HERE IT IS, THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!
So sorry it took so long for me to get here! But here it is, Chapter 24, Kill Or Be Killed. Or, as I like to call it, The End.
Whatever the reason was that I was able to see my mom and dad’s memories, it didn’t matter. All that counted was that I was about to figure out how to save Becka, Dean, and Sam. The specifics could be worried about at a later time. The only thing I could focus on and think about at that point was my mission, if it is to be called that.
The dark green trunk was like a weapon arsenal. I tried to remember the knives and guns I had seen my parents pull out. After gathering a mental image of the weaponry I wanted, I sifted through everything to find the correct items. There were two knives with runes carved into them. Upon inspection, the runes were the same on both of them and looked similar to the knives Victoria and Blake used.
I grabbed out a belt from the trunk and tucked the knives inside. Then, I found a few guns loaded with rock salt and bullets with, as my dad had described in his journal, devil’s traps carved into them to immobilize demons. If I shot one below the chin, the demon would be trapped inside it’s vessel until the bullet was removed. If anything, they would at least buy me some time.
Finally, I pulled on gear that my mom would have worn; a vest and pair of jeans made of a thick, leather-like material, plus a pair of steel toed combat boots. Once I was geared up, I ran outside, grabbing the car keys from the entrance table.
The address that Ryan –or more accurately, the demon possessing Ryan –had given me was quite a ways away. By the time I had pulled out of the driveway, it was past midnight; seemed like that memory-dream took a long time to play out. The long drive gave me a lot of time to go over everything I could do in my head. I also had time to think of every possible scenario that could go down and how I could still come out on top. I could feel my hands shaking, so I gripped the steering wheel even tighter, my knuckles turning white.
The trip took hours. I only stopped when I needed gas, or to use the bathroom. One of the scenarios I had thought of included me having to pee really badly once I got to the hideout and losing because of my bladder. Call me paranoid, but I wanted to do all that I could to ensure that my friend’s and I survived.
By the time that I finally got to my destination, the sun was rising up in the sky. It cast a dusty rose color over the area. In any other circumstance, I probably would have stopped to enjoy the view. However, at that moment, the clock had been ticking and I didn’t have time for sun rises.
The building I was parked outside of was nothing like the cabin my parents had gone to. This was what looked to be an apartment complex. Like the cabin, it had been abandoned. But it wasn’t in disrepair. In fact, it looked quite nice. The sunlight glinted and bounced off of the glass exterior of the building. I squinted as I mounted the stairs. I couldn’t see anything inside, especially with the light outside, so I tried to be as careful as possible. It wasn’t too hard, except for the fact that my footsteps echoed faintly with each step. Once I got to the doors, I found them locked. There was a buzzer next to them. I laughed to myself. It seemed as though the demons would have to buzz me in. Guess they thought I wasn’t much of a threat.
I stepped forward and reached out, pressing the bright red button with a shaky hand. Mere seconds after, the door swung open. There was no one on the other side that I could see. ‘That’s not strange at all,’ I thought. Cautiously, with a hand on my weapons belt, I entered the building.
Once I was through the doorway, the door slammed shut behind me. I flinched involuntarily before taking a quick, deep breath. I had to make it through all of this stuff unscathed. I had to save my loved ones. I wasn’t about to scare myself out of this; I can’t lose this fight. I’ll either come out on top, or die trying.
Thinking about it on those terms reminded me of a book series I had read last year. It was about a group of people who hunted demons and other evil beings. They were always prepared to die in battle, and they accepted it when their comrades fell. Was that how demon hunters were supposed to be? As I mounted the stairs of the eerily empty and quiet building, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to live like that. If I lost someone I cared about, I didn’t think I would be able to handle it. At best, I would break down for awhile. At worst… I was beginning to think that maybe I wasn’t cut out for a hunter’s life, no matter if it has been running in my family –in my blood –for years or not.
However, none of that mattered. I was here and this was something I had to do. Once I crossed through that doorway, there was no turning back.
There were many doors on the second floor. Most of them were closed and locked. Others were unlocked, but empty. Finally, at the end of the hallway was a room with double doors propped open on the sides. As I got closer, I saw the room appeared to be a ballroom. I thought that maybe the building was a hotel. The dark doors loomed ahead as I walked, each step echoing loudly in the barren hall. Light poured out from the room and I realized that this was where I needed to be.
Upon entering the room, I concluded that it was, in fact, a ballroom. The ceiling stretched far above my head and chandeliers lit the large space. Pillars lined the walls, painted what once may have been a bright white, but what was now cream colored and chipping. Paintings of angels and clouds covered the walls and ceiling. Dust littered the floor. And in the center of the room, lined up like ducks in a row, were the people I came for.
They all jostled in their seats, but restraints kept them tied in place. I ran over to them. There was tape over their mouths, so I didn’t expect a response. However, I still asked them questions. I guess it was just a reflex.
“Are you guys okay? Did they hurt you?” I asked, going to Becka first and began trying to untie her. I had only been able to untie half of the rope at her hand when I heard a voice, echoing loudly.
“They aren’t hurt, Kimberley. Not yet, at least,” Ryan said from behind me. I heard the doors to the ballroom shut and I turned around slowly to face him. He was grinning almost smugly; it made me feel sick. But I fought to keep my face straight as he strode closer to me. My hand settled at a knife at my hips. Ryan watched and laughed. “Oh, and what do you plan on doing with that? Are you going to stab me?” He laughed in a condescending manner, making me feel like a pest he could squash without a second thought. He finally reached me, smirking. His breath was foul and his words hit me each with the force of a slap.
“You don’t have the guts to do it, bitch,” he sneered.
Before I could even blink, his arm collided with my waist and flung me to the side. I was caught off guard and was slammed across the room, right into a wall. Most of my weapons were knocked out of their holders. Only the two knives were left. They would just have to do. The breath was knocked out of me, and I sat gasping for air. Dean and Becka squirmed in their seats, muffled sounds of protest coming from their taped mouths. Sam was moving more stealthily, trying to free himself from his bindings. As I stood, Ryan watched almost curiously. I guess he didn’t expect me to get back onto my feet after the blow. He walked towards me rather leisurely. I, apparently, was no threat to him. Once he reached me, he pressed me against the wall, his forearm at my neck. My windpipe was closing, and I struggled to breathe.
He didn’t seem to be budging, despite my squirming. “Think you can get away? As if a little girl could get the best of me,” he said with a smug look. He looked like he was about to speak again when I did the unexpected.
I stabbed him in the gut.
“I think you’ve severely under estimated my character,” I said as his arm moved from my throat. Ryan was doubled over, clutching at the handle of the knife. The blade was glowing from the wound, and red blood spilt from the sides. I yanked down, hard, and slit a gash into his torso before yanking the weapon out of him.
I felt bad, because the real Ryan didn’t deserve to die. But I didn’t know a way around it.
As soon as the knife was out of him, Ryan fell to the floor. The light was fading from his eyes. For good measure, I stabbed him in the heart. I did it with so much apparent force, the blade snapped. One knife down, one more to go. Blood splattered on me, spotting my face and body, and matting my hair. That did it; he was gone instantly in a flash of glowing light. Sam, Dean, and Becka all stared at me, perhaps in awe, perhaps in fear. Either way, the relief I felt in that moment outweighed anything else. However, the moment was fleeting.
“Huh, and here I thought he would by us a little more time. You must be better than I thought, Kimberley.”
I looked up as a familiar voice echoed from the opposite side of the room. There, emerging from a shadowey doorway that I had failed to see originally, was Hazel.
“Oh well. Now I get to deal with you myself,” she said, a sickening grin spreading across her face. This wasn’t the Hazel that I had met. Not the girl that smiled at me on the bus. Not the girl who shared my interests and could brighten up any room with just her smile. This was a monster. And I was going to have to kill her.
We ran at each other, meeting in the center of the room. We collided, throwing fists and kicking at one another. I tried to land a few blows, however Hazel seemed to not be affected by my attacks. I, on the other hand, was suffering from her hits. She landed a punch to my face. A ring on her finger cut my lip, and another cut my cheek. Blood trickled from each gash. Suddenly, before I knew it, she was on top of me, tackling me to the floor.
Falling to the ground, I thought, ‘This is it. I’m going to die. She’s going to kill me, unless I do something.’ I had to do something, but what? I still had one knife. I could stab her, but from my vantage point, I won’t be able to stab her anywhere vital. Even if I did have an area to target, she was so fast; she would most likely deflect the blow. I knew my chances in that moment, with her hitting, clawing, and now choking me, were slim to none. Blood flowed from more areas than just my face, and I let my head roll over to look at the captives in the chairs nearby.
A portion of my sister’s hand was still free. And though she could move her fingers, she couldn’t undo the rope holding down her wrist. If I was going to be pummeled to death by a demon, I didn’t want my family and friends to suffer because I screwed up. They were the reason I came in the first place. Right then, I knew that their safety and their survival was far more important than mine.
Hazel was too distracted by torturing me to notice that my hand had reached for the knife. In one, quick motion, I threw it. My eyes followed its path through the air. Dean and Sam looked at me like I was crazy, but as my gaze met my sister’s, she understood. Somehow, my throw had managed to reach her, and she caught the knife between her fingers. She silently went to work on cutting herself free as darkness edged into my view. I fought for consciousness, but soon, I was overtaken.
Everything went dark.
***
I woke up in the hospital two days later. Dean, Becka, and Sam were all surrounding my bed, bleary eyed and red faced. After a teary eyed reunion, they recounted what happened after I blacked out.
Becka freed herself in moments of getting the knife. By then, Hazel had caught on to what was happening. She sneered and screamed bloody murder, finally getting off of me to deal with my sibling. Thankfully, one of the guns that had flown from my belt had landed near Becka’s chair. She grabbed it, sliced away the ropes at Dean’s wrists, and gave him the knife with one, quick instruction to follow it as she turned to Hazel.
“Get Kim and your brother, and get out of here.”
Dean nodded and hurried to free himself as Becka fought with Hazel. Becka would shoot, and Hazel would dodge. She would try to get to Dean and Sam, to keep them tied up, but Becka blocked her way. She held the demon back while Dean moved on to undo Sam’s bindings. Once both Winchester brothers were freed, they ran over to me. Dean checked for a pulse and found one, much to their relief. It was weak, but it was there, and that’s what mattered. The eldest brother picked me up and carried me out in his arms, Sam trailing close behind.
My sister finally landed a shot as they were exiting. Becka took her chance while Hazel was distracted and stabbed her, killing the demon instantly. Dean laid me down in the back seat as they all fled from the grounds. I was checked into the hospital later that day and they all waited anxiously for me to wake up. The doctor said I might not. There was a lot of internal damage done, and the doctor feared that I might die. The first twenty four hours were the worst, and the next were only a little less stressful.
Once I woke up, Becka hugged me and cried, whispering about how she loved me so much and how she didn’t want me to ever do that again, and how if I hadn’t just saved her life, I would have been in so much trouble for being so reckless. I laughed, and she cried more.
Sam hugged me too, and said that he was glad I had pulled through, because if I hadn’t, he wouldn’t have anyone cool to talk to. That got a scoff from Dean and made me laugh. I knew that was Sam’s way of saying that he really cared about me.
Becka said she was going to go get something to drink and ushered out Sam as she left. I assumed that it was because she wanted to give me a little bit alone with Dean. He sat down in the chair closest to my bed, where my sister had previously been seated. I looked over at him. His eyes had dark circles and bags underneath them. His cheeks were red and puffy. His eyes were glossy. He looked really pale too.
“Are you feeling okay? Have you eaten anything since what happened?” I asked. He looked sickly, after all.
He started laughing quietly and rested his head on the side of the bed.
“It’s just like you to worry about me when you just almost died,” he said in a soft voice. I put a hand on his head, running my fingers through is hair.
“I went in there to save you, so I have a right to worry about your well-being,” I said.
“It’s my fault you got wrapped up in this. This was never supposed to happen. And you got hurt because of it. I’m so sorry, Kimmy,” he said, looking up at me with a sad look. Now I was confused.
“What?”
He started to explain everything to me. He told me about how his father was a demon hunter, and how they were in town to catch the very demons that my sister and I had killed. But John couldn’t find them, so they stayed for a much longer time than usual. I started laughing about there, which meant that Dean was the one confused now.
I told him about how my father had been a demon hunter too, and about how I thought that I had dragged him and Sam into my drama. We both laughed. I guess we had more in common than we thought we did.
The room was silent for a moment. Dean stared at the window opposite him, and I suspected that he was waiting for the small amount of tears that had welled up in his eyes to go away. I bit my lip and watched him.
“Hey, Winchester,” I said, catching his attention. “I love you.”
Dean grinned widely and stood from the chair. “I love you, too, Kimmy.”
He leaned over the bed rail and kissed me. It was like all time stopped for just a little bit. There were no demons, no hunters. No problems. It was just us, and it was blissful.
I knew that there were still things to worry about. I knew that there were still demons out there. I knew that my sister and I and the people we care about were still possibly in danger. I knew that now that the demons their dad came here for were killed, Sam and Dean would be packing up and leaving soon. I knew that I may never see them again, that I may never see Dean again.
But none of that mattered. Whatever happened, I knew that I still had the memories of being with Dean. I had memories of long conversations with Sam. I had my sister, safe and sound. I knew I wouldn’t forget about Dean. And somehow, I knew that Dean wouldn’t forget about me, either.
And that was enough for me.
The End
Last A/N:
I want to say thank you to everyone who stuck around since the beginning of this story, and to everyone who hopped on board along the way. I know the journey has been a little painful, seeing as I like to disappear for months at a time without notice. To be honest, I didn't know if I was going to finish this story. But I recieved a message two days ago from a fan that said that my stories were helping them through a hard time. That message made me hunker down and finish this damn thing. I just hope that this last chapter lives up to your expectations.
So yeah, thanks for sticking around. Thank you for your votes. Thank you for your comments. Thank you for your messages. Thank you for reading. And thank you for loving Kim and her journey. Because of the stories popularity, who knows? Maybe a sequal is in order? Or perhaps an epilogue? Or maybe you just want this stupid book with it's stupid characters to be finished already? Well, no promises, but I'll see what I can do ;)
Again, thanks for reading! Leave a comment on what you think about the chapter and the book as a whole. I would love to hear your opinions! Private message me too if you want me to see it for sure! I love you all very much.
Until next time!~