Chapter 5 Resilience and Revenge

They spend the next few hours going from one cemetery to the next. Talking with caretakers, family members who happen to be visiting relatives, nothing. Either no one remembers or no one is willing to tell them anything. Finally with daylight fading they decide to call it quits.

"Damn it I'd hoped we could have taken care of this dude before the festival tomorrow." Dean's voice etched with concern. He looks at his watch. "I gotta get to work. Why don't you come with me and I'll introduce you to Willis." Getting in the car they head back to Dean's apartment so he can get ready for work.

"Sounds like a plan. Besides if this ghost does start to get, say out of hand tomorrow, you might need me along. You're sure this Willis guy doesn't know where Rollins is buried?" Sam asks again making sure they haven't missed anything.

"Now why would he lie about something like that Sam?" Dean glares back at Sam.

"I don't know, maybe he isn't lying, and maybe he just doesn't remember or doesn't want to remember where this guy is buried. I mean, it happened what, 60 years ago, that's a long time Dean." Sam says as he shrugs his shoulders. A half hour later they are heading back to the school. Dean goes to his trunk, pulls out his shotgun and some extra shells, and tucks them inside his duffle bag. Sam's loads his shotgun and puts it up under his jacket.

"I'll go find Willis; you go check out the gym. That seems to be the place with the most activity." Sam nods in agreement. Once inside the school they split up. Dean heads to the janitors supply closet and grabs his cart tucking the duffle bag underneath. He runs into Willis in his usual spot in the library.

"I see you made it back young man." Willis smiles at him as Dean approaches. "Ready for another exciting day of 'lifestyles of the young and messy'?" Dean looks around making sure they are alone.

"That's what I need to talk to you about Willis." Dean feels kinda bad for having to bail on the old man. "Do you remember what we were talking about last night, the fire, ghosts, and stuff?"

"Yes….." Willis watches Dean intently. "I remember our conversation. You seemed to know an awful lot about ghosts if I recall."

"That's because I do, Willis. Remember what I said about Rollins ghost, how to get rid of it?" Willis nods at him.

"You said something about burning and putting salt on his bones or something like that. I thought you were kidding me." his eyes get wide as he looks at Dean. "You weren't kidding me?"

"No Willis I wasn't, I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know we came up with a plan and we're gonna take care of your little ghost problem tonight."

"We? What you talkin' about, we. I don't want anything to do with this, that's crazy talk. No way, burning bones, no way I'm having anything to do with that mess." Willis looks shocked at Dean's suggestion. "'sides you have no idea where that Rollins is buried so how can you dig him up?" Dean starts to explain realizing Willis's confusion.

"Sorry Willis, I didn't mean you. You see my brother Sam showed this morning. Seems he tracked me down and besides that's along story. Anyways we can still get rid of Rollins, it's just easier and more permanent if we had his bones to burn." Dean hopes he can trust the man not to say anything to anyone else.

"I thought you said you were an orphan?" his eyes full of distrust. "I take it this brother of yours knows about ghosts and evil spirits too." Willis calms down some as Dean's information sinks in.

"I wasn't lying, and yes he knows as much as I do." Dean has to make Willis believe him. "You might say it's our family business."

"What like 'Ghostbusters'?" Willis says a little amused.

"It's a little more complicated than that Willis. I'm serious, Sam and I can take care of this tonight but we're gonna need your help. We really need to find Rollins's bones if we are gonna get rid of him once and for all. There has to be somebody around now who was there at the time." Dean tried to jog his memory. "Sam and I have already gone through all the cemeteries in town, nothin'." Willis avoided Dean's eyes as he tried to decided how much to tell him.

"There was a rumor when I was a kid that they had some sorta secret burial for that guy. Course I was too young to really be in the loop but I remember my daddy and my grandaddy talkin about it now that I think about it. I think they had to do it at night so no one would try to stop them." Willis looked up at Dean as still not sure if he could trust him.

"Why would some one try to stop them? I'm thinking there would've been plenty of people in this town, namely those kids' families, who would have been there to make sure that bastard was really dead and buried." Dean asked the older man.

"I don't think the question is when he was buried Dean but where he was buried." Willis didn't elaborate right away. He looked up at Dean. "So you're telling me that if you get rid of this guys bones, he won't haunt the school anymore?"

"That's the plan Willis. If he comes out tonight or tomorrow during the festival we can fight him but I was hoping it wouldn't come down to that." Dean shakes his head. Willis let go of a heavy sigh before he started speaking again.

"Dean you have to know, this is a painful part of this towns history. When you left this morning I went over to my daddy's house. He's old and blind now, just turned 95, but still sharp as a tack. I wasn't sure if I should ask him about it." Willis sat and rubbed his forehead.

"It's just that you got me thinking. You sounded so truthful when you said you could get rid of this guy's ghost. This school means everything to me and I don't want anything happening to these kids tomorrow. If he starts trouble and more kids get hurt I don't think I could forgive myself."

"Willis what are you telling me?" Dean began to feel hopeful.

"My daddy told me where Rollins is buried." Willis quietly admitted.

"What? Were?" he jumped up when he heard Willis speak.

"He's buried behind the AME church on N W Dellis Rd" Dean looked at Willis shocked when he heard the location.

"You're kidding me right?" he asked incredulously. One glance at Willis told him he wasn't joking.

"You buried a known racist in a black cemetery. No wonder you had to bury him at night. That can't have gone over too well with the other members of your church, not to mention if the rest of Rollins's family thought like he did. Damn." Dean slowly smiled to himself then he stopped.

"But Sam and I went through every inch of that cemetery Willis. No one named Rollins, no abandoned graves, no hint that that man is even buried there." He looked confused.

"Do you think we would really bury him under his real name?" Willis looked back at Dean a wicked smile on his face. "He's buried under a more appropriate name…..Justice." Before Dean could make a comment his phone started to ring.

"Yeah Sammy what'll you got?" He asked when he saw it was his brother.

"Ah Dean I think we may have a problem." Sammy hesitated before he started to speak again. "I think I'm looking at the ghost of Donald Rollins and he looks really pissed off right now. Jesus, Crap!" Just as Sam was speaking Dean could hear some kind of commotion going on in the background and then nothing. The phone went dead.

"Sammy! Sammy!" Dean shouted into his phone. He flipped it closed and started off for the gym.

"Dean what's happening" Willis shouted after him running behind. Dean turned his head as he ran down the hall.

"Your ghost is attacking my brother." He yelled back to Willis.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Sam had headed down to the gym. The long hallways gave him a flash back to his own days in elementary school. He chuckled at the artwork that lined the hallways.

"Oh to be that innocent again." He thought to himself. The gym was quiet when he finally got to it. He pulled out the EMFand started scanning the room. Working slowly he moved a few inches at a time. Suddenly the meter moved higher on the scale. He looked up and saw the little girl, Susie, Dean had mentioned before.

"Hi sweetie." He said winking at her. She giggled and ran off. A few feet later he saw the brothers, Robby and Billy. Robby's holding his little brother close, suspicious of Sam at first.

"It's okay I won't hurt you." Sam said to reassure the older boy. Robby nodded back to him, and then they too faded into the shadows. Finally he saw the ghost of the teacher and the rest of the students. They're eyes wide as they hid behind her. She came out from the shadows slowly.

"Be careful." She said whispering. Sam looked at her surprised

"What?" he asked moving closer. Her eyes darted around the gym.

"Be careful. He's still here." She whispered again. Suddenly her eyes went wide as she saw something come up behind Sam. Sam whipped around, the EMF beeping furiously as he saw Rollins moving towards him across the gym. He dropped the EMF and grabbed his shotgun before making a quick call to Dean.

"Ah Dean I think we may have a problem." He said before Dean could barely ask him what was up. " I think I'm looking at the ghost of Donald Rollins and he looks really pissed off right now. Jesus, Crap!"

As Rollins closed in on Sam he suddenly raised up his hands and blue balls of flame shot out from them. Sam took a rolling dive before bringing up the shotgun and taking a shot at the attacking ghost. The sound of the blast echoed through the gym. He cursed when he realized he missed and that gave Rollins another chance at him. Dodging more blue balls of flame he took another shot, just in time to see Dean running into the gym with his own shotgun blazing. Unbelievably both boys missed Rollins. Just then Willis ran up behind Dean. Rollins aimed at the older man and fired at him before Willis had a chance to even know what was happening. Dean immediately spun around and threw himself in front of Willis, one of the fire balls hitting him on the back before they both fell on the floor.

"Dean!" screamed Sam as he saw his brother and Willis go down. He went to take another shot at Rollins but the ghost had disappeared. Sam ran over to the two of them, shotgun still in hand relieved when he saw his brother trying to get up.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean sat up cursing, nursing his left shoulder. Willis pulled himself up off the floor before he realized Dean was hurt. Sam ran up and squatted down by his brother on the floor.

"Is it bad Dean?" he started to unzip Dean's uniform. Dean winced as Sam pulled the sleeve down and examined the burn the size of a melon, on his back near his shoulder.

"Damn Dean it's already blistering." He said looking over the wound.

"Holy mother of Jesus." Willis shouted as he shook his head unbelieving what had just happened.

"Son are you ok?" he knelt next to Dean as well, fear and concern on his face. Dean looked at him and nodded at his brother.

"Willis this is Sam, Sam this is Willis." Dean started to get up. Willis and Sam both grabbed an arm and helped him stand. Sam immediately held out his hand to the older man once he could see Dean was steady on his feet. Willis returned the shake.

"Nice to meet you I think. Ah, what the hell just happened?" he said eyeing the two boys.

"No offense Willis but I need to get Dean fixed up." Sam said apologizing, but he didn't want to stay around to chit chat.

"Of course. Of course." Willis nodded. He started to pick up the boys weapons. "You'd better take these with you."

"Sam we can't leave yet. That bastard might return." Dean said trying not to move his shoulder.

"Dean you're kidding me right. You're in no shape to be fighting anything." Sam couldn't believe Dean wanted to stick around. He reached down, grabbed the dropped EMF, and showed it to Dean.

"See Dean no ghosts" Dean was forced to agree as he glanced at the meter. Not a single beep sounded.

"Ok Sammy, but as soon as you fix me up, we are coming back here." Dean was adamant.

"Agreed Dean." Sam consoled his brother. Dean looked around again still unwilling to leave Willis alone with Rollins still roaming the school.

"Willis you're coming with us. There's no way I'm leaving you alone in this place." Dean spoke to the old man.

"You boys wont have to ask me twice. I'm right behind you." Willis agreed right away.

A short time later they were back in Dean's apartment. Dean wincing as Sam tried to apply some burn ointment and bandages to Dean's back.

"That doesn't look good son. You need to go to the doctor." Willis said as he watched Sam work on Dean.

"Maybe later Willis. Right now we have to figure out a plan to get rid of that son of a bitch." Dean agreed.

"How son? Your bullets didn't seem to have any effect on that thing." Willis still couldn't believe the night's events.

"Not bullets Willis, rock salt." Dean started to explain. Willis looked at him confused.

"The guns we used are loaded with rock salt. When a ghost gets hit with it, its suppose to disappear. End of story." Sam explained further.

"Then you boys must be lousy shots cuz he didn't go anywhere till after he shot you." Dean looked at Sam as Willis spoke.

"He's right." Dean said thinking a moment. He looked up at Sam. "I can see maybe one of us missing a shot but not both of us missing our shots. We must have hit him at least once Sam."

"But why didn't he disappear then Dean?" Sam agreed. He knew the possibility that he missed was greater than the possibility of Dean missing. Dean simply was too good a shot not to have hit him.

"There's only one thing we can do now Sam." Dean said deadly seriously. He looked at his brother and then to Willis. "We're gonna have to burn his bones."

"But Dean we don't have a clue where he's buried, you said so yourself." He looked over at his brother.

"We do now, Sammy my boy." Dean said with a smile. "We do now."

TBC