"Come on Sam, why not?"
"I'm not a real big fan of Halloween, that's all."
"But everyone goes to the Halloween dance…and I was kinda hoping you would go with me. Pleeease?"
Sam had just started at Paul Venkman High School in September and was doing well. He was glad his Dad and his older brother Dean finally agreed to settle down for a while so that he could finish high school. Most of his classes were AP and he had made a lot of new friends already. He had a bit of a crush on one friend in particular. Her name was Lisa. She was in a lot of his classes and had played a big part in helping him get acquainted with yet another new school.
They were standing in the hallway one morning before their AP history class, when the subject came up about the school's annual Halloween dance. Sam really didn't expect her to ask him and he definitely wasn't planning on going. That is, until now.
"Alright fine, I'll go, but do I have to dress up?"
"Yes of course you have to dress up, silly. That's half the fun and there'll be a contest with a bunch of categories for best costumes and stuff. It'll be fun."
He later found himself looking forward to spending the evening with her, despite the fact that half the people there would be dressed as the things he was sworn to kill. Lisa was not only beautiful, but extremely smart, kind, and funny. Sam liked spending his spare time with her. They had a lot in common. For instance, they both liked spending their spare time at the library and often spent afternoons together pouring over books.
This was the case one day after school. The subject came up again about the dance.
"So what should we be for the dance?", Lisa whispered to Sam. They had to keep their voices down so as not to conjure the wrath of the librarians' evil glare as they had countless times before. Sam was sure she had to be possessed. He reminded himself to mention it to Dean.
"I don't know. What did you have in mind?", Sam whispered back.
"Well I was thinking it would be cute if we somehow matched."
"Matched?"
"Yeah, like a famous duo or something. What do you think?"
They mulled over ideas for the next two days. Everything from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John from Grease to Sonny and Cher. Sam turned down most them because he knew Dean would give him hell if he ever found out. Sam definitely didn't need that. Sam hadn't even told Dean about the dance. Then the night before the dance Sam got a phone call from Lisa. Sam tried to dive for the phone just in case it was one of his friends. Dean got to it first, unfortunately.
"Hello?", Dean said suavely into the phone.
"Hey is Sam there? It's Lisa."
"Oh," he said disappointedly because the phone wasn't for him.
Even though Sam was sitting there waiting patiently to find out who the call was for, Dean still shouted, "Oh Sammy! It's for you! And it's a giiiirrrrl!"
"Shut up, Dean," was all Sam said before snatching the phone from his snickering brother's grasp.
"Hi," he mumbled into the phone. He was half mortified.
"Hey Sam," Lisa said trying very hard to stifle a laugh.
"My brother thinks he's funny."
Lisa giggled. "I was just calling to say that I went to the party store today and I found us the perfect costumes."
"Really?" Sam was a little skeptical and Lisa could tell by the tone in his voice that he needed some reassuring.
"It's really great you're going to love it I promise. Come to my house at least an hour early tomorrow so we can get ready. Make sure you wear black."
"Okay, the dance starts at eight so I'll be there around 6:30."
"Great, see you then. Bye."
Sam didn't know it but Dean had been listening to Sam's end of the conversation and learned that his 'geek boy' brother must have a date tomorrow night. As Sam hung up the phone he glanced in his brother's direction to find out if he had been listening. He'd have preferred if Dean didn't know about his date with Lisa. Especially since they were going to the dance. Sam knew Dean would use the opportunity to torture Sam in some way, shape, or form. But when Sam saw the sly look on Dean's face he knew immediately that Dean knew that he was going to Halloween dance. Damn it!, Sam thought to himself.
"So little Sammy's got a date?"
"Yeah, so what if I do?", Sam asked him indignantly.
"Nothing, I'm just saying, you're going to the Halloween dance?"
"Look I wasn't planning on going but she asked me…and I'm looking forward to spending a Saturday night like a normal high school kid."
"Alright alright, don't get your boxers in a bunch, sorry I asked. Just remember dad won't be home this weekend and he told me to make sure you get in on time, and no girls in the house."
"Like you're really gonna abide by that rule." With that Dean threw the remote control at Sam and Sam tackled Dean to ground in playful retaliation. They wrestled around countering each others headlocks and various other holds, taught to them by their father. Suddenly Dean stopped, mid-hold, sprawled across Sam's chest, and said, "What are you gonna go dressed as?"
--------
Sam strolled up the sidewalk to Lisa's front porch. She lived in a rather big house not far from the apartment where he, Dean, and their dad were living. It was a two-story white frame house with dark green shutters. He knocked on the front door and a woman looking to be in her mid-forties answered the door. Sam figured she had to be Lisa's mother.
"Hi, you must be Mrs. Tyler. My name is Sam Winchester. Is Lisa home?"
"Oh, hi Sam. Yes, Lisa has been expecting you. She's up in her room finishing her make-up for the dance. Go ahead on up."
As Sam ascended the hard wood stairs, Lisa's mother announced Sam's arrival.
"Lisa! Sam is here."
"Okay, Mom. Sam come on in."
Sam stepped through the threshold to Lisa's room and almost gasped in terror. He immediately turned a slight shade of pink, embarrassed by his own reaction. He couldn't help it. After having dealt with so many monsters in his life, it was only natural to jump to the conclusion that he did. For a split-second he thought Lisa had been bitten by a vampire. He felt even more stupid after he thought about it for a second because as long as his dad had been hunting , he had never once found any proof that vampires even still existed.
"I take it I'm more convincing than I thought," Lisa said after seeing the look on Sam's face.
"Yeah, you look really great," Sam said after clearing his throat trying to hide his embarrassment. He was hoping he was coming across as having meant to react the way he did. Upon closer inspection of what he now knew was make-up, he saw that the ghostly white hue of her face was merely paint and powder. The blueish tint of her lips was also powder, meant to depict the look of a person whose body has been deprived of blood and oxygen, of life. On her neck were two puncture marks, put there not by the bite of a vampire, but by paint and some weird looking goo to give the effect of congealed blood and pierced skin. She was wearing a white button down blouse. Well, it used to be white. Now, practically the whole right side, beneath the bite marks, was covered in fake blood. It made the whole costume that much more convincing.
"I'm finished with myself, but we'd better get started on you so we won't be late. Sit here." She motioned to the chair that sat in front of her vanity. Sam sat down and for the first time took a good look around the room. It was more girly than he expected Lisa's room to be. For the most part she was a pretty serious person and joked around when she was in the mood. This room didn't really seem to fit her though. It was very pink and frilly.
After what seemed like an eternity to Sam Lisa finally announced that she was finished. Sam knew that Lisa was a stickler for details but that was damn near close to full on OCD. He stepped in front of the full length mirror attached to her closet door and had to admit he was impressed with what he saw. His face was pale white like hers. She darkened under his cheek bones and around his temples to make him look gaunt and she stained the corners of his mouth red to make it look like he had just finished feeding. He was the most convincing vampire he had ever seen.
"Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot these," Lisa said turning back towards him and placing two small objects in his hands. "Your fangs."
Sam turned back to the mirror and put the false teeth onto his canines. He bared his teeth at the image of himself and smiled.
"I vant to suck your blood!", Sam said in his best Transylvanian accent.
"I think you need to work on that," Lisa said, laughing.
---------------
Twenty minutes later Sam and Lisa stepped into the gymnasium of their school. The inside looked like a crepe paper factory exploded. Black and orange steamers hung from the ceiling, as did several skeletons with glowing red eyes. In one corner stood a scarecrow. The focal point of the room though was a giant black spider made of hundreds of balloons. The main part of its body stood in the middle of the room close to the ceiling and its eight legs spread out in various directions touching the floor. At the far end of the room stood a table where a DJ was playing various pop hits. Kids stood in the middle, underneath the giant spider, dancing.
"Shall we?", Lisa said looking up at Sam motioning towards the dance floor where she had spotted some of their friends.
"Yeah, let's go."
They walked up to the large group of people and were immediately dragged in.
After moving around to music that Dean would have said 'should have came with a bottle of aspirin', there was a scream loud enough to make everyone in the whole room freeze. They all looked at each other then after a few moments went back to dancing playing it off as though it was just part of the Halloween fun. Sam on the other hand knew better. When everyone went back to dancing he left the crowd. He left the gym and went into the hallway where he could at least hear himself think. Lisa followed him. The only other people in the hallway were a few chaperones who looked like they were too busy trying to pick each other up to notice that two students had wandered away from the flock.
"Sam, what are you doing? You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you hear that scream?"
"It was probably just someone screwing around. Let's go back in there."
"No, Lisa that didn't sound like someone just messing around. You go back in there I want to check it out."
"Fine, but I'm going with you. Where did it sound like it was coming from anyway?"
"I'm not sure. But I think it came from this hallway. It definitely wasn't from in there."
They turned to look at the two adults and figured the coast was clear and went further down the hallway and turned the corner. It was dark. After their eyes adjusted to the poor lighting they followed the long hallway further. They turned right. Suddenly something came into view with help from the light emitted by the Exit sign at the other end of the long hall. Sam and Lisa's breathing become more rapid and their hearts pounded as they neared what was lying in the middle of the hall. They realized at the same time that it wasn't a what that was laying in middle of the hall, it was a who. Someone was lying motionless in the middle of the hallway. Lisa went to let out a scream but Sam clapped his hand over her mouth.
"Shhh, don't scream they could still be okay. Just give me a second."
Sam bent down and squinted through the poor lighting. He put his hand to the girls neck. No pulse. Damn. It was then that he noticed the smell. He had smelled something earlier but couldn't quite place it. He now knew for sure that it was definitely sulfuric. A demon…here?, Sam thought to himself. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew it had to be true. There was only one thing to do and Sam really didn't want it to come to this but he didn't have a choice. He got up and looked at Lisa.
"I gotta make a phone call."
"Wait, is she dead?" She prayed that it wasn't as bad as it looked.
"Yeah she is."
"So who are you gonna call?"
"Lisa…do you trust me?" Sam layed his best puppy dog face on her.
------
"This had better be good, geek boy," Dean said through gritted teeth. He was seated rather comfortably on the couch with the very pretty girl who works at the coffee shop down the street.
"Dean, I need to talk to you about something."
"I'm kinda in the middle of something here, Sammy. Can it wait?"
"No it can't Dean," Sam stated, rather annoyed. "It has to do with our particular area of expertise. I need you to get over here now."
"Shit, Sam, why didn't you just say so?" Dean said as he realized why his kid brother had called. "I'll be right there. Hang tight." With that Dean hung up the phone.
"Uhhh, Heather, I gotta go. I'm really sorry. It's my geeky brother, He needs me."
"Oh, but I thought you said he wouldn't be home until after 11. It's only 9."
"I know but," Dean frantically searched for an excuse for leaving not wanting to reveal the real reason for ending their date so unexpectedly. "I know but Sam he's….he's got a fear of clowns and someone showed up at his dance as Bozo. So he needs me to go get him. Poor little guy, he's not going to sleep for days," Dean said shaking his head as he ushered the tall blonde out the front door, his jacket in his hand.
------
'Alright Dean, where are you,' Sam muttered to himself under his breath. The chaperones were still flirting and he didn't want to take the chance that anyone else would go down that hallway. He also didn't want anyone else to get hurt.
Sam kept absentmindedly checking his watch and looking out the window that was set in the door. He didn't want to meet Lisa's gaze. He had just told her about his dark family background. Sam only told her the bare minimum, just enough to let her know that he wasn't crazy and that Dean would be able to help. He knew she probably thought he was a freak but he didn't have time to worry about that. Sam had more pressing issues at hand, like wondering where the hell his brother was. Just then he saw a dark figure moving across the grounds in the front of the school. Then just as Sam was getting nervous that maybe it wasn't Dean like he had hoped, the figure stepped into the light radiating from the street light on the sidewalk. Thank god, Sam thought to himself.
"What the hell took you so long?," Sam asked Dean when he went outside to meet him.
"Sorry, that girl Heather, she likes me….a lot."
"The girl from the coffee shop? Dean, I'm here with a demon on my hands and you're hooking up with the girl from the coffee shop! And I thought Dad said no girls in the house."
"First off, we were in the car when she wouldn't take her hands off me. So I was making an effort to get here, but like I said she likes me. Secondly, ummmm…." Dean was trying to think of a good excuse for having the girl in the house in the first place. "Yeah, I got nothing."
"Let's just go before something else happens."
Before Sam and Dean entered the school Sam turned to look Dean up and down.
"Dude, you're gonna stick out if you don't have a costume."
"No I won't." (Dean apparently 'doesn't do' costumes either.)
"Dean, we can't risk someone noticing you're here. We don't need people asking questions."
"Fine, I'll pretend to be a chaperone." Sam looked over his shoulder to where Dean was pointing and saw the new 'couple' standing near the door at the other end of the entrance hallway.
"Alright, come on." Sam lead the way back inside and upon entering he came face to face with Lisa.
"Lisa, this is my brother, Dean. Dean this is Lisa."
Lisa just looked at Dean then back at Sam. She was still having a hard time believing what was going on. Dean gave Lisa one of his charming smiles and when it wasn't returned with weak knees and a stuttered response he got confused.
Sam saw both of their expressions and said to Dean, "I told her."
"You what?," Dean hissed.
"Look, I had to. She was standing there when I found the body. She has to believe that we can help. I knew that if I didn't tell her she might tell someone out here about the body and they would send everyone home. Someone here could be possessed and we would lose the demon."
"You keep talking about a demon. It's not really a demon is it? Tell me it's just a metaphor."
"Oh you did a real good job there, geek boy," Dean said rolling his eyes.
"The thing that killed that girl is a real demon. As in 'Exorcist'- a head spinning, projectile vomiting, evil son-of-a-bitch."
"So what are you going to do about it?," Lisa asked a slight look of curiosity, but mostly a look of fear washed over her.
"Well, sweetheart, we're going to find the bastard and see if we can make it do those things. But we aren't going to find it standing here all night," Dean said looking around, nauseated by the thought of having stepped foot inside a school.
"Come on, I'll show you where the body is," Sam said motioning for his brother to follow. Lisa trailed behind. The trio turned to make sure they weren't seen and weren't being followed before entering the dark hallway once again.
-----------------------
Sam was walking cautiously down the corridor, listening intently for any sounds. All he could hear though were the faint sounds of Dean's EMF detector. Suddenly he felt something cold brush his hand and then grasp it. He almost gasped before he realized it was Lisa taking his hand in hers. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he murmured to her just loud enough to be audible. He didn't want to alert anyone of their presence. Sam must have said it louder than he thought though because the the next thing to reach his ears was, "Oh Sammy, you're my hero," Dean said, while stopping and turning to look at Sam. Dean fluttered his eyelashes.
"Hilarious Dean, now shut up and keep moving," Sam said as rolled his eyes. Dean snorted in amusement and Lisa laughed nervously.
Suddenly Lisa stopped dead in her tracks and her breathing increased. Dean followed her gaze and looked down the hallway. Just ahead lay a dark figure.
Without a word Dean walked over to the body and as he knelt down beside it the EMF readings went off the charts. He scanned the area around the body to see if there was any evidence or clues to help point them in the right direction. After all they didn't have much to go on. Before tonight the school had no history of a haunting or of people becoming possessed by demons. (Other than the librarian, but Dean had had his fair share of fierce looking authority figures so he was pretty sure she didn't count.)
He pulled a small penlight out of his pocket. After sweeping it over the scene and finding nothing he decided to scan the rest of the hallway. As he went further down the hall, away from where Sam and a very frightened Lisa stood, the smell of sulfur got significantly stronger. Dean pointed the beam of light at a door to a classroom, where the smell seemed strongest. When the light hit the bottom of the door, where it met the floor, he noticed a smear of black. He wiped the smudge with his finger and brought it to his nose. It reeked of sulfur, the signature scent of demon.
"Hey Sam, check this out."
Sam and Lisa passed the body, Lisa sideswiping the wall in an effort to stay as far away as possible.
"What is it Dean?," Sam asked as he approached his older brother.
"It's sulfuric residue. We've definitely got a demon on our hands and it looks like it left from this room." As he said this he was busy picking the lock. "I never understood why teachers lock classrooms. Do they honestly think someone is going to come in and steal, what? An eraser or something? Is there a shortage of chalk I don't know about?"
He finally got the door open and they stepped inside. Once again Dean used his penlight to sweep the room. The classroom, Sam's history classroom, looked like most classrooms except for a few things that didn't quite belong. On the teachers large, otherwise spotless desk were pages seeming to have fallen out of a very large, very old book. These pages also scattered the floor. There were seven in all. In addition, to the papers were dark spots. Sam touched one and found that it was hard.
"Dean, this desk has drops of wax on it. Black wax. Some of the drops aren't quite dry yet and by the looks of these papers, someone left in a hurry. And it couldn't have been very long ago."
Dean had been busy trying to decipher what the pages meant when Sam spoke. Sam noting the look of confusion mixed with extreme concentration that was now overpowering Dean's face. He snatched the yellowing pages out of Dean's hands.
"Let me see these before you give yourself a migraine."
Sam took the penlight and leaned up against the desk studying the ancient sheets of paper. After what seemed to Dean like an eternity, Sam said, "These are incantations used to conjure and control a demon. Looks like this demon didn't come here of its own accord."
"Great, so someone is controlling this thing. We find out whose doing it and we can kick their ass."
"The only thing is we have to find them before the dance is over, if they haven't already split."
"How are we supposed to find them? It could be anybody."
"Uhhh, I think I can help you with that one."
Dean and Sam turned to see Lisa standing a few feet away from the desk, towards the door. She had wandered over there trying to rid herself of the nervous energy that was mounting within her, while Sam and Dean were discussing what to do. She was holding something in her hands apparently left behind by whoever brought the demon here. Dean and Sam walked over to see what it was.
"It's a piece of cloth, the fabric most costumes are made of," she said as she stretched it out. It was slightly shredded and frayed at the ends, as if someone slashed it with claws. As she held it in her hands she found a section that was wet. She pulled her hand away and held it into the light. Her fingers were stained with red. "Oh my god, there's blood on it." She dropped it to the ground and wiped her hands on her blouse.
"Well, this kinda narrows it down. All we have to do is find someone who is bleeding and is missing a section of their costume…How much time do we have?"
"It's almost 10. The dance ends at 11."
"Okay, lets get started."
The 'vampire', his 'victim', and his brother made their way back to the gym. They felt bad about leaving the body of the girl lying on the floor but honestly what else could they do. They couldn't move it and risk being held accountable for it so they left her as she was, praying no one went down that hallway.
------------------------
Once they entered the gym the three of them knew that their task was going to be damn near impossible. They decided to split up knowing they'd be able to cover more ground that way. Lisa decided to stay behind to casually stand guard over the hallway. Dean and Sam made their way through the crowd looking for anybody who might have been injured. Since two-thirds of the people there were either covered in fake blood, had lost a limb, had a shredded costume, and/or wielded some sort of bloody weapon Dean decided to say the hell with it and took out the EMF detector. He tried to play it off like he was in character. Dean walked through the crowd waving the detector around. The reading came back low. Having scanned the crowd he started to make his way around to the 'wallflowers'.
He approached a group of kids, mostly boys, who looked to be sophomores and maybe a few freshmen. As he got closer the EMF readings got higher. Dean tried to listen to their conversation while trying not to draw too much attention to himself. It was hard to hear because they were standing relatively close to the speakers. All he knew was that whatever was being said they were listening intently, looks of admiration and disbelief plastered their faces. He heard snatches of what the kid in the center was saying. He distinguished the words "bright light", "smoke", "black shadow", "awesome", "disappeared". The kid sounded excited. Suddenly what was said next made Dean jerk into alertness.
"What happened to your arm?"
"Oh it's just a scra-," the kid began to say but Dean cut through the small mob. He put on his best look of authority.
"Son, what's your name?," Dean asked looking stern at the kid who was standing at the center of attention. The look dared the kid to question him. So of course he did.
"Who're you?"
Ordinarily Dean would have commended the kid for his defiance of authority, but this was important. Dean knew he would have to change his approach.
"You've been selected as a finalist for…most convincing costume." The kid was clearly dressed as Jason from the 'Friday the 13th' movies, but Dean was desperate.
"I am?," the kid asked in disbelief. Ha, Dean thought to himself, he actually bought it.
"Yeah, you are. I mean look at your arm. The slash looks real. Just follow me and we'll get you properly entered.'
The kid followed him. Dean lead him to the entrance and signaling Sam across the room.
On the way out of the gym Dean asked the kid, "What's your name?"
"Ryan. Ryan Stantz."
"Ok, well we just need to ask you a few questions about your costume," Dean told Ryan when they reached the hallway outside the gym. They were far enough away from the 'lovebirds' that they wouldn't be overheard. Sam walked up to them and Lisa followed.
"So Ryan, you make that cut yourself or did you have a little help?"
Ryan could tell by the look on Dean's face and the tone of his voice that this wasn't about the contest. Dean read the look of realization on Ryan's face. He pulled out the papers.
"What's that?," Ryan asked trying to feign not knowing what they were.
"Where'd you get the book, Ryan?," Sam chimed in, playing the good cop.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Look we're wasting time here. You conjured a demon you little jerk and we have less than 45 minutes to track it down before it kills someone else. Now tell us what you know."
"Wait…what? It killed someone? I didn't tell it to do that."
"Demons don't take orders very well. They cause death and destruction for it's one sake."
"Who..," he had a hard time excepting the fact that someone apparently died because he wanted to have a little spooky fun. He swallowed and tried to ask again. "Who died."
"You better follow us," said Sam. Dean lead the way down the hall with Lisa and Sam following behind.
When they reached the body, Ryan looked like he was going to be sick. He immediately knew who the red haired girl was. "It's Dana. She's a girl who just started here this year. I asked her to come to the dance with me." he sputtered in shock. Tears filled his eyes. It took a few minutes for him to regain his composure. After he calmed himself enough to speak he explained the events of the night.
He found the book in an old trunk that his mom bought in an antique shop. It was hidden in a false bottom. He'd read about conspiracy theories of supernatural happenings on the Internet but he didn't think any of it was real. That is until he found the book. It's almost like it called to him from the bottom of the trunk. Ryan said he could feel it's energy. He poured over the pages in his free time. Having deciphered enough of it to know there were spells in there that could possibly conjure a demon, he decided that the dance would be a good time to put his new hobby to use. He also interpreted an incantation that would send the demon back if things got out of control.
Ryan purchased items to create an altar from an occult book store. Then earlier that night he broke into the classroom where he was sure he wouldn't be disturbed. Ryan explained how he set up the altar making sure every facet of it was perfect, exactly like the book described it. After reciting the incantations, bright lights shot into the air. The next thing he saw was smoke and a shadow. It was a little taller than him, in a human shape, with long claws. He called to it knowing it must have been the demon. It started towards the door not listening to him. Ryan ran to the door to keep it from escaping. The demon raised it's dark silhouetted claw and scratched at Ryan's arm, ripping at his costume and cutting into his skin. It then slipped underneath the door.
He knew it was futile to chase after it so he quickly ran to the book and leafed through the pages. He read an incantation that he thought would send the demon back. Then he gathered everything off of the desk and left the room hurriedly because he thought he heard someone coming. He left through the back Exit close to the classroom and stashed his stuff in some bushes. Ryan came back to the dance through the main entrance. He told them he remembered seeing Sam come through the door from the gym as he was going in.
After listening to Ryan recount what happened the stood there for a moment. Then Dean broke the silence.
"The girl must have screamed while you were outside."
Just then Ryan slid down the nearest wall and covered his face with his hands. Dana must have been the one coming down the hall. She must have been the one I'd heard when I left….Oh god, what have I done?," he asked looking up at them.
"Well, right now all you need to worry about is helping us get rid of the bastard. Where's the book." Dean clearly didn't have any sympathy for the kid. After all it was his fault the demon was here in the first place. How could he be so stupid. People like this pissed Dean off more than the pop music resounding in the background coming from the gym.
"In the bushes like I said."
Dean looked at Sam and stated, "We're probably gonna need that book for the exorcism. You get the book, I'll go get the stuff from the trunk."
---------------
After retrieving the book and the usual items needed for an exorcism ritual, they got to work. Dean broke into the classroom once again and they set everything up.
"We gotta hurry this up. The dance will be over soon," Sam said while glancing at the clock on the wall.
"We need to draw the demon out first," Ryan said.
Dean and Sam looked at him and then back at each other. Sam shrugged and Dean rolled his eyes.
"This coming from the kid who decided it would be a good idea to invite a demon to a dance. The next time you want to pull a prank, kid, try spiking the punch or setting off the fire alarm like everyone else," Dean stated tartly then turned back to what he was doing.
Sam was looking intently at the book. He soon found an incantation that should draw the demon back. It was written in Latin and he spoke the words perfectly. He was almost through the spell when they felt a whoosh of cold air and the lights flickered on then back off again a split second later. When he finally finished something dark came from underneath the door then rose to its full height.
"There it is," exclaimed Ryan as he backed away.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Dean retorted. He picked up a bottle of holy water that Sam brought in from the trunk and moved forward cautiously, intending to splash the demon with it. Instead the demon moved forward, grabbed Dean by the front of his shirt and threw him clear across the room. He hit the wall then flew forward, landing face first, upon impact. Dean lay there motionless.
Sam advanced on the demon from behind splashing it with holy water. The evil beast screamed while smoke billowed from its dark form. He started the exorcism ritual, reading aloud from the book. The demon, knowing its inescapable fate, slipped through the air duct before he could finish. Sam quickened his pace before the demon could wreak more havoc before the ritual was complete. Then they heard it. Sam was mid-sentence, Lisa was trying to coax Dean awake, and Ryan was hiding under the desk. But they all heard it. Screaming coming from the gym, followed by what sounded very much like a stampede. Dean awoke with a start.
"What happened? Is it over?," he mumbled, shaking his head in an effort to clear the stars from his eyes. He stood to face his little brother.
"No, it's not over. I'm pretty sure it just got worse," Sam declared.
---------------
The group ran out the door, Sam carried the book and Dean cocked his shotgun.
They pushed through the last remaining people rushing out of the gym. Dean grabbed someone's arm to ask what had happened.
"We were dancing and the next thing we knew the lights went out and we heard balloons popping. The DJ's equipment exploded and sparks were flying. After a few seconds the lights came back on and people were lying on the floor…all scratched up. I don't know what happened. Then everyone started running to get out." The kid said all this with great effort and as soon as he was finished he looked back at the gym with renewed horror and ran out the door.
"Sam just finish the exorcism. It'll get rid of the bastard."
So Sam read the last few lines. The lights dimmed and suddenly a flash of lightning came down from the ceiling, nearly blinding them, marking the end of the demon.
------------
'Girl Dies of Unknown Causes.' That was the headline on the next mornings newspaper. Sam hadn't slept well and he was the first one up. Dean entered the kitchen to see his brother so engrossed by the article he didn't hear Dean yawn his 'good morning'. Dean walked over to where his kid brother sat and leaned over his shoulder.
"So what are they saying happened?"
"Well the authorities came up with their own conclusion because every person they talked to story was different. Apparently they think a power surge in the gym caused the lights to go out and DJ's equipment to explode. When the lights were out some people got trampled and the sparks had everyone so scared it caused a small riot. Dana must have left the crowd in the confusion on the way out the door and went down the hallway where she died. They don't know what the cause is. There isn't a mark on her. They're saying she died of fear. Her parents told the police she had asthma and everything that happened may have caused an attack so they are looking into it." After a pause he added, "Looks like Ryan's off the hook."
"Yeah, I guess so," Dean said.
Sam and Dean had left soon after the lightning hit. They offered to take Lisa home but she said she would wait around for her parents. Sam understood. Actually preferred it because that would be one awkward ride.
All of a sudden the phone rang. Dean answered. "Yeah hold on, he's right here." Dean walked the phone over to Sam saying, "Hey Dracula, your victims on the phone."
Sam didn't think it was very funny. He took the phone after pausing to glare at Dean. Hadn't Sam gone through enough? 'Lisa is probably calling just to say she never wants to see him again and oh yeah, he's a freak,' he thought to himself miserably.
"Hello?"
"Hi Sam," Lisa said awkwardly.
"Hey, how are you?" He didn't know what else to say.
"I'm doing ok. Ummm I was wondering if you wanted to meet up today. I want to talk to you."
"Listen, Lisa I'm sorry about last night I shouldn't have drug you into all this. I-" She cut him off.
"No Sam, it's not like that. You don't have to apologize. I thought you were really brave. Not just for dealing with the demon, but for telling me the truth. That must have been hard."
"Oh." He was speechless.
"So is noon ok? We can have lunch."
"Sure ok, I'll pick you up then."
"Great. See you," She said as she hung up. If Sam wasn't mistaken she actually sounded almost excited. He hung up the phone with a smile, then realized Dean was still standing there.
"So you got a second date?"
"Yeah, it looks like it," he replied happily.
"Good maybe now I can pick up where I left off with Heather," Dean said with a sly look.
"Don't forget the holy water," Sam said looking back at Dean.