Arc 5

Known Case, Unknown Hunt

Another case had appeared, more unusual than the other types of cases the Winchester boys normally went on. They and Angela were on the way to the case's location. Dean drove, Sam read over the little bit of case information on his phone and Angela was giving an upgrade to her watch that she recently bought. Of course, Dean kept looking in the rear-view mirror at her, trying to figure out just what exactly she was during to her watch. After about half an hour, he broke his silence and finally asked.

"What the hell are you doing to that watch?"

Angela stopped, looking right back at Dean through the rear-view mirror. "I'm making it more useful than just keeping track of the time."

"How?"

Angela had already looked back down at her watch, consistently making progress with its future function. "You'll have to wait and see."

Dean was little bit disappointed. "Oh, come on. Not even a hint?"

"No. It'll be a surprise for all of us…because I'm not even sure if it's going to function properly once I give it its first test run. In theory, it should but we'll see how it goes."

Having been given an answer, Dean decided to keep to himself until either Angela or Sam spoke about something that would allow him back into a conversation. Until then, he would just keep his eyes on the asphalt ahead and his mind on the information about the case they were getting closer to.

Such a weird case. Two adults dead in their home. Unknown cause of death for both of them. Forced entry into the house. No witnesses, of course. It happened in a town roughly three hours from Lebanon, but we have to go to the next town over just to get the autopsy records.

"This case. It's odd." Sam put his phone away, finally gazing out at the road ahead. "Why am I getting the feeling this is going to get complicated?"

"Is this case really that much different from other cases you and Dean have been on?" Angela asked as she decided to stop messing around with her watch.

Sam turned just enough so that he could look back at Angela. "It's not that it's drastically different. It's the lack of information in the news article. It's unusual."

"What do you mean?"

"The article was written without listing the names of the people who died, no cause of death, doesn't give any information as to whether this case is being investigated and the law doesn't have any statements. There's hardly anything to go on, but the story was published like this anyway. We've never seen anything close to this."

"And if it seems out of place and doesn't make sense," Dean added. "Then, there's something hidden behind it. Every time."

Angela agreed with that. She had learned that lesson from personal experiences. She wondered what this potential this case could have for them. She thought over what possible monsters had caused this and could end up being the answer.

Maybe I'll get to see a different type of monster that these two have hunted before. I really hoped it's not another shifter. I may have only dealt with one but that was enough. Perhaps this case will have a ghost. Or a demon? Maybe a werewolf? Well, maybe not the werewolf since there was an unknown cause of death.

On and on, she thought about the possible culprit, while Sam kept his thoughts to himself as well and Dean drove on in silence, focused on getting to the morgue where they would pick up the records.

"Cremated?" Dean asked as a slight tinge of anger and confusion rose in his voice. "What do you mean the bodies were cremated?"

The mortician leaned back in his chair, aggressively chewing the gum in his mouth. He was a bit annoyed at how this one F.B.I. agent out of the three was giving him an attitude for no legitimate reason. "How else do you want me to put it? They were set on fire. Burned to ash. Their bodies are no longer in a form that is recognizable."

Dean was about to let this unsympathetic asshole have it verbally, but Sam quickly cut him off. "Wasn't cremating them rather quick? According to our information, they only died two days ago."

The mortician let out a tired sigh. "Listen. I thoroughly examined both of them. All the details are in this copy on my desk for the three of you to take and the items they were wearing, that were worth saving, are in the box next to that case folder. I went through all the procedures legally. As for the quick disposal of the bodies, that's what we do around here for people who have no living relatives who have input on the matter. I know the laws around here as well as my rights. I suspect the three of you know that as well."

Dean was about to argue the unwavering mortician but stopped himself before he let out a single word. There was no point in pressing the person for answers. Holding back his words and burying his anger at the mortician, he quickly snatched the box up from the desk. "We'll be confiscating this box as evidence for the case."

The mortician waved him off. "Do whatever you want with it. It's not like anyone wants to claim it."

As for Sam, he reached for the copy of the autopsy reports but Angela picked them up first.

"We appreciate your hard work and dedication. I hope you receive what you rightfully deserve." Angela spoke to the worker in a very serious tone, which threw both brothers for a loop as she walked out of the office.

The mortician glued his sight to his computer monitor, not even giving the two remaining agents a second glance as they left the room. They could care less the end results of the two recent deaths, since they were paid quite handsomely to never speak of it and to forget its abnormality. Then again…those two bodies were scorched into their memories. They would certainly be having nightmares about them later.

The two brothers walked out of the building, spotting Angela near the Impala as she read the copy of the autopsy reports. Thanks to some tutoring from Sam, Angela could read English rather well, except for a few words that phonically gave her trouble. As Dean went for the driver's door and Sam went for his front passenger's door, Angela went for her door too, her eyes still fixated on the reports in the thin folder.

"Alright," Dean turned the key in the ignition, the Impala roaring to life once more. "That guy was no help, but at least we got something from him. Angela, you have an address in those reports."

"Yeah. It's 153 Serpent Drive, in the town of Cottonwood Falls of course."

Sam took his phone out. "I'll pull up directions."

Angela managed to read through the reports in five minutes. She tapped Sam's shoulder with the folder, which got his attention. "Here."

"Thanks." He took the folder and opened it up on his lap, keeping the phone with the directions in his left hand and flipping through the couple pages in the folder with his right. He gave his phone a quick glance. "Turn at the next right."

"Got it." Dean answered, looking ahead for the turn.

The more he read, the more confused and suspicious Sam got. The reports on both adults had their names listed as John Smith and Jane Smith. The time of death was one thirty-eight in the morning for both. They died from "natural causes" but didn't get into specific details.

What the hell is this?! All this information is filler to make these reports look official. There's nothing for us to go on here, except that it's trying to hide something. It may or may not be a monster that did this, but there's nothing to prove that it isn't yet.

"Fake?" Dean asked as he made the Impala take the right turn.

"Fake." Sam answered.

Angela leaned forward, looking over Sam's shoulder at the reports. "How can you tell?"

At soon as the question left her mouth, Sam went on to explain how each section of the reports was illegitimate. Dean listened in for two of the examples before he tuned them out. Unlike his brother, he always found research dull and boring. However, he was more than ready to hunt down the monster in this case, if there was one.