SOOO sorry for the delayed update, but I lost the internet for a few days.

Missing Hunter: Found

Bobby Singer squinted up from the pile of books on his desk and began refilling his glass of whiskey. But something gave him pause – a strange noise outside.

Grabbing his gun just to be safe, the grizzled hunter walked to the door, grumbling the whole way. There was nothing suspicious right outside and it was broad daylight. But then there was something that sounded like metal pounding on metal down one of the rows of old cars strewn about his gravel yard. He cautiously followed the sound echoing through the spring air, gun ready, but then it stopped.

Still on alert, Bobby went to the row where he had heard the noise. What he saw made him stop yet again. A woman in a black hoodie and jeans was sprawled out on her back in the gravel. Her breaths came in painful gasps and she held a knife limply in her hand. She couldn't have been older than twenty-five with long deep red hair and a web-patterned scar around her right eye. She had a bloody nose and her skin was flushed from an apparent fever, despite the cool March air.

Bobby stepped closer, cautiously revealing his presence. She looked human, but he couldn't be too sure.

"I'm guessin' you could use a little help," he drawled. "You a hunter?"

With a relieved nod, the woman closed her eyes and apparently lost consciousness. The old man rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath.

A shot rang out downstairs. Kelsey was doing her job of the distracting the ghost; she was good at that. Jennifer dropped the journal into a metal trash bin, lit a match from her jean pocket, and torched the book. There was another shot from downstairs, followed by an ungodly scream.

Jen brushed the salt from her fingerless gloves and smugly straightened her tasseled beanie hat. After watching to make sure the journal had burned completely, she turned to head back downstairs – Kelsey was probably already packing up their gear in the car.

A dark figure in the doorway suddenly stepped into light, halting her movement. Blood coated his shirt collar and dripped down his chin. His fanged teeth were stained red and his gaze was…hungry. Jen froze in place and glanced around for an exit while slowly grasping the hilt of the machete at her hip. How did he get past her sister?

"Been a long time, Jennifer. I thought you might be here after I saw your sister."

Wait. She knew this creature.

"Kelsey!" she called, forcing her growing panic to remain subdued.

The vampire took a few steps forward, grinning grotesquely.

"She can't hear you."

"Kelsey!" the girl screamed louder, but no one was coming. She yanked the machete out to be ready when the vampire attacked. "What did you do to her?"

"Same thing I did to your parents."

Jen somersaulted to the side the first time he lunged, trying to strategize how she would get him into a position to behead him without her partner to help. She whipped around when he came at her a second time and got lucky with a cut across his chest. Unfortunately, it simply angered him. The vampire easily flicked the machete out of her hand. A moment later, she found herself flying through second-story window headfirst.

She landed roughly on the slanted porch roof and took a semi-controlled tumble to the marshy lawn. With one look at the broken windows all around the building, Jennifer started thinking of an escape plan. The car's tires had been slashed and the windows shattered. There was a vampire in the car…and another had just appeared inside the house. Time to leave. With just her pistol and two daggers in her boots, the only choice was to run.

Jennifer limped for the driveway, hoping that she might find a car to snag on the main road. Halfway down the drive, she found something completely unexpected. But maybe they wouldn't find her there… She took a detour off the road and shot into the blue police box. She wasn't going to question a good thing. She locked the door behind her.

The woman awoke with a gasp to cool water being splashed at her face by the same grizzly man she had seen before losing consciousness. She quickly became aware of her wrists being tied to the arms of her chair in the incredibly cluttered office.

"Congratulations," the man grumbled, putting the cap back on the water bottle – she had a feeling it wasn't just normal water. "My preliminary tests say you're human."

"Yay for me," she replied, becoming dreadfully aware of the metallic taste in her mouth leftover from the bloody nose. "I'm dying, not a demon," she added upon seeing the distrust in his eyes.

"How'd you end up in my yard?"

She laughed, unable to think of anyway to explain.

"Look, you can go back if you like, whenever you want. But you're welcome to travel with me for a while."

Go back? When she could get away from those monsters and the chaos of the life she knew? Without her sister, she had no reason to be there. The chance to travel like this… It didn't matter if it was a dream; maybe it was. Maybe she was being killed by a monster at this very second.

The old stranger called her attention back.

"I want to show you something you've never dreamed of."

"It's a little complicated," she tried to say, but the other hunter wouldn't have it.

"Just try me."

The memory suddenly vanished, replaced by a warm, suffocating blueish whiteness. Every time she breathed, it felt like she was being smothered with a pillow in a sauna. She struggled, but she was also painfully aware that it was impossible to physically control her own body. She could only lie there on the couch, being consumed by that calming white voice.

Memories, thoughts, and feelings that weren't her own started pressing in on Jen's consciousness.

"Must find shelter. Can't reach home. All is lost. Must find a host." I am Jennifer W… Jennifer… Jen… "He may be adequate. Not vulnerable. Must weaken. Inspire. Poison." I'm a fighter. I don't give up… "Inspiration. Yes. Weakening, trauma. Yes. But another… Must live. I must live!"

"Jennifer!" The glowing entity – Jen – hesitated. Something was trying to pull her away. Or pull something away from her. Which was which?! "Jen?"

There was a high-pitched buzzing sound and the white tendrils that had wrapped around every inch of the human body slowly slid away. She felt split in two…no, she was whole. There was something else she couldn't pinpoint. Her mind tried to comprehend what had just happened. She remembered feeling the power and heightened senses of the entity. The hunter in her had been thrilled by the fight, what the experience had given her…which was now a dizzying headache and overwhelming nausea.

"Where is it?" she whispered weakly.

"Dissipated," her rescuer replied, looking around as if to make sure the thing wasn't coming back. "Suppose it put too much into the transfer to survive when it was disconnected prematurely. I…" He suddenly bent down, his scraggly eyebrows uncomfortably close. "It is still you…right?"

"Well?" he insisted.

Finally, the girl gave an answer she hoped would satisfy her momentary captor.

"Had a run-in with a sick critter that almost got the better hand. Some kind of spirit or something that was trying to possess me. It died, but left some of its…essence, I guess, behind. I can actually do some pretty cool stuff, but it also gave me whatever illness was killing it."

"Sorry." He held up the small device she had destroyed with her knife; apparently, she hadn't thrown it far enough. This fellow was thorough, to say the least. She could make him drop the subject if she wanted, but she also didn't want to be on this fellow's bad side. "And what's this?"

"It helped me in my travels. But the tech is… It doesn't belong here. I had to destroy it just to be safe."

"What sort of tech?"

The woman squinted around at the cluttered room.

"The kind you don't want just hanging around."

"Be more specific."

"Okay." She looked him straight in the eyes. "I got it from the future. Terminator enough for ya?"

"I've heard crazier." With a grunt, Bobby cut the ropes that bound Jen's arms to the chair and offered to shake her hand, to her surprise. "Bobby Singer."

"I've heard of you. Jennifer Webb."

"Heard of you too. Heard you disappeared."

"Yeah, I've been…under the radar for a while." She shook her head with a chuckle. "Like I said. Terminator stuff."

"Where were you?"

She sniffed a laugh while Bobby handed her a glass of whiskey.

"I needed a break after my sister died. By pure luck, I ran across a guy who could travel through time as easy as could be. Veeeeery long story. I was able to get out, but I'm back in the game. Heard of any stray cases?"

"Got a specialty?"

She finished off her drink in one gulp, cringing as it went down. Clearly, this Bobby fellow had seen a lot – enough to barely bat an eye when she told him she had been hopping through time. She knew exactly how crazy it sounded.

"A lot of vampires and ghosts, but I'll do just about anything."

"Well, I don't have anything specific, but I know where you might be able to pick up something down south. There's a place…"

"The Roadhouse?"

"Yeah. You been there?"

"Not since…" She paused. "Wait. What month is it?"

"March," Bobby answered with an 'isn't it obvious?' tone. She looked at him expectantly to continue. "…2007?"

Jen went quiet for a moment.

"Do…do you know where I could find a ride?"

"What can I get ya?" the bartender inquired without looking up from the glass she was cleaning as the newcomer sat down at the bar.

"Whiskey?" Jennifer ordered, catching the woman's instant attention. "How you been, Ellen?"

"How can you come sauntering in here like nothing happened?" Ellen scolded, slamming the glass down on the counter. Jen froze in alarm. "I cared about you girls! Four years ago, I hear Kelsey's dead and no word from you. It's like you fell off the planet. Where you been?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Not good enough."

"Oh boy. I forgot how inquisitive hunters are… I had to get out of the country. Had a few adventures, some nasty run-ins. But I'm back. I'm…I'm really sorry about not trying to contact you…didn't know it meant so much." The cross woman glowered at Jen a moment before nodding in acceptance and pouring the whiskey. "What's the word on the road?"

"Demons. Lots of 'em. If you travel anywhere, you'll probably run into one eventually. They're usually pretty obvious."

"Hm." Jen considered the possible directions she could go as she downed her drink. It felt good to be doing something so…normal after the circus ride she had just jumped. "Guess I should get some supplies and hit the pavement."

"What happened to your face?"

The younger woman squinted her eyes, causing the webbed scarring to crinkle.

The brunette tottered through the halls, holding her left arm up to shield her watering eyes and her other hand holding her gun ready. A shot from a plasma rifle from the right had grazed her face before she could jump out of the way, leaving her half-blind from the pain and swelling. She prayed she didn't have permanent damage to her eyes. Hadn't she left this insanity behind?

"Got myself shot. After I lost Kelsey, I had to get away. I...don't really want to tell that story again. But, I'm back. Good thing too. Sounds like you could use all the hunters you can get."

Ellen grunted doubtfully.

"I've seen some crazy things, but that just about tops it."

"You and me both," Jen smiled, setting her glass down for a refill.