Title: Screams in the night

Author: Arianna Castellis

Spoilers: Up to Wendigo

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to WB. I'm making no money off this, which is sad because I have none.

A/N: Unbetaed. If anyone is interested in helping with this, please drop me a line ;)

Please read and review!

Screams in the Night

Chapter One

Durant, Oklahoma was hot. Whoever said it was a dry heat didn't know what they were talking about. Of course, anyone who talked about the waving wheat also didn't have a clue. It may be true in the northern parts of the state, but here in the south, it was a muggy hot summer.

Summer Stock at the Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival had started out with a thunderstorm every evening and one tornado that had gone by near the town in the first week. But ever since that stormy night, the air had hung hot and humid without even a hint of breeze. Nate knew things were bad when it only got down to 90 degrees during the night. But at least the scene shop was air-conditioned.

Nate lay awake in his dorm room bed. It wasn't the worst job he'd had during summer stock, but it certainly wasn't one of the best. The weather was only one part of the frustration. The actors and technicians had gotten off to a bad start this season and hadn't improved in the month they had been here. The next three months were looking like they were going to be tough ones.

And they're going to be even tougher if I don't get some sleep. Nate closed his eyes and tried to relax, thinking instead of the music wars he and his boys were having with the prop girls in the shop under his. Maybe tomorrow would be the day to start playing some of John's heavy metal. That should stump Sara in what to play back. Grinning to himself, he began to drift off…

Nate shot up in bed as he heard an awful scream. It sounded like it was coming from down the hall. He rushed to his door, wrenching it open to look out into the deserted hallway. He saw no one in the hall, only heard the echoing silence that seemed deafening after the noise from before.

He closed the door, willing his heart to stop pounding. "It was only a dream, Nate," he tried to convince himself. "You shouldn't have had that last beer after work." As he tried to calm down, he thought he saw something fly by his window. He rushed to the window looking out, but saw nothing. Only a bat or a bird, he thought to himself. But as he lay down again, trying desperately to think of something, anything, other than what he had heard and seen, he knew deep in his heart that that wasn't the case.

& & & & &

Nate was working hard to the sounds of an Irish jig. Sara has countered the heavy metal from that morning with something completely different. He smiled to himself. Only Sara could get away with blasting Celtic music and not have the scene shop guys storm downstairs to turn it off.

John came in the front door and Nate looked up. "No sign of Chris?" he asked.

The other tech shook his head. "No answer in his room and I even got old Snaggletooth to open the door. No sign of him."

Nate shrugged. "I guess we do without him today. But it not like Chris to skip work."

"No, but maybe Chris ended up making nice with one of the actors and feel asleep in her room last night. He'll show up by dinner time at the latest."

Nate nodded and got back to work. There was too much to do to track down a late techie. A few hours later, he would wish he'd taken the time.

& & & & &

The entire cast and crew for the OSF was called into the main stage area later that afternoon. The Technical Director and Director were deep in discussion as they waited for everyone to have a seat. The Director, Dennis, spoke first.

"Everyone, we've called you together this afternoon because we have some bad news."

Nate felt his heart sink at the words. Somehow he knew it was going to be bad.

"One of the scene shop technicians, Chris, was found dead a few hours ago out by the lake. He had been attacked by some wild animals." The auditorium filled with whispers. Dennis held up his hands. "Now, I know this is something that is hard to take. And I know the scene shop especially will feel this loss badly, but the show must go on. Anyone in theatre knows it's true. No matter what else may happen."

Nate tuned Dennis out as he continued with his empty words of encouragement. Nate knew something was off. This was southern Oklahoma. There wasn't anything near the lake that could kill a person…was there? Nate had the sinking feeling he hadn't heard the last of this.

A week later, Nate knew he was right. Once again the cast and crew were brought together, this time to inform them that Stacy, one of the lead actresses had been attacked by wild animals out by the lake. As the staff told them no one was allowed to go drking by the lake anymore, Nate could only think of the inhuman scream he'd heard near his window the night before.

& & & & &

Sam entered the motel room with breakfast for him and Dean. Dean was watching the news, seemingly caught up in the story. He took the coffee from Sam without even looking up. Sam picked up his father's diary, trying to fathom where they should go next. Until they had another evil creature to hunt, he was going to try and decipher any notes that may be hidden within the pages.

Once the newscaster signed off, Dean looked over at his younger brother. "I think we need to go to Oklahoma."

Sam looked up surprised. "You think a couple of kids getting killed by wild animals out in the middle of nowhere is connected to us?"

"Anything weird is connected to us," Dean said with a smirk. At Sam's glare, he continued. "There has never been a report of wild animals in that area before this summer. Now in the last 5 weeks, three people have been killed at the lake. This lake has been a local hangout for years and no one's ever died there."

"I'm still not convinced."

"Every summer they have summer stock in the college in Durant."

"Summer Stock?"

"Yeah, you know where they do theatre shows for the summer. Anyway, this year the three people who have been killed have all been involved with the summer stock. Not one of them has been from town."

"Okay. I guess it does sound a bit strange."

"Come on," coaxed Dean. "You know I've got a nose for these things."

"Yeah, well, you've also go a nose for beautiful girls and that's never worked out well for you," retorted Sam.

Dean glared and tackled Sam to the ground. "You don't know what you're talking about." After a quick tussle, the boys finally collapsed on the ground. "What do you say, bro?"

"I say we should go to Oklahoma."

TBC

Let me know what you think. It's a little tough to write a story when you don't know a whole lot about the characters, but I just love the show too much. ;)