SPN Fic 7 (1/1)
Title: The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep
Category: Futurefic, Darkfic
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Dean
Summary: Post-apocalypse snow, woods that are lovely and dark and deep…do I really need a summary for a 630-word fic?
Warnings: Post-apocalypse, Darkfic
Word Count: 630
Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the property of its creators and the CW network.
Author’s Note: I was reading Robert Frost and got inspired to write a fic. And this is what came out! Go figure.
A special thanks to my beta kokoda2007 who is so awesome.
The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost
Dean takes a deep breath and enjoys the feel of the air stinging his lungs as he trudges through the snow. The snow’s falling so thickly that it’s difficult to see the old road sign just a few feet ahead, but that doesn’t bother him. In a couple more years most of those signs will be gone anyway and he knows his way around.
Dean slings his rifle over his shoulder and lights himself a smoke. There’s blood smeared on the back of his hand, a splatter from earlier he’d neglected to clean off. For a moment that terrible pain’s back, the one that feels like a dozen fishhooks pulling inside his gut. He takes another deep breath and wills it to go away.
He kicks snow off a tree trunk and sits down so he can clean off the blood and finish his cigarette. He’s glad he’s on his last stop so he can head back before the snow gets too deep.
There are thick woods lining the old highway. In this light the bare trees look like wise old men, silent witnesses to the destruction of man. The utter stillness is so peaceful he could just stay here on this log, stay here and let the cold take him.
It’s almost Christmas. Dean can’t believe that it’s almost been two years since Sammy brought him back, since Sammy sacrificed everything.
He jogs the next quarter mile but slows to a walk again when he sees the lights of the farmhouse ahead. Looks like a God-damn Kinkade painting.
He circles around the house and there’s only an old man in there. The militia isn’t in the farmhouse then, but he knows they’re here.
He hammers on the door of a small shack behind the main house. “Bobby Singer sent me,” he yells.
There’s a sound of metal against metal as a barricade is lifted, this shack may look rickety, but it’s serious shit.
The door opens just a crack and someone splashes holy water on Dean. Then the door opens wider and he’s allowed to step over the salt line. He’s led into a cellar crammed full of people. There are boxes of food stacked in one corner and an arsenal hanging on the wall. There’s a picture of Sammy and written across his face in red paint is one word-antichrist.
There’s a small boy huddled in the corner holding on to his little sister, a blanket across their shoulders. Dean looks away from them and the pain in his stomach weakens to a dull ache. He un-slings his automatic and opens fire.
When he gets back on the road the snow is still falling in giant flakes. His hands shake, but he lights up a smoke and takes in a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the air in his chest. It’s strangely quiet out on the road where even his footsteps are muted by the powder. Dean imagines he can hear snowflakes hitting the earth.
End
Author's Note 2: I've never written something like this and am usually really stand-off-ish about writing description. My husband read this story and said he was surprised I'd written such crap (and he's usually really supportive so he gets props for honesty), my sister read this story and exclaimed "post it!" I sat on it for a month until I finally got up the guts to send it off to my buddy kokoda2007 who had some awesome suggestions and gave me the final push to post it. I'd really like to hear what you thought.