by Amelia Esla
The other two just nodded, and followed his orders. The three of them took off running, albeit slower than they would have liked due to Dean's limp.
Eventually they found a neighborhood that seemed to be empty. The zombies were far behind them, now, and they knew they had to find a place for Dean to rest up. They decided on a house close to the neighborhood's exit, so they could leave quickly in the morning. They house was rather nice. It was two stories high and painted a bright blue color. When they entered the house (which Sam had to break into) it looked ransacked. The people who had lived here seemed to have grabbed as much stuff as they could take before hauling ass to god knows where.
There wasn't much food or drink, but there were real beds to sleep on and some clothes to wear. (It had been weeks since Megan was able to change her clothes, and she was praying that the people last here had left some decent girls clothes behind.)
"Home sweet home…" Dean muttered as he set down his gun on the coffee table. Sam snorted in agreement.
5- Gone Exploring
It was a full day of hanging around the musty, deserted house that Sam asked Megan the question she knew was coming. "What about the group you were with? You said they were coming back."
Megan was sitting by the window, staring out into the street. She didn't know why. There was no one out there, not even any zombies. Maybe, she though, she was waiting for the group that never would come. Sam came up behind her, settling down in an old creaky chair and pulling it toward her. From the couple days she had been with the boys, Megan still hadn't quite figured out what was so off about them. At first she figured it didn't matter, but if they were sticking together, she needed to know more about them.
"Right... my group," She stalled trying to think of some excuse when Dean limped into the room. He held a beer from the six-pack that he had found earlier in the house. It seemed that whoever ransacked the place didn't care for alcohol.
"Look...I'm gonna be honest. There is no group." They both looked at het with confused looks, tilting their heads in unison. "I made them up. I've been alone since the outbreak."
"Why would you lie about that?" Sam asked.
Megan shrugged, blushing. "I didn't know you guys. For all I knew, you guys were psychopaths that were going to kill me and take my stuff if you found out it was just me."
Dean snorted. "And what, you know us now?" He grinned childishly.
Megan rolled her eyes. "Well I'm pretty sure you won't kill me, so that's a start."
Sam clapped his hands together, standing up next to his big brother. "So, it's just us three, then. What are we gonna do?"
She and Dean didn't say anything at first. None of them really knew what to do in this situation. But Dean, at least, had one suggestion. "We gotta find us some grub, dude. I'm starving."
Sam chuckled. "Alright, that's a start."
/SPN
They decided to make this house base camp and set out to find resources. The three split up to investigate the now empty neighborhood. It was eerie, Megan thought, walking along the streets that children used to play on, joggers used to run on, and cars used to drive on. Now there was no one around but her.
Most of the houses were left unlocked in a hurry, others were broken into already, but still a few posed a bit of a problem. It's not like she had ever picked a lock before, so she had to smash a window instead. Unfortunately, that created a lot of noise that nowadays could get you killed.
A few blocks down, there was a cream colored house on the corner that looked untouched. The lawn was overgrown and the trees were untrimmed. The inside was dark, but she didn't see any movement.
Megan picked up a rock off the ground and walked up to the window. Checking around for any sign of zombies, she smashed the rock into the window as hard as she could. The window shattered, and she cleared out the rest of the glass still attached. She crawled through clumsily, landing awkwardly on one knee and one hand.
Shakily, she stood up, trying not to let the eerie silence put her off too much. There was nothing special about the interior of the plain house. She had ended up in the living room, which consisted of a worn couch and arm chair angled at a small TV. Megan could imagine a small family sitting down here to eat dinner and watch TV. Briefly, she wondered where they were now, but quickly put the thought aside.
"Hello?" She called out. He knew this place was empty, but she wanted to make sure. "Is anybody in here?" No response, as she thought.
First she went into the kitchen, which was adjacent to the living room. It was small as well; there was just enough space for one, maybe two, people to comfortably work. She went through the fridge first, but anything that could've been salvageable was well-expired. The cabinets gave her a bit more luck. She found some beaten up boxes of cereal and canned foods. She found a trash bag under the sink and stuffed everything into it, (including the rest of the trash bags). When she was satisfied, Megan decided to take a look at the rest of the house in case there was anything else worth taking.
The bathroom was well stocked with toiletries so she grabbed them all. The master bedroom was completely cleared out except for a stripped mattress and empty chest of drawers.
Finally, she made it to the smaller bedroom- the kid's room. It was certainly small, but cozy. The walls were light purple and the floor was covered with rugs shaped like bees and flowers. The bed was also stripped of its sheets and blankets. The closet had no clothing; instead there was a single teddy bear, long forgotten, lying in the corner. Hesitantly, she picked it up and stared at its old and worn face. She threw it into the bag.
That's when she heard a noise the front of the house. She froze, praying to God that it wasn't a zombie. She could hear someone- or something- shuffling around, knocking into stuff. She gulped, and decided to just crawl out the window rather than deal with the possible threat from outside. She tied the plastic bag and placed it by her feet as she struggled to open the window. There was some sort of child-proof safety lock on it, and she couldn't get it to budge. The noises had seemed to stop, which only made her more nervous.
Finally she managed to flick the switch and the window opened. As she sighed in relief, the door to the child's room slammed open.
Megan couldn't hold back the yelp of surprise and terror as she spun around to face her attacker- Dean.
"Dean?" Dean stood in the doorway, holding a filled pillow sheet in one hand, and his gun in the other. "Jesus Christ Dean! You scared me!"
Dean grinned, putting the gun back in his jeans. "Sorry 'bout that. We seem to have overlapped." He glanced around, and then his eyes travelled back to Megan standing by the open window. "What were you doing? Running from me?"
She pursed her lips. "I thought you were a zombie- or some unfriendly guy with a gun. Which, I guess, you kinda are."
Dean pulled his brow together. "What, I'm not friendly?" He rolled his eyes. "I'm the friendliest guy you'll meet nowadays."
"You're the only guy I'll meet nowadays besides Sam." She picked the trash bag back up. "Find anything useful?" She asked, gesturing to his pillow case.
"Got a bunch of water bottles and some toilet paper. How 'bout you?"
She shrugged. "Not much more. Should we go to a few more houses before heading back to Sam?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, the brat probably got loads of stuff. We gotta get more than him or I'll never hear the end of it. Come on, we'll go together."
He turned to leave and Megan followed. "Wouldn't we get more stuff if we split up?"
"Yeah, probably. But I don't want your sorry ass getting scared off and through the back window again." He looked back to see her reaction, which was an eye roll. Then he continued, mockingly, "Don't worry, I'll be here to protect you."
"Pssh. Yeah, okay,"
6- Old Friends Die Hard
Dean led Megan into the next house. She followed close behind; obviously still jumpy after he had accidently scared her. Dean was still slightly limping from his injury a couple days ago. He hadn't said a
nything because he didn't want anyone- especially Sam- to worry. But honestly, it still hurt like Hell. Megan didn't say anything, but the way she was staring at Dean when she thought he wasn't looking said it all.
"I'll take upstairs. You look around down here." It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. It was a hard habit to break, giving orders like that. Dean started to realize why his dad couldn't stop either.
The thought of his father hit hard. Since he died, right before the outbreak, Dean tried not to think about the man. It seemed all Sam wanted to do was talk about it. But Dean knew that Sam just didn't understand what it was like to have someone give up their life for you- to die so that you could live.
Megan looked him over. "Are you sure? You're still limping a bit... you really shouldn't be out here at all, let alone walking up and down stairs."
"I can take care of myself, thanks. I don't need you looking after me like some babysitter." Dean retorted harsher than he'd meant to. She didn't say anything, just nodded. He turned to leave, mentally kicking himself for taking out his anger on her. She was just trying to help.
Nothing came of the house. It was already ransacked and empty. The pain in his leg felt worse than before he'd left, and he figured it would be best to get back while he could still walk. Dean struggled downstairs and found Megan sitting on the couch. She was staring off into space, her face completely blank. He was about to say something to get her attention when something else did. A knock on the back door had both of their heads shooting to the door.
Megan stood up and glanced over at Dean, asking silently what to do. Dean motioned for him to follow him as he made his way to the door. The knocking continued.
Dean pulled out his gun, and aimed it in front of him as he swung open the door.
A girl stood in the doorway, looking surprised by not scared by the gun in her face. She opened her mouth slightly as if to say something to Dean, but when she looked over at Megan, who was hiding behind him, her expression completely changed. "Megan! It's you!"
Dean looked back at Megan, whose face also brightened. "Jordan? Holy shit, is that really you?" She quit huddling behind Dean and stood beside him instead. "It's okay, Dean. I know her. This is Jordan, we used to be neighbors."
Hesitantly, Dean lowered his gun, but didn't put it away completely. "Hello, Dean." Jordan's eyes flickered to Dean momentarily. Something in her eyes bothered Dean, but Megan seemed to know her. "I'm so glad you're okay! I thought for sure..." her voice trailed off.
Megan tapped on Dean's shoulder. Dean moved over to allow Jordan to come in. "This isn't where we're staying. We're just looking for supplies. You can come with us, though. It's just me, Dean, and his brother."
Dean shot Megan a look, but she ignored him. Jordan, however, lit up. "Oh, thank you so much!"
Dean cleared his throat. "We should get going then." His leg was only getting worse as he stood there. He needed to get back. Plus, he wanted to make sure Sam was okay.
The girls and Dean set off in the direction of base camp. Megan and Jordan were trading stories about where they'd been since the outbreak.
"I was all alone. I didn't know where to go..." Megan finished explaining. "I ended up barricaded in a liquor store- which is where Dean and his brother found me."
Dean listened to Megan's' story quietly. He knew what it felt like to feel all alone. That's how he felt the morning his dad took off for the demon without him, without as much as goodbye.
But just as Megan had found them, Dean had found Sam, and Sam would always be enough for him. But that didn't make him feel any less guilty.
"So where are you guys held up?" Jordan asked.
"Not too far from here," Megan promised.
Jordan nodded. "Good. Is Sam going to be there?"
Dean stopped in his tracks. "What is it, Dean?" Megan stopped as well. Dean pulled out his gun and aimed it at Jordan. "Dean, what are you doing?" Megan screamed.
Jordan was unphased. "How did you know my brother's name?" Dean demanded.
"Megan told me!" She insisted.
Dean shook his head. "No. I heard your conversation. She never once said Sam's name. So I'm gonna ask you again. How did you know my brother's name?
Jordan crossed her arms and smiled. "All of Azazel's buddies know." Suddenly black pooled into her eyes, covering Jordan's blue green eyes completely.
Dean heard Megan gasp as she backed away from her friend. "How is she doing that? Dean?"
Dean held out his hand but kept his eyes on the demon. Megan took it and he pulled her behind him. "She's not Jordan, Megan. Not anymore. She's a demon."
The demon snickered. "He's right, sweetie. Jordan was gone a *long* time ago."
"What are you doing here?" Dean growled.
"Well, I was looking for your baby brother...but I've found something *much* more interesting." She sneered.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"
The demon squinted her eyes and tilted her head. "I don't know yet. But I will." The demons head snapped backwards unnaturally and her mouth opened. Black smoke that made up the demons true form flooded out of Jordan's body and flew through the air.
"Damn it!" Dean cursed as the demon got away. He rushed forward to catch Jordan's falling body before it hit the floor. He checked her pulse and her breathing, but it was too late. The poor girl had probably been dead for a long time now.
Dean laid her down in front of her, kneeling beside her. From behind him, a small voice asked, "Is she...is she okay?"
Dean sighed. "I'm sorry, Megan."
Megan knelt down beside Dean, and put her head on his shoulder. He could feel her shaking, like she was trying not to cry. He wrapped his arm around her and they sat in silence. Megan trying to calm down and Dean trying to figure out what to do next. Obviously demons were still around and still causing trouble. It would be a lot harder to track them down without being able to find news stories. But they weren't having trouble finding them, apparently.
Oh, shit! Sam! If the demon found Dean, then they could definitely find his brother, who at the moment was completely alone. "We gotta go find Sam, Megan. He might be in trouble."
Megan nodded and stood up. "You're right. We don't want the same thing to happen to Sam," she looked down at her friend.
They were walking away when the now-zombified Jordan reached out and grabbed Megan's leg, digging its nails into her skin.
7- Demons and Fathers
Dean pulled out his gun and was about to shoot at Jordan, but Megan beat him to it. She stopped screaming long enough to get her gun and aim it right at her head. The force of the shot threw her back, and she fell out of Jordan's grip. Dean rushed to help her.
"Let me see your leg," he placed his gun down beside him and reached for her ankle. Megan let him examine it, but otherwise kept her attention on Jordan.
"Is she dead?" She asked. Dean glanced over at the gruesome sight.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's dead." Megan nodded. "Nice shot, though. You were faster than me." Dean was relieved that she was okay, and quite frankly impressed by her reaction speed. "You'll be fine. Let's go find Sam."
Sam was fine. He was actually surprised when Dean and Megan burst through the door, yelling his name.
"Dean? Megan? I'm here!" He called, jogging into the hall where they stood. "What the hell happened? What's wrong?" He could read his brothers face pretty well, even if Dean didn't want to admit it. And right now, he looked downright terrified. That is- until he saw Sam walk in, uninjured.
He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Demons, Sammy. Demons are still out and about."
Sam ran his hand through his hair. "Damn. You guys ran into one?"
It was Megan who answered this time. "She was... possessing my old neighbor."
"I'm sorry, Megan." Sam frowned. "But you're both okay?" He looked Dean over for any injuries, but he looked okay with the exception of his leg, which he wasn't putting any weight on. Megan looked good too.
"As okay as usual." Dean walked pa
st him into the living room, patting his shoulder as he did. He wasn't limping, but Sam could see that he was in pain and trying not to show it.
Sam knew that his big brother was hurting, and not just physically. Their father's death hit them both hard, but Dean especially. It was obvious that he had made some deal with the demon to save Dean's life, and lost his own in the process. Sam didn't say anything, but Dean was smart, he knew that he must have come to the same conclusion.
Dean had worshiped the man, and done everything he had ever asked, and now he was gone. But he refused to talk about it, and insisted he was fine. Sam knew better.
"So there are demons," Megan's quiet voice shook him from his thoughts. She was still standing near the door, completely still and looking smaller than ever. "What else don't I know about?"
Sam almost laughed. "Trust me, you don't want to know."
When Megan fell asleep on the couch, Dean and Sam took the opportunity to talk strategy. If demons were still out in the world, that left two questions: 1) Were there still other monsters? And 2) What did that mean for Sam? They were obviously after him for some reason.
"I guess this apocalypse was human-only," Dean shrugged. "Demons and monsters not applied."
Sam shook his head. "If one good thing was going to come from this..."
"Yeah, I know. I was hoping too. But that's just not our luck. Now we gotta figure out what they want with you, and kill that yellow-eyed son of a bitch."
Sam sighed, looking over at his brother. "I'm worried, Dean. The demon said he had plans for me...what if-"
"Sam, come on now." Dean cut him off. "You know I won't let them get to you. Whatever their plans are, they're gonna fail."
Dean wanted to be as confident as he sounded, but he was scared. Before his father died, he left Dean with one last order- one that Dean wasn't sure he could complete. You either have to save Sam... or kill him.