Different Pick A Prompt - 13-1-3 - Runner

[missmara]

indigorayne requested 13-1-3 and... well... the basic premise comes from that ep, but with a Supernatural/The OC Twist to it. The Fandom/Episode info is after the story. Techncially I fall short of my 3,000 word promise, since this is only 2,764 words, but I did say 'about' 3,000... lol


Runner

Dean saw the heavier than usual wards on the fringes of the town, getting thicker and more complicated the further in he went, but also more recognizable. These wards weren't to keep the supernatural out, but to hide someone or something. He'd seen them before, in towns filled with corpses that had tried to hide a Runner from the demons. From Sam. He shook his head, wondering how many corpses there would be to bury this time, but stopped as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and shifted his rifle so he was ready.

"I know you're there, you mgiht as well come out," he called. "I'm not a demon. I'm a hunter," he added after a moment.

There was a noise behind him, and Dean spun, lifitng the rifle and aiming it at a teenage boy, maybe 17 at the oldest, standing with arms stretched out to his sides and a look on his face that was a mix of defiant and pleading. "You trying to get shot?" Dean asked warily.

"Yes," came the reply.

Dean saw the haunted look in the boy's eyes and almost flinched. "Show me your mark," he said, trying not to react. It all depended on who this kid 'belonged' to. If it was Meg, Azazeal or Uriel he'd do the favor. If it was Lilith he'd walk away. If it was Sam...

The boy slowly turned, lifting his shirt and revealing the intricate, almost glowing, markings that indicated he'd been branded as one of Sam's stock. They were all stronger, smarter, more powerful than the average Runner, and Sam hand picked them because he liked the game of letting them go for days, weeks, even months, then tracking them down and destroying whatever tiny bit of peace they might have found.

"You had to be one of his," Dean said with a sigh, lowering his gun. "I can help you."

"Do you know how many people have said that?" the boy replied, dropping hsi shirt and turnign abck to face Dean. "And guess how many succeeded."

"Known of them were his brother," Dean replied, seeing the sudden change in the boy's face. "Heard of me, huh?"

"The rumor is you're building an army," the boy said. "Freeing his Runner's, protecting them, readying them to fight."

"Not just me," Dean said. "I can get rid of the mark. And I can take you somewhere safe. You don't have to fight unless you want to, you can just be safe, in the one place not even Samuel can't get into."

"Why is that one place safe?" the boy asked.

"Because, he made a promise," Dean said. "And there's enough of Sammy left that he won't break a promise to me and Bobby."

The boy seemed to hesitate. "Can't you just kill me?" he asked, voice pleading.

Dean tried to hide how much the sadness in the boy's voice affected him. "Then he wins," he said softly. "I promise, I can help you."

"What if he gets here while you're in the middle?"

The corner of Dean's mouth lifted into a humorless smirk. "The other part of the promise. He can't touch me."

Finally, the boy nodded. "But if he comes... please..."

"I'll put a bullet through your head," Dean promised.

"Okay."

~~~

They didn't exchange names, just headed into the building the boy had made into his temporary home. Dean quickly drew the sigils on the floor, and directed the boy to sit in the middle of them, shirt off. "This is gonna hurt like hell," he said as he used his trusty coleman stove to heat his knife to almost glowing red. "Try not to flinch too much."

"Just do it," the boy said.

Dean nodded to himself and sat right behind the boy, one hand going to grip a shoulder as the other pressed the broad side of the knife across Sam's mark. The smell was nasueating as the boy's skin burned, but the boy himself only let out the tiniest of whimpers, holding completely still as Dean removed the knife and heated it again to move to the next section, obliterating it piece by piece. When he finished with the last section, the boy was shakign slightly, his back a mass of red, bleeding, blisters. "Done," he said, setting the knife aside and grabbing the ointment and bandages to try and patch the kid up.

"It's gone?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," Dean said. "You'll have some nasty scars, but... his mark's gone. He can't track you anymore."

"He'll still come here," the boy said.

"Which is why, as soon as I've got this wrapped, we're getting the hell out of dodge." Dean tilted hsi head, regarding the boy's tear stained face. "I'm Dean," he said.

"Ryan," came the reply.

"How long?" Dean asked.

"Almost two years," Ryan replied.

"You've done better than most," Dean said. "You should be proud of that."

"Of what? The fact that I got everyone I never knew and loved killed?"

Dean didn't have an answer for that, and they lapsed into silence.

~~~

Hours later, Dean glanced into the backseat of the Impala as Ryan moaned in his fevered sleep again. He wondered if maybe Sam ahd added some extra dark mojo to the mix, since the Impala was blessed by a friendly coven to not only keep running without gas but also as a place of healing and comfort. Most people who got inside began to heal rapidly as soon as they sat down, and it was impossible to be afraid inside the old girl, she made you calm and ready. But Ryan had remained anxious, and in a matter of a couple hours infection had clearly set in. Something was very wrong, but Dean knew there was nothing he could do until he got Ryan to Bobby's.

He hadn't been lying when he told Ryan about a promise that Samuel kept because Sammy had made it. Years ago, when Sam's quest to control his powers led to him making a turn towards the other side, Dean had tried to kill his brother, but hadn't been able to do it. Instead, he'd made a deal with Sam shortly before his transformation to Samuel had completed. Dean let the change happen, he wouldn't interfere and get himself killed. In exchange, Bobby's property, all 15 acres of it, was a Sanctuary amidst the ruins of the world. Samuel and his demons couldn't get within the boundaries of the compound, and anyone Dean took there, as long as they didn't have Samuel's mark on them, would be safe there.

It hadn't been said, but Dean was pretty sure an unspoken part of the deal was that Dean himself was offlimits to the demons. Lilith and Meg had always been out to get Dean, but they'd only tried once after the deal was made, and then Sam had shown up and stopped them, sending them both off somewhere with a wave of his hand.

"Clever, big brother."

Dean barely flinched as Samuel appeared in the passenger seat. "He's not marked, Samuel. He's not yours anymore."

"But don't you wonder why he's not comforted and healing?" Samuel said, mockingly.

Dean slammed on the breakes, turning to look. "What the fuck did you do?"

"You need to stop taking my toys, Dean," Samuel said. "So I changed how I mark them."

"What did you do?" Dean growled.

"Are you prepared to cut him opena dn burn his insides to free him," Samuel said. "I'm pretty sure it would free him from the world of life, too."

"You never said I couldn't remove your mark, Sammy," Dean said.

Samuel's eyes narrowed. "Do you think you can manipulate me, Dean?" he asked.

"Just let me have this one," Dean said. "One last win before you get to win again."

"Why?" Samuel asked, turning to look at Ryan. "I'll admit he's one of the more attractive ones. You wouldn't think he'd have such soft skin..."

Dean made a disgsuted noise in the back of his throat as Samuel pushed the mental image of assaulting the boy into Dean's mind, complete with screams for help and mercy, both of which went unanswered. "You're sick," he growled out.

Samuel laughed. "So it's okay for you to brag about your conquests, but not me?" he said in a mocking tone, so much like Sam's old complaints about Dean's ladies.

"He's a kid."

"Breaking him was wonderful," Samuel said, licking his lips. "Sooner or later he'll leave Bobby's. And then I can break him all over again. It'll be fun."

"Until then?" Dean said, jaw clenched.

Samuiel reached a hand back towards Ryan, and Dean fought the urge to try to stop him. As Samuel's hand passed over Ryan's chest and stomach, the boy let out a quiet sigh and his face relaxed as the peace of the Impala washed over him. "He's all yours, Dean, have fun. I did."

"Go to hell."

"It is nice this time of year," Samuelk said with one last smirk before disappearing again.

Dean started the Impala moving again, wanting to get Ryan to the safety of Bobby's, where Samuel couldn't touch him.

~~~

By the time they pulled through the fortified gates of the compound, Ryan was feeling much better and sat in the front seat, watching with bright eyes that took every detail in.

"You're sure they can't get in?"

"Positive," Dean promised, pulling up to the house as Bobby came out, somehow looking even more gray and rough than last time Dean had seen him. "Got you a new guy, Bobby," Dean reported.

Ryan slowly climbed in, his gaze sweeping the compound and the families within it, including the childrne playing in the diffuse sunlight, and smiled slightly.

"Bobby Singer," Bobby introduced himself, holding out a canteen.

Ryan frowned, confused.

"Take a gulp," Dean instructed.

Ryan still looked confused, but did so, smiling at the taste of the water, or rather the lack of taste. "You have a well?" he guessed.

Bobby nodded, taking the canteen back. "And a couple streams. The bad stuff stops at our border, doesn't came past it."

"I told you, this place is safe from Samuel and his minions," Dean said. "And now, so are you."

"Come on inside, you look like you could use a bath and some clean clothes," Ellen said as she came down the front stairs, wiping he hands on a towel.

"Ellen Harvelle's the mother hen of us all," Dean said. "Best to just do what she says."

"What's your name, honey?" Ellen asked, gently taking Ryan's arm to lead him inside.

Dean offered a reassuringly smile and nod when Ryan looked back over his shoulder.

"She'll take care of him," Bobby said.

"Samuel fucked him up bad," Dean replied.

"He's one of Samuel's?" Bobby asked, suddenly wary.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Why?"

"We've been getting reports," Bobby replied. "Some of his Runners have gone to the darkside, more demon than human."

"Not him," Dean said. "He begged me to kill him because of the guilt that everyone he met ended up dead. Besides, the Impala doesn't work on Demons or half breeds, and she worked on him."

"I trust your judgement," Bobby said as he and Dean headed inside. "But it's getting harder to save any of them."

"You don't know the half of it," Dean said. "Samuel visited en route."

~~~

Ellen put Ryan is Dean's usual room, and when Dean walked in, he found Ryan standign at the window and gazing out, wearing clothes Dean recognized as his own. "What do you think?"

"It's nice here," Ryan replied.

"It is," Dean said. "Almost like the world before sometimes."

"There's a lot of people," Ryan added. "And they don't seem afraid."

"They're not," Dean said. "It's safe here."

"Then why were you out there?" Ryan asked.

"I was looking for people to save," Dean said.

"Like me."

"Like you."

"I can really stay here?"

"You're not the first Runner we've cleared," Dean said. "There's a couple others here."

"How many were his Runners?" Ryan replied.

"You're the first," Dean admitted. "The others either ran from us, or attacked us and had to be put down. They were too far gone to save."

"I guess that means I'm special" Ryan said bitterly.

Dean flinched at the tone. "You held on to your humanity," he said. "So damn straight you're special."

"Special's not a good thing when it comes to him," Ryan said.

"Yeah, well, you're safe here."

"And what happens when 'Sammy' dies entirely and it's just him? Will he honor that promise?"

"The day Sammy dies entirely is the day I slaughter Samuel because there's no reason left to hope," Dean said.

"News flash, Dean," Ryan said snapped. "There isn't any reason to hope. He is not going to suddenly become your prescious brother again. He is a monster."

"Stopping saying he!" Dean snapped. "His name is fucking Samuel!"

"If I use a name, it makes him human. And that thing isn't human," Ryan growled before storming out of the room.

Dean stared after him, regretting the outburst, but at the same time feeling an exhilartion that came with actually fighting with someone.

~~~

"Dean thinks he failed Sam and the whole world," Ellen said as she sat down beside Ryan on the beack steps. "He was 4 when their mother was killed by Azazeal, and his father shoved little baby Sammy into his arms. After that, Sammy was Dean's job, Dean's mission. And then... then he couldn't protect Sam from what was inside him. He couldn't stop Sam from doing... all that he's done. So, he blames himself. That's why he doesn't stay here, because he thinks he can make amends by going out and trying to help people."

"He thinks he can save his brother," Ryan replied. "But he can't."

"How do you know?" Ellen said.

"I just... I've always known certain things," Ryan said, a little reluctant. If my skin touches someone else's, I know things. Dean's hand touched my should when he was getting rid of the mark on my back, and I knew."

"How do you know he can't?"

"Because he... Samuel..." he spit out, visibly forcing the name past his lips. "His skin has touched mine more than once. There's nothing good left in him, not even a thread of good. Just... just the darkness. And if Dean keeps trying to save Sammy, he's going to fall into the black with Samuel."

"Take my hand," Ellen said, offering it.

"Why?"

"I wanna test something."

Ryan slowly reached out to take her hand, and closed his eyes, expecting the worse. Instead, he felt a sense of safety wash over him, wrapping him tightly. When he opened his eyes, Ellen was nodding. "Thanks," he whispered.

"What you sense?" Ellen asked.

"Safety."

Ellen smiled, brushing her hand over his cheek. "Good. That's what I was hoping for," she said.

~~~

"He's a psychic," Ellen said when she found Dean and Bobby int he living room.

"What?" Dean asked.

"He's a psychic, Dean," Ellen said. "Skin to skin contact and he knows things."

"What kind of things?" Bobby asked.

"He knows that Dean thinks he can still save Sam," Ellen said. "Even I'd thought Dean ahd gotten past that."

"I'm never going to give up on Sammy," Dean said.

"Even if it means you end up taking that same fall?" Ellen said. "Don't you understand that's what Samuel wants?"

"He's my baby brother, Ellen."

"He's gone," Ellen replied gently.

"You think I don't know that?!" Dean snapped. 'But if I give up... if I give up then it's real."

"It's already real," Bobby said.

~~~

"I need to know," Dean said as he joiend Ryan ont he back porch later.

"Know what?" Ryan asked.

"Samuel showed up in the Impala on our way here," Dean admitted. "He said some things, and I need to know if they're true."

"What did he say?"

"More like he put images in my head of what he did to you."

"Are you asking me if he raped me?" Ryan asked, his voice completely flat.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, he did."

Dean nodded. "Then you're right."

"About what?"

"There's no saving Sammy, because Sammy's gone. He would have found a way to stop it."

"I'm sorry," Ryan whispered.

"So am I," Dean replied.

The End

Stargate: Atlantis - Season Two - The Runner
In the SGA fandom, Runners are people who were selected by the Wraith (Alien Vampires who, literally, suck the life out of people) to be implanted with a tracker and released on a planet so they cna be hunted down over and over again. Same premise here. Sam went evil and became Samuel, and Samuel thought that it would be fun to select certain people to hunt down over and over again, torturing them each time eh caught them, and then refreshing their body to brand new and sending them out again. Ryan of this universe may actually be in his 20's, but Samuel keeps refreshing his body to where it was when he was 17 and healthy.