Way of the Hero
Chapter 3
The building was indeed old. Perhaps built in the early '40's, Sam observed. Although the style of the building looked like it was taken from a much earlier time period. Standing two stories tall, it was constructed of neutral-colored bricks that had long since become chipped and faded over the years. The windows were tall, paned, and came to points at their tops. It looked like it would have been a lovely building in its day, but as Sam stared at it now all he saw was an eerie, empty, spectral sight. A river flowed down the mouth of the canyon, passing the building closely on it's north side. Sam suspected the river must have been the reason the building was constructed so near the canyons in the first place. It must have been used to generate hydroelectric power.
"Well," Dean said, shutting the engine off. "Excited to see what's inside?"
"You bet," Sam muttered, still peering out the window.
Getting in the building proved to be a simpler task than either brother expected. The door was chained shut, but neither of them saw the point of that seeing as how most of the windows were missing glass. Dean climbed in first, followed closely by his brother.
It was musty inside. Dust covered the floor, the walls, and everything else in there for that matter. Cobwebs were visible everywhere, filling up every nook and cranny in sight. There were rows and rows of once power-generating contraptions lining the room. Shafts of dusty sunlight were clearly visible as they streamed through the windows and spilled onto the floor. Sam couldn't help thinking the place didn't actually look as creepy on the inside as it did from the outside. At least not in the day light. Aside from the dirt and spiders, Sam imagined he and Dean would have found this place a pretty cool hangout had they been about twelve.
"Doesn't exactly scream 'haunted,' does it?" Dean asked after noting observations similar to his brother's.
"No, not really," Sam agreed, scanning the room once more.
"Well," Dean said, making his way down the length of the room. "Let's see if we pick up on anything," He pulled out his EMF meter.
Sam kept pace with his brother as they circled the large room, Dean turning this way and that at regular intervals to allow the EMF meter to get a thorough scan. It remained silent, however, even when they completed their circle.
"Nothing," Sam said once they reached their starting point. He couldn't help letting a little relief slip into his voice. Maybe there was nothing wrong with the building at all. Maybe they could just finish this pointless little investigation, call it good, and leave town before nightfall.
"On this floor, anyways," Dean replied, "We still have to check upstairs."
Oh, yeah. Dang.
They headed for the stairs at the northeast corner of the room and were about to go up when they noticed a heavy looking door to the side with the letters 'BOILER ROOM' printed across the front in red. Dean glanced once at Sam before easing the door open and taking a look inside.
The room wasn't large. Metal furnaces lined the wall, underneath thin slots for windows which didn't allow in much light. It was dim and eerie, and Sam couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling when he stepped into the room, though he couldn't explain why—the EMF meter still wasn't registering anything.
Dean pursed his lips after giving the room a quick scan. "Again, nothing. This place seems pretty clean."
A quick tour of the smaller second floor only delivered similar results. The EMF meter continued to give a reading of nothing supernatural at all being in the vicinity.
"Well," Sam said, making his way back down the stairs, followed closely by his brother. "The place checks out okay. I don't know what else to tell ya. I think we can rule this case closed."
"Case closed?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows. "I think we can hardly call a clean EMF scan in the middle of the day a good enough ruling to close the case on."
"That piece-of-crap scanner of yours is actually pretty accurate, Dean." Sam argued. "If it didn't pick up on anything, I think it's safe to say there's nothing here."
"Yeah, during the day," Dean repeated. "We'll have to come back and check it out tonight. You know as well as I that the majority of spirits only haunt during the night hours."
Sam sighed. He really wasn't keen on the idea of coming back here at night. "You sure about this, Dean?"
Dean could tell how anxious his younger brother was to wrap this job up and leave town. But Sam's concerns weren't enough to make him commit to doing a half-assed job on their investigation.
"Sam, the guy paid us seven-hundred dollars," he reminded him. "The least we can do is conduct a thorough investigation for him, don't you think? I don't see why you're getting all worked up over this job anyway. This is the easiest one we've had for a while."
"I'm not getting worked up," Sam denied, annoyed.
"Ah, no, of course you're not," Dean replied, intentionally provoking him. "Since that would be such an out-of-character thing for you to do."
Sam gave him a look. "You think I get worked up easily?" he challenged.
"No, no," Dean said, letting the sarcasm slide through his voice. "Not at all, Sammy."
"Well, I don't," Sam insisted, a touch of anger in his voice.
Dean couldn't help laughing to himself. It was always so easy to get his younger brother to take the bait, and thus prove his own point.
"Yeah, whatever, kid," he said, making a move to tousle his hair. Sam blocked his arm in annoyance. "Let's go get some food, huh? I'm starving."
Sam followed his brother back out the window and threw one glance over his shoulder before joining Dean in the Impala. Damn, he didn't feel like coming back here tonight. Something about this gig just had "wrong" written all over it. Why wasn't Dean picking up on that vibe? Or maybe he was and was just playing it down as nothing. Like he played everything down. Damn you and your recklessness, Dean, he thought, looking over at his brother. And Damn me for admiring you so much for it.
"You finished already?" Dean asked, surveying his brother's plate and lack of attention to it.
"Yeah, I wasn't that hungry."
"Slide it over," Dean said, gesturing.
Sam complied. He hadn't been very impressed with this small diner's food. Too greasy. And while he was far from being health-conscious, the grease just didn't appeal to him today. Maybe it was because his stomach was already a little queasy as it was. So, he resorted to watching his brother continue scarfing. He swore that guy could give a garbage disposal a run for its money when it came to food consumption. And well, truth be told, he could too, actually. When his appetite was intact.
"You feeling okay?" Dean asked between bites.
"Yeah," Sam answered automatically, hardly considering the question. That was always the automatic answer to the "are you okay" question the brothers relayed to one another at least a few times a week. Always would be, too.
"Well," Dean went on, "You don't really look it,"
Sam gave a short sigh. His eyes traveled out the window. "It's just that I—" he suddenly stopped short, something catching his gaze outside. He leaned in, squinting to get a better look.
There she was. Standing across the street. Thin figure casually posed, close-cropped hair fluttering ever so slightly in a breeze. He was sure it was her. And she was staring right back at him. He was sure she could see him. Their eyes were locked. But she made no acknowledgment that she recognized him. No smile. No nod. She just continued to stare for the remaining fraction of a second their gazes were held fast. And then a bus passed, blocking Sam's view... And she was gone. Sam quickly scanned the sidewalk, but there was no sign of her. What the...? A look of complete confusion settled over his face.
"Sam!"
Sam's attention snapped back to his brother, who was waving a hand in his face. He must have been trying to get his attention for a while.
"You going deaf or something? What the hell were you looking at?" Dean said, glancing out the window once more and again seeing nothing particularly interesting.
Sam's brow furrowed. That was weird. Really weird. What would that girl be doing here? What was her name again? Megan? Or no, just Meg, he remembered. He recalled their strange meeting hitchhiking on the road a few weeks back. And then their second coincidental run-in at a bus stop. He remembered being impressed with her. So much so in fact, that he was this close to going to California with her. And while Elko, Nevada, could be considered "on the way" to California, Sam couldn't help but think a third coincidental run-in with the girl would be anything but coincidence... It was really her he'd seen, wasn't it?
"Sam!" his brother said, more insistent this time, obviously sick of being ignored. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Sam looked to him, eyebrows raised. "Nothing," he said quickly. "I just...I thought I recognized someone out on the street."
Dean raised his own eyebrows at that. "Oh, yeah? You got a few buddies here in old Elko?" he asked sarcastically.
Sam shook his head, wanting to drop the subject. Maybe he had only imagined it.
"Who did you see?" Dean pressed, obviously not willing to let it drop.
"Just a girl I met a while back," Sam replied.
Dean nodded slowly. "A living girl?" he asked tentatively.
Sam looked up at him. "Yes, a living girl." Dean really did think he was a freak, didn't he?
"Oh, phew," Dean said, and seemed to relax a bit. "I thought for a minute the whole 'sixth sense' thing might be kicking in again."
Sam gave his brother an exasperated look.
"Who is she?" Dean went on, still curious.
"I told you, just some girl I met," Sam said impatiently. He knew Dean wouldn't give up without at least a few details however, so he humored him. "It was a few weeks back. During that whole scarecrow stint in Indiana." he deliberately left out mention of their brief split.
Dean nodded and Sam knew exactly what was coming next. "Is she hot?" Sam couldn't help the grin that split his face. Yep, he had his brother pegged, all right. He gave a short laugh.
"Well...is she?"
"Dude," Sam said, with a shake of his head as he slid out of the booth. He pulled out his wallet and fished out a tip.
"Is she?" Dean asked, once again put-off by being ignored.
"Don't worry about it!" Sam said with a laugh, giving his brother a slightly incredulous look.
"Okay, so she's hot," Dean said, following suit by sliding out of the booth. "Now let's go back to the whole 'met' part. By saying you 'met' her, do you mean—"
Sam rolled his eyes, trying and failing to keep from smiling at his brother's antics. "You're such a retard."
Dean snorted. "Retard? Are we twelve?"
Sam laughed. "You're sure acting like it," he retorted, turning towards the door.
Dean shook his head grinning, and followed his brother outside.
"Sun sets around six," Dean said, pulling the driver's side door shut behind him. "Let's book a room and then head on back to the plant, should we?"
"We're spending the night here?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, why wouldn't we? What, do you have some pressing appointment you have to make elsewhere tomorrow?"
"No," Sam replied, ignoring the usual sarcasm. He just wanted to get the hell out of this town. He couldn't explain it.
Dean was watching his brother closely. "You're being weird today," he announced, voicing his observations. "Well," he added, "weirder than usual, that is."
Sam gave a short, unamused laugh. "Thanks."
"Look, would you rather wait at the motel while I go check out the building?" It was a sincere offer. Dean wasn't trying to make him feel like an idiot.
Sam looked at him as if that was the stupidest question he'd heard in a while. "No," he said, surprised Dean would even suggest it.
"Then will you knock off the whole pouting routine?"
Sam made a face at that. "Pouting?" he asked, offended. "Will you knock off the whole treat-Sam-like-he's-four routine?" he shot back. "It's getting on my nerves."
Dean gave a crooked grin, turning his gaze to the road. "Ooh, Sammy wants to be treated like an adult now, huh?"
Sam shook his head in annoyance. "Shut up..."
Dean flashed an amused grin, keeping his eyes on the road. A moment passed, his grin faded, and he asked, "Really, Sam, are you up for for this?"
"Yes," Sam replied shortly.
Dean gave a slight shrug, catching the hint that the discussion was closed.
After checking into a cheap motel and killing some time alternating between staring at the ceiling and staring at the t.v., Dean announced it was time to go.
Sam looked up from the material he was reading—the information Fielding had provided for them.
"You know, Dean, there's not much to go by with this information Fielding gave us," he said, indicating the folder.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he provided facts about the building itself—when it was built, how long it's been out of operation. But, there's hardly anything in here indicating the building's haunted. A few internet blogs posted by teenagers, but they don't exactly provide valid stories to back up their claims."
"Well, what about the reports of the two missing teens?"
Sam shifted through the papers. "Yeah, well, even those stories seem pretty weak. Says here Lucille Erickson was last seen with Paul Neerings, the other missing kid," he scanned the article once again. "And all it says is friends claim they last saw them when they accepted a dare to go spend the night in a local abandoned power plant." He paused, looking up. "There aren't any actual eye-witness accounts of anything supernatural happening in that building," he concluded.
"So..." Dean said, trying to piece together what his brother was getting at.
"So," Sam cut in, "Maybe we should research this a bit more?"
"Uhh...I thought that's just what we were about to go and do."
"I mean at the library." Sam said impatiently. "See if there's any more information about the building we could find online. I mean, we don't even know what we're supposed to be looking for in there. An evil spirit? A poltergeist? Something completely different?"
Dean obviously didn't find the idea of sitting in a library for the next couple of hours very appealing. "Look, why don't we just go scan the building once more, see if we find anything, and if we don't, we'll call it a done deal?"
"But if something is in there, shouldn't we at least be prepared?"
Dean flashed his cocky grin. "Sam. Have we ever not been prepared?"
Sam rolled his eyes, wondering if he even wanted to contemplate that question.
Just as Sam had expected, the old power plant looked about ten times creepier at night. The windows were gaping and hollow, and distorted shadows, cast by a newly-risen moon, dappled the bricks and walkway leading up to the building.
Getting in was just as easy as it had been earlier, and before he knew it, Sam found himself once again standing in the vast interior of the main room of the power plant. Rock salt-loaded shotgun in one hand, flashlight in the other, Sam took a look around, as his older brother climbed through the window behind him.
Dean stepped up beside him, reaching into his jacket to retrieve his prized electromagnetic frequency meter. Flipping it on, he ran the beam of his flashlight across the room. Everything looked the same as earlier, only lacking much more in the light department.
"Well," Dean said, glancing down at the device in his hands. "Let's make the rounds, should we?"
Sam gave a slight nod, signaling his brother to lead the way.
They circled the main room, their flashlights constantly shifting to and fro, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing caught their eyes, however, and similarly, nothing registered on the EMF meter.
"We should have brought the camcord," Sam suggested when they reached the stairs.
"Yeah, maybe so," Dean agreed. "Still, whatever the camcorder would have picked up on, the meter should be picking up on, too." He followed Sam up the steps. "What about you?" he asked a moment later.
Sam didn't follow.
"Are you picking up on any of your, uh...strange vibes, or whatever you call 'em?"
Sam threw him a glance over his shoulder. "Yeah, I am picking up on one actually. I'm sensing a douchebag in close proximity to me."
Dean snorted. "That's harsh, Sammy."
Sam ignored him and stepped off the last step onto the second floor of the building. Again, nothing peculiar awaited them, and they weren't very surprised.
Pale moonlight flooded through the windows, casting angled, silver rectangles across the floor. The brothers' shadows moved steadily, silently, as they made their round around the room.
"Nothing," Sam announced, repeating the same conclusion he had come to earlier that day.
Dean gave the device in his hand a small shake and held it up to his ear. It appeared to be in fine working order. He gave an unsure sigh. The place was clean. There was no sign of anything malicious or supernatural haunting the place, and he didn't see what else they could do besides continuing to grasp at straws he was pretty sure weren't even there.
"Well," he said after a minute, "What are we going to tell Fielding?"
"We'll tell him we're sorry we couldn't find anything," Sam replied, shrugging. He paused. "And we'll give him the money back."
"Give him the money back?" Dean asked, incredulous. "Why?"
"Because we didn't actually do anything, Dean," Sam said, offering the obvious answer as he turned back towards the stairs.
"We checked out the building, didn't we?" Dean asked, following his brother. "Which is all he really asked us to do, wasn't it?"
"I don't know what the guy was thinking paying us that much in the first place," Sam said. "Doesn't it seem sort of...fishy to you?" he asked, turning back towards his brother upon reaching the bottom of the stairs.
"No," Dean answered automatically.
"Look," Sam said, "We don't return the money and the guy will think we're running a scam or something."
Dean made a face. "No, he won't! He offered us the money, Sam. We didn't ask for anything."
"Ah, whatever," Sam said, giving him an annoyed wave of his arm and turning away. "We can argue about this later," he said, stalking away.
"You're crazy, kid," Dean said to his back. "We're keeping the money." He watched his brother head towards the window they had entered through. Bringing his flashlight up, he was just about to make one final sweep of the room, when something caught his eye. The faded red letters of the 'BOILER ROOM.' They had forgotten to check in there. He made his way over to it, slowly swinging the heavy door open.
Sam was nearly halfway out the window when he turned, expecting to see his brother following him, only to find an empty room gaping back at him.
"Dean?" he asked tentatively. For a split second he thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye—a darting shadow. He turned his gaze towards the distraction that had caught his attention but didn't see anything. "Dean?" he asked again, easing his way back into the room.
Dean stepped into the boiler room, eyes once again dropping to the EMF meter in his hands. He would just give the room a quick scan, find nothing, and—
BAM
The door slammed shut behind him. He gave a slight jump. Dammit, Sam, he accused, thinking what a low move that was for a practical joke.
"Sam?" he asked, reaching for the door. It didn't budge. "Sam?" he asked again, louder. What the hell was his brother playing at? Because it sure as hell wasn't very funny, he thought as he tried the door again. Sam wasn't one to play jokes like this, however, Dean reminded himself, and with that, a sudden prick of fear ran down his spine. "Sam!"
And then, without warning, the furnaces lit up. The sudden rush of light caused Dean's pupils to contract rapidly and he threw an arm across his face, shielding his eyes.
"Dean?" Sam was at the door, giving it a firm pound when he found it locked. What the hell was going on? He heard his brother yell. "Dean!"
"Sam!" It was faint, drowned out by the sound of roaring flames. "Holy—" Sam could only catch snatches of his brother's desperate voice on the other side of the door. "—pen the door! —Hot as hell in here—!"
Sam suddenly felt his pulse increase ten-fold. What the hell was happening! He desperately tried at the door again. Why was it locked! Was that fire he heard?
And suddenly, out of nowhere, Sam felt a familiar stabbing pain assault his head. He gave a short yelp as his eyes involuntarily squinted shut. ...And suddenly he could see him. Dean. Just on the other side of the thick door that separated them. Burning. Flames licked at his signature jacket, teasing as they worked their way down to his skin. He was yelling, calling for help. Calling for him. He continued to watch helplessly as the flames tired of their tantalizing game and went full-on for the kill. They consumed his brother. Enfolded him in their hungry embrace as he continued to scream and thrash and fight for his life. A fight that couldn't be won. And that didn't last long. Sam watched as his brother's movements began to slow. As his voice began to quiet. And there was nothing he could do, as, horrified, he saw his brother die.
And suddenly a familiar feeling rushed over Sam, knocking his breath out. A horrible, nauseating feeling, that twisted his insides, crushing his lungs as it sealed away his breath. He knew this feeling. It was what he had felt all those past nights after his nightmare. The terrible realization he felt when he woke up, sure that something had happened to his brother. This was that feeling. Oh, God, he thought, desperately trying to keep his senses intact. Not Dean. Not my brother. Please, God, no...
"No!" The exclamation burst forth from him with a vengeance. A vengeance that he had experienced only once before, and that delivered results similar to the first time, as the door suddenly flung open, the dead bolt giving way with a dull snap.
Not even pausing for a split second to marvel at what he had just done, Sam rushed into the room, squinting against the blaze, and found his brother on his knees only a few feet away. He was alive. It was only a vision. He didn't even pause for the relief to wash over him as he reached out for his brother and hastily jerked him to his feet, half-carrying, half-dragging him out of the room. His brother leaned on him heavily, his movements weak and slowly growing weaker. Knowing Dean was rapidly losing consciousness, Sam prayed they would at least make it outside before his senses gave out. Pulling him along as quickly as Dean would allow, the two finally reached the window, and Sam didn't pause once to look over his shoulder before easing his brother through it. He tried his best to allow for a soft landing after the short drop, but the thud his brother made upon reaching the ground was still quite audible. Sam quickly followed after him, dropping easily onto the ground, and scrambling to his brother's side. Dean was unconscious as Sam dragged his dead weight a safe distance from the building.
Finally, several feet down the dirt walkway, Sam stopped dragging his brother and dropped to his knees, letting Dean's upper body fall limply onto his lap. Still breathing rapidly, still pumped with adrenaline, Sam finally tried to calm himself down a bit as he hastily scanned his brother's body, searching for injuries. There were no actual burns. He had managed to reach his brother before the fire had built up enough intensity to get to Dean. He must have passed out from shock and heat exhaustion. Sam found his pulse and noted it was beating at a quicker than normal rate, but not so much so to be alarmed.
Sam released a deep sigh, easing his brother back down onto his lap. He was okay. Thank God, he was okay.
And with the relief of knowing that, Sam's thoughts immediately shifted elsewhere. What the hell was that in there!
That fire...That sure as hell wasn't a natural fire...Sam turned his gaze back to the building. There was no sign of any ember glow through the vacant windows. It was as if the fire had never even happened.
Sam couldn't help but remember...Less than a year ago...He'd met with flames like those before...
What the hell is it? What does it want! Sam wondered desperately.
He didn't know. He didn't have any damn clue.
He set his jaw in a firm line. One thing he did know, however. If it ever went after his brother again, he would destroy it. Send it's miserable, demonic ass right back to the hell it came from. He would never rest until he did...
Chapter 4 coming soon!
A/N: Expect the next update pretty quickly. And please leave a review! And thanks so much to those that already have. I'd love to do the individual responses thing for this chap, but I've got to run right now. Know that I appreciate you guys, though. So much!