Looming tree tops were silhouetted against the moonlight as they stood either side of a stretch of highway, the blacktop roads split from the tree line by fifty yards of knee high grass.

Four long hours had passed since Chris and Dean had pulled their stolen car off of the road and into the grass and while Dean had sat without complaint, Chris was growing visibly restless, his dark skin was given brief illumination by the tip of his cigarette as he took in a lung full of smoke, but the bloom of light faded as he blew the smoke out the passenger side window.

Dean had taken note of the steadily rising mound of cigarettes in the ashtray, he could handle the constant smoking, it gave him a break from Chris’s incessant tapping as he restlessly drummed his fingers along the dashboard, and so, he let out a small sigh as Chris mashed the fresh butt into the ashtray and leant his palms along the dashboard, Dean pinched the bridge of his nose as he readied himself to endure more of the pointless tapping, but to his relief Chris instead pulled back and lit another cigarette,

“What’s taking this guy so long?” Chris asked,

With each word a small billow of smoke left Chris’s mouth, Dean was grateful that he had at least been courteous enough to roll the window down. Dean had known chris long enough that his aggravating displays of impatience were tolerable, though still aggravating all the same.

“He’ll be here,” Dean answered.

Chris watched the embers collect at the tip of his cigarette as the flame slowly sank towards the filter, “How many of these have we done now?”

Dean was aware that Chris knew the answer, but for the sake of easing his apparent boredom he humored him by answering, “Four, not including this one, you’d think they’d have gone dark by now.”

Chris let out another small billow of smoke, “Do you think they ever get the feeling that they’re gonna die.”

“How?”

“It’s just I’ve always thought I’ll know when I’m gonna die,” Chris answered as he watched more smoke woft out of the window.

“You mean you’ll get a feeling?”

“Sort of,” a small ounce of enthusiasm returned to his voice as he continued, “I remember a few years back, I got into it with this guy, but he walked away and I thought that was the end of it, then I heard him get into his car and rev the engine and I turned back just as he started speeding towards me.”

“Did he hit you?”

“Yeah he did, but in the split-second I had after seeing the car and it hitting me I remember the only thought I had was, this isn’t going to kill me, you know, like I knew. Have you ever had that before?”

Dean’s eyes drifted from the road as he rolled through his memories, “Maybe once,” he answered as his focus returned to the road.

With his interest peaked Chris probed further, “What happened?”

Dean maintained his gaze as he contemplated the emotional efficacy of giving the answer, “Nothing,” he finally said.

“Ok, if you don’t want to talk about it, it's fine, but you knew right, that you weren’t gonna die?”

In an effort to help stave off Chris’s boredom Dean gave him the answer he wanted to hear, “Yeah, yeah I think I did.”

Chris smiled, “Cool, so I wonder if when it’s your time to go, you get a feeling like, this is it.”

After giving it a little thought Dean answered, “I don’t think so.”

A little dejected Chris asked, “How would you know without ever feeling it?”

“Because we're human, we think about survival, people can accept their own death, but not I split second.”

Chris mulled over the answer before hitting an impasse, “What if you got your foot caught in some railway lines and there was a train coming?”

“You’d be thinking, I need to get my leg out before I die, and if you did die, it’d be as you were trying to tear your foot off at the ankle.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, People aren’t hard wired to accept their own death, it’s why people on death row turn to god, they don’t have a revelation, they just can’t accept that the end is coming.”

Chris took another drag on his cigarette as he connected a few mental dots, “I used to have this spider in my room called hippo, he wasn’t a pet or anything he just used to live under my TV stand, he was a wild I suppose. Does work with bugs?”

“I’m pretty sure yeah.”

“Right, anyway I called him hippo because he was kind of huge and he used to walk with a bit of limp, kind of like a waddle. I used to leave fly’s and stuff at the edge of the TV stand at night, whether he ate them or not they were always gone in the morning. So this one time he just ran out into the middle of my floor, He never really came out too much so I couldn’t help but look at him and I don’t know if he knew I saw him but he just stopped, then a few seconds later my mom walks in and she sees hippo on the floor, she screamed and then stomp,” with that Chris smacked his hand down hard against his knee, “And he was gone, I always wonder if hippo knew he was gonna die when he saw that huge foot looming over him, if he thought he could make it he would have moved right?”

Dean looked at him quizzically, “He was a bug Chris.”

Chris Slumped back with a slight huff, “Yeah I know that Dean, I’m not special, but it plays into my point, maybe he didn’t move because he knew it was over.”

“I don’t know, I’m not sure what bugs think about, I’m not even sure if they do think,”

Chris stubbed his second cigarette butt out in the ashtray, “Be messed up, being alive but just not thinking about anything.”

Dean smiled, “I don’t know, thinking drives me crazy some days.”

Off in the distance the dim glow of headlights appeared over the horizon, Dean’s eyes chased them along the road as he said, “speaking of crazy.”

Chris gave a half smile, “You think this guy know he’s about to die?”

Dean felt his muscles grow taught as the headlights drew closer, “I hope not.”

The other car made its way along the road roughly another hundred meters before it pulled off onto the grass and made its way towards the forest, coming to a halt thirty meters or so ahead of the tree line. Exiting the car they flanked the other vehicle as they moved surreptitiously through the grass. Freezing briefly as the driver’s side door swung open, they watched from the darkness as he moved around to the back of his car, then continued on until they were in earshot.

“Hello,” Chris called out as he and Dean closed the last fifteen meters.

The driver jumped, letting out a flustered yelp as they appeared, “Jeez, you scared me there,” he said as he pulled in a startled breath, his voice was warm and inviting, befitting the cordial expression that worked its way through his lingering sense of shock.

Chris shot him a smile as he looked him over. He wore a pale brown jacket zipped up to the neck, formal brown shoes and black pants, very inconspicuous, the sort of look that rendered you almost invisible in passing. Glancing up to his face Chris noted his soft features and coupled with his wide-eyed expression they gave him the look of a much younger man, though his hands bore the wear of age.

Still a little flustered Tony backed away from the trunk, “Where did you guys come from?” he asked as he edged towards the driver’s side door.

Dean stayed quiet as Chris continued his small smile.

Tony’s nerves spiked as their silence persisted, “what are you doing out here? It’s pretty cold,” he said, noting the quake in his voice as the last few words left his lips.

Dean replied, “It’s kind of warm actually.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Tony shifted nervously as he looked back and forth between the two of them, “Yeah I suppose it is, so uh, do you fellows need something?”

As Chris’s mind wavered briefly back to his and Dean’s conversation in the car he couldn’t help but grow a little curious as he watched the guy’s hands fumble behind him, no doubt trying to find the door handle, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, I guess, what is it?”

“Are you getting a feeling?”

Thinking it was an odd question Tony tried to puzzle it out, he was almost certain his feelings were slapped bare across his face, like almost anyone he could usually hide behind a veneer of stoicism, but being caught in such a precarious position, he was sure his discomfort was obvious. He wanted to run, he could break for the forest, or could he? With his car at his back and the two strangers at his front he found himself cornered, “I’m getting a little uncomfortable,” he finally answered.

“Doesn’t matter.” Chris responded with disappointment.

Tony turned away, “Listen, I'm just gonna get back in my car and leave ok, you two have a good night.” If he could get into his car he’d be safe, he’d get his key in the ignition and a few seconds later he’d have some distance from these two, if they had a vehicle he could simply drive for a mile or so and just pull off of the road; they’d never see him with his lights off. Looking through his window into the glow he felt the mechanism inside the handle click as he pulled it back.

Dean’s voice came from over his shoulder, “Tony, do you think you’re allowed to leave?”

Tony’s felt the handle rattle in his hand as his arm began to shake, but quieting his nerves he took in a breath and let the frustration sink away. He could still just open the door, he could still just get into the car and leave, but some strange concoction of curiosity and arrogance took hold which spurred on a yearning for confrontation, “Ok what’s going on? If you two are here to…”

His voice dropped off as Dean spoke over him, “You know why we’re here.”

So they knew his name, but it was never something he had hidden, dozens of people knew his name, maybe even hundreds. he straightened up, “I have got no idea what you’re talking about,” he stifled a wince as his voice betrayed him, he had never been caught before, and while he had always assumed himself to be just as competent a liar as anyone else, he knew now that his inexperience was clear, as while his face bore a veil of confidence, his voice was laced with concern.

“Does the number seven mean anything to you?” Chris asked.

“Seven, why would it?” he knew now he had been discovered, but being the man he was, he maintained his façade.

Chris reached around behind his back to the pistol holstered at his waist, “We found them, all seven of them.”

With great difficulty Tony maintained his composure, all his senses were urging him to flee but he remained rooted as though his legs had sunk into the ground beneath him, even though every inch of him was spurring him on to run, “Found who?”

Dean smiled “Who, don’t you mean what? He never said they were people.”

Finally a little anger boiled over in Tony’s voice, “ok look this is…”

“Shush now,” Chris said as he placed a finger over his lips.

Tony’s eyes snapped shut as he quashed his aggravation with a sharp breath.

“Give me your keys,” Dean ordered as he raised his hand.

Tony scoffed, “Listen, I’m warning you…”

Chris shook his head, “You’re warning us, really?” with a smile he finished, “That’s cute.”

Dean gestured again with his hand, “Give me your car keys.”

As his Gaze switched between the two of them, he weighed up his options, he could attack them, but they looked strong, capable, they’d overpower him for sure. Taking a moment he let his anger subside, “Ok, ok, I don’t know what you think you know but this is…”

Tony was cut off yet again as Dean asked, “What do you think we think we know?”

He knew exactly, but as thin as his veneer of innocence was, he was going to hide behind it until the end, “I don’t know.”

Dean cocked his head slightly as the constant denial began to grow absurd, “You must have some idea.”

“Something bad?” Tony said feigning a guess.

Chris laughed, “Something bad, well he’s not wrong.”

Dean’s eyes drifted to the trunk of the car “No, no he’s not wrong; not exactly right either; it’s pretty south of bad.” Shifting his gaze back to Tony Dean again said, “Give me your keys.”

With resignation Tony fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out his keys “Here,” he said as he tossed them through air and watched as Dean caught them midflight.

Moving around to the back of the car as Chris stood watch over Tony Dean slid the key into the lock, popped the trunk and glanced down for a second, but that was all he could he manage. Dean was familiar with the uglier side of the world and even more steps beyond that then he’d ever cared to tread, but accustomed as he was the sight of it, it was never something he could stomach. He’d always taken a little solace in this lack of tolerance, he knew that it at least kept him human, but Tony was something else. The dim light of the car cast a pale glow on the twisted face of a young girl locked in an expression of pain and terror, her throat had been cut almost back to the spine, and her skin having lost any sign of its once youthful exuberance, in death was drained to a milky white, she had clearly been dead a while. Dean turned to Chris and shook his head. Both of them had been sure that he killed at the dump sites, if Tony had a kill room he had kept it hidden well enough that the two of them had missed it.

As Dean lifted the trunk Tony knew that any small chance of maintaining his innocence was gone, that was obvious, but oddly it was also a little liberating as now his lack of options gave him only one clear goal, he was going to run. When he saw Chris glance over to Dean he took his chance, breaking into a sprint he bolted for the tree line, he felt the soft crunch of grass beneath his feet and as the tree’s drew closer. As his legs pumped furiously beneath him and the quiet darkness of the looming tree’s drew closer he allowed himself to smile.

Then in a split second all that hope was taken away as a bullet punched into the back of his leg and exploded out of his kneecap before continuing on into the tree line taking any chance he had of escaping with it, the wound itself didn’t hurt right away; what hurt was when his foot hit the ground and the weight of his body landed on his shattered kneecap, he felt the delicate prickle of the grass brushing against his face as his body slammed into the ground. Gasping as the pain took hold his face screwed into a tight wince as he looked to the tree line, it was only a few feet away and in a futile attempt to continue his escape he began to crawl, his fingers clawed into the ground as he pulled himself forward, the pain from his mangled knee spiked through his leg as he dragged it along the ground.

When Chris and Dean caught up to him Chris holstered his pistol and placed his foot over the back of Tony’s knee and leant down with all his weight. The spasm of pain shooting through Tony’s body was serenaded by his screams of pain as ruptured tendon and cartilage mashed together when Chris twisted his boot into the wound, but after a few more seconds he eased off.

Dean kicked Tony onto his back and watched him grimaced with pain, “She was just a girl.”

Meeting Deans gaze and in spite of his pain Tony forced a smile, whoever these two were, they seemed to care, so he’d hurt them however he could, petty as it seemed it was the only kind of escape he had left, “Well she screamed like a woman!” he yelled before breaking down into laughter “I watched her, she took it like…”

His words broke into another scream as Dean pulled a pistol and put a bullet through his other knee, his whole body appeared to clench as the pain speared up his leg, it was unbearable and as the agony consumed him he struggled to both think and breathe simultaneously.

“You’re a funny guy.” Dean said flippantly as he let his gun fall to his waist.

Flecks of spittle bubbled through Tony gritted teeth as he screamed, “Fuck you, Both of you!”

Chris shrugged and put another bullet through his shoulder.

Tony let out yet another scream, “Jesus Christ! Ok, fuck, ok what do you want.”.

Chris lowered his gun and thought for a second, “Can you make it back to your car?”

With hot flushes running through his body as he battled the pain, any from of comprehension escaped him and the question left him dumbfounded, his car may as well have been half the world away, “What?” he uttered through a choke.

Chris repeated himself slowly, “Can you make it back to your car?”

“No, no I can’t,” he said with a painful huff as he clamped a hand over the wound on his shoulder, as more blood soaked into his shirt as it ran across his chest he felt a steadily rolling tingle pass from his finger all the way up his arm that left his flesh cold and numb.

Chris looked over to the car then back at Tony, “Try, it’s only twenty-five meters, give or take.”

Tony winced, the thought of moving made him nauseas, his skin grew clammy as more and more blood flowed from his wounds.

Chris pointed his gun at Tony’s face, “Get up and walk back to your car.”

Tony looked at him, the words ringing in his ears almost as if in slow motion “How?”

Chris gave a half smile, “Use your legs.”

“I can’t I…” his words fell away to a guttural growl as Chris put another bullet through his thigh, “Fuck! fuck ok, ok,” he rolled his head towards his car, then with a great deal of pain he slowly turned himself over onto his front, then lifting himself up with his good arm he tried to move his legs, with a wet crunch sharp pain stabbed at his knees and his teeth clenched shut as he fought the urge to vomit. The tortuous exercise of holding himself up grew too much and his arm went limp and he thumped back into the ground, “I can’t, please I can’t,” he whimpered.

“Walk,” Dean ordered.

“Please.”

“Walk.”

“I can’t.” Tony muttered as he began to weep

Chris took the keys from dean, “Fine, I’ll bring the car to you,” he said as he stepped away.

The grass grew wet with blood beneath Tony’s cheek as he continued to cry “I’m sorry… I’m sorry just please, don’t kill me.”

Dean looked back to the trunk as Chris stepped inside the car, then back to Tony, the girl had looked no more than eighteen, “Do you really think you don’t deserve it.” he got no response as he heard the car’s engine rumble to life as the girls face flashed in his mind, “It doesn’t matter anyway, even if we didn’t kill you, you’d bleed out long before help arrived.”

Tony clenched his eyes shut as he replayed the last few minutes over in his mind, then the last few hours, then the last days, it all flooded through him at once, and his thoughts were clouded with flashing images of his last kill, her face, her eyes, her breath against his skin; as these thoughts began to drown out the world around him, his vision began to pulse along with his fading heartbeat as it slowly narrowed into nothing.

Chris pulled the car up a few feet from where Tony lay, as he stepped out he swung the door open as far as it would go.

Dean nudged Tony’s leg with his foot, there was little reaction, “He’s gone into shock, not much point now.”

Letting out a small sigh Chris slammed the door, “We should try putting a few less bullets in them next time.”

“Yep,” Dean said as he shot Tony through the back of the head, his skull splayed open as the bullet punched its way in through the bone before exploding from his face and embedding itself in the earth, and blood and brain matter sprayed outwardly in semi-circle across the grass.

“Well no more than are needed I suppose,” Chris said over his shoulder as he walked back to their car.

Dean lingered for a second, with the girls face still present in his mind, he kicked Tony’s corpse over and took a moment to let the sight of his dead expression settle in his thoughts, there was little catharsis in his deathly visage but if a corpse was to linger in his memory, he’d prefer it be that of a man who deserved his end. Finally turning away he muttered, “smoke and mirrors,” as he made his way back to the car.