Disclaimer: Stephen King and Warner brothers are the only geniuses here. I only hope that my misadventures using their characters and themes do not offend them. I am merely a poor student, who will remain poor.
Boy, this took awhile to post…school was kicking my butt for a couple months
Eileen watched Sam race to the steps. Holding his sword up as he called for his brother. He didn't even pause as he disappeared below her sight. Eileen rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Men."
Sam ran down the steps, taking 5 steps at a time. "Dean!" 'God, how could I be so stupid! We're supposed to have each other's backs.' He was breathing heave when he reached the bottom. It took all of half a second to realize that Dean wasn't there, he wasn't anywhere in sight. "Dean!" No response. Sam hazarded a look down, afraid he'd find a pool of Dean's blood. What he saw was almost worst. The ground soil was disturbed; the flare gun was half buried under the tossed dirt. And the axe his brother had been wielding was there too. Sam picked it up, and found that it was clean. 'Dean must not have gotten the chance to take a swing.' Forcing down the useless waves of panic Sam scanned the ground for a trail. He found a faint one moving to his right towards the thick forest growth. Packing his brothers disregarded weapons, Sam moved cautiously ahead. He all but growled when he got past the first row of trees… the ground got stonier, firmer. The tracks weren't visible in the poor near non-existent light. 'Don't panic, panic won't help Dean. I haven't found Dean's pack. He may still have it on him. He's got weapons…he's a pro…he's…God where is he?'
"Sam?" Eileen's voice was behind him.
Sam round on Eileen, "Where is he?"
"I was up on the plateau with you remember? Try his cell."
Sam glared at her as he pulled out his cell. The reception was static, and of course it rang through to his voice mail. Sam strainghed his hearing hoping maybe he'd hear the ring tune somewhere not far. Nothing. Some crickets, wind whistling through trees, no ring tunes. Sam felt like pulling his hair out. 'Not again. Grabbed twice by a Wendigo in one year! What are the chances? Seriously!' He looked down at Eileen, she was probably the last person he should be standing here with, but she was there, and he suddenly did not want to be alone. "Are there any caves in this region? Old mines even?" She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head.
"What are you thinking?" She asked softly.
"I'm thinking I should have spent more time looking at those land maps." Sam replied sarcastically.
"There at my house still. We can go get them."
Sam wanted to bang his head into something. 'My best chances of finding a place where Dean may have been brought too are with those old maps. But that's assuming that we're dealing with a Wendigo that follows those same patterns. This was probably some plan, to separate us. Going back to the house could doom Dean. Hell, it could be a trap for me too. But I could wonder these woods all night and find nothing, just get myself more lost. Then I'll be no help to Dean.' Biting his lip, Sam weighed his options. "Alright, let's go."
Sam noted that too Eileen's credit she kept her bubbly joy simmered down. The walk back through the swamp was brisk and uneventful. The ground mist had miraculously cleared. The place seemed totally 'normal'. And god it made him angry. 'It has what it wanted, no need for anymore dramatics.'
Sam was so deep in worry that he blinked in surprise when he felt the change in ground texture, the well meowed lawn that the kids took good care of was beneath him. And looking ahead he saw Eileen's house. The front porch light was on, waiting. And then his eyes fell on Dean's car, parked where they had left it. 'Before everything went to hell.' He left Eileen in his dust as he ran to the car, hoping that maybe Dean had gotten away and made it here. He let another wave of guilt and angry sweep over him when he found the car was empty and untouched. Eileen whisked by him and up the porch. She waved him in as she entered.
Taking Dean's axe in one hand and a salt rock gun in the other, Sam followed her in.
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Dean lay on the ground staring up at the sky between the trees. He had been laying there eyeing that piece of sky for what felt like forever. It wasn't his inner astronomer coming out. He simply couldn't move. He could rotate his eyes, but that was about it. So he lay there, worrying about Sam. And waiting for Louis to make an appearance, or as Dean had named him 'Happy Needle Man'.
When Dean had turned around to find himself face to face with the man, the air had hardened in his lounges. He hadn't seen him coming, literal and figuratively. Dean wasn't sure if it was the man's eyes that paralyzed him, the eyes of mad man. Or if it was hearing the words he'd been chiming in his head since this whole thing started said back to him. And in those few seconds Dean didn't see the needle in Louis' left hand. Didn't even see it rise up, aiming for his neck. I was when he felt it that he knew he was screwed. 'Trust a mad-cap ex doctor to have some fast acting paralyzing shit on him.' And being carried in the fireman positions wasn't fun. Having to listen to Louis' monolog was frustrating. The man would start rambling about then change topic mid sentence. Dean wasn't sure how long the old man managed to carry him, or how far they had gotten. Or for that matter where he had gone to afterwards. Dean just hoped that he hadn't gone for Sam.
Dean rolled his eyes to the side, so he could just barely see the finger tips on his right hand. He glared at them, trying to will them to move 15 minutes later, all Dean had accomplished was giving himself a headache. 'Hey-ho, this blows.'
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Sam followed Eileen into the kitchen. He watched her disappear into another room then reappear with the maps from the other day. Sam wasted no time rolling them out onto the table, looking through the legends. He was ripping through them, getting more and more frustrated when he wasn't finding anything. He slammed a fist on the table. Brining his forehead down to touch the laminated surface. "Why can't I have a vision now? Why can't I work it to my advantage, just once." Sam whispered.
"You have visions?" Eileen asked coming over, she placed a cup of tea on the table in front of Sam. But Sam just eyed it wearily. Eileen sighed, "I'm not out to get you Sam."
"That has yet to be proven."
Eileen sat down, "What do you have visions about?" When Sam didn't answer her she continued. "I have visions sometimes. About family, places, pause things."
"Do you know where my brother is? I need to find him. God I wish we never came here!"
"Why did you come here then? I know it wasn't for any land claims."
Sam looked back down at the maps. 'This has to be our worst case ever.' "We came here investigating a store we heard. My brother and I , we…we study the supernatural."
Eileen smiled softly at Sam. "When I was younger, when I first lived here, I had a cat, Church. He died while I was with my Mom and brother visiting in Chicago. I didn't know at the time that he had. When I came home he was here. But he was different. A little girl can only pick out so much. But he was slower, lacked the graceful art that he once had. Sometimes he'd bring in dead birds or rats. Smelled a little nasty too." Eileen wrinkled her nose at the memory. "But he was still Church, just a little off."
Sam ingested the story. "Your cat died? Then came back?"
"Yup, just like the song." Sam flinched at the mention of the song Dean had been singing. 'God, Dean.'
"How did he come back?" Sam chewed his lip as he watched Eileen fidget in her seat.
"Louis buried him at the Micmac burial grounds in the woods." Sam blinked when Eileen's month didn't move as he heard the words. It clicked a second later, that the voice was different, not by much through. And it came from behind him. Sam whirled around to face the woman he had seen earlier that night while spying. The woman he believed was Rachel. A dead woman.
Sam reared back, hitting the table and causing it to move several inches. He pulled out the gun and aimed it at Rachel. 'No normal person had eyes like that', he reassured himself. He found he still couldn't put a name to the cloudy glaze of her eyes. But he felt pinned under them. Suddenly Eileen was standing in front of Sam, blocking his view of Rachel.
"Put the gun down Sam. She's my mother."
"Yeah, that's why I'm pointing the gun." The air sparked around them. Sam wasn't about to back down. A wrinkled hand appeared on Eileen's shouldered. Rachel pushed Eileen to the side and step closer to Sam.
"And why does that entitled you to threaten me?" Sam struggled with a response, 'Zombies aren't social.' He repeated in his head.
"Because you died 22 years ago."
Rachel laughed freely at him. But it came out rough. "I did, but I'm not anymore. Why are you pointing the gun at me? Because I died? Does that make me evil?"
"It's all in the timing. You need to burial someone before decay can twist them." Eileen said as she sat back down.
Sam quaked at them, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'This can't get any worse, may as well lay it out.' "What about Gage?"
Rachel's expressions saddened, and Eileen fiddled with the table edge. The silence was dragging. Rachel was the one to break it. "Where did you hear about my son?" Her tone was striaghed. Sam didn't answer, he didn't want to bring anything down on Steve. Eileen piped up.
"Mr. Masterton hasn't been sleeping well lately, he needed to talk." Eileen said quietly. Sam blinked 'Steve said he didn't know Eileen anymore. Was he lying?' As if Eileen had picked up on his thoughts she continued, and looked up at her mother, "Pascow told me the other night."
Sam felt the world spin in front of him. 'Pascow told her! Pascow! Oh god she talks to ghosts too. But Pascow was telling me to leave, and Eileen was excited to bring us. I have to find Dean and get out of here. This makes no sense!'
Rachel picked up after Elly. "It was so sudden. We where all a mess after. Only Louis knew about the burial ground, about the potential. It wasn't till days after that Louis brought him up there. My poor little guy. He didn't mean any of it."
"Didn't mean what?"
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Dean knew he should be feeling scared, terrified even. He was god knows where in the woods. Drugged and carried around by a mad man who had a history of burying dead people for zombie-fication. He was intensely worried about Sam. Mildly concerned about the bugs crawling over his still paralyzed form. But amidst all that-he was getting bored.
After what felt like another decade he heard footsteps coming towards him. 'Sam? God please be Sam.' Louis appeared over him, holding a latern.'Crap.' Dean watched as Louis disappeared from his view again. He heard some shuffling, a couple clicks and then Louis was back in his sights. Only this time he was keening over Dean. Louis didn't even make eye contact with Dean as he relieved a needle in one hand and a bottle of some clear liquid in another. He made sure Dean had a good view of him filling the needle.
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Sam followed Rachel and Eileen as they recounted their sad history. In the telling Sam was barely paying attention to their movements. Not even noticing the big rigs on the road as Rachel brought them across it. To the house that was once Juds. They stood on the porch of the repaired home that was rented out regularly, a sign on the lawn saying "The simple life Cottage. Come and experience calm". 'What a joke' Sam thought.
"It was several days after my baby died that Louis brought him to the Micmac burial grounds. Eileen and I had gone to my parents; Louis was going to meet up with us. When my baby came back, he was still Gage, but a little…anomalous. But it wasn't his fault. He had been gone too long."
Sam swallowed hard. "How did you end up back here? How did you die?"
"I had dreams of Pascow, he was a man who died with my Dad trying to save him, he had been hit by a car. He came to me. To get my mother to come home and help my Dad." Eileen said.
"So I did." Rachel picked up after Eileen, not missing a beat. "When I came back Gage was being attacked by Jud, the old man was furious that Louis had disobeyed him and brought back a person. Jud had brought Louis there when Church had died. He had started it all. Quite the hypocrite. Gage was only a little slow, not evil. Jud killed him, just as I arrived here. I tried to save my baby, but Jud wouldn't have it. Things got ugly. Jud killed me, Louis killed him. Then set the place on fire to protect what was left of his family. What he could salvage. When I came back, it was hard after everything that had happened. Louis wasn't okay for a long time. It was best to have Eileen stay with my parents. So we waited."
"As you can see my mom isn't not a zombie. I hope you won't try shooting her again."
"I can't believe this, I mean-" Sam could hardly take it in. 'Jud, the ghost Dean had talked to was the cause of all this? But he told Dean to get away?'
"If you study the supernatural I'm sure you've seen a lot of unbelievable things Sam."
"Yeah, we-" Sam's throat dried up as he realized the story had completed distracted him. 'Oh my god, I'm the monster here…DEAN!' "-Dean! My brother. I can't do this right now! I have to find him."
"He'll be coming to you, boy." A thick accented voice came from behind.
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Dean mentally grimaced as Louis inserted the needle into his neck.
"Elly saw you boys coming from a mile away. Well, if we're being literally it was several hundred miles away. Pascow keeps trying, I don't know why."
Dean felt a tingling sensation in his limbs. 'Either very good, or very not.'
"The Wendigo's coming. But I'm a fair man. You'll be able to move in a couple minutes. The house is that way." Louis pointed past Dean's head as he began packing the used syringe in an old medical bag. A series of thuds came out of the woods. Louis merely turned in their direction, humped then resumed packing. Dean felt sweat drip down his forehead as he listened to the approaching steps, his limbs where still numb. 'One moment Swamp Thing, I'm not ready yet.'
It came out of the woods then, and advanced towards them. For a creature of its size it was horrifyingly graceful in its steps. It straddle Dean's torso then lowered its head down with a foot of Dean's. Then sight of a 14 foot monster bend like a horse shoe above him was terrifying. 'Oh god, please don't touch me' Dean chanted in his head, becoming a cannabile was not on his list of things to do. The face of it was mangled, like it had gotten caught in babared wire. The eyes where black, no pupils, no iris, just two solid black balls. Dean flinched when he saw his reflection in one and the lantern light in the other. As if offended by the light; It swiped a hand out and knocked it over, Dean heard Louis grumble and man's footsteps leaving.
It's black eyes started moving like tar bubbling. Dean started to feel the ground under him. Feeling in his arms returned, but he didn't dare move them, if he did he'd touch it. The bubbling gave way to stirring. And blots of colour began mixing. White, then green, the black moved to the center. Dean stared up at eyes that matched his own hazels ones exactly. He pulled past the drug and found the means to scream.
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Sam whipped around looking for the source of the new voice. Eileen and Rachel appeared to be doing the Sam. 'Of course we woke up whoever was staying here now, stupid.'
But there was no one there. The house was dark. Sam watched Eileen's eye fall on the window, and her back straighten like a cat on alert. There in the glass, not behind it, but in the glass of the window was an old man. It reminded Sam of the ghost Dean had told him about, and hell, it was his house-
"Jud." Eileen's voice sounded crisp and cold.
"Get out of here boy. Get back across that road, and mind the trucks. Don't think they brought you here for memory sake, they have a purpose."
"Who are you to talk Jud? You brought this upon everyone!" Sam watched the exchange between Eileen and Jud. He was almost sure Jud finiched at the accusation.
"And I'm sorry about that Elly. More then you'll ever know. But it has to stop. You can't keep-"
"You've done no less in your time-" Eileen cut him off.
"I don't have time for all the shit that's packed into this place! I need to find Dean." Sam cut Elly off.
Jud gave Sam a sorrowful look. "Sometimes, Sam, dead is better."
Sam was about to tell Jud what he thought of that crap, but he didn't get a chance. Screams broke out in the woods across the road. Dean's screams.
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When Dean screamed the Creature screamed with him, copying Dean's voice to a T.
And that solved Dean's decisions for him. Fighting the lethargic after effects of the drug Dean pulled himself up and out from under the thing. He noted in the back of his head with horror that his leg touched It. But getting away was priority number one. It didn't move forward as Dean pulled away. Instead it straighten to it's full height, turned it's head up to the sky, and continued screaming in Dean's voice.
Stumbling to his feet, Dean twirled when a bout of dizziness hit. He forced his mind through it and scanned the ground around him for his bag of weapons. He froze in his quest when he realized the night was quite. The screaming had stopped. Sucking in a shaking breath Dean looked up at the Creature. It stood there, 14 feet of monstrous glory. Still face up at the sky. Backing up slowly Dean started moving away, eyes trained on the Creature, and in the direction Louis had pointed. Just as Dean was about to exit the clearing. The Creatures head snapped down It's eyes blacks balls of malice seething hate off of them right into Dean.
"Fuck. Me." Dean turned his back and ran. The Creature resumed it's screaming. Dean didn't look back, but the screaming told him it was right behind.
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Sam broke into a run off the porch and down the lawn, "DEAN!"
"Sam the road!" Eileen's voice reached him just before Sam stepped onto it. And in fantastic timing, the blaring of a truck horn rang out when Sam barely stopped in time to avoiding getting hit. He stopped there, his heart pounding in his throat. Dean's voice was getting closer. Sam shucked in a breath, when the shrubbery across the road moved and Dean burst out of them.
Dean and Sam locked eyes across the road. Each only seeing the other.
Dean moved first, 'Sam! It's behind me!" He said, to give his brother warning while coming out onto the road towards Sam. That was when Sam heard another horn blow, flowed by the shrieking of brakes.
Dean stopped when the headlights came on him. 'No way-' followed directly by an 18 wheeler.
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