Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction / Supernatural Fan Fiction ❯ Dawning Power ❯ Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine.

 

Chapter 6

 

“We there?” Dawn asked as she sat up and began tying her hair back.

 

“Just pulling in now.” Sam answered, smiling at her.

 

“Let's go campers.” Dean said as he parked and got out to head for the visitors centre. Sam opened Dawn's door for her, earning him a quick kiss before Dawn jogged after Dean, Sam following her and admiring the way her jeans clung to her as she walked.

 

“Sam stop staring at my ass and come on!” She called and Sam blushed but ran to catch up. Dean wandered around the room while Sam and Dawn headed straight for the map.

 

“So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place.” Sam said as he studied the map.

 

“Dude check out the size of this freakin bear.” Dean stared at the stuffed animal in awe.

 

“And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike that's for sure.” Dawn grumbled.

 

“You kids aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?” A ranger asked as he came out of the other room and they turned to see him.

 

“Oh no sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper.” Sam lied and Dawn smiled at the ranger innocently.

 

“Recycle, man.” Dean threw in and Dawn shared a look with Sam, there went their little lie.

 

“Bull. You're friends with that Hailey girl right?” The ranger asked and they all looked at each other.

 

“Yes we are ranger Wilkinson; she's my best friend actually.” Dawn said, smiling at him.

 

“Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater till the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing persons now is it?” Dawn shook her head sheepishly and he smiled at her.

“You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine.”

 

“We will. Well that Hailey girl's quit a pistol, huh?” Dean commented and the ranger snorted.

 

“That is putting it mildly.”

 

“Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit you know so she could see her brothers return date.” Dean said and the ranger stared at them for a bit before finally nodding.

“Recycle, man?” Dawn said once he was out of earshot and Dean shrugged.

“I could lie better at twelve!”

 

“Whatever.”

 

-----------------------------------

“So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly. But still, this past April two hikers went missing out there, they were never found.” Sam said as he dug through the papers, Dawn reading another as she played with the straw to her Coke.

“Any before that?” Dean asked as he joined them at their table, the bar's noise keeping anyone from listening in.

 

“Yep. In 1982, eight different people vanished. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork.” Dawn told him absently as she continued to read. Sam pulled out his laptop and turned it so they could all see.

 

“Okay watch this. Here's a clincher. I downloaded that guy, Tommy's, video to the laptop. Check this out.” Sam played the video frame by frame so they could see the shadow of...something moving very fast outside the tent.

 

“Do it again.” Dean said and Sam played it again.

 

“That's three frames. That's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move.” Sam pointed out and Dawn frowned.

 

“Told ya something weird was goin on.”

 

“There a ton of things that can move that fast, how are we going to figure out which this is?” Dawn asked the obvious question.

 

“Yeah. I got one more thing. In `59 one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive.” Sam answered with a grin, eyewitness account was sure to narrow it down a bit.

 

“Is there a name?” Dean asked.

 

----------------------------------------

“You guys got room for three more?” Dean called as they walked towards the group that was gearing up for the trip.

 

“Wait, you want to come with us?” Hailey asked in confusion.

 

“Who are these guys?” the oldest male of the group asked.

 

“Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue.” Hailey told him.

 

“You're rangers?” the man asked in disbelief since of the three only Dawn looked ready for a hike.

 

“That's right.” Dean smirked as Hailey looked them over.

 

“And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?” She asked and Dawn smirked, she'd told them to change after all.

 

“Well sweetheart, I don't do shorts.”

 

“What, you think this is funny? Its dangerous backcountry out there, her brother might be hurt.” The man snapped at them.

 

“Believe me; I know how dangerous this could get. We just wanna help her find her brother, that's all.” Dean shot back. The man glared at Dean but they headed out into the park without anymore problems.

 

“So you're a ranger?” Hailey asked and Dawn shook her head.

 

“Nope, I'm Sam's wife. But I grew up in a town that had desert on one side and a small forest on the other. I used to spend time in both with my sister and her friends.” Dawn explained and Hailey nodded.

 

“No offence but you look a bit young to be married.”

 

“Maybe, I'll be twenty soon, Sam's about three years older than me. We met at college and we just...clicked.” Dawn answered and Hailey smiled wistfully.

“Roy, you said you did a little hunting.” Dean said.

 

“Yeah, more than a little.” He answered.

 

“Uhhuh…What kind of furry critters do you hunt?” Dean asked.

 

“Mostly buck sometimes bear.” Roy informed him.

 

“Tell me, uh…Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?” Dean asked only to tense as Roy grabbed him.

“Whatcha doin Roy?” In answer Roy shoved a long sick into the bear trap Dean had almost stepped in.

 

“You should watch where you're stepping…ranger.” Roy stated as Dean stared at the trap.

 

“It's a bear trap.” Dean sounded sort of surprised and Dawn rolled her eyes, making Sam muffle a laugh.

 

“You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers so who the hell are you?” Hailey demanded angrily.

 

“Sam and I are brothers, and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat.” Dean admitted when it was obvious she would not back off.

 

“Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?” She asked, hurt.

 

“I'm telling you now. Besides it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman. Ever. So we okay?” Dean asked and Hailey sighed but nodded.

 

“Yeah, okay.”

 

“And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?” He pulled out a big bag of Peanut M&Ms.

 

“Trust me, he can live off those.” Dawn called, getting a disgruntled look from Dean. They hiked in silence for another hour before Roy turned to them.

 

“This is it…Blackwater Ridge.” He said.

 

“What coordinates do we have?” Sam asked and Roy pulled out his GPS.

 

“35-111.” He answered.

 

“You hear that?” Dawn asked quietly as she shifted her backpack, hand going for her trusty knife.

 

“Yeah, not even crickets.” Sam answered, moving closer to her.

 

“I'm gonna take a look around.” Roy stated as he checked his rifle.

 

“You shouldn't go off by yourself.” Sam argued and Roy snorted.

 

“That's sweet…don't worry about me.”

 

“All right everybody stays together. Let's go.” Dawn snapped to stop the coming argument. She really didn't like the feel of the forest around them, there was something very wrong. They headed off as a group although Roy did move ahead though he stayed in sight.

 

“Hailey, over here.” He called and Hailey ran to him only to see a wrecked campsite. The torn tents had blood on them.

 

“Oh my God.” She gasped and Dawn went to her, wrapping an arm around the poor girl.

 

“Looks like a grizzly.” Roy stated grimly.

 

“Tommy?” Hailey called, dropping her pack.

“Tommy?!” She cried again.

 

“Shh.” Sam hushed her but she ignored him.

 

“Tommy!?”

 

“Shhhhh.” This time it was Dawn to try and quiet her as she realised they weren't as alone as they believed.

 

“Why?” Hailey demanded.

 

“Something might still be out there.” Sam answered. Dawn made her sure her pack was secure on her back as she mentally reviewed the various creatures that could be out there and how to kill them.

 

“Sam! Dawn!” Dean called and they went over to him.

“The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here the tracks just vanish. That's weird. I'll tell you what…that's no skin walker or black dog.” Dean stated. Dawn studied the tracks thoughtfully, there were some demons that could fit the pattern but they weren't usually found in Colorado.

 

“Hey, he could still be alive.” Dean told Hailey when he noticed her crying over a battered and bloody cell phone.

 

“Help!!! Help!!!” A voice suddenly called and they took off towards it only to find nothing.

 

“It seemed like it was coming from around here didn't it?” Hailey asked and Sam paled.

 

“Everybody back to camp.” He ordered and sure enough they found their supplies missing. The only things left were in Dawn's pack.

 

“Our packs.” Hailey whispered in shock.

 

“So much for my GPS and my satellite phone.” Roy grumbled.

 

“What the hell is going on?” Hailey demanded fearfully and Dawn moved closer to her.

 

“It's smart. It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help.” Sam answered.

“Please tell me you have your cell in here Dawn.” He said and Dawn pulled it out.

 

“No signal.” She answered after a few minutes.

 

“You mean someone; some nut job out there just stole all our gear.” Roy said and Sam turned to his brother and wife.

 

“I need to speak with you…in private.” The three walked a small distance away from the others.

“Good. Let me see dad's journal.” Sam said and Dean handed it over, watching as Sam searched for something.

“Alright, check that out.”

 

“Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west.” Dean complained.

 

“Think about it Dean, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice.” Sam argued and Dawn frowned.

 

“What's a wendigo?” She asked and from the look on Sam's face she knew it wasn't good.

 

“Great. Well then this is useless.” Dean grouched as he stared at his gun.

 

“We gotta get these people to safety. All right listen up, time to go. Things have gotten more…complicated.” Sam called so everyone could hear.

 

“Kid don't worry, whatever's out there, I think I can handle it.” Roy half boasted and Dawn sighed, knowing that statement was not going to help.

 

“It's not me I'm worried about; if you shoot this thing you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave now.” Sam argued just as she had predicted.

 

“One you're talking nonsense, two you're in no position to give anybody orders.” Roy snapped at him and Dawn took a deep breath.

 

“Enough!”She snapped, getting everyone's attention, well it could have been the fireball hovering over her hand that had everyone staring at her.

“Sam stop antagonising everyone or you'll be sleeping on a couch for a month.” That made Dean snicker and she shot a glare at him.

“Let's get this clear, we're the ones who know what's going on so the rest of you shut up and do as you're told or you can go home right now.” Dawn ordered and they nodded, still shocked by her little display of power. Unfortunately Roy was the first one to shake off the shock.

 

“You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight.” He sneered.

 

“Yeah? It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here.” Sam shot back in her defence.

 

“Oy! Sam.....” She let the warning trail off and her husband flashed her the puppy eyes but nodded, moving up to warp his arms around her.

 

“Stop; stop it, everybody just stop. Look, Tommy might still be alive, and I'm not leaving here without him.” Hailey finally said and the three hunters shared a look before Dawn sighed and let go of the fire ball.

 

“It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves.” Dean said before another argument could start.

 

---------------------------------

Despite the fear curled in his gut as they tracked the wendigo he couldn't help the small chuckle as he heard Dawn swearing under her breath. Dawn was pissed and he really couldn't blame her, especially since he knew he was partially at fault for his wife's mood. Maybe he should have agreed to let her transport Haley and the others back to safety, Roy would still be alive and they wouldn't be running after Hailey and Dean, praying they found them in time. But deep down where he didn't want to admit it...he was wary of Dawn's powers, he couldn't help it, it had been ingrained since he was a kid. But he would not let it destroy their relationship. He loved Dawn so much; he would fight to keep her.

 

“Sam.” She whispered and then pointed. He followed and nodded, they had found the lair. Looked like an abandoned mine. Sam motioned for Dawn and Ben to stay behind him and Dawn created another fireball for light and to hopefully ward off the wendigo if it was inside. They headed inside slowly, eyes peeled for danger but none of them noticed the weak floorboards until they gave way under them.

 

“Dawn!” Sam called and then the room was lit by her flames.

 

“I'm okay. Ben?” Dawn called and then they saw the boy scramble upright.

 

“Hailey!” Ben cried as he spotted his sister hanging nearby.

“Hailey wake up!”

 

“Dean!” Sam called as he spotted his brother. He shook him gently and Dean opened his eyes.

“You okay?” Sam asked and Dean nodded. Sam looked over to see Dawn helping Ben get Hailey down as he worked on getting Dean free.

“You sure you're okay?” He asked again and Dean grimaced.

 

“Yeah. Where is it?”

 

“Don't know.” Sam answered.

 

“Tommy!” Hailey's cry had them all turning to see him hanging limply nearby. Hailey shakily reached out to check his pulse and then screamed as he jerked, eyes slowly opening.
“Cut him down.” She asked and Sam and Dawn walked over to do it.

“We're gonna get you home.” Hailey whispered as she took her brother's weight.

 

“Check it out.” Dean called and held up a familiar object making Sam grin.

 

“Flare guns…those'll work.” He answered his broher. Dean laughed, twirling the guns. The headed down a nearby tunnel, Tommy in the middle being supported by his siblings and Dawn leading the way with her handing fireball turned flashlight. They all froze as they heard the growl.

 

“Looks like someone's home for supper.” Dean commented.

 

“We'll never outrun it.” Hailey whispered in fear and Dawn muttered under her breath, the fireball splitting into several which hovered around the group protectively. Dean looked the group over and then at Sam.

“You thinking what I'm thinking?” He asked and Sam nodded.

 

“Yeah I think so.”

 

“All right listen to me. Stay with Sam, he's gonna get you out of here.” Dean ordered.

 

“What are you gonna do?” Hailey demanded and Dean winked at her before starting to walk away. Dawn grumbled, kissed Sam and then took off her brother-in-law.

 

“Chow time you freaky bastard! Yeah that's right, bring it on baby, I'm feelin good.” He yelled and then noticed Dawn behind him.

 

“In case you forgot you're hurt.” She commented before he could say anything and Dean groaned but let her follow.

 

“All right come on. Hurry!” Sam told the three siblings and they followed him down the tunnel.

 

“Hey! Hey you want some white meat bitch!? I'm right here!” Dean called but there was no answer.

 

“Get him outta here.” Sam ordered as they heard a familiar growl nearby.

 

“Sam, no.” Hailey argued but he pushed them towards the exist.

 

“Go! Go!” he ordered and they left.

“Come on. Come on.” He muttered. A growl came from the other side of the tunnel and Sam turned to see it practically in his face. He fired but missed so he took off after the others.

 

“Sam!” Hailey cried in relief as he appeared but he just took her place helping Tommy.

 

“Come on, hurry, hurry, hurry.” When the wendigo appeared, cornering them he shoved the others back.

“Get behind me.” Sam faced the wendigo down as it moved closer.

 

“Hey!” Sam relaxed at his brother's shout and then he saw Dawn, fire burning between her hands.

 

“Get away from my husband you creep!” She yelled as she hurled the ball. It hit the wendigo which burst into flame.

“Sam!” She ran to him and he caught her, hugging her tightly.

“Are you okay?” She asked, looking him over and Sam smiled at her.

 

“I'm fine.” He answered and she relaxed.

 

------------------------------

“And the bear came back again after you yelled at it?” The cop asked and Ben nodded.

 

“That's when it circled the campsite; I mean this grizzly must have weighed 800-900 pounds.” He answered.

 

“All right we'll go after it first thing.”

 

“So I don't know how to thank you.” Hailey told Dean who just stared at her and she sighed.

“Must you cheapen the moment?”

 

“Yeah.” He answered and she shook her head.

 

“You riding with your brother?” A paramedic asked and hailey nodded.

 

“Yeah. Let's go.” Hailey called to Ben. She kissed Dean on the cheek in farewell.

“I hope you find your father. Thanks Sam, Dawn.” She called before getting into the ambulance.

 

“Man I hate camping.” Dean grumbled.

 

“Me too.” Sam agreed and Dawn shrugged.

 

“It's not that bad.” That got her twin glares.

 

“Sam, you know we're gonna find dad, right?” Dean asked and Sam nodded.

 

“Yeah I know…but in the mean time…I'm driving.” Sam answered and Dean reluctantly tossed him the keys.

 

“Will I ever get to drive?” Dawn asked as they got in.

 

“No!”

 

TBC....