Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun!

Travelers Beware

Chapter 3 – Rusty's UFO

"Because, people who go up into the mountain on this side…don't come back the same, if they come back at all."

Dean sat back and looked at Rusty. "What do you mean? I heard about that guy, but he got lost and probably just fell in the dark…isn't that want the newspaper said?"

Rusty move closer and lowered his voice. "You know the newspapers never could get anything right boy…I'm betting he followed the lights and met up with the old man in the cabin before he took his plunge."

Dean moved closer. "You've seen this cabin?"

"Shore did. A few years back I was huntin' up on the ridge. I saw this strange light and decided to follow it. Every time I thought I had found it, the light appeared further on. I tracked it for days before I found the cabin." Rusty took a drink of his whiskey before continuing.

"I went inside and looked around, but there wasn't anyone home. So I waited. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, there was this man with the coldest dark eyes I've ever seen staring at me. Next thing I remember, I was at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm and a cracked head."

"So this man attacked you and dumped you in a ravine?" Dean asked, wondering about the dark eyes. Maybe Sam was right, maybe they were dealing with something other than a werewolf here.

"I don't recollect how I got there, but the worse part was that damn wolf. Kept tracking me day after day as I stumbled my way out of the ravine. I woke up more than once just in time to stop the damn thing from killing me…got the bite marks to prove it!" Rusty raised his shirt slightly and Dean winced at the scars from what looked like animal bites and claw marks.

"I guess it's a good thing you managed to scare the wolf off…how'd you do it Rusty?" Dean motioned to the bartender to bring another round of drinks.

"Well, that's the thing…more than once I thought I'd had it for sure, but then I woke up to see my blood in it's mouth, and those yellow eyes staring at me for a few moments. I yelled at it and it just disappeared back into the woods. But that wasn't the worst…after I healed up…I went back to find the cabin." Rusty threw back another shot of whiskey.

"And…" Dean encouraged.

"And there was no cabin, no foundation, no sign that it ever existed. I searched county records and there is no record of any type of homestead in that area. The doctors said that the hit on the head was causing me to hallucinate. But I know what I saw…and am still seeing. Those strange lights were out there again, just before that young man disappeared."

"So any idea what is causing the lights?" Dean asked quietly, wondering if some or all of this was part of the head injury.

"At first I thought it was one of those UFO's, but now I'm not so sure…ah hell, who knows maybe I am a little crazy." Rusty stood to leave.

Dean stood as well and shook Rusty's hand. "My name is Dean by the way. Thanks for sharing your story with me Rusty and after seeing the way you handled yourself back there…I don't think you are as crazy as some people might think." Dean winked and then smiled as he heard Rusty laugh.

"You may be right boy…but mind you, stay away from that ridge. Crazy or not, I know for a fact that more than one person has lost their life up there." Dean watched as Rusty left the bar. He paid his bill and decided it was time to head back to the hotel room. Just wait until Sam found out what he had learned. It will teach the little geek boy that coming to a bar can be educational…in more ways than one.

Dean pulled up and parked the car. He quietly opened the hotel room door, just in case his brother was managing to get some rest. He worried about Sam's sleeping habits constantly. As he moved further into the room, he saw a take out bag on the table from the diner. His stomach grumbled as he realized that he never had eaten at the bar. He glanced at the bed and smiled at the lump that was his brother. Dean quickly opened the container and smiled at the steak and French fries inside. He moved to the microwave and paused, the noise might wake up Sam.

"Don't worry Dean; your stomach already gave you away. Go ahead and heat it up!" Sam said softly from the bed.

"You mean you didn't wake up until you heard my stomach? What if I have been a werewolf! You need work on your awareness skills Sammy." Dean smirked as he began to heat up his dinner.

Sam smiled and decided to let Dean win one. "So how was she? Let me guess, long blonde hair and a sexy body…."

Dean sighed as he remembered that she had gotten away. "Actually, he was about 60 years old, had a gray beard and managed to kick some bar fly's ass from here to Kansas"

Sam's actually stood back and stared. "Ah Dean…I mean, ok…if that's what turns you on."

Dean punched Sam lightly on the arm. "Dude, get a grip…I'll have you know that I met someone who might actually have shed some light on this hunt…literally. His name was Rusty and he claims that he survived one of the attacks."

"Rusty, You gotta be kidding me…that's the guy that Miranda said had survived being lost in the same area that her boyfriend was killed in." Sam moved to the table and pulled out the lap top. "What did he tell you Dean?" Sam looked like someone had just given him a Christmas present as he waited for Dean to tell him what he had learned.

"Wait a minute…Miranda…how the hell did you meet her? Sam, you didn't go out to investigate this on your own did you?"

Sam laughed. "Actually, no…I met her at the diner when I went to get us something to eat. She was lonely and well, I offered to listen." Sam laughed at the look on Dean's face.

"So you're telling me that I ended up spending the night listening to some old coot while you got cozy with a hot chick?" Dean sat down on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. "Oh God, I must be on the Twilight Zone!"

Sam shook with laughter. It wasn't often that he could surprise his brother, but tonight evidently he had. Dean shook his head muttering under his breath as he moved to get his dinner. "So Dean…what did Rusty tell you?"

"Just tell me one thing Sammy…did you walk her home?"

"Well, she did only live a short distance and it was kinda on my way." Sam said quietly, waiting for the explosion.

"That's it Wheezy, It's the big one…I feel it" Dean cried as he grabbed his chest and fell back onto the bed. He smiled as he heard his brother giggle. God, how he loved his brother's giggle…too bad he didn't hear it that often anymore.

TBC

Raven524: Any bets that our boys end up in the woods? Hope you all are still enjoying the story. Thanks for all the reviews so far. Keep them coming!