Title: Point of Evil
Genre: Adventure/Angst/Hurt-Comfort
Rating: T for language, minor violence, torture.
Summary: Sam and Dean take a case for Bobby in Michigan. Sam has issues focusing on the case because as far as he's concerned, there's bigger fish to fry. There's some serious hurt!Sam down the road. Takes place directly after 3x10 so there will be spoilers for that episode as well as 2x21-2 and mentions of a few others.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or its characters. I am not profiting in any way from this work. All original characters are mine.
AN: Hello readers. Welcome to my very first piece of Supernatural fan fiction! The entire thing is written so the update schedule just depends on when I'm near my computer, which when I'm home is all the time. I know, it's sad. Anyway, I'm thinking once a week, probably Sunday or Monday nights. It's somewhere around 18 chapters but if there's interest in the 'B story' that runs through it (you'll see it starting in Chapter 2), I'm prepared to write a sequel.
Also, side note, thanks to my gal pal Staci for proofreading this monster of a story after I finished. She's a trooper. Any mistakes are mine. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Kids
The trees swayed gently back and forth in the cold winter air as three teens made their way through the woods.
"How close are we?" asked a boy holding a bright LED flashlight. "We need to head back soon, Parker."
"Oh, come on. Let's just get this last one," replied the second boy. He glanced down at his smart phone. "It says we're 45 meters from ground zero and closing. That's not very far. And it's an ammo box. We should have no problem finding it."
"Seriously, I can't miss my curfew. I just got my license, my parents will kill me."
"Did you guys hear that?" The girl, who had been ignoring the banter and blindly following her hiking mates suddenly stopped and panned her flashlight in a 360 degree circle.
"What now, Paige? You think the Melonheads are gonna get you?"
She pushed her brother playfully. "Shut up. That's not funny."
Without warning, six creatures appeared around them, leaving no room for escape. Paige let out a shrill scream but it went unheard by anyone able to offer help.
"The next time I see Bela Talbot, I swear to God I'm gonna steal back the Colt and then shoot her with it," Dean said jokingly, or at least Sam thought so, as he sat on the tattered bar stool with a huff.
"I hear that," Sam replied, joining him and holding up two fingers to the bartender with a nod. "Hopefully Bobby can help us track her down soon." He paused, frowning slightly. "That is, if he ever gets over the fact that we lost it in the first place," he said, looking down like a scolded puppy remembering the freak out Bobby had when he realized Bela had stolen the Colt on their watch. "Where to next? Do we have any leads at all on where she might be?"
Dean shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe you should do your research magic and scrape us up something."
"Why do I always have to do the research or find the case?" Sam asked, offended. Though he knew he was usually considered the brains of the operation, the monotony of the job sometimes got boring. It could definitely use some spicing up.
"Uh no, I don't think so, hot shot. Don't even go there. You don't always find the case. Remember that big hunch I had? The one on the Hell Hazers 2 set? Yeah, that was all me."
"You only wanted to go because it was Los Angeles and you wanted a vacation. Not to mention you weren't even interested in the case until you found out about that Tara Benchley chick being in the movie."
"But I was right, wasn't I? And I'd say that one turned out quite well." Dean sat, reminiscing about his time spent as a P.A. "And then there was the power saw guy in Cicero-"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Do I even need to tell you why that one doesn't count, Pokey?"
Dean thought back to Lisa and Ben, allowing his façade to falter for just a moment before shaking his head. "Well either way, you're like the internet search guru or whatever."
"Fine. I wanna find Bela as much as you do but after all the crap we've gone through this week, I really need a break. I'll work on finding Bela first thing tomorrow," Sam replied, cracking a smile. After the African Dream Root debacle, he was greatly looking forward to a good night's sleep, one in which he didn't have to spend fearing for his life.
Suddenly, Dean's phone rang. With barely a glance at the caller ID, he answered it. "Wow, your ears must have been ringing," he said, leaning back against the bar.
Sam thought it was odd that Bobby would be calling so soon after leaving Pittsburgh and listened as Dean talked for a couple of minutes hoping to get a clue as to what was so important. What Sam was really hoping for was a tip on the thief's whereabouts. As much as he wanted a break, a large part of Dean's fate depended on them finding the valuable weapon.
Dean continued to make a few 'uh huh's' and 'hmmms' before finally finishing it all off with a 'no kidding, we'll leave in the morning'.
"What was that all about?" Sam asked as Dean ended the call on his cell phone.
"Bobby. He says he's got a case for us out in Michigan to keep us tied over until we hear something about Bela."
"Nowhere near Ypsilanti, I hope," Sam said, a shiver and a sudden twinge of phantom pain erupting in his right index finger. "That place was ridiculous and I'd rather not go back anytime soon."
"Not quite. We're headed to Saugatuck. It's on the other side of the state." Dean paused and then allowed his trademark smirk to light up his face. Holding up his right hand, Dean pointed to the space about two inches below the base of his pinky. "See?"
Sam rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"What? You have to admit that's pretty cool. You can't do that with any other state!" Seeing no reaction from Sam, Dean sighed. "You take the fun out of everything."
Sam continued to stare, waiting for the point of Dean's speech.
"They've had some people disappearing recently and the word from the locals is that it might have something to do with an old legend from the area."
"What kind of legend?"
"Melonheads," Dean said, simply.
"Come again?"
"Melonheads. I know, sounds made up, right? I thought the same thing. There's a bit of variance between versions of it, but it's your typical 'mad man's victims get revenge' type of story. Crazy guy named Dr. Crowe was experimenting on children who escape and decide to get revenge by attacking and eating any human they come into contact with. And just in the past two weeks, five people have disappeared from the nearby wooded areas: two adults and three teenagers. The wife of one of the men was with him when they were attacked but got away before they could take her. She swears that it was the Melonheads that attacked her and her husband."
"And then name 'Melonheads'?"
"The kids had a ton of fluid in their heads which made them all obnoxiously big and … fluidy -"
"Like … a melon," Sam said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Dean for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Well, it definitely sounds like our kind of case."
"Oh, and you know how much I just love kids," Dean replied, sarcastically.
Sam gave an eye roll and took a big swig of his beer. "Yeah, you're babysitter material for sure."
Dean and Sam had their customary post-hunt drinks and then returned to their 'shady hotel of the week' to get some sleep.
Both boys slept in later that morning than they probably should have, happy that they could finally rest. Trying like hell to stay up and then fighting for their lives once they had fallen asleep had certainly tired them out. But a case was a case and Dean did not want to hear the lecture they would be guaranteed from a seething Bobby if they didn't make it to Michigan by that night.
Dean rolled over and tried to adjust his eyes after hearing his brother moving around. The bright sunlight coming through the open curtains was enough to drive him insane – and he'd only had two beers the night before.
Sam – the go-getter he was – was already done with his shower and in the middle of packing his bag.
"How are you able to be awake this early?" Dean moaned, pulling the pillow back over his head.
"Dean, it's ten-o-clock. It's hardly early."
"Says you," he replied bitterly.
"We need to do laundry soon," Sam said, ignoring Dean and forcing the last t-shirt into his bag.
Dean managed to sit up and glance and the black trash bag holding their dirty clothes and then looked to his duffel sitting on the floor.
"Nah, I've still got a few pairs of boxers left."
Sam merely shook his head and finished zipping his backpack.
They gathered their bags and made one last check of the hotel room to ensure nothing was left behind. It was their father's marine teachings that enabled them to travel so lightly and never leave anything behind. Most people probably wouldn't be able to survive a week in the Winchester lifestyle, but they had grown up with it. Sure, it was maybe a little bizarre to the outsider, but for Sam and Dean, it was life.
It was a bit of a long drive from Pennsylvania after the week they'd just had, but Dean didn't mind so much. The winding roads that took them towards the American Midwest sang to Dean like his favorite classic rock song. Every bump in the road felt by the Impala's driver was a comfort rather than an annoyance. With the possibility of his last year on earth coming quickly to a close, Dean appreciated any time he could spend driving his baby and listening to his best hits on cassette. He knew there was a chance he would have to soon give that up and was slowly coming to terms with the fact – allowing Sam under the hood of the Impala was a big start.
Dean looked over at his little brother sleeping in the passenger seat. He felt guilty that he might end up having to leave Sam alone and Sam's accusation of Dean being selfish certainly hurt, but Dean wanted nothing more than to see Sam live a long, happy life.
When he was young, Sam's passion for school, sports, and normalcy was a royal pain in the ass but now Dean felt Sam deserved all that apple pie crap more than anyone else. Hell, Sam was a smart kid, he had to be meant for something more than chasing down and gankin' supernatural freaks. And damn, he was one stubborn kid. He would have made a great lawyer.
But one thing was for sure, Dean wasn't going to go down without a fight. He may not have wanted, or even been able, to fully explain to Sam what happened when he was confronted by his subconscious, but he knew that it was a sign he needed to fight. He'd worked way too damn hard in this life to throw it all away on a deal with a scumbag crossroads demon.
Dean remembered how he'd felt after he realized his Dad sacrificed himself to save his life. He remembered the guilt, the anger, the frustration. But now that he had done nearly the same thing for his brother, he realized the significance, the love, and the importance of making such a life altering decision. What Dean did was maybe a little rash, but the intentions behind it were solid. Regardless, the important thing now was to focus on keeping together the dream team that was him and his little brother.
A few hours, crappy diners, and shady gas stations later, Dean turned into the Arrowhead Motel parking lot. It looked commonplace, like all the other motels they stayed at. Just a simple, cable TV, free Wi-Fi, place to sleep. Climbing out of the car, he studied the area, taking in every detail of his surroundings. He peered up briefly at the motel sign, with its flashing, orange 'vacancy' light and the strategically placed lamps in the parking lot that lit up the hotel well enough to hold back the blackness of the night that surrounded it. Dean shook his head at the big, yellow hat wearing, plastic brown bear smiling down at him. He could already guess the outlandish décor of the motel room.
The office had more of the same – fake bears, singing fish, and the mounted head of a ten point buck. The garishly painted walls were enough to make him want to gag. Rolling his eyes, he approached the desk and rang the bell. Dean understood the whole 'being one with nature' concept and showing off your hunting skills, but he didn't understand how mounting dead animals on the wall was an acceptable example of those things. It really just ended up giving him the creeps. He and Sam never had the urge to mount the head of a vamp, not that they had a home to do it in, but that was beside the point.
Dean was just about to tap the bell a second time when a woman with age-revealing wrinkles came out from the back room. She was wearing an annoyingly bright, broad smile and a pale green nightgown that looked a size too small for her large frame. Her salt-and-pepper hair was nearly tucked into a head scarf which was patterned with bright flowers that didn't even come close to matching her nightgown.
"Hey there, honey, what can I do for you?"
Dean smiled at her misplaced southern accent and pulled an AmEx card from his wallet, plopping it on the counter. "I need a room for me and my brother."
"No problem. How many nights?" she asked, writing his information in a traditional style log book.
"Not really sure yet. We're thinking about sightseeing for a few days."
The woman's face faulted for a split second before the smile reappeared. Dean assumed it was because she knew about the missing locals. He wasn't surprised at all that she didn't mention anything to him – that would drive away business, of course. And in a nowhereville place like this, travelers needing hotels were hard to come by, you had to take whatever you could get.
"Alrighty, then. You'll be in room twelve with two queens." Turning to the board behind her, she picked up a set of keys with a fish keychain dangling from it. "Here you go." She then pointed to a wall of colorful pamphlets that read, 'Horseback Riding in Silver Creek Park' and 'Old Allegan Canoe Rentals'. "You can find information on some of the best 'touristy' stuff the area has to offer there. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Lampen, and be sure to call the front desk if you need anything."
Dean smiled back at her, pleased that he happened to grab a credit card that had a somewhat normal last name attached to it. He was often shocked at the names he got away with. Then again, with these small town motels, all they really cared about was getting enough business to keep the place going and if that meant charging some fishy credit cards, so be it.
Heading back out to the Impala, Dean noticed Sam still fast asleep, with his face mashed against the passenger side window. He smiled and used his phone to snap a quick picture before pounding his fist on the window.
Sam gasped loudly and jerked his head upwards. Dean jumped back, slightly startled by Sam's reaction, though he'd never admit it.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's just me. Damn, you okay?"
Sam nodded, not yet ready to trust his voice. He took a deep breath and grasped the handle of the door. Sam shivered slightly as his warm skin came into contact with the freezing February air.
"Dreaming?" Dean asked with a smirk, grabbing both duffels out of the trunk, as well as Sam's backpack.
"Yeah, I guess," Sam replied after a few seconds of allowing his brain to clear out all of the fog. He stood up and grabbed his bags from Dean before following him to their 'home away from home' for the next few days.
The motel room was just as Dean suspected, complete with an 'I'd rather be fishing' sign hanging on the wall between the two beds and various 'outdoorsy' accoutrements placed, not at all sparingly, on the other walls. The comforters on each bed were puke-green and stitched together gold thread. A matching wing-back chair sat in the corner beside the 22-inch television.
He collapsed on the bed closest to the door, making sure to claim it before Sam could. "Well, Sammy, I say we get some shut eye and start bright and early tomorrow."
Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean. Early mornings were a given when he was taking 8am classes at Stanford, but Dean had never been a morning person.
Dean understood what Sam was getting at and folded. "Okay, yeah, maybe we'll start around ten."
Sam smiled and gave a brief yawn. "That's more like it."
Sam was excited to get to sleep some more, and for that sleep to be in a motel bed, but what he didn't know was that his mind was about to take him hostage.
AN2: Okay that's chapter one! I would love to read some reviews from you guys! And as usual, constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome :) Thanks for reading!