Sam was stumped for days because he still wasn't sure what he was hunting. Both hunters had no clue what they were looking for, so they decided to break off and do some researching on their own. It was mostly JJ's idea, but Sam understood. She was used to working alone and he was sure she would share information with him when she was ready. Sam on the other hand was nearly ready to phone his brother when he got a call from one of the tutors at the school. She had some information for him that she was too afraid to give over the phone. So they agreed to meet up at night fall. He knew something suspicious was going down at the school, maybe this was the break Sam needed to crack the case.
As the sun started to set Sam loaded up. He tucked a small hand gun in his jacket and picked up his favorite knife, just in case. He wasn't sure what kind of danger Miss Hunt was in and if things got ugly he wanted to be prepared. He followed the directions on his GPS to the meet up location. It was on the industrial side of town, full of little warehouses and auto shops. It was oddly welcoming and clean, compared to some of the places Sam had been before; which came as no surprise to Sam, seeing how the people of the town took care of their home. He killed the engine, taking one quick glance at his phone. He thought briefly about texting JJ, but he felt like he would be okay. After all this wasn't his first rodeo. He stepped out of his car and looked around for the woman. He saw movement across the parking lot. There was a woman standing next to her car, huddled up in a tan sweater, with a long tan skirt that went all the way down to her ankles. That had to be her, Sam thought. She gave off a school teacher kind of vibe. He ran over to her and announced himself so he wouldn't scare her.
"Miss Hunt?" Sam flashed his badge. "I'm Special Agent Aaron Hotchner."
"Oh! Thank goodness you're here agent." She looked around to make sure no one else was around. "I'm so glad you came. Quick, follow me. We can't talk here." Her eyes shifted back and forth. "Someone might be watching." She said overly nervously.
Sam smiled calmly and followed her to the back of the warehouse.
"I'm so sorry to call you out like this, I just, I just didn't know what else to do." She looked over her shoulders with the most frightened eyes Sam had ever seen.
"It's okay Miss Hunt."
"Myra, please, call me Myra." She smiled as they reached their destination.
"Right." Sam smiled and took note of his surroundings, they were off the beaten path that was for sure. Maybe there was something to this theory JJ was talking about, maybe the people around town were being changed somehow.
"Agent?"
"Yes, Miss Hunt, I mean Myra."
"Are you alone?" She asked nervously as she twirled her fingers through the holes in her sweater. "I mean, I don't mean to pry, but there's just a lot going on and I would feel better if there were more of you. FBI I mean." She blushed a little.
"I'm sorry, it's just me." Sam said sadly, though he left out mentioning JJ.
"Oh." Myra looked defeated as she turned her back to Sam.
"Hey, it's okay." Sam walked towards her to comfort her.
"SAM! WATCH OUT!" Sam looked up to see JJ pointing her pistol at Myra from the hill above.
"Too late little boy!" Myra hissed and drew her knife and lunged at Sam.
JJ fired, the bullet grazed her shoulder but that did not seem to faze her at all. She was strong and it took all of Sam's strength to hold her back.
"Lair! All of you." She hissed as her skin started to crack and her eyes turned a milky shade of blue. "No matter, however when I'm down with you I'll take care of your little girlfriend too!" She slammed him to the ground, bearing her sharp white teeth. She was just inches away when another shoot fired, putting a bullet through her head. Her body collapsed onto Sam and he was quick to toss her to the ground.
"Hmmp, some world saver you are." JJ extended her arm.
"Yeah." Sam shook off the dirt and looked at the corpse. He was sure he'd seen that creature before.
"Should have called me."
"Sorry." Sam turned and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Knew we couldn't trust that bitch." JJ turned her back and that's when Myra rose from the ground and attached her.
"JJ!" Sam shouted.
"Fucking bitch!" JJ broke the hold and took Myra's arms and flung her over her head onto the ground.
Myra hissed and got up on all fours.
"JJ! Run!" Sam shouted.
"You ain't gotta tell me twice." JJ zipped behind Sam to his car. She wasn't sure what kind of creature could survive a bullet to the head.
Sam ran back to the car. He had more weapons there, but he had to be quick, Myra was hot on their trail and it wouldn't be long till she caught up.
"JJ! I need a distraction!"
JJ nodded, he needed time to get to his trunk. If she couldn't be killed by a bullet to the head, Sam knew of only one other way. JJ stopped and braced herself for impact. Myra lunged high into the air towards JJ who was ready to greet her with a round kick to the face. Sam popped the trunk and grabbed his machete.
"JJ!" Sam ran up behind her. "Duck!"
JJ ducked just in time as Myra was already midair ready to lunge her second attack. Sam clutched the handle of his 10-inch machete and cut Myra's head clean off. Her body landed on the ground with a thud.
"Damn Sam." JJ turned, a little surprised, and looked at the decapitated body before her.
"I think I know what we're fighting now." Sam calmed himself.
After burning the body out in the woods, Sam and JJ went back to his room at the B&B. On the drive back Sam was surprised at how calm and collected JJ was about the whole situation. She was as unfazed as Dean was back when he wielded the first blade. Sam wondered what she must have gone through to make this just another walk in the park.
"Hunger?" Sam looked over at the other hunter.
"Starving." JJ kept her eyes on the window.
Sam nodded.
Sam ordered Chinese and settled into his room. He watched JJ over his shoulder, check out the room. He wondered what was on her mind.
"Nice place." Sam commented in an effort to get her attention.
"Eh." JJ shrugged.
"Beats a rundown motel any day." Sam joked.
"Oh hell yeah." JJ laughed, as she eased up. "You know how many of those slums I've been in, I'd rather stay at a crack house."
Sam laughed as he quickly changed his clothes in the bathroom. "So, where did you say you were from again?"
"I didn't." Her guard was up again.
"Hey, I understand, it's a no go subject. I get it."
"Look Sam." JJ turned and looked at Sam. "You're a good guy, but I'm not looking for anything here. We're on a case, not a date."
"I know." Sam looked away.
JJ laughed and shook her head. "And you're sure, you're a world saver?"
"Not anymore, I'm just the guy you call when shit gets out of control." Sam closed the distance between. He was careful, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her kicks, but he wanted her to trust him.
JJ pushed him away in a joking manner and turned to the window. "You sure are nosey for a hunter."
"It's my job." Sam smiled, as he turned on his computer.
Sam knew he had seen those creatures before. The silk plus the appearance of their skin and eyes lead him to believe he was dealing with an Arachne. He hadn't seen one of those in a long time. Last time he hunted one of those thungs was back when he was soulless Sam. He remembered all the grief it caused and just how powerful and smart they were.
"Hey, I got it?" Sam turned his computer around.
JJ got up and read the screen. "Arachne? So we're hunting Spiderman and his family?"
"Not exactly, but at least we knew how to kill them. Question is how many more are out there?"
JJ plopped back on the bed and relaxed. "I cased the school and I'd say there's got to be a shit load of them hiding in there."
"What makes you think that?"
"Woman spider people, running a school full of children. What does that sound like to you?" JJ sat up.
Sam thought for a second, then the answer became clear as day in his mind. "Family, they're trying to start a family."
JJ nodded. "Only reason I see for them to be hanging around a school."
"Who else do you think is in on it?"
"Teacher's, staff probably."
It was starting to look like this case would be more complicated than he thought. He checked his phone in case Dean had called him, but there was nothing. He could sure use Dean's help right now, but this was his grieving time and Sam had JJ who proved herself more than capable.
"We need to figure out who's who and fast." Sam knew with such rich hunting grounds, the Arachne could turn the whole school over night or worse. He needed to put on the gas before more students are taken.
Sam and JJ sat in his car watching the students exit the school for the day. They focused on the faculty, more importantly the Vice Principal. They were fortunate no other students had been taken as of yet, but they were sure the Arachne would have something planned, now with one of their own slain. The sun was setting and JJ watched the rest of the teachers file out. She jabbed Sam awake when she saw Mr. Winton finally leave the building. He looked nervous as he rushed to his car and opened the door. They waited a few minutes for him to turn the engine on and pull away. Sam wanted to stay hot on his trail, but JJ cautioned against it, she knew her way around town better than he did and knew how to follow him without being suspicious. With the sun setting and more traffic on the roads it was easier to follow him by trailing just a few cars back.
JJ knew where he lived and it was obvious he wasn't going home. They followed him to an eatery just on the other side of town. It was a Thursday afternoon so it wasn't as busy as the weekend crowd. Sam parked across the street and watched Mr. Winton quickly get out of his car. He went in and from the look of it, it seemed like he was meeting three other men. It was hard to tell what they were talking about, but they did not stay in the restaurant long. The four men exited and headed off into the wooded area outside the place.
"Come on." Sam nudged JJ. She followed, but not before loading up.
The two followed quietly behind the men. They stay in just ear shot of the group and took refuge behind a cluster of large leafy bushes. The men stopped in a clearing and circled Winton as their eyes darted around them. It was clear that the tensions were high.
"So what's this about Peter?" The man in the red shirt asked.
"Yeah! Spill it." Another said.
"I-I don't know, I haven't heard from her in a while." Mr. Winton cowered.
"Son of a bitch." The taller man cursed under his breath. "You had one job motherfucker."
"Shit. You think she went awal?" Another asked.
One of the men turned and ran his hand down his face. "Nah, not Myra. She was committed." The men turned and got into Winton's face. "And what about this FBI guy? She handle it?"
Winton stumbled back. "I-I don't know, that's what I sent her for."
"Shit." The other man said to another.
"Hold on, hold on." The man closet to Winton said. "We don't know anything yet, no need to go running off to Pierce just yet. Bryant, Joe, find her."
The two men nodded, before walking off. Sam and JJ ducked and remained extra quiet. They watched the men pass and waited for them to clear the forest before thinking about their next move. They needed to catch one of them alive, to find out what their plan was.
"William I'm sorry." Winton pleaded.
"Fucking screw up. If there was a problem you should have handled it yourself, instead of sending out our only female."
JJ slipped on a branch and the conversation stopped.
William turned around. "Hear that?" He glared into the forest.
"I" Winton backed up in fear.
"Shut it." William walked closer to the edge of the clearing to where JJ was hiding.
Sam reached for his gun, but JJ was already two steps ahead. She lunged out, catching him by surprise and tackled William to the ground. She punched him square in the face, which knocked him out a little.
"Hungry motherfucker?" She put a bullet in his eye to distract him, before grabbing her machete and chopping of the his head. "That should slow you down. Sam!" She pointed to a terrified Winton who tried to escape.
"On it!" Sam tackled Winton to the ground and rounded him up.
JJ was ready with her blade. Winton growled at her in full transformation.
"Give me a reason." She bent down and put the blade to his neck.
"JJ!" Sam pulled him away, tightly by the fabric of his collar.
JJ glared at Sam, but backed away.
Sam whipped him around. "I'm only going to ask you once, where are the girls?"
"I-I don't know." Winton flinched.
"Wrong answer." JJ inched closer.
Winton growled and hissed. "And-and if I did know, I wouldn't tell a bunch of halfwits like you."
"Sam." JJ growled.
"I got it JJ." Sam was running out of patience. "I'm only going to ask you again." Sam placed the blade to his neck, but Winton didn't budge.
"Fine." JJ stepped in and snapped Winton's head back and shoved her blade through his throat.
Winton chucked on his own blood as he struggled to breathe, Sam had no other choice but to delivered the final blow, cutting his head clear off his shoulders.
"What the hell JJ!" Sam shouted.
"He wasn't going to talk."
"He was the only person who knew where the girls are."
"Those girls are as good as dead." She turned away with an icy expression in her eyes.
Sam chased after her, grabbing her by the arm. "We don't know that."
She jerked her arm away. "Are you stupid? Or just blindly optimistic? Monster don't take hostages, and they certainly don't leave victims alive."
Sam shook his head in frustration. "That's not always the case."
JJ threw her heads up. "I don't know what kind of hunter you are, but you ain't no world saver."
"Sometimes you have to believe."
"Yeah." JJ snarled "I believe are right, just like I believed them demons wouldn't kill my family. They kept us for three straight days. For three straight days I had to hide to stay alive. Where was yawl at then uh? Fuckers got away and ain't no one came to our recuse." JJ paced in a small circle. "And you know what the funny part is, after I tracked them down and asked them why they choose us, you know what they said? The said humans are made for their enjoyment, that they can just do what they please." JJ balled up her fist and turned away from Sam. "Those monster didn't care, they just gon keep on killing until we put a bullet through their brain."
Sam understood all too well the emotions that JJ was going through. Demons killed half his family too. He was no stranger to their sadistic behavior, but his heart knew better than to give up without a fight.
"I'm sorry there wasn't anyone there to save your family Jae'mason and you don't owe those girls not a think, but if there is even a slight chance that they are alive and well, I'm going to take it. With or without you." Sam turned back and headed to the clearing to burn the bodies.
When he returned to his car, JJ was nowhere to be found. He sighed in irritation, he wanted to finish the case with JJ, but he wasn't going to give up on those girls.