Daughter of Cain

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural

Chapter 21: The Things We Carried

Vivian's POV

The following days have been awkward, to say the least. Even though I had stayed with the Winchesters before, something just felt off, especially with Dean and me. I was unsure what it was, but we tried to make it work. Even though some would say it is wrong to be roommates with your father's killer. However, Dean had no choice; it was out of self-defense and to protect a tenth of the human population. Followed by Cain provoking him. I cannot blame Dean for Cain's actions. And yet, the guilt was written on his face.

But we managed.

I will stay with the Winchesters until sorting out the Mark of Cain. It is the least I can do. Once we find a way to neutralize it, then I'll be gone. Yes, I had formed a friendship with the Winchesters, but I was a Cambion. They need to move forward while I move at a slower pace.

Sam and Castiel were determined to get rid of the Mark of Cain. Over the last few weeks, Sam has been going nonstop in research. I would mainly find Sam in the library reading early biblical documentation that the Men of Letters had recorded. If it was not in the library, Sam was doing research online. Meanwhile, Castiel was somewhere in the States, either doing his research or ensuring the First Blade was hidden.

As for Dean…. he was moving on.

The motivation he had was gone. It was like he had accepted his fate. Only time will tell. If that is what Dean wanted, then I will be there. I had to make sure he didn't die. If he were to die again, he would trigger the curse that would turn him into a demon. A 'Deamon' has a vendetta against me.

I don't have to be here. I don't have to get involved. Hell, I could just leave and travel around the world. Visit Asia and live with the natives. Thailand seems interesting, or Bali. Or even Europe in Italy. Explore the world, starting over once again. However, that wasn't me. Not yet.

But I was tired of this. Cain made things difficult by burning those journals. I asked him so we could find clues that he might have missed. Now, I only had three journals that focused on the life he had with Colette and me. His version of family videos. Yet I couldn't read them. The amount of betrayal was too much.

Castiel and Dean tried to explain Cain's actions. Since I was placed in a curse that puts the victim in a sleep-like death. That Cain intended to resurrect me again. As if I will be the only surviving descendant from him. Yet when I close my eyes, I get these nightmares of Cain stabbing me in the chest. Over and over, these nightmares repeat themselves, and I barely get a few hours of sleep. Mainly waking up in violent gasp or scream before curling into a ball and sobbing.

Most of the time, I am silent. Although, with my room close to Dean's with his insomnia, he could hear me. Not long after waking up from the nightmare, Dean would be there. If I scream, he is barging in. But when I cried, he would knock on the door, asking me to come in. In my distress, I don't recall letting him in, yet the bond I have with the mark gives him the sense to do so.

Therefore, Dean would come in and sit on the bed. As he takes my hand or rubs my back. If the nightmare is severe, I hug him and drag him down. Nothing else happens, just holding each other. The bond from the mark drives us closer, yet we set boundaries.

I wasn't the only one who suffered from nightmares. Dean shared his demons, as he would have nightmares screaming out for Sam, Castiel, or me. Being the closest, I would be there in a matter of moments. Being a heavy sleeper, Dean took time to wake as he tossed in turn shouting for help. Occasionally, the mark glows dimly, only to go out when I grab his hand. Slowly, Dean will calm down from his nightmare back to oblivion or wake up. Sam would come in, gun ready, believing he was being attacked. The moment Sam realized what was going on, he frowned.

Only nightmares are our own personal enemies.

Once the nightmares pass, we never talk about it.

No doubt Dean has nightmares of being a demon again with the bloodlust or Cain.

The same as me on being attacked by Cain.

In the end, we don't talk about it.

Only moving on with the things we carry.

.o0o.

I was in the kitchen doing a deep clean. I was not productive in the research department since my eyes were getting tired of reading texts written in different languages. Sam liked to take advantage of my ability to read and speak other languages; then again, I spent a hundred years of my life traveling, and learning a language is one way to pass the time. However, my motivation to read was limited.

Therefore, I was in the kitchen, cleaning the counters and organizing the pantry. When I returned from grocery shopping, I noticed some neglect, hence my hyper-fixation of cleaning. Followed by meal prep. The Winchesters enjoy my cooking, though Dean would step in to cook a burger, and I must say he sure does have some skills when it comes to making a burger.

I thought about what to make for dinner as I was prepping lunch. A pasta dish, or meat and potatoes. I was still debating on the menu when Dean came in with a laptop. He nodded his head, setting the device down before going to the fridge to pull out a beer.

"What are you making?" he asked as he came over to the counter.

"Some BLT," I answered.

"Hmm, my kind of sandwich," he replied before taking a swig of beer. Then, he noticed how clean the kitchen was. "This place is more sterile than a hospital."

I snorted, "Thanks."

He gave his signature grin, making his way over to make his sandwich.

"Where's Sam?" I asked.

Dean sighed, "In the library doing his research."

I only nodded. Not wanting to bother Sam. Dean and I sat at the table, eating our lunch. Though Dean was mainly focused on his laptop. No doubt, he is doing his research on a possible hunt. Hunting and helping people keep him sane at the moment.

After a while, Dean turned the laptop, showing it to me.

A murder in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Army Private's Body Found, as the title read. In which the female victim was strung upside down with her throat slit. Based on reports of the body drained of blood and marrow around the neck region. One would have thought it was an act of a serial killer. Yet the body's drain of blood and marrow doesn't say so. Especially when the victim is a skilled soldier in Krav Maga and Jiu-Jitsu.

"What do you think?" Dean asked as I read the article.

I paused, going over the signs that were given. "Could be a vampire."

"Vampires don't go for marrow," he reminded me.

"Well, it doesn't sound demonic since the article says there was no other damage than a slit throat," I said. "Unless a demon is using the blood for a goblet to communicate."

Dean nodded in agreement.

"I doubt it is witchcraft since the person would have butchered the victim to get the marrow," I added.

Dean took that into consideration. "So, what do you think?"

I thought about it, "It sounds like a monster. One that feasts on blood and other bodily fluids."

"Ever heard of any monster that goes for marrow?" he asked.

I shook my head, "None that I can think from the top of my head. I'll do some research while you and Sam work on the case."

"You don't have to," he said.

"It's alright, I'm now invested," I assured.

"You can always tag along," he offered.

"That's kind of ya, but I'm not in the mood to hunt," I said. "Also, I would like to enjoy that bathtub in peace."

Dean snorted at that. The bathroom situation was a bit hectic. No one slept adequately. I'll give the Men of Letter credit regarding the bathroom. It is very luxurious with the bathtub and the assortment of discontinued vintage products. Unfortunately, the bathtub is not secluded like the showers. So, I texted the boys to let them know that the bathroom was indisposed and to use the half baths. Yet the guys wandered, forgetting the message, while I was naked, trying to relax.

Sam being utterly red was quite amusing. He ran out of the room and wouldn't look at me for a day or two.

Dean, on the other hand, was a different story. He seemed intrigued yet tried to be respectful as he turned around, apologized, and stormed off.

"Well, you better go tell Sam," I said as I got up to pick up the dishes.

"I can do that," Dean said.

I gave him a small smile, "I know. But I got it."

Dean sighed but nodded as he grabbed his laptop and went to tell Sam of a possible hunt. It is nice to have a break from the Winchesters. As much as I appreciate their hospitality. Although, this would be considered a scandal in the nineteenth century.

Anyway, Dean managed to convince Sam to go on the case. I had packed them some sandwiches and snacks, which Dean was excited about. Afterwards, they headed off the next day. Once alone, I spent the time relaxing while going over the archives to see what creature could consume blood and marrow.

With blood, it would be easy to assume it was a vampire. However, the marrow part canceled that theory. I reviewed the list, wondering if Grandma Eve created a monster without telling anyone. The thought of Eve caused me to sighed sadly. She wanted to restore the order between man and beast, and Crowley and Castiel had to mess with it. They pushed her to her limit to claim all life as hers, and the Winchesters had to stop her.

When I met her, I hoped her goal would suffice and she would be a part of my life. I grew up with only a father. No one else. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Needing to clear my head, I went to the bathroom and started a bath. I added bath salts and oils and lit a few candles. Stripping and getting in, I meditated, listening to the sounds of the candle flames flickering.

Nothing but utter silence.

Until there was a whisper.

The whispers had returned in the indescribable language. It sounded Enochian, more defined as being a crisper yet raspy female voice. I couldn't make out what it was saying. Only the word brother. Until another word I managed to translate could be heard. Traitor.

Brother

Traitor

Out.

I snapped my eyes open to see the water in the bath had become black.

The black water was stagnant. I just stared at it, feeling the anxiety build, yet I did not let it have control over me again. I unleash my form as the markings appear over my body.

I reached for my phone and texted Dean.

How's the drive?

I set the phone down, knowing Dean prefers to drive. Last, I recall, it would be a twenty-hour drive, and it has only been a few hours.

I cupped the black water to examine it, seeing it was like ink in water swirling around until it was mixed.

Either the mark is calling to me, or there is more to this episode that any of us can understand.

.o0o.

Dean had responded, saying the drive was going well. He asked how I was doing, yet I lied, saying I was still going through the archives on monsters that consume blood, marrow, and other bodily fluids. The Winchesters are not aware of my episodes. These strange encounters I have with a voice and this dark liquid.

Only Cain knew about it, and I will keep it that way until I know for sure what is going on.

Dean did not mention anything else. Then again, Dean was not telling anyone how he was truly doing. He was masking, as I put it. Afraid, but not showing it and trying to keep moving forward. Only time will tell before the mark thirst for blood.

.o0o.

I was going over an encyclopedia on monsters that consume human blood. Sometimes, I wonder if the Men of Letters ever had an actual hobby other than research. At least the American Chapter. I know there are different branches of the Men of Letters worldwide. Especially going through the archives and discovering the British Chapter. Now, I could put a name to the people who attacked me in England and Wales back in the day.

I sighed, turning the page to read about Mandurugo, a blood drinker from the Philippines who uses her long bard tongue to suck on her victim's blood. At first, I was convinced until I reached the part where these beautiful monsters prefer men.

Well, it can't be them since the victim was a woman.

"Eve, why did you make so many monsters," I grumbled.

I turned the page and continued to look at other monsters.

Time seemed to vanish as I continued to read about blood drinkers until I got to the Middle Eastern section. At this point, I was skim reading, barely taking in about some sort of parasite that was used during the Crusades. A parasite that was used as a bioweapon and a means of torture. As if it consumes all the liquid while driving the host to insanity. I shudder at that thought, staring at the eleventh-century illustration that appeared to be a bug crossed between a slug and a centipede.

Suddenly, the phone rang. I grabbed it to see it was Sam. Adjusting the book and putting the phone on speaker, I answered.

"Hey, Sam," I greeted. "Found anything."

"Hey, you're on speaker," Sam announced. "Dean and Cole are here too."

"Cole…as in Cole Trenton?" I asked. "The Marine who hunted Dean?"

"That would be me," Cole confirmed on the other end with his southern drawl.

I paused, comprehending this, "Dean…who did you kill this time."

"Hey," Dean replied while Cole snickered at this.

"Anyway, we are dealing with a murder-suicide." Sam intervenes. "Something is possessing marines to go on a murder rampage by consuming blood."

"Could it be a curse?" I asked.

"That's the thing," Sam replied. "The Marines were in Iraq for a rescue mission on a POW."

"Where at?" I asked.

"The Najaf Cemetery," Cole answered. "The mission failed, and the POW got shot by guards."

"Or so we are told," Dean inquired.

"And the current victims?"

"Rick Willis, the one who killed his comrade, is dead; he consumed a gallon of gasoline before lighting himself on fire," Dean added. "His wife mentioned that he wasn't a violent person, and his behavior changed after this mission."

"What kind of changes?"

"A constant thirst for water." Sam listed. "Dry skin to the point it bled and the inability to speak."

"And lack of control, Rick spent half the day drinking from the garden hose," Dean added. "Whatever this is, it makes the person drink anything that's wet. Water, blood, and gasoline."

"Well, it doesn't sound like our Marine was turned since he was desperate for water and consumed gasoline." I thought aloud.

Cole gave a sigh of relief when hearing this.

"Since the rescue mission happened at a cemetery, you could be dealing with possession or a curse. Were any items taken from the location?"

"No," Cole answered.

"Then I don't know what to say," I said. "I'll go through the archives to see anything about ancient Islamic curses."

"We do have footage from that night," Dean said. "Think you can take a look and spot anything we might have missed."

"That's classified," Cole warned.

"Well, then you shouldn't have shown it to us," Dean countered. "Vivian is good at this kind of thing."

I sighed, "Send it to me. I used to explore the Middle East back when archeology was making its rise in the early 20th century."

"Thanks, Vivian," Sam said.

"Be careful," I warned. "Ancient burial curses are more complicated than they seem."

"Will do," Dean assured. "Call you later."

"Yeah, talk to you later," I replied.

The call then disconnected. I sighed, placing my fists into my eyes to alleviate a slight headache. Hopefully, Dean and Cole can behave in this case. However, this case has gotten serious now that this was in a military town.

It would be twenty minutes when I got an email from Cole. He warned not to show this to anyone else or news agencies. The footage was recorded on Willis's helmet; the other soldier was Captain Kit Verson.

I took a deep breath and watched the footage. It was set on night vision as the two soldiers barged into the cemetery. The guard shouted at them in Arabic, firing his assault rifle at the soldiers. Shots were fired as the guard went down. They came over, stopping at a room where another guard aimed in, and the soldier fired again.

"Clear," one of the soldiers said.

They continued searching for the Prisoner of War named Major Matt Jones. Following protocol in checking every room. It wasn't until they entered a chamber with a crypt. A man was sitting next to it, disoriented and weak.

"Hey, right here," The soldier said, opening the gate and approaching the person. "Hey, Major Jones, is that you? Hey. Hey, I'm Captain Kit Verson. We're here to bring you home, man."

Suddenly, Major Jones lunged at Captain Verson, grabbing the soldier and slamming him on the crypt. He hunched over the captain, in his face, mouth wide open. However, the fee lost single for a moment to Major Jones pulling back to attack Willis. Rick Willis managed to punch Major Jones, knocking him down, before attending to Captain Verson, who was rubbing his throat.

"Oh, what the hell?!" Captain Verson yelled, still rubbing his neck. "What the hell was that?!"

Major Jones screamed, causing Willis to turn his attention to the man. Major Jones tackled him until the footage stopped with the man's mouth wide open.

I frown, watching the video again, focusing on the surroundings to see if any ancient logograms or pictures could give clues about a curse. Unfortunately, the walls seemed to be bare that any stucco was gone, leaving nothing.

Watching it on my phone was not enough, so I grabbed a laptop and logged in to get a better view of the footage. I probably watched the video for at least twenty minutes when I noticed something at the final end when the rewatch logo came up. I frown, trying to remove that logo to get a better view. There was something in Major Jones's mouth. It took a moment until I finally got it removed.

There was something in the back of Major Jones's throat. The Night Vision lenses didn't help, so I tried to alter the lighting on the screen to get a better view. It took a while, but I managed to get something out of it. Something thin and long…are those… pinchers.

Then, something clicked in my head.

I searched for the book I was reading earlier on monsters that consume blood. Going through the index on the Middle Eastern section, then skimming through. I swear I read something about this. I passed everything human-shaped, searching for monsters with smaller forms. Until I came across it.

It goes by many names, as I could translate to Curse Parasite, Bloodsucker, and Desert Worm. A monster found in the Middle East that acts like a parasite. These creatures would slither into the host's mouth and consume all bodily fluids, causing severe dehydration. Possessing the host to seek out any form of liquid to the point of aggressive insanity.

These creatures were ubiquitous during the Crusades and used as a weapon. The creature infects a prisoner and sends them back to their camp. There, the infected constantly sought water before being possessed to kill their comrades for their blood. Over the centuries, Desert worms were used by both ends until the third crusade in which the Knights Templar collected the majority and locked them in a stone crypt, hoping the Desert Worms would perform cannibalism and feast on themselves until extinction, setting these stone prisons…in cemeteries where they are sealed in stone and far away from a watering source.

The War on Terrorism must have broken one of the seal crypts, and some must have survived.

The book goes over how to defeat them. The logical method is to kill the host, toss the body immediately into the fire, and seal it away. Another approach is to isolate and restrain the host from any source of liquid. The method will go either two ways: the parasite will reject the host and evacuate or…consume all the fluids inside the host and then evacuate.

I pulled out my phone and called Dean.

It took a moment when Dean answered. Before he could respond, I said, "Dean, I think I know what it is- "

"It's a Khan worm," Dean finished.

I paused, "What? A Khan worm?"

"Or some sort of freaky cousin," Dean explained. "Sam and I encountered one a few years back.. We got stuck in a cannery with this worm. It would get into people's bodies - it was freaking awful."

"Dean…"

"And now Cole is infected," Dean added, irritated by this.

"Dean…"

"I tried to electrocute the ducker out, almost killing him."

"Dean, it's not a Khan Worm!" I shouted.

"… It's not.,,"

"It's a Desert Worm," I explained. "It goes by many names. They were supposed to be extinct since the Third Crusade. However, some survived in the crypt they were kept in until the war."

"Damn," he grumbled. "So, how do we get rid of it?"

"Well, based on what I found, there are two methods of killing them," I said.

"And they are?"

I took a deep breath, "The first method is to kill the host and toss the body in fire."

"Yeah, I don't think we can do that," Dean sarcastically said.

"The second method is to restrain the host and prevent them from receiving liquids to the point of dehydration. That will cause the parasite to evacuate, searching for a new host."

"And then what?"

"Squash it, decapitate it, toss it in the fire. Like any pest."

"Hmm, works for me," he said.

"But Dean…the Desert Worm can also finish off its host by consuming all fluids before evacuating."

Dean heaved a heavy sigh. This was risky, for Cole could possibly die from this. The Desert Worm could consume all of Cole's bodily fluids and then leave. The human body is made mainly of water, so…chances of survival are slim.

"It's something we're willing to take," Dean said.

I took a deep breath, "Do you need help."

"No, I got it," he said. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll call ya back."

"Be careful," I said.

"I always am," he assured.

"Liar," I countered.

Dean chuckled before saying goodbye and hanging up. I sat down, hoping Cole would be okay and no one else would get possessed.

.o0o.

It would be a few hours when Dean calls to let me know that the case was done. Dean managed to save Cole by dehydrating him by creating a dry sauna in a cabin. It led to a fight since Dean didn't restrain Cole, almost shooting him, but managed to avoid being infected and stomping on the worm.

Unfortunately, not all could be saved. Sam had no choice but to kill Captain Verson after he tried to infect his wife. I felt sorry for Sam since there was a chance to save the marine. However, Kit Verson was too long gone and had done enough damage by killing a store clerk. He would have gone to jail even if they had saved him.

The damage was done, and the Winchester managed to kill three Desert Worms.

However, those parasites have done enough damage to a military community.

Adding another burden to carry.

So I thought I would add on and create these Khan worms with their own origin story, since they are different from the other ones.

What episodes do you want to see Vivian in?

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