Chapter 21

It was time. Sam watched the roadside fly by as his father drove toward the cemetery where the funeral service would be starting in less than fifteen minutes. Sam didn't know exactly what to expect, but he had a faint idea, a very faint idea. He cast his eyes to where his father concentrated on the road ahead of him, not looking to either side. The older man was deep in thought and Sam knew that he was running through scenarios of what could take place.

A rippling chill made Sam shift squeamishly in his seat and he directed his gaze out the window as John pulled up outside the cemetery. There were no cars in the region as of yet, but the funeral party would be soon to arrive. His eyes darted through the cemetery grounds, searching for the shadow of the demon shifting through the area. He didn't see it, but he felt its presence.

Without a word, he exited the truck and stepped onto the solid ground. His father was already making his way through the gates, armed with whatever would be needed when Sam shut the passenger side door. As the youngest Winchester stepped beyond the cemetery gates, the sky overhead slowly darkened with wildly flailing grey clouds.

"Don't tell me that this bastard can control the weather too." John muttered more to himself than to his son.

"Apparently." Sam decided to answer anyway.

Sam's eyes brushed across the form of John Dayton leaning against a tree next to his tombstone. The dead psychic looked up as Sam walked closer and his face remained blank. Sam kept walking, his father veered off in another direction to search. Clearly the father figure didn't see the psychic's ghost watching him closely.

"You came." Dayton replied. With a flicker of movement, he was standing in front of Sam.

"I did." Sam spoke softly.

"It knows you're here. It can feel your presence."

"I don't doubt that a bit."

"It's watching you and your father both."

"From where?"

The dead psychic's intention was clearly not to tell, because within the next instant, the apparition had vanished. Sam stared in disbelief at the spot the boy had just been standing. Suspicion burned in his stomach and he scanned the grounds with a hard gaze, searching to find the demon.

The sound of a vehicle coming to a stop caught Sam's attention. He turned to see Kathleen Dayton stepping out of a car with her husband and daughter. A man in a priest robe followed. Kathleen saw Sam standing next to John's stone and she quickened her pace to reach him. She looked into his eyes and smiled through her tears. Sam allowed her to pull him into a hug.

"Thanks for coming." She whispered softly to him.

"You're welcome. Jake couldn't come, but he sends his sympathies." Sam replied.

Kathleen nodded in understanding and hugged Sam again before releasing him.

"You know, Kacey's in the hospital now. The doctors say it looks like a bad case of the flu. That, and it seems that he was attacked. I just heard this morning, his mother called to say he wouldn't be coming to the funeral. Some man found him out by the Nature Park." Kathleen replied.

Sam faked shock as he listened to the words.

"Really? That's too bad." He said.

"It is. We're going to pay a visit to him after the service is over." Kathleen stated. Her gaze wandered to where the Winchester father had walked casually onto the scene and was observing the exchange with a confused expression.

"I don't think I know you." The Dayton mother said.

"You don't, I was one of John's professors. I thought I would come and pay my respects." John replied quickly.

"Professor Graycin is the head of the Anthropology department at Bronson. John and I had his intro to Anthro. class together." Sam stated with a smile. John nodded.

"Oh yes, John told me about you. He thought quite highly of you and your teaching strategies, professor." Kathleen noted.

John only smiled as the Dayton family introduced themselves. By the time the introductions were completed, the full funeral party had pulled into the graveyard and the members were walking quietly to the Dayton boy's stone. Sam and John watched the group assemble and the priest began the service.

Sam's eyes darted to where John Dayton's spirit stood next to his mother and sister. The young Winchester watched the ghost in silence as he moved amongst the group, not showing any signs of an organized plan. To Sam, it looked as though the boy was simply seeing who had come, and saying his good-byes that weren't heard by any.

Then he looked at Sam again and the youngest Winchester felt his skin grow cold and clammy. There was a flash of image that invaded his mind and he was staring into the eyes of the demon, which watched him soundlessly, without emotion on its face. Sam blinked and saw the Dayton boy again, this time the dead psychic looked different. Well, not look, necessarily. John's presence felt different. It left Sam feeling more comfort than most of the previous encounters. A lot of the previous encounters had left Sam feeling terrified or in so much pain he could hardly breathe. This time was different. He could breathe easy and he felt as calm as he could be. Not even a fluttering heart in his chest made him fear the boy, not this time.

John Dayton moved closer to Sam and just watched him. He didn't speak, he just watched with a soft smile resting on his lips. A comforting smile, one that gave Sam a sense of ease. The youngest Winchester returned the friendly expression and waited as Dayton took a breath to speak.

"You're here to help." Jonathan replied simply with a voice that was warm and kind.

Sam nodded.

"I knew you would come. I knew it the instant I touched your mind."

"So it was you?" Sam questioned softly.

Dayton nodded. "It was, but not always."

"The demon." Sam whispered.

"The demon. You and your father have to stop what's going to happen here, today. You know what it is, don't you?"

"I think so, yes."

"Then stop it, please. Don't let it kill my family."

"We'll stop it."

"Keep an eye on Kaylee. If the demon has his way, he'll kill her first and make mom and dad watch."

"But why would it want to kill your family? I thought I was the target."

"You are, but the demon just wants death, and it doesn't care how it gets it. It'll kill everyone here, simply for the sake of killing."

Sam was silent as the image of the demon killing the Dayton family invaded his mind. He heard Kaylee screaming for her parents and saw the demon slowly tear the life away from the young girl, not caring how much pain she felt. The girl fell still and dropped to the ground all at once, Kathleen screamed for her baby girl and dropped next to the still child. She held her daughter close to her chest and sobbed softly into the girl's hair. The Dayton father dropped to his knees in shock after seeing his little girl being viciously murdered by the man claiming to be a friend of John's. The father's face paled as he watched the demon steal his wife's life and then move in on him. Mr. Dayton didn't move. He let it have him without protest. It had already taken his family, he had nothing left.

Sam watched in silent horror as the funeral party was killed off one by one. The demon turned on his father and Sam heard John Winchester's pained yelling drilling deep into his skull. He watched his father fall and not get up. The older man didn't even breathe in a life-fulfilling breath. There was nothing, but stillness that rested on the oldest man's ashen face.

Sam clenched his eyes shut tightly when he felt the presence of the demon hovering nearby and he felt the intensity of the creature's eyes. The life was ripped away from him in less than thirty agonizing seconds, but he only counted to twenty before snapping back to reality, feeling very drained and tired. His father's touch on his shoulder drew his attention to the other man's stonily etched features and next to the Winchester father, the Dayton psychic stood watching. The young man didn't speak further, but Sam saw the plea in his eyes for the Winchesters' help. Sam's father shivered suddenly and turned his head to stare in the direction that the young Dayton occupied. John Winchester clearly knew that he and Sam weren't alone.

There was a sudden, deafening scream that erupted from within the group of grieving people and Sam's eyes shot to the general area.

"It's already begun! Don't let my family die!" John Dayton's voice whistled in Sam's ears and the youngest Winchester ran to where the funeral goers had gathered around a fallen member.

"He's not breathing! Someone call an ambulance!" Came a startled shout from within the crowd.

The Winchesters shoved their way through the tightly packed group and saw the Dayton father bent over the sprawled form of a young, well-dressed man who was clearly attending the funeral. Sam saw Kaylee drop next to the fallen man and with tears streaming down her face, she screamed at the still form on the ground.

"Wake up! Drew, you have to wake up!" She hit the man weakly on the chest and Kathleen pulled the sobbing girl close to her.

"He's gone, Kaylee." Kathleen whispered softly, struggling to keep her own frantic sobs under control.

Sam turned to where The Dayton boy stood with a look of pure shock on his face as he observed the man on the ground.

"Drew's my cousin. He and Kaylee were close and it seems they've gotten tighter since my...uh…my end." John replied. His voice shook with uncertainty as he scanned the crowd.

Another yelp from the crowd and Sam watched a nearby woman fall and breathe her final breath. It was happening, his vision was really happening. Not that they hadn't come true in the past, but this, this was a prime example of when Sam hated how accurate his abilities were. He simply hated it. Sam searched the chaotic crowd for the creature that was taking lives. A shadow flickered behind a nearby guest, and seconds later, that man as well fell and for a split instant, the demon came into full view.

It watched the man fall and without an expression, cast its eyes to Sam before moving to the next victim. Sam jumped into action and shoved the potential victim aside. He felt a glancing tingle as he hit the ground hard and lay in the dirt, dazed into near unconsciousness.

"Michael!" Kaylee cried and Sam felt the girl's presence looming over him. He blinked wearily, struggling to focus on the young girl's tear-stained face and saw the shadow of the demon standing behind her.

Sam's eyes widened as he pulled Kaylee toward him and rolled her out of the way. He raised his head and came face to face with the pale eyes of the murderous creature. The thing watched him for long, agonizing moments, not making any further movements and not speaking. Sam scooted away and the demon followed, reaching for him, trying to grasp at him, but he wouldn't let it. It flickered from existence and the terrified sound of Kaylee's screams pulled Sam to his feet. He searched the crowd to find the girl as she continued to scream.

"Help her! Save my sister!" The voice of John Dayton pierced his thoughts.

Sam pushed through the crowd, following the screams and saw Kaylee, kneeling on the ground with her hands grasped around her middle. Kathleen was next to her and the concerned father supported his daughter in strong hands. A man stood behind her with his head down, holding the child's shoulders. The girl looked up and Sam saw a crimson trail of blood trickling from her nose. Through pained tears, she screamed again and Kathleen cried desperately into the crowd.

"Somebody help my baby girl! Please, help her!" The frantic mother screamed.

Sam saw a flash of movement next to him and watched as his father leapt at the mysterious man holding the girl from behind. Both men hit the ground with a thud and John leapt on top of the other, pressing a small piece of iron against his throat. The man beneath John screamed in agony and the Winchester father began speaking the banishing spell, but another of Kaylee's screams stole his attention away. He found himself blindsided by the demon and was thrown against a nearby tombstone, the back of his head cracked against it and the man lay dazed, trying to fight his way out of the darkness that was slowly quilting his vision.

The man who had thrown John looked up and locked eyes with Sam. In the flitting seconds that followed, Sam felt a terror more real than anything he'd felt before. The youngest Winchester tried to fight the shout that was bubbling in his throat as pain sliced through his head and he hit the ground on his knees. The pale eyes of the demon followed him down and watched him as Kaylee's screams tore through the hazy hum of the cemetery.