Season 3, Episode 9: "Hunters"
Author's note: I got into the show Supernatural, and I felt that So Weird was a precursor to that series, of sorts. Hope you enjoy the minor crossover (no, there aren't any characters from Supernatural in this chapter, sorry)!
When I think about what my father used to do, and what I'm doing now, I have to wonder: are there any other people out there that actually look for things that go bump in the night? I've seen my share of weird stuff in my life, and I don't know that I'd wish it on anyone else, but what would happen if you spent your entire life dealing with this kind of thing? How weird would things really get?
"Jack's holds 70 on a good night. We're not big, but we're popular." The blonde woman showing Molly around the roadhouse-style bar spread her arms out, a smile on her worn face.
"I've heard so much about this place with all my time on the road, and I love the feel of it. Thanks so much for booking us!" Molly smiled and extended her hand, and the other woman shook it.
"Don't forget: I'm Helen Walker, and I'm here if you need anything. I'll see you tomorrow around 10 to finalize everything." Helen smiled back and went behind the bar. "We've got the regulars tonight, but tomorrow's the weekend crowd. Lot of people wanted to swing by when they heard Molly Phillips of the Phillips-Kane Band was coming to Jack's."
Molly laughed. "Well, then I'll make sure to blow them away."
While Molly and Helen finished talking, Fi sat on a barstool, arms crossed. The business part was never fun, and her eyes scanned the rest of the bar for something, anything that might ease her; they settled on a pair of men, sitting at a table and talking in low voices. The adults' conversation broke for a second, and time slowed to a crawl when Fi picked up part of the pair's.
"That's the second body this week."
When time returned to normal, her heart almost stopped when one of the men locked eyes with her. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her mom, who started walking toward her.
"Hey, baby! We're free for the rest of the day, so what do you say we have lunch at that burger place?" Molly smiled and tousled her daughter's hair.
Fi mustered a smile. "Actually, I was gonna take a walk. I've been feeling a little antsy."
Molly's face fell for a moment. "You sure you're not hungry?"
Fi shook her head.
"Okay. Just meet me back at the motel in a few hours. And stay out of trouble."
FI got up and walked out of the bar, past the pair that had now set both their sights on her.
Parker Flats seemed a cross between the old west and classic suburban downtown, perpetually caught in a time that had passed some 50 years before. Her steps carried her around the corner, and she hadn't gotten more than a block away before she stopped on a street corner, hair on the back of her neck standing up.
"Why did you follow me?"
She turned around to see the two men, blocking the way back to the bar.
One stepped forward and crossed his arms. "I think the better question is, why were you eavesdropping?" A mop of black hair fell over a weathered face, albeit that of someone in his early thirties.
Her teeth set behind her lips. "I've got an even better question. Why have two people died in the last week?"
Both faces fell, and the other man, a blond with a face just as weathered, but six years his brother's junior, took a breath. "Why would you be interested in people dying?"
"From what I've seen, it's not normal."
The older brother cleared his throat. "What would you know about not normal?"
She locked eyes with him. "More than you think I do."
He squinted. "Let's take a walk."
Their walk went around the block and down a quiet neighborhood street.
"I'm Mark." The golden eyes hiding under the raven hair shot a glance at her as they walked. "This is my brother, Lucas."
"I'm Fi. So what's going on here? Who are you two?"
Lucas swallowed a lump in his throat. "We call ourselves Hunters. We deal with all sorts of things. Things most people couldn't even imagine."
Her eyes fell to the ground. "I know what you mean. So, you...hunt...that stuff? As in, you go looking for it?"
Mark let out a sigh. "Sometimes. Most of the time, it's a call for help. Sometimes, it just finds us."
Fi chuckled. "Definitely know what you mean there. What are you hunting here?"
"Have you ever heard of a shapeshifter?"
"I've dealt with a werewolf, but not a shapeshifter."
"Shifters are vicious. They can look like anyone, and they shed their skin. This one decided to start killing people, so Helen called us in to take care of it."
"How do you 'take care' of a shifter?"
"Silver to the heart. Bullet or knife, doesn't matter. But you have to find it first."
She stopped for a second. "And how do you find it?"
"Their eyes flare through a camera. So, unless you plan to go around cutting every living thing around with a silver knife, you'd best carry around a camera and call us if you see someone's eyes glowing."
Lucas eyed his brother. "Let's get out of here."
Mark sighed again. "Fine." He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her, and she took a second before taking it. "That's my number. If you see the shifter, call me. We have silver coming out our…well, you get the idea."
Fi swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Okay." As the Hunters walked to the end of the block and turned the corner, she struggled to keep herself from being sick. Not only were there other people who looked for the kind of thing she wanted to avoid, but they wanted to get her involved? Other people knew about it, too, and now, it was almost too much to deal with. Head reeling, she headed back toward the bar and almost ran right into her brother.
"Whoa, Fi, watch it! I was just coming to find you." She immediately recognized the look of his face: that of recognition. Something weird was happening.
"Oh, sorry, Jack. I was about to come back to get something to eat." She shook her head, trying to rid her thoughts of everything she'd just learned.
"Well, Mom and I already ate at that burger place, but she said to give you this." He held out a wad of cash and she took it, stuffing it in her pocket. She knew he wanted to ask, but he knew asking would only bring something he didn't want to deal with, and he cleared his throat. "She also said to try to stay out of trouble."
She wrinkled her nose at him. "Ha ha. That gets funnier every time she says it." Her playful expression turned dour.
Jack sighed. "I know I'm going to regret asking you this, but what's the matter?"
She fixed her eyes on the ground. "I don't even know right now."
Any trace of snark or sarcasm vanished as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, if something's bothering you, or you're in trouble…again…just remember that I'm here. And Mom's here." He walked away as she still looked at the ground, but he stopped when she called out to him.
"Jack?"
He turned around.
"Thanks." She locked eyes with him before she turned around as well and made her way back to the bus.
Later that day, she made sure to finish her math homework before snagging Jack's camera and slipping away from the group. Every word she'd exchanged with the Hunters were burned into her brain, and she took a breath to steady herself as she raised the camera to her eye. Although she hadn't loaded it, she made sure to at least press the shutter button.
Click.
Not in the group of girls across the street.
Click.
Not the old woman outside the flower shop.
Click.
"You sure are taking an awful lot of pictures. You new in town?"
She jumped as the words chimed behind her, and she turned around to see a woman sporting a badge.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Officer. I'm working on a photo scrapbook for my mom's tour. I'll try not to take as many." She gave a sheepish smile, and the woman laughed.
"As a matter of fact, it warms my heart that someone still sees beautiful things in this town. I guess I've been here too long. And it's Sheriff. Sheriff April Matthews."
Fi smiled and shook the sheriff's extended hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fi. Fi Phillips."
"Well, you must be the daughter of Molly Phillips! I love her music. Anyway, feel free to take as many pictures as you want, just don't go getting into trouble. Oh, and we've had some reports of two men lurking around town, taking pictures of people. If you see anything, just give me a holler."
Fi nodded and waved to the sheriff as she continued on her patrol. She knew about the Hunters, but for some reason, Fi felt like it might not be the best idea to ask her about the recent deaths in town. That might get her into trouble.
Her search yielded nothing the rest of the day, and she stopped by Jacks to see if her mom was there. As soon as she set foot inside, she heard Helen's voice from behind the bar.
"Hey, darling, you can't be in here until the gig tomorrow. I might lose my liquor license."
Fi looked around the room, caught sight of the room, and pointed to them. "I'm here to see Mark and Lucas."
Helen frowned. "You don't want to get involved with those two. They're nothing but trouble."
Fi's bottom lip started to tremble. "I need to talk to them about hunting!"
The bartender almost dropped the beer she was opening, and she set it down as she took quick steps toward the young woman. Although the volume of her words was dulled, their edge sure wasn't. "Listen here, Fiona. You do not need to be hanging around Hunters."
"But my Dad—"
Helen put up a hand. "But nothing, sweetheart. Hunters don't tend to live for too long."
Fi opened her mouth to speak again, but Helen cut her off again.
"If you're trying to get into what your father was into, then you'll be going that way, too."
"How do you know about my father?"
"Mark and Luke. They were passing through Hope Springs with their father the day he died."
Fi's entire body went numb.
"So you best let those boys do their jobs. Got that?"
Fi nodded as Helen went back into the bar, and she almost ran into someone as she turned around.
"Whoa, watch out!" Sheriff Matthews put her hands up, preventing them from colliding head-on.
Fi smiled. "Sorry, Sheriff. My mind's somewhere else right now."
The officer nodded. "Don't worry about it. Just make sure your mom's with you if you're going in there. Have a nice day." She walked away, but Fi could have sworn that the woman turned back to look at her before she turned a corner.
Swallowing a lump in her throat, quick steps took her back to the bus. Molly tried to ask her what was going on, but she was in her room before that sentence was even finished.
Molly knocked softly at the door, and when she got no response, she cracked it without looking in. "Baby girl, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mom."
"You didn't look fine when you came in. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything I could help with."
No response.
"Okay." Molly turned and headed for the table, but she stopped when she heard something.
"Helen knows about Dad."
Molly turned around. "What?"
"She knows people who were back home the day Dad died."
Molly's lower lip trembled. "Fiona, I swear, if you're trying to make me cancel the gig, you're doing a great job."
"I am not trying to make you cancel the gig, Mom! Something's going on here, and…"
Molly crossed her arms. "…and?"
"You wouldn't be able to help."
Molly frowned, but her eyes widened a second later. "I told you not to get into trouble!"
"How many times are we going to have this argument, Mom?"
"How many times am I going to tell you that I don't want you to end up like your father, Fiona?"
"Fine. I guess I'll just stay in my room until we leave."
Molly let out a sigh as her daughter closed the door behind her, and she went back to the table to finally finish the book she'd started two months ago.
Fi let out a huff as she sat down on the edge of her bed, but jumped back up when her back hit something solid as she laid down. She picked up a small box and opened it, brushing her fingers across a shiny switchblade with a symbol carved in the handle.
Her eyes darted around the room, and she walked over to the window. She didn't see anyone at first, but when she saw Sheriff Matthews, she ducked out of sight. She could have sworn the officer was looking right at her for a second.
The sheriff was gone when she peeked outside again, and she slipped the knife into her jacket pocket. She wasn't sure how she could help Mark and Luke, but she couldn't do anything from inside her room. Going to the window again, she tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Her gaze traveled along the edge and settled on something sticking out from the side of the bus. A lock.
"No."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, she fell backward onto her bed again, and she closed her eyes to try and sort out a plan. It wasn't long, however, before she drifted off to sleep.
The first thing she did when her eyes opened again was look at the clock, and she sat up when she saw 1:45 AM. Tiptoeing over to her door, she opened it a crack and saw lights toward the front of the bus. Ned and Irene must have been planning routes again.
She closed her door and went back to the window. How would she get out now? As she looked out on the street, she jumped when someone tapped on the window. She put a hand to her chest to steady herself when she saw the Hunters, and she pointed to the lock.
Mark nodded and dug in his pockets, pulling something out before stepping up to the window. It was only a few seconds before she heard a series of clicks, and it slid open. Making sure to pocket the camera, she put her feet out the window and jumped.
She let out a grunt as her feet hit the ground, and Mark made sure to close the window behind her. "You know how to pick a lock?"
Mark grinned. "It's a trick you learn when you're a Hunter. I'll explain how after we get going."
"Wait, going where?"
"We heard the shifter set up shop in a barn just outside town. We need all the help we can get, and we know Helen told you to stay away. So it's up to you."
Fi felt the bottom of her stomach drop out. "I'm in."
Lucas nodded and held something out, and she recoiled when she saw a pistol.
"Uh-uh, no way. A gun? I can't."
He looked her in the eye. "Come on. If the shifter finds you, it won't hesitate to kill you. You'd best be prepared to do the same if you want to see your family again after this."
She shook her head.
He frowned. "Fine. Just don't come crying to me when it's breaking your neck." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Here. Call us if you see anything."
She took it and nodded, and the two men headed down the street toward Jack's. When she turned around, she walked to the end of the block, turned a corner, and jumped when she saw someone else standing at the end of the street: Sheriff Matthews.
"Evening, Fiona! What are you doing out so late?"
FI let out a weak laugh, but the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. "Couldn't sleep. I just wanted to take a walk."
The sheriff took a few steps toward her. "It's usually not safe for a teenage girl to be wandering around past midnight. There's not much crime here, though, so just make sure you don't go too far."
Fi took a deep breath. "Not much crime, huh? What about the murders?"
Matthews cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
Hands trembling, Fi reached into her pocket, pulled out the camera and raised it to her eye.
The sheriff was smiling as she came into focus, but Fi's blood went cold when she saw two flares in the viewfinder. She dropped the camera, and the officer frowned.
"What's wrong?"
As soon as she reached into her pocket for the radio, the sheriff started running toward her. The formerly amiable face was twisted into an expression of pure rage, and Fi barely had time to scream "SHERIFF!" into the walkie before she hit the ground.
The next thing she knew, the sheriff lifted her off the ground, turned her around, and pressed cold metal into her neck. She heard a click, and her entire body went numb as she could feel the woman's breath on her ear.
"You just had to keep nosing around, didn't you? Well, I'm not about to let those damn Hunters get me. Speak of the devil…"
Mark and Luke came tearing around the corner, and they skidded to a stop when they saw Fi.
The sheriff peeked her face around Fi. "Stop right there or I blow her brains out!"
Both Hunters stared down the sights of the guns they had aimed at the pair. Luke's finger tensed on the trigger. "Come on, let her go. You don't need her."
The shifter laughed. "I know I don't need her! I'm just not going to let you pump me full of silver. Unless you're willing to sacrifice someone's daughter?"
Both brothers let out a sigh as they lowered their guns.
"Good boys. Now why don't you empty those guns?"
Mark's arm twitched, but Luke nudged him. The silver rained down on the pavement, and the "sheriff" laughed again.
Time seemed to stop as Fi felt the gun barrel slip away from her neck, and the only thing that pierced the silence was the roar it let out.
Everyone stood there for a moment as Luke jolted, then fell backward. Mark scrambled for the fallen bullets, and Fi's heart stopped as she saw the barrel of the shifter's gun swing toward him. Her hand brushed her jacket pocket; as if it had a life of its own, it pulled out the knife and opened it in one fluid motion.
The gun in the sheriff's hand went off, but the barrel was pointed in the air. The shifter let out a gurgling noise and fell backward, and Fi dropped the switchblade that had stayed in her hand as it slid out of the creature's chest.
She turned around and saw Mark kneeling next to Luke's body, and she stopped a few steps away from him.
"M—Mark?"
He turned to her, tears streaming down her face. "Just go. I have to clean up before the cops get here."
Heart racing, she nodded and ran back to the bus, only stopping when she got to the front door.
"Fi?"
She jumped and let out a scream, but tried to steady herself when she saw Jack standing near the side of the bus. His eyes went wide and he ran over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Fi, what the hell happened?"
She fell against him and started crying, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"Fi, you're safe now. What happened?"
She finally managed to speak. "Can we go inside?"
He nodded and guided her to the door. Thankfully, Ned and Irene had gone to bed, so there was no one else awake. They made their way to the back of the bus and into her room.
He closed the door and let out a sigh. "Fi? What happened?"
She looked up at him, still crying as she sat on the edge of her bed. "I got into trouble, Jack."
He felt anger flare in his chest for a moment, but he let out another sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. "Fi…"
She buried her face in her hands. "I know, Jack, I know! I just…"
He wrapped his arms around her for a minute, then got up.
She looked up at him again. "That's it?"
He nodded. "That's it. Get some sleep." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
It didn't take her long to get to sleep after her head hit the pillow.
The next day, Fi hung out at the bar while Molly did the sound checks and rehearsed, but she went outside when people started to file in for the concert.
As she leaned against Jack's brick wall, her eyes drifted to the corner she'd gone around the night before.
"Fiona?"
She jumped and turned around to see Mark, smoking a cigarette. "Hey."
"You okay?"
She nodded. "How about you?"
His lower lip trembled for a second. "I don't think you want to know."
Her eyes fell to the sidewalk for a second. "I'm sorry."
He sniffled. "Well, it comes with the territory, I'm afraid. But you…you've got the makings of a great Hunter, Fiona. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing…"
She chuckled. "Trust me, I don't want things like this to happen."
"Nobody does. But thank you."
She smiled and nodded.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn business card with a number scrawled in pen on it. "Here's a number you can always reach me at. If you need anything, just call."
She took the card and clutched it as the Hunter turned around and vanished in the crowd that was filing into the bar, anxious for the concert to start.