Sam sat quietly at the counter in a small dinning car. He stared into his coffee cup as he stirred it around with his spoon. The swirl of white cream collided with the blackness of the coffee. He looked up to a few lonely faces sitting at tables near him. They ate alone and silently just like Sam. He thought about all that he had been through with his brother Dean this year. All the different motel rooms and dinning cars he had inhabited. He thought about the horrors they had encountered while traveling around the country. He wondered where they would end up next, or if they would ever be able to take a break . He heard the bell of the front door jingle, and the familiar sound of his brothers boots stamping against the linoleum floor. He turned around to see Dean walking towards him, he had a smile on his face. Dean sat down next to Sam at the counter and slammed a newspaper onto the table. The vibration of Dean's strong fist caused the coffee to erupt out of the top of the cup. Sam let out an exhausted sigh as he watched the warm liquid spill all over the counter.

'Nice job Dean.' He replied sarcastically to his brothers carelessness.
'It's fine, just refill the cup.' He said brushing off his brothers concern. 'Take a look at this.' Dean said directing his brother's attention to the newspaper. 'Third hiking victim found dead in Shadow Creek hills this month. Mayor urges citizens to stay out of the woods until further notice. Police have no leads.'
'Okay.' Sam furrowed his brow at Dean. 'That could be anything Dean.'
'Right, but that's not all.' Dean raised his hand to the woman behind the counter. 'Excuse me, Ma'am. Can I get a double cheese burger, extra onions?'
'Dean it's 9 in the morning.' Sam reminded him.
'So?' He looked to the woman behind the counter. She nodded her head reluctantly. 'Medium rare. Oh, and I think he needs some more coffee. Thanks a lot.' He took a sip of his brothers coffee.
'Do you mind?' Sam asked.
'What? She's going to refill it.' Dean said putting the cup to his lips. He drank down the rest of the coffee. 'Too much cream.'
'Get your own damn coffee then.'
'I'm good. So I looked into this town, Shadow Creek. There is a pattern of people being killed in the woods. It's been going on for over a hundred years.'
'The woods themselves are called Shadow Creek Hills?' Sam poured cream into his freshly filled coffee cup.
'Yes. The weird thing about the deaths are that they've all been sudden, and mysterious. Every death has been classified as a heart attack, but most of the victims were young healthy people. Apparently the Shadow Creek hills used to be a big tourist spot, but with these deaths becoming more frequent it's drove most of the tourists away. The surrounding townspeople swore the woods are haunted and refuse to go in there anymore.'
'Interesting.' Sam scratched his head.
'The population of the town of Shadow Creek is the fastest receding population in the country. I got some eye witness reports from people in the woods describing dark figures living among the trees.'
'Dark figures, that reminds me of the legend of the Shadow People.'
'That's what I thought.' Dean looked to Sam's coffee cup and noticed his brother who was giving him a confused look. 'Why are you giving me that look? This is definitely a case.'
'No, I agree. Shadow People are nasty creatures. They've been known to devastate large areas. They feed off fear, kind of like parasitic spirits.'
'Some people even think they could be inter dimensional beings.' Dean added.
'Right.' Sam agreed. 'I just have one question. Since when do you do research on potential cases?'
'What do you mean? I've done research on cases before.' Dean stared at the newspaper.
'No you haven't.' Sam answered him matter of factly.
'I guess I got excited and wanted to know more. I started reading this article and it seemed like it was calling my name. You know?' The waitress put a large cheeseburger in front of Dean.
'Here you go.' She smiled.
'Thanks.' Dean took a big bite of the burger. 'Oh wow.' He gushed with his mouth full. 'This is incredible.'
'Where is Shadow Creek anyway?'
'North Carolina, it's a few miles outside of Ashville.'
'Dean, you realize were in Phoenix now, right?'
'So. We have a car.' He continued to have a love affair with his cheese burger. The juices dripped down his chin.
'I know that, I'm just curious how you got the local Shadow Creek newspaper half way across the country.' He looked at his brother skeptically as he continued to eat his food sloppily.
'I don't know.' Dean wiped his face with a napkin. 'That is kind of strange I guess, I found it in our motel room.' Dean chewed his food slower as he thought about the newspaper. 'Maybe the last person who stayed there left it.'
'Maybe.' Sam had a strange feeling about how the newspaper happened to appear in their hotel room.
'Either way I think we should head there and check it out.'
'Well, I guess so.' Sam resigned himself to the idea.
'What? Do you have a better idea?' Dean took a few more bites of his cheeseburger until it was gone.
'What about taking a break every once in a while.' Sam inquired.
'Take a break!?' Dean laughed. He stood up and put a $10 bill on the table. 'Good one Sam.' He waived to the waitress and thanked her for the cheeseburger. Sam stared back at his brother. 'Are you coming?' He urged Sam to follow him out of the diner. Sam picked up the newspaper and followed his brother out the door.

Dean and Sam pulled up to the library in Shadow Creek. They looked around skeptically at the town square. It was only four in the afternoon, but it was beginning to get dark. They watched carefully as the few people who littered the square got in their cars to drive away. Sam walked up to the front door of the library and pulled hard. The door didn't budge. He looked for the sign on the door. There was a piece of lined paper covering the hours that said 'Closed at Dusk.'
'That's kind of weird don't you think.' Sam shook his head. 'This place is really clearing out.' He looked down at his watch again. 'Is it really only 4?'
'That's what I have.' Dean assured him after looking at his watch.
'It shouldn't be getting dark this early.'
'Nope.' Dean took a deep breath and felt the cool air fill his lungs. 'Something around here doesn't feel right to me.'
'Me either.' Sam bent his head back to look at the top windows of the library building. It was an old brick Victorian building. He watched as the lights dimmed. 'This really is a beautiful library.' He marveled at the craftsmanship of the walls. He squinted hard upon seeing what looked like a girl on the top floor staring down at him. He blinked hard and focused his eyes again. She stood still staring down at him. He turned to his brother to get his attention. 'Dean look up there.' He pointed to the window.
'What is it?' Dean asked following his brothers hand. 'I don't see anything.'
'I saw a girl.'
'Yeah?' Dean smiled. 'What was she wearing?'
'Will you cut it out.' He gave his brother a slap on the shoulder. 'I swear she was there. She was just standing there staring down at me.' Sam shook his head staring at the now empty window.
'Let's get some more information on this place first. If we have any time later then we can go looking for girls.' Dean said.
'Wait. Did you just say you want to work first, then look for girls?' Sam stared back at his brother. 'Are you feeling alright?'
'Very funny.' Dean started walking around the town square looking into the empty store front windows. The businesses that were still operational all had white paper signs that said 'Closed at Dusk.'
'I don't know who we are going to find to talk to. It's like this whole place shuts down at any hint of darkness.' Sam lamented.
'Hey, do you know what opens at night and is full of people who want to talk?' Dean posed the question to his brother.
'No.'
'A bar.' Dean smiled pleased with himself. 'What about that place over there?' He pointed to building with an old metal sign above it. 'That looks like a bar to me.'
'It looks like an old west brothel.' Sam stared skeptically at the saloon style bar.
'Even better. We can kill two birds with one stone, get some more information about this place and then maybe we will find someone to ease that sexual frustration of yours.' Dean began walking across the square towards the bar. Sam followed his brother.
'Just cause I saw a girl in the library window doesn't mean I'm sexually frustrated.'
'Keep telling yourself that Sammy.' They watched as all the lights in businesses dimmed. The bar looked as if it was the only place still open. Sam and Dean walked through the door and stood still taking in the interior sight of the bar. It was almost completely empty, there was only one single old man sitting at the bar. A bunch of wooden tables were scattered around the floor, all of them seemed to have a light coating of dust on them. The bar was totally silent except for the sound of the old man breathing. The two brothers walked up to the bar and sat down next to the man. He looked over at them quickly and then fixed his attention to the small empty shot glass that sat before him.

'Quiet night huh?' Sam said to the old man. He stared back at Sam without saying anything.
'He doesn't say much.' A man stood up from behind the bar. The sight of him startled Sam who didn't realize he was crouched down behind there.
'Oh, Hi.' Sam answered back quickly.
'That's Smokey.' The man continued. ' He's a few cards short of a full deck.'
'Ah.. I have an uncle like that.' Dean smiled.
'Everyone does.' The bartender commiserated.
'So, how are you doing this afternoon.' Dean asked him.
'I'm doing just fine, but it's hardly afternoon out there.'
'I guess you're right.' Dean frowned at the already black atmosphere.
'Why is that?' Sam asked. 'It's pretty early, and it's mid July. It should be light out for at least another three hours.'
'Yeah.' Dean added. 'And It certainly doesn't feel like mid July around here, it's got to be 55 degrees.' Dean rubbed his forearms for warmth.
'Yes...' The bartender trailed off suspiciously. 'I suppose it is.' He pulled out some already dry glasses and rubbed them with his white rag. He was a tall man in his late 50's. He had big eyes with dark circles under them. 'Well that's just the way it is around here. So, can I get you boys something?'
'Yeah. I'll have a beer.' Dean ordered.
'I'll have a beer as well.' Sam agreed.
'Coming right up.' The bartender began pouring the two glasses.
'So, barkeep.' Dean began
'It's Andy.' The man corrected Dean.
'Andy, what can you tell me about Shadow Creek Hills?'
'What are you asking for?' He put two beers in front of the boys to drink.
'We're doing some research.' Sam interjected.
'You boys go to the local college?' The bartender asked.
'No, were just in town uh...' Dean began. 'Collecting some samples for the EPA.'
'EPA?' The man's interested seemed to peak. 'I used to love the environment, the woods and all.'
'Really?' Sam questioned the man. 'What changed your mind?'
'The Environment did.' He shook his head. 'That'll be six bucks.'
'What do you mean?' Sam continued to prod him for information as he reached into his pocket for some cash.
'Those woods, they turned on us. Do yourself a favor if you're going to go into those woods be careful.' The man began walking away. 'And, whatever you do stay out of there at night.'
'What happens at night?' Dean tried calling Andy back towards them.
'I'm sorry but the tap is clogged.' He said pointing to the beer tap. 'I've got to go try and unclog it downstairs. If you need anything else my son Jack will be in soon.'
'But...' Sam attempted to yell after Andy but he was gone. 'What the hell?' Sam sighed to his brother. 'How are we ever going to find out about this place?'
'You boys want to know about Shadow Creek Hills?' The old man's voice crooned beside them.
'Yes, we do.' Dean turned around to look at the little man. He was small and hunched over with long white hair. The man leaned closer to Dean. Then he reached behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of Gin and a glass.
'You know them woods is haunted right? Ever since they built that place out there.'
'What place? What are the woods haunted by?' Dean asked him.
'Well they aint haunted by what the other folks around here will tell you. They think it's them girls, out there causing trouble. But I know it's somethin' more sinister than that. It started long before those girls were ever born.'
'What girls?' Sam interjected.
'I remember when I was a little boy playing by the river and fishing with my Grand Daddy. I knew they was there then. Though back then it seemed like there was only a few. These days there's more and more all the time. You gotta be aware of your surroundings all the time out there, you can feel them before you can see them. They hide in darkness, and they're quick too. It used to be that you could only see them out of the corner of your eye. One minute they were there and the next they were gone.'
'You're talking about Shadow People.' Sam replied.
'My Granddaddy always said you had to be brave. If you don't fear them you'll be safe. But people they afraid of everything. And that gives them strength.' He poured the Gin into his glass and took a big sip of it.
'How does it give them strength? Sam could feel his interest growing.
'Well for one thing they are a lot bolder than they used to be. The people who seen them and lived to tell about it say you can look them straight in the eye now. Theys pure evil, soul wrenching creatures.'
'Have you ever seen them?' Dean asked sipping his beer slowly.
'Not in a long time. And I'm glad about that, theys no good. They'll scare you to death just like that.' He said clapping his hands together loudly. The sound made Sam jump. Dean began laughing at his brothers reaction.
'So, all the deaths around here are from people going into the woods and being scared to death by some shadows?' Dean asked the man condescendingly.
'Yes.' He answer with confidence. 'You know, when I was little there was only a killin every few years. Now it's a few killin's every year. Three this month alone. No one leaves the house anymore. What you don't understand is that these aint just some shadows. And they gots people scared, real scared, which aint good.' The man picked up his glass of gin and drank down the rest of the clear liquid inside.
'What else can you tell us?' Sam asked.
'The darkness, it grows every year. At first it was just the woods. They started getting dark real early, but it's spreading like an evil plague. Soon the whole town will be dark and no one will be safe.' The man shuddered and poured himself another glass of Gin. The front door to the bar slammed closed and a young man in his mid twenties walked up behind the old man. He grabbed the bottle of gin away from him.
'Come on Smokey, we talked about this.' He walked around the bar and to the other side.
'I'm sorry Jack.' The old man apologized. 'I couldn't wait.'
'This place is not self serve, you know that.' Jack was short with dirty blonde hair. He had on a pair of ratty jeans and high top sneakers. He looked out of place in the town that seemed to be trapped in a time long ago.
'I know.' Smokey lamented. 'Don't tell your father please.'
'You're lucky this isn't my bar, I wouldn't stand for it. You know we don't have that many customers anymore.' He looked around to the empty bar room. 'Where is my dad anyway?'
'I don't know.' Smokey sipped the rest of his glass with his eyes focused down in shame.
'He went downstairs.' Dean told Jack. 'He said the line to the keg was clogged.'
'He did?' Jack stared back at Dean suspiciously. 'Well them. Who might you be? My name is Jack.'
'My name is Keith. Keith Moon, and this is my associate Peter Townsend. Were here from the EPA.'
'Environmental protection agency huh?'
'That's right.'
'You here to look at Shadow Creek Hills?'
'We are.' Sam said.
'Well I hope you find something, maybe report your findings to the police. Every time I come back here for the summer it get's worse and worse.'
'You go to College during the year?' Sam asked him. 'What year are you in?'
'Senior year. I'm a business major over at UNC. Every summer I work in the bar with my dad, I was hoping that I'd be able to help him bring this place back to life. But, it looks like this place isn't going to be around much longer though. All these places are going out of business.'
'Why is that?' Dean asked.
'Cause everyone's moving out. They're all cowards.' He threw his rag on the ground in a huff. 'If you ask me the whole thing would be solved if they just went in there and arrested those girls.'
'What girls?' Dean asked him.
'There are these two freak sisters, they live in the woods. You know, they've got weird powers. They're witches or Satanist or something. They sacrifice animals and kill people.'
'It's not the girls.' Smokey protested. 'They're not what's killing them people.'
'Oh come off it Smokey. Everyone knows they're dangerous. Especially the younger one, she runs around the woods all day like some kind of wild animal. She threatens anyone who gets too close to her or her sister. She's got this voice. You can hear her wailing in the middle of the night sometimes. It's an awful sound. Every time you hear it, you better bet you're going to hear about another poor bastard getting killed the next day. The sound of her voice is so awful it'll make your heart stop if you get too close.'
'A Banshee?' Sam looked at his brother.
'Sounds like it.' Dean agreed. 'Wait so what else can you tell us about the girls?'
'I don't know, I shouldn't be telling you anything in the first place.' Jack sighed. The sound of Andy's foot steps could be heard as he made his way upstairs.
'That's right.' Andy began speaking. 'It's a long story and we don't discuss those types of things in here.' He shook his head as he looked around suspiciously. 'The Anderson family troubles are not our troubles.'
'My uncle used to work for them.' Jack offered.
'Jack that's enough.' Andy snapped at his son.
'Sorry. 'He walked away from his uncle and began sorting through empty liquor bottles.
'Just tell me one thing. What does the EPA need to know all about this family for?' Andy's eyes narrowed as he studied the boys appearances.
'They don't. We were just interested in what Jack had to say.' Sam began. 'We didn't mean to upset anyone.'
'Look all you need to do is get your soil samples and then leave this town alone. We will make it through this rough patch I assure you.'
'I'm sure you will.' Sam smiled.
'Well, we're closing up early tonight, so you boys best be getting to your hotel.' He shut off some lights on the other side of the bar. 'The Drake Motel is all we got left. You better get there soon before they aren't accepting guests anymore.'
'Okay.' Dean drank down the rest of his beer.
'Sorry again.' Sam forced a smile. 'It was nice to meet all of you.'
'You be careful out there. Bring a flashlight.' Smokey warned them as they walked towards the door.
'We will.' Dean assured him. 'Thanks.'