Thanks to everyone who's reading and sticking with this; especially thanks to those who left comments - it means a big, huge, massive lot. Hopefully the next chapter/chapters won't be too long after this.
Chapter 3
The Hunt
The brother's crossed the Minnesota state border just as the sun was going down. It had been a long and tiring journey for the younger of the two, who had taken on the entire drive allowing his brother to sleep off the effects of the alcohol he had poured into his body the previous night. They had taken a breakfast stop and several more along the way to re-fuel both the car and their own stomachs. Sam had already called Rick to let him know that they would start work the following morning knowing they would both be too exhausted to do anything but sleep when they finally arrived at the bed and breakfast that Rick was paying for. Rick had told Sam they were more than welcome to stay with him and his brother but that it would be crowded and noisy even in their generously sized home due to an onslaught of family members mainly consisting of excitable grandchildren who had come to visit for the next two weeks.
Sam had smiled saying that it would probably be best for all concerned if they bunked down in a cheap motel. Rick would hear nothing of it and had promised to book them a room in one of the more expensive bed and breakfasts in town. Sam had said that that wouldn't be necessary but Rick had insisted, telling Sam not to worry about the bill and that it would be taken care of. Sam had thanked Rick profusely who called back shortly after with the details of where they would be staying.
By the time they arrived it was dark and Dean appeared to be finally recovering, his tone slightly less irritable and grouchy than he had been when they set off late that morning.
"Hum nice place. A little too upmarket for us don't y'think."
"Rick's paying. He insisted." Sam shrugged at his brother who was giving him a look that suggested disapproval.
After parking the car the brothers made their way, bags over their shoulders, into the homely looking and extremely inviting bed and breakfast.
"A cheap motel would've been fine Sam."
"Like I said, Rick insisted. Besides it'll be nice to live in comfort for a few days."
Dean grunted. Sam thought to himself that it was pride rather than a lack of gratitude that was contributing to his brother's attitude. Dean hated to be in anyone's debt and he liked to be able to pay his own way. Sam tried to convince him that this wasn't in anyway accepting charity.
"Look if it makes you feel any better, just see it as a down payment on the job we're gonna do for him."
"This has nothing to do with that. I prefer cheap motels. I like how they smell."
Sam smiled at the woman at reception who after taking down the false name he had given her, handed Sam the keys to their room.
"Quit complaining, man," Sam headed up the stairs to their room Dean trailing behind like a grumpy teenager.
"Hey you're the one who wanted to take this job. Don't have go at me if I'm not all crapping myself with excitement just to be here."
"Dean what is with you? Since when do you cop out on a hunt? What happened to all that 'The Job' coming first crap you used to throw at me?"
"I'm done with the job. We don't get sick pay, or vacation entitlement, and I'm pretty sure we don't get a pension. Does that sound like a job anyone you know would take?"
Unlocking the door and entering, Sam threw his bags on the bed.
"You're whining like a little girl dude. And you're pissy because I dragged you away from Carla or whatever her name was."
Dean looked up puzzled, "Who's Carla?"
Sam ignored the query, "Look, why don't you get some sleep and I bet you'll feel better by the morning."
Dean dumped his bags and walked across to the window looking out across the town.
"Sleep? You kidding me? I was thinking of checkin' out the local pool in that there bar over yonder."
"Dean we got a hunt tomorrow, I need you on top of your game, not hung-over like you have been every day recently."
"I thought you said this was gonna be a straight forward hunt. Maybe you can handle it alone huh Sammy?"
"You're kidding me right?"
"Hey, this hunt was your idea man."
"Dean..."
"Look I never wanted to come here. This was your gig; I was all set for taking it easy for a few days."
"You're not bailing on me man," Sam's anger was rising which only seemed to further encourage Dean's petulance. There was a pause as the two brothers eyed each other until finally Dean backed down.
"Fine I'll help you hunt the stupid thing, seeing as you obviously can't handle it on your own."
Sam sighed still annoyed at his brother's childishness.
"I'm gonna get some sleep, you'd do well to do the same." Dean simply grinned at his little brother who glared back and watched furious as Dean gave him a little wave before heading out of the door.
Sam huffed in disgust shaking his head infuriated and continued to unpack his things. It wasn't long before Sam hit the sack and Dean hit the bars with the intention of earning some extra cash, knocking back some beers and maybe even getting himself a cheap lay. He wasn't to be disappointed.
Several hours later, Dean returned. It was three am and Sam had been long asleep but it wasn't to be for much longer. Waving a wad of cash at his half asleep little brother who had been rudely awakened by the sound of him falling over the small garbage can which had somehow found its way to Dean's unruly feet, he gave his sibling a huge grin saying in a ridiculously loud whisper:
"S-ssorry did I wake you?!"
"Dude, what, are you drunk?"
"No. No. Not. Not. At. All. Notatall." Dean's slurred speech gave him away instantly and Sam sat up annoyed and disgusted his eyes still half closed.
"What is wrong with you?" Sam hissed furiously trying not to disturb their neighbours in the adjoining room.
"Nothing wrong S-Sammy, I'm good. You? Hey look what I won," again waving the cash at Sam and then throwing it in the air giggling, "I gotta tell you man, the locals, they really, really, um … really s-ssuck at pool."
"Dean it's three o'clock in the morning," the tone was still hushed but just as annoyed. "We have to meet Rick in four hours!"
"That's all I need Sammy." Dean grinned as he collapsed fully dressed onto his bed after only managing to remove his boots.
Sam scowled, dropped back down on to his bed and turned away from Dean pulling the covers furiously over his head as his brother began to snore.
The brothers were only slightly late meeting Rick the next morning. They had eaten breakfast after Sam had insisted they needed to eat before a hunt although Dean had pleaded with Sam to let him have ten more minutes sleep instead. Sam had practically had to drag Dean out of bed and force him into getting dressed. After breakfast and a worryingly excessive mount of coffee, Dean had begun to perk up. Popping more than a few pick me up pills which he had bought from a pharmacist, Dean had winked at Sam who looked on eyes wide, mouth gaping in disbelief, before getting into the drivers seat of the Impala.
"Dean maybe I should drive."
"No way. You've had your hands on my girl for way too long already." then tuning his attention to the car he cooed, "Its ok baby, I'm back now."
Sam rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat praying they wouldn't get stopped by any traffic cops.
By the time they arrived at Rick's, Dean was wired. The effects of the caffeine and the pep pills combined with the alcohol which was still in his system were affecting Dean's behaviour and it concerned Sam gravely. Dean never acted like this so close to a hunt, he was never that irresponsible. Sure their prey- if Sam was correct - was an easy one but Sam knew better than to take anything for granted. He decided he would have to be extra vigilant and make sure he kept a close eye on his older brother in case he did anything stupid or reckless.
Rick greeted the brothers with a grin and a handshake, once again telling them how sorry he was about their dad. Sam nodded and smiled slightly while Dean looked in the opposite direction pretending he hadn't heard. Showing them a map of the area they would be investigating Rick asked the brothers if they had any idea what it was they were dealing with. Sam smiled and said he had a fair idea but couldn't be absolutely certain. Setting off together in Rick's jeep Sam explained to Rick that he believed the creature that was attacking hikers was possibly what was known as a Wood Wraith. A fairly easy creature to disable and/or kill assuming you could catch it.
"A Wood Wraith huh? Can't say I ever heard of such a thing."
"Well they're quite rare, but well known of in the hunting world. My dad killed one once but I've never seen one myself."
"Well that'd be tricky Sammy considering they're practically invisible." Dean's tone was sarcastic but upbeat. He was speaking much faster than normal and it made Sam nervous.
"Dean's not entirely correct," Dean rolled his eyes pulling a face behind his brother's back.
"They are extremely difficult to see, but that's to do with their ability to camouflage themselves almost perfectly, but if you catch them while they're feeding, you can destroy them with a silver bullet through the skull."
"Which is why Sam's offered to be bait, aint that right Sammy? Huh? Sammy?" Dean called from his seat in the back punching his brother in the shoulder and grinning manically while Sam scowled back at him.
Rick gave them both an odd luck before turning back to the road.
"We're not far off now from where it's believed the hikers entered the woods. We're gonna leave the jeep by the road and take the path through the woods. We may have to walk a while before we find anything."
"Walking's good. We sure like walking don't we Sammy? Huh? Huh?" another punch to his little brother's arm.
"It's Sam." the youngest Winchester hissed, turning to face his brother who he was still furious with and who was beginning to sound like a hyperactive child. Dean just smiled back and then turned to look out of the window as if he didn't have a care in the world. Sam on the other hand was getting a bad feeling about the whole thing. This wasn't good. His brother hung-over and wired for a hunt? Since when did that ever happen? Something was very wrong. He had fooled himself into thinking that maybe Dean just needed to get this out of his system and blow off a little steam, but now he was beginning to wonder if Dean just wasn't on a downward spiral spinning faster and faster out of control. He was seriously concerned that if he didn't get a handle on his brother soon it would be too late. If it wasn't already.
Sam's fretting was put to a stop when Rick pulled over into a lay-by and gesturing that this was where their hunt began. The three men got out of the car setting off into the huge expanse of woodland, each of them carrying a weapon. Rick carried his usual, the one he used for hunting and a rucksack containing emergency supplies and first aid equipment. Sam's shotgun was loaded with rock salt and Dean carried the gun that would hopefully put the creature in the ground. It was loaded with silver bullets - the only thing which could permanently destroy the Wood Wraith. Dean had insisted that he be the one to carry it although Sam was reluctant considering his brother's state of mind, not to mention the alcohol he had consumed the previous night. Sam had to tell himself not to worry. At best Dean had an exceptional aim and even when he wasn't on form he was still better than most. This was after all a straight forward hunt. What could really go wrong?
"So," Rick began as the trio set off into the woods, "This Wood Wraith thing. What is it exactly and why is killing people?"
It was Sam that answered his query: "It needs to feed pure and simple. It consumes a person's energy- their essence. That's why there were no signs of attack or blood. It just kind of sucks your life right out of you. "
"Kind of like a Shtriga?" Dean gave his brother a worried look. He had not researched the being as well as Sam and was relying on his younger brother to provide the Intel.
"Yeah, kind of like a Shtriga."
Dean shuddered, "I love those."
Rick gave them both a sideways glance apparently slightly disturbed, "You boys are something else you know that?"
Dean smirked, "Why thanks, Rick, that's real kind of you to say so." Rick laughed as did Sam and then rolled his eyes as Dean pulled out some candy bars out of his jacket.
"Anyone for sugar?"
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After about half an hour of steady walking and seeing nothing unusual or suspicious, the three men stopped for a quick break and a drink of the water that Rick had stashed in his rucksack. Dean was feeling a little dehydrated although it had very little to do with the exercise.
Sitting himself down on a patch of grass he took a gulp out of the water bottle Rick had handed him.
"So I heard of Wraiths before. Nasty little buggers. But not Wood Wraiths. What's the difference?" Dean took a bite out of his third candy bar - he was having some serious sugar cravings.
"Well, I'm guessing the difference is, they hang out in the woods Dean," Sam's voice was dripping with sarcasm causing Dean to look momentarily embarrassed before shrugging and continuing to feed his face.
"You want one," he asked, his mouth full holding a bar out to his brother. Sam shook his head pulling a face.
"No, I'm good thanks."
Wiping his hands on his jeans Dean stood announcing he was "going to take a leak."
He wandered off a little way leaving Sam to wonder if he was going to throw down a few more of the pep pills he had in his jacket, that he didn't want Rick to see.
Rick took this opportunity to quiz Sam about his brother. He had noticed the young man seemed to be acting a little odd. He wasn't blind or stupid and he certainly knew a hangover when he saw one, even if it was tempered with caffeine.
"So, you wanna tell me what's going on with him, Sam?"
Sam looked awkward and shrugged.
"It's nothing really Rick. He's just been having a hard time that's all. You know, with dad."
Rick nodded giving Sam a sympathetic look.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you this son, but the booze only makes it worse."
Sam ducked his head giving Rick a lop sided smile and nodded before looking away. He guessed that Rick was obviously a lot sharper than he looked. Their conversation was interrupted by a shout from a short distance away calling them over. Startled they wasted no time in joining Dean who was scouring the woods ahead of him a concerned frown creasing his forehead.
"I heard something."
Sam came to his right side, "What, something as in human, or something as in not?"
"Not sure." Dean continued forward, still frowning and set off half walking half running, closely followed by Sam and Rick.
"There, right there!" Dean shouted only a hint of fear in his voice. Sam looked to where Dean pointed and swore he saw some kind of movement but it was strange, like whatever it was that moved, blended in almost perfectly with its surroundings. Sam's heart began to race and Rick looked around nervously. Dean edged forward his weapon raised and Sam thought proudly how even hung-over, Dean was still assured, confident and alert when his prey was in his sights. Suddenly Dean took off at a sprint leaving Sam and Rick in his wake, although Sam followed calling back to Rick to stay close.
Dean stopped again still way ahead of the other two men and spun round startled when he heard a yell just in time to see Rick some way back hurled through the air crashing into a tree. Rick was winded but otherwise okay and called to the brothers to carry on. Dean was furiously scouring the area now, as was Sam his weapon raised ready to shoot but the hoarse cry of warning from his brother didn't reach his ears in time as he was lifted by an almost invisible force and hurled through the air landing painfully.
"Sammy?!"
Whatever it was that had attacked them seemed to move at near lightning speed heading off into the woods. Dean was about to tear across to his brother's aid when he heard voices and laughter. High pitched. Young. Kids. Dean turned his head towards the sound and for a second he was torn until, he heard the sound of his brother letting him know he was fine.
"Dean go!"
Wasting no more time Dean raced off in the direction of their attacker. The direction of the voices. The direction of the laughter. Kids. Why was it always kids? Dean's heart was pounding in his chest and the feeling of terror and urgency seemed to be spurring him on even faster. As he ripped through the forest, branches caught at his face and whipped his legs but he wasn't aware of them. His chest hurt and his head ached and he knew it was because he wasn't on top form. He cursed himself for the abuse he had impacted on his body over the last few days and hoped beyond hope that he would be able to get there in time.
Dean came to an abrupt stop at the edge of a clearing. Two kids, a boy and a girl - Dean guessed they were around fourteen or fifteen - were lying on the grass gazing at each other and giggling. The boy was teasing the girl by tickling her face with a long piece of grass. The girl called him a jerk before knocking his hand away and pulling him close to kiss him on the lips. Relief hit him like a wave but it lasted only seconds when he saw the grass behind them move in an unnatural way and then the boy was hurled across the clearing, landing on his back, instantly knocked out. The girl screamed and what happened next seemed to occur at a sickeningly slow rate.
The girl scrambled to her feet stunned but then appeared to be grabbed by something that Dean could only just make out. Dean took aim preparing to shoot the Wraith as soon as it started to feed but he was alarmed to find that his hands were shaking and he couldn't seem to control his breathing. His head continued to pound, his vision fuzzy and it was near impossible to distinguish the creature from the backdrop of trees and foliage. The girls terrified screams seemed to be begging him to act put he just couldn't focus. And then the screams stopped as he saw the thing move its clawed hand to the girls face, preparing to take what it could from her.
Seconds passed as Dean attempted to blink away the blurriness from his vision and shake off the dizziness that hampered his aim. The young hunter took in a deep breath, attempting to get himself together and quell the shaking in his hands and upon hearing movement behind him and his brother screaming his name, he corrected his aim and squeezed the trigger.