"Hello everyone, DJexe here welcoming you back for another chapter. Scorpion would usually be here doing the intro, buuuut-"

*Running in the middle of the woods, loud barking close behind* AHHHHHHH! CROWLEY, CALL OFF YOUR STUPID MUTT! *Hell hound snaps at legs* FUUUUUUUU-

"He's currently preoccupied, courtesy of Crowley. Hey Scorpion! You reap what you sow for taking too long to update! Anyways, we'll jump right into where we left Coraline and see where we go from there." *Turns and looks at Crowley's chair* "I can't believe that he actually sent his hell-hound on him AND he's watching it like it's some fun entertainment. Now before I read the disclaimer, let us pray for Scorpion and hope he comes away from this a new man."

Disclaimer: TheScorpion0081 does not own Coraline or Supernatural. The only thing he owns is this story that he's currently writing.

"So in the words of Scorpion, *clear throat* Chapter 3…"

Theories

"Coraline…"

Coraline walked down the dark hallway of her apartment. It was nighttime, or at least that was what it felt like. Unsteady and in a daze, it didn't feel like nothing was real. She kept walking forward regardless, hopeful that the answers that she was looking for were at the end of the hall.

"Coraline…"

The sound of her name echoed through the seemingly endless halls. As she got closer to the end, a sickening green light began to glow through the floorboards, revealing the details of the hall. The walls weathered with the paint and wallpaper visibly peeling, revealing rotted wood and insects from underneath. Roaches and other vermin scurried across the floor, though Coraline was unable to react. At the end of the hall was what seemed to be a dusty mirror. It's tarnished, cracked surface reflected the light from the floor, but it was too dull to show more than a dark silhouette.

"Cooorrraaallliiinnnee…"

As she finally got to the mirror, she began to notice more of herself in it. Instead of her uniform, she wore a midnight blue sweater with star prints on its surface. It was the same sweater that she wore in the Other World, before everything twisted from the paradise she thought it was to a nightmare. However, these details wasn't the most alarming. Though her body looked normal when she looked down, when she looked in the mirror, she saw that she was distressingly bony. Her ribcage and shoulder bones was defined through the sweater. Also, her arms, legs and hands were far skinnier than they were normally. Her skin was pale and blood vessels shown though in a dark blue on her hands and face. The biggest difference between the girl and her reflection were the big, black buttons that were sown into her eyes. Blood stained on her cheeks and on her sweater.

Whatever force made her move towards the mirror released its grip as she backed away from the horrid reflection in a panic. She was unable to go farther than a few steps until she bumped into something, halting her back pedal. Two hands, both of which made of sewing needles, fell upon her shoulders. She wasn't sure which was keeping her from moving again: the hands holding her in a tight grip, or the fear making her feet as heavy as cement blocks.

"Coraline," sang the Beldame as her button eyes met Coraline's fearful ones in the reflection. The creäture moved closer to her ear as she taunted her with the voice of her real mother. "I'll see you soon, Coraline."

The Beldame go closer and closer before Coraline could hear the rasp of its breath, sending shivers fling up and down her body.

"You will belong to me. Forever…"

...

Wyborn sat in the nurse's office next to the bed where Coraline laid unconscious, thinking about how it all ended up like this. They were just walking back to class when Coraline just stopped. The boy had no idea what happened or why to cause his friend to just freeze up, but the face she made was something that he couldn't let go. Pure, unfiltered fear was, up till now, something that he only seen in horror films and tv. But nothing compare to what flashed over his friends face. It was like she seen a ghost that had its head cut off. Whatever caused it, she was unable to catch her breath and passed out. Wyborn barely caught her before her head hit the unforgiving tile floor. Everything that happened between that and reaching the nurses office was a blur, but one thing is for curtain. He had never been that scared in his life.

The nurse stated that Coraline caught a case of hyperventilation, but was fine otherwise. This, however, didn't stop Wyborn from being worried about the seemingly spontaneous faint spell that struck their friend. After the nurse called the her parents to tell them of her condition, she tried to dismiss Wyborn again to go back to class. It took some convincing to get the nurse and his teacher to let him stay with her until she woke, but he manage to buy fifteen minutes.

This was ten minutes ago.

He watched as Coraline recovered peacefully in the bed. At first, she looked as if she was sleeping soundly. After some time, however, she began to breathe faster, harder and louder as time passed. She broke into a cold sweat and began mumbling in fearful tones. Out of concern, he put his hand on her shoulder and shook it, hoping that it would wake her out of her nightmare. The shaking didn't work and Coraline's condition only got worse, her breathing becoming raspier and tears beginning streaming down her face.

"Coraline! Come on, girl, wake up," Wyborn said in a panic. He shook harder and yelled louder, but to no avail. Wyborn, seeing his efforts as futile, ran for the door to call the nurse. Just as he grabbed the doorknob, Coraline jumped up from her nightmare in a scream, surprising him. He turned back towards the bed, fighting the urge not to hug her in relief.

"You're alright, Jonesy? You took a pretty hard fall back there," Wyborn said with clear relief.

Coraline was silent for a moment as her mind returned to the real world. The nightmare was still fresh in her mind, and she was visibly disturbed by the images. Wyborn tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she flinched on contact, causing his hand to retreat. She wiped the tears from her face and stared at the far, falling into complete silence for what felt like hours. Wyborn just waited, respecting her space until she was comfortable enough to converse.

"Wybie?" A meek whisper broke the silence. Wyborn looked as Coraline, who was much calmer than she was moments earlier. She didn't make eye contact, but at least now she was communicating. To him, that was more than enough.

"I think we may have a serious problem," she said in a near whisper. It was only loud enough for Wyborn to hear.

"Yeah, we do. If grandma finds out that I was here instead of class, I'm as good as toast," Wyborn said, half jokingly. He knew that he probably won't hear the end of it if she did find out, but it was all for a good cause.

"No," the distraught girl said, barely raising her voice and meeting his eyes. "I mean that we have a serious, life-threatening problem. Like, horror movie levels."

Wyborn simply looked at Coraline, giving her his undivided attention.

"I think that the Beldame is back and hunting again."

For a few seconds, there was silence. Wyborn let the words sink in for a moment before giving his response.

"...hahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…!"

Wyborn was leaning back on his chair, laughing as hard as he could. It was rare that Coraline ever make a joke. Even rarer if the jokes that she made at his expense didn't count. To think that she would try to scare me with a trick like that, he thought to himself. The thought made him laugh harder before he finally forced himself to contain himself when he found that he was the only one who found it funny.

When he finally calmed down, he met with a stare that would have burned holes through his forehead if the offending eyes were capable of the feat. Coraline's face darkened even more when they made eye contact. Wyborn's felt dread traveling through his stomach like butterflies when he came to a grim realization.

"Are you serious?" Wyborn asked loudly before Coraline placed her hand quickly over his mouth while gesturing with the other to hush. It was clear that no one was to hear what she was about to say.

"The song the girl was whistling. The Beldame was the only one I knew who hummed it. No one else knows that song other than me," Coraline explained, regretfully recalling the events that lead her to acquire that knowledge. She honestly thought she put it behind her. She started to dread the idea of being stuck with these memories for the rest of her life.

Wyborn, though surprised, was understanding. After a year of knowing each other, she never talked about what happened before the events at the well. She tried once before, but he ended up thinking that she was insane. It was after his grandmother told him that the doll was the cause of her sister's disappearance that figured she was right and helped to get rid of the key. When Coraline told his grandmother about the cause of her sister's disappearance, she glossed over her own personal experiences. This 'song' was one of the few things that he learned after all this time.

"Okay," Wyborn conceded, "So, if you are right, then how? I thought you got rid of that monster last year?"

"I don't know. To be honest, when I managed to escape from it, but I didn't really destroy her. I assumed that, once I got those souls out, it would die on its own. So much for that idea." Coraline brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if it was truly still alive. There is just no other way to explain what I've heard."

Silence fell upon the both of them as the nurse walked back in. Understandably, she had relieved look on her face as she saw the awakened Coraline. Wyborn got up from his chair and stepped aside as the nurse took his place. "How are you feeling, Ms. Jones? I heard that you had quite the spill at lunch."

"I just wasn't feeling well, that's all," Coraline answered with a strained perkiness. Wyborn wasn't ignorant of this, but kept to himself.

What followed was a battery of questions, from 'How she was feeling that morning' and 'what she had for lunch' to 'has this happened before' and 'Is she sure that she wasn't pushed,'

"It's fortunate that your friend was there when he was or you would be going home with a nasty goose egg."

"Going home?"

"I called your parents and told them what happened. Traffic is rough around this time, but they should be here shortly. I can't just send you back to class when you suddenly faint during lunch. I'll let your parents decide what to do, but I'm recommending bed rest."

Coraline didn't argue against the nurse's judgement. She didn't really want to deal with worried folks, however, no student would be caught complaining about going home early. She nodded in agreement and watched as she walked to the door. Before she left, she turns towards Wyborn with a smirk. "I think that it would be best if you went back to class, Mr. Lovat. Your girlfriend will be fine."

"SHE'S NOT MY..."

"HE'S NOT MY..."

Before either can finish, the nurse was out the door, laughing as she did. What followed was a silence that was less comfortable than the last. Both children were blushing, unable to look at each other after the nurses jab.

"Wybie," Coraline called in a huff, breaking the silence. "thanks for looking out for me."

Wyborn shook the nurse's statement from his head. "No problem, Jonesy. I guess I'd better to class," he stated as he got up from the chair. "I'm just glad that you are alright."

Coraline rush to grab Wyborn's shirt before he got too far. Wyborn, as he turned back to her, saw the serious in her face as spoke. "When you see Alexis again, I need you to ask her where she lives."

Wyborn blinked, surprised at the request,"Wait, WHAT? WHY!?"

"Don't you listen? I said that the only way that she could have heard that song is from me or the Beldame. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm right, then she is in major league trouble!"

"I don't know, Jonesy," Wyborn said in worry. "If you're wrong, it might push her away and make us both look crazy."

"You mean more so than you are now, Why-were-you-born?" Coraline said with a snide smirk. This earned her a bit of a scowl from Wyborn. Deep down, however, he knew that she wasn't completely wrong as far as everyone on the outside was concern. "Besides, it's not like we're going over there with proton packs and asking, 'Hey, Alexis. Have you seen any ghosts, poltergeist, demons, or tall old hags with buttons for eyes?'

Wyborn thought about it and chuckled, "I guess that would be silly. I'll just ask if we could hang. I don't think she would mind some company."

Coraline nodded in agreement and let go of his arm. "Just meet me after school before you head over there."

With a nod, Wyborn began to walk to the door. Just as he grabbed the door, Coraline addressed him one last time. "Thanks again, Wybie. You're a great friend to have," she said with a warm smile.

Wyborn nodded again and quickly walked out the door, hiding his blushing face as he did.

000000

"So, you are telling me that of all the restaurants in the area, you choose the one with DEATH in it?" Sam asked as they drove down a major street. He ate his salad while Dean explained his impromptu meeting with Death and the situation at hand. That particular detail was the hardest to wrap his head around.

"For the seventh time, yes! And don't spill any dressing," Dean said in annoyance. Irritation was emanating from him like heat from a burning building. It was one thing to have to have his vacation interrupted, but now he was forced to drive heaven knows where to heaven knows when. He thought many times that something up in the sky had it in for him. Of course, after putting Apocalypse on hold, there was a VERY long list of possible suspects.

He quickly looked in his review to confirm that the new object is still secured. Death's Scythe was laying there, giving off its trademark menacing gleam. This wasn't the first time that the scythe was in Dean's possession, as he recalled when he tried to use it against its master. The thought brought back the familiar sting in his hand from it burning him.

"So, what do you think it is," Dean asked Death, trying to squeeze as much information as possible. The more he knows, the less reason he would have to ask Death for help.

"If I knew, do you really think that I would be requesting your services, Dean?" Death retorted, brushing the crumbs off his sleeves. "What I do know is that if this 'thing' is eating souls at this rate, it might be stronger than most of the creatures you've encountered."

Dean pondered this for a bit. A good chunk of their rogues gallery has been a pain in his ass in one way or another, Azazel, Lilith, Lucifer, Eve, and Dick Roman being among the heaviest of hitters. What could be so strong that even Death says it's dangerous?

"Souls are an incredible source of power. I'm pretty sure I don't have to remind you of that angel's little tantrum," Death said, earning Dean's glare. "My point is that you may need something that can handle the power of the stolen souls."

Death reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his scythe. He gently placed it on the table between the two of them, keeping it just out of sight of the waitress at the front of the store. He slid it towards Dean, careful not to snag the tablecloth as he did.

"You've kept it safe before," Death said. "If what you are dealing with have claimed enough souls, this might be the only way to stop them."

Dean stared at the weapon. To think that he almost used it to kill its master. Being as subtle as the one in front of him, he grabbed the handle and placed it in his jacket, careful not to stick himself with it.

"I trust that it will be returned in decent order, Dean. Don't make me regret it."

Dean continued to drive, feeling the weight of their responsibility that Death has given them. He was still not keen on being pulled along like a dog on a leash, but he knew he had to do something to help these people.

"Hey, Dean," Sam called, snapping Dean out of his train of thought. "I've done some searching around, trying to see if I could find anything that may give us a clue about where to start."

"And…" Dean gestured his hand for his brother to continue.

"I've got nothing," Sam finished in a huff. Before Dean can comment on how useful that tidbit of information was, Sam interjected. "However, a red flag did came up. The police had recently released a missing person's report. An entire family had vanished from their home further up town. A Ken and Barbara Vics, and their two sons, 11-year-old Shawn and 2-year-old, Miles."

"I feel sorry for 'em, I really do, but I'm still trying to figure out how this is important, Sammy."

"Well," Sam continued, "it turns out that this isn't the only disappearance. Over the past year, there has been a number of families who all fell of the map. They vary in size, age, race, and so on. The police originally assumed that they just moved or went on a spontaneous vacation, since they lived in different counties from each other."

"Our tax money at work," Dean thought out loud.

"Yeah, well, They found a connection between the families. They aren't sharing it with the media, but they think it's foul play. Of course, I did some digging of my own, and found the thread between them." Dean perked up. "It turns out that, within the past year, they payed a visit to Rouge Regional Medical Center for treatment. I know that the Vics went their for their oldest son's sports injury, though I'm not sure about the others yet.

Dean rose an eyebrow towards his brother. "How did you find all of that out?"

"I checked their Facebook," the youngest Winchester answered flatly. Dean gave a small chuckle. All the digging they had to do in people's personal lives, most of the stuff they needed could have been found in their social profiles. "But here's something up our alley. In the last five years, Rouge Regional has reported an increase of deceased patients as well as some strange occurrences. Tampering with equipment, light's flickering on and off, cold spot..."

Dean scoffed, "It's a hospital, Sammy. Of course, there's going to be gho-"

"Unexplainable injuries, doors being locked where they shouldn't be, life support systems blinking in and out, people suddenly acting crazy and attacking others with one incident resulting in two deaths. Both the victim and the attacker, C.O.D. being unexplained for the attacker. And here's the kicker, the frequency of these deaths have seemed to have died down this past year, around the time the families started going missing."

Dean was noticeably thinking. He let the information sink in and began churning out and dispelling theories. After a moment, only one theory made any sense. However, there was a glaring hole in it. "This is all sounding like a pretty pissed off ghost. But if what you said is true, how is it getting to these families if they are in different districts? On top of that, why these people, why now, and how?" Dean turned into the main road, putting his vizor down when the setting sun beamed into his eyes.

"Don't know. I'm not even sure if it is a ghost, Dean," Sam closed the notebook that he was reading from. "Whatever we are dealing with is messing up the flow of souls. I never heard of a ghost that can do that."

Dean shook his head "Me neither."

Sam and Dean shared a quick glance. They turned to the road and quickening their pace, more determined to find the answers.

"Seems like things are heating in this chapter."

*Door slams open. Heavy breathing heard* HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH... *Deep breath* HAAAAH…

"What the heck is wrong with you, Scorpion?"

*Breathing Hard* Lungs… on fire!… Feet… killing me!... Gallon of sweat.. lost!... 10 pounds… shed!... Respect for Usain Bolt… growing!...

"Did you learn anything from your jog?"

*Deep breath* Be it Heaven,... Hell, or Earth… dogs… love meat…

*in some butcher shop, hell-hound is whimpering in a chiller, surrounded by meat that it has eaten. Butcher stands and stares, crying.* MY MEEEAAT! *sob*

Note… to self… make Crowley… pay for damages…

"Soooo, do you want to take over for a bit or do you need a minute?"

Did you… edit and… read… to audience?

"Yeah. I thought it was standard procedure"

Then I don't… see why we… can't take a… small break.

"Ok. What are you going to do now since you've finished your hell-hound marathon?"

I'm going to… take … a… small… nap… *Faints*

*Pokes Scorpion* "Well, since Scorpion's back and well... ish, I say it is time we called it a night. This is Scorpion and DJexe, signing out."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…