Chapter Fifteen
Handcuffed to one of the desk's in the Sheriffs office Sam could hear Jane's desperate cries from the cell block beyond. Being locked up wasn't doing anything for her mental state, especially one that was as fragile as hers. His own mental state wasn't all that happy either.
Getting himself and Jane captured by the Deputy and his men wasn't part of the plan and though he felt a little foolish at being caught he knew that fighting back against them would have been more than foolhardy. Sometimes giving in was the best plan of attack. Especially when up against more than one opponent.
Didn't mean he had like to though.
Jane on the other hand had surprised him. Storming out of the bathroom like some kind of Amazon warrior, brave and fearless, makeshift weapons in hand. But in the end even she had seen the foolhardiness of it when faced with a man with a gun. Especially when the gun had been pointed directly at Sam's head.
Outgunned and outnumbered she had done the sensible thing and had surrendered. Quietly and without any fuss or hysterics. That too had surprised him.
The quiet dignity that she had shown and it made him realise how little they knew of the woman she had been before the hunting life had taken its toll.
Still that was the least of his concerns at this particular moment, handcuffed as he was and with nothing on him other than the clothes on his back. The Deputy for all his arrogance had been thorough when he had searched him, taking anything and everything that Sam had carried on his person.
The sound of voices broke through his thoughts, causing him to twist in his chair to look in their direction.
A woman had arrived. Young and pretty and looking like every man's fantasy farm girl, blonde pigtails swinging as she walked, a large wicker basket in one hand. She looked vaguely familiar but Sam couldn't quite place where he recognised her from.
The Deputy though was obviously pleased to see her. "Something sure smells good," he said.
"I thought you might like something to eat." The girl looked over at Sam, giving him a warm, wide smile. "Maybe your prisoner would like something too?"
The smile from the Deputy's face fell as he glanced over at Sam, his face like granite, gaze hard and unyielding. "He gets nothing," he said, holding Sam in his sights for a few seconds longer. Turning his attention back to the girl he smiled once again, all charm and confidence "But I'll definitely have what you'll offering."
The girl's smile flicked from Sam back to the Deputy, her eyes all doe-eyed as she twirled one of her pigtails, her finger swirling around and around it before giving it a gentle tug. "How about I set everything out back in the break room?"
She leaned forward ever so slightly as she jiggled, her t-shirt dipping down low with the movement, offering the Deputy a tantalizing glimpse of smooth skin and the gentle swell of breasts.
"Here, let me take that," said the Deputy, taking the heavy laden basket from her hand, "Lead the way."
"Great." She glanced once again over at Sam as if she suddenly remembered he was still there, biting down on her bottom lip. "Will it be okay to leave him on his own?"
The Deputy barely gave Sam a glance this time, keeping most of his attention on the young woman in front of him. "Don't you worry about him Casey. He's not going anywhere. Are you Marshall?"
Sam pulled up his handcuffed hand as far as could in reply, giving it a brief shake, making it obvious that he was chained and locked up and not going anywhere in a hurry.
SN*SN*SN
Basket in hand the Deputy forgot all about the handcuffed Marshall, enjoying instead the much more appealing view of the denim clad ass that was sashaying in front on him.
Casey was definitely the kind of girl who could make all you troubles disappear. Sexy as hell and just the right side of legal and a damn fine cook, going by the aroma that was currently drifting from the basket he carried.
He had a feeling his day was only going to get better. Both for his stomach and for his love life.
Either way he was a happy man.
It was no surprise then that he never saw it coming. Or that if he did, just for the barest briefest of moments register that he was about to die, that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to prevent it. Or that his final thought wasn't of a sexy, pretty girl but of monsters and things that shouldn't exist but did.
SN*SN*SN
With the Deputy gone Sam scanned his immediate vicinity for something he could use to unpick the lock, but the only things within reach were some post-it notes, a lined pad, and a desk lamp. None of which were of any help to him.
The stapler however might be, if he could just reach it.
He wiggled in his chair leaning as far as he could but the object of his possible release remained tantalizing just out of reach and no amount of stretching or wiggling were going to help get him any closer.
"Damnit."
The word slipped from his mouth in frustration. Relaxing once again he tugged at the handcuffs which only caused them to dig and rub at his wrists even further.
Giving up, he let his body sag, knowing it was no use to continue to fight. At least not at the moment. And not without a plan.
How he was going to get out of this he had no idea. But get out he needed to. His brother and Bobby were out there laying a trap. A trap that might or might not work. And whatever happened with that he needed to be ready when they called.
Jane of course was another matter entirely.
She might be quiet now. Had in fact been quiet for the past several minutes, Sam realised, which in itself was kind of worrying. Sitting up straighter he looked around the room, listening. Stone cold silence greeted him.
There's is no way that is good thing
He tried not to dwell on it but the thought was there and In his experience moments of silence were when bad things happened.
Night was also well and truly here and that was an even less comforting thought because that was when the things they hunted tended to come and out and considering he was now the one being hunted it didn't bode well to be sitting chained up in a room as if he was one big happy meal waiting to be snacked on.
Now that really wasn't a pleasant thought.
SN*SN*SN
Jane stared at the girl standing just a few feet away from the cell door. She recognised her of course. After living in a town this size you got to know who was who even if it was just the familiarity of their face. And this face was very familiar.
The girl who only seconds ago had been with the Deputy, continued standing there, a set of keys jiggling in her hands, smiling a smile that wasn't really a smile but something much much worse.
Fear replaced recognition and in an instant Jane was on her feet and backing away from the bed she had been siting on towards the farthest wall.
The girl smiled even more, tilting her head to one side. "Ah. And now you see. Took you long enough."
Jane glared at her, face filled with sickening fury and disgust. "You were… you were Amy's friend."
With a roll of her eyes and a loud sigh Casey stepped forward, "Hunter's. Why anyone thinks you're so smart I have no idea. Still at least we can have some fun."
Jane looked on, heart racing, eyes wide as Casey slowly and carefully unlocked the cell door. With her body pressed against the cell wall there was nowhere for Jane to go.
She knew it.
And the Harpy knew it.
And despite its girlish appearance it had the advantage in every way.
Even so there was no way Jane wasn't going to go to her almost certain death without a fight. Even if the fight was probably going to be over in seconds. Especially once it turned into its true form.
But for now it was still a girl.
Jane made a move to rush forward but that moment of brief hesitation she had taken just seconds earlier had given the Harpy all the time it needed to be prepared. And prepared it was, swiftly leaping backwards, one of its hands quickly changing and shifting. Part human, part bird like talon, fingers and nails elongated and razor sharp, skin a sickly grayish white.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Can't have you spoiling all our fun," it said, inhuman hand pointing sternly at Jane.
Stopping sharply in her tracks, Jane went still, waiting and watching.
The Harpy stared at her smiling even more before it spun around and disappeared down the corridor with almost supernatural speed.
Jane dashed over to the open cell door but the Harpy was gone just as suddenly and surprisingly as it had appeared, leaving Jane standing there in confusion, anger and fear.
SN*SN*SN
Sam knew even before the lights went out that something bad was about to happen. Mostly because something bad always happened. Especially when your last name was Winchester and you were chained in handcuffs with no easy means of escape or weapons nearby.
The lights switching off plunging the building into darkness only confirmed it.
"Crap."
Sam moved against his restraints, leaning far to one side as far as he could, trying to get the chair he was sitting on to lean over with him, balancing itself on two legs as he stretched out with his free hand towards the stapler while his trapped hand strained hard against the metal of the handcuffs.
"Sam."
The whispered sound of his name, threw him, causing him to stop and twist around in alarm, adrenaline kicking up a notch as he righted himself.
"Jane," he said, letting out a sigh, relaxing a little at the sight of her. "Am I glad to see you."
He nodded in the direction of the other desks, going into action, ignoring for now the paleness of her skin and want looked like a damp patch of blood on the side of her forehead. "Get the keys. They'll be in one of those drawers."
Going over to the desks Jane quickly searched one, then the other, violently pulling out drawers and running her hands over their contents. Frantically searching the sound of childlike giggling rang out in the office. Jane paused and looked up, glancing over at Sam with worried eyes.
"Hurry," he said, his voice surprisingly firm and calm.
Without hesitation she carried on searching, her hand finally glancing over a small set of keys. Grasping them tightly she went to Sam and tried to undo the handcuffs that held him in place, her fingers stumbling with them as giggling, feminine and girlish echoed throughout the room, taunting in its glee.
She tried again, focusing her concentration on the task and shutting out the fear that pulled at her. This time her hands remained steady as she slid the key into the lock. With a twist she had then undone.
Finally free Sam stood up, rubbing at the vivid red marks on his wrist from where the handcuffs had strained and rubbed The giggling sounded out again, closer this time though it was impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from.
Casting a fugitive glance behind her, Jane tugged hard on Sam's shirt sleeve, her fingers frantic as she took a small step backwards, trying to get him to follow her. "Sam. We need to go. We need to go, now."
"Jane. It's okay
She tugged at his shirt again. Harder than before. Her grip firm against the soft material. Eyes wide she violently shook her head from side to side. "Harpies."
At this Sam paused, seeing determination, a firmness of manner in her face that made him realise that these weren't just panicked words brought about fear. As the meaning of what she had just said sank in, the pit of his stomach fell. "There's more than one. Isn't there?"
She nodded, the firm grip she had on his arm remaining.
"Shit."
He picked up his gun, taking it out of the desk draw that the deputy had placed in it and tucked it into the back of his jeans. "Stay close."
