Chapter Nine

An Unfavorable Mix-Up

9

The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. Although he took Dean's warning to heart he also wanted to figure out what was happening. He checked the readings off of Baby's stereo and the result wasn't normal. Though it wasn't producing white noise it was producing something else. Neither Sam nor Dean noticed the Doctors actions in the back seat, but suddenly a dark figure appeared next to the Doctor. Calmly he evaluated this human-like shape with his screwdriver. The readings were off, the ghost was producing large amounts of gas and no one could smell it. Dean looked up to look at the Doctor and he swore loudly, slamming on the breaks abusively. Sam whiplashed his neck and then rocked back into his seat. The figure looked quietly at them and the put its finger to its lips. The Doctor, confused and a little shaken looks at Dean and then follow's the ghost's movement by putting his own finger to his lips.

"Can I ask you what you're doing here?" The Doctor asked kindly, he noticed Dean's hand heading for his holster. "I wouldn't do that. Shoot and this entire car will go up into the sky." Dean backed down, but kept his thumb on the latch.

It laughed then disappeared. "Are you kidding me?! That thing could have killed us all! Why didn't you say something?" Dean was upset and had taken his seatbelt off to turn and look at the Doctor questionably.

"It was producing large quantities of gas from its sort of half state of being. I only first saw it and it wasn't doing anything, but meaning to scare us. I didn't want to alarm you while you were driving."

"Cas is like a stoner with no sense of reality and then there's this guy. Mr. I have pointy things that do alien things and I didn't want to bother you with the thought that maybe there's a ghost in the backseat that could possibly kill all of us." Dean frothed at the mouth angrily.

"I have an idea. We need to get into town for this to work. Oh I haven't seen one of these in a while." The Doctor said quickly. Dean continued to stare at him from the review mirror. "Please." They continued again into town.

They entered into the town and the car's engine hit a slow, deep, rumbling idle. They strolled across town, but there were no people anywhere. No one was around, everyone had gone. Where was everyone? It made no sense to the Doctor, but it was even more unclear for the Winchesters. Even if the Doctor had a sense of what was actually going on the absence of population gave his old bones a small rattle. Dean parked in front of Mity Mart and kitty corner from there was Pizza House. The Doctor knew exactly what Dean was up to so instead he recruited Sam to help him.

"Do you think you're okay enough to help me out?" The Doctor asked. He started to reach for Sam's neck, but he flinched away.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a sprain. What are your plans?" The Doctor smiled widely, it was just like old days with a companion.

He jogs over to a gas truck that is parked next the Mity Mart. "How well can you drive? I can't drive very well, taken a couple lessons from Jack, but that never ended well." He was sidetracked again. "My intent is to drive this back to the motel."

"Why?" A single word can hold so much power.

"I think I know what Lovecraft is doing and how he's doing it, but first I need this truck to go back to the motel."

"No one is splitting up." Dean had arrived with a cardboard pizza box and was eating one greasy, cheesy piece. "This stuff tastes like butt, but it's better than veggies."

"No you're right, we aren't doing that." The Doctor agreed and went into the Mity Mart cautiously. He gathered the brochures and a couple newspapers from the front. Dean followed him and proceeded to gather junk food. Sam went into the back with his gun raised, prepared to take on anything.

He flipped his glasses on again and read through the brochures and newspaper. "Although this is the most boring American town I know of I think we have a chance."

"Did you find anything useful, Doc?" Dean came up behind him munching on his pizza.

"I think I did." The Doctor smiled then flipped off his glasses. "Allons-y!"