The next morning, the trio headed to the visitor's centre to join Haley. She was there with her brother and some old guy.
"I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come," the old guy said.
"Roy," Haley seemed to have already argued about this before.
"Look you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe, I think Ben's safest at home," Roy reasoned.
"You guys got room for three more?" Dean asked joining the group.
"Wait. You want to come with us?" Haley was surprised to see them there.
Roy looked at the trio with narrowed eyes, "Who are these guys?"
"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue," she derided.
"You're rangers?" Roy wasn't convinced in the least.
"That's right," Dean smirked.
"And she?" Roy pointed at Lyra.
"I'm a trainee," Lyra snapped. She was fed up of people always suspecting her.
"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Haley pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Well sweetheart, I don't do shorts," Dean replied cheekily. Lyra rolled her eyes and hit his arm, only to get an annoyed glare in answer.
"What, you think this is funny?" Roy asked. "It's dangerous backcountry out there, her brother might be hurt."
"Believe me; I know how dangerous this could get," Dean said seriously. "We just wanna help her find her brother, that's all."
Roy accepted that and they all started towards Blackwater Ridge. Sam was walking alongside Lyra while Dean was a little ahead of them.
"So, how'd you met Dean?" Sam broke the silence.
Lyra stared at him for a minute, surprised that he had started a conversation. "We met at a bar," she answered.
"But you are underage to be there," Sam stated.
"Yeah, one of my acquaintance worked there and she owed me," Lyra shrugged.
Sam nodded, "And what was Dean doing in Vegas?"
"Never asked him that. It was some case, don't know what though," she replied.
"Do you miss your old life?" he asked after a minute.
"Not much. I was planning on going to a college but never got the chance. Doesn't matter now."
"It was a big change for you," Sam commented. He felt sorry that she had to leave everything behind her, just to stay alive.
"Yes. I had long ago decided that I would never marry, not until I was 35 at least. But life had other plans and it's alright. I like this new life for me," she smiled.
Sam didn't get a chance to ask another question as Dean started talking with Roy.
"Roy, you said you did a little hunting?" he asked.
"Yeah, more than a little," Roy said with pride.
"Uh huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?" Dean taunted.
"Mostly buck, sometimes bear," Roy replied, ignoring Dean's tone.
"Tell me…Bambi or Yogi ever hunts you back?" Dean mocked. Roy didn't reply but grabbed Dean's arm to stop him. "Whatcha doing Roy?"
Roy poked the ground where Dean was going to step, with a stick and a bear trap snapped on it. "You should watch where you're stepping… Ranger," he sneered.
"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers. So who the hell are you?" Haley asked stopping Dean.
Dean looked at Sam and Lyra. Sam raised his eyebrows and walked by. Lyra shrugged but chose to hover around him.
"Sam and I are brothers, and Lyra is…" he paused uncertainly.
"Your wife," Haley motioned to his left hand.
"Uh yeah," Dean said, looking at the ring himself. "Well, we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat."
"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?" she raised her eyebrows, glancing at Lyra fleetingly.
"I'm telling you now. Besides it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman," Dean said. Haley looked between him and Lyra. "I don't need to lie to her. She's kind of always with me, so she knows everything," he explained further. "So we okay?"
"Yeah, okay," she agreed reluctantly.
"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?" Dean said with a goofy grin, pulling out a bag of peanut M&Ms.
After a few more hours of hiking they made it to their destination. "This is it… Blackwater Ridge," Roy declared.
"What coordinates do we have?" Sam asked.
"35-111," Roy answered.
"You hear that?" Dean asked.
"What's there to hear? It's all silent," Lyra said.
"That's the catch. Not even crickets," Sam mused.
"I'm gonna take a look around," Roy stated.
Sam stopped him, "You shouldn't go off by yourself."
"That's sweet…don't worry about me," Roy waved him off and stalked ahead.
"All right, everybody stays together. Let's go," Dean commanded.
"Haley over here," Roy called. They all followed his voice to a ruined campsite. "Looks like a grizzly," he remarked.
"Tommy? Tommy!" Haley shouted but Sam shushed her. "Why?" she yelled at him.
"Something might still be out there," he told her.
"Sam!" Dean called from a distance away. Lyra was already with him. "The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here the tracks just vanish. That's weird. I'll tell you what…that's no skin walker or black dog."
They walked back to join the others where they saw Haley crying and so Dean went to assure her, "Hey, he could still be alive."
"HELP! HELP!" a voice shouted. All of them rushed after it but couldn't find anyone.
"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Haley voiced her thoughts.
"Everyone back to camp," Sam said urgently. They run back to the camp to find that all of their bags have gone.
"Our packs," Haley cried.
"So much for my GPS and my satellite phone," Roy muttered, picking up the pieces of his smashed gadgets.
"What the hell is going on?" Haley asked with fear lacing her voice.
"It's smart. It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help," Sam said.
"You mean someone; some nut job out there just stole all our gear?" Roy questioned.
"I need to speak to you; in private," Sam looked at Dean and Lyra. They gathered a little away. "Let me see dad's journal," Sam extended his hand towards Dean. "Check this out," he opened a particular page and showed it to them.
"Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west," Dean complained.
"Think about it Dean, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice," Sam reasoned.
"Great," Dean said taking out his gun. "Well then, this is useless."
"We gotta get these people back to safety," Sam handed the journal to Dean and walked back. "All right, listen up. Time to go, things have gotten more complicated."
"What?" Haley asked.
"Kid, don't worry. Whatever's out there, I can handle it," Roy assured.
"It's not me I'm worried about; if you shoot this thing you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave now," Sam said.
Roy confronted him, "One you're talking nonsense; two you're in no position to give anybody orders."
"Relax," Dean tried to calm them down.
"We never should have let you come out here in the first place, alright? I'm trying to protect you," Sam had lost all his patience.
"You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight," Roy shot back.
"Yeah? It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here," Sam scoffed.
"You know you're crazy right?" Roy laughed at them.
Sam gave out a bitter laugh, "Yeah? You ever hunt a wen-" Roy cut him off by pushing him.
"Roy!" Haley yelled.
"Chill out," Dean said, pulling Sam and Roy apart. Lyra moved to Sam's side and placed a hand on his arm. Sam looked at her and smiled apologetically.
"Stop; stop it, everybody just stop. Look, Tommy might still be alive, and I'm not leaving here without him," Haley said.
"It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves," Dean took charge of the situation.
They built a fire and started drawing protection symbols around the small area. "One more time, that's…?" Haley asked.
"Anasazi symbols. It's for protection. The Wendigo can't cross over them," Dean explained to her. Roy laughed at him and so Dean snapped, "Nobody likes a skeptic Roy."
When Dean was finished he went to talk to Sam, "You wanna tell me what is going on in that freaky head of yours?"
"Dean, I'm fine," Sam replied. Lyra saw the two of them and decided to join them.
"No you're not fine; you're like a powder keg man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?" Dean prodded.
"Dad's not here. I mean that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?" Sam spoke out his thoughts.
"Yeah you're probably right. I don't think dad's ever been to Lost Creek," Dean said.
"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road, go find dad. I mean why are we still in here?" Sam asked.
"This is why" Dean held up John's journal. "…This book. This is dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us, I think he wants us to pick up where he left off, you know saving people, hunting things. The family business."
"That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants; tell us where he is?" Sam was getting agitated.
"I dunno. But the way I see it, dad's giving us a job to do and I intend to do it," Dean stated.
"Dean, no. I gotta find dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about," Sam said and looked at Lyra, remembering her words from last night.
"Remember what I told you Sam," she said gently.
"Yeah. It's just…" he trailed off.
"Difficult?" Lyra supplied and he nodded. "Well it is for everyone. You gotta move on and embrace life as it is. Value what you have, not what you've already lost." Dean gawked at her after her little wise words.
"I know," Sam sighed. "How do you do it? How does dad do it?" he directed his question at Dean.
"Well for one… them," Dean motioned to Haley and her brother. "I mean I figure our family's so screwed to hell; maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable. I'll tell you what else helps; killing as many sons of bitches as I possibly can."
Their talk was interrupted when they heard a shout for help. It was the Wendigo.
"He's trying to draw us out. Just stay cool, stay put," Dean ordered everyone. The Wendigo shouted again and again.
"Ok, that's no grizzly," Roy said, realizing the actual danger.
"It's okay. You'll be all right. I promise," Haley assured her brother.
"It's here," Sam said as his eyes swept the surrounding area.
Roy took a shot in the direction of the voice, "I hit it!" He sprinted forward after it.
"Roy, no! Roy!" Dean yelled. "Don't move," he instructed Lyra, Haley, and Ben. He and Sam followed Roy into the woods but returned without him.
They all waited for the sun to rise inside their protective circle. No one was going to sleep, that was for sure.
"I heard what you told Sam last night," Dean said to Lyra. They were sitting side by side on a rock.
"About what?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"About the whole family comes first thing," he replied.
She sighed, "Dean, for once can you not pull my leg on this?"
"I wasn't going to tease you about it," he defended himself. "I wanted to say that I'm impressed."
"Now this is the height of sarcasm," she rolled her eyes.
"Come on. I'm trying to be appreciative here," he said, annoyed.
"Well, in that case, thank you."
"But I like the 'fun you' better. All that wisdom doesn't suit your age."
"Are you jealous?" she asked with amusement.
"Why would I be jealous of you?" he cocked an eyebrow.
"Because I have mind, for one thing," she chuckled.
"Whatever," Dean shrugged and joined her laughter after a moment.
Morning finally came and they prepared themselves to face the Wendigo. Dean had just finished explaining the supernatural world to Haley and Ben.
"I don't…I mean these types of things they aren't supposed to be real," Haley shook her head.
"I wish I could tell you different," Dean sighed.
"How do we know it's not out there watching us?" she asked looking around.
"We don't. But we're safe for now," he assured.
"How do you know about this stuff?" she asked after a moment.
"Kind of runs in the family," he replied.
"Imagine my shock when I found out that the person I just married is a hunter of the supernatural," Lyra butted in.
"How'd you two end up married, anyway?" Haley asked curiously.
"Long story short, it was a drunken mistake and now we are bound to stay together," Lyra shrugged.
"Hey. So we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one, want to kill this evil son of a bitch," Sam declared, standing up.
"Well hell, you know I'm in," Dean smirked.
"Wait, they need to know what a Wendigo is," Lyra said pointing towards Haley and Ben.
"Wendigo is an Indian word. It means evil that devours," Sam started.
"They're hundreds of years old," Dean continued. "Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, other times a frontiersman or a miner or a hunter."
"How does a man turn into one of those things?" Haley asked with a disgusted face.
"Well it's always the same," Dean explained. "During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."
"Like the Donnor Party," Ben added.
Sam nodded at him, "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities."
"Speed, strength, immortality," Dean listed off. "If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry."
"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" Haley asked.
"You're not gonna like it," Dean hesitated.
"Tell me," she demanded.
"More than anything, a Wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It uh, stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there."
"And then how do we stop it?" she asked with a frightened expression.
"Well guns are useless so are knives, basically…" Dean pulled out his lighter fluid. "We gotta torch the sucker."
They hike into the woods, following trails of blood and claw marks left by the Wendigo. "Hey, Dean! Lyra!" Sam calls them.
"What is it?" Dean asked going over to him.
"You know…I was thinking…those claw prints…so clear and distinct, they were almost too easy to follow," he said thoughtfully.
"Could it be-" Lyra was cut off by a growl from the Wendigo. They look up to see a blurred figure moving and then Haley screamed. They turned to see Roy's body fall to the ground.
"You okay?" Sam asked Haley and she nodded. Dean checked the body to find his neck was broken. "Okay. Run! Go, go!" Sam ushered Haley and Ben forward.
They ran at top speed but then Ben tripped and Lyra and Sam went to help him. They heard Haley's scream again and rushed to help but it was too late. Dean and Haley were gone.
"Oh no," Lyra moaned. Dean disappearing meant she had only 30 minutes to find him or else she'd be dead.
"We'll find him," Sam assured her. He shook her shoulders to get her attention, "Nothing will happen to you. Alright?"
She looked up at him with a tearful gaze and nodded, wiping her tears away. They wasted no more time and started looking for any kind of sign that would lead them to Dean and Haley.
Lyra's senses were on high alert but she couldn't find a damn clue and as the seconds passed, desperation grew inside her.
"Hey, Sam, Lyra look," Ben called. There was a trail of peanut M&Ms which definitely Dean had made.
"Oh man, you smartass," Lyra smiled and shook her head.
Lyra was running out of time and so her adrenaline supply was in overdrive which helped her run faster. She kept repeating in her head that everything will be fine but still couldn't bring herself to believe it. They ran all the way up to the end of the trail and then paused to decide where to go. But luck was on their side as they saw an opening to a mine a little far from there position.
"Sam, I've got only 3 minutes," Lyra said desperately.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Sam took a hold of her hand and raced into the mine. They moved quietly once they were inside because they could hear the Wendigo growling somewhere. They hide just in time for the Wendigo to pass them and go outside.
"Sam!" Lyra whispered with a scared expression. "1 minute."
"Come on," he said and pushed her forward.
Lyra's tears were flowing freely now. Whatever hope she had was long gone. Her time was up and they hadn't found Dean yet. She now just prayed for others' safety.
Somewhere inside the mine, Dean opened his eyes to find that he was hanging from the ceiling. He moaned in pain but a horrifying thought suddenly struck him.
"Lyra!" he gasped out. He didn't know how much time had passed since he was taken by the Wendigo but he needed to get back to Lyra. He struggled against the restraints but all he did was damage his wrists.
"Son of a bitch," he exclaimed. One of the rarest things happened; fear gripped Dean. He had never been this scared in his life. Lyra was going to die or was already dead and it was all because of him.
He suddenly heard a loud thud and looked ahead. It was Sam, Ben, and Lyra. They had fallen from somewhere above. Relief filled him when he saw Lyra but it was short lived. Sam was holding her and she seemed to be almost dead.
"Come on Lyra. Hold on! We're almost there," Sam too was scared.
"Sam?" Dean looked at him with questioning eyes.
"Dean? Oh thank God. Here," Sam handed a knife to Ben. "Go."
Ben didn't needed to be told twice, he quickly cut Dean loose and then moved on to his sister. Dean rushed to Sam and Lyra.
"What happened?" Dean asked taking Lyra in his own arms.
"She just started choking; it was as if she was drowning just not under water," Sam explained but Dean wasn't actually listening. He had started giving her chest compressions, forcing the water out.
"Come on, kitten," he mumbled. He blocked her nose and blew air in her mouth a couple times but she wasn't responding. "You can't die on me," he said and compressed her chest a few more times.
Lyra drew in a sharp breath and coughed out the water which had filled in her lungs because of the apparent drowning.
"Finally," Dean sighed and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry," he said, kissing her forehead.
"I'm not dead, am I?" Lyra asked blearily.
"No, of course not," Dean smiled at her.
"We should get out," Sam drew their attention to Haley and her brothers. One of whom, Tommy, was severely injured but alive.
"Yeah," Dean stood up and helped Lyra to her feet.
After making sure that everyone was alright, they went to find something that could kill the Wendigo.
"Check this out," Dean said, holding a flare gun.
"Flare guns… those'll work," Sam approved.
All of them started to head out of the mine but not long after, they heard growling around them.
"Looks like someone's home for supper," Dean joked.
"We'll never outrun it," Haley pointed out bleakly.
"You think what I'm thinking?" Dean asked Sam.
"Yeah think so," he replied.
"I'm coming with you," Lyra interjected. She wasn't going to let Dean out of her sight anytime soon.
"I know. I wasn't leaving you either," Dean said, smiling slightly. "All right listen to me. Stay with Sam, he's gonna get you out of here," he instructed Haley and Ben.
"What are you gonna do?" Haley asked with concern. Dean just winked at her and turned to walk down the way they had come with Lyra by his side.
"Chow time you freaky bastard! Yeah that's right, bring it on baby, I'm feeling good!" Dean shouted to get the Wendigo's attention.
"Hey! Hey you want some white meat bitch! I'm right here!" he shouted again. Lyra was freaking out by his side. "It's gonna be alright," he whispered to her. She looked at him and nodded.
A few seconds later they heard gunfire and turned to go help Sam. They found him and the others at the end of the tunnel. The Wendigo had their way blocked.
"Hey!" Dean yelled and shot the Wendigo from behind. It immediately burst into flames and died with a shriek. "Not bad huh?"
They all got out safely and called 911. The paramedics and police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.
"And the bear came back again after you yelled at it?" A police officer questioned Ben.
"That's when it circled the campsite; I mean this grizzly must have weighed 800-900 pounds," Ben lied as he was told to.
"All right we'll go after it first thing," the officer informed him.
"So I don't know how to thank you," Haley said to Dean. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Must you cheapen the moment?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered.
"You've got a wife," she reminded him.
"That I have," Dean looked over, where a paramedic was checking Lyra. He had insisted to get an assurance that she was fine.
"I hope you find your father," Haley said and stared at him for a moment, contemplating whether to kiss him or not. She settled for a kiss on his cheek.
Dean walked over to Lyra, "Everything fine?"
"Yes. Her vitals are good, though there's still some water left in her lungs. But don't worry it will disappear on its own," the paramedic informed him and left.
"If you ever leave me like that again, I'll kill you," Lyra threatened.
"How will you kill me when you'd be dead yourself?" Dean smirked.
"That's the point. As a ghost I'll have the upper hand," she smiled and went to the impala.
"Hey dude, I'm driving," Sam told Dean and got in the driver's seat. Dean muttered something and got in the car.
"Hey Sam?" Lyra spoke up from the backseat.
"Yeah," he said.
"Can you tune the radio to something other than Dean's music?" she asked sweetly.
"Sure," Sam smirked and changed the radio channel to modern music.
"What? Are you two going to torture me with this crap?" Dean exclaimed.
"House rules Dean," Lyra started
"Driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cakehole," Sam finished. They both laughed at Dean's scowling face and Dean just huffed.
A/N: Sorry if this was a little late than promised. Tell me how you liked it. And I'm confused about which episode to take next- Dead in the water or Bloody Mary. I'll skip Phantom traveler but if you want I'll do it. Whatever it is, just tell me. Again, thanks for the lovely reviews. See you next week.
