ROAD UNTRAVELLED

Dedication: To all of my regular readers, you guys rock and to Carikube, you inspire me.

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Disclaimer: Sigh I thought I managed to gain ownership of Supernatural and the cast and crew but then I woke up and realised that I was only dreaming.

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Author's note 1: I have been doing some research for something else and came across something interesting that got me thinking about why Erik Kripke chose Lawrence Kansas. Then I stumbled across a possible explanation which as per usual got my wicked imagination working over time.

Author's Note 2: If you want to find out anything about Stull Cemetery, Google has heaps of links, also Wikipedia has some interesting stuff.

Author's Note 3: Promise no Supernatural Characters will be permanently maimed or killed in the course of this story, they will all recover I promise.

CHAPTER 5 Two Blind Psychics ... see how they run.

Tracey stepped away from her car and stared around at the deserted tourist attraction. The recent rains made the dirt roads muddy and slippery but she was able to navigate her way to the footpaths.

'You can do this Tracey.' She kept repeating wrapping her arms around herself, she took a deep breath and let her instincts guide her. 'Goddess please be with me in this.' She prayed as she stopped and stared around confused she could feel the presence of the two brothers but nothing seemed definite, they were all over the place. 'Concentrate Tracey, think of Sam.' Missouri coached standing a pace behind the younger woman, she could feel the boys too but she could feel something else that sent chills down her spine and made her decide to leave it with Tracey.

'This way,' Tracey said stepping off the decking she walked between the buildings to a row of houses behind them. 'They're in here.'

Missouri stopped behind Tracey and let a small gasp of shock escape as she took in the scene inside the house. Two young men lay huddled together on the floor, neither moved or appeared to be alive. Salt covered everything around them in a tight circle.

'Sam, Dean.' Missouri cried out rushing as quickly as she could to their sides, Tracey hung back staring down at the two young men from her vision. They were real this was all real.

'Tracey girl you get here now,' Missouri said without turning around, 'Sam, Dean boys don't you do this.' Carefully stepping over the narrowest band of salt so she didn't disturb it the older woman painfully sank down on her knees and placed shaking fingers first on Dean's throat to feel for a pulse and then she repeated it with Sam. at least both were alive.

'Missouri are they?'

'They're both alive, but oh Lordy look at them.' Missouri sighed, 'Dean come on boy don't you dare ignore me like this or I will get my spoon to you.' She tried to rouse the older brother, but only managed to elicit a groan from him.

'Who – who's there?' Sam stammered sitting up suddenly he could hear breathing but didn't trust his instincts to probe any further.

'Sam honey child it's me Missouri.'

'No, no it's a trick ... another trick from them.' Sam shook his head and tried to scramble backwards his hands flailing around trying to find Dean, his brother the only anchor in reality he had left. 'Dean? Dean? Where are you?'

'Sam listen to me it's Missouri it really it there's no trickery.' Missouri started but she stopped talking suddenly when Sam turned his sightless eyes in her direction. 'Oh my poor boy what have they done to you?'

'Missouri?' Sam frowned, 'no, no it's a trap they are playing with my mind. Have to find Dean, Dean will tell me what's true.' He mumbled getting onto his hands and knees, he searched the floor for his brother. 'Dean?'

Dean groaned and cussed as he pulled himself back to reality, he could hear Sam's voice in the distance calling out to him. 'Sammy?' he mumbled thickly, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth.

'Dean?' Sam whispered, 'they're back, Dean I can hear them.' He kept crawling painfully towards Dean's voice.

'What the ... Missouri?' Dean blinked in disbelief just as he felt Sam's hand clutching at his arm. 'What the freaking hell is going on?'

'Don't you cuss me boy,' Missouri threatened but without malice, 'we're here to get you boys out.'

'No, no it's a trick Dean, it's another trick.' Sam cried no longer able to distinguish differences between reality and the perceived dangers from the mists.

'It's alright Sammy, Missouri is here and, and she has a girl with her.'

'Oh ... Tracey this is Sam and Dean Winchester, boys this is Tracey Dionne she saw you boys in...'

'a vision, just like I saw her and others with her.' Sam finished quietly, cocking his head to one side he seemed to be listening intently to something.

'Tracey child will you get yourself in here and help me with these two.' Missouri frowned up at the young woman who still stood in silence staring down at Sam.

'She alright Missouri?' Dean asked his frown turning into a glare as he saw the intense stare she was giving Sam.

'Dean ... Dean they're back.' Sam whispered urgently feeling the chill fill the room again.

Tracey's head snapped up and her eyes flared with red flames a cold smile fixed on her face, she slid her left foot out slightly. Dean's gaze slid down to the floor and watched as the strange girl pushed her foot into the salt circle lazily making circles.

'Tracey girl you are stronger than this, you fight them.' Missouri demanded, 'don't you dare let them in.'

'Tracey don't live here anymore.' Tracey's mouth opened but it wasn't her voice speaking. 'We're in here now and you can't stop us.'

'Tracey don't you dare give up you fight.' Missouri refused to give up.

'Missouri tell her to go still, to shut down, and ignore the voices.' Dean said feeling Sam's hand tighten his grip, 'they can't stand being ignored.'

'Hear that Girl, you ignore them, shut down, and ignore them.' Missouri snapped watching Tracey's face intently.

The young psychic woman blinked and a war of emotions ran across her face before she shut her eyes again and collapsed to the floor. Seconds later the mist hovered over her and then disappeared.

Sam shuddered and then let go of Dean's arm letting his brother up finally, 'Missouri how did you find us?' Sam asked still unsure of what just happened.

'Tracey here, she had a vision about the two of you.' Missouri explained, 'boys you are a mess.'

'Thanks, we were going for the casual tortured look.' Dean quipped after managing to stay upright without a new wave of dizziness; he turned to give Sam a closer visual examination. 'Dude your eyes how are they today?' he asked trying to hide his worry.

'The shadows are gone,' Sam muttered not wanting to let Missouri and the strange young woman hear too much. 'It's all white again.'

'The cracks are ... damn Sammy we need to get you out into the sun again.' Dean mused forgetting about the two women altogether as he took in Sam's wraith like appearance. 'Your skin is nearly as white as your eyes.'

'Dean ... argh ... Dean No.' Sam cried out his hands scrubbing at his eyes, 'they're burning.'

'Come on Sammy we have to get you out of here.' Dean said, 'so you two gonna help or just sit there?'

'Don't you sass me boy,' Missouri hissed but when she saw the rawness in his eyes she relented and helped Sam up, while Dean managed to climb to his feet. 'you okay Dean?'

'Yeah m'fine.' He muttered clutching his broken arm to his chest he caught Sam's flailing hand and held it tight, 'we're fine.' Sam visibly calmed at the close contact with Dean and let him lead him carefully out into the daylight.

Missouri went to follow them when she noticed Tracey still on the floor though no longer lying unconscious she sat cross-legged, her eyes closed and a strained look flickered across her face. 'Tracey girl come on.'

'Missouri?' Tracey turned her head in the other woman's direction and opened her eyes.

'Fates help us.' Missouri gasped as she saw the white covering Tracey's eyes, just like Sam's.

'Missouri I – I can't see.' She cried tears travelled down her cheeks leaving white chalky lines in their wakes.

'I'm here child, don't worry.' Missouri said wrapping her arm around the slight shoulders, she helped her to stand and guided her outside to where the brothers waited.

'What the ... what took you so long?' Dean demanded when he saw Tracey's eyes, 'fuck me.' he whispered in shock.

'Dean what is it?' Sam asked worrying when no one said anything.

'Sam ... Tracey here her eyes are just like yours.' Missouri finally answered him breaking the awkward silence.

'What? How?'

'The mists.' Dean snarled, 'the freaking mists.'

'Did they?'

'Just like they did with you originally.' Dean confirmed for his brother.

'Dean what's going on?' Sam asked his anger overpowering his fears, 'Tracey are you ... you have visions too do you?'

'Y-yes.' Tracey answered in a strained voice.

'Dean do her eyes?'

'Yeah Sammy, white just like yours.'

'This is so weird.' Sam muttered unconsciously tightening his grip on Dean's arm.

'Dude break it and you pay for it.' Dean quipped tugging at the iron-like grip bruising his good arm. 'I only got one arm left.'

'Dean? Sorry, I am so sorry.' Sam went to pull his hand away but Dean caught it and held it lightly.

'Not letting go of ya Sammy, remember we're joined at the hip.'

'So did you two come in a car or on broomsticks?' Dean snarked, giving Missouri his trademark grin taking the edge off his comment.

'Honestly Dean you are going to feel the sting of my spoon when we get back.' Missouri chided him trying not to smile back at him.

'Okay, I can drive, me and Sammy will follow you to your place but we aint staying.'

'Why not boy?' Missouri demanded her smile fading fast, 'and don't you cuss like that at me.'

'I wasn't ... ah look these things they follow us, we don't want you two to get hurt in the crossfire.'

'Ah Dean take a look at Tracey here, I'd say we're all in this together for some reason Sam and Tracey are both affected, we all stay together.'

'Look Missouri Sam and I can take care of ourselves.'

'And a real good job you're doing, just as stubborn as your father, get in the car and follow us and don't you dare do what you're thinking boy.'

Dean opened his mouth but caught the look on Sam's face and decided to continue this discussion with Missouri when his brother was not in earshot.

Guiding Sam back to the impala Dean remained silent but vigilant looking for signs of the mists or that other thing, he wasn't watching where he was walking and tripped over a rock that seemed to appear from nowhere.

'Dean?' Sam cried out when he lost physical contact with his brother. He heard Dean's loud pain-filled cuss as he landed on his broken arm, 'Dean what happened?'

'Freaking rock in the freaking ground ... Sam stay still now!'

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Missouri led Tracey back to their car worrying over the girl's apparent acceptance of the situation and complete silence on the matter. Not noticing the rock that seemed to protrude suddenly from the ground tripping her over.

'Missouri?' Tracey cried out losing the physical contact with the older woman, 'Missouri what happened?'

'I ah tripped ... Tracey don't move, stay still now!'

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'Time for the curtain fall.' A voice chuckled watching the two last scenes play out simultaneously. The creature waved a bony hand and the four players felt the wind whip up around them, swirling dust and stones into whirlwinds.

'Dean!' Sam's voice carried on the wind, to the creature, at the sametime Tracey called for Missouri and her voice mingled with Sam's.

'Perfect.' It muttered watching the change of scenery happen smoothly, the four players now separated and vulnerable all waiting in the wings for the start of the next act.

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Pain spiked through Dean from his broken arm, it felt as though someone twisted the bones against each other from the inside. 'Sammy?' He yelled over the wind swallowing down on the agony and tried standing against the force of the winds, he saw Sam fall just before the winds picked up, 'Sammy!'

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Missouri pulled herself to her feet wincing with the sharp pain spiking through her cut and swelling knee, 'Tracey!' she yelled over the wind, she saw Tracey fall just before the winds picked up, 'Tracey!'

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Sam groaned and lifted a trembling hand to his forehead feeling the stickiness of blood under his fingers. 'Dean?' he called out but met only with silence. Taking a deep breath, he tried to stand upright but he smashed the top of his head with a cold, hard earthen roof. Dropping to his knees, he shook his head and instantly regretted it with the new wave of nausea and dizziness crashing against his senses.

Crawling cautiously he pushed his hands out checking the ground in front of him. He was wet and cold and couldn't feel anything from the sun or any other heat source. 'Dean you here?' he whispered feeling in front of him he desperately searched for Dean blindly crawling down the only possible exit without knowing it.

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Tracey curled into a tight ball and started sobbing, she could feel the blood on her forehead drip down her face, but she didn't have the energy to do anything about it. Her senses felt overloaded, Missouri was gone, Sam and Dean didn't trust her, and now she was as blind as Sam. terrified she let a new round of tears fall and huddle closer against the damp wall.

'Who's there?' a man's voice broke through her despair and made her lift her head to listen intently, the voice was vaguely familiar.

'Sam is that you?' Tracey called out she could hear him crawling towards her, instinctively she pulled away, 'please who are you?'

'Tracey? Yeah it's me Sam.' He confirmed breathlessly coming to a stop just before he ran into her.

'Sam what's going on?' Tracey cried out, 'I don't understand...'

'That makes two of us Tracey, but we gotta believe that Dean and Missouri will find us.' Sam said trying to sound convincing.

'I – I can't see Sam, everything is solid and white.'

'Yeah I know, it's the same for me.' Sam said moving to sit next to Tracey so that their shoulders and hips touched. 'You – you have visions?'

'I saw you and Dean, a few times.' Tracey admitted shyly.

'I saw you too, the first time you were in a cemetery.'

'Yeah it was so dumb to go there I should have known better.'

'What do you mean Tracey?'

'Umm, I let some friends convince me to go to Stull Cemetery.' Tracey admitted lacing her fingers through Sam's. 'Have you ever heard of Stull Cemetery?'

'Supposedly one of the gateways to hell?' Sam asked trying to remember what he learnt a long time ago. 'Apparently each Halloween the gateway opens and the devil walks the earth?'

'Yeah, we ah I think my friends disturbed something, It was the Spring Equinox, I stayed in the car, they came running back covered in blood and terrified ... my boyfriend landed on the car breaking his arm and since then ...'

'This has happened.'

'I – I know that this sounds stupid but I am sure I saw a pair of eyes watching us leave and lots of laughter.' Tracey admitted, 'dumb huh?'

'Tracey believe me that is not dumb.' Sam managed a small smile hearing her confession.

'I prayed to the Goddess for you ... but.'

'But what Tracey?'

'I feel like someone is blocking me whatever I do.'

'How long have you had visions?' Sam asked when Tracey stopped speaking.

'Most of my life, I – I always thought that I was a freak but that was okay, my Nan is a real gypsy and she raised me to believe in the Goddess, paganism and natural therapies.'

'So your abilities have never been frowned upon or looked at as though you're evil for having them?' Sam asked incredulously.

'No not really ... how long have you been getting them?'

'Nearly two years I guess, dunno that's when I realised what was happening, I had nightmares of my girlfriend's death before she died, when it happened I kind of knew.' Sam admitted openly, 'since then a few things have happened but we were raised to ... hunt evil.'

'You're hunters? Oh that's right Missouri told me a little about you guys.' Tracey said, 'a demon killed your mom?'

'Yeah ... you don't sound freaked out.' Sam muffled but Tracey heard him clearly, a small smile tugged at her lips.

'Yeah well it takes a lot to freak me, then again both of us ending up blind like this does it.'

'Yeah me too.' Sam admitted, 'Dad trained Dean and me to hunt like him, we were more like his troops than sons at times.'

'Didn't you want to hunt?'

'I always wanted a normal life, but I guess that there's no such thing ... not after having demon's screw with your life.' Sam sighed, 'argh.'

'What's wrong?'

'Hurts that's all.' Sam said trying to hide his pain from the perceptive young woman. 'How does your boyfriend feel about your abilities?'

'He's pretty cool about it all, Christian went through a lot of strange things himself as a kid, I guess it opens your mind and keeps it open.'

'True.'

'What an illuminating conversation.' A strange voice interrupted them.

'Who are you?' Sam demanded instinctively moving to place himself in front of Tracey to protect her.

'Hmm now that is an interesting question, hello Tracey been a long time.'

'Who are you?' Tracey called out confused she knew the voice from somewhere but couldn't place it.

'Think about it, it will come to you.' The voice mocked, 'and Sam Winchester it is nice to finally meet you.'

'What do you want?' Sam demanded ignoring the pull on his injuries he made sure that Tracey was safe behind him.

'Oh isn't that sweet the blind protecting the blind.'

'What do you want?' Sam asked again.

'Did you enjoy your motel room Sam?' The voice asked ignoring Sam's question.

'You were the one who set that up?' Sam asked incredulously.

'Ah yeah, I thought I did really good making the room nice, and well I think I did do a great performance as the manager.'

'Who are you?'

'Hmm for now you can think of me as your ... host.'

'Fuck you.' Sam snarled his anger firing in his belly.

'Nope not interested but thanks for the offer.' The voice mocked him, Sam shivered violently when he felt a deathly cold bony finger trail down his cheek. 'So enough of the pleasantries, I need the two of you to complete the first stage.'

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'Dean?' Missouri cried as she saw the older Winchester brother collapse to his knees, 'you hang in there boy.'

'Missouri?' Dean lifted his head wearily, 'Sam's gone, I can't even ... he's gone.' he said brokenly.

TBC