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On to the next part . . .
Part 3 - The Fog
Sam bit back another frustrated curse. He was never going to find Dean in the woods at night. The increasing fog had the younger Winchester worried as well. For some reason, it just didn't seem natural.
"Where the hell are you?" he muttered to his absent sibling.
He turned back towards the car. Maybe the phone he had discarded on the seat would work now. If nothing else, it was worth a shot. Sam paused before he reached the Impala. The hairs on the back of his neck were rising. He felt like he was being watched.
Something was out there.
He turned back towards the trees, taking aim with his gun once more. He hardly dared to breathe; worried that he might miss a sign preceding an attack. He stepped nearer to the tree-line as the fog began to thicken.
"Get in the car!" A sudden voice from behind him caused Sam to jump for the second time that night. He spun, ready to defend himself against the new threat.
Once again, it was fortuitous that Sam held his fire.
"Dean?" Sam stared at his brother in disbelief. "Where did you come from? What the hell is going on here?"
Dean stole a quick glance at the fog slowly emerging from the trees behind Sam.
Dean crossed from the other side of the narrow road, striding quickly to where Sam was standing. He took the gun from his unresisting brother's hand, grabbed a fistful of Sam's shirt, and pulled him towards the car.
"I'll explain in a second," Dean stated shortly in response to his brother's questions. "Just get in the car."
Dean practically dove into the driver's seat and paused only long enough for Sam to close the door on the passenger side before tearing away in a rising cloud of dust.
Sam turned to his brother in confusion. "What just happened?"
Dean took a deep breath. "I just got hit by a car that wasn't really there and chased by a light in a fog that came out of nowhere. That same fog was coming out of the trees back there. I just want to put a bit of distance between us and it until we can come up with a way to kill it."
Sam's mouth dropped open. "Hit by a car? Are you okay?"
Dean turned an incredulous face to his brother. "Dude, weren't you listening? It wasn't really there. I got hit by a ghost car – no actual damage."
They drove only a short distance before pulling over, though it was apparently enough to satisfy Dean. The elder Winchester wanted to think without the fear of being run over once more. He would never admit it to Sam, but the feeling of the frigid air blasting by and leaving him unable to breathe had unnerved him. He had been unable to move and the knowledge that he had been held completely at the mercy of whatever it was did not sit well with Dean.
He realised Sam was speaking to him. Rather than show his brother his state of distraction, Dean took a guess at what Sam had said and phrased his answer accordingly.
"The light and the car have to be related somehow. Things like that don't just happen coincidently." Dean tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "The car was definitely some kind of apparition; it went right through me. Chances are the light is some kind of spirit."
Sam nodded in agreement. "I encountered some electronic disturbances on the road that would be consistent with that."
Dean raised an eyebrow in question.
Sam sighed lightly. "The radio turned itself on and the volume adjusted itself." He glanced at the now-silent radio as though noticing it for the first time. "It was still playing when I got out of the car. I guess we're outside its sphere of influence."
"That or it doesn't care about following us right now," Dean replied.
"What do we do now?" Sam asked.
"We see what we can figure out about strange occurrences in this town and on this road. We're probably looking for someone who died out here as the result of a car accident. Think you can find stuff on the computer?"
Sam nodded. "If they keep past newspapers online, then yes; if not, we're in for a library trip tomorrow."
Dean grimaced. "Wonderful."
He pulled the Impala back onto the road and turned around. It was back to the hotel with the Winchester boys, and Dean hadn't even gotten to have his drink.
Sam stole another glance at his brother. The drive back to the hotel did not take long, but the trip was made in silence. Sam knew Dean was troubled, but his mind was on the task at hand. That was enough for Sam.
With another quick peek at Dean, Sam noted the elder Winchester's clenched jaw. Dean was definitely contemplating the demise of whatever had dared to run him over.
"Sammy, so help me, if you don't stop staring at me I will make you walk back to the hotel and you can take your chances with the phantom car." Dean hadn't even taken his eyes off the road.
"Fair enough," Sam nodded. He had a feeling there was more to Dean's distraction than merely being hit by a phantom car. After all, that sort of thing really wasn't that unusual for them and certainly would never have given either brother pause on a normal day.
No, there was something more to it than that, but Sam wasn't going to push it. Not yet.
They pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. Dean was out of the car in a flash, heading for the trunk to dig out some of his favourite weapons.
Sam followed more slowly, knowing Dean would collect his favourites as well. Sure enough, his brother circled around to his side of the car, pushing the hastily-packed bag into Sam's hands.
Without another word, the elder Winchester led the way to their room, leaving Sam to close up the car.