384. A Good Chance of Winning.

384. A Good Chance of Winning.

Meanwhile, Dean and Sam, escorting the girls, sprinted frantically until they reached the entrance to the bunker.

Although most of the girls were malnourished and mentally exhausted, the prospect of finally escaping brought out every ounce of strength they had.

Dean led the way, kicking aside the wooden boards blocking the entrance to clear a path for the girls behind him.

But as he stepped out of the bunker, he abruptly stopped in his tracks, his expression freezing.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Not far ahead, a burly man with a scruffy beard stood glaring at them, his face full of malice. The surrounding temperature visibly rose, heat radiating intensely from the man.

Sam, coming up behind, saw the same scene. He quickly moved to shield the girls, standing shoulder to shoulder with Dean as they warily faced the monstrous figure.

The man's eyes glowed faintly golden, eerily luminous in the dim light. Raising his arms, his hands—glowing like red-hot iron—emitted waves of searing heat.

The girls, already terrified, collapsed weakly to the ground. Their prolonged imprisonment had left them in poor physical condition, and the terrifying sight drained what little strength they had left.

They were too paralyzed even to scream.

Dean quickly realized this, abandoning the idea of staying behind to buy time for Sam to escape with the girls. It was clear that wasn't going to work.

Alex and Jo were still deeper in the cave, engaged in battle with two other dragons. They wouldn't be able to come to their aid anytime soon.

With a wry smile, Dean glanced at Sam and drew the Valkyrie shortsword from his belt.

"I said it before, Sam—at this point, nothing is going to surprise me."

"Yeah, Dean. Who'd have thought the two of us would one day stand side by side, fighting dragons from legend?" Sam replied, unsheathing his own shortsword as he fixed his gaze on the dragon before them.

Ever since they embarked on the path of hunter, the brothers had faced countless monsters that most people couldn't even imagine. But no matter the foe, they had never once thought of retreating.

Just like now, with the helpless girls behind them—still children, with lives ahead of them—the brothers were determined to protect them. What did it matter if their enemy was a dragon?

"Dragons from legend, huh? And all we have are these two swords Alex gave us, and the two of us," Dean said, gripping his sword tightly, chuckling despite the odds.

"Yeah, Dean. Guess what? I think we've got a good chance of winning."

Dean laughed at Sam's response, his grin turning bloodthirsty.

"Funny—so do I!"

The scruffy-bearded man could no longer contain his anger, roaring as he lunged toward the two humans before him.

The searing heat surged forward, and Dean and Sam knew they couldn't afford to let him touch them. The extreme temperatures could melt steel—if he got a hold of them, they'd be incinerated.

The brothers quickly split up, dodging the attack from two directions. The near-miss sent the girls recoiling in fright, their hands clamped over their mouths.

Taking advantage of the dragon's failed strike, Dean swung his sword backhanded, slicing into the man's shoulder.

The Valkyrie blade cut through the dragon's skin the moment it made contact, leaving a gaping wound. It sizzled and popped like water droplets in a boiling pan, and the man's shoulder erupted with cracking sounds.

Blood splattered to the ground, burning small holes where it landed.

"Cool!" Dean exclaimed.

Before he could savor the success of his strike, Sam's urgent voice called out.

"You're welcome, kid," Sam said, smiling as he tousled Rose's hair. "But remember, don't tell anyone about this. Not even the priest at your church."

Hearing this, Rose nodded earnestly.

Although it was her first time meeting these people, their willingness to risk their lives to save her left her unsure how she could ever repay them.

Before this, she had no idea that monsters truly existed in the world. While she volunteered at her church, this experience had shaken her to her core.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I'll keep your secret, and I'll pray for all of you at the church."

They silently watched as Rose walked back into her home. No one spoke a word.

From afar, they saw an elderly woman, Imma, open the door and joyfully embrace her daughter. The sight filled everyone in the car with warmth and happiness.

"This never gets old, does it?" Jo said, leaning back in her seat with a sweet smile.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "This is why we do this work. Someone has to walk in the darkness to fight for the light of others. Without us, this world would be so much darker."

Sam, sitting in the passenger seat, nodded in agreement.

If, at first, he had been dragged back into this life by Dean, now he was fully committed to dedicating himself to hunting monsters.

"Maybe I've seen so-called 'superheroes' in other worlds," Alex said earnestly, "but here, you're the real superheroes."

"Thank you, Alex," Sam replied with a heartfelt expression.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I genuinely want to thank you," Sam said, exhaling deeply.

"In this line of work, we never care what others think or expect any recognition. But you're different. It means a lot that you acknowledge us."

"I should be thanking you," Alex said, smiling as he clapped Sam on the shoulder. "For letting me experience something I never had before."

No further words were needed.

-----------------

Dean suddenly broke the silence.

"Enough of this sentimental talk. Let's discuss last night. I personally killed a dragon! A dragon! From medieval times to now, no hunter has ever done that!"

"Actually, I was the one who 'personally' killed it," Sam interjected.

"We killed it together!" Dean declared, holding up a finger.

Just as Dean was about to say more, his phone rang.

The call was from Bobby, who had been helping the brothers research information on Heaven. Dean answered, exchanging a few quick words.

After two or three minutes, Dean hung up the phone.

Turning to Alex in the back seat, Dean spoke with a somewhat complicated tone.

"Uh... Bobby thinks he might've found a lead on a tear in Heaven."

.....

30 advanced chapters on p@treaon

For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)

385. Farewell.

386. Zombie Siege!

387. The Only Hope.

388. Zombie Sentry.

389. Traces of Contamination.