Five Seconds Later

Chapter Nine: The Lovebirds

"For the last time Dean, you are not driving!" Cas argued crossly, righteously opening the door to the Impala and sliding in behind the wheel.

Dean began wrestling with Cas, laughing as he attempted to push the angel into the adjacent seat. Sam observed the two from behind, his eyes bright for so early in the morning.

"Knock it off, lovebirds," he grinned. "Let Cas do the driving this time around."

"We're not lovebirds." Dean grumbled, moving away and around the car to get into shotgun position. "Take it back."

"Whoa, okay." Sam frowned, shutting Cas' door. "No need to be so defensive! I'll see you guys tonight."

"See you then." Dean stared out of his window until Cas had started the car and actually driven it out the driveway and to the left.

"You don't need to be harsh with him." Cas offered, glancing at Dean's sullen face. "He will suspect something's up that way."

"I hear you." Dean muttered, switching the radio to some of his favorite classic rock songs. They drove for a while like that, the music playing louder than their thoughts. It was probably twenty minutes later that they reached a store worth looting. They had passed two neighborhoods in that time, but both men had agreed it was probably still too early in the days of infection to be raiding houses.

Cas parked the car carelessly over three spots, after deciding no one was in the store. He took the keys with him and once he had gotten out of the car, glanced warily at the gas station nearby. There was no one attending it, and it was possible that there would still be gas available.

"Come on, we've got to get moving." Dean slammed his car door and grabbed a stray shopping cart that had been abandoned in the parking lot. He wheeled it up against the door and slammed it as hard as he could to no avail. Cas grabbed a cart and followed suit, but his attempt proved no better. There were faint and distant growls that rumbled from inside the store, and Cas frowned.

"Are they attracted by sound or something?" he asked. Dean shrugged in an absentminded attempt at a reply. They kept trying the door until eventually, Dean had Cas step back and he shot down the glass panes. Once inside, Dean tossed Cas a flashlight and grinned.

"First one with a full cart wins!"

"Wait!" Cas widened his eyes. "We can't do that! There are some of those creatures in here, we just heard them!"

"We can handle ourselves, right?" Dean planted a soft, bristly kiss on Cas' cheek before the latter could process what was happening. "Good. See you here in five minutes."

He darted off toward an assortment of aisles and toppled shelves, leaving Cas hesitant in the shards of glass from the door. He sighed and began walking toward the back of the store, hoping that it wasn't yet raided.

It was a quiet and brisk trail that led to floors covered in dented cans and various useful items. Cas grabbed some duct tape he found lying around, as well as first-aid kits, empty gas tanks, buckets, towels, soaps, knives, and three brand-new generators that were still in the box. He grabbed a couple of lighters and candles as well, just in case. With all that in his cart, along with an assorted mix of preserved foods, he headed back toward the front of the store.

He must have been a minute into the walk back when he heard a snarl from behind him. With a nearly impossible set of reflexes, he unsheathed the knife from his belt and gripped it in his hand. When he turned, there stood one of the creatures, even more grotesque in the sunlight that was shining through the broken door frame. It had fresh blood dripping from between what once was a human grimace, and half of its head was torn off, leaving its rotting brain partially exposed.

"Dean!" Cas called in a panic, taking a futile slash at the creature. He heard an echo as various cans fell in the distance, and Dean said something, but it was muffled.

"MOVE!" cried out a voice from behind him, and he was roughly shoved to the side by a stranger with much more strength than he could ever have mustered. In half an instant, the creature lay dead in his midst, and he looked to see a young woman standing beside its rotting body. She had light brown hair that fell straight down her back in a motionless cascade, amber eyes that subtly searched every inch of his body to deem whether or not he was a threat.

"Who is Dean?" she asked harshly, taking the knife from the creature's listless skull and bringing it quickly to the base of Cas' neck. When he refused to answer, more in shock than stubbornness, she pressed it firmly against his skin.

"He's... he's my friend." Cas swallowed, acutely aware of the blade on his throat. "We came here together to look for food."

"Do you have a base?" the woman queried, tense and stoic in her interrogations. Cas was quiet until she pressed the blade deeper into his skin, one second of pressure away from bleeding.

"I can't answer that. I don't know you." Cas began to slowly reach for his knife that lay just inches away, but the woman noticed his movements and kicked it further away with a clatter.

"Well, let's get to know each other then. My name is Katharine Dixon." The woman moved from her crouched position and offered Cas a hand. He took it with much reluctance. "What's your name?"

"Castiel. Castiel Novak." Now standing, Cas cast a quick glance over to where Dean was supposed to be, but there was no movement in the darkness.

"I'm coming back with you." Katharine kept the gun out with her finger against its barrel, watching Cas warily. "Take me to Dean."