Once again, a silence falls over the whole world. Both Dean and his mom stare at each other in stunned silence.
Dean's mom: Say something to me.
Frozen solid. The sound of breathing and fear fills his ears. He can't speak. The only thing he can do is shake his head very slightly. His mom tilts her head slightly in anger. She begins walking towards him. Dean backs away, continuing to shake his head, this time more aggressively. He falls off the couch but that doesn't stop either of their advances.
Dean: No. No no no no no no no.
His voice is faint and cracking, like he's about to cry. But the tears don't come. The unpredictable demon coming towards him keeps him from crying. The looming threat of hate.
Dean's mom grabs him by the face, squeezing it until it hurts. Her nails dig slightly into his skull. He doesn't react however. His body is too distressed to feel anything. But he can still see. See the terrifying expression on his mothers face. It's indescribable. Full of anger, confusion, and sadness. Yet it somehow looks like she's not feeling a single thing at all. It only fills Dean with more dread than he already felt.
Dean's mom: Tell me what the hell was just on my tv, Dean. Now.
Dean: I-I-I-I-I-I-I… No…
She slaps him across the face before grabbing it again. Her eyes widen as she stares directly into his, like she's trying to see into his brain and find out the truth herself.
The grumbling of a car pulling into their driveway can be heard. Dean tries to turn his head and look, but his mom holds it in place.
Dean's mom: Dean… just tell me before your father gets in here. If you don't tell me, you're going to regret it. Trust me.
She's caught off guard by the sound of keys jingling, as Dean's dad unlocks the door. Dean takes this chance to push his mom off of him and run.
Dean's mom: DEAN!
She reaches out quickly to grab his leg. It only leads to Dean crashing into the couch. He yelps into the cushion, muffling the sound, before crawling over it. His mom tries again to grab his legs but he kicks her away. Only her arms are kicked, but it still makes her even more angry. Dean falls off the side of the couch and hits the ground with a whump.
Dean's dad: Woah now what'd I miss?
Dean's mom: SHUT UP!
Dean's dad: Okay okay. Sorry sorry jeez.
His mom starts chasing after him. Dean is able to get into his room and lock the door. His mom pounds on the door, screaming his name.
Dean's mom: DEAN! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! TELL US WHAT HAPPENED!
Dean crawls into his bed, wrapping himself up in his blanket and hiding his head under his pillow. He pushes the sides of the pillow into his ears. The muffled sounds of his mom screaming, and his dad also yelling, but in an attempt to calm her down overwhelm him.
Dean: Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Please please please please just shut up. Shut up. Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!
He screams violently into his mattress. The pillow is thrown and Dean starts pulling at his hair. His screams turn into sobs as he starts slapping his ears. They turn red from the force. The sounds of his mother's screams are drowned out by the familiar sound of ringing. He begins to feel dizzy. Like everything is twisting and melting into a spiral because of his breakdown.
Dean: WHAT DID I DO!? WHYYY!? WHY COULDN'T I JUST LIVE!?
A minute of heavy breathing passes before he finally begins to calm down. But not fully. He's still full of terror at whatever awaits him when he opens that door.
He quickly begins getting changed out of his pajamas. Putting on his shorts, shoes, and his spare blue hoodie. All the while, his mom's screaming continues. His dad joins in since she explained everything to him. Dean was packing a backpack full of supplies, but stops. His annoyance takes over.
Dean: JUST SHUT UP ALREADY! YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!? I KILLED JACK!
The whole world turns silent again. The only sounds being Dean's heavy breathing, and his attempts to not cry. His parents don't speak. Instead, they let him explain.
Dean: A-... Apparently I have the power to create portals. The uhh… the birthmark on my chest is the part that glows. It's blue. Like my… My hoodie.
A tear falls down his face. A drop of snot slowly drips down onto his upper lip, causing a tickling sensation. He quickly wipes his nose and sniffs before speaking again.
Dean: I didn't mean any of it. I was being choked to death. I did it unconsciously. I don't even know how to do it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
He falls to his knees, covering his face with his hands.
Dean: I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry.
He continues to hold back his tears, but it becomes increasingly harder by the second. He can barely speak without feeling like he'll break out into sobs.
Dean: I… I just… I don't know. I just want things to go back to normal. Please… Please don't be too mad. Help me through this. Please. I can't…
Before he can continue, his mom cuts him off.
Dean's mom: And you thought… That it was a good idea to come home after all that? You really thought we'd still accept you as our family?
She begins to laugh. Dean looks up in confusion, all his hope for normality being grinded down to dust.
Dean's mom: You really thought that you could just come home!? Are you insane!?
She begins to seethe with anger.
Dean's mom: I thought I could love you, Dean! I tried! I thought you'd be different! But no! You had to be the same didn't you!?
She bangs her hands on the door, slowly falling to her knees as she too begins to sob.
Dean's mom: WHY COULDN'T YOU BE DIFFERENT!? AM I NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A NORMAL CHILD!? WHY CAN'T I JUST HAVE A NORMAL FUCKING CHILD!?
Dean: W-what… What are you even talking about!?
Dean's mom: YOUR BROTHER!
It comes out as a crushed screech rather than an audible sentence. Dean can barely make out what she's saying.
She continues to bang her fists on the door as she sobs. Dean's dad gently pulls her away and speaks through the door.
Dean's dad: You made my wife cry. Not your mother. Get out of my goddamn house, Dean. You don't belong here anymore. Stop tormenting us. Just let us live with our failures.
Dean can barely speak. The hurt and confusion overwhelm him. His stomach hurts.
Dean: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME SORT OF EXPLANATION! I HAVE A BROTHER!? PLEASE! DON'T JUST TOSS ME TO THE SIDE LIKE TRASH! GIVE ME SOMETHING! PLEASE!
A loud slam can be heard through the door, causing Dean to fall back, his eyes widening. He assumes it's his dad's fist.
Dean's dad: You will never be loved.
The words hit Dean right in his heart. Speechless. Defeated. The sounds of his mom crying become slightly more faint as they begin walking away. The sound of approaching sirens replaces the missing noise. Panic fills Dean again.
Dean (Inner): My bag! It's barely packed! I-I-I don't have time!
His instinct takes over as he rushes to the window, fumbling with it for a second or two before finally getting it open. He dives out and lands on his arm. He screams internally, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
The police cars can be seen down the road, getting closer and closer at an incredibly fast rate. He ignores the pain in his left arm and begins sprinting away. The screaming of the sirens gets louder, not only because they're getting closer, but also because Dean's panic is making it louder in his head. He squeezes his eyes shut and smacks himself in the head.
Dean: Stop! Stop! Shut up! Shut up!
Screaming behind him, but he can't hear it. He guesses that it's the police screaming for him to stop. But he doesn't listen. He couldn't stop if he wanted to. His instinct has taken full control over his body. His legs moving faster than they ever have, and his lungs feeling like they're seconds away from imploding.
Bang.
Time stops. Dean's eyes widen as he realizes what the sound is. While everything is, in reality, moving at normal speed, it all feels unbelievably slow to Dean.
Dean (Inner): That was a gun. They shot a gun at me. The bullet's gonna hit me. This is it, isn't it? I'm gonna die. But… I can't. I don't want to die. I still have so much I wanted to do. I still need to find that brother that I apparently have. I need to see Ashley's concert. I need to fall in love, get married, and start a family. So many things I still need to do. But now I can't.
The bullet hits him.
Whiz.
Splatter.
Pain.
Tingle.
Portal.
A portal instantly opens up in front of him when he gets hit. He falls through. As it closes behind him, he begins violently tumbling down a hill in the middle of a forest. Probably the one with the creek. Branches stab into him, and rocks pound him as he crashes down. After a few seconds, he stops rolling at the bottom, landing on his side.
He clutches to his arm where he was shot. The same arm he landed on when he dove out the window. The bullet only grazed his arm. It'll heal on its own as long as he doesn't mess with it. But it is still bleeding, and stings pretty bad. For some reason, that's the only pain his mind is focused on, minus the emotional pain. The bleeding from being cut by sticks and the bruises from the rocks aren't felt. At least not yet.
Dean: H-how…? How am I alive? Why am I alive? I should be dead.
As things quiet down, Dean is finally given a chance to soak everything in. He thinks about everything that has happened to him in the past two days. He begins crying again. The moment he starts, he grips his arm where the wound is. His nails dig into it, which only makes it worse and more painful.
Dean: Stop. Stop. I'm pathetic. I can't cry. I've cried too much. I'm a man. I can't cry. I just have to suck it up and move on. But… It hurts. Everything hurts.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Words leave his mouth that he's said thousands of times. But this time, he means it.
Dean: I hate this.
He sits in silence, letting the sound of nature drown out his negative thoughts. His whole body is in pain, but he chooses to ignore it. His face is blank. Like he's dead.
Dean: What am I going to do now?
Prologue End