Croatoan part 7/?
Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters belong to eric kripke and the cw
Warnings: violence, child death... blood?
Parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.
Dean woke up groggily with a crick in his neck and a pin-prickling pain in his left leg. Somehow in the middle of the night the blankets had gotten wrapped around his leg, cutting off all circulation. He kicked off the sheets and waited for the pain to subside before he tried to stand.
When he did make it to his feet, it took his left leg a bit longer to respond than his right, and he ended up stumbling and bumping his knee on the dresser next to his bed. He swore under his breath as he rubbed his knee as he began to walk to the bathroom. Who knew when his next shower was going to be, and he planned on standing under the warm spray until the water turned cold. As he passed the door he looked at the battery-powered clock that sat on the wall. The hands read eleven twenty-four. How he had managed to sleep past ten was beyond him, but he was sure his body appreciated the extra rest; it was long past due.
He walked into the bathroom without saying anything to Alice (who was reading on the couch again) and closed the door silently behind him. He pulled a towel out from the closet and turned on the water. Once he was under the spray of the shower, he let the hard-falling water roll of his shoulders, instantly releasing the knots and twists that embedded themselves there overnight. He sighed deeply and tilted his head back, causing water to run over his face and in his mouth. He returned to an upright position and spit the water onto the floor of the shower and brought his hands up to his hair and carded his fingers through the short locks. It was getting a little long for his taste, and he’d be sure to have Chuck or Cas cut it for him once he got to camp. He rubbed the back of his neck and shoulders for a moment and then leaned against the wall, letting the water run down his back, all the way down to his ankles.
The water abruptly turned ice cold, and Dean quickly pushed himself from the wall and out of the freezing spray. He swatted the head of the shower to the left, removing himself from the line of fire, and bent down to turn off the water. He grabbed the towel off the rack and wiped the water off of his skin. When he was once again fully clothed and had brushed his teeth, he went back into his room and grabbed his book. He walked into the front room and sat in his chair. Alice looked up at him over the top of her book and then looked back down.
“You’re leaving today, aren’t you?” Alice asked her eyes still on the book’s page. Dean sighed as he turned a page.
“I have to go help Chuck and Cas. They need me up there,” Dean said. After an uncomfortable moment of silence he piped up again. “What gave it away?”
“That was definitely a farewell shower. No one showers for an hour and a half, dude,” Alice said with a thin smile. Dean smiled back and returned to his book. They could both hear Alex’s giggling and Jeremy tickled her in the other room. When the giggling stopped, the faint sound of Jeremy reading ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ floated through the walls. “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am. Alice looked up from her book for a second and smiled at the sound of the boy reading to Alex. She looked back down and continued with her own story.
For lunch Alice made grilled cheese (Alex’s favorite) and they ate as they watched ‘The Lion King’. Alex stood and began to sing Hakuna Matata, and after a while, Dean was watching in amusement as Jeremy and Alice soon joined in, smiling as Simba walked across a log with Timone and Pumba. The song ended and they all laughed as Alex jumping into Alice’s arms and Alice toppled over into Jeremy. Dean laughed to himself in the background and pulled some melted cheese off of his plate and jammed it into his mouth. Once the laughter died down, they returned to the movie at hand. It was three before it went off, and Alex had dozed off with her head in Jeremy’s lap. He smiled as he picked her up and pointed to their room. Alice nodded and picked herself up from the floor.
“So, um, I might leave in about an hour…” Dean trailed off, looking down at his hands.
“That’s cool,” Alice said. She went into the kitchen and grabbed the all too familiar shot glasses out of the cuboards along with the new bottle of Jack Daniels that she and Dean had picked up on Wednesday. She poured two shots and walked the cups into the living room and handed one to Dean. She raised hers to her mouth and smiled through the glass at Dean.
“Here’s to goodbye, then,” Alice said before she threw her head back and let the warming liquid flow down her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled as the warmth spread through her stomach.
They sat in silence for a moment before they heard movement from the other room. When Alex came into view from the hallway, she made her way over to where Alice sat in her chair and climbed into her lap. Alice smiled down at Alex as she patted her hair. She looked up and smiled at Dean. Dean looked up at her in question as Alice smirked and leaned down to whisper something to Alex. Alex giggled and climbed off Alice's lap and jumped on the couch next to Dean. He raised his arms in surprise and Alex took the openness as an invite, putting her head to his ribs. Dean looked down, slightly confused, before putting his arms down, resting his upper arm on her shoulder. Alex nuzzled closer to Dean and her breathing slowed. Dean looked down in surprise and Alice and to hide a laugh behind her hand so she wouldn't wake Alex. The look of utter confusion and terror coming from Dean's face was almost too amusing to bear. Once Dean came to the conclusion that Alex was not going to be moving from her spot by his side, he resulted to rubbing up and down her spine in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. Alex shifted her weight against Dean and he paused for a moment, making sure she wasn't waking, before returning to running her back.
“What, did you run a daycare while you weren't hunting of something," Alice whispered jokingly as Dean kept to his affectionate ways. He looked up with a smile in his eyes.
"I guess I was just used to taking care of Sammy," he replied without much thought. He knew that he had less than an hour left with these kids, and though it shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did, something had dug under his skin, and it was now burning, telling him not to leave. At the sound of his voice Alex looked up at him and smiled. Dean countered by tickling her when she started writhe, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder with an over-exaggerated groan. It only made Alex giggle more and kicked her feet slightly against Dean’s chest. Alice smiled to herself as she sipped her whiskey once again. Dean looked in Alice direction and smiled, continuing to tickle Alex with one hand as the other steadied her over his shoulder. When she finally began to gasp for air between her laughs, Dean put her on her back on the floor and she rolled to her side, gasping for breath, but still smiling. Alice chuckled and shook her head, standing to put her glass in the kitchen. When she walked past Alex, Alex sat up and wrapped herself around Alice's leg, sitting on her foot. Alice smiled down at her and continued to walk; swinging the foot that Alex sat on each time she stepped. Alex giggled and rode through the swings, squealing a little each time the foot was raised.
Jeremy finally realized there was noise beyond his room and he entered the living room. "What the hell," he asked as he took in the sight of Alex wrapped around Alice's foot.
"Help me, Jeremy," Alice joked. "A monster is attacking me." Jeremy quickly caught on and he staked towards the girls, hunched over slightly, staring directly at Alex.
"I guess I'll have to get it off for you," he stated as he reached down and began to tickle the child. Once again she began to laugh, arching her back as she released Alice's leg, trying to twist away from Jeremy. The sight was interestingly funny and Dean and Alice both began to laugh. It was all cut short when Dean heard to H.A.M. go off in the other room, chucks voice coming across, shaky as usual.
"Hey, Dean, you around? Come in," Chuck's voice was almost drowned out by the laughter in the room, but Dean heard him and rushed into his room, snatching the microphone off of the dresser and speaking.
"Hey, Chuck, I'm here, what's up?" he responded quickly, not wanting Chuck to think he wasn't there.
"Hey. We just wanted to confirm that you were going to be headed down today," he paused and let out a shaky breath before audibly swallowing what was probably whiskey, before continuing. "Because we could really use you down here. Now that people know you're out there, they're freaking out. They want you here..." he trailed off and Dean rested his head in his hand.
"Yeah, I'm heading over today, probably won't make it there 'till tomorrow, but I'll leave within fifteen, wanna make it as far as possible without being stuck in the dark for too long," he answered, raising his head.
"Okay, great, Dean, we'll see ya late tomorrow."
"See you then," Dean answered, placing the mike back down on the counter. When he looked up, Alice was standing in the doorway with Alex resting on her hip and Jeremy was standing next to her. He scanned his eyes over the three of them before smiling weakly.
"You're leaving so soon?" Jeremy asked, not really hurt, but more confused. Dean gripped the back of his neck with his right hand and rubbed hard.
"My friends up in Oregon really need me to help run the camp they've got set up," he explained. Alex played with Alice's dark hair and Alice nodded. She already knew Dean was leaving today, but it didn't suck any less. Jeremy nodded with Alice and turned to go across the hall and into the other room. Dean gave her a confused look, but she only shook her head.
"I think he's going to miss having another guy around," Alice explained before walking out of the doorway with Alex still in her arms. She whispered something about TV to Alex and he heard the small child respond, though he wasn't able to make out what the response was. Dean sat with his face in his hands for a moment longer before he finally decided to stand and pack his things into the two duffle bags he had brought with him. As he opened his door, he saw Alice walking into her room holding Alex, the child's head resting on Alice's shoulder. She turned her head at the sound of the door opening and gave Dean a smile. She shuffled into the room and looked at Jeremy as he read before quickly putting Alex on her bed and walking back to the door to see Dean out.
"Don't forget about is little people, Dean," she said, looking down at his packed things.
"How could I forget about the three insane kids that welcomed me for so long?" he joked, even as he did let a little hurt into his voice. He started walking towards the door and Alice trailed him.
"I'm serious, you better keep in touch, radio in whenever you can, because we need all the friends we can get, here," Alice said. Dean chuckled as he reached for the door. "Wait," Alice said before running to the bookshelf next to the couch. Dean’s hand froze on the doorknob and when she handed him a book he reached out and took it, studying the cover. It read "The Skeleton Crew".
"You sure about this?" Dean asked as he turned the book over. He couldn't help but notice that his bookmark seemed to be in the same place he had left it before.
"Sure man," Alice started, "I've read all of those stories more than once, and you need the entertainment more than I do." she waved her hand in front of her, waving away Deans concern. "Seriously, take it."
"Thanks," Dean managed, as he placed the book in his duffle. Alice shrugged and Dean reached for the door again. This time Alice didn't attempt to stop him, instead watching his movements as he undid each lock. Dean turned around and shot Alice one more smile before he uttered a small "C'ya around, kid," before he turned his back and closed the door behind him. Alice let a huff of breath escape her lungs before turning around and going to the shelf again, pulling her own book from the rows and finding her place.
It had only been about a minute since Dean had left, but the house already felt a bit more silent. She sighed and put her book down on the floor next to her feet.
She rose and was headed to the back room to take a nap when frantic knocking on her door startled her. She took a few hurried steps back before she regained her composure. She was reaching for her shotgun that leaned against the wall as a rush of words came from the other side of the door.
"Alice, Alice! Let me in, its Dean!" Dean called from the other side of the door. He sounded much more frightened than he should have been from forgetting a pair of jeans and Alice rushed to unlock the door. Once she had gotten the last lock undone Dean rushed through the door, shotgun in hand, and eyes darting, trying to find danger.
"Whoa whoa whoa, Dean, what happened man?" Alice asked after bolting the door back. Dean looked at her and let the shotgun dangle on its sling. He rested a hand on his knee and caught his breath again before speaking.
"Out there," he huffed, "there are hundreds of Croats. I barely made it out the door to my car before I saw them." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "They're everywhere, and we have to move. Quickly, before they rip this building apart." Alice stood staring at Dean for almost half a minute, letting the new information sink in. It had been years since any Croats were even seen in this area, and now there was a swarm. A swarm just like the one that took her father. Alice's mind began to swim and her ears began to ring. This couldn't be happening, not again, not now. Everything was falling into place and everyone was situated and beginning to settle into their everyday lives. Now everything was being torn apart again. Alice could feel her heartbeat begin to rise in her chest and she felt dizzy and short of breath. Dean grabbed her shoulder and shook her roughly. She snapped her eyes closed, and then opened them again to see Dean staring at her with a concerned look.
"Alice, we need to get Jeremy and Alex out of here, now!" Dean shook Alice one more time before she blinked up at him. "You hearing me?" he asked loudly.
"Yeah, yea I hear you. There's an extra shotgun in the kitchen closet. Shells are in the far right drawer. I'll get the kids," Alice informed before she took off down the hall. Dean recent into the kitchen and looked through the drawers, finding the shells and jamming as many as he could into his duffle bag. He also grabbed the rounds for the assault rifle and grabbed them for Alice.
Alice went into her bedroom and shook Jeremy awake from a midday nap.
"What?" he asked groggily, rubbing the heel of his hand into his left eye.
"Jeremy, I need you to grabbed Alex, get jackets for both of you, and follow me into the panic room. There's a swarm outside," Alice explained as she woke Alex. Jeremy sprung out of his bed and began pushing his feet into his work boots. Alice sat on her bed and grabbed her boots, flannel and jacket.
"A swarm? How is that possible?" Jeremy asked, his voice sounding a bit weaker than he planned.
"I don't know Jeremy. I haven't seen one since..." Alice trailed off and worked on lacing up her boots. She didn't want to think about what happened during the last swarm. Jeremy nodded and went to Alex's side where he picked her up and held her to his chest. He slipped a small jacket around her body and pulled on her shoes. Once Alice had pulled on her flannel and jacket, they made their way to the front where Dean was standing. He handed Jeremy the shotgun from the closet, and handed Alice her rounds for the assault rifle that she now carried. She jammed them into her duffle and walked past Dean to get to the cabinets in the kitchen. She grabbed a packet of saltine crackers, a few fruit snacks, and another packs of crackers. She handed one pack to Jeremy and he took it, shifting Alex on his hip. The other things she put inner duffle. Then Alice grabbed her keys off their hook next to the door, and as she worked on the locks, she spoke.
"Dean and I will go to the school and check to see if there are any stable places to hide for more than one day. Jeremy," she turned to him after the last lock was undone, "you will stay in the panic room with Alex until Dean and I come back and get you." Jeremy made a face like he was about to argue and before he could get anything out, Alice spoke again. "I do not want to hear it Jeremy, this is not negotiable." Jeremy's open mouth snapped shut and he shifted his weight on his feet, Alex still in his arms. Alice turned and looked at Jeremy one more time before exchanging glances with Dean. He shrugged his shoulders, his large leather jacket bunching up around him. Alice took a deep breath and opened the door.
Dean went first, as was his instinct, and Alice went out last, leaving Jeremy and Alex in the middle. Alice locked the door before rushing down the stairs to catch up with the rest of the group. She held her assault rifle ready in her hands, and she could feel the weight of her knife halter in her boot and her pistol on her thigh. She stalked around the corner leading to the back of the apartments where the panic room was. She kept one eye on Jeremy and Alex ahead of her while the other looked around, expecting to see Croats, and she did. The ones that were visible we're just at a safe distance, but they were eyeing them, slowly walking closer. Alice's grip on her gun tightened as she whipped her head around at the sound of a gunshot. Dean had pulled the trigger on a Croat that was hiding around the corner, and the sound of the shot snapped the other Croats out of their sedated stage. They began to charge, coming from all sides but one; the schools gates.
"Move, now!" Alice shouted at Jeremy, pushing on his back. Jeremy took two steps before turning to run. Dean caught on quickly and they made it to the panic room. Alice fumbled with the keys for a moment before she found the right one and jammed it into the locks of the outdoor panic room. She hauled the doors open and shoved Jeremy inside.
"Stay with Alex," she called as she shut the door. Once the door was shut Alice barely had time to turn around before she had to fire her gun. Three shots rang out, a body of a Croat dropping for each bullet fired. She looked at her feet where the bodies had fell and then up to Dean. He nodded up and she looked around, noticing just how surrounded they were. Looking in any direction would reveal a crowd of at least fifteen Croats. The only direction that wasn't clogged with bodies was the schools yard, so naturally, that's where they headed. Through a haze of adrenaline, Alice could hear Dean's shotgun firing. The feeling of the kick from her rifle was an old memory coming back. Her shoulder ached from the kick, and her fingers were slippery from sweat as she dug into her duffle to grab the next cartridge of rounds. She turned to her right and let three bullets loose, hitting Croats before they even had a chance to turn towards her. She huffed out a breath as a bullet flew passed her right shoulder and nailed a Croat that had snuck up behind her. She smiled quickly at Dean in thanks and continued to shuffle towards the gates of the school, shooting down Croats as she went. She kept moving and shooting, one body downed after the other. When a Croat got too close to Alice, Dean put a bullet through its chest, and the blood spray reached Alice's face. She attempted to wipe it with the sleeve of her leather jacket and ended up just spreading it across her cheeks and over her left eye. She blinked before continuing on. She and Dean had just made it to the gates when Alice heard a voice calling out to her. It wasn't Dean; he was right next to her. Alice turned back towards the panic room and saw Jeremy running towards them.
"No, no no no no! Jeremy what are you doing? Go back!" she shouted over the shrieks of the Croatoans. Jeremy was about half way to where Dean and Alice stood before he was taken down by a group of four Croats that were just turning a corner that Jeremy happened to be passing at that time. Jeremy was able to fire one shot from his shotgun before a Croat swiped it away and to the floor. Jeremy screamed as he went down and Alice watched as a Croat sunk its teeth into his left shoulder while another bit down on his neck at his pulse point. Alice watched his blood seep out from where the Croats mouths were pressed to his skin.
"No, Jeremy!" Alice cried out. She took two steps towards him before Dean grabbed her around the waist with one arm.
"Alice, Alice! It's too late, he's gone," Dean shouted as he struggled to pull the girl from the scene. Alice shook her head and cried out for Jeremy again. "He's gone, Alice. There are four Croats on him, he's done," Dean said again as he finally got his weight under him and was able to swing Alice around. He kept his arm secure around her waist, carrying her as he began to stride towards the school. Alice eventually found her footing and started to stumble next to Dean. He kept his arm around her just in case, and could feel her ribs fluctuate against his forearm as she silently sobbed at the loss of Jeremy.
Dean made it to the buildings before he had to ask Alice where the safest place to go was. She was just barely able to raise her head and point towards the tennis courts. Dean walked Alice over to where she was pointing and found that a smaller section of the fence was blocked off my storage containments and more chain-linked fence. It made up a rectangle that was about ten by six, and was completely isolated. Dean looked for an entrance and saw that it was locked up.
"I have to put you down for a moment, I have to shoot the lock open," Dean explained to Alice. She nodded and leaned up against one of the containers, still shaking with sobs. Dean took a few steps back and shot the lock. It opened and Dean supported Alice again and went into the rectangle that was going to serve as their own personal panic room.
"I-I have a lock," Alice chocked out. Dean took the lock from her and secured the gate. Then he hauled Alice and himself towards the back of the rectangle and sat with their backs to one of the containers. Dean shifted his weight and pulled his and Alice’s guns from their straps and set them on the ground next to him. He put his arm around Alice and pulled her in. she nuzzled her head into his shoulder as she cried.
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, shh,” Dean cooed as he tried to calm the crying. “It’s going to be okay, Alice, everything is gonna be okay.” Alice shook her head violently.
“No. No, Alex is still out there, and now she’s alone. Alex is alone and she’s not going to make it,” Alice sobbed into Dean’s shoulder again and Dean stroked a large hand through her hair.
“She’ll be fine,” Dean reassured. “Now you should try to get some rest.” Alice nodded and sat up, resting against the container. She closed her eyes and tried to regain her breathing so that she would be able to sleep. It took her about a half hour before she was able to get things together, but after that she fell asleep quickly. The slumber was dreamless and heavy.
Part Eight
Warnings: violence, child death... blood?
Parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.
Dean woke up groggily with a crick in his neck and a pin-prickling pain in his left leg. Somehow in the middle of the night the blankets had gotten wrapped around his leg, cutting off all circulation. He kicked off the sheets and waited for the pain to subside before he tried to stand.
When he did make it to his feet, it took his left leg a bit longer to respond than his right, and he ended up stumbling and bumping his knee on the dresser next to his bed. He swore under his breath as he rubbed his knee as he began to walk to the bathroom. Who knew when his next shower was going to be, and he planned on standing under the warm spray until the water turned cold. As he passed the door he looked at the battery-powered clock that sat on the wall. The hands read eleven twenty-four. How he had managed to sleep past ten was beyond him, but he was sure his body appreciated the extra rest; it was long past due.
He walked into the bathroom without saying anything to Alice (who was reading on the couch again) and closed the door silently behind him. He pulled a towel out from the closet and turned on the water. Once he was under the spray of the shower, he let the hard-falling water roll of his shoulders, instantly releasing the knots and twists that embedded themselves there overnight. He sighed deeply and tilted his head back, causing water to run over his face and in his mouth. He returned to an upright position and spit the water onto the floor of the shower and brought his hands up to his hair and carded his fingers through the short locks. It was getting a little long for his taste, and he’d be sure to have Chuck or Cas cut it for him once he got to camp. He rubbed the back of his neck and shoulders for a moment and then leaned against the wall, letting the water run down his back, all the way down to his ankles.
The water abruptly turned ice cold, and Dean quickly pushed himself from the wall and out of the freezing spray. He swatted the head of the shower to the left, removing himself from the line of fire, and bent down to turn off the water. He grabbed the towel off the rack and wiped the water off of his skin. When he was once again fully clothed and had brushed his teeth, he went back into his room and grabbed his book. He walked into the front room and sat in his chair. Alice looked up at him over the top of her book and then looked back down.
“You’re leaving today, aren’t you?” Alice asked her eyes still on the book’s page. Dean sighed as he turned a page.
“I have to go help Chuck and Cas. They need me up there,” Dean said. After an uncomfortable moment of silence he piped up again. “What gave it away?”
“That was definitely a farewell shower. No one showers for an hour and a half, dude,” Alice said with a thin smile. Dean smiled back and returned to his book. They could both hear Alex’s giggling and Jeremy tickled her in the other room. When the giggling stopped, the faint sound of Jeremy reading ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ floated through the walls. “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am. Alice looked up from her book for a second and smiled at the sound of the boy reading to Alex. She looked back down and continued with her own story.
For lunch Alice made grilled cheese (Alex’s favorite) and they ate as they watched ‘The Lion King’. Alex stood and began to sing Hakuna Matata, and after a while, Dean was watching in amusement as Jeremy and Alice soon joined in, smiling as Simba walked across a log with Timone and Pumba. The song ended and they all laughed as Alex jumping into Alice’s arms and Alice toppled over into Jeremy. Dean laughed to himself in the background and pulled some melted cheese off of his plate and jammed it into his mouth. Once the laughter died down, they returned to the movie at hand. It was three before it went off, and Alex had dozed off with her head in Jeremy’s lap. He smiled as he picked her up and pointed to their room. Alice nodded and picked herself up from the floor.
“So, um, I might leave in about an hour…” Dean trailed off, looking down at his hands.
“That’s cool,” Alice said. She went into the kitchen and grabbed the all too familiar shot glasses out of the cuboards along with the new bottle of Jack Daniels that she and Dean had picked up on Wednesday. She poured two shots and walked the cups into the living room and handed one to Dean. She raised hers to her mouth and smiled through the glass at Dean.
“Here’s to goodbye, then,” Alice said before she threw her head back and let the warming liquid flow down her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled as the warmth spread through her stomach.
They sat in silence for a moment before they heard movement from the other room. When Alex came into view from the hallway, she made her way over to where Alice sat in her chair and climbed into her lap. Alice smiled down at Alex as she patted her hair. She looked up and smiled at Dean. Dean looked up at her in question as Alice smirked and leaned down to whisper something to Alex. Alex giggled and climbed off Alice's lap and jumped on the couch next to Dean. He raised his arms in surprise and Alex took the openness as an invite, putting her head to his ribs. Dean looked down, slightly confused, before putting his arms down, resting his upper arm on her shoulder. Alex nuzzled closer to Dean and her breathing slowed. Dean looked down in surprise and Alice and to hide a laugh behind her hand so she wouldn't wake Alex. The look of utter confusion and terror coming from Dean's face was almost too amusing to bear. Once Dean came to the conclusion that Alex was not going to be moving from her spot by his side, he resulted to rubbing up and down her spine in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. Alex shifted her weight against Dean and he paused for a moment, making sure she wasn't waking, before returning to running her back.
“What, did you run a daycare while you weren't hunting of something," Alice whispered jokingly as Dean kept to his affectionate ways. He looked up with a smile in his eyes.
"I guess I was just used to taking care of Sammy," he replied without much thought. He knew that he had less than an hour left with these kids, and though it shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did, something had dug under his skin, and it was now burning, telling him not to leave. At the sound of his voice Alex looked up at him and smiled. Dean countered by tickling her when she started writhe, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder with an over-exaggerated groan. It only made Alex giggle more and kicked her feet slightly against Dean’s chest. Alice smiled to herself as she sipped her whiskey once again. Dean looked in Alice direction and smiled, continuing to tickle Alex with one hand as the other steadied her over his shoulder. When she finally began to gasp for air between her laughs, Dean put her on her back on the floor and she rolled to her side, gasping for breath, but still smiling. Alice chuckled and shook her head, standing to put her glass in the kitchen. When she walked past Alex, Alex sat up and wrapped herself around Alice's leg, sitting on her foot. Alice smiled down at her and continued to walk; swinging the foot that Alex sat on each time she stepped. Alex giggled and rode through the swings, squealing a little each time the foot was raised.
Jeremy finally realized there was noise beyond his room and he entered the living room. "What the hell," he asked as he took in the sight of Alex wrapped around Alice's foot.
"Help me, Jeremy," Alice joked. "A monster is attacking me." Jeremy quickly caught on and he staked towards the girls, hunched over slightly, staring directly at Alex.
"I guess I'll have to get it off for you," he stated as he reached down and began to tickle the child. Once again she began to laugh, arching her back as she released Alice's leg, trying to twist away from Jeremy. The sight was interestingly funny and Dean and Alice both began to laugh. It was all cut short when Dean heard to H.A.M. go off in the other room, chucks voice coming across, shaky as usual.
"Hey, Dean, you around? Come in," Chuck's voice was almost drowned out by the laughter in the room, but Dean heard him and rushed into his room, snatching the microphone off of the dresser and speaking.
"Hey, Chuck, I'm here, what's up?" he responded quickly, not wanting Chuck to think he wasn't there.
"Hey. We just wanted to confirm that you were going to be headed down today," he paused and let out a shaky breath before audibly swallowing what was probably whiskey, before continuing. "Because we could really use you down here. Now that people know you're out there, they're freaking out. They want you here..." he trailed off and Dean rested his head in his hand.
"Yeah, I'm heading over today, probably won't make it there 'till tomorrow, but I'll leave within fifteen, wanna make it as far as possible without being stuck in the dark for too long," he answered, raising his head.
"Okay, great, Dean, we'll see ya late tomorrow."
"See you then," Dean answered, placing the mike back down on the counter. When he looked up, Alice was standing in the doorway with Alex resting on her hip and Jeremy was standing next to her. He scanned his eyes over the three of them before smiling weakly.
"You're leaving so soon?" Jeremy asked, not really hurt, but more confused. Dean gripped the back of his neck with his right hand and rubbed hard.
"My friends up in Oregon really need me to help run the camp they've got set up," he explained. Alex played with Alice's dark hair and Alice nodded. She already knew Dean was leaving today, but it didn't suck any less. Jeremy nodded with Alice and turned to go across the hall and into the other room. Dean gave her a confused look, but she only shook her head.
"I think he's going to miss having another guy around," Alice explained before walking out of the doorway with Alex still in her arms. She whispered something about TV to Alex and he heard the small child respond, though he wasn't able to make out what the response was. Dean sat with his face in his hands for a moment longer before he finally decided to stand and pack his things into the two duffle bags he had brought with him. As he opened his door, he saw Alice walking into her room holding Alex, the child's head resting on Alice's shoulder. She turned her head at the sound of the door opening and gave Dean a smile. She shuffled into the room and looked at Jeremy as he read before quickly putting Alex on her bed and walking back to the door to see Dean out.
"Don't forget about is little people, Dean," she said, looking down at his packed things.
"How could I forget about the three insane kids that welcomed me for so long?" he joked, even as he did let a little hurt into his voice. He started walking towards the door and Alice trailed him.
"I'm serious, you better keep in touch, radio in whenever you can, because we need all the friends we can get, here," Alice said. Dean chuckled as he reached for the door. "Wait," Alice said before running to the bookshelf next to the couch. Dean’s hand froze on the doorknob and when she handed him a book he reached out and took it, studying the cover. It read "The Skeleton Crew".
"You sure about this?" Dean asked as he turned the book over. He couldn't help but notice that his bookmark seemed to be in the same place he had left it before.
"Sure man," Alice started, "I've read all of those stories more than once, and you need the entertainment more than I do." she waved her hand in front of her, waving away Deans concern. "Seriously, take it."
"Thanks," Dean managed, as he placed the book in his duffle. Alice shrugged and Dean reached for the door again. This time Alice didn't attempt to stop him, instead watching his movements as he undid each lock. Dean turned around and shot Alice one more smile before he uttered a small "C'ya around, kid," before he turned his back and closed the door behind him. Alice let a huff of breath escape her lungs before turning around and going to the shelf again, pulling her own book from the rows and finding her place.
It had only been about a minute since Dean had left, but the house already felt a bit more silent. She sighed and put her book down on the floor next to her feet.
She rose and was headed to the back room to take a nap when frantic knocking on her door startled her. She took a few hurried steps back before she regained her composure. She was reaching for her shotgun that leaned against the wall as a rush of words came from the other side of the door.
"Alice, Alice! Let me in, its Dean!" Dean called from the other side of the door. He sounded much more frightened than he should have been from forgetting a pair of jeans and Alice rushed to unlock the door. Once she had gotten the last lock undone Dean rushed through the door, shotgun in hand, and eyes darting, trying to find danger.
"Whoa whoa whoa, Dean, what happened man?" Alice asked after bolting the door back. Dean looked at her and let the shotgun dangle on its sling. He rested a hand on his knee and caught his breath again before speaking.
"Out there," he huffed, "there are hundreds of Croats. I barely made it out the door to my car before I saw them." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "They're everywhere, and we have to move. Quickly, before they rip this building apart." Alice stood staring at Dean for almost half a minute, letting the new information sink in. It had been years since any Croats were even seen in this area, and now there was a swarm. A swarm just like the one that took her father. Alice's mind began to swim and her ears began to ring. This couldn't be happening, not again, not now. Everything was falling into place and everyone was situated and beginning to settle into their everyday lives. Now everything was being torn apart again. Alice could feel her heartbeat begin to rise in her chest and she felt dizzy and short of breath. Dean grabbed her shoulder and shook her roughly. She snapped her eyes closed, and then opened them again to see Dean staring at her with a concerned look.
"Alice, we need to get Jeremy and Alex out of here, now!" Dean shook Alice one more time before she blinked up at him. "You hearing me?" he asked loudly.
"Yeah, yea I hear you. There's an extra shotgun in the kitchen closet. Shells are in the far right drawer. I'll get the kids," Alice informed before she took off down the hall. Dean recent into the kitchen and looked through the drawers, finding the shells and jamming as many as he could into his duffle bag. He also grabbed the rounds for the assault rifle and grabbed them for Alice.
Alice went into her bedroom and shook Jeremy awake from a midday nap.
"What?" he asked groggily, rubbing the heel of his hand into his left eye.
"Jeremy, I need you to grabbed Alex, get jackets for both of you, and follow me into the panic room. There's a swarm outside," Alice explained as she woke Alex. Jeremy sprung out of his bed and began pushing his feet into his work boots. Alice sat on her bed and grabbed her boots, flannel and jacket.
"A swarm? How is that possible?" Jeremy asked, his voice sounding a bit weaker than he planned.
"I don't know Jeremy. I haven't seen one since..." Alice trailed off and worked on lacing up her boots. She didn't want to think about what happened during the last swarm. Jeremy nodded and went to Alex's side where he picked her up and held her to his chest. He slipped a small jacket around her body and pulled on her shoes. Once Alice had pulled on her flannel and jacket, they made their way to the front where Dean was standing. He handed Jeremy the shotgun from the closet, and handed Alice her rounds for the assault rifle that she now carried. She jammed them into her duffle and walked past Dean to get to the cabinets in the kitchen. She grabbed a packet of saltine crackers, a few fruit snacks, and another packs of crackers. She handed one pack to Jeremy and he took it, shifting Alex on his hip. The other things she put inner duffle. Then Alice grabbed her keys off their hook next to the door, and as she worked on the locks, she spoke.
"Dean and I will go to the school and check to see if there are any stable places to hide for more than one day. Jeremy," she turned to him after the last lock was undone, "you will stay in the panic room with Alex until Dean and I come back and get you." Jeremy made a face like he was about to argue and before he could get anything out, Alice spoke again. "I do not want to hear it Jeremy, this is not negotiable." Jeremy's open mouth snapped shut and he shifted his weight on his feet, Alex still in his arms. Alice turned and looked at Jeremy one more time before exchanging glances with Dean. He shrugged his shoulders, his large leather jacket bunching up around him. Alice took a deep breath and opened the door.
Dean went first, as was his instinct, and Alice went out last, leaving Jeremy and Alex in the middle. Alice locked the door before rushing down the stairs to catch up with the rest of the group. She held her assault rifle ready in her hands, and she could feel the weight of her knife halter in her boot and her pistol on her thigh. She stalked around the corner leading to the back of the apartments where the panic room was. She kept one eye on Jeremy and Alex ahead of her while the other looked around, expecting to see Croats, and she did. The ones that were visible we're just at a safe distance, but they were eyeing them, slowly walking closer. Alice's grip on her gun tightened as she whipped her head around at the sound of a gunshot. Dean had pulled the trigger on a Croat that was hiding around the corner, and the sound of the shot snapped the other Croats out of their sedated stage. They began to charge, coming from all sides but one; the schools gates.
"Move, now!" Alice shouted at Jeremy, pushing on his back. Jeremy took two steps before turning to run. Dean caught on quickly and they made it to the panic room. Alice fumbled with the keys for a moment before she found the right one and jammed it into the locks of the outdoor panic room. She hauled the doors open and shoved Jeremy inside.
"Stay with Alex," she called as she shut the door. Once the door was shut Alice barely had time to turn around before she had to fire her gun. Three shots rang out, a body of a Croat dropping for each bullet fired. She looked at her feet where the bodies had fell and then up to Dean. He nodded up and she looked around, noticing just how surrounded they were. Looking in any direction would reveal a crowd of at least fifteen Croats. The only direction that wasn't clogged with bodies was the schools yard, so naturally, that's where they headed. Through a haze of adrenaline, Alice could hear Dean's shotgun firing. The feeling of the kick from her rifle was an old memory coming back. Her shoulder ached from the kick, and her fingers were slippery from sweat as she dug into her duffle to grab the next cartridge of rounds. She turned to her right and let three bullets loose, hitting Croats before they even had a chance to turn towards her. She huffed out a breath as a bullet flew passed her right shoulder and nailed a Croat that had snuck up behind her. She smiled quickly at Dean in thanks and continued to shuffle towards the gates of the school, shooting down Croats as she went. She kept moving and shooting, one body downed after the other. When a Croat got too close to Alice, Dean put a bullet through its chest, and the blood spray reached Alice's face. She attempted to wipe it with the sleeve of her leather jacket and ended up just spreading it across her cheeks and over her left eye. She blinked before continuing on. She and Dean had just made it to the gates when Alice heard a voice calling out to her. It wasn't Dean; he was right next to her. Alice turned back towards the panic room and saw Jeremy running towards them.
"No, no no no no! Jeremy what are you doing? Go back!" she shouted over the shrieks of the Croatoans. Jeremy was about half way to where Dean and Alice stood before he was taken down by a group of four Croats that were just turning a corner that Jeremy happened to be passing at that time. Jeremy was able to fire one shot from his shotgun before a Croat swiped it away and to the floor. Jeremy screamed as he went down and Alice watched as a Croat sunk its teeth into his left shoulder while another bit down on his neck at his pulse point. Alice watched his blood seep out from where the Croats mouths were pressed to his skin.
"No, Jeremy!" Alice cried out. She took two steps towards him before Dean grabbed her around the waist with one arm.
"Alice, Alice! It's too late, he's gone," Dean shouted as he struggled to pull the girl from the scene. Alice shook her head and cried out for Jeremy again. "He's gone, Alice. There are four Croats on him, he's done," Dean said again as he finally got his weight under him and was able to swing Alice around. He kept his arm secure around her waist, carrying her as he began to stride towards the school. Alice eventually found her footing and started to stumble next to Dean. He kept his arm around her just in case, and could feel her ribs fluctuate against his forearm as she silently sobbed at the loss of Jeremy.
Dean made it to the buildings before he had to ask Alice where the safest place to go was. She was just barely able to raise her head and point towards the tennis courts. Dean walked Alice over to where she was pointing and found that a smaller section of the fence was blocked off my storage containments and more chain-linked fence. It made up a rectangle that was about ten by six, and was completely isolated. Dean looked for an entrance and saw that it was locked up.
"I have to put you down for a moment, I have to shoot the lock open," Dean explained to Alice. She nodded and leaned up against one of the containers, still shaking with sobs. Dean took a few steps back and shot the lock. It opened and Dean supported Alice again and went into the rectangle that was going to serve as their own personal panic room.
"I-I have a lock," Alice chocked out. Dean took the lock from her and secured the gate. Then he hauled Alice and himself towards the back of the rectangle and sat with their backs to one of the containers. Dean shifted his weight and pulled his and Alice’s guns from their straps and set them on the ground next to him. He put his arm around Alice and pulled her in. she nuzzled her head into his shoulder as she cried.
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, shh,” Dean cooed as he tried to calm the crying. “It’s going to be okay, Alice, everything is gonna be okay.” Alice shook her head violently.
“No. No, Alex is still out there, and now she’s alone. Alex is alone and she’s not going to make it,” Alice sobbed into Dean’s shoulder again and Dean stroked a large hand through her hair.
“She’ll be fine,” Dean reassured. “Now you should try to get some rest.” Alice nodded and sat up, resting against the container. She closed her eyes and tried to regain her breathing so that she would be able to sleep. It took her about a half hour before she was able to get things together, but after that she fell asleep quickly. The slumber was dreamless and heavy.
Part Eight