Hunter's Moon

By: Sandreline

Hello everyone! Here's a new chapter! I have some VERY interesting places to visit in the next few chapters of the story; including San Antonio, TX and Savannah, GA. I am finding some astounding haunts that are just fueling my muse! So enjoy!

Thank you all so much for your continued support!

Chapter 14: Let's Play Hang Man

Virginia was a very interesting place this time of year. The east coast had a nice cool wind coming from the ocean which made the summer weather almost a paradise. It would have been, too, had the group not been on a Hunt.

Serenity was walking around the outside of the home that they were currently investigating. It was a lovely two-story, Victorian style home that had green lush grass surrounding it and white pane windows. Luna and Artemis were checking out the neighbor's home on the other side while she tried to see or sense anything out of the ordinary.

Sam and Dean were interviewing the mother, who had rushed her son to the hospital the night before. "Do you mind telling us what happened?" Dean asked.

The woman they were speaking to was clearly still distraught, her brown hair was tied up, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were still a bit puffy from crying. "I don't know." She told them. "I went in to check on Zack a little after lunch, and saw the lamp cord wrapped around his neck. His face was beginning to turn blue."

"How did he get like that?" Sam asked with a sympathetic voice. "Was he playing with a friend?"

"No, he was alone." The mother spoke of her three year old son. "The cord was wrapped around several times, and very tight. He wouldn't have done that to himself, and when I asked him about what happened, he told me that Matthew had done it."

"I thought you just said he was alone." Dean spoke with a curious tone.

"He was," she spoke. "Matthew is the name of the boy who died in the house, but I do not know how Zack would know that. He's not even five."

"He died?" Sam asked. "How long ago?"

"Less than a year." The woman spoke. "We moved in just two months ago." She used her hand to wipe away a stray tear. "The boy who used to have Zack's room was found dead. It's why we were able to get the house so cheap." She gave a pause. "The realtor did not tell me and my husband much about it, but I did look it up. His name was Matthew."

"How did he die?" Dean asked while Sam wrote everything down.

"He killed himself. He used the cords from the window shades to hang himself…" The young mother stated. "And for Zack to say that Matthew tried to strangle him…" She looked over to her neighbor's house. "Everyone thinks that there may be a serial killer, though."

"What do you mean?" Sam spoke up.

Her gaze landed on her neighbor's house once more. "Last month, the Meyers had a break in. The window to their son's room was left wide open, and he was dead."

"Do you think that's the case?"

The woman look startled. "I would rather have a threat I can fight against, than a ghost trying to kill my baby."

Sam looked at her sympathetically. "We will keep in contact. Please call us should anything happen." He handed her a card. "Meanwhile, just to be on the safe side I would recommend removing anything like that from the room."

"I already did." She told them. "Thank you, detectives." She gave a nod before going back in her home, her husband coming downstairs to check on her and wrap her in a hug.

"What do you think?" Dean asked his younger brother as they walked down the porch steps and back towards the car.

"I think it might be a ghost." Sam answered. "I looked up the killing next door. The kid was a high school student who was thought to hang out with drug dealers. The cops think the evidence says that it was a deal gone wrong."

"You're the one with the psychic powers." Dean pointed out. "Personally, this reeks of a child-spirit." He glanced over to see Serenity walking their way, so he got in the Impala. "We're going to need to do a stake out."

"What did you find?" Sam asked the young woman as she joined them and got in the car.

"There is definitely some paranormal energy around here." She replied. "Very negative energy, too. I think I saw it for a second out of the corner of my eye." She leaned over and pointed to the second story window on the east side of the house. "There. I bet that window belongs to the bedroom of the little boy."

Dean leaned over to look out the window with same. "Yup, that's the one." He told them. "Well, we better stop for stake-out food and salt. Any idea where this kid is buried? It sounds like we are going to need to burn some bones."

"Two miles down the road. It's a small cemetery next to the family's church." Sam answered as he looked at the house. "Do you think Matthew will try to kill Zack again before we get back?"

Dean shook his head. "Nah, I doubt the ghost would try again so soon."

"Luna and Artemis will be staying behind." Serenity told them. "They were planning on watching, just to be sure."

"Problem solved. Let's go shopping."

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Sam was sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala on his laptop, leeching the internet off of one of the neighbors who did not have a secure network as he did more research.

"Shit." He cursed as he slammed a fist on the door.

"Did you just hit my car?" Dean's voice called over the communicator. He and Serenity were hidden away in other parts of the area to keep a closer eye on the house.

Sam picked up his communicator. "That Matthew kid wasn't buried." He told the others. "They buried his ashes."

"Shit." Dean repeated.

"What does that mean?" Serenity asked from in a tree. She had leapt into a tree not far from the bedroom in question, easily able to look inside. The sun had set not that long ago, and the family had yet to return upstairs. She had a feeling that the little boy Zack would be sleeping with his parents tonight, but that did not change the fact that the ghost held claim over that room. She was hoping to be able to see it. Luna and Artemis were inside the house, watching from the shadows and staying hidden.

"It means that we have to find another way to deal with this. Normally, we put salt over the bones and burn the remains, and that gets rid of the spirit." Dean told her over the communicator. He had been against the idea at first, since the circular device was pretty girly. Thankfully, the two cats managed to produce two more-manly versions for the brothers to wear. He would have to play 'Secret Agent Man' with it later.

"So what's the plan now?" Sam asked.

Serenity sucked in a sharp breath as she looked into the bedroom. Matthew was staring back at her, and the teenage spirit was pissed.

"Ghost!" Serenity cried out as the spirit leapt through the window. She moved to the left to avoid it, forgetting that she was high up in a tree. Just as she was about to smash into the hard ground below, Dean's body came flying over to catch her.

They rolled for a second, and Dean wasted no time in pulling out the short shot-gun and firing. The bullets of rock salt hit their target, and the image of Matthew disappeared.

Sam was running over to them as Dean looked over Serenity. "You're an all powerful alien, yet you can't save yourself from falling out of a damn tree?" Dean told her as he wiped grass off his pants.

"I would say 'thank you', but I'm still pissed at you for making a Deal." Serenity snapped back.

"That reminds me," Dean said turning to his younger brother. "I'm still pissed at you for telling her."

"Can we do this later?" Sam spoke in aggravation. "We need to get that family out of that house!"

Serenity finally picked herself up off the ground and the three rushed to the front door. It wouldn't open. "Think it's locked?" Sam asked.

"Not a chance in hell." Dean replied as the two men began banging on the door.

The young woman from earlier answered a moment later. "Who is it?"

"Mrs. Hart?" Sam spoke. "It's Agent Abbot, from earlier. You need to get your family and get out of the house, right now."

"Agent Abbot?" She answered in recognition. However, when she went to open her door, it didn't budge. "What's going on? My door is stuck."

Dean suddenly sprang back to check the other windows and doors. "James, the door is stuck!" Mrs. Hart called out to her husband, who Sam could see through the window, had come over with their son in his arms.

"Let me try." Her husband said, and handed Zack to his mother. The man tried to open the door, but it wasn't budging.

"It's Matthew." Zack spoke softly.

His mother suddenly looked terrified. "Get us out!" She cried.

"This boy is going to get the grounding of his after life…" Dean spat out as he returned. "Everything is locked shut."

"My turn." Serenity stated as she pulled out her staff. With a wave, one of her portals opened. She stepped through it, much to the shock of the parents. "Go!" She told them as she pushed Mrs. Hart through. Her husband followed without hesitation before Serenity went through once more. Once they had returned to the porch, Sam and Dean moved everyone away and to the sidewalk.

"You need to get out of here." Sam told the small family as he looked back. The lights in the second story bedroom were going crazy, and the blinds were whipping around as if in a hurricane.

"These are the keys to our room at the hotel down the street." Dean told them. "Take my car, do not scratch her, and wait there till we come get you."

"Our cat…" Mrs. Hart began.

"We will get it." The young couple only nodded as they climbed into the Impala. Hrs. Hart was holding her son like a life line as she looked back at their home while her husband drove them out of sight.

Sam cocked another gun full of rock salt. "Well, we pissed off an already pissed off ghost." He said. "What's the plan?"

"Blast it back to its grave." Dean answered. "Duh."

"Won't it just come back?" Serenity asked. "Where are Luna and Artemis?"

"Let's find out." Dean stated as he began to lead the way to the house. It was silent once more and completely black. Sam handed Dean a flashlight, and went to hand Serenity one when she shook her head. Instead, her crescent moon glowed slightly. "I can see just find in the dark." She told them.

"Why am I not surprised…" Dean countered as he walked up the porch steps. This time when he twisted the door handle it easily opened. Using great caution, he moved the flashlight along the entryway. Seeing that it was clear for the moment, he nodded his head for the other two to enter.

Serenity did so quickly, looking around for any sign of her guardians. "Luna?" She whispered. "Artemis?"

They began to head to the kitchen, their eyes wide and alert as they looked for any sign of Matthew. "Artemis?" Serenity called again. "Luna?"

"Come on out, Matthew." Dean called. "Come out, come out, where ever-"

"Dean!" Sam whispered harshly.

"Don't antagonize!" Serenity added.

"Sere!" Came a familiar whisper.

"Arty!" She replied, moving past the two brothers to see the felines. "Where are you?"

A soft golden glow came from the corner behind the couch. Sure enough, when Serenity moved to look behind it, she found a nice little set up for a cat. There was a small bed and a food and water dish. Luna was sitting beside an orange female cat that apparently had just begun to deliver her litter. "Are you two ok?" She asked her guardians.

"Yes." He answered. "We stayed here to protect the cat. The boy tried to throw her against a wall when the family left."

"Poor thing…" Serenity said. "You two stay here then. Call if you need me."

The two cats nodded, and Serenity turned back to the brothers. "They are alright."

"Good," Dean started. "I want to get this nightmare over with. Upstairs?" He asked.

"Upstairs." Sam agreed.

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Short but sweet chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to update – I hope that you all are enjoying it, and that you like the more-the-norm action! More to come soon!

~Sandreline