Chapter 28
Adam stood up with an angry huff. He couldn't help but think about DJ. Maybe , he had been a little rude to the kid. But it wasn't his responsibility to look after DJ when both Sam and Dean were busy with their work. Or in Sam's case , getting their beauty sleep. He thought bitterly. He didn't mind playing with DJ but sometimes it sucks. Like how could you play catch with a four year old who didn't even knew how to throw a damn ball properly. DJ cannot throw the ball more than a few feet and everytime he has to go pick up the ball and hand it to the kid. It was frustrating. The kid didn't even knew how to catch for godsakes. The two most important things in a game of catch are obviously throw and catch and the kid sucks at both of them.
Maybe he did the right thing. Now , the kid wouldn't bother him to play with him anymore. Adam smirked but it quickly turned to a frown when he felt nothing except complete silence around him. It was a first. And to be truthful a little unsettling. He knew Sam was asleep and Dean was working in the garage. But even then it was never quiet in the Winchester's household , DJ always makes sure of that. The kid is like a little ball of energy. Okay , now he was getting worried about DJ. He walked away from the tyre swing at the end of the property and looked around straining his ears to hear any sound of the kid. He was getting anxious with each passing moment. Dean would have his hide if anything happened to DJ. Hell , he wouldn't be able to forgive himself like ever. He quickened his pace when nothing but unwanted silence greeted him. He entered the house as quietly as he could because the last thing he needed was for Sam to wake up , and looked around for DJ. He made his way to DJ's room hoping like hell the kid was there playing quietly with his favourite stuffed dog Max like he always does but the room was empty. In a desperate attempt to find DJ , he even checked every corner of their house but didn't find DJ anywhere. There was no sign of the kid. He was now not only anxious but freaking terrified.
Suddenly , a sick thought occurred to him and without even realising what he was doing , he ran at lighting speed towards the fenced gate of their property. He looked around but there was no sign of the kid. He ran his hand through his hair and spun in a circle at a loss of what to do. With a deep breath , he walked out. "DJ ….DJ , come on , man." He called out desperately hoping to see the familiar little brown mope of hair. "God , please be okay. Please be okay." He was repeating it like a mantra in his head like if he could just wish it hard enough it would be true. "Please , kid. I would play anything with you for however long you want. Just please come back." He wiped a stray tear rolling down his cheek and took a deep shuddering breath. It wasn't time to cry. He would find the kid first.
He tried to calm his emotions to think clearly. To his right and left , there was just the vacant land with very few trees scattered around it. And in front is the road which leads to the town. He looked up at the sky and whispered, "Please mom. Help me." He opened his eyes and made a decision , and turned towards right.
Adam had just entered the vacant land when he heard crunching sounds coming from behind the big old tree in the front. It was as if someone was jumping on dry leaves and crunching them. With wishing for all he was worth that it was DJ behind the tree , he ran. And sure enough , there was the kid jumping and throwing what looked like stones at the tree. But in that moment , Adam didn't think any of that , he practically bounced towards DJ and scooped him up in a big hug. He squeezed his eyes shut and hugged the kid tightly to his chest. He could feel DJ squirming in his arms but he didn't let go. After releasing a deep breath he put the kid down and gave him a thorough once over to look for any sign of injuries and when he found none , he sagged in relief. And then he remembered.
"What the hell are you doing on your own out here ?" He demanded glaring at the kid.
"You said a bad word." DJ pointed out as if Adam really cared about swearing in that moment. The kid was always looking for a way to get some money for his swear jar. For a four year old , the kid could be really business minded. Adam shook his head to focus on the situation at hand.
"Not important. You know how worried I was ?. What if something had happened to you ?"
"You threw my ball. You're mean." DJ didn't bother to answer any of his questions and instead stomped his foot and glared at him and pointed towards the tree and sure enough Adam could see the kid's ball stuck between the top branches of the tree. He felt a wave of guilt washing over him. While he was busy giving himself a mental beatdown , DJ was collecting stones to throw them at his ball so that it could somehow fall down. But it didn't look like it would happen. The tree was a good height and while the kid was trying his hardest but still he wasn't able to throw the stones that far. And the last thing Adam needed in that moment was for DJ to get hurt from a misthrow. He sighed and took a hold of DJ's wrist.
"I am sorry kiddo. I shouldn't have done that." He said softly. "It is stuck pretty bad. Throwing stones at it wouldn't help." DJ's face fell at that. The kid looked down and kicked away at the stones he has collected at his feet to throw them at the tree.
"I promise you that I would buy you a new one from my pocket money. Okay ?" Adam nudged DJ's shoulder and when the kid looked at him he smiled.
"Really ? And you will play with me ?" DJ asked dubiously but with obvious hope on his little face. And Adam couldn't deny the kid anything with that look. Besides , he was to be blamed for all this. So he nodded. He was so relieved to have the kid back with him all safe and sound that he would do anything. DJ let out a squeal and hugged him. And just like that Adam knew he was forgiven. Maybe little kids weren't that bad. They may give you heartattack from time to time but they were fairly easy to deal with. For one they hold no grudges.
"Alright , lets go home." Adam took DJ's hand in his and didn't let go until they were well inside their property. He needed the contact to assure himself that the kid was fine.
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'Ping'
'Ping'
Dean sighed before rubbing his hands clean with a rag cloth tucked in front of his jeans as he glared at Adam's phone lying on the table in the corner. He had come to hate this annoying 'Ping' sound. It was like the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes that the kid's phone had beeped. He was a businessman who dealt with customers on a daily basis and even then he didn't get that many messages. After another annoying 'Ping' , he stomped towards Adam's phone and picked it up. He was about to switch it off when he thought to check just what kind of messages Adam was getting. He could practically hear Sam's voice laced with disapproval inside his head , 'Dean , you shouldn't do that. Its like violating the kid's privacy.'
But Adam was their little brother and it was their responsibility to make sure that the kid wasn't getting himself in any trouble. The kid was twelve and for Dean , twelve years old kids don't have privacy. And nowadays , if you want to know a person then check their mobile phones. Besides , he may be not as good with technology as Sam was , his interaction on internet was limited to Busty Asian Beauties and a little Facebook and Instagram but even he knew Internet wasn't that safe. He unlocked the kid's phone which was easy since the password was Adam's birthday. He would give the kid advise to change his password to a strong one but it would only happen when Adam is like twenty or something. For now though , this password was perfectly okay.
He looked through the notifications but not before putting the damn thing on silent because god knew he couldn't stomach another annoying beep. Once he was satisfied that Adam wasn't planning to join any online terrorist group nor he was selling drugs online. He turned the phone off but not before doing one last thing. He sent himself a facebook friend request from Adam and also an Instagram follow request. He was sort of hurt to see Sam in the kid's friends list both on Facebook and Instagram and not him too. He made a mental note to ask Adam about it and yell at Sam for not bothering to tell him. He didn't like the kid being on social media at such a young age but then who wasn't nowadays. Hell , yesterday he saw a fanpage of an actor's newborn. Besides , he knew how to pick his battles. It wasn't like he didn't trust Adam but little precaution wouldn't hurt.
Before he knew it was already half hour past twelve which means it was time for lunch. He made his way out of the garage and looked around for the kids. He didn't hear anything. He frowned. He thought he had made it clear that he wanted them to play some physical sport but apparently not. He shook his head and went inside. But when he found the house completely silent then he began to worry.
"Adam …DJ." He called out while searching for the kids. See , there weren't many moments in Dean Winchester's life in which he found himself scared but this moment wasn't one of them. He was losing his mind. He had checked the whole freaking house. But the kids were no where.
"Dean ?" Sam came out from his room. His eyes sleepy and his hair mussed. He had woken up from Dean's yelling. His mind was still foggy from his much needed nap. But one look at Dean's face jolt him awake. Dean was looking scared. It was a foreign look on his brother's face and seeing that look made Sam's own heartbeat raise.
"I cannot find the kids anywhere."
"What ?" Sam asked stupidly. He couldn't believe that. What did Dean meant he couldn't find the kids anywhere.
"You got a hearing problem. They are not here , damnit. And I don't know where they are." Dean yelled at him , running his fingers frantically through his hair. He should have checked at them. Why didn't he do that ?.
"They must be here somewhere , Dean." Sam said and it sounded stupid to even him. If Dean is saying he cannot find the kids anywhere then it surely means they are not here. But where could they be. Sam was losing his mind too. He didn't know what to say or what to do. Could someone kidnap them ?. No , that's ridiculous. But where were they ?.
"They are not here. I am going out to look for them. I shouldn't have left them alone in the first place. All my fault. My fault." Dean bit out. His face was a mixture of pure panic and fury. He was blaming himself by muttering 'my fault' again and again under his breath.
If Sam wasn't sick with worry himself , he would have assured Dean that it wasn't his fault. But as it was , he couldn't think straight. He numbly nodded and followed Dean out.
And then they saw them. Adam and DJ entering the fenced gate.
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