it's getting dark and it's all so quiet
and i can't trust anything now

haunted, taylor swift

chapter zero

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
━━━━━

CATHERINE MACKENZIE sits on a fallen tree log, cleaning face wounds from one of her men. She'd just finished with stitches. Angel attacks have been happening more and more often lately. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't starting to lose hope. She'd never give up, not in a million years. She'll never stop fighting until her last breath, but hope is a tricky thing. She'd given up on praying a long, long time ago. Nobody was coming to save them, and she was starting to believe maybe they can't even save themselves.

"Hey, chief?" she hears Bobby Singer say.

"Hey, Bobby. Lookout go alright?" She keeps her eyes on the man's face, still gently cleaning the wound. Bobby clears his throat.

"Mack, a word, please?"

She looks up at him, and quickly notices the two people standing behind him. Her heart falls into her stomach when she recognizes who they are. She hands the rag to the man and gives him a quick grin before standing and following Bobby. He tells the two people to wait as he and Mack talk.

"What the hell? How–?"

"Listen, Mack. I know what you're probably thinking right now, and I get it. But those aren't the people you knew. Mary, over there? That's not the woman who took you and your sister in. And that's not Leo. They're from another world."

She knits her brows together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, I didn't say anything, because I thought it was a one-and-done deal. But, about six months ago, a door opened. A door to another world. Those two are from that world."

"Another world? Like, some sort of parallel universe?"

Bobby shrugs. "I guess. Mary has two boys, and they've been here. Her name is Mary Winchester."

"Like John Winchester?" He nods. "So what about the kid?"

Bobby sighs. "Not sure. Said his name is Jack, a family friend. I told 'em they can stay, but I'd assume you'd wanna speak to 'em?"

She nods, and Bobby waves them over.

"Are you in charge here?" Mary asks. Mack nods. It's a little strange speaking to her again.

"Everyone calls me Mack."

"What happened to them?" Jack asks, his eyes landing on the group of injured, including the man Mack was patching up.

"Angels happened," Bobby says.

"Angels did this?"

"They've done worse," Mack says. "They dive-bombed a colony in San Antonio about two days ago. 400 people killed."

"This ain't war anymore. This is an extermination," says Bobby.

"Mack," Mary says. "Michael, he'll be looking for us."

"Don't worry. We're protected. Mary Campbell took me in when I had no one...only fair to return the favor."

Mary shoots her a grin and she returns it.

It doesn't take long for them to get settled. Jack starts to entertain all the kids with hand shadows. Mack notices Mary standing alone watching him, and goes over to join. She stands next to her, crossing her arms. They stand in silence watching Jack.

Eventually, Mary breaks it. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What was she like? The version of me that you knew."

Mack sighs, remembering Mary Campbell. "She was...strong, but sad. She was probably the bravest woman I've ever known, but she held herself back. She was always weighed down by regret and grief."

"Let me guess, she made a bad demon deal?"

"No, she didn't. Lost her first love because of it, and never really moved on. She buried herself in alcohol and hunting."

"Mack...I made that deal."

"You did?"

"I brought my boys...a lot of pain. But this...this war? Sam and Dean stopped that war in my world."

Her chest feels tight. "So...this deal you made basically caused a domino effect on whether or not the apocalypse happens?"

Mary shrugs. "It sounds so simple when you put it like that."

"I guess it is. Listen, I don't really know much, but I do know that this world doesn't have very much going for it. I'm pretty much all it has left, so believe me when I say I think you made the right choice."

Mary smiles and looks down. Mack can't help but stare at her, this version of Mary who looks so much like the woman who was almost a mother to her. She carries herself differently, though, Mack notices. She's lighter, not held down by her regrets. But she has hunter's eyes– the eyes that've seen too much. The eyes everyone carries these days.

She's pulled from her thoughts by the sound of children laughing, a sound she hasn't heard in a long time. She sees Jack pulling various shadow animals– ones you can't exactly exactly make with just your hands. "He a witch, or something?"

Mary sighs, avoiding eye contact, which makes Mack feel uneasy. "He's a nephilim."

Her stomach drops. There's the shoe. "What?"

"He's half-angel, half–"

Mack turns and backs up a few steps, waving her arms to interrupt Mary. "I know what it means. Why the hell would you bring one here? After seeing everything angels have pulled?"

Mary says nothing, hanging her head slightly.

Mack steps forward, getting close, but not quite in her face. "I want him out of my camp by morning." She starts to walk away, but she stops as Mary speaks.

"If he goes...I go with him."

Mack clenches her jaw, angrily spitting the words. "Then go."

✦ ✦

SHE WATCHES Jack all night as he starts to bond with people. It makes her angry– so angry she wants to shoot him. Someone like him, invading her home and her people pretending like he wouldn't kill them all the first chance he gets.

Except, he doesn't, and that confuses her. He doesn't look like he has an evil bone in his body. All he does is talk and listen, in a way that reminds her so much of Leo it makes her chest ache. If Mary hadn't told her, she never would've figured it out. But he's half-angel, it's in his blood to kill. It's only a matter of time before he snaps. That's just what she has to keep telling herself, despite all her instincts saying otherwise.

She watches as Jack leaves the group to speak to Mary, and she watches as his face falls while Mary tells him they have to leave. It breaks her heart a bit, which just confuses her more. She should have no sympathy for him, yet she does. She can't understand why.

She jumps as an alarm sounds, ripping her from her thoughts. "Shit, shit, shit," She takes off running, shouting for people to take cover. "We have incoming!"

✦  ✦

CATHERINE HIDES behind a tree with her gun held close to her chest. She hears the sound of angels killing people, and she has to physically restrain herself from running in guns blazing. She has to be careful– people need her.

The sound of a neck snapping fills her ears, then Zachariah's grating voice. "I know you're there, Mackenzie. I can feel you."

She hates the sound of his voice. His tone disgusts her. Despite it, she grips her gun tighter and reveals herself. Zachariah smirks evilly.

"I've been looking for you, Chief. I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

She cocks her gun. "You have nothing I want. You can take your deal and shove it."

"Are you certain about that? You might change your mind." He makes a gesture, and one of his minions walks over, dragging someone with him. They're bound with a bag over their head. The minion pulls the bag, and she knows who it is the second she sees the mess of scarlet hair.

No.

There's blood and bruises littering her face.

"Bring me the half-breed, and I let her live."

"Catherine, don't! Don't give them anything!" Charlie begs, her voice strained. The minion slaps her, and she cries out.

"Hey! You wanna deal? Fine, let's talk, but hands off or I'll empty this entire clip into your brain."

Zachariah nods and the minion steps back, leaving her bound. Charlie doesn't move.

"Cath, whatever it is they want, it's not worth it. Please." Her voice is shaking now.

"Charlie, stop talking." Her eyes flit to Charlie's teary ones. "I'm gonna get you out of this. You're gonna be fine, all right?" Charlie closes her mouth and nods gently. Mack looks back to Zachariah, lowering her gun. "I don't know where the kid is. Probably running away, like everyone else. Let her go and I'll hand him to you personally."

Zachariah moves towards her, until he's only inches away. She glares at him. "Find him," he growls. He suddenly grabs her by the throat, squeezing slightly, just enough to cut off air flow. "Now. Or she dies."

"Stop!" Someone shouts from behind them. He drops his hand and turns. Mack coughs and gasps for air, bringing her own hand to her throat. Jack is standing there.

She can almost hear Zachariah's smirk. "Perfect timing." She barely notices the nod of his head until the other angel is reaching his hand towards Charlie. She screams as her face and mouth light up.

"No!" Mack yells.

"I said stop!" Jack shouts, holding out his hand. Yellow waves of energy flow from his hand, and it feels like time slows down. Then, all at once, the angels are gone, Charlie's on the ground and Jack is panting heavily. She rushes and falls to her knees in front of Charlie. Her eyes are burned and smoking. She's unmoving, completely still.

"Charlie?"

✦  ✦

IT'S THE biggest pyre she's ever made. With the help of Bobby and a few of the other guys, they managed to move all the bodies. Mack herself lit the match and dropped it, engulfing her people, her best friend, in flames. She stands stiffly with her hands in her pockets, occasionally wiping away tears as they fall.

Mary and Jack stand a few feet away from her. Jack had completely stopped the attack– all the angels already there, all the ones incoming. He turned them all to dust. It's almost enough to make her trust him. Almost. Angels don't just stop invasions for no reason. But, then again, he's half human. Either he has some ulterior motive...or he just thought it was the right thing to do.

She can hear footsteps approaching her. "Mack," says Mary. "I'm sorry about your friend."

She turns her head slightly. Jack is right next to Mary. She fully turns to them. "Why did you stop it?"

Jack furrows his brows, obviously confused. "What do you mean?"

"The attack. You killed all of those angels. Why?"

"Well, they were hurting people. Someone had to stop them."

He thought it was the right thing to do. It's so much simpler than Mack would've imagined– he's just like her. He doesn't want to see people get hurt.

Eventually, she clears her throat. "You guys can stay. If you still want to." She gives them a quick grin and walks off before either of them get a chance to react.

━━━━━
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

author's note !!

as you can see, some things are already changing :) i'm so excited for this rewrite and i hope you guys are too!!

-skye