MAMA
Bard15
Summary: the boys stumble onto a hunt, there's nothing worse than a scared child, especially when it's a ghost...
...SPN...SPN...SPN...
The early evening quiet was suddenly shattered by the rumbling purr of a powerful engine as the 67 Impala ate up the asphalt of the narrow two lane road that marked a singular path through the heavily wooded stretch of lonely highway.
'Somewhere between nowhere and nowhere,' Dean had groused hours earlier when they had attempted to find someplace to stop for lunch on the lonely stretch of road.
"We'll according to the map we should be coming up on Pattesville in another 20 miles or so," Sam said as he studied the map.
"Yeah, another no place ville no doubt..." Dean continued to grumble.
"Population of about 2300...seems to be one of those, little out of the way touristy place...has a big lake and boasts an array of 'water recreation', camping and seasonal hunting." Sam recited from the town's web page. "So they should have some restaurants and a few motels."
"Good, cause I'm starving..."
"Dean, you're always starving," Sam chuckled as he folded the map and shut down his computer.
"Shut up bitch..."
"Jerk."
They drove on in companionable silence for a while longer. "We must be getting close to something, that's the first car I've seen in hours."
As they got closer to the oncoming set of headlights they realized that the car was actually pulled off to the side of the road. Dean slowed the Impala to a stop; as they exchanged quick glances. The car was pulled off the road, the driver's side door hanging open, interior lights on.
Looking around into the night Sam commented, "That's weird...don't see anyone around."
Exchanging a look that spoke volumes, the boys exited the car to investigate. While Dean did a perimeter around the car, also giving the nearby dense forest a wary eye; Sam stooped to look inside the car.
Sam pulled out a purse and a cell phone to show his brother, only for Dean to quirk an eyebrow and snarky, "Doesn't go with your outfit."
"Very funny Dean," Sam shot back with a huff as he looked over the items. "Phone is fully charged and is getting a signal...keys still in the ignition..."
Dean laid a hand on the hood and frowned, he could still feel heat from the engine. "The engine hasn't had a chance to cool down. Try to start 'er up."
The engine roared to life when Sam turned the key.
Looking at each other in confusion, Sam asked, "Why would someone abandon their car in the middle of nowhere...leave their phone..."
"No sane person would go wandering around this place in the dark by themselves...those woods are pitch-black..." Dean commented waving a hand towards the dark woods.
"Maybe they headed back towards town," Sam speculated.
"Why, the car is working perfectly? What woman would leave their purse and cell phone behind...leave the door hanging open...why not call for help...dial 911 and wait?" Dean said, "No, something is definitely going on here."
"Maybe...maybe, they were forced off the road by someone...this is a good stretch of road for someone to 'disappear'," Sam speculated. "The next town is only a few more miles up the road, should have a sheriff...we can report it there."
"Yeah, maybe..." Dean commented absently, staring into the blackened woods.
Easily reading the look on his brother's face Sam said, "Dean, not everything is our kind of case; believe it or not people disappear every day without ghosts and demons being behind it."
Dean ignored his brother and went to the trunk and began rooting through his bag, pulling out his EMF.
"Dean," Sam questioned in exasperation. "I know we haven't had a case for a while..."
"Shuddup..." Dean said absently as he walked back towards the abandoned car and ran the EMF over it. The meter sprang to life before settling on a low, steady reading.
Shooting his brother an 'I told you so' smirk, he then walked towards the woods, the meter's readings rising.
Sam just sighed heavily and went to the trunk...he wasn't in any position to research, not that Dean would give him a chance anyway; so he settled for packing a little bit of everything in their duffles.
Dean hadn't moved from his spot and took the bag Sam offered without preamble before asking, "So what's through those woods?"
"The recreational lake, according to the town's web page," Sam explained, "The lake is a huge round area with a few smaller off shoots...there are about a dozen cabins spread out around the lake, along with a couple dozen small piers for docking small boats and fishing."
For several minutes they panned their lights over the wooded area, looking for the most likely place someone would enter the dense forest before Dean called, "Here, looks like some broken and bent twigs, and the grass and weeds are matted."
Dean led the way into the woods, followed closely by his brother. After about twenty minutes of walking they came through the woods and stepped out onto the concrete of a parking lot. Taking in the area with a swift glance they saw a large concessions building with festive banners hanging from it and a long wooden pier with about a dozen small boats tied to it.
Scanning the area with a practiced eye, Sam gasped out, "Dean, there, at the end of the pier..."
Following his brother's line of site Dean saw a woman walking dazedly out on the pier before his attention was caught by the EMF meter that began squealing loudly, it's indicator off the charts. "What?"
"Out in the water...look," Sam warned.
They both watched, momentarily transfixed, as a gray white mist began swirling lazily out in the water. In seconds it coalesced into something resembling a small twister and began moving in towards the pier.
Realizing the woman was continuing to walk towards the end of the pier, seemingly unfazed by the swirling mass, spurred the boys into action. Their repeated yells for her to stop went unheeded as they raced to the pier.
As they came upon the pier entrance the woman had stopped at the edge of the pier, the swirling mass, just feet away, was whipping her shoulder length brown hair around her face. They watched as the woman cocked her head to one side as though listening to something, then she slowly reached out her hand towards the mist.
"Dean..." Sam gasped out a warning.
With a grim look, Dean stopped and aimed the shotgun past the woman's shoulder, hoping he was close enough to hit the 'entity' with the salt round.
An eerie scream echoed through the air as the salt round made contact with the swirling mass, the swirling seemed to speed up in a momentary frenzy before dissipating quickly.
Dean made it to the woman as she stumbled back a few steps, putting her hands to her head as though in pain, and collapsing to her knees.
Dean dropped his equipment and fell to his knees beside her, reaching out to steady the dazed woman, "Whoa, whoa...I gotcha'...you're safe now..."
"Is she okay," Sam asked, coming to stand over them. His eyes continued to scan the lake for possible threats.
With one hand on her arm for support, Dean reached out to turn the woman's face to look at him, "Hey, you back with us?"
The woman took a deep breath, blinking rapidly and shaking her head slightly, asking with confusion, "I...uh, I think so...what, why...uh, what's- going on?"
"We were hoping you could tell us...we found your car abandoned back at the road." Dean prodded.
"Back—at the road?" The woman furrowed her brow in confusion as she took in her surroundings. "Uh, this is a lake?"
"Yeah..." Dean said.
"I was in my car..." looking around, she asked, "Where is my car?"
"Back at the highway...we found your car abandoned at the side of the road...with your keys and cellphone still in the car." Sam explained gently. "You don't remember walking here?"
Furrowing her brow in confusion she replied somewhat testily, "Walk here? Why would I walk to the lake? I was in the car..."
"Yeah, well you ain't in your car now...so what happened?" Dean asked with growing impatience.
"Dean," Sam warned, raising an eyebrow at his brother before turning to the woman and asking quietly, "Just tell us anything you can remember."
Confusion warred with exasperation as the woman attempted to remember the evening's events. "Diving...popping in a CD cause there are absolutely no decent stations for hundreds of miles...then all of a sudden the it started skipping around...going to static, then the engine just died; I rolled the car to a stop...thought maybe it was the battery or something..."
The boys exchanged knowing glances before Sam prodded, "What happened next?"
"Being madder than hell when I couldn't get a signal; but then there was...this voice...it sounded like a child's voice; afraid, crying...that voice...then; I don't remember..." the woman trailed off and stared out into the water, a glassy look fogging her eyes as she whispered, "mama's coming baby...mama's coming..."
The boys exchanged startled looks as they realized a strong breeze had begun to whip up around them and the woman again took on a dazed expression and tried to stand, her hand again reaching out; but Dean held her arm firmly and kept her from rising, "Whoa, I don't think so lady..."
"There," Sam shouted as he fired the shotgun into the mist reforming on the lake.
The woman wrenched her arm away from Dean's grasp and curled in on herself, clasping her hands over her ears and screaming the same time the eerie echo sounded as the mist was forced to again dissipate.
"We need to get out of here Dean," Sam warned, "We have no idea what we're up against."
"Grab the gear Sammy," Dean ordered as he focused on the semi-coherent woman. He pulled her to her feet, "Are you back with us...can you walk, we need to get out of here."
Though unsteady, the urgency in Dean's voice seemed to penetrate the fog in her mind and she absently nodded. Following behind his brother, Dean held the woman tightly as he guided her off the pier and across the parking lot.
Safely off the pier and away from the water the brother's stopped when they got to the far side of the parking lot to look back out over the lake.
"Whatever it is it seems to have given up for now," Sam commented.
"Yeah, well I don't want to stick around for round three...I say we head into town and find out what's going on around here." Dean said.
"You good," Dean asked the woman. "We need to get back to the road."
With a deep breath, the woman replied, "Yeah, definitely. Get me the hell outa' here..."
They made their way back to the cars in silence, choosing to focus their energy on navigating through the thick underbrush in the darkness.
Twenty minutes later they all breathed a sigh of relief when they came out onto the road where the cars were parked.
"Finally," the woman said with an audible sigh of relief.
Sam headed to the Impala to stow the gear while Dean followed the woman to her car, "You gonna tell us what that was all about?"
The woman stopped by the driver's side door, resting her head on her arms folded atop the car roof; she took in a shaky breathe before answering, "I wish to hell I knew...my last clear memory is pulling my car off the side of the road; then a whole lot of freakin' nothing..."
Dean took note of her shaky voice and pale complexion and came around the car, pulling her gently away from the car so he could open the door, "You need to sit down before you fall down."
She gratefully slid into the seat, leaning forward against the steering wheel to rest her head on her arms. "Thanks, this is just too surreal. Feels like my skins crawling, and I have this strange feeling in my head..."
Dean couldn't help a smirk, "Nothing a good stiff drink won't cure.
The woman gave a mirthless chuckle, "That actually doesn't sound half bad right about now."
"There's a town a few miles that way," Dean pointed down the road.
"Yeah, Pattesville...just came from there actually." The woman said, leaning back into the seat.
"You were staying in Pattesville?" Sam asked as he joined them at the car.
"Yeah, I work for the state tourism bureau and I was there re-negotiating tour packages with their local chamber of commerce," the woman explained with a mild shudder, "We renegotiate their packages every three years."
The boys exchanged looks, before Dean asked, "Anything freaky about the town?"
"Nothing I could really put my finger on, just the usual for a small town...tight-knit, clannish, with that kind of 'Step-ford wives', 'Children of the Corn' feel; but knowing that to keep their little town alive they are going to have to take advantage of their resources—the lake; which means putting up with outsiders for several months of the year." The woman continued to explain, "The cabins and boating and everything else have been in operation for about fifteen years of so...keeps the town viable since the area mines closed."
"So, no local legends or stories about anything weird," Dean pressed
"Not that I know of, but I was only in town a few days, and I was a little busy." She replied tiredly as she brought her hands up to massage her temples.
"You okay," Sam asked.
The woman quirked a quizzical eyebrow at the younger man, gave a snort and said sarcastically, "Guess that depends on your definition of okay...my heads pounding and my insides are shaking so hard I'm about to piss my pants...other than that I'm just peachy..."
Dean just smirked as Sam shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, "Sorry, dumb question. Listen, we're heading in the direction of Pattesville, why don't you let me drive you into town. You can get a good night's sleep and head out in the morning."
"No, no that's not necessary," the woman said quickly.
Dean snorted, "Don't worry, Sammy may look like a Sasquatch but he's harmless, really..."
Sam threw his brother his patented bitch face before turning to the woman. "You're still shaky, you really shouldn't be driving; it's only a few miles."
Taking a deep breath the woman replied, "Thanks, I guess I should be more appreciative of the guys that, I think, just saved my hide; that is if I could actually remember that last hour or so. Anyway, it's more the thought of having to back to that freaky assed town..."
"Hey, it's okay to be careful...after what you just went through and you don't know us..." Sam said.
With a mild snort the woman said, "Yeah, I don't even you're your names...well not yours anyway." She said, looking up at Dean.
"I'm Dean; this is my little brother Sammy."
"Sam," his brother corrected.
The woman gave a faint grin at the bickering, "I'm Callie."
"Good, now we're not strangers...can we get outa here now, I could really use that drink." Dean said.
"By all means, this place is projecting a bad vibe," Callie said, sliding over to the passenger seat so Sam could climb in the car.
"Any good places to stay?" Dean asked before he closed the driver's door.
"Right inside the city limits is a nice little motel...fairly priced and clean rooms." Callie supplied.
"See ya there," Dean said, slamming the door.
/ SUPERNATURAL /
Sam turned the key, but nothing happened. He huffed in frustration and tried again, sitting back in confusion.
"Uh, I did say the battery died." Callie supplied.
"Yeah, but when we found the car earlier, it started right up," Sam said with a confused frown, trying the ignition again.
They both jumped at the sudden knock on the driver's window.
"What's up Sammy," Dean asked.
"Car won't start," Sam said, proving the point by turning the key again.
Dean's frown now matched that of his brother's. "Pop the hood."
Sam did as instructed, before exchanging a glance with Callie and getting out of the car to join Dean under the hood.
"What's up? It started just fine earlier," Sam asked his brother.
"Nothing, there's nothing wrong with this car that I can find...everything is in good shape...connected..." Dean answered in frustration, closing the hood with more force than necessary, his eyes catching the concerned look from Callie. "Except...it died on Callie...it started for us...then we try to start it up again to get her out of here..."
"...and it doesn't start." Sam finished Dean's thought. "So something doesn't want Callie leaving here."
Dean pulled the EMF from his pocket and turned it on...the needle peaked off the chart, the buzzing squeal crashing through the still night.
Sam and Dean exchanged knowing looks, "We didn't get that kind of reading off the car earlier."
Callie climbed quickly from the car, "What the hell is that noisy thing?"
"Uhm...car meter," Dean lied quickly, as he shut off the offending noise.
"Uh huh..." Callie said, eying the device skeptically.
"There's definitely something wrong, just can't tell in the dark...and I definitely don't have the tools to fix it." Dean continued hastily, pocketing the EMF.
"Listen, we can give you a lift into town and tomorrow we can have the car towed in," Sam placated.
With a tired sigh Callie nodded, "Fine, I'll get my bags...Gods, I cannot believe this."
They quickly locked up her car and stowed her bags in the trunk of the Impala. The boys climbed into their usual spots while Callie slid into the back seat, tilting her head back against the seat. "Sorry about all this."
"Not a problem; wasn't your idea to get car trouble in the middle of nowhere," Sam said with a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, we'll have this fixed up and be outa here in not time," Dean said as he turned the ignition key, to be meet with silence.
The brother's exchanged surprised looks, and Dean tried to turn the engine over several more times before he angrily piled out of the car, "Oh, no you don't...not my baby...oh, you are so going down now; no one messes with my car an' gets away with it."
Sam exchanged a frustrated look with Callie before they both exited the car to Dean's rant that had gotten more 'colorful' and creative as he paced.
"Dean! Dean, calm down. We can figure this out," Sam cajoled his big brother.
"My car Sammy...my car..." was all Dean could say as he waved his arms around in frustration.
"It worked just fine before...just like Callie's car worked just fine when I started it...what's different now, Dean? Will you just settle down and stop and think for a minute," Sam prodded his brother.
"What? What's different?" Dean stopped his angry pacing, and ran frustrated hands over his face. "Okay, what's different...Callie! Callie is the key!"
He stalked over to the woman, "So what is it...
The startled woman backed up in surprise, falling against the hood of the Impala, exclaiming with equal frustration, "What the hell! I didn't do anything to your car..."
Sam rushed up to push Dean back and shot Callie an apologetic look. "Stop, Dean, it's not her fault. She doesn't even know what you're talking about."
"Figure it out Sam," Dean growled, before stalking off, "My car."
Sam took a deep breath and turned back to the woman. "Sorry, he's just a little over protective of his car. Look, back in Pattesville, did anyone give you anything...a souvenir or memento or something from the town?"
"Besides the contracts we signed...no...I, wait..." Callie pulled a small box from her jacket pocket. "As I was leaving, one of the councilmen, Mr. Aldridge, gave me this little box, said it was a small thank you gift for renewing the travel packages. I tried to tell them I couldn't accept gifts but they insisted so I just put in my pocket."
Sam took the small, square box and opened it; inside was a tiny replica of a note in a bottle on a silver chain...inside the bottle was a small bit of sand. "They gave you this."
"Yeah...just a tourist trinket...has a few grains of sand from the lake in it, I think." Callie explained.
"Excuse me?" Callie exclaimed angrily, seconds later, when Sam threw it to the ground and crushed it under his boot. "What the hell was that for?"
Sam ignored the question and turned to yell for his brother, "Dean, found it."
Dean nodded curtly and strode purposefully towards his car, not saying a word as he passed them both and slid into the driver's seat of his car. All three waited with bated breath as Dean turned the key and let out relieved sighs when the rumble of the Impala's engine cut through the night.
"Way to go Sammy, now let's get the hell out of here." Dean said, revving the engine.
Callie looked back and forth between her car and the Impala, "Uhm...about my car..."
"We'll come back for it tomorrow...let's get the hell outa' here for now," Dean said.
With an exasperated sigh, Callie just threw up her hands and shook her head before climbing back into the rear seat of the Impala.
/ SUPERNATURAL /
Lost in their own thoughts, the three occupants of the car rode in silence for several minutes before Sam peered at Callie through the rear-view mirror, asking, "So you remember any more about what happened?"
"Not much...there is something there, but it's like trying to bring a movie into focus...everything is real hazy. I just get this feeling...and I remember a child's crying..." she trailed off, frowning deeply and a tired sigh escaping her she added seriously, "But, you didn't find a kid out there...did you?"
Sam and Dean exchanged a look before Sam slowly shook his head.
A moment later Callie asked, "How did you know to come to the lake?"
"Uh, actually we didn't. We saw the car and started looking around, saw a path through the woods and followed it." Sam said, sticking as close to the facts as he could.
"So what did you see? What am I not remembering?" Callie asked pointedly.
Sam and Dean again exchanged an entire conversation with a look that hadn't gone unnoticed by their passenger. "Will you two stop that and just tell me; you saw something, didn't you...something that isn't easily explained. And you knew about the trinket they gave me...knew to destroy it..."
When the brother's stayed silent, apparently unsure what to say, Callie prodded, "'Cause I sure as hell feel like I've just been pulled into an episode of the twilight zone."
Sam just shrugged. "Honestly, we're not sure what we saw..."
"Listen, don't worry about how weird it sounds...just throw out some adjectives and describe what you think you saw or heard," Callie pressed.
Sam couldn't help a small smile of amusement as he heard his own words, ones he often used when questioning a victim or witness, used against him. Looking to his brother for permission, Dean just shrugged.
"Ah, well, let's see...we saw a misty, swirling mass out on the lake; and when you got to the end of the pier it started moving towards you and you tried to reach out to it but we stopped it...then we heard this unearthly shrieking sound..." Sam explained matter-of-factly.
If they expected their passenger to scoff or panic they were sorely disappointed; instead she slowly nodded her head, a thoughtful look crossing her features.
"So the first thing we rule out is the mundane and obvious like some kind of prank...hologram device, recordings...and, if this is some kind of publicity stunt someone is gonna be very unhappy," Callie ground out. "I so will not be taken for a fool."
"What...you think this was some kind of practical joke," Dean asked in surprise. "You coulda' died out their..."
Callie raised surprised eyebrows, asking pointedly, "And you don't? So you're willing to consider an alternative... something a little more far-fetched..."
Curious, Sam asked, "And that would be?"
"Now, don't freak out, but barring anything more logical... I think it might have been a haunting of some sort..." Callie said seriously.
The boys just traded surprised looks and amused chuckles.
Misunderstanding their mirth as disbelief or ridicule, Callie snapped out angrily, "Hey, you got a better explanation I'm all ears..."
"No, no, no...and here we were trying not to freak you out," Sam said quickly.
"Freak me out? So you're going to just buy into the whole 'haunting' thing without batting an eye?" Callie questioned suspiciously.
"Uh, yeah, I guess we are...and what about you, you're accepting it awful easily," Sam returned the suspicion.
"Let's just say it's not exactly my first encounter and leave it at that," Callie answered evasively, "I will say it has been a very long time though; and you?"
"Ah, well, it's not exactly my brother and I's first time either," Sam said with equal evasiveness.
"Touché," She replied with a small grin.
They rode the rest of the way in silence, soon pulling in at the first motel with the, oh so, original name of Lakeshore Motel with a welcome banner strung up over the office entrance.
"This place," Dean asked as they all got out of the car.
"Yeah..." Callie acknowledged as she made her way past the two boys and into the office.
The manager looked at them with ill-concealed surprise when they entered the little office. "I thought you'd be well on your way outa' town by now; what cha' doin' back here?"
With a nod Callie answered, "Seems I had a little car trouble...out near the lake...these boys were kind enough to help me out. Looks like I'll be staying another night in your little town."
"Ya' don't say..." the older man said, first looking the brother's up and down with a less than friendly look before peering out into the parking lot. "So these boys gave ya' a ride did they?"
"Yeah, well, can't be too careful on these back country roads, all kinds of dangerous things can come creeping out at ya'," Dean interjected, locking eyes with the man. "Decided not to take any chances, thought we'd wait and check it out better in the day light; so my brother and I will want a room for the night too."
"I'm sure we don't need to be bothering you boys any further, you can be on yer' way. Jake can come out in the morning and take a look at Miss Winston's car and get her on her way," the man said, giving the boys a pointed look.
With a smirk Dean said, "Hey, not a problem...my brother and I were planning on stopping in your fine little town anyway; so about those rooms?"
The man looked like he wanted to object, but the flashing Vacancy sign could attest to available rooms.
"Fine...it's 45 a night...sign here," he groused as he turned the ledger around for them to sign, then he turned to grab room keys off the back wall.
Dean noticed the room keys were for rooms on opposites ends of the motel and commented, "What, we can't get some rooms side by side...we're gonna be up early to go check on the car..."
The man shot Dean an annoyed glare before exchanging the room keys to side by side units.
Quickly finishing up their business the three made their way back out into the parking lot, where despite the warm spring air, Callie gave a shiver. "Am I being paranoid or was that guy being...weird? He was so nice the whole time I was staying here before..."
"He definitely wasn't happy to see us," Dean commented.
"Seemed awful determined to separate us, isolate Callie away from us and the other guest that are staying here," Sam mused as he looked around the parking lot. "Most of the guests are right here in the front but he gave Callie a room at the farthest end of the motel towards the back."
"Gee, that just gives me the whole 'lamb to the slaughter vibe'...what the hell is going on here..." Callie said with a shiver.
"Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you; Sammy and I'll make sure of it," Dean said with confidence.
"Well...uh, thanks for the sentiment, but we don't know what's going on in 'Stepfordville' here...and just why are you taking such an interest anyway?" Callie asked pointedly as she quirked an expectant eyebrow at the brothers.
"Uh...well, remember when I said this wasn't our first encounter with the supernatural...we, uh...my brother and me kind of..." Sam was interrupted by Dean.
"We're free-lance writers...we travel the country looking into all this paranormal stuff...research it, write it up for various magazines; that's why Sammy knew about the necklace," the lie fell off Deans tongue easily. "But I have to say, Pattesville, was not on our radar."
"Yeah, wasn't on mine either..." Callie grumbled wearily.
"Look let's get settled in and see what dirt we can dig up on Pattesville," Dean said.
"Tonight," Callie questioned, rubbing a hand across her aching head. "Surely research can wait 'til morning?"
"Ah, Sammy here loves it...what he lives for..." Dean answered with a smirk.
Sam shot Dean with his patented bitch face, causing Callie to chuckle, and "...don't see how you two work together without killing each other."
"Yeah, sometimes I wonder that too," Sam groused as he pulled his duffle and computer case from the trunk.
"Ah, come on Sammy, you know that ya' love me..." Dean teased as he shut the trunk, his own duffle slung over his shoulder.
Sam just rolled his eyes and shook his head as he turned toward their room, with Dean at his heels.
"Well goodnight you two, and thanks for everything; and I'll be curious as to what you discover with your research." Callie said as she opened the door to her room.
/ SUPERNATURAL /
Dean dumped his duffle on the bed, commenting curiously, "So what the hell, the supernatural doesn't freak her out...that could make her all kinds of crazy..."
"Or maybe a hunter, like us, she was awful evasive about it," Sam finished.
"Well, that one's easy enough to answer," Dean said, heading for the door, "we'll just see what protections she lays out."
Dean knocked on Callie's door.
"Dean? Something wrong," Callie asked in surprise when she opened the door.
"Ah, no...just wanted to check on everything...make sure you were settled in alright," Dean said as his eyes scanned her room.
"Well, it's been all of ten minutes, but thanks...I'm fine..." she answered, noting his blatant curiosity she folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe, asking, "you...uh, looking for something in particular?"
"No, course not...I just..." Dean ran a hand over his face and decided that the direct approach was called for, "look, in our line of work, we don't often come across people that aren't...well...freaked out by the supernatural..."
"Ah, and you want to know why I'm not most people," she finishedhis sentence with a wry smile. "I guess I could say the same thing about you and your brother..."
"Got us their...but we told you our gig, what's your story?" Dean asked.
"Like I told your brother, it's been a long time, but I have had my fair share of encounters with the 'spooky'...my coven used to..."
"Coven! You're a witch?" Dean exclaimed, taking a few steps backwards.
Callie rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, don't tell me you believe every piece of non-sense you see on TV about 'evil witches' and 'poofy' magic spells; 'Secret Circle' and 'Charmed Ones' are so bogus; you gotta know, with your own research, that that is not how it really works."
Dean continued to eye the woman skeptically, his hand resting lightly on the gun in his back pocket.
"Wiccan...not Satanist...not fruitcake occultist...Wiccan; you do know what that is don't you?" Callie asked.
"Yeah, I know what a Wiccan is..."
"So you know the philosophy —'do as you will but harm no one'—so I'm not likely to try to turn you into a toad then, cause I really don't need the negative karma," she said with a smile, adding "Besides magic works in much more subtle ways...and quite frankly, I'm rather lazy...I adhere to the philosophy but not so much to the spell craft."
"So you don't think a 'witch' could cast some gnarly assed spell against someone?" Dean asked.
"Anything is possible...but I am a seeing is believing type and I've never seen real spell work of that magnitude—unless mind altering substances or religious fervor, like say in Voodoo, are involved; but I have encountered ghosts and spirits in my studies." Callie explained.
Dean just nodded slowly, "Okay that explains why you aren't freaked out by what happened..."
"Oh, no, no...don't misunderstand, my insides are still shaking...I'm freaked out enough to sleep with a light on, and a few amulets laid out..." Callie said with a mirthless laugh, running her hands up and down her arms. "Believe it or not I was the group skeptic...the reality anchor so to speak, when we went out to do our investigations...it was my job to keep everyone grounded, keep them from going to deep and losing themselves."
"The others of your coven," Dean asked.
"Well, coven is a strong word; guess I should really call it a circle...we didn't actually have thirteen members...we were mostly solitary practitioners who came together for the major holidays and Esbets: and the occasional haunting."
Dean nodded, noting her still subtle shaking, he offered, "Maybe we can help you out ...we've got a few protections ourselves..."
Callie stood aside and allowed Dean into her room, "By all means."
She watched curiously as the young man took a small canister from his pocket and began pouring a white substance along the window sill. "Is that...salt?"
"Yeah, great for keeping out spirits..." Dean said off-handedly.
Callie nodded, "I have read that it is a good purifier."
"We've seen it work." Dean said.
"I hope I don't have to see that theory put to the test," She said, adding with seriousness, "But, we're miles from the lake...surely, the spirit can't leave the lake area—can't come here?"
Meeting Callie's concerned gaze, Dean answered, "Probably not, but it's always good to be safe; and until we know exactly what we're dealing with we're not taking any chances."
Callie laid a hand on Dean's arm, "Thank you."
Dean nodded his head, "You're welcome. You need anything, Sammy and I are just right next door...and I mean anything."
Callie nodded and followed Dean to the door. "Thanks again...and goodnight."
/ SUPERNATURAL /
Dean entered the room to find Sam already busy at his laptop.
"Find anything?"
"Just got started. What about you; you get Callie's story?" Sam asked.
Running a hand down his face he said with surprise, "Yeah, Sammy, she's a witch..."
Seeing his brother's eyes widen in concern Dean continued, "No, not an evil wicked witch of the west...a Wiccan...one of those tree hugger types."
Dean went on to reiterate his brief conversation with Callie to Sam, who commented, "So that explains her ready acceptance of what went on tonight."
"Well, it will certainly make things a little easier not having to hide what we're doing or come up with a lie that a civilian would believe..." Dean said with a shrug as he reached for his duffel.
"Well, geek-boy, get to it; I'm gonna take a shower and see if this town has anything to eat," Dean said, heading towards the bathroom.
Sam just shook his head in amusement at his brother's one track mind before getting back to his research.
When Dean exited the bathroom twenty minutes later it was to Sam's statement, "Found something."
"There goes dinner," Dean groused as he plopped down at the table opposite his brother. "So, what cha' got their geek boy?"
Sam just shook his head and explained his findings. "The lake area was built up for recreational use fifteen years ago...during the renovations a man was killed, his wife reportedly went crazy with grief and tried to drown herself and her eight year old son during the ribbon cutting ceremonies when they opened the lake...they rescued her, but her son didn't make it..."
"So the ghost is a kid, that sucks; explains the ghostly kid crying Callie said she heard," Dean interjected, asking, "So what happened to the crazy lady after they pulled her sorry ass from the lake?"
Sam shrugged, "According to what I can find...she suffered a total nervous breakdown...she was committed to a nearby institution, says she died four years later."
"So mom kills the kid, kid haunts the lake...so he's looking for a little bit of payback...sucks, but easy enough to fix, where'd they bury the kid?"
"Uh, not so easy Dean, they never recovered the boy's body from the lake." Sam said.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Dean groused, "So no easy salt n' burn: great, now what?"
"Find whatever is holding him here, burn it, I guess." Sam said with a shrug.
"Yeah, and that will be so easy," groused Dean petulantly. "Well, see what else you can dig up, I'm gonna go find food."
/ SUPERNATURAL /
As Dean stepped out into the early summer night he scanned the area for danger...although he saw nothing he couldn't help the feeling of being watched. He briefly reconsidered his food run but knew Sam wouldn't be impressed with his hovering.
After standing there for several more moments he squared his shoulders and berated himself for his paranoia. Sammy was a hunter and more than capable of taking care of himself.
He moved out into the parking lot and briefly considered taking the car but decided to walk and get a better feel for the small town. He took off across the parking lot and headed farther into the town.
In the motel office, hard eyes watched as the young hunter disappear into the night before reaching for the telephone.
/ SUPERNATURAL /
A/N: hopefully I'll get the second (and last) part up w/in the month...just need to get my thoughts in order and put to paper (uh, keyboard...screen...whatever...)