Count the Headlights on the Highway
8
Vivian waited silently for Dean to clear his throat and begin, but he just sat on the hood of the Impala with his face cradled in his hands. When the chill of the night started to sting her arms, she decided to try and pry gently.
"So... did you kill it?"
"It was a group of kids."
Vivian's heart buckled. "W...what?"
"It was a group of kids!" he growled, leaping off the Impala to stand in front of her.
He was visibly shaking, eyes bloodshot and hair standing on end. Before Vivian could ask another question, Castiel appeared in a gust of air. It startled Viv so bad, she stumbled back and cracked her head on the brick corner of the building. Dean closed his eyes as Cas approached him. Vivian watched from the pavement as Cas mumbled calming words to his friend, finally touching his fingertips to Dean's forehead. His eyes rolled back, and Cas lowered him to the ground.
He turned to her, extending a hand to help her up. She wearily took it, wobbling on her feet. "I'm sorry," he said simply, snaking his long hands into her hair on the back of her head. "What's going on," she asked as his fingers probed for the cut on her scalp. When he found it, she winced. He furrowed his brow, and an odd surge of energy flowed from him to her. She could feel the cells knit back together. He withdrew his hand, and sighed. "I really don't think you want to know. You don't need to."
"Please, Cas...."
His jaw set in a majestic square, as he thought for a moment. Deciding she could handle it, he began.
"There was no 'Slender Man'. Sam and Dean stumbled upon the work of a gathering of severely deranged teenage boys. Nothing is more terrifying than finding out what your own species is capable of. They've kidnapped 37 children. 35 of those children are dead. Claudia and Lydia are the only survivors, simply because they didn't have the... tools required for what they had planned for the twins."
Vivian swallowed a mouthful of bile, holding her hand up to stop him, not wanting to know what he meant by 'planned'.
"The smell from the carnage alone is going to haunt the brothers for months if I don't work with them."
Vivian tried to breathe deep and calm her thumping pulse and goosebumps. "What about the photographs? The Slender... thing, he was in the back...."
"One of the boys worked as a photo developer. He was the head of the group, from what I gathered from Dean's perspective. He picked the children, edited the photos of the families. Most serial killers have some mark they leave behind. That was his."
"Did they kill the boys?"
"Yes," Castiel remarked bluntly.
When two crocodile tears spilled over and rolled down Vivian's cheeks, Castiel's face crumpled in an almost human manner.
"You need to sleep. I'm going to get Dean to bed. I'm going to take care of Sam and the girls. Get your rest."
"So... did you kill it?"
"It was a group of kids."
Vivian's heart buckled. "W...what?"
"It was a group of kids!" he growled, leaping off the Impala to stand in front of her.
He was visibly shaking, eyes bloodshot and hair standing on end. Before Vivian could ask another question, Castiel appeared in a gust of air. It startled Viv so bad, she stumbled back and cracked her head on the brick corner of the building. Dean closed his eyes as Cas approached him. Vivian watched from the pavement as Cas mumbled calming words to his friend, finally touching his fingertips to Dean's forehead. His eyes rolled back, and Cas lowered him to the ground.
He turned to her, extending a hand to help her up. She wearily took it, wobbling on her feet. "I'm sorry," he said simply, snaking his long hands into her hair on the back of her head. "What's going on," she asked as his fingers probed for the cut on her scalp. When he found it, she winced. He furrowed his brow, and an odd surge of energy flowed from him to her. She could feel the cells knit back together. He withdrew his hand, and sighed. "I really don't think you want to know. You don't need to."
"Please, Cas...."
His jaw set in a majestic square, as he thought for a moment. Deciding she could handle it, he began.
"There was no 'Slender Man'. Sam and Dean stumbled upon the work of a gathering of severely deranged teenage boys. Nothing is more terrifying than finding out what your own species is capable of. They've kidnapped 37 children. 35 of those children are dead. Claudia and Lydia are the only survivors, simply because they didn't have the... tools required for what they had planned for the twins."
Vivian swallowed a mouthful of bile, holding her hand up to stop him, not wanting to know what he meant by 'planned'.
"The smell from the carnage alone is going to haunt the brothers for months if I don't work with them."
Vivian tried to breathe deep and calm her thumping pulse and goosebumps. "What about the photographs? The Slender... thing, he was in the back...."
"One of the boys worked as a photo developer. He was the head of the group, from what I gathered from Dean's perspective. He picked the children, edited the photos of the families. Most serial killers have some mark they leave behind. That was his."
"Did they kill the boys?"
"Yes," Castiel remarked bluntly.
When two crocodile tears spilled over and rolled down Vivian's cheeks, Castiel's face crumpled in an almost human manner.
"You need to sleep. I'm going to get Dean to bed. I'm going to take care of Sam and the girls. Get your rest."