It's been a few days since dad showed up. We had been on the road, trying to relax after everything had happened. I have been sleeping a little better, only waking from nightmares a few times every night. Both my brothers made sure that I got enough food as well.
Currently we were on our way to Richardson, Texas. Sam had gotten word of some weird stuff happening and we were headed to check it out.
"How much longer, Dean," I whined like a little kid. He looked back at me. As much as he hated the whining, he would much rather have that, then me crying.
"Not much longer, Cheyenne," He stated, looking in the rearview mirror. Sammy was sleeping in the passenger seat.
I leaned over, putting my chin on Dean's shoulder. "I'm bored."
Dean glanced at Sam sleeping, and then back at me. I saw a smirk on his lips. "Watch this, sweetheart," He grabbed a plastic spoon from on of the many fast food restaurants we stopped at.
I watched as he carefully placed the spoon into Sam's open mouth, making sure not to wake him. I giggled quietly, knowing Sam was gonna get so mad. Dean pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo, to remember this moment. He reached up to the volume nob, turning it loud enough to wake Sam, singing loudly along to the words. Sam woke with a start, confused as he pulled the spoon out. Now I laughed out loud. He glared at Dean. I sunk in my seat.
"Ha ha," Sam muttered. "Very funny."
"Hey, Cheyenne was the one who said she was bored," Dean blamed. I gasped. How dare he blame me.
"Is that so?" Sam questioned, turning to me in the back.
"Yeah, but in my defense, he had the spoon idea," I argued.
"Sorry," Dean stated. "Not a lot of scenery here in east Texas... you kind of got to make your own."
"Man, we're not kids anymore," Sam told him. "We're not gonna start that crap up again."
"Start what up," Dean questioned.
"That prank stuff," Sam stated. "It's stupid, and it always escalates."
I laughed again thinking about all the pranks over the years. I was lucky enough to stay out of it by helping both boys get each other a few times.
"What's the matter, Sammy?" Dean asked. "You afraid you're gonna get a little Nair in your shampoo again?"
"Cheyenne, help," Sam begged, looking back at me. I raised my hands up.
"Uh uh, I am not getting involved in this," I stated.
Sam sighed and looked back at Dean. "All right," he agreed to the pranking. "Just remember, you started it."
"Oh, bring it on, baldy," Dean teased.
"I swear you two are children in grown men's bodies," I chuckled.
"Where are we, anyways?" Sam questioned, trying to forget about the pranking.
"A few hours outside of Richardson," Dean told him. "Give us the lowdown again."
Sam grabbed a newspaper article from the dash. I leaned back up to hear and see him better.
"All right, about a month or two ago, this group of kids goes poking around this local haunted house..." He started to explain.
"Haunted by what?" I interrupted.
"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit," Sam stated. "Legend goes it takes girls and string them up in the rafters."
"That's comforting," I sighed.
"Anyway, this group of kids see this dead girl hanging in the cellar," Sam continued, glancing at me for a second.
"Anybody I.D. the corpse?" Dean asked.
"Well, that's the thing," Sam told us. "By the time the cops got there, the body was gone." He explained. "So the cops were saying the kids were yanking their chains."
"Maybe the cops are right," Dean suggested.
"Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids' firsthand accounts," Sam stated. "They seem pretty sincere."
"Where'd you read these accounts?" I asked.
Sam let out a breathy laugh. "Well, I knew we were gonna be passing through Texas, so last night I was surfing some local... paranormal websites, and I found one."
I hated those websites. They were always made by some random people and anyone and everyone could add and post. I wouldn't call them reliable by any stretch.
"What was it called, Sammy?" I questioned, watching Dean roll his eyes.
Once again, Sam sighed. "Hellhoundslair.com," he stated.
"Let me guess," Dean teased. "Streaming live out of mom's basement."
"Yeah, probably," Sam chuckled.
"Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit them in the pursqueeter," I joked.
It was quiet for a second. "Look, we let dad take off, which was a mistake, by the way," Sam spoke. I sat back in my seat, not wanting to have this conversation. "And now we don't know where the hell he is." He told us. "So meantime, we got to find ourselves something to hunt."
"Sammy's right," I agreed. "There's no harm in checking this thing out, Dean."
"All right," Dean stated. "So, where do we find these kids?"
"Same place you always find kids in a town like this," Sam stated.
A few hours later, we pulled up to some diner. Sam had done some research and found that this is where all the teens hung out at night. We might just find some more information.
Fast forward an hour and we had talked to three different teens. We had also gotten three different stories. They were similar, but key details were wrong.
"What was the point of coming to this place?" I questioned, getting back in the car.
"I never said we would get good information." Sam argued. "But we know who to talk to..."
"Craig," I finished. "It was one of the only things they could agree on."
"Well, that music shop where he works is closed," Dean stated, as he pulled out on the road. "We might as well get a few hours of sleep and start fresh tomorrow."
I almost cringed at the word "sleep". That was something I haven't been doing well with. The last few days since dad left, I have had nightmares about him. So far, they haven't been bad, or... at least not bad enough to wake my brothers. But I knew it wasn't long before they got worse and either did wake brothers or made me fall asleep on a case. Nonetheless, I nodded and Dean made his way to the nearest motel.
I got the shower last, but my brothers were kind enough to leave hot water. I hoped a warm shower would help me sleep. I stumbled out of the bathroom, seeing my brothers already passed on their beds.
I made my way to Dean's bed, crawling under the covers. I didn't want to wake him, so I didn't move to close. I closed my eyes and feel into, hopefully, a peaceful slumber. I was so wrong.
Nightmare:
I was sitting in a different motel now, no brothers in sight. I sat at the small table, reading over a lore book. The motel door suddenly swung open, hitting the wall with a BANG. I jumped in my seat and looked to see my father walking in. He threw the door shut behind him.
"Where's Dean and Sam?" I questioned, hoping they were close. I could feel the anger radiating off the man in front of me.
He didn't answer, he just stared at me. He glanced at the book in my hands.
"What the hell are you reading that for?" He questioned, walking up to me. He ripped the book from my hands. "You know good and well that you don't go on cases."
I stood up now, trying to look brave. "I was just trying to help..." I started to say. I was interrupted by a slap to the face.
I fell to the ground, holding my now red check. Tears flowed down my cheeks and I attempted to scoot backwards. Where were the boys?
"You think you're so brave, but look at you," My dad towered over me. He grabbed my hair, pulling me to stand. I cried out in pain. "I wish you were never born," He pushed me down again, and began to kick me.
"Please!" I cried. "Stop.... dad!" I covered my head with my arms. "Sam! Dean!" I called out.
"Cheyenne!" I heard their voices, but they weren't in the room. "Sweetheart, wake up!" Dean called.
END OF NIGHTMARE
"NO!" I screamed, sitting up in bed. I looked around in a panic. I felt hands on my sides and face.
Tears blocked my view. "Let me go!" I screamed. My blanket had already been pulled off me, and I stood up.
"Cheyenne, hey, hey, calm down," I heard a voice call out. It didn't sound like dad. I
I rubbed the tears from my face and looked back up. I could now see my brothers. Dean stood a few feet away, arms out showing he meant no harm. Sam sat on the bed.
"Cheyenne," Sam called out, seeing my face.
Suddenly, I felt nauseous. A combination of the nightmare and crying and yelling. I bolted into the bathroom. I kneeled on the tile, and clutched the toilet, as I emptied my stomach. I heard the boys follow me. Hands held my hair and rubbed my back, and this time I didn't push back. When I was done, I reached up and flushed the toilet, and rested my forehead on the edge. I heard water running.
"Here, sweetheart, for you face," Dean said quietly. He carefully pulled me up and gently wiped my mouth. He also wiped the tears and sweat. "You okay?"
I shook my head, and fell into his chest. I began to cry again. Dean wrapped his arms around me.
"Shh, shh, it's okay," He whispered into my ear. He kissed the side of my head.
"Let's get her out of the bathroom," Sam suggested. Dean carried my out and back to the bed. He never released his grip. Now, I sat in the middle of the boys. Dean had his arms around me still, while Sam brushed a hand through my hair.
"Cheyenne," Sam spoke once I had stopped crying. "You wanna tell us what that was about?" He didn't want me to feel forced.
"It was a nightmare," I spoke, my voice a bit hoarse from crying. "It was about...about... dad." I felt the lump in my throat. Dean noticed as well.
"Hey, you don't have to say anything," He assured me. I shook my head.
"I-It... he was... b-back from a hunt, I think," I spoke slowly. "You g-guys weren't t-there... a-and h-h-he..." I lost it again, burying my face in Sam's neck.
"It wasn't real sweetheart," Sam stated, rubbing my back. "No matter how much it felt like it."
I was so mad at myself. Here I was, a grown adult, crying in my brothers arms. Why couldn't I just get over it. I started to get off the bed, pulling myself from my brothers grasp.
"Cheyenne, where are you going?" Sam asked. They both stood from the bed as well.
"Just outside," I stated. "I need fresh air." I made my way to the door and outside. I prayed the boys would leave me alone for a few minutes.
I stepped out of the room. We were on the second floor, so there was a railing. I walked away from our room and leaned against the wall. I sighed when I heard a door open and close.
"I told you guys, I was..." I started to say turning around. I stopped when I saw a stranger, rather than one of my brothers. "Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew."
I decided to head back in, and attempted to walk past the man. I felt a tight hand around my wrist. The man pulled me back towards himself.
"No, I think you should stay right here," He said, his face uncomfortably close to mine. He slowly pushed me back, until I felt the railing on my back.
"We can have some fun," he stated. I felt his hand on my waist, moving all over.
I tried shoving him back, but was still weak from crying. I was scared, what if my brothers decided to actually leave me alone. It would be my fault. A few tears fell down my face.
"Oh, don't cry," The man told me. "I'm gonna make you feel good." He held my arms down and pressed his lips against mine.
"Stop, please," I begged him. "Let me go." He continued his assault. His hands began to reach down to my sweats. No, please not this.
Before he could get any farther, he was ripped away from me. Too scared to move, I fell down on my butt, leaning against the railing.
"Hey, when a girl says stop, you stop!" Dean screamed at the man. He shoved the man to the ground and threw a few punches. Sam ran out as well, his eyes met mine. He ran to his brother.
"Dean, Dean!" He shouted, pulling him off the man. The man scrambled away, and Dean looked at Sam, confused. Sam motioned towards me on the ground. A second later, the two kneeled beside me.
"Hey, sweetheart, are you okay," I didn't say anything. I sat there, silent tears making their way down my red cheeks. "Cheyenne, please say something."
"He didn't hurt me," I whispered. "But I thought he was gonna..." I couldn't find the will to finish that sentence. Dean pulled me into his arms. "I was scared, Dean."
"That's okay," He reassured me. "You had every right to be scared, but we got there in time." I nodded, and let out a small yawn. I heard Sam chuckle.
"Alright, I think it's time you get back to sleep," He said, and the two of them helped me up. Together we walked back into the room.
Once again the boys were on either side of me. Even though it was no the most comfy, neither one wanted to leave my side for the night. And I wasn't complaining.
"I love you guys," I whispered.
"I love you too," They said at the same time.
Finally, I was able to actually fall into a deep sleep.