Work Text
1978
The young boy stood in the overgrown yard on the empty brick house, staring at it. There was nothing about his facial features or the way that he looked that suggested he was nothing more than the average boy. Only his mother knew differently.
His hazel eyes stared intently at the stained glass windows, there was a pane missing in one of them on the second story. He didn’t even look away from the eerie old house when he heard the clanging of a baseball bat against the wrought-iron fence and the snapping of small firecrackers on the concrete of the sidewalk.
Two identical twin boys, Lucifer and Nick, strutted up the sidewalk with baseball bats in their hands. They paid no attention to the young boy standing in the yard until Sam said, “You’re going to die in there.”
“What did you say to us freak?” Lucifer asked, turning towards the brown haired boy.
“Yeah, what did you say?” His twin echoed.
“I said that you’re going to die if you go in there,” Sam repeated. He looked away from the house and at the neighborhood’s most mischievous kids.
Nick scowled at him, “Shut up, freak!”
“Yeah, freak, shut up!”
The pair of boys continued their journey up the sidewalk, Lucifer hitting the tree by the front door with his bat before stepping up onto the stoop.
seemed to affect them. The boys went into the empty house anyway.
****
Once their ratty sneakers hit the dusty wooden floor of the creepy house, the Pellegrino twins took off running. They destroyed everything their extended bats could reach at full swing and even things that they could.
Lucifer smashed a chandelier and then an old television while Nick ran up the stairs, smashing things on the stairwell. He broke everything in his path, leaving nothing intact. It’s not like anybody would miss it anyway. Nobody had lived in the house for as long as he could remember.
His sneakers came to a halt when he came across a dead rodent in the hallway by the back door.
Blood leaked out of its struggling grey body and if he listened hard enough, he could hear it wheezing.
“Nick,” The blonde twin called.
His brother was by his side instantly. He looked at the dying creature with a curled lip and a curious glint in his eye. “What is it?”
“It’s an Opossum.”
“Cool,” Nick said nodding his head. His blue eyes looked from bleeding animal and scanned the hallway for more things to destroy. He stepped towards a cracked open door that lead down to darkness. “I bet this is the basement. C’mon, let’s go check it out!”
Lucifer followed as his brother pushed open the door, its hinges protested against the movement with a whine. He turned on the flashlight he was carrying as the descended the stairs. The further down he went, a foul stench got worse.
The beam of the flashlight swept over the empty and damp basement, sweeping over the cobwebs and dirt on the concrete floor.
“It smells like something died in here,” Nick complained.
The light of the flashlight illuminated a stack of shelves filled with jars of various shapes and sizes.
Lucifer brought a hand forward and wiped away the thick layer of dust coating one of the jars. He yanked his hand back when he saw an arm floating in the liquid beside it.
“Cool,” Nick breathed.
The rest of the jars revealed to be similar to the gruesome object that was in the first jar. Fetal pigs, human feet, unidentifiable organs, a head, and even an ear that had been carved away from its owner’s skull and preserved in the car.
Lucifer picked up the jar containing the ear. He found it fascinating, yet disgusting at the same time. He jumped when Nick threw a small firecracker and it made a popping sound on the floor. The jar slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor. “Look what you did, idiot!”
“Don’t call me an idiot.”
“You made me drop it!”
“Yeah, well it stinks in here.” Nick complained again. “Remember when that mouse got stuck in the furnace? It smelled like that. Let’s get out of here.”
“Okay.”
Lucifer led the way up the creaking stairs. When he got to the top, he noticed that his brother wasn’t behind him anymore. “Nick?” He called, swinging the beam of the flashlight around so he could look down the stairs.
His twin didn’t reply.
“Nick?”
Again, there was no response.
The lack of response from his twin made his skin itch and his palm start to sweat. Nick was never quiet for this long. Concerned, Lucifer went back down the stairs to find his brother. He turned one corner in the basement and saw Nick kneeling on the floor in front of him.
Nick’s blue eyes were wide, his hands clutching at the gaping hole in this throat. Blood gushed between his fingers as he wheezed for air. The boy reached towards Lucifer with a hand that glistened with blood in the beam of the flashlight. Then, he fell on his face in the pool of hot crimson liquid. He was dead.
Lucifer screamed and started to run from the basement as fast as his legs could carry him. He was almost to the stairs when the small twisted figure cut him off. He screamed as loud as his lungs would allow him, but it was cut off by a gash appearing in his neck as he choked on his own blood.
In his last moments of death, he thought about the words the weird Sam Winchester boy had spoken to him. He knew that the strange boy was still standing outside as he died.
2011
Anna Novak got home from her doctor’s appointment. Her heart was heavy and she wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch with her husband, Gabriel, and marathon Sex and the City. She put her groceries on the counter and started to unpack. Maybe she could get dinner on the table before Gabe got home from work and his little brother, Castiel, from school. As she was digging through the plastic bags, she heard a loud thump upstairs. Cold fear struck her in the heart and she froze. She strained her ears in an attempt to hear the sound again. Thump, thump, thumb. Anna whirled around on the counter and fumbled for the phone. She dialed 9-11 and swallowed as the operator asked her what her emergency was. She wasn’t sure she could get the words out, her heart was beating in her throat. “Hello,” She said breathlessly, “there is somebody in my house.” “Okay, ma’am,” the operator said through the speaker, “I need you to remain calm and tell me your address.” Anna rattled it off, her voice trembling as she did so. “I need you to remain calm and get out of the house. The police are on their way.” “Thank you,” Anna replied before shutting the phone off and setting it gently back onto the counter. She reached for her coat, but stopped when her fingers brushed the black wool. Why should she run like a scared child? This was her house. She already lost a baby, dammit, she wasn’t going to lose her house too. She was going to fight for her home if she was able. She was a strong woman! She was perfectly capable of defending herself. Anna picked up a large knife from her knife block on the end of the counter and quietly made her way towards the stairs. The hand holding the knife trembled as she neared closer to her and Gabriel’s bedroom. With a shaking hand, she opened the bedroom door. She stood with the knife poised to strike the intruder…and then she felt like she was hit by an oncoming train. Anna stood with her mouth open. She couldn’t speak or move as she watched her husband fuck a beautiful young woman in the bed they had bought together when they first moved in. The young woman’s brown eyes met Anna’s blue ones and she froze. “I thought you said she was going to be gone for a few hours!” Gabriel froze, his amber colored eyes snapping to the doorway. It took a moment for him to process his wife standing there, knife in hand. He scrambled out of bed, “Anna, no—” The red-haired woman didn’t linger to hear what her traitorous husband had to say. She felt like her very heart had been crushed. The miscarriage had taken a lot out of her and now this? Tears stung her eyes as she stormed down the hall to retrieve her coat. “Anna, wait! Will you listen to me?” Gabriel reached forward and grabbed her arm. “No!” Anna spat, whirling around. The knife in her hand sliced his arm. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say to me, Gabriel!” Gabriel stared at the blood dripping out of his arm and onto the spotless carpet, his mouth open in horror and tears dripping down his face.
****
Castiel wasn’t stupid, Gabriel’s affair hadn’t gone over his head. Between that and Anna’s miscarriage, there had been so much pressure and tension in the house that both Gabe and Anna believed that uprooting everything and moving to Lawrence, Kansas would solve their problems. They could “start fresh” and “begin a new life together”, like that changed the fact that Castiel’s brother had been fucking another woman for months. “This is the house?” Castiel asked skeptically as their car pulled up in front of the looming brick monstrosity. He had to admit, that the stained glass windows were pretty cool...and he kind of liked the wrought-iron fence surrounding the property. It gave it a gothic kind of feeling. “Yep, this is the house.” Gabriel said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. “You wouldn’t believe it, but this house is an incredible deal. There are other houses for sale in the neighborhood with a third of the space and three times the price! It even has an office so I can work from home.” He was skeptical, but Castiel got out of the car anyway. There was a reason this house was so cheap and he wanted to know why. They met the realtor on the sidewalk. The lawn needed cut, the flowerbeds needed weeded, and the hedges needed trimmed. Still, the woman looked like she was straight out of a magazine. “You must be the Novaks!” She exclaimed in a British accent, a big smile plastered on her face. “Yes, hello.” Anna said politely as she shook the woman’s head. “I’m Anna Novak, this is my husband Gabriel, and his little brother Castiel.” “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Bela Tablot. Are your ready to see the inside of this beautiful house?” “Yeah, of course.” “The home was built in 1922 by Dr. Fergus Crowley. He was a doctor that treated all of the big starts back in the day right out of this very house!” Castiel’s blue eyes roamed over the large foyer, the elaborate décor, and the polished banisters and floors. He couldn’t explain it, but this house had a creepy vibe that made the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. “The home was completely refurbished by the previous owners.” “The gay ones, right?” Gabe asked. “Yes, they are very good at what they do, aren’t they?” “They sure are,” Anna agreed. The falseness of it all made Castiel want to throw up. Did they seriously think that pretended that everything was okay after what happened would solve their problems? Who did they think they were fooling? If Bela noticed Anna and Gabriel’s tension, she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she strode throughout the house, pointing out all of its assets. Castiel didn’t pay attention and he didn’t really care. There was something about this house that he wanted to explore. He bet there was some dirt in this house’s past and he wanted to unearth it. “Oh look,” Anna whispered. She pointed to a peeling part of the living room wallpaper. The green peeled up slightly at the edges. “It looks like there was a mural there that somebody tried to cover up.” Bela made a humming sound in acknowledgement but continued to titter on about all of the wonderful aspects of this home. Once they had finished the tour of the massive house, Castiel sat on the polished wooden steps of the banister, listening to his sibling and his wife talk to the realtor. “Well, what do you think?” Bela asked. “I think it’s awesome,” Gabriel said with a smile. “I just want to know…what’s the catch?” For the first time since Castiel had seen her, Bela’s smile waned. She cleared her throat and smoothed out her skirt. “What do you mean?” “Why is this house priced so cheap? I mean, there are houses on the market that have less room and are priced thousands of dollars higher.” “Well, the previous owners died here.” Castiel perked up at that, standing up. That was interesting. “How did they die?” Bela’s discomfort increased. “Well, um, they were…murdered.” “Murdered?” Anna gasped. “We’ll take it!” The youngest Novak sibling exclaimed. Gabriel looked at his little brother, startled. His look of shock then turned into a broad smile, “You heard the kid. We’ll take it!” *** They were finally all moved in and settled. Gabriel was up in his office setting things up and Castiel was in his room arranging it to his liking. Anna was in the living room scraping away the wallpaper that covered up the murals on the walls. She was in the process of working on the first one. She had what looked like a leg revealed. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she was wearing her comfortable clothes, and she was actually enjoying scraping away the green wallpaper. It was almost a representation of her life. She was stripping away all of the bad and releasing her true self underneath. Her life had been so full of horrible things lately, she almost forgot what it was like to be herself. Anna scraped away at the wallpaper, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth. She was so engrossed in her work she hadn’t heard anybody come in. “You’re going to die in here,” A voice said. She jumped and stepped away from the wall, facing the intruder. It was a tall young man with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes. His gaze was locked on hers unwaveringly. “Excuse me?” She gasped, ready to call her husband down the stairs. “I said that you’re going to—” “Samuel Winchester,” A firm voice said as a blonde woman strode into the living room. “You get your ass home right now.” “Mom, I don’t want to go home. I’m tired of being there all of the time!” Anna wondered why the woman was controlling her son, who was obviously old enough to make his own decisions. “Go to the library or something,” The woman snapped. “I’ve already read all of the books in the library. If you would just give me a kindle I would have something to do!” “I am not wasting my money on one of those contraptions for it to break! I said get your butt home!” With an eye-roll and a face of displeasure, the young man left the house as swiftly as he had come. The blonde woman turned to Anna with a tight smile. “Sorry about that. Y’know, he’s a different boy. If they would have had those tests they have now years ago I would’ve—” Appalled, Anna cut the woman off, “Who are you and how did you get into my house?” “Mary Winchester,” The woman said as she extended your hand, “I’m your neighbor.” Anna didn’t shake it. “I came in through the back door. I’d keep it locked if I were you. Sam has a bug up his ass about this house. I don’t know what it is.” Mary’s blue eyes looked at the wall behind her, wallpaper stripped of it. “It’s a shame they covered up such beautiful work.” “Yeah,” Anna agreed, shooting a look at her progress over her shoulder. “I haven’t uncovered much of it yet, but I can’t help but wonder why they would cover it up.” “Well,” Mary said with a pat of her blonde curls, “You know how those type are. They’re frugal sorts. The one was rather…anal, no pun intended.” Anna wondered again what the woman was doing here. Obviously, she had no filter between her mouth and her brain. “Do you have any kids…um, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” “Anna,” the redhead supplied. “No, I don’t have any kids of my own. My husband’s little brother lives with us, though. He’s seventeen.” Something flashed behind the woman’s blue eyes. It was gone as fast as it had come. “Any dogs?” “Yes, we have a little mutt.” The woman sat down on the loveseat and smoothed out her skirt. “I run a little doggy kennel, so if you ever need somebody to watch out for your little guy let me know. I’m partial to purebreds myself, but any dog is welcome in our kennel.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” Mary smiled again, a tightness around her eyes. She asked a few more questions, where they were from, what her husband’s job was, and what she planned to do with the house. Anna answered them cautiously. The blonde stood up again, “I’d be careful if I were you. Strange things tend to happen here and unwanted things tend to linger.” The words were cryptic and made a chill run down Anna’s spine. “Um, thank you…I think.” “I best be going,” Mary said as she stood up. “I should make sure that Sam found something to occupy himself. He tends to get restless at times.” She paused and then picked up a small container from the coffee table. “This is for you. I made it myself. I was fortunate enough to get it over here before Sam could get his hands on it. He tends to gobble everything up as fast as I can make it! Can you blame him with a stature like that?” “Oh yes,” Anna said nodding, a false smile plastered on her face. “Thank you for stopping by.” When she was alone again, Mary’s words were in the forefront of her mind. What had she meant when she said unwanted things tended to linger here? Anna didn’t know, but she’d take her mind off the disturbing visit by busying herself with uncovering the mural. *** Every school was the same as far as Castiel was concerned. They consisted of different groups that meshed together to make life a living hell for new kids like him. He desperately needed a cigarette, so he didn’t hesitate to light one up in the courtyard on break. There wasn’t a teacher around to catch him anyways. Anna didn’t know he smoked and he’d rather keep it that way. She got on Gabe’s shit for it all of the time, so he knew that she definitely wouldn’t agree to him smoking. He stood by a tree in the courtyard, breathing in the smoke and exhaling it. He raised the cigarette to his mouth mechanically and let the nicotine sooth his overwhelmed brain. He stared at a flower springing up from the green grass as he smoked, not paying attention to his surroundings. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” A kid asked, his chestnut hair neatly combed. His jaw clenched as he glared icily at Castiel. “Smoking. Do you have a problem with it?” Castiel asked back, a dark brow raised. “Hell yeah, I have a problem with it!” “His grandpa died from smoking,” A girl supplied, “He’s pretty sensitive about it.” The guy wrestled the cigarette from Castiel’s fingers. “I want to see you eat it!” “What the fuck is your problem?!” Dark haired boy growled as he grabbed at the guy’s wrist. “I’m not going to eat it! Leave me alone!” The tip of the cigarette grazed his skin. It burned like hell, but Castiel didn’t let go of the guy’s wrist. “You’re killing everybody with your second hand smoke! Eat it!” “Gadreel, just like him put it out!” One of his friends suggested. “No!” The burning end of the cigarette was dangerously close to Castiel’s lips. He couldn’t break free from Gadreel’s grip. He was too strong. So, he did the only thing he could think of at the moment. Castiel summoned as much saliva as he could in his mouth and spit right on the guy’s face. Stunned, Gadreel stumbled back, dropping the cigarette. “I’m going to murder you!” He screamed at a hastily retreating Castiel. *** Gabriel was coming from readying his office for his first clients when he saw the ladder to the attic distended in the hall. His curiosity got the best of him and he climbed the rungs to the musty storage space. “Anna?” He called to the cluttered attic. “Are you up here?” There were things up there that looked like they’d been there for decades. There was gilded mirror with a thick layer of dust coating it, an old brass bed, and a steam trunk. He knelt to pick up a rubber ball when he heard Anna scream. Gabriel rushed to the source, nearly tripping over the items in his path until he found her. “Anna, what is—oh my god!” He burst out laughing. Anna smacked his shoulder. “It’s not funny, Gabe! That’s disgusting!” In the rear corner of the attic hung a latex gimp suit. He could see why it would scare somebody at a first glance, but when you thought of it, it was actually hilarious. “Those guys were kinky sons of bitches,” He exclaimed through his laughter. “Maybe we should give it a spin, huh?” He winked and nudged his wife. “That’s disgusting. Get rid of it, please.” Later that night, Gabriel took the suit out to the trashcan at the edge of their sidewalk before thoroughly washing his hands. *** Dr. Novak informed him that he was his first patient in his new home. Dean didn’t know if he should feel flattered or concerned. They’d been moved in for a few weeks now, right? Shouldn’t the doctor have seen a few more patients by now? Well, it didn’t really matter to him, Dean supposed. “Dean,” Gabe said, “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you.” He had a soothing voice, but his eyes were carefully guarded. It was like he didn’t want to give away what was concerning to him and what wasn’t. It annoyed Dean a little, but the freckled teen didn’t say that out loud. “Well,” he said as he cleared his throat, “I keep having the same dream over and over again.” “What dream is that?” “I keep dreaming that I’m somebody else. I wake up one morning and I walk into school. I load a gun and then I kill everybody I know.” He couldn’t gauge the doctor’s reaction, so he kept his own expression a mask of neutrality. “Have you tried medication?” “Yeah, all kinds. Nothing seems to work. If you’ve got any suggestions for me, doc, I’m always down to try new drugs.” That got a reaction out of the shorter man. The skin around his amber eyes tightened as he looked at Dean. “Maybe we’ll try something different, okay? I’ll come up with something. It might not necessarily be drugs, but maybe some calming exercises for you to do before you go to bed. That’s all the time we have for today, Dean.” Dean thanked the doctor and rose from the chair. He headed out of the therapist’s office and purposefully went the opposite direction from the front door. He wandered around the house, his green eyes roaming over every surface. He saw a flash of movement behind a cracked door and paused. He pushed the door open wider and saw a young man with messy dark hair and intense blue eyes bringing a razor to his wrist. The line of blood swelled up and dripped onto the perfectly white porcelain sink. “You’re doing it wrong,” Dean said, breaking the silence. The boy set the razor down and turned around, wrist held up in the air. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” “If you want to kill yourself you need to cut vertically. They can’t sew you up in time to save you then.” Amusement flickered in those deep blue eyes, “Thanks for the tip. I’ll remember that.” Dean flashed a grin at him and jerked his chin towards the door. “I suppose I should get going before your dad throws me out.” “He’s my brother,” The deep voice said. “Interesting.” The dark haired young man pulled his sleeve down and gave Dean a small smile. “Do you want to come in my room and listen to music?” “I’d love to.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Anna hung sheets on the clothesline to dry. Most of them had come from the furniture to keep dust from gathering on it. All of them had required a long wash. She held up the corner of one of the sheets to clip a clothespin on it and when she turned around she was face to face with a woman with brown hair pulled back neatly into a bun, a black dress with a white collar, and a glassy blue eye. Anna gasped and jumped back, a hand pressed to her heart. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” The woman said. “Who are you?” Anna was getting annoyed with all of these stranger appearing at her house. “My name is Ellen Harvelle, I’m the maid of the house.” The woman spoke properly with a drawl that was common in this area. “I—I don’t think we’re going to need a maid. I think I’ve got this pretty much under control.” “Mrs. Novak, I come with the house. I cared for the establishment for the previous owners as well as the owners before them. I will continue to care for the home as long as you allow me to.” Anna didn’t know what to say. It looked like this woman was deadly serious about taking care of the house. She appeared to be too stubborn and headstrong to take no for an answer. “My husband and I will consider it and we’ll let you know.” “Very well, then. I will be back in the morning to start and we’ll discuss my rate of pay then.” With that, the woman turned and strode across the yard and onto the sidewalk. Anna sighed and pressed a hand to her temple. She really hoped that strange people would quit showing up on her doorstep. *** Castiel didn’t know if Dean’s plan was going to work or not. He was sick and tired of Gadreel giving him hell constantly. He got bullied at his old school and he was not going to stand for it at his new one. Gabriel didn’t know that his little brother was hanging around with Dean and Cas didn’t think that he’d approve. Dean was a dark soul. Castiel could see that there was something hurt and twisted in him, but that didn’t deter him from thinking about the other teen constantly. Actually, it was probably the reason he was drawn to Dean like flies to shit. Anyways, Gadreel had spent three out of the five school days tormenting the Castiel. He’d watch him and at one point, he even punched Castiel in the stomach when he tried to light up another cigarette. Castiel told Dean about the problem one night when they were sitting on his bedroom floor and the blue eyed boy was adding some scars to the collection on his arm. “What made you decide to start cutting?” Dean asked as he lounged back against Castiel’s bookshelf. He shrugged, “My parents died a few years ago and Gabe took me in. Before we moved, Anna had a miscarriage and then found out Gabe was fucking one of his students. Things got bad really fast and I just…” “You hurt inside and the only thing to make your internal pain lessen was to cause physical pain.” Castiel met Dean’s gaze, “Yeah. I guess. That, and I’ve had a really shitty day at school.” “Again?” Dean asked, his stare looking right through Castiel. He nodded. “I’ve got an idea.” So, now Castiel was approaching Gadreel and his group of friends. It was no secret that the tall man with ridiculous cheekbones was big into doing cocaine and Dean devised that they used his vice against him. “What do you want?” Gadreel demanded, a scowl prominent on his face. “I have what you want,” Castiel answered. “You have coke?” The other boy’s tone was highly doubtful and he was eyeing the dark haired teen skeptically. “Yeah, meet me here tonight.” Gadreel took the paper and stared after Castiel as he retreated. *** “So, he’s coming?” Dean asked Castiel later that night. There was mischievous glint in his green eyes and an amused tilt to his lips. “Yeah,” Castiel said, “He should be here in an hour. What’s the plan again?”Dean’s smirk twisted even further into something that would’ve made the average person steer clear of him, but Castiel wasn’t the average person. “We get him here and we take him into the basement and we scare the shit out of him. We scare him so fucking bad that he never dreams about bothering you ever again. Hell, I’d be willing to bet that the next time you light up a cigarette, he’ll light up with you.” To Castiel, the plan sounded simple. Nobody was going to get hurt and it would get that asshole off his back for good. The only issue he could see with it was that it didn’t work. How were they going to scare Gadreel when it was just the two of them? “Do you think it will work?” “Oh yeah, it’s going to work.” Dean seemed confident that the plan would work, so Castiel trusted him. The spent the remainder of the hour listening to music and smoking cigarettes. Castiel really enjoyed the other boy’s company. So what if he was one of Gabe’s patients? When you got right down the bare bones of a person, they were all a little twisted and sick in the head. Hell, look at his own family. Cas himself was a unique soul that preferred to spend time alone puffing on cigarettes and listening to music. Gabriel was a nymphomaniac that threw himself at anything with a hole between their legs and Anna had trust issues so deep that Castiel would be surprised if she trusted anybody ever again.Castiel got up to go let Gadreel in through the back door, but Dean grabbed his shoulders and stopped him. He could feel the other boy’s hands burning holes through his sweater and he swore he got momentarily lost in those green eyes.“You’re going to let him in,” Dean said, snapping Castiel out of his daydreaming state. “You’re going to take him down to the basement. I’ll be down there ready to scare the ever-living shit out of him. Got it?”Castiel nodded.Dean let go of him and disappeared down the hall.Gadreel was waiting outside the back door when Castiel opened it. He huffed in annoyance as Castiel let him in. “Were you planning on letting me stand out there all night?”“Sorry, I had to make sure my brother and his wife weren’t around. I don’t want them to know that we’re making this transaction.” Castiel shut the door behind Gadreel and then squeezed past him to open up the basement door. “It’s down here.” The steps creaked slightly underfoot as Castiel descended into the darkness. It wasn’t his first trip in the basement. It was definitely creepy below the house and there was a heavy energy in the air that seemed to sit heavily on his shoulders and made the hair on his arms stand on end. “Don’t you have a flashlight?” Gadreel asked, a few steps behind him. “It’s pretty dark down here.” “We’ll be okay,” Castiel assured him, “I know where it’s at.” He hoped Dean was in position. Once he hit the concrete of the basement floor, Castiel slipped into the darkness, leaving Gadreel wandering around in the dark. “Castiel?” Gadreel called. Castiel remained quiet and came around the other side of the boy before hitting on the pipes that were exposed on the ceiling. He almost laughed when he heard Gadreel gasp and jump. He picked up an empty jar and smashed it on the floor and listened while he heard Gadreel try to run in the dark. “Casitel?!” Gadreel demanded frantically. “Where did you go? Is that you?” Castiel listened as the other boy’s footsteps shuffled away from him. He stayed in place for a few silent moments until he heard Gadreel scream. It wasn’t the same scared shriek he’d given previously, this was the sound of somebody in pain. His blood ran cold and Castiel felt his way through the darkness towards the sound of Gadreel crying. “No, please!” The other boy pleaded. “Stop! Get away from me!” Castiel rushed to find Gadreel, “Gadreel? Where are you?” “Castiel! Help me!” Castiel fumbled along the brick wall of the basement until he found the light switch on the wall. Gadreel was curled up in the fetal position on the floor a few yards away, blood seeping between his fingers from a wound on his face. Castiel rushed to his side and tugged him up. Fear was in his throat, his heart thudding against his ribs so hard he thought it was going to burst right out of his chest. Something was wrong, this wasn’t right. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” “Wh-What the hell was that?” Gadreel demanded, dropping his hand from his bleeding face. The wound was shaped like claw marks, deep and rugged across his cheek. “I’m getting the fuck out of here!” He ran up the stairs and slammed the back door as he left. “I thought you said you were going to scare him!” Castiel demanded when Dean appeared from the corner of the room. “I think we were successful,” Dean answered with a shrug. “You fucking made him bleed! His face was gushing blood!” “Well, I’d say we really scared him then. Wouldn’t you?” Anger made Castiel’s hands shake. This hadn’t been part of the plan. Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Instead, Dean had cut Gadreel’s face and it was going to scar. Dean went back on his word and it pissed him off. “Get out!” Castiel spat furiously, “Leave and don’t come back!” “Cas, I—” “No! I don’t want you to come back here to see me. You keep your appointments with Gabriel, but you leave as soon as they’re done! You fucking lied to me, asshole!” Dean looked like Castiel had slapped him in the face, but he hung head anyway. Castiel didn’t wait to see if Dean left the basement. He ran up the stairs and went up to his room, slamming the door and locking it. Only when he was safely behind his closed door did he curl up on his bed and allow himself to be thoroughly scared. *** Anna sat on the bed, reading the book in her hand. She’d uncovered some of the murals in the living room and they were all a little demented. She wasn’t sure she liked them and was contemplating covering them back up. It just made the already unsettling vibe of the house even more unnerving. She looked up as Gabriel nipped at her ear and sucked on it lightly. “You want to break in the new house tonight, baby?” She loved him, she really did, but she wasn’t ready to have sex with Gabe just yet. She couldn’t stand the thought that perhaps every time they made love that he was thinking about fucking Kali. “Gabe,” Anna said scooting away from him. She looked at him right in his sad amber eyes and shook her head. “I appreciate you trying, I really do, but I’m not ready to sleep with you yet.” He didn’t try to stifle the hurt and disappointment on his face. He stood up and frowned. “How long are you going to hold that over my head? Yes, I fucked up and I admit it, okay?” “You didn’t just fuck up,” Anna said coldly, “You fucked a student. I needed you, Gabriel, and you weren’t there.” “Do you think it was easy for me? It was my baby too! I loved it just as much as you did, Anna!” “Don’t try to pull that shit on me.” She got out of bed and started to pull on some sweatpants. “You didn’t have to carry the living being inside of you for seven months before you had to deliver your unborn child! You don’t have to live with the guilt of losing the baby because you weren’t the one responsible for it!” Tears stung her eyes and her voice was hoarse from yelling. “You don’t think—” “Where were you Gabe? While I was coping with losing my child, you were in our bed screwing one of your students!” She pulled on a hoodie and zipped it up before toeing on her slippers. “Where are you going?” He demanded, watching her from where he knelt on the bed. He was clad in nothing but his silk boxers. “I’m going downstairs to cover up those fucked up murals and then I might be able to sleep on the couch. That way, you can find whatever needy slut you can to warm my side of the bed.” “You think I would do that to you?” “You’ve done it once before.” She let the door slam on her way out. Anna took out all of her frustration out on her project. She scraped, painted on glue, and pressed on wallpaper for hours. She didn’t care that it was nearly one in the morning. She was not going back upstairs to join Gabe in bed. How dare he act like the loss hurt him more than it did her! He didn’t spend months nurturing the growing fetus and then find out that it had died while in the womb. He didn’t have to go through the pain of childbirth to deliver a stillborn baby. He didn’t know her grief. Gabriel’s voice came from behind her, “You’re beautiful like this.” Anna twisted around on her stepstool to look down at him. She didn’t have a comment to his statement, so she turned back around and continued to work. She didn’t want to keep bringing up the fact that he cheated on her. “We came here to heal and move on, remember?” “Yeah,” She said quietly. “We can start a whole new life together. We can be a family; you, me, and Cassie.” He sighed and came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry, Anna. I messed up badly and I want nothing more for us to be the way we used to be.” Anna turned around and hugged his shoulders. He lifted her off her stepstool and set her gently on the wooden floor. He took out the red sucker in his mouth and tossed it into the trashcan next to them before leaning down to kiss her softly and gently on the lips. Anna hesitated before she realized that she missed his touch, his kiss, his intimacy. She opened her mouth for him and allowed their tongues to brush while they kissed. They hadn’t touched like this in months and she craved it. Reaching down, she took one of his hands that rested on her ass and brought it up to cup one of her breasts, the nipple straining against the thin fabric of the tank top she wore. “I’ve missed you,” Gabriel breathed hungrily against her lips before nipping and sucking at her neck. “I’ve missed you too,” Anna said breathlessly. Gabriel guided them down to the couch, stripping their clothing as they went. There, in the middle of the living room, they made love for the first time in months. *** Mary sat at her kitchen table smoking a cigarette while her pie cooled on the stovetop. She found therapy in baking. She’d suffered much heartache over the past few years. Her first husband was dead and her second one…well, he was dead to her. Sam was a smart man, too smart for his own good at times. He was also very different from other people and he always had been even since he was a kid. That was why Mary kept him with her instead of letting him on his own. She stubbed out her cigarette and looked up at the old house across the street. The Novak family seemed kind enough, but that would be their downfall in the end. Mary had seen people come and go from that house for years. The house was not kind to good people. Well, it wasn’t kind to anybody in general. Movement from the home caught her eye and Mary stood up and straightened out her jacket as she watched the husband, Gabriel, walked past the widow slowly, like he was in a trance. She watched for a few more minutes before a blue light came from the kitchen window. Mary put on her slippers, tightened the belt on her robe and crossed the street. The backdoor opened for her easily, it always did. She treaded softly through the house until she came to kitchen. She stood back silently and watched as Gabriel stared into the flames on the stove, each burner lit and burning high. His gaze did not waver from the flickering flames to look at her. He was fascinated with the fire, in a trance. He was sleepwalking, Mary had seen it before. She reached forward and shut the burners off. “It isn’t time,” She told the naked man, “Go back to bed. You’ll know when it’s time.” Gabriel obediently turned and exited the kitchen. *** Anna woke up and rolled over. She was disappointed to find Gabriel’s side of the bed empty. She sat up and frowned. The bedroom door slowly swung open and Gabriel stood in the doorway, covered head to toe by the latex suit they found in the attic. Anna let out a laugh, “I thought I told you to throw that creepy thing away!” Gabriel came forward and knelt on the bed in front of her. The only thing she could see was his eyes, but this was something new and it excited and aroused. “You wanna go again, huh?” She asked as she spread her legs open on the bed for him. Gabe crawled over her and thrust in roughly. The sex was quick and dirty, but had her moaning loud enough that she was glad Castiel’s room was far enough away so he couldn’t hear them. Once Gabe finished, he pulled out and stalked out of the room silently. Minutes later, he came back in and climbed into bed. “I love you,” Anna told him. “I love you too,” He mumbled before they curled up and fell back asleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
All of that candy he consumed on a regular basis had its downside and that downside was the fact that if he didn’t run it off he’d weigh four hundred pounds. Gabriel hated exercising, but it was a necessary evil. He had to keep reminding himself that it wasn’t acceptable to quit jogging after the first five minute. The first five minutes were rough, but after the fifteen minutes of pounding the pavement Gabriel wanted to throw himself in front of a bus. He kept going anyway. He was jogging through the park. The air was uncomfortably hot, assisting his workout in pouring extra sweat over his body. It was dripping off his nose and soaked his t-shirt. It was pretty disgusting. His phone was strapped to his arm and blasting music out of the earbuds in his ears. He looked down as he jogged, tapping at the phone screen to change the song to something with a better beat. When he looked back up, he was colliding into a man that had been crossing the path through the park. “Whoa! Sorry there, man. I should probably pay more…attention.” Gabe’s words slowed to a halt when he saw the man he’d accidentally ran over. The man had horrible burns across his face and head. Half of his messy dark hair was burned off, revealing a scarred skull. His left arm was curled in close to his side, the skin of his hand peeking out of his flannel shirt had been grafted, leaving it mottled and wavy. The left half of his face was in the same condition as his head, but it was harder to look at. “I know you,” the guy said with a deep rumbling voice. “Are you sure about that?” Gabriel asked him, wiping sweat from his forehead with his shirtsleeve. “I’m pretty sure I’d remember you.” “I’ve seen you around. You moved into that house on Jackson Drive, the big brick one.” He stared at the man, wondering where the hell the guy got that information. “And you know this how?” “I might’ve been passing by when you were moving in. That, and your neighbor—Mary—she’s kind of into me.” Mary was into half-burned weirdos that stopped people in the middle of the bike path in the park? He didn’t think so. Maybe this guy was as crazy as his first impression made him to be. He obviously lived through a fire-related trauma that could leave somebody a few bricks shy of a load. Gabriel raised a brow at the man, “Who are you again?” “My name’s John.” The man held out his unburned hand for the other man to shake. He shook it, eyeing John skeptically. Once John took his hand back he stared at Gabriel with brown eyes. Gabriel knew that look, the scarred man was studying him. “You need to get out of that house.” “What?” “I’m telling you that you need to get out of that house before it’s too late.” Maybe this guy escaped from the nut house. That could explain his strange behavior. “Where did you say you were from again?” Gabe asked in an attempt to wheedle information from him. Like, if he should call the cops. “I killed my family in that house because I heard voices.” “What?” “You’ve been hearing them too. You’ve been sleepwalking and you find yourself obsessed with fire, don’t you?” Gabriel’s blood ran cold. How did this man know about the sleepwalking and the fire? More than one night since they’d moved in, he’d found himself staring into the flames of the stovetop without any recollection of how he got there. “I’m not some freaky murderer,” Gabriel said as he pushed past the man. “Just leave me alone and if I catch you stalking around my house I’m going to call the cops and they’ll throw you back in the looney bin you escaped from!” “You need to get out!” John yelled at him, “You’re going to die in there if you don’t leave!” “Stay away from us!” He yelled back at the deformed man before picking up his jog and heading back home. The man’s words unnerved him and he wanted to make sure Cas and Anna were okay. *** This is it, Anna thought as she sat on the closed toilet, this is what we came here for. She stood up and left the bathroom to find Gabriel. He was in his study, amber eyes looking over some papers as the stick to a small lollipop stuck out of the corner of his mouth. He looked up at her when he found her in the doorway watching him. “Hey,” the surprise was clear in his tone. She didn’t venture into his office frequently. Anna eased herself into the plush leather chair. It reminded her of how, two weeks ago, she and Gabe had sex on the living room furniture and then again in their bedroom when he was wearing that creepy rubber suit. “Do you have an appointment?” Her husband asked her, an amused tone in his voice. He came from behind his desk and removed the candy from his mouth to give her a brief kiss. “I made it with the smoking hot redhead downstairs,” Anna said with a teasing grin. Gabriel’s smile went stale rapidly, but he made up for it by sucking on the lollipop. “What’s going on, Anna?” “We came here to start a new life, Gabe…and that’s just what we did.” He stared at her like he didn’t understand what she was trying to say, so Anna went ahead and told him, “I’m pregnant. That night we had amazing sex? I conceived and now we’re going to have a baby.” She was terrified but excited at the same time. She was so afraid that she would do something wrong and they would have another miscarriage. She couldn’t go through that again; it would be the death of her. Gabe’s mouth hung open, the lollipop fell to the floor and smashed when it hit the hardwood. “You’re serious?” “I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” she told him, “I’m serious. I took three pregnancy tests and they were all positive. I’m going to make an appointment with the doctor just to be sure.” The next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers. His excitement was written clearly all over his face and it made her smile. Then, they shut his office doors and fucked on his desk. ***
“Are you sure you guys don’t want to come with us?” Claire asked for the final time. She and the rest of the Kappa Delta Psi sisters were all ready to leave for the concert.
“I’m sure,” Meg said from where she lounged on the floor with her textbooks spread out in front of her.
“We’ve got an exam tomorrow,” Krissy said on her position from the couch.
“I can’t afford to fail.”
“Fine,” Claire snorted and slung her bag over her shoulder. “You guys can stay here and be lame as fuck and the rest of us are going to have an awesome time at this concert.”
“Have fun,” Meg said as the door slammed behind her sorority sisters.
The Doors were cool and all, but she really needed to pass her exam the next day or her parents were going to murder her. She was scraping by with C’s in all of her classes and to her family, that wasn’t very acceptable.
She and Krissy were both in school for nursing. Meg’s family had doubted her ability to be compassionate enough to be a nurse, but the girl really enjoyed it. Helping people would feel really good, or so she thought.
She and Krissy worked silently, pens scratching on their notebooks as the television blared cartoons in the background. The noise was nice. It was rare that the house was this quiet and it kept them from becoming unsettled.
The doorbell rang, making both of them raise their heads at the same time.
“I’ve got it,” Meg said, pushing herself up off the floor. “What did you forget?” She asked her sisters as she opened the front door. She was surprised to find a man standing there instead.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” The man said. He turned his head and blood dripped from his hand and down to his collar, staining the fabric crimson. “I’ve been hurt, can I use your phone?”
“Of course,” Meg said, pulling him inside. “Krissy, get the first aid kit!”
Ten minutes later, the stranger was seated on the sofa as Krissy pressed a gauze pad against the bloody wound on his head.
“Huh,” She said as she wiped away the blood. She frowned when she saw that there was no source of the sticky red substance. She realized that it was all staged so he could get into the house a split second too late.
“Meg, run he—” She couldn’t get the words out fast enough. The next thing she knew, he had her arms clamped tight to her sides. She screamed and fought, kicking, clawing, and biting. The next thing she knew, her world went black.
***
Meg woke, bound and gagged, her arms tied behind her back in a very uncomfortable position.
What happened?
She twisted her head to and see what had happened.
Was this some sort of prank her sorority sisters played on her? She was going to kill them if it was.
The sound of water dripping on the hardwood floor of the house caught her attention. Was there a leak somewhere? Her brown eyes located the puddle on the floor and they drifted up the ceiling. A big, wet stain was marring the paint…the tub was overflowing?
“Don’t try to fight. Don’t do anything stupid. Your friend is already dead,” A cynical voice hissed in her ear.
Oh god, it wasn’t a dream or a prank! It was real and if this cretin was right, Krissy was dead!
“Drowned her in the bathtub. She put up one hell of a fight. It wasn’t good enough.”
Hot tears spilled out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She couldn’t even wipe them away because her hands were bound.
“What about you? Are you going to fight me or are you going to be a good little slut?”
Meg let out a strangled cry of fear behind the thick gag in her mouth.
“Quiet!”
She sobbed again, a hiccup escaping her.
“I said be quiet!”
She couldn’t stop herself now, she was crying in earnest.
The first stab was a white-hot pain through her spine. Blood poured out of the wound, hot and wet.
The second stab hurt even more and she let out an agonized scream.
The third severed her spine.
By the time he struck the fourth time she didn’t feel it.
She was dead by the fifth.
Her body had six more holes punched in it by the time he was finished.
***
“So,” Gabriel asked the troubled teen sitting across from him, “What do you want to talk about today?” He unwrapped a lollipop. Grape wasn’t his favorite flavor, but he’d take what little bit of sugar he could get when he could get it. “Well, I’ve been having these dreams—” “The same dreams where you kill everybody you know?” Irritation flickered in the depths of Dean’s green eyes but he shook his head. “No, I haven’t been having that one. Actually, I haven’t had that dream since our first session together. You really do work miracles, don’t ya’ doc?” Pen and notepad at the ready, he prodded his patient on. “Tell me about these dreams.” The more he talked to Dean Winchester, the more Gabriel was glad that he asked Castiel not to associate with the other teen. It was obvious there were issues with him that ran deep. Like, deeper than the Mariana Trench. It was better for Cas if he adjusted without finding friends that were…messed up like Dean was. “Well, a lot of them star your baby brother,” Dean admitted. That caught Gabriel’s attention and not in a good way. It sent off countless alarm bells in his head. “Y’know, he really is one hot piece of ass. He’s got that sex-voice, the messy hair, and the eyes of a god!” Dean made a throaty and pleased sound, his green eyes closing for a fraction of a second. “I can just picture bending that sweet ass over and spreading his ass cheeks nice and wide putting my—” “That’s enough!” Gabriel shouted, slamming his hand down on his desk hard enough to rattle candy dish. It took some effort to make him mad, but Gabriel wasn’t just angry. He was pissed beyond belief. “My brother is off limits to you, do you understand? Our sessions are over, Mr. Winchester. I’ll be putting a phone call in to your mother and letting her know she needs to find somebody else to help you.” Dean sat up straighter, bewildered. “But, Gabe! These sessions have really been helping me! I feel like I’ve been making improvements. The medicines you gave me have been helping and everything!” “I’m sorry, Dean. I need you get out of my house.” The freckled teen stood and sulked towards the door. “And so help me god, if I ever and I mean ever see you near my brother again, I’m going to unleash the wrath of god onto you. Do you understand?!” He was shaking he was so mad. “Yes, sir.” “Get out.” Dean shut the office door with a soft click. *** “I don’t know what that was, seriously.” Castiel said as he and Gadreel sat on a park bench in the shade. He lit a cigarette and put it between his lips, taking a long drag of it before exhaling the smoke. Gadreel looked between him and the cigarette. The left side of his face still held the raw and sore-looking claw marks from the night a few weeks ago in Castiel’s basement. He didn’t comment on Castiel’s smoking habit, which was what had caused the incident in the first place. Castiel took another drag, infatuated with the feeling of the smoke filling his lungs. “Can I have one?” The words stunned Castiel. He blinked his blue eyes at the other boy before nodding and pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket. He lit it once the brown filter was between Gadreel’s teeth. “What made you change your mind?” Castiel finally asked once his companion was done coughing and choking on his first drag. “Life is too goddamn short.” He paused to suck in a wheezing breath of air before letting out a few short coughs. “Something’s gotta kill me and I’d rather it be these things than whatever the fuck was in your basement.” “A-fucking-men.” *** Gabriel wished that his newest client would get here so he could get his last appointment out of the way. It smelled like Ellen was whipping something good up in the kitchen and he just wanted to eat and watch the baseball game on ESPN. He sighed and plopped on the leather couch to relax for a few minutes before she arrived. He closed his amber eyes and let himself relax…until the shrill ringing of his phone made him snap them open again. He fumbled for it blindly on his desk until he found it and when he did, he was half-tempted just to let it go to voicemail. He bit his lip and let it ring a few more times. Maybe she’d finally want to be done with this shit. Gabe answered it. “Yeah?” “Gabe, is that you?” Kali’s voice was smooth as silk through speaker of his phone. “The one and only. Kali, I’ve got something I need to talk you about. I just—” “Gabe,” the desperation in her voice silenced him. “I’m pregnant.” That word was like a slap in the face. He sat up on the leather couch and shook his head. “No, Kali. No, no, no.” “What do you want me to do?” The mistress demanded, “Do you want me to say I’m kidding? This isn’t something that I consider funny, Gabriel!” Gabriel groaned and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t be doing this. Anna…she’s expecting too. She’s my wife.” “That didn’t seem to stop you before.” Her comment annoyed him. He fucked up, okay? He fucked up big time and he was doing all he could to put his marriage back on the mend. He was too fucking young to have gray hairs because of this bullshit and he had already found a few in the mirror the other morning. “I don’t care what you do with it. I don’t want any part of it.” “How can you say that?” She asked, the hurt clear in her voice. “This is your child too.” “I fucking know that, but I can’t keep doing this to Anna and to Castiel.” “I’m not asking you to pay child support.” “What do you need?” He wished she would stop beating around the bush and just get the point already. “I know how hard this has been on you and Anna and I don’t want to cause anymore complications between the two of you. I just need you come with me this weekend.” “It’s going to be hard for me to go back there without people asking questions.” “I know. I still need you.” “For what?” “I’m getting an abortion and I’d like you there for support.” Gabriel groaned and leaned against the polished back of the leather couch. Kali was telling him that she wanted out of his life and if the way to get her out of his hair was to hold her hand while she got an abortion, he’d do that. “I’ll tell her I’m meeting with one of my old clients and I’ll be there. You better not be kidding around, Kali.” “I wouldn’t do that to you.” “I’ll see you Saturday.” With those parting words, Gabriel hung up the phone. He had to resist the urge to throw it across his office afterwards. *** “Mom, what are you doing to those cupcakes?” Sam asked, peering over Mary’s shoulder as she stirred the batter at the stove. “I’m just adding a little extra ingredient, that’s all.” She assured her youngest son with a fond smile. “Is that ipecac? Who are you even baking those for?” Mary upturned the bottle of vomit-inducing medication over the mixing bowl and gave Sam a smile. “They’re just for a little friend of mine, okay? Don’t you worry your pretty little head.” Sam’s brow furrowed over his hazel eyes as he watched the last of the thick syrup empty into the bowl. “You do realize that it can cause internal bleeding if you’re given too much of it, right?” “Yes, dear.” Sam mumbled under his breath as he stalked out of the kitchen. “Watch your mouth, boy!” “Yes, mama.” Mary smiled to herself, a cigarette tucked in the corner of her lip, as she poured the batter into the large cupcake molds sitting in front of her.