The sun had just set, and the sky was still aglow with the essence of twilight. A sleek ebony '67 Chevy glided down a lonely road, engine puttering as it went on its way. Dean Winchester was behind the wheel. His younger brother, Sam, was napping in the passenger's seat. It had been a long, strenuous past couple of days, and the second that Sam was allowed to sleep again, he passed out. Dean glanced over at him. Man, he really worried about the kid sometimes. He wanted to play his cassette tapes, but Sam needed the sleep badly and he had volunteered to take the first driving shift. So he settled for playing the music in his head and he hummed Metallica as contentedly as he could. The older Winchester bobbed his head up and down to the music, kicking out the beat using his thumbs to pat the steering wheel, as he sank into the tune with a smile curling up on his lips.

Dean peered at the clock on his dashboard. It was 7:56. Dean wanted to find the nearest motel and check in, but they were in a rush to get to Sioux Falls. That was two states away. It felt like the Winchesters were chasing the sun, trying to catch up with it, as they sped west-bound. They had barely just left the dusty little town that they camped in for almost a week. Dean sighed. It was going to be another long night. Flying would have been much faster.

Dean remembered when he and Sam had boarded a plane to exorcise a demon. It was the worst flight experience of his life. And he was terrified of planes to begin with. He had sworn that he would never book a flight again (well not until Bobby called asking for that favor, anyway). He wanted to get some shut-eye, but he wouldn't have even been able to do that on a plane. He would much rather guzzle gas and keep his feet safely planted on solid ground. Plus, the thought of leaving his precious Baby behind was painful all by itself. Dean found himself lightly caressing the leather interior of his car. This car was his pride and joy.

A loud roar thundered and a massive object whizzed before his headlights. Dean flinched, jamming his foot on the brakes. The Impala jolted forward, sending Sam flying right out of his sleep only to get snagged by his seatbelt. The object sped by, tumbling and spinning in the air like a top at lightning speed. The old car shuddered, in rebellion to the the screeching tires that grasped the asphalt desperately to pull the vehicle to a stop. Dean could smell burning rubber and feel adrenaline spiking his blood as his Baby groaned.

"WHOA!" Dean gasped, suddenly cutting the wheel because he was about to run them off the road. The Impala skidded to one side, throwing the boys to the right, and tipped. The moment felt suspended, and Dean squeezed his eyes shut, praying. Someone was watching out for Sam and Dean, because the Impala fell back on all fours with a metallic crunch.

Both boys were sucking in and heaving out spastic breaths in the aftershock of their terror.

"What the hell was that?!" Sam rasped.

Dean scrambled to climb out of the car and searched the dimming landscape to the south. Sam threw off his seatbelt -which likely saved his life- and followed Dean. He glanced back at the car. That thing would've taken off the roof of the Impala and killed them both had he not reacted in time. Dean's heart was still kicked in high gear, but he couldn't find what whatever the hell it was that dropped on them so suddenly.

"—I don't know, Sam," Dean managed to get out, after a minute. This whole thing had really shocked him in his socks. He didn't like to admit to weakness, but the near-miss had shaken him. The cooling air made his lips tremble and he struggled to get his breathing under control. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't going to be sleeping on the road again for a while. He was sure of that.

"Dean, I feel dizzy-" Sam croaked, knees buckling a bit. His heart was pounding wildly. The air he was trying to inhale kept getting trapped in his throat. What little air that made it past the choking barrier Sam couldn't keep down long enough. It made him feel light-headed. Dean snapped out of his own sorry state, and rushed to help his younger brother.

"Whoa, whoa, hey-" Dean hooked an arm under his brother's to support him. Dean led him back to the car. "Breathe, Sammy, you gotta breathe-" he instructed firmly as he helped Sam to sit in the passenger's seat. Sam nodded and focused on a pattern, stuttering his chest as he bent to follow it. His head hit the headrest and his eyes turned up to the ceiling before closing. Dean hopping back into his own seat and keyed the ignition. The Impala puttered to life, before dropping to that same steady purr as puffs of exhaust popped from the rear. Dean moved his car to the shoulder and parked it. He looked to Sam again and waited.

After a minute, Sam's breathing was back to normal and his bodily tension was dissolved. He picked his head up and sighed through a whistled hole he formed with his lips.

"I'm good," was the confirmation Dean was looking for. The elder Winchester got out of the car again.

"Awesome, now let's go find out what the hell almost took our heads off," he sparked, slapping the car door shut.

"Whoa, wait, Dean-" Sam followed him out again, "We don't have any idea what we're up against-" He stopped in his tracks and pointed to the line of trees ahead of them. "-Did you even see the thing?"

"Dude, it jumped right out in front of me-" Dean retorted.

"And?"

There was a pause. Dean's deep verdant eyes wandered from his brother's fleetingly for a moment, before returning to them.

"... I've never seen anything like it."