"Beat's me but I'm thinking it can't be good." Dean said wiping a hand across his face, feeling long past tired and now bordering on used up. He had driven nearly eighteen hours straight, after Sam had found the gig; neither brother had wanted anyone else to get hurt. Well mission accomplished, but now that he'd come face to face with Casper, he was done. The adrenaline that had pumped through his body at the sight of her had now abandoned him and had left him even more exhausted than he had been before.
"I'm gonna get some sleep, Sam. I'll meet you back in the cabin."
Focusing his eyes on the spot the girl had vanished from, he shook his head, he said, "I don't get it Dean, I was all over the newspaper reports and police files and no where did it mention a woman dying. No suicides, murders, or accidents up until the men drowned. So who is she?"
Dean shrugged, "Don't know Sam, but we'll figure it out." Turning his back on his brother, Dean lifted one hand in salute, calling over his shoulder, "I'm going to go see if I can manage a shower without being sucked dry by mosquitoes."
Sam could hear his brother's mumbling as he continued up the hill. Sam turned towards the water once more, thinking about how badly he was going to owe, Dean by the time this hunt was finished. Making a mental note to find the nearest decent motel with cable and maybe even a magic fingers bed, Sam began patrolling.
Dean made his way up the hill silently, trying not to disturb the sleeping forms in tents that lined the path. Other than the occasional dog, he managed to make his way quietly to the cabin for his clothes and then to the showers that were stationed in a building nearby.
Opening the shower door, Dean noticed a bench on the right. Setting his clean clothes and a towel, he had nicked from some long-ago motel; on the bench, he began stripping. Careful not to touch the walls of the narrow stall, he hadn't been kidding about the size of the spiders, he pressed the knob and stepped under the flow of hot water. Flexing the muscles in his back and shoulders, he finally allowed himself to relax.
That is until the moment when the water cut out. Cursing a blue streak, as a gust of wind sneaked under the shower door causing goose bumps to break out all over his body, Dean once again pushed the shower knob. Of all the crap places that they had stayed, this place was going to rank first. No longer able to enjoy his shower, Dean set about just trying to get clean. Standing under the nozzle with a face full of soap and no spray sent him cursing again, though. Then, after he managed to find the handle and push it on once more, he spent ten minutes trying to wash the soap out of his mouth. Finally, reasonably clean, Dean began toweling off, twice dropping his shorts in the puddle of water caused by the shower. Cursing Sam, this job, Sam, the campground, Sam, the great state of Pennsylvania and Sam, he finally managed to get dressed and out the door. Heading back for the cabin, Dean paused every sense he possessed screaming that something was wrong. Turning he studied the night carefully, trying to locate what had caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.
After a moment the feeling began to fade, careful to keep an eye out anyway he continued making his way towards the cabin. Once inside he climbed into bed, letting out a frustrated sigh, at the hard mattress, he closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.
888
Frank stepped back into the shadows, cursing to himself. His eyes focused on the young man that had just emerged from the bathrooms. It had taken all afternoon and a large part of the evening to find and track his earlier prey to this group of tents. She was inside, he knew, sleeping in a bright pink, sleeping bag, emblazoned with a picture of a princess. Frank sneered at how soundly she slept, he snorted, well she wouldn't feel quite so confident if she knew just how close he'd come to grabbing her earlier, when she'd made a trip to the bathroom. Unfortunately, he had been interrupted that time as well, when a taller, shaggy haired, man, had suddenly appeared walking down the path, heading towards the park. He had recognized the young man, and had slinked back into the shadows to avoid being seen. Though the younger man didn't seem as dangerous as the older man, Frank had no doubt that crossing the kid would be a mistake.
Frank's thoughts were drawn back to the here and now as he watched the man with the close-cropped hair come within feet of him. A feeling of trepidation came over him, as the man stopped and peered around intently. He stood, careful not to make a sound as the young man continued to study the area. Finally, Frank released a pent up breathe as the young man went on his way. Backing away from the girl and her unknowing protector Frank decided that the she would have to wait. At least until tomorrow, after all it wouldn't do to get caught again. No, it wouldn't do at all.
Making his way to the small, worn looking, bungalow he shared with four other men, he let himself in, careful not to make a sound. He had been spending his summers in this same cabin for three years now and he found it suited him just fine. Heading into the bedroom he shared with a man named Marty, he quickly and quietly stripped down to his shorts. Climbing into bed, he found himself unable to sleep. Trying to thrust away thoughts of what might have been, if he hadn't been prematurely interrupted, Frank willed himself to sleep. Mornings began early here, whether you wanted them to or not. Frank was on the morning crew, which meant he had exactly three hours each morning to get the park into top shape. As much as he enjoyed his job, he found that lately, his focus had been wavering. Thoughts of the girl he had killed, plus an overwhelming urge to do it again, kept him from doing his best at work.
He had always prided himself at being the best at his job, and he wasn't about to slack off now. Years ago, when he had come to the park looking for work, he'd used an assumed name. He knew that if anyone knew who he really was he would find himself behind bars quicker than he could blink. After all, though he had been desperately trying to forget about Tucson and Maria, that didn't mean anyone else had. At first he found it difficult to make friends, after all he couldn't allow anyone to get too close. But he'd quickly learned that most of the people that worked here year in and year out, also had things to hide. Moreover, most were reluctant to share their own stories. So, they asked few questions and were content to keep things light. Within a month, he had blended right in. Yeah, everything had been great until two months ago. That's when he'd seen her walking alone by the stream
Oh, he knew who she was, even in a park this big, after three years you manage to run into just about everyone. But he hadn't realized just how much she resembled Maria until he'd seen her dancing to some tune in the moonlight. Gripped by a desire so strong he couldn't ignore it, he'd gone after her. And now, well now, it was all he thought about, all he dreamed about. Then this afternoon, he had seen that girl, and he had again been struck by desire. She would be the one he thought; she would be the one to stop the urge. Once he was finished with her, he would get his life back. Peace would once again be his and he could go back to living his lie. Yeah, he thought as he drifted off to dreams of blood and screaming, she would be the one.
888
Sam waited until the sun had risen before he made his way towards the cabin. Forgoing a shower in favor of sleep, he entered the cabin as quietly as possible. Taking a moment to glance down at Dean, who was sleeping soundly, he sighed and climbed up onto the top bunk. Folding his arms across his waist, Sam tried to ignore the fact that his feet and his elbows hung over the bed's edge, instead he allowed his exhaustion to take over.
"Come on Sammy, rise and shine. You can't sleep the day away."
Sam awoke to the sound of his brother's voice. Squinting from the early morning sun, Sam rolled over, "give me a couple more minutes." Was what he had intended to say, instead all that came out was a yell, as he plummeted over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. He lay there for a moment trying desperately to remember all the reasons why he loved his brother, rather than focusing on the fact that the Ass was now laughing so hard, he sprayed coffee out of his nose. Pushing himself to his feet, Sam merely glared at Dean, proud of himself for not strangling his older sibling outright.
Dean didn't bother to contain the chuckles that gripped him every time he replayed the vision of his brother falling off the top bunk and onto the floor. Feeling content that he had now gotten revenge for Sam's mounting list of infractions on this job, Dean took pity and handed Sam his coffee. "You okay man?"
Sam pushed his hair out of his face, "I'd be better if you managed to ask that question without sniggering."
Dean simply grinned and took a sip of his coffee. "Well, you'll be glad to know that I've located us a place to eat that's equipped with wi-fi. We can do some digging and get a bite to eat, so let's go."
Sam rubbed his neck, and took a sip of his coffee, "Okay just let me grab a quick shower, and then we'll get out of here."
Dean couldn't suppress the smile that came to his lips, trying not to laugh outright, he simply said, "No problem."
Watching as his brother gathered up a few things, Dean followed him out onto the porch of the cabin, taking a seat in a beat up rocking chair that had seen better days, he watched as his brother headed for the showers. Positioning his chair so that he would have a birds eye view of Sam's shower stall, Dean waited, a grin on his face for what he knew would happen next. As he had anticipated, a curse rang out from the shower, Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rocker, content to wait.
"A Burger King, Dean. I mean come on I'm getting a little old for the play set don't you think?" Sam grumbled as Dean pulled into the parking lot of the fast food restaurant.
Dean shook his head, deciding that any response to that inquiry was simply too easy instead, he said, "It's the only place in town that's got wireless Sam. Unless you fancy trying to find the nearest local library this is going to have to do it."
After parking, the two men emerged from the car, and headed into the bright lights of the restaurant. Wincing a bit, Dean said "I'll get us a bite and you get started the quicker we figure out who our ghost girl is, the quicker we can put this place in our rearview."
Sam nodded, already pulling his laptop from his bag. Settling down in a booth, at the back of the room, he began searching.
Dean sipped the last of his coffee his gaze, straying towards the play set that, was walled off behind a pane of glass. There were several youngsters in there whooping it up and having a ball. Gazing fondly at the kids, Dean asked, "any luck yet Sam."
Sam lifted his head, "No none, no one's been reported missing, hell near as I can figure, no one's ever gone missing from the entire town of Elysburg, let alone the park. I do think I know what we're dealing with though."
Dean looked on with interest as Sam turned the laptop towards him, leaning forward he read "a Rusalka, really."
Sam nodded, "Yeah, when a woman dies an unnatural or violent death near water, she returns to that spot, trying to lure men to the water, and in turn drowning them. The only way to stop her is by avenging her death."
"Well," Dean drawled, "ain't that a bitch. How the hell are we supposed to avenge her death when we don't even know who she is, let alone how she died."
Sam shrugged, "beats me, all I know is nothing else will stop her, she'll just keep killing. One good thing though is the stream itself. Apparently the only thing that stops a Rusalka is fern, and luckily it grows all along the stream bed except..."
"Except near the bridge where the men were found, great. Well at least that'll narrow down the field we have to patrol." Dean finished his coffee and stood. "We're going to have to start asking around. We'll start with the staff, see if anyone knows anything and just isn't talking."