But when he read that note. That note that said Sam had to go and that he just couldn't say goodbye. That he was so sorry but he just had to go. And that he loved them all and he'll let them know he's okay soon. It was then that John realized that he didn't know his boy at all.

It's been a month since Sam left without even a proper goodbye. Two weeks since they finally heard from him for the first time. Communication was sent via a postcard. A fucking postcard. Dean is going to strangle his asshole brother the next time he sees him.

The postcard of course, was void of any location-bearing information and lacked a return address. All it read was: I'm okay. I'm sorry. Love, Sam

The card just made his mother cry which kind of shocked Dean since he didn't think his mom had any more tears left to cry since that's all she'd doing since Sam ran away in the first place.

Actually, Dean is going to punch his brother and then strangle him.

His brother who left his cell phone at home when he left. Who could've gotten into a car accident, or ran into a serial killer, or gotten some kind of killer sickness and would have no way to call for help. But Dean isn't worried! Not at all, he's pissed…and that's the only reason why his stomach plummets whenever he thinks of his geeky little brother.

It's been a month since Sam left without even giving his family a proper goodbye. He misses hearing his mom voice calling him down for breakfast in the morning. He misses his dad messing up his hair as some kind of weird greeting. He even misses his brother's teasing.

Thankfully, since having arrived at Bobby's house Sam has only had one vision. Bobby was able to pass along the information gained from the agonizing premonition to a hunter and who saved the people involved.

The past month has been tough on Sam both emotionally and physically. He's spent the time getting a supernatural crash course. When he's not learning all about the lore on different kinds of monsters he's training. He wakes up at five in the morning to run ever increasing miles. Then he does an agonizing amount of push ups, crunches, and whatever new torture that Bobby decides to inflict on him that day.

After that it's weapons training. Learning how to shoot different types of guns has probably been one of Sam's least favorite activities, although according to Bobby some of the most important ones. Before arriving at Bobby's junkyard Sam had never held an actual gun in his hands and was pretty apprehensive to do so. It was a necessary evil however, and although he was terrible at it at first he's been slowly gaining some skill and at Bobby's insistence he now carries a handgun on him at all times.

Learning how to wield knives is something Sam surprisingly found more enjoyable. The first time he held a hunting knife it had strangely felt right in his hands, as if he had used one his entire life. Quite frankly, it freaked him out. He'd pushed through all the agonizing training and the hours of reading obscure books in languages he didn't understand. But the feeling of…relief he felt holding a knife almost made him quit and run back home.

"Food ain't good enough for you?" Bobby breaks through his musings. Sam startles and looks at his mentor from across the table. Then looks down at the burger on his plate. Honestly, the food isn't the best, his mother's cooking had spoiled him. Not that he would ever say this to Bobby of course. The man's generosity knows no bounds. He's been spending incredibly large amounts of his time training him and has refused to let Sam get a job to pay for room and board. The hunter insists that all Sam's time be spent learning how to protect himself. Sam doesn't know how to express how grateful he is that this man who was a stranger a month ago has been so kind to him. Not that it matters since Sam is pretty sure the gruff older man wouldn't accept any thanks even if Sam did know how to say it.

"No! Of course not Bobby, just got lost in thought." Sam is quick to assure. "Thinkin' about anything in particular?" He asks. Sam shrugs, "Just about…everything I guess." Bobby nods sagely. "Well quit thinking and start eating. Better hit the hay early tonight, we're leaving tomorrow at sunrise."

"Leaving? Where we going?" Sam asks, surprised. This is the first he's heard of any kind of trip. "Gonna introduce you to some friends of mine. Hunters. And they might be able to help us figure out what exactly got you into this predicament to begin with."

"You mean they know what evil thing "claimed" me?" Sam asks. "Course not. But they might be able to find out." Bobby answers. "How?"

"Now if I knew that then we wouldn't be takin' a road trip tomorrow now would we? Now c'mon eat." Bobby emphasizes his order by gesturing at Sam's full plate. Not knowing what to say to that Sam picks up his hamburger for the first time since sitting at the table.

It's a long trip. Six hours in Bobby's less than pleasant smelling truck would've been horrible either way but add in the fact that they're going somewhere where Sam might finally get some answers and it's like the ride takes an eternity. The hunter-in-training has to stop himself multiple times from acting like a child and asking "Are we there yet?"

When they pull up to a roadhouse of all places Sam feels himself deflate. "This is where we're going to get answers?" Sam asks, doubtful. Bobby throws a smirk his way. "Hey haven't your parents ever taught you not to judge a book by its cover?" And with that he throws the door open and hops out of the truck.

The past month had been grueling and there had been moments in which Sam felt so homesick that he thought he was actually going to throw up. Yet this is the first time that he really regrets his decision to leave home. What if this is all worthless? Bobby just dragging him across the country time and time again and Sam never learning why his life was ruined.

"You coming boy?" Bobby hollers and breaks Sam out of his trance. Sam shakes his head. There will be time for a pity party later. At the very least he owes Bobby the benefit of the doubt. He gets out of the truck and follows the older man into the roadhouse.

And is immediately welcomed to the sight of a man passed out on top of the bar. Bobby points. "That's Ash. He'll be the one helping us." Sam frowns, "Yeah Bobby, this cover isn't looking too good." Bobby chuckles and slaps Sam on the shoulder. "Gotta wait 'till you see what's inside."

"Singer! Thought I heard your voice!" A smile so large it startles Sam comes across Bobby's face as a middle aged woman comes out into the bar. "Ellen, how ya been?" Bobby asks. "Same as always. This must be Sam." A warm smile directed at Sam surprisingly does a lot to put him at ease but at the same time makes his chest ache for his mother. He holds out his hand, "Nice to meet you ma'am." Ellen chuckles as she shakes his hand then and glances at Bobby, "He's a polite one, ain't used to that around here." Then she looks back at Sam. "I'm Ellen Harvelle, I own this lovely establishment. That's my daughter Jo." She gestures at a blonde girl who's probably a couple years younger than Sam.

Ellen directs her attention to the pool table. "Ash! Get your ass up! Bobby's here!" The body on the table jerks and falls off before immediately jumping to its feet. "I'm cool, I'm cool." A guy, likely not much older than Sam with a mullet, an actual mullet is supposed to be the one able to help. Apprehension washes over him once again but he can't help to chuckle in amusement at the guy's antics.

They all gather around the bar. "So Bobby said you needed help finding something but he didn't exactly give us any more information than that." Ellen starts off looking at Sam. The attention makes Sam squirm. He kind of just assumed that Bobby would run the show. "Yeah, well that's kinda all the information we got." He looks over at Bobby who nods at him. A silent confirmation that he can trust these people. Strangely enough he believes it, a similar gut feeling to the one that told him the best thing to do would be to go live and train with a stranger.

"I have these…visions." He starts. "What kind of visions?" Jo interrupts and leans forward. "Jo why don't you go grab us some beer?" "But mom!" The whining is cut off by a stern "Now Joanna Beth." The teenager rolls her eyes before stalking off. "Go on." Ellen nudges Sam. "Right, so these visions, they're like death visions. Someone who's gonna die by some supernatural creature. I didn't know they were true, I didn't know that monsters were real to begin with. But then when my dreams, well nightmares, started coming true I knew I had to do something! That's how I met Bobby. This psychic, she says that something evil came to me when I was a baby and did something which is why I have the visions…" Sam falters off, unsure on how to continue but thankfully Bobby takes over. "So that's where you come in Ash. We want you to look into Lawrence, Kansas see if there's any strange signs in the years 1983 to 1985." Ash snorts. "You want me to look into a whole town for anything "strange", which could be many things, for three years?" Bobby smirks, "Yeah that sounds about right." Ash nods. "Give me….seventy five hours." Then walks off. Ellen smiles, "You heard the man. I assume you're staying then?" Bobby smiles back in a way that makes Sam vaguely uncomfortable. "If you'll have us." Ellen rolls her eyes, "Don't ask stupid questions Singer. You and Sam are welcome to stay in the back rooms." And with that it's settled. Sam feels as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He might finally get some answers after all…well in seventy five hours anyway.

The next couple of days go fast. He spends his time playing arcade games with Jo and it's a relief to actually spend time with someone close to his own age again. He's pleasantly surprised to find the days don't actually go by at snail pace like he feared they would.

With just an hour left to Ash's estimated time Sam can't help but feel jittery. He sits by himself nursing a root beer since Ellen refuses to give him anything alcoholic.

Ellen looks over from the other side of the bar before throwing the rag she was using over her shoulder and coming over to him. "You okay honey?" She asks and it makes him want for his mother. Ellen has had that effect on him quite a bit. As if she's reading his mind she frowns at him, "Your mama know where you are?" Sam snorts derisively. "Yeah she knows that I left town to go stay with a stranger to learn how to use dangerous weapons to kill monsters." Ellen glares at him, "Watch your tone with me boy." Before conceding the point. "Still have you spoken to your family at all?" Sam looks down at his bottle and shakes his head. "Sent them a postcard but that's it. What would I say to them? What could I say? They'd think I'm crazy." Ellen lays her hand over his. "Sweetie you don't have to say anything. If it was Jo, you bet your ass I'd be hounding her for information but even if she told me nothing I'd just want to hear her voice. To know she's okay." Sam clenches his teeth and feels tears welling in his eyes. "I can't call. If I call my mom will ask me to come home. And I will Ellen, if she asks me to I know I will. But I can't go home. Not until I know I won't put my family in danger by just being around them." Ellen opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by someone whooping. Ash. "Alright suckers I'm done."

And so they gather back in the same spot in which Sam told them his story. Ash grabs his computer and some print outs which Sam thinks must hold the answers to all his questions. "So I found a quite a few instances of "strange" in Lawrence. Between the weeks of October 18th and November 2nd of '83 there was a whole bunch of strange. Electrical storms, cattle mutilations, crop failures and then boom November 3rd they're gone. Like they never even happened." Sam feels Bobby tense next to him. "What?" He asks. Bobby looks him in the eye. "Sam, those are all demonic omens."

_ On the way back to Sioux Falls Sam grabs a postcard from a convenience store. On it he writes "I'm okay. I can't explain, but I'm okay, really. I'm so sorry. I love you all."

He has a feeling he won't be able to go home for a very long time.