The road leading back to the Resistance compound is a small, hidden, and tricky to navigate one filled with mud, small stones, and broken branches, washed down from the mountain by the rain. At some point, it disappears altogether, and there's nothing but tall grass and rubbles.

The bumping and noises from the car engine wake Kye up. She doesn't know how long she's been out. The last things she remembers were Michael's eyes and the warm sensation on her forehead. She slowly sits up while feeling very heavy-headed and dizzy. The oatmeal-colored blanket still wraps around her and she can smell the familiar clean scent on it, but it's very faint now. She looks through the back windshield and sees 3 other cars driving behind the jeep she's in. Kye turns back to look at the road ahead. The disheartened and hopeless feelings start to sink into her chest. There's nothing outside of the car windows but trees. After a while, everything blends into one color green.

Two men in the front seats exchange a look. The one with dark blond hair who's driving looks at Kye through the rearview mirror.

"Sleep well, princess?" His green eyes twinkle and the crow's feet at his eyes' corners deepen.

Kye exhales and wraps the blanket a little more tightly around her shoulders. She looks down at her bare feet without saying anything. After a few minutes, feeling like staying quiet doesn't really help with anything, Kye looks up and meets the man's eyes through the mirror again.

"Where are we going? Are we almost there?" She asked.

"Everything in its own time." He says and turns on the car's radio.

"5-21. Approaching main gate. 15 minutes."

"Copy."

"3-60 at main gate. Entering."

"Copy."

"42-60. 45-60 at main gate. Entering."

"Copy."

"32-16 on Bellow Passage. Approaching main gate. 25 minutes."

"Copy..."

Several different voices come on one by one. It goes on for a few minutes like a long report of people, locations, and times. The driver clicks his tongue and picks up the speaker microphone.

"6-15 on Eastside. Approaching main gate. 20 minutes."

His partner in the passenger seat scribbles something in a small notebook before closing it and tucking the short pencil in with his thick, long brown hair that almost touches his shoulders.

"Ok, so we're gonna drop her off then get back out with Garth's team. It's gonna be a long night." He sighs and rubs his legs.

The car is filled with silence again until they reach the foot of the mountain. They slowly drive up a gravel road leading to a metal gate with a security booth on one side. On the other side, there's a maroon truck with a group of men, all carrying machine guns or assault rifles. Two men sit on the truck bed while the other three standing next to it. They see the convoy driving in and everyone raises his hand to greet the people in the cars. The guy who drives the car with Kye in it lowers the window on the passenger side. He nods and smiles while his partner raises his right hand to greet the men outside. They drive through the gate into a large dirt lot with a bunch of cars and trucks parked around. The men open their doors and get out of the jeep at the same time. It takes Kye a moment to gather her thoughts before following them.

"Ok. We'll see you guys in a few."

The guy with dark blond hair said to the men who come out from the other 3 cars. Some of them wave back to him while walking away. For an exchange that was supposed to be important, they seem awfully casual. Nobody cares about what Kye's doing. Now there are only three of them in the lot. Both of the men turn back to look at her. She is staring at the small hill in front of them. There's a large 3-story building that looks like it might've been a factory back in the day on top of the hill, two huge silos are on the left and several cabins fanned out to both sides of the building. The smoke from different chimneys mixes with the cold, damp air after the rain creating a mist that floats around. The sky is gray and they can hear faint thunders from somewhere far away that guarantees more rains later. Everyone's mood seems to be affected by the weather.

Kye and the men stand in the lower area so there's no wind blowing on them. She's grateful for that because her teeth start to chatter and she doesn't think she can stand anymore cold and wet. The guy with shoulder-length brown hair who has been in the passenger seat walks to the back of the jeep and takes out a pair of old sneakers. He puts them in front of Kye and smiles at her encouragingly. They're quite large but Kye is grateful for the warmth and cushion they provide for her feet. Anything is better than walking barefoot on the freezing, mushy ground.

"Let's go get you settled in." The guy said with a smile that makes two faint dimples appear on his cheeks. He turned back to the other guy. "Hey, ill be right back." He says.

"Come back soon man. We gotta go. Garth's already blown up my phone." The guy with dark blond hair says while leaning on top of the jeep with his forearms. He didn't even look up.

The brown hair guy makes a face, then puts his hand on Kye's back to guide her forward. She didn't realize how tall this guy is until now. He towers over her but his mannerisms make him seem gentle and kind. She cant tell much about the other guy, he has been quietly eyeing her with a lot of distrust since the moment she woke up. Kye looks up at the tall guy and gives him a shaky, tired smile. He's probably taller than Michael, but not by much. She immediately curses at herself for still thinking about the archangel at this moment. Their lives have already been detached from one another and there will be no coming back from something like that.

Kye walks slowly with the tall man in silence. They didn't see a lot of people out and about, probably because of the bad weather. Finally, they're in front of a small gray cabin with metal roof. The door swings open before they even knock. A woman with electric blue eyes and dark brown wavy bob comes out to greet them with a radiant smile.

"Come on in! Took you guys long enough."

The tall guy who walks with Kye smiles back. He doesn't seem at all surprised by her enthusiasm. The woman wears a long pink cardigan with a multicolor scarf, a beige tank top, black yoga pants, and sneakers. Not very Resistance-y.

"Oh, I'm the healer. Every camp needs one." She answers as if she can read Kye's mind. "I'm Hannah by the way. Nice to meet you, Kye."

"Nice to meet you, Hannah" Kye smiles.

At this point, it's pretty clear that some people at the compound have been aware of her arrival. Hannah goes to the back room and brings out some clothes and personal hygiene items. She puts them on the table next to the bed Kye and the man sitting on and stands back to look at her from head to toes.

"Not too bad. He could've definitely done worse" She mumbles under her breath before coming closer to put two fingers on Kye's forehead.

The gesture is so familiar but so haunting that Kye jumps like her skin burns at the woman's touch. Tears start to roll out from her eyes uncontrollably. The man next to Kye quickly wraps his arm around her shoulders. Both he and Hannah shush, trying to calm her down.

"I'm sorry. I would not do that again unless you're 100% ok with it. I promise. We just gonna do things the traditional way then."

The woman sighs with a strange knowing look in her eyes. She stands up and opens different cabinets and drawers to pull out what she needs then sets the items on a tray.

"I'm gonna clean the dirt and scratches on your skin and check for other injuries, then I'm gonna draw some blood. Ok?"

Kye nods. The tall man looks at her and asks. "Do you want me to stay here?" His arms still wrap around her.

Kye looks into his hazel eyes and smiles before shaking her head.

"It's ok."

He slowly lets go of her and stands up. Before he reaches the door, she grabs his jacket sleeve.

"Thank you." She speaks quietly.

"You're welcome. Call me if you need anything. I'm right outside." He smiles then walks out and closes the door.

Kye turns back to Hannah.

"I'm ready." She says.

***

Michael watches the sun rising on the horizon through the glass window that spreads from floor to ceiling, covering one side of the loft. The sky is much clearer and covered in a light pink shade now after a long rainy night. Flocks of birds fly past in hurry. The world outside is still the same as ever, busy, fast, and loud, but in here, he feels something has changed drastically. Who knows one person's absence can have that effect? It's like a stone gets thrown in a quiet lake, and the rippling rings it creates just get bigger and bigger.

The loft is always quiet but its quietness feels deafening now. Before he could spend the whole day outside working, comforted by the thought he would come back to a welcoming smile and warm hugs. Now those things are gone. Surely, he doesn't need affections but they are nice things to have, and once he has them, are hard to let go of.

The knocks on the door pull Michael out of his train of thoughts.

"Come in." He said

A tall, large, bald man walks in with a folder in his hand.

"Everything is ready, sir. Bobby Singer wants to meet at The Swan, 8 o'clock sharp tonight."

"Neutral ground. He's smart. You can go now."

The man nods and leaves the loft. Michael turns back to the window and looks out at the city skyline again. There's really no peace since the day he descended to Earth.

***

The morning is usually the busiest time of the day at the compound. People wake up and come out of their cabins after a long night. Everyone has his or her own designated position and job to do. Some people go to the watchtowers at the main gate and around the compound, changing shifts with the people who stood guard the night before. Some people jog, practice close combat fighting, or shooting in groups. Some clean and organize weapons in a big tent nearby while others water the fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse and garden behind the main building. The kitchen has opened for a while and the smoke from its chimney picks everyone's mood up with the smell of bacon and baked beans. Lines of cars and trucks come back from supplies runs or other missions with tired but relieved men. Everything works like it's supposed to.

The ground is still wet and covered in muddy puddles from the rainy night before. Kye has just woken up from a long, restless night. She went to bed right after coming back from the kitchen, but the sleep refused to come for a while. She tossed and turned in bed for a long time. Her head was filled with images of Michael and the 4 years they spent together, up until the moment he put his two fingers on her forehead. When she could finally drift off to sleep, the nightmares kept coming, one after another. She was always abandoned or hurt and a pair of blue eyes chased after her in all of those dreams. She lost count of how many times she woke up sweating during the night.

Kye stretches her arms and legs and looks at her reflection in the small mirror hung on the cabin's door. She looks like hell but somehow a little better than yesterday. Hannah cleaned and disinfected all of the minor wounds and scratches on her skin, then checked her thoroughly for internal injuries and contagious diseases that she was sure she didn't have. "It's a must for newcomers to the compound, to protect everyone else," Hannah said. Kye warmed up to the woman in almost no time because of her upbeat personality. Hannah was very talkative. Within a 20-minute conversation, Kye learned about almost everyone who had lived in the compound, their names, personalities, and backgrounds.

Everyone came here for a different reason. The two men who drove Kye yesterday were actually brothers. Their dad was a soldier and their mom was a nurse during the War. Classic love story until the man died in one of the big battles which killed thousands on both sides. Their mom took them and ran deep into the mountainous area. In all those years, she fended for herself and her sons, raised them like warriors, and taught them everything they would need to survive. She died without knowing the War already ended for a while. On her dying breath, she told the brothers to go look for Bobby, one of the Resistance's handlers and directors. She and Bobby used to date when they were teenagers. He stayed around even after she got married and they remained close friends. When the War happened, Bobby and the brothers' dad fought alongside each other. He was the one who brought their dad's belongings back when the guy was killed in action. Before their mom took them to the mountains, Bobby had told her if she ever needed his help, he would do everything in his power to help her. He gave her a card with a location and a phone number on it. When she died, the brothers, who were 16 and 12 years old then, drove all night to the location in the card Bobby gave their mom. It was one of the Resistance's early camps. The brothers were taken in and they never looked back. Kye could see why both of them had the hardened look on their faces. Even the younger one, who had softer features, also looked like someone who had seen too much for his age.

Yesterday, after finishing with Hannah, Kye walked out to see the younger brother sitting on the ground next to the infirmary door. His back leaned against the outer wall and it seemed like he was sleeping. Rare rays of sunlight peeked out from the gray clouds shining directly on his face, turning it pink. He breathed softly and slowly. His eyelashes shook lightly with each breath. Kye didn't want to disturb the guy. He was probably tired after the whole exchange and the long ride back to the compound. She kind of felt for him knowing his and his brother's backstory then but also, she felt bad for knowing too much about his family's tragedies from another person. She stood there for a while, didn't know what to do or where to go. After a few minutes, the guy opened one of his eyes to check around. He saw Kye and stood up quickly on his feet. Kye said apologetically:

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you. You can rest if you're tired. It's not like I'm in a rush to go anywhere." She chuckled dryly.

"I'm so sorry. I must've passed out for, God," He checked his watch quickly. "20 minutes. Are you all done here with Hannah?"

"Yes, all done. I just need to take these back to cabin...12. I think." Kye held up a tote bag full of clothes and personal items. The oatmeal blanket was folded neatly on top of everything.

"Ok, I know where it is. Let's go then before my brother starts to go off on me again." He chuckled.

They walked to a row of cabins next to each other not too far away from the infirmary and stopped in front of a humble one made of pine logs with an owl carved on its gable. There wasn't anyone around.

"They must've all gone to the kitchen. I can take you there after you drop these things off."

Inside the cabin, there were four bunk beds, 2 on each side of the room. Each bunk bed came with 2 bedside tables and a storage bench at the end. The bathroom door was straight ahead, facing the entrance. There was a coat rack filled with jackets and hats in different colors on the wall, next to several small framed pictures, photos, and article cutouts from newspapers. A mauve-colored vase filled with wildflowers sat on the right-sided window sill.

The guy took Kye to the end of the cabin and showed her the bed that was going to be hers. It was the lower bunk of the one closer to the bathroom on the left side. The bed was made neatly with a gray blanket and matching pillow that both smelled very clean. Kye sat the bag down on the bed and sighed. She turned back to see the guy was staring at her with some concern in his eyes. Kye gave him a small smile.

"I've kept you long enough already. Let's go to the kitchen."

"Hey, if you want to change before we go, I can wait. No problems at all." He assured.

"I'm ok," Kye pulled at the new purple sweater she had over her white dress. "I don't want you to get in trouble with your brother."

"He's fine." The guy smiled and shrugged. "We're supposed to go on a supply run tonight but it won't be for another 4 hours. Dean tends to freak out when it comes to prepping by himself." He chuckled at the thought of his brother. "By the way, I've never officially introduced myself. I'm Sam, Sam Winchester." He held out his right hand.

"You already know my name." Kye laughed and took his hand. "I'm Kye Adlin. Nice to officially meet you, Sam Winchester."

The compound

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