A/N: Thank you for reading my project and I hope you are enjoying them. This hunt doesn't turn out like the guys thought it would. Reviews would make my day. I could use a pick me up. NC
J
It was getting late as the black Impala cruised down the highway and the driver was deciding whether to push on or start looking for a motel for the night. He looked over at his younger brother and saw the vacant look in his eyes. Their last case was a hard one that took its toll on him.
It was bad enough to find out his little brother had psychic abilities and then to find another young man his age also had them too. Sam had a vision that led them to Saginaw, Michigan and to the Miller family. Joe was killed in an what looked like a suicide, but they had their doubts. Sam had another vision of Joe's brother, Roger, being beheaded but couldn't stop it from happening either.
They learned that Joe and Roger regularly beat Max, Joe's son, and his stepmother never did anything to stop it. They stopped Max from killing his stepmother and Sam found out his biological mother died pinned to the ceiling in his nursery. His father blamed him for her death and never loved him like a father should. Sam told Max they were connected in some way, but Max's rage takes over. Seeing he can't stop what is happening to him, Max killed himself in front of Sam and Dean.
Later, Sam asked Dean if he's concerned that he might lose control like Max, but Dean tells him it won't happen because he has something Max didn't have, him. The whole thing put Sam in a funky mood that he had not come out of and Dean was starting to get worried. He hadn't seen Sam like this before and wasn't sure how to snap him out of it. It was scary and unnerving enough having to deal with his little brother having visions and god knows what else, and now Dean was trying to pull his brother out of the depressed mood he had fallen into. Sam had hardly spoken to him in four days except for a few one syllable words. It was like he was moving on autopilot and didn't see the world around him passing him by. Sam seemed to be withdrawing into himself as a self-defense mechanism from it all.
Dean had been heading for Sioux Falls, to see their mentor, Bobby Singer, until he received coordinates from a blocked cell number. Sam traced the coordinates, 39.2543 N 79.4978 W, to a town in West Virginia called Silver Lake. He was sure they were from their father, but he didn't understand why he wouldn't contact them. This had been John's way of sending possible cases their way since they didn't hunt together anymore.
Sam had checked out the papers for the area and found articles on a mysterious animal that was terrorizing people in the forest around the town. No one knew what it was or how to stop it. Dean was sure their father wanted them to check it out and see if it was their kind of thing.
Dean had gotten no complaints from Sam about heading to Silver Lake to investigate what was going on there. He wanted to find their father to get answers to what was happening to him. Maybe Sam thought John would be there waiting on them, but Dean doubted it. John had been secretive and elusive about his whereabouts and didn't think he would be anywhere near there.
"You getting hungry Sammy?" Dean asked his brother. He looked over at him when he didn't get a response and saw a lift of one shoulder as an answer. Dean snorted in anger and tightened his grip on the steering wheel determined more than ever to get his brother out of this funk. "I'll drive for another hour or so and find us a place for the night and we'll get something to eat then. If we're up early, we should get to Silver Lake before lunch tomorrow," Dean said. "Grunt if you understand me," he said sarcastically.
"It's fine," Sam whispered in a dull tone.
Dean didn't say anything else to his brother. He kept his eyes on the road and checked the information signs to find an exit that had food and lodging. He knew now was not the time to confront Sam about his funky mood but planned on trying to make him talk tonight before they went to bed. Not having your head in the game was the quickest way to get yourself killed or badly hurt while on a hunt. He wasn't let Sam anywhere near the action if he didn't think he was able to do the job.
spn
Dean opened the door to their room and strolled in dropping the key on the dresser. Sam came in behind him carrying a container with most of his dinner that he didn't eat. He hadn't had much of an appetite since his encounter with Max no matter how much Dean fussed at him to eat. He put the container in the mini fridge and headed for the bathroom to do his nightly routine before bed.
"We need to talk Sammy," Dean stated. He tried to keep his expression neutral but had stress lines on his forehead and a pensive look in his eyes.
Dean's words made Sam falter in his step and look to where he was sitting at the table. He didn't speak as he looked down at the carpet under his feet.
"Sit Sammy," Dean said. He pushed the other chair out for him and waited. After a few moments, Sam finally dropped into the chair across from him. "Look, I know you've been in a funky mood since, you know what happened to that Max kid, but you need to snap out of it. You're not eating, you barely sleep, you won't talk; hell, you look like shit."
Sam wouldn't look up at him as he twisted his fingers together as he listened to him talk. He cringed slightly as Dean's voice rose toward the end with a hint of anger. His shoulders slumped and he tried to make himself smaller when the image of Max blowing his brains out forced its way into his mind. He caught his lower lip between his teeth and bit down on it to keep his emotions in check.
"Bro you gotta talk to me. You know this isn't good for you. Tell me what I can do to get you out of this funk," Dean begged. "I only want to help Sammy."
"I know," Sam finally forced out in a strained voice. "I can't get it out of my head…It's all I see when I close my eyes. That could have been me Dean, what if I…what if I start losing it and…"
"Stop it now! That would never happen to you. Like I told you, you've got me, and I'll never let that happen to you. You are so much stronger than Max was. What was done to him was messed up and it changed him; it made him mentally unstable, paranoid, and dangerous. You could never turn out like him, nope, not while I'm around."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm here to keep you sane. Our lives might not have been storybook perfect, but you know Dad loves us and did his best for us. He taught us how to take care of ourselves and to look out for each other. I'm sorry that Max was abused like he was, but you couldn't have stopped what happened. You've got to let it go and move on dude. You're making yourself sick and if you keep it up, I can't let you be out there hunting."
Sam jerked his head toward Dean in shock and giving a startled gasp. His eyes were wide with anxiety and uncertainty.
"I'm fine. You can't be out there by yourself Dean," Sam insisted stiffened and sitting up straighter.
"I'm not letting you anywhere near a hunt when your mind is not in the game. You could get yourself hurt or killed or me hurt or killed."
"I wouldn't let that happen. Tomorrow I'll start doing the research and see what I can find out."
"That's good. While you do that, I'll go hit the locals and see what they have on the case," Dean told him. "Why don't you go on to bed and try to get some rest. I know you've not slept good in a while."
Sam knew Dean was finished talking now and there was no use arguing. Dean was right, he needed to stop dwelling on what happened and focus on the case because Dean was going to need him. He couldn't let him down. He needed to be at his best for this hunt. Sam moved to get up but stopped when Dean grabbed his arm.
"Are we good Sammy?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, I get it Dean. I'll be ready for the hunt," Sam assured him.
"Alright then," Dean nodded letting go. He watched Sam go to his bed and turn it down before sitting on the side of it to take his boots off and then pulled off his clothes leaving on briefs and tee shirt. He slipped between the sheets and pulled the covers up as he lay down. Dean moved to the other bed after picking up the remote and turning on the television. He lowered the volume and flipped through the channels until finding something to watch. All he could see of Sam in the bed beside him was the top of his head. He had turned on his side and curled up under the covers to sleep.
spn
Dean walked into the police station and gave it a quick once over before moving to the desk to speak to the deputy sitting behind it.
"May I help you?" she asked.
"I hope so deputy, I'm with the Fish and Wildlife Department, name's Stewart, and would like to speak with someone about the unknown wild animal sightings in the area," Dean replied pulling out a badge and flashing it at her.
"Just a moment and I'll have someone help you," she said picking up the phone and speaking into it for a moment. "If you'll take a seat the sheriff will be out shortly."
Dean looked behind him and saw chairs against the wall. He sat down and looked around the room as he waited. He could feel the deputy's eyes on him and tried to ignore her curious glances his way. He only had to wait ten minutes before the Sheriff came through a door behind the desk.
"I'm Sheriff Lawton, how may I help you?" he asked.
"I'm here to check out the wild animal sightings in the area Sheriff Lawton; Ranger Stewart," Dean greeted him shaking his hand.
"If you'll follow me, we can talk in my office." The sheriff led Dean to the back and to an office in the corner. "Not sure I can tell you that much."
"Tell me what you know, and could I get a copy of any reports you have on the case."
"Of course, let me buzz Sophie and have her get that together," he replied calling to the front so she could be doing that. "I'll tell you the eyewitnesses were not much help. I got different stories from each one. The only common factor was they all agreed they had never heard a scream like that before. They said it sounded unearthly."
Dean questioned the sheriff for ten more minutes until a knock sounded at the door and Dean turned to look as Sheriff Lawton called enter. The female deputy entered with a folder and handed it to the sheriff before stepping back out.
"Here you go, eyewitness reports, pictures from the areas the wild animal was seen, and locations marked on a map. If you need anything else get in touch with me." He passed Dean the folder and stood to see him out.
"Thank you for your cooperation and if my partner and I find anything I'll be in touch." Dean shook his hand and headed out. He was going to head back to the motel to see what Sam had found before going to the location where the sightings had been. He pulled from the parking lot and merged into the traffic on Main Street and followed it through town to weave back around toward the road leading to the motel. Dean stopped at a convenience store and picked up sodas, beers and waters before going on to the motel.
"Brought drinks," Dean called as he let himself back into the room holding up the bag. "You find anything?"
"Maybe, ever heard of the Jersey Devil?" Sam asked looking up from the laptop screen.
"Does seem to ring a bell. Seems like I read about it several years ago."
"The legend starts about three hundred years ago in the early 1700s," Sam started. "Thanks," he nodded accepting a bottle of water from Dean. He opened it and took a long swallow before continuing. "A woman by the name of Deborah Leeds became pregnant with her thirteenth child…"
"Sounds like they needed some birth control," Dean surmised settling into the empty chair at the table.
Sam gave him a bitchy look at being interrupted before he continued. "She took the child to be an ill omen and offered it to the devil. When the child was born seems it transformed into a hideous, murdering demon with horns, wings and claws. It massacred the entire family before fleeing into what was called the Pine Barrens. That's a dense forest between Philadelphia and the Atlantic Ocean. It hid there for over two centuries. People would hear horrible screams in the night but never saw anything."
"And you think this Jersey Devil may have migrated this way?" Dean asked when Sam paused to sip on his water.
"It could have, maybe with civilization taking over its hunting grounds, it was pushed out and moved this way. In 1909 reports were taken in 30 different communities in NJ that the jersey devil had been seen. Most said it was kangaroo shaped, with about a four feet tall with huge bat like wings. Pets and farm animals started going missing and were blamed on the creature. It went back into hiding and sporadically appeared over the next 80 years. In 1995 a park ranger sighted a creature on his way home. It looked nothing like the first descriptions of the creature. He described it as a large dark figure that emerged from the woods in front of him almost making him wreck. Whatever it was stayed in the light of his headlights for several minutes before disappearing into the woods on the other side of the road. It stood upright and was covered with dark matter fur that was shiny and wet looking. He said it was six feet tall, had a deer like head with red glowing eyes and short pointed ears."
"There's not much in the police reports here, no one actually saw it. They only heard some inhuman screams and they heard something moving around in the underbrush that sounded like a large animal. None hung around to see what it could be which was probably a good choice."
"Thing is, I've not found any reports of it attacking humans. It seems to avoid contact with us if possible."
"So, we don't even know if this thing even exists or if it's dangerous?"
"Pretty much," Sam sighed rubbing his tired eyes.
"Guess our next step is checking out the areas around the town and see if we find any sign of a creature. I'll be ready in a minute." Dean pushed away from the table and headed for the bathroom.
Sam got up and found his boots to put on while he waited to use the bathroom after Dean. He moved by Dean when he came out and did his thing. Dean was checking his gun when Sam came out and he went to the bag to get his own gun. They headed from the motel room and got in the Impala and headed for the first location where one of the eyewitnesses reported they heard the unknown wild animal.
spn
Dean parked at the beginning of a trailhead and got out looking at a map that the sheriff had provided. He looked around and checked the markers to be sure they were in the right place.
"Okay, looks like the location is about half a mile up the trail where it branches off to head deeper into the forest."
"Guess we do some hiking," Sam commented looking around the area thinking it looked like a nice place to hike.
Dean went first up the trail and Sam followed slightly to the side of him. There were places where the path narrowed, and he fell in behind him. The air was warming up as the sun rose higher in the sky. It didn't take them long to get to where the unknown creature was heard and began to look around.
Dean moved off the trail and began to search through the trees for any signs of a creature being there, footprints, fur caught on branches, broken branches, anything of interest. They searched to area for twenty minutes before calling it quits and moving on to the next location that was a mile deeper into the forest.
When the brothers didn't find anything at the second location, Dean called it quits for now and they headed back into town for a late lunch and were going to head back out later in the afternoon toward dusk. Sam reasoned that if there was a creature roaming the woods it would more than likely come out at night that the daytime.
They were going to grab a couple of camping lanterns before going back out so they could set up a decoy camp to hopefully lure the creature out. Sam tried to reason with Dean about not shooting first until they saw if one, there was anything out there and two, it might not be dangerous to humans and just wants to be left alone.
From what he could find about a creature named the Jersey Devil it only attacked livestock and animals it seemed to like for food. The only reference to killing humans was the first account of how it came to be back in the 1700s when it killed its family. There was a lot they didn't know about some of the monsters they hunted, and he wondered if maybe some were not a danger and didn't deserve to die.
Dean chose a diner when he saw they had daily specials and today was hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls and drink. He was going to have then add sautéed onions to the steak and of course have a slice of pie. He was sure Sam could find something to his liking on the menu that was rabbit food.
He wondered sometimes how they were related with his quirks about eating so healthy. They ate, stopped by a store for the camping lanterns, and went back to the motel to pack before heading back out to the hiking trails located outside the town. If the sightings held true, Sam thought he knew what area the creature might be in next.
spn
"I hope this is the place 'cause I'm 'bout hiked out," Dean complained as they stopped at a clearing just off the trail they had been hiking.
Sam looked at the map and looked around before answering. "Looks good. If you draw a line from the first to last sighting it continues this way," Sam replied. "It's like whatever this is, it is moving around the town, staying away from populated areas."
"Well, we've got an hour or so before it starts getting dark, I'm going to scout the area while you get the trap set up," Dean told him dropping his small pack by Sam's feet. He wandered into the trees and disappeared, blending into the surrounds almost instantly.
Sam looked around deciding on where to set up the camp lanterns so he could light them when it got darker. He pulled out a small radio and found a station before turning it back off. After hacking a couple of leafy branches from the trees bordering the clearing, Sam threw them on the ground and covered them with a blanket making it look like someone was camping there. He adjusted a ball cap to make a head and stood back to look at his handiwork.
When it got dark, he thought it would fool anyone if they weren't right next to it. He looked up and listened trying to find his brother in the woods around him. Wherever Dean was, he was in the zone and Sam couldn't pinpoint him until he stepped out from among the trees on the other side of the clearing.
"Did you see anything?" Sam asked.
"No, everything seems clear out there. I found places for us to set up and watch when it starts getting dark," Dean replied. He looked over the setup Sam had done and nodded his approval.
"The sun will be going down in the next thirty minutes and the reports said the sighting were between dusk and two hours after darkness."
"Good, I don't want to stay out here all night waiting on something to happen."
"Where do you want me?" Sam reached down and turned the radio back on and adjusted the volume where it could be heard around them.
"Really?" Dean asked looking at the radio frowning at the music choice.
"It's the only station I could pick up," Sam shrugged not thinking it was a big deal.
"On that side, there's a spot in between some brush that will hide you but will let you see." Dean led his brother to the spot and waited as he got settled before moving to the other side where he set up himself.
As the day drew to a close, the light faded away and dusk fell casting the surroundings into different shades of shadows. The brothers remained still and quiet listening for the sounds that didn't belong. The day creatures were disappearing as the night creatures took their places singing out their lonesome serenade.
Dean didn't move a muscle as a trickle of sweat dripped down the side of his face. He could hear the gnats buzzing around his head but didn't swat them away. His eyes roamed the night checking the shadows and listening for any snaps of twigs or rustle of leaves around him. The camping lanterns cast out a hazy, dim glow that didn't reach very far into the night.
Sam shifted slightly from his perch on the fallen tree that had come down during some random storm. His eyes had adjusted to the dimming light and he listened to the crickets and insects that came out this time of night. He could hear the night birds chirping and calling out to a mate and the rustling of leaves above his head. Off in the distance a lone wolf howled to the half-moon and then things went quiet, like the volume had been turned off. This made him freeze and his senses go hyper alert as he tried to feel what was out there.
The growl that slowly got louder and turned into an animalistic scream sounded behind Sam's hiding place. He pulled his gun before easing from the brush and skirting around and through the trees toward where it came from. He let his eyes adjust to the lesser light before moving forward trying to pinpoint the location.
Twigs broke off to the side of his hiding spot and he aimed the gun that way. Another crack of a branch gave him the direction of something moving toward the lights. He moved out and around a large tree trunk to get behind the sounds. A shadowy figure could be seen moving in and out among a grove of trees that butted the clearing. Dean raised his gun and got the monster in his sights as he gently began to squeeze the trigger.
"No Dean!" Sam yelled breaking into the clearing. "Don't shoot!"
Dean pulled the gun skyward and scowled in his brother's direction. He wasn't sure what he was doing as Sam dropped something on the ground and called out.
"Better come on out or my brother is going to shoot you and he doesn't miss." Sam voice was harsh and stern, and he crossed his arms over his chest to wait and see if anything was going to happen.
"My brother's right, try and run and I'll pop you in the knee," Dean added firing a warning shot into a tree near the shadow. He watched it jump and fall to the ground as a wavering voice answered him.
"Please mister, don't shoot," a young voice cried out.
"Alright, get up and get out here where I can see you," Dean growled in anger as he stalked toward the body on the ground who was trying to get up.
"Dean, you okay?" Sam called turning up the camp lanterns so they could see better. He watched Dean push a figure ahead of him toward the light.
"Meet our Jersey Devil," he spat in disgust. Dean jerked a hood from the head of a teenage boy who stared in utter fright at the two hunters. "This is the dumbass that I almost shot."
"I found a recorder and speaker sitting back in the trees. That's where the creature sounds came from. Whose brilliant idea was this anyway?"
"Joey's," the guy stammered, barely able to stand from shaking so hard. "You're…Not goin' to hur…Hurt me, are you?"
"I should shoot your sorry ass," Dean told him holding his gun back up and pointing it at the guy.
"Dean," Sam huffed watching the teenager blubber harder while he tried to scoot away from them.
"Listen up kid," Dean started grabbing a fist full of matted fur. "You're going to go to the sheriff and tell what you did and who all was involved, and you better hope he decides not to throw you in jail for being a damn idiot. And if you don't…" He pulled his cell out and snapped photos of the kid's face. "I have your mug shot and believe me when I tell you I will hunt you down and hurt you."
"Yes sir, yes sir. I'll do it right now," the teenager rushed out, nodding his head quickly as Dean let him go. He backed away from them before turning and running away into the darkness.
Dean and Sam watched as the guy fell down several times trying to make his way back to the trail. They stood there for a moment, neither saying anything.
"Well, that was fun," Dean offered putting his gun away. "How did you know this was all fake?"
"Literally fell across the speakers," Sam shrugged. "I thought it sounded too hollow and not real and went to check it out."
"I still should have shot him anyway," Dean stated. "Let's clean this up and get out of here. It's not too late and we can make it to Bobby's if we both take turns driving."
"Alright," Sam replied grabbing up the blanket and one of the lanterns.
Dean grabbed the other and they made their way back to the trail. The brothers walked back toward the Impala and were almost there when a growl sounded deep in the woods.
Dean faltered in his steps for a moment before mumbling, "Didn't hear a thing."
"Right there with you," Sam agreed and kept walking not looking back behind them.
This was one case they were going to let drop. No one had been hurt and they found the fake monster. Anything else out there they were going to let it be.
The End
