The River

Chapter 1 - Saving

The creaking of dusty floorboards beneath my footsteps was the only sound to be heard throughout the old warehouse. It was well past midnight and the workers had abandoned the place for the day several hours ago. I was in the heart of the new construction where the warehouse was to eventually evolve into a new shopping center. I was also in the heart of where three mysterious deaths had occurred in the past two weeks.

I shone my flashlight around the area, searching for any of the usual signs. I entered the darkened hallway and crouched underneath the police tape. Splatters of blood stained the walls here. I ducked into the next room and began to scan the area when my flashlight began to flicker.

I stiffened. For a second I had a fleeting thought that it was a faulty battery and had the urge to shake the flashlight, but I knew better and abandoned the thought immediately. Instead, I loaded my shotgun and began to aim around the empty room, slowly backing up towards the nearest wall.

'Shit', I thought to myself. This was supposed to be a simple investigation. I hadn't done enough research yet. I didn't know what I was up against.

That's when the ghostly figure appeared before me, twisting its head in ways that were simply inhuman. The womanly figure was dressed in white, with long, dark, tangled hair that fell slightly in front of her face. The thin curtain of hair revealed a snarling, grey face behind it. The face of true evil.

I pumped my shotgun and aimed but it was too late. The woman in white knocked me back into the wall and I dropped my gun in an attempt to brace myself for the impact. Within a split second the woman was inches away from me. She squeezed her hands around my throat with enough force to lift me slightly off the ground.

I grabbed and scratched at her arms in an attempt to fight her off but her strength was supernatural. My efforts were pointless and I stopped fighting against her and began fighting for my breaths instead. My small choked gasps of air were not enough and my vision began to blur and fade. Everything turned to black quickly and the sound of a shotgun blast was the last thing I heard before slipping into total unconsciousness.

✡️✡️✡️

I began to stretch but the ache caused me to stop short. I tried to sit up and felt my sticky skin pulling off a leather-covered seat. A sheen of sweat was covering my skin and my hair was disheveled and matted into knots.

As my eyes began to adjust, I shot up off the backseat of an unfamiliar car. Panic bubbled through me and I felt a scream building in my throat, but I knew better than that. I quickly fought to regain my composure. The sun was just beginning to rise and allowed me to make out the shapes of two tall men standing outside of my truck. They were close enough that I could just make out what they were saying.

"She must be a hunter, Dean. I mean, look at this collection," said the taller of two. He almost sounded impressed.

The man who was named Dean slammed the cover on the bed of the truck shut and turned towards the other man.

"Obviously not a very good one. She almost got herself killed, Sam."

The feelings of panic subsided and an intense rage filled me instead. How dare this stranger judge my abilities when he didn't know the first thing about me? I jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut, startling both of the men as they turned towards me.

"What the fuck are you doing in my truck?" I intended it to sound a lot more menacing than it did, but my voice was barely a whisper and my throat began to throb. Instinctively, I clutched at my neck and began to recall past events.

Sam widened his eyes and began to slowly walk towards me with his hands in the air as if to demonstrate his innocence.

"Hey, we didn't mean to overstep any boundaries. I'm Sam, this is my brother, Dean," he said while gesturing to Dean. Dean was glaring at me. I snorted at Sam's claim. They had to pick the lock to get into the bed of my truck, obviously boundaries were overstepped.

"We were just assessing the situation," Sam continued. "We had to find out what you were doing out here in the middle of the night."

"What gives you the right?" I demanded, my voice still nearly mute.

Dean stepped forward now. "How about a thank you for saving your life? Maybe a 'don't mention it'?"

His tone and the look in his eyes were condescending. It made me feel small, which I didn't take well to.

I stiffened and stepped towards him, standing on my toes to make myself appear taller, even though I still fell almost a foot below him. I glared back, unblinking at this stranger who had the audacity to speak to me as if I were a child. For several moments, the only sound was the whistle of harsh breaths making their way into my lungs through my swollen throat. I began to feel lightheaded and stumbled, as my ability to breathe was still impacted.

Sam immediately grabbed my arm and held me in a strong clutch. Dean's expression seemed to soften a bit.

Sam lowered me to the ground. "Easy there," he said softly. "We don't mean any harm. Just try to breathe. You're really swollen and bruised. You need time to recover."

I glanced at him cautiously, but his eyes were sincere and full of worry. I looked back up at Dean, who was standing over us. Although his expression had softened, his eyes were still guarded and he kept exchanging uneasy looks with Sam. I could tell he was uncomfortable with my presence. That's when it clicked.

"You are hunters," I stated. It wasn't a question because I knew the answer.

"Yes," Sam confirmed as Dean nodded. "And you are too."

I nodded, trying to ignore the throb in my throat but I couldn't help but wince at the pain. Any movement exacerbated the aches. Talking was nearly out of my ability.

"Come with us," Sam pleaded. "We can help while you recover and hunt this thing down".

I didn't know why he cared so much, and I began to object but stopped when Dean crouched down and looked at me straight in the eyes.

"Look," he said. "You're in no condition to hunt down that evil bastard yourself. So unless you let us help, innocent people will continue to die."

I stared at him so long I think the two were beginning to wonder if I had suffered brain damage through my fight against suffocation. But I found something deep in his eyes that gave me the sense of trust that I was looking for, so I gave in.

"Okay," I whispered.