Chapter 1 - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
"Thank you for your time." Sam Winchester said as he closed his notepad and headed back to the Impala.
"You get anything?" Dean asked as his brother came over.
Sam sighed. "Not Leviathan. It's probably a ghost. Bobby was right." He pulled open the passenger side door. "House burned down with her in it. But they think her bones may still be inside."
"Hey, I'd take a simple ghost right about now." Dean slid behind the wheel. "Got the address?"
"Yeah, but uh, what about the book?" Sam gestured to the old, falling apart book in the back seat.
Dean shrugged. "You can't read it, right?"
"No, but maybe Bobby-"
"Bobby's lost most of his books." Dean said. "It's probably junk anyway. I need to kill something. You in?"
Sam nodded, and the Impala headed off down the road.
Charlotte took a sip from her water bottle and stared out the windshield. The leaves were already turning colors and the air was cold. She shivered and reached over to turn the key in the ignition. The little Prius started up without much of a noise and the heater kicked it. She leaned back in her seat and let out a long breath as her eyes closed. Her red hair fluttered around her face as the heater blasted full speed.
A moment later, the driver's side door opened and Alisha slid in. She mumbled something incoherent as she rubbed her hands in front of the heater before she turned to Charlotte and smiled.
"I got a lead," Alisha said. "It's sketchy at best."
Alisha Banes was a small, youngish girl, but she was a talented one at that. Her long dark brown hair swirled around a pretty face. Most of the time, people thought she was too young to be out of high school, and she almost was, but her family had been in the Hunting business for a while. Alisha wasn't one to end that tradition, and neither was her twin brother Max.
"But it's something," Charlotte said. Her British accent was in sharp contrast to Alisha's American. Charlotte handed her phone over to Alisha. "You want to call Max?"
Alisha shook her head. "My brother needs his training. We can do this one, just you and me."
Charlotte slowly put her phone back, and shrugged. "One Banes is better than none."
"Speaking of which," Alisha pulled the car out of the spot and turned towards the road. "It looks like we may not be the first ones to head out here today."
Charlotte's head snacked back towards Alisha. "Hunters?!" She hadn't been expecting that. She probably should have.
Alisha bit her lip and nodded. "Probably." Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. She took in a deep breath. "Do you want to let them handle it?"
Charlotte frowned. They didn't usually bump into other Hunters. It was a big country, after all, but when they did, the Banes twins always got worked up. It seemed most Hunters didn't like the witch twins very much, and that only created a deeper fear over how they'd feel with Charlotte.
After a moment, Charlotte shook her head. "If we can save a life, we must try."
Alisha sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that." She reached into her pocket as they drove down the road and pulled out a pair of pearl earrings. She tossed them to Charlotte.
"I got the damn earrings." Alisha said without a glance. "That was a pain. Apparently, the woman didn't keep many possessions and the family didn't want to part with them. Damn things cost me $200."
Charlotte smirked and put the earrings on. "I'll pay you back."
"Yeah, you will."
The two girls turned up a dirt road that weaved through a small forest before stopping next to an old white-washed farmed house that had obviously seen better days. Half the house was crumbling to the ground, and leaves had blown in where the roof once stood. The sun hadn't set yet, but it was dark enough for lights to be on inside the house. Charlotte stiffened as she saw movement through one of the unbroken windows upstairs. She jerked her chin to the window and Alisha nodded.
"Figured they'd beat us here," Alisha sighed. She reached into the backseat and grabbed a shotgun filled with rock-salt bullets. "Ready?"
Charlotte closed her eyes for a second. Alisha meant it more of a simple question, but she took it seriously. She pulled her curled mess of red hair back and tied it up so it wouldn't get in the way.
"I'm wearing hiking boots," Charlotte muttered with a frown.
"So?"
"They're loud."
Alisha smirked and smacked Charlotte on the shoulder. "Come on, girl. Let's go save a life." She got out and slammed the car door behind her, loud.
"You sure you don't want to call Max?" Charlotte asked as she got out of the car. There was no way the Hunters inside hadn't heard Alisha's car door slam.
"No need," Alisha kicked the front door and it crashed down into splinters.
Charlotte sighed and headed up to the house.
As soon as she got in the door, she jumped as a gunshot came from somewhere upstairs. Alisha looked over a Charlotte, then raced up the stairs. Charlotte followed close behind.
"Damn it!" A graveled voice shouted out. "It's in the hall!"
Alisha stuck her arm out in front of Charlotte, and the red headed girl slammed into it. She bounced back a step and nearly fell down the stairs. She let out a small yelp in surprise, and something answered back.
Charlotte shuddered as the chills ran down her spine. She turned to see a woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. The woman had long blond hair and an incredibly stylist dress on. Her entire body was covered in blood, and she was ghastly transparent grey. Her shadow stretched long and dark behind her across the floor and up the wall. Definitely a Shade, and an old one by the look of it.
Alisha smirked and pointed her gun down at the woman. "Hey, Shade!"
The Shade hissed and then started to charge up the stairs towards us. A gunshot from downstairs hit the Shade in its side, and she vanished.
"What the-" Alisha leaned forward to see where the shot came from, but the downstairs wall hid whoever was down there.
"Get down!" Alisha shouted. At first, Charlotte thought she was talking to her, but then she turned and saw there was a man in the hallway. He ducked, and Alisha fired a shot at the Shade as she raced up behind him.
"We need to get her to the living room!" Alisha growled.
"Get out of here!" The man yelled back. He raced past Alisha and Charlotte and pounded down the stairs. "Sam! Tell you you've got the bones!"
"Hey!" Alisha yelled as he pushed past them.
"In the fireplace." A voice from the living room came up.
"Oh, no." Alisha charged down the stairs with Charlotte following behind her. The Shade wasn't in site, but the two men were standing by a fireplace. One of them had a lighter and he was flipping it open. "No, no, no!" Alisha grabbed his wrist.
"What do you think you're doing?" The man growled. "We're trying to stop this bitch!"
Charlotte felt the prickling on the back of her neck. She turned and swung her iron rod out from her jacket and right through the Shade's body. She vanished with a shriek.
The boys seemed a little shocked, but Alisha didn't miss a beat. "If you do that, it'll kill her!"
"Uh, that's kinda the point," said one of them.
"News flash," said the one with the lighter. "She's already dead!"
"Dean, the sun's almost down." The other one said.
"Lottie, now!" Alisha looked over her shoulder at Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel her ears burning where the pearl earrings were. The connection was there, but weak. The woman probably never wore them more than once, but she cherished them. It was enough. Charlotte reached out with her mind, out into the darkness when….
"Shit! Wait!" Alisha yelled only a second before a wave of heat rushed over the room.
The brilliant light send such a powerful push through the air that Charlotte almost fell over. She opened her eyes to find that the other man had lit a matchbook.
There was a scream from the other room. They all knew the woman had burst into flames.
"What the hell did you do that for!?" Alisha turned to the boys and scowled.
The man with the lighter snapped his wrist out of Alisha's grasp and smirked. "A simple thank you for saving your lives would be nice."
Alisha clamped her jaw shut. Charlotte worried. That look meant Alisha would start a fight.
Charlotte crossed the floor in two steps and grabbed Alisha by the shoulders. She glanced over at the two men. They looked a bit young to be Hunters, far younger than Alisha even, but they knew their stuff. Well, as much as any Hunter would. Both of them had shotguns, just like Alisha. And they were aware to salt and burn the bones. They obviously thought the Shade was a ghost. All Hunters did. Even Alisha and Max before Charlotte came along.
"You killed her," Charlotte said quietly. It felt like a stab in her chest to say it. She knew Shades were killed all over the place, all the time, but it was always hard for her. Especially old ones that like. The body was new, which probably meant the Shade was getting desperate.
"Again, that was kind of the-" one of them started to say.
"Oh, shut up," Alisha gently pushed Charlotte's hands off her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "They're idiots. Let's go."
"Hey!" The one with the lighter turned and pointed a finger at her. "We came in here to stop this ghost from hurting anyone else!"
"Dean-" the other guy started.
"No!" Dean snapped back. "You know, I'm sick and tired of you people stomping around complaining about ghosts, then getting pissed when we actually do something about it!"
"You people?!" Alisha glared at him.
The boys instantly flinched. One of them looked down to see the crystal necklace hanging around Alisha's neck. "Uh…we meant….Ghostfacers or whatever…."
They all reacted at the same time. Charlotte grabbed Alisha's fists while the boys put their hands up and took a step back.
"Whoa!" One of them said.
"Alisha, they didn't mean it that way, and you know it," Charlotte said.
"What I meant was we saved your ass." Dean said.
Alisha tightened up again, but this time Charlotte spoke first. "No."
"No?" The tall one asked. "What do you mean, 'no'?"
"Yeah, what are you even doing here?" Dean asked.
"We're Hunters," Charlotte replied.
"Just not like you," Alisha spat out.
"I could have told you that, sweetheart." Dean smirked.
Alisha started towards him, but Charlotte still had her in her grip.
"Okay, let's just start over, alright?" The tall one said. "I'm Sam Winchester, this is my brother Dean. If you're Hunters, then you already know what we were doing."
"Yeah, that ghost is toast." Dean said.
"Shade," Charlotte corrected him.
"What?"
"…Winchester?" Alisha said softly.
All three turned to look as Alisha's face, pale as a ghost and her eye wide.
"Alisha? You alright?" Charlotte asked.
"I've heard about you guys," she said. "My mom…she said if I ever have a problem to call John Winchester."
"That's our father." Sam said. "Was."
"Alisha?" Charlotte asked.
"Mary used to Hunt with my mom," Alisha said. She lowered her hands. "My mom's got a lot of respect for both their parents."
"Hm," Charlotte said. She'd never seen Alisha react that way before. Usually she didn't like Hunters, and most Hunters hated her mother for being a witch.
"Look, ghost is dead. Let's go, Sammy." Dean picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder.
"Shade," Charlotte corrected him again, but both boys acted as if they didn't hear her.
As the boys reached the door, Charlotte noticed a third man standing at the bottom of the stairs. His arms were folded and he watched the boys carefully. That was odd, thought Charlotte. Three Hunters for what they thought was a simple ghost?
"Three of you?" Charlotte asked.
"What?" Sam looked back at her then followed her gaze. His face paled for a second. "You can-"
"Forget them, Sam!" Dean shouted and walked out the door.
Sam gave Charlotte a strange gaze, almost as if he didn't believe her question. The man standing at the bottom of the stairs looked at Charlotte and Sam, then shrugged. He headed out after Dean. Sam shook his head in disbelief, then left.
After they were all gone, Charlotte let go of Alisha. "You alright?"
Alisha frowned. "Let's call Max."