Susquehanna, PA - May 22nd, 2012
The heat radiated off of the Pennsylvania pavement as the Impala chugged down the throughway with Dean Winchester driving and his younger brother, Sam, in the passenger seat. Metallica was playing over the speakers at a hushed volume while Dean drummed on the steering wheel to the beat.
Sam's gaze fluctuated from looking out of the window and back down to his phone to see if he had gotten any new emails, texts or any other notifications. He sighed lightly and shifted his weight, his muscles becoming tense from sitting in the same position for so long.
Dean hummed quietly along to the tune on the radio, which was now a song by AC/DC. He rolled his neck for he, too, was becoming tense. This was a ten hour drive and no matter how any times they had done this, it would always be a frustrating process.
Dusk was approaching, but it was abnormally scorching for a mid-May day. The windows that were open didn't do any justice for the humid heat pouring in.
"How long till we get there? I need to shower, dude. I feel so gross," the younger Winchester said. He wiped the beads of sweat off of his brow with his sleeve and pursed his lips in minor annoyance.
"You're really gonna complain? I don't know, man. A half hour, forty-five minutes tops. How the hell're you sweating so much? It's not even that hot."
Sam shrugged. "Sort of have more body mass than you, Dean."
Dean scowled and fiddled with the radio when a song came on that he wasn't in the mood to listen to. "So, what d'you think it could be?" the hunter asked, referring to the hunt they were on.
"My guess is as good as yours. There isn't too much info in the news, but we should try to get the local law enforcement to talk," Sam replied.
"Same crap, different day."
Sam huffed a quiet laugh at his brother's comment, nodding in agreement. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, leaving the sky a color of bruised grapefruit. The younger Winchester leaned his head against the window and watched treeline as they sped by.
"You okay?" Dean asked.
Sam looked over at his brother with a furrowed brow. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
Dean pursed his lips at Sam's response. "Don't give me that, Sam. You're too damn quiet."
With a sigh, Sam opened his mouth to say something but was hesitant at first.
"It's happening again."
"Would you care to elaborate?" The older Winchester suggested with a mildly sarcastic tone.
"The-uh," Sam paused to clear his throat nervously. "The hallucinations."
Dean blinked a few times and it took him a moment to register what Sam had just said.
"No, no, dude. That's- that's impossible. Cas got rid of whatever was screwin' around with your noggin, so..." Dean exhaled sharply with a chuckle that represented his disbelief. "I guess I just don't get how this is happening again."
"You and me both," the younger brother retorted quietly. He was seeing everything again; the torture, the blood, Hell, Lucifer. The smallest vision brought him to the edge of panic. It hadn't started up again until about a week ago, but even such a short amount of time felt like years to Sam. He wanted to know how they started again and why they hadn't left even after Castiel used his grace to remove these hallucinations. He was feeling fine for the longest time, and it terrified him to wake up with these visions once more. Sam inhaled deeply then exhaled in a steady breath to try and calm himself, but it wasn't working. He regretted telling Dean about it, but he figured that his older brother was bound to figure it out sooner or later.
The Winchesters reached the motel after approximately a decade of tense silence. Sam retrieved his bag from the back seat as Dean did the same with his own belongings. Dean checked them in at the front desk and handed Sam the key to their room. Sam set his things on the queen bed that was closest to the wall while Dean claimed the bed opposite his. "I'm gonna head out for a while, probably grab some food. You hungry?" Dean asked as he walked towards the motel door.
"Ah, no thanks. I'm gonna see what I can dig up for this case."
Dean gave his brother a quick nod and left promptly. Sam sat at the desk that was situated in the corner of the room with his laptop and a local newspaper that he picked up as they were checking in. He flipped through the pages as his laptop booted up and found an interesting headline; 'Esteemed Doctor Found Dead On Throughway'. He read into it, and not much information was given, but something stuck out as he skimmed through the article. It was written that the body was found in a mutilated state, as if there were an animal attack.
Sam pieced the puzzle together. Old rich guy found torn apart in the middle of nowhere...if that wasn't a signal that this was a job for someone in his field of expertise, then he didn't know what was. He retrieved a pen from his jacket pocket and recorded notes on where the body was located, the name and whatever else the law enforcement had disclosed to the public. He fished his phone out of his pocket and went to dial his brother when he heard some clattering in the kitchen. Being the ever-cautious one, he quietly got up to see what had made the noise.
"Uh, Dean? That you?" Sam questioned aloud before turning a corner to see an all-too-familiar entity sitting on the edge of the kitchen table.
"Guess again, sunshine," the Morning Star said, his voice light and airy.
Sam tried his best to avoid eye contact with the being that was situated in front of him. He closed his eyes tightly and maybe, just maybe, Lucifer would be gone when he opened them back up. The younger Winchester slowly opened his eyes and the archangel had, in fact, disappeared. Sam breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but the anxiety still weighed down on him. Walking back to the desk he was previously sitting at, he thought about what just happened. What if he really did see Lucifer? What if the fallen archangel was simply messing around with him? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time that would have occurred.
Sam had managed to fall asleep for a good ten minutes before he woke up, startled. He heard the door open and close and he stood up, ready for anything.