Title: Dude, that's not the Great Pumpkin
Author: Disasteriffic Kaz
Info: A Halloween romp in the mountains of NC. Mayhem, monster and fun contained within. Set post 1x03 Dead in the Water hurt/comfort/awesome!sam/dean
Author's Note: The initial idea for this story came from a pic Janice posted on my FB page and challenged me to use. Challenge accepted. :P The location is inspired by another pic that makes me want to hunt that place down and live there. Set in season 1 back when life was simpler and the boys just enjoyed being on the Hunt together.
Do please Review once you've read. :D Every comment and vote of support helps keep me writing. Not to mention if I've pooched anything, someone can always tell me. :P
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CHAPTER 1
"Dude. You sure this is actually a job?" Dean glanced away from the road to his brother in the passenger seat. Sam had yet to stop pouring through the reports he'd printed off.
"Mmm hmm." Sam answered absently. "Ow!" He jumped when Dean reached over and pinched his arm. "Yes. It's a job. I'm sure you jerk."
Dean nodded and smirked. "Wouldn't be the first time you were wrong, bitch."
"I'm not wrong." Sam set the reports in his lap and looked out the window as they headed up into the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. "We've got campers and hikers terrorized by some sort of creature, weird weather occurrences in the area and three missing hikers not to mention the two hikers who made it out talking about creatures and smoke clouds that chased them." He looked over at Dean and raised his brows. "Tell me any of that doesn't sound like our sort of thing."
"You're skipping the part that makes me think 'frat prank gone wrong', Sammy." Dean stared at him for a second and then put his attention back on the road.
"Alright. Alright." Sam gusted a sigh and sat back in the seat. "The creature has a…a pumpkin for a head. I know!" He waived a hand when Dean opened his mouth. "It sounds ridiculous but dude, it's almost Halloween. Do you know how many supernatural creatures only come out this time of year? I mean, you know the Headless Horseman was based in fact so why not Pumpkinhead?"
"Because Pumpkinhead is a crappy movie with Lance Henriksen." Dean said as if that settled the subject. "Nothing with that hack in it is ever good news."
Sam chuckled and rolled his eyes. "One of these days I'm gonna figure out why you hate that guy so much."
"He aint human, Sammy." Dean shrugged happily. "Trust me. Someday we're gonna end up hunting his dramatically challenged ass."
"Dramatically challenged." Sam broke into laughter. "Dude."
Dean chuckled and reached over to turn the radio on. Sam settled back into the seat, smiling and watched the mountains grow around them. He never got tired of driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was beautiful country. They had driven past Mount Pisgah many times throughout his life on the way to one job or another but this would be the first time they'd actually head off-road to climb into the mountains. Sam knew Dean's current humor was his way of deflecting from the fact he didn't want to end up camping…again. He smirked. You couldn't get Skinimax in a tent so Dean wasn't a fan.
"You know, this could end up being some Native American thing." Sam folded up the reports in his lap and shoved them down on the floor. "This whole area was Cherokee once upon a time. Mount Pisgah used to be called Elseetoss."
Dean looked over at him and shook his head with a small smile. "You're such a nerd. You know that right?"
"Bite me, Dean." Sam said with a grin and went back to watching the scenery.
A few more miles down the road Dean reached over and tapped the side of his head. "So where exactly are we going? Cause that's Mount Elsie over there." He pointed to a ridge and peak to their left.
"Elseetoss dumbass." Sam rolled his eyes. "There's an old Mill on the south face about halfway up, below the ridge." He smiled over at him. "We're gonna have to hike in."
"Awesome." Dean groaned. "Just how I wanted to spend a chilly damn weekend in the friggin mountains."
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The early afternoon sun didn't do much to warm the air beneath the dense forest where Dean and Sam walked. The air held the chill of an early winter at that altitude in the dappled light the leaves let filter through. The sounds of birds chirping happily followed them as they trekked up one ridge and down another. It was comforting; a sure sign that nothing bad was in the area. Birds and bugs tended to drop into silence when the supernatural was around. Sam held a compass in one hand and a map in the other and climbed with Dean's steady presence at his back.
"You're not getting' us lost I hope." Dean jogged up a couple steps to peer over his brother's shoulder at the map with a smirk. "Cause I hear banjo music and we're outta here."
"Dude." Sam chuckled and elbowed his stomach to back him off. He shrugged the shoulder straps of his heavy pack to more a comfortable position and pointed with the compass. "The mill should be just over this hill."
They trudged up the incline and used the trees to help pull them up. At the top they stopped and took in the view. "Dude." Dean said softly and raised his brows while Sam smiled. The 'mill' was much larger than they'd expected. It was a sprawling building in many levels as though additions had been added on haphazardly over years. Each section of the building had different colored siding that had aged darkly with time. Weathered shutters hung canted beside some of the windows that, surprisingly, still held their glass. It sat on the opposite side of a wide creek from them. A crumbling water wheel sat motionless on its side just above an ancient Beaver dam with water tumbling cheerfully over top of it. On the back of the building a single sail of an old windmill once used to power the millstones twitched gently back and forth in the breeze. The forest grew right up to and around the mill; the brown, yellow and orange leaves of fall creating a warm, colorful backdrop to frame it against the stream.
"That's beautiful." Sam breathed with a sigh.
"Hope we don't have to burn it down to kill whatever's up here." Dean said and chuckled at the crushed look on his brother's face. "Dude, you are so easy."
"Shut up." Sam rolled his eyes and started down the hill to the stream. "You know you don't wanna burn that." He waved an arm at the idyllic scene with a smile.
"Don't suppose there's a bridge somewhere on that map?" Dean asked and sighed when Sam shook his head. "Of course there's not."
"It's barely a creek man. Suck it up." Sam told him and ducked the swing Dean sent at his head with a laugh. They reached the bottom and Sam fearlessly waded into the knee deep water and shivered. "Crap that's cold."
"Suck it up, princess." Dean tossed his words back at him and followed him in. He refused to give in to the body wide shiver the water tried to set off.
Sam snorted and concentrated on keeping his footing across the rounded rocks and pebbles on the bottom of the creek. The water was crystalline and he bent, scooping up a handful and tipped it into his mouth with smile. It tasted of rain and forest and clean. He wasn't any fonder of camping than Dean was but he did love a good hike through wilderness not spoiled by man.
"Don't go native on me, sasquatch." Dean gave him a gentle shove in the back; enough to knock him off balance but not enough to drop him in the water and laughed when Sam rounded on him.
"You are such a child sometimes." Sam glared and got his balance before turning back.
"All the time." Dean said with a smirk. "Grown up's overrated."
Sam neared the base of the Mill and looked up as it towered above them. He looked back down and bent slightly to look under it. The stream passed beneath part of the mill around aging pilings gone green with moss. "Hope this place is more stable than it looks."
"Come on." Dean slapped his shoulder and started off to his left where the ground slid gently into the water beside the building. He splashed up out of the creek and studied the closely grown trees stretching through the small plateau behind the mill and up the hill beyond. "Be damn easy for something to sneak up on you here."
Sam followed him out of the water and walked along the wall of the Mill. He glanced in one of the empty frames and saw what had once been a kitchen; now devoid of furnishings save a three-legged chair and long wood stove against the back wall. He froze as he saw a shadow pass down the hall leading out of it.
"Dean." He called softly and ducked away from the window. "Something inside."
"You sure?" Dean asked quietly and moved to peer in around the edge of the window. "Don't see anything."
"Shadow on the wall in the hall." Sam tapped him and started around the far side of the building. He ducked low beneath the windows and felt Dean silently at his back as they eased around the front. The trees hugged the front of the old Mill and several times Sam had to squeeze between a trunk and the wall of the building rather than move out where he might be seen. A wide porch, settling to one side spread out from the Mill. Trees grew up through the deck as though the forest were starting to reclaim the structure.
Dean grabbed Sam's arm and pointed, waiting until he got a nod. In the center of the porch was a pile of very modern backpacks and several metal crates. He took the lead and climbed over the creaking railing and onto the weathered wood. He stepped carefully, staying against the wall until he reached the door. Voices carried softly out to them. Dean eased inside the open the doorway and down the hall beyond with Sam beside him.
Sam shrugged when Dean looked back at him. He had no idea. He couldn't imagine who might be out this far in the middle of nowhere at this time of year.
"Whoa! Dude!"
Sam jumped and spun, bringing his handgun up to bear and saw Dean's gun slide into his field of vision beside him. The man who'd come up behind them was young; Sam would be surprised if he was old enough to drink. He had blonde hair teased up in ridiculous spikes and a chain that ran from his nose to his left ear and he stared at them with wide eyes; his hands raised in the air.
"Damn! Easy Rambo…er…Rambos." The young man smiled disarmingly.
"Joey, what the hell are you doing out there?" A woman's voice called and Dean spun to watch their backs as she emerged from a door further down the hall; squeaked in surprise and jerked back out of the hall. "Oh my god they've got guns!"
"Um…Dean?" Sam lowered his weapon and quickly put it away. "I don't think they're gonna eat us."
"Gee, Sammy. Ya think?" Dean put his own gun away and rubbed a hand over his face. "What the hell'd we just walk into?"
"Are you guys gonna, like, rob us or something?" Earring boy asked and he grinned when Sam looked back at him. "Cause unless you're after beer we aint got shit."
"Awesome." Dean went to the door the woman had ran back through and turned to look in. It was a large room with three walls lined with shelves and a wide window along one wall that still had its glass. The woman cowered in a corner behind another young man; this one with dark hair down to his elbows and a beanie hat. "Hi." Dean said and snorted as they both jumped. "What the hell are you kids doing out here?"
"Hey man, we were here first." Earring boy slipped past Sam and Dean and into the room. He went to a large cooler and opened it, pulling out several beers. He tossed one to Dean who caught it reflexively. "Go make your own movie."
"Wait. Movie?" Dean stared at the three of them and looked back at Sam. "Dude, seriously. We walk into a bad horror movie?"
Sam smirked and went past him into the room. He put his hands up and smiled. "I'm sorry we scared you. We weren't expecting anyone to be up here. We're uh…forest rangers." Earring boy quirked his head to the side with a look that clearly said he wasn't buying it.
"No really." Dean popped open his beer and raised it with a little nod. "Weekend off and we figured we'd come up and see if we could find what's been scaring people."
"Who does that on their weekend off?" The girl asked and slowly eased back out from behind her friend. "I'm Cammie. This is Terry." She patted the arm of the long haired man. "And that's Joey of course."
"Cammie, Terry and Joey?" Dean smothered a laugh behind a swig of beer at the ridiculousness of their names. "Right, well. We're gonna need you kids to vacate. It's not safe up here."
"No way." Cammie suddenly found her backbone and strode up to Dean. She planted her fists on her hips and glared up at him. "You wanna find what's been killing hikers and so do we and we're going to document every moment of our search. This is our Thesis project and we're doing it. If you want to be involved I suppose we could let you but we are not going anywhere."
Dean stared down at the fiery look in her blue eyes and chuckled. "I think we're stuck with 'em, Sammy."
"You really should go back down the mountain." Sam wasn't so eager to give up. "You could get hurt or worse. Please. Let us handle it."
"No way, dude. Cammie says we stay, we stay." Joey tossed a second beer to Sam and grinned again. "Cowabunga, dude."
"Oh my god." Sam looked at the beer and scrubbed a hand through his hair. He looked over to his brother and scowled at the look of barely suppressed laughter. "This is not funny."
"Come on, man. It's a little funny." Dean shook his head. "Don't suppose any of you junior Hardy boys have bothered to search this place? Make sure it's safe." The trio of shaking heads made him sigh. "Right. Grown up work. Come on, Sam."
"Wouldn't want the college film crew to get chewed on." Sam grumbled under his breath and followed Dean out into the hall.
"Hey! Wait up! Joey, get the camera." Cammie danced out into the hall behind them, bristling with excitement. "This'll make great B-roll."
"Make sure you get my good side." Dean slapped his ass without looking around and grinned at Sam's disgusted snort.
Sam however turned and held up a hand. "No. If we find anything interesting, we'll yell." He stared down the look of rebellion on her young face. "We do not need to be looking out for you while watching our own backs. Stay here. Please." He waited while she opened and closed her mouth several times before finally she nodded stiffly.
"Fine. Whatever." Cammie turned on her heel and went back into the room.
Dean chuckled. "Way to win over the girls, tiger."
"Bite me." Sam drew his gun and pulled his flashlight out of his pocket. "We should tie them all up and drag them back down the damn mountain." He knew Dean thought he was over-reacting but he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to those kids. It itched and nagged at him every time he looked at them.
Dean clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's search some dusty rooms. That'll put you in a better mood."
Sam shook his head with a small smile. "Hopefully that's all we find; dust."
They followed the halls and searched a half dozen rooms going up and down short flights of stairs, sharp turns and even found one staircase that led up to a ceiling. "Starting to think we're gonna need a map of this place." Dean said ruefully and stopped to try and get his bearings.
"Well we're heading vaguely East…I think." Sam looked up and down the short hall and started off. "I think the Mill room is this way." He stopped at a junction and decided on the right, going up another flight of stairs. "At least, it should be going by what this place looked like from the outside."
"Looked like it was designed by a drunk with Lincoln Logs from the outside." Dean said and chuckled. "I'm not even sure I know which way is back." His sense of direction rarely failed him but the confusing layout of rooms, hallways and stairs was serving to disorient even him. He followed his brother up the stairs and broke into a jog as Sam turned out of his sight. "Hey! Wait up."
"Yeah, this is it!" Sam called back and pushed open one leaf of a wide double door. His flashlight penetrated the gloom; illuminating two massive, round stones laid on the floor with a wide, rough-hewn tree trunk canted haphazardly in their center up to the vaulted ceiling. He walked further into the room and could see the aging ropes and struts hanging from the ceiling that had once connected the wheels to the windmill sail outside. The ropes waved softly as his light crossed over them and he frowned, wondering why they were moving. "Must be a draft." He went to the millstones and ran a hand over them. They were covered in a heavy layer of dust and even some spots of moss had made their way in from the creek outside. He could hear the water burbling beneath the floor and caught sight of another set of doors on the other side of the room.
"Dude." Dean lurched around the doors behind him into the room. "What part of 'don't split up' did you not get?"
Sam smirked. "Getting' old and slow, big brother."
"Dude, I will toss you into the damn river." Dean growled and stopped to look up and around. "Old my ass."
Sam chuckled and walked around the stones, marveling that their weight had yet to break through the wooden floor after all these years. They must have weighed a ton each, he thought. He aimed his light back up at the ceiling. "You feel a draft in here?"
"No." Dean replied, prowling around the edges of the room. There were no windows, probably to keep whatever they once ground in the room dry. "Don't feel anything. Why?"
"Those ropes are moving." Sam waited for Dean too see them and then went for the far door once more. "Maybe the whole room's swaying slightly from being over the water?"
"That's comforting." Dean watched the ropes twitch back and forth and then gently come to a stop. "Don't think that's it." The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end; his sense of something wrong suddenly shouting at him. "Sammy…" He shouted in surprise as the floor beneath him erupted upward in a spray of wood and splinters at the same moment he dropped through.
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To Be Continued…