Wolvena

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had hardly noticed that Dean had come up and kneeled beside her and Duke as she spoke to him. It wasn’t until Dean had talked to Duke that she knew he was there. She wasn’t even aware that Sarah had quietly made her way in and lay across from them. She was so focused on Duke that everything around her had faded out of existence. She wanted, no, needed Duke to pull out of this, even though she knew in the back of her mind it would take a miracle for that to happen. When she felt Duke return her second kiss, she jumped but didn’t pull back until he broke it. As soon as she saw his smirk, Esme released a shaking breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Esem opened her mouth to say something, but Duke spoke first. It was hard for her to tell who that comment was directed toward most, but she welcomed hearing his voice after the silence. As Dean spoke, Esme lifted a hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks, only to jump again as Mika called him over for help with Cason. She instantly felt Dean's aggravation and anger rise.

As Dean got up and walked away, Esme placed her fingers on Duke’s lips. “Shh, no more talking. You need to save your strength.” she told him softly. She moved her fingers from his lips as she sniffled and looked down at him. “Just stay with me.” she breathed as she held him close. She then leaned down and placed a tender kiss on his forehead. Esme tried to pull herself together, she never did like Duke or Dean seeing her in this state, but it wasn't proving easy. Sniffling, she shifted carefully to make herself and Duke more comfortable before wiping away more tears from her cheek. It was then she realized she was shivering and cold, but she didn’t want to move to reach her jacket and cause Duke any pain. To get her mind off being cold, she focused on keeping Duke comfortable and as pain-free as possible by stroking his hair and taking most of his pain into herself. “We’re going to get out of here soon.” she whispered. Then Sarah’s movement pulled her gaze from Duke. Esme watched as she carefully moved around them and over to Esme’s jacket, which she then brought to her.

“Thanks, Sarah.” she told the Hellhound as she took it from her. Sarah gave Esme a soft nuzzle and white before laying down next to her once more. Esme carefully slid on her jacket and returned to caring for Duke as Sarah turned her head to look at Dean and Cason. Sarah fought with herself to go and help Cason, but his words about Esme kept ringing in her ears, so she stayed put at Esme’s side, keeping watch.

When Dean returned to Esme and Duke, Sarah quietly alerted Esme to him. Esme looked up at Dean just as he spoke to her. “Yes, let’s.” she said with a nod. She knew it wasn’t the greatest idea moving Duke, but she knew they had no choice. At Dean’s signal, she helped him get Duke into position to be lifted before getting off her knees with Duke’s other arm around her shoulder, then lifted Duke from the ground on his count, all while still keeping her shirt pressed firmly to Duke’s wound and making sure he hardly felt any pain. She walked with them to the barn door, only to be stopped by Anna. Her eyes saddened for the girl as she realized what was going on, they were leaving Cason behind. As Anna begged, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to her. Her heart went out to the girl, but they had to get Duke out here. Esme closed her eyes tightly briefly and sighed heavily, Anna’s cries tearing at her heart. When Dean began walking again, she followed along, a sick feeling overtaking her as she walked out with Dean and Duke quietly.

Sarah had taken to her paws and followed quietly behind the three, keeping close but not too close to alert Dean of her presence. When Anna stopped the three, her head kept darting between Dean, Anna, and Cason. She quickly picked up on what was happening, and it became even more evident when Dean and Esme continued to the barn door with Duke. Her head darted between Esme and Cason, a whine escaping her as she felt torn between who to be with. Sarah ran over to Cason and whined, then nudged his arm. His words about Esme rang in her ears again as she looked down at him. With a whine, she nuzzled his cheek and reluctantly followed after Esme, stopping briefly to pick up Duke’s hat on the way out. Sarah quickly closed the gap between her and Esme and took her place just a little behind Esme. As they walked to the cars, Esme kept looking up at Duke to monitor how he was holding up. “We’re almost there. Stay with us.” she told him.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme dropped her hand from her head, crossed it over her chest, and opened her eyes when she felt Dean become uneasy. Did he think she would still leave after she said she was staying? Before she could reassure him she was staying with a warm smile, Duke chimed in about the shower. “I never…..” She was cut short by Dean slapping the back of Duke’s head. Esme stifled a laugh as Duke spun around to look at Dean. Duke definitely had that one coming. When Bobby chimed in, she held back the grin that threatened to show itself. These two were acting like a couple of two-year-olds, and then it was taken further as they decided to play a game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who got the shower. Esme lightly shook her head as the game played out in front of her, with Dean winning and Duke being a sore loser. If she was being honest, she was glad that it was Dean who got the shower, knowing that once he had cleaned up, he’d be at her side checking on her. Plus, you could only do so much with a bucket of soapy water and towels.

As Dean moved around the chair and to the linen closet, Esme didn’t move from her spot on the wall. She didn’t need him seeing her stagger to a chair or the couch. When he stopped at the bathroom door and asked her not to leave, she looked at him with a soft smile. “I’m not going to leave.” she told him reassuringly. Her gaze shifted to Duke, and her smile faded as he stood from the chair. She watched his movements as he went to the linen closet, his hands in front of his face as if she would lash out at him again. She sighed softly as he raided the linen closet and waited for him to pass her to get to the basement stairs, but he stopped and looked down at her. She looked up at him as he spoke. “As am I. And we’ll see about that.” she replied after Dean yelled at him. After Duke went down the stairs, Esme stood up a little straighter, getting ready to attempt to walk to the couch, when Bobby stepped around his desk. She watched Bobby move the back into place, then pick up Duke’s hat and sigh.

When he spoke about Duke, she sighed a little. She could agree with the first part of what he said but wasn’t so sure about the other. “If you say so, Bobby. If you say so.” she replied tiredly. After the first impression she made, she doubted he’d want to be anywhere near her anyway. She shoved him into a chair and told him to shut up, and she insulted him in less than five minutes. She wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he had nothing to do with her after that. “I doubt I’ll get the chance to find out after what I did to him.” she said, pushing herself off the wall. She slowly walked over to the couch, deciding it would be more comfortable than a chair, occasionally catching herself on something as she swayed. Esme lowered her sore body to sit on it with a wince and slight hiss. She sank low to rest her head on the back cushion and crossed her arms over her stomach. Once comfortable, she closed her eyes, sighed heavily through her nose, and tried to clear her thoughts. She needed to relax and not get herself all worked up again.

But her thoughts went to the guy who told Sassy about the haunting. She still felt she needed to track the guy down and let him have it. She felt her anger rising the longer she thought about the guy, so she quickly tried to think about something else. Her car, she needed to fix up her car, then thoughts of how it got damaged angered her again. What could she think about to calm herself? It was hard to think of anything positive with her head still pounding, but it was dying off now she was sitting down. As she sat there, she cleared her mind of everything and focused on the bracelet on her wrist and its charm, which she was rolling between her fingers. Esme could feel herself relaxing and the anger dissipating. At this rate, she might doze off before Dean got out of the shower.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme vaguely heard Dean’s words when he spoke to her as she stood there trying to collect herself. “I know we will.” she mumbled against his chest. She knew they would find him. She felt it. It was how they would find him that terrified her more than anything, making her feel like a scared child. When Dean pulled her into his arms and pressed her forehead against his chest, she dropped her staff and wrapped her arms around him, sighing heavily. Her mind briefly drifted to when he would hold her like this when she was emotionally unstable, and just like then, even with his own emotions unstable, helped her pull herself together a bit. When she felt his grip on her loosen, she loosened her own and looked up at him as Dean placed his hands on her cheeks and whispered. “I will.” she whispered back, closing her eyes as he kissed her forehead with a sigh. Esme reluctantly let go of Dean as he stepped away from her. With a sniffle, she picked up her staff, turned to face Duke’s truck, and walked to its bed. Sighing heavily, she pulled down the tailgate and grabbed her duffle.

After unzipping her duffle, she collapsed her staff, made sure it was locked in place, and then placed it in her bag. As she stood there, Esme went over a checklist she had on her head on what she would need for this. She had everything she needed but ended up grabbing an extra knife out of her bag and tucked it into an inside pocket of her jacket. Zipping up her duffle and shoving it back, she closed the tailgate, turned around, and leaned against it as she waited for the others. She watched as they gathered themselves and what needed to go into this. Her gaze stopped on Natalia sitting in the Impala. Esme hoped she would be alright with that head injury while they went in to find the others. She didn’t look good at all. She hoped she would listen to Dean, Sam, and Mika and stay put until they returned. Her gaze then wandered to the barn as she absent-mindedly played with the charms on her necklace, rolling them between her fingers. A nervous habit she had never been able to break. “I know you’re in there. I can feel it.” she whispered to herself.

A little later

Esme followed Dean down the hill to the barn closely, but not too closely. He had asked her to stay close, so that was precisely what she would do. She had her knife in hand, unconsciously white-knuckling it at how tightly she gripped it. Her movements almost mirrored his, primarily out of muscle memory from all those years ago hunting together. At this moment, her body was just going through the motions while her mind was focused on getting into the barn and finding Duke, Anna, and Cason. Her main focus being Duke, knowing his injury. With her back pressed against the barn, she watched Dean assess the situation, giving a nod of acknowledgment when he held up two fingers to the group. Of course, there would be at least two posted out front, possibly waiting for the group to show up, and possibly more waiting in the wings for a possible trap. Esme waited for Dean to make his move, then moved around him, preparing to take on any demon that came out of the woodwork. By the time she moved around Dean, he had taken out the demon and was moving toward the other, but he smoked out.

Cowered, messenger, or both? She thought to herself moments before Dean made his own explanation. “Right. Neither do I.” she replied. Esme hesitated to move with Dean toward the barn door. She wasn’t ready to see what lay behind that door. It wasn’t until the door was open and she heard Anna call out Duke’s name that she moved. Then she saw Dean’s knowing look, causing horror to grip her heart tightly. As she ran to the door, she saw Dean reach out to stop her and heard him tell her to stop and let him go in first. She couldn’t stop. Not after seeing that look in Dean’s eyes. She blew right past Dean, dodging his arms and running into the barn. She stopped long enough to look around and see Anna and Cason against the far wall of the barn. She was relieved to see her alive, but Cason didn’t look so good. Her eyes soon fell on Duke’s bloody hat, and her stomach knotted in worry. “Duke!” she called out to him. Then she saw him. He was in a dimly lit corner with his back to them. She couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.

“Duke!!” Esme nearly screamed his name as she ran over to him, sliding to a stop on the straw beside him. Her knife fell from her hand as she dropped hard to her knees at Duke’s side. Reaching out, she rolled him over on his back with careful hands, her breath catching in her throat as soon as she saw his pale face and bleeding stomach. He didn’t look good, not good at all, but he was still breathing. “Duke? I’m here. We’re all here. Can you hear me?” she said to him, fear gripping her tone as she tore off her jacket and threw it to the side. Then, she tore off one of her shirts, placed it on his bleeding stomach, and pulled his head into her lap. Tears welled up in her fear-filled eyes as she cradled his head in her lap. “Duke, open your eyes, please. Please…. Duke…. Open your eyes.” she cried, brushing his hair and straw from his pale face. Esme leaned forward, placing her forehead against Duke’s, unable to control the tears now streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t…. Lose you. Not after I just got you back. Stay with me, Bright Eyes.”

“I love you, Duke.” she breathed shakily. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this could be the last time she could tell him, especially with the state he was in. She sniffled and pressed a kiss to Duke’s head, praying for him to open his eyes and say something, anything. She’d even be happy with a little joke. Lifting her head from his, Esme looked down into Duke’s face as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. She felt utterly helpless. She was losing him, and there was nothing she could do about it. Fear and rage bubbled within her gut at the thought of losing Duke and not having the means to prevent it. Even with calling Bobby for help or taking him to the hospital, she knew, in the back of her mind, his chances of survival were slim with the severity of his wound. Even being someone with unique abilities, she could do nothing but ease his pain and keep his mind calm. Yes, it was something, but it wasn’t enough to save his life and keep him with her. Sniffling once more, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I love you, Bright Eyes.” she mumbled against his lips and kissed him once more.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

When Duke chimed in from her insult, Esme quickly shot him a glare, seconds away from reacting before Dean stepped in, saving Duke by covering his mouth. Her eyes shot back up to Dean as he began to speak, to attempt to explain his recklessness. When he paused, she started to ask if he wanted to elaborate, but Bobby beat her to the punch. So she remained quiet and let him continue. Esme’s eyes never left Dean as he explained what happened during their hunt. She took in his words, her gaze not softening a bit. However, as he explained, she couldn't deny that what he said was true. No matter how much she wanted to believe in that moment, thanks to her state of mind, they went in recklessly, knowing the entire situation. If he had been lying, she’d know it. She was practically a human lie detector, thanks to her empathic abilities. But then. Right now. She needed someone to vent all her rage and frustration on, and poor Dean and Duke just happened to be the ones to get it. Bobby had gotten an earful from her after her shower, but nothing like what the boys got.

When Dean spoke about how they knew how Vampires were, she nodded slightly in response. Her eyes then jumped to Duke when Dean mentioned him getting snatched. “Of course he did. He looks like the type to get into trouble.” she thought. She opened her mouth to speak, but yet again, Bobby beat her to the punch, echoing the questions burning in her mind. Dean’s reply caused her to sigh heavily. Of course, Dean couldn’t leave Duke behind. No matter how bad things were, it wasn’t in his nature to leave anyone behind during a hunt. She had seen that on a few occasions, and being one of those people, he hadn’t left behind. Relaxing her crossed arms, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes with a heavy sigh through her nose, her shoulders relaxing slightly. But it was clear her rage hadn’t dissipated.“For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never been able to leave a man, woman, or child behind.” she said, fighting to use a calmer tone. Esme breathed in deeply and slowly let it out a few times, trying to calm herself without much luck. She still needed to get out her frustrations.

She still needed to beat, kick, and yell at someone or something or just go somewhere and scream at the top of her lungs to release it all. “I believe you, Dean.” she sighed. “I have no reason not to.” She fell silent as she continued to lean against the wall with her eyes closed. Then, she tilted her head, bringing a hand up and placing it on her now pounding head, and closed her eyes tighter. All this rage and yelling, on top of being thrown around earlier, had caused her head to ache as if someone were beating on it like a drum, and the smell of the two boys wasn’t helping it either. “Now go and take a shower. You reek.” she told him bluntly. She didn’t move from her spot on the wall, feeling she wouldn’t reach a chair before hitting the floor from the light-headedness settling in. “And don’t worry, I’ll still be here when you get out. I don’t plan on going anywhere after the day I’ve had.”

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme stood there glaring at Dean, watching how he reacted to her lashing out at him. It was clear he could see how pissed off she was by his actions and facial expressions. Then, to make her mood worse, Duke spoke up and stepped towards her. She shot him a nasty look, and he repeated himself. She did her best to hold her tongue and not lash out at the cowboy as Dean told him to shut up, but he didn’t listen. The more Duke tried to talk to her, the angrier she became. She wasn’t talking to him. She was talking to Dean. Esme clenched her jaw and balled her fists tighter, causing her nails to dig into her palms so deep they bled. Her eyes darted back to Dean as he began to explain himself, only to be interrupted by Duke, who flashed a bright smile as he spoke as if he was proud of the whole situation they had been in. That was what pushed Esme over the edge. His proud smile caused Esme to snap and see red as she looked back at Duke with daggers in her blue eyes. She’d had enough of him speaking.

Esme stepped toward Duke, then shoved him into the chair Dean had pulled in front of himself. “Sit down and shut the hell up, Cowboy! I’m not talking to you! I’m talking to Dean!” she yelled at him, missing Bobby’s joke. If he opened his mouth one more time, she would punch him, making sure it was hard enough to knock him out of the chair. “Open your mouth again, and I swear you’ll regret it!” she warned. She didn’t care to hear whatever Duke had to say. She didn’t know the man and didn’t care to know him. Esme was half tempted to pull her gun on him to make sure he kept his mouth shut. She then lifted her daggered gaze back up to Dean. “Now! Explain to me why you went into a Vampire nest half-cocked with only this moron as back up!” she demanded. After everything they discussed about going into a hunt half-cocked before she left, she wanted to know why he went ahead and did it anyway. Esme was so zoned into him, and hearing what he had to say, she hadn’t noticed that the gash on her eyebrow had begun to bleed again. As she waited for his answer, Esme crossed her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one leg.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme stood there with the group, her mind began to numb from all her emotions hitting her at once. Anger, fear, and slight helplessness were the strongest. She couldn’t lose Duke, not now. Not after finally having him back. She planned to do everything possible to find Duke and have him back at her side. She wasn’t leaving this farm until she found Duke there or knew where he was taken. Esme swore this to herself. At Dean’s second outburst, she was pulled from her numb mind, knowing precisely who he was speaking of when he said they needed to find him. He was referring to Duke. Then came his comment about Cason. She winced, knowing that wouldn’t sit well with Natalia. And just like clockwork, Natalia yelled at Dean, defending Cason. Then Mika spoke up, echoing her thoughts about this not being the time for arguments. Esme stood there, only able to listen since it was hard to get a word in edgewise. Plus, she felt this was slightly more between them and not her. Esme was close to walking away from the squabble about Cason when Sam asked what the plan was, causing her to sigh silently.

Esme nodded to Sam’s words even though he was talking to Dean. That was the most logical thing for them to do so that things didn’t end up even worse for them. Then Natalia spoke up again. She knew Dean wouldn’t go for that, but Mika chimed in before he could say much. When Sam asked about the barn, she shook her head and mumbled no. Esme had no arguments about going inside the barn. The way she saw it, it was the only option they had. She turned her head to look at the barn, taking in how the light from inside was shining through the holes in the roof and how they hadn’t been heard by anyone with how loud the group had been. She turned her head back as Dean spoke, nodding in agreement to regrouping. She felt she needed more than what she currently had with her. Then Dean turned overprotective brother as he talked to Natalia, which ended with him looking at her with a fearful and knowing look, causing her breath to catch slightly. She understood the look. Her look back echoed the same. She was worried they’d find him dead in the barn.

As Dean stepped away from the other and walked over to her, Esme pulled her staff from the ground. His worried sigh caused her to tense up before she looked at him as he spoke. His words stung, and she gripped her staff until her knuckles turned white. How could he ask her to prepare herself for what they might find? No one could prepare themselves for finding a half-dead or dead loved one somewhere. She softly nodded as he brought up how they both knew how Duke was. Yes, she knew full well how he was. Esme then placed a hand on Dean’s arm out of habit. “I can’t promise you I can prepare myself for this. I don’t know how, but I’m not going to lie. I’m terrified about what we might see in that barn.” she told him. Esme closed her eyes tightly and sighed heavily before continuing. “If we find him……..” she couldn’t bring herself to say the word. “I know I’m not going to be able to handle it. I will lose it.” she said, looking up at him. “I’m not as strong mentally as you always thought I was. I don’t handle loss well.”

As they walked back to the cars, she kept her hand on his arm in an attempt to keep them both somewhat grounded like she used to. Whatever they found in that barn, at least they wouldn’t be seeing it alone. A knot formed in Esme’s throat as she walked alongside Dean towards the cars, Duke’s well-being and Dean’s mental state heavy on her mind. When Dean repeated himself, she gently squeezed his arm. “Dean, we’re going to find them, and then we’re all going to get the hell out of here.” They were going to find them. When Duke’s truck came into view, the knot in her throat grew bigger, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn away from the truck. Esme dropped her head and closed her eyes tightly. She breathed deeply to control the tears that stung her eyes and threatened to show themselves. “Come on, Esme. Keep it together.” she breathed. “You have to stay strong.”

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme sat behind the wheel of a ‘68 Chevelle she shared with her father, glaring at a decrepit house she had just come out of. She was told this would be an easy one-ghost-and-done case. She had found three ghosts within its crumbling walls while also falling through its floors, thrown through its walls and doors, and into various kitchen, living room, and bathroom items. She was covered head to foot in bumps, cuts, scrapes, debris, and ectoplasm from the whole ordeal. “There's only one. It’ll be easy, they said. You won't need help, they said.” she grumbled. “Hell, if they call that easy. I'd hate to see what they call difficult.” Esme then placed her forehead on the back of her hand resting on the steering wheel, closed her eyes, and released a heavy sigh through her nose to collect herself. “This has been one hell of a day. It started with demons with Sassy early this morning. Then, it was the long drive to this place with these three ghosts: an older man, a woman, and a young girl. She could only assume that the woman and girl were victims of the man by what she found inside.

The man died of a self-inflicted gunshot after being cornered by the police. She was here for him, not the other two. Now that it was over, she could go to Bobby’s, get cleaned up, and take a breather now that she had nothing else to take care of. She sighed and shook her head. “Where did this guy get his information, and how did Sassy know him?” Esme sighed to herself. Suddenly, her car roared to life, with the keys still in Esme’s pocket, then quickly slammed into gear. “What the hell!” she yelled in surprise, lifting her head. The engine revved, and the car peeled out, heading straight for the house. “Oh, hell no!” Esme stomped on the breaks, but it was no good. She took hold of the wheel with both hands, trying to turn it, but the car kept its heading. She turned to the door and grabbed the handle, only to have the door immediately lock her in. Desperately, she tried to pull the lock up and open the door, but she couldn’t get either to budge. She moved to the passenger door only for that door to lock, and the car hit a bump.

She bounced up, hit the car's roof, and then face-planted on the seat. Groaning, Esme pushed herself up to sit in the seat. Quickly searching through her pockets, she finally found her phone and pulled it out, but before she could use it, the car jerked hard to the right, causing her to hit her hand on the window and drop her phone. Dazed, she felt around the seat, then bent down to search the floorboard for her phone. When her fingers finally landed on it, she quickly grabbed the phone moments before the car jerked to the right again, causing her to hit her head hard on the steering wheel. Sitting back up in the seat, she held the phone tightly in her hand, opened it, and selected Sassy’s number, but before she could call, the car swerved and hit a large planter sitting in the front yard. “You son of b…..” she started before another large planter was hit. Her car was now driving through the large yard in front of the decrepit house, hitting or driving over anything in its path. With a growl in her throat, Esme finally managed to dial the number and hit speakerphone.

She dropped her phone in her lap when the car went through an overgrown flower bed, which caused the car to bounce. Esme grabbed the wheel once more, trying to gain some control of where she was headed while listening to her phone ring. “Come on, Sassy, answer the damn phone!” she growled. Finally, she heard a hello on the other end. “Sassy, I need your help! That wack job you got your info from is a damn liar! There’s more than one here, and one has possessed my car with me in it!” she yelled. “I need you to find out who it is! I’ve already taken care of the perv, along with the woman and child that showed up!” There was silence on the other end of the phone after Esme had finished talking. An eerie disembodied laugh could be heard in the car. The laugh sent a shiver down her spine. “She’ll never get you the information in time. You'll be dead by the time she finds out who I am.” the voice said with another laugh. “SASSY!” Esme practically screamed the woman’s name into the phone. “I’m on it!” was the reply she got back. “Hurry!”

While waiting to hear the woman’s voice again, Esme was bounced around in her car, and was getting ever closer to the house. If this ghost weren’t so content with toying with her, she would have already been driven into the house. He was taking her on a joyride through the whole yard and taking out anything that got in the way. “Esme! I think I found him!” the woman’s voice came through the phone. “Damn!” the ghostly voice yelled. “You’ll never hear what she has to say.” The car turned sharply and drove for the house. “Talk quick!” Esme yelled before she felt invisible hands wrap around her neck. She gasped for air as she reached up to her throat. “Esme! ESME!” she heard the woman scream. “Who!” she gasped. Before Esme could hear the answer, her car smashed into the house, and her throat was released. Her car traveled several feet before coming to a hard stop after hitting something solid. She was thrown forward and hit her head on the steering wheel, making her see stars. Deep laughter in her ears drowned out the screams of panic coming through her phone. Invisible hands wrapped around her throat.

“You’re going to die here, Hunter!” the ghost breathed in her ear. He squeezed her throat tightly, pushing her back into the car’s seat, and she struggled against her unseen enemy. She needed salt. Esme checked the pockets where she usually kept handfuls of salt, which were both empty. “Dammit to hell.” she choked out. She had some in her pant pocket, but how could she get to it? It was going to take work. With effort, Esme worked her hand into her pocket and wiggled a vile of salt out of her pocket as she gasped for air and was close to blacking out. Esme popped the top and threw the salt around the car. The ghost screamed as he released Esme. She coughed and gasped for air as she slumped over in the seat. She grabbed her phone off the seat and held it up in a shaky hand. “Sassy? Who is it?” she asked hoarsely. There was a relieved sigh before she heard what she needed. “His name is Bartholomew Burgess. He’s the brother of…. Him.” she said quickly. “The two had done everything together. He owns that house.” Esme groaned. “Of course he does.” she sighed.

Rolling forward, Esme pulled out a belt of salt vials and an iron bar. Without another thought, she sat up and bolted out of the car, throwing the belt over her head and wearing it like a sash. Esme rushed through the house, collecting anything that could be linked to Bartholomew and using the salt and iron when needed. Throwing everything into a pile, she threw salt on it, then lit an old piece of cloth with her lighter to set it all ablaze. She waited to hear his scream but heard nothing. “Dammit to hell. It wasn’t any of that.” she growled loudly. “You're mine now!” Bartholomew howled as he appeared a few feet away. That’s when she saw it. Throwing salt at him, she bolted for the next room, grabbed an old hat sitting on a chair, and then ran back and tossed it into the fire. That was it, but she couldn’t stay to watch the job get done. The old house suddenly began to buckle in on itself. Esme bolted for her car as everything crumbled around her. Pulling the keys from her pocket, she jumped in, slammed the door, and tried to start her car.

The engine wouldn’t turn over. “No, no, no. Come on, girl. Don’t do this to me.” she groaned, wiping away blood from her eye from the gash on her eyebrow. “I’ll get you all fixed up at Bobby’s. I promise.” she said sweetly as she continued trying to get her car to start. The engine roared to life. Putting it in reverse, she stomped on the gas and backed out. The front of the car nearly cleared the house before it collapsed. “You really know how to make me panic, don’t you?”

Two hours later

After arriving at Bobby’s, Esme grabbed her duffle from the trunk and took a few steps towards the house. Then, she turned back to her car and winced at the sight she saw. “If Daddy were to see you like this, he’d kill me for sure.” Esme breathed. She did not attempt to knock on the door since Bobby knew she was coming. She called him to let him know she was a few hours away. He had met her at the door in his usual manner after walking in. “Hey, Bobby. Long time no see.” she smiled tiredly. He gave her a light scolding compared to what he usually gave Dean, even after she explained everything. He then sent her off to shower, telling her he’d have a beer waiting for her when she finished. “Thanks, Bobby.” she smiled warmly. After getting cleaned up, dressed, and her hair dried, she made her way to Bobby’s desk, where he poured himself over a book and two beers sitting on his desk. Esme then sat down, grabbed one of the beers off the desk, and took a long drink before setting it back on the desk with a silent, content sigh.

She talked to Bobby for a while about what had happened since she was last around and what had gone on that day, getting herself fired up again. That guy needed to be shot for what he had pulled today, and she would gladly do it if it kept him from getting other hunters in the mess she was in. She had gone silent for about twenty minutes, getting lost in her thoughts, before the boys came through the door. Bobby’s sudden movement pulled her from her thoughts, but she didn’t move from her spot, even when she heard Dean’s voice. She knew better than to walk in while Bobby was scolding Dean. Esme did listen in, though, and didn’t like what she was hearing from Dean and the other voice. It was causing her anger to rise more. When the company question was asked, she took that as her cue to show herself. Standing from the chair, she walked into view and looked directly at Dean, a fire burning with her blue eyes already. The sight of him didn’t help matters. She didn’t even look Duke’s way. “What the hell, Dean?!” she yelled, taking a few steps towards him.

“I thought we had talked about not going into things half-cocked and without backup before I left! I thought we had an agreement! But then I come back and find you like this! Looking as if you barely got away by the skin of your teeth!” she vented with clenched fists. The thought of him going into a Vampire nest half-cocked and not having enough backup infuriated the hell out of her. If she had had her beer in hand, she would have probably thrown it at him for his stupidity and knowing he was close to getting himself killed. She didn’t come back just to find him like this. She didn’t want to yell at him, but him like this, on top of everything else she had dealt with today, was just too much for one day.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme walked, Dean overtook her stride, causing her to walk faster to keep up with him. She was sure she held her staff higher on her shoulder as they went so that it was not too close to the ground to trip over. As she walked behind Dean, she gripped her staff lightly and tried to keep her thoughts positive, which was difficult, with Dean’s worry hitting her so strongly. She didn’t have to be an Empath to know just how worried Dean was. He had those he cared for missing, just as she did, as after what they had been through tonight, how could they not be? They had no idea if they were alive, dead, or on the edge of death. It was enough to make anyone sick with worry. And as worried as she was for the whole group, most of her worry was for Duke since she knew he had a significant injury. She prayed that he was still alive and that she wouldn’t find him dead somewhere in the barn. As strong as she made herself out to look, she wouldn’t be able to cope with losing Duke at the end of all this.

Even with her mind racing with all the possible ways they could find the others, Esme was sure to watch for more demons since neither knew how many were still around and if they were planning an ambush as they searched for everyone. Then they rounded the corner of the barn, and there was Mika, alone, with demons running off into the night. A silent sigh of relief escaped her lips. Yes, the two hadn’t hit it off that great, but she was still glad to see the woman alive. When Dean grabbed her hand and pulled her long, it was like a blast from the past, and out of instinct, she wrapped her fingers around his hand. She would have smiled at the familiar action if this had been any other moment. When Dean dropped her hand, she was snapped back into the present. She slowed and slowly walked over to Dean and Mika, keeping a little space between them. While Dean checked on Mika, Esme scanned the darkness around them for any signs of movement. She could see nothing, and she could hear nothing but Dean and Mika and crickets, causing her to chew her lip in worry.

Suddenly, Natalia’s voice called out to them. Esme quickly turned to see the woman in the darkness walking towards them on unsteady feet. She quickly rushed over to Natalia. “I got you.” she told her as she wrapped an arm around her waist and then led her over to Dean and Mika. Moments later, Sam found them and told them what had happened on his end. “What!?” she said almost in unison with Natalia. Esme’s jaw clenched at the news. Anna had been taken, and Duke and Cason were missing. Jamming the end of her staff into the ground, Esme released a heavy sigh through her nose as she closed her eyes and ran her free hand through her hair with worry and frustration. “Where the hell are you?” she mumbled, as it sent pain through her tender shoulder. It took every ounce of her willpower not to pass Natalia to Sam and bolt into the darkness to search and not care about how dangerous it was going alone. Opening her eyes, she looked at each person around her, stopping on Dean as if looking for answers or what he was thinking, knowing his mind was racing from the news.

No matter what was going through his mind, the look in her eyes clearly spoke of what she wanted to do and what she felt she needed to do. She then looked over at Sam. “I couldn’t find Duke after we were separated. The last time I saw him, he was…… Stabbed in the stomach. By the time I could return to where I last saw him, he was gone.” she said, her worry for Duke evident in her tone. She half wished she could go back and rip that female demon’s head off herself. Esme’s fist clenched at the thought of Duke lying somewhere, bleeding out, while she stood there doing nothing but talking about what had happened. She had to find him, and soon.

All Roads Lead To You

Name: Esme Stirling

Species: Human/Empath/Hunter

Age: 23

Appearance:


Relation to characters (optional): She had become a friend of Dean after meeting him on a hunt with her father.

Bio: Esme grew up with a hunter father and a non-hunter mother. Her father had attempted to leave his hunter's life behind him when he found out his wife was pregnant, but the life was one you could never really escape. From a young age, Esme’s father had begun to teach her about the things that go bump at night, which she picked up quickly, to her father's surprise. He called her a natural-born hunter. From then to the present, Esme has lost her mother to a Hellhound, has learned many tips and tricks from her father and other hunters she has met.

Weapons: A silver knife and a pistol. She also has a duffle bag with bullets, a couple more pistols, a machete, crosses, salt, holy water, lead pipes, and iron bars.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme did her best to stay aware of her surroundings while she followed along with the group, but not well enough because a female demon almost got the better of her and Duke. She barely had enough time to step back as a female demon came out of nowhere and took a swipe at Duke. She barely had enough time to lean back and take a step away before the woman came for her, which Duke blocked with his hand, causing her to wince as he cried out. Taking another step back and using her staff, Esme regained her footing. She turned to Duke to call out to him but stopped when a giant male demon entered her sight. Esme took a few steps back, holding her staff out to shield herself, causing the demon to grin. “Aww, look. A scared little rabbit to play with.” he teased in a deep tone. Esme gripped her staff tighter, glaring up at the demon, who had to have been a wrestler in a former life. “Scared rabbit? Sure.” she hissed. “I’ll show you a scared rabbit.” she breathed. Esme charged him and swung her staff, which he caught with a gloved hand.

With one quick pull on her staff, the demon pulled her off her feet and quickly wrapped a hand around her throat. “Damnaidh!” she breathed as his grip tightened around her throat. He then yanked the staff from her hand, tossing it to the side and squeezing her throat tighter. She gasped for air and tried to free herself from his iron grip, but it was useless. She looked over his shoulder and saw Duke holding his own. Then she scanned the demon’s body for any exposed skin, but all there was was his face, which she couldn’t quite reach.“How do I always get tangled up with the giant ones?” she questioned herself. Wrapping her hands around his arm, she kicked at him, but he was just out of reach. As her vision began to go hazy, survival mode kicked in, causing her to remember the salt in her jacket pocket. She plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled a handful of salt, throwing it into the demon's face. He howled, throwing her to the ground pawing at his face. “You little bitch!” he growled, kicking her in the stomach just as she got a lungful of air.

She felt the air leave her as she grunted, then rolled to the side to dodge his foot aimed at her head. Coughing, she shakily took to her feet, holding her aching stomach. “Why don’t you just give up? You know you can’t win this.” he sneered. “Never.” she coughed. Esme held her ground, watching the demon with unwavering eyes. He then charged her. She held her ground until the last minute. She moved to the side, dropped to one knee, pulled a knife from its sheath, and threw it at his back. It struck in between his shoulder blades. His howl of pain and anger echoed through the barn. While he fought to reach the blade, Esme took this chance to grab her staff. Once her hand landed on it, the demon had abandoned the idea of pulling out the knife and charged her again. Quickly taking to her feet, Esme charged the demon, then dropped into a slide and swung her staff at his shins, sending him face-first into the ground. Standing, she looked over to check on Duke, only to realize he was not doing well. He had been backed into the barn by the female demon.

Esme wanted to help, but her hands were full with this giant demon. Just before the demon could get to his feet, she ran over and bashed his head with her staff a couple of times. She then pulled her knife from his back and was going to attempt to plunge it through his heart, but stopped halfway through when she saw the female demon stab Duke in the stomach. “Duke!” she cried out, which gave the male demon an opening. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her off her feet. She landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her. “Aww, the little rabbits Cowboy lost.” he chuckled as he got to his feet. Fighting for air, Esme grabbed her staff and knife, then scrambled to her feet before the demon could land another attack. Placing the hilt of the knife in her mouth, she charged the demon, barely making him out through her blurred vision. Instead of dropping low like last time, she jumped and aimed for his throat with her staff, only to have him duck and dodge her attack. “Nice try, little rabbit. You’re too slow.” he laughed as her feet hit the ground.

Then, she heard Duke yell out for her to run, his tone sending a shiver down her spine. She spun around to see the female demon coming for her. There was no way she could fight off both on her own. Then Sarah came out of nowhere and attacked the female, sending some relief through Esme. Esme went back to fighting the male demon with everything she had. The fight had taken them around to another side of the bar. She had been thrown into some farming equipment and the side of the barn, resulting in her left shoulder being dislocated and her losing her weapons. When Sarah finished with the female, she found Esme on the ground and stood at her side protectively. “You have a Hellhound?.....” he yelled in surprise, looking as if he was ready to bolt. A smirk came to Esme’s lips at the fear she saw in his eyes. “Sarah, if you would.” she said to the Hellhound as she got to her feet. Sarah pounced on the demon and pinned him to the ground, growling. “You’re human. How can you see it?” he yelled. “Sarah, shut him up, please.” she asked the Hellhound softly.

Sarah leaned in, growling and baring her fangs in his face in a threatening manner. He flinched at Sarah’s actions, not daring to look her in the eyes. “How the hell did you tame it?” he asked, lowering his tone. Holding her left shoulder, Esme walked over and peered down at the demon, a smirk still resting on her lips. “Who said I did?” she responded flatly. She then turned and walked off a few steps before turning back around. “He’s all yours, Sarah.” she told the Hellhound. Turning, Esme looked around and collected her weapons quickly. As much as she felt like putting that demon through the ringer, she knew now wasn’t the time. She needed to gather her weapons swiftly and get back to check on Duke and the others. As she gathered her weapons, she could hear Sarah rag-dolling the demon and then crushing his head. Sarah made her way over to Esme and gently nudged her with a whine. “I’ll be fine. We need to group up.” she told her. Esme slipped her knife into its sheath and used her staff to steady herself. The two walked around the barn to where Esme last saw Duke.

He wasn’t there, only a blood stain on the ground from where he had been. “Hellfire!” she hissed. “I hope one of the others found him and got him out of here.” she told Sarah. As much as she wanted that to be true, something told her it wasn’t. “Come on. We need to keep looking for the others.” Esme walked as quickly as she could, using Sarah as support and noting how quiet things had gotten, giving her a sinking feeling in her gut. The two rounded the corner of the barn, and she could see Dean just at the other end. She was going to attempt to get his attention when a rogue demon popped up out of nowhere. Sarah reacted and quickly took it out. “Nice work, Sarah.” she told her softly. Esme pushed on, and Sarah returned to her side, watching for more stray demons to pop up. They were clear the rest of the way to Dean's position, and she couldn't have been happier. “Dean! You good!” she called out when she was within earshot. As she closed the gap, Sarah slowed and hung back a bit, ensuring not to unnerve Dean with her presence.

Once the gap between them had been closed, she stopped, stuck her staff in the ground, and held onto her left arm. She looked around; the others were nowhere in sight. “I’m assuming you don’t know where the others are either.” she sighed, looking back at him. Esme closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it through her nose to get her worry for Duke under control. “How did this go so wrong?” she said mostly to herself, opening her eyes. “We need to regroup. I hope one of the others found Duke during all the chaos. He got stabbed, and I couldn’t get to him because I was in a fight of my own.” she told him. Now that she had that off her chest, she needed to do something about her dislocated shoulder. There just happened to be an electrical pole on that side of the barn. Esme walked over to it, pulled a leather glove from her pocket, and placed it between her teeth. Then, she lined her left shoulder up to the pole. She breathed in and out, giving a few practice rocks towards it to make sure she hit on the right spot.

Taking one last breath, she let it out and slammed her shoulder against the electrical pole, putting it back in place. Esme bit down on the glove and groaned from the pain shooting through her shoulder. She leaned against the pole momentarily before breathing deeply through her nose and pushed herself off the pole as she released it. Taking the glove from her mouth, she shoved it back into her pocket, walked back over to her staff, plucked it from the ground, and looked at Dean. “Come on. Let’s go find the others.” she almost whispered as she rolled her left shoulder back and began the search for the others.