Chapter 14
Opening his eyes for the second time, he heard something behind the door. It sounded like a shuffle of feet slowly gliding heavily across the hard floor, feet clumsily doting through a cluttered area. They had followed him inside the shop where his sadistic heavenly alter ego decided hold up for a recharge, though the nineteen yr old ex-med student from Minnesota couldn’t figure out why.
Hiding in a small bathroom wasn’t exactly a smart idea, considering more of those things to catch on to the scent of blood from the wound on his arm, where Pestilence had injured him back at the hospital. Luckily having an angel inside you renders your body slightly indestructible.
Reaching his hand over the sink, Adam Milligan grabbed the head of the tap and lifted himself of the floor, pulse racing a mile a minute. What a way to be trapped with limited bullets in his handgun, no cell phone and a powerful being out of commission. The only thing he could rely on at this point was his own instincts and smarts to get him out of the tight situation.
Before Michael passed out, he told his vessel the location of Kay Forster and his two brothers. The funny thing was ever since he’d been resurrected again, this time with a powerful Archangel inside him, Adam’s senses had become keener, along with increased strength, endurance and speed. The downside to this new power was that it was limited, the more he used the weaker Michael would become the next time he took possession. As strictly warned by his inhabited angel, Adam was only supposed to wisely use what he could to survive and keep his body safe from the infected while he was in human state.
“Damn it!” Adam scoffed under his breath, washing off the sweat from his face with cold water. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
“Try holding your head up before you go back out there, champ.” said his blue-eyed refection in the mirror. It was annoying when Michael did this because Adam felt like he was delusional, talking to himself. “Otherwise…you’ll be ambushed before you even realize and you’re no good to both of us or your brothers if you’re dead.”
“Thanks for the news flash, dick wad,” snorted the teenager, ripping some paper towel off the counter and wiping his face dry before he crumpled it and tossed it in a garbage pail. “Oh and while I’ve got your attention, you mind telling me why you chose this infested dump as a resting spot? Why the hell couldn’t you just zap us back to Sam and Dean?”
“I’ve already explained this to you before I gave you back control of this form,” grilled his reflected image. Staring at himself in the mirror gave Adam the chills. On the outside, Michael looked just like him, same hair color, and same smug expression but deep in his eyes the teenager noticed the real difference. The haunting shimmer of gold around his irises reminded Adam of the stars in space…staring back into that ancient glare, the young man had a feeling as though he peered into the light that had engulfed him the first time back at the white room. “I’m limited on power…as I have been since our resurrection. Pestilence had the upper hand…had I delayed escape any further he would have annihilated this body. There was only so much energy for us to follow your brothers’ trail here.”
“Great! So we’re stuck here with no phone, no vehicle and no way to reach them!” Adam had to avoid losing his temper enough to attract attention from the zombies puttering around the shop. “And to top it off, I’m stuck with an angel inside my body with no energy to get us out of this shit, excellent!”
“Would you calm down? You humans are so high strung no wonder you’re such short lived beings.” Michael hissed at the teenager. “Now unless you want to attract those corpses towards us, I strongly suggest you keep your mouth shut until we figure out our next move. We can’t just sit here dawdling our time away while Kay’s life is in jeopardy.”
Adam grimaced, shaking his head. “About that girl, why do you even bother with her?” he was baling his fists, listening for the noise outside the bathroom. “She’s just an empath. To be honest I don’t see how an all powerful Archangel has use for a chic that feeds off emotion.”
Michael sighed irritably. “I have my reasons. But as of right now my only concern is you figuring a way out of here!” a careful smirk poured on his lips. “You’re definitely like your brothers, too stubborn to realize I am not your enemy. Dean sure wasn’t big on trust when I spared his life from an infected corpse threatening him to strangle him to death.”
“Yah well…last time I checked you threatened to kill him back at your little tantrum range with Lucifer. So as far as I’m concerned this whole heroic persona you’ve got going is a bunch of crap!” Adam clenched his jaw. “I see right through you, Mike. The only thing you care about… is the destruction of innocent people!”
“I’m a soldier Adam! I’m not a being driven by weaknesses like compassion or a conscience. I’m not Castiel, whose affections for your brothers have clouded his judgment. My only reason for existence…is to serve God, that’s all!”
“Let’s get one thing straight, dude.” Adam growled, leaning in closer towards the mirror. “I don’t give a shit about you, your call of duty or your God because to me you’re just some other guy’s bitch taking and barking up orders.”
“Without me, you’d all be dead right now!” snapped the Archangel, vitally. “So let’s be clear on something…you are alive to serve my will, which it to keep the empath girl safe. No questions, no accusations…just do as I instruct you. Unless…you and your brothers preferred I left you rotting back in hell with Lucifer.”
“That’s not a threat is it?”
“It’s a promise.”
Adam huffed bitterly, slamming his fist against the concrete wall. The angel had been true to his word since the rescue back at the hospital…if he wanted his family dead nothing could prevent him from executing that option…which was a risk the high strung teenager wasn’t prepared to do. Whether allying himself with Michael was smart or beyond stupidity, he was his only ticket to surviving the hell behind the door. Pulling out his gun tucked in the belt of his jeans, Adam braced himself cocking a round and flipping off the safety with his thumb.
“Alright…so what’s the plan then?” he sneered.
“Head for the garage,” Michael instructed fierily. “There might be a means of transportation there...I’m still too weak carry this vessel. But be on full alert…this station is surrounded by corpses as far as I can sense so I advise you to use what power I have to assist you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that!” said the eager adolescent, kicking the door open with incredible force. Extending the gun in front of him, Adam dashed out of his confinement into the chaotic gallery of food, smashed bottles of beverages and three hungry corpses staggering emotionlessly around the shelves. “Excuse me boys, kinda in a bit of a hurry here!” he taunted slamming his elbow into the gaping jaws of a blue suited zombie, still handling the briefcase in one of his hands barely attached at the muscle tendons of his shoulder.
Shooting close range through the creature’s eyes, Adam dodged a dead girl dressed in a baseball cap and shorts, jumping onto the counter by the resister. He fired his gun at the girl and then at the plump guy dressed as a mechanic. The glass door to the shop had been smashed, and if he didn’t get to the garage quickly enough of these things would catch on. Adam’s confidents exalted as he leapt of the counter, body checking another zombie in the rips then crushing its skull under his shoe, exploding all over the ground like a pizza pocket. Another zombie instantly grabbed him from behind as he tried for the back door, locking his large arm tightly around his throat, snapping his foaming mouth towards his ear.
Adam gritted his teeth, lodging his leg backwards hitting the dead thing clear in the groin. He could feel Michael’s strength compel his entire body like an instant shock of electricity as he effortlessly flipped the zombie, which was twice his size and mass, over his shoulders shooting him point blank. Darting through the door behind the counter leading into the garage, Adam scanned the area for a vehicle in sight. Nothing here but a few tires, scattered tools and a beat up looking motorcycle leaning on its side complete with a helmet and leather jacket, for the teenager this piece of crap looked like the only thing he could use to escape.
Adam’s instincts told him to move, locking the door behind him and rushing towards the bike. Hopefully there’d be enough fuel in the tank to get him where he needed to be. There was when he noticed the barometer, so somebody did plan on deserting this place. Throwing on the jacket and helmet, Adam lifted up the motorbike, kick starting the machine to life. An optimistic smile pursed his lips as he shoved his gun back in his jeans, gripping the handles. While at school he’d remembered his roommate Dave owned a beautiful Harley, which he’d been teaching Adam to ride when his truck was in the shop.
With the controls still fused in his memory, the teenager kicked back the stand and fumbled on top of the two-wheeler, stirring it around the corner and outside of the main garage door, which had been left open. The gas pump was littered with a small horde of eight undead cannibals. These things were fast, shrieking and shuffling towards the lone cyclist, though Adam was faster.
Using the Archangel’s power he blasted through the crowd, impressively up on one wheel, pausing to snipe out every single zombie lunging themselves at the motorcycle. If only his brothers could see him now, handling himself true Winchester style, unhesitant and alert as he killed all his dead assailants. Adam was almost enjoying his new abilities, jump starting and stirring the motorbike back on course, glancing back at the number of monsters he’d put down. Their lifeless rotting bodies would be the last things that faded in the rearview mirror as he rode down the highway.
The headlights burned like fire in her eyes as the vehicle carrying a young couple circled the road out of control. She stood breathless, hand over her mouth as the car screeched towards the edge of a hill, rupturing her eardrums. The girl in the night gown tried to scream at the couple, waving her frail arms; though her voice had been muted. They couldn’t hear her cries of panic as the tires of the car gave out, skidding into a rail and smashing through and over a bridge. Tears streamed down the girl’s cheeks covering her stomach from the pain of their fear beguiled her as she watched the car disappear beneath the waves of the flowing river.
“Noooooo!” Kay Forster screamed as her eyes flung open and she was now being folded into a protective embrace.
“Kay! Kay it’s alright!” said man sitting upright on the bed, as she wept into his shirt. The girl found herself shuddering in the arms of Dean Winchester as he gently stoked his fingers through her jet-black hair. “You were just having a bad dream; it’s okay.”
“No, Dean it’s not okay!” she shouted desperately. “I saw it…I-I watched it happen again!” Kay’s fear ruptured throughout her slender form as she buried her teary face against him. “It…felt like I was really there…and I couldn’t stop them!”
Dean continued to console the distressed girl, pulling her back and holding her face in his palm. She was trembling, completely in shock. “Stop who? Calm down…just tell me what happened.”
Kay sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “The car accident my parents were in…I dreamt I was there…but I couldn’t do or say anything. I felt their fear of death wash over me as they went over the bridge.”
“Here…lie back down.” He urged, slightly forcing her head and shoulders back onto the pillow. “Try closing your eyes again…think about…clowns and midgets.”
She scrutinized him with a half grin. Dean smiled back shrugging his shoulders. “Take my word for it; that is the best cure for nightmares, trust me.” Covering her back up in the, Kay noticed the mixture of confusion and affection scrambling in his face. Then he sighed popping off the mattress. “Listen…I’ve gotta head back downstairs and cover Sammy for awhile. Try to get some sleep.”
Kay got worried, grasping his arm. “Dean, wait!”
“It’s okay,” he assured her softly, caressing her wet cheeks. “I’ll be just downstairs I promise. I’m not leaving you.”
Reluctantly, she curled into the blankets relaxing her eyes as Dean stepped out the room, leaving the door partially open.
“How is she?” Sam asked balancing himself on the arm of the couch, holding a shotgun. He’d just come from checking out the window for signs of life…or living death.
“She’s really shaken up, man.” Dean said shuffling down the stairs towards the living room. “I checked on Sarah, that girl can sleep through anything.”
Sam glared at his brother critically. For hours he’d been up with the empath girl, comforting her and doing god-knows-what-else with her. It was Dean after all; he was the king of consoling distressed young women…especially when he was eager to get the goods. Getting too attached to the job was one thing but attaching yourself into deep with a victim of circumstance was a huge error for any hunter. Growing up, John Winchester had forbidden his sons to ever carry connections that would put lives at risk. Once you were sworn into the job, there was no room for anything else…which included relationships with civilians.
“Dean what are you doing?” Sam stressed, pinching the bridge of his nose irritably.
“What? I was just upstairs.” Dean explained, brushing passed his taller brother. “It’s not like you couldn’t handle things down here by yourself.”
“That’s not…that’s not what I meant.” He bitterly pressed. Dean waited for the sudden lecture about to disrupt his train of thought. “What are you doing with her?”
“The girl was having nightmares, Sam!” lashed the older Winchester. “And she’s pretty freaked out by everything that’s happened in the last forty-eight hours. In case you haven’t noticed…she’s struggling with abilities that could easily kill her and outside there is a swarm of undead son-of-a-bitches just waiting to feast on all our asses. So where’s this lecture really going!”
“Dean, there is a demon trailing this girl. Pestilence used her blood to mutate the croatoan virus.” Sam intersected quickly; wavering his arms. “I’m just worried that you’re getting dangerously too close to her.”
“Kay is an innocent girl, Sam!” Dean barked, pulling out his gun, which was tucked in the back of his belt. “I don’t care how many times you dish out this crap; we are not letting anything touch this girl, got it!”
Sam shook his head with an uncomfortable snicker. “Listen to yourself dude…You practically carry a torch for this girl.” Dean turned away, refusing eye contact with his brother though he continued. “You can deny it all you want but the truth is we both know there’s something beneath the surface of all these excuses.”
Dean bit his lip, turning back to his taller brother, waiting for the ambush. “Alright, hit me with it Sammy.” He offered brashly, clapping his hands. “What is it you think I’m scared to admit, huh? Common out with it, let’s go!”
“You have feelings for Kay…don’t you?” Sam pressed, crossing his arms. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be standing there looking so defensive.”
“Sam, you must be guzzling back way too much of that demon juice; cause you sound real douchey right now.” said Dean, invading his brother’s space. “Nothing happened while I was up there! The only reason I care so much about this girl is because of her condition. I’m trying to help her and I don’t wanna see her get hurt or hurt other people!”
“But that’s not the only reason is it, Dean?” Sam indulged. It was as if he was trying to hit his brother where it hurt. “You know as well as I do that nothing good ever comes with getting involved with anyone! We love ‘em and leave ‘em before there’s any strings. Dad taught us that and for year I hated him for it…but he was right!”
Dean clenched his jaw in outrage. Of all people to citizens him, Sam who’d been pretty much a demon chic-magnet was trying to lecture him about attachments. What annoyed him even more was the fact that Sam was quoting their father, while he never saw eye-to-eye while John was alive.
“Oh then what the hell are you doing with Sarah?” he countered. “You’ve been practically drooling all over that girl like some retarded school boy ever since your little reunion and I never once slammed you for it! So what…you just plan on having a little fun with her and splitting before she asks you to settle down, is that it?”
“This has nothing to do with Sarah, Dean this is about you! I know what kind of person you are…and the one thing I know is that you’ll get tired of it one day.” Sam was relentless in the argument but he loved his brother more than anything. As much as part of him wanted to support Dean’s sudden change of heart, the painful past never crept too far behind. Each of the brothers had skeletons in their closet…hurting the women that briefly came into their lives was something they couldn’t seem to get passed. “You’ll get bored…than you’ll just walk away…and you won’t look back…just like you did with Lisa.”
The instant her name was mentioned, Dean plunged Sam’s back hard against the wall. The anger was spilling out all over his face like a sudden cancer, nostrils flaring and gritting his teeth.
“I never walked away from her!” he scolded. “I wanted to be there for her…for my son…but it wasn’t real!” Slowing as the rage fled from, so did his struggle with Sam. “I…didn’t love Lisa like that…we both realized the truth the moment I found out you were alive. I still love my son…you know that! It kills me that I can’t be in his life…but I’m not doing it because of screwy motto dad cooked up to keep us in line!”
Sam lowered his eyes guiltily, scratching his messy head of hair. If he’d known the truth about Lisa before…he wouldn’t have put his foot in his mouth. As much as Sam had been battling his own hellish demons, Dean was struggling with the essence of a perfect life….something neither of them knew how to do.
“Dean, I’m sorry.” He said gently. “I shouldn’t of said it like that…I know how much Ben means to you…and how hard it was for you to leave him behind.”
“All of its hard Sammy.” Dean replied with glazed eyes, lightly nudging his fist into the wall. “For years I hated myself for all the pain I caused…hated being the one responsible for keeping this family safe…as it turns out…there are more things in this world that I never knew I cared about besides you and this job…. I have another brother out there who for all we know could be dead again…Ben is out there in that mess of a world and he has no one there to protect him and his mother….and Kay…”
“I know.” Sam said, clamping his hand on his older brother’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. Before he could say anything more Dean continued.
“Alright…I’ll admit it,” he grimaced, shaking his head. “What I feel for Kay…it’s hard…complicated even…but besides all of it…that’s a feeling I’ve never had for anyone…” Inhaling deeply, he collected his thoughts and started to say. “She’s…sparked something in my heart…that I never knew I had…” He chuckled uncomfortably. “Maybe it’s the whole empath thing, I don’t know… but what I do know is how strongly I feel about her whenever she’s in danger… When I thought she could die from that last attack… it was like I was barely holding it together… In some ways I think…Kay’s stronger than I am.”
“That’s not true.” Sam encouraged. “You’ve sacrificed so much all these years… you’ve even sacrificed your life for mine many times… All the burdens you carry and the courage… I almost feel envious of you sometimes…like I could never have that same strength.”
“Sammy you’re a strongest person I know. What you did…when you jumped in that pit…” Dean squeezed back the tears in his eyes. “I don’t think I could’ve done it… I remember how much it hurt when I thought you were dead…and I now I realize how much I’ll hurt Kay if I…get too close…. I know I should stay away but…I don’t think I can.”
“If you really care about her Dean…you’ll let her go.” Sam’s voice was full of grief when he told his brother this. Sarah kept popping up in his thoughts. As much as he wanted things to work out with her… his older brother and the job had to come first. “We’re Winchesters whether we like it or not…it’s our curse to be estranged from the rest of the world. Sarah and Kay don’t deserve to be pulled into that darkness.”
As Dean’s vision of sharing unconditional love with Kay Forster shattered like the broken glass from a mirror… the bittersweet moment was impulsively interrupted by the roaring noise of an excitable engine outside the house. Sam carefully peeked through the curtain at a figure on the back of a motorcycle, switching off the machine and nudging the kickstand with his foot. Dean and Sam immediately bolted for the door, guns threatening to shoot the intruder as he approached the stairs.
“That’s far enough Harley Davidson!” Dean barked, flipping back the safety nozzle, acknowledging the helmet covered figure in the black leather jacket. “Get your hands where I can see ‘em, now!”
“Who are you?” Sam demanded, shouldering his shotgun.
“Hold your fire guys!” shouted the stranger removing his helmet. The Winchester’s were stunned with bewilderment when they realized it was their younger brother Adam. “I just drove hundreds of miles looking for this place and I’m in no mood to get shot now.”
Dean quickly flipped back on the safety, tucking his gun back in his belt. “Adam is that you?” he chuckled, amazed over his brother’s classic attempt to looking like a badass. “Wow, nice ride, dig the get up…but what happen to your buddy?”
“He’s recharging last I checked.” Adam said shuffling up the steps, helmet under one arm.
“Recharging? What is Michael the energizer bunny now?”
“Something like that, only a lot more irritating.”
“Since when did you ride around in motorcycles?” Sam pondered suspiciously as the teenager brushed passed him.
“Since I use to pal around with a guy who own one.” Adam snorted, puttering into the kitchen and grabbing a beer out of the fridge. “Oh man, I could sure use one of these right about now.”
“How did you find us anyway?”
Adam ignored the question settling down on the couch after taking a long swig of beer. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Look I’m beat… so can we save the family pow-wow for the morning?”
Sam and Dean exchanged looks, puzzling over the new mystery that was their teenaged brother Adam. If he was still alive after that fight in the hospital…the Archangel wasn’t too far off his shoulder.
Opening his eyes for the second time, he heard something behind the door. It sounded like a shuffle of feet slowly gliding heavily across the hard floor, feet clumsily doting through a cluttered area. They had followed him inside the shop where his sadistic heavenly alter ego decided hold up for a recharge, though the nineteen yr old ex-med student from Minnesota couldn’t figure out why.
Hiding in a small bathroom wasn’t exactly a smart idea, considering more of those things to catch on to the scent of blood from the wound on his arm, where Pestilence had injured him back at the hospital. Luckily having an angel inside you renders your body slightly indestructible.
Reaching his hand over the sink, Adam Milligan grabbed the head of the tap and lifted himself of the floor, pulse racing a mile a minute. What a way to be trapped with limited bullets in his handgun, no cell phone and a powerful being out of commission. The only thing he could rely on at this point was his own instincts and smarts to get him out of the tight situation.
Before Michael passed out, he told his vessel the location of Kay Forster and his two brothers. The funny thing was ever since he’d been resurrected again, this time with a powerful Archangel inside him, Adam’s senses had become keener, along with increased strength, endurance and speed. The downside to this new power was that it was limited, the more he used the weaker Michael would become the next time he took possession. As strictly warned by his inhabited angel, Adam was only supposed to wisely use what he could to survive and keep his body safe from the infected while he was in human state.
“Damn it!” Adam scoffed under his breath, washing off the sweat from his face with cold water. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
“Try holding your head up before you go back out there, champ.” said his blue-eyed refection in the mirror. It was annoying when Michael did this because Adam felt like he was delusional, talking to himself. “Otherwise…you’ll be ambushed before you even realize and you’re no good to both of us or your brothers if you’re dead.”
“Thanks for the news flash, dick wad,” snorted the teenager, ripping some paper towel off the counter and wiping his face dry before he crumpled it and tossed it in a garbage pail. “Oh and while I’ve got your attention, you mind telling me why you chose this infested dump as a resting spot? Why the hell couldn’t you just zap us back to Sam and Dean?”
“I’ve already explained this to you before I gave you back control of this form,” grilled his reflected image. Staring at himself in the mirror gave Adam the chills. On the outside, Michael looked just like him, same hair color, and same smug expression but deep in his eyes the teenager noticed the real difference. The haunting shimmer of gold around his irises reminded Adam of the stars in space…staring back into that ancient glare, the young man had a feeling as though he peered into the light that had engulfed him the first time back at the white room. “I’m limited on power…as I have been since our resurrection. Pestilence had the upper hand…had I delayed escape any further he would have annihilated this body. There was only so much energy for us to follow your brothers’ trail here.”
“Great! So we’re stuck here with no phone, no vehicle and no way to reach them!” Adam had to avoid losing his temper enough to attract attention from the zombies puttering around the shop. “And to top it off, I’m stuck with an angel inside my body with no energy to get us out of this shit, excellent!”
“Would you calm down? You humans are so high strung no wonder you’re such short lived beings.” Michael hissed at the teenager. “Now unless you want to attract those corpses towards us, I strongly suggest you keep your mouth shut until we figure out our next move. We can’t just sit here dawdling our time away while Kay’s life is in jeopardy.”
Adam grimaced, shaking his head. “About that girl, why do you even bother with her?” he was baling his fists, listening for the noise outside the bathroom. “She’s just an empath. To be honest I don’t see how an all powerful Archangel has use for a chic that feeds off emotion.”
Michael sighed irritably. “I have my reasons. But as of right now my only concern is you figuring a way out of here!” a careful smirk poured on his lips. “You’re definitely like your brothers, too stubborn to realize I am not your enemy. Dean sure wasn’t big on trust when I spared his life from an infected corpse threatening him to strangle him to death.”
“Yah well…last time I checked you threatened to kill him back at your little tantrum range with Lucifer. So as far as I’m concerned this whole heroic persona you’ve got going is a bunch of crap!” Adam clenched his jaw. “I see right through you, Mike. The only thing you care about… is the destruction of innocent people!”
“I’m a soldier Adam! I’m not a being driven by weaknesses like compassion or a conscience. I’m not Castiel, whose affections for your brothers have clouded his judgment. My only reason for existence…is to serve God, that’s all!”
“Let’s get one thing straight, dude.” Adam growled, leaning in closer towards the mirror. “I don’t give a shit about you, your call of duty or your God because to me you’re just some other guy’s bitch taking and barking up orders.”
“Without me, you’d all be dead right now!” snapped the Archangel, vitally. “So let’s be clear on something…you are alive to serve my will, which it to keep the empath girl safe. No questions, no accusations…just do as I instruct you. Unless…you and your brothers preferred I left you rotting back in hell with Lucifer.”
“That’s not a threat is it?”
“It’s a promise.”
Adam huffed bitterly, slamming his fist against the concrete wall. The angel had been true to his word since the rescue back at the hospital…if he wanted his family dead nothing could prevent him from executing that option…which was a risk the high strung teenager wasn’t prepared to do. Whether allying himself with Michael was smart or beyond stupidity, he was his only ticket to surviving the hell behind the door. Pulling out his gun tucked in the belt of his jeans, Adam braced himself cocking a round and flipping off the safety with his thumb.
“Alright…so what’s the plan then?” he sneered.
“Head for the garage,” Michael instructed fierily. “There might be a means of transportation there...I’m still too weak carry this vessel. But be on full alert…this station is surrounded by corpses as far as I can sense so I advise you to use what power I have to assist you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that!” said the eager adolescent, kicking the door open with incredible force. Extending the gun in front of him, Adam dashed out of his confinement into the chaotic gallery of food, smashed bottles of beverages and three hungry corpses staggering emotionlessly around the shelves. “Excuse me boys, kinda in a bit of a hurry here!” he taunted slamming his elbow into the gaping jaws of a blue suited zombie, still handling the briefcase in one of his hands barely attached at the muscle tendons of his shoulder.
Shooting close range through the creature’s eyes, Adam dodged a dead girl dressed in a baseball cap and shorts, jumping onto the counter by the resister. He fired his gun at the girl and then at the plump guy dressed as a mechanic. The glass door to the shop had been smashed, and if he didn’t get to the garage quickly enough of these things would catch on. Adam’s confidents exalted as he leapt of the counter, body checking another zombie in the rips then crushing its skull under his shoe, exploding all over the ground like a pizza pocket. Another zombie instantly grabbed him from behind as he tried for the back door, locking his large arm tightly around his throat, snapping his foaming mouth towards his ear.
Adam gritted his teeth, lodging his leg backwards hitting the dead thing clear in the groin. He could feel Michael’s strength compel his entire body like an instant shock of electricity as he effortlessly flipped the zombie, which was twice his size and mass, over his shoulders shooting him point blank. Darting through the door behind the counter leading into the garage, Adam scanned the area for a vehicle in sight. Nothing here but a few tires, scattered tools and a beat up looking motorcycle leaning on its side complete with a helmet and leather jacket, for the teenager this piece of crap looked like the only thing he could use to escape.
Adam’s instincts told him to move, locking the door behind him and rushing towards the bike. Hopefully there’d be enough fuel in the tank to get him where he needed to be. There was when he noticed the barometer, so somebody did plan on deserting this place. Throwing on the jacket and helmet, Adam lifted up the motorbike, kick starting the machine to life. An optimistic smile pursed his lips as he shoved his gun back in his jeans, gripping the handles. While at school he’d remembered his roommate Dave owned a beautiful Harley, which he’d been teaching Adam to ride when his truck was in the shop.
With the controls still fused in his memory, the teenager kicked back the stand and fumbled on top of the two-wheeler, stirring it around the corner and outside of the main garage door, which had been left open. The gas pump was littered with a small horde of eight undead cannibals. These things were fast, shrieking and shuffling towards the lone cyclist, though Adam was faster.
Using the Archangel’s power he blasted through the crowd, impressively up on one wheel, pausing to snipe out every single zombie lunging themselves at the motorcycle. If only his brothers could see him now, handling himself true Winchester style, unhesitant and alert as he killed all his dead assailants. Adam was almost enjoying his new abilities, jump starting and stirring the motorbike back on course, glancing back at the number of monsters he’d put down. Their lifeless rotting bodies would be the last things that faded in the rearview mirror as he rode down the highway.
The headlights burned like fire in her eyes as the vehicle carrying a young couple circled the road out of control. She stood breathless, hand over her mouth as the car screeched towards the edge of a hill, rupturing her eardrums. The girl in the night gown tried to scream at the couple, waving her frail arms; though her voice had been muted. They couldn’t hear her cries of panic as the tires of the car gave out, skidding into a rail and smashing through and over a bridge. Tears streamed down the girl’s cheeks covering her stomach from the pain of their fear beguiled her as she watched the car disappear beneath the waves of the flowing river.
“Noooooo!” Kay Forster screamed as her eyes flung open and she was now being folded into a protective embrace.
“Kay! Kay it’s alright!” said man sitting upright on the bed, as she wept into his shirt. The girl found herself shuddering in the arms of Dean Winchester as he gently stoked his fingers through her jet-black hair. “You were just having a bad dream; it’s okay.”
“No, Dean it’s not okay!” she shouted desperately. “I saw it…I-I watched it happen again!” Kay’s fear ruptured throughout her slender form as she buried her teary face against him. “It…felt like I was really there…and I couldn’t stop them!”
Dean continued to console the distressed girl, pulling her back and holding her face in his palm. She was trembling, completely in shock. “Stop who? Calm down…just tell me what happened.”
Kay sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “The car accident my parents were in…I dreamt I was there…but I couldn’t do or say anything. I felt their fear of death wash over me as they went over the bridge.”
“Here…lie back down.” He urged, slightly forcing her head and shoulders back onto the pillow. “Try closing your eyes again…think about…clowns and midgets.”
She scrutinized him with a half grin. Dean smiled back shrugging his shoulders. “Take my word for it; that is the best cure for nightmares, trust me.” Covering her back up in the, Kay noticed the mixture of confusion and affection scrambling in his face. Then he sighed popping off the mattress. “Listen…I’ve gotta head back downstairs and cover Sammy for awhile. Try to get some sleep.”
Kay got worried, grasping his arm. “Dean, wait!”
“It’s okay,” he assured her softly, caressing her wet cheeks. “I’ll be just downstairs I promise. I’m not leaving you.”
Reluctantly, she curled into the blankets relaxing her eyes as Dean stepped out the room, leaving the door partially open.
“How is she?” Sam asked balancing himself on the arm of the couch, holding a shotgun. He’d just come from checking out the window for signs of life…or living death.
“She’s really shaken up, man.” Dean said shuffling down the stairs towards the living room. “I checked on Sarah, that girl can sleep through anything.”
Sam glared at his brother critically. For hours he’d been up with the empath girl, comforting her and doing god-knows-what-else with her. It was Dean after all; he was the king of consoling distressed young women…especially when he was eager to get the goods. Getting too attached to the job was one thing but attaching yourself into deep with a victim of circumstance was a huge error for any hunter. Growing up, John Winchester had forbidden his sons to ever carry connections that would put lives at risk. Once you were sworn into the job, there was no room for anything else…which included relationships with civilians.
“Dean what are you doing?” Sam stressed, pinching the bridge of his nose irritably.
“What? I was just upstairs.” Dean explained, brushing passed his taller brother. “It’s not like you couldn’t handle things down here by yourself.”
“That’s not…that’s not what I meant.” He bitterly pressed. Dean waited for the sudden lecture about to disrupt his train of thought. “What are you doing with her?”
“The girl was having nightmares, Sam!” lashed the older Winchester. “And she’s pretty freaked out by everything that’s happened in the last forty-eight hours. In case you haven’t noticed…she’s struggling with abilities that could easily kill her and outside there is a swarm of undead son-of-a-bitches just waiting to feast on all our asses. So where’s this lecture really going!”
“Dean, there is a demon trailing this girl. Pestilence used her blood to mutate the croatoan virus.” Sam intersected quickly; wavering his arms. “I’m just worried that you’re getting dangerously too close to her.”
“Kay is an innocent girl, Sam!” Dean barked, pulling out his gun, which was tucked in the back of his belt. “I don’t care how many times you dish out this crap; we are not letting anything touch this girl, got it!”
Sam shook his head with an uncomfortable snicker. “Listen to yourself dude…You practically carry a torch for this girl.” Dean turned away, refusing eye contact with his brother though he continued. “You can deny it all you want but the truth is we both know there’s something beneath the surface of all these excuses.”
Dean bit his lip, turning back to his taller brother, waiting for the ambush. “Alright, hit me with it Sammy.” He offered brashly, clapping his hands. “What is it you think I’m scared to admit, huh? Common out with it, let’s go!”
“You have feelings for Kay…don’t you?” Sam pressed, crossing his arms. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be standing there looking so defensive.”
“Sam, you must be guzzling back way too much of that demon juice; cause you sound real douchey right now.” said Dean, invading his brother’s space. “Nothing happened while I was up there! The only reason I care so much about this girl is because of her condition. I’m trying to help her and I don’t wanna see her get hurt or hurt other people!”
“But that’s not the only reason is it, Dean?” Sam indulged. It was as if he was trying to hit his brother where it hurt. “You know as well as I do that nothing good ever comes with getting involved with anyone! We love ‘em and leave ‘em before there’s any strings. Dad taught us that and for year I hated him for it…but he was right!”
Dean clenched his jaw in outrage. Of all people to citizens him, Sam who’d been pretty much a demon chic-magnet was trying to lecture him about attachments. What annoyed him even more was the fact that Sam was quoting their father, while he never saw eye-to-eye while John was alive.
“Oh then what the hell are you doing with Sarah?” he countered. “You’ve been practically drooling all over that girl like some retarded school boy ever since your little reunion and I never once slammed you for it! So what…you just plan on having a little fun with her and splitting before she asks you to settle down, is that it?”
“This has nothing to do with Sarah, Dean this is about you! I know what kind of person you are…and the one thing I know is that you’ll get tired of it one day.” Sam was relentless in the argument but he loved his brother more than anything. As much as part of him wanted to support Dean’s sudden change of heart, the painful past never crept too far behind. Each of the brothers had skeletons in their closet…hurting the women that briefly came into their lives was something they couldn’t seem to get passed. “You’ll get bored…than you’ll just walk away…and you won’t look back…just like you did with Lisa.”
The instant her name was mentioned, Dean plunged Sam’s back hard against the wall. The anger was spilling out all over his face like a sudden cancer, nostrils flaring and gritting his teeth.
“I never walked away from her!” he scolded. “I wanted to be there for her…for my son…but it wasn’t real!” Slowing as the rage fled from, so did his struggle with Sam. “I…didn’t love Lisa like that…we both realized the truth the moment I found out you were alive. I still love my son…you know that! It kills me that I can’t be in his life…but I’m not doing it because of screwy motto dad cooked up to keep us in line!”
Sam lowered his eyes guiltily, scratching his messy head of hair. If he’d known the truth about Lisa before…he wouldn’t have put his foot in his mouth. As much as Sam had been battling his own hellish demons, Dean was struggling with the essence of a perfect life….something neither of them knew how to do.
“Dean, I’m sorry.” He said gently. “I shouldn’t of said it like that…I know how much Ben means to you…and how hard it was for you to leave him behind.”
“All of its hard Sammy.” Dean replied with glazed eyes, lightly nudging his fist into the wall. “For years I hated myself for all the pain I caused…hated being the one responsible for keeping this family safe…as it turns out…there are more things in this world that I never knew I cared about besides you and this job…. I have another brother out there who for all we know could be dead again…Ben is out there in that mess of a world and he has no one there to protect him and his mother….and Kay…”
“I know.” Sam said, clamping his hand on his older brother’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. Before he could say anything more Dean continued.
“Alright…I’ll admit it,” he grimaced, shaking his head. “What I feel for Kay…it’s hard…complicated even…but besides all of it…that’s a feeling I’ve never had for anyone…” Inhaling deeply, he collected his thoughts and started to say. “She’s…sparked something in my heart…that I never knew I had…” He chuckled uncomfortably. “Maybe it’s the whole empath thing, I don’t know… but what I do know is how strongly I feel about her whenever she’s in danger… When I thought she could die from that last attack… it was like I was barely holding it together… In some ways I think…Kay’s stronger than I am.”
“That’s not true.” Sam encouraged. “You’ve sacrificed so much all these years… you’ve even sacrificed your life for mine many times… All the burdens you carry and the courage… I almost feel envious of you sometimes…like I could never have that same strength.”
“Sammy you’re a strongest person I know. What you did…when you jumped in that pit…” Dean squeezed back the tears in his eyes. “I don’t think I could’ve done it… I remember how much it hurt when I thought you were dead…and I now I realize how much I’ll hurt Kay if I…get too close…. I know I should stay away but…I don’t think I can.”
“If you really care about her Dean…you’ll let her go.” Sam’s voice was full of grief when he told his brother this. Sarah kept popping up in his thoughts. As much as he wanted things to work out with her… his older brother and the job had to come first. “We’re Winchesters whether we like it or not…it’s our curse to be estranged from the rest of the world. Sarah and Kay don’t deserve to be pulled into that darkness.”
As Dean’s vision of sharing unconditional love with Kay Forster shattered like the broken glass from a mirror… the bittersweet moment was impulsively interrupted by the roaring noise of an excitable engine outside the house. Sam carefully peeked through the curtain at a figure on the back of a motorcycle, switching off the machine and nudging the kickstand with his foot. Dean and Sam immediately bolted for the door, guns threatening to shoot the intruder as he approached the stairs.
“That’s far enough Harley Davidson!” Dean barked, flipping back the safety nozzle, acknowledging the helmet covered figure in the black leather jacket. “Get your hands where I can see ‘em, now!”
“Who are you?” Sam demanded, shouldering his shotgun.
“Hold your fire guys!” shouted the stranger removing his helmet. The Winchester’s were stunned with bewilderment when they realized it was their younger brother Adam. “I just drove hundreds of miles looking for this place and I’m in no mood to get shot now.”
Dean quickly flipped back on the safety, tucking his gun back in his belt. “Adam is that you?” he chuckled, amazed over his brother’s classic attempt to looking like a badass. “Wow, nice ride, dig the get up…but what happen to your buddy?”
“He’s recharging last I checked.” Adam said shuffling up the steps, helmet under one arm.
“Recharging? What is Michael the energizer bunny now?”
“Something like that, only a lot more irritating.”
“Since when did you ride around in motorcycles?” Sam pondered suspiciously as the teenager brushed passed him.
“Since I use to pal around with a guy who own one.” Adam snorted, puttering into the kitchen and grabbing a beer out of the fridge. “Oh man, I could sure use one of these right about now.”
“How did you find us anyway?”
Adam ignored the question settling down on the couch after taking a long swig of beer. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Look I’m beat… so can we save the family pow-wow for the morning?”
Sam and Dean exchanged looks, puzzling over the new mystery that was their teenaged brother Adam. If he was still alive after that fight in the hospital…the Archangel wasn’t too far off his shoulder.
