Author's Note: Hello, Dear Readers, I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. I know it's been a while since I posted. I wish I could say that my life has calmed down enough to give me more time to write, but that, unfortunately, isn't the case. My original plan was to do the set up and the hunt in one chapter. Well, you're getting the set up in this chapter, and I hope to have the hunt posted soon.
Post a comment or drop me a DM to let me know what you think of this chapter. Like I've said before, I write for the pleasure of seeing the stories that are rattling around in my head on "paper." But, I like knowing that others are enjoying my work, too.
CHAPTER 17
"So, how are things at the bunker," Jody asked as she took her eyes off the road to glance over at Krissy.
She was driving her personal SUV rather than her official vehicle and had asked if Krissy would ride with her. She had used the excuse of wanting company on the long trip, but she'd figured that Krissy could use the break from Sam and Dean.
"Okay, I guess," Krissy responded as she shrugged. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn't her backside that was bothering her. Rather, the thought of where this conversation might be headed made her squirm.
She liked the Winchesters, and, to be perfectly honest, they had treated her well, considering the circumstances. Even though they'd busted her ass a few times, she couldn't say that any of the spankings she'd received hadn't been earned. No, it was more like they were just there. Sure, they were teaching her and training her to become a hunter, but that seemed to be the extent of their involvement in her life. She was a little jealous of the easy, friendly way they interacted with the woman sitting beside her. It seemed like they genuinely cared for Jody, while she was more of an obligation to them.
Jody had kept one eye on the road and the other on Krissy and had seen the change in the teenager's demeanor. She couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were racing through Krissy's mind. "That doesn't sound very convincing. Are they treating you well? What kind of things have you been doing?"
"Yeah, they treat me well enough." Krissy wasn't in the mood to share much about her life at the bunker with the sheriff. She still wasn't sure she could trust the other woman. Plus, Jody was being a bit too nosy for her liking. "I do physical training with at least one of them daily, and Sam is teaching me latin and lore." Krissy hoped sharing that little bit of her life at the bunker would satisfy Jody.
"That sounds good," Jody responded. "You have any plans for school. It should be starting soon?"
"I'm doing home school through the local school district. Sam's overseeing it."
Jody nodded. Homeschooling Krissy made sense, as the Winchesters were often on the road hunting, and they wouldn't have to pull her out of school each time they left.
They rode in an easy silence for a few minutes before Jody asked, "what kind of paper are you writing for Sam?" She'd been curious ever since he had mentioned it. There was something in his voice that led her to believe the assignment was something more than just a lesson in lore.
Again, Krissy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's on an anti-demon possession sigil." She was willing to tell Jody that much, but she didn't want to elaborate further.
"Hmm," Jody hummed in response. There was something about the way that Krissy had responded that led her to believe there was more to the story than what the teenager wanted her to know. She wondered if that sigil had anything to do with why Sam had spanked the girl the day before. Since she was still trying to build trust with Krissy, Jody chose to file that question away in the back of her mind for later consideration.
They lapsed back into a silence that was a little less easy than it had been a few minutes before. After about fifteen minutes, Krissy decided that if Jody could interrogate her, she was free to ask questions of the older woman as well. "So who's Owen?" she asked out of the blue.
Jody jerked the steering wheel slightly in surprise at the sudden question. She had been expecting Krissy to start interrogating her as well, but she hadn't been expecting that question right off the bat. "He was my son," she responded calmly. "He died."
"I'm sorry," Krissy responded. She hoped Jody read into the simple declaration the intended double meaning - that she was sorry for Jody's loss as well as for asking about something so personal.
Jody glanced over at the teenager. "Don't worry about it. I've been grilling you on some pretty personal stuff, so it's only fair that you get to do the same with me." She signed heavily and took a moment to gather her thoughts.
"Owen died when he was six from the flu. A couple of years after that he suddenly came back from the dead." She paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. "I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was some kind of miracle. All I knew was that I had my baby back. It was the only thing that mattered to me. That was, until I came home to find him eating my dead husband's body." Jody gave a short laugh and shook her head at the memory. "That was my introduction to the supernatural and how I met the Winchesters. Owen wasn't the only person to come back from the dead. The whole town was filled with zombies. We worked together to take care of them. They ended up training me to hunt, and we've been friends ever since."
"I'm sorry," Krissy said softly. "My mom died from something supernatural. I was really little, and I just barely remember her. I asked my dad one time what it was, but he got mad at me and refused to tell me. I never asked again. He was killed a couple of years ago by a vampire."
Jody pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. They could catch up to the Impala later, but the teenager sitting next to her needed her full attention. After putting the vehicle in park, she unfastened her seatbelt and turned sideways in her seat. "Give me a hug," she directed as she held her arms as wide as the confines of the vehicle would allow.
Krissy unbuckled her own seat belt and leaned into Jody's embrace, accepting the comfort she offered and giving some back in return. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Jody's cell phone rang.
Krissy laughed as she sat back in her seat and wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's probably Sam or Dean wondering where we are," she said.
Jody nodded as she picked up the phone and answered it. "We're fine. We just needed a moment. We'll be back on the road in a few minutes, and we'll catch up to you."
She disconnected the call and dropped the phone into the center console cup holder. She gave Krissy a warm smile. "I'm probably one of the few people besides Sam and Dean who truly understand what you are going through. If you ever need to talk, whether it's about your past or whatever's going on in your life, I want you to call me. I mean it. Call me."
Krissy was too overwhelmed with emotions to respond, so she just nodded her understanding and agreement. Jody smiled again and patted the teenager's knee before putting the vehicle back in hear and pulling back out onto the road.
XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX
When Jody and Krissy walked into the diner in Devil's Lake, Sam and Dean were already seated at a table and were nursing steaming cups of coffee.
"Everything okay?" Sam asked as they sat down. His concern was evident in his voice.
"Yes," Jody responded as she accepted a menu from the waitress who had followed them to the table. She gave the other woman an appreciative smile as she and Krissy placed their drink orders. "We were just discussing something that needed my full attention," she continued after the waitress had left.
Dean cocked an eyebrow as he studied Krissy for a moment. She returned his gaze with a steady one of her own. "Anything I need to know about?" He asked.
Krissy opened her mouth to tell him to mind his own business, but Jody spoke before she had a chance to say anything. "It was nothing that concerns you," she responded in a tone of voice that clearly said that particular discussion was at an end.
"Yes, ma'am," Dean responded sarcastically as he sat back in his chair. He wasn't happy with her response, but he wasn't going to challenge it. Plus, he hadn't missed Sam hiding his grin of amusement at Dean's expense by taking a long sip of his water.
The waitress returned a few moments later to serve Jody's and Krissy's drinks and to take everyone's orders. When she left again, Krissy grabbed the backpack she'd brought in with her and pulled her cellphone out of one of the exterior pockets. She wanted to check in with Josephine and run through her social media accounts. Even though she wasn't actively hunting, she still wanted to know what was going on in the world.
Later, after everyone had finished their meals, Sam excused himself from the table. When he returned, he was carrying a copy of the local newspaper. He tossed it onto the table as he took a seat. The headline read "Camper Missing; Fifth Disappearance in Two Months." The date at the top of the page indicated the paper was a few days old.
Krissy considered making a snarky comment about them having waited another day, but the sight of the waitress approaching the table made her change her mind. Instead, she picked up the newspaper and held it like she was reading the article. "Brilliant idea you had there, Dean. As if having to sleep in a cabin in the middle of nowhere isn't bad enough, we have to do it where people are going missing." Krissy turned to the waitress as she began gathering the dishes to clear the table. "How many of those missing people have turned up dead?" She asked, ignoring Dean's glare.
"Oh, that," the waitress responded in an overly cheery voice that made it obvious to everyone at the table that she was uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. "Where are you all planning to camp?"
"We're renting a cabin on the east side of the lake," Jody responded quickly. She remembered from her previous trips to the area that there were several rental cabins scattered throughout the wooded areas east of town.
"Oh," the other woman said in relief. "You all should be fine. All of the disappearances have been from west of town." She shifted as she pulled her order pad from the pocket of her apron, indicating that the conversation about the disappearances was over. " Can I get you any desert or coffee?"
"Do you have any pie?" Dean asked, hopefully.
"Apple or blueberry."
"I'll take a slice of apple with ice cream," Dean responded with a smile.
"Me, too," Krissy said as the others ordered only cups of coffee.
"Well, she shut that topic of conversation down rather quickly, " Jody commented. "Makes me wonder what she was trying to hide."
"Noticed that, did you?" Sam responded.
"Yeah, she wasn't all that subtle about it." Krissy studied the three adults at the table with her. "So what now?"
"We eat our desert, then go find a motel," Dean responded. "After we get checked in, the teenager stays put and does what she's told while the adults go find a bar and talk to the locals."
Jody gave Dean a hard look that clearly communicated her thoughts on his statement. While she didn't disagree with what he'd said about Krissy staying behind, she strongly disagreed with how he'd said it. Dean just shrugged a shoulder in response and resumed eating the pie the waitress had brought to him. Jody just sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with that at the moment. Instead of pushing the issue, she sat back in her chair. "I'm not up for bar hopping tonight. I'll stay with Krissy, and we'll find something fun to do." She glanced over at the teenager to gauge her reaction. "Maybe we'll go see a movie or something."
Dean watched the interaction between Jody and Krissy. He had intended leaving Krissy behind at the motel to be a test of the teenager's ability to follow orders. He didn't know if Jody had intentionally interfered with that, thinking he was being too harsh, or not. But, either way she had essentially stepped on his toes. He was debating whether or not he would need to speak to Jody about that when Sam caught his eye and silently communicated to him to let the matter go. Dean frowned, but gave a slight nod in response, indicating that he would follow his brother's suggestion - at least for now.
XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX
After checking into the motel, Krissy and Jody had discovered that there was a pay-per-view movie available that both of them wanted to watch rather than going back out to a theater. Jody had suggested Krissy shower and change for bed while she ran out to get them some popcorn and sodas so they could have the full movie experience.
She had just walked back into the room when she heard the sound of the running shower turn off. She placed a bottle of soda on each side of the night stand that separated the two beds and leaned one of the two bags of pre-popped popcorn she'd bought against each one. Then, piling the pillows against the headboard, she made herself comfortable and picked up the book she was reading to kill time before they were ready to start the movie.
Jody glanced up from her book as Krissy approached the bed. The teenager was wearing pajama pants and a tank top. Her damp hair was pulled up into a bun at the top of her head. As Krissy turned her back to Jody to prepare her own bed for movie-watching comfort, Jody spotted something on her shoulder. It took her a moment to realize what it was and where she'd seen the symbol before. "When did you get the tattoo?"
Krissy glanced over her shoulder at Jody. She was a little surprised at the woman's question. "Um . . . a couple of weeks ago," she said softly.
Jody narrowed her eyes a bit in suspicion at the tone of Krissy's voice. "Dean and Sam took you to get it?" She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the story than that.
"Not exactly," Krissy responded as she sat down on the bed. She was sitting with her legs folded in front of her and pulled a pillow from the pile she'd just arranged at the headboard and held it against her chest.
Jodie rolled over onto her side so that she was facing Krissy. "What happened, sweetie?" She asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she quickly added, hoping that Krissy wouldn't feel that she was being pressured into telling her story.
Krissy shrugged in response. "We were in Kentucky on a hunt, and I got mad when they wouldn't let me go with them because I wasn't protected against demonic possession. So, I took some money and snuck out and got the tattoo. It's an anti-demon possession sigil."
"Wow, okay," Jody responded without acknowledging she knew about that particular sigil and, if fact, had her own tattoo of it on her side. She then quickly realized that was likely at least part of the reason Sam had disciplined the teenager the day before. If she was right, she really couldn't say that she blamed him. She just wondered why he had waited so long to do it. "So, I'm guessing the guys didn't take that very well."
Krissy shifted her possession slightly in memory of Sam's and Dean's reactions. Her backside had finally stopped aching, but the memory of the punishment she'd received the day before was still fresh in her mind. "Yeah, you could say that," she said as she winced.
"Am I right in guessing that the paper you have to write for Sam is on that sigil?" Jodie asked. That, she thought to herself, was the type of discipline she would have expected from Sam.
"Yeah," Krissy responded in a tone of voice that clearly portrayed her disgruntlement. "I have to hand write it and can only use books for my research on it's meaning, its uses, and it's dangers. It's going to take me forever to get it done."
"Well, at least you have the library at the bunker to use for your research," Jody replied in a sympathetic voice.
Krissy snorted in mild derision at Jody's comment. "Yeah, there's only about a hundred books that contain information on sigils, and I have to look them up using a freaking card catalog."
"Only a hundred?" Amusement was evident in Jody's voice. "I haven't seen a card catalog in years. I always hated using them when I had to do research. It took me forever to find anything. How does Sam expect you to work on it here without access to the books."
"I got a lot of research done yesterday after . . ." Krissy stopped herself from finishing the sentence. She was pretty sure Jody had already figured out what had happened the day before, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. "Anyway, I got a lot of research done, so I can start writing it from my notes."
Jody hadn't missed Krissy's hesitation, but she chose to ignore it. "Well, I guess that will give you something to do to keep you out of trouble if you finish your research while we're investigating at the morgue tomorrow. "
Krissy shifted in her seat. "About that," she said. "Could you talk to Sam and Dean and get them to let me come with you tomorrow?"
Jody shifted so that she was sitting on the side of her bed. This topic was much more serious than their previous discussion, and she needed to present a more authoritative front. "No, Krissy, I'm sorry, but I won't do that. I agree with them. You don't need to be at the morgue, and you definitely don't need to see that body."
"But it's not like I haven't seen dead bodies before. I'm a hunter, I've seen plenty of dead bodies, and I even caused some of them," Krissy argued in a voice that held a hint of a whine.
"It's one thing to see a dead body during a hunt, even when you're the one responsible for the death. It's totally another thing to see a body lying on a morgue slab," Jody said in a voice that was deadly serious. She had to pause and gather herself at the memories that flooded her mind at the mere thought of going to the morgue. She really wasn't looking forward to going there the next day. "I know from personal experience how badly seeing a body in the morgue can affect you. It's something that stays with you. I still have nightmares about some of the things I've seen there in my career. No, if I have anything to say about it, and I'm sure if Dean or Sam have anything to say about it, that's something that you will never have to experience for yourself."
"Fine, whatever," Krissy said as she plopped back on the bed and rolled over so that her back was to Jody.
Jody sighed. Lord save her from moody teenagers, she thought. It was time to change the subject, she decided as she reached over for the remote control. "You ready to start the movie?"
"I don't want to watch it anymore," Krissy said, not bothering to turn over.
"Fine," Jody commented, "suit yourself. I'm still going to enjoy it. You can lay there and sulk if you want to, it doesn't matter to me." She turned the tv on and, after adjusting the volume to her liking, started playing the movie. She opened her soda and took a deep drink before placing it back on the nightstand and grabbing the bag of popcorn.
Krissy laid there and stewed in her anger over Jody siding with the Winchester brothers to deny her the opportunity to go to the morgue to view the body. She felt betrayed, and she wasn't in the mood to bother hiding it. Jody had said she was her ally against Sam and Dean, but she was siding with them when Krissy needed her the most. Krissy was still stewing about it when she fell asleep to the sound of the movie playing on the television.
XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX
"So how'd the movie night go?" Sam asked as they took their seats at a table in the diner across the street from the motel. The lights had been out in the room shared by Jody and Krissy when he and Dean had returned to the motel in the wee hours of the morning.
"It went," Krissy responded a bit sourly. She still wasn't happy with Jody, but she knew better than to act on those feelings in front of Dean.
"What happened?" Dean demanded as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He eyed Krissy and Jody, clearly indicating that he expected one of them to talk.
"We had a disagreement over something," Jody responded lightly as she picked up the menu the waitress had left on the table in front of her. She glanced through it for a moment before looking up to meet Dean's hard gaze. "Beyond that, it's none of your concern."
"It damn well is my concern if it affects your ability to hunt together, " he responded in a low, quiet voice.
Krissy and Jody shared a look as they both contemplated how to respond. Krissy shrugged and said, "No, we're good."
"You'd better be," Dean responded as he picked up his own menu. The unspoken threat of what would happen if they weren't hung in the air.
Sam broke the tension in the air by clearing his throat. "Krissy, I have a couple of things I want you to look into when you're doing your research later. I have a theory about what's going on, and what you find will help me determine if I'm on the right track or not."
"What is it?" Krissy was a little relieved that he had changed the topic of conversation, even if she was less than happy about being reminded that she was being relegated to what she saw as busy work while the others did the real investigating at the morgue.
"We'll talk about it back at the motel," he told her as his eyes flicked toward the waitress who was approaching their table. Krissy understood the need for discretion, so she decided not to push for more information - at least not at the moment.
XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX
Sam leaned against the dresser in his and Dean's motel room, while Dean sat on the couch and Jody and Krissy shared the table. Sam had given Krissy a notepad and pen so she could take notes during their discussion. They lay on the table in front of her.
"People in the bar last night were more willing to talk than the waitress at the dinner was," Dean said as they opened the conversation about what he and Sam had learned the night before.
"People do tend to get more talkative when they've been drinking," Jody remarked a little sourly. That trait was also why her office had a pretty steady number of calls to some of the less reputable bars in Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday nights.
"So what did you find out?" Krissy asked.
"Well, the waitress last night was right. All of the disappearances have occurred on the western side of town. With the first couple, the people disappeared from town, but the more recent victims have disappeared from the wooded areas around the lake," Sam explained. "The ones from town were local residents, but the three who disappeared from the woods were campers."
"And there was another disappearance reported the night before last. It just hasn't been released to the media yet," Dean picked up the narrative when Sam paused.
"Did anyone you talked to last night have a theory?" Krissy asked before Jody could speak. She was becoming intrigued by the thoughts of what could be taking place.
"Several," Dean chuckled. "My favorite was the guy convinced it's the work of the Devil's Lake Monster."
"Really?" Jody resisted the urge to laugh, too. "I've heard stories about a giant serpent covered in black scales with a massive alligator-like head and huge glowing eyes," she said. "So, what is it supposed to be doing? Grabbing people from the woods, then spitting them back out?"
"That's exactly what the old guy who told us that story said," Sam commented. "It's right up there with the alien abduction and experimentation theory one lady told me."
"So, what's this theory you've got?" Krissy asked as she picked up the pen and tapped it on the notepad. "I don't see you falling for crazy stories about sea monsters and E.T."
"It's just an idea I got while speaking to a couple of guys," Sam responded. "I want you to dig into the history of the area and Native American legends. Look for anything unusual or out of place."
"Am I looking for anything in particular?"
Sam shook his head. "Just see what you can find. I don't want to go into it too much since that could influence your research. Just make note of any stories of events or people that seem out of place or particularly odd. Also, see if you can dig up anything on previous deaths or disappearances over the last couple of centuries that are similar to what's happening now. I'm curious to know if this has happened before, or if these deaths are a new occurrence."
Krissy nodded as she took notes. Actually, she thought the research sounded kind of interesting. It didn't make up for having to stay behind when the others went to the morgue, but maybe it was a start.
*** TBC ***