The trio headed to the closest motel they could find. Luckily, there was one only a few blocks from the crime scene. The three piled into a two-bedroom. Sam and Dean would take one bed and Carly would take the other.
The second they got inside, Sam got to researching. He opened his laptop and looked through the crime reports that he somehow got access to. While he worked, Dean went to get them food as Carly tried to help Sam with the search.
The two looked through countless articles on the recent attacks. The victims were of different ages, genders, and ethnicities. The only thing connecting them all was the special child who killed them. Yet, neither Carly nor Sam could find a motive for why he would kill all these people.
One was killed in their home, another at the high school, and a third in a field. So, it wasn't a certain place that connected them either. He was taking these people out all across town, but why? What was the reason?
Dean returned with three bags filled to the brim with food from some burger joint. He had half a burger in his mouth as he set the bags on the table in front of them. Sam and Carly looked at him with raised brows.
Dean noticed. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing." Sam said quickly as Carly and Sam smiled at one another.
Dean discovered one of the beds had a massage function, so after he finished eating, he laid upon the bed. He put a quarter in and placed headphones over his ears. Sam and Carly watched as he fangirled over the bed before finishing their own food. When they were done, it was time to get back to work.
After another half hour of searching, the two were beginning to lose faith that they would find anything. That is until Carly stumbled across a photo.
"Sam, I think I found something." Carly announced
He looked up as she turned her phone toward him. On the screen was a photo that included everyone that died with two other people beside them. Carly turned it back toward her so she read the caption from the article.
Carly read closely. "The Gering Occult Club has been struck with tragedy tonight. After their annual ceremony, one of its members was found brutally murdered. Each of the other 6 members has been questioned, but no evidence can pin any of them to the heinous crime. Widower Michael Wheeler has been succeeded by his son Ethan."
"Well, I think I know who our killer is..." Sam muttered, pulling his computer in front of him. He quickly typed on his keyboard before turning back toward Carly. "Is this the man you saw?"
Sam enlarged the photo on his screen before showing her. He looked exactly as he had in the alleyway. She'd recognize him anywhere.
"Yeah, that's him." She nodded
Sam pulled up the record and read through it. "Ethan Wheeler lost his mother when he was six months old and his father when he was ten. Since then he has been from foster home to foster home, living on the streets periodically. Since he turned 18, he has been living in an apartment across town when he wasn't spending his time in jail for robbery, drunk driving, and numerous other petty crimes."
"So, he must be getting revenge on those who were there the night his father died?" Carly said, meeting Sam's gaze.
"Yes, and we have to hurry. If he kills the last person there that night, we won't know what truly happened to his father. If that group dabbled in the occult, it's possible they summoned something they shouldn't have and it retaliated." Sam admitted
He got up from the table when his hand rose to his temple. Sam gasped before collapsing onto his knees. His sudden drop scared Carly as she kneeled beside him.
"Sam, what's happening?" Carly frantically asked
"I'm...about...to...have...a vision." Sam muttered, scrunching his eyes shut.
Carly rose to her feet and went over to Dean. She pulled his headphones off to his annoyance. She pointed toward Sam who was clearly in pain as Dean went from annoyed to worried. He got off the bed and went to Sam, helping him get comfortable on the bed he was just sitting on. Carly and Dean watched as Sam went unconscious to see a ghastly sight.
A woman was putting groceries in her car as a shadowed figure came up behind her. A hand with a cloth went over her face as she lost consciousness. She awoke again on the top of a hill. She looked over the edge to find a steep drop just feet from her.
She crab-walked backward into a set of legs. She looked up at the figure as lightning struck the sky, lighting up his features. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Ethan standing over her. She tried to escape, but he caught her easily and wrapped his hand around her throat.
He dragged her over to the cliff and lifted her onto her feet. Then before she had a chance to react he held her over the cliff's edge. His hand was the only thing keeping her from dropping hundreds of feet below to her death.
"Ethan, don't...do this." She gasped, clutching onto his hand for dear life.
His eyes met hers. "You killed him...you all killed him. You took my father from me!"
"No, we didn't!" She pleaded, fear in her eyes. "We wanted to stop the ceremony, but your father kept going. The circle wasn't complete and it wasn't safe. He summoned a demon and it lashed out. He killed himself."
"You're wrong!" Ethan screamed
The woman shook her head. "No, Ethan I'm not. I think deep down...you know that."
It was clear she had gotten through that exterior of his. Yet, it lasted for only a moment before he put his wall of denial back up. He shook his head and sighed.
"I'm sorry, I just don't believe you." He muttered
"Ethan, let me go." She begged
His gaze met hers. "Fine, I'll let you go."
Relief smothered her features before she felt his grip loosen and that grin turned into fear. A smug smile appeared on his lips as he let go. Her screamed echoed across the landscape until a loud splash and utter silence ensued.
Sam's eyes opened as he sat straight up in bed. His breathing was staggered and his hands shook profusely.
Carly sat down beside him, taking his hand in hers. "Sam, what did you see?"
"He's going to kill the final member tonight. Ethan's going to throw her off a cliff." Sam admitted, his gaze meeting hers.
Dean walked into the room from the bathroom with crossed arms and confusion. "We're in Nebraska, where the hell is he going to find a cliff?"
"Scott's Bluff…" Carly muttered
"What did you say?" Sam asked
"Scott's Bluff...I saw something about it when I was researching…" Carly said, pulling out her phone and going back to the website. "Yeah, here it is. Scott's Bluff is a dramatic cliff face here in Gering. It has an...800ft drop into the North Platte River."
Carly looked from Sam to Dean and back again. The three knew if Ethan threw the woman over the cliff she had no chance of survival. So, that meant they had to leave now.
"How far is the cliff face from here?" Dean asked, grabbing his keys from the table.
Carly looked down at her phone. "About eight minutes or so."
"Then let's get going." Sam said, getting to his feet with determination. "If we don't go now...she's a goner."
The three headed out to the car. Dean got the impala started as Carly prepared to get in the backseat. As her hand was on the handle, Sam grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked back at him with confusion.
"What are you doing? We have to get going." Carly questioned, looking down at his hand and then back at his face.
"I know, but there's something I want to do in case this goes sideways." Sam insisted
"Sam, everything's going to fine." Carly reassured
He shook his head. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling in my stomach and my feelings are never wrong. So, there is something I want to do before we get in the car."
"What do you want to do?" Carly asked
"The thing I've wanted to do since I first saw you."
She had no time to react before his hands were cupping her cheeks and his lips were on hers. The touch was electric, sending shocks through both of them. After the initial shock went away, Carly kissed back just as passionately as Sam did. Dean caught them in the rearview mirror and smiled to himself, but sadly he had to break up the cute moment.
Dean leaned his head out of the window. "Lovebirds, we have to get going! You can lock lips later!"
Sam and Carly pulled back from one another laughing awkwardly. Sam's hands rested on her cheeks a little longer. Both so out of breath they could barely speak.
"Would you like to continue this later?" Sam gruffly whispered
Carly nodded. "Yes…"
They both smiled at one another one last time before finally getting into the car. The three didn't have a plan or any inkling of how they were going to approach this. It was possible they would get to the cliff and it would already be too late, but they prayed...that wasn't the case. Dean drove way over the speed limit as they made their way to the cliff. Carly could tell Sam was shaken from the vision so she held his hand tight while they made their way there.
Dean got as close to the cliff as he could with the car and the rest of the journey was on foot. They made it just to the top as Ethan grabbed the woman by her throat. She spotted us and relief filled her gaze. This look baffled Ethan as he turned around to spot Carly, Sam, and Dean about 25 feet away.
"Let her go!" Dean yelled
Carly looked down to see Dean had his hand on a gun behind his back. Threatening Ethan wouldn't get them anywhere and so, Carly took a step forward. Sam wanted her to stop, but neither Dean nor Sam did anything but watch.
Ethan noticed Carly and a smile formed on his lips. "It's the mind reader."
"Yes, it is. Look, I know you feel angry, but hurting her isn't going to solve anything. It won't bring your father back." Carly pleaded
"You don't know anything!" Ethan snapped, moving closer to the cliff's edge. "You don't know what it feels like to lose everything!"
"Oh, I know exactly what that's like!" Carly snapped in return. "I lost my mother, my friends, and then to top it all off my father who I didn't really like...but still. I have no one left alive who has known me for more than a week. I know what loss feels like because I am wallowing in it. I am doing my best to keep a smile on my face because if I didn't I wouldn't be able to get out of bed!"
Carly could feel Sam's worried gaze on the back of her head, but she kept her eyes on Ethan. She had surprised him at the sudden snap. He could see the hurt in her eyes that was just as heavy to hold if not heavier.
His grip stayed firm on the woman's neck. "If you had the chance to eliminate the people responsible for killing those you care about...wouldn't you?"
Carly thought for a moment and realized yeah she would. I mean she tried to, but Sam and Dean had to step in to save her. If she had the chance and knew she could win, hell yeah she'd fight back, but this was different...this woman was innocent. Carly was stuck in her thoughts when Sam decided to intervene.
"The members of the occult club didn't kill your father." Sam said, Ethan, looking toward him. "Your father decided to continue the ceremony on his own. He summoned a demon and lost control. The demon killed him in retaliation. That was not their fault...it was his."
Ethan shook his head. "You're wrong...you have to be!"
He moved closer to the cliff's edge, some rocks falling under his foot. The woman was entirely over the cliff and if he let go she would be dead. If they didn't convince him to put her down, they'd lose her.
"Dad couldn't have done such a thing. He wouldn't do something so idiotic. They must be lying. They must be…" Ethan thought
Carly picked up on this and tried a different tactic. She took another step forward and tried to get through his tough exterior.
"Ethan, I know you want to believe your dad wasn't at fault. I get it...I do, but I think deep down you know it's true. Adding to the list of people you have already killed isn't worth it. You don't need to kill her. Just put her back on the safety of land. Please." Carly pleaded
"I've already killed the others...I have to finish this." He insisted
"No, you don't." Carly reassured, taking another step forward. "Killing her will not solve anything. Just let her go. Put her down."
Carly was now right in front of him. She placed a hand on his arm and it was like cold water. His tough-guy act completely shattered. He maneuvered the woman back over land and let go, she fell to the dirt with a thud, coughing heavily.
"You know that was just beautiful…"
Carly turned around as Ethan, Sam, and Dean's gaze went to the voice that just echoed around them. He was leaning up against a big rock, that smug smile plastered on his face.
Ethan raised a brow. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the one that took your mother from you than your father just years later." He laughed, his eyes turning yellow.
Ethan became enraged as he tried to go for Azazel. Sam was already by Carly's side at this point so he held out his arm to stop him, shaking his head. Ethan fought against his arm, but eventually stayed where he was.
"What the hell do you want?" Sam asked, looking from Ethan toward Azazel.
Azazel's smile went wide. "I want you of course...all of you."
