Missed Chapter 27?

Free Supernatural Fanfiction – Chapter Summary:

A dangerous hunt turns chaotic, but a quiet moment afterward changes everything for the better.

Rating: PG-13
Contains:   Supernatural peril, mild violence, and emotional intensity

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:  
Pestilence

EVENTUALLY, LATER THAT MORNING, we returned to reality—but it was really nice just to spend an evening alone and forget about everything. Dean later revealed that he’d had an exceptionally good hand at poker that paid for the room. He also said I shouldn’t get used to it, because that’s something that probably wouldn’t happen again with his paycheck.

I pointed out that he technically didn’t get a paycheck.

To which he replied, “Exactly.”

A day or two later, we found a lead on Pestilence’s location. An outbreak of seventy cases of swine flu had broken out at Serenity Valley Convalescent Home. A few days earlier, there were reports of a similar outbreak at a nearby hospital. Dean, Sam, and I went after Pestilence while Bobby stayed behind to work on locating Death. He would be the final ring we needed—assuming we could procure Pestilence’s.

We watched the convalescent home from the Impala. I felt the demons as we pulled up.

“So this is Dr. Evil’s lair, huh?” Dean asked.

“It’s kind of more depressing than evil,” Sam said.

“It’s like a four-color brochure for dying young. Of course, to Pestilence, it’s probably Dollywood in there.”

“How many demons are in there?” Sam asked, looking out.

I reached out. The whole building was crawling with them. “A lot… and there are humans in there.”

“Great,” Sam said sarcastically.

With a plan in place, we got out and made our way to the entrance. With every step, the air grew heavier, thicker, and smellier. It was overpowering. I hadn’t met the other Horsemen, so I wasn’t sure if this was normal—or just Pestilence. We went down a side hallway and saw a security guard.

Dean walked up to him. “Hey. Hi, uh, I’m looking for my Nana. Her name is Eunice Kennedy.”

“Go around front and see the nurse,” the guard said.

“You mind just helping me out, sir? She’s about, uh, that small, gray hair, wears diapers…”

Dean knocked the guard out.

“Eunice Kennedy?” Sam asked.

“That’s the beauty of improv, Sammy. You never know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”

We continued down the hall. The feeling worsened with each step. Obviously, we were headed in the right direction. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to protect all three of us from Pestilence’s effects. I was already struggling, and it wasn’t getting better. People littered the hallway floor—vomit and blood everywhere. The smell alone could knock someone out.

“Ugh… must be getting close,” Sam managed to say.

“You think?” Dean shot back.

I didn’t dare open my mouth. Sam and Dean started to stumble. I reached out farther to protect them. I was sweating and shaking. Dean glanced back at me. He wanted to tell me not to worry about them, but he couldn’t.

Suddenly, the door flew open to reveal a nurse. Only she wasn’t just a nurse—she was a demon. I wasn’t sure I could stop her and hold off the sickness that surrounded us. She stepped aside to reveal an older man—Pestilence. I noticed the ring on his finger, similar to the others. He didn’t look sick. He was mostly bald, with white hair around the sides of his head. He wore a dark gray sweater over a plaid shirt. His name tag read “Dr. Green.” He looked like a regular man.

“Hmm, you don’t look well.” He stepped closer as we slumped to the floor. “It might be the… uh… scarlet fever. Or the meningitis. Oh! Or the syphilis. That’s no fun. However,” he studied us for a moment. I warded off all I could, but I was getting cold and clammy. “It’s going to get so very, very much worse. Questions? Disease gets a bad rap, don’t you think?”

He came even closer. Dean had the Ruby knife still in his hand, barely grasping it. I thought about just protecting him against Pestilence so he could stop him, but I wasn’t sure what would happen to Sam and me.

“Disease itself… very pure. Single-minded. Bacteria have one purpose: divide and conquer.” He knocked the knife out of Dean’s hand. It flew across the floor. “That’s why, in the end, it always wins. So you’ve got to wonder why God pours all his love into something so messy… and weak. It’s ridiculous. All I can do is show Him He’s wrong. One epidemic at a time.”

I looked over at Dean. I had to do it. I gathered up what protection I could and projected it onto him. In one second, Dean realized what I’d done. He jumped into action. He pushed past the Horseman and grabbed the knife. I was starting to faint. I could just barely see Dean cut off Pestilence’s finger with the ring. Suddenly, the air felt a little lighter. I saw Dean turn and stab the demon nurse in the chest. She crumpled to the floor. As my vision returned, I noticed two fingers instead of one next to the body.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s too late,” Pestilence said—and disappeared.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and sat back against the wall. “You guys had to leave all the fun Horsemen, didn’t you?”

“Heh,” Sam said, struggling to stand.

Dean pulled the ring off the finger on the floor. I diverted my eyes and stood. I felt wobbly from protecting him. Dean looked up.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, give me a few minutes,” I said. I didn’t have to protect anyone anymore. The other demons were far enough away. Yeah, I should be fine.

Thankfully, we didn’t have any more major issues leaving. Most demons had left, and those that remained we took care of. We were worried, however, about what Pestilence said—“It’s too late.” What did that mean?

WE GOT BACK TO THE CAR AND CALLED BOBBY about our success with the ring. He said he’d look into anything else that might be happening. We went back to the motel to freshen up. Bobby called back moments later.

Apparently, Pestilence had been busy—spreading the swine flu elsewhere. Dr. Green was part of the Niveus Pharmaceutical Company, which was sending out a rush delivery of its new swine flu vaccine to “stem the tide of an unprecedented outbreak.” The delivery was scheduled for Friday, which meant we had little time to stop it. We assumed the vaccine was more than likely a Croatoan virus—a demonic plague.

While driving to Niveus headquarters, Dean and Sam explained the Croatoan virus. It was apparently a demonic virus spread through fluid contact. It took a few hours to take over a person’s body. Once infected, the person would turn rabid and try to spread the virus, causing mayhem and eventually death.

“So we’re basically trying to stop a demonic zombie apocalypse?” I asked as we neared our destination.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Sam said.

We parked the car and watched from a distance.

“Yup, they’re loading up hotshots of Croatoan in the trucks. Okay, first truck doesn’t leave for an hour. We get in, we plant the C-4 every 25 feet, then we pull the fire alarm,” Dean said, checking his watch.

I looked over. “That truck is leaving.”

Sam and Dean turned their heads.

“Son of a… Okay, new plan,” Dean said, reaching for the door handle.

We all got out of the car. Apparently, our cover would be blown with this new plan. Sam and I headed toward the warehouse, and Dean went to stop the truck.

“Help!” someone yelled from inside the building.

“Side door!” Sam said.

We heard people screaming inside.

Sam advised, “Get back!”

He shot the lock and opened the door. Scores of people piled out of the building.

“There’s still people here,” Sam said, moving farther into the warehouse.

“Sam, wait! Shouldn’t we wait…” I started, but he continued on without looking back. I finished lamely to myself, “For Dean?”

I could sense demons—as well as something else. Something that felt… off. Not quite human, not quite demonic. I guessed it was someone infected with the Croatoan virus. I followed Sam into a large loading or storage room, staying closer to the door. I reached out, felt a demon, and exorcised it.

Sam continued pulling people from the back of the warehouse. As they came forward, I made sure they got out. I had to hand it to Sam—he didn’t let anyone past him who wasn’t human. I didn’t have to exorcise anyone else. Although, I didn’t think I could exorcise someone infected with the virus. Thankfully, those were taken care of by Sam—and a bullet.

“I think that’s about it,” Sam called from somewhere in the back.

“I still feel one more. An infected one,” I yelled back. “Back left corner.”

“I’ll get it!”

I looked outside. I didn’t see Dean coming, but the truck hadn’t moved either. I started to reach out to see where he was when I heard Sam yell. I raced toward his voice. Just as I turned the corner, I saw an infected person attacking him. Before I could react, I heard a gunshot.

I looked over—Dean was standing there with his gun.

Sam looked relieved and started walking toward us. The brothers shared a nod.

“Can we commit our act of domestic terrorism already?” Dean asked. “Let’s go.”

We set up the bombs without any more problems. The Croatoan virus was stopped. We actually prevented one apocalypse from happening—and got the third ring.

WITH ONE RING LEFT TO GET, we were in a good mood. Bobby was working on finding Death, which hopefully wouldn’t be too hard now. The next major thing was figuring out how to use the rings to get to the cage. But first, we had to retrieve the fourth ring before we could experiment with anything.

In better spirits, Dean wanted to take the evening off and celebrate. He noticed a carnival nearby the motel we were staying at and wanted to take me there.

“Is this another date?” I asked him.

“Could be,” he teased.

Sam waved us off. He said he’d meet up with us later. He went back behind the laptop, but I didn’t think he was doing more research. He smiled as we left. Dean didn’t seem to notice, and off we went.

THE CARNIVAL WAS JUST WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE—rides, games, shows, and food. We strolled through the crowded area, taking in all the sights and sounds. The food got the better of Dean, so we stopped to eat. I think he really liked the greasy fries covered in globs of cheese. Actually, they weren’t too bad—for the few I managed to sneak from his plate. I got a funnel cake.

We stopped to see a magic show inside a large tent. The magician called himself the Master of Mystery. He did well—sawed his assistant in half and managed to make someone’s watch disappear and reappear. After the show, we left the tent and decided to try some games. Everyone knew most of these games were rigged.

Undeterred, Dean stopped to try his luck at toppling over milk jugs with a ball. Huge prizes hung overhead. Of course, the only way to win the big ones was to knock all the jugs over. At least this game gave a mercy prize for trying.

Dean stepped up and paid the man. On his first try, he only knocked over one jug. I could’ve told him it was a waste of money, but I didn’t say anything. After the third try, he managed to tumble most—but not all—of the jugs. He won a small stuffed animal.

He wanted to keep going for the large prize, but I stopped him.

“Dean, what are we going to do with that huge teddy bear? He’d take up the entire back seat, and I’m not riding on his lap.”

After a moment of thought, he conceded. The man handed him a smaller version of the huge bear. Dean looked it over and handed it to me.

“Well, he’s completely adorable,” I said, taking the bear.

“You know, I could try…” Dean started.

“Shush! I have to think of a name now,” I interrupted. I needed something cute—but not too cute. Nothing that would provoke too much teasing from Dean. That was unavoidable.

Dean found this entertaining and waited.

“You could call him Dean. Dean’s a nice name,” he suggested.

I gave him a sour look. After a few moments, I got it.

“I know,” I announced. I patted the bear’s head. “I’ll call him Chester.”

“Chester?” Dean asked.

“Yep. Chester. I had you win Chester for me,” I said, slightly pleased with myself.

Dean rolled his eyes but smiled. “Alright, let’s go. You too, Chester.”

I tucked the bear into my purse—which just barely fit—and we continued through the carnival. We made it to the other side and decided to take a walk a little away from the crowd. In the back, a slight grassy incline met the end of the carnival. We climbed up and sat on top. On one side of the hill, we could see the carnival; on the other, just a field with trees beyond.

We sat down and looked out. It was peaceful. A few other people were scattered on the hillside like us.

“You’re not cold yet?” he asked. It was starting to get chilly since the sun had set. It was warm down by the carnival with all the lights and people, but up here, it was cooler. I normally got colder than Dean and Sam, and they knew that. I’d learned to dress in layers a long time ago.

“I’m okay right now.”

“Good,” he said. He shifted a little. I eyed him suspiciously. He seemed… nervous? Not his usual self since he won the bear.

“You alright?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said quickly. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”

I felt a sudden lurch in my stomach. He’d started a similar conversation when I was recovering from my injury. He wanted me to go home back then. I quickly calmed myself down. He surely wasn’t going to suggest that again—especially after everything we’d learned since.

He paused.

I waited a moment. “Dean, you’re making me a little nervous,” I admitted.

He looked up. “Yeah, uh…”

“Perhaps you should just blurt it out?” I offered, wondering what could be bothering him.

He smiled a little. “I guess I could. I sort of… I sort of wanted to say this differently. I mean, I guess what I’m trying to say is…”

He took a breath. “Man, it’s harder to be normal than I thought.”

I laughed softly. “Maybe you should just be yourself instead.”

“As long as you don’t rag on me later for it,” he conceded.

I paused. “I can’t make any guarantees, but I’ll try my best.”

He grabbed my hands in his, and my heart stopped for the second time in minutes.

“I know it’s only been a few months since we first mentioned it, but with everything going on… I just… I wondered if maybe you would marry me?”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond. After getting that part out, he started to ramble.

“I never really thought about marrying, but I also can’t see myself with anyone else. I know you’re the one. And, well… if the world ends or if it doesn’t, I want you by my side through it all. I know we don’t really need to be married to do that. But I… I just thought that you would like to. I mean, be normal for once. I’m also totally okay if you want a real wedding. I think maybe your parents and family might like that. You know, be normal or whatever…”

He stopped to take a breath and finally looked back up at me.

I was completely stunned. I waited in case he wanted to add anything else, but it looked like he was waiting for my answer. He had to have been considering this for a while. During the whole time, I thought about it. I really did love him. If I was ever going to marry anyone, it would certainly be my soul mate.

The real question was: was I ready to be married?

I didn’t think marriage would completely change what was going on. We’d still hunt and save the world whenever possible. Would my family be happy with this? Not that it was up to them, but approval would be nice. It would also make life easier. I thought they would be. The little my parents saw of Dean and Sam, they liked them.

I looked into his green eyes, and I simply knew. “Yes.”

“Yes?” He looked surprised.

I nodded, smiling. He grinned back and pulled me in for a kiss. When we pulled back, he took my right hand.

“You said you wanted that ring as your engagement ring?” he asked, pulling it off.

I did love that ring. I nodded. I pulled off the ring on my left hand, and he placed the now engagement ring on it instead. It felt a little odd on that side, but I knew it would feel natural soon.

“I also got you something,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “Just in case.”

He pulled out a little box.

“You said the ring was only slightly different than what you wanted,” he explained, handing me the box.

I couldn’t believe he remembered that—from way back when we first met. I opened the box to reveal a silver key necklace. It had little stones at the head of an old-fashioned key—just like the one I would’ve had engraved on the ring.

“Dean,” I managed to say, pulling it out. I couldn’t get anything else out.

“It’s not real diamonds, but it is silver, so if we’re hunting and…” he started, a little uneasy.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “Would you put it on me?”

“Sure,” he breathed a little easier and reached around to secure the necklace.

When he was done, I turned back to him. “Thank you.” I placed a kiss on his lips, which he gladly returned.

I stayed in his arms after that.

“It seems almost surreal,” I whispered after we sat in silence for a little while.

He smiled. “Did you want a real wedding? I mean, you know. With a dress and flowers and whatever else they do?”

I wasn’t sure what he would want to do for a wedding. I never really thought he’d propose. He didn’t seem the type. Not that he’d cheat on me or anything—he had a very loyal streak—but marriage seemed like something he’d never consider.

“We could do a small wedding,” I said, taking the middle ground. “Do a little traditional, and a little… us.”

“Us?” he asked.

I nodded.

He smiled and pushed back my hair. “That sounds like a plan.”

We spent another half hour on the hill, savoring the moment. We talked a little more about what we should do for the wedding. Of course, I’d have to tell my parents. I thought they were already seeing that Dean and I were getting close. Apparently, I talked about him more than anything—which I was told about later. I wasn’t consciously doing that.

Although we didn’t get everything settled right then and there, we did agree to have the wedding in October—because that was my ideal month. It also gave us a few months to get things coordinated. Maybe the apocalypse would be over by then. Hopefully, we wouldn’t be in the middle of something.

Regardless, we started to make plans as normal couples would—well, as normal as we could ever get at this point.

MINI CHAPTER BONUS: Non-Hunting

When I first met Sam and Dean, Sam told me he thought his brother probably wanted a normal life—but that he never believed he could have one. I never brought it up with Dean, but I had a feeling it was true. Even if he hadn’t proposed, I could see it in the little things. Like how he’d watch families from a distance when he didn’t think anyone was looking. There was a sense of longing in his eyes I couldn’t help but notice.

We’d joked about being “normal” before. Honestly, I didn’t even know what normal meant. Being normal didn’t necessarily mean things were good or better. Sometimes “normal” people had it worse than hunters. There was a lot of hurt in the world—but also a lot of good. Every family was different. Some were close. Others weren’t. After the life Dean had lived, I wasn’t sure if he would be satisfied with the kind of life he thought he wanted. Could he really forget about all the monsters and demons out there and live like everyone else? Get a job? No fake IDs or impersonating anyone to get information?

Being in this life—even for the short time I had—I knew I’d have a hard time going back to a regular routine. My life before them was normal. I had a job I didn’t hate. I spent time with my family and a few close friends. Sometimes I missed that—just waking up without the worry of the apocalypse looming overhead. But I’d also come to embrace this new way of life. Granted, the motels and constant travel weren’t always fun, and the way they got money wasn’t comforting. But helping people felt good. And this was something not everyone could do.

I remembered one conversation I had with Dean after he proposed, when we had a quiet moment alone in the motel room. I don’t exactly remember how it started, but he was talking about what he remembered from when he was little.

“My mom used to make me tomato and rice soup when I was sick,” he reminisced.

I smiled a little. I could tell he wanted to say more, so I just let him talk.

“She would also cut the crusts off my sandwiches.”

He sighed. “You know, she never wanted us to grow up as hunters. She gave up the life. She didn’t want it for herself either. I can’t blame her. I wouldn’t want my kids growing up with all this.” He looked at me. “My dad didn’t know about it. He—he found out the hard way after my mom died.”

He paused.

“Are we in the cone of silence thing right now?”

“Yeah,” I said, with a slight smile.

He thought for a moment. “I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I stopped… hunting, that is. Just forget about everything. Let someone else worry about it… Maybe get a house and a real job. The whole American dream thing, you know? But then… then I think about all the people we’ve saved and could save. And the way Dad taught us—push our own feelings and wants aside. Ours don’t matter. What matters is stopping the evil that’s out there.”

He stopped again.

“Not to be pessimistic, but I don’t think evil will ever be completely gone,” I said.

He smirked a little. “Yeah, I know. It sucks.”

“Not all the time, right?” I placed my hand on his.

“No, not all the time.” He took my hand. “Tell me the truth. Do you really want to be doing this?”

I contemplated the question for a moment. He studied my face hard. I knew I spoke more with my eyes, but it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t lie to him. Not over this—and not in the cone of silence.

“That’s a tricky question. Right now, I’m fine with it. I mean, now that I understand what I’m doing. I guess I love and hate it at the same time. If that makes sense?”

He shifted a little to face me fully. “And us?”

He didn’t continue the question.

I asked, “What about us?”

“Our future together could be cut very short because of this life,” he stated plainly.

“That could also happen outside this life, too,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but,” he shook his head at me, “most hunters don’t live long. Bobby is one of the oldest hunters I know.”

“Dean, I think we’re stubborn enough to live long. Besides, I think you’d make a very cute old man. I can just imagine you with your little walker…”

“Whoa, wait a minute…”

“And of course, I’d have to tease you about that,” I continued, undeterred.

“I am not going to have a walker as an old man.”

“Sure, of course not,” I patronized. “Maybe a cane at first, but I’m sure I could convince you…”

“Would you stop with the walker and cane?” He stopped and then smiled.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m picturing you as an old woman,” he answered. He closed his eyes and continued to smile.

“You better like what you see,” I said, trying not to glare too much. He couldn’t see it anyway.

He opened his eyes. “Definitely.”

“Good,” I said with a smile.

With a slight pause in the conversation, I leaned into him, and he put his arm around me.

“So we’ll be old and gray and taking down demons and ghosts with iron canes and walkers,” he commented.

I smiled. “That sounds like a really bad comic duo.”

He laughed softly.

“But honestly, Dean, I think eventually the hunting will taper off—without one of us dying in the process,” I said.

“I hope,” he whispered..

Image by Copilot

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