【─── Chapter Two 】
Love At First Assassination Attempt
Serafina's eyes adjusted quickly to the darkening sky as she walked back up the steps from the underground memorial she had just been investigating.
As she ascended the steps, she couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment.
She had arrived at the cemetery not long before the last bit of sunlight faded over the horizon.
A strong desire to comb over the police's footsteps had taken hold and she'd found herself walking the perimeter of the cemetery.
She didn't always trust the police to do their job so she liked to walk through the scene of a crime herself, surveying with a set of eyes that were primed for supernatural things that most normies would miss.
She followed a path that led her to the underground memorial area filled with stone plaques and names of the deceased who had chosen a more luxurious send-off than the regular stone graves above ground.
To her dismay, it was empty, and no signs of a recent disturbance could be found.
Not a single trace of a monster or child.
"Damn," Her right hand had quivered with the anticipation of gratuitous violence against a monster that could harm children.
Unfortunately, her thirst for justice would have to wait a bit longer.
She reached the top of the steps and silently traced her steps back to the entrance of the cemetery, casting a glance over the graves that lay in various states of disrepair. Some of them were completely barren, and others were long forgotten with wilted flowers and decaying weeds.
She finally reached her car and pulled a map from her back pocket that she had swiped from the local library. It was located in one of those little cases in the front where they offered you little brochures on what kind of fun and exciting events their small town offered.
She couldn't imagine anything fun about this quaint town, besides the bar down the way that had mouthwatering cheesy fries and ice-cold beer.
She knew this because she had stopped by the bar for a quick bite on her way to the cemetery.
A hunter had to eat, and she was not a pleasant person to be around if she was hungry.
Serafina now lay the map out on the hood of her car, but not before pulling out her flashlight from the glovebox and holding it above the map, tracing the outline of the cemetery with her index finger and starting to locate the trails beyond that everyone had been talking about.
As night fully descended, the graveyard became an ethereal landscape, bathed in moonlight.
She already knew she wasn't alone, though.
Serafina had first spotted the old groundskeeper upon entering the cemetery and he had given her a curt nod and wave as he trudged across the grounds in his overalls and red long-sleeved button-down not a few feet from the parking lot.
Now that night alerted him to closing time, he was loading up his truck and getting ready to head out. Curiosity must have gotten the better of him when he noticed her next to her car.
Of course, he was curious.
A lone woman in a cemetery where a child had recently gone missing.
It was a peculiar sight.
"Are you looking for a particular grave? I know this place like the back of my hands," He smiled warmly as he approached, "We're about to close up for the night, but if you need anything, I can surely stick around."
Something in his words sparked a thought.
"You know, I could use some help, but not finding a grave," She shined her flashlight on the map and used her index finger to point towards the wooded area on the map beyond the cemetery, "I'm investigating the children that have recently gone missing." She shifted her stance and tapped her pointer finger on the shiny little badge that was clipped to her jeans.
The people she encountered were never none the wiser, just as programmed, their obedience a testament to the power of perception. She'd had this badge specially delivered to her from a friend of a friend who worked the underground black market.
The craftsmanship was impressive, capturing the nuances of a legitimate badge.
She continued as he glanced down at it, "What do you know about the public trails around the cemetery? How far deep do they go?" Relief flooded her veins when he didn't ask for further credentials.
His gaze shifted to reluctance, though mostly in part due to her being out here alone. He used his right hand to gesture on the map, "They go on for about about a mile and a half until you get to the split," He used his index finger to show her a path that split, though the path to the left was still on the map - the curve to the right was not on the map.
"What's the split?"
His free hand pulled at the lapels of his overalls, "Well, the path to the left continues the public walking trails for another five miles or so....and that there path to the right is closed off because it leads to an abandoned railroad tunnel and a small little area beyond the woods where a mining mill used to be back in the 1800's."
He paused as she urged silently with wide eyes to continue, "It's all grown up now, woods and trees and all that, but the underground tunnel remains." He paused as if for added dramatic effect, "As does the run-down house on the land."
"Is all of this easily accessible?" She asked as her gaze narrowed over the area on the map.
"It's since been boarded up since the collapse of the tunnel entrance, but people still find their way in if they are determined," He explained. "It's not exactly safe, mind you. The terrain is rugged and the tunnel itself is unsafe. Folks around here know better than to venture down the path of the split to the tunnels."
He paused again and eyed her with pure-hearted concern, "You wouldn't be thinkin' of going out there at this hour, would you? It's pretty dark out,"
Serafina smiled coyly as she started rolling up the map, "I'm not afraid of the dark. I was made for it," He had no idea how true that statement really was.
The old man chuckled dryly, "Well, at least make an old man feel better and take one of my flashlights. It's an industrial size, bigger than the stuff you get at the local store."
He didn't wait for her answer as he walked back to his truck and opened the passenger side door. He rummaged around for a minute before bringing back a large black flashlight - the light bulb wider than the one she carried in the car.
She took the flashlight, an appreciative smile escaping her lips, "Thank you,"
It wasn't like she could really tell the old man that she actually saw better in the dark, that her eyes were somehow more built for the darkness than they were the day.
That would probably be the end of his kindness if he got creeped out.
"Take care out there and keep an eye out for those woods. They can get a bit tricky," He added as he waved a hand and shuffled back to his truck.
Serafina nodded her appreciation before returning her gaze toward the growing darkness of the night. She opened her trunk and grabbed her backpack, stuffing in there all the essentials she'd need to go monster hunting in the woods.
Serafina's fingers traced the familiar contours of her arsenal. The silver dagger, a relic passed down through generations, gleamed in the dim light. It was a weapon of purity, its blade designed to cut through the supernatural with an almost ethereal precision.
She slid the dagger into the side of her backpack before shoving her favorite revolver into the bag. And she couldn't forget her favorite weapon of choice; her spellbound whip.
The intricate runes etched into the leather coiled around its handle shimmered faintly as she secured it alongside her belt, tucking it neatly into its holder.
Its reach and flexibility made it a versatile weapon, capable of disarming foes or providing a surprise advantage in close encounters. The runes etched into the leather weren't just for show; they were blessed with protective spells against dark entities, adding an extra layer to its already potent capabilities.
She tossed a bag of Cheeto's, two small packets of M&M's, and a couple of water bottles into her backpack. She was always hungry.
And she had no idea what she'd run into on her journey.
She tossed in her own smaller flashlight as a backup.
Serafina closed the trunk with a thud, hoisting the backpack over her shoulders and setting off into the night.
***
Her flashlight cut through the dark, revealing black gnarled branches and dense undergrowth as she walked deeper down the path. The darkness embraced her as she delved deeper down the winding trail, the sounds of the woods pulling her deeper in.
With each step, the darkness urged her forward.
There was a good chance the police did a half-ass search.
She had heard local talk earlier at the bar that the police were getting a team of people to go investigate the tunnels more in-depth once they had a safety clearance.
Sounded like a lot of bureaucratic bullshit.
And she had a sinking suspicion those kids didn't have that kind of time.
Before long, she approached the split - and considered her options. She swiveled the flashlight to the left, illuminating the path where the public trails would continue on. It was pristine and even terrain, well-marked and inviting.
She then directed her beam of light to the right towards the uneven terrain and overgrown woods that looked like it had come straight out of a cheesy horror movie like Friday the 13th, completely neglected and unwelcoming.
There was a stark contrast between the two trails.
"Well, the right definitely seems more sinister," Serafina remarked with a little smirk.
She ventured to the right as her flashlight beamed over twisted and gnarled branches, illuminating a rather rough and uneven terrain.
This was not an uncommon occurrence for Serafina.
She was a solitary creature for the most part and wandering around by herself hunting for monsters was as normal as her cup of morning coffee. The air hung heavy with an otherworldly tension, a feeling she had grown accustomed to over the years.
Serafina's flashlight flickered momentarily, casting elongated shadows that danced on the gnarled bark of ancient trees. The path twisted and turned, revealing hidden alcoves and shadowy corners where critters and other nocturnal creatures lurked. Her instincts, finely tuned by countless encounters with the paranormal, guided her through the darkness.
She was the predator.
They were prey.
She felt at home here, wrapped in the darkness of the night.
The moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy above, casting an ethereal glow on the twisted branches and moss-covered rocks. Serafina moved with the stealth of a predator, her senses heightened as she navigated the winding trail.
Carefully stepping over uprooted branches, she made her way down the more barren path, delicately weaving her way through the tangled mess, stepping over a brush of bushes, the thickets pulling at her skin as a flood of thorns ripped at her jeans.
"Every rose has its thorn.." She sang-song under her breath.
She yanked herself free, a low grunt from her lips in frustration, before realizing she had finally approached a clearing. The beam of her flashlight revealed an open space of land that backed up to yet another endless labyrinth of woods. Sitting smack in the middle of the land was the old abandoned house the groundskeeper had been talking about.
She let the flashlight dance across the open clearing as she made her way to the
In the distance, she heard an unforgiving howl - a croon into the night that made the scene all the more hair-raising.
"Creepy old house, wolves howling...can this night get any more cliché?"
She blew out a winded breath as she placed her flashlight in between her knees, her hands quickly bringing her long dark locks into a messy ponytail, a few strands from her bangs fell down the side of her temples, but she didn't bother with them.
The house was like any other abandoned house she'd ever encountered; covered in grime from the weather, boarded-up windows that were decorated with an array of red spray paint, and a few broken exterior panels that were barely hanging on.
At one point, it had been a quaint little two-story home with it's wrap-around porch and large vertical windows that resembled eyes on the second story.
Serafina trod carefully, and silently as a mouse, as she ascended the porch steps, her boots hitting a weak spot in the wood as a shrill creeeaaaaak announced her arrival to whoever, or whatever, might be in the house.
"Just great, Sera..." She mumbled to herself with an eye-roll. "Let the whole neighborhood know we're here.."
She held her breath and froze in place for a few seconds, her heartbeat thrumming in her ears. When nothing happened, she exhaled quietly and continued climbing the stairs before shining her flashlight around the porch. It was littered with old cigarette butts and plastic bags from the grocery store.
Lucky for her, the front door had not been boarded up. It was barely hanging on its hinges, the door slightly ajar already which wouldn't be suspicious given the state of the home.
As she nudged the door open and slowly stepped inside, she was immediately greeted with a sour musty smell of rotten wood and decay. "Ugh, this place needs an emergency home makeover, stat," She gagged silently, her nostrils flaring in revulsion.
A mouse skittered across the floorboards and she had to hold her breath as she walked around the living room of the house. It was devoid of furniture, completely barren save for a few random recliners around the home - but even those were torn apart and littered with bodily stains.
She kicked a stray can of beans and it rolled across the floorboards.
As she dove deeper into the home, she found nothing but eerie silence.
She inspected the floorboards, feeling for any secret spaces or anything out of the ordinary on the first floor. She was coming up empty-handed. Everything about this place was dry and empty as if it hadn't been touched in a very long time. There were thick layers of dust that encased every nook and cranny, the shelves and even the kitchen cabinets were coated.
After silently exploring the first floor, she decided to make her way up the stairs, though her footsteps remained as agile as a ninja, she couldn't help the creeks in the floorboards at every turn. The second story was much darker, less light filtered in and she found it impossible to breathe normally at the amount of mold that littered the floor.
She opened her backpack and reached for the smaller flashlight since it was more mobile. She flipped it on and blanched at the grotesque patterns of mildew and decay on the walls.
As she passed each door, she hesitated, half-expecting some malice-driven presence to reveal itself, but it didn't. She peered inside one room only to find a shabby old wooden bed frame without a mattress and a vintage dresser that was painted with red spray paint, the oval mirror had a large fissure crack that ran from one edge to the other.
All of a sudden, she heard the sound of footsteps and the telltale iconic creeeaaaaak that had announced her arrival upon entering.
She knew that sound.
The front door was opening.
Someone was inside.
Serafina held her breath and quiet as a mouse in the walls, she inched her way into the empty bedroom and slid herself behind the door, hidden from sight. She pressed herself against the crumbling doorframe, her heart pounding in sync with the muffled footfalls outside.
The creak of the porch steps and the groan of the door sent her hunter senses into overdrive.
She quietly set down her backpack and swiftly switched off her flashlight, slowly, gently, and as quietly as possible, she replaced the flashlight in her hand with the dagger from her arsenal and held it tight to her chest.
The room was eerily dark and dim - the thick curtain that covered the window facing the front yard of the home was as black as the night, a sliver of moonlight filtered in a thin strip. The bedroom had been damn near bathed in shadows without the flashlight.
She caught the timbre of a gravely voice. She strained her ears, catching fragments of conversation downstairs, but their words were indistinct, muffled by the decaying walls.
Two voices.
Two different treads of footsteps.
Her pulse quickened when one set of footsteps started up the stairs. The footfalls resonated with a confident and purposeful cadence. She damn near held her breath as the footsteps stopped at the top of the staircase.
Serafina's breath caught in her throat as the footsteps drew nearer, now rounding the hallway she was hiding in.
Her mind raced with uncertainty, fingers tightly gripping the silver dagger.
She primed herself for a fight, steadying her nerves and narrowing her feline-like eyes.
She wasn't scared by any means, but she wanted the element of surprise.
The footsteps entered the room next to her and she could hear the purposeful strides of someone who didn't have a care in the world. They exited the room and she heard the steps down the hall a few steps before the beam of a flashlight entered the room, pointing directly at the worn-out curtains.
The person entered the room and Serafina stiffened. She was hidden behind the open door of the room, her breathing slowed to a steady rhythm, her lips pressed together. The person walked a few steps deeper into the room and she peered half an eye out from behind the door.
Definitely a man. But maybe a monster.
If it was a Vetala they could be deceiving and look just like humans.
The thin strip of moonlight cascaded through the curtains, creating a soft, ethereal glow that barely illuminated the edges of his form. He stood with a confident yet wary posture, his shoulders slightly hunched as if bracing for unseen threats. The beam of the light traveled from the curtains to the old vintage vanity before he paused.
She swallowed, the gulp resonating through her ears like a thunderclap.
He lowered the flashlight beam to the very bottom corner of the mirror, illuminating the fissure crack and the thick layer of dust that coated the vanity. Then, in that suspended moment, she felt a chill crawl down her spine. It was as if the room had constricted around her, and despite the limited visibility, she swore his gaze flickered up to the middle of the mirror.
There was a palpable and heavy pause of undeniable realization - the roaring of blood in her ears as she realized she had been discovered.
Her curiosity had gotten the better of her - she shouldn't have looked out at all.
SHIT!
The reflection of her eyes peering out from behind the door in the mirror had betrayed her presence, and the shared moment of revelation was punctuated by the unsettling awareness that she was no longer hidden in the shadows.
It all happened in a blink - the entire moment, but it felt like minutes had ticked by.
Serafina, with dexterity and precision like a panther, used her right boot to kick the door open.
The room exploded into chaos with a violent kick, the door swinging open like a battering ram.
In that split second, Serafina became a blur of motion, her movements flowing with a predatory grace. The door, propelled by the force of her kick, rebounded with a resounding slam, temporarily obscuring the scene within
The figure had whirled around to face her, the flashlight clattering to the ground as his right hand reached inside his jacket to pull out a weapon, but Serafina was already airborne.
With the agility of a panther, she launched herself at the stranger.
The room became a whirlwind of limbs and flashes of steel as they grappled, each move calculated and executed with precision. Her free hand struck him against the jaw, a low grunt escaped his lips, before she followed up with a kick to his abdomen, sending him flying back into the vanity, a loud crash resounding as his back slammed against the delicate glass mirror.
Shards splintered and flew everywhere, their shiny pieces reflected in the moonlight.
Serafina's training shone through, and her acrobatic maneuvers gave her an edge.
Whoever he was...he was a seasoned fighter himself.
He countered her strikes with a mix of skill and experience. The confrontation unfolded like a deadly dance, the two adversaries locked in a struggle for dominance.
With a swift, well-timed maneuver, she managed to disarm him, sending his weapon skittering across the floor. Seizing the advantage, she deftly maneuvered to gain the upper hand
In a fluid motion, Serafina found herself straddling the stranger, pinning him to the ground. Her dagger glinted in the dim light as she pressed it against his neck, the cold edge a stark contrast to the heat of the fight. The room fell silent, except for their heavy breathing.
"I typically don't do kinky on the first date, but for you, I might make an exception," His voice was gravely, low, a hint of sass and a flicker of truth reverberated through. His pouty lips pursed into an unabashed smirk as if they weren't in the middle of trying to throttle each other.
This close she could see the outlines of a chiseled jaw and a ruggedly handsome face.
She had felt a familiarity in this face and it gave her pause for a split second.
However, playing along with his charade, Serafina leaned close enough to smell a hint of aftershave, "You couldn't handle my kinky, Casanova," She smirked back and nodded towards his jawline, "Now, open your mouth like a good boy and let me see your teeth,"
She had to know if he was a Vetala.
A curious tilt of his head was all she saw before a commotion at the door caught her attention.
"DEAN!" A panicked male voice from the other side of the door sounded out.
The door quickly flew open and a heavy-breathing broad-shouldered guy stood bathed in the dim hallway - his shaggy hair was messy and his eyes were wide and alert as they stared helplessly at the blade pressed against her assailant's throat.
When he started to step forward into the room, she reacted without hesitation.
Serafina moved like a pit viper. Her free hand quickly grabbed her whip, the crack of the weapon sent chills down her spine as the rune-covered whip lashed out and licked against his ankles, wrapping around them so deftly that he didn't have time to react.
She yanked. And hard.
She watched as the broad-shouldered buffoon fell to the floor, all while her dagger pressed more harshly against the other man's throat in a warning.
"Sam!" The assailant she had pinned moved his head, despite the dagger pressing his throat, a desperate look of concern in his eyes.
Wait.
Dean and Sam?
She knew those names...
No way...
What were the odds?
"Wait - wait! Dean and Sam? As in...Winchester?" Her voice wavered with a mix of surprise and trepidation as apprehension flooded her veins.
She pulled back just as Sam started to rise, propping himself up on his elbow with a glance that shifted between Dean and Serafina, his expression hardening with a guarded demeanor.
"In the flesh, honey..." Dean's smirk didn't sit well with her, and she fought the urge to wipe the complacent grin off his face. She was still straddling him, but the pressure of her dagger lifted slightly.
"You're John's boys?" Serafina's eyes narrowed, her wariness etched into every line of her face.
"How do you know our dad?" Sam's question hung in the air, demanding an explanation as he caught his breath.
Serafina hesitated, her eyes darting between the two brothers.
The tension in the air was still crackling between the three hunters.
Sam winced as he placed a free hand on the back of his head.
He might have a small bump from that fall and she started to quickly feel the heat creep up her cheeks at the scene that was playing out before her eyes...
The Winchesters.
John's boys.
She met Sam's questioning gaze. "John saved my life," she admitted, her voice carrying the weight of gratitude.
Curiosity lingered in his eyes as Sam asked, "So, who are you?"
Serafina hesitated for a moment before exhaling, deciding to lay her cards on the table.
"Serafina. Serafina Lockhart."
The name hung in the air like a mythical creature.
In that instant, Dean's eyes widened, a mixture of awe and shock dancing in his gaze. He whispered, almost reverently, "The Lockhart legends." His whole demeanor relaxed under the weight of her straddled form, an exhale of relief and wander fluttered through his piercing eyes.
She maintained her power position, still straddling him just for kicks, her confidence emanating as she met his gaze, an ironic smirk lifting her ruby-red lips, "In the flesh, honey,"
Author's Note:
And we'll stop there for now.
I know this was a lengthy chapter. I sometimes get carried away, but I feel we covered a lot of ground and I'm SO EXCITED that the Winchesters and Serafina have officially met, err..well collided, really. LOL
I absolutely cannot wait for the banter between these three and I'm so excited to continue this story moving forward!!!! :)
Thank you all for your patience in another chapter!!!!!