Roads Untraveled ~ Sam Winchester

Chapter Thirty - Left Behind

"We're getting close." Benny announced as they waded through a particularly dense bit of forest.
"Really? 'Cause I don't see crap." Dean grumbled. "I mean, what the Hell is this escape hatch even supposed to look like?"
"He doesn't know." Cas deduced.
"Hey, you just drug me through the fire, please tell me you know." Dean sighed.
"It's here. They promised." Benny told them.
"You keep saying 'they'. Who are 'they' exactly?" Elizabeth asked.
"A source I somewhat trust." Benny replied.
"Well, even if it does exist..." The Angel started.
"Broken record, Cas..." Benny huffed, walking ahead.
"Dean, it's a Human portal. There's still no proof that an Angel can pass." Cas uttered to his friend.
"Stow it, Cas. You're coming and that's final." Dean replied.
"I'm just saying," Cas sighed, grabbing Dean's shoulder to stop him. It was so abrupt, Elizabeth almost slammed into the back of them.
"Jesus, Pigeon. Don't just stop like that." She whined.
"Sorry." He muttered, turning back to Dean. "I'm just saying, if it doesn't work - thank you. For everything."
Dean gave a heavy sigh.
"Save the Hallmark." He said. "Okay? It's gunna work. Nobody gets left behind." With that, he walked on, leaving the Angel and Vampire to glance at each other sceptically.
"You don't think it's going to work either, do you?" Cas asked under his breath so that Dean wouldn't hear as they kept walking.
"I was being honest, earlier." Elizabeth shrugged. "I really don't see why it wouldn't. Like I said, you're not supposed to be here just like Dean isn't. This place wasn't made for you either... Having said that, I'll believe it when I see it."
"Thank you." Cas said. Elizabeth frowned, silently urging him to go on. "Not just for your honesty, but for everything you've done for me recently. You don't realise how much I appreciate it."
The Vampire gave a small smile as she looked ahead.
"You're most welcome... Pigeon." She smirked, giving him a friendly tap on the arm with her elbow.

They continued to walk for almost half an hour before Castiel decided to speak up again.
"Maybe you were lied to. Maybe there is no seam." He said.
"I lie. I don't get lied to." Benny retorted. "Aren't you guys all about faith?"
"Not particularly." Cas mumbled as they stopped to survey the area.
Just then, a leaf flew up from the floor to eye level in front of the group, then floated off. The four pairs of eyes followed it, seeing what looked like a glowing, light blue rip in reality a few dozen feet in front of them, on top of a ridge.
"Oh, ye of friggin' little faith." Benny smirked.
"What the Hell..." Dean breathed, staring at it in awe.
"There it is. It's reacting to you." Cas informed the Winchester.
"It's... Surprisingly beautiful." Elizabeth's eyes glinted in wonder.
"Alright, are you ready? Just like we talked about." Dean told his newest friend, grabbing his knife and pulling up his jacket sleeve.
"Now, don't let anyone think I ain't a gentleman." Benny chuckled. "Let the lady go first." He gestured to Elizabeth.
"How about you go first to make sure that the spell actually works?" Cas suggested, lightly glaring at the Vamp.
"I really don't give a damn who goes first, just hurry up." Dean hissed through gritted teeth as he made a cut in his arm.
Benny looked to Elizabeth, who shrugged and waved a hand out to him, beckoning him to go first.
"It's your deal. Just in case, you honour that deal and go first." She said.
Benny gave her a smile and nod, moving his gaze to Dean.
"I got a lot of trust in you, brother." He said.
"You earned it." Dean replied, dragging his knife through the Vamp's arm.
They took each other's arms and pressed their cuts together.
"I'll see you on the other side." Benny smirked.
"Conjunti sumus, unum sumus." Dean recited the spell, closing his eyes.
As soon as he'd uttered the last syllable, Benny's arm began to glow red and, before anyone knew it, he was absorbed into Dean's wound.
"Alright, come on, Vampy Pants. Your turn." He groaned in discomfort, but Elizabeth wasn't listening. She was facing the opposite direction, hearing rustling coming through the trees.
"We've got company." She said. "We need to get you up there. We'll do the spell next to the portal as soon as we're out of the way." She gestured up to the ridge top.
Dean looked to Cas, who nodded.
The remaining trio broke out into a run, getting up to the top of the ridge as fast as they could.
"Wait!" Cas called, just as two Leviathan crash-landed in front of them.
"Crap..." Elizabeth's eyes went wide, feeling their chances of getting that spell done rapidly diminishing to zero. She looked to Dean. "You need to go."
"I'm not friggin' leaving without you two." He scoffed, adjusting his grip on the Purgatory weapon in his hand.
The two Leviathan were no problem, but they could hear more heading towards them.
The trio quickly climbed the last few rocks.
"'Liza! Cas! Damn it, come on!" Dean yelled over the intense buzzing sound of the portal. He reached out to grab Cas' hand first as he was easier to reach and, in turn, Cas grabbed Elizabeth's, pulling her up the rock face. "Spell time, come on, gu-"
Elizabeth shrieked, cutting the Winchester off as a Leviathan grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her down.
"Elizabeth!" Cas yelled, looking down at her as three more closed in.
All the boys could do was watch on as she decapitated one, only to be bombarded by more.
"Go through. I'll find a way!" She shouted to them.
Cas took one look at her, then at Dean, making his decision.
He let go of the Winchester's hand, giving him a slight push as he did so.
"Dean! Go." He said, just as the portal swallowed him up, closing almost instantly.
As soon as Dean was clear, Cas slipped down the rock face to help Elizabeth.
He shoved one of the Leviathan away from her, holding it off long enough for Elizabeth to scramble to her feet and behead it, swinging around quick enough to do the same for the one who was coming up behind her.
"Come on, we need to get out of here." Cas told her, holding out a hand for her to take.
"Can you zap us out of here?" The Vampire asked.
Cas looked around at the dozen or so Leviathan that had accumulated, his expression grave. He shook his head.
"There are too many of them." He said.
Elizabeth nodded, wrapping an arm around the Angel's middle and another around the back of his neck. He looked at her with a confused frown.
"Brace yourself." She instructed.
He didn't even have time to nod before she Vamp sped off the ridge, not stopping until they were far away from the on-coming attack.