All I Have Left to Give

To say that Benny LaFitte was a lone wolf was an understatement. The man had been all but abandoned by his former group when his true identity was revealed. The vampire almost got himself killed, but in a true Benny way, he got out of the situation. Benny was a good, honest man. He hadn’t ever done anyone wrong, he had made a life for himself—he did things the right way. Benny wasn’t all about hurting and hunting and killing. Quite opposite, to be honest.

Benny had been trying to track down the one person he knew would take him in, the one person he knew he could trust, and the one person who accepted him for what he was. Dean Winchester.

Benny had been on the road by foot a few days, which was extremely sketchy. The thick brush of the forest he was traveling through was littered with the demonic zombies, threatening him at every single twist and turn of the way. He had stopped off for a moment, to collect his thought and figure out how much land he had really tracked when a scream caught his attention.

Benny’s jaw tensed up, every muscle in his body alert. His eyes scanned the area, trying to see if he could hear any other signs of a struggle. When he finally tracked the noise, he sprinted, his hand gripping his knife with a white-knuckled dead lock as he approached the scene.

Kenley had always been prepared for the day that came when she ended up alone. She knew that the day would come when her brothers weren't around to protect her and she needed to fend for herself, that was the way of life for hunters. She had come to terms with it when she was young, she had always listened to her father's words. Hung onto each and every last one of them - even more so than Dean had.

But she had never expected for it to happen like this. She hadn't expected for Sammy to say yes to Lucifer and to be left with Dean as the end of the world came to be. There was only so much that they could do - fighting monsters with zombies added to the seemingly never ending list of monsters. There was no bargaining with them - they were brain dead creatures after flesh.

Dean had become ever hardened after Sam agreed to be Lucifer's vessel. Kenley had done Dean would but he nearly became heartless, he didn't joke around the same way that she remembered. It was one of the days when she stormed off, away from the camp that they set up, that she got distracted and wandered too far away. She had tried to find her way back to her oldest brother but it had proven useless and she had been on her own for the better part of... she didn't know how long it had been. She had stopped counting.

Her mind had drifted away and she hadn't been paying much attention which led to her stepping the wrong way and she stumbled forward, falling over the edge of a small hill. Kenley let out a curse, catching a branch to slow her fall, only for it to snap and send her tumbling down the hill. Right into a gathering of zombies, around what appeared to be a dead animal.

Kenley's hand shot to the knife she kept strapped to her thigh and she quickly dispatched a few of them, only for others to replace them. She began to back away, becoming more desperate as she was backed further away from the trail that she had been following.

When Benny finally broke through the clearing and saw what was going on, he hollered at the young girl to back up and stay behind him as he made work of his knife. He plunged his knife over and over and over again into the seemingly never ending throng of zombies. Benny hated the putrid things, cursing every time his knife cracked through the skull of the undead.

When the last zombie dropped, Benny let out a long sigh. He turned around and made eye contact with the young girl. His features had softened immensely when he saw the look on her face, one that was of pure horror and relief at the same time.

“Are you alright?” He questioned rapidly. “Did you get bit or scratched or anything of that sort?”

Benny sheathed his knife back into the holster on his side, wiping his grimy hands off on his equally as dirty jeans. When he had left his group, he had lost almost all of his belongings. He had taken with him only the clothes that were on his back and the weapons that he was able to load himself down with.

As he looked over the girl, she seemed to look so familiar to him, but he couldn’t quite place where he had seen her before. His brows furrowed together as he waited for her to answer his question, still trying to piece together in the back of his mind. But then again, Benny had been around the world from hell and back to purgatory and back—so there was no telling what would be the reasoning.

Kenley had been so positive that this was it. That this was all the world had in store for her and that she would never get the chance to reunite with her brother again, that she would die with a horde of zombies ripping her limb from limb. Hearing a voice call out to her, she didn't offer any argument as she stepped behind the mysterious man.

She couldn't help but grin as Benny cursed with each undead that he fell, his attitude reminding her almost too much of a certain Winchester. Suspicion curled in the pit of her stomach as she eyed Benny, taking a small step backward when Benny turned toward her. As thankful as she was, she had been taught all too well. To never trust a stranger. It could prove more than deadly.

Kenley swallowed, shaking her head slowly. "I am fine. A bit unnerved but all things considered, I am fine," she repeated with a small nod. "Thank you but..." she trailed off, unsure of whether now was the best time to be questioning the man who had just saved her life.

"But," Kenley repeated the word, hesitating just long enough to clear her throat. "What are you?" She had been careful to say what and not who because Benny had simply moved far too quickly, easily that he couldn't be a simple human. "Don't lie to me, please. I owe you my life, let's not start off on the wrong foot, hm?"

Benny’s eyes were still trained on her, he could hear her blood rushing through her veins, the adrenaline and fear coursing through every part of her. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. Benny didn’t even have thoughts of consuming human’s anymore, especially in this new world. Benny more so just wanted to make sure that the young girl was alright.

Benny’s eyebrows furrowed together as soon as she allowed the question to flow from her lips. He took a small step back, not really knowing how he was supposed to respond. He knew that she wasn’t stupid, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to get out of this situation with a small white lie. There was something radiating off of the girl, he wasn’t sure if it was confidence or just pure intelligence to the surrounding worlds.

Benny looked away from her from a brief moment, taking in a deep breath and releasing it with an equally as deep sigh. How was she going to react? Was she going to see him just as the things he had just killed in order to save her life. Benny looked down at his feet before he allowed himself to make eye contact with her once more.

“I’m a vampire.” He finally breathed. He held his hands up in defense, “But I can promise ya, I mean no harm to you or anyone else.”

On pure instinct alone, Kenley's grip tightened on her knife as she took a step toward Benny. Vampire. Vampire. Leech. That needed to be dealt with, that needed to be ended and yet, he was looking at her and she couldn't bring herself to. Benny had saved her life, she was sure of it, and she was sure that Benny did, too. Without him, she wouldn't be here to even make an attempt on Benny's life.

She exhaled slowly, leaning down to wipe the knife off on her pants before sliding it back into the sheath on her thigh. "Guess I owe you a thanks," she said, allowing a hesitant smile to form on her features.

Kenley took another step forward and another, until she had closed the distance between the two. She held out a hand, shaking Benny's when it was finally offered to her. "Thank you. If there's anything I can do to repay you... my daddy did always teach me to pay my debts."

"You on your own then?" Kenley asked, trying to avoid the awkward silence that was threatening to stretch between them. She glanced down at her clothes and scowled at just how dirty they were, not for the first time.

Benny watched the way that she grasped her knife in her hand. He knew that all she wanted to do was lurch forward and chop his head off. Instinctively he prepared himself mentally for a fight, and the ever possibility of the end of his life. But, when he realized she was relaxing, he breathed out a sigh of relief. His muscle gave way of the tension that had built inside them.

“You don’t owe me nothin’,” Benny said lowly. “I woulda done it for anyone; you woulda done the same, it seems.”

Benny nodded and smiled at her when she said that she would do anything to repay him. But that wasn’t what Benny was about, and he wasn’t about to start being that way.

Benny nodded solely when she asked if he was on his own. He ran a hand over his face and wetted his lips with a small flick of his tongue. “I am, I am on my own.” He squinted his eyes as he looked out around them, trying to figure out the direction that the girl had came from. “I am actually on my way to try and find someone, tho. What about you?”

The vampire that was standing in front of her, he had saved her life. Kenley couldn't argue that, she couldn't face the fact that she had on instinct alone, considered ending the man's life simply because of what he was. He was just trying to survive, that was all there was to it. That was all anyone was trying to do any more, in a world like this, that was all there was left for anyone to do.

Kenley hadn't been prepared for the question to be turned in her direction and it took a moment for her to collect her thoughts before she could answer. "I, uh, well... the same," Kenley managed the answer with a nod of her head. She gave a pained smile and looked away from a moment.

Clearing her throat, Kenley straightened and readjusted the bag on her shoulder. "I'm heading south if you want to join me?" Kenley had no clue what the hell she was doing, inviting a vampire to join her, but she had no other option. She thought it would be too rude to not, when Benny had saved her. "I don't know who you're looking for or where they are but at least for a little bit. I could use the company."

Benny was a little taken aback when Kenley invited him to go ahead and accompany her to travel. He had half expected the girl to tell him to hit the road, or even worse, try and take him out considering the look she had on her face when he explained what it really was.

Benny couldn’t help the small smile that spread across his face. He tilted his head at her, a spark in his eyes. “That is awfully damn kind of you. I appreciate it.”

As they started off in the direction that she had been headed, the silence was becoming overbearing—especially since he could hear the blood still pounding in her veins. Benny had contained himself for so long, there was no temptation for him, but he was more so annoyed with the pounding sound.

“So where exactly that it is your headed, Miss?” He asked, trying to break the silence that had settled in between them.

Kenley stuffed her hands into her pocket as they began to walk. It was proving increasingly difficult to split her attention between her companion and the path that she was trying to take. She had long since abandoned the main roads because she had happened across one too many zombies on the roads and since, she had managed to come across less.

All the memories that Kenley had shared with her brothers came flooding back when Benny asked about where she was heading. She gave a shrug of her shoulders and looked away, her stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot.

"I... uh..." she trailed off, taking a moment to clear her throat before she found the courage to speak. Kenley was more than a little relieved when her voice was stronger than she had been expecting. "My brother. He's a hunter, too," Kenley murmrued, her tongue wetting her lips. "If by some damn miracle, we do happen to stumble upon him, you don't have to worry. I promise."

"He's stubborn and arrogant but this world has changed everyone, I think. He'll have to listen to me because I mean, I'd be dead without you."

Kenley cleared her throat, chancing a look in Benny's direction. "What about you? I know you mentioned trying to find someone but who? Don't you have a... group or whatever?"

Benny let out a low chuckle, his eyes gazing down at his boots stomping through the earth. The person she was describing sounded oddly familiar. For a moment, Benny thought of the Winchester who he was searching after… Had he found safety? He had to have. He was a fighter, he was resilient. There was no way in hell that something had happened to the man. Benny scanned over the horizon, ever waiting for something to come after them or jump out from the safety net of bushes that surrounded them. Sure, there were zombies to look out for, but sometimes humans were scarier than the monsters.

“I uh,” he cleared his throat. “I had a group but they gave me the boot when they found out about what I am.”

Benny was almost ashamed, he didn’t feel like a monster, but he knew that is what he was portrayed as. “But that was over a week and a half ago. But it’s okay, I am used to being mostly alone. This shit ain’t as scary as some of the places I’ve been, anyhow.”

Kenley scoffed, her eyes narrowing a bit as Benny explained his situation. While she wasn't entirely trusting of the vampire, she couldn't figure out why a group would kick someone out. Especially in a world like this when... when someone like Benny could prove to be an asset. He had already saved her life, she doubted that he would end up turning on her after doing such a thing. Particularly since they'd been walking together for the better part of an hour.

"Zombies, they're easy to kill," Kenley commented quietly. Rolling her shoulders, she glanced over to Benny and offered him a small smile. "Unless you're like me and you stumble into a huge group of the bastards."

A frown formed on her lips as her shoulders sagged, kicking at the dirt beneath her feet. "My brother would kill me if he knew I made a mistake like that. It's such a stupid, silly mistake. Being a hunter, I shouldn't have been so reckless. God... if my father knew? He'd never let me forget about it. Stupid, I was stupid." Kenley knew it was unfair to be unloading on Benny like she was but once she had started, she hadn't been able to stop until she finished, letting out a huff as she glanced over to him. "Sorry, that wasn't really fair of me. Just ignore that."

Benny’s brows pulled together in concern as he listened to the girl drone on and on about everything that she had done wrong. There was only one other person that Benny knew who could speak so lowly of themselves like it was nothing—Dean Winchester.

After Kenley had mentioned she was a hunter, Benny wondered for a brief moment is she had ever encountered Dean. Or, better yet, if she had known where his camp was. Hunters would group up in a situation like this, wouldn’t they?

Benny looked down at the dirt crumpling beneath his feet with every step, wondering if he should ask. He wanted so desperately to locate his friend, but what if this girl didn’t even have one inkling of who Dean was, anyway? He reached up and adjusted the way his hat was sitting on his head, a nervous habit he had developed.

Benny cleared his throat before he decided to speak again. “Don’t get so down on yourself, shit happens, it was outta your control. It’s done and over with, time to look forward, ya think?”

Benny looked at her, a small smile offered her way. “You was doin’ the best you could anyhow, just needed a helping hand.”

The only thing that kept running through Kenley's mind was just how badly she had screwed up. If Benny hadn't been near her when she had slid down the embankment, she would have been screwed. She would be as good as dead, likely having joined the legions of walking dead that had plagued her world for far longer than she cared to think about. The idea of being one of them made her want nothing more than to disappear.

"You were there to save me, yeah, but God forbid you hadn't been there? You realize how dead I would be? There would have been no surviving for me. Then I wouldn't have a chance to find my brother again and I would have been screwed," Kenley argued, tossing her hands up with a sigh.

She knew that Benny was partially right - she had screwed up and Benny had been there to help her. There really was no point in continuing pitying herself. Dean would, she knew, and Sam, too, probably.

Kenley shook her head, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. "If my brother holed up somewhere, we're getting close to where he would have. If he didn't, if he's on the move..." Kenley trailed off with a shrug of her shoulders. She didn't want to say it but she knew that if Dean was still on the road, that whatever hope she had to find him, was nullified at that point.

"Cross your fingers. We're going to need all the luck that we can get."

Benny gave Kenley a small, reassuring smile as they pushed on. “I’m pretty sure that if I ha’nt been there you woulda figured out a way to pull through.” Benny could tell the girl who was walking beside him was a fighter. There was no doubt in his mind that she would have figured it out.

Benny licked his bottom lip as she began to speak again. He wondered how far off they were from the camp they were searching for… Where they even going the right direction? He let the latter thought slip pass him. He took a deep breath, exhaling it between his lips lowly. He was trying to keep faith. Benny knew that not everyone was a bad person. He hoped she wouldn’t be.

“How far do ya think the camp is?” Benny questioned out loud. He squinted as he looked over the horizon. “Sun’ll be settin’ in a few hours. Might have to find a place to whole up for the night?” The questions was more for her, since he didn’t necessarily need to stop.

The idea of being able to stop and truly rest because she doubted Benny would fall asleep was a bit too promising for her to take the offer. She knew that it would have been easy but it also wouldn't have been the least bit fair to him so she decided not to even entertain the idea any longer and pushed it from her mind.

"No clue," Kenley finally answered, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked down to her feet. "We can keep going for awhile yet. So long as you can keep me from walking off a cliff or something fucking ridiculous like that," Kenley muttered, letting out a dry laugh as she glanced over to Benny. "You can do that, yeah?"

Kenley shoved her hands into her pockets as they continued to walk, humming just barely loud enough that she could hear herself. Mostly to keep herself from going insane. "So who's your friend that you're looking for? I mean, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the chances of your friend being alive... they ain't that good, are they?"

Benny gave her a grin and tipped his hat to her. “’Course I can keep ya from doin’ anythin’ like that, darling. Saved ya earlier, what’s one more time going to do?” He teased her. Benny surprisingly enjoyed the soft smile that ensued across her lips afterwards.

Benny cleared his throat as he thought back about Dean. It did make him feel sick to his stomach to think that Dean may or may not be alive. Why wouldn’t he be? The Winchester’s were fighters, and they would continue to do so, wouldn’t they? Benny knew Dean, and he knew that Dean wouldn’t go down with out a fight. With that knowledge combined with the fact that he knew Dean was a force to be reckoned with, Benny was still hopeful.

Benny nodded as he began to speak. “My friend is a good man by the name of Dean Winchester. He’s saved my ass more than once.”

Walking beside Benny was proving mroe that a little bit welcoming - Kenley hadn't seen anyone that was alive, er, alive, in so long that she wasn't even sure that she would really care who she was talking to. Even if Crowley himself appeared, Kenley thought it was possible she would have welcomed the conversation.

Of all the names that she expected to hear fall from Benny's lips, her brother's hadn't been the one she was expecting. Kenley whirled around and started forward, balling her hands into fists at her sides as her eyes narrowed. She fixed the vampire with a glare.

"What the fuck are you trying to pull here? Did you get your fangs in him and you're just hunting down the only Winchester left or some bullshit? Did Sam send you? Because let me tell you," Kenley paused to drag in a deep breath, "if Sam sent you, I'm going to wrap my fingers around his neck my damn self."

Immediately, Benny was defensive. He had been nothing but nice to the girl who had been walking next to him. He had kept his distance and proven that he wasn’t a threat. He had saved her life. What gave her the right to jump all over him the way she was doing? Nothing. Why would he lie about who he was trying to meet up with? What good would that do for him? Having an ulterior motive was never something Benny had been about.

“Best watch yer mouth,” Benny growled lowly. “I don’t take too kindly to the way you are judging my character. Sam has never liked me, so what makes ya think that I would be sent from ‘em?”

Benny stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to the side. Memories from purgatory came flooding back to him. The way that the eldest Winchester had his back flashed through him. “Dean pulled me from purgatory. We were a team in there. So, no, I ain’t out for him. And no, I ain’t gotten my fangs in him.”

Benny huffed and started walking again, “I’m done with this conversation.”