Chapter 8

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the convenience store and parked away from it. He faced the car so they could see the entrance and watched for Mitch. Sam went into the store to buy some waters, power bars, nuts, jerky, and fruit. Bobby followed to hit the head and get a cup of coffee. Sam was getting some supplies for the stakeout in the woods. They were not coming back until they tried their plan and hoped it worked.

Sam and Bobby were coming out of the store when a large silver van pulled into the parking lot. They saw Mitch behind the wheel and walked toward the Impala as he pulled in beside it.

Dean got out of the Impala and leaned against a fender waiting for Mitch to park and get out to join him.

"Mitch, good to see you," Dean greeted him giving him a fist bump and understanding nod.

"Dean, glad to help. I've got what you need in the van and Mason said I could stay and help. Sam, Bobby," Mitch greeted them as they stopped beside Dean.

"Hey Mitch," Sam replied. "Glad you can help."

"Mitch," Bobby nodded to him. "Good to see you again."

"Of course, I have to say, you do make things interesting. Haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Do you need to get something to eat or hit the head before we head out?" Dean asked Mitch.

"Yeah, let me head inside and I'll be ready." Mitch strolled toward the front door and disappeared inside as Sam, Bobby, and Dean got back into the Impala. Sam sat his purchases into the floorboard in the back and settled down to wait. Dean dropped into the driver's seat and inserted the keys into the ignition glancing back at the door to watch for Mitch.

They were going to drive as close as they could before going on foot into the forest. Sam had found an old logging road that would put them closer to where they encountered the creature the first time. Dean hoped it would stay in the area and if he could get the creature's attention with Sam's blood, hopefully he could lead it into their trap and kill it.

Dean started his Baby when he saw Mitch coming from the store carrying a bag. He waited for him to get into the van before pulling from the parking lot and watching as Mitch fell in behind him. He followed Sam's directions out of town to where he found the logging road and drove slowly, deeper into the isolated area. He had to be careful of the potholes and washboard, dirt road so not to damage his Baby. He stopped and found a place to park when Sam told him they were close and would need to go on foot from here.

"Alright, let's see what Mitch brought," said Dean as he got out of the car and walked over to the stopped van.

Mitch stopped the van beside the Impala and got out as Dean and the others approached. He opened the back of the van and pulled out two collapsible wagons with large tires to make it easier to pull through the rugged terrain of the woods. He quickly put the wagons together and with Dean's help transferred the canisters of liquid nitrogen, protective gear, burlap sacks, and three shovels into them. He slung a small pack over his shoulders before waiting for them to leave.

"Okay, I'll lead the way and Mitch will cover our backs," Dean told them as he took one wagon and Mitch took the other. "You and Bobby stay between us," he told Sam. "We'll be able to sense the creature before you can."

"Alright, we need to head northeast from here," Sam told them as he looked at a map he had gotten from the store and shouldered the small pack with supplies. Bobby followed along behind Sam and Dean with Mitch at the back.

The team slowly made their way through the woods picking the best path for the wagons, but Sam kept track of their course to keep them going in the right direction. Dean and Mitch were using their hyper senses to stay alert and try to sense if the creature was anywhere near them. They didn't want to be surprised by it and lose their chance of ambushing it. It was over an hour later that Sam called for them to stop and looked around. They were in a small clearing that gave them room to lure the creature and had enough coverage around it for them to hide while waiting on it.

"What do you think?" Sam questioned as he surveyed the area. He sat his pack on the ground and walked the distance of the clearing. "We're about a half mile from where we found the nest. If it's still around here, this is as good a place as any."

Dean pulled the wagon up beside Sam and rolled his shoulders while taking a couple of deep breaths before glancing around. He trusted Sam's intuition about these things and nodded his approval.

"We've got a while before it starts getting dark, we should get the tanks set up and out of sight," Dean said.

"I'll show whoever is going to be manning the tanks how to use them," Mitch offered looking at the three hunters.

"That would be Bobby and Sam," Dean told him. "It'll be our job to take the creature down once they've iced it. We can get in a little batting practice."

"Sounds good to me," Mitch agreed. "Okay guys, the hose has a quick release here on the tank. Be sure to have the gloves and goggles on in case of any splatters," Mitch instructed as he put on the gloves and goggles. "You pull back on the release and press the hose into it and let go and that's it, start spraying. I got long hoses to give you more room to attack. Any questions?"

Sam and Bobby watched Mitch as he attached the hose and removed it.

"I think I'm good," Sam nodded. "It looks pretty simple. Once the hose is attached you just point and press the handle, right?"

"Yes, that's it. Just be sure to not let the spray blow back on you. Now, where are you two going to set up and I'll help you move the tanks."

"I'll set up behind that rock outcropping and Bobby can set up on the other side in those bushes," Sam suggested. "That way I can hit it from behind and Bobby can hit from the front. That seem okay Bobby?"

"Fine with me Sam," Bobby replied. He took a wagon handle and grunted as he tried to pull it over to the bushes.

"Here Bobby, let me do that," Dean told him taking the handle of the wagon. "You want to stomp down an area to hide in?"

"Yeah, on it." Bobby moved into the bushes and made a hiding spot for him and the tank. Once he had it to his liking, Dean sat the tank at the edge. He let Bobby attach a hose before breaking a couple of branches off a small tree to place in front of them to hide them. "I think that will work," Bobby surmised as he removed the gloves and laid them on a tank. He added a pair of goggles, so they'd be ready when he needed them.

Mitch helped Sam position his tank and let him pop the hose on and double checked it before giving Sam the thumb's up. Sam slid the tank behind a boulder and made sure he could move it out when the time came to attack the creature.

"You and Bobby need to spray this on your clothes," Mitch said. He held out a spray bottle of a brown looking liquid to Sam.

"What is it?" Sam asked accepting the bottle and looking at it as his brow knitted together.

"It will mask your human smell in case the creature has heightened senses. Don't want to alert it of your presence. Dean and I should be okay since we don't really smell human."

"Oh, alright," Sam nodded, still not sure how he smelled different. He sprayed his jeans and jacket and passed it to Bobby to do the same.

"Yep, that is disgusting," Dean gagged when he got a whiff of Sam and stepped away from him.

"It doesn't smell that bad," Sam insisted sniffing his jacket sleeve before wrinkling his nose and coughing softly. "Anyone want a water or snack while we wait?"

"Toss me a water," said Dean holding out his hand. "Did you get any jerky?"

"Yep, two bags." Sam dug into his pack and tossed a bottle of water and bag of jerk Dean's way, watching him catch them easily in midair. He offered bottles to Bobby and Mitch. Bobby took one and Mitch declined since he had his own drink and food.

They found places to sit in the shade of some large trees while they drank and ate their snacks and waited for the day to pass. It was cool under the leafy branches and they relaxed preparing themselves for the fight. Dean filled Mitch in on what they were up against and how they hoped to bring it down. Sam asked about Talia and how Mason's kids were doing and was told they were all fine.

spn

Dean checked the time and got up from the ground, stretching his tall frame. He walked around for a few minutes gauging the sun and went to his pack to get the bottle of blood.

"I'm going to head out and see if I can lay a trail for this thing to bring it to us," Dean announced. "Why don't you guys find a few places to dig some holes so we can bury any remains? Since we don't really know anything about this creature, it's probably a good idea to separate the remains so it can't regenerate when it thaws; if it even does that, but better safe than sorry."

"Be careful Dean, don't take any unnecessary risks," Sam cautioned him in a firm voice.

"I will Sammy," Dean assured him.

"Oh, and here, put these in if you do lure the creature here so his howls won't affect you, Sam told him holding out a set of ear plugs.

"Good idea, thanks," Dean said taking them.

"Mitch, I have a pair for you too. Put them in when the creature shows."

"Thanks," Mitch replied taking the ear plugs and pocketing them for later.

"I'm sure when it gets a whiff of your sweet blood it'll come right along hoping to chow down on you," Dean teased as he turned to jog into the trees.

"Jerk," Sam mumbled under his breath as he watched his brother disappear. He didn't notice Mitch and Bobby glancing at him and smirking and trying not to laugh. Dean had a way of getting under Sam's skin, like a big brother do. They got up and walked around to get the knicks out of their bodies and loosen up before Dean led the creature to them. "You think he'll be okay Bobby?"

"Yes son, you know Dean's one of the best hunters out there and he does have an edge now. I wouldn't worry too much about him," Bobby tried to assure him. He didn't want Sam to see his concern for his brother showing on his face.

"Dean has an uncanny sixth sense about him," Mitch added. "I've seen it when we hunted wild beasts."

"Yeah, he does have that going for him," Sam nodded with a sigh looking the way Dean had gone. He moved to check the tank and be sure the hose was connected correctly, and he went through the plan again in his head. He grabbed a shovel along with Mitch and Bobby and looked around for soft spots to dig holes. Once they had the holes done, they gathered back at the rock outcropping to wait.

Sam watched the shadows deepen and knew the time was growing near. He shook off his anxiety, knowing if this didn't work, they would have to come up with something else. After giving Bobby a nod, Sam set himself up behind the rocky outcrop, leaning against the cool stone face. He could hear Bobby and Mitch taking their places to wait for Dean's return.

spn

Dean made his way through the trees, pausing occasionally to smell the air around him and listen for any foreign sounds, trying to pick up the creature's odor. He hoped it had not roamed too far from where they encountered it the first time. He had traveled about four miles from where the others were waiting to spring the trap.

Dean took the bottle of blood and uncapped it to pour a small amount into the palm of his hand. He started smearing the trees nearby with the sticky liquid and moved back toward the area where the trap was waiting. He started making loud noises and calling out like he was hurt in hopes that the creature would trail him. He continued to use the blood to mark trees and branches, leaving a trail the creature could easily follow.

He backtracked and found a place to wait about a mile from the ambush site to see if their plan was going to work. It was getting darker as the beams of sunlight began to fade away with the sun dropping toward the horizon. Dean froze when he heard the same familiar growling and hissing as before.

"Help!" he called out weakly and started heading toward the clearing. He tossed the last of the blood on some leaves and wiped his hand down his jeans to clean it. Dean drug his feet, rustling the dead leaves on the ground, wanting to make as much noise as possible. "Help me!" he called again as the crunching noises got closer. He was sure the creature had his scent now and could track him as he moved quicker between the trees.

Dean gave a shrill whistle to alert the others that he was close so they could be ready. Once he got to the clearing, Dean dropped to the ground pretending to be hurt and crawled along on the ground a short distance. He waited as the crashing got closer to him.

"You guys be ready, it's coming," Dean called out just loud enough for the others to hear. He got a soft chirp from Sam, a chuff from Mitch, and a bobwhite call from Bobby. He put in the ear plugs and pulled his gun out and held it at his side and waited for the creature to make an appearance.

It wasn't long before growling and wailing was heard nearby that echoed among the trees making the creature sound even more sinster, as broken branches marked the creature's advances toward the trap. The hunters and werewolves all froze and waited. Sam and Bobby knew the creature had to be between them before they could attack with the liquid nitrogen and didn't want to attack too soon.

The creature stepped into the small clearing and saw Dean on the ground. It raised its clawed hands and slowly advanced toward his prone body, snarling and gnashing its teeth letting strings of salvia drip from its gapping jaws. Dean pushed himself backwards on the ground away from it, making the creature move forward until it was where he wanted it.

"Now! Now!" Dean yelled as he rolled away to be out of the way of the spray.

Sam and Bobby stepped from their hiding spots and began to spray the creature with the liquid. Sam aimed high and Bobby aimed low. As soon as the liquid began to hit the monster, it wailed and screamed in agony and pain as it tried to get away. The creature dragged its frozen leg and swung out wildly at Sam knocking him backwards on his back stunning him for a moment. It started to struggle toward him, thrashing out with its clawed hands as Bobby continued his onslaught with the liquid.

Dean and Mitch stepped out with the shovels and headed for the creature. Dean got to it first and swung the shovel like a baseball bat, hitting the frozen leg and shattering it. The creature wavered on one leg, his rage boiling over at the assault. It had never been up against anything that could defeat it and knew it needed to get away from these weak things. The creature was cunning and had never be up against anything that could hurt it, but this food source was doing just that.

"You okay Sammy?" Dean called to him as he danced out of the creature's reach.

"Yeah," Sam wheezed as he got back up and found the hose and started assaulting the creature again.

Mitch caught an arm with his swing and watched in wonder as it broke off from the body of the creature and broke in clumps when it hit the ground, whisps of smoke weaving up from the frozen bits. He swung again and another part broke off shattering into pieces. The high pitched wails and screams echoed throughout the forest until Sam was able to hit it in the face, freezing it in a grotesque howl with its sharp teeth showing. Deadly silence filled the forest as Dean held up a hand for them to stop spraying and stepped up to the downed body.

"Goodbye you ugly sonovabitch," Dean growled as he brought the shovel down on the creature's face, destroying it into a hundred pieces. He wasn't satisfied with that and started stomping on the broken clumps as he let the beast have its fun.

"Ummm…Dean…I think you've killed it," Sam offered loudly, standing back, and watching Dean, waving to get his attention. He pointed to his ears, for him to remove his ear plugs.

"Sam's right son, we did it. The creature is dead," Bobby added. "And good riddance."

Dean stopped stomping and drew in some long, deep breaths as he pulled the beast back and took on human form again. He pulled the ear plugs from his ears and stuffed them in his pocket. He looked at Sam and smelled fresh blood.

"Are you hurt?" Dean asked Sam as he stepped closer.

Sam looked down at his body and realized there was a burning sensation on his arm. He slipped his jacket off and used a flashlight to see the sleeve of his shirt was damp with blood.

"Let me see," Dean insisted.

"I think it's just a scratch Dean," Sam complained as Dean grabbed his arm and pulled the torn shirt aside. He waited as Dean examined the injury and tried to see it too. "It's hardly bleeding now, I'll be okay."

"You're right, it's not deep but we need to clean it. We have no idea what germs could've been on that thing's claws."

"If you insist," Sam sighed knowing it was no use to argue with him. The scratches burned slightly but he could tell it wasn't serious. He got out the first aid kit and took off his shirt so Dean could doctor him injury. Sam winced and pulled on his arm when Dean used alcohol to clean the shallow cuts. "Damn!" Sam hissed as he drew in a sharp breath. He let it out slowly as Dean wiped the wetness away before applying antibiotic cream and then taped a pad over the scratches.

"Let's get this mess cleaned up and buried so we can get out of here," Dean told them as he looked around his feet.

Sam grabbed the burlap sacks and held one for Mitch to scoop up the frozen, shattered creature pieces and drop them inside. When it was full, Sam took it to a hole and buried it. Bobby helped Dean and they buried their bags.

"Is that it?" Sam asked looking around, glad that this hunt was over.

"I think as much as we can get," Bobby nodded shining his flashlight around the area and seeing small damp spots where pieces were ground into the soil. He didn't think there was enough left for it to be dangerous.

"Let's get these tanks loaded into the wagons and we'll head back to the vehicles." Dean pulled the wagons into the clearing and Mitch sat the empty tanks into them.

"Well done boys and Mitch," Bobby praised them. "I still don't know what we just killed, but it won't be taking anyone else's life."

"Here, here," Sam added.

They headed back through the darkness with Sam and Bobby in the rear, both with flashlights so they could see the way. Dean and Mitch didn't need lights to see and could pick the easiest route back. It took them longer to make their way through the dark but finally came back out where the vehicles were parked.

"Thanks for the help dude, we'll see you back at the Community," Dean told Mitch as he helped load the van so he could leave.

"Any time Dean, your hunts give me some excitement to look forward to." Mitch threw Sam and Bobby a wave before getting in the van and driving away.

"I talked to Mason and he said it was fine for you to visit," Dean told Bobby as they settled in the Impala.

"I guess it's time I do see this place of yours," Bobby agreed.

"Yes, Bobby. I agree," Sam added. "I think you are going to be surprised and a little impressed."

They got into the Impala and Dean turned around and slowly made his way back down the logging road to head west toward the Community. It didn't take Sam long to fall asleep in the backseat as Bobby and Dean talked quietly. Bobby questioned again to be sure there would be no problems with him coming to the Community. Dean assured him Mason was honest with him and it was fine. He was after all, part of their family, and that made him part of the clan too, like Mason told them when Dean was accepted into the clan.

A/N: The hunt is over, and the creature is dead. Bobby is going to get his first view of the Community. What will he think, and will there be any problems? I do like reviews. NC