To The Beat Of The Devil's Drums [Supernatural]

Pirate Cove

The ride is exactly the rip-off of Pirates of the Caribbean Dean expected. Not that he's ever been to Disney World, but the movies are enough to clue him in as he passes the model pirate ship by the entrance, ragged black sails hanging from the mast and the name The Blue Pearl painted on the side. Way to fucking miss the point.

There's no time to give it more thought as No Face gains enough ground to swing at him again. Dean ducks, but the blade clips him, drawing a shallow cut across his shoulder blade. Well that's Sam's jacket ripped now too, he thinks bitterly, adrenaline reducing the pain to a dull throb. He needs it as he approaches the rope barriers organising the line to the door and throws himself underneath them, hoping that will slow the mechanoid down. It just ploughs straight through, dragging the ropes and stands with it, but it's enough to prevent it taking another swing as Dean rushes for the entrance.

Inside, it's dark. Dean doesn't glance back as he heads down the ramps to the boarding platform, but he's grateful that maybe the low light will help him hide. If he can lose No Face in here, then he can make it to Sam.

There's just one boat waiting in the docking area, sitting in the narrow channel of water as it waits to be dragged along the track, but with the power off, it's not going anywhere. Dean doesn't even consider it, jumping straight into the water and wetting his jeans to the knees again. He wades forward into the ride.

Without any power, it's almost pitch black beyond the entrance. There's a narrow stream of light coming in from a hole in the roof, but whether that was placed there intentionally or not, he has no idea. Silhouettes and shadows rise up around him as he makes his way forward, and as he sees the shapes of the displays he scrambles for the dry ground either side of the track. Just as he clambers up beside a pirate sitting atop a rum barrel, he hears a splash behind him. Dean ducks down behind the model, peering out to see the silhouette of No Face having just passed the entrance. Two dots of light glare bright and menacing in the darkness.

It stands still for a moment, casting its gaze around, and then begins to walk forward. Each footstep makes an eerie, quiet splash.

Dean waits, heart pounding so hard he swears it will give him away. She must know he's here. If she wants the automaton to find him, then hiding will do him no good unless he can somehow muffle the sound of his heart, yet to his immense relief No Face walks right past without appearing to have noticed he's there. It takes several more steps, looks around again, and then disappears further up the track. Several more heartbeats pass in silence. Dean lets out a long, slow breath that he didn't even realise he'd held. He considers heading back to the entrance, taking his original route out now that No Face is wandering around looking for him somewhere in here, but then he hears a mechanical rumbling somewhere nearby and the lights begin to flicker. Dean's blood runs cold. The power is coming on.

He becomes aware of the metallic creaking behind him just in time to turn and see a pirate mannequin swinging a cutlass in his direction. A cry of surprise escapes his throat, and he leaps out of the way only to slide down back into the water again. He turns to look back the way he came, praying to see a clear path, but there's another mannequin advancing on him from that direction. Its sword is raised high, an eyepatch over one of its eyes while the other is painted blank white.

Fuck.

The first pirate lunges for him again and Dean scrambles up onto the opposite bank to get away. They seem unfazed by the water, splashing down into the canal and advancing on him, but they're clumsy as they try to climb the sides. It gives Dean chance to run.

He knew this was coming. Should have prepared for it far sooner before he had chance to get himself trapped. If there are mechanoid clowns she's got control of, then mechanoid pirates was practically inevitable. And of course they're fucking everywhere on this ride.