Hellhound (Supernatural #1)

1: Out in the Rain

When all the cars had disappeared out of sight and the chaos had died down, I realized that there was still something wrong. Although the parking lot was now practically deserted, it felt as if there was still someone out there. Like they were watching the police station. Like they were watching me. That thought had a shiver running up my spine. Scanning the darkness ahead of, I wasn't surprised that I didn't see anything beyond the light of the station. The rain wasn't making things easier either. If someone really was out there, they were completely hidden by the weather.

Pulling my jacket closed against the cold wind and the incessant rain, I shoved my hands deep into my pockets trying to rid myself of that feeling. As I did so, I crushed the fortune cookie that I had already completely forgotten. Taking it out, I stared at the crack in the biscuit. The golden exterior had cracked right through the middle and was crumbling to bits. The white piece of paper was visible but I couldn't quite make out what it read. Managing to pry the slip of paper free from the cookie, I did my best to smooth out the wrinkles.

There is something watching and there is something being watched.

I nearly dropped the fortune, littering the front steps of the station.

No way! Glancing ahead into the darkness, there really was nothing or no one to be seen. And yet that annoying feeling of being watched hadn't gone away. Something is watching and something is being watched. Or someone. I scanned the darkness again but I really couldn't see anything through the rain. To make it worse, there seemed to be a fog settling in.

"Ready to go?"

A hand landed on my shoulder at the same time as the question was asked. I jumped, startled out of my thoughts. Turning around, I found Hank looking down at me with a funny expression. A frown appeared on his face before he too scanned the parking lot.

"Are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost," he joked lightly though I could tell he had been entirely serious.

Nodding, I forced a smile onto my face. "Yeah, it's nothing. The weather is playing tricks on me." Hank nodded before glancing at the parking lot again. "It doesn't seem to want to let up. Maybe you should drive me home now before it gets any worse," I suggested.

***

The next day, after school, I was in a hurry to get home for two reasons. One; the rain still hadn't let up and I was walking. Two; Dad ought to be at home rather than at the station for once. I hadn't heard him come home last night, nor had I seen him that morning. He had probably spent the night at the station again after they had finished at the crime scene. I really hoped he would be home now because I had a lot of questions.

"I'm home!" I called out, hoping to get an answer.

Closing the kitchen door behind me, I felt the disappointment flowing through my body when the house remained silent. I flicked on the kitchen light and dropped my bag on the table. I headed straight for the fridge, opening it in the hopes of finding a snack inside. Sometimes when I did this I would wonder how many of my classmates did the exact same thing the moment they got home. How different could a bunch of teenagers really be, despite what we claim?

To my irritation, the fridge was actually empty. No snack to be found in there.

My eyes glided to the counter. Sure enough, under Dad's favorite polka-dotted mug was a note and a couple of twenties. Moving the mug away, I took it as a sign that he had at least come home that day. 'Sorry for the empty fridge. If you could get the groceries that would be great. Looks like tonight is going to be another long one. Don't wait up.' I sighed and turned to the kitchen window; I debated whether it was really important to eat tonight because I didn't feel like going back out into the rain anytime soon. But Dad wanted me to do to the groceries, so I would have to do the groceries.

Pulling my still soaking jacket back on, I stuffed the bills into my jeans pocket before grabbing the umbrella again.

The grocery store was a ten-minute walk on a good day. On a rainy day, with strong gusts of wind blowing in my face, that time easily doubled. Consequently, I was soaking wet by the time I stepped inside. My shoes were squeaky on the tiled floor and I left a trail of water in my wake. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one to do so and I didn't feel particularly guilty about that.

Walking around in wet clothes, I think a lot of people would agree with me, is the worst thing. It is uncomfortable; your clothes are all heavy, you get cold and, eventually, your limbs will just go numb. Usually, I would want to get out of them as quickly as possible, stand under a warm shower to fight the cold and the numbness, and then dress in soft pj's for the rest of the evening. Sadly, that wasn't an option right then. Instead, I trudged wetly through the aisles, filling my basket with items of food, thinking of the hot cup of tea that I would reward myself with once I got back home.

To make things worse, it was cold inside the store. I moved through the lanes as quickly as I could, gathering the necessities. None of the other shoppers seemed to want to linger too long either, though I doubted any of us really wanted to head outside again. As a matter-of-fact, once all my groceries had been packed away in plastic bags, I stood in front of the door for a good five minutes, giving myself a mental pep talk.

"Are you going to stand there for much longer?" a nasal voice called out to me.

Turning, the store manager was staring at me with an annoyed look. I had seen the man around the store a few times and every time he stared at me. Like he didn't want me around. Like he suspected me to rob him. Like he knew something I didn't. It was a ridiculous thought really. Not answering him, I stepped outside and opened my umbrella.

I didn't get much further than that though.

Heading left to go home, I had bumped into someone, causing me to drop one of the bags. The umbrella shifted awkwardly in my head. I backed up to righten it the moment I felt the ice cold rain pouring down my neck and running down my shirt. Maybe I shrieked when I felt it; I'm not sure. If I had, that must have been embarrassing. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," I said before looking up at the person I had walked into.

Anything else I might have added died in my throat. The young man who stood in front of me was tall, forcing me to tilt the umbrella back to look at his face. Easily six foot, I mentally assessed. Despite being out in the pouring without an umbrella, he smiled down at me. His hair was glued to his face but I could clearly make out his gray eyes and he looked down at me. Why didn't he appear even remotely annoyed that I had bumped into him, especially in this weather? What kind of strange person was he?

"That's okay," he told me. He had a nice voice. Soft and friendly. "I don't think either of us was really watching where we were going, right?"

He squatted down and started gathering the groceries that fallen out of the bag. Hastily, I helped him as they were my groceries after all. I tried to shield us both as much as possible from the rain while reaching for an orange that rolled away. The stranger reached for it at the same time and our hands brushed against each other briefly. His skin was warm, surprisingly so. I quickly pulled my hand back and stared at him. Our town wasn't too large but I didn't pretend I knew everyone. Still, he looked to be about my age, seventeen or eighteen, meaning he would go to my school. And yet, he was a complete stranger. Maybe he was new to town? Or perhaps he was simply visiting. Why did it matter, really? It was raining, it shouldn't matter one bit.

Another smile spread across his lips as he held out the orange for me to take. I did so, noticing my trembling hand. It was the cold. I needed to get out of the rain before I got sick or something. Then I noticed that the strange boy was wearing a vest but nothing else. A dark gray thin hoodie kind of thing that offered no protecting against the unrelenting downpour. He had gotten entirely wet standing out there helping me gather my groceries. And still, he did not look annoyed.

When we both straightened up, I sought for the right words to say to him. Nothing came to mind.

"Be more careful from now on, okay? The next person might not be as nice and me." He offered me another smile before he walked into the groceries store like nothing had happened.

I looked after him until the doors closed again and even then I couldn't move. It was only then that I noticed the fog rolling in and settling itself a few inches from the ground. A loud rumble of thunder overhead jolted me out of my trance. Better get home before I got caught outside in a storm; the rain was already bad enough.

***