Wanted Dead or Alive | 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

7 - AFTERMATH

SEASON 1, EPISODE 19

Mara appeared to the Winchesters in a whirlwind of panic and commotion. Her heart was thumping in her chest so violently that Mara feared it would leap out of her throat, and her thoughts were racing too quickly to comprehend, even as Sam, Dean, and Kat stared at her with wide and curious eyes.

"Mara?" Dean's gruff voice asked. "You alright there?"

If Mara hadn't been caught up in a dizzying spiral of incongruous and frightening emotions, she might have smiled at the fact that Dean actually remembered her name. And yet, she could focus on nothing but her own harried breaths, her chest fluctuating at a rapid pace as she did her best to regain control of her own body. She'd never had trouble with transportation through the In-Between before. It was a tremendously perplexing matter - how a simple jump from one place to another sent her emotions into a tornado of uncontrollable mass - but she figured it had something to do with the fact that she'd left Meg's presence without receiving her permission to do so. That unsettling brought up another question: how had she done that?

Stepping out of the premises a binding spell was no easy feat, and she hadn't even attempted to do it. The only thought on her mind when she'd fled the devil's trap had been to run. It seemed that tearing something as strong as a reaper's bond would take more thought, or at least deliberate action, and Mara had provided neither.

Mara, having finally found the ability to take control of her own lungs, took a deep breath and managed to focus her thoughts. She would have to figure out the intricacies of what she'd done later, when she didn't have a trio of apprehensive hunters staring at her.

"Have you guys defeated the shtriga yet?" Mara asked, her gaze flicking from one Winchester to another. The hunters exchanged glances with each other, and Mara found that her own brow was furrowed in a coincidental reflection of theirs. She hadn't been gone for longer than an hour. Had they really forgotten their mission that quickly?

Dean cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, like a week ago."

A week? Mara shook her head, her hands reaching up to rub in circles on the temples of her head. She knew her body was out of control, but she didn't think a brief moment of confusion and pelting of unfamiliar feelings would also damage her awareness of time. The reaper couldn't help but wonder - no, hope - that this was one of their pranks.

"Is something wrong? What happened?" Sam spoke, taking a hesitant step towards Mara. Mara winced as she noticed the telltale signs of worry in Sam's face - a wrinkled brow, wide eyes, hands wringing in a nervous tic - this was no prank. She really had been gone for a week. But how?

Mara looked around the room in hopes that something would help her understand the chunk of time she didn't remember having passed, but all she gained from observing her surroundings was more confusion. The Winchesters were in a different motel room than they'd been in while discussing the shtriga, this room's walls carrying scents of flowering mold and cigarette smoke. As far as Mara knew, none of the Winchesters smoked, so they must've moved into this room recently, meaning they probably hadn't had the time to get rid of the repulsive odor.