It's such a good vibration… It's such a swee-eet sensation… Garth's battered old Ford Ranchero followed a big yellow school bus up the street. Eighties hip-hop blared from the speakers, much to Dean's disgust. He stretched across the seat, trying to reach the cassette deck controls, but Garth easily batted his hand away.

"You know the rules, lil' man. Driver picks the music."

Dean groaned. "I can't believe he talked us into this." He turned to Sam, who, as the smallest, was stuck sitting in the middle, his legs stuck straight out in front of him on the carpeted lump that covered the drive shaft. "Come on, Sammy. I bet you could reach the off switch with your toe if you tried."

It's such a good vibration (come on, come on, come on!) It's such a sweet sensation! (Feel it, feel it!) Sam rolled his eyes. "Shut up. We're almost there."

The school bus pulled into the driveway of the school, lumbering off toward the bus circle at the back of the low brick building. Garth turned to the right and into a parking space at the front. The music stopped as he pulled the key from the ignition.

Dean had already scrambled out. Sam unbuckled the lap belt—he was pretty sure the outdated safety restraint wasn't considered legal for transporting a six-year-old, but the Ranchero didn't have a back seat and he wasn't about to suggest Garth strap him into a booster seat—and followed Dean. His backpack, decorated with the cartoon character Lightning McQueen from the kids' movie Cars, bounced on his narrow shoulders.

The three hunters, one average height and skinny, the other two much smaller than usual, were held back at the crosswalk by a middle-aged woman in a police uniform. The crossing guard blew her whistle, held up her bright red stop sign, and guided the trio across the short distance to the school entrance.

Dean, a sturdy eight-year-old in frayed jeans and a t-shirt emblazoned with the words Little Brother for Sale, led the way into the main office with his usual confident swagger. His backpack was navy blue and unadorned. Garth beamed at a secretary and brandished a tattered manila folder bulging with forged immunization records and academic transcripts.

"I'm here to enroll my sons in school!" he announced cheerily.

"Oh. Of course, sir. Right this way."

To Sam's critical eye, the secretary's smile looked a little forced. It was a Wednesday in late October. Of course, the normal kids would have all been registered for school back in August. A bell rang out over the PA system to signal the start of the school day. Another day of being the new kid, Sam thought, hearing it. He sighed heavily as he trailed after Dean and Garth to the principal's office. He'd been to hell and back, but he'd never thought he'd have to endure another day as the new kid in school.

Four days ago...

Dean drummed on the steering wheel as he drove through the light shower. Appropriately, Zeppelin's Fool in the Rain played on the cassette deck. The asphalt up ahead was dry, sunlight beaming down on the two-lane country road. The last few raindrops hit the windshield with a pitter-patter and they broke out of the cloudburst into a perfect Indian Summer day. At that moment, Sam's cell phone rang.

"Huh. It's Garth," he informed Dean, glancing at the screen. "Hey, Garth. Is Kevin okay?"

Apparently the answer was an affirmative, because Sam's worried forehead creases smoothed away, only to be replaced a few seconds later by confused forehead creases.

"A Leviathan? Well, we figured there might still be a few left around." Sam's forehead wrinkled even more as he listened to Garth. "I don't see the problem. Sure, they're tough, but they're not invincible. Soak it down with borax and lop off its head."

"Yeah, 'Garth' the bastard," Dean contributed with a chuckle. One lone Levi didn't seem to be too much for the eccentric hunter to manage, but now the corners of Sam's mouth had quirked down, completing an expression of genuine consternation.

"A school? An elementary school? Okay, we're about seven hours away. We'll meet up with you when we get there." Sam hung up and turned to Dean. "Garth thinks he's found a Leviathan holed up in a school. He says it's taken out two hunters already."

"Damn it, what happened to 'cut off the head and the body will flounder'?" Dean groused. Then he grinned. He had to admit, it was great to be back topside. Back in the game. "Let's go check it out."