing his limb and that would serve the same purpose. But if he didn't make it out of there she'd never have the time to apologize for it.
But that made her think; if she was physically capable of harming Jet like that then she should be able to save him. She had Castiel's basic abilities, she was part of him in a way and that meant that she must have his strength too. She was strong too, her senses were heightened and her physical abilities were pushed to her limits.
She could save him.
Desirae repeated that to herself as she lifted Jet's arm again and placed it over her shoulder, he was heavy but she could do this. She could save him.
Her first steps were awkward and off balance but she was getting used to it, she figured out how to move and started running. Her legs were stronger than she'd given them credit for; she realized she had no idea what she was capable of. Castiel probably had a better idea; she wanted to talk to him again. She had helped him with communication; maybe he'd be okay with teaching her how to function as herself.
There were snarling noises behind her and though she wanted cry and hide she didn't let herself. Jet sacrificed himself for her; he went against his better judgment and went to get her so she owed him this much. Maybe someone was going to come down and get them out, maybe someone could save them; but for that to happen she had to get them to a safe place.
It was then that she recognized the area; they had passed where Jet had picked her up the first time. That meant that the exit was close. They could make it, she could save him.
A roar rumbled behind her and she tried to pick up the pace, though really she was already going as fast as she could with Jet on her back. She could hear frantic running behind her, more than one set of feet on the metal floor. There were multiple clones behind her, she could hear them breathing.
A sharp cry echoed and the sound of bodies hitting the floor reached her ears next, mixed still with the audible desperation of clones running. One must've tackled another for a meal or something, she didn't want to look, she didn't have time.
They were so close to the exit but the clones were very close to them too. She had to make a choice. Desirae's heart nearly stopped in her chest as her options dwindled. Either they both die or she had to drop Jet to get the hell out on her own.
No, she wasn't going to do either of those things. She looked ahead, looking for anything to help and spotted the large dome that used to hold Castiel, it had his name on it and everything. It was the next cage in her sights and she was pretty sure she could get inside in time. Hurrying, she tried not to freak out as she heard the clones gaining on her. They could probably see her already from further down the hall, though they smelled the two of them long before that. Jet was very likely a magnet to them, what with his bloody half limb and all.
She ran up to the door and realized it was shut. Panic started to seep into her but she did her best to keep herself in check. "Control yourself," she said out loud as she looked around for something to help. Control… there had to be a control panel for the door, just like her cage had.
Desirae was pleased to see she had just overlooked it and it was very close. For a short moment she left Jet by the door and hit a button, her heart jumping into her throat as the lights just flipped off in the habitat. "Damn it," she growled and hit another, this time the sound of the door opening was her reward.
"C'mon, c'mon," she anxiously rushed back to Jet's side and waited for the door to open just enough to drag Jet inside. She left him there again and ran back to the button to close the door again. She was sure she was fast enough to make it in time but definitely not with Jet on her back.
The desperate, hungry snarling coming her way was getting louder and louder. She bolted and dove through the closing door just making it before it sealed. Just in time to watch three clones bash into the glass. Her chest was heaving as she barely kept her breathing in check, scrambling backward and grabbing onto Jet again.
That was it, they were safe for a little while but did that really matter? She had no way of waking him up; all she could do was wait to see if he'd make it on his own. Maybe someone would go down to rescue them, maybe they'd do it soon enough to get help for Jet. That was all she could hope for. She couldn't fight those things.
Could she?
Desirae's legs were shaking and her stomach was in knots, she barely understood what she was feeling or what was going on anymore. She was part of Castiel, or he was part of her, or something like that. She knew she had some of his mentality, she didn't know what part was hers and what part was his. What she did know was that she was in a very bad situation and it was a very real possibility that Jet wasn't going to make it. Not unless she got him help fast.
Maybe fighting those things was her only option. She swallowed past a growing lump in her throat. She questioned if she had the strength to do it, she had bit Jet and her eyes glowed like Cas' so maybe she could? It was a whole lot of 'maybe' without any definite answers. She wouldn't know unless she tried.
One clone was looking at the control panel; her chest felt heavy then and breathing was difficult. It was going to open the door. She wasn't ready.
Another one ran up and crashed into the glass, most likely following the scent of Jet's blood. Desirae's eyes burned as tears fell and scorched trails along her cheeks. She was terrified; her fingers wrapped around Jet's shirt and she clung closer to him. He was getting cold, his skin wasn't the right feeling anymore but she could still hear his heartbeat. He wasn't dead. Jet was still alive.
If the door opened she'd have to fight the clones. To save Jet she'd have to fight.
The clones started to fight amongst themselves but it wasn't much of a saving grace, she couldn't just sit there for long.
Then the loudest cry came from another one as it leapt down into the fray. It had wings just like Cas did – wait, it was wearing clothes…
"Cas?" She whispered hopefully but watched as the newest one shrieked again, even louder and harsher than before. Her hope slipped as this one went absolutely insane. It was faster than the others around it and tore the first one's head off with a single snap of the jaw around its neck. This new one was far more vicious; it threw the severed head around with its mouth like a dog with a chew toy. It threw the head at another clone hard enough to knock it back and took advantage of that to jump onto its body and start to tear it apart with fingernails.
Blood burst out of the dead clone's chest as its brain tried to continue without any life left. The clothed one shrieked again and dug into the dead one's chest, pulling out the heart with the sound of bones cracking and a rough, wrenching motion. It crushed the heart in its hand and wound back with the same clenched fist to punch a third clone in the stomach.
Desirae watched in horror as the clothed one rammed that clone into the wall of the cage and screeched in its face. The clone thrashed and tried to fight back but the same hand that had punched it was now tearing into its stomach. The one she thought might've been Castiel was gutting a clone without remorse or hesitation. The area was lit up from the glow from its eyes and that was it. From her point of view the rest of the 'fight' was completed through a wall of gore and squinting through blinding light.
There were chunks all over the place, it had happened so fast that she wasn't even sure if her body was ready to vomit or not. Desirae just held tightly to Jet and stared with wide, glowing eyes of her own.
The clothed one stopped after the last clone had died. She knew for a fact she could never fight that one. She couldn't find the strength to move and just watched as the last one slowly stood up and folded its wings. It was so quiet, everything had settled and all she could hear was the slow dripping sound of what was left of those clones in front of the enclosure. She made a small sound as the stillness was getting to her and caught its attention.
Blue eyes flashed her way, the glow had faded but they were still piercing and calculating. It looked over both her and Jet before looking down at its own hands. She wasn't sure about this one, she thought it was Cas but…
Could Castiel do that to another person? Even if that person was a clone?
It walked over to the control panel and reached for the button. Desirae didn't know what to do but she knew that this one was vicious. It wasn't hungry either, it didn't eat the ones it had killed.
She was terrified but found herself on her feet again, standing between Jet and the door. She had to fight to live. She could save him. She could save him…
"It's okay,"
He spoke. She stared and barely managed to say it again; "Cas?" Her mouth was dry as hope started to rush back to her, "Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me."