2006

"Dean, look at this, I think I found our next gig!" Sam Winchester called. His older but slightly shorter brother, Dean, entered the hotel room, a towel wrapped around his waist. He was clearly annoyed to have his shower interrupted.

"This better be good, Sam," Dean grumbled, but nevertheless took a seat beside his younger brother. Sam showed him a newspaper clipping from a few towns over. "O'Brien? Is that even a real place?" Dean pulled a face.

"Just read it, okay?" Sam handed him the article.

GRUESOME FAMILY SUICIDES

Yesterday evening, Tyler Mason Lynn (24) was found dead in his home. The authorities have ruled his death as a suicide by hanging, but that is not all that is chilling about this case. Exactly seventeen years ago to this day, Hannah Lynn (27) was found dead in the exact room that Tyler was found. She also appeared to have hung herself. What is unusual about these cases is the amount of blood and trauma to the bodies. While authorities have said there is no reason to suspect foul play, some in the small town of O'Brien, Texas, population 105, believe that someone dark and dangerous is lurking in this quiet town. We were unable to contact Tyler's immediate family, sister Tessa and father Daniel, but his uncle was very open to discussing his nephew. When asked about Tyler's personality, Karl Levitt, brother to the late Hannah Lynn, recalls him as a "handsome and happy young man."
"I never saw that boy frown, even when his momma died. He was such a positive, sweet little boy. He was in law school, he had plans for the future... I don't know what happened. I sure as hell miss him. I guess you don't know what happens inside a person's mind."
Authorities say that they are "digging into Tyler's background" but at this point to not expect any startling revelations. We will, however, continue to report on this story. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Tyler Lynn during this difficult time.

"This might not be anything supernatural, Sam," Dean said finally, rereading the article. Sam only shook his head and pointed out a few lines.

"It doesn't strike you as... Odd, in any way? A son was found in the same spot his mother died exactly seventeen years after it happened. The cause of death was the same, and we know spirits tend to kill their victims in the same way that they died. It could be our sort of thing," Sam said. He stared at Dean, who was chewing on his lip.

"Or it could just be a boy who had a lot of emotional stuff going on. Not every weird death is our kind of thing," Dean reminded him. He set down the article clipping and walked away, clearly uninterested. Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair, groaning.

"We'll never know unless we check it out, Dean!" Sam called, but his brother had already closed the bathroom door, returning to his shower. He could hear Dean humming a Led Zeppelin song through the paper thin walls.

"What made you change your mind?" Sam glanced over at his brother, who was sitting in the Impala's passenger seat. After Dean had taken his shower, he came out fully-dressed and told Sam that they were going to O'Brien. So far, Dean had managed to dodge all of Sam's questions. Sam was determined, now, to find out why his brother had such a sudden change of heart.

"I thought it'd be worth checking out," Dean said indifferently, but Sam heard strains of emotion beneath his cool tone. He mulled the case over for a moment, looking for anything in it that could possibly pull this reaction from Dean.

Sam nearly stopped the car when he realized what it was. Of course, it only made sense. "It's about Mom, isn't it?" He asked quietly, shifting his eyes over to his brother. Dean had gone rigid, all color drained from his face.

"Maybe it is, Sam. I don't know why, it wasn't what happened to Mom, but still..." Dean faded out. He silently put on his sunglasses, muttered, "Wake me up when it's my turn" and laid back against the seat. Sam decided to let the subject drop. He quickly turned down Dean's classic rock music and focused on the road. The only sounds to be heard were Dean's quiet snores and the dull steady roar of the Impala's engine.