PIECES OF EIGHT
-Fit the Forth-
Tucson, AZ
After the explosion of Jim Prusznowski's house, a crew of laborers was commissioned to clean up the mess. They were mainly guest workers from Mexico, some with permits, some without.
One of the ones with a permit and a family back in Nogales/Mexico was Fernando Botas. He was in his mid 30s and glad he could earn a living in the US.
As he was sorting through the rubble of Jim Prusznowski's stuff, he pulled out the leg of an antique walnut desk. What a shame, he thought. What a really nice desk.
As he pulled the rest of it out to carry to the skip, he spotted something shiny. It looked black and charred like most items, but as he reached down with his thick leather gloves to pull it out, he saw a white number on it. It was too big to be a billiard ball and he was intrigued to find out what it was.
He had trouble grabbing the smooth thing with his gloves, but when he finally pulled it out, he realized it was a children's toy known as a Magic 8 Ball. This one seemed to have survived the explosion in one piece, the fluid wasn't leaking and it had not a scratch on it. Fernando immediately thought about his 2 kids and how they would love to have this toy, so he wrapped it in his jacket and carried it back to the truck where his rucksack was.
Just as Fernando returned to the rubble, two insurance guys emerged from a dusty black vintage car. They asked the first guy they found who was in charge of this job and the man pointed them towards Fernando. The stocky Mexican swallowed dry and took a deep breath as the two suits came closer. One seemed to have an itch as he kept scratching his shoulder.
"Mr. Botas?" The taller man asked politely.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"We are with the mortgage company investigating the insurance claim. My name is Corgin, this is Mr. Chamberlain" Sam said pointing at his brother who gave him an odd look. Smashing Pumpkins, Dean thought. Dude, what the …?
"We have already talked to the police and the fire department, but we would really like to have a look for ourselves if that's okay with you?"
"Please, go ahead" Fernando said pointing towards the pile of rubble that once was a house. Only the mailbox with the house number 1088 painted on it was still in its place. As Sam walked past it he gave it a quick look, yet something in the back of his mind was screaming for attention, but he couldn't quite hear what it was.
Dean had already produced the EMF from within his jacket scanning through the mess.
"This is like a needle in a rubble pile. Absolutely nothing!"
"Try over there!" Sam said pointing towards an area that he identified as the former office as he was holding up a floor plan now.
Suddenly the EMF went crazy, whining like a cartoon mouse in a blender.
Dean exchanged looks with Sam then started digging, but as Fernando had already been there, they didn't find anything.
"What now?" Dean asked Sam who was just as stumped as his older brother.
"Just freaking great!" Dean mumbled kicking a piece of walnut furniture.
They found the local Super 8 Motel and booked a room for the night.
They sat in silence for a while before Dean dared to break the paralyzing stasis, asking if he should get a pizza.
"We have no idea what we are looking for, do we!" Sam suddenly exploded with frustration.
"No, but we have 5 days left to find it" Dean said, really craving a pizza now.
"Look, do you want a pepperoni pizza or what?"
"Yeah, whatever. Get me anything."
"Ok. And don't give up looking – we will find out what this thing is."
"Yeh yeh" Sam sighed collapsing on his bed again. Something was trying to claw its way from his unconsciousness into his consciousness but he couldn't quite make out what it was.
"Need anything else while I'm out?"
"Get me some Tylenol if you can. I am getting a headache from all this"
"Man, you are such a girl" Dean giggled as he closed the door behind him.
While Dean was out Sam decided to watch some TV, hoping it would help him ignore the buzzing in his head. It seemed to work for Dean in most cases, so why not for him? As he aimlessly flicked through the channels he found the Simpson's and only half caring, he left them on.
It was a weird episode and Sam had trouble to followe the plot. For a reason absolutely beyond him, this Chinese person kept saying "Number Eight" followed by Barney belching, then again and again, repeating it. It was as annoying as it was hypnotic and made Sam feel dizzy.
The next thing Sam knew was Dean shaking him violently, urging him to wake up. As Sam came to, he slowly realized that he must have fallen off the bed.
"You okay Sammy? Are you having visions again or something?"
Sam looked confused and his eyes were searching for the TV, which to his surprise was off.
"Did you…turn it off?"
"Turn what of?" Dean asked confused looking around the room.
"The TV..was it not on when you..?"
"No! Dude, I swear you are having visions again!"
"Help me up" Sam barfed. He refused to believe for one second that he was having visions again.
"So what was it about?"
"What?"
"The vision you idiot!"
"Dude! Don't call it a vision! It wasn't one, okay! I am over this crap!"
"Okay! Okay! Whatever it was…so what did you dream that could knock you off the bed like that, hm?"
"Simpson's" Sam grumbled rubbing the back of his aching head as Dean gave him the tablets and a glass of water.
"Who? Jessica Simpson?" Dean asked with a knowing smile.
"No! The Simpson's. The Yellow kind!"
"Ah" Dean said understandingly then adding a confused look, not getting it "Why the Simpson's of all things, you freak?"
"Man, I don't know. It was weird. This person kept saying…" Sam paused as he was staring into space.
"I got you Tunafish. Hope that's ok. So what he say?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Your dream or whatever it was!"
"Something about the number eight." Sam mumbled not with it properly.
"Hey, didn't you say all those deaths seem to happen within 8 days of the previous one?"
"Yeah, but I just can't shake the feeling that there's more to it. Like today, at this house. The number was 1088."
"Okay, a strange coincidence maybe?" Dean asked munching on a slice of his BBQ pizza.
"And then we are stranded in this Super 8 Motel of all places!" Sam said pointing around.
"Kinda makes you paranoid a little, don't it?" Dean said garbled a big slice of Pizza.
"I guess" Sam said vacantly, opening his own pizza box from "Svantaggiato's Pizzeria"