CHAPTER 10
When we got back to Reverend Jim's house, it was too quiet. It was just after dusk, but all the lights were off inside. This house was never dark and for the first time since getting back, I felt the cold hand of fear wrap around my throat and squeeze, nearly cutting off all my air. I got out of the Impala, drawing my gun, and ran to the door, panic rising in me. Lucius never said what happened to Garth and Bess. They were my pack! If anything happened to them, I don't...
"Shit!" My train of thought was cut off when I turned the knob and it was unlocked. They NEVER left this door unlocked. NEVER! I pushed the door open and cringed when it squeaked loudly on it's hinges. The smell of blood was over powering and I had to swallow down the urge to let my Alpha take control. I reached up with a shaking hand and flipped on the light switch next to the front door. Sam ran up behind me and the noise he made when he looked over my shoulder into the living room, was like the air being slowly let out of a balloon.
"Fuck, Dean...", Sam croaked. I couldn't speak. My brain had suddenly switched off for a second and I couldn't even remember how to form words. There was blood everywhere. On the walls, carpet, furniture... It was even on the ceiling. Reverend Jim's mangled body lay in the middle of the room, his face turned toward me. His dead, unseeing eyes stared up at me accusingly. He had claw marks and bites all over his body, with chunks missing in places. His throat was torn out and his chest had a hole punched into it. I stepped up to the body without even thinking (like my body was on autopilot) and looked down into the gaping hole to find that his heart had been wrenched out. I closed my eyes for a moment to center myself and then turned to face my brother. Sam's face was pale and he was staring down at the lifeless body of a friend. I wasn't sure if Sam really understood what "pack" meant, but I knew that, like Garth, Sam considered him family.
"Sam", I said softly, but he didn't seem to hear me or even realize that I was there. "SAM!" His eyes jerked up to meet mine and they were as wide as dinner plates.
"HUH?!"
"We gotta find Garth and Bess." I stalked passed him and into the dinning room and Sam followed close behind. He ran into me when I stopped suddenly at the sight waiting for us there. Rev. Jim's heart was sitting in the middle of the dinning table in the crystal bowl that usually held dried rose petals. Bess loved roses. The flower petals had been strewn across the table, making it look like some sort of sacrifice. Maybe it was.
"This guy is one sick fuck!", Sam said, the disgust clear in his tone.
"GARTH!", I shouted, making Sam jump. "BESS!" When I heard a muffled banging coming from the kitchen, I knew where they were. I took off at a sprint into the kitchen and stopped in front of the door to the basement. It was made of 3 inch thick steel and had heavy-duty iron deadbolts running the whole length of the door. They used it for werewolves that had trouble controlling themselves during the full moon. I started pulling back the locks as quickly as I could and heaved the door back. Bess was sitting at the top of the stairs while Garth lay across the step with his head in Bess' lap. He was conscious, but just barely.
"OH, GOD! GARTH!", I growled. "YOU OK, MAN?!" I crouched down next to them and looked him over. He was covered in deep claw marks and he was pale and shivering.
"I... I think he'll be ok, Dean", Bess whispered. "He just needs more time to heal." She looked passed me into the kitchen searching the room frantically. "Dean? Where... where's my father?" She looked back at me with pleading eyes and I had to look away. "Dean?"
"I'm sorry... Bess", I said, my voice sounding gruff to me. She stifled a sob and when I look back up at her she had her eyes closed, trying hard not to cry.
"He... he caught us c-completely by s-surprise", Bess stammered weakly. "I'm so sorry, Dean!"
"Hey, no! Bess, this is not your fault, ok?" She just nodded without looking at me. "How did you get locked in the basement?"
"There... there was a knock on the door... Garth answered it. He didn't even get the door opened all the way before it was shoved open and this wild, vicious Alpha started slashing at Garth. He never had time to react! If it wasn't for my f..." She couldn't bring herself to finish what she was saying.
"Your dad locked you down here?" She nodded and wiped her her nose on the back of her hand.
"We don't even know what he wanted", Bess whined.
"I do", I growled angrily. "He wanted Lydia." Bess gasped and her hand flew up to cover her mouth.
"I'm s-sorry, Dean", a weak voice breathed from Bess' lap. I looked down and Garth was looking up with me with red, watery eyes. "I n-never should have opened the d-door. I..."
"No, man!", I groaned. "None of this is on you. This is my fault. I should have seen this coming!"
"No, Dean. This isn't your fault either." I felt my brother's hand squeeze my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "The only one at fault here is that son of a bitch, Lucius."
"Who is he?", Bess whispered. "How did he know about Lydia?"
"That's a long story", I sighed. "But first we gotta get Garth to a bed. Sam, can you take Garth to his room? I need to talk to Bess for a minute."
"Yeah. Sure thing, Dean." Sam lifted Garth easily into his arms, bridal style and carried him out of the kitchen.
"Now, Bess...", I whispered crouching beside her again. "I'm gonna blindfold you and lead you upstairs. I don't want you to peak, ok?" The tears started then and a desperate sob poured out of her. "Hey." I put a finger under her chin to make her look at me. "Do you trust me?" She nodded as she continued to pour out her grief. "You don't want to remember him like that." I polled the bandana out of my back pocket and tied it over her eyes. "You just need to take care of Garth, ok? Sam and I will take care of everything else."
"Ok", Bess whimpered. I pulled her to her feet and led her through the house. She started shaking as we walked through the dining room and I knew she could smell the blood. "Dean!", she croaked. "I... I can smell..."
"Just keep walking, Bess", I cut in. "You're doing great. We're almost there." We made it out of the dining room and into the living room and a pitiful moan poured out of her mouth as she walked into the same room where her father was lying dead. She seemed to sense that he was there. I turned her toward the stairs quickly and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Ok, we're at the stairs now, Bess. Take it nice and slow." We began to ascend the stairs together and I could hear her panting harder and harder with every step we took. "Almost there, Sweetheart. 2 more steps." When we reached the top, Bess let out a heavy sigh and turned toward her room. Without warning she took off at a dead sprint, ripping the blindfold off as she went. I couldn't blame her.
I wanted to run away too.
