Chapter 4

How do you bring up this wussy-girl crap? What I wouldn't give for him to look away from that dusty, passenger side window for one God-damned minute and say to me, "So, let's talk…" Man, I didn't know what I had when he'd do exactly that…all the freaking time. If only I knew then what I knew now. That was gold. This was torture.

"What's so interesting out there?" Jeez I was good wasn't I? So deep and meaningful. I amazed myself.

When I strained to hear his mumble but ended up hearing nothing but a slur, I took a deep breath to calm myself. It didn't work. "Sam, I can't hear you when you are facing away from me."

So he shrugged.

Which got me all the more worked up. Lucky that, because it was exactly what I needed to find my voice. "Can you at least look at me when I'm talking to you?"

So he did, but not with an expression I much liked. He wasn't doing it to be nice or to even humor me, it was sarcastic and cold and to be honest, it chilled me to the bone. Without another choice, I pushed that aside and opened my mouth again, "What made you come with me?"

"You have the car." He shrugged again. "I needed to get back to the motel somehow didn't I?" His tone was even and full of truth. I could see it. I shouldn't complain. Ever since he'd been back I wanted just that; the truth. Unfortunately for me, the few times I'd been lucky enough to get it, it felt worse than if he'd lied to my face.

"I'm sure one of them could have driven you back."

"There was no reason to stay."

"Except that you wanted to."

"We have what we need."

Even though I was sure the reason for the trip was the combination I couldn't help but wonder why he was so eager to help these people. I mean they were shady at best. As shady as I'd ever seen. Yet here Sam was blindly following their every move, without question. Probably wishing he was there with them instead of here with me. I didn't get it.

"Yeah catfish. We have catfish." I said.

"If you bothered to read the notes or think about this," he said with more passion than I'd heard all day, "you might have worked out we are talking about Skin walkers; not actual catfish."

"That's not what Samuel said. He said they may be actual catfish and if that is the case then – we have no case." If there was one thing for certain, right now, the last thing I wanted was a stupid damn hunt that could consume him. They were like an addiction for him now, an obsession and it was slowly turning me against them.

"Except that catfish are killing people."

"Sam I want to talk about you, not catfish or Skin walkers okay?" I just blurted out of nowhere and probably too fast. It took awhile for him to catch up and when I saw the tilt of his head and that glazed yet intrigued look seep through his eyes, I felt like smacking him.

If I kept my own eyes on the road I wouldn't have to see these new ones that were as unfamiliar to me as this screwed up feeling twisting in my gut. "You're freaking me out." I half laughed. Usually I would instantly regret saying such a thing to my brother, but my brother didn't seem to care about much at all anymore. So I forced myself to feel nothing right along with him.

For a split second.

"What happened to you?" I mumbled more to myself than to him.

"Nothing happened to me Dean. I'm fine. It's you. You are the one fighting our own family. Not me." Suddenly he burst back to …can I say; life? The suddenness caused me to jump a little but I kept my line of sight straight not willing to risk a glance at anything that resembled my younger brother. I simply could not handle seeing something other than Sam.

Other than Sammy.

"You're my family Sam. Not them." When I spoke the words, I expected to hear something in response that could quite easily crush me once again. While I waited for it I closed my eyes for a second to prepare, flinched when he shifted in his seat and breathed out when I felt his head turn back to the window.

Best case scenario I guessed. I got off lightly…Considering.

XxxX

The shower helped but only slightly. The warm water pelting down on my face and body only cleaned away the dirt from the day, not the rest. And the rest is what I needed washed away the most.

Nowadays, I took longer in the bathroom. It was my one escape and I often left the water running after dressing. Just so I could sit on the toilet seat, lean my head against the cold wall and close my eyes without raising any suspicions in Sam. Although in reality, I doubted he'd even bother wasting a consideration on how long I was taking in there. In fact he probably used the time just as I did; to be alone with his thoughts.

No, actually, scrap that. That definitely was not what he did. Sam and thoughts, if unrelated to a hunt seemed to be estranged now. Who knows what he did? Not me that's for sure.

By the time I stepped back into the room it was later than dinner time. I'd regrouped enough to suggest we skip out to the usual diner to eat. We hadn't eaten nearly enough all day and I was as hungry as a bitch. A good burger or a massive steak would go down a treat right about now.

Only when I glanced around the room, Sam was nowhere to be seen.

Nowhere.

My next instinct was to check my car.

Gone.

He had taken off with my car. And no guesses as to where.

That little…piece of work.

That's it! He was dead. I was going to kill him!

I absolutely, one hundred per cent could not believe he actually picked up his cell when I called him. Of all the freaking nerve. "Hi." He said as if he was on his way to the store to pick up some milk. Hi! Was he freaking kidding me?

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I boomed down the phone.

"I'll be an hour tops. I'm just getting out of the car now."

"And the combination?" I asked him mystified.

"Was only a phone call away Dean."

Dead. I was going to kill him dead! "Get the hell back here with my car right now Sam!"

"I'll be an hour."

"Now! Right now. Turn yourself around and get your ass back here!"

So I could kick it from here to Scandinavia!

"If I do I will only catch a bus – or steal another car– is that what you want?"

"Sam-"

"I'll see you in an hour." And with that, he disconnected the call…causing me to smash a hole the size of my already clenched fist in the grimy wall.

Oh buddy boy. You have no idea what you just did. No idea at all!

(To be continued...)