Soul Survivors
By
Valtira
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, Sam or Dean Winchester, like everyone else I wish I did.
Chapter 2 The Hunt Begins
His dad's journal lay closed on the hood beside him. His eyes were trained on his younger brother Sam asleep in the front passenger seat.
They were at a standstill. They hadn't heard from their dad in weeks, 'or had it been months,' Dean thought wryly. The journal he had left them was a riddle, leading them down a crooked path to nowhere in particular. 'Why had his dad been so cryptic? Why couldn't he have been just a little less obscure and mysterious and told them straight up what they were facing?' Where the hell was he anyway? Dean didn't want to think the worst – that his dad was dead. He didn't know that, didn't want to contemplate the thought.
He was worried, worried about his dad, but mostly worried about his brother. Sam had only been a baby when his mother had died. Had he seen his mother's death, seen the creature that had killed her? He had certainly seen his girlfriend die, consumed by the same flame that had killed his mother. Was he somehow the key to all the nightmares? The killer was elusive and Sam was the only connection Dean could find but he wasn't about to tell his brother that. Sam was plagued with enough guilt already.
Twisting right his left elbow hit the journal sending it flying across the hood. It landed with a hollow thunk in the mud beside the front passenger side tire. Dean swore softly. There was no breeze to speak of yet the book fluttered open as if someone were turning the pages. The pages slowly settled, opening toward the back of the book.
Mumbling in disgust Dean leaned down to pick it up. His eyes caught the writing and he frowned in confusion. Even though he'd been through the book a hundred times the article and writing displayed on the pages were unfamiliar. "What the hell," he murmured in surprise.
Sam woke slowly. His mind still foggy with sleep he pried one lid then the other open to hear Dean grumbling a few feet away. Chuckling he opened the door saying, "Making mud pies big brother – aren't you a little old for that."
"Ha, Ha, little brother" Dean snarled back.
Picking up the book Dean swiped at the mud to wipe it off before laying it on the hood again. "Hey Sammy you've looked at the journal, have you ever seen this entry before?"
Sam grumbled, he hated being called Sammy. "Sam," he mumbled. He didn't see Dean's smirking smile before leaning in to read the article, "Homecoming King and Queen in coma of unknown causes." His fingers traced the picture of the two side by side before reading the rest of the article. 'James Richardson was found in the boys' locker room at Fremont High School on Monday October 17, 2004 in a catatonic state. Two days later Mandy Holloway collapsed in her home. Both teenagers were taken to Mercy Hospital where they remain.'
'Neither drugs nor alcohol were found in the teenagers systems. No apparent cause could be identified. Police and school officials are investigating.' The article continued giving the reader some background on the two teenagers who's lives had suddenly been cut short. A similar article was clipped to the opposite page. 'A young teenager, Joseph Erickson – Homecoming King for 2005 was found unconscious in his home. His little brother found him battered and badly beaten. The reporter went on to speculate that the two incidents might be linked.
The second article was dated the previous week. A third article hidden behind the second showed the mangled wreck of a car. "Homecoming King and Queen Killed in Accident." Below the wreck were two small pictures of the teenagers. Dean stared at them hoping to find some clue, but they were only pictures. The three incidents were tied, he didn't know how, but in his heart he knew something was stalking these kids.
"I've been through that book a dozen times," Sam stated calmly and I've never seen this before. What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know little brother, but did you notice there's nothing about this year's Homecoming Queen," Dean stated quickly.
Sam caught his brother's eyes, "Yeah! I did."
"You up for a trip to Fremont, Indiana," Dean quipped quickly. He had to protect them, needed to protect them, find out what was going on.
Sam was already on the move headed for the driver's side of the vehicle. "Yup and I'm driving. Not even giving his brother a change to argue Sam slipped behind the wheel and started the engine.
Grumbling beneath his breath Dean picked up the journal sticking his finger between the pages to be sure he didn't loose the articles. He read them several more times on the long trip.
