Disclaimer: Stephen King and Warner brothers are the only geniuses here. I only hope that my misadventures using their characters and themes do not offend them. I am merely a poor student, who will remain poor.

Summery: Dean and Sam encounter Steve Masterton (from Stpehen King's Pet Sematary) who perks the hunter's curiosity in what may be lurking in Ludlow Main.

St. Louis 2006

It was raining heavily as the Chevy came to a stop across the street from a lavish looking apartment tower, the manicured shrubbery giving away its upper-class statues. The modern style of floating glass would have been quite beautiful if it were a cloudless evening with the setting sun bouncing its reddish rays along the glass. But as it was, the dark gloomy weather made the tower look cold and unwelcoming.

"Just the kind of welcome we're use to." Dean muttered under his breath. He put his precious car in park, listening to her idling.

"Huh?" Said Sam, not looking up from his laptop. He was rereading the e-mail sent by their father for the one hundredth time. Dean had made it his desktop picture since Sam kept fussing over it. Text message coordinates were too impersonal now, it seemed. They had upgraded to impersonal e-mails.

Steve Masterton St.Louis 12 Mapple Rd. #14

"How are we supposed to approach this guy Dean? I've googled him and came up with medical papers, some awards, but nothing supernatural. I searched this building's records and there's nothing odd there either." Sam asked, letting his frustration show.

"Dad sent us here for a reason. We'll figure it out. Kick some evil ass. As per usual." Dean replied. Dean was doing his best not to sound frustrated also. He had no problem approaching strangers, but to approach a guy with zero background or case info…So I'll say 'Hello Mr. Masterton, I'm Dean, demon hunter extraordinaire, are you by any chance in need of some supernatural assistance?' "He's a doctor, right? Well, we're overzealous pre-med students then, you still have your student i.d?" Dean felt a twinge of guilt as Sam flinched at the mention of his past student life. But they both seemed to recover quickly.

"Yeah, but going to his home? That's not overzealous, Dean. That's stalking."

"It's not stalking the first time, just creepy. You got something better, Sam? Dad meant us to come to Masterton's home, or he wouldn't have bothered with the address."

"Look, I got his phone number too. Our best bet is to call him and arrange some sort of interview, say we're journal..ists…" Sam squeezed his eyes shut as a pain settled in behind his eyes. He could hear Dean calling his name. But his brother's voice sounded distant. His vision darkened and for a moment there was blackness, consuming blackness, that almost seemed to vibrate. It didn't lighten, but it seemed that his eyes adjusted to that black, and he could see trees, not so much the trees themselves, but their movement from an unfelt wind. He noticed a path between the dancing trees. And it seemed even bleaker than the rest, if that could be possible. And something was approaching from that path. Something that was moving fast. Sam tired to back away, but couldn't. It was a man. A man was running out of the path heading straight for Sam. And when Sam saw the guys face he wanted to scream. To scream for the man, since the man seemed unable to for himself. The man looked petrified. Sam could feel it. It felt like he had had a near miss with doom. Sam braced for the impact that he was sure was about to happen. And just as that man, that horror stricken man, reached him- the blazing pain stopped, his vision went from black to his brothers freaked out face, barely an inch apart from his own.

Dean did not like this. Not. One. Fucking. Bit. This wasn't the first time Sam had spaced, and damn if it didn't weird him out. Not that he'd ever say it mind you. 'Man let it be a freak headache' "SAM!"

Sam's eyes suddenly seemed to refocus, and he pulled back from Dean's too close face instinctually. Sam pushed his head back against the head rest and started processing what he'd seen.

"Sam! Are you alright? Brain freeze?" Dean asked in a shabby joking tone.

"Brain freeze? Thanks Dean." Sam choked out.

"Well? You gonna share then psychic boy?" Dean droned. At that Sam reached forward, arms out in a mock embrace. His arms were quickly slapped away by Dean, trying to make a mortified face. "Not that kind of shar…"

"Terrorifed…" Sam cut in.

"Huh?"

Sam's attention went straight back to his laptop. The image of Dean's mortified face brought back the details of the terrified man from his 'vision'. A few clicks and he rotated the computer so Dean could see the picture of Steve Masterton he had on file.

"I saw him Dean! Just now. I mean he was younger, I think, much younger. But I'm sure it was Masterton." Sam began describing, as best he could manage, what he had seen, what he had felt.

That's grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat Dean cheered in his mind, his best impersonation of Tony the Tiger. "Now you can update your ESP resume Sammy, telekinesis, promotions and now pre-cognitive."

"Shut up."

Sam had not been expecting Dean to actually 'shut up'. It was unnerving. Sitting in the car, watching Dean clench and unclench his jaw. Going on minute number 2.

"Dean?"

Clench, unclench, clench…

"Dean?"

Unclench.

"I don't like this Sam."

"What don't you like? Because I'm with you on the physic…"

"I don't like that you just saw this guy! Out of the blue? Dad sends an e-mail. We have no case info. And as we're mulling over how to even start this you get a kick in the pants to push us forward. No I don't like it." Dean practically snapped, cutting off Sam's attempt to start talking about his new found …talents. Dean was so very not ready to get in that rocket ship to the Moon.

"I'm just saying it seems too convenient. We're gonna have to be even more cautious now." Dean grumble. He didn't want to freak out his brother about the possibilities of what caused his 'powers' anymore then Sam already was.

"Your advocating caution? Does that mean you're only going to run in with one gun blazing?" Sam spoke jokingly. Hoping to lighten the mood.

"Bitch." Dean grinned. He turned off his baby, opened the door, and made a run for the buildings canopied entrance, out of the rain. At the entrance Sam held him back, holding the door open for an elderly man to enter before them. Not that Dean would have minded, had it not meant that he was backed up and out in the rain again. The delay was not aiding his attempts to pull out a decent cover story. Something like 'hi, my brother saw you looking freaked out in a vision just now. Any chance you had a run in with something freaky in shady woods awhile back?' seemed to scream "Hello my name is CRAZY"

Not 5 seconds into his thoughts the problem solved itself. The elderly man just barely passing the doors stopped short and reached a suddenly shaking hand over his heart. Dean moved in just in time to catch the senior as his knees gave out. Sam rushed to help support him. And Dean saw the buildings security looking frantically at them over the tall desk. The words came out of Dean's mouth before he even thought of them.

"Is there a doctor in the building?" Dean hollered.

Sam looked up at Dean, What a messed up way to meet the guy…too messed up Sam thought. He had to keep himself from thinking convenient.

The security guy nodded absently, ducking back behind the desk. Sam and Dean could hear his frantic voice. "Mr. Masterton, This is security. Mr. Philips is having a heart attack or something…yeah, in the lobby…can you….thanks…. click 911! This security at 12 Mapple, apartment towers…." Several seconds seemed to grind by…

The stair well doors burst open, and a disheveled looking Steve Masterton barreled into the lobby, a black bag with a little red cross tucked under his arms.

Masterton immediately took charge. Much to Dean's relief. Medical emergences weren't his ticket. Sam continued supporting Mr. Philips as Masterton opened his bag of tricks and did whatever it was that he was trained to do.

Several minutes passed, and Mr. Philips seemed to improve…at least from Dean non-medical perspective, and he turned to hold open the doors as paramedics pulled up to the curb.

Dean waited by Sam, who seemed at little disconnected by the events. Hell so was he, it reminded him of his own brush with death, 'Had I looked that bad when I got electrocuted?'. Steve Masterton talked hurriedly with the paramedics, before they and Mr. Philips left, sirens blazing.

Steve turned to the boys, a smile played on his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. He went to shake their hands. "You guys did a fine job, thank you for your help. I'm sure Mr. Philips is very grateful." He looked at Sam, his smile softening. "Not something you get to do everyday. You look a little shaken, it's justified. If you're in no rush, I'd be pleased to offer you both a drink. Looks like you could use it too."

Sam winched, holding up a dieing man had left him feeling shaken. He could almost hear Dean scoffing at him. 'We see things die all the time' Dean would argue, trying to diminish the severity. 'But people are different.' I would say, 'they are different'. Looking over at Dean, and felt bad for those thoughts. Dean had had a heart attack not that long ago himself. He may be healthy now, thanks to a Grim Reaper on a leash…but he did have a heart attack.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." Sam said, almost tripping over his own thoughts. He felt a pull to say yes. And it didn't feel like it was just because of their Dad's e-mail.

They followed Steve into his second floor apartment, took the elevator – 'why walk up stairs when you could be lazy?' Dean said to himself trying to shake away his unpleasant thoughts of his near death experience. And the guilt he carried from that damn Preachers wife using a Reaper to heal him, causing another to die in his place. It wasn't the time for that, it was time for asserting his well used hunter skills… 'its info hunt'n time'

In the apartment Dean glared inwardly at himself. He could have had a nice cold beer, but instead he chose coffee, he was going to need to be clear and sharp for this one. Sam was rubbing off on him, and not for the betterThe place was pretty nice, the colours where light and fresh. Even the couchs where white. Dean was hard pressed to find a shadow.

"You're an amazing doctor. You handled everything like a pro. I wouldn't mind having you for a neighbor." Sam said.

"Did I? I guess doctors have to be ready for anything. You don't often get advanced notice." Steve said, as he was nursing a beer.

"Have any medical marvel stories?" Dean asked. And for a mere second, heck, less then that, Steves eyes glazed over. But it only lasted a second.

"Not really."

"When I was at Stanford U, I read an article that mentioned you, about the effects of grief on the body, or something like that." Sam, hadn't actually read anything in Stanford about him, but he remember it from his early searches on the doctor that day. It seemed like a decent start.

And boy what a start.

If Steve's eyes had glazed over for a second before, then now they almost seemed to sink into his head. In fact he seemed to shrink in on himself. Dean raised an eye brow at Sam. 'Check mate'

"Are you okay?" Sam leaned closer, genuinely concerned about what his comment had caused. Steve tried to smile.

"Oh I'm fine. It's been -what- 15years since I wrote on that topic. Kinda let it slip from memory." Steve cleared his throat. "Must have been a boring read. I'm sorry you had to suffer it."

"Not at all, I mean. I could kind of relate to it." Sam said softly. It was true. Grief had done a lot to his family.

Steve stared at the two men, trying to understand how they could have gotten on this topic…this of all topics…then he felt it…a brush. Something had just brushed against him. Against his mind. And lord help him if it wasn't that same feeling, the very same he had felt that day. 'Come on, Steverino' it said in his mind. Not a memory, but in HIS mind. RIGHT NOW.

Dean and Sam looked alarmed at each other when Steve's eyes seemed to stop seeing them. And his face twisted looking like a fresh painting that was splashed with water, running and distorting.

"Dean what's going on?"

"The hell if I know! Picking up anything…you know psychic." Dean wiggled his fingers in front of his eyes. Sam gave him a sour look, but shook his head. Then Steve screamed.

Damn did he scream.

Dean took a firm hold of him, shaking him briskly. "Steve! Steve! Come out of it!"

"Don't hurt him Dean!"

"Steve!"

Steve suddenly stopped. His eyes locked onto Dean's. As the both kneeled in front of each other, Dean's hands still gripping Steve's shoulders.

"Steve? Can you hear me? Why are you screaming?" Sam asked as he knelt beside them.

"You think you hear screaming, but it's only the sound of the loons, down south, in Prospect. The sound carries. It's funny." Steve said in such a stoic tone, it didn't sound like the man at all. Not a man who was just screaming.

His eyes where still lock on Dean.

Dean heard a whisper in his mind 'Hey-ho, let's go'.

Sam eyed his brother, not liking the wave of eeriness that had just descended like a fog. He pushed them apart. It didn't take much strength at all.

"Dean!" Sam barked. Dean blinked, and it was his turn to push back from his little brother's personal space invasion.

"Dude, I hear you. What the hell was that?"

"I'm guessing it's why where here. You okay? You looked spaced."

"Practicing my Sammy impersonation."

"Jerk." Sam said, betrayed a weak smile.

They both turned to Steve, who seemed to be doing a poor job of collecting himself. He suddenly looked older, almost like Mr. Philips. Dean and Sam exchanged looks. And Sam moved closer to Steve, he spoke in his best 'open and understanding' voice, it came in handed when dealing with distraught folks.

"Steve? Steve do you hear me?" Steve looked at Sam, his eyes unfocused, but he nodded. "Where did you hear the screaming -" Sam correcting himself " –the loons? The ones south in Prospect?" Steve shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. It didn't really happen. It was just a drea- a nightmare." Steve straightened his back. "You must think I'm crazy. Sure did just act it."

"We don't think your crazy." 'Pretty close though' Dean reassured. "My brother Sam and I know a thing or two about crazy, about things that sound like screaming, too." 'May as well lay it out on the table.'

"Excuse me?" Steve choked out. 'Why is this happening now.' He asked himself. And he got an answer. 'I've got things to show them.'A stoic voice said in his head. He felt the hairs on the back of his head stiffen.

"Steve? Steve. Have you ever seen anything, something that you couldn't explain. I long time ago even." Sam gentle prodded.

"No." pause "No." Steve got the feeling he didn't sound convincing…but then he hadn't…had he. 'Have I? It's just a dream.'

"Are you sure? Maybe it was a long time ago. In the woods?" Sam asked. He almost fell back as Steve's head shot up. The sound of his neck crack was loud and almost seemed to echo.

"In the woods? No…no it's just a dream." Steve stopped

"Hey, come on Steve. Tell us about your dream. You have nothing to lose. You'll never see us again anyway." Dean asked. 'This is getting down right creepy. Our territory for sure.'

Steve chewed his lip. 'Share the wealth Steveino.' It said.

"Ludlow. Ludlow Maine. Almost 22 years now. I was a medical assistant then. My co-worker Louis. He…he was a good man." 'How long has it been since I said his name?'

"Louis? What happened to him Steve?" Dean pressed.

"Louis Creed was the Doctor for Maine University. They lived in a beautiful house, he his wife Rachel, their son Gage and a daughter Eileen, even a cat. It was on the edge of state woods. –pause- edge of the road, route 15. Large trucks ride it day and night. Uses up a lot of animals…people." Steve grew quiet.

"Louis was hit by a truck?" Sam asked.

"No, no. Gage was. His son. Just a little guy. Louis and Rachel, they felt it bad. And Louis, damn, I think it drove him mad." It seemed to start flowing now…the need to pass it on. "The last time I saw Louis, I think I saw him. It happened the day after the burial, or was it two? His neighbors house was on fire, Jud's house . I came up the road hoping to talk to Louis. And I saw him. He was heading into the woods. There's a path there. Leads to a…a pet cemetery. He was carrying a bloody body wrap in a sheet. I knew it was a body. I knew it was Rachel. And there's something behind it, past this deadfall of twisted branches. Something behind it. It touched me, something awful, huge. But it let go. I ran. In the house, after the fire they found a little boys body. They never identified him, too badly burned. But I know it was Gage. I don't know how. But it was Gage. I never saw them after that. Never tried. Poor Eileen." Steve was barely holding back tears now. "Damn it fell back into memory…but it actually happened…I'm sure now, almost sure now."

'Damn' Was all Dean could think. A sad, low 'damn'.

Sam put a comforting hand on Steves back. And looked away from Dean. 'Didn't want to break the poor man. God Dad, what's going on here.' Sam thought.

"Excuse me a minute boys." Steve mumbled. Lifting himself up and moving into the bathroom, closing the door with a click.

"Well?" Dean said quietly to Sam.

"Well? That's it Dean? The guy just broke down. And the dead and buried boy found in a house fire. Some guy carrying his dead wife into the woods." Sam groaned, he wanted to get out of here fast.

"And something 'huge' in the woods. Maybe that was what he was running from in your vision?"

"Maybe."