Chapter One
Sam was sitting up in the hotel watching the national news. Dean, who'd been out scamming and partying all night, was still asleep. They hadn't had a job for almost two weeks, which was just fine with Sam. He knew that they helped several people, but it was very time consuming. Also, they weren't ever allowed to have any friends or be close to anyone. Dean wouldn't talk about stuff like that, because he wasn't much of a sharer. Dean was a bit on edge lately because of the lack of work. They'd been going strong for almost four months straight, with no lag time at all...then all of the sudden it stopped. They'd kept their eyes and ears peeled, but there was nothing even in the 'maybe' in the pile. Dean's way of thinking was they were living up to their family name by being constantly of help to others, but Sam was glad for the break.
The current story on the news, however, had captured Sam's complete attention. There had been several so-called ghost sightings in a small Tennessee area and six murders over the last four months. They were currently camped out in Mesa, and it would take quite awhile to get to Tennessee. Driving non stop would still probably take them a little over two days to make the trip. He watched the rest of the news cast, and then switched the television off. He picked up Dean's clothes and threw them at him, causing him to jerk awake. He rubbed his eyes and glared groggily at his younger brother.
" What the hell was that for? You can't wake someone up the normal way?" Sam just grinned causing Dean to scowl even more. Dean ran his hands through his hair and glanced back at Sam.
" What time is it?" Sam stood up and started pacing.
" It's after ten, but we've gotta get moving...I've got us a case." Dean sat up instantly and Sam knew he had his attention.
" Okay Sammy, where is it and what is it?" Sam sat back down on his own bed across from him and tilted his head.
" It's in Knoxville, Tennessee." Dean gave him a crazy look.
" Do you have any idea how long it'll take us to get to Tennessee? That's just crazy talk, Sam. We should look for work closer to us and work our way down there." Sam sighed.
" Look Dean, it was on the news that there have been several ghost sightings and murders over the last four months. We haven't had a gig in almost three weeks, and you want to wait while someone else dies? I say we pack our stuff and get on the road right now." Dean shook his head and stood up.
" Okay, fine. We'll take turns driving and sleep in the car. If we drive non stop, we might be able to make it just under two days. If you're so fired up to do this one, we'd better get going." They packed up what few clothes they had with them, payed for their room, and started off. Sam took the first stretch of driving since he was wide awake. Sam glanced at the map and over at Dean.
" We could take a side trip and go to Kansas, Dean." Dean shot Sam a look.
" Why would we want to do that Sammy my boy?" Sam kept his eyes on the road and didn't look at his brother.
" We could go pay our respects to dad's grave on the way." Dean didn't even look back at Sam, but he did sigh.
" We've been through that, Sam. Besides, we don't have enough time to stop." Sam didn't push him because he knew how he'd react to that. Dean looked over at him and shook his head.
" If it'll make you feel any better, we can go by there we finish this job. Is that okay?" Sam quickly looked over at his brother to see if he was serious. He certainly appeared to be.
" You'd do that? You'd actually go with me to visit the cemetery in Lawrence?" Dean looked right at Sam.
" If you want to, we'll go. I can't guarantee you that I'll be up for sharing and talking like you like to do." Sam smiled.
" Fair enough." It was almost seven in the evening and Sam was still driving. He needed rest, food, and they needed gas. He pulled into a gas station in Oklahoma. Sam had practically done 90 mph the entire time, and no cops to speak of. When he pulled up to a pump, he immediately got out of the car to stretch. Dean followed suit and grinned over at him.
" You could have stopped sooner if you wanted to, Sam. I could tell you were getting uncomfortable. All you have to do is say the word and I'll take over." Sam glared over at him.
" We've got to take even, lengthy shifts, Dean." Dean chuckled.
" Whatever you say, Cap. What do you say, we go find ourselves some microwavable burritos or hot dogs. I'm starving." Sam just shrugged and followed Dean into the convenience store.
Madisyn Parker was furious with herself. When would she learn to leave loved ones out of her hunting? Too many people in her life had died because of her and there was no way for her to atone. She'd been sixteen years old when she'd first been introduced to the other things that existed in the world. Her brother had been possessed by a vengeful spirit and it caused him to slit his own throat. Before the thing could do the same to her, a man showed up and saved her life. She'd sworn revenge on all of the evil things in the world in memory of her brother. She'd studied up on different lore's and she also learned to fight. Now, six years later, she was basically a master at fighting most forms of evil entities.
Just a few weeks ago, her best friend, Zeke, had been murdered by a regular person. His sorrowful girlfriend had been reckless and resurrected him. He'd since joined up with what looked like a band of zombies and was wreaking havoc all over the country. They were currently in Nashville, Tennessee and she needed to stop them from getting to another city.
Dean pulled into the parking lot of a Days Inn. He took note of the address, so he wouldn't get lost trying to find the place. It was well after midnight of the following day, so they wouldn't be up for doing research until morning. He woke Sam up and they walked into the front lobby. They only had enough money to stay for two days, which meant Dean had to get some more funds before they left. Once they had their room key, they scrambled in looking for a warm bed. Sam immediately fell asleep on top of the covers, but Dean needed to wind down from the long drive. He turned the news on and caught a report of another murder. It happened while they had still been traveling that evening. He'd have to get up really early and start researching the area. He'd also have to get a list of the victims and see if they have anything in common. Dean flipped the television off and fell on his own bed, ready for sleep.
Dean woke up with a start because he'd heard a strange scratching noise. He looked over at Sam and saw that he was eating out of a pasta can, not bothering to heat it up. He sat up and looked around. The room was very basic, without many luxuries. He stood up and headed for the bathroom for a shower. When he emerged, he found Sam on the phone, writing a lot of information down. He turned on the news again and waited for Sam to finish. He couldn't wait to get back into action. It'd been too long and Dean was ready to get his blood pumping. After Sam finally put the phone down, Dean walked over to where he was sitting, wanting the news. Sam was more then happy to oblige.
" It looks like the killings are coming from two different areas, but the police have said they're connected. They're both parks in a secluded area. The first park is really close by...it's called Adair Park. Apparently two males and two females have been killed there. A months passed before the other three were killed in Carter Park. There have been ghost sightings at both... all have been women. They also seem to whisper to their prey. I figure we can go look at Adair and then do some background research on the area." Dean stood up and stretched his muscles.
" Okay, sounds good. Why don't you go get instructions to Adair, and I'll get the equipment out." Sam nodded and the two of them headed out.
