Running From Insanity

35. The Fall of a Hunter

The sound of sobbing woke me from sleep. Blissful dreams weren't taken, only nightmares of large mouths coming to devour me. A strange thing, to have nightmares. Not the nightmares themselves, but the fact I was having them. I hadn't had a nightmare since my change. Since I became half demon.

That wasn't all that was strange, I also felt at peace. No anger and no power. I felt... human. Vulnerable and weak. And strange thing number three: the sobbing was coming from a man. Now, this wouldn't be strange if it were just any man, hell no, but this man was Sam Winchester.

I sat up on the bed, curiously watching him tremble next to me. His hand held mine, but I couldn't feel his warmth.

"Sam?" I questioned, trying to get his attention. Maybe I could stop him from crying. What concerned me more was the fact that he didn't reply. My hand stroked his head. I repeated his name, firmer this time. Again no reply.

When I tried to cup his chin, I finally figured out why he wouldn't respond. My hand slipped through his face, leaving no trace that it was ever there. I tried again. And again. And again. Each time was the same. Panic struck next, my peace shattered into a million pieces.

"Easy there, Tiger," a voice chuckled. A figure leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed with a grin on her face. "Hi." She waved a lazy hand. Her voice was, again, strangely soft.

"Who-who're you?" I demanded, sliding off the bed. A constant beeping touched my ears. How did I not notice that earlier?

"I'm..." her neck quirked. "I'm a reaper. I've been sent to take you to Heaven." My face fell slack and my jaw unhinged. "Again, calm down. It's gonna be okay."

I quickly searched through my memories, forcing myself to remember. A sharp pain grazed my temple as large mouths lunged at me. Borax solution spattering walls. Heads flying to the floor, leaving machetes masked in black ooze. And finally, a knife soaring through my stomach. Not even a demon killing knife, just a regular machete. The one from Deans's belt.

A gasp escaped my lips as the memories flew away, out of my grasp. "Dick," I whispered. The reaper nodded.

"The wound was... too deep," she sympathized. "They tried their best, but the blade had nicked a major artery. I'm sorry."

I looked back at Sam and who he was cradling. A broken me. Bone white with blue lips. I forced myself to look away, tearing my gaze to the floor. I'd gotten what I'd needed. Dean wasn't here. Neither was Cas.

As if reading my thoughts, the reaper answered my burning question. "They disappeared when Dick Roman was killed. Again... I'm sorry."

Tears started to blur my vision when I looked back at Sam. He barely lifted his head to look at my body's face. His eyes were bloodshot and his lip was slightly trembling. I'd never seen him this much of a reck. He was alone, the only one left.

"Who's going to look after him?" my voice broke.

"Not you," she replied with a sad smile. "He's not your responsibility anymore." She extended her arm. "We have to go."

Again, I looked at Sam. I longed to kiss him one more time, to feel his warmth, to just look into his eyes. A single tear fell, splashing at my feet. It disappeared a second later.

"Can't I... Am I able to leave him a message?" I practically begged. "Just to, just to let him know I'm alright?"

"You won't be able to hold anything," she reminded me.

Then I saw his computer, sitting on top of his bag. "But you can type it for me," I said, gesturing to the device. "Please?"

She rubbed her temple, but complied. My heart broke when the computer screen flared to life. Sam had been searching for procedures that would save me. Another tear fell to the ground. I told the reaper what to type, all while she shook her head. When she was done, she stood and extended her hand again.

"We can't waste any more time," she said with sad eyes. Practiced expressions, I saw that now. She really wasn't sad, but she was doing this for my sake. It was her job too. I nodded and took it.

"Okay," I murmured, looking at Sam. I tore my eyes away, slamming them shut. My grip tightened as I prepared myself. Under my lids, I could see light. I opened my eyes to find the same hospital, but something was different.

The reaper had a silver blade piercing her stomach. I retracted my hand, quickly fleeing from the falling corpse. My eyes bugged from my head when I saw her attacker. A stocky man in a black suit.

"Hello, princess," he teased, holding the bloody blade like a trophy.

I back-peddled, finding myself in the hall. "What're you doing here?!" I demanded.

"That's no way to talk to your king," he spat, following me. "And, if you must know, collecting you. You see, you are half demon, making you property of Hell."

"I'll never go with you!" I screamed, extending a hand. He didn't fly against the wall. I looked at my hand and tried again. He simply chuckled, walking towards me.

"Those don't work here." His hand wrapped around my wrist, sending pure fear ripple up my spine. "Ready to go home?"

"Noooo—"

Snap.

~*~

Only one thing could save me from the screams. From the knives and burns I was gaining in Hell. Being torn until I'm one cell, then pieced back together again, then torn apart again. Everlasting pain.

That one thing was Sam Winchester. I just hoped he'd seen my note.

You saved me once, can you do it again?
-Min