Purgatory Can't Keep Us Apart

Chapter 7. Separate Ways

Cas

Eventually, Dean agreed to bind with Benny and get the hell out of there. The hunter took his angel's face in his hands and kissed him for a very long time. Dean knew that this might be the last time he ever saw the angel, but he hoped for the best.

Castiel saw a single tear slide its way down Dean's cheek to fall to the forest floor, a little piece of raw emotion in a cold, dark world.

"Wait for me...and don't do anything stupid..." Cas whispered as his lover stepped through the portal and disappeared. The angel sat down against a tree to wait. He took back everything he'd said about never feeling so alone. This was infinitely worse. Not knowing how long God would make him stay down there was already starting to drive him crazy. As long as there weren't any monsters around, he didn't see the point of moving anywhere.

Cas sighed and picked up the hatchet which Benny and Dean had left behind. Twirling it in his hands, he found it relatively easy to work with. He supposed it might come in handy.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Castiel, and he wondered if he could still hear Dean's prayers. The angel hoped that Dean would talk to him. It was already getting lonely down there...

Dean

Clayton, Louisiana. That's where Benny had sent Dean to bring him back. Trouble was, Dean had no idea where the portal had spit him out.

Why does it always have to be the middle of the fucking night? The hunter asked himself as he ran through yet another forest. It was dark like Purgatory but it smelled cleaner. Fresher, like millions of years of God's screw-ups weren't trapped there for eternity to rot.

"Hello?" He heard someone shout close by. Dean hid behind a tree near where he heard the voice. He watched the figure from behind the tree.

"Hello?" They called again. Turning to whoever was still in the tent, they said, "it was a deer."

The boy kept talking, but Dean didn't listen. He started creeping forward without watching his step, and accidentally snapped a twig.

"Wha- whoa, whoa!" The kid shouted as he spotted Dean. His girlfriend came out of the tent to hide behind him in fear. To be fair, Dean was a sight. It's not like they had showers in Purgatory.

"Where am I?" Dean demanded. When they were both silent, he shouted, "where's the road?"

"T-twelve miles that way." The boy stuttered as he spoke.

Keeping an eye on the two, Dean bent down and took their pack. He was going to need something in order to walk 12+ miles.

After running for some time, Dean noticed the sun starting to peak through the forest. He slid down to the base of a large tree to rest and opened the pack he'd taken from the couple. It contained two homemade sub sandwiches, a jar of pickles, and a bottle of coke zero. The hunter supposed it was probably their dinner for the next night, but he couldn't find it in himself to feel guilty. He sure needed it more than they did.

He ate everything but one sandwich, which he decided to save for the next day. The crook in his tree between two roots was relatively comfortable, but Dean couldn't sleep; he was still too high on adrenaline.

"Cas," the hunter prayed, "I don't know if you can hear me down there...but I made it safely. I miss you so bad. Stay safe, angel. I love you." Before falling asleep, he tossed the pack in the direction of the road so that he wouldn't get lost.

xXx

When Dean awoke, it was broad daylight. The sun shone directly in his eyes and birds assaulted his ears with their calls. This was definitely not like Purgatory. He got up and slung the pack over his shoulder, taking off at a jog.

The sun was setting when Dean realized that the forest was thinning out. It wasn't much longer until he came across the road. He didn't know how much it was used, so he sat down to wait. All of a sudden, it seemed, the moon was rising over his head and still not a soul had driven past. Dean stretched his legs out and set the pack behind his neck to sleep.

"I love you, Cas." He whispered softly up to the stars.

xXx

Dean awoke to a dull ache in his forearm and heard a rumble in the distance. He sat up, his whole body stiff from sleeping on the ground. The rumble, he realized, was a car headed in his direction. Standing up quickly and grabbing the pack, he waved to the truck as it approached.

The driver slowed and pulled up to where he stood, and rolled down the window to talk.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Dean said, "I hate to trouble you, but I'm lost, would you mind giving me a lift to the nearest civilization?"

The woman agreed and told him he could ride in the back of her pickup.

As it turned out, the 'nearest civilization' was in Maine. Dean sighed as he walked out of the gas station. It was late in the day (he must have slept longer than expected), so he thought he might as well find a place to hole up for the night.

The hunter found a small, dark alleyway that would be just fine for him. It was between a restaurant and a bakery, which made him notice how hungry he was. He realized that he hadn't eaten in a whole day, so he opened up his pack and pulled out the other sub. The bread was soggy, but it still tasted good. Before he could even think of sleeping, a stray cat ran down the alley next to Dean's legs chasing a rat. Besides that, the ache in his arm kept him alert, so he decided to just keep moving. He could tell it was going to be a long night.

By the time next morning rolled around, Dean had made it from Augusta to Lewiston. He was about to find a place to turn in for the rest of the day when a car pulled up next to him.

"Need a ride?" The girl - she looked hardly old enough to be considered a woman - called to him. "We're headed the same way, I can drive you as far as I can."

"Little lady," Dean responded jokingly, "does your mother know you have the car?" He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm 23, thank you very much. Now, do you want to keep walking all day, or are you gonna get in?"

Dean slung the pack off his shoulder and slid into the passenger side of her car. "Dean, by the way. Your name?"

"Oh, I'm Carmen. Nice to meet you, Dean. I sure hope you're not a serial killer."

"Do you pick up hitchhikers often?" The hunter asked, concerned.

The girl laughed a little, replying, "not the ones with the thumbs sticking out. And you're the first. So tell me, Dean, when was the last time you slept? You look like shit."

Dean smirked back at her. "Would you believe me if I said last night?"

"Not a chance. I can tell when you're being a liar."

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you. I answer your question truthfully, and you answer one of mine."

"Deal." Carmen grinned.

"Last time I slept?" Dean sighed, "two nights ago and the majority of that day."

"Tell you what, Dean. After I answer your question, you take a nap and I'll stop somewhere to get us both breakfast in a bit."

"That sounds like a very good plan." Dean nodded in approval. "So Carmen, tell me the truth. Did you just pick me up for my looks?" The hunter winked flirtatiously.

The brunette laughed loudly for a minute. Then she reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out a mini bag of skittles, and three it at Dean. "Taste the rainbow, man. I probably would have to agree to that if I wasn't 100% lesbian."

"Do you carry candy around everywhere?"

Carmen shrugged. "What can I say? If I have to face the outside world, I have to be prepared. Anyway, you have sleeping to do. We can talk in a bit."

Dean propped himself against the door with the sack behind his head to sleep.

A/N: So this chapter is going to have a part two, but I just felt like it was dragging on. This is easily my longest chapter. And yeah...Carmen is definitely me. So yep! Don't forget to be awesome! (Vote if you like it)
Love you all.
~Lesbianpanda