49. Suspicion
A loud banging on the door startled the two of them. Dean ran to the door as he frantically pulled on his jeans. He stared through the peephole to see his father standing there.
"Dean, open the damn door!" John called. Dean stepped away from the door, grabbing the rest of the clothes off the floor and chucking some of them to Sam. "Dean, open this door right now!" John yelled. He sounded about ready to knock it down.
"Hang on!" Dean called, trying to stall long enough to let them finish dressing. He caught his little brother's eye who nodded as he finished pulling his shirt down. Dean walked towards the door apprehensively, opening it to reveal their furious father.
"You disobeyed a direct order! What's gotten into you, Dean?" John asked, striding into the room, surprised to see a guilty-looking Sam standing by the bed. John looked them both over, eyes lingering on their wet hair and pink cheeks.
"What the hell's going on here?" he whispered, gut writhing with suspicion.
"Uh, i-it's my fault. I left and Sam went after me --"
"That doesn't explain why you two would look like you've been living out of this motel room together," John seethed.
"N-No sir, it's --" Sam began to mutter.
"I got into a fight and there were cops outside so we decided to wait it out," Dean explained, figuring partial truths were the best defense in their current situation. Sam tried not to look surprised. He could feel his father's eyes on him and cursed the color he knew was rising in his cheeks.
John continued to study the two closely with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he tried to ignore. "What fight?" he asked.
"I was walking and a couple guys jumped me. I wasn't expecting it and I panicked," Dean said vaguely.
"You panicked. What does that mean?"
"It was four against one and all I had was a knife so I used it," Dean muttered.
"What were they?" John asked.
"Human," Dean murmured.
"Dean, you've gotta be kidding me! Your behavior has spun completely out of control --"
"I know, I'm sorr--"
"Don't. Don't apologize to me. We have to get the hell outta dodge. There's a case a few states over that needs to be dealt with anyway. Get your shit together and let's go," John said harshly, leaving the two standing stock still in the small room.
* * *
Sam could feel his skin crawling each time his father glanced at him in the rear view mirror. He had to suspect something but when was he going to confront them with it? Dean kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead. It had only been an hour or two on the road but the terse silence made it feel like so much more. Once again Dean found himself asking his father about the case just to break through the stifling quiet.
"The werewolves' hunting ground from a few months back has seen a slew of new deaths. Jim thinks it's a resurgence in the wolf population. I told him we'd go back." John muttered matter-of-factly. He switched the radio on, a clear sign he didn't want to continue a conversation with his son.
The rest of the car ride was more deafening silence broken only by the quiet hum of the radio. John checked them into the motel, a different one from the last they had occupied in town.
"Dean, you're coming with me," John began as he opened the room door, "Sam, you are not to leave this room under any circumstances. Am I making myself clear?" John asked threateningly. Sam nodded, avoiding his father's gaze. "Dean, let's go."
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Sorry if the updates start coming a little more slowly. I really need to focus on my studies now but I'll definitely keep working and posting this for y'all.
Love = Chocolate + Comments.
~aep
