H U N T E R S

What if Sam and Dean had quit? What if they hadn't stopped the apocalypse? What if it was all up to you? 

 

based on the tv show Supernatural 

 a 1x1 with Josh wilson 

 

 

It wasn't that hunters were fearless. Alia couldn't deny the terror that caused her heart to beat frantically against her chest or the adrenaline coursing through her veins. What made hunters special was the ability to overcome that instinctive fear. She took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the demon-killing knife she'd secured on a recent hunt. A blur as she dove around the brick wall she'd concealed herself behind, Alia drove the knife into the demon's neck. Its eyes widened and flashed red for a moment before the life faded out of them. Breathing heavily, Alia yanked the knife out of the body and glanced around her. She was in someone's backyard, but luckily she hadn't woken the homeowner. The night was chilly, but the moon was full and they would have seen Alia standing in the yard. Though the demon had been chasing her first, it was kind of difficult to explain to a regular person why she had killed a man on their property. Alia wiped the blood onto her pants and shoved her knife back inside her jacket. After the demon had ambushed her, she'd ended up in an area she was unfamiliar with. She pulled out her cellphone and dialed a familiar number. He picked up on the first ring. "James, I'm gonna need a ride." Alia scanned the moonlit suburb for a street sign. "I'm on...Hayward Court." 

Vince dodged the lunge, Kneed Alia in the stomach, and ran away "toodles!"

James looked at Alia, and went the help her up. "Are you okay?"

Alia shook James off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She muttered. Damn demon needed to leave them the hell alone for once. "Anyway, um, I think this is going to be a really rough month for us. I can go get breakfast by myself. There's no point in wasting gas when I need some fresh air anyway. Plus I'm sure the police are on their way, and I don't want those tags to identify us." Excuses. Maybe she was shit as protecting people and saving the world, but at least she could make excuses. "Walking's good for me, anyway." 

"I guess I'm gonna stay inside" James said. " to pack our stuff. See you when you get back, I guess?" He walked back to the hotel. James thought it strange that he was in a race to die.

Alia didn't go far. She only walked around the corner into the parking lot of the abandoned building neighboring the motel. Unsure of exactly what to do, she looked up at the sky. "Okay! Okay! This has gone on long enough!" The air stilled, and Alia hoped it meant someone was listening. "I'll be a vessel!" She waited for what felt like a very long time. It was dead silent until a shining form that blinded her descended from the sky. Alia covered her eyes and staggered back. 

 

A beautiful yet chilling voice asked her softly, "You volunteer?" 

The demon appeared. She was a tall, white blonde, with a body that attracted all women, or men; she wasn't picky . But she didn't care about them now. As tasty as fools can be, they were quite fattening, and she needed to cut down. There was also the fact that 2 new people wanted to be vessels! Things were going swimmingly for her. "What posses you to do such a thing? And... what do you have to give?"

"It doesn't matter why I want to do it. That doesn't concern you. I said I'll do it and that's all that's important." What could she offer? Well, that was a loaded question. "I could offer you my soul. Give back James and I's souls in return and you can keep mine." The demon didn't look impressed with the offer. "Or, um, um, anything else you want from me. I'm a hunter. You'll have all the information I do about where other hunters are and about our methods. Isn't that enough? You need me to do this." Alia had tried to sound like a confident bargainer, but her desperation finally bled through the facade. 

The demon laughed "That is the most basic plea I ever heard! It was just like that other boy Vince was talking to me about.'he's a Real idiot,' is what he said to me 'loves that girl too much for his own good!'

"James tried to--" Alia cut off. She should have known something was up with him and Vince. Her automatic response was to scold herself and scream at James, but she didn't have time for that. This might be her only chance at becoming a vessel. As long as he was safe, it didn't matter if she got a chance to cuss him out or not. "Well, um, what do you want? You can take anything I have. Just--I've got to be the vessel. I can't explain it to you, but I have to be!" She could feel tears springing to her eyes. What more could she bargain with? If the demon didn't take the deal then they were all dead. 

The demon looked at the girl, "desperation does not look good on you at all." She smiled "But it does smell savory..." She walked away. "Prove to me you want it better than James." Immediately, a limo rolled up, and a fashionably dress man with gold tinted glasses stepped out . "Lust! I've been looking all over for you. Boss man wants us, at the usual place!"

"It would be easier if you didn't drive everywhere, Greed." Lust said, as she got in the limo. She liked limos.

The car drove off, leaving Alia in the dust.

Edited November 30, 201311 yr by DEADACCOUNT2333

Alia took a step forward and had to force herself not to chase down the car. Prove herself? How was she supposed to prove how badly she needed to become a vessel? A demon wouldn't understand the human emotions that were guiding Alia's choice. Personally, she'd rather die than be a vessel for an angel she wanted dead, but this wasn't about her. It was about protecting other people. It was about doing the right thing for everyone else, even if it was the wrong thing for her. "Get back here!" She screamed, but the car was already out of sight. "Come on! Make a deal with me! Take anything!" 

James walked up. He saw the limo drive away in a flash. "Alia! " he ran up "A-are you okay?" Seeing her so sad, he lifted her up with sheer anger. "What did they do to you!?"

"Whoa, James, calm down. I'm fine. Nothing is wrong." All lies, but the words flowed smoothly. "I just got distracted. I'll get breakfast now." Since her plan had been a bust, she might as well bring James along. And now that she knew he was also offering himself up as a vessel, she'd need to keep a watchful eye on him. "You might as well come with me. With all the demons running loose around here, I don't want my hands full of donuts if I need to fight." She forced a smile onto her face. 

"Haha, yeah..." James said, slowly putting her down. "I just got ahead of myself. I'm sorry... Again." He felt such a fool. He started walking. "Let's go get those donuts, and then we'll hightail it out of here... This place is getting worse by the second." He was going to make her moments with him a happy one, because that's what he wanted to be rememberd as. The joy giver. Not just the vessel.

Alia didn't want to bring up the whole become-the-vessel thing. Since either one or both of them was going to die within the next month, she'd really rather they didn't spend their remaining time fighting. Alia didn't have much choice, though. She couldn't just let it go. "The demon back there said that you were looking to become a vessel." She paused for a moment and shook her head. "You have already sacrificed enough, okay? You're not going to be Lucifer's vessel, too. I told you, my time is already running out. I should do it. If--If I can overpower Lucifer just long enough for Michael to get in a good shot, then we'll have the world saved. And if it fails, I don't want you to be the one worrying about all the deaths it caused. That should be on my shoulders. This was my idea, and if this all goes south, you shouldn't have to face the consequences." 

James didn't say anything for a second. "What demon?" He played innocent, but it failed. He never was good at lying anyways. "What donuts do you want? We're slim on money. Call up one of your friends if we can."

"Stop. Don't change the subject, and don't even try acting like you don't know what I'm talking about. Demons are sleazy, but I know the truth when I hear it. You tried to become Lucifer's vessel." Alia couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice. "Why would you do that without telling me? What did you think was going to happen then? You'd disappear, I'd freak out and try to find you, only to learn you were possessed by the devil. And then, in less, than a month, we'd both be dead." She felt tears springing to her eyes, but she managed to stave them off. "I'm trying to help both of us here. Don't you see that? Are you that ready to let us both die for what might end up being a complete and utter failure? Do you really want the weight of thousands of deaths on your shoulders?" 

"I thought the angels might take mercy on you, okay!" James said. "Then, when I die, you can get your soul back! You could leave this job, have a life, you know!" He sighed. " I wanted to repay my debt to you. Why won't you let me?"

"Angels? Take mercy on someone? Are we even talking about the same angels here? Angels are dicks, James. They hate hunters and we hate them. I'm sure they can't wait to see me roasting in hell. They're just going to recommend that the demons make it worse." She shook her head. "James, I can never have a normal life. Hunting, well, you know what this life does to you, and I've been doing it even longer than you have. This screws you up forever. There is no way you can go back to being normal and, hell, half the time I question whether this is really even happening. What if we're all just nuts? If I went back to a normal life I'd fall apart. I couldn't tell anyone why I was terrified of walking outside. Why I salted my windows and doors, why I carried a knife--why anything freaked me out! I might as well die now and get all the pain I'd face in the future out of the way." 

He gave up. There was no way he could change her mind. He wanted her to be happy, and this wasn't helping. "Fine"

Alia was a little surprised that James had dropped the fight, but she was definitely relieved. She didn't want their last days together to be spent arguing. "Sorry about getting mad at you. I just, you know, I want us to have--" A voice cut her off. 

 

"There is no need for arguing here. Our perfect vessels refuse to cave, but Lucifer and I still each need a vessel. Of all the humans offering themselves up, I feel either of you is worthy of the cause. But be warned, this is not an end to your troubles. This is only the beginning." The voice could only belong to one person. Michael. 

"So, what angel are you. The herald of the obvious?" James said sarcastilly. He had enough of this angel metaphor bull. "What do we have to do, since we've been nominated?"

"Really, all you need to do is say yes," Michael's voice was nearly a whisper. "But Lucifer and I will not fight more than we must. You must work out among yourselves who will suffer which fate." 

 

Alia immediately turned to James. "I'm taking Lucifer. I don't want you to do this in the first place, but if there's no way I can stop you, you're going to at least be Michael's vessel. That's safer." Though Michael wasn't visible, she looked toward the sky. "He'll be safe, right? If you win, he'll be okay?" 

 

"It depends if he sustains mortal wounds or not in battle. But if not, I suppose he'll be fine." 

"That leaves me with you, Mikey-boy." Said James. "Let's get this over with." He held a tear back. This just might be it. This might be the end. The end for her. For us.

"Wait! Wait." Alia swallowed her fear. She didn't want her last words to be an incoherent string of blubbering. "James, I don't know what's going to happen after this. I--I assume I'll be dead. Maybe you will be too. But if you're not, please don't go looking for my soul, okay? No more deals. Just try to live a normal life. Or as normal and you can get. I don't want you screwed up forever. This isn't a life you should have to live, too. And if you don't..." She didn't want to consider the possibility, but she forced a smile. "Well, look for me in hell, then." 

He hugged Alia. He didn't want it to end, but like all good things, it had to. "I will find a way to get you back. I swear. Then we will get out of this together. You won't be there long. Promise." He outstretched his hands toward Michael. "I don't have all day. Well, I do, but I don't want a day. It will hurt more. I want it to end now. So do it."