Sticks and Stones
a/n: This is my attempt at more of an episode-like story that's set just after Mystery Spot – it's a short story. It's also a little fractured in places (and not nearly as angsty as normal!) but again I'm experimenting so comments on what you like/hate would be very valuable. Also, Sam's behavior won't make sense unless you have seen Mystery Spot, Season 3 (and even then maybe not…?!).
lb.
Chapter 1
He heard the gunshot but it made no sense. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
"Dean?" Oh God oh God oh God no, no. Not like this.
Sam sat up in bed gasping like there was no oxygen in the room. Panic clawed through him until he saw the shape in the other bed stir and move. The red numbers on the digital clock glowed 2.27am.
Dean was okay.
It wasn't Tuesday.
Sam barely made it to the bathroom and dry heaved until he sank to the floor exhausted.
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Another dingy motel room, another Godforsaken town and of course another monster or whatever the hell this was going to end up being. Another hunt.
Three deaths in one town, all seventeen year olds to be exact, had caught their attention as out of the ordinary.
Out of the ordinary. The definition of their lives.
Sam stared vacantly at the bathroom door, listening to the sounds of the shower running. His fingers drummed a nervous beat on the tabletop to match the increase in his breathing. He didn't even realise he was doing it.
The water stopped and Sam almost held his breath. No sound. Sam swallowed, anticipation making his mouth go dry.
Sam jumped, his startled face frozen for a second as Dean opened the door with a sharp tug and came out in a billow of steam and a pair of boxers.
"That's one fine shower Sammy, hot and hard just like…" Dean stopped, taking in the pale face and almost trembling form of his brother. "Sammy? What's wrong you look like you've just seen a ghost? You haven't just seen a ghost, have you?"
Dean glanced around the room for the source of his brother's tension, the irony of the cliché not lost on him. He snagged a t-shirt from his bag, pulling it on and sitting down on the end of his bed opposite the small table where his brother sat.
"Sam?" He knew the look now, he should have recognised it as soon as he saw it really. It had been randomly appearing for the past two days without warning. Sam, it seemed had no more control over it than the weather and the stress was taking its toll on his younger brother.
"I'm okay Sammy. You know that right?"
"It's not Tuesday." More of a statement than anything. Sam felt under his shirt and found no bullet wound or scar on his stomach. Just to make sure.
"No Sam it's not Tuesday and nothing's gonna happen."
"Kay. I'm…I'm gonna shower."
Dean watched as Sam fumbled for some clean clothes, avoiding all eye contact and disappeared behind the closed door. He sighed as he leant his head in his hands, not really knowing what to do. How to fix this.
He knew what it felt like to lose a brother. His mind couldn't even grasp the reality of reliving the scenario over and over or living the life Sam had apparently led for months in the alternate trickster universe. Sam seemed to be having trouble grasping the fact that he was out of the loop now. Groundhog Day was over.
Time. That's all Sam needed, time. They would just keep doing the job and let time fix this…well at least until his time ran out and Sam had to do it for real.
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Sam slid into the seat and closed the passenger door as the Impala rumbled to life and Dean reversed out of the motel's parking lot. He took a deep breath and ignored the furtive glances his older brother was not so covertly throwing his way.
He could do this. He knew this was real, not part of the Trickster's little mind game that would rewind endlessly as the joke was replayed over and over. He still couldn't find any part of the scenario funny though, endlessly not saving Dean. Yeah, the joke was on him but death's countdown was still shadowing Dean.
He could do this. Sam just had to remind himself every now and again not to panic. The mind numbing fear seemed to hit him when he'd least expected it over the past two days since Brower County. It was always the little things that set him off, a dog barking, looking at a blackboard menu in some run down diner and sometimes just Dean being out of sight. His imagination was wicked inventive it seemed.
"Hey, you up for this?" Dean spoke softly unable to maintain the silence any longer. He sure as hell hated seeing his brother like this, so withdrawn, so unsure. "We can take some more time if you need. I mean, it's only been a coupla days since…if you need time to sort through this I get it Sam."
"I'm fine Dean. We can't, you know we can't afford to wait. I just wish we could work out what was killing these kids. There's no history I can find for anything unusual about the town or how they were killed. The only thing they have in common is their High School but I can't find anything about the school that explains this - whatever this is."
"That first guy that ran into the train…"
"Apparently just drove straight into it at a crossing. The witness claimed the car didn't slow down or swerve at all. "
"Yeah. Well we should check out this witness. He also thought there was someone else in the car but they only found the one body."
"Okay…" Sam rifled through the notes he had made. "Aidan Croft, seventeen. Only child, lived here all his life, average student, basketball team and recently suspended for smoking on school grounds."
"Just your average teenager. Why the hell would he want to play chicken with a train? I mean if there was no pattern, it'd be just another case of rebel gone wrong."
"Yeah I guess, but the stakes were pretty high Dean. If you mess with a forty car freight train well…" Sam shrugged, not really understanding the whole rebel without a cause thing anyway.
"You got an address on this witness?"
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"Well what d'you think, reliable or not?"
"I honestly don't know." Sam shrugged, looking over the top of the car as his brother leaned on the open driver's door. "Either way, it doesn't exactly help us work out what this is or why this kid died. I think he believes he saw something but…"
"Yeah I know, back to square one."
They had talked to the passerby who had witnessed the shocking accident. He still seemed shaken up as they had expected but was quite adamant about a second person in the car. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to be very specific about a description of the other person.
"So I guess the morgue next?"
"Yeah, I think we'd better check for ourselves." Dean sighed as he settled back in the driver's seat, fingers absently tapping on the wheel. He'd purposely left the music off, it seemed to make Sam withdraw even more as though it drowned out any motivation he had to talk above it.
"Why don't I drop you off…?"
"I'm coming with you Dean. I'm not gonna…I can deal with this okay."
Sam hated losing control. He hated the fact that in reality he didn't know when he was going to be almost paralysed with fear that Dean was about to die. His brother had enough to worry about, he didn't need this burden as well as a ticket to hell. After all, an orderly schedule with hell was so much better than imminent death by random. Irony just didn't even cover it.
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Dean flashed his badge along with the smile that melted the resolve of any woman between the cradle and the grave. "Detective Hetfield and this is my partner Detective Ulrich."
Sam held his badge up with a nod and a smile that was duly ignored in favour of his sibling. He couldn't help the small grin as he watched Dean effortlessly work his charms.
"Well Christie, we need to view the remains of Aidan Croft, Chris Millpond and Anna Bourke. We've been asked to do a follow up report by the local sheriff. I'm sure you'd be able to point us in the right direction."
Christie would have been in her mid thirties but blushed like a schoolgirl under Dean's gaze. "Aidan Croft was buried yesterday but the other two are still here. Oh those poor kids, it's so sad. I mean they weren't exactly angels but you wouldn't want anything like this…" She shook her head.
"Did you know them?" Sam questioned.
"Me? No I didn't know them but I know of them."
"What do you mean?" Dean's voice held a telltale hint of frustration.
"Well Anna and Chris both have father's running major businesses in this town. And then Aidan Walker he was the Mayor's son. The poor little rich kids. I mean it was just a saying, every town's got them."
"Yes it has." Dean nodded knowingly. "So…?"
"Down this corridor then third door on your left, the Coroner works between a coupla towns but I can give you his number if you need to talk with him. His assistant can show you what you need, I'll ring through and let him know you're on your way."
"So something's killing off the poor little rich kids." Dean spoke in a low voice as they walked away from Christie's desk.
"Well it's a start. Maybe this has more to do with the parents unless Christie was making it up to impress you." Sam couldn't help himself.
"Well it wouldn't be the first time Sammy. I just don't know my own power sometimes."
They entered the small office off the corridor and were given copies of the autopsy reports then led through a set of doors and into the morgue. The assistant was a dour looking man who seemed to blend perfectly with the cold, stark atmosphere of the room and excused himself gruffly at the first opportunity.
"I think maybe he needs a lesson or two on personality."
"Probably be wasted on him in here Dean. Have you noticed where we are?"
"Yeah I guess his conversational skills don't get a lot of use." Dean paused to draw back the sheet on the first body. "Oh man, he really did eat dirt."
Sam looked through the report. "Well it pretty much backs up the article we found. The boy was found dead in his front garden with dirt in his mouth. Except the autopsy also found dirt in his stomach and lungs meaning he was basically force fed until he choked. Oh God there were earthworms in there too."
"Nasty. Hey look at this." Dean pointed to the bruises covering the boys jaw and chest.
Sam peered closer. "It looks odd. It's like a blue colour, what would do that?"
"Don't know, let's check the other one."
Dean draped the sheet back in place and slid the tray in before moving to the second body.
"Damn she looks so young." Dean shook his head at the pretty girl on the slab before them.
"She was, they all were Dean. Look she's got the same marks across her shoulders." Sam pulled a face then reluctantly pressed a finger on the discoloured skin. "It feels hard, I don't think it's bruising."
Dean moved the sheet down, following the line of colour and revealing a neat set of stitches across the girl's chest.
"I know this was a knife attack Sam but what exactly is the official cause of death?"
Sam skimmed down the pages to the summary statement. "The heart…the heart was removed while it was still beating." Sam glanced up at his brother. "They found the heart in her hand."
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Dean pulled into the High School visitor's car park and they walked up the stairs to the main door. It was Friday and from the number of student's milling around outside the classrooms it was break time.
"What's wrong?" Sam noticed Dean hesitating as they reached the top of the stairs.
"Man, the whole High School thing, I don't deal well with teachers. God what if we have to see the Principal?"
"You're kidding? My awesome big brother, who sledges it out with demons, vampires, ghosts and other evil nasties is scared to see the High School Principal?"
"No I'm not scared. Just, just uncomfortable. You know awkward…like you and girls."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Don't go changing the subject here Dean. If you want me to deal with the big bad Principal all you've gotta do is ask."
Dean punched his brother's arm. Hard. He knew he was going to hear more on this and mentally kicked himself for providing the ammunition. Although seeing Sam relax for a minute was almost worth it.
Almost.
They followed the signs to the office and after showing their credentials were quickly moved into an inner office to wait for the Deputy Principal.
Sam watched as his brother paced nervously, unable to stop from fidgeting. "Dean we're not in trouble, you gotta relax or it'll look like we have done something wrong."
"What, you mean like show fake ID's that say we're officers of the law?"
"Yeah, you're gonna give us away. Now you're making me nervous. Did you get in that much trouble at school? I don't remember…"
"No I was just a victim of circumstance, wrong …"
Dean cut his reply short as the door opened and a short, balding man entered and shook hands, introducing himself as David Riley.
"How can I help you Detectives? I thought we had covered everything already with the Sheriff."
"We just have a few follow up questions sir, we need to make sure all aspects of this case are covered. I'm sure you understand, given the unusual circumstances." Sam spoke with a quiet assurance.
"Oh of course. Everyone is still a little on edge though. I mean Aidan's death was a tragedy but the thought that Anna and Chris were murdered and the killer is still out there, well I'm sure I don't need to tell you about it. What did you need today?"
"An up to date class list would be good and is there a Year Advisor we could speak with, get some general information from?"
"Yes that would be Mrs Halloway, I'll check her schedule if you'll just wait here." He rose to leave the room.
"What did you think of these kids?" Dean voice seemed to freeze the Deputy Principal in mid stride before he recovered enough to turn and face the brothers.
"Well my personal opinion isn't really relevant is it? Kids will be kids, that doesn't mean something like this should happen to them." He shrugged.
"Off the record, what were they like? I mean getting busted for smoking is more your cool, wanna be behavior. Were they a problem?"
"Off the record they were a bit of a handful, all of them. There's a group of about eight, well down to five now I guess. Every school's got their antagonists and we deal with them but you understand our hands are tied unless we have proof or complaints. They didn't deserve to be murdered." He turned and walked out the door before either brother could comment.
Dean looked over at Sam. "I think we need to find out about these other five kids."
"You think they're targets?"
"Maybe. Jesus, I don't know Sam. There was no sulphur residue on the bodies, no EMF and I'm running out of ideas. What if, if this is some sicko, something human doing this? "
"What about the marks we found on the bodies?"
The door to the office opened and David Riley waved them towards him. "Come this way Detectives, Mrs Halloway is waiting in her office.
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They had split up after speaking with the Year Advisor. Sam going to check attendance and disciplinary records of the victims while Dean checked out the Home Room and around the school.
"Remember we're not supposed to talk to the students without a teacher. Just stay low key okay, subtle. Dean?"
"Yeah, yeah I got it. See you back at the car in thirty." Dean waved his hand as he walked off down the hall. "Behave yourself Sammy."
Sam shook his head watching his brother walk away. Dean was a lot of things but rarely subtle, he wasn't wired that way. He grinned and turned back to the room of files he had been shown and got to work.
Time had gotten away from him as he checked through the boxed folders in the storeroom. The school was in the process of upgrading their computerised record system and had fallen behind with any recent updates. At least there were no access codes or security that prevented him from checking details of the other names in the group that Mrs Halloway had provided.
Sam checked his watch and quickly shoved the notebook and pen in his jacket pocket, hesitating as he looked at the folders he hadn't read. There were quite a few incidents recorded with these kids and he wondered whether Dean had gleaned any other interesting details.
He was within sight of the exit when he heard it. The loud crack that made him stop his movement and his breathing simultaneously. Then his legs began running before he realised, and he darted around the few students between him and the door.
This was blind panic, total and absolute.
He was going insane. It was a combination of factors but in reality, just cause you knew it was happening didn't mean you could stop it. Sam felt his throat tightening as he pressed himself against the warm bricks and tried to breathe. He clenched his shaking hands as he focused on his brother getting into the car. Dean was fine.
Dean was fine. It wasn't Tuesday. And his hands clawed his skin to make sure there was no wound on his stomach.
tbc…