Chapter 19: Crossroad Blues
"An angel? An Angel?" The more she heard it out loud, the more ridiculous she felt in telling them about her father.
"Yeah. I guess…" She sighed as she stood and walked across their hotel room to grab a beer from the fridge. She and the boys hightailed it out of Baltimore and didn't stop until they were safe, a few states over. It was hard to catch up on her lack of sleep in the backseat of the Impala over the fifteen-and-a-half-hour drive to Mississippi. They were all so worried about every police car they'd encountered. She had expected more snark from Dean about her driving Baby through the city of Baltimore, but she guessed that her part in coming to both his and Sam's defense that night might have made up for it.
"How?" Sam asked as Kate popped open the beer in her hand, she vaguely recognized the unknown label as one she'd regularly seen on the show, it read Margikugel's. It, unfortunately, was a lager, and while Kate never really took to beer. However, right now? All she cared about was that she sorely needed something to take the edge off. She threw the bottle back tilting it upside down as she sucked down the liquid eagerly.
"Whoa, whoa." She suddenly felt gentle but forceful hands tilt the bottle back down. Kate felt the liquid dribble down her chin in a very unladylike fashion as she locked eyes with Sam. "We need answers. You can drink all of this away when we get you back to Bobby's. On the road though, we need you sharp." She huffed wiping her chin as he turned and walked off with her beer in hand. He set it on the table and sat by Dean. They both were obviously awaiting her answer.
"I don't know." She stated simply. At their lingering stares Kate said it again, with added force. "I really don't know." She sighed heavily, feeling as though she'd rather be back in Baltimore than talk about this. "Look, I thought the guy died years ago when I was a kid. All of a sudden, he shows up tonight and saves my ass from Uriel."
"Okay, and he didn't explain anything?" Sam asked slowly.
"Yeah. Like I don't know. Maybe why he shows up now? And how could he have had a kid if he's an angel?" Dean added as he put down his own beer he was currently nursing.
"He said that he was cast out of this universe before I was born, and he found himself in the universe where I come from. The non-magical one. He said that while he was there, he didn't have any angel powers or access to magic. He had nothing and no one. Until he met my mom. Whom he fell for, I guess."
Sam and Dean glanced at one another before they seemed to relax a bit in their chairs. Kate continued, however, pulling their attention back to her. "There wasn't much time for idle chit-chat at that point, as that's when he warned me about the demon, so, I took Baby and shagged ass out of there. Where, as I hoped, I found you and Diana at the place on Ashland, I'm sure you two can piece together the rest yourselves." Kate finished as she pushed off the kitchen counter and slowly moved across the kitchenette to snatch her beer up from the table. "So, given that I told you all that I know about my dead dad, that isn't so dead anymore and is an apparent angel of the lord. I would like to drink until I can barely remember all of this, okay?" She asked, her tone snarky as her sharp gaze narrowed at Sam.
Sam held up his hands as if to fend off her words. Kate had requested they stop at the nearest package store when they'd pulled into town an hour ago. It was half past 6 now, and she figured the guys would probably take the rest of the night to recuperate from the long drive, or they'd be ready to move on to research their next case. Which Kate knew was going to be the one with the crossroad demon deals. While she knew that Sam was right and she probably should've been on high alert given the demon's presence, she simply didn't care at the moment.
Kate moved back to the fridge and grabbed the entire cardboard case of beer before she walked over to the bed on the opposite side of the hotel room and finished her open beer quickly then placed the six-pack on the nightstand beside her.
She heard the brothers murmuring back and forth to one another before the hotel door opened and shut. She didn't bother looking to see which of them went out, she moved quickly to open up another amber bottle before tilting it back again.
"Look, I can't imagine what you're going through, but I can tell you that in our line of work. You ought to try and remain somewhat sober on the job. Especially given the fact that you're; you." Kate was unsurprised to find Dean had stayed. "I sent Sam to get us some grub, given that I'm on the most wanted list for the FBI and you are probably listed as kidnapped I figure he was our safest option right now."
Kate shrugged not saying much in response. "I also figured if you're going to be drinking your weight in alcohol; we should probably get some food into your system."
Kate just turned and chuckled at him. "Really? You're going to give me a talk about drinking."
"Something funny about that?" He asked pausing in his walk over towards her.
Kate just slowly shook her head while bringing the bottle back to her lips, "Huh. Not yet, I guess." She shrugged before swallowing down more beer. He sat on the other mattress, along the side closest to her now.
"If your dad is-,"
"I really don't want to talk about it, Dean." Kate cut him off. She was mildly surprised that he let things lie where they were she'd expected him to push her for more information as he and Sam usually did. However, the new subject he brought up was a welcomed change.
"So, what's the case here in Mississippi? Anything good?"
"Crossroad's demon," Kate mumbled. She pulled herself to a sit-up position and faced off with Dean on the other side of the bed. "A bar called Lloyd's is at the center of it." Kate paused in her words. She hesitated before saying anything more. It dimly registered in her brain that telling Dean all this stuff might be the catalyst that causes him to sell his own soul for Sam later on.
"What is it?" He asked. Kate looked up to see his eyebrows up in concern. She found herself staring into his eyes thinking of all the things to come.
"You aren't going to like what I have to say. " She told him, inhaling a steadying breath.
"I haven't liked much of what you've had to say, Katie." He replied. Dean leaned over and grabbed the bottle from her hand as he placed both his and hers down on the center table. "So this ain't nothing new."
"I know we have cases to work on;" She began, "But, bigger things are coming and we all need to prepare for them, while we can. A few months from now, the Yellow-Eyed demon gets Sam."
Kate watched Dean's face change at her words, his defenses were thrown up and she watched a darkness seep into his eyes. "Go on," was all he told her.
"I can't remember what town you're in when he goes missing, but he goes into some diner for food, and in the process, he gets snatched and brought to a ghost town in South Dakota. Where it becomes like a battle royal of psychics."
"What?" Dean asked, she could see the surprise overcome his features.
"Listen to me, Dean. He doesn't make it. He dies there. He's so busy trying to get all the other special children to work together to fight the demon, that he lowers his guard." A long silence passed before Dean moved to grab up his drink.
"Why didn't you tell us this when you said everything else?" He asked.
"There's more," Kate said, wincing. "The reason I'm telling you this all now is that I want us to stop it before it gets there. I want to give you guys a fighting chance."
"Oh-kay." Dean replied slowly as he stood from the bed. Kate didn't think Dean was consciously aware of his movements. His body seemed to just need to move around.
Kate took in a heavy breath before opening her mouth. "You bring him back, but in doing so you… You sell your soul, and sort of jumpstart the apocalypse."
She waited on bated breath for a response from him, but all she got was him taking another gulp of beer. "Well, I can see why you're drinking." Was all he said in a sarcastic tone, as he began pacing across the foot of her bed.
"Dean,"
"Mmmmm," He replied not looking at her as he drank again.
"Dean," Kate asked again, impatient.
"What do you want me to say, Kate?" He asked her, she could read in his tone the anger and hurt he felt. "You can't tell me when and where it happens, but you can tell me that we lose him. How is that helpful?"
"Perhaps, I should just keep what I know to myself then." She muttered as she drank from her own bottle now.
"Yes. No. I don't know." He muttered as he returned to his seat across from her. "Look, Kate. I- I don't know what the hell we're gonna do. About that, about the demons, or even Jesus Christ, about the freaking angels." He scrubbed a hand over his face stressfully.
"Dean." Kate began as she moved slowly, she put the beer back on the nightstand with an audible thud in the quiet stillness, and then moved in closer to sit next to him. "If we know now-. If we get ahead of the demons and their plans, we can change it. Alter it in some small way that makes a difference." Kate said. "I'm trying-. I'm trying to change as much as I can. You just have to work with me." She finished feeling determined. Dean's eyes met hers and she could almost feel her determination seep into him. "The first step is to tell him. Tell him everything. Including what your dad told you." Kate said.
"But, we don't even know-."
"Yes, yes we do. I just told you."
"But, what would the demon even want with a bunch of psychics?" Dean questioned, his tone was short and snappy. As he stood moving away from her now. He resumed his pacing over y the foot of his bed.
His question caused Kate to pause. She stood up and stared at Dean for a second, feeling confused as to why she'd have to spell it out for him. He and Sam always referred to their looming destiny with the demons as a 'war' to her, so she assumed they already knew that part. She scoffed out a laugh with a small headshake as she made a move to walk by him towards her bag, but Dean was quick to grip her left forearm, preventing her from walking by him. He had pulled her back into him as their eyes locked onto one another, and she could suddenly sense a tightness in her chest, and her heartbeat had become erratic so suddenly. She took in a deep, calming breath before answering, "Look, you and Sam are always referring to the fight with the demons as a 'war', but I guess you both were being metaphorical. However, that's… as literal as it gets." She told him, her voice breathy and quiet. Kate could smell the slightly bitter scent of the beer on his breath. She could feel her body responding to the sudden closeness, again.
"You're telling me that Yellow-eyes is- is creating an army of psychics?" Dean asked her, his tone displaying disbelief and face remaining serious.
Kate swallowed thickly; her brain idly wondering how he seemed so unaffected, compared to her reaction. 'I don't do romance.' The words from their hunt in Philadelphia popped back into the forefront of her brain from the deep recesses, with that she tugged her arm back and moved to put some distance between her and the elder Winchester brother. She had bigger things to focus on than her love life at the moment. She continued forwards retrieving her bag from the chair that she had dropped it on earlier when they'd arrived and brought it back to the bed she'd taken to set herself up on.
"Yes," She answered as her own beer bottle made it's way back into her hand, "That's exactly what I'm telling you." She stated flatly.
"How?" Kate could hear the hollow of shock clinging to his tone, but he seemed more outraged.
Kate sighed heavily now. "Apparently the reason there was a fire in Sam's nursery is because Azazel himself, visited the homes of certain babies. He fed them his own blood, which their body naturally processed, and replicated. A fun side effect is you gain certain… abilities." Kate could see Dean's face as she explained. Disgust, and then shock. She took the time to drive her whole point home to him in his stunned silence. "So please, you need to fill Sam in on this as soon as you can; because it will not end well if it comes from me, Dean. You know that." She watched a sour expression overcome his features and his green eyes narrowed in her direction.
"I will." Dean snapped. "At the right time."
"There is no right time," Kate snapped at him, cutting off his excuse as she moved in closer to him, her own tone was beginning to flare up with an attitude. "Don't you get that? It's now or never."
Dean remained silent, but she could see his hard expression soften slightly at her words, he knew she had a point. "If you want to remain ahead of this thing. You will tell him sooner rather than later, because after this hunt. I can't say that I won't just explain things to him myself. He isn't a kid-."
"He's my responsibility," Dean stated the fierceness in his tone catching Kate by surprise. So she shut her mouth quickly at that. Dean stood toe-to-toe with her now. She could see in his face that he meant every word of his last sentence, but Kate already knew that he had. To Dean; Sam would always be his kid brother. The Dean she knew from her show would lay his entire world down to protect his brother, too bad he didn't see fit to keep Sam in the know of everything. "I will tell him when the time is right, and not a moment before, you got me?" Kate felt as though she overstepped her bounds at how he seemed to be chastising her, but she also knew that time was of the essence with the upcoming scenario.
"Fine but, Dean? I mean it. You have until the end of this hunt. Do you want to stop the apocalypse, and save your brother? This is how." At her last words, Kate quickly finished her second beer and moved away from him to grab another one.
The sound of the hotel door opening broke whatever tension was between her and Dean as he turned to face off with Sam. Who entered carrying a cardboard tray of drinks and a couple of different-sized paper bags. "Hey, I wasn't sure what everyone wanted so I kind of went with a generalized order of burgers…" Kate heard Sam's voice trail off at the end of his sentence as he sent a puzzled look between his older brother and Kate across the room entirely.
"I'm not hungry," Kate stated simply as she grabbed her duffel and marched into the adjoining bathroom. She was hoping a hot shower would relax her tense muscles and maybe brighten her current dark mood. She had some people that would need saving in town and she needed some rest if she was going to be any help to the boys with hunting.
She remained in the shower for about an hour, thoroughly taking her time before shutting the water off and exiting the bath. Quickly drying off she threw on a set of random undergarments, a pair of dark leggings, and a plain grey tank top. She'd thrown one of her flannels over it, compliments of Bobby's shopping for her back when she'd first joined the boys back in South Dakota. Kate let her wet hair fall around her shoulders feeling the neck and back of her button-up shirt start soaking up some of the excess water dripping as she stared into the mirror. Her thoughts were running around chaotically in her head. They kept mulling over the fact that her father wasn't only alive, but an angel, at least here in the Supernatural Universe. What did that mean for her? She idly wondered if she had any underlying powers. Was she a Nephilim? Maybe, if she'd unblock her chakra as Gina had said. She knew it couldn't be. She figured that somewhere along in her hunting the last 6 months she would have already displayed those kinds of powers before now if that were the case.
She half figured that she was human with some psychic abilities given her parentage, and her in-depth knowledge of the show from her world. After all, one of the things Azrael said to her was that when he had crossed over into her home universe, was that he had no powers. So, that must have made him human, no? All the questions in her brain were just leading to more questions. Kate was growing frustrated, she cast one last dark look at her reflection before turning around and exiting the bathroom.
Sam sat at the kitchen table on his laptop, while Dean sat on his bed looking over all the papers he had strewn around him carelessly. "So much for our low profile. You have a warrant in St. Louis, and now? You're officially in the feds' database." Sam was saying as she moved towards the table.
"Dude, I"m like Dillinger or, something," Dean said with a half-smirk as he tipped back his beer bottle. Kate was still feeling her slight buzz from the drinks earlier, but she knew the shower had helped. Sam was quick to slide a brown paper bag her way from his side of the table as he continued to respond to Dean. She returned her bag to the chair from earlier and she quickly took a seat across from Sam.
"Dude, it's not funny. It makes the job harder; we gotta be more careful now." Kate looked up from unwrapping her burger to see Sam's stern expression as he looked across the room at Dean.
"Well, what do they got on you?" Dean quipped back, Sam had been in the same position Dean was back in Baltimore, he and Dean had been taken into custody. Luckily for Sam, they hadn't caught him onsite of a murder. Sam paused before muttering, "I'm sure they just… haven't posted it yet," as he made some quick typing motions on the keyboard before Dean interrupted.
"What? No accessory, nothing?" he continued instigating.
"Shut up," Sam replied as Kate took a glorious bite of the burger that Sam had grabbed for her. She quickly realized it had been a while since she'd eaten, at least yesterday morning. Dean laughed suddenly, "You're jealous."
"No! I'm not!" Sam cried out, his tone indignant as he turned in his chair to give Dean an annoyed look as the elder brother took a bite of french fries.
"Alright, whatever. So, what d'you have on the case, you innocent, harmless young man, you?" Sam rolled his eyes as he clicked on his mousepad.
"Architect, Shawn Boyden plummeted to his death from the roof of his home. A condominium that he designed."
"When did he call animal control?"
As Sam said, "Two days earlier," Kate put her food down and sipped off the straw in the paper cup to clear the food from her mouth.
"He made a demon deal. It's a hellhound that came after him." She stated simply as she returned the cup to its previous spot on the small square table. Sam paused as he turned back towards her slowly and silence permeated the room. She noted Sam's glance in Dean's direction as a look of concern flashed over his eyes as his eyebrows rose slightly.
"You know, I kinda miss doing research," Sam stated to her breaking the silence suddenly. He was almost pouty about it, which caused Kate to chuckle in response, "Sorry," She began, "I suppose I could withhold some information from you if you'd rather." Kate felt her lips curl up in a smirk as she finished speaking to Sam. She locked her gaze with his and could suddenly feel herself studying the different colors in his eyes. What was more surprising to her was Sam's eyes seemingly roaming over her own face, taking in what he could. If she hadn't already done it so much to both men herself, she probably wouldn't have caught on to it.
A sudden loud clearing of Dean's throat seemed to break the hold that she and Sam were in, "I think you've already done enough of that, don't you Kate?" Kate's eyes briefly were cast down as her fingers began to fiddle amongst themselves over the tabletop.
"I wasn't-," Kate began, but Sam had cut her off.
"That's not fair, and you know it." He stated as he locked eyes with Dean, who stood in the doorframe between the bed area and the small kitchenette holding his duffel full of clothes. Kate could feel her nerves kicking in about being called out on knowing and not sharing information, but she could also feel a wave of anger swelling up within. Dean's just the pot calling the kettle black, isn't he? She asked herself, but she knew she was still too tired to sit and argue it out with him now. They all were.
"Whatever. I'm going to take a shower, as long as your majesty is done in there." Kate rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to snap at him, but thought better of it. She watched him turn and stalk off to the adjoining bathroom. "Thanks, for that." She mumbled softly, her eyes not quite meeting Sam's. She hadn't wanted to spend much time alone with him during this hunt for fear of letting it slip what she knew before Dean could. Kate made a mental note that Dean was acting as though she hadn't shared some serious news with him prior to her shower, but she wasn't about to bring it up now. She had also already told Dean that she would give him until the end of this hunt, and figured he would spill things in the few days they'd spend here, Kate hoped so anyways. She knew from the show that Sam was already hellbent on finding out more about himself once Dean finally tells him, she didn't want to cause a rift between the boys any more than that already does this season.
"Sorry, about him. He's probably just tired from the drive from Baltimore." Sam explained, trying to reason away Dean's moodiness.
"We all are, Sam. Doesn't give him a right to be a dick." Kate stated as she stared down at her unfinished burger. She was suddenly not very hungry anymore. "Look, I'm gonna leave you to your research. I should try and get some shut-eye before we make any moves on this case." She told him, making a move to push her chair back.
"You okay, Kate?" Sam asked as she felt his warm hand engulf hers. over the tabletop. Kate just nodded in response. Sam's concern was touching. Kate felt the tense muscles in her shoulders relaxing of their own accord at his touch. "Yeah, I will be. I'm just still adjusting to this new information about my dad and everything else that I know is coming. Everything is just draining is all." She said; tacking her last statement on for emphasis.
Sam nodded before his hand fell away and Kate moved over towards the opposite bed that Dean had been on, she'd noted that his papers were still strewn all over it. So he hadn't left her with much of a choice for bunking. As she lay over the covers on the other bed, she felt a heaviness overcome her eyelids as the room around her darkened.
Kate awoke with a jump to find the room black, and the only lighting offered was the dimmed-down red numbers from the digital clock on the nightstand between the two beds. The clock display told her that it was just after two in the morning, and Kate could barely make out a large mass in the other bed, but she couldn't tell if it was Sam or Dean. "Hey, you okay, Kate?" She reacted instinctively turning over quickly, scaring the other person lying in the bed behind her.
She was mildly surprised to find Sam, but she had kinda figured that Dean was still going to be throwing his hissy fit over Kate just now telling him what she knew, or maybe it was due to her earlier ultimatum about cluing Sam in on the family secret. Either way, she wasn't incredibly put out about it. "Yeah, I had a bad dream is all." She explained. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"Ah, I wasn't able to fall asleep yet, anyways," Sam explained with a shrug as he smiled down at her. "I was staring at the tattoo on your shoulder again." Kate quickly realized her flannel wasn't around her anymore. She must've taken it off in her sleep. The body heat that Sam gave off was just as bad as Dean's.
"Yeah," She began as she kicked one leg out of the comforter and draped it over the top of it. "You guys need to take some time to get these done." Was all Kate said to him as she fully looked him over now. "It's important, Sam." She finished, keeping her voice low so she didn't wake Dean. She couldn't help but notice how his short-sleeved tee clung around his biceps as his arm bent under the pillow under his head.
"I know." Sam agreed with a nod. A comfortable pause passed between the pair, where they each just looked over the other one. "Seems like it would only help us. Especially if I'm supposed to get possessed sooner, or later."
Kate nodded, her face serious. "The tattoos help out in a lot of future situations, that is just one of many to come, you know."
She could see the difference in her interactions with Sam in comparison to Dean. Sam seemed more curious about where she comes from, and what she knows whereas, with Dean… he seemed to see it more as a task list, something that overwhelmed him. While Kate knew his reaction was reasonable; what was not, was the way he reacted to her as the messenger of things to come.
"I'll talk to Dean about it," Sam stated. She knew that the tattoo had been a focal point in some late-night conversations with Dean, between hunts, but he hadn't said much else about it other than it was cool or that he digs chicks with tattoos. Kate wasn't sure where she and Dean stood right now. He was so hot and cold with her since she woke up in the hell house that night back in Richardson, Texas. The many faces of Dean Winchester were going to leave her with whiplash from the back-and-forth game he was playing. She wished he would either give her the green light or just back off.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He pressed again after a long silence. "I know last night was… difficult." He said choosing his wording wisely.
"I know that what happened, needed to happen, but I-. I still murdered someone." Kate told him. Sam sent her a look that she was only ever used to seeing on the tv. It was a look that she could remember him sending to the latest victim in whatever episode she was watching. It was filled with concern for her well-being. "I'm just-. I'm trying so hard to prevent these bad things from coming, and all I'm doing is just making things worse by simply existing in this damn universe. It's hard to stop the future from coming when-." She paused in her ranting as her voice was steadily growing in volume. She also wanted to keep herself in check. She didn't want to spill any details that she'd already promised she wouldn't. So she took in a calming breath.
"Stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders." Sam told her through the darkness, "It's okay to let us help." Sam finished. As Sam spoke, Kate's emotions overwhelmed her and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Being trapped in this scary place, battling these different monsters, and losing her memories of her previous life was taking its toll on her. All of the stress she had been holding back through the last few months seemed to burst forth like a dam breaking.
Kate felt the sudden urge to move closer to Sam as she lay in the dark hotel room. Perhaps it was the memory of her recent nightmare or the need for human comfort, but she appreciated the weight of Sam's arm moving around her. Without hesitation, she snuggled into his chest, feeling safe and secure in his embrace.
Kate felt her body relaxing as she leaned against him. She hadn't realized how tense she had been since Baltimore until now. Kate thought of pulling back and rolling away from him, to try to get some more sleep that way, she'd be ready to think of their next moves tomorrow. However, she was slightly pleased to find that Sam's arm remained firm. "Sam. I- I'm fine." was what she told him though. Kate was steadily growing more annoyed with her body's physical reactions to the guys. The situation with both men was already complicated enough. She and Dean were still all over the map and the last thing she needed was to drag Sam into the mix of everything. Again, she knew what was going to be coming between the brothers, and she didn't want to be the reason for an even bigger rift. Sam, however, still didn't budge, and before she knew it Kate found herself drifting off to sleep like that.
By the time Kate woke again, she could see sunlight had filtered in through the curtains. She'd passed out last night before doing their nightly ritual of encircling the room with salt. The guys thought that adding an extra barrier of protection from the demons wouldn't hurt given how many of them were out there looking for her. In the process of explaining things about her father last night, she'd told them that he wouldn't be able to find her so easily again because of the branding in her bones. Sam had thought it was a bit barbaric, but Dean saw the idea as a smart way to keep her off of Angel radar, especially after being involved in killing one of their own. She'd also explained a bit about the Angel blade that was currently tucked away in the safety of the Impala's trunk.
The first thing Kate noticed was how her legs had entangled with Sam's long ones. She could feel the coarse texture of his leg hair as it rubbed against the skin of her own, she felt the weight of his arm still around her waist and his chest moving rhythmically as he slept. Kate's hand had reflexively extended over Sam's chest while sleeping. She took this quiet moment to study his face. Both boys had angled features, which included strong jawlines. Sam's nose was slightly more pointed than Dean's, but it matched with the rest of his features. Kate noticed that Sam, like Dean, seemed to be at peace while sleeping. However, she knew what the future held for Sam and hoped to hell that she could change things before he descended a dark path. Kate had to fight the urge to wake him up and tell him everything she knew about Ruby, the demon blood, and even Lucifer himself, but she reminded herself of her promise to Dean to wait until the end of the hunt before speaking up. As she thought about him, Kate turned to look over her shoulder and realized then that Dean's bed was empty. She had a brief moment where she wondered if jealousy was the cause of his unusually early departure that morning.
As Sam started to wake up, she closed her eyes and acted like she was still asleep. She didn't want to be caught staring at him while he slept. When she felt him continue stirring, she stretched her body out under his arm to make it seem like she was just waking up too."Morning." She heard him utter, his voice still heavy with sleep.
"Morning," She muttered in reply. She moved once his arm was gone. She stood quickly from the bed and stretched again. Sharing a bed with Sam hadn't been uncomfortable per se, but she didn't have as much room as she'd grown used to with Dean.
The door to the room suddenly opened, and Dean waltzed in, already dressed in his suit get up, "Hey." Sam greeted as he looked over his shoulder from his position of sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the other way.
"Morning sunshine," Dean replied sarcastically. Kate was unsure if that had been directed at both of them or just her.
"Where were you?" Sam questioned.
"Working," Dean answered shortly as he walked over to the kitchenette and slapped a file down on the table. Kate had moved swiftly over to the hotel-supplied coffee maker and started a brew. "I was at Animal Control. Secretary's name is Carly. She's 23, kayaks, and… they're real." He finished with a smirk that he sent Kate's way.
She audibly groaned, remembering that exact line from the episode, "Gross," She muttered as she reached up to grab a paper mug from the single cabinet the hotel had in the kitchenette.
"You didn't happen to ask her about seeing black dogs lately, did you?" Sam pressed him for more details as he stood and walked over to the table before taking a seat.
"This is every complaint called in this week about anything big, black, or dog-like. There are 19 total calls, and uh… I don't know what the hell this thing is." Dean finished as he pulled a yellow sticky note off the top of the folder. Kate giggled from her position next to Dean as she stared down at the paper in his hand.
"What?" He asked her.
"It's her myspace address, idiot." She responded.
"Yeah, myspace- what the hell is that?" Dean questioned turning to face her as he slid the suit jacket off and tossed it over his bed. Sam chortled as Kate slid him a coffee.
"I remember myspace, it's a thing of the past now- Well, where I'm from…" Kate muttered into her own cup before drinking down the bitter liquid. She grimaced at the taste but welcomed the warmth.
"Seriously, is that like some sort of porn site…?" Dean muttered with a wolfish grin as he unbuttoned the cuffs on the sleeves of his shirt.
Kate took the seat opposite Sam now, "You know, it's weird to see you awake, dressed, and already out and about at 8:30 in the morning." Sam mused aloud as he drank more of his coffee.
"Well Sammy, not all of us get to enjoy such cozy company in bed past 7 am," Dean said as he loosened and removed his tie. His statement made Kate vaguely wonder if he was referring to the other morning in Baltimore when she couldn't sleep. He grabbed his duffel bag off the foot of his bed and headed into the bathroom, leaving a tense atmosphere to spread throughout the room. Kate felt uneasy and suspected that jealousy might arise between the trio at some point soon.
"Sam." She called his attention back from Dean's snarky comment. "This file isn't as helpful as you think," Kate said in a disappointing tone. She was pointedly ignoring Dean, as she wanted to get her message across but she was hoping Dean wouldn't take her meaning wrong. She didn't want to make it seem as though the part he played this morning wasn't as big as he thought it was. He seemed a tad sensitive this morning.
"How do you mean?" Sam asked, his head tilting as he grabbed up the papers and resumed looking over them now.
"I mean… yeah, don't get me wrong. This narrows down the soon-to-be victims that we're looking for, but chances are the people we're trying to save will still be cursed to die unless we can break the contract they made with the demon they dealt with." She answered. "It's not the dog we need to get to."
Sam looked puzzled at her conundrum.
"Seems to me like we gotta summon ourselves a demon," Dean said from the open bathroom, a bit more cheery than Kate was feeling about the whole thing. Kate made quick work of pulling out her laptop, she knew from Sam last night that Sean Boyden had just died, which left the doctor lady, and Evan Hudson, Kate struggled to remember her name so she reached over and snagged the animal control file out of Sam's hands.
"Hey!" He protested, but she just ignored him.
"Dr. Silvia Pearlman. She- uh. She's next on the list for the hellhounds. Well, technically it's that George guy, as he's the one that summoned the demon in the first place. He isn't on that list, but he's kind of a lost cause anyways." Her tone was sounding defeated by the end of her statement.
"There's no such thing as a lost cause," Sam replied a little too quickly. She could tell by the fierceness in his voice, he was referring to herself, and her rant from last night. She hesitated when he caught her eye before she glanced away quickly as she dived into another explanation quickly handing back the files.
"No, you don't understand. George Darrow doesn't want to be saved. Going out to see him is a waste of time. Time, that we already don't have. We need to get information on where Dr. Pearlman is." As she said this she slid the list across the table over towards Sam to keep with the manilla folder it had come in.
"Oh, you don't already know?" Dean quipped as he emerged, still in the process of pulling a tee over his head, his slacks now changed out for a pair of wide-legged jeans. Kate would have been more annoyed with his snarky statement if she hadn't been reduced back to a gawking twelve-year-old version of herself at the sight of him, she noticed Dean's stupidly smug grin form over his mouth on his big, dumb face. She, again, would have said something, but didn't want to get pulled into a back-and-forth thing given how she'd woken up that morning with Sam.
She needed to leave. She needed to be in a place where she wasn't going to be tempted by a freaking Winchester. The whole thing was starting to make her feel inherently wrong. "Look, I'm going to go check out what I can from Llyod's bar. You guys see if you can track down the good doctor herself."
"I'm sorry, you're going to a bar?" Dean asked as Sam looked up at her confused as well.
"The bar with a well-documented history of demons hanging around it?" Sam added. Okay, she saw their point.
"Fine." She relented easily. "You guys go to the bar, and I will find out what I can at the hospital." She said quickly. At this point, she just needed some space. She hoped that distancing herself would help clear her head of the intrusive thoughts that were plaguing her.
"One problem; the hospital that the doctor works at is out of town," Sam stated as he read over the paperwork, he moved quickly grabbing Kate's laptop and spinning it around to face him as he tapped over some keys. "25 minutes east of here to be exact. You're going to need a car." Sam said simply. Kate knew right then that she was going to be paired off with one of the guys for the day, and she had an inkling it was the one she wanted to avoid the most right now.
"Well, looks like it's you and me, trouble," Dean said. Kate hoped that her face didn't display the annoyance she felt at his words.
Kate and Sam had both taken their turns changing clothes in the attached bathroom before they were all ready to head out. Kate opted for a tank top underneath a blue and yellow colored flannel over some skinny jeans she was pretty sure she'd worn within the last few days already. She tossed on her usual beat-up pair of boots that she'd been in since she arrived here and was ready to go. Before long she found herself sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala and on her way beside Dean to the hospital.
"So- ahem. You and Sammy looked mighty comfy this morning." Dean stated as he stared straight ahead at the road. Kate glanced his way without looking up from her phone. The first few minutes of their ride had dragged on with an awkward silence lingering throughout the car.
"Uh-huh," was her comeback. She really hadn't wanted to address things about them like this, if that was his opener, then this conversation wasn't going to go very well.
"Look, I know things are… weird, but- but-." It was obvious that he was struggling for words.
"You know, the only reason I was sharing his bed was because you threw a hissy fit last night after you refused to tell Sam anything."
"A hissy fit?" He questioned with an outraged tone and facial expression, he glanced in Kate's direction now. "I did not throw a hissy fit. Kate, you can't just drop a bomb on someone like that and expect them to digest it so easily." As he spoke he lifted his open hand from the wheel and gestured at her.
"Besides, I don't see the sense in sharing this information with Sam, not when there are still so many questions you haven't answered." He tacked on.
Kate put her phone down beside her thigh in the seat. "Like what Dean? What is it you think I haven't shared now?"
"How all this happens for starters. You can't tell me exactly when or where, but you know Sam gets taken to some royal rumble of freaks. Also, why Sam? Why would the demon pick Sam of all people? Did he just go on a blood-letting spree in the early 80s? You get some demon blood, and you get some demon blood, and oh hey! You get some too?" Dean asked his sarcasm displayed clearly throughout the rant.
Kate took in a steadying breath. She was growing more and more frustrated being jammed in the car with him. He was particularly confrontational today and Kate hadn't wanted to deal with it. "Look, it goes back to your mother, Dean." That was all she said. "You really won't believe what I have to say anyway. So, would you please just please trust me when I tell you what I know."
Dean didn't say anything immediately, so Kate could tell he was thinking about her words carefully. He knew she'd been right about everything thus far so he had no reason to believe otherwise.
"Fine, if what you say is true. How do we stop it?" He asked her suddenly.
"We tell Sam." She said bluntly. She saw annoyance flash over his features at her words, but it didn't change the fact that they need to let Sam in on all of this.
He sent her a glare as the car continued passing a cemetery off of the highway they were on, "Fine, but you let me do it, and we wait until after this hunt. You got me?" He asked her.
Kate nodded, but she realized he was waiting for verbal confirmation. "Sure. That's fine." She agreed her arms now crossing over her chest. Silence once again began to permeate the car as Kate just stared out the window.
"So…" She heard from his side, "Was that the only reason?" He questioned. Kate turned to look at him, she could feel her face reddening at the sudden shift back in conversation.
"You feel like sharing why this discussion even matters to you, Dean?" Kate asked defensively with a shrug.
"What? Nothing. Just making conversation." He said with a grin. This is exactly why I wanted to be alone. She begrudgingly thought to herself. She decided then that if he wasn't going to drop then neither would she.
"Really? Cause it sounds to me like it may have bothered you. I mean, you did disappear pretty early this morning. Also, when you came back you didn't seem to be in all that good of a mood, and now? You keep bringing it up. Seems like a touchy subject, if you ask me." Kate said with a head tilt in his direction.
"That ain't got nothing to do with you, trouble," Dean responded with a slight smirk over his mouth as he glanced her way once again.
"Oh yeah? What was it that put you in such a mood then?"
"Slow drivers." He said, "You've heard my road rage. It can get pretty bad." He continued explaining emphasizing the last two words.
Kate was fairly certain that was a lame excuse, but she let it slide. "So, I had a thought…" She began just changing the subject entirely. "I hadn't realized that the hospital was out of town earlier, but… what if Silvia just stayed out of town?" Kate questioned slowly.
She continued at Dean's silence.
"In the show, from what I remember. When you guys go to interview the doctor lady about her wild dog call, she isn't there. A maid answers the door and says she's out of town. She was shown in the tv show to be at some dingy motel, just trying to hide out from the hellhounds."
Dean scoffed, "Well, wherever she is she isn't hidden well enough." His contempt for these particular victims of the case was obvious. Kate knew that it had initially come from his guilt over his dad, but Kate also knew that she had changed that already, so his reasoning couldn't be that.
"Why are you so against saving these people?" She questioned. She hadn't meant to state the thought out loud, but her brain and body seemed to have a disconnect sometimes around Dean Winchester.
"Because they did this to themselves. Each one of them knew what the price was when they called the damn demon-."
"What if not all of them called the demon? All it takes is one domino to fall and then the rest in the lineup come down with it." Kate pressed on. "Demons do this, Dean. It's how they operate. They prey on people, all the time. If there's a secret desire or some type of want, they will do anything they can to exploit it. Not to mention the souls they are promised get sent to hell, and become demons themselves."
Dean hesitated before speaking again, he seemed to try and consider his words before mumbling, "You sound like Sam." with a quick shake of his head. "Can you remember what hotel it was she stayed at?"
Kate paused as she wracked her brain trying to recall anything she could from that episode of the show. She could remember the color red, and the rude manager she dealt with, but the name was coming up as a blank.
"Pull over," Kate said suddenly.
"What? Why?" Dean asked as he looked at her from the road.
"Pull over." She said again. The Impala began to slow down as Dean finally coasted to a stop on a dirt pull-off from the highway.
"What is it?" Dean asked her concerned. Kate pulled her legs up and sat cross-legged on the bench seat in the car. She rested her palms up over her thighs and closed her eyes taking in deep breaths.
"Uhm. What is happening?" Dean questioned after a brief moment of silence.
"Be quiet." She said softly. "I'm trying to meditate."
"Now?" He asked loudly, Kate could hear Dean's hand hit the leather-covered steering wheel at his question. She continued to ignore him and try to meditate with the hope of bringing forth a memory or a vision, anything that would help.
"Oh god, this is ridiculous," Dean muttered under his breath.
"Shut up or we'll be here longer." She said finally looking over at him with what she felt was a pointedly annoyed expression, she heard Dean huff, but he didn't say anything else. Kate began again, closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind.
She started again by focusing on her breathing, and any lingering feelings inward, then she steadily moved her focus outwards, to what was inside the car. Dean's breathing, and the low rumble of the Impala's engine. She moved even further outwards, trying to open herself up as much as she could as per the directions in the book from Gina. She heard the birds outside the car, she could hear a tractor turning over off in the distance presumable in one of the many empty fields they passed.
Kate felt as if a weight had suddenly lifted from within her brain, and she felt lighter all of a sudden, almost weightless. When suddenly things changed, it seemed as though she were soaring through time, or space, flashes of red came rushing through her brain. When that cleared, she could see a pale, dark-haired woman sitting on the second of two single beds. Just as she remembered from the tv show, the woman appeared nervous-biting her nails and her eyes were jumping around the room quickly. She jumped up off the bed as a howl could be heard somewhere nearby. The woman was hesitantly walking closer to the window when a loud growling sounded, and something leaped through it sufficiently shattering the entire window pane. The woman shrieked in fear as she stumbled backward and fell over, she continued to crawl away from the invisible dog, backing right into the nightstand between the beds.
Kate tried hard to focus on the information she needed to get, the woman's screaming and clawing were distracting though. She could see the woman's pant leg as it had in the show magically became shredded and soon she was dragged out of sight. There was a small card on the top of the nightstand that detailed the name of the motel; Baskerville Motel. That was all Kate could see. She gasped, loudly as she almost felt herself falling. She blinked open her eyes, feeling more concrete, and weighted.
"Whoa, hey there… Take it easy," He said softly. "Are you alright?" Kate fumbled for her words as she found herself laid out in Dean's lap. He was leaning over her, one arm holding her to him, while his other hand seemed to be in her hair touching her scalp. A deeply concerned expression overtook his handsome features.
Kate hesitated but, moved to sit up slowly as she resumed her position in the far right portion of the bench seat. She'd felt like she was only out of it for a split second, but according to Dean. It had been more like ten minutes, give or take a couple. He said that she'd passed out, falling over sideways all of a sudden. Dean had moved to hold her up on the bench but she had been thrashing around as if trying to fend something off of her.
"Well, thanks," Kate told him softly after yet another silence.
"What was that?" He questioned, the tone of his voice was much gentler than it had been all morning.
"I- uhm. I was trying to either recall a memory of the show or-or get it in a vision. That book that I showed you from the psychic? It suggested that meditation would help unblock… whatever it is. My… third eye or whatnot? I don't know, it's all still a little too earthy-crunchy for me." She rambled on feeling nervous given how she'd come to.
"I assume from your blacking out that you got one?" Dean asked slowly, his eyes still taking her in, it almost looked as though he was giving her a once-over. Kate nodded not wanting to use her voice just yet. She was still trying to steady her breathing. "You get a hotel name?" He asked.
"Uhm. The Baskerville Hotel?" She asked as the card came to mind again. "And, Dean? We need to get there soon."
She watched as instinct took over, and Dean threw the car into drive before tearing back onto the highway. Within a few minutes of Kate pulling the hotel up on some obscure website via her slow-as-hell Motorola phone Dean and she had arrived.
"You don't happen to know the room number?" He questioned. Kate's eyes looked over his face as her mouth opened, but nothing came to her brain. So she just shook her head in silence. "Right, I'll ask the front desk and see what I can find out."
Kate nodded and watched him enter the office of the hotel as she exited the Impala nabbing the keys from the ignition, she moved towards the trunk quickly tucking her newly acquired angel blade into the waist of her jeans. By now, Kate knew better than to wander off anywhere without a weapon, and one that could basically kill anything seemed good enough to her.
Slamming the trunk shut, she spun around, her eyes now quickly scanning over the place, looking at the line of windows, each covered in matching red curtains. She paused when she found the same face she had seen a few minutes ago in her mind staring back at her through one of the window panes. The woman's wide blue eyes held a terror in them Kate could almost identify with, and she moved as quickly as she could across the vacant lot. She entered from the far entrance and counted the doors she passed in the hallway until she stood before the one she knew to be Silvia's room. She hesitated but knocked on the door gently.
She watched the door crack open, the chain still on from the inside. "Dr. Pearlman?" She asked, keeping her voice docile for the scared woman.
"Who're you?" She snapped. "I already paid for the extra day."
"Yes, I- I'm not here for that," Kate said. Suddenly, Silvia slammed the door shut with a frightened yell.
"Silvia! Please!" Kate cried out as she knocked on the door not as gentle as before. "I'm here to help you! Listen to me, please! I know about the deal you made! I want to see if we can break it!"
The door seemed to pull open again, hesitantly.
"You know?" She asked as one of her eyes came into view through the opening.
Kate nodded, not saying anything as she didn't want to scare the woman away again. "How do I know I can trust you?" She questioned.
Kate opened her mouth, but didn't know how to convince the woman, "You aren't the only person I'm trying to save." Was all Kate told her.
Silvia's eyes widened at her words. Suddenly Kate watched as the door slammed shut only to open again, wide now. "Get your things. My partner and I will take you someplace safe, okay?" She asked. Silvia nodded as she turned to grab her luggage bag off the dresser, but she paused just staring out the window now.
"What is it? What do you hear?" Kate asked as she couldn't hear anything.
"Oh my god!" Silvia screamed as the window Kate had just been looking in through shattered. Kate moved quickly pulling Silvia behind her as she took out the Angel blade, she held it point down as she was certain the dog would be low to the ground before pouncing.
Kate had backed her out of the room slowly, she now stood in the slim open doorway, and Silvia stood at a safe distance in the hallway behind her. Silvia screamed as Kate felt the rush of a sudden wind near her hand. It was warm and heavy. Kate slashed at the air in front of her as she wasn't able to see the hellhound. She felt a sudden burning sensation in her thigh, glancing down she saw her leg slashed open by what seemed like a giant animal claw. Kate grimaced swallowing down her yell of pain. She redoubled her efforts in a wider slash, her arm moving frantically.
"You got it!" Silvia cried out fearful, but her tone held a sudden hope.
"You've gotta tell me where the damn thing is!" Kate hollered back, the pain in her leg causing her some significant discomfort. She'd silently wished she'd had a pair of glasses and some holy oil right now.
"Right there!" She screamed, her arm coming over Kate's shoulder pointing right in front of them. "It's charging at us right now!" Kate knew the move was reckless, but she drove her body forwards, brandishing out the tip of the angel blade. She didn't even give herself time to pray that she hit something, but she could feel the sudden resistance against the blade. She knew quickly that she'd hit the mark she was hoping for. A blackened substance dripped down from midair and splattered over the rug. Kate yanked her angel blade back with considerable effort and pushed the body of the dog back. She straightened up, now standing over a steadily growing black puddle forming over the floor.
"You killed it…" Silvia said, her voice hollow with shock. Kate breathed heavily unable to mentally process what the hell had just happened.
"How the hell did you just do that?" Kate turned at Dean's voice. He stood behind Silvia in the doorway, his face slack with shock.
"I- I knew that the Angel blade worked against the hound, so I brought it in with me. Just in case." Dean's eyes moved over Kate now as he muttered, "Smart."
Kate was suddenly pulled back to herself as she felt the leg of her jeans soaking up the blood from the slash in her thigh. She quickly moved to sit on the foot of the bed, hissing from the sudden pain. With nothing to distract her, and the adrenaline beginning to wane the pain was returning to her twofold now.
Silvia moved wordlessly as she grabbed her duffel and moved to kneel by Kate's extended, and shaking leg. Dean had reacted quickly as well, he moved towards Kate's side as he watched what Silvia was doing. She yanked out what appeared to be a med kit.
"Gimme your belt," Silvia muttered with a glance up at Dean. He moved quickly, not hesitating as Kate felt his hand leave hers. He passed over the belt that he'd just torn from the loops around his hips, Kate smirked slightly at that.
"The thing nicked an artery. Not a major one, thank god." Silvia said as she wrapped Dean's belt around Kate's upper thigh and pulled it tight. Kate groaned, her upper body lurching forwards reacting to the pain. Dean's arms moved around her as he pulled her against him. He shushed her, muttering about how she was going to be okay.
"It's deep. If I don't get this stitched up soon. I can't say what will happen." Silvia said as she tied her hair back, her entire demeanor changed. She went from terrified to stoic in the mere moments it took for Kate to sit on the bed.
"We need to go." Kate said with considerable effort through the pain, "There will be more hellhounds coming." She stared up into Dean's concerned face unsure what to do.
"Can you stitch her up in the back seat of a car?" Dean questioned.
Silvia's face changed, to an expression of outrage, but Kate quickly cut off her protest. "You have any alcohol with you?" Silvia pulled out a small bottle nip bottle.
"It'll have to do," Dean stated, his tone final. "Grab your stuff and let's go. Now." With that Dean picked up Kate and carried her back the way they'd come and out to the backseat of the car. Kate had a sinking feeling that she was going to be cut out of the rest of this hunt.
About 25 minutes later they quickly met up with Sam back at the hotel. Kate's jeans had been cut and torn up over her left thigh, giving the doctor the leeway she'd needed to stitch Kate up on the drive here. Kate's leg was now clean, and neatly wrapped in gauze.
"What the hell happened?" Sam questioned his tone and face both alarmed, as they entered the room
"The hellhound was there. We probably led it right to her. Like idiots." Kate muttered as Dean was helping her to the room. She made a quick mental note that he walked her past Sam's bed, and moved to lower her over his own.
"Where's Silvia?" Sam asked not missing a beat.
Dean nodded towards the door, and Sam turned to find the smaller woman standing in the open doorway, she had a messenger bag draped diagonally over her chest, where she'd kept her doctor's tools. She appeared a bit disheveled as her hands were still smeared with Kate's blood.
"Sinks through there," Dean told the doctor nodding to the bathroom door across the way. "Why don't you clean yourself up a bit?" He suggested. The doctor needed no other excuse for a moment alone and disappeared behind the closed door.
"Dean. What the hell?" Sam asked his voice tight with emotion, as he moved to take in Kate's leg.
"Dude. She took out a freaking hellhound." Dean told him. Kate couldn't tell if Dean was still stunned, impressed, or both, but they hadn't had a chance to talk about it on the drive here seeing as Kate's leg needed to get stitched up.
"What? How?" Sam looked down at Kate his face scrunched in confusion. "How did you manage that?"
Kate huffed, the sharp pain in her leg was now a dull ache, but it was still annoying. She moved to stand up slowly adjusting her stance so that most of her weight was on her good leg.
"The Angel blade. The one my dad took from Uriel. It can kill anything. When I went in to find Silvia, I brought it with me in case I needed it."
"Good thing too," Dean said. "Otherwise you and her would-be doggie chow by now."
Sam sent him a pointed look at his words, but Kate cut him off quickly. "Look, guys. The hellhounds aren't the problem. We need to summon the damn demon already and send the thing back to hell. It can't collect on debts when it's stuck in hell."
"Summon the demon-? Are you nuts?" Sam questioned.
He sent her an uneasy glance before looking over at Dean who already had words forming on his lips. "Why don't we just gank the demon holding all the deals? If your Angel blade could take down a hellhound, I'm sure it can kill a demon." Dean suggested.
"Because it won't just kill the demon," Kate stated, her voice annoyed at even having to explain this. "It will also kill whoever the demon is possessing, whether they're alive or not, don't you remember Pete?" She hesitated at the last part of the statement as she didn't want to bring up the guy she'd killed in Baltimore.
"Look, if that's the case and more hell hounds are coming, with Silvia still being on the demon's hit list, then we need to keep her here where she's safe. You stay here with her, and line the room with this stuff." Sam handed her a darkened velvet bag that was tied closed with some ribbon. She blinked down at the bag before her gaze caught his.
"You went to see George Darrow?" She questioned him quickly.
"I uh-. Yeah, I gathered from the crossroads at the bar that he was the one to last summon the demon. So, I paid him a visit to find out what he knows." He seemed startled that she had gathered much information from the bag in his hand alone, but Kate just nodded as she hefted the weight of the goofer dust in her hand.
"What is that?" Dean asked pointedly staring at the bag.
"Goofer dust." She and Sam answered in unison.
"Huh," Dean said with his mouth half open in surprise. "George knew hoodoo then? No wonder he was able to summon the damn thing."
"I told you these people were just kind of caught in the crosshairs," Kate explained referring to her conversation in the car.
"Yeah, a domino effect. Got it." Dean said shortly. "Look, it's only gettin' later, and later, Sammy. We better do this thing while we still can."
Kate had already started untying the bag in her hand before forming a quick circle in the center of the hotel room. "Go you guys. I got this end of things." Kate mentally wished them luck as they each geared up before heading out the door. The bathroom door opened slowly and Silvia stuck her head out.
"Where did the two men go?" She asked.
"They went to break your contract with the Crossroads demon and save not only you, but the next person whose deal is up," Kate stated. She moved quickly to the door and lined the doorway and the one window the room offered. The bag was left utterly empty just before the other edge of the window so she brushed the dust across gently, trying to create a seal to keep the hellhounds out.
"What is all that?" She heard Silvia's question.
"Goofer dust," Kate told her quickly as she gestured for the doctor to get into the circle. She saw a surprised expression overcome Silvia's features but continued without addressing it. "Look, believe in it or don't, but just stay inside the circle, okay? It's going to prevent the hellhound from getting to you, alright?"
Silvia nodded as she looked around nervously. "You hear that? It's starting again." Kate was quick to grab up the Angel blade.
"No, where?" She asked spinning in a circle as if she'd find some sort of clue.
"Just outside the door," Silvia said. Kate finally saw the door beginning to rattle, Kate quickly stepped into the safety of the circle beside Silvia. "Just make sure you stay where you are, for now." She told her sincerely.
The goofer dust was staying sold against the rattling, but Kate only knew it was a matter of time. She had triple-checked all the entryways and windows, but she had failed to get the window in the bathroom, A shattering sound nearby caused the women to jump looking in that direction.
Kate moved as quickly as she could over the goofer dust, she slammed the bathroom door shut and remained there with her back pressed against it. "N-No! It- It's in here!" Silvia screamed. Guess, the demon didn't want any mess-ups this time, so it sent a better, faster one to collect this soul.
Kate moved quickly brandishing the blade again with a blindness, she was also hindered by her now bum leg. A sudden gust of wind began to blow throughout the hotel room Kate was put on high alert as she still stood by the bathroom door.
"Where is it?" Kate hollered over the wind. Silvia pointed, her finger unmoving from right in between both women. It was obviously here on a mission if it was leaving Kate unscathed. Kate didn't wait though, she reached out slowly while she jerked her arm back and jabbed the air with the blade. Unfortunately, this time Kate wasn't so lucky, and the stab wound to the hound wasn't fatal. Kate knew it by the sudden burning sensation in her side. It wasn't a slash this time though, the hound had bitten her. She cried out in pain and made another move to stab the damn creature, but the hound dragged her with it slamming her back against the wall behind her. The Angel blade was sufficiently knocked out of her hand and it rolled across the floor.
Kate watched as the gusts of wind continued to whip around, as the hound seemingly dropped her bloodied body and turned back towards Silvia again. "The circle's going to break! Get in the bathroom!" Kate yelled. Silvia however, did something Kate was surprised by. She slashed at the air, presumably where the hellhound was. Kate guessed that she'd hit it because the rug became splattered with the same black substance that Kate had seen earlier.
Silvia raced her way and pulled Kate up from the floor before she barricaded them in the small bathroom of the motel. Silvia slammed her body against the doorway as she fought the force of the weakened hound from coming in. All of a sudden everything seemed to stop and silence rang throughout the room. After a few moments, Silvia slumped against the door breathing heavily. Kate meanwhile laid back on the tiled bathroom floor.
"They did it." Kate said breathlessly, "It should be over now."
"You gonna need me to look at that wound on your side?" Silvia asked as she came into Kate's view from above. Kate nodded as she began pulling her shirt up enough for her to see the bite marks. "Lucky for you, this one won't require stitches."
Kate heard her phone ring from the other room, and Silvia opened the door to grab it, however. A large figure of a man stood in the doorway, he had light blonde hair and should have had blue eyes, but Kate noted that the color shining back at them was pitch black in the fluorescent bathroom lights. The scar just under his hairline is what gave away who he was.
She recognized him from what should be the up-and-coming hunt, involving the Coatoan virus. Kate shouted out a, 'No!' as she watched the guy slice Silvia's throat clean through. Blood had splattered everywhere outside the bathroom doorway. Silvia's choking sounds were the loudest thing to Kate's ears as she had to listen to the woman bleed out. The tall blonde man reached in and grabbed Kate around the ankle. She swiped at the angel blade to use as a weapon, but her hands were slick with the blood from her own wound. He continued wordlessly, dragging her out of the bathroom on her back she made an attempt to grip the doorway, but the demon possessed a strength that far surpassed her own. He dropped her good leg before turning around and yanking her up by the neck of her shirt. Kate braced herself for pain when his arm cocked back before landing a solid punch on her face, the entire room spun before going dark.
