Chapter 22 : Final Answer

by

     Every bit of vile left in my stomach swirled as I stared at the monster. His yellow eyes glowed in the darkness of the forest, and even the still of the reason around us couldn't keep me from shivering away the hairs that stood straight on my arms.

     "You."

    "I must say, Andrea, seeing you like this makes the heart break. So weak. So fragile."

     I couldn't respond. I could barely fathom the form he took as the familiar wrinkles on his face jumped through my memories, trying to find a place to settle. I knew I had seen this man before, but I couldn't place anything other than the demonic eyes that haunted my dreams.

     "You did this, didn't you?" I finally spat him, though the look of confusion on his face angered me in ways I couldn't describe.

     It was like he had no idea, but I knew better. Demons lied. A part of me knew I wasn't sick, but he smiled and shook his head slowly, trying to make me believe my sickness was nothing more than an unfortunate turn of events.

     "If I wanted you to suffer, Andrea, don't you think I would have played you with something a little more fun? Besides, where's the fun in actually knowing."

    "I'm going to kill you."

   "The only person your capable of killing right now is yourself and maybe little ole Sammy."

     My eyes widened. I had left him alone in a cage. He was defenseless against our captors and even more so against him. He knew it was eating me alive, but instead of taunting me further, he stepped forward with another sick smile spreading across his face.

     "Oh, don't worry your dead little head about that. Sammy's safe." He chuckled, watching my heavy exhale. "I got big plans for him... His brother, on the other hand-"

     "You son of a bitch."

     My lips pursed as his face froze. I should have been more careful with my reactions, but he was here, and if he was here, that meant he had been watching me again.

     He saw us working together. He saw us fight. He saw us say goodbye, and he most certainly saw him kiss me. He had to of. He wouldn't be here if he didn't plan on taking something else from me.

     "What do you want from me?"

     "I want to make a deal."

     "I don't make deals with demons," I said, gripping my nose as the pain began to sweet behind my eyes.

     "You and I both know that's not true." He chuckled. "You think I didn't know about your little deal to save Jonah? Why do you think he never came back?"

      I couldn't help it. It was like it was happening all over again, and I tried my best to push the tears back, but the more I forced them away, the more unbearable the pain had become, and it wasn't like he hadn't already known that he had won.

      I held my arms in front of me, folded into my shivering body as I tried to forget the weight of the crossroad box in my hands. Weighing on my fingers as if I was holding the world in them.

     "Why are you doing this?"

     "You know why Andrea," he cooed as he stepped closer. "You took something very important from me, and no matter what you do or what I do to you, will ever make up for that."

     "She was my sister!"

     He stared me down and wrapped his thick fingers tightly around my throat as he made me look up at him. "She was my child and she was destined for great things until you took her from me."

     "If that was the case, you wouldn't have made more." I choked against his grip and be through me backward, letting my frail body tumble to the ground.

     "It takes an army, Andrea."

     "An army for what?"

     "You'll see," he said softly as he crouched down next to me. "Now about that deal."

     I closed my eyes tightly as he leaned forward, turning away from the touch of his fingers against my dirt-stained cheek. Even his graze turned my stomach, and the more I thought about what he had wanted, the angrier I became, but he knew I wouldn't move or dare to strike him.

     It was just as every other time he decided to pay a visit. Always wearing a different akin and always, always ready to make me beg him for mercy. This wasn't one of those times, though, because my time was nearly up, and I wasn't about to grovel for a life I knew I would never live.

     "I want you to kill John Winchester."

     "What?"

     "You heard me." He stood slowly, not taking his eyes off of me as he began to pace. "I know what you're thinking... What's in it for me? - Well, I won't kill your new little boyfriend, for starters."

      My mind wandered for just a moment, but he watched me every move, waiting for the reaction he thought I would give. Though despite the tears that stained my face and the trembling in my bones, I shook my head.

     "No?" He asked, eyes wide. "That's disappointing. But it only makes more fun for me. So how about, after I slaughter your precious Dean, I finally go after that old man of yours. Bobby, is it?" He didn't look at me, but he knew he had struck a chord. "I've been saving him for the big time, but I'm sure there will be others."

     "Fuck you," I finally muttered.

     "Is that your final answer?" He cringed, crouching back down in front of me. "If you think dying is going to take away the pain of watching me take everything from you, you are surely mistaken, child."

     "You can't bring me back from this," I shot at him. "I didn't do it to myself."

     "No matter what you do or how hard you try, you'll always end up in hell. You'll always be at my mercy. "

     "You're never going to stop, are you?"

      He didn't respond, but his smile said enough. He reached out again, his hands brushing against my chin until he gripped it tightly and closed his eyes.

      I was too stunned to speak as the surprising warmth of his fingers sent a wave of relief through my body. Whatever he was doing was unlike the pain he had inflicted before, and I felt the tears dripping from my eyes as the pressure that pushed against my skull began to fade.

     "What did you just do?"

     My breathing labored as the pain in my head settled in my chest as I began to inhale sharp breaths. I couldn't control it. My chest heaved as my hands went to my head, and he watched with a sadistic smirk as I clawed at my hair, trying to force the pain back as it was the only reality I knew.

     "What did you do?"

     "You're going to live a long life, Andrea, and if you refuse me, it will be savage. More so than a little pain in the back of your head."

     "It was you all along, wasn't it?" I snapped at him, finally able to stand to my feet without wobbling or having to brace myself on a tree. "You sick bastard."

     "Not knowing is part of the fun." He chuckled. "I can take the pain away just as well as I can cause it and -"

      His voice trailed as I lunged at him, tackling him to the ground with the strength I thought I had lost forever. I knew there was no way I would be able to kill him, but I had to know what it felt like to wrap my thin fingers around his neck and, if anything, remind him that I was still very dead set on killing him.

     I squeezed, and I squeezed until I felt the bones underneath my fingers begin to bend, and only when I knew that he'd be dead if he were anyone else did I let go.

     "Well, that was unpleasant," he groaned as his eyes shot open.

      He hit me in the chest with such force that I flew backward into a tree, but instead of falling to the ground, he held me in place as he got up. He dusted his pants off and glared at me as he slowly walked forwards, a murderous glint in his yellow eyes.

     "Now that you got that out of your system, I think it's time we get down to business."

     "I'm not going to kill John."             "Yes, you are." He growled as his tolerance for my resistance began to waiver. "Whether you like it or not."

     My lips didn't move, but he shook his head slowly as the blood began to drip from my nose. I could feel the hammer at my skull begin to pound away at the peace my mind had finally found.

     "The only difference it'll make is whether or not Dean is gonna die like your poor, sweet Jonah did."