pantheonofdiscord:

For Lack of a Better
Word

Part 5/24:
Kenopsia
noun
1. the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet

It used to be that Castiel loved the bunker at night.
Before, when he was still an angel (and on the rare occasions he spent the
night), he would wander the quiet halls or sit up in the library. The steady
ticking of the clock in the war room and the hum of the refrigerator were
welcome and comforting sounds, reminders of the precious souls that worked and breathed
and lived within the bunker’s walls. And in some small way, it was as though
Castiel was keeping watch, standing guard over his human charges. His family.
He would walk past their bedroom doors and hear soft sounds and gentle snores
and he would know that all was well.

Since he fell, nights in the bunker have stopped being a comfort;
for reasons Castiel can’t identify, the building unnerves him. When it’s late,
the only place he can find any kind of solace is his own bedroom. It’s
isolating, yes, lonesome even. But the walls don’t feel so close and the air
doesn’t seem so… dead.

Castiel likes the car though. He always has, despite his grumblings
about wings and cramped spaces and the dullness of driving. But the Impala is
different, somehow separate from all of that. She’s a part of the family, as
much as anyone. She’s a wife and a mother and a protector; she’s safety and
she’s home.

And now, traveling down the 160 with the radio playing
softly and Sam and Dean bickering in the front seat, Castiel feels more calm
and at peace than he has in weeks.

“Hey, Cas.”

Castiel blinks and looks forward. Dean’s turned around in
the front seat, looking at him expectantly. It’s with some surprise that
Castiel notes they’re parked; he’s apparently been staring off into space.

“Chow time, you comin’ in?” Dean says, then starts climbing
out of the driver’s seat.

“Yeah, right,” Castiel says, peering through the windshield
at the dingy-looking Burger King. Its harsh, glowing sign lights up the empty parking
lot, and when Castiel steps out of the car after Dean, he notes that the road
behind them is completely deserted too. It must be very late. “Where are we?”

“Kayenta. Still a couple hours out,” Dean says over his
shoulder.

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