A/N: Thank you wideawakepastmidnight, RebornRose1992, bjq, Evangeline Smithson, tove, stoxy99, Jenna, and some guests for the lovely reviews. I appreciate all your support.

Please enjoy and review this chapter! Also, happy holidays to everyone!

8.

Bugs

Setting down the last hundred dollar bill, Hannah frowned as she stared at the money laid out in front of her. Maybe she counted wrong, they couldn't have had that little amount of money. She counted again and was disappointed to learn that she had counted correctly.

"We're running low on cash," announced Hannah. "I have some money on my debit card, but I'm not sure how long it'll last us..."

"Then we better hit the nearest bar," replied Dean. He was lounging in a chair by the desk in their motel room, tilting it back on two legs.

Hannah creased her eyebrows, confused by his response. She looked at Sam who sat next to her on the bed, hoping he could elaborate. Sam looked up from his laptop and gave Dean a withering look. He turned back to Hannah, sighing.

"He means we hustle money," Sam explained to her. "Which we don't have to do."

Dean rolled his eyes before smiling at Hannah. "What do you say, Princess? You up for a fun night?"

She chewed her lower lip, contemplating whether to entertain Dean's idea of 'fun'. His idea of a 'fun night' was hanging out at rough dive bars with bikers and scantily-clad girls. Hannah felt uncomfortable going out to a bar to hustle money, especially with Dean of all people. He'd probably desert her in favor of a girl dressed in leather and leave Hannah stranded with the drunk men there.

He seemed to notice her reluctance. "It ain't all that bad," Dean said, getting up from his chair. "I thought you were all 'loosey-goosey'?"

"I am!" Hannah exclaimed. "I'm always up for a fun night!"

Alright then!" Dean grinned, and Hannah faltered. He reached out to tousle her hair, but she shoved him away. He headed to the bathroom and he said, "Wear something slutty."

"I don't own anything slutty," Hannah said, unsure if she should be offended.

"Whatever! Just wear something, uh, distracting, alright?" Dean exclaimed as he shut the door behind him.

"Why?" Hannah asked, baffled. She heard the toilet flush shortly afterwards then the faucet turn on. When the door swung open, she sat up straighter and waited for his response.

"Look at yourself, Hannah. You're cute—" Hannah smiled widely at the compliment. "—ish, and I'm great at hustling. With my skills and your... assets, we'll be rolling in cash."

Hannah's smile had long vanished since Dean added the 'ish' to the 'cute' part. She glanced at Sam wondering what he made of Dean's scheme. He was staring at Dean like he was an idiot. Hannah looked back up at Dean, meeting his expectant stare.

If she said no, Dean would forever say that she was not loosey-goosey. Besides, they needed the money and she wouldn't be doing much, just waiting in the bar for Dean to finish hustling pool.

"Fine," Hannah sighed. She suppressed a smile when she saw Dean throw his fist in the air. "But it can't be a biker bar!"

"No promises," Dean replied easily. "Oh, lighten up, Sammy. If Miss Goody-Two-Shoes over here is agreeing to a night of drinking then so can you."

"Shut up," Hannah and Sam both told him.

It took an hour for Hannah to shower and get dressed in her—what she deemed—temptress outfit. They drove to the nearest dive bar. It was night time by the time they found one, and it was a rowdy biker bar with loud rock music.

"I told you not to pick a biker bar!" Hannah hit Dean on his shoulder from the backseat.

"It's the only one around!" Dean exclaimed, lifting his arm to block her fist. "Now come on."

They all climbed out, but Hannah was tempted to retreat inside the Impala. There were some people loitering around outside, and one person whistled at the sight of the Impala. Sam pulled out a rolled up newspaper and sat himself on the hood of the car, resting his back against the windshield.

"You're not coming?" Hannah asked, disappointed.

Sam shook his head. "Go ahead without me. I'm trying to find us a gig."

She turned back to the bar then willed herself to enter it.


They came out of the bar with more than two grand.

"You know, we could get day jobs once in a while," Sam said when they neared the car.

"Hunting's our day job," Dean replied, handing Hannah the wad of cash to count. "And the pay is crap."

"Yeah, but hustling pool? Credit card scams?" Sam's eyes went to Hannah. "Using Hannah as a honey trap? It's not the most honest thing in the world, Dean."

"Well, let's see honest." Dean held out one empty hand. "Fun and easy." He took Hannah's hand holding the money and held it out beside his empty one. "It's no contest. Besides, we're good at it. It's what we were raised to do."

"Yeah, well, how we were raised was jack shit," Sam muttered.

Hannah pulled her hand out of Dean's grasp and went over to Sam. "Have you found us anything?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

"Maybe." Sam pointed to a column he circled in the newspaper. "Oasis Plains, Oklahoma—which is not too far from here. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob."

"Huh?" Dean was understandably confused.

"Human mad cow disease," Hannah explained.

"Mad cow," Dean murmured then looked at them. "Wasn't that on Oprah?"

Sam and Hannah exchanged incredulous glances. "You watch Oprah?" Sam questioned, raising his brows.

Embarrassment crossed Dean's features.

"So, this guy eats a bad burger," Dean began, hastily changing the topic. "Why is it our kind of thing?"

"Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration. It takes months, even years, for the damage to appear," Sam continued, "but this guy, Dustin? Sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour. Maybe less."

"Okay, that's weird," Dean agreed.

"Now, it could be a disease." Sam got off the hood. "Or it could be something much nastier."

"Considering our track record, it's probably the latter," Hannah remarked.

"Man. Work, work, work," Dean sighed, going around to the driver's seat. "No time to spend my money."

"What would you buy with our money?" Hannah asked as she climbed in the backseat.

"Cassette tapes," Dean answered cheerfully.

"Really?" Hannah would have never thought that Dean would want to spend his money on something so simple. "Maybe we can check out a music store later."

Dean met her eyes through the rear view mirror, and Hannah could see the corners of his mouth lift into a small smile. She returned it before looking down at her lap. He made fun of her every day, but then he would do something so... Cute? Hannah looked back up. She was being dumb. Friends teased each other. That was normal. I'm crazy, she thought, but weren't all hunters a little crazy?

They returned to their motel quickly and Hannah called the bathroom first. She shot the boys annoyed looks when they both groaned, complaining that she would take a long time.

"Without me and my assets, we wouldn't have gotten all that cash," Hannah reminded Dean.

Sam and Dean both shut up after that.

Hannah had already showered before they left to the bar, so she just changed into her pajamas and washed off her makeup. She left the bathroom shortly after brushing her teeth and fell forward on her bed. Dean sat down on the edge of her bed with his back to her.

"We make a good team, Hannah," he told her after Sam went inside the bathroom to shower.

She propped herself up and laughed. "It took you this long to realize that?"

He snorted and reached out to tousle her hair. Hannah swatted at him and crawled under the covers. She told him goodnight, and smiled to herself when he said it back.


Hannah hummed Cherry Bomb by The Runaways on their way to the scene of Dustin's death. They had questioned his co-worker Travis Weaver, posing as Dustin's niece and nephews. All they learned was that Dustin definitely did not have mad cow disease.

"What do you guys think?" Hannah asked as she ducked underneath the yellow caution tape.

"I don't know, but if that guy Travis was right, it happened pretty damn fast," Sam said, pulling his flashlight out of the pocket of his jacket.

"So, what? Some sort of creature chewed on his brain?" Dean questioned, peering down at the sinkhole.

"No, there'd be an entry wound," Hannah murmured.

"Sounds like this thing worked from the inside," Sam remarked, turning off his flashlight. Despite using it, they could hardly see anything down there.

"Huh. Looks like there's only room for one." Dean turned to her and Sam, smirking. "Should we settle this the old fashion way?"

"No!" Hannah shook her head vehemently. "I always lose!"

"That's not true. Dean loses just as much as you do," Sam said. He ignored the glares Dean and Hannah sent him. "Didn't you say you wanted to be a hunter?"

Hannah shot him a dirty look.

"Well, this is what hunters do, Hannah," Sam continued. He held out his fist and open hand. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Reluctantly, Hannah followed his and Dean's movements. Rock, paper, scissors. Hannah shaped her fist into scissors. Sam shaped his into rock and Dean scissors.

"Guess it's between us two," Dean mumbled, turning to face Hannah. They did it again and Hannah realized how stupid she was when she shaped her fist into paper when Dean always chose scissors. "Looks like you get to see what's down there."

"Yeah, I'm really excited about it," Hannah replied sarcastically. She took the rope from Sam's hand and fumbled with it as she tied it around her waist.

"Need help?" Dean offered. He held his hands up in mock-mercy when Hannah sent him a scathing look.

She accepted the flashlight handed to her and clutched onto the rope as Sam lowered her further. When her boots hit the ground, Hannah let go of the rope and turned on the flashlight, shining it around her before stifling a scream. There were dead bugs everywhere. It was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen.

"What do you see?" Sam asked from above.

"Bugs!"

"What kind?"

"Does it matter? They're dead! Get me out of here!"

"Just look, Hannah!"

Hannah whimpered as she crouched down and shone her light on the dead bugs. They looked like beetles and when she told Sam so, he told her to look for any tunnels. She shone her light around, but found nothing. As Hannah got to her feet, she accidentally touched a beetle and let out a startled scream. She turned off her flashlight and clutched the rope as Sam pulled her up and out of the sinkhole. Hannah punched Dean in the arm then jabbed Sam in the ribs, but he didn't even flinch.

"Aren't you ticklish?" she demanded, still jabbing her finger at different points of his body.

"No." Sam caught her hand.

"Whatever, weirdo," Hannah huffed, ripping her hand away. "Take me back to the motel. I need to shower."

"How many were down there?" Dean questioned, catching up with her.

"Ten or more, I think." Hannah shuddered. "All I know is that I touched one and I need to take a shower."

"Okay, okay," Dean relented. "You'll get your shower."


By the time Hannah finished showering and getting dressed, Sam and Dean were gone. What assholes, she thought but picked up her Motorola Razr and called Dean.

"Why did you guys leave?" Hannah asked when he picked up.

"You were taking too long," Dean explained. "We're at a open house that has BBQ. Take a taxi here."

"Fine," Hannah sighed then hung up. The next time Dean asked her to use her 'assets', she would take all the money.

Thankfully, this was a small town so the taxi driver knew which at open house Hannah was talking about. She paid the driver and took in the outside of the house. The paved walkways, the manicured lawns, it all seemed so... vanilla. But Hannah would be lying if she said she couldn't imagine herself living in a neighborhood like this.

Adjusting the strap to her purse, Hannah knocked on the front door three times. It swung open a moment later, revealing a friendly looking man. "Welcome!" he greeted pleasantly. "I'm Larry Pike, the developer here. And you are...?"

"Hannah." They shook hands.

"Hannah, nice to meet you," Larry said, and Hannah couldn't help but smile back. "So, you're interested in Oasis Plains?"

"I am. It looks like a lovely neighborhood," Hannah said politely.

"It is. Come on in." Larry stepped aside to let Hannah enter.

He led her to the backyard where many people were chatting and eating. Hannah was tempted to get a plate of barbecue, but a woman with her hair worn in a tight bun approached her.

"Hi, I'm Linda Bloom, head of sales."

"Oh." Hannah was a little startled by her in-your-face way of speaking. "I'm Hannah."

"I take it you're interested in becoming a homeowner," Linda said, her smile reminding Hannah of a Stepford Wife.

She looked past Linda and saw Sam speaking to a teenage boy with a tarantula. How horrible, Hannah thought, grimacing. Was this town overrun with bugs?

Linda followed Hannah's gaze. "He's a handsome young man, isn't he?" she commented, referring to Sam. "It's too bad he plays for the other team."

"What?!" Hannah blurted, widening her eyes.

"He came in with his partner, another handsome young man." Linda sighed, looking thoroughly disappointed. "It's unfortunate how all the good ones are gay."

Hannah's hand flew to her mouth as she tried her hardest to smother her laughter. "Excuse me," was all Hannah could manage to get out before stepping away. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from the laugh she was holding it. She paused, her mind flickering with an idea.

Marching up to Sam who was still talking to the teenage boy, Hannah tapped him on the back. When he turned to face her, Hannah slapped him across the face.

"What the—?" Sam touched his reddening cheek gingerly.

"How could you?!" Hannah demanded.

"Hannah—" Sam begun, but she slapped him again.

"How could you do this to me, Samuel! How could you throw away three years of our love and marriage for a man?!" Hannah knew she sounded hysterical from the uncomfortable looks on everyone's faces. "Haven't I been a good wife to you? What else do I have to do to make you love me!"

Sam gawked at her before sputtering out a flabbergasted, "What?"

"What the hell is going on here?" a familiar voice asked. Hannah whirled and saw Dean and Larry.

"This is the man you left for me, isn't he?" Hannah questioned, turning back to Sam. "I want your stuff out of our house by next week!"

"What is she talking about?" Dean asked, confused.

"I'm talking about you, homewrecker!" Hannah shrieked then buried her face in her hands. "Oh, why Lord? Why did you send this man to break my heart!"

"Okay, we're leaving," muttered Sam, grasping Hannah's wrist and dragging her out of the backyard. "Sorry for the disruption, everyone. Enjoy your barbecue."

Hannah let out a wail as she dragged out of the house. It wasn't until they were outside and out of earshot did she burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard she doubled over, clutching her stomach.

"What the fuck was that about?" Dean questioned, still confused.

"I hate you, Hannah," Sam told her, exasperated. "Why would you embarrass me like that?"

She couldn't even speak. Tears slid down her cheeks and finally her laughter died down to uncontrollable giggles. "Because, Sam, you made me go down in that sinkhole and touch dead bugs." She wiped her tears away. "You have to admit. It's pretty funny."

"No it's not," Sam hissed.

"It is actually," Dean admitted, chuckling. "You're a pretty good actress, Hannah."

"Thanks!" Hannah beamed. She sighed, leaning against the Impala. "How was your guys' tour?"

"Oh, it was excellent. I'm ready to buy," Dean answered, sarcastic. Hannah laughed. "So you might be onto something, Sam. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here."

"What happened?" Sam asked, still scowling.

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job," Dean told them. "Get this: severe allergic reaction to bee stings."

"More bugs," Sam murmured.

"More bugs." Dean nodded. He pulled out his car keys and tossed them to Sam. "Want to drive? Maybe that'll make you feel better."

Sam rolled his eyes while Hannah laughed as she climbed in the backseat. Unlike Dean, Sam drove at the correct speed limit.

"You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles?" Dean said after they drove for awhile. "What is it that could make different bugs attack?"

"Well, hauntings sometimes include bug manifestations," Sam informed them.

"Yeah, but I didn't see any evidence of ghost activity," Dean pointed out.

"Yeah, me neither," Sam admitted.

"Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone," Hannah proposed, leaning forward.

"Like Willard?" Sam asked, open to the theory.

"I've never seen that movie." Hannah frowned.

"Remind me to show you sometime," Dean said to her. "And yeah, but with bugs instead of rats."

"There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals—elementals, telepaths," Sam listed.

"Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing," Dean said then was quiet, thinking for a moment. "Larry's kid has a thing for bugs."

"Do you mean the boy with the tarantula?" Hannah asked, her frown deepening.

"Same kid." Dean nodded.

"He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula," Sam remembered, frowning too.

"You think he's our Willard?" Dean questioned, glancing at him and Hannah.

"I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess," Sam replied, but Hannah noted he sounded rather reluctant to believe it.

Dean looked out the window before hitting Sam lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, pull over here."

Sam looked at Dean in confusion, but nevertheless pulled into the empty driveway of one of the Oasis Plains homes. Dean hopped out of the car and gestured for Hannah to climb out. Hesitantly, she followed him.

"What are we doing here?" Hannah inquired.

"It's too late to talk to anybody else," Dean pointed out.

"We're going to squat in an empty house?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"I want to try the steam shower," Dean explained, stepping aside so Sam wouldn't run him over as he drove into the garage. He turned to Hannah, his mouth curving into a roguish smile. "Want to join me?"

Hannah's jaw went slack and she struggled to come up with a response. All while she was sputtering like a flustered idiot, Dean's roguish smile melted into a grin.

"Ah, I'm just kidding, Princess," he said, draping his arm over her shoulders. Hannah looked away, hoping he wouldn't notice her burning cheeks. "Hurry up, Sam!"

Dean removed his arm from her shoulders and went to shut the garage door behind the parked Impala. Hannah mentally kicked herself. How could she ever take Dean's flirty words seriously? He only said that because he knew that would make her blush.

God, I hate him sometimes, Hannah thought as she followed the boys inside the empty house.


Hannah felt herself be gently shaken awake. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Once her vision cleared, she saw that it was Sam crouching next to her.

"Morning," Hannah said hoarsely. She looked down at herself and noticed that she was swathed in Sam and Dean's jackets. "Why am I...?"

"You were cold," Sam explained as he took his jacket. Hannah remembered that she had taken off her own jacket to use as a pillow since there was no furniture in the house.

"You didn't have to," Hannah murmured, giving him a sleepy smile. "You were probably cold too."

"Nah, it's fine," Sam said, waving a dismissive hand.

She slowly got up, still groggy. Yawning, Hannah picked up her purse and jacket. She wandered around the house until she found the bathroom.

"Dean," she called, leaning against the door. "Hurry up, I need to brush my hair."

"What?" he yelled from inside.

"You ever coming out of there?" Sam demanded, banging on the door.

"What?" Dean shouted again.

"Dean, a police call came in on the scanner," Sam informed him loudly.

A moment later, the door opened a little and steam drifted out of the bathroom. Dean stuck his head out, a towel wrapped around his head. He grinned and said, "This shower is awesome."

"Come on," Sam huffed, rolling his eyes. He walked away, most likely to the garage.

Dean rolled his eyes and shut the door. Hannah leaned against the wall near the door and waited. He was pulling down his shirt when he stepped out of the bathroom, but Hannah caught a peek of his flat stomach before it was completely covered. She remembered his jacket and took it off, handing it to him.

"Thanks," he said, shrugging it on.

They ended up in Larry Pike's neighborhood. Police surrounded the house next door, and they spotted Larry speaking to someone on his cell phone. A covered body was carried out on a stretcher over to the morgue truck. Hannah learned that was the realtor, Linda Bloom, getting carried out from Sam.

"Wait," Sam said, stopping Dean from getting out. "Why don't we wait until the police leave?"

"Why?" Hannah asked, then recalled the incident yesterday at the open house. "Oh, never mind."

"Yeah." Sam glared at her through the rear view mirror.

"Whatever," Dean sighed, leaning back. Hannah heard him mutter some obscene word, but they waited in silence until the police finally dispersed from the scene.

Getting out quickly, Hannah and the boys climbed over the fence and through the bedroom window. Hannah looked around before following the boys to the hallway leading to the bathroom where an outline of Linda Bloom's body was drawn. Drops of blood stained the carpet and she could see that the glass shower door was broken.

Walking inside the bathroom, Hannah picked up a towel. Her eyes widened and she dropped it with a shriek. It was covered in dead spiders. She yelped when she backed into someone. Turning around, she saw it was Dean.

"You're such a wuss," he told her.

"Shut up," Hannah hissed, stepping around him.

"Spiders. From Spider Boy?" Dean asked Sam.

"Matt," Sam corrected, a chilly expression on his face. "Maybe."

"I don't think so," Hannah said, crossing her arms. "He's a loner, not a killer."

"Like I said, maybe," Sam said. "We could wait for him by the bus stop."

Hannah and Dean didn't argue with him. They snuck out of the house and back to the Impala where they parked it at the curb of the street. Twenty minutes passed when finally, a school bus pulled up across the street from where they were parked. Matt stepped off the bus and started walking into the forest.

"Where's he going?" Hannah asked, watching him head in the opposite direction from his house.

"Isn't his house that way?" Dean wondered.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

Curious as to where he was headed, Hannah and the boys climbed out of the car and followed him. The forest reminded Hannah of the wendigo case they did weeks ago. They found Matt easily, and Hannah barely restrained a shudder from the sight of the praying mantis on his wrist. She swallowed thickly and decided to stay behind Dean and Sam. Dean looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. She scowled at him.

"Hey, Matt," Sam said, startling the teen. "Remember me?"

"What are you doing out here?" Matt questioned, glancing at them.

"We just want to talk to you," Dean replied, yet his voice held a vaguely threatening tone.

"You're not here to buy a house, are you?" Matt guessed correctly. When Dean shook his head, Matt paled and he took a small step back. "W-wait. You're not serial killers, are you?"

Shoving back her disgust, Hannah stepped towards Matt. "No, you're safe," she reassured him, smiling.

Matt started to relax, then frowned at her. "Weren't you the girl accusing them of being...?"

Sam's groan almost made Hannah laugh. "I was just messing with him." She jutted her thumb at them, "They're brothers."

"Oh." Matt smiled, amused.

"So, Matt," called Dean loudly. Hannah flashed him a sheepish smile, remembering that Matt was a possible suspect. "You sure know a lot about insects."

"So?" He looked down at the praying mantis on his wrist, and Hannah took a small step back.

"Did you hear what happened to Linda, the realtor?" Dean queried.

He looked up, swallowing thickly. "I heard she died this morning."

"Mm, that's right. Spider bites."

Hannah shot Dean an annoyed look, wishing he would lay off the poor kid. Sam seemed just as bothered with Dean's lack of tact, but turned look at Matt.

"Matt, you tried to scare her with a spider," Sam reminded him.

"Wait—you think I had something to do with this?" Matt widened his eyes.

"You tell us," Dean responded, shrugging.

"That tarantula was a joke," Matt protested, "and anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy."

"You know about those?" Hannah asked him softly.

"There is something going on here. I don't know what... but something's happening with the insects." Matt put the praying mantis back on the rock. "Let me show you something."

He picked up his backpack and started leading them through the forest. Hannah and Dean trailed behind Matt and Sam. She wasn't exactly eager to see what lied ahead.

"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad? Maybe he could clear everybody out," Sam inquired.

"Believe me, I've tried. But, uh, Larry doesn't listen to me," Matt replied, bitterness coloring his tone.

"Well, why not?"

"Mostly? He's too disappointed in his freak son."

"I hear you."

Dean glanced between Sam and Matt. "You do?" he asked the former.

Oh no, Hannah thought, glancing at Dean. She knew this conversation wouldn't turn out well with Dean here. John's disappearance was usually the elephant in the room—or car. Hannah knew how it felt to be defensive of your dad, but she also understood Sam's frustrations. After all, she listened to Sam vent about John's controlling nature for many years.

Sam shot Dean a pointed look before turning back to Matt. "Matt, how old are you?"

"Sixteen," he answered, puzzled.

"Well, don't sweat it, because in two years, something great's going to happen," Sam told him.

"What?" Matt didn't sound too sure.

"College," Sam said. "You'll be able to get out of that house and away from—"

"College is great!" Hannah exclaimed. She ignored the glare Sam and Dean both sent her. "You get to meet so many different people, and the classes are so much more informative than ones back in high school."

"Really?" Matt looked at her hopefully.

"Really." Hannah nodded, smiling. "And hey, there's probably a club devoted to collecting insects at whichever college you're going to, so you'll get to meet more people like you."

Matt smiled at her before continuing their trek through the forest. She could feel Dean's eyes on her, but she ignored him. There was no need to fight in front of this teenager.

"How much further, Matt?" Sam asked a while later.

"We're close," he told them.

Five minutes later, they reached a large clearing. Hannah tensed when she heard more buzzing sounds than she'd like in the clearing.

"I've been keeping track of insect populations," Matt said, turning to them. He suddenly looked embarrassed and hastily explained himself, "It's, um, part of an AP science class."

"You two are like peas in a pod," Dean muttered under his breath.

"What's been happening?" Sam ignored Dean's comment.

"A lot. I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles... you name it," Matt said. He looked around in amazement. "It's like they're congregating here."

"Why?" Dean wondered.

"I don't know," Matt answered.

Hannah flinched when she spotted large dark patch of grass a few feet away. The others noticed it too and walked over to it. Hannah kept a safe distance away from the patch, nearly gagging when she saw more than a hundred worms crawling in the patch of grass and dirt. The patch turned out to be shallow, with Dean's foot creating a hole in the grass.

"There's something down there," Dean said, and he glanced behind him at Hannah. "What are you doing back there?"

She gestured for him to dig through the dirt. Dean rolled his eyes before pulling up the sleeve to his jacket and plunging his hand through the hole. Hannah bit her lip, imagining how gross it must have felt to be touching worms. She widened her eyes when Dean finally pulled something out.

It was a human skull.


They dropped Matt back off at his house then decided to visit the community college, hoping an anthropology professor could explain the skeleton remains they found.

They had driven in silence, and Hannah supposed it had something to do with John. Sam and Dean were as close as brothers could get, but when it came to their opinions about their dad...

"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave," Sam said, once they reached the community college. He took the box of skeletons out of Hannah's arms.

"Maybe this is a haunting. Pissed off spirits? Some unfinished business?" Dean proposed, locking the Impala.

"Yeah, maybe," Sam said. "Question is, why bugs? And why now?"

"That's two questions," Hannah corrected. She smiled sheepishly at his glare. She was about to follow him when Dean touched her elbow. He stared at her, and the intensity of it froze Hannah in place.

"I know what you did back there—in the forest, I mean," Dean told her. "… Thanks."

She blinked in surprise. Hannah had expected him to yell at her, not this. She smiled a little and nodded. His gaze lingered and he finally let her go. They hurry caught up with Sam and quickly questioned the professor on the bones.

The professor didn't take long to examine the skeleton remains. He claimed they were about 170 years old, suggesting they were Native American from the geography and time frame. He directed them to a Yuchi tribe in Sapulpa, which was forty minutes from the community college.

Dean slowed down his car and asked a man nearby where the eldest person of his tribe lived. He pointed straight ahead, and they thanked him. Dean parked in front of a diner and waited until Hannah climbed out to enter. They spotted the old man immediately, with his long silver hair and aged face.

"Joe White Tree?" Sam asked him. He looked up from his card game and nodded. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right."

"We're students from the university," Dean added.

"No, you're not. You're lying," stated the old man.

Hannah glanced at Sam, both just as taken back as Dean was.

"Well, truth is—" Dean tried to say.

"You know who starts sentence with 'truth is'?" Joe White Tree interrupted, not even sparing Dean a look. "Liars."

"Have you heard of Oasis Plains?" Sam questioned, getting straight to the point. "It's a housing development near the Atoka Valley."

"I like him. He's not a liar," the old man told Dean. He turned away, scowling. "I know the area."

She asked silently if she could sit. Joe White Tree nodded and watched her sit in front of him. "That amulet of yours..." he murmured, "it radiates something powerful."

Unsure of how to respond, Hannah asked him instead, "What can you tell us about the history there?"

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, frowning.

"Something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there," Sam explained. "Native American bones."

"I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him," the old man said, sitting up. "Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant, the cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time.

"And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people.

"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive," the old man concluded.


"So the gas company man man died on March 20th which was on a Friday," Hannah calculated on their way back to the Impala. "That's the spring solstice."

"'The night the sun and the moon share the sky as equals'," Dean quoted as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket.

"So, every year about this time, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger," Sam said then creased his eyebrows. "Larry built this neighborhood on cursed land."

"'And on the sixth night'," Dean remembered, then said the same time Hannah exclaimed, "It's tonight."

"If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise," Sam said, resolute.

"So, how do we break the curse?" Hannah asked.

"You don't break a curse," Dean told her, much to her disappointment. "You get out of its way. We've gotta get those people out now."

She widened her eyes in shock when Dean pulled out his phone and started to call someone as he drove. She snatched it from him and snapped it shut.

"What are you doing?!" Dean demanded.

"Are you really that reckless? You're driving!" Hannah exclaimed.

"So?" Dean asked, exasperated.

"Sam. Call Larry," Hannah handed him Dean's phone.

"Fuck you, Hannah. I'm trying to get those people out of that house."

"I don't want us to crash, dummy! Why don't you understand that?"

"Both of you shut up!" hissed Sam. "The phone is ringing."

They fell silent. Sam ended up calling Matt instead. She gripped the bottom of her seat, her pulse quickening with each passing moment. It didn't help that Dean was driving at dangerous speeds.

Both Dean and Hannah perked up when they heard Sam say, "You've gotta make him listen, okay?"

"Give me the phone," snapped Dean. He took the phone roughly from Sam's hand. "Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth, they'll just think you're nuts."

"You don't know that," Hannah said sharply. "His dad could believe him."

"Right," Dean said derisively. "Tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side and you've gotta go to the hospital, okay?"

Dean snapped his phone shut and shot Hannah a dirty look before returning his attention to the road. Hannah made a face at him from the backseat then leaned back, crossing her arms.

"'Make him listen'?" Dean repeated, glancing at Sam with a scowl on his face. "What were you thinking?"

Hannah rolled her eyes. Dean could be so tactless sometimes. They reached Oasis Plains and parked the Impala right in front of Larry's home. As Hannah shut the door passenger door behind her, she noticed Larry looking through the window before storming through the front door.

"Get off my property before I call the cops!" Larry shouted.

"Mr. Pike, listen—" Sam tried to explain.

"Dad, they're just trying to help," Matt pleaded.

"Get in the house!" he snapped at his son.

"I'm sorry," Matt apologized, turning to Hannah and the boys. "I told him the truth."

"We had a plan, Matt!" Dean upbraided. "What happened to the plan?"

"It's twelve AM!" Hannah shouted over everyone. "They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go, before it's too late."

"Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm," scoffed Larry, crossing his arms.

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy?" Dean reasoned, his face and tone the most somber Hannah had ever witnessed. "You don't think something weird is going on here?"

Larry faltered. Hannah hoped he would listen, but was disappointed when a scowl returned to his face. "Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy," Larry decided, glowering at them. "You come near my boy or my family again, and we're gonna have a problem."

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we've got a problem right now," Dean replied sharply.

"Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger," Matt urged.

"Matt, get inside! Now!"

"No! Why won't you listen to me?!"

"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!"

Hannah froze, straining to hear. From a distance, she could hear a buzzing sound. Her heart beat faster the louder it became. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps. "Do you hear it?" she whispered to Dean.

Dean shut everyone up. Hannah widened her eyes when she heard the lantern hanging on Larry's porch zap a bug, then another one and another one...

They all looked up at the sky. Hannah cupped her mouth shut when she spotted a swarm of insects fly towards the Pike home. She turned to the Impala, wondering if they could make it. Sam seemed to read her thoughts and grabbed her wrist, holding onto her tightly.

"We'll never make it," Sam stated.

"Everybody in the house," Dean ordered, gesturing for them to move. He shut the front door and locked it behind them as they rushed inside.

"There's no one else in this neighborhood, right?" Hannah asked Larry, hoping there wasn't. She didn't want the guilt of knowing they could have saved more people.

"No, it's just us," Larry answered anxiously.

Larry's wife stepped out of the kitchen, confusion written on her face. Hannah briefly recalled Larry introducing her at the barbecue. "Honey, what's happening? What's that noise?" his wife asked, frightened.

"Call 911," Larry instructed. She stood there, clearly petrified by the noise outside. "Joanie!"

Joanie hurried over to the house phone and dialed the number. After grabbing some towels, she, Sam, Dean, and Matt ran around the house placing them in any openings—doors, windows, the fireplace.

"Phones are dead," Joanie announced.

"They must have chewed through the phone lines," Dean murmured. He and Hannah looked up from the kitchen where they placed towels in the window. "And the power lines."

"Maybe my cell will work," Larry suggested, pulling his phone out. Not a second later did he stuff it back in his pocket. "No signal."

"You won't get one. They're blanketing the house," Dean replied. He turned to Hannah. "And don't bother telling me that 'oh, you don't know, it could happen'."

Hannah wrinkled her nose. "Is that supposed to sound like me?"

As Hannah walked passed the window, she jumped, gasping when she noticed the millions of insects collecting on the window. Swallowing thickly, Hannah met up with the others in the living room. Dean stayed in the kitchen, rifling through the cabinets.

"So what do we do now?" Larry asked her and Sam.

"We try to outlast it," Sam sighed. "Hopefully, the curse will end at sunrise."

"Hopefully?" Larry echoed, widening his eyes.

"Bug spray?" Joanie said in disbelief, when Dean returned to the living room with a can of bug spray.

"Trust me," Dean told her.

Everyone fell silent when the buzzing sound increased. It sounded closer, like it was inside the house. Matt was the only one brave enough to ask what that sound was.

"The flue," Sam realized.

"I think everybody needs to get upstairs," Dean instructed. Almost on cue, a horde of insects swarmed out of the fireplace. He lit his lighter near the bug spray, his flames warding off some of the insects. "Everyone upstairs! Now!"

They scampered up the stairs. Larry pulled a ladder down leading up to the attic. Hannah climbed up the ladder after Larry and his family. When Dean made it up to the attic, Sam pulled the ladder up and slammed the attic door shut.

A beat passed before the buzzing sound grew louder. Sawdust floated over them. Hannah's insides twisted in fear. She was going to die like that girl from The Mummy Returns, devoured by flesh-eating beetles.

"Oh, God, what's that?" Joanie asked, noticing the sound.

"Something's eating through the wood," Hannah answered, hating how her voice trembled. "Termites, probably."

"Okay, everybody get back." Dean motioned for Larry and his family to hide in the farthest corner of the attic. Merely seconds later did the termites chew through the ceiling, bursting into the attic.

Frantically, Hannah and the boys tried to patch up the hole. Dean tossed her another can of bug spray, but as she and Dean sprayed, and Sam patched up the hole, more holes were gnawed at by the termites, allowing more insects to swarm the attic.

There was no more substance in her can. Hannah dropped it and retreated with the family in the corner. Dean's can ran out shortly after, and Sam dropped the metal beam he was using to patch up one of the holes in the ceiling. Dean's chest collided with her face, and Hannah clutched onto his shirt, squeezing her eyes shut.

It must have been ages before the buzzing sound mercifully stopped. Hannah opened her eyes and peeked around Dean's body, seeing rays of sunlight shining through the holes created by the termites. She exhaled deeply and looked up, stiffening when she met Dean's eyes. How long had he'd been holding her? Her heart thrummed in her chest rapidly. Hannah let go of his shirt and Dean released his hold on her. She turned to Sam, smiling in relief to see him alive.

They survived the sixth night.


Hannah was laying on her side on the bed in their motel room, watching absently as Sam and Dean packed their own things. Two days had passed since they were nearly devoured by bugs at the Pikes' home, and she and the boys were finally getting ready to leave Oklahoma.

She fingered the silver chain around her neck. Her mind went to what the old man from Sapulpa. He claimed her hamsa amulet "radiated something powerful." Did he have some kind of sixth sense? There was nothing special about this amulet. Dean had got it from some hippie store for her eleventh birthday on the road on his way to Sioux Falls. The only thing special about it was that it was the only gift Dean ever gave her. Maybe this amulet was possessed or maybe—

"Hannah," called Sam, interrupting her thoughts. "We're going to say goodbye to Matt and his parents."

"Alright." Hannah let go of her amulet and slowly sat up. She stretched her back and her arms over her head. "Hey, Dean, did you want to check out a music store before we leave?"

Dean looked at her, surprised. "You remembered."

She smiled at him, puzzled. "Why wouldn't I?"

For a second, his eyes were wide, then he turned away with a shrug. "What did you want to buy with our money again?" he asked without looking at her.

"Clothes," she immediately said. "Books too."

They checked out of the motel and drove to Oasis Plains where they found Larry placing boxes inside a moving van. It came as no surprise for Hannah. She would have gotten the hell out of that land after experiencing something as traumatizing as that. After getting out of the Impala, they approached Larry who paused when he noticed them.

"Good timing. Another hour and we'd have been gone," Larry said, smiling at them. He reached out to shake their hands, shaking Sam's last.

"For good?" Sam inquired.

"Yeah. The development's been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found, but I'm going to make damn sure no one lives here again," Larry explained.

"You don't seem too upset about it," Sam noted.

"Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but somehow..." Larry looked at Matt who was carrying a few boxes out of the house. "I don't really care."

Hannah smiled, and watched as Sam went over to speak to Matt. She and Dean went back to the car, leaning against it as they waited for Sam. They watched Larry talk to his son, looking considerably happier than the last time they saw them.

"I've been thinking... I know me and Dad never got along, that's why I connected with Matt," Sam suddenly confessed. "I always thought he was disappointed in me."

"Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you," Dean assured him.

"I realize that now," Sam murmured, looking at Larry and Matt. He turned to Dean, staring at him. "I want to find Dad."

"Yeah, me too," Dean said, glancing at Hannah. He must have been as surprised as she was by his words.

"Yeah, but I just... I want to apologize to him," Sam decided.

"For what?" Dean asked, completely shocked.

"All the things I said to him," Sam answered, tearing his gaze away. "He was just doing the best he could."

"Oh, Sam!" Hannah threw her arms around Sam's waist, hugging him tight. "Don't worry. We'll find him."

"Yeah, listen to Hannah," Dean agreed. He laughed as he said, "And then you'll apologize. And then within five minutes, you guys will be at each other's throats."

Sam and Hannah laughed, and she let go of him. "Yeah, probably," admitted Sam as he opened the passenger door. "Let's hit the road."

"Play Cherry Bomb!" Hannah exclaimed, climbing into the backseat.

"Now you're talking!" Dean grinned at her through the rear view mirror.

"Can't stay at home, can't stay at school," Hannah sand. "Old folks say 'You poor little fool'. Down the streets I'm the girl next door. I'm the fox you've been waiting for!"

Dean started to sing along too, and Sam laughed loudly. Hannah was still singing as she and the boys waved goodbye to Larry and Matt, putting Oasis Plains behind them.