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Free Supernatural Fanfiction – Chapter Summary:

The team sets out to stop Death from rising—but Meg and three hellhounds derail the plan. Analina, Sam, Dean, and Bobby face a brutal consequence.

Rating: PG-13
Contains:  Supernatural peril, implied violence, thematic tension, and mild language. No graphic content.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:  
Injury

WE WOULD HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CROWLEY LATER. No sooner had Bobby found out about the Colt than he found a weird omen in Missouri. It seemed like there might be a horseman brewing, and that was something we needed—since it had been quiet for a long time. Bobby guessed the horseman to be Death.

“The thing is, you need a place of awful carnage to bring this horseman into the world. A ritual that takes place at midnight. Now, back during the Civil War, there was a battle in Carthage. A battle so intense the soldiers called it the Battle of Hell Hole.”

“Where’d the massacre go down?” Dean asked.

“On the land of William Jasper’s farm.”

“So we stop the ritual, we stop the horseman from coming,” Sam concluded.

“That’s the idea,” Bobby said.

And we were off to Missouri.

CARTHAGE, MISSOURI WAS ABANDONED—or that was what it looked like—due to the vast number of missing person cases. We drove the Impala down the main street. Bobby, Cas, and I were in the backseat.

“You getting a signal?” Sam asked. He held his cell in different directions out the car window.

“No, nothing. Nice and spooky,” Dean said. He pocketed his phone.

It felt really odd here. Demons were nearby, but I couldn’t sense any in the immediate vicinity. It was a different cold than winter, though—not quite ghost cold. Could it be Death? The Death? It was a hard concept to grasp. We were actually out for the third ring and possibly to stop a massacre. It was the biggest lead we had on anything yet, and we weren’t sure if it would become anything. I had a feeling we were about to be proven wrong.

Dean parked the car, and we started to get out.

“Place seem a little empty to you?” Bobby asked.

Dean looked over at Sam. “We’re going to go check out the PD. You guys stay here. See if you can find anybody.”

Sam and Dean went off. Cas was still in the car, staring off into space.

“Coming, Cas?” I asked through the closed door.

Cas immediately appeared outside the car. He looked around. “This town is not empty.” He made a complete circle, scanning the area. “Reapers.”

“Reapers?” I asked.

“As in more than one?” Bobby asked.

“They only gather like this at times of great catastrophe. Chicago Fire, San Francisco Quake, Pompeii. Excuse me. I need to find out why they’re here.”

Cas walked off, ignoring Bobby’s inquiries. He disappeared, leaving Bobby and me alone on the street.

“Balls!”

For once, I agreed.

“This is a wonderful start,” I quietly said, looking around.

Bobby just gave me a sour look. We started to look through the stores and building windows. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn’t even see any animals.

Not long after, Sam and Dean came walking back.

“Station’s empty,” Dean announced.

“So is everything else,” Bobby stated the obvious.

“Where’s Cas? Wasn’t he with you?” Sam asked.

“He went after the reapers,” I answered.

“Reapers?” Dean asked, stepping closer.

“He saw reapers? Where?” Sam asked.

I glanced around. “Everywhere, by the way he looked.”

“Can you see them?” Dean asked.

I shook my head no.

“Well, I think we can safely assume it’s Death. Big daddy reaper is about to be released. Last time they hauled him up, Noah was building a boat. That’s why this place is crawling with reapers. They’re waiting on the big boss to show,” Bobby said, turning to look around.

WE BEGAN WALKING down the street to see if we could find Cas before heading to the field. I didn’t quite understand how we would get the ring if we stopped Death from actually coming. I assumed that if we stopped him, then maybe the apocalypse would also be stopped? It sounded more like a temporary solution. What would stop someone from trying to bring Death out again? Of course, this hunch about the horseman was turning out to be something much bigger. If carnage was needed, we were going to need some help. Also, who would be performing the ritual? It would probably have to be someone really powerful for something on this scale.

“Well, this is great. Been in town twenty minutes and already lost the angel up our sleeves,” Dean said as we walked down the street.

“You think, uh, you think it’s Lucifer?” Sam asked what was probably on all our minds. He would be someone powerful enough to bring this horseman about.

“I don’t know what to think,” Dean answered.

“We meet again,” a familiar voice called out.

We all turned left to see Meg—the demon from the police station who blew everything up and talked to my dad when I was little. This time, we didn’t have Cas with us.

“What are you doing here?” Dean asked.

Sam and Bobby held their guns on her.

“I’m here on some business,” she smiled.

Dean pulled out the Colt. “You’re not getting away this time.”

“Oh, I didn’t come here alone, Deano.”

Something splashed in the puddle near her feet. I could just barely make out an outline—a large outline. Something was growling and barking.

“Hellhounds,” I heard Dean whisper.

Hellhounds? I swallowed hard.

“Yeah, Dean, your favorite. Come on. My father wants to see all of you.”

“I think we’ll pass, thanks,” Sam said.

Father? Lucifer was nearby? I didn’t try to reach out to see if she was telling the truth. I looked around and noticed two more large outlines. Three hellhounds.

“Last chance,” Meg taunted. “Don’t make this harder on yourselves.”

Dean looked back at us. We didn’t really have much of a choice. We were going to have to run, although I wasn’t sure how we would beat those hellhounds. Their outlines appeared to be larger than any dog I had ever seen.

“When have you known us to ever make anything easy?” Dean retorted.

Meg shook her head. Dean shifted his aim and fired near the hellhound. He grazed it.

“Run!” Sam shouted.

We all started to retreat, and the dogs were let loose. I glanced back. Meg disappeared. The wounded hellhound was going straight for Dean while the other two were moving off to the sides to cut us off up ahead—of course, Bobby and Sam didn’t realize this yet.

I slowed as I realized it was going to knock over Dean before it attacked. I circled around just as the hellhound headbutted him in the side. He obviously couldn’t see them. I could hardly see them. I more or less felt them. Dean went sprawling down but still had the Colt raised. The dog was about to take a swipe. I fell down beside Dean and moved his arm as he fired at the hellhound. In that split second, I saw the hound look at me in surprise. I made Dean pull the trigger, and the bullet hit the dog in the head. It whimpered and fell to the ground, partly on top of me. I pushed it off. That’s when I felt a stab of pain on my right side—and then warmth. Sam and Bobby were running back toward us.

“You can see them?” Dean asked breathlessly, before realizing more hellhounds were out there and we needed to move. He started to stand and was going to help me when he noticed me clutching my side. I had to be in shock. I should have been in more pain than I was experiencing.

“Analina,” he cried, bending back down.

I heard more shots and a few yelps, but the other hellhounds were still circling around us.

“How—?” He cut off his question as he put the pieces together.

“Give me the Colt,” I said, slightly raspy. I cleared my throat. “I can sort of see them, and this can obviously kill them.”

The regular guns slightly injured them. It only took one direct shot with the Colt.

Sam and Bobby made it over to us and noticed what had happened.

I gritted my teeth as I sat up. I felt a wave of dizziness.

“We need to get out of here now,” Dean said urgently. He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it over my wound, pressing down hard. I sucked in my breath.

“Dean, the Colt,” I repeated.

He looked helplessly at me. This wound was not something he could stitch himself. I needed a hospital.

“Dammit, Dean. Carry me, but give me the Colt so I can get the other two hellhounds,” I said edgily.

After a moment’s pause, he pushed the Colt into my hand, still warm from his. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to shoot straight, but I couldn’t see any other way out of here.

Bobby and Sam were still firing around us. Dean reached down and picked me up.

“Cover us!” he yelled.

I glanced around. One was getting close on the right.

“Stop,” I told Dean, who was about to start running with me. I gritted my teeth as I felt more blood ooze down my body.

I focused on the hound and shot. It didn’t go where I wanted, but it dropped. I wasn’t sure if it was dead or injured. It didn’t get back up, so I counted that in our favor.

“She can see them?” Bobby gawked.

I glanced around for the other one. It was weaving between buildings and trash cans. It was smart. It saw what happened to the other two.

“There’s one left, but he’s keeping a distance at the moment,” I informed them, then bit my lip to stay conscious.

Without further words, Dean took off toward where we’d left the Impala. I tried to keep my focus on where the hound was. It was following us but stayed out of range. It was waiting for the perfect time to strike. The Impala came into sight, and each footstep that landed jolted through me. I felt some tears escape my eyes. I kept my mouth firmly shut so I wouldn’t scream out from the pain.

As we got to the car, I noticed the hound had made a decision. Its prey was slowing down, and we were splitting up on either side of the car. It was the perfect time to strike. It started to run toward us.

“Stop, Dean,” I tried to yell, but it sounded like a whisper. “Turn around.”

He turned around so fast that my head bobbed from the equilibrium change. My arms shook as I held up the Colt. Dean noticed this and quickly placed me on the hood of the car.

“Show me,” he said, crouching down next to me.

I grabbed his hand on the Colt and directed his aim. “Wait a moment,” I said. I watched as the hound came in line with the shot. “Now.”

Dean fired. It grazed it. It fell down but was rolling over to get back up.

“You grazed it,” I said. “It’s coming back.”

Dean swore and reset. I put my hands—so cold now—on his arm. Again, I showed him where to shoot. Bobby and Sam looked out anxiously with their guns raised.

“Now.”

Dean shot the gun, and this time it made a direct hit.

“You got it,” I said and felt myself collapse back onto the hood.

Dean threw Sam the keys to the car and picked me back up. We went to the backseat, and Bobby took the front passenger side. I actually heard myself whimper as we got in the car.

“Hang on, Analina. We’ll get you to a hospital. You’ll be okay,” Dean said, trying to hide the panic in his voice.

The shock was wearing off. I felt more pain now. I felt myself shiver. I was starting to feel cold. Wasn’t that supposed to be a bad sign?

“Faster, Sammy,” Dean said urgently.

Dean held onto me the entire time. I tried to answer him, but I just couldn’t. I must have blacked out a few times along the way. I remembered trying to get closer to him. He was warm. I was just so cold, and the pain was all I could think about.

Suddenly, I heard the door open, and I was lifted into the air again.

“Somebody help!” Dean yelled as he entered the hospital. I heard a commotion going on around him. I still held onto him as hands directed me to the gurney.

Dean was torn away from me. I realized I had my eyes closed and tried to open them to see where he went. My warm bubble of security was gone.

He came back down to my level. “It will be alright, Analina. I’ll be right here, okay?”

“Sir, you need to move,” someone yelled at him.

I couldn’t answer him. I felt movement, and then I must have passed out again. I didn’t remember anything else after that.

THE NEXT THING I REMEMBERED WAS WAKING UP to beeping sounds and the antiseptic smell of a hospital. The pain was not as intense—more of a dull ache—as I lay there trying to piece together everything. My eyelids felt heavy. It was as if I was drugged. Then, I slowly remembered the hellhounds and everything that had happened prior. I deduced that yes, I was probably nicely drugged right now. Forcing myself to open my eyes, I looked around.

Apparently, I was by myself in a small hospital room, not in ICU or anything. I glanced over and saw Dean slouched in a chair by the bed. I tried to call out, but it didn’t even come out as a whisper. My throat was dry. I had to have been sleeping for a long time. I took a closer look around. I had an IV hooked up and a wire monitoring my heart rate, which appeared to be normal—although it elevated a little as I became more conscious. An oxygen tube ran into my nose. That was uncomfortable. I took it out. If I couldn’t breathe on my own by now, I was in bigger trouble than I thought.

I shifted and felt the stitches pull on my side. I sucked in a breath. Okay, maybe that was not the best idea just yet, I chastised myself. I tried to bring more saliva up to help with my throat. I swallowed and tried again.

“Dean?” I cleared my throat. My voice sounded thick with sleep.

Regardless, he heard me and jolted up. He hovered over me.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

“Nicely medicated, thanks,” I said and tried to smile a little.

He looked semi-relieved. I got a better look at him now. He looked… exhausted. Besides sleep, he needed a shave and a shower.

“How long was I out?” I asked.

“About two days.”

“Two days?” I didn’t think it had been that long.

“They said you were very lucky. No major damage to any organ. They, uh, did remove your appendix, but who needs that, right?” He shrugged and sat next to me on the bed. “It’ll just take some time until you’re up and going again.”

I took a second to process this new information. “Wait, how are you paying for all this? This has to be exp—”

“Don’t worry,” Dean said, holding up his hand. “We got it covered.”

I didn’t have the strength to argue with him, and I assumed he probably did have things covered. I tried to sit up more. I was stiff but mostly sore.

“Whoa, whoa, hey! What are you doing?” he said, ready to stop whatever it was he thought I was doing.

“I’m trying to sit up,” I said. “You’re welcome to help me.”

He studied me a moment, then grabbed onto me and helped me sit up. A pain shot through me but then subsided to a dull throb. I sat still for a few seconds as it faded. Dean watched me with concern in his eyes.

“Thanks,” I managed. I met his eyes. “I’m not going to die on you. I promise. I told you I wasn’t that easy to get rid of. I’m just a little sore at the moment.”

He didn’t say anything, but a little tension left his shoulders.

“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, looking around the room more carefully.

“Sam just went down to get something to eat. Bobby had to head back to deal with Rufus or something…” He shrugged again, looking tired.

“And Cas? Did he come back?”

Dean shook his head. “No, not yet. I’ve been calling, but nothing.”

Uh-oh. What happened to him?

Dean studied me. “It’ll be okay. He’ll turn up. You just worry about getting better.”

“And… Death?” I asked.

He grimaced. “I would imagine he’s out on the loose now.”

“Dean, I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

“Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry about. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in here,” he said roughly.

“You?”

“Yes, me. You should have kept going. I should have…” he started, looking away for a moment.

“Now I’m sure you need some sleep. You’re becoming delirious,” I said. “The hellhound only got me when he fell down dead. He didn’t get me prior, and you would have been dead otherwise. I wasn’t going to let that happen. Besides, the other two hounds were trying to circle us in anyway. Stopping saved Sam and Bobby’s lives as well.”

He blinked in surprise. “How did you see them? Only people who are about to die can see them.”

“I don’t know. I felt them more than I saw them.” I sighed and then realized he must associate them with when he was taken to Hell. I looked back at him and stared for a minute. “Have you even gotten any sleep, Dean? Not that I really want to know for sure, but I have a feeling you look worse than I do right now.”

He laughed shortly, without humor. “I’ve slept on and off here. I promised you that I would be here for you.”

“You stayed here for the past two days?” I asked.

He nodded. I felt my eyes prickle with tears, but I didn’t cry. I leaned forward to hug him.

“Thanks,” I whispered. He gently put his arms around me, being very careful not to go near my fresh stitches. I didn’t pull away, and he didn’t let go. I felt my body relax—like all this tension had been there before and I hadn’t even known. “You know, I never had to stay in the hospital before.”

“Never?”

“Nope… so thanks for staying with me.”

We lapsed into silence.

I heard footsteps and looked up to see Sam in the doorway with two cups of coffee in his hands.

“You’re up,” he said, noticing me. His face brightened.

I slowly pulled away from Dean, again mindful of the stitches.

“How are you doing?” Sam asked.

“Nicely medicated,” I replied.

Dean took the cup of coffee from Sam and scooted back a little. Sam looked about the same as Dean. They both must have stayed with me these past few days.

Sam sat down on the other side of my bed.

“You know, you guys really should go back and get some rest—and maybe a shower,” I said, not so subtly.

“No, we’re not leaving you here alone, so close to Carthage—with Death and Lucifer nearby,” Dean said. He took another sip of his coffee.

Point taken. “Okay,” I conceded. “You could take turns? One of you can go back just for a few hours to clean up and get some rest, and then switch.”

They looked at each other, doing the silent communication thing they tended to do. Being around them as much as I had been, I could tell Dean wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but Sam thought it was a good compromise.

Before they could verbalize, I suggested, “Sam, why don’t you go first, since Dean now has a fresh cup of coffee to get through. Then, when you get back, he can go.”

Sam looked at Dean.

“Go, man,” Dean said with a small sigh. “She’s right. Get some rest.”

“You sure?” Sam asked, looking slightly relieved.

“Yeah.”

Sam glanced back at me. “I’m glad you’re finally up.” He squeezed my hand. “Get some rest, too, alright?”

I smiled and nodded.

Sam took his leave. Dean drank more of his coffee. I felt tired.

“Would you help me lie back down?” I asked.

Dean quickly set the coffee down and, quite skillfully, supported me while easing me back down.

“Promise me something,” I said to him.

“What?” he asked.

“When Sam gets back, promise me that you’ll go back to the motel and shower and rest for a few hours.”

I knew he only agreed because Sam went first. It didn’t guarantee that he would go and do the same when it was his turn.

“Please don’t make me worry about you,” I added. “Just for a few hours. That’s all I ask. I doubt I’ll be out of here today.”

Dean thought for a moment. He sighed. “Alright. I promise. But just for a few hours.”

“Deal.”

“Good,” he said, moving back to drink his coffee. “Now, get some sleep.”

“You’re just going to watch me sleep?” I asked. Then I mumbled, “Now that’s not creepy at all.”

I started to close my eyes. I actually didn’t really care at the moment. I was too tired.

“You didn’t seem to mind the past two days,” he answered back.

I snorted and then winced. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Sorry.” He didn’t sound that sorry.

“I’ll blame the… what are they giving me?” I cracked one eye open at him.

He glanced up at the bag. “Morphine at the moment. They switch out.”

“Morphine? Seriously?” I quietly groaned. “No wonder the room is spinning.”

He chuckled. “’Night.”

“It’s not night,” I mumbled, slowly losing consciousness

WHEN I WOKE UP AGAIN, SAM was there by himself. I was surprised. “Dean actually left?” I asked.

Sam looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “Yeah, surprisingly, he went without too much trouble.”

He glanced down at his watch. “It’s only been two hours, but I’m impressed. I didn’t think he would leave your side. How are you doing?”

“About the same,” I said. “Nothing new to report, I guess?”

He shook his head. “We might try a summoning spell for Cas when you get out of here. Unless he shows up beforehand.”

I frowned. It wasn’t like Cas to not show up when something was going on. I really hoped he was alright.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Sam reassured me.

A nurse popped her head in. “Hello there,” she greeted. “You’re finally up again. How are you feeling?”

“Medicated,” I said once again. Sam chuckled.

“Well, we have to keep a step ahead of the pain,” she explained. She came over and took some vital signs. I noticed she had some things with her. “Everything looks good, Deborah.”

I glanced at Sam, who shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m going to need to change your dressings. Do you want your brother to stay at all?” she asked, glancing over at Sam.

“Uhh,” I said.

“I’ll just wait on the other side of the curtain,” Sam suggested. He stood up and walked over.

“What happened to your other brother? John, right?” she asked.

I nodded, assuming that’s what he used. “I think he went to get some sleep,” I answered as she lifted up the dressing gown to get to the bandage.

“I’ve never seen such a dedicated older brother. You are a very lucky young woman, Miss Bonham,” she said as she started to clean around the stitches. I tried to stay still. Bonham, huh? That’s what… a Led Zeppelin reference? I thought. Oh, Dean…

The nurse chatted cheerfully as she worked.

“All right, Mick,” she called. “You can come back around.”

Sam reappeared, and I arched an eyebrow at him. He only glanced at me before turning his attention back to the nurse.

“So how is she?”

“She’s doing very well. No signs of infection, so that’s good. The doctor will be by shortly to follow up. I would guess maybe two or three more days and she can go home.”

“That’s good to hear. Thank you,” he replied as she started to leave.

“Deborah Bonham?” I asked.

“It was the best we could do on such short notice,” he shrugged. “You know Dean.”

I smiled. “That I do.”

He sat back down. “Do you need anything?”

“Um, maybe some water?”

A pitcher was near the bed. He poured some water into a Styrofoam cup and handed it to me.

“Thanks.”

I wasn’t hungry just yet, and I guessed that was because of the medication. I didn’t think the current one was morphine—I didn’t feel as drugged as when I woke up earlier.

We chatted a little bit. Sam told me what happened once we got to the hospital. Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt as badly as they first thought. He said he hadn’t seen Dean so upset in a long time. I felt bad, but there really wasn’t much I could do. He also said that once I could leave the hospital, they planned on at least getting some distance between us and this place before stopping again. They would take as much time as I needed to heal.

I asked about Death, and he shrugged. “We’ll just have to get the ring like all the other horsemen instead,” he had said.

“From Death?” I asked.

He didn’t have much of an answer to that.

The doctor stopped in not too long after and did his check-up on me. It seemed that things were healing nicely, and he reiterated what the nurse had said earlier. So I was looking at another two to three days in here. I contained the sigh and scolded myself. It could have been a lot worse. I could be dead or permanently injured.

Dean came by a little after that. He was only gone for about three and a half hours—according to when Sam said he left. That was probably the best I would get from him. He did promise “a few hours,” so I couldn’t hold it against him. He did shower and shave—that helped his appearance.

After Dean got the update when the nurse and doctor came by, I felt something.

“Guys, I think Cas is coming,” I said hesitantly.

“What?” they both asked.

Before I could say anything else, Cas appeared—bloody, but in one piece.

“Cas, what happened?” Dean asked as Sam directed him to a chair.

“Lucifer was there. He trapped me,” he said, looking around.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine. He left me in a ring of fire when he went to raise Death. He never came back. I only just got out.”

Cas finally noticed me. He stood. “What happened?”

“Hellhounds,” Dean said simply.

“I’ll be fine,” I added. “It sort of scratched me when it died, so it’s not so bad.”

He started to come over to heal me.

“Wait a sec,” I said, holding up my hands. “Wouldn’t it be odd if I was just suddenly healed when they came back?”

Cas swayed a little.

“And are you actually up for the job?” I asked, studying Cas.

“I can heal you,” he said and grabbed onto the back of the chair to steady himself. Dean and Sam exchanged nervous glances.

“Cas, what happened to you?” Dean demanded.

“It’s not of import,” he said, waving Dean’s concern off.

“Not of imp—You were freakin’ gone for two days, and you suddenly appear all bloody and beat up,” Dean said rather loudly.

“Dean,” Sam said, looking at the door. No one came in.

“I handled it,” Cas said.

“Oh, you handled it,” Dean repeated sarcastically.

“Uh, guys?” I said but was ignored.

“Yes, I handled it.”

“Guys!” I said louder and winced. They stopped and looked at me. “Can you possibly fight about this later? And, you know, maybe not in a hospital room?”

I got an eye roll from Dean, and Cas just looked away.

“Cas, can you possibly heal me so that it takes half the time it would normally take to heal? It shouldn’t shock the doctors that much, and I would imagine it wouldn’t take so much out of you in the process,” I suggested.

Cas considered it.

“No, Cas will heal you and then he can beam you out of here,” Dean said.

“I’m not sure if I could do both at this time,” Cas admitted, looking downward. “I’m drained from trying to escape.”

“Great,” Dean muttered and rubbed his face.

“Would you be able to do what she suggested?” Sam asked Cas.

“Yes, I could do that.”

“Then let’s do that,” I said. I could handle that better than the normal healing process. “And then Cas should get some rest—or whatever it is that angels do to get back up to full speed.”

Cas glanced back at Dean. He didn’t seem to like the alternative, but it was better than nothing. Stepping forward, Cas placed his hand on my head. A warmth spread throughout my body. The pain lessened, but it was still there. Cas stood back.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“A little better,” I said truthfully. I scooted myself up a little without too much trouble. That was an improvement from this afternoon.

“You’ll probably notice more of a difference as time goes by,” he said.

“Thanks.”

He nodded and sat back down.

“Cas, I hate to break this to you, but you should probably get out of here. A bloody man in a trench coat will not be overlooked in a hospital,” Dean said quietly.

Cas looked up at Dean.

“Right. I’ll stop back soon.” And with that, he left as quickly as he appeared.

The doctor was amazed at my progress, and I only spent one more day in the hospital. Once released, we drove straight out of town without looking back. We drove for several hours—most of which I slept—before I woke up feeling incredibly sore. I guessed the injected painkillers had worn off. I had a prescription of pills that would combat the pain. We stopped at a motel where I spent the next few days resting.

Image by Gemini and tweaked by ChatGPT

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