The Impala's engine roared down the highway like a beast that had broken its chains. Its freshly repaired body gleamed, reflecting the blue sky and bright sun. AC/DC's "Back in Black" blasted from the stereo, making the windows tremble faintly. Dean rested one hand on the window, tapping his fingers to the beat and whistling off-key. He shot Sam a smug look in the passenger seat. "Look at my baby. Better than new! That lousy truck nearly knocked her to pieces last time, but she can still hit one-twenty!"
Sam was looking through a case file. He glanced up and rolled his eyes hard. "You get more excited about severed heads and dead cows than beautiful women. You're hopeless." He had found the case the night before on the hunter forum Ellen had sent them-three serial beheadings in three weeks in Red Lodge, Montana. The victims had died horribly. Stranger still, the town's cattle had been dying mysteriously during the same period, their bodies shriveled as though every drop of blood had been drained.
In the back seat, Bai Haorui tossed his Five Emperor Coins, the copper coins clinking crisply together. "Ha! You're not wrong. Dean cares more about his precious car than girls. Look at him now that the repairs are finally finished-he's happier than if he'd spent the night with two women." He curled his fingers, catching the Five Emperor Coins securely in his palm. "But this case really is strange. Serial beheadings and cattle dropping dead? Smells supernatural no matter how you look at it."
Three hours later, they arrived in Red Lodge. They first found a small motel to leave their things, then put on the Weekly World News press credentials they had prepared-Dean's proud handiwork, forged well enough to pass for real. "Being reporters makes it easy to ask around. We can alternate between that and federal agents," Dean said, straightening his collar.
At the morgue, Dean slipped the attendant a few twenties, and he turned a blind eye and let them in. A refrigerated drawer slid open, cold air washing over them. The edges of the wound on the corpse's neck were clean, clearly severed in a single stroke with something sharp. Sam frowned as he examined it. "The cut's too clean. An ordinary blade couldn't do this." Just as he finished speaking, his hand brushed the dead man's lips, which shifted slightly. Two sharp fangs slowly extended from the gums, gleaming coldly.
Dean raised an eyebrow, reached out to poke a fang, then quickly withdrew his hand. "Vampire infighting? Or did another hunter beat us here and clear out the local vampires?" Bai Haorui pressed the Five Emperor Coins in his palm against the wound on the corpse's neck. The coins instantly took on a faint blue-black tint. Rubbing them with his fingertips, he said gravely, "The yin energy's pretty pure, but not that vicious. Doesn't seem like he attacked people of his own accord. There's none of that bloody aura of habitual bloodlust."
To find more leads, the three went to the busiest bar in town that evening. Smoke hung in the air, and country music mingled with conversation and laughter. Dean was about to chat up a beautiful woman at the counter when he felt a sharp gaze lock onto them. In the corner, a muscular Black man held a beer, staring straight at the three of them with keen eyes.
Before they could approach him, the man stood and came over. He was tall, wearing a faded denim jacket that exposed his muscular arms. A faint scar on his face made him look even fiercer. "John Winchester's sons?" His voice was low and rough, carrying an undeniable pressure. "What are you doing here? I've been tracking this nest of vampires for a year. They're mine. This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it!"
Dean's carefree expression vanished instantly, his whole body going on guard. Yet he couldn't help being drawn to the man's unmistakable hunter's presence-the sharp edge that came only from countless life-and-death struggles. "You know my dad?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Gordon sneered. "What if I do? In our line of work, why complicate things? You're either human or a monster. There's no middle ground. Just kill them. No need for all that talk or playing nice." His gaze swept over Sam before settling on the Five Emperor Coins in Bai Haorui's hand, his eyes full of disdain.
That struck a chord with Dean immediately. He reached out and patted Gordon's shoulder. "Now that's what I like to hear! Unlike certain people, always feeling sorry for those damn monsters." He gave Sam a pointed look.
Sam immediately frowned and argued, "We're hunters, not butchers. We hunt evil to protect the innocent, not kill everything we catch without asking questions."
Bai Haorui nodded along, shaking the Five Emperor Coins in his hand, his tone teasing. "Don't let him lead you astray, Dean. This guy's eyes are vicious. His baleful energy's heavier than the yin energy on that corpse." He looked at Gordon, the humor leaving his eyes. "Buddy, I don't like the way you're looking at me. Want to try me sometime?"
Gordon didn't take Bai Haorui seriously at all. He glanced at the Five Emperor Coins and scoffed. "You've got the nerve to show off a kid's toys? Hunters rely on guns and blades. Real skills, not this intangible nonsense." He stepped closer, the pressure intensifying. "When I was hunting vampires, you were still drinking milk somewhere. Spare me the lectures. If you want to try me first, I'm ready anytime, kid. Just don't go crying for Mommy afterward."
"Bragging doesn't make you skilled." Bai Haorui refused to back down, standing and tilting his head up slightly to look at him. "The rule of hunting is to eliminate evil, not slaughter indiscriminately. If you're really that good, you should know the difference between enemies and innocents instead of killing everything in a fit of rage."
Gordon stepped forward and pressed his forehead against Bai Haorui's, a bloodthirsty red gleam rising in his eyes.
They stared into each other's eyes, neither backing down. The air in the bar seemed to freeze, and the nearby patrons noticed something was wrong and turned to look. Caught between them, Dean found Gordon's words satisfying but also thought Bai Haorui had a point. For a moment, he didn't know whose side to take. Sam gently tugged Bai Haorui's arm, signaling him not to act rashly. Only then did Gordon snort and return to his seat, leaving them with, "Stay out of my way, or don't blame me for getting rough."
After leaving the bar, Sam couldn't help saying, "Gordon's too extreme. Working with him is too dangerous."
"Danger's what makes it exciting." Dean licked his lips, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Besides, he knows Dad. Maybe he knows more about the Yellow-Eyed Demon."
Bai Haorui curled his lip. "Before we find any leads, he'll lead us straight into a ditch. I don't think we can trust him. There's too much killing intent in his eyes. He doesn't look like he's hunting evil-he looks like he enjoys killing." The Five Emperor Coins in his hand grew faintly hot. "Keep an eye out tonight. Don't let him screw us over."
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, the three prepared to continue searching for the vampire nest, only to discover Gordon had disappeared. "That guy really is a lone wolf," Dean cursed, though he felt some admiration for Gordon's drive.
According to the leads they had gathered at the bar the night before, there was an abandoned mill outside town where strange noises had been heard recently. They drove there and heard fighting and angry roars as soon as they approached. "Be careful. Let's take a look!" Dean immediately drew his gun and got out, with Sam and Bai Haorui close behind.
The mill was a wreck. Two vampires had Gordon pinned to the floor. One was lowering his head, fangs nearing Gordon's neck, about to bite. Dean reacted fast, grabbing a chainsaw from a pile nearby and pulling the starter. The saw roared shrilly. With a shout, he swung it down, the sharp teeth cutting straight through the vampire's head and splattering him with black-red blood. The other vampire turned and fled in terror. Sam raised his gun and fired, his silver bullet striking it squarely in the back. The vampire screamed and fell. Bai Haorui rushed after him, the peachwood sword in his hand becoming a streak of red light that severed his neck. The vampire dissolved into black smoke.
Gordon got up, wiped the blood from his face, and panted heavily, his tone still hard. "Thanks, but I could've handled it."
"Oh, come on. If we hadn't shown up in time, you'd be vampire food." Dean switched off the chainsaw and shook the blood off it. "Willing to work with us now?"
Gordon fell silent for a moment before finally relenting. "Fine. But we play by my rules."
On the road, Gordon talked about the hunting community-the hunters hidden around the world who used encrypted channels to contact one another and share information and prey, as well as how he had killed his own targets. Dean listened with relish, interjecting now and then, his eyes full of longing. But the more Sam heard, the more wrong it sounded. He couldn't help asking, "You're saying every supernatural creature should be killed? Even if it's never hurt anyone and just wants to live?"
Gordon glanced at him, his voice cold. "Kid, you're too naive. Monsters are evil by nature. Even if they don't hurt anyone today, tomorrow their urges will get out of control. Better to strike first and end the threat for good than wait for them to do evil."
"By that logic, humans can be bad too. Are you going to kill every bad person?" Bai Haorui cut in. "We Taoists believe in 'expelling evil to save,' not 'expelling evil to kill.' Some evil spirits have only lost their way temporarily. Some are even forced to do evil. If they can be saved, why not save them?"
Gordon's expression darkened, and he snapped, "Don't argue with me, rookie! What do you know about hunting? When monsters have bitten you bloody all over and you've lost your family and friends, think back on what I said today. Then you'll know whether I was right!"
Bai Haorui wanted to argue further, but Sam held him back. Sam shook his head gently, signaling him not to escalate the conflict. Bai Haorui had to let it go, but his conviction only grew stronger. I absolutely can't follow Gordon's way of thinking. That's just because he isn't strong enough. What if I became strong enough to set new rules for monsters?
Following Gordon's information, the four tracked down the vampire nest-a cave deep in the mountains outside town. As they hid nearby, Sam noticed something was wrong. "It's too quiet here. Pretty clean, too, and there's no smell of blood. Doesn't seem like they're aggressive." He had been in vampire nests before. They were either eerie and terrifying or reeked of blood. None had ever been this peaceful.
Dean patted his shoulder, sounding a little impatient. "Don't overthink it. Gordon's been tracking this nest for a year. He can't be wrong. Maybe they're just good at disguising themselves and waiting for us to walk into their trap."
Bai Haorui held his Five Emperor Coins, his brows tightly furrowed. "No. The yin energy's steady. No viciousness. Instead, there's a sort of... fear? Like frightened little animals that just want to hide. Not much aggression." His confusion kept growing. These vampires were completely different from the evil spirits he had encountered before.
The more Sam thought about it, the more wrong it felt. While the other three discussed tactics, he quietly slipped away to investigate near the nest alone. Vines concealed the cave entrance, hiding it well. He carefully slipped inside. It was dark and damp, but unexpectedly clean, with none of the bones or bloodstains he had imagined.
Suddenly, two dark figures sprang from the shadows, blocking his path on either side. Sam instantly went on guard and reached for the gun at his waist, but he was already too late-the other man moved incredibly fast, punching him in the stomach with astonishing force. Sam grunted and collapsed, and the two hauled him up.
Sam thought he was done for. He closed his eyes and waited for the killing blow, but the pain he expected never came. When he opened his eyes, he found himself confined in a reasonably dry stone chamber. A pretty woman stood before him, her eyes weary and helpless, with an angry-looking man behind her.
"Why didn't you kill me?" Sam couldn't help asking. He truly couldn't understand why vampires would spare him.
The woman sat on a rock opposite him and said softly, "My name is Lenore. We don't want to hurt anyone. We haven't harmed any humans since we were turned. We only drink cattle blood. We just want to live quietly without bothering anyone."
"Boss, why not kill him?" The man behind her stormed forward furiously. His name was Eli, and he was Lenore's second-in-command. "Human hunters have never spared us! We hid out here. We've kept a low enough profile, but they still came after us! Kill him and be done with it!"
"Eli, enough!" Lenore snapped. "Once we start killing, there's no going back." She turned to Sam, her eyes full of conflict. "We only want to stay alive. Is even that wrong?"
Looking at the despair in her eyes, Sam felt a jumble of emotions. He thought of his own body, marked by the Yellow-Eyed Demon, and of those strange looks and fearful expressions. Feeling her plight as his own, he said, "No. You haven't done anything wrong."
Lenore gave a bitter laugh, her eyes dimming. "We've hidden for so long, and we still can't escape? It seems some fates can't be avoided after all."
Outside the cave, Bai Haorui's heart lurched when he discovered Sam was missing. He immediately took out the Five Emperor Coins, scattered them on the ground, and silently recited an incantation. The coins spun several times before all pointing north. "Sam's in the cave to the north. The yin energy's weak. His life probably isn't in danger," he told Dean, letting out a relieved breath.
Hearing that Sam was all right, Dean's anxious heart settled, and he immediately moved to rush over. "Come on! Let's get him out!"
Gordon stopped him, his eyes vicious. "Don't rush. This is a good opportunity. We can wipe them all out and save ourselves trouble later."
"Are you insane?" Bai Haorui glared at him, his voice full of anger. "Sam comes first! If anything happens to him, I'll be the first one to come for you!"
Dean was caught between his brother's safety and a hunter's "responsibility," unable to decide. Looking at Gordon's resolute eyes, he remembered his father's teachings-a hunter's mission was to kill monsters. But when he thought of the danger Sam might face, he couldn't stand by. "Whatever happens, we save Sam first." In the end, he made his choice, shoved Gordon aside, and ran toward the cave.
The three rushed inside and immediately saw Sam sitting there unharmed, with Lenore and Eli standing nearby. Sam stood as soon as he saw them. "Dean, Bai Haorui, they don't mean any harm. They've been drinking cattle blood all along. They've never hurt anyone."
Dean didn't believe him at all. He raised his gun to fire. "Sam, don't let them fool you! Who knows what they're planning?"
"I'm not lying to you!" Sam raised his voice anxiously and stepped in front of Lenore, blocking Dean's gun. "I can tell she means it from her eyes! They just want to live. They haven't hurt anyone!"
"Monsters are monsters. They can't change their nature!" Dean raised his voice too. For the first time, the brothers were locked in a furious argument over "monsters."
"You two go. I'll explain things to them," Sam said, turning toward them.
"All right. Thank you, Sam."
After speaking, Lenore took
Eli and turned to leave.
Gordon immediately raised his gun to shoot. Sam lunged in front of the muzzle, the message in his eyes clear: If you want to shoot, you'll have to shoot me first!
"Fine! You saved me once earlier. I won't do anything this time, but only this once!" With that, Gordon turned and headed toward town.
That night at the motel, Sam and Dean fell into another argument.
Looking at the stalemate before him, Bai Haorui was about to try to reason with them when he suddenly realized Gordon had never returned to town that afternoon. "Stop arguing. Gordon never came back!"
"This is bad!" Sam's expression changed, and he immediately set off toward the cave they had visited that afternoon. Bai Haorui and Dean exchanged a glance and hurried after him.
When the three rushed into the depths of the cave, the sight before them made their pupils contract. Gordon held a knife coated in dead man's blood, its blade gleaming an eerie dark red. He was slicing Lenore's arm. Blood ran from the wound, and she trembled all over with pain but gritted her teeth without speaking. "Talk! What about your other accomplices? Where are they?" Gordon's face was twisted, his voice crazed, as though he were enjoying Lenore's pain.
Wounds of every size covered Lenore's body. Clearly, the torture had been going on for quite some time.
"Gordon, stop!" Dean shouted, something he believed in collapsing in an instant. He had always thought a hunter's mission was to hunt evil. But how was what Gordon was doing any different from a demon's actions?
Seeing them, Gordon not only refused to stop but laughed even more wildly. "Let's see how much longer she can hold out! These monsters deserve this kind of torture!" As he spoke, he moved to slash Lenore again.
Bai Haorui trembled with rage at the sight. He shoved Gordon away, his peachwood sword flashing out of its sheath and coming to rest against Gordon's neck. "This isn't hunting. It's torture! It's murder!" He stood protectively in front of Lenore, his eyes cold. "She hasn't done anything wrong, and you're torturing her like this?"
Sam hurried to help Lenore up, pulled a first-aid kit from his backpack, and bandaged her wounds. Her face was pale with pain, but she still shook her head at him. "I'm all right. Thank you."
"Are you crazy?" Even with Bai Haorui's sword at his neck, Gordon refused to give up. "She's a vampire! A monster! Let her go today, and tomorrow she'll turn around and bite you!"
"She won't!" Sam argued. "She chose to do good. She shouldn't be treated like this. We hunt to protect the innocent, not to slaughter and torture!"
Dean looked at Lenore's pain and wound-covered body, then at Gordon's crazed eyes. He remembered his father's teachings, then Bai Haorui's and Sam's words. At last, his inner struggle had an answer. He walked over to Bai Haorui and told Gordon, "Enough, Gordon. You can't kill her, and you sure as hell shouldn't torture her like this."
"Dean, you're actually defending a monster?" Gordon stared at him in disbelief. "Is that what John taught you?"
"My dad taught me to hunt evil, not slaughter innocents and torture them," Dean said firmly. "She hasn't done anything evil. That means she isn't our enemy." He turned to Bai Haorui. "Tie him up."
Bai Haorui nodded, took out the rope he carried, and worked with Dean to bind Gordon securely. Gordon struggled and roared, "You'll regret this! Monsters will always be monsters! One day, you'll pay for the choice you made today!"
Lenore looked at the bound Gordon, then said to Sam and Dean, "Thank you. We'll leave here and go somewhere without people. We won't bother anyone again." Covered in wounds, she slowly walked out of the cave. Before leaving, she looked back at the three, her eyes full of gratitude. "I hope one day humans can truly accept us."
Dean watched her retreating figure in silence for a long time before slowly speaking. "Dad taught us that a hunter's mission is to kill monsters... but what if we kill the wrong ones? If we hurt the innocent, how are we any different from those evil things?"
Sam patted his shoulder, his voice gentle. "Dad wasn't all-powerful. He wasn't necessarily right about everything. We can make our own choices and have our own rules."
Bai Haorui leaned against the cave wall, looking at them, and said quietly, "The point of hunting isn't killing. It's protecting the innocent. Human or monster, if they haven't done evil, they don't deserve to die, much less be tortured. Truly expelling evil means redemption, not destruction." His words struck home for both of them. Dean nodded. "You're right. I was too stubborn, trapped by Dad's rules."
Tied to a pillar in the cave, Gordon stared viciously at the three and said through gritted teeth, "I'll find you. Especially you, Sam-you're no different from those monsters! You all deserve to die!"
"If you want to come, come. Just hope you don't regret it when the time comes!" Bai Haorui looked into Gordon's eyes and spoke each word distinctly.
It was already dusk when the three drove out of Red Lodge. The Impala traveled down the highway, its interior quiet. AC/DC had long since been switched off, leaving only the roar of the engine. After a long while, Dean suddenly spoke, sounding a little lost. "It feels like there's a hole inside me. No matter how many monsters I kill, I can't fill it. I used to think if I followed Dad's rules and killed every monster, everything would get better. But now I'm realizing that doesn't seem to be how it works."
Sam turned to him, his eyes full of worry. "Is it because Dad died? Or because of the deal?" He knew Dean kept a lot buried inside, especially the deal with the demon, which weighed on him like a stone until he could barely breathe.
Dean shook his head, his eyes empty. "I don't know. Maybe it's always been there. Since the day Mom died, since the day we started hunting, that hole's been there. I thought killing could fill it, but now it seems like it only makes it bigger."
Bai Haorui tossed Dean a beer from the back seat, his tone light. "Don't overthink it. As long as we're alive, we've got something to look forward to. We still have plenty to do. We have to kill the Yellow-Eyed Demon and avenge Uncle John and Aunt Mary. Then the three of us still need to get married and have kids. Oh, ideally you two should have daughters and I'll have a boy. Perfect!" "?" Dean and Sam slowly gave him questioning looks. Bai Haorui burst out laughing, paused, then thought for a moment and added, "At least we have our own rules now, and we have each other. That's enough."
Dean caught the beer, pulled the tab, and took a long swig, much of the gloom in his heart dissipating. He raised the bottle toward Sam and Bai Haorui. "To being alive, and to our own rules!"
"To being alive!" Sam and Bai Haorui raised their beers too. The three bottles clinked together with a crisp sound.
(I made a few small changes to the previous chapter. I had a few too many ideas while writing Gordon. Please bear with me.)