Supernatural – 4.19 Jump the Shark
Part 1
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Late at night, a scream sounded through an empty hallway. On a small side table, there were a couple of picture frames, most of them featuring pictures of a mother and son. The forty-something mother had dark blonde hair and dark eyes, while the boy had dark blonde hair and green eyes. Suddenly, the woman from the pictures ran past the table and one of the pictures shattered on the floor, showing her son at the age twelve in the eagle scouts.
"Go away!" The woman screamed as she looked over her shoulder in terror.
The woman screamed as she ran into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Something started bashing on the door while she pressed against it, until it suddenly stopped. Dressed in a grey coat over some blue hospital scrubs, the woman quickly pushed her dresser in front of the door to block it. She took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. The thing outside seemed to have gone away as things grow quiet.
"Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, god. It's okay. It's okay." The woman whispered to herself as she frantically searched for her phone.
Suddenly something grabbed her by the ankles and she was pulled to the floor. Her phone fell and slit across the floor, out of reach. The woman screamed as something dragged her under the bed. She tried to grab the nightstand, knocking it over. As the woman disappeared under the bed, a picture fell on the floor, showing the face of John Winchester.
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In the middle of nowhere early in the morning, right next to a small and peaceful lake, Sam Winchester stood against the hood on the Impala and was brushing his teeth after a crappy night sleep in the car. Meanwhile, Dean was still snoring across the front seat. Suddenly Dean moved in his sleep and accidentally opened the door, causing him to almost fall out of the car. Sam smiled as he spit on the ground and took a sip of water. Dean crawled up and got out of the car.
"How'd you sleep?" Sam asked.
"How do you think?" Dean remarked as he stretched. "I'm starving, let's go get breakfast."
"Where? We're like two hours from anything." Sam asked.
"But I'm hungry now!" Dean called out a little whiny.
"There is probably still a sandwich in the front of the car." Sam replied.
Dean sat down in the car and started rifling through the mess. At the same time, Sam finished brushing and but away his toothbrush after cleaning it with water. Eventually Dean found a small brown bag and sniffed at it, making a foul face.
"It's tuna." Dean said disgusted.
Suddenly a phone started ringing and both brothers exchanged confused looks, knowing it was not one their own phones. Dean reached into the car and grabbed a phone from the glove department.
"Isn't that dad's phone?" Sam asked surprised. "Nobody has called that number in months."
Dean shrugged as he pushed a button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello?" A young male voice sounded. "Uh, is this John?"
"He can't come to the phone right now." Dean said, which was technically the truth. "Can I help you?"
"No, no, I really need to talk to John." The young man said. "He knows me, can you tell him it's Adam Milligan?"
Dean hesitated from a moment. "Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago." He said in a stoic tone. There was no real response, but Dean heard a shocked gasp. "Who is this?"
"I am his son." The young man replied.
Dean fell silent as he stared into the distance. He could not believe the words he had just heard. It had to be a trick. I was impossible. Either way, he needed to find out the truth.
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A few hours later, the Impala drove up to a parking lot in front of a small diner called "Cousin Oliver's" in Windom, Minnesota. Dean got out of the car in an annoyed mood, while Sam stepped out holding a piece of paper containing research.
"Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real." Sam told his brother as he looked on the paper. "Um, born September twenty-ninth, 1990 to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He used to be an Eagle Scout."
However, Dean did not appear to be listening, as he popped open the trunk and the weapons box. He started pulling out various weapons
"Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin—biology major, pre-med." Sam continued. "Dean? You listening?"
"This is a trap." Dean simple replied as he closed the trunk of the Impala.
As Dean headed to the diner, Sam sighed and crumbled the piece of paper, sticking it in his pocket before he followed his brother. A bell ringed as they entered the diner and looked around, there were only a few other people. An attractive waitress with dark hair walked past them and smiled as she brought a burger to another customer. Dean spotted an empty booth in the corner and walked over there. He removed one of the four chairs and sat down while Sam sat down next to him, making sure that this Adam would have to sit across from them. Sam pulled their father's journal from his jacket and dropped it on the table.
"Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out." Sam whispered.
"Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him." Dean replied casually.
The waitress from before, wearing the name tag Denise, came up to the table with menus and glasses of water. She handed both of them a glass.
"Welcome to Cousin Oliver's." Denise said with a smile.
"Thanks." Sam replied friendly.
"Can I get you...?" Denise started, before being rudely interrupted by Dean.
"We're actually waiting for someone." Dean snapped at her.
Denise pulled an annoyed face and slammed the menus on the table before walking away. Sam frowned and grabbed one of the menus, while Dean emptied his glass of water in a potted plant behind them.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked as Dean grabbed a flask and unscrewed the top. "Holy Water?"
"Yup." Dean replied as he put the filled glass on the table. "One sip of Jesus juice, this evil bitch is going to be in a world of hurt."
As the waitress walked by, Dean placed the glass on the other side of the table by the empty chair and pulled out a package from his jacket.
"And what if he's not possessed?" Sam asked.
"Then he is a shapeshifter." Dean replied as he unwrapped the package and revealed silver cutlery, which he used to replace the silverware already on the table.
"Hence the silver." Sam concluded.
"Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed. I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life." Dean replied angrily.
"I don't know Dean." Sam replied as he looked at the journal.
"What?" Dean asked annoyed. "What?!"
"Okay, Dean listen." Sam said reluctantly. "There is an entry in dad's journal. Listen to this." He added as he flipped through the journal and started reading. "From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born."
"Coincidence." Dean remarked simply.
"Coincidence?" Sam repeated as she showed his brother the journal. "The next two pages of the journal are torn out."
"Wait, you're not actually buying this, are you?" Dean asked with a frown.
Sam hesitated. "Look, man, I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's possible." He said as he closed the journal and put it away. "I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl...sometimes the girl's grateful."
"Well, now I'm thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking." Dean said with a disgusted face.
"Maybe he slipped one past the goalie." Sam remarked.
"Dude!" Dean called out annoyed.
Both brothers looked up when the door chimed. They saw a young man walking in. He was tall and slender, about nineteen years old and with dark blonde hair and green eyes. He seemed strangely familiar and Sam found it difficult to deny the resemblance this boy had to them, especially to Dean. However, Dean refused to even accept the possibility. The boy looked around and Sam waved at him.
"Adam?" Sam asked as the boy walked over.
"Are you Sam?" the boy asked.
"Yeah. Uh, this is Dean." Sam said as he pointed at his brother.
"Hey." Adam said as he put his backpack on the floor and sat down on the chair across them. "So, um...how did you know my dad?"
"Uh, we worked together." Sam lied. It felt strange to hear the boy refer to his father as dad.
"How did he die?" Adam asked confused.
"On the job" Sam replied.
"He was a mechanic, right?" Adam asked doubtfully.
"A car fell on him." Dean remarked dryly.
Adam frowned. At the same moment, the waitress Denise came up to the table again and placed a glass of water in front of Adam.
"Hi, Adam." Denise said friendly. "How are you?"
'Oh, I'll take that. I am very thirsty." Dean quickly said as he grabbed the new glass of water from Adam, causing Denise to give him a dirty look.
"The usual, Adam?" Denise asked.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Denise." Adam said.
As Denise left, Adam looked at Dean and grabbed the other glass filled with the Holy Water. Dean and Sam waited as he took a sip, but nothing happened. Adam put the glass down and wiped his mouth with his jacket sleeve. He looked uncomfortable and concerned.
"So, uh, when's the last time you saw John?" Sam asked.
"I don't even know. It's...a couple years." Adam replied.
"Why did you decide to call him now?" Sam asked as he noticed Dean grabbing a gun and aiming at Adam underneath the table.
'I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got." Adam replied as he stared out the window. "My mom's missing."
"Really? I'm sorry." Sam said. "Uh, for how long?"
However, before Adam could reply, Dean interrupted him. "It's tragic, really. But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?"
"Because John and me didn't really know each other." Adam replied after a moment. "Not until a few years ago, anyway."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff." Adam replied vaguely.
"What kind of stuff?" Dean asked.
"My mom's a nurse, and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up." Adam explained. "Hunting accident or something. And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family."
"Yeah, well, who is these days?" Sam remarked uncomfortably.
"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him?" Dean asked.
"When I was twelve. My mom had one of his old numbers." Adam told him while Dean tightened his grip on the gun. "After I begged her—God, twenty-four-seven—she finally called him. When John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night."
Denise came walking up to the table and placed a plate in front of Adam and Dean let his hand relax a little. Sam did some math his head and realized that his father would have met Adam right after he had left for Stanford.
"There you go." Denise said.
"Thanks." Adam replied and smiled at Denise as she walked away.
"Well, that's heartwarming." Dean remarked.
"Do you mind?" Adam asked as he pointed at his food.
"Please, dig in." Dean replied.
Dean watched closely as Adam grabbed a napkin without touching the silverware. As he placed it on his lap, Dean's grip on the gun tightened again and he cocked it.
"He would swing by once a year or so." Adam continued telling them as he picked up the silverware. "You know, he called when he could. But still..." Adam continued as he cut his food and took a bite, after which Dean lowered the gun almost disappointed. "He taught me poker and pool and even bought me my first beer when I was fifteen. And, uh… he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful 'sixty-seven Impala..."
"Oh this is crap." Dean called out annoyed after hearing this kid had driven in his Impala. "You know what, you're lying."
"No, I'm not." Adam replied confused.
"Uh, yeah, you are." Dean said angrily.
"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?" Adam replied upset.
"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who." Dean called out as he pointed between Sam and himself, at which Sam sighed. "We are his sons!"
Adam fell silent as he looked at both of them in shock. "I've got brothers?" He asked.
"No, you don't have brothers." Dean snapped at him. "Look, man, I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here."
"I have never been hunting in my life." Adam replied somewhat confused.
"Whatever. I'm out of here. Come on, Sam." Dean replied as he stood up and prepares to leave.
"I can prove it." Adam called out.
Dean stopped and turned to look at his supposed half-brother. He then looked at Sam, who merely shrugged, as if he wanted to say there was no harm in finding out. Dean sighed and considered his options. Part of him just wanted to shoot the kid.
Xxx
About half an hour later, Dean and Sam followed Adam into his house. Adam had driven his pick-up, while they had followed him in the Impala. During the ride, Dean had argued with Sam, as he did not believe it for a second, while Sam seemed to start to believe it. Adam led them upstairs to a bunch of picture frames. He grabbed one and handed it to Dean, who looked at the picture and saw his father with a younger Adam wearing a baseball cap.
"He took you to a baseball game?" Dean asked annoyed, their father had never done anything like that with them, as it all revolved around the hunt.
"Yeah, when I turned fourteen. Dad was around for a few of my birthdays." Adam explained.
Meanwhile Sam opened the old journal and flipped through it to the date. "September twenty-ninth, two thousand four. One word. Minnesota." Sam said as he held up the journal.
"He took you to a freakin' baseball game?" Dean asked in utter disbelief.
"Yeah. Why? What did Dad do with you on your birthday?" Adam asked as he took the picture frame from Dean's hands and placed it back on the table.
"Oh..." Dean replied with a frown, really not wanting to answer.
"Adam, you said you called Dad because your mom was missing." Sam said, changing the subject. "How long has she been gone?"
"Three days." Adam replied.
"Who was the last person to see her?" Dean asked.
"The neighbor. He saw her come home Tuesday night, but she never showed up to work on Wednesday."
Meanwhile, Dean picked up another picture and saw a younger Kate, who seemed to resemble their mother Mary in appearance. He guessed his father had a type.
"Did you call the police?" Sam asked.
"Mom's supervisor at the hospital did. And then I drove down here as fast as I could. I was at college." Adam explained and paused for a moment. "I should have been here." He added feeling guilty.
"What'd the cops say?" Dean asked.
"They searched the house. They didn't find anything." Adam replied. "She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?"
Dean and Sam exchanged looks and realized they had to take this case. If the kid's mother was still alive somehow, perhaps she could tell them more about their dad and how they met. Meanwhile, Dean realized it was getting heard to deny the fact that this kid could in fact be their little half-brother. He resented it, but the kid was innocent and needed their help.
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A few moments later, the brothers had split up. While San went to do some research on the computer and with the cops, Dean searched the house four any clues. He searched the bedroom and found himself looking at more pictures of Kate and Adam, and some with John. The happy little family. Dean grabbed his phone and dialed a number.
"Yeah, Singer." Grumpy voice sounded.
"Bobby, it's Dean." Dean said. "Listen up. I need to ask you something and I need a clear answer. It's about my dad."
"What's going on?" Bobby asked.
"Did dad ever talk to you about Minnesota?" Dean asked as he started exploring the rest of the room.
"Minnesota?" Bobby asked confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Bobby, be straight with me here." Dean replied.
"Look here, boy. I've always been straight with you." Bobby replied angrily. "I don't know what your daddy did in Minnesota, but he didn't share his life stories with me."
"Alright, I just needed to know." Dean replied. "Thanks, Bobby."
"Hold on, what the hell is going on?" Bobby asked.
"I'll tell you later." Dean said as he noticed Adam entering the bedroom. "I'll talk to you later."
"Found anything?" Adam asked as Dean put away the phone.
"The nightstand was knocked over. Was there anything else?" Dean replied.
"Oh, not really. The sheriff said there's no sign of a break-in." Adam said as Dean looked around. "What, you think the cops missed something?"
"Maybe. Yeah." Dean replied. "They don't have my eyes."
"But you're a mechanic." Adam remarked skeptically.
"Yeah. That's right." Dean said.
Adam seemed to hesitate for a moment and looked at the floor. "Dean, what else can you tell me about Dad?" He asked after a while.
"You knew him." Dean replied, not interested in sharing stories.
"Not as well as you." Adam replied.
"Trust me, kid, you don't want to know." Dean replied.
At that moment, Sam appeared in the door and waved at Dean holding a few folders. Dean told the kid to hang back while he had Sam headed into the hallway.
"You talk to the cops?" Dean asked.
"Yeah. Like Adam said, no leads on his mom." Sam replied.
"Shocker there." Dean remarked.
"But I did find this." Sam said as he held up the folders. He opened them and flipped through them. "Uh... here. In nineteen ninety, there were seventeen grave robberies in Windom."
"You think that's why Dad came through here?" Dean asked.
"I'd say so. Check it out." Sam replied as he held up a photo in a newspaper clipping. Dean looked at his and saw is father standing in a crowd of bystanders at a crime scene.
"All right, so he was hunting something. What?" Dean said.
"No idea." Sam replied. "Those were the pages he threw out of the journal. But last month, the corpse snatching started up again. Three bodies from the local cemetery."
"So whatever he was after, he didn't kill it. It's back." Dean concluded.
"And, what, it's stepped up its game to fresh meat? I mean, Kate's missing, and…" Sam said as he opened another folder. "So is a local bartender, a guy named Joe Barton."
Dean grabbed a photo from the folder and headed back into the bedroom, where Adam had sat down on the bed. Dean walked over and held up the photo.
"Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?" Dean asked.
"Uh, I don't think so." Adam said as he looked at the photo. "Why?"
Dean and Sam exchanged looks and a silence fell. Dean looked down and suddenly noticed something by Adam's feet, scratch marks on the floor. Dean walked over to take a closer look and kneeled down.
"What is it?" Adam asked as he stood up.
"Watch out." Dean said as he flipped the edge of the comforter and looked under the bed. "Help me with the mattress."
Dean tossed aside the pillows and together with Adam, he removed the mattress from the bed frame. Under the bed, there was a vent large enough to fit someone through. Sam and Dean exchange looks and held up their hands, preparing the old ritual to determine who would get to go inside the creepy vent. A little game called rock-paper-scissors. Both reveal their hand and Sam has rock, while Dean picked scissors.
"Every time." Dean called out annoyed.
A few moments later, Dean lowered himself in the air vent and started crawling through the narrow space with a flashlight in his hand. He noticed several blood stains.
"Why didn't I pick paper?" Dean remarked.
Dean approached a T-junction. He carefully peeked around the corners and noticed one path was clear, while the other was filled with more blood. He sighed and followed the blood. With a pistol in one hand and the flashlight in the other, he carefully checked ahead before crawling further. As he turned the corner, he noticed a large pool of blood, as well as a few pieces of flesh and some bones. Dean sighed and he realized that no person could survive that, which meant that Adam had just lost his mother.
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