"What the hell?" Dean demanded as his cassette player clicked and stopped. Sam looked over at the cassette as a voice started to come out of the radio. "-reet cleaning day. We want to remind you to stay in your house and not to go outside for your own safety." Sam turned to Dean and raised a eyebrow. Dean turned back to the road and drove onwards towards to town of Night Vale in the distance.
"Cecil?" The radio host raised his mobile to his ear and stared at the black car driving towards Night Vale in the distance. "Good morning. Yes I can see the car thank you Steve Carlsberg." He near hissed. He just hate Steve Carlsberg so much! "Goodbye." He hung up and moved the microphone to his lips as the sign flickered back to on air. "Night Vale, is seems a black car is driving towards us. Who owns the car? What do they want? Why are they coming to Night Vale?"
Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "Dean," Sam asked, turning on his laptop, "How did he know we were coming?" Dean shrugged at his brother and pulled into the car lot. The empty car lot. "Let's go find the library Sammy." Dean suggest, getting out and shutting the impala door behind him. Sam nodded and the two took off down the street. They walked for several blocks and found nobody to ask for directions, in fact they saw nobody. Dean stopped walking, so did Sam. "Why is nobody around? It's kinda freaky."Dean said. Sam nodded and looked up the abandoned street. "What the hell do you two think you are doing!" A voice rang out from the doorway next to them. The brothers flipped their heads to look.
Carlos couldn't believe his eyes. They were out on the street on street cleaning day! If that wasn't a plan to get themselves killed he didn't know what was. "Sorry Sir. We're FBI, looking into the-" Dean was cut of by Carlos. "I meant being outside! It's street cleaning day. You don't have long until they start." Carlos looked up the street as he spoke. After loosing almost a fifth of his science team last street cleaning day he took it very seriously. "What starts?" Sam asked. Carlos was visibly scared now. "Why don't you come inside and I can explain?" He offered, wanted the two out of there ASAP. Dean nodded. Carlos smiled slightly and let them in.
"So, who the hell are you two?" He asked, walking down a corridor, it would be clean if not for the small table by the door that was covered in papers and test tubes. The Winchesters followed him into a purple painted lounge/sitting room. Carlos turned to face the two and crossed his arms, awaiting a answer. Dean cleared his throat. "As I said earlier we're the FBI." He answered. Carlos stared blankly at him for a minute. "We don't get FBI here. So tell me the truth." He eventually said, turning to put the kettle on. He sat on a stool the opposite side of the breakfast bar to the Winchesters, and motioned for them to take a seat. Once Dean and Sam had sat down they started to talk again. "Fine, but I doubt you'll believe us. Dean Winchester, this here's my brother Sam. We're hunters. We find evil things, the ones that go bump in the night, and gank them." Dean said.
Carlos nodded. "Hunters, right. Well I think you should leave here as soon as you can, the stuff that goes bump in the night is pretty normal here." He smiled at the confused faces of the two and spun around to make coffee. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself." Carlos randomly said a minute later out of the blue as he handed Dean a coffee. "My name's Carlos. I'm a scientist investigating what makes Night Vale so strange. Well I've kinda given up on some of it to be honest but the job remains." Dean took a sip of coffee and was surprised to find it tasted perfect. "This is good coffee," He stated, pointing at the cup. Carlos nodded and sipped his own, content with silence.
"So," Sam started, trying to keep up conversation. "What were you doing earlier? I mean your the first person I've seen here and all." He started to trail off. Carlos jumped up and clapped his hands together. "Oh damn it I was so occupied I almost forgot." He exclaimed, running off through a door. Sam raised his eyebrows at Dean. "What the hell's going on here Dean? He accepted we are hunters and doesn't seem phased by any of the creepy crap going on here." Sam took a sip of coffee after he had finished speaking. "I dunno man, but something sure ain't right here. I say we stay here until" he made quotation marks with his hands "street cleaning day is over then find a hotel."
"You won't find a hotel in Night Vale." A voice said directly behind them. A woman's voice. They both jumped, Carlos walked in as they did so. "Let me guess, the faceless old woman who lives in your home just scared you huh?" He asked as he sat back down and poured the contents of his arms onto the table. A couple of screwdrivers, a hammer, a radio and some wire clippers and screws. He began tinkering with the radio as he waited for a response. "Who?" Sam asked as Dean looked around anxiously. "The faceless old woman who lives in your home, or Jennifer if you want to call her that. She's actually quite nice, Cecil gets on well with her. She replaces my scientific calculations a bit much for my liking but she's still a pretty sweet girl." Carlos explained as he fiddled with the radio. Sam and Dean exchanged yet another glance.
"-Carlos seems to have invited the strangers in, no doubt in a attempt to save them from street cleaning day. Perfect Carlos and his perfect hair always seem to save the day. And now, the weather." The same voice from the car filled the room again. "How the hell does he know about us!?" Dean demanded, looking silently freaked as Carlos just smiled at the radio. Sam was beginning to freak a bit to. "Oh that's just what he's like. I'll bet someone called and told him. Or he saw it from the station, He get's a good view up there." Carlos said absent mindedly. Dean's eyes flicked between Carlos, Sam and the radio for a minute. "Feel free to wonder around if you want, I need to start cooking dinner, ever since they unbanned wheat and wheat by-products it's been so much easier. Do you want to stay for dinner? I mean it's that or big Rico's, but that's just pizza slices and not much else." Carlos offered. Sam turned to Dean and asked his name. "Sure I guess." Dean said.
"Excellent. Oh and for reference, Bedroom, spare bedroom, toilet, all things shelter." Carlos pointed to each door as he spoke, standing to start cooking. Sam rose to his feet and walked off to look around, Dean in hot pursuit. Once in the spare bedroom, he collapsed on the bed with the laptop. "This place gives me the creeps Dean." He groaned. The other replied with a tell me about it before going to the bathroom. "Sam?" A voice said gently from the doorway. Sam turned to see Carlos in the doorway. "Look," He began, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I moved here not to long ago so I'm not used to Night Vale yet, but you need to be careful here. It's not like the normal world you guys know. Librarians are murderous and brutal, dog's can't go in the dog park, hooded figures walk around. You'll want to kill half the stuff here if you could, but don't. It's crazy here but we love it." Carlos strolled out of the room and back to the kitchen.
Hours off discussion later Sam and Dean had agreed to stay the night at Carlos's house and not to kill anything without checking first. "Sam, Dean, come here a sec?" Carlos called. The two appeared in the room. "Either of you vegetarian?" He asked. they both shook their heads and sat down on the stools again. The radio from the corner stopped talking and went to static. Neither of the brothers noticed, but Carlos squealed and grabbed a comb, yanking it through his hair. "22 minutes," he murmured to himself as he rushed around the kitchen, putting a array of cutlery, pile of plates and such on the breakfast bar. Twenty two minutes later the front door opened. A stranger burst into the room with a massive smile. Carlos smiled fully and hugged the strange man around his waist, lifting him up and spinning him around before seating him on the breakfast bar. Sam cleared his throat. The stranger turned to look at Sam and Dean, the massive smile still present. "Hello! Cecil Palmer, you are?" He held his hand out for Sm to shake. It was then Sam noticed the tattoo's. "Holy Crap, your tattoo's are moving!" He cried out. Cecil rolled him eyes but didn't lose his smile. "That's pretty normal here." Carlos said from underneath the breakfast bar, grabbing several coke bottles.
"Okay.. Sam Winchester by the way, pleasure." He shook Cecil's hand, being wary of the tattoos. Sensing they were not wanted they sidled up Cecil's arm. Dean walked into the room, obviously having heard the conversation. "Dean Winchester, the better looking elder brother." He joked. "Where have I heard your voice before?" He asked bluntly. Cecil giggled and rolled back for a second, holding his sides before straightening up. "I assume radio. I'm Night Vale community radio's host Cecil.". Carlos smiled and kissed Cecil's cheek before pulling something out of the oven. "So how the hell did you know about us?" Dean asked, trying to keep annoyance out of his voice. Cecil giggled again and crossed his legs, still on the breakfast bar. "I saw your car out of the station window, then Steve Carlsberg." He practically spat the name "Told me the rest."
"Food." Carlos said, grabbing the three's attention. He placed a taco mixture on the table and then placed a pile of taco shells next to it. "And Cecil, are you just going to sit on the table?" He asked. When the radio host nodded Carlos shrugged and grabbed his waist, pulling him onto his lap. Dean fought back a laugh as they ate. "And so then Carlos asked us in." Sam finished the story, having spent most of the meal re accounting it for Cecil. Dean was leaning back drinking his coke, Carlos had eaten his taco and was now also drinking his coke. Cecil on the other hand was slowly cracking of bits of his and nibbling on it daintily. "So did you leave the car there?" Cecil asked. Dean nodded. "Why don't we walk down and move it outside if you are staying the night?" Cecil offered. Dean nodded enthusiastic.
Cecil took a sip of coke and went to stand up, but Carlos pulled him back down. "Not until you finish at least one taco." He said. Cecil squirmed but soon gave up, eating the rest quickly. Carlos lifted Cecil back onto the tabletop and placed the dishes in the dish washer. Cecil swung his legs as Carlos did so, occasionally tapping the scientist with his toe. "Cecil, put something warm on first." Carlos asked. Cecil stood up and pulled a purple v-neck sweater off the couch, putting it on. "Happy? Can we go now?" He asked. Carlos nodded and the three walked out.
"Is that a 1967 chevvy impala?" Carlos asked Dean. Dean nodded at him and ran a hand along the hood "Yep." Carlos admired the car for several minutes, asking about the engine and interior. "Sam, what's a 1967 chevvy impala?" Cecil whispered to Sam. "The year and make of car." Sam replied. "Oh." Cecil said, not understanding why that made it so important. Several minutes later they arrived outside Carlos and Cecil's. Walking back in Cecil stretched. "I'll be back in a sec." He walked into the spare room and came out a few minutes later to Sam and Dean deep in talk about one of Carlos's experiments. "There are two bed ready for you in there, we're next door if you need us. Cecil walked into the bedroom, pausing in the door frame. "Goodnight Winchesters, Goodnight." He trailed of in a almost seductive manor. "I guess that's my cue to sleep to, it's nearly 11pm and I've got a search party for Dana to sort out. Night." He followed Cecil into their bedroom.
"Should we go to bed to Dean? We could help the search party tomorrow, sounds interesting." Sam suggested. Dean nodded and they to retired to their room. "Hey Sammy," Dean asked from his bed in the dark. O hearing yeah he continued. "Carlos was right, it's quite weird but lovable here." with tht note the two fell asleep.
"Cecil darling you need to sleep." Carlos said, arm around the curled up Cecil. Gone was the smiling flamboyant radio host, this was the side only Carlos saw. The vulnerable, scared side. Cecil had so many nightmares he hardly ever got a good night sleep. Cecil yawned and eventually fell asleep, to tired to stay awake. Carlos smiled and drifted off to unconsciousness.