Planting Your Flag

"Alright, thanks Bobby." You clicked your phone off and sat on the bed. Bobby had discussed it with you a bit before you needed to turn in for the night and there were several theories that were plausible. Once you were satisfied that you had really exhausted all angles, you were content to sleep and marinate in it. You don't even remember your head hitting the pillow before falling asleep. Guess the constant arguing between the Winchesters had really taken a toll on your sleep debt.

You awoke to the buzzing of your phone. The last ring sounded as you finally reached over to pick it up. Three missed calls from Bobby. That can't be good. You hit redial immediately and Bobby picked up on the second call tone. "Where the hell have you been? I been tryin' to call ya for the past half hour."

"Its called sleep Bobby. People who aren't robots tend to need it in order to function. Now get to the point of why three calls were necessary."

"Don't be smart with me, you asked for my help. Now, near as I can tell, you got yourself a gorgon to deal with."

"A gorgon? Bobby, there's literally never been a single sighting. The thought crossed my mind immediately, but don't you think we would've heard about one by now if they were out there?"

"Yea, we just did. Congratulations you're the first. I'll put the word out to other hunters." With that, Bobby hung up. You didn't actually believe Bobby was angry with you, efficiency was your shared language. However, now you were left alone with your thoughts. True, a gorgon was the only possibility that had no plot holes, but you were still resistant. Why hadn't anyone seen one until now and why in the hell would one just appear in some storybook town in Washington? It was a lot to digest, but if Bobby seemed sure and there was enough evidence to back him up, you'd go with the theory. It also helped that your gut was screaming in support, and it was usually right about these things. Right, time to make a game plan.

Then again, it was four a.m. Back to bed it was.

Six thirty rolled around and you finally left for the station. In the parking lot, you spotted two cars; the Sheriff's Volkswagen and a beat up Honda. Jonathon. You slowly opened the glass paned doors to yet another empty reception desk. Although this time was different. Every nerve ending was on edge and telling you that something was wrong. Your hand wrapped around your gun protruding from the back of your jeans. You stealthily made your way towards the door leading to the evidence lockup as well as the basement. It was open ajar. You used your gun to push the door open just enough to slip through. You heard vague voices coming from the basement on the left. You tiptoed down the stairs, careful to avoid the weaker points of the wood. Before you even had time to snoop further, the sheriff burst out of the basement door and into evidence. Not a second later, the blonde woman caught on the security tape from earlier passed by in a blur, neither one having noticed the brunette hunter crouching on the stairs. You had to be smart about this. Based on the myths, only decapitation could ice the mythological bitch. Even that information wasn't concrete, as it had never been tested. Being the first to discover a new species really had its challenges.

You took the last stair to plant your feet on flat ground. You were just about to throw open the door when you heard rustling from the basement door behind you. Whatever was in there would have to wait, as the Sheriff yelling redirected your focus. You threw open the door and aimed your weapon. The woman turned to you and bared her teeth, exposing what really could only be described as a snake tongue. You made certain not to look into her eyes.

However, you may have just been forced to as the Sheriff did the stupidest thing he possibly could. He yelled. "Johnson! She's not human!" Well clearly. The gorgon's attention redirected to her original target and ran towards him. Without blinking, you fired several shots into a nearby chair, silencer equipped on your weapon. The back right leg of the metal furniture clattered to the ground after your direct hit. Picking it up, the gorgon was now facing and running towards you. Looking to the left, you swung at the right moment, taking her head clean off. The body froze, and very slowly began to sprout a new head. Several snakes popped out of what looked to be an embryonic sac. Nasty. The head emerged and let out an ear-piercing screech.

Dammit! Untested information was really inconvenient. The sheriff screamed in response and the monsters attention was again redirected. Time to get smart and crafty. You mentally stepped back from the situation and thought of a plan. It was another untested plan, but the only one you had. You quickly sifted through the files on the computer looking for the certain key word that could solve your predicament. Finally finding the category 'cocaine', you noted which locker to investigate and grabbed the skeleton key. The Sheriff let out a cry as the woman was approaching; dodging each item he threw at her. "Just don't look into her eyes!" you instructed as you ran to the label of 12A. Jamming the key into its hole, you rampaged through the contents of the locker until you hit your lucky break; a small hand mirror. You knew the cokeheads wouldn't let you down. Now it was time to get her attention. You again pulled out your gun and emptied your clip. The gorgon paused for a moment and then continued her path towards the Sheriff. What made her notice you before? You replayed the scene in your mind, coming to the conclusion that it must have been the audio cues. Thinking fast, you deposited your gun in your pants and began banging your fist on the locker. That got her attention as she quickly whipped around and bared her teeth again. You motioned your finger to your lips, warning the Sheriff to keep his mouth shut this time. He nodded in acknowledgement. The woman twitched her face, an indication that she was about to turn you into an artifact. Now was the time to strike. You saw just a hint of green in your peripheral vision and quickly raised the mirror. You heard a scream that would make your ears bleed followed by the sound of stone cracking. You waited a minute, just to be sure before looking up. Your plan had worked! Where the gorgon once stood, a statue that resembled her perfectly now laid residence, snakes and all. You exchanged glances with the Sheriff, just to check his well being before finally exhaling and leaning against the lockers.

"What have you done!?" You immediately raised your gun towards the door where Jonathon now stood, his hands in his hair. Man, should've followed your gut on that one. "Let me guess, you were the one that summoned the bitch in the first place?"

"B-But don't think I won't do it again! I still have all my herbs!" You rolled your eyes. "Jon, I have a gun. Who do you think is the quicker draw?" He looked down, clearly having overestimated the merit of his threat. True, your clip was empty, but he didn't know that. His damp hands began to shake. "Look, I don't generally shoot humans on purpose, and I really don't plan on making a habit out of it. Just tell me how you did it and maybe I'll leave you alive." He fidgeted with his hands for a moment. "You don't get it. Those people deserved it, all of them. You don't know what it's like being the town punching bag. And Howard's advice didn't work; standing up to them only made it worse! I just figured if they were gonna act like they had stone hearts, the outside should at least match." You raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "So you're telling me, that because some douche bags hurt your feelings, you felt it necessary to summon a mythological creature and turn them to stone?"

"Um, yea…"

"Where did you even find the spell for that?"

"See that's the cool part. I didn't even have to find it! I met this guy at a bar, right. Creepy dude, way too into Halloween or something cause he wore red contacts. Anyway, he tells me he can solve all my problems; all I need to do is give him my soul. What a religious chump! So I agree and the dude hands me a paper including the ingredients and enchantment. Before I can say thank you, he grabs my face and attacks it, but I guess my reaction freaked him out cause he left right after, forgetting the paper completely! Cool right…right?"

"Wow Jon…congratulations you officially bought yourself a one-way ticket to hell."

"Hell? It's not even real!" You sighed and walked towards him. "Just like Gorgons, right?" You took two steps towards the door and turned your head in the direction of the two men. "Sheriff Jones, he's your prisoner." With that, you walked out, glass-paned doors swinging shut behind you.