NO GOODBYE
The Winchesters picked her up a few days later in the parking lot of a nearby motel. She was still dressed in the same clothes she'd left in when she went on her date with Rebecca, the stench of sweat and dirt enveloping the car as soon as she stepped in. Her hair was untamed, riddled with grease and tangles. Her shirt had been dyed red. Her eyes looked puffy. She looked as though she had been through hell, which was a small comparison to the reality. And, for her, things were about to get a lot worse. With Celeste's birthday having recently passed, and the Winchesters indirectly killing her, she wasn't entirely eager to see their faces. But after having destroying her relationship with Rebecca, she had nothing else to do but follow her orders.
When she had left Rebecca's apartment, she prowled around the town, blending into crowds and picking the pockets of the unknowing. She didn't feel any remorse or guilt as she stole an elderly man's wallet, who's walking stick couldn't catch up to the same speed as the thief. Her heart had been aching all day for Celeste, and that ache had numbed the rest of her body.
That night she slept on the streets.
It hadn't been a pleasant experience. She had chosen the alcove of an old antique shop, with layers of dust that Ebony had reckoned had been there ever since the shop had been bought, thirty years ago. The spot was spacious, giving the girl chance to curl up comfortably into the corner and to stretch her legs, if she needed. Cold, solid ground pushed into her body, and she had to keep shifting to try to aid the numbing sensation. Her spot did very little to block the wind, leaving Ebony shivering and freezing, pinching herself when she pitied herself. Celeste was dead, and she probably felt so much more than Ebony did in that moment. These morbid thoughts silenced her whines. Smoke poured into her nose whenever she breathed in, polluting her insides and drying out her internal organs. Yet, despite her complaints about how chilly it was, about the floor and about the smell she knew it was much better than what other people living on the streets got. She found this out when a group of them approached her some time in the night, kicking her out of her fitful slumber. They threatened her, yelled at her, abused her and stole what little money she'd been able to scrounge up. There was a point when they were screaming at her, with some of them patting her down to grab the cash, did she think to herself that their blood would warm her just as well as a blanket.
They were missing the next day. And she had the all of the money she'd worked hard for. She slept peacefully after that.
The following day, she made a beeline for the nearest shop with a printer. Inside the store, she embraced the confused and horrified stares, daring them mentally to call the cops. An hour later and a envelope full of freshly printed photos, she walked to the furthest motel she could think of, on the way dumping the phone and sim card into the nearest trash can. It wasn't the cleanest motel, infested with mysterious marks and made strange noises in the night, but it had a bed. The uncomfortable bed was no luxury for her - she tested it to see whether or not it was bumpy, and she discovered, to her shock, that it wasn't. She threw a few objects underneath it, dropping the mattress back down with a heavy slam. The discomfort of the mattress kept her from falling into the beast infested pit of nightmares. To fill her empty hours she memorised the printed memories, smiling sadly when she hit a particular tear jerking photo. Some of the photos she bought got blotches on.
By the time she had left the motel, there had been over ten suspicious disappearances in the area, with all victims having been involved in crimes and cases. She also had to pay the manager for all of the damages she'd inflicted on the room - a shattered window, snapped chairs, a slashed mattress and dents in the wall. Not one piece of furniture in the room had been left unscathed. Even after all of that, Ebony still felt the soul engulfing desire to collapse to her knees. The only thing that had changed was that her hand had been severely bruised, cut and torn.
No words were exchanged on the journey back to the bunker - they had no clue what had happened, and they knew if they pressed her about it she'd implode. They only had a slight idea of what went on, and that wasn't enough to quench their curiosity.
Her head was lent against the window, eyes wandering aimlessly at the passing scenery. She didn't even realise that this was the first time they had driven her back to the bunker without taking any crazy routes with too many turns to remember, or with a blind fold. Even if she was paying attention, she was too tired to even care. Her mind had tuned out the constant droning of eighties rock, focusing on the blissful silence.
Dean's eyes flitted back to her slumped form in the back. He threw a concerned glance at Sam, who only shrugged and continued scrolling through his phone. Unable to handle the quiet, Dean spoke up. "So, I heard about a case."
Ebony's ears perked up, and without knowing she lifted her head off of the window. Sam's gaze snapped to Dean, him turning his phone off and sliding it into his front pocket. Dean said nothing else, enjoying seeing the two of them waiting in anticipation. A few beats passed, and a new song murmured out of the radio.
Sam twisted in his seat so he could see both Dean and Ebony at the same time. "Care to elaborate?" He thought that he'd heard a small snicker pass Ebony's lips, but it was gone as soon as it had come, making Sam think that maybe he was hearing things he wanted to believe.
Dean tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, grinning widely. "Eager, aren't we?" He laughed when he saw the straight expression on Sam's face. "Well, turns out people have been dying suddenly, and they've all been linked to either police crimes or old hunts."
Sam and Ebony sat, looking at each other in disbelief. "Is that it?"
"Pretty much, only other thing is it was around the town you were staying at Ebony." Her entire body froze. She pasted a frown on her face, forcing some words to climb out of her mouth.
"I didn't see anything weird when I was there." The boys didn't hear her pause, or her slow words. They only nodded, debating between themselves whether or not it was worth looking into it. She needed them to stay away, she couldn't have them knowing who she really was - a monster, just like Rebecca said.
"Is there any point in going?" They stopped their discussion, Sam's full attention on her, and Dean concentrating mostly to the road but listening to what she was saying. "I mean, we just left there. The bunker is pretty far away, and I'm just thinking that it's kind of pointless making the trek again for something that could possibly be nothing."
Sam pointed a finger at Ebony, exclaiming. "Aha! See, Ebony knows this is stupid. Can we just relax for once Dean?"
His fingers were no longer drumming the beat of the music, becoming clenched and whiter by the second. "We've relaxed too much already."
"Dean, we'll have plenty of time to take down monsters. Let us relax, even if it's for a few days. If you want, we can keep an eye on this town, and if anything else pops up, we'll drive down. Agreed?"
Dean huffed, rolling his eyes. "Fine, Rapunzel."
Ebony let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
*
Celeste had become less of a priority as the days passed, and how she left Rebecca kept nagging at her. She couldn't believe she had done that, walked out, right after doing the most intimate thing a human being could do! Ebony was furious with herself, and it was then that she knew that she wasn't ready to give Rebecca up. Yes, she still loved Celeste with all of her heart, and hated that she died, but just because you've loved one person doesn't mean there isn't room in your heart for another. Rebecca made her feel human for the first time, in a time when she desperately needed it, like she needed oxygen to live. Rebecca made her feel as though she never had a break down, never tarnished her soul, never killed. Ebony didn't believe in forgiveness, but maybe Rebecca was her redemption?
She demanded that Dean drive her to Rebecca's place, so that she could at least apologise for what she'd done. She knew that there was a very slim chance that everything would be mended between the two; at least Rebecca would know how much she impacted Ebony's life. She was a light in the dark, leading her out of the void and into the world again.
With his burger half way to his lips, he blinked. "Um, sure."
Ebony smiled, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. Mere weeks ago she would've been screaming at herself not to strangle every ounce of life out of him, and in that moment, with her body the closest it had ever been to his without the threat of being killed, she felt warm. He was becoming a sort of friend. Not that she'd ever admit that to him. His arms were trapped under her, his burger falling to pieces and into his lap. He flashed a grin at Sam sitting in front of him, before asking the girl to get off of him. She complied, grinning at him and running up the stairs to the door.
"Hurry up, slow coach!" She shouted, her voice holding a lightness that neither of them had heard. Dean frowned, glancing at his burger, sighing and placing it back on the plate.
"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off, tossing the keys up to her. "I'm going to quickly grab a different shirt, you unlock her."
Nodding, she bounced away, the door slamming just as Dean screamed. "You better not get a scratch on her!" Ebony giggled at the irony of it.
She walked speedily to the car, eyes catching the long scar along the car door. Guilt lay heavy on her, and she had to tell herself that it was okay. She wasn't herself then, it wasn't her that did it. Unlike Sam and Dean though, she couldn't blame her sins on demons or being soulless. She could only blame it on grief.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she went up to the Impala, turning the key in the lock. When sliding into the car, she whispered a low sorry to the injured car, even though she knew that it couldn't hear her, or hold a grudge against her. It was after all an inanimate object. A minute later, Dean strolled out, shoving his left arm into his jacket.
Ebony's leg jiggled up and down in impatience as Dean climbed into the drivers seat and had started the lengthy drive to Rebecca's apartment. It felt as though it lasted forever, and in reality only lasted an hour. Before the car had even hit the curb, she was clambering out of the car, not even bothering to shut the door. She sprinted for the entrance of the bar, faintly hearing Dean yell "Use your charm," after her. She could barely hide the grin over taking her face, too excited to notice the lack of bustling in the bar.
She ran up flights of stairs, finally reaching the landing where Rebecca lived. Giving herself a few seconds to recollect herself, she panted, leaning on her knees. Ebony brushed a hand through her hair, making sure it was neat, then knocked on the door. It was then that she saw the blood painted around the handle. She gasped, inhaling a mouthful of something egg like. Sulphur.
Fear lodged into her throat. Please be okay, Ebony hoped, lightly pushing the door open. The hollow squeak of the rusty hinges rebounded throughout the serene apartment. Dread built up in her stomach.
Blood trailed into another room Ebony had never been in, a room over from Rebecca's. Cautiously, Ebony crept towards the door, her heart pounding in her ears with each step. Her hand found the door, and like ripping off a bandage, she shoved it open, turning her head from the scene. Sulphur invaded all of her senses, causing her to gag. Swivelling her reluctant eyes around the room, she saw an unfamiliar form laying on the bed peacefully. She let out a sigh of relief, placing a gentle hand on her stomach.
Her eyes wandered more around the room, taking in all of the disturbed bottles and flipped chairs. Shards of glass hazardously stood waiting for someone to be foolish enough to step on them, glistening red. Red. She tiptoed into the room, attempting to stay quiet so she wouldn't wake them from their sleep. Her efforts had been for nothing as she took in the blood stained sheets and unseeing eyes. A man, older than Ebony but still young, laid on top of the sheets, hands splayed and neck slit. What caught her eye wasn't the gruesome wound, but the yellow substance sprinkled on the bed.
"No." She muttered, fleeing instantly and nearly tripping over her own feet to get to Rebecca's room. The door was ajar, and the polished wood seemed untouched by the crime that had been committed in the house. This eased her worrying thoughts, letting her pace lessen to a slow walk. She pushed this door open more gently, eyes glued on what may be hiding behind it. The dull groan of the same floor board that had her heart rocketing through her chest after a wild night made a noise again, as good as a pinch. This was real. Her bed was immaculate, all of the edges tucked into the corners, the pillows piled perfectly. The only thing out of the place was the piece of paper on the bed. Intrigued, Ebony strode closer, taking the paper up in her hands. An arrow pointed to her left. Following the same direction, Ebony noticed a door.
The dread in her stomach got worse.
She walked to the door, feeling her chest constrict when she threw it open. It was a bathroom. Crimson bled from the floor, leaking from something in the corner. Leaking from the bath. Her foot slipped and she grabbed a hold of the bath. She was staring directly into her lifeless eyes she didn't recognise without their usual shine. Rebecca's dark skin had become paler, her hair had lost its volume. The only bright thing about her was the blood pooled around her middle, sprayed mercilessly over her skin and against the wall. Her foot was dangling out of the bath, limp. An inhumane sob erupted out of her, a sound she thought was impossible to make. The world stopped as she pulled herself upright, hovering over the corpse.
Another howl escaped Ebony. She fell to her knees, the same way as her world was for the second time in her life. Rebecca, who wanted to go to the Grand Canyon and had Disney quotes printed on her wall. She was an innocent, too good. Hell, Ebony didn't even deserve to have known her name. She may have not known her for long, but she knew what she felt was real. It was something that resembled love, and it could no longer blossom into anything else.
Her mind wandered to that last words she ever uttered to Rebecca - 'oh honey, I've done much worse.' She didn't even get time to say goodbye.
A low chuckle vibrated behind her. She spun around, snot streaming from her nose. There stood the man from the diner, from the grave yard. His smirk hadn't changed - it was still as malicious as ever. "I warned you, dear."
He could barely comprehend her words through all of her weeping and sniffling. "I was going to kill them soon, I swear!"
Handing her a tissue from his pocket, he glared at the snivelling girl as though she was shit on the bottom of his shoe. "Actions speak louder than words, and we like loud voices. Now," he patted her shoulder awkwardly, snatching her jaw in his grasp. He snapped her head in the direction of Rebecca, forcing her face to linger inches from her deceased one. "This is your second warning. If you don't follow your new orders, we'll slide and dice that little sister of yours."
"If you touch her, I will gut you." She growled, her threat made less menacing by her inflamed face. He chuckled, tightening his grip on her jaw. She winced.
"It's sweet, really, to see you try and intimidate me as much as I intimidate you. Entertaining, actually. All of you humans are like that." He let go of her angrily, drawing a long blade from the inside of his coat. It was crusted with crimson. "Since you failed to complete your last task, we have a new mission for you. Well, us, if you want to be technical."
He listed off the orders, reminding her constantly of the consequences. Ruby would die. Sometimes he liked to jab at her gut tenderly with the knife, enjoying seeing her recoil. "So, do we have a deal?"
Pursing her lips, she nodded. He rose his eyebrows, reprimanding her silently. "Yes, we have a deal."
"Excellent," he mused. He grabbed Ebony's hand, pulling her to her feet. She tried fighting him, but his grip was vise like. "Pleasure doing business with you."
His eyes turned black.
-
hey assbutts! if you got this far I'm proud, its just over 3000 words whoops. did you guess the plot twist? probably though because you're all smart as hell.
#Rebony has sunk... badly. I'm sorry for any emotional pain I've caused.
if you have any questions for the Q&A leave them here!
adios assbutts!
-thirdwheelchurchill