Secrets Will Kill You

We quickly found Roger’s apartment and then we found Roger as well, walking down the sidewalk with a bag of groceries. Mel quickly parked as the guys were trying to talk to Roger while staying in the car but when he didn’t stop to listen, they parked quickly as well and we all jumped out, racing toward Roger but he walked inside the building and locked the door.

“Wait! Roger!” I begged. “Please! We’re trying to help!” Sam added. “I don’t want your help” he said through the glass and then walked away. “We’re not with the church, you have to listen to us!” I yelled. “You’re in danger!” Dean yelled as well.

But he wasn’t coming back. “Ugh! Come on” Mel grunted and took off down an alley.

We all followed her as she went running on top of a dumpster, jumped off, grabbed a bar and the ladder came sliding down. When, her feet touched the ground, she jumped up and started climbing and we all followed. We were all going as fast as we could, up the fire escape with the countless flights of stairs…and then there was a sickening noise and we all stopped to look up. We were so close We continued up one more flight of stairs just to see the window was covered in blood and I even saw Roger’s headless body laying on his kitchen floor. We were too late. I kind of felt kind of sick…and I knew Mel did too but she didn’t show it as much…she never does.

Dean and Mel pulled out rags from their pockets as Sam and I were still flustered with disbelief. “Here, start wiping down your fingerprints” she said to me with a sincere tone. “We don’t want the cops to know we were here” Dean added.

So, we all started to wipe down our fingerprints on the railings and I took one more look at the blood stained window and I cringed slightly…then I looked at Sam with incredibly sad eyes and he gave me the same look. This wasn’t right.

~

We started heading back to the car and the truck and Dean and Mel weren’t all too convinced that something was in there…well Dean wasn’t…Mel was just a tad skeptical. Sam and I saw something stalking Roger in the vision…we just weren’t sure what it was. It was definitely connected to the family…but what was? A vengeful spirit? Some kind of curse? Max could be in danger…we knew that much…and then Sam stated that our families were cursed…that’s what everything had in common…Mel and Dean disagreed…sorta…but we didn’t argue about it. The next morning, we put on our church get ups again and paid another visit to the Millers. It was Max that invited us in this time.

“My mom’s resting. She’s pretty wrecked”

“Of course” Dean nodded.

“All these people kept coming with, like, casseroles. I finally had to tell them all to go away. You know, ‘cause nothing says ‘I’m sorry’ like a tuna casserole” Max joked lightly and we all smile at him, politely.

Then, we all sat down. “How are you holding up?” I asked gently.

“I’m okay”

“Your dad and your uncle were close?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out all the time when I was little”

“But not as much, lately?” Mel wondered.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…we used to be neighbors when I was kid. And we lived across town in this house, and Uncle Roger lived next door, so he was over all the time”

“Right. So, how was it in that house when you were a kid?” Sam asked.

“It was fine. Why?”

“All good memories? Do you remember anything unusual? Something involving your father and your uncle, maybe?” Dean pushed. “What do you…why do you ask?” he stammered a little and seemed kind of flustered.

“Just a question” Dean shrugged. “No. There was nothing. We were totally normal. Happy” he said, pretty emotionless.

“Good. That’s good…well, you must be exhausted” Dean said. “Yea, we should take off” Mel added. “Right” Sam agreed. “Thanks Max” I smiled my signature, sweet smile and then we left the house.

“Nobody’s family is totally normal and happy” Dean stated. “Did you see when he was talkin’ about his old house?” Mel asked. “Sounded scared” Sam said and we all nodded.

“Yeah, I’d say Max isn’t tellin’ us everything” I voiced. “And I say we go find the old neighborhood, and find out what life was really like at the Millers’” Dean suggested and then we all took off.

~

We got to the Millers old house and started speaking with a neighbor across the street. He’s been living here for about twenty years now and when we mentioned that we “knew” the Millers, he seemed to look sad. He remembered the Millers and how Roger lived next door…then he asked if Max was okay. Apparently, life in the Miller home wasn’t all too glamorous…especially for Max. He said Mr. Miller was a really mean drunk and how he would be throwing things across the street, make a big commotion…but then we found out he would beat the hell out of Max…broke his arm twice. Happened practically every day. Roger was the same way…and Ms. Miller would just sit there and watch…never try to protect him…the neighbor called the police but it didn’t help anything…but then the best part? Was when we found out Ms. Miller is only Max’s stepmother…his real mother died in an accident…the neighbor said it was a car accident…but that’s all we got before I felt that excruciating pain again…and I saw Sam did too as Mel and Dean got us to the car and the truck.

My vision faded out and I saw inside the Miller home, in the kitchen, Ms. Miller was chopping some vegetables. “I don’t know what you mean by that. You know I never did anything” she spoke to Max who was standing right behind her in tears. She put the knife down to turn around and face him.

“That’s right. You didn’t do anything. You didn’t stop them, not once!” he shouted and the knife started to levitate. “How did you…” she started but the knife flew through the air, toward her and pinned her against the wall.

Then, the knife was levitating again and was barely a centimeter away from her eyeball as a tear slipped. “Max, please!” she begged.

“For every time you stood there and watched. Pretending it wasn’t happening!”

“I’m sorry!”

“No, you’re not. You just don’t want to die”

Then, the knife went back a little…and then flew right through Ms. Miller’s head as blood spurred all over the wall.

~

While Mel and I were in the truck, following Sam and Dean, I had Sam on speaker phone as Mel had Dean on speaker phone so we could all hear each other. “Max is doing it. Everything Sam and I have been seeing” I said.

“You’re sure about this?” Dean asked.

“Yea, we saw it” Sam said.

“How’s he doing it?” Mel questioned.

“I don’t know. It looked like telekinesis”

“So, he’s psychic? A spoon-bender?” Dean said.

“I didn’t even realize it, but this whole time he was there. He was outside of the garage when his dad died…” Sam started. “He was in the apartment when his uncle died….these visions, this whole time, we weren’t connecting to the Millers, Sam” I said.

“We were connecting to Max. The thing I don’t get is why? I guess because we’re so alike?”

“What? The dude isn’t anything like you guys” Mel said like we were crazy.

“Well, we all have psychic abilities. We all…” Sam started. “You all what? Sam, Max is a monster. He’s already killed two people, and now he’s gunnin’ for a third” Dean said.

“Well, with what he went through…the beatings. To want revenge on those people, I’m sorry, man, I hate to say it, but it’s not that insane”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t justify murdering your entire family”

“Dean…”

“He’s no different than anything else we’ve hunted. Alright, we’ve gotta end him” Dean said as we pulled off to the side of the road, in front of the Miller’s house.

“We’re not gonna kill Max” I stated.

“Then what? Hand him over to the cops and say, ‘Lock him up, officer, he kills with the power of his mind’?”

“Forget it. No way, man” Sam said sternly.

“Sam…”

“Dean"

There was a pause.

“He’s a person. We can talk to him. Hey, promise me you’ll follow my lead on this one…what do you think Mel?” Sam asked.

“I think…” she started and then looked at me as I gave her my puppy dog eyes. “I think…we should at least see where Brit and Sam want to go with this, Dean…they are right. We can talk to him” she said and I sighed with relief.

Dean paused and then grunted. “Alright, fine. But I’m not lettin’ him hurt anybody else” he said and we heard some rummaging and I could tell he grabbed a gun from his glove compartment as I saw him do it through the window of the Impala.

My POV

I sighed as we all hung up and then Brit and I got out of the truck as the guys got out of the Impala and we rushed inside, busting through the door. “Fathers? Sisters?” Ms. Miller inquired.

“What are you doing here?” Max asked and I saw his eyes were bloodshot from trying not to cry so much and he was definitely unstable…this wasn’t good.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt” Dean said.

“Max…could we talk to you outside for a second?” I asked.

“About what?”

“It’s private. I wouldn’t wanna bother your mother with it” Sam said. “We won’t be long at all, though. I promise” Brit added.

Max glanced at Ms. Miller. “Okay” he nodded.

“Great” Sam smiled and so did the rest of us.

We all started to make our way toward the door as I kept an eye on Max, making sure he wasn’t gonna do anything while he was following us…but then I saw him looking into the big mirror hanging on the wall and I immediately knew he didn’t like what he saw. When Dean went to open the door, Max saw Dean’s gun sticking out of his pants. Real smooth Dean.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut and the shades on all the windows were shut. “You’re not priests and sisters!” Max claimed. Then, Dean took out his gun and pointed it at Max but then the gun flew out of his hand, onto the floor and Max picked it up, pointing it at us.

“Max, what’s happening?!” Ms. Miller asked in shock.

“Shut up!"

“What are you doing?!” she cried out but then Max jerked his head and Ms. Miller flew into the kitchen counter and she fell to the floor

I smelt a little bit of iron as I saw some blood come from her head. “I said shut up!”

“Max, calm down!” Sam said.

“Who are you?!”

“We just wanna talk to you” Brit said, sincerely.

“Yeah, right, that’s why you brought this!”

“Look! It was a mistake okay? And so was lying about who we were but no more lying, okay Max? Just hear us out” I tried and he eyed me.

“About what?”

“We saw you do it. We saw you kill your dad and your uncle before it happened” Sam said, gesturing to him and Sam.

“What?"

“We’re having visions, Max. About you”

“You’re crazy"

“So, you weren’t gonna launch a knife at your step mom?” Brit pointed to here eye. “Right here?” she added

“Is it that hard to believe, Max? Look what you can do. Max, Brittney and I were drawn here, alright? I think we’re here to help you” Sam said.

“No one can help me!”

“Let me try. We’ll just talk. Just the three of us. We’ll get Dean, Melissa and Alice out of here” Sam said and Dean tried to object.

“Nobody leaves this house!”

“They don’t have to. Dean can just take Alice upstairs…I’d like to talk to you too…if that’s alright” I said lightly. Dean was giving me a look and I gave him a look as well.

“Look, Max, you’re in charge here, alright? We all know that. No one's gonna do anything that you don’t want to, but I’m talkin’ five minutes here, man” Sam said. “Five minutes” Max agreed and nodded. “Go” he said to Dean. So, Dean moved toward Alice, helped her up and they made their way up the stairs, giving me one last glance and I nodded.

We all got into the living room and Brit and I sat on the couch while Sam and Max sat in two chairs. Max just looked at a letter opener that was set on the small table beside him and it stood up straight and started to spin slowly.

“Look, I can’t begin to understand what you went through” Sam started. “That’s right, you can’t” Max said, still on the verge of tears as he kept his eyes fixed on the letter opener. “Max, this has to stop” Brit said gently.

“It will. After my stepmother”

“No. You need to let her go” I said.

“Why?”

“Did she beat you?” Sam asked.

“No. But she never tried to save me, she’s a part of it, too”

“Look, what they did to you, what they all did to you, growing up…they deserve to be punished”

“Growing up? Try last week” Max said and stood up, pulling up his shirt.

There was a huge bruise on his stomach and a lot of tinier ones along with cuts on his body. I was stunned…and disgusted…we all were. “My dad still hit me, just in places people wouldn’t see it. Old habits die hard, I guess” he said, sitting back down and kept staring at the letter opener and I saw it started to spin faster.

“I’m so sorry Max” Brit said.

“When I first found out I could move things, it was a gift. My whole life I was helpless. But now I had this. So, last week, Dad gets drunk…first time in a long time. And he beats me to hell…first time in a long time. And then I knew what I had to do”

“Why didn’t you just leave?” Sam asked.

Then, the letter opener fell over and I saw Brit and Sam jump a little as I kept my (sincere) poker face on. “It wasn’t about getting away…just knowing that they’d still be out there. It was about not being afraid. When my dad used to look at me, there was hate in his eyes. Do you know what that feels like?”

"No” Sam and I both answered quietly and Brit shook her head.

“He blamed me for everything. For his job, for his life, for my mom’s death”

“Why would he blame you for your mom’s death?” I asked.

“Because she died in my nursery. While I was asleep in my crib. As if that makes it my fault” I saw Sam tense as his eyes grew. “She died in your nursery?” he asked.

“Yeah. There was a fire. And he’d get drunk and babble on like she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up. Pinned to the ceiling” he finished and that made my eyes and Brit’s eyes go wide as well.

“Listen to me, Max. What your dad said about what happened to your mom…it’s real” Sam started.

“What?”

“It happened to my mom, too. Exactly the same…my nursery, my crib. My dad saw her on the ceiling”

“Then your dad must have been as drunk as mine”

“No, Max cause Brit and I saw the same thing happen to our whole family”

"Were you both drunk?”

“No, no, no see you’re missing it here…it’s the same thing Max” Brit said. “The same thing killed our mothers…their family” Sam said. “That’s not possible” Max shook his head.

“This must be why Brittney and I have been having visions during the day. Why they’re getting more intense. ‘Cause the three of us must be connected in some way. Your abilities…they started six, seven months ago, right? Out of the blue?” Sam asked.

“How’d you know that?”

“Because that’s when ours started, Max. I mean, yours seem to be much further along, but still, this…this means something, right? I mean, for some reason, the three of us…the four of us were chosen” Sam said, looking at me.

I couldn’t even respond to it…I didn’t know this has been going on with Brit for six or seven months now…and Sam did…I was still trying to get passed that part.

“For what?” Max asked.

“I don’t know. But my brother, Melissa, Brittney and I…we’re hunting for your mom's killer. And we can find answers. Answers that can help us all. But you gotta let us go. You gotta let your stepmother go” Sam stressed.

Max actually seemed like he was considering it…like he was about to agree to it…but then he shook his head. “No. What they did to me…I still have nightmares! I’m still scared all the time, like I’m just waiting for their next beating! I’m just tired of being scared. If I do this, it’ll be over!” he shot up so we did too.

He started toward the stairs but we got in front of him. “You don’t get it Max. The nightmares will not end” I said with pain in my voice and my eyes. “She’s right. It’s just more pain. And it makes you as bad as them” Brit added.

“Max, you don’t have to go through all this by yourself” Sam finished and he stared at all of us. “I’m sorry” he said and we all flew into a closet and the door was slammed shut.

“No! Max!” Brit yelled. “No!” Sam yelled. “Max!” I grunted as I tried to get the door open but it wouldn’t budge…and this time…it wasn’t just Sam and Brit who started to have a “vision”.

I saw Max walked up the stairs and pulled out the gun as he walked into the room Dean and Alice were in. Dean moved in front of Alice as she started crying. “Stay back. It’s not about you”

“If you wanna kill her, you gotta go through me first” Dean said. “Okay” he said and then pulled the trigger and a bullet went right through Dean’s forehead and he collapsed to the ground as blood covered the wall behind him.

I managed to shake myself out of the vision. “No!” I yelled and started to push on the door harder and I felt it start to open. Then, Sam and Brit came out of it too and started to help me quickly and we got it open slowly. Then, we all squeezed through the small opening and raced upstairs.

“No! Stop!” I yelled as we ran into the room. “Please. Please, Max, we can help you alright?” Sam said. “What you’re doing…it’s not the solution. It wont fix anything” Brit added.

Max stared at all of us. “You’re right” he agreed and we all relaxed a little…but then he spun the gun around and shot himself in the head and he fell to the ground. I was in a state of shock. Right when I thought we could actually help him…we couldn’t…and we were so close.

~~

Police officers showed up to investigate the house and ms. Miller was telling an officer how Max attacked her and threatened her with a gun. She said we were family friends that she called as soon as Max showed up and that we tried to stop him. Ms. Miller started to cry hysterically at the thought of her losing everyone and then the officer told us they would call us if they had anymore questions and with that, we left. Brit and I walked over to the truck as we saw Sam and Dean talking, having a ‘brother moment’ and we got into the truck.

“Ya know…what if we said something else…”

“He was too far gone anyway hon…I think it was too late” I said gently.

She sighed. “We’re lucky we had the parents that we did…” Brit said. I looked over at her. “And Dean and Sam are lucky to have had John…imagine…they only lost their mom and if John went a different way in life…a little more tequila…little less hunting…they could’ve turned out like Max…I hope they realize how lucky they really are”

"I'm sure they do" I nodded.

I said and shook my head, starting up the engine.

~~

We got back to the motel and waited in the truck for the guys to get their asses outside. We had already packed everything up and it was all in the truck, so we were just waiting on them. “Ya know…this thing…demon or whatever…why did it kill Sam and Dean’s mom…Sam’s girlfriend…Max’s mother…our family…what does it want?” Brit said suddenly and I looked over at her as she looked back at me.

“No clue”

“You think it might have been after us…Sam, Max and me…maybe even you”

“You want honesty right?” I asked her. She nodded. “I think…it wanted revenge on my dad…I think it was after me…and so I’m the reason why you got dragged into this…but when it comes to like, Sam and Max…I don’t know exactly what it wants…” I said and she nodded.

“I…don’t want you to think you’re the reason why I got dragged into this…it was all just…fate”

“You believe in fate? Since when?” I asked and she shrugged.

“Recently…don’t you believe in it?”

“Don’t know…I guess, maybe a little”

“…when we were in the closet…you were starting to go full-on Hulk in there…”

“Yea…I…I think I started to move that big cabinet like Max could…and then you guys helped me…”

“Yea…I know…it was all that adrenalin from needing to save Dean…”

“Yea, whatever…”

She laughed lightly. “Mel…what’s happening?” she asked.

“I don’t know…but I do know I wont let anything happen to you. So as long as I’m around, you’re golden” I smiled lightly and she nodded.

Then Brit rolled down her window as the boys came walking out. “Hey girls! You up for a little Vegas hit and run?” Dean grinned.

“Hell yea!” I grinned back at him…and with that…we hit the road.