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As soon as she walked into the bar she spotted them. They stuck out like a sore thumb whether they wanted to admit it or not. It was clear that they were trying to blend in with the crowd, but anyone over the age of thirty sticks out in a college bar. Yes, they could be alumni, but since she had arrived no one greeted them except the bartender and the occasional slutty girl. Erin couldn't blame them for being attracted to the two mysterious men in front of her. They were well built and their faces weren't bad either.
They were hunters, it was clear as day. The way they carried themselves was a dead giveaway. They were on high alert and constantly looking over their shoulders. She had to admit they were smooth about it. To the untrained eye they seemed normal. Erin spotted the bulge from the gun each one was packing in the waist band of their jeans.
If they were in this town that meant they caught whiff of her hunt. She could tell just by looking at them that they were the take control type. As soon as they saw that a female was taking the case they would try to persuade her the other way. Erin was not backing down. She was not going to let another man tell her what she could or couldn't do. She knew she was a good hunter. Her keen attention to detail and fast reflexes made her perfect for the job. That attention to detail helped her track the two vampires wreaking havoc on the college town.
The two chicks next to the hunters finally moved over to the dance floor giving Erin an opening. She had made sure to dress like the other college girls. It was one of the few times she put effort into herself. Erin looked about five years younger than her real age. It had its ups and downs. Right now it worked to her advantage. She looked like a college student. She adjusted her dress and made sure the ratio of leg to cleavage was on par. At first she wobbled a little in the three inch heels, but now she was used to them. They hurt like a bitch, but it was only for the one night.
As she walked towards them the shorter of the two spotted her and turned to give her his full attention. She gave him her killer smile and sat down next to him. She crossed her legs, leaned towards him, placed her hand on his arm, and said in her best southern accent, "I'm parched. What are you gonna do 'bout it?"
"Well we can't have that. What is your poison?" He turned on his mega watt smile. Erin was mesmerized by it. She almost forgot why she was there.
"I could really go for a Sloe Screw Against the Wall."
His eyes slowly made their way from her legs up to her face stopping briefly at her breasts that were basically spilling out of her bandage mini-dress. He was clearly imagining her naked. It didn't take much in the dress she was wearing. After he blatantly checked her out he finally replied, "I bet you could."
"Are you goin' to give it to me? Or am I goin' to have find someone else?" She started lifting herself out of her seat when he placed his hand on her arm to stop her.
"Oh, I'll give it to you, but I can't guarantee it will be slow."
Erin raised her eyebrow in curiosity and asked him, "So you're saying that you're quick?"
His friend laughed at that one.
"No, that's not what I'm… never mind. I'm Dean, by the way." He offered her his hand.
Dean? As in Dean Winchester? That must mean that the guy next to him is Sam, his brother. She had heard stories about them. They were considered legends in the hunting community. Their lives have been torn apart in more ways than one. She had heard from some of the other female hunters that they were attractive, but she didn't think this was what they meant. Put a suit on each of them and you could slap them on the cover of GQ. She now knew who she was up against for this hunt. She considered teaming up with them, but that was only for a nanosecond.
She must've had a confused look on her face because Dean interrupted her thoughts. "Did you forget your name or do you not have one?"
"Oh, right. I'm Tammy." She was not about to give him her real name. "I was just so captivated by your eyes for a moment. I'm having a tough time figuring out the color because of the light. I bet they're even more mesmerizing in the light. Too bad it is so dark in here."
That ought to butter him up. She glanced up at him and saw that he was taking the bait. He probably thought that he was getting laid. If the situation was different she might consider it, but when she had a vampire to kill sex had to wait.
Right then she figured out her plan of attack. She was going to wait for Sam to get distracted and then convince Dean to go to the bathroom for a quickie. She had a set of handcuffs in her purse and she would handcuff Dean to the sink. Then she would run to the alley to kill the vampire. It sounded perfect in her head. She already had her machete set up in the dumpster in the alley and a backup one in a different dumpster. On top of that she had several syringes with dead man's blood scattered around the alley. They looked like old needles from a druggie.
After she gave her name Dean ordered her drink and they started talking. Erin thought she was a good liar, but Dean had her beat. He was very good at making up stories and even answered her follow up questions right away. It was as though he and Sam practiced their stories with each other. She didn't doubt that was the reasoning. Sam seemed like the real anal type.
About fifteen minutes later Erin finally got her opening. Sam excused himself to answer a call. She smirked at Dean and said, "Finally, I thought he would never leave."
"Why'd you want him to leave?" Dean looked a little worried.
"So I could do this." She placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in for a hungry kiss. At first he seemed a bit surprised and his lips were frozen under hers. It was clear to her then that Dean was used to making the first move. When he didn't kiss her back, she backed away and apologized. "I'm sorry; I must've read your signals wrong. I've never done anything like this before."
Something in his eyes changed. They were all of sudden filled with passion and something else. She must've said the right thing because the next thing she knew he was dragging her towards the bathrooms. Good, her plan was still working.
As soon as they entered the bathroom she moved over to the sink to place her purse down while Dean took care of locking the door. She grabbed the handcuffs and placed them at the top of her purse so she would be able to find them easily. Once she finished she turned around to find Dean watching her. She wasn't sure if he had seen what she was doing, but when he stepped closer and placed his hands on her hips pulling her into him she got her answer. Something flashed across his eyes right before he pulled her in for a kiss. It seemed like a bit of panic, but once his lips touched hers it went away.
Man, could Dean Winchester kiss? His kiss could definitely make her forget her name. He ran his hands up her back and stopped at the base of her neck. The kiss was a very hungry kiss. It was as though Dean was starving. Slowly she felt his tongue trying to invade her mouth and she allowed it. He moved his hands back to her hips and lifted her up on to the sink. His lips never left hers in the process. He placed himself between her legs and moved his lips to her neck.
At this point Erin had completed forgotten about her plan. It had been so long since she had felt another man's hands on her body. She had been celibate for years and it hadn't bothered her until this moment. It wasn't until he gave her neck a little love bite that she remembered. She almost pushed him away, but then she remembered that would give her away. Now the problem was how she was going to get the handcuffs out of her purse. She felt her purse behind her back. He would be on to her if she placed her hands behind her own back. Plus her hands craved to touch him. They had already moved under his shirt and rest on his back right above his pants. His skin was surprisingly soft there. She wanted to devour this man.
Oh how she wished there wasn't a vampire to take care of at the moment. They both deserved to have a little fun. Maybe they could have a little fun after she kills the vamp. He would know that she was a hunter, but hopefully that wouldn't change his view of her. She couldn't wait any longer. She had to get him cuffed so she could get outside. Enough time had already been wasted in the bathroom. For all she knew the vampire was already out there claiming his next victim.
"I think I have some protection in my purse." She said between kisses. This gave her an excuse to reach behind her and get the cuffs. However, she was confused when she didn't find them.
Dean moved his lips to her neck again and softly said, "Looking for these?"
He pulled away from her and dangled the cuffs in front of her. She knew she was guilty, but she decided to play the fetish card. Maybe he would fall for it.
"I'm so embarrassed. I told you I've never done this before. My friends kept telling me how thrilling it is to handcuff their partner during sex, to have complete control over things. I thought I would try it on a stranger first, you know in case it doesn't go how I planned." He seemed to be buying it. "If you're not into that I completely understand. We can lose the cuffs if you'd like."
Dean licked his lips and replied, "You have no idea how much I'd love for you to cuff me up, but not here. Who knows when they cleaned these floors last?"
Erin glanced at the wall next to the door and saw the janitor sheet. It said that it was cleaned that morning. "It was cleaned this morning."
"How do you know that?"
She got up off the sink and pointed to the chart. "See it was cleaned at nine this morning."
"Yea, but you don't know if they actually cleaned anything. They could easily sign this, but not clean a single thing."
"I suppose. If I promise not to handcuff you can I have them back?" She held her hand out.
Dean eyed her up and down like he was trying to find something. She knew she wasn't much of an actress, but she felt like her story sounded pretty believable. It was the best she could come up with on the spot.
"Sure you can have them back." He started handing them to her. And then things suddenly came crashing down. Dean moved too fast for her to defend herself. As he was handing the cuffs to her he opened them, placed one end on her right wrist, pulled her towards the sink, and placed the other end along the exposed pipe on the sink. She couldn't believe it. That was exactly what she planned on doing to him.
"What the hell?" She started pulling on them as hard as she could.
"I'd be careful. You don't want to pull the pipe out and get water all over yourself. That dress looks expensive." He had the dumbest smirk on his face. She glared at him. Dean knew he had beaten her at her own game. He crouched down so he was eye level with her. "Now, are you going to tell me who you are?"
"I told you my name is Tammy."
"Yea, ok, now what is your real name? I'm not an idiot." Erin hadn't noticed the gun in his hand before. When had he taken that out? Was he really threatened by her?
Before she could answer he sprayed water in her face. She could bet any money that it was holy water. He had to make sure she wasn't a demon or any sort of supernatural threat. She understood his concern and couldn't get upset over it.
"I can tell you that I'm not a demon or any sort of monster. I'm one hundred percent USDA certified human. Go ahead and cut me using the silver knife in my purse. You can give my purse an entire search if that would put your mind at ease." She reached up and grabbed her purse from the top of the sink. She handed it to him. He snatched it out of her hands and started looking through it. There wasn't much in it. Most of her weapons were in her car or in the alley.
As he searched through her bag she kicked her heals off to get comfortable. He dumped the purse on to the floor and she cringed thinking about how dirty the floor probably was. He inspected every little thing making sure it wasn't anything important. Once he was finished he finally picked up the silver switchblade, opened it, and grabbed her arm. He brushed his fingers along the inside of her arm and looked like he regretted what he was about to do. Her stomach tingled as he brushed her arm. She was so incredibly sensitive there.
He looked up at her and their eyes locked. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
She gave him a nod and then he quickly cut her arm. It was only about an inch long and it just grazed the surface. She couldn't help the grimace on her face. It was a reflex reaction. Dean immediately grabbed some paper towels and applied pressure to the wound.
"There is a band aid in my purse. Actually, it is on the floor right next to you."
He turned towards where she was looking and saw it. He picked it up and quickly unwrapped it to cover the cut. "Okay, so if you're not a demon or some other monster, then who are you?"
She was about to answer him when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and answered. She could only hear one side of the conversation but she knew what it was about. It was Sam giving Dean an update on the vampire.
"… Ok Sam, I'll be right out. I'm in the middle of a situation… No, it's nothing I can't handle… Just give me five minutes… What?!... Ok, I'll wrap this up and be out in a minute." As soon as he hung up he turned towards Erin. "I've got to go take care of something. Stay here."
She pulled on the handcuffs to show that she was planning on staying put. "Where do you think I'm going to go?"
"We've got ourselves a smartass. How lovely? I expect some answers when I get back." Then he was gone. He made sure to lock the door before he left.
Erin couldn't believe the situation she was in. Her entire plan backfired. She was now handcuffed to a sink in a crappy bar while the Winchesters were out taking care of her hunt. This was going to reflect poorly on her. She knew as soon as she told them she was a hunter they would tell her how inexperienced she was.
She backed up so she could lean against the wall when it occurred to her. She had a bobby pin in her hair. How could she forget? It didn't take her long to pick the locks once she got it out of her hair. In a matter of minutes she had them off and she was headed out to the alley.
Once she got to the alley she knew things weren't good. Sam and Dean were both unarmed. The vampire was more of a fighter than they realized. As soon as she stepped into the alley she saw Sam get tossed about ten feet and then the vamp stood over an unconscious Dean. It was clear what his intentions were. She glanced over where Sam was tossed, but he still seemed a bit stunned. He must've hit his head pretty hard on the concrete wall because he was holding the back of his head. Before he could get up Erin sprung into action. She grabbed one of their machetes that had fallen on the ground and one of the syringes with dead man's blood.
In a matter of seconds she was directly behind the vampire. She stabbed the needle into his neck and injected the dead man's blood into his bloodstream. He screamed in pain and quickly turned around. It took a few seconds for the dead man's blood to take full effect and he got a quick blow to the side of her head. She tightened her grip on the machete and swung away at his head. After she killed him she noticed Sam leaning against the wall watching her. She was a bit worried because he looked woozy.
"What should we do with the body? We can't leave it here." She asked Sam so he could stay focused. He straightened up, but it was clear he was having some trouble. She would take a look at him after they dispose of the body.
"Let's just throw it in one of these dumpsters and then get out of here before someone sees something." Sam pushed himself away from the wall. He tried to walk as straight as he could.
Erin nodded in agreement and then bent down to get a hold of the body. She took the shoulders while Sam took the feet. Once the body was in the dumpster Sam walked back to get the head. While he was taking care of that Erin made sure to pick up all the syringes and grabbed the two machetes she had hidden.
When she was finished she caught Sam watching her again. "Were you expecting it to be a big fight?"
"I live by the Boy Scouts mantra, 'Always be prepared.' And I always prepare for the worse." Behind the dumpster was a bag to store all her items in and a pair of flats. She let out a sigh of relief when she exchanged the three inch heels for the flats.
"I don't get it. If you ladies don't like wearing heels than why wear them?" Sam asked while making his way to Dean who was still unconscious.
"Trust me I wonder the same thing. It really boils down who looks better than the other. Who cares how uncomfortable you are as long as you look sexier than every other chick in the joint?" Sam smiled at that, but it seemed rather weak. His eyes looked really heavy and he looked like he was ready to fall over. Erin rushed over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Sam, are you feeling okay?"
"Yea, I'm fine. I just need to get Dean in the car and go back to our motel room." Sam bent down to grabbed Dean by the shoulders and almost fell on top of him in the process.
"Sam I think you might have a concussion. I can get Dean in the car just tell me where it is parked." Sam gave her a doubtful look. "Trust me Sam; I'm stronger than I look. Here, you take my bag and I'll take care of Dean."
Sam looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't have the strength. She handed him her bag and then walked over to Dean. He looked so peaceful. She kicked his foot to make sure he wasn't faking it, but when he didn't wake up she knew he wasn't. How was she going to pick him up? He probably had a good sixty or seventy pounds on her. Yes, she was strong, but even she had her limits.
Right when she was about to take the plunge two young guys walked out of the bar and she thought of a new plan. She could probably get them to help carry Dean to his car. They didn't look like they were drunk and they looked well built. The decision was made. She was going to seek their help.
Erin walked away from the Winchesters and started waving at the two guys. "Excuse me. My friend had a little too much to drink and passed out." She pointed towards Sam and Dean. "I was wondering if you could help us get him to the car."
They each took an end and carried Dean to his car. Sam dropped her bag in the trunk and took a seat on the passenger's side. Erin was pretty impressed with their wheels. Who wouldn't appreciate a classic American car such as the Impala? If she had to guess it had to be either the '66 or '67 edition.
Before she started the car Sam grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. She glanced over at him while placing the keys in the ignition. "If Dean asks I drove to the motel. He is very protective of this car and doesn't like strangers driving it."
"Dually noted, it will be our little secret." She winked and then drove them to the motel.
As soon as they got to the motel Sam and Erin carried Dean into the room. Sam seemed to be better, but Erin wanted to be certain that he was okay. They placed Dean on one of the beds and then she ordered Sam to take a seat. He put up a bit of a fight and tried to convince her that he was fine. It was clear that he was more concerned about Dean, but she promised they could take a look at him once she was finished.
Erin ran all her tests for a concussion and it looked as though Sam suffered a minor one. He was still recovering from it, but there was nothing too serious about it. After she finished the tests they both moved over to Dean. His breathing seemed normal and his heart rate was even. He had a nice blow to the back of the head, but that was about it. She had Sam get an ice pack for back of Dean's head.
"I've got everything from here. Thank you for all your help. It was nice to meet you Erin." Sam started rushing her towards the door.
"How am I supposed to get to my car? I drove your car here." It was clear that he had forgotten that little tidbit. To be honest she was a bit hurt that Sam didn't want her to stick around. Did she bother him?
Sam grabbed his wallet and gave her some cash. "Here, take a cab to your car."
Part of her wanted to stick around until Dean woke up. When they were in the bathroom she felt this spark between them. He set her skin on fire just by looking at her. However, she knew she had no real reason to stay. She took the money and headed towards the door. "Later Sam."
Erin was more than happy to get back to her room and change. As soon as she stepped into her room she shed the dress and took a shower. She changed into her pajamas and crashed. The next morning she packed up her belongings and put another town in her rearview mirror. After driving for a few hours she stopped at a diner and picked up a newspaper to find her next hunt. She planned on stopping at her dad's for a few hours before continuing on. Nothing really stuck out to her in the paper. Maybe she would end up staying at her dad's a little longer than planned.
Erin's father was the toughest man she knew. He was a drill sergeant and took pity on no one. Growing up it was just the two of them. Her mother passed away just a few months after she was born. As soon as she was old enough her father enlisted her in military school and had her trained to fight in the army. He strived for excellence and that was all he accepted. Erin made sure she was the top of her class and always won first place in whatever she did. She learned early on that if she didn't get first place her father would just work her harder.
As soon as she turned eighteen he forced her to join the army and shortly after her training she was sent to Iraq. She became a medic for the military and took care of the injured soldiers. It was a rather depressing job. She hated her father for making her join. However, when she met Kurt everything changed. He had gotten shot in the leg and needed immediate surgery. Erin was assigned as his main doctor when the surgery was finished.
They fell in love fast. Within a week of meeting each other they were already talking about marriage. Kurt's tour was finished six months before hers and he insisted on extending his stay until she was done. The plan was to get married shortly after coming back home to the US. Her father approved of her marrying a military man. She was so happy and didn't mind being in Iraq as much with Kurt around.
Everything changed two months before she was about to leave. It was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep, besides those taking watch. Erin woke up suddenly and just knew something was wrong. There was just something in the air that irked her. She sat up in her bunk and listened. It was so quiet, too quiet. Slowly she got out of bed and she started scanning the dark room. She heard the creaking of someone else's bed. Never in her life will she forget what she saw when she turned around.
This thing was eating one of her fellow soldiers. It had teeth that looked like a piranha's and it was devouring her crew. She didn't know what to do. The thing hadn't spotted her yet. Part of her hoped that it was just a nightmare, but she knew it wasn't. She knew she had to find Kurt and make sure he was okay. However, she also had to stop the thing from eating anyone else but how? She had no idea what it was. It looked almost human except for the teeth. She quietly grabbed a gun from the supply closet, but when she got back to the room the thing was gone. After she made sure it was indeed gone she turned on the light. The other soldiers started sitting up wondering why the lights were on.
Erin made her way towards the bed with the dead soldier. She had her gun ready just in case. Everybody on the top bunks knew what she was walking towards, but the others couldn't see anything. They all watched her. There was so much blood covering the mattress.
Jamie, their lieutenant, made her way over to the bed with the dead soldier. She inspected the body, but made sure not to touch it. After giving the body a once over she turned towards Erin and asked her if she saw what did the damage. She knew she couldn't tell the truth. Who would believe her that some monster killed this girl? They would think that she was finally going crazy. She told Jamie that it was a wild animal and that by the time she got her gun it was gone. Jamie seemed to buy it and left to report the incident.
After that things got very strange around the base. There were some more "wild animal" attacks, but no one could find the animal. The tracks leading to and from the bodies were all human. Erin didn't know what to make of it and she wasn't sure if anyone else witnessed the real monster killing people. The only person she told the truth to was Kurt and he tried to convince her that she was just half asleep. For arguments sake she agreed with his theory.
Everything changed during one of her shifts. It was a rather slow day and she was mainly taking care of minor injuries when some soldiers came running in with a body. The person had clearly been dead for about a week, but he was wearing one of their uniforms so they knew it was one of their own. A good part of the uniform was torn up including the part with the soldier's name. It was more than likely that the "wild animal" got to this soldier too. She had them place him on one of the vacant beds so she could examine the body. Erin kind of recognized the body, but it was so torn apart and decayed that she couldn't be certain.
Erin ran the necessary DNA tests and was able to get an ID on the body in a few days. She didn't believe the results when they came in. They had to have mixed up the names. The name on the report was Donald Curtis Sweet aka Kurt, her fiancé. That was impossible because she had just seen him a few hours before her shift started. They had eaten breakfast together in the mess hall. She wasn't sure what to do. Did this mean that the person walking around as Kurt isn't actually Kurt? He was supposed to be out on a mission for the rest of the day so she couldn't call him. She would just have to wait until he got back to find out. The worst thing she could think of was that he was this monster killing people. Erin had seen a few episodes of The X-Files and she recalled an episode about shapeshifters but that was a TV show. This was real life and shapeshifters didn't really exist.
Kurt got back to base around midnight that night, but Erin stayed up so she could talk to him. When he walked in he looked exhausted. She greeted him with a kiss as soon as he walked in and dragged him over to the couch. After every mission she would sit with him and they would talk about their days. She let him talk about the mission first and paid extra attention to his facial expressions. Whatever this thing was pretending to be her fiancé was good. However, now that she was paying closer attention she could see the differences. The way he furrowed his brow when talking about the climatic parts of the mission were different. There wasn't the usual pain and sorrow behind his eyes. This thing was trying to play that emotion, but couldn't completely grasp it.
Once he was done talking about the mission he asked about her day. He knew that it was the day she was getting the DNA results back. She told him all about the mysterious dead body. Erin decided she would play it off like it was a mix up in the lab. Laughter would be the best way to defuse the situation and play like she knew it was a mistake. After she got to the punch line she was pretty proud of her acting skills at the moment. He laughed too, but he got very nervous. She told him it was impossible that the body was his since he is clearly alive and jokingly added unless he was some sort of shapeshifter.
Apparently that was his cue to drop the act. His face completely changed and Erin knew she was no longer dealing with the man she fell in love with. He turned into the monster pretending to be him. Physically it still looked like him but everything else was different. He gripped her shoulders and pushed her into the couch. All of his weight was on her and she was having trouble fighting him off. She knew the real Kurt was strong, but this thing was much stronger.
"What the hell are you?" She shouted at him. At this point she didn't care if anyone heard her. Part of her told her to stay quiet so no one else got hurt, but she didn't want to die.
"I'm hungry. That's what I am." Then the piranha teeth appeared in a matter of seconds. "I've been holding out for you. You have no idea how much I've been craving to eat you."
"I'd like to know what killed my fiancé before you do that." She had never been so scared in her life, but she had to be brave.
"Does it really matter what I am? All you need to know is that I am the thing that is going to eat you."
Out of nowhere she heard someone say, "I don't think so." Then Kurt's head got blown off.
It was Jamie. She had heard Erin shouting at Kurt and came out to see what was going on. Jamie pushed Kurt off of her and helped her to her feet. Erin thanked her and then wasn't sure what else to say. After that Erin's stay was cut short and she was sent back home for therapy. She kept telling everyone she was fine, but she knew she wasn't. There was no way she could explain what she saw. Jamie was the only one that knew the truth about what happened that night.
When Erin got back to her father's house he treated her differently. He acted like she was incredibly fragile. If she wanted anything all she had to do was ask and he would get it for her no questions asked. She hated being treated this way. He didn't think she was strong enough to deal with what happened. However, she was much stronger than he realized.
Erin started going to the local library and researched the paranormal. She went to several different sites with information. After months of research she was able to track down someone who might have answers. He lived a few states from her, but she was willing to make the trip if that meant she knew what killed her fiancé. Her father lent her his car and she made the trek north.
The guy's name was Bobby Singer and he was a ghost hunter. They met up in a diner in Nebraska. She told him all about what happened in Iraq and he sympathized for her, but it wasn't the same way others reacted. Bobby could tell that she was a strong person. He listened to her story and then he thought through what it could be. In the end he concluded that it was most likely a leviathan. Erin had no idea what that meant but she could tell by Bobby's tone that it wasn't a good thing. What she wanted to know was how to kill them. She had so much pent up aggression and she wanted to use it towards something useful. Bobby admitted that he was still unsure how to kill them. He was working with some others to figure out their weakness.
After she found out the truth she decided it was time to get out of her father's house. Sitting around angry wasn't doing anyone any good. Slowly she started learning about the world of the paranormal. She picked it up rather quick. Her military training definitely came in handy. Occasionally she teamed up with a fellow hunter, but she typically kept it a solo act. In a matter of months she had the hunting thing down. Bobby kept in contact with her and gave her a lot of helpful tips. He would call her at least every other week, but then the calls stopped suddenly. She knew something was wrong. The news of Bobby's death spread like wildfire. She couldn't believe it. Part of her felt like Bobby was invincible.
The sound of the intro for Kashmir by Led Zeppelin interrupted her thoughts. She was getting a call on her phone. When she checked the caller ID she was a bit surprised. It was Garth, a fellow hunter. The two had paired up for a few hunts in the past, but she hadn't heard from him in months. She knew he had to be calling about a hunt.
"Hey Garth, what's the happs?" Erin pulled over to the side of the road, in case she needed to turn around.
"I need your help on a case, sweet cheeks." Erin rolled her eyes at the pet name. "Meet me in York, Pennsylvania in three hours."
"Ok, where at?"
"At the police station. I need you looking your best. Got it, babe?" Garth was talking like he was in an old movie from the '50's. She couldn't help, but smile a little. If Garth was good for anything it was cheering someone up.
"Ok I will see you there. Oh, and Garth, cut back on the old movies. You're starting to sound like Frank."
"I can't help it. That is when cinema was at its best. It is addicting."
"Whatever you say, I'll see you in a few hours."
It only took Erin two hours to get to York. It was a nice enough town. She found a coffee shop with complimentary wifi. Coffee sounded amazing to her right now. There was a table in the corner that was just waiting for her. She got her coffee and popped a squat at the table. Once her laptop was on she looked up the most recent news on York. Nothing really popped out to her until she saw the local legends section. Legend had it that the town housed the seven gates to Hell. The first gate was located along Trout Run Road and the last gate should lead you straight to Hell. However, no one knew for sure because no one made it passed the second gate. Erin didn't know for sure if that was why she was there, but she had a feeling it had something to do with it.
An hour later Erin packed up her laptop and went out to her car to get her business suit on. She was guessing that was what Garth meant when he said to look her best. Garth didn't say which form of law enforcement they were imitating, but Erin was ready for anything. Just when she finished getting dressed Garth pulled up. She always forgets how skinny the guy is. He was also wearing a suit and aviators. She started singing "Sharp Dressed Man" in her head.
Erin made her way to his car and asked, "Ok, so why are we here? Does it have anything to do with the seven gates of Hell?"
"You're good. Nothing gets passed you. A buddy of mine told me about the legend and explained that it was just a bunch of stories. There was no asylum at the top that burned down and no crazy doctor. However, in the past month several people have gone missing when making the trek through the gates." He took off the shades and gave her outfit a once over. He approved of her threads.
"Why would anyone choose to go through the gates of Hell?" Erin would never understand people like that.
"You've got me." He paused. "Here's the plan, we need to talk to the police for the story so far. Then we will talk to some of the locals to get some information on the gates. Then we will go back to the motel and figure out our next step."
She couldn't argue with the plan. "Ok, so who are we today?"
He opened his trunk and pulled out a shoe box full of fake badges. It took him a little longer to find the ones he wanted, but when he found them he handed them to Erin. She looked down at the names on the badges. "You can't be serious. Who is going to believe that there is a real Mulder and Scully?"
"But there's a catch. You're Mulder and I'm Scully." He thought he was so clever. If he was fine with it then she was fine with it. She just wanted to get the show on the road.
They soon made their way up the police station's steps and were in the sheriff's office in no time. The receptionist didn't really even notice their names. It was obvious that she wasn't getting paid enough to give a damn. The sheriff was your generic sheriff. He was in his mid-fifties, had white-gray hair, and didn't crack a smile the entire time they were there. His answers were short and vague. It was kind of getting on Erin's nerves.
When they were finally through questioning the sheriff they came out with no new information. He basically told them everything that Erin found on the internet. Garth wasn't too pleased either. Next up was the locals. They hoped they would be more help.
About two hours later they had finished interviewing the locals. They had gotten some useful information from them, but most didn't like to talk about the gates. It was clear that they were tired of tourists coming in looking for the gates. After their last round of questioning they got hungry and decided to order some grub. The locals were rather friendly towards them.
As they were sitting and eating a woman about Erin's age came strolling into the restaurant. She walked up to the hostess and pulled a picture out from her bag. This got Erin's attention. The woman looked really worried and like she hadn't slept in days. She asked the hostess a question and the hostess shook her head. It looked like the woman was about to leave, but she turned at the last moment and walked up to a couple sitting at a table. Erin could tell that the woman was looking for someone.
People started to notice the woman. She wasn't being obnoxious, but the way she moved from table to table upset them. The hostess ran to the back to grab the manager. In a matter of minutes the woman was thrown out of the place. Erin stood up, threw some money on the table, and made her way to the exit. It didn't take long for Garth to follow suit. When Erin got outside she found the woman leaning against the side wall crying.
Erin approached the woman. "Good evening. We're agents Mulder and Scully." She waved her hand between the two of them to indicate who she was talking about.
The woman looked at her confused. "You mean like the characters from The X-Files?"
"Yes, like the characters from The X-Files. I think the only reason the FBI paired us up was because of the irony. I'm actually agent Mulder and he is agent Scully." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder towards Garth. He gave a little wave. "And you're name is?"
"I'm Kara." She looked cautiously between the two of them. "I'm not in any sort of trouble, am I? I didn't mean to bother anyone in there."
"No, you're not in trouble. Who is it you are looking for?"
"My brother. He read about the seven gates of Hell and wanted to come check it out. I told him not to go, but he didn't care. He is an adrenaline junky and this was something completely different from his usual gig. I haven't heard from him in a few days and tried calling his cell, but it is dead. I'm worried about him." She started crying again.
"Listen," Garth said calmly. "We are here to help. We were assigned the gate of Hell job and we will get your brother back, dead or alive."
Erin wanted to slap him upside the head for that last comment. That is not something you say to someone on the verge of breaking. She put her arm around Kara's shoulders for comfort and said, "We are good at what we do. We can only hope we get to him in time. When did he leave?"
"About four days ago, but I heard from him a couple days ago. He texted me each time he passed a gate. Last I heard from him he had passed gate five."
"What is his name?"
"Jeremy. Please, you've got to help find him."
Erin pulled her business card out of her wallet and handed it to Kara. "The two of us are going to be here for the next few days investigating this case. Give us a call if you hear anything and we will do the same for you. Can we get your contact information?"
Kara took the card and immediately placed it in her pocket. Garth already had a piece of paper and a pen ready to take her information. They exchanged information and Erin made sure to get an extra picture of Jeremy. Shortly after that they parted way.
Erin met Garth at the motel to go over the case. She knew what they were going to have to do to solve it. They were going to have to go on a hiking trip. How bad could it really be? Most of the stories told about the gates were hearsay. The last thing Erin was going to fear was the gates of Hell. After some discussion between the two of them it was decided. First thing the next morning they were going to venture over to the first gate and make their way up to find Jeremy.