Decomposing. Rotting. Dying. Dean continued to lay on the dirt for hours, waiting for something to happen. Anything. It didn't matter. He could get arrested, eaten by an animal, or the world could implode. He wasn't moving until something happened.
The bleeding in his left arm has more or less stopped. It continues to sting like hell, but it's progress. The cuts and bruises don't feel particularly great either, but it's all still manageable. His breathing has turned into soft wheezes. His lungs hurt from his running earlier, as well as the tumbling. Breathing in too hard only causes him to start coughing. More pain. All he can physically feel is pain. Mentally on the other hand… That's a different story.
Dean (Inner): Get up. Stop lying here. They're going to find you. You'll die. Get up, Dean.
It's like the voice isn't coming from his own head. Like it's his conscience taking mental form and commanding him. He doesn't listen.
Dean (Inner): You need to pee. You need to eat. You're thirsty. You're tired. Do something.
Dean: Shut up. I can't do anything. This is it for me.
His whole body is screaming at him. "GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!" But his mind won't let him. The mind sits, silently suffering. Degrading itself.
Dean (Inner): Pathetic. Worthless. You couldn't do a single thing right. You killed someone. Just die. You've already taken a life, now take your own before you kill more people. No one needs you anymore. You mean nothing. All you are is a threat. An embarrassment. A failure. You will never amount to anything. Your name will be forgotten the moment you die. No one will care. Just give up and die. Lay there and wait for nature to take its course.
Soft footsteps can be heard in the distance. Past the trees, a silhouette appears. Dean's legs instinctively push him back, despite his mind's constant refusal. His nails dig into his arm, causing the bullet wound to begin bleeding again, if only slowly. The creature approaches, coming more into the light. Dean chuckles very lightly upon realizing what it is.
Dean: A deer. I was scared of a deer.
He continues to lay there, staring at the deer, as it stares back. It lowers its head as its footsteps slow down. It's examining Dean. He feels a little nervous as it continues to get closer. It has large antlers, indicating that it's a male. Dean internally jumps as it stomps its foot down.
Dean (Inner): What's going on? Is it gonna hurt me? It keeps getting closer.
His heartbeat quickens, as well as his breathing. The deep breaths make him start to cough, but he keeps it down, not wanting to alarm the deer. He starts to sweat, just wanting the moment to pass.
Dean (Inner): Please just go away. I'm not going to hurt you. Please just leave me alone. Please.
Only around fifteen seconds have passed, but in Dean's nervous state, it feels like a whole lot longer. Eventually the deer lifts its head up, and its tail starts to wag. It turns around and walks away from Dean. His coughs finally come out, but as laughter.
Dean: Was that it? What just happened? Am I not dangerous? I would hope not.
As his breathing and heartbeat slow down again, he can feel the motivation to get up. It's very faint, but he takes advantage of it, putting his hands on the ground and lifting himself up. His legs shake and his body aches, but he does it. Once he's up, he interlocks his fingers and lifts his arms up over his head. His stretch causes more pain in the bullet wound, but overall it's a satisfying experience.
He bends down to stretch his legs, and lets out a loud sigh as he does. A small smile forms on his face as he fully stands up.
Dean: Alright let's get out of here. Somehow.
He whips his body around to walk from where he came from, completely forgetting how he arrived there in the first place. The memory punches him in the face as he sees the hill behind him. Whatever smile and hope he had instantly crumbles into nothing as he falls to his knees.
Dean: That's right… I fell through a portal. How… How am I supposed to get back? I don't even know where I am.
His eyes widen as he snaps his head back, looking over his shoulder. He holds his breath and stops moving, trying to listen. Nothing. He had hoped that this would be the same forest with the creek, but he can't hear anything. In that forest, the calming sound of running water could be heard no matter where you were. It was like a beacon. But here, Dean was abandoned by that light.
Dean: Awesome. That's so cool. I just love that.
He jumps up onto his feet and kicks the ground in anger. For the past few hours, all of his emotions had been buried under the surface of a blank stare. But now they're out on full display. He grinds his teeth and pushes his palms into his eyelids. A few seconds later, his right hand drops down to cover the bullet wound.
Dean: Stop! Just stop hurting! Please! It stings so bad!
He furiously stomps to his feet and begins walking in a random direction.
Dean (Inner): I'll find something eventually if I just keep walking. I could find a town, in which case I'll try to get some bandages and food or something. I don't how but… I'll figure it out! Or I'll just keep walking for days and die. And if I don't die, I'll reach the ocean, in which case I'll just drown myself.
Dean: And now is not the time to need to pee!
He grumpily stops walking and groans loudly as he starts peeing, staring off to the direction where he'll be walking. The second he finishes, his walking continues.
His head pounds. His stomach growls. His eyes try desperately to close. His whole body wants to lay back down and sleep. Yet he doesn't stop. He keeps moving. His emotional flame continues to rage, powering his mind to push forward despite the setbacks.
The day turns into night. Dean persists forward. Past the spread out oak trees, and around the shrubbery. His hand remains over his bullet wound as he walks, trying to keep it from getting infected, and letting his body slowly heal it.
Dean (Inner): I need to find something. I need to get somewhere. Please. I can't keep doing this. I need to sleep. I need to wrap my arm up. It hurts so bad. My head is pulsing. It's horrible. I hate everything about this.
His legs ache like nothing else. Absolutely every part of his body hurts in some way.
Dean: Maybe I would've gotten somewhere by now if I wasn't walking like a goddamn snail!
He tries to quicken his pace, even by a little bit, but it only brings more pain. He falls to his knees.
Dean: I can't. I can't do this anymore. My stomach feels like it's eating itself. I just… I just want to sleep. But I can't. I have to keep walking. I'll get sick if I go to sleep here. I can't. Get up. Keep moving already. Come on! It's not that hard! Just move your damn feet! Stop being a bitch and move!
His eyes close for a few seconds. His body feels like it's falling into another world. It's nice. Comforting. Warm. Quiet. So quiet. Quiet enough that…
His eyes snap open. Fully awake now. He lifts his head up and listens intently. It's faint, very faint, but the gurgling sound of running water can be somewhat heard in the distance. Dean wastes no time. His legs immediately start sprinting towards the water. He ignores the pain all throughout his body. It doesn't matter. The body of water nearby is the only thing that could possibly matter to him at the moment.
He slides on his knees once he reaches the water, causing major friction burns that will be a pain to deal with later. But it doesn't matter. He dunks his head under the water and starts drinking it, not caring how dirty it might be. He hadn't had anything to drink in at least eight hours. His head felt like it was going to explode from dehydration. He needed to drink something.
He dipped his hands under the water and wiped off some dirt on his clothes, trying to make them look clean, but also making sure to avoid the bullet wound so it wouldn't get infected.
Dean (Inner): It's started to heal up. I don't think it'll get infected at this point. But then again, I don't know anything about this kind of stuff so I could be wrong. Best to be safe. I also shouldn't move my arm around too much, cause it might start bleeding again.
For the first time in almost two days, Dean felt truly at peace. Nothing mattered except this stream. It was cold, refreshing, and felt amazing. Dean started feeling like a whole new person. Like nothing mattered anymore. None of what happened the past two days even happened in his mind. The thought of everything poked its way into his brain, but he forced it out, just wanting to enjoy this simple pleasure a little bit longer.
At this point, the friction burn in his knees started to really hurt. It wasn't bleeding, but it burned like hell. Dean dipped his knees into the water, making sure that his feet were still on the shore, so his shoes wouldn't get wet. It felt nice.
Dean ran his hands through his hair as he closed his eyes and faced up towards the starry sky. The pain throughout his whole body started flowing away with the water, leaving only comfort. He opened his eyes and stared at the stars through the bundles of leaves. His jaw dropped slightly as he admired the beauty of it. After everything that has happened so far, he's still here to view this wonderful sight. Something that he took for granted and ignored almost every day of his life. His comfortable and easy life.
Dean: That's not my life anymore. I won't take stuff like this for granted ever again. From now on, any moment that isn't hell, I'll make sure to enjoy to the absolute fullest. Maybe this is all a good thing. I'll finally become a real person. Someone worth living. I'll struggle through life like any person should. This was meant to be. It's my purpose to live. To survive. To experience new things. And I will.
Everything was okay, if just for a short time. All the hate and sadness was gently set to the side, in exchange for hope for the future. Purpose. Acceptance. Happiness. All things Dean reached his hand out to hold. The illusion of touch, when in reality, he was light years away from reaching any of it.
A yawn escapes his mouth.
Dean: What time even is it? Probably really late.
The feeling of his legs aching returns, and he winces a little upon realizing how long he actually walked for.
Dean: I really should get some sleep but… where? I guess I could sleep right here, but I'd probably catch a cold or something. It's only March, so it's still pretty chilly, especially at night, and I'm wearing shorts. Plus I'm next to water, so that would probably make it colder I think? I'm not good with this kind of stuff. I've never gone camping or anything. I could always keep walking until I eventually pass out, but that seems like an absolutely awful idea.
He looks down and places his hand on his chin, trying to think. Eventually he sighs.
Dean: My only options are sleeping here, looking for somewhere else to sleep, or just continue on walking. Option three is definitely out. If I try to find somewhere else, I probably won't be satisfied, and it'll just turn into option three. So I guess I'll just sleep here. Great.
He pulls his hood over his head, and tucks his legs into his hoodie as best he can, before resting his head on his right arm and laying down.
Dean (Inner): Surprisingly comfortable. It probably won't be for long though. I'm gonna wake up in the morning with the worst aches aren't I? Whatever. Better than not sleeping at all I suppose.
He gently closes his eyes and very quickly falls to sleep. The sound of running water next to him is like a lullaby that only makes it easier to sleep. All of his worries fade away as he drifts off to sleep.
Throughout the night, a few animals approach him, curious to see what he is. Even animals like coyotes come up to sniff him, but that's all they do before fleeing. Everything is peaceful between Dean and the forest residents.
Seven hours pass before the sun rises. Dean's eyes flutter open as the sun shines directly on them. He grunts and puts a hand up over his face.
Dean (Inner): Looks like it just rose. Meaning that it's like seven in the morning. Cool. I actually know what time it is.
His gaze is shifted to forward as he hears something rustle in the grass. A rabbit turned to run away.
Dean (Inner): Was it watching me sleep? Well I probably did have a couple of critters come up to me. Thankfully nothing crazy happened. I totally would've died if there were like wolves or bears or something. Actually, maybe. I don't know. I really don't know what I'm talking about. Or maybe I do?
He lifts himself up and stretches, making sure not to stretch his left arm too much so it doesn't aggravate the wound. He pulls his legs out of his hoodie and pulls his hood off before fixing his hair.
Dean: Yep. I was right. That was super uncomfortable in the end. I surprisingly wasn't too cold though. I sure am now though. It's chilly today. Eh, it'll probably warm up.
He shuffles over to the water and starts drinking. He takes handfuls of water, quickly dropping them into his mouth before it all trickles out through his fingers. It's cold and refreshing. Just like yesterday. But it doesn't taste as good. Most likely because Dean isn't as dehydrated.
His stomach roars. He hasn't eaten anything in almost a whole day. He drinks more water, hoping that it will fill his stomach and ease the pain, even just a little. Thankfully it does, but he knows that the feeling won't last long. He gets up to his feet and wipes his mouth.
Dean (Inner): I need to start walking. I'll follow the stream and hopefully find something. I really hope I do at least. If I don't get somewhere today, I'll have to find something to eat. I don't know anything about poisonous berries or mushrooms or whatever. So it'd have to be an animal. Problem is that I literally don't know anything about that process. And I don't have the tools to do it, even if I knew how. Pretty sure all you need is a knife, but even that would be luxury right now.
Step by step. The sound of the stream is soothing. The birds chirp cheerfully. The sun once again shines beautifully through the leaves. It bounces off the water, making it shiny and pretty to look at. Dean smiles a little at the sight. Even the sounds of the leaves shuffling in the wind is calming.
Dean: It's just like a walk through nature. It's nice. I don't have to think about a single thing except putting one foot in front of the other.
Surprisingly enough, Dean really doesn't think of anything that's happened to him the past few days. Of course he still remembers it and stills knows how life changing it is, and that it's the whole reason he's in this position right now. But he doesn't think about it. It never comes to mind. It only serves to make this whole experience even more serene than it normally would be. The memories of the trauma will obviously eventually return, but the universe has allowed Dean to smile for now. Calm before the storm.
He stops every few hours to rest for a few minutes, use the bathroom, or drink more water. It continues like this for a while. Dean looks up at the sky to try and guess the time based on the sun's position.
Dean: Uhhhhhhmmmmm. It might be around two maybe? Probably. Doesn't really matter what time it is. As long as the sun doesn't go down, I should be fine.
Head down, hands in pockets, Dean continues forward. His eyes are closed, only opening every few minutes to make sure he won't run into a tree any time soon. The once comforting sounds of nature have been tuned out at this point, leaving Dean feeling like he's by himself. There's a loud noise. It's somewhat high pitched, but is more alarming than anything. He jumps and lets out a little scream before falling back and landing on his butt.
Dean (Inner): What the hell was that!? Was that…
Instantly, he jumps forward and sprints forward, praying that his mind was playing some sort of trick on him.
Dean (Inner): That had to be real! Please tell me it was real! It had to be! It was a car horn!
He pushes his way past a few bushes before being graced by the gates of heaven. People. Buildings. Cars. Civilization. He giggles and falls to his knees as a few tears fall down his face.
Dean (Inner): Thank you. Thank you so much. It took long enough… But thank you.
He stands up and pulls his hood over his head.
Dean (Inner): I don't know where I am. I don't know if people know what I've done and are looking for me. Better safe than sorry.
He walks for a while, not exactly knowing where he's going.
Dean (Inner): I should find a store. Preferably one of those stores where everything is just a dollar.
He sighs.
Dean (Inner): Only problem with that idea is that I literally don't have any money whatsoever. I could probably find a quarter on the ground, but what would that get me? A gumball? I need real supplies. But how am I gonna get money?
He scans the area and sees money barely sticking out of a random person's back pocket.
Dean (Inner): I could always… But that's stealing. Well… Does that taboo of crime really matter anymore? I've already killed someone. And I'm already wanted. So could doing this really hurt?
His footsteps quicken, trying to catch up to the person. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and reaches out to grab the money. It's subtle. He doesn't want anyone to notice his obvious intent. His hand shoots forward and grabs the money. Dean makes sure he has a good grip on it before turning and fleeing.
Random person: Huh? Was that…? Hey! Dude my money! What the hell!
Dean (Inner): He's not chasing me! No one's chasing me! Did I actually get away with it!? There's no way! That was so easy! Okay okay okay calm down! That was probably a coincidence for it to be that much right!? Hopefully I grabbed enough to where I don't have to do that again soon. I'll check how much I got once I feel like I've gotten far enough away.
Dean gradually slows down his speed, trying to make sure no one gets suspicious of someone running when everyone else is walking. If they get suspicious of him, they'll probably suspect that he's Dean Jeeves based on his hoodie, and take some sort of action against him. That can't happen. The last thing he needs is to get caught. After a minute or two, he turns a corner into an alley and walks down it, making sure he's far enough in to where he won't be seen before sitting down and catching his breath.
Dean (Inner): Okay. That was crazy. Wow. I really just stole some dude's money. It was probably like a buck or two, but even that would be awesome.
He shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out the money.
Dean: Twenty dollars!?
His hand jumps up to cover his mouth. His eyes dart around, making sure his shout didn't catch anyone's attention. Thankfully it didn't. He lets out a sigh of relief.
Dean (Inner): This is so much! Well I mean I guess twenty bucks isn't a lot, but it is in this context! Like holy shit dude! Twenty whole dollars! I can buy so much stuff at a dollar store with this! Obviously I'll have enough for basic supplies, but I can totally spoil myself with this! Hell yeah! Let's go!
He puts the money back in his pocket and walks back out into the street with a newfound confidence. He walks undisturbed for a while before finally finding what he's looking after. A dollar store. He proudly steps through the automatic doors. He's quick to notice the cameras and tilts his head down to keep from being seen. He grabs a basket to put his things in.
Dean (Inner): Okay first things first, bandages and food. I don't think I'll need water since most restaurants or cafes or fast food places or whatever give out water cups for free. Once I get that stuff, I can start looking for things that I generally would want instead of need.
He passes through each aisle, grabbing things he needs. First in bandages for the bullet wound in his left arm, as well as the friction burns on his knees. It would also be useful for any future wounds he may end up having.
Dean (Inner): I might need more than bandages for the bullet wound. I haven't aggravated it, and I don't think it's infected, but I should still look for peroxide and a sewing kit or something.
He continues walking through the aisles, scanning for the items he needs. Eventually he's able to find them. Peroxide and a sewing kit.
Dean (Inner): Okay so these are all the normal price it looks like. I don't know how much tax would be so I'll just assume it's ten cents for each item. That'd be three dollars and thirty cents. So I'd still have sixteen dollars and seventy cents left. Awesome. Time to get some food.
Usually food is in the back of these kinds of stores. The same was true for this one.
Dean (Inner): Alright so I wanna avoid foods that need to be cooked for obvious reasons. But like… that's so much food. What would I even be left with.
He browses around for a bit, looking for food that doesn't need to be cooked.
Dean (Inner): I guess there's cereal, but I don't really want that. It's not very filling and won't last long. Some crappy donuts that I could probably have for breakfast. That could last a couple days if I pace myself correctly. I wanna avoid pastry type stuff, since it's not really stuff I should be eating anyways, but I'll get it if I really have to I guess. There's also those crappy lunch packs for kids. They'll work but again, it's not the best stuff to be eating. I also wanna avoid snacks for the same reason. Oh! Canned food!
He rushes over to another aisle where the canned food is. His eyes once again scan everywhere to see what he can eat.
Dean (Inner): Everything looks so good! I guess that's only because I'm starving, but still. I'll get five cans of food. I can always come back to this aisle later once I'm done, so I can use my spare money. Alright so I got what? Like nine things in here? That'd be nine bucks and ninety cents. I'll put fifty cents off to the side just in case my ten cent tax calculation is wrong. So that means I got uhhhh… Nine dollars and sixty cents left. Awesome. Let's spoil.
He walks in other aisles, trying to think of what else he might need. Eventually he realizes he needs to sacrifice some food items.
Dean (Inner): So I'm definitely gonna need a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant for very obvious reasons. I'd also like to get a pillow and blanket for comfort when I sleep. The pillow is optional, but still preferred.
Once he grabs the items he needs, he makes another calculation.
Dean (Inner): Okay so uhh… I'm gonna get rid of the donuts in exchange for some peanut butter. It'll last longer, and it tastes better. Also why is the pillow and blanket ten dollars!? Okay so excluding the cans, I still have nine things. That'd be eighteen dollars and forty cents. I can get one can. Awesome. I barely have any food. Well at least have something. I can always try to pickpocket again when I run out of money.
In total, Dean spent fifteen minutes shopping. Coincidentally, there wasn't anyone else in the store except the one cashier. Dean nervously brings his basket up to the conveyor and places items on it one by one, making sure the cashier can't see his face.
The cashier is a man, probably in his twenties. Dean noticed that he was watching him the whole time he was shopping, most likely because he had nothing better to do. He's wearing a basic work uniform, and looks pretty bored. Like he's just happy to finally have something to do.
Cashier: Don't get much business here… As you can see.
Dean just nods, not wanting to speak out of fear of being recognized.
Cashier: So your total is nineteen bucks. You want a bag for all this stuff? It's only like ten cents. I'll even give you an extra one for strength since the bags here kinda suck.
Dean nods again as he hands the cashier his twenty dollar bill.
Cashier: Alright good talk. Here's your change.
Dean (Inner): At least say thank you. Don't be rude.
Dean: Thanks.
He says it almost silently as he accepts the change and grabs the bag. The cashier can barely hear him. He quickly turns around and starts walking.
Cashier: H-hey! Hold up!
Dean stops in his tracks, his heart starts to race as his mind jumps to all possible conclusions.
Dean (Inner): DID HE RECOGNIZE ME!?
Dean slowly turns around, but refuses to look the cashier in the face.
Cashier: That wound is pretty nasty. I assume that's what the peroxide, sewing kit, and bandages are for?
Dean nods slightly.
Cashier: If you want I could uhhh… I could sew it for you. I'm in school to be a doctor, so I have a fair amount of experience with this kind of stuff. Plus you'll probably mess it up and make it worse if you do it as an amateur.
Dean: A-are you sure?
Cashier: Yeah of course. Plus I literally have nothing else to do anyways.
Dean: Okay. Yeah sure. Go ahead. Thanks.
Dean pulls the supplies out of his bag, setting them onto the little desk next to the conveyor.
Cashier: Here. You can sit on the chair here.
Dean hops up onto the chair, feeling incredibly nervous.
Dean (Inner): Why is everything working out for me today!?
Calm before the storm.