Chapter10 – The Path Bygone

Sam picked his way through the undergrowth. Something felt, wrong, about the woods. A thick, fetid smell clotted the air around him and there was a distinct lack of sound. Not birds, not squirrels, no insects, nothing.

He moved to step over a log and hit toe caught and he stumbled forward, the log crumbling in a rotted mess. Sam dusted his pant leg off and looked around him. Everything was dead or dying around him. The smell of decomposition heavy.

He had seen this kind of decay before a long time ago on a hunting trip with his dad. The land was cursed.

So much for the idyllic little garden spot 'the Household' was supposed to be. He held his breath as much as he could, covering his mouth and nose with his coat sleeve as he worked toward the clearing ahead. He had nearly reached it when his foot caught something and he pitched forward onto his face. He landed hard in the putrid soil. He started to push himself up, but something hard an angular pinched his hand painfully and he pulled back., his blood running cold. He shifted up slowly.

Bones lay scattered around him haphazardly. He got to his knees and brushed himself off. Picking up a piece of a broken branch, he pushed at the pile of bones he had tripped over. Something small and plastic caught his eye. He pilled it out of the bones and frowned at the wires trailing out of the small plastic box. He dropped it realizing what it was. A pacemaker.

"Oh, crap," he whispered. He had found the missing old folks.

He got to his feet and turned slowly. What had to be dozens of remains filled the clearing. He swallowed against the harsh bite of bile in his throat and steeled himself. He had to find Dean. He had to find Dean, now!

He picked his way through the bones and pressed towards the main clearing ahead. He could see a few structures from between the rotting trees. The houses seemed oddly clean and neat in the middle of the dying woods. The grass around the houses was dead and turned to dust.

Sam picked his way slowly, trying to avoid anyone in those houses seeing him. Not seeing anyone, he dashed between the trees and the nearest structure. The small shed didn't offer a lot in protection, but it didn't look like there was much of anyone around. That was unless they were all hiding in the small houses. There were six houses in all and what looked like a meeting hall or church situated in the center of them.

Sam pulled out a pair of field glasses and studied the structures. He frowned switching from one house to the other. Empty. Not a soul in sight.

He shoved the field glasses back into his duffle and he shouldered it, getting ready to make a dash for the next house.

"Hold it right there," a withered female voice addressed him.

Sam turned slowly and an old man and woman stood baring his way out of the shed. The man glanced around furtively and nudged the woman into the shed.

"She'll see us," he pleaded.

The woman wavered a moment and then let him push her into the shed, closing the door behind them.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded once they were all inside.

"Sam. Who are you?" he answered.

The old man sighed. "We don't have time for this. Just tell him where his brother is and lets get out of here."

Sam blinked. "You know where Dean is?"

The woman grimaced. "Yes, but you have to get out of here. She'll kill you. It's already too late for your brother. She's got him in her grasp and he's as good as dead."

"I'm not leaving without Dean," Sam told her, facing her squarely. "What's going on here?"

"We don't have time for this," the old man declared again. "She'll know we're here. She's getting more powerful and with that boy to feed off of, she'll be able to break the binding spell and won't be tied here any more. She'll be loose."

"Slow down," Sam said, holding up a hand. "She who?"

The old woman sighed deeply. "Missy, my sister."