How to act human for Dummies (and angels)

5 The family business

"I think this is it," Sam said, pointing to one of the suburban houses on the left. Dean turned Baby's wheel slightly and parked her, avoiding some children crossing the street to get to the playground that could be seen at the end of the road. As the purring of the motor stopped, the brothers could hear the children screaming and laughing. Birds chirped somewhere in the nearby bushes. The family homes with their little brown fences and family cars parked in front of the garages, looked like miniatures. The green grass was clipped and mowed perfectly. No garbage lay around, daring to destroy the view.

The two hunters heaved themselves out of the car. Sam tilted his head backwards, closing his eyes. Dean leaned on top of Baby, he could see a blissful smile creeping up on his brother's face. "What a peaceful atmosphere." Sam opened one eye, and sighed deeply, "The sun is shining, children are playing, beautiful family homes left and right - "

"A vampire hiding amongst them."

"Wow, Dean, way to kill the mood."

"What?" Dean slammed the front door of Baby shut. "It's true. That's what we are here for, isn't it?" He walked over to the trunk and opened it. He checked the equipment needed for the job, making sure the weapons would work like they were supposed to. "Always be prepared," John reprimanded him in his head. "Should your weapon fail, you die. You don't wanna die, do you?". "No, Sir!" Dean pressed his lips together, and shoved the bile threatening to spill out back down. He couldn't let Sammy see his big brother just starting to cry out of nowhere.

Sam sighed again. He gazed at the houses. "Right, but it's scenes like these that make me wish we didn't know about all the monsters lurking in the night." He went through his hair with one hand, and looked at Dean, a wistful expression on his face. "Making me imagine what life could have been like for us, you know?"

"A peaceful childhood? Yeah right, as if that has ever been an option." Dean thought. He scoffed and grabbed his stuff, closing the rear door. "Come on, Sammy, family business calls. We got a job to do. Your sure the dad's not home?"

Sam checked his phone again. "Yes, he's at work for a few more hours."

"Ok then, off we go!" Dean announced. He looked left and right before moving to the back of the house they wanted to get in. He glared at the perfect green grass, the perfect little flowerbeds under the windows, and the tiny little metal figures with smiley faces, like it was their fault his childhood went to shits.

"Dean, I don't like this," Sam murmured, looking at the closed windows. All the curtains were drawn shut, no signs of life inside.

"Hm, you think I do?" Dean raised a brow.

"Of course not, but every time we have to do this, I feel like shit."

"Me too." Dean thought. Out loud he said "It's part of the job, so we have to."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you want the honor to let us in, or should I?"

"Don't care." Sam droned. Dean perked up at that. By now it seemed as all of the happiness Sammy had shown before had vanished.

"Ok, then I'll do it," Dean said, walking up the stairs. He tried opening the back door by pulling and pushing. It was shut. "That would've been too easy, right?"

Sam bitchfaced him.

Dean shrugged and pulled out his picklocks, thus finally being able to open the door for them.

"Open Sesame!" Dean grinned. Sam just rolled his eyes. The two brothers sneaked through the kitchen, listening carefully. Because all curtains were closed, the interior of the house was filled with a dim twilight. Dean blinked a few times, trying to make out the silhouettes of the furniture and his brother in the dark. Two open doors connected the kitchen to the hallway and another room on the left, probably the living room.

"Daddy, you home?" A high voice called from upstairs. Then the light patter of little feet could be heard, which then began stomping down the stairs, bringing the owner of the voice nearer to them.

Dean cursed under his breath. He hid behind the next doorframe. Sammy rushed beside him.

"Dad? Daddy? I thought you were still at work." asked the voice again. The footsteps shuffled towards the front door. " Huh, where are you?" Then the girl moved to the left, into the living room.

Dean peeked around the corner, trying to catch a glimpse of the girl. "Why did it have to be a cute lil girl? Why not some ugly old dude? Fuck." Dean gnashed his teeth, gripping his blade tighter. He signaled his brother to go the other way around, then moved silently through the hallway, cautiously avoiding the shoes lying around on the floor, a pair of men's sneakers, a child's rain boots, ballet flats. Dean arrived at the front door. He glanced to the left, making out a table with four chairs and a sofa, before quickly concentrating on the target in front of him.

The girl stood in the living room, gazing out the window through a little gap in the curtains. Dean raised his blade higher. She looked so frail, so innocent. It made him waver for a second.

The girl whipped around and shoved him. "Son of a - " Dean flew backwards. His head smashed into the thing behind him. Something shattered. A sharp pain went through his whole body. Dean slumped down. His ears rang. He couldn't see. Shards of glass dug into his head, his back, his hands. He could feel warm blood dampening his hair and jeans. As his ears slowly stopped ringing, he heard the vamp hiss and snarl. Someone grunted.

"Sam! Fuck!" Dean groaned. He tried to get up, but his legs failed him. "Come on!" he shouted at himself in his head. "Get up! You have to get up for Sammy!" His hands dug into the shards surrounding him. He bit through the pain, and heaved himself up. Then he stood there for a few seconds, huffing, fighting the dizziness. He squinted and tried to make sense of what he was seeing. His head pounded like hell.

Sammy was fighting the vamp a few feet in front of him. The sofa was shredded to pieces, the table broken. Sam had half a chair in his hands, desperately trying to keep the fangs and claws of the girl away from him.

Dean staggered forwards. "Protect your brother!" his father's voice bellowed in his head. The vamp's back was turned to him, which gave Dean his opportunity. He gripped his blade with both hands, staggered forward, and slashed through the little girl's neck, decapitating her. The head fell off and rolled over the carpet, glazed eyes now staring at the two hunters.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean huffed.

"We need to get outta here," Sam said, squinting at the screen of his phone. "He's getting back, gotta destroy some evidence and then be on our way."

"Mhm".