Dead Ends

The nightmares terrorize you through the night. Each time you try to change the course of events, but each time you go back into that restroom. The professor’s face is emblazoned in your mind. Sometimes he talks to you, curses you; sometimes there’s something else in the room. Sometimes Dean runs in and aims a gun at you. Sometimes you don’t make it out.

Each time you wake up in cold sweats with your heart speeding in your chest, and each time, Sam wakes up with you because he worries. You can see it in the little crease in his forehead when he looks at you. He says nothing; he just looks at you with gentle eyes, reminding you you’re safe here. By the fourth time you sit up and scan every corner of the room, Sam reaches for your hand as you lie back down and pulls you close.

Morning finally comes. Dean is awake before you. He moves quietly around the room, trying not to wake you and Sam, but you hear him. You crack your eyes open, face to face with Sam, your protector. His slow, steady breaths comfort you, and you’re afraid to move out of his little bubble. You’ve survived the night with no more freak attacks, but the nightmares have drained you. The daylight that peeks through the blinds offers some relief. Things go bump in the night, right?

Your phone vibrates from the nightstand. You sit up as slow as you can because you don’t want to disturb him, and reach for your phone. It’s Jonah. You slip out of bed and head to the bathroom. Dean knows you’re up but he isn’t looking at you. He’s cleaning his gun at the table and reading something on Sam’s computer.

“Hi.” You talk softly even with the door closed. You don’t know how much more sleep Sam got than you, but you know he needs it. If he deals with crap like this all the time... he needs to rest.

“Are you okay?” Jonah spurts as if he’s been waiting up all night to find out. “You didn’t text me back last night.”

“I’m okay. Jonah, there’s some weird shit going on. I mean, this whole thing is fucked up. Sa- Agent Stark says something is using me to get to them.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know. They don’t know. They don’t know what it is.”

“Shit.”

“Hey, can you please bring me some clothes?”

“Yeah. Is Jenna up?”

You look at the time on your phone. “She might be. I’ll call her and let her know you’re coming over. Don’t tell her anything. I don’t want her in this.”

“Okay. What do I say? She’s going to ask me where you are.”

“I don’t know. Make something up. It doesn’t matter.”

“You want me to grab anything else?”

“My phone charger. Um. I don’t know. I can’t think straight right now.”

“[Y/N],” Jonah says, sighing.

“Yeah?”

“Are they... Are you safe? Did they-”

“No. They didn’t try anything. Sam’s really great and his brother really doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Brothers?”

Shit. “Um... Sorry. I’m so tired. Partner. They argue like brothers.” Damnit.

“Did you call him Sam? Which one’s Sam?”

“Stark. The tall one.”

“Oh. Did you sleep?”

“Some. Freaking nightmares all night.”

“I bet. You need anything else? You need me to come get you?” Jonah never saw what you saw. He never knew you were in the men’s restroom until two EMTs practically carried you out of the building.

“No. I need to stay with Sam,” you say, thinking about the haunting and the broken lamp. “He knows how to fight this thing.”

“Fight what?”

You shrug. “I don’t know. They’re going to figure it out.”

“Campus is shut down. I don’t know when they’re going to open it back up again.”

“Oh.”

“Call me if you need me. Call me for anything. Are you sure you don’t want me there?”

“You don’t want to be here. Last night something shook the beds and tried to throw a lamp at me.”

“What? They did what?”

“Not the guys,” you say. “Sam - Uh. Agent Stark blocked it. They’re protecting me, Jonah. I promise.”

You hear his deep breath through the phone. “Okay,” he says, but you know he’s having a hard time believing what you said.

When you step out of the bathroom, Sam is up and dressed. “Hey,” he says. “You okay?”

You nod. “Jonah called. I didn’t want to wake you.” You slide your phone into the front pouch of the hoodie. “He’s gonna bring me some clothes.”

“Awesome. How much does he know?” Dean asks from across the room.

“Just... I don’t know.” Were you supposed to lie? No one told you to lie to Jonah. Why does Dean have to give you such a hard time?

Dean shakes his head and spins the laptop around. “Sammy, look at this.”

Sam ducks toward the screen, and you take the diversion to make your way to the bed. “Tell me that’s not where they took the body.”

“Went up in flames this morning. Fire department got the call around three A. M.”

“What the hell? Anybody get hurt?”

“Nah. Nobody was there when it happened. But the body’s burned to a crisp.”

“Since when do these things cover their tracks?”

“They don’t.”

“Have you heard from Cass?” Sam asks, standing upright. He rubs his eyes.

“No. Can’t get a hold of him.”

Sam looks at you. “There’s a diner around the corner. We should get you something to eat.”

Your stomach responds to the idea with a tiny growl. “Uh, okay. But... I only have this.” You pluck the soft material away from your stomach. You literally have nothing underneath your clothes and really hope they don’t mind waiting until Jonah shows up. Which reminds you: you need to make sure Jenna’s awake.

“You look fine. It’s just a diner,” Dean says as he stands up and holsters his gun. “Sammy’ll protect you from the creepy old guys.” He winks at you and grabs his jacket.

Sam looks at you with one raised eyebrow.

You nod. “Yeah. Okay.” To be honest with yourself, you couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks of the way you look right now. It seems so trivial.

You remember to call your boss on the way. You brace yourself for his tone, but he surprises you when he answers his cell with, “Oh, thank God. Are you alright?”

News travels fast, apparently.

He tells you to take as much time as you need. Your job will be waiting for you when you’re ready to come back.