Edit: So. Some of you may have noticed I posted a chapter here that definitely did not belong...my apologies. As mentioned in my later author notes for this chapter, I was going to be late for work and in a hurry, and must have posted the wrong document by mistake. Somewhat fortuitous, in that I can call it tonight's chap and do a bit more cleanup of what was a very rushed work. XD
Whoot! Next chap! Thanks for your reviews! They keep my existence happy. XD I read them at work and they brighten my day. Or in the morning when I wake up still half-asleep. Depending on when you write them. XD Branch, your dedication thus far brings joy to me. And gives me anxiety. Because I feel like you're ready to pounce if I fail. ;-; *endeavors not to* XD Cornish...your screenname rocks and that review made me do a sleepy happy-dance XD and Moira! Your review is controversial and fantastic! Illucida, you've given me my first awesome. Therefore. YOU are awesome. It's the principal of...awesomeness. Jensenslove and caymus, thank you for your information and reviews! XD Thanks dearies~
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"Dean, look out!" Sam cried as he lunged for the other, too late.
The knife slid into Dean's side as blood began to pool around his shirt, and a surprised Dean looked to Sam before he stumbled to the ground.
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Six Hours Earlier
The difference was, in a word, substantial.
Dean had, after a considerable bit of angry walking, found his way over to Westland as the collective neighborhood (and school) were called. Whether or not he and Sam were fighting, there was apparently still a job to do. One that involved missing women and ice.
Quiet Oaks was like something out of a catalog, whereas Westland, while not the slums...was a far cry from the modern opulence of it's neighboring town.
Click. Click.
A young woman stood clicking a staple gun against a post that now held up her chosen sign, a missing poster for one Leayani Brooks.
"Friend of yours?" Dean asked as he approached and saw her jump in surprise before she shot him an uncomfortable look. He took note of that as he offered her a light smile that seemed to do nothing to ease her apparent anxiety.
"...Yes..she was..." The woman turned her back to post another sign, and Dean lifted a brow before he followed behind her.
"May I ask what happened, miss...?"
The woman shot him another uncomfortable look. "Tracie. And read a paper. No one knows. One minute she was there, the next she was gone..."
"You saw it happen?"
"...No. Who are you?"
"The name's Clark. I'm a detective from up north in Green County. I've been sent to investigate the disappearances of the QOC students...that being said, can you think of any reason that your friend might have been targeted?"
The woman still seeemed suspicious but she answered with a shake of her head. "Leayani...was well-liked...she came from Hawaii a few years ago and she's become one of the Westland family...no one would hurt her."
"Westland family?"
"We're a pretty tight-knit community. So everyone pretty much looks out for each other.."
"Can you tell me more about what happened?"
The woman cast an uneasy glance around before she inclined her head. "Leayani...it was late, she was going back to her dorm at Westland College...it doubles as a high school...and then she was gone...I wasn't there to see it...but...her clothes were all that was left...and a bunch of ice...is that all? I really need to get back to what I was doing.."
Dean penned his number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. "You think of anything else, anything at all, you let me know, alright? I'm sorry for your loss."
The girl took the paper and eyed it a moment before she nodded. "Thank you." she slipped the paper into her pocket and headed back to what she was doing.
In such a small town, Dean didn't figure the posters would do much, but he supposed she had to try something. His next bet would be to check out the college, which would be an easier task if Sam were around...but he wasn't, so there was that...
As for the girl, her edgy, nervous behavior puzzled him a bit. Was she just afraid of a strange man talking to her, or...was it something else?
After a bit of wandering Dean found his way to the college slash high school, it wasn't far and wasn't that impressive. A ivy-covered building of ruined color with a few connecting buildings that he assumed were the dormitories. Several students roamed the walkways and after a moment, he decided he'd speak with someone else.
Which was how he found himself in the principal's office.
"You say you're a detective...?" The principal was a weary-looking woman with her hair tied back in a messy bun.
"Yes, ma'am. Name's Clark." he flashed her a badge. "I'm here to investigate the disappearances...is there anything that you can tell me about them?"
The woman scrunched her nose to read the badge before it was taken and dismissed it as she looked to Dean instead. "Nothing you wouldn't have heard...she simply vanished...she left behind her clothes...and there was a strange amount of ice around her...or frost, I should say."
"Frost?"
"Well...yes. It wasn't just ice cubes or anything, it was a blanket of frost on the ground...except for her clothes. They were spotless, the only reason we even knew that they were...her clothes, was because they were identified by a few of her friends."
"Can you think of any reason that they might be targeted?"
The woman hesitated a moment before she replied. "I..." she sighed. "No, no I can't."
"Ma'am. I could really use your help on this. If you know anything.." Dean prompted.
She hesitated again before she admitted. "Quiet Oaks...I hate to accuse anyone there but...I can't imagine anyone in our little town hurting someone else here...we're a very close community, you see..."
"So you think it was someone from Quiet Oaks?"
"I-I'm not sure.." she seemed nervous and Dean switched his topic.
"Has there been any student deaths before. Or anything strange?"
The principal blinked and started to shake her head before she paused. "Well...there was one...a student...Moira Jameson...she left the campus one night and was never seen again. Only her clothes, but they were cleaned and pressed, and left outside the school..."
Dean blinked at that. A girl disappears and someone does her laundry? Not exactly a 'supernatural' case, but that certainly qualified as 'strange'. "Are there any theories?"
The woman shook her head. "None...she left one night and was never seen again. She was a good girl. Studied hard. I was a teacher then, it was about...ten years ago...she wasn't well-liked though."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...she was considered a little...odd. She wore strange jewelry, symbols and things, and often muttered to herself...very sweet girl, but odd..."
"Does she have any family or friends?"
"Her family moved not long after her...disappearance. As for friends...there was one girl...she lives in Quiet Oaks now, though...that happens from time to time...let's see...Angela Adams. I believe she's a teacher at Quiet Oaks College, as it happens."
Dean nodded. "Thank you for your time, ma'am. I think that's all for now...have a good day." he inclined his head and left the school, uncertain of where to start next. He could look up old reports on the Moira girl to see if there was any conncection, it seemed that there may well be...but ten years ago, huh? Then there was Angela...others in the 'close-knit community'...yeah, Quiet Oaks definitely rubbed him the wrong way. The white fence community crap just didn't float his boat, to put it mildly.
"Damnit. Where the Hell do I start?" he muttered before his brow furrowed as he noted something from the corner of his eyes. Several of the buildings around the school were closed down shops, or restaurants, and between a pair of them was a small, vacant lot.
A small vacant lot that he'd just seen a cloaked man enter.
Dean let his hand slide down to his gun as he made his way across the street and to the vacant lot. Dirt. Some bushes. Some rocks. No sign of a cloaked man. Not until he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise a bit as warm air like breath brushed by and he turned quickly...
...To face a man...without a face.
"What the Hell..." Dean stumbled back, taken aback by the sight.
Dressed in all black and a thick hood, the man before him had a head...and a face...but no features. Lips, eyes, mouth, nose...there was nothing, just blank, scarred skin. When it stepped towards him again, he whipped out his gun and took a quick shot at it, that should at least scare it. But instead, the bullet went right through it and while it caused the thing to flicker, it solidified again and took a step forward. So a spirit, then?
Dean didn't have any of the proper equipment on him to deal with a spirit, most of his things were at the motel or in the Impala. He'd left his baby in that damned parking lot. A silver glint caught his eyes and he cursed again as he saw that the thing had a knife. "Slow down there, beauty queen. We can talk this out, can't we?" As the faceless man stepped towards him, he muttered. "Nope."
"Dean!"
Dean turned in surprise to see Sam at the edge of the lot, headed towards him, and he waved a hand. "Sam! You got any salt?" he called out. It was a long shot, but hey.
"What..? No!" Sam called back and seemed confused a brief moment before his eyes widened as he took note of the figure and it's...face. Or lack thereof.
The figure was before Dean again suddenly.
"Dean, look out!" Sam cried as he lunged for the other, too late.
The knife slid into Dean's side as blood began to pool around his shirt, and a surprised Dean looked to Sam before he stumbled to the ground.
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I fell asleep last night before I could finish so I rushed it this morning when I woke up. So if it's a bit jumpy from place to place...THAT'S WHY! REALLY! *on the edge of being late for work* ;-; and my computer won't work to upload! _ Ahhhh. *runs to the living room* ~
Edit: Alright! I woke up a bit earlier after falling asleep while writing...again. I think I cleaned it up pretty well and it's my longest chapter yet! : D XD _ I think. And I had fun with the cliffhanger start. XDD Thank you, those of you who informed me of my error...since I had been laboring under the happy delusion that I'd posted correctly. ;-; I'd have noticed...eventually. But this was much faster. XD Thank you for your reviews and reads, they brighten my day, they really do. Even the constructive criticism ones. XD One thing I need to work on is my extreme-descriptions. I'm used to roleplaying, so I end up describing every minute little action and nuance of speech. ;-; I'm working on it. XD Thanks again, dearies! *passes out cookies* ~