Chapter Twenty One
"Yeah, you probably missed somethin', that's why" Dean scoffed, looking at Sam.
Sam sighed. "Dude, I ran LexisNexis, local police reports, newspapers—I couldn't find a single red flag" he insisted. He turned and looked at me. "Are you sure you got the coordinates right?"
"Yeah, I double-checked. It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin" I said, holding up the paper.
"Look, Dad wouldn't have sent us coordinates if it wasn't important, Sammy" Dean said.
"Well, I'm tellin' you, I looked, and all I could find was a big, steaming pile of nothin'" Sam persisted. "If Dad's sending us hunting for something, I don't know what"
Dean shifted as he drove. "Well, maybe he's gonna meet us there"
"Yeah, 'cause he's been so easy to find up to this point" Sam scoffed.
"You're a real smartass, you know that?" Dean said. "Don't worry, I'm sure there's somethin' in Fitchburg worth killin'"
"Yeah?" Sam asked. "What makes you so sure?"
"Well, because I'm the oldest, which means I'm always right" Dean smirked.
"No, it doesn't" Sam and I scoffed together.
"Yeah, it totally does" he grinned. The sign outside said "Fitchburg. Population 20,501." We were here. Dean got out of the car and went to get coffee. Sam and I waited outside, looking around. There didn't seem to be anything wrong.
"Why didn't you question dad?" he asked me. "You had him on the phone"
I scoffed. "You know as well as I do that the minute I started to ask questions, he hung up. That's just dad for you"
"Well, the waitress thinks that the local freemasons are up to somethin' sneaky, but, uh, other than that, nobody's heard about anything weird goin' on" Dean sighed, handing him the coffee.
"Dean, you got the time?" Sam asked Dean out of the blue.
"Ten after four. Why?" Dean asked him.
"What's wrong with this picture?" Sam asked, looking towards a park. There was a playground with no one on it except for one small girl.
"School's out, isn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah. So, where is everybody?" Sam asked. "This place should be crawlin' with kids right now"
Dean went over and talked to the lady sitting on the bench. Sam and I waited. I didn't want to go talk to some lady. I was just wondering why my dad called me and not Dean, like usual. He never did that. "Kids are like, sick man" Dean said, walking back. "Like in the hospital"
"Then let's go to the hospital" Sam said, getting back in the car. We drove there in silence, we changed into formal looking stuff. Dean pulled out the box of IDs. "Dude, grab a new one" Sam called, getting out of the car. "I've used this one like four times now"
Dean handed Sam one and we went inside. I adjusted my skirt as we walked in. "You wanted to be included" Dean scoffed, as I glared at him.
"I didn't think you'd actually make me wear a skirt" I said, glaring at him.
"Dude, dude, I am not using this ID" Sam said to Dean.
"Why not?" Dean asked.
Sam glared at him. "Because it says "bikini inspector" on it"
Dean laughed. "Don't worry, she won't look that close. Hell, she won't even ask to see it. It's all about confidence, Sam" He pushed him up to the reception desk, and smiled at me.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Kaplan, Center for Disease Control" Sam said, as the receptionist looked up at him.
She nodded. "Can I see some ID?"
Dean and I held back snickers of laughter. Sam turned and glared at us. "Yeah, of course" he smiled. He pulled out the ID and quickly showed it to her, then put it away. "Now, could you direct me to the pediatric ward, please?"
"Okay, just go down that hall, turn left, and up the stairs" she said, and went back to her computer.
He smiled, and turned back to us. "See?" Dean said, as Sam glared at him. "I told you it'd work"
Sam shook his head. "Follow me. It's upstairs" Dean and I followed along, heading to the pediatric ward. Dean suddenly stopped, staring into a room. "Dean" Sam said, nodding for him to hurry up.
He looked back at us, then back in the room, and finally followed. I paused as we approached the pediatric ward, and watched a mother and father with their child. They came down the hall looking stricken. I wondered if their kid was in the hospital. If their kid was sick.
"Well, thanks for seein' us, Dr. Hydecker" Dean smiled. I rushed to catch up.
"Oh, I'm glad you guys are here" he said. "I was just about to call the CDC myself. How'd you find out, anyway?"
"Oh, some GP, I forget his name, he called Atlanta, and, uh, must have beat you to the punch" Dean lied with a smile.
"So, you say you got six cases so far?" Sam asked, putting us back on topic.
"Yeah, in five weeks" he sighed. He turned to where six kids were all lying in beds. They were pale and sickly looking. "At first, we thought it was garden-variety bacterial pneumonia—not that newsworthy. But now…."
"Now what?" I asked, wanting him to go on.
"The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep goin' down. Their immune systems just aren't doin' their job. It's like their bodies are wearing out" he said. He narrowed his eyes. "You look really young to be a CDC member"
"Thanks" I smiled, "You're too kind"
"Excuse me, Dr. Hydecker" a nurse said, shoving a clip board at him. He took it and signed it.
"You ever see anything like this before?" Sam asked him.
"The way it spreads—that's a new one for me" the nurse said, looking at us.
I looked at her. "What do you mean?"
She glanced at me, then at the kids. "It works its way through families, but only the children—one sibling after another"
"Do you mind if we interview a few of the kids?" Dean asked.
The nurse shook her head. "They're not conscious"
I looked over at Sam in shock. "None of them?" he asked. The nurse shook her head.
"Can we, uh—can we talk to the parents?" Dean asked.
"If you think it'll help" Dr. Hydecker said, shrugging.
"Yeah" Dean nodded. "Who was your most recent admission?"
"There" he pointed to man sitting in the hallway. "Miles Tarnower"
We headed over, and I stopped when I saw the look on his face. He was destroyed. I wanted so much to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. Because I couldn't lie to him. "Mr. Tarnower" I said, walking up. "Can we talk?"
"Who are you?" he asked, looking.
"We're with the CDC" Sam replied. "May we have a word?"
He nodded, and we headed into the hallway, away from the pediatrics. "What do you want to know?" he asked.
"Your kids" Dean said "They're sick?"
He nodded. "Mary and Bethany" he said. He looked behind him. "I should get back to my girls"
"We understand that, and we really appreciate you talkin' to us" Sam said slowly. "Now, Mary's the oldest?"
Miles nodded. "Thirteen"
"Okay" Sam said. "And she came down with it first, right? And then…."
"Bethany the next night" he said, glancing behind him again. He was getting anxious.
"Within twenty-four hours?" I asked, trying to keep him on topic.
"I guess. Look, I already went through all this with the doctor" he said.
"All right, now, just a few more questions, if you don't mind" Dean said. "How do you think they caught pneumonia? Were they out in the cold, anything like that?"
"No, we think it was an open window" he replied.
"Both times?"
"The first time, I don't really remember. But the second time, for sure" he said. "I know I closed it before I put Bethany to bed"
"So, you think she opened it?" Sam asked.
"It's a second-story window with a ledge" he shrugged. "No one else could have" He looked behind him for the millionth time. "Are we done here?"
"Yes" I said, and he left abruptly. "Okay" I said, looking at Sam and Dean. "I feel like we got nothing" We started to exit the building.
"You know, this might not be anything supernatural" Sam suggested, looking at Dean. "It might just be pneumonia"
"Maybe" Dean shrugged. "Or maybe somethin' opened that window" Sam and I gave him skeptical looks. "I don't know, man, look, Dad sent us down here for a reason. I think we might be barkin' up the right tree"
"I'll tell you one thing" Sam said.
"What?" I asked.
"That guy we just talked to?" he said. "I'm bettin' it'll be a while before he goes home"
The bedroom was purple, and totally fit for a little girl. I searched over the bed and by the bookcase, but I was getting nothing. "You got anything over there?" Sam asked.
"No, nothin'" Dean said back. "Lex?"
"Nope" I sighed, standing up straight.
"Yeah, me neither" Sam scoffed.
"Lex" Dean said quietly. I looked up at him. "You ever feel like you want a purple room like this?"
I gave him a confused look, and glanced around at the four walls. I knew what he was getting at, but just smiled. "No"
"Why?" he asked.
"I don't like purple" I replied, with a shrug. I gave him a small smile.
Sam went over by the window and stopped suddenly. "Hey, Dean?"
"Yeah?" Dean asked, looking at him.
He opened the window. "You were right. It's not pneumonia" he said. We walked over, and leaned to the window. On the ledge was a long, black handprint. And it definitely wasn't human. "It's rotted" Sam said.
"What the hell leaves a handprint like that?" I asked. Dean just stared at it intently. "Dean?"
"I know why Dad sent us here" he said. "He's faced this thing before. He wants us to finish the job" He turned and walked out of the room.
Sam and I shared a look, and then followed. We got in the car, and both looked at Dean for some kind of explanation. "Um, Dean" I said, when he just started driving. "You wanna explain yourself"
"It's a shtriga" he said, as though that would explain everything I needed to know.
"Oh, that's great" I said rolling my eyes. "Thanks, I mean, it wouldn't been really annoying of you hadn't told us anything at all"
"Shut up" he said, pulling into a motel.
We were silent for a second. "Okay, I'll bite" Sam sighed. "So, what the hell is a shtriga?"
"It's kind of like a witch, I think" he said, getting out of the car. I followed him to the trunk. "I don't know much about 'em"
"Well, I've never heard of it" Sam said. "And it's not in Dad's journal"
"Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about thirteen, fourteen years ago" he said. "You were both there, you don't remember?"
"No" Sam and I said at the same time.
"Yeah, I guess he caught wind that the thing's in Fitchburg now and kicked us the coordinates" Dean replied.
"So, wait, this…."
"Shtriga" Dean finished for Sam.
"Right" Sam nodded. "You think it's the same one Dad hunted before?"
Dean shut the trunk and handed me my bag. "Yeah, maybe"
"But if Dad went after it, why is it still breathing air?" I asked.
Dean shrugged. "'Cause it got away"
"Got away?" Sam asked, skeptically. Things didn't just get away from our father.
"Yeah, Sammy, it happens" Dean said.
"Not very often" I added, looking at him worriedly.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you, I mean, maybe Dad didn't have his Wheaties that morning" Dean said, getting irritated.
"What else do you remember?" Sam asked.
"Nothin', I was a kid, all right?" He insisted, and went in to get us a room. Sam and I stayed out, looking at each other.
"What's up with him?" Sam asked me. I shrugged. "He's acting weird"
"He's always weird" I stated. "Besides, its Dean. If he's dealing with something, we're just going to have to let him deal"
"Yeah" Sam said, leaning on the car. "I guess"
Dean came back out, jangling keys in my face. We went in, and while Sam did research, I took a shower. I came out, drying my hair with a towel and sighed, lying on the bed. My computer landed on my lap. "Ow" I said, glaring at Dean.
"Your grades are slipping" he said, holding up a paper with my grades. He was right, I had a c in almost every subject. I took the computer and started to work in silence.
"Well, you were right" Sam said. "It wasn't very easy to find, but you were right. A shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about 'em date back to ancient Rome. They feed off of spiritus vitae"
"Spiri-what?" Dean asked.
"Vitae. It's Latin—it translates to "breath of life"" Sam replied. "Kind of like your life force or essence"
"Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearin' out?" I asked.
"It's a thought" Sam shrugged. "You know, she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone, but they prefer—"
"Children" Dean stated.
"Yeah. Probably because they have stronger life force" Sam said.
"Hey Dean" I smiled, "I have a better life-force than you"
"Not if your grades don't go up, you won't" he replied. "Anything else?" he asked Sam.
"Get this—shtrigas are invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man" Sam said.
"That sucks" I said.
"No. That's not right" Dean said. "She's vulnerable when she feeds"
"What?" Sam asked.
"If you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought irons, buckshots, or rounds, I think" Dean listed off from memory.
"How do you know that?"I asked.
"Dad told me. I remember" he said.
"Oh. So, uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?" Sam asked.
"No. That's it" he replied. I stared at him. "What?" he demanded.
"Nothin'" I said, looking back at my homework.
"Okay, so, assuming we can kill it when it eats, we still gotta find the thing first, which isn't gonna be a cakewalk" Sam said. "Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting"
"What kind of human disguise?" Dean asked.
"Historically, something innocuous—it could be anything" Sam shrugged. "But it's usually a feeble old woman, which may be how the whole witches-as-old-crones legend got started"
Dean shot up and pulled out a map, spreading it on the bed. "Hang on" he said. "Check this out" I leaned over, putting my laptop down. "I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now, these are the houses that have been hit so far, and dead center?"
"The hospital" I finished for him, looking down.
"The hospital" Dean nodded. "When we were there, I saw a patient—an old woman"
"An old person, huh?" Sam asked. Dean nodded vigorously. "In the hospital? Whew. Better call the coast guard" He laughed.
I smirked. "I don't know Sam, we might have to call in the feds too" I laughed.
"Well, listen, smartasses, she had an inverted cross hangin' on her wall" he scoffed. Our smiles faded. We all piled into the car.
We made our way back up to where Dean saw the old lady. We waited for the doctors to clear out, and then kept going. We reached the room, and Dean pulled out his gun. I looked at him confused. We were going into an old ladies room, not the devils. He shrugged.
Sam opened the door and we went in. Sam and I stayed by the door while Dean slowly inched forward. Sam and I pulled out our guns too. Hey, she was creepy. She was just sitting there, staring ahead. Dean went forward, leaning in. We watched her intently for anything.
"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, jumping awake. I jumped, looking at Sam. Dean jumped backwards, slamming himself into a cabinet. "Who's there?" she asked again. Sam turned on the lights. I lowered my gun. "You tryin' to steal my stuff? They're always stealin' around here"
"No, ma'am, we're maintenance" Sam said, looking at Dean, who was still freaking out. "We're sorry, we thought you were sleepin'"
"Oh, nonsense. I was sleepin' with my peepers open!" she laughed. "And fix that crucifix, would ya? I've asked four damn times already"
Dean looked at the inverted cross, and flipped it back up. He looked to us, still shaken. I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Sam covered my mouth, and we abruptly headed out. I was still trying to calm myself down as we got to the car. "Oh my god!" I laughed. "Dean, you should've seen yourself jump!" Dean just pulled away.
We were back to the motel in moments. It wasn't far away. Sam was laughing now too. "I was sleepin' with my peepers open"?" he laughed.
"I almost smoked that old gal, I swear" Dean grunted. "It's not funny"
"Oh, man, you should've seen your face, Dean" Sam and I laughed. I leaned on the side of the building. Sam started to unlock the door.
"Yeah, well, laugh it up, you two" he scoffed. "We're back to square one".
"Hang on" Dean said, walking over to where the little boy, Michael, who's mom owned the motel was sitting. Dean crouched next to him the same way he always used to for Sam and I, the same look on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked him.
"My brother's sick" he replied, choking back tears.
Dean's face fell. "The little guy?"
Michael nodded. "Pneumonia. He's in the hospital" he stated. He looked down at his shoes. "It's my fault"
"Oh, come on, how?" Dean asked.
"I should've made sure the window was latched" he cried. "He wouldn't have gotten pneumonia if the window was latched"
"Listen to me" Dean said, staring at him sadly. "I can promise you that this is not your fault, okay?"
"It's my job to look after him" Michael said, looking up at Dean. Dean nodded, glancing at Sam and I knowingly.
"Michael" his mom said, coming out of the office. She put her handful of stuff in the car. "I want you to turn on the "No Vacancy" sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service, so don't bother with any of the rooms"
Michael hopped to his feet. "I'm going with you"
His mom sighed. "Not now, Michael"
Michael was indignant. "But I gotta see Asher!"
"Hey, Michael. Hey, I know how you feel, okay? I'm a big brother, too" Dean said, trying to calm him down. "But you gotta go easy on your mom right now, okay?"
Michael looked up at him worriedly and nodded slowly. His mom flailed around the car, flustered. She dropped her purse and swore. Sam picked it up for her. "I got it" he said, handing it to her. "Here"
"Thanks" she said, with a heavy sigh.
"Hey, listen, you're in no condition to drive." Dean said. "Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital, huh?"
"No, I couldn't possibly—"
Dean smiled. "No, it's no trouble. I insist"
She paused, and then handed him her car keys. "Thanks" she said. She kissed Michael on the forehead and gave him a pathetic smile. "Be good" she said. She got in the car.
Dean looked at me and Sam, whispering. "We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead, you hear me?" he said, determinedly. I nodded, and he drove off.
"You wanna call Dean, or should I?" I asked, looking at the screen.
Sam sighed, picking his cell phone out of his pocket. "I will" he said. "Hey. How's the kid?" he said. I leaned onto Sam, so I could hear.
"He's not good" Dean said. "Where you at?"
"At the library, tryin' to find out as much as I can about this shtriga" Sam said.
"Yeah? What do you got?"
"Well, bad news" Sam sighed. "I started with Fort Douglas, around the time you said Dad was there. Yeah. Same deal. Before that, there was Ogdenville. Before that, North Haverbrook and Brockway. Every fifteen to twenty years, it hits a new town. Dean, this thing is just gettin' started in Fitchburg. In all these other places, it goes on for months—dozens of kids, before the shtriga finally moves on. Kids just languish in comas, and then they die"
"How far back does this thing go?" he asked.
Sam looked to me and I shook my head. I didn't know anymore than he did. "I don't know. The earliest mention I could find was this place called Black River Falls back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show" I scoffed. He repeated that to Dean.
I clicked on the link. A picture of a newspaper came up. There were doctors crowding around a sick kids bed. "Oh my-" I stuttered, and slapped Sam as hard as I could on the shoulder. "Sam" I pointed. One of the doctor's looked especially famililar.
"Whoa" he said, staring as well. "Hold on. I'm lookin' at a photograph right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed" Sam said, shutting Dean up on the phone. "One of the doctors is Hydecker"
"And?" Dean asked.
"And this picture was taken in 1893" I said, after snatching the phone out of Sam's hands. He stared at the picture stunned.
"You sure?" Dean asked.
"Yeah" I said. "Yeah, absolutely" He abruptly hung up without even saying goodbye. I was a little scared of what he was going to do. "C'mon" I said, "We should meet Dean back at the motel room"
We headed back and I paced around the room. Dean entered, slamming to door behind him. I immediately relieved. If he was still pissed, it meant he hadn't shot the doctor in front of pediatrics' ward. "I can't believe this" Dean scoffed.
"We should have thought of this before" Sam said. "A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted, you can control the whole thing"
"Huh" Dean remarked. "That son of a bitch"
"I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there" Sam said, looking at him.
"Yeah, well, first of all, I'm not gonna open fire in a freakin' pediatrics ward" Dean scoffed.
I nodded. "Good call"
"Second, it wouldn't have done any good because the bastard's bulletproof unless he's chowin' down on somethin'" he listed. "And third, I wasn't packin', which is probably a really good thing 'cause I probably would've just burned a clip in him off of principle alone"
"Gettin' wise in your old age, Dean" Sam stated.
"Damn right" Dean nodded. "So now I know how we're gonna get it"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"This shtriga—it works through siblings, right?" he said, standing up. I nodded, as did Sam. "Well, last night…."
"It went after Asher" Sam finished for him.
"So I'm thinkin' tonight, it's probably gonna come after Michael" Dean stated.
"Then, we gotta get him outta here" I said.
"No." Dean said. "No, that'd blow the whole deal"
"What?" Sam asked. Dean didn't respond. "Then you wanna use the kid as bait?" Dean just said nothing again. "Are you nuts? No! Forget it, that's out of the question"
"It's not out of the question, Sam, it's the only way" Dean stressed. "If this thing disappears, it could be years before we get another chance"
"Michael's a kid" Sam said. "And I'm not gonna dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook"
"Use me" I said, standing up. "I can be bait, and then you two can smoke the sucker"
"It would know you're not Michael" he said. "It's not stupid"
"Dean, we can't use that kid as bait" Sam stated.
"Dad did not send me here to walk away" Dean growled.
"Send you here?" Sam asked. "He didn't send you here, he sent us here"
"This isn't about you, Sam!" he yelled. He turned away from us. "All right, I'm the one that screwed up. It's my fault. There's no tellin' how many kids have gotten hurt because of me"
"What are you saying, Dean?" I asked. "How is it your fault?" He was silent.
Sam sighed. "Dean, you've been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does Dad bail on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away?" Dean sat back down and sighed. "Now, talk to us, man. Tell us what's goin' on"
He sighed and stared at the wall for a minute, before answering. "Fort Douglas, Wisconsin"
It was like a distant memory in my head.
Dean sat at the table, staring at a picture of something. "All right" dad sighed. "You know the drill, Dean. If anybody calls, you don't pick up. If it's me, I'll ring once and then call back. You got that?"
"Mmhmm" the twelve year old answered. "Don't answer the phone unless it rings once first"
"Come on, dude, look alive. This stuff's important" dad said, patting him on the shoulder.
"I know, it's just—we've gone over it, like, a million times, and you know I'm not stupid" Dean replied.
"I know you're not" dad replied. "But it only takes one mistake, you got that?" Dean nodded. "All right, if I'm not back Sunday night?"
"Call Pastor Jim" Dean said, reciting the intended response from memory.
Dad nodded. "Lock the doors and windows, close the shades, and most important—"
"Watch out for Sammy and Lexie" he said, looking at us. Sam was sitting on the chair, glaring at the television. I grinned at the sound of my name. I was coloring on paper with my crayons. "I know" he said.
"All right, if somethin' tries to bust in?" dad asked.
"Shoot first, ask questions later" Dean replied.
"That's my man" he said, with a smile. He grabbed his jacket and left. Dean shut the door behind him, locking it in the process.
"Dee" I said, looking at him. He looked over at me. I smiled. "Daddy go bye byes?"
"Yeah" he said, "He went bye byes" He picked me up and put me on a chair by the table. "C'mon Sam. Dinner's up"
Sam turned off the TV and scrambled over, sitting next to me. I grinned happily at him, glad that I was being included. I got to sit at the table as long as I didn't move too much. Dean poured Sam milk in a big boy cup. "When's Dad gonna get back?" Sam asked Dean.
"Tomorrow" Dean replied. He turned away and went to the stove.
"When?" Sam asked, as Dean poured Spaghetti O's into my bowl, and then going to Sam's.
"I don't know. He usually comes in late, though" Dean replied. "Now, eat your dinner"
"I'm sick of Scabetti O's" Sam said, glaring at the bowl like it was poison.
"Well, you're the one who wanted 'em" Dean scoffed.
"I want Lucky Charms" Sam insisted.
Dean shook his head. "There's no more Lucky Charms"
"I saw the box' Sam insisted.
"Okay, maybe there is, but there's only enough left for one bowl, and I haven't had any yet" Dean said. Sam looked sadly up at him. Dean took his bowl, dumping it in the garbage, and grabbed another bowl from the sink. He put the Lucky Charms box on the table angrily, glaring at Sam.
Sam looked in the box, and pulled out the coveted prize. He stared at it for a second, and then held it up to Dean. "Do you want the prize?" he asked.
Dean sighed, holding back a smile. "Nah" he said, taking it from him. He pulled it out of the packaging and looked at the little toy matchbox car. He handed it to me, and I took it, staring at it strangely. Dean laughed, showing me how it rolled.
I laughed and took it again, rolling it on the table top. Dean smiled and fed me a spoonful of the Spaghetti O's. Hours later, I was half asleep in my play pen that was placed in the bedroom. I watched Dean interested, as he left out the door. Where was he going?
A knock on the window made me sit up curiously. Was Dean coming in through the window? Sammy was asleep in the bed next to me. The window opened, and a hooded figure came in. It was scary looking, with grey skin that was falling off, and eyes that seemed to glare at you evilly. I whimpered. "Dee" I said softly.
It leaned over Sammy, making weird noises and making a light appear. I cried louder. What was that thing doing? "Get out of the way!" said my dad, shooting at it with his gun. It went back out the window. I cried, tears now streaming down my face. I stood, putting my hands on the play pen wall to steady me. "Sammy. Sammy. Sammy! Are you okay?"
"Dad, what's goin' on?" Sam asked groggily.
"You all right?" he asked him, hugging him. I sniffled back a little. It was okay. My dad was here. "What happened?" he asked Dean, looking at him.
"I-I just went out" Dean stuttered. He sounded afraid.
My father looked at him surprised. Like how he looked when I said a new word. Except this wasn't a happy surprise. "What?"
"J-just for a second" Dean said. "I'm sorry"
"I told you not to leave this room. I told you not to let him out of your sight!" he yelled. He held Sam closer. I whimpered again. What had made my dad so mad? He always was allowed to leave, why couldn't Dean? "Get your sister" he said.
Dean came over to me, and picked me up. I held my arms up. I buried my head in his shoulder. "Dee, Sammy okay?" I asked. He nodded, not answering me out loud. "Monster come back?" I whispered.
"No" my father answered, taking me from Dean. "No monster, baby girl. You're safe"
I looked at Dean, giving him a small smile. But Dean was just upset.
Dean was thinking about that memory, tears forming. "Dad just grabbed us and booked—dropped us off at Pastor Jim's about three hours away. By the time we got back to Fort Douglas, the shtriga disappeared. It was just gone. It never resurfaced until now" Dean sighed. "Dad never spoke about it again. I didn't ask. But he, uh—he looked at me different, you know—which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order, and I didn't listen. I almost got you killed"
"You were just a kid" Sam said.
"Don't—don't" Dean said, cutting off what I was going to say too. "Dad knew this was unfinished business for me. And he sent me here to finish it"
"But using Michael?" Sam asked. "I don't know, Dean"
"I mean, how about I hide under the cover, you know, I'll be the bait?" I asked. "I really don't think it would know"
"No, that won't work. It's gotta get close enough to feed. You can't shoot it, and then it'll see you and know" Dean said. "Believe me, I don't like it. But it's gotta be the kid"
Dean and Sam and I went to talk to Michael. I walked into the motel's office, a little late since I had to get the supplies ready if he said yes.
"You're crazy!" Michael yelled. "Just go away, or I'm calling the cops"
"Hang on a second. Just listen to me" Dean said. "You have to believe me, okay? This thing came through your window, and it attacked your brother. Now, I've seen it. I know what it looks like. 'Cause it attacked my brother once, too. Almost got my little sister too"
Michael stared at him, and then slowly put the phone he was holding down. "This thing—is it, like….it has this long, black robe?" he asked.
"You saw it last night, didn't you?" Dean asked.
Michael grimaced. "I thought I was havin' a nightmare:
"I'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes, nightmares are real" Dean replied.
Michael stared at him. "So, why are you telling me?"
"Because we need your help" Dean shrugged.
Michael raised his eyes. "My help?"
"We can kill it" Dean said, nodding at Sam and I. "Me and them, it's what we do. But we can't do it without you"
"What?" Michael exclaimed. "No!"
"Michael, listen to me. This thing hurt Asher, and it's gonna keep hurting kids unless we stop it, you understand me?" Dean said. Michael said nothing, then turned and left the front desk. Dean slammed his hands on the desk and stalked out. Sam and I shared a look. "Well, that went crappy" Dean said, as we got back to the room. "Now what?"
"What'd you expect?" Sam asked. "You can't ask an adult to do something like that, much less a kid"
"We'll figure this out, Dean" I said earnestly.
There was a knock on the door. Dean opened it, and I was surprised to see Michael standing there. "If you kill it, will Asher get better?" he asked.
Dean glanced back at us. "Honestly, we don't know" he said, looking back to him.
Michael sighed, and thought for a second. "You said you're a big brother?" he asked. Dean nodded. "You'd take care of your little siblings. You'd do anything for them?
Dean nodded again. "Yeah, I would" he said. I couldn't help it, I gave a small smile. Sam put a hand on my shoulder.
"Me, too" Michael stated. "I'll help"
We set up Michael's room with a security camera that would face his bed. Even though the thing was going to try and attack Michael, I was going to lay in the second bed right next to his. It would think I was another sibling, hopefully. But I wasn't going to let this kid almost get eaten all alone.
"Now, this camera has night vision on it, so we'll be able to see as clear as day" Dean said, as he set it straight. "Are we good?" he asked Sam.
"Hair to the right" Sam called. Dean adjusted it and then hopped down. He sat on Michael's bed.
"What do I do?" Michael asked him nervously.
"You just stay under the covers" Dean nodded.
Michael looked at the window. "And if it shows up?"
"Well, we'll be right in the next room, and Lex is going to be in Asher's bed" he said. "We're gonna come in with guns. So, as soon as we do, you roll off this bed and you crawl under it"
"What if you shoot me?" Michael asked.
"We won't shoot you. We're good shots. We're not gonna fire until you're clear, okay?" Dean assured him. Michael nodded. "That's your job" he said, looking at me. I nodded. "Have you heard a gunshot before?" Dean asked Michael.
Michael gave him a confused look. "Like, in the movies?"
"It's gonna be a lot louder than in the movies" Dean smiled. "So, I want you to stay under the bed, cover your ears, and do not come out until we say so, you understand?" Michael nodded, but looked unsure. "Michael, you sure you wanna do this? You don't have to, it's okay. I won't be mad" Dean said.
"No, I'm okay" he replied. "Just don't shoot me"
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you" Dean said. "I promise" He gave Michael a reassuring smile, and walked out.
Michael looked at me. "Do you have a gun?" he asked me.
"Nope" I said, with a sigh. I leaned back on the bed. "I get to hide under the covers, and then when Dean and Sam come in, I help to keep you covered"
"Oh" he said. He scrambled under his covers. "Okay" I turned off the lights and laid still. This was really nerve wracking. After a few hours, I couldn't just lay there anymore. I was going crazy. This shtriga had better get its ass in here.
Around three am, the window opened. I hadn't even seen anything. I held my breath, hoping it would just overlook me. The thing looked just like I remembered. A long black, tattered robe, with a dead face underneath. I stared while it paused inside the window. It just looked at Michael, giving me a small glance. It didn't seem to care that I was there.
It moved closer to Michael, and I could hear his breath hitch. It leaned down, and took a long inhale. I wanted to move so badly. The bedroom door slammed open. Dean and Sam came in.
I dove off the bed, taking Michael down with me. I helped him crawl under the bed, but was stopped and flung out of the way before I could crawl under. The shtriga had friggen pushed me across the room in one blow. I groaned as I heard gun shots go off. "Mike, you all right?" Dean asked, after the thing had fallen silent.
"Yeah" He said from under the bed.
"Lex?" Dean called, looking at me.
I nodded, getting up. My muscles were aching like no one's business. He and Sam walked over to where the shtriga was lying on the floor motionless. Sam lowered his gun a little. The thing suddenly shot up and flung Dean into the closet doors.
I jumped backwards, and dodged out of the way. The shtriga went after Michael, so I shot at it, trying to distract it. It turned around and took a swipe at me, hitting my gun out of my hands. I glanced up only to be pushed backwards into Dean. "Sorry" I groaned.
"Dean!" Sam yelled, as the shtriga pushed him to the ground. It choked him, gross hands on his neck. It slowly lowered its head, ready to suck out his vitae. I went for my gun, but Dean was already up and ready.
"Hey!" he yelled. It turned to look at him, and Dean squeezed the trigger. The bullet went right between the shtriga eyes. It fell to the ground. "You okay, little brother?" Dean asked Sam. Sam gave a thumbs up, panting. "Lex?"
"Awesome" I moaned, getting to my feet. "Is it dead?" I asked, looking at the pile of robes on the floor. Dean, Sam and I all stared at it in silence. Dean lifted his gun, and shot it three times, and then it disappeared into nothing.
"It's okay, Michael, you can come on out" Dean said.
Michael crawled out and walked over. I put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at us gratefully, shooting a distrusting look at the robes. I sighed in relief and leaned back into Sam. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I gratefully accepted the hug that he gave me.
We let Michael stay in out motel room for the rest of the morning, and took him back to his house once the sun was up. The poor kid was exhausted. We loaded the trunk, and his mom pulled into the drive. "Hey, Joanna" Dean called. "How's Asher doin'?"
She grinned. "Have you seen Michael?"
As though on cue, Mike came running out the door. "Mom, Mom!" he yelled, giving her a hug. "How's Ash?" he asked.
She smiled wider. "I've got some good news. Your brother's gonna be fine"
Mike smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah, really" she laughed. "No one can explain it. It's a miracle" I glanced at Sam, and we shared a smile. "They're gonna keep him in overnight for observation, but after that, he's comin' home"
"That's great" Dean smiled.
"How are all the other kids doin'?" Sam asked.
"Good. Real good" she said. "A bunch of them should be checkin' out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's gonna be like a ghost town"
"Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
"Oh, he wasn't in today—must've been sick or something" she said.
"Yeah" I said. "Yeah, must have"
She turned to Michael. "So, did anything happen while I was gone?"
Michael shrugged. "No. Same old stuff" he said, hint of a smile on his face.
"Okay" she said. "You can go see Ash"
He literally did a double take on the car. "Now?"
"Only if you want to" she said. Mike smiled, shooting Dean a look. I smiled at his happy expression. He jumped into the car, rearing to go. His mom laughed. "I better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself"
She walked away, and I loaded the last bag before Dean shut the trunk. "It's too bad"
Dean shrugged. "Oh, they'll be fine"
"No, that's not what I meant" Sam sighed. "I meant Michael. He will always know there are things out there in the dark. He'll never be the same, you know?" He paused, and I watched them pull out of the parking lot. I sighed. "Sometimes I wish that…" Sam trailed off.
"What?" I asked.
"I wish I could have that kind of innocence" he said, leaning on the car.
"If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could, too" Dean said, giving Sam a look. "Both of you"
"A purple room" I said, giving Dean a small smile. He nodded, and got in the car. I followed, and Sam came in last.
Innocence is not always overrated.