Title: The Legend of Catherine's Shack
Author: Razorbackgal0225
Rating: PG-13--Some bad language
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, cars or situations from Supernatural, but I sure wish I did. Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me. The stuff you've never heard of comes from my imagination.
Author's Note: After a couple of weeks of thinking, I've started another one! This is a sequel to my first story, The Boys Went Down to Georgia. While you don't have to read that story to follow this one, it will probably help as far as understanding the original characters are concerned. Please read and review, I'd love to know what you think!
Prologue: Catherine's Legend
In 1815, in the backwoods of Tennessee, a young girl fell in love with a boy. The girl lived a log cabin, built by her grandfather, with her parents. Her father was a furniture maker, using the trees from the woods in which the lived to make his product. The boy was training to be a blacksmith, as his father was. The two young people were promised to each other when they were young, leaving no question as to their future. The girl, Catherine, had loved her intended, Lucas, since the first time she saw him. Unfortunately for Catherine, Lucas did not feel the same way. He had fallen in love with another girl, Tabitha, from a few farms over. He was so much in love with the other girl that the two made plans to elope together and leave for the closest town, which was several days ride away. The secret couple would meet in an abandoned shack in the woods an hours walk into the forest.
One day, Catherine's mother sent her out in search of berries. Her hunt took her an hour into the woods, and she stumbled upon a shack. She thought the house was empty, until she heard noises coming from inside. She crept to the dusty window and looked in. Her stomach dropped as she saw Lucas and Tabitha locked in an embrace. Tears filled her eyes as she ran back to her cabin, her heart breaking the whole way.
Because Catherine had loved Lucas for so long and her feelings were so intense, those feelings soon turned to hate. She said nothing of her discovery to anyone and continued to act as if nothing were wrong. Day after day she dwelt on her pain, so it grew. She decided that Lucas and Tabitha deserved to be punished for the hurt they had caused her. She began to carry one of her father's large knives with her when she traveled near the shack, waiting for her chance at revenge.
It came one day. She walked up to the building and heard Lucas and Tabitha talking. As quietly as she could, she entered the shack. Before Tabitha could shout out a warning, Catherine had plunged the knife deep into Lucas's back. Her rage took over, and she stabbed him twice more, then turned her anger towards the screaming girl. Tabitha tried to run, but Catherine was too fast for her. Catherine threw the girl on the floor, next to dying Lucas. Her arm slashed as it cut into Tabitha, blood splattering as she worked. When she was finished, the young lovers were unrecognizable and Catherine was covered in her handiwork. As she came back to herself, she realized what she had done. She had brutally killed the only man she had ever loved and now she had no reason to live. Catherine turned the knife on herself and died next to her victims.
The story of Catherine's rampage spread as much as possible in those days. Her parents were devastated and were treated as outcasts. Year after year, the tale was changed, exaggerated and embellished. Decades past and Catherine was said to have killed ten people, then twenty. Finally only the names and location stayed the same. As time passed, the woods in which the crime was committed became a tourist attraction, deep in the Smokey Mountains and the small group of homes that were affected became Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Even though the woods around were more populated, 'Catherine's Shack' remained, now about a fifteen-minute hike from the nearest road. Kids from neighboring towns occasionally venture out to the building, on a dare, trying to scare their friends. And generally nothing happens. It's a creepy, abandoned shack in the middle of a dimly lit forest; good for a scare and a story to tell visitors. Except for in 1863, 1895, 1959, and 1991. In each of those years, a young couple disappeared in the woods near 'Catherine's Shack' and was found, one murdered and one dead by their own hand, five days later.
The young man stomped his way further into the woods. He couldn't believe his girlfriend had gotten so upset about something as insignificant as him wanting to watch the baseball game. It's not like they didn't have the place rented for another three days; he could easily catch the sunset the next days. At least, as long as the Yankees weren't playing. He knew storming out of the cabin wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done, but he couldn't take any more of her griping. He continued walking, muttering to himself as he did.
The young woman stuffed her feet in the nearest pair of sneakers, grabbed a flashlight and raced out of the cabin after him. She knew if she let him get away, he wouldn't come back that night. She hated it when the fought and she knew this one had been her fault. She stepped into the woods, keeping an eye out for him.
The sun slipped behind the mountain and all the light faded quickly from the forest. The woman stumbled over limbs and roots, cursing to herself as she did. If she hadn't gotten so mad at him, this would have never happened. But, as she moved further into the trees, her mood changed to match the growing dark. It wasn't her fault that he all he wanted to do was watch sports, even though this was supposed to be their romantic getaway. She had only suggested that they watch the sunset together, not run off and get married. Her guilt at the fight turned to anger directed at him. She began to walk quicker, hoping to find him and give him a piece of her mind. With every step, her rage increased.
The woods whispered to her as she walked through them. Reminding her of all the things Taylor did that she couldn't stand, like leaving the cap off the toothpaste, not putting his dirty clothes in the laundry basket, looking at other women. "That's right," the voice told her, "remember how he looked at that girl when you checked in. And when you went to dinner last night, how he looked at the waitress. He's probably cheated on you a hundred times." She nodded to herself, agreeing with the voice. She gripped the flashlight even tighter and walked faster.
He finally stopped and turned back towards the cabin. He pushed the light on his watch and was thankful that it also included a compass. No need to actually get lost in the woods because his girlfriend was overreacting. He pulled the flashlight he had grabbed as he left the house from his pocket and flicked it on. The beam shot out, hitting only trees at first. He started back towards the cabin, due north from where he was. He had only taken a few steps when he saw a something standing in the path he had made. His heart leapt into his throat, but then he realized who it was.
"Sandra, hell, you almost scared me to death!" he nearly shouted. He trained the flashlight on his girlfriend, who was standing behind a fallen tree, apparently waiting on him. "I was just heading back in," he explained. He walked in her direction, but then stopped suddenly. Something didn't seem right. Sandra was staring him strangely, her eyes harder than he had ever seen. "Sandra, what's wrong?"
She continued staring at him for a minute before muttering, "Why did you do it?" her voice was lower than normal and didn't sound right to him.
"San, I was just mad that's all, I wasn't actually leaving," he answered. Even though he was talking to the woman he loved, he was becoming slightly apprehensive. "C'mon, let's get back to the cabin." He stepped over the log and headed back up the slight hill. He realized she wasn't following him and turned back to her. "San, you coming?"
"Why did you do it?" she said again, this time louder and filled with rage. "Why did you cheat on me?" she screamed.
"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I've never cheated on you. You're acting crazy!" He reached and grabbed her arm, hoping to lead her back to the cabin. "Let's go." Her eyes finally met his and he immediately dropped her arm. Her eyes flashed gold as she raised the flashlight she was holding. Taylor didn't have a chance to try and run before she hit him with it, as hard as she could. He crumbled to the ground as she asked again,
"Why did you cheat on me?"
