a thousand teeth
and yours among them

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THE WOODS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE OF SECRETS. So many things hide, in the dark and the trees. It only makes sense that Bryce would find herself here.

She doesn't know how long she's been walking, or where she is, but she doesn't stop. She doesn't stop until her legs can't hold her up anymore, and then she collapses to the ground.

She has nowhere to go. She never has.

Facing the sky, she can just barely see moonlight peeking through the trees. As if it's trying to light the way, but can't quite reach her.

She thinks of Sam and Dean, the ones who called themselves her brothers. She thinks of the way Sam's face softened at the sight of her hurt, despite having just killed a man. She thinks of Dean thanking her for killing Azazel.

She thinks of what Sam said to her. He can't hurt you anymore.

She's not sure if that's true.

Her breathing is the only sound. She feels the dirt beneath her, the plants brushing her skin. The aching bruises on her jaw, the dried blood on her face. She feels it all with the body that's never really been hers.

He took you from our home when we were six months old.

He who fed her his blood, abducted her, then locked her in a basement. It never seemed so horrible until now.

Not until Sam cried over seeing her life. She's not sure she'll ever forget the horror on his face.

The darkness reminds her of the basement. What she can remember of it, at least. Quiet and cold. But there was no soft breeze, no rustling of tree branches. No air to breathe.

She'll never step foot in a fucking basement again.

If she gets up, what life will she build for herself? A quiet one, somewhere bright and warm? A safe one?

What will be left of her? How much will she leave behind in these woods? What's even there for her to leave behind?

She's spent her entire life watching. Watching demons waft in and out, watching Azazel lead them, watching him craft her into the perfect model engine. She doesn't know what really lies beneath his touch.

Maybe she should've accepted Sam's offer. Maybe she should've gone with them.

Maybe she'll stay here forever. Maybe she'll lay here until the roots burrow under her skin and take her as their own.

Maybe she'll die here. She's never given much thought to how she would die, except that it would be bloody, and likely under Azazel's hand.

She thinks she would be fine with this. It would be slow, but it would be quiet. Peaceful.

Her mind strays to Lily. She still regrets everything about her. She hopes that Lily is safe now, somewhere she can touch her lover without the fear of hurting her.

Then she thinks of every life she's ever taken, starting with the blonde girl that Sam knew. She wishes she knew her name. Names leave imprints. That's why Azazel took hers and branded her with a new one.

She hated every bloody kill. She hated ending lives in violence. When she could help it, she did it quietly. No pain. She hopes that's how she'll go.

The breeze picks up slightly, and the sky turns a pale gray. The sun will be up soon. Will anyone find her if she stays here?

She hears a twig snap. She turns her head towards the sound, and finds a deer. It watches her curiously, moving slowly towards her. She notices a limp, and bleeding wounds in various spots.

It stops just a few feet away. She lifts her arm, stretching out her fingers. "You don't have to be afraid," she whispers.

It moves again, getting just close enough to smell her fingers. The cold tip of its nose drifts down her fingers and into her palm, nuzzling softly. A tear rolls over the bridge of her nose and falls to the dirt.

The deer comes closer and starts to sniff down her arm. She softly strokes its fur. "No one will hurt you now."

The deer tilts its head slightly, as if it understood. Then it backs away, just a few feet, trots in a small circle, and lays down next to her. She can see the extent of the wounds now. This creature won't last much longer, with how much blood is coming out. She wishes there was something she could do, but not with all this blood. It's lost too much already.

She shifts, angling herself towards the deer. She reaches her arm out, laying her hand near its leg. It drops its head down, resting its chin in her hand. More tears escape as she traces small soothing circles into its fur.

The sun is rising quicker now. She doesn't move until the deer stops breathing. "You'll be okay," she whispers as she gently retracts her hand from under its head. She pushes herself up, fighting the dizziness creeping in. "You can rest now." She brushes her knuckles along the deer's brow once more before pulling away, and getting to her feet.

✦ ✦ 

BRYCE FINDS HERSELF IN FRONT OF A CHURCH. She's not sure what town she's stumbled into, just that it's quiet.

The front door feels unnaturally large. It towers over her like a skyscraper, the kind tall enough it reaches into the clouds. So ineffably large you can't see the top.

A small part of her fears the church will burn her. Or she'll be struck by lighting when she crosses the threshold, or an angel will come down and smite her. Any sort of cosmic consequence from her cursed blood, even if she's not quite a demon.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" She turns at the voice behind her. An older man looks up at her from the bottom of the steps, with graying curly hair and round silver glasses.

She takes a step back from the door. "I didn't know if I should go in."

The man takes the steps, stopping short at the sight of her face. "Oh, dear. What's happened to you?" His warm accent seems out of place in this part of the world. He takes off his glasses and carefully scans her body, as if searching for more. "Has someone hurt you?"

She's not sure what to say. "Long day."

"Please, come in. Let me help you get cleaned up."

She takes in his outfit, and the old-looking book in his hands. "Are you a priest?"

He gives a small nod. "I am." He pushes open the now smaller looking door, and waits, giving her the option to go first, or not go at all.

The early sun shines through the stained glass windows, casting a warm glow throughout the room as she walks in. Rows of wooden pews line the room, with a large cross behind the pulpit. It's a small, likely old church. She hasn't been in many before.

"Sit anywhere you like," the priest says. "I'll just be right back." He goes past her into some hidden room, leaving her alone. She sits in the second pew on the right.

Her gaze jumps between the windows and the cross. The windows, because she's never seen anything quite like them, and they're beautiful. The cross, because she wonders if touching it would burn her skin.

The priest comes back out moments later with a bowl and a pile of stacked fabric. He sits in the pew in front of her, setting the contents beside him. He takes a cloth and dips it into the bowl, filled with water.

"What's your name?" He asks gently, wringing out the cloth. If only he knew how complicated the answer to such a simple question could be.

"It's...it's Lily."

He grins softly. "It's nice to meet you, Lily. You can call me Ed. I'm just going to use this to clean your face, is that alright?" He gestures to the damp cloth. She's not entirely sure why he's asking, but she nods.

It stings when he touches the warm cloth to her face, but she doesn't flinch. She tries to not react at all. He periodically dips the cloth back into the bowl, staining the water slightly pink.

"May I ask how this happened?"

"We— there was a disagreement."

"Boyfriend?"

"Not exactly."

He hums quietly. "I'm sure you're not looking for advice, Lily, but I'm going to give it to you anyway. The men that do these things...they hit, or yell, or try to control...they aren't good men. No matter what they try to manipulate you with. Actions are far louder than words. So, whoever did this, he doesn't love you."

Tears well in her eyes. Ed leaves the cloth in the bowl and turns back to her. "It's not too terribly deep, so you won't need stitches. Just keep it clean, and it should heal up nicely."

"Is God real?" The question slips out before she can stop it.

"I like to believe so, yes."

"Then why do bad things happen? Why do so many people get hurt, even when they've done nothing? I thought God was supposed to be good, and protect us from bad things."

He smiles, in a way that makes her feel like he's been asked this question before. He waits a long moment before answering. "Lily, I'm going to give you my answer, and then you can do what you want with it, okay? You don't have to keep it."

She nods. He sighs, and then continues. "When God made the world, she created humans. She gave us life, souls, hearts. Imaginations, minds, bodies. She gave us love. She made us with it. It has always been about love, from the very beginning. She loved us enough to set us off on our own. She loved us enough to give us free will, to give us the choice to love or hate her in return. There's an unfortunate amount of people who chose to hate, and hate more than just her."

"I thought God was a he."

He smiles again. "See, that's the thing about God. She can be whatever you need her to be, in whatever form or shape. She'll know all your flaws and ugliness and will love you with them."

"But why?"

He doesn't balk at the tears now streaming down her face. "That's love, isn't it? Seemingly no rhyme or reason for it, but it sticks."

She turns her head towards the windows, dragging the back of her hand across her face to wipe the tears.

"Is there anyone I can call for you, Lily? A parent, perhaps a sibling?"

She shakes her head, despite Sam and Dean popping into her mind. "No. There's no one."

"Where've you come from? I'd like to help get you home."

So many simple questions with too many complicated answers. She wishes it could be so simple. "I don't have anywhere to go. A...a home, I don't really have one."

The priest's face softens, but she reads no pity in his kind eyes. She's thankful for that. He turns, lifting the stack of fabric into her view. "I brought you some fresh clothes. They might be big, but they should keep you comfortable. I can show you to a room, for some privacy?"

She nods, and she follows him to the room he went in earlier. They turn down a hall and he stops in front of a cracked door. "Take your time, I'll be back out there when you're finished." She nods again, accepting the stack of clothes from him.

There's a mirror and sink in the room, along with a bench, a table next to it, and a row of hooks along the wall. She sets the stack on the table, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.

She almost can't remember the last time she's seen her own reflection for longer than a few seconds. She's always been pale, but she's never realized how sickly she looks. Like there's no color, barely any life in her skin. Her hair is dry and frail, tinted red. She's never noticed that before.

And her face, with the cut on her cheek raw and swollen, and the bruise glaring on her jaw. Her bloodshot eyes.

She turns away from the mirror and tries not to look too hard at her body as she strips. She quickly cleans off any lingering blood from her skin, then gets into the clothes the priest gave her. Mostly cotton, in varying shades of gray, but comfortable. Warm.

There's a trash bin in the corner of the room. She shoves her clothes into it, all except her jacket. Old, leather, and tattered, but it's the only thing she's ever had for more than a few days. She slings it over her arm. She'll figure out a way to wash it.

When she wanders back into the main hall, Ed stands at the pulpit with his glasses back on, reading from the book he was carrying earlier. He looks up as she approaches and grins softly. "All settled?"

She nods, attempting a grin in return. "Thank you for the clothes."

He nods once. "Well, what would you like to do now?"

That's certainly a question she's never been asked before. "Um, I— I don't know."

He removes his glasses, setting them atop his open book. "Are you hungry? Have you eaten?"

She immediately shakes her head. "I'm— no, not hungry."

"Can I— may I ask how old you are, Lily?"

Her brows knit together. "What day is it?"

Puzzled, he checks his watch. "May, the seventh."

She missed her own birthday. "Uh, I'm twenty three."

"Right. Well, there's a motel just a few streets up, I heard they've just freed up a room. Or, if you'd like, there's a bus station not too far. It can take you anywhere you want to go."

"I can't— I don't have a way to pay."

"Don't you worry about that."

So she thinks, really thinks about it. She could go anywhere. "The bus station, I think."

"Would you like me to walk you?"

"Okay."

He nods and closes his book. He leads her out of the church and into the cool morning air.

"I'm— I'm sorry," she says timidly. "I'm not exactly used to this."

"Used to what?"

"Having a choice. Being asked what I want."

He falters and nearly stops, but recovers before she can notice. They walk in silence for a bit longer before he responds.

"I know we don't know each other, dear, but...it seems like you've had a very hard life. If you ever find yourself wandering, unsure where to go, you look for me. Look for my church. You'll find a place for you there."

She feels that familiar sting behind her eyes again, and blinks it away. She's really getting tired of crying.

They continue to walk in silence, all the way to the bus station. They stop just outside the front door.

"I do hope you have a beautiful life, Lily. I hope you can make something for yourself that's nicer than what you've been given."

Her eyes dart around the area, taking in the plants and the people and the sun on her face. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

She meets his gaze, bracing a hand on the door. "Please don't pray for me." Then she pushes the door open and goes in. 

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author's note !!

poor ed would be so disappointed if he ever met chuck lol

also if u were picturing michael sheen as the priest u were correct. btw. cause that was intentional and i'm insane about good omens

i kinda ate with this chapter. im so proud of it ngl 

anyways i felt bad about the wait so here's ur second chapter of the night also i just really wanted to publish this chapter so yeah

as always leaves votes and comments if ur enjoying!! ily <33

thanks for reading!!

-skye