Supernatural: Something Wicked
A/N: Greeting, Earthlings! Sorry, I'm a bit under the weather today and so that means that my brain is being a scrambled, but that's nothing to worry about since it always seems to improve my writing, when the story isn't running away with me. Okay, rambling off and on with the story!
Read, review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Supernatural or from Criminal Minds. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.
CHAPTER TWO: MISTAKEN IDENTITY
It was nighttime when Dean drove them to a nearby motel, parked, and they all got out.
"So, what the hell is a shtriga?" Sam asked, clutching their dad's journal in his hand as they all went to the trunk.
"It's kind of like a witch, I think," Dean answered, opening the trunk. "I don't know much about 'em," he added, getting a few things out of the trunk.
"Well, I've never heard of it," Sam admitted. "And it's not in Dad's journal."
Somehow this didn't surprise Dean or Liz in the slightest.
"Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about sixteen, seventeen years ago," Liz explained. "You were there, you don't remember?"
Sam shook his head. "No."
Now that surprised both Dean and Liz.
"Yeah, I guess he caught wind that the thing's in Fitchburg now and kicked us the coordinates," Dean remarked.
"So, wait, this…" Sam began.
"Shtriga."
"Right. You think it's the same one Dad hunted before?" Sam asked.
Dean shut the trunk and they walked to the motel. "Yeah, maybe."
Sam was confused. "But if Dad went after it, why is it still breathing air?"
"'Cause it got away," Dean responded.
"Got away?" Sam repeated, surprised.
Dean nodded. "Yeah, Sammy, it happens."
"Not very often," Sam remarked, which was true.
Dean shrugged. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, I mean, maybe Dad didn't have his Wheaties that morning."
Now Sam was certain that there was something that his older siblings weren't telling him. "What else do you both remember?" he inquired.
Dean sighed. "Nothin', we were just kids, all right?" and both he and Liz went inside.
"We need to tell Sam the truth," Liz insisted.
"No," Dean told her as they walked up to the front desk and he rang the bell. An adolescent boy, Michael, came out from the back, where his little brother, Asher, was watching TV, which was currently on the news and was talking about how several threatening letters had been sent to the starlet Lila Archer, and that the BAU were on the case now that several people had been murdered by the starlet's stalker. 'Well, at least we know where they are right now.'
"King or two queens?" Michael asked.
"Two queens," Dean answered.
Michael noticed Sam standing outside near the car, flipping through their dad's journal again, and smirked. "Yeah, I bet," he muttered under his breath.
"What'd you say?" Dean asked while Liz repressed a sigh. 'Here we go again.' She couldn't understand why people kept thinking that her brothers were gay, even when she was with them.
"Nice car," Michael said quickly with a smile, just as his mother, Joanna, entered.
"Hi," Joanna said.
Dean and Liz both nodded to her. "Hi."
"Checking in?" Joanna asked.
Dean nodded. "Yeah."
Joanna smiled at them and then turned her attention to Michael. "Do me a favor, go get your brother some dinner," she requested.
"I'm helpin' a guest," Michael protested until she glared at him and moved behind the desk. Sighing he nodded towards Dean and Liz. "Two queens." And he went into the back.
"Funny kid," Dean commented.
"Oh, yeah, he thinks so," Joanna agreed, opening the register book. "Will that be cash or credit?"
"You take MasterCard?" Dean asked, pulling out his wallet.
Joanna nodded. "Mmhmm."
Dean smiled. "Perfect." And he took the MasterCard, which had been given to him by the BAU team, out of his wallet and placed it on the desk. "Here ya go."
Joanna took the card and handed him the register book to sign in on. As he began writing, Dean looked up and saw Michael pouring milk for his younger brother, Asher, in the kitchen in the back; seeing this caused both Dean and Liz to remember.
`"'Dean was pouring milk for Sam while Liz was setting the table.'
`"'When's Dad gonna get back?" Sam asked as Liz put a bowl in front of him.'
`"'Tomorrow," Dean answered, putting the milk carton down, went to the sink, and picked up a pot from the portable stove.'
`"'When?" Sam asked again.'
`"'Liz sighed as Dean poured Spaghetti O's into Sam's bowl. Sam was just too curious for his own good sometimes.'
`"'I don't know," Dean admitted, pouring Spaghetti O's into his and Liz's bowl. "He usually comes in late, though. Now, eat your dinner.'
`"'Sam frowned at his food. "I'm sick of Scabetti O's," he complained.'
`"'Dean gave their little brother an exasperated look while Liz sighed again. Here came another possible fight. "Well, you're the one who wanted 'em.'
`"'I want Lucky Charms," Sam requested, eying the box sitting on the counter.'
`"'There's no more Lucky Charms," Dean told him.'
`"'Now Sam gave Dean an exasperated look. "I saw the box.'
`"'Okay, maybe there is," Dean admitted, "but there's only enough left for one bowl, and I haven't had any yet.'
`"'Sam looked at him and Liz sadly.'
`"'I'll ask dad to buy some more Lucky Charms when he gets back," Liz told her twin since there was no way that either of them could resist Sam's puppy dog eyes when he got that look on his face.'
`"'Reluctantly agreeing, Dean gave in and took the bowl of Spaghetti O's from Sam; he dumped them in the garbage and took a new bowl out of the drying rack. He grabbed the box of Lucky Charms and slammed them on the table; Sam took the box, looked inside, took out the prize inside, and held it out to Dean.'
`"'Do you want the prize?" he asked, and Liz had to smile and so did Dean.'"`
"Sir?" Joanna asked.
Hearing her voice, Dean pulled himself out of his thoughts and saw that she was holding out his credit card. "Thanks," he said, taking the card back; she handed him another form, and he began writing.
A while later, Sam was sitting on the bed, researching. "Well, you were right," he admitted. "It wasn't very easy to find, but you were right. A shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about 'em date back to ancient Rome. They feed off of spiritus vitae."
"Spiri-what?" Dean asked from the counter, where he and Liz were looking through some books and were writing into some notebooks.
"Vitae," Sam explained. "It's Latin - it translates to "breath of life". Kind of like your life force or essence."
Dean thought about that. "Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearin' out?" he asked.
"It's a thought," Sam remarked. "You know, she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone, but they prefer-"
"Children," Dean finished while Liz grimaced.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Probably because they have stronger life force. And get this… shtrigas are invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man."
Dean shook his head and moved to the other bed that his bag was on. "No. That's not right," he corrected. "She's vulnerable when she feeds."
"What?" Sam asked.
"If you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought irons, buckshots, or rounds, I think," Dean explained, pulling out a notebook and went back to the counter.
Sam was surprised and confused. "How do you know that?"
"Dad told me. I remember," Dean said vaguely.
Sam raised his eyebrows at that. "Oh. So, uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?"
Both Dean and Liz shook their heads. "No. That's it." And then they realized that Sam was staring at them. "What?"
"Nothin'. Okay, so, assuming we can kill it when it eats, we still gotta find the thing first, which ain't gonna be a cakewalk," Sam said, leaving the bed and joined them at the counter. "Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting."
"What kind of human disguise?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged as he poured himself some coffee. "Historically, something innocuous - it could be anything," he remarked. "But it's usually a feeble old woman, which may be how the whole witches-as-old-crones legend got started."
Suddenly interested, Dean went back to the bed and took a map from his bag. "Hang on."
"What?" Sam asked.
"Check this out," Dean said, returning to the counter and spread the map out on it. "I marked down all the addresses of the victims," he explained. "Now, these are the houses that have been hit so far, and dead center?"
Sam and Liz both looked and realized what he meant. "The hospital."
"The hospital," Dean agreed. "When we were there, I saw a patient - an old woman."
"An old person, huh?" Sam asked, skeptical.
Dean nodded. "Yeah."
"In the hospital? Whew. Better call the coast guard," Sam teased, laughing.
Dean frowned. "Well, listen, smartass, she had an inverted cross hangin' on her wall." And Sam's smile faded. That wasn't a good sign.
Later that same night, the Winchesters returned to the hospital and were walking down the hallway when they heard voices.
"Good night, Dr. Hydecker," Betty said, prompting the Winchesters to stay close to the wall so they weren't discovered.
"See you tomorrow, Betty," Dr. Hydecker said tiredly.
"Try to get some sleep," Betty suggested.
Nodding, Dr. Hydecker walked down another hallway; once the area was clear Dean, Liz, and Sam resumed walking. They reached the elderly woman's room, and found that her door was closed. Dean took out a gun, Sam looked at him, confused, and he shrugged as Liz took out her own gun; Sam opened the door and they entered the room, where he took out his own gun, and the woman didn't move. Both Sam and Liz stayed behind her, while Dean leaned in closer as they watched her intently.
Suddenly, the woman jumped. "Who the hell are you?!" And Dean jumped, scared, into a cabinet. Both Sam and Liz also jumped, and lowered their guns. "Who's there?" she demanded, nearly blind as Sam turned on the light. "You tryin' to steal my stuff?! They're always stealin' around here."
"No, ma'am, we're maintenance," Sam said quickly, exchanging a look of bewilderment with Liz. "We're sorry, we thought you were sleepin'."
Dean, still shaken, covered his eyes with his hand and tried to calm himself down.
"Oh, nonsense. I was sleepin' with my peepers open!" the woman cackled. "And fix that crucifix, would ya? I've asked four damn times already."
Dean turned to the cross on the wall behind him; exchanging a look with his siblings, he tapped it, and it swung back to its upright position. He, Liz, and Sam exchanged an amused but scared looks. If this old woman wasn't the shtriga, then what was its' disguise and where was it now?
Back at the motel, Michael and Asher were sleeping in their bedroom; a long, bony hand was unlocking and opening the window.
The next morning, the Winchesters parked the car and got out; Sam was laughing hysterically.
""I was sleepin' with my peepers open"?" he repeated and continued laughing.
"I almost smoked that old gal, I swear," Dean complained. "It's not funny."
"Yeah, I almost had a heart attack," Liz agreed, exhausted from staying up all night.
But Sam couldn't stop laughing. "Oh, man, you should've seen your face, Dean," he remarked as he went to unlock the door to their room.
"Yeah, well, laugh it up, man," Dean grumbled. "We're back to square one." Just then, he saw Michael, who was sitting alone on a bench nearby. "Hang on."
He, Liz, and Sam walked over to Michael, who was crying; concerned, Dean crouched down next to him.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.
"My brother's sick," Michael answered, sniffing.
"The little guy?" Dean asked and he nodded.
"Pneumonia," Michael explained. "He's in the hospital. It's my fault."
Dean and Liz exchanged a look. "Oh, come on, how?"
"I should've made sure the window was latched," Michael answered. "He wouldn't have gotten pneumonia if the window was latched."
Dean listened to him sadly. "Listen to me," he said seriously. "I can promise you that this is not your fault, okay?"
Michael clearly thought that it was. "It's my job to look after him."
Both Dean and Liz nodded, understanding completely, and Sam noticed this. A moment later, Joanna came outside, her arms full with blankets and a pillow.
"Michael," she said, and they walked up to her as she put the items in the passenger seat of her car. "I want you to turn on the "No Vacancy" sign while I'm gone," she instructed. "I've got Denise covering room service, so don't bother with any of the rooms."
"I'm going with you," Michael insisted.
Joanna shook her head. "Not now, Michael."
"But I gotta see Asher!" Michael protested, clearly worried and upset about his little brother's condition.
"Hey, Michael. Hey, I know how you feel, okay?" Dean told him. "I'm a big brother, too, and Liz, here, is a big sister. But you gotta go easy on your mom right now, okay?"
Reluctantly Michael nodded.
Joanna shut the car door and dropped her purse. "Damn it!" she cursed.
"I got it," Sam said, bending down to pick it up and handed it to her. "Here."
Joanna nodded, grateful. "Thanks."
"Hey, listen, you're in no condition to drive. Why don't you let me and Liz give you a lift to the hospital, huh?" Dean offered.
"No, I couldn't possibly-" Joanna began.
"No, it's no trouble," Dean reassuringly. "I insist."
Joanna thought for a moment, and then handed him the keys. "Thanks," she said gratefully, and kissed Michael's forehead. "Be good." She then got into the car and Dean shut her door; he then leaned closer to Sam.
"We're gonna kill this thing," he said both quietly and seriously. "I want it dead, you hear me?" And both he and Liz walked away.
After making sure that Michael would be fine on his own, Sam went to the local library and was now doing research on the computer; finding something, he picked up his phone and called both Dean and Liz.
`"Hey,"` Dean said quietly.
"Hey. How's the kid?" Sam asked him.
`"He's not good,"` Dean answered honestly. `"Where're you at?"`
"At the library, tryin' to find out as much as I can about this shtriga," Sam answered, doing a web search. "I did call Garcia, but she has her hands full with that case that the BAU is working in Los Angeles, and it looks like the stalker going after Lila just killed her agent."
`"I feel sorry for the BAU. Anyway, what do you got?"` Dean asked.
"Well, bad news," Sam responded, frowning. "I started with Fort Douglas, around the time you said Dad was there."
`"And?"` Dean inquired.
"Same deal," Sam confirmed, not liking what he was finding. "Before that, there was Ogdenville. Before that, North Haverbrook and Brockway. Every fifteen to twenty years, it hits a new town. Dean, Liz, this thing is just gettin' started in Fitchburg. In all these other places, it goes on for months - dozens of kids, before the shtriga finally moves on. Kids just languish in comas, and then they die."
`"How far back does this thing go?"` Liz asked, worried.
"I don't know," Sam admitted. "The earliest mention I could find was this place called Black River Falls back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show." He brought up a page from an old issue of The Fitchburg Chronicle; on the front page was a picture featuring a group of doctors crowded around a patient's bed, and he spotted a familiar face. "Whoa."
`"Sam?"` Dean asked.
"Hold on," Sam said, pulling up a larger version of the picture. "I'm lookin' at a photograph right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of the doctors is Hydecker."
Dean didn't understand. `"And?"`
"And this picture was taken in 1893," Sam added.
Both Dean and Liz were stunned. "You sure?"
`"Yeah,"` Sam confirmed. `"Yeah, absolutely."`
Slowly, Dean hung up and exchanged a look with Liz before they both turned around, infuriated, and looked at Dr. Hydecker, who had his hand on Asher's forehead.
He removed his hand, stood, and then turned to Joanna. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Your son's in good hands. I'm gonna take care of him." He then walked over to Dean and Liz. "So, what's the CDC come up with so far?" he asked.
"Well, we're still workin' on a few theories," Dean said, doing his best to remain calm. "You'll know something as soon as we do."
"Well, nothing's more important to me than these kids," Dr. Hydecker said seriously.
Both Dean and Liz nodded. "Mm."
"Just let me know if I can help," Dr. Hydecker said, patting Dean's shoulder, and he walked away.
"I'll do that," Dean promised and exchanged a furious look with Liz. They weren't going to fail this time.
A/N: Ooh, I so don't want to be around when Dean and Liz get pissed. Also, the episode of Criminal Minds I've mentioned takes place during their first season, and the episode is called "Somebody's Watching", and Reid actually falls for Lila…sort of. R&R everyone!