Salt and Burn
Home. That's where Michael Jones wanted to be right now. But for the past few years, home was traveling in an old car with his best friend, Ray. Hunting monsters and saving people was their new job. They hadn't been back to Rooster Teeth for what seemed like forever to them. Not since they learned the truth about what's really out there-ghosts, demons. Monsters. They normally would have dismissed them as myths or jokes, and didn't even think there was a possibility they might have existed. A normal day for Michael was playing video games and shouting at Gavin. Not until one night, three years ago, when the house of Michael Jones burned to the ground.
It seemed like an average day for Michael, Gavin, and Ray. Drinks by the pool, listening to 70's rock and roll, and Lindsay recording the stupid things they were doing. Two brothers had arrived in Austin, Texas-Sam and Dean Winchester. They had been hunting a group of demons with Castiel for a few days.
"Found anything yet?" Sam asked Dean in the Impala.
"Maybe." Dean replied, as he took a bite of a cheeseburger.
"Look at this," Dean reached for the newspaper.
"A house burns to the ground, one person dead." Dean read.
"No signs of a break-in, all doors were locked. Police say it was an accident."
"Think it might be the group we're looking for?" Sam asked.
"Who knows? We've looked at more for a lot less." Dean asked.
"All right, who do we go talk to?"
"A Michael Jones and Gavin Free were the residents of the house, they're staying at an apartment owned by a Ray Narvaez, Jr," Dean explained.
"Let's go pay them a visit then."
It was half past 5 in the afternoon. They had been sitting in the apartment for a while. Michael was barely coping with what happened to Lindsay.
"I'm going crazy…" Gavin would occasionally hear him muttering.
And Michael thought he was. He must have been hallucinating. Lindsay was up on the ceiling, here stomach cut open. There was no way it was what he saw. He had answered a billion questions from the police and fire department, and always lied and said he never saw what happened.
The doorbell rang, and Ray got up from his desk to answer the door. Three men were standing there-two of them holding up FBI badges.
"Hello, I'm Agent Ulrich this is Agent Simmons, and our friend Cass. May we come in?"
"Yeah, sure…" Ray said quietly as he opened the door further.
Sam and Dean sat on the couch while Castiel remained standing next to them.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions about what happened at the house." Sam said calmly.
"Michael won't say anything, he hasn't really talked much since it happened, but I'll answer what I can." Ray replied.
"Ray, did you notice anything strange that day? Any signs that Michael or Lindsay were acting odd, or anything weird around the house?" Dean asked.
"Flickering lights, maybe power issues…" Sam continued.
"No…nothing like that." Ray seemed hesitant to answer their questions, and Dean noticed.
"Look, no matter how crazy it would sound, we've seen crazier. Anything you could tell us would help."
"Why does the FBI need to know this? I've already answered everything with the police, so has Michael and Gavin. Isn't that enough?"
He was frustrated, and didn't understand what more he could say. He was more confused than angry at their ridiculous questions.
"Actually…" Michael started to walk over to the room slowly.
"I did see something. Right before the fire."
Ray was stunned. Michael had hardly said a word since that day.
"Mr. Jones…" Sam started. "What happened?"
Michael sat down and put his hands together over his head.
"I'm not sure if I'm just fucking crazy or what…. It was Lindsay."
"What about her?" Dean asked
"She was on the ceiling."
Sam and Dean stopped cold. Their eyes turned towards each other, as Dean muttered under his breath, "You gotta be kidding me"
They both prayed it wasn't the truth- it couldn't possbily be. But in their lives, anything was possible.
"I know, it sounds ridiculous." Michael said. His voice was choking, as if he was almost about to cry.
"But she was up there, her stomach cut open, and her body caught on fire."
"Mr. Jones, trust us, you're not crazy." Castiel said.
"We've seen this thing before, but we stopped it. Or at least thought we did." Dean said.
"What the fuck are you guys talking about?" Ray asked.
It was Azazel. It had to be, his M.O. But Sam and Dean ganked him a long time ago, and made sure of it.
The question now was- do they tell the secret to Michael and Ray? Or do they keep it to themselves and never say a word?
Sam, Dean, and Cass got up and walked in the kitchen to talk in private.
"There's no friggin way" Dean said.
"We have to consider every possibility" Castiel said.
"If it truly IS Azazel, we need to finish the job before he does this again. He could be re-trying his plan from before."
"We have to tell them." Castiel said.
"Tell them? What are you, crazy?" Dean said.
"Azazel will most likely come after them as well, they need to know if we are to protect them and keep any more people from getting hurt."
"No! We're not bringing them into this too!" Dean shouted.
"What the fuck are you guys yelling about?!" Ray shouted as he walked in the kitchen.
"I want to know what the fuck happened to my wife!" Michael shouted.
"You want to know so bad? Fine! A demon killed her." Dean said.
"Fucking moron, demons aren't real." Michael said.
"Yeah well, guess what? They are now. Get used to it. So are ghosts, and vampires, and werewolves. Every piece of supernatural lore is real. And this cheeky bastard in the trench coat? He's an Angel from Heaven." Sam looked over at Dean with a look of annoyance on his face.
Ray and Michael stood there in disbelief, staring at the trio in silence.
"Well...Fuck." Ray muttered.