Chapter Four – Welcome to Hell

Early the Next Morning

Alana awoke in the tent, Dean had gone off hours ago and Sam slept lazily next to her. She silently got up and left the tent, in search of Dean. She wandered down by the lake and stopped, her eyes glaring out to the water afar. Dean was out there or so she thought. When he turned, she ducked, watching in horror the man that was to be Dean. Oh shit!

She waited until he turned back and quickly dashed back to the campsite, colliding into a sleepy Sam.

"Alana? What's wrong?" he asked as she crashed to the ground, he helped her up, but the tears were falling from her eyes, "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, how could she tell him that Dean wasn't himself, that the Skinwalker still possessed him somehow.

"Alana?"

"Dean…he…he…"

"I'm what sis?" he asked as he stepped from the wooded trail.

She shook her head, "Never mind." And dashed into the tent to collect her things.

Sam looked at Dean, "What did you do now?"

He shrugged, "Beats me. I saw her on the trail and waved, yet she ran back. I never did a thing."

Sam sighed, "We have to talk to her. She's upset."

Sam went to the tent and realized she'd left already. He looked towards the van and ran. She wasn't inside; nothing of hers was in the van. "Shit. She's run off."

Dean went to his parent's tent and yelled, "Dad, Alana's run off."

John unzipped the tent and made his way out, "What happened?"

"I don't know she's acting weird."

John shook his head; Alana had it with her brothers and had decided to go off on her own. What could he do, she would be back, and she needed her space.

"She'll be back."

"Dad, all her stuff is gone!"

"Dean, sometimes girls are like that. My sister was the same, you annoy them too much and they take their stuff and split. She'll probably be in town at a library or café, just wanting time for herself. She'll be back."

Majestic agreed as she climbed out of the tent, "She is unaccustomed to having brothers, besides after all you've been through, it's a miracle she can tolerate you the way she does."

Dean shrugged, "But I don't like it that she's out there alone with everything going on."

Sam came up to them, "She took one of the guns with her."

John laughed, "That's my girl. She's always prepared, so we don't have to worry about her."

Sam was unconvinced.

Alana made her way into town, it was a small town but she felt safer out here then with a Skinwalker pretending to be her brother. She dropped her bags on the concrete steps and took a seat, she was worn out and her shoulder ached from carrying her bag. But there was no way she was going back, no way at all.

"Miss?" a voice asked, startling her from her despair. As she looked up her mouth gaped. Standing on the steps was Dean but it couldn't be, he wore glasses and his hair was really blond. "Are you alright miss?"

"I'm...Uh…" she was about to kick herself. "I'm fine, just tired."

"Come on into the library, it's far too hot out here for you to sit. Besides I'll get you some water, you look a bit pale."

What could she do? She followed him inside and took the glass of water thankfully. But more questions ran through her head, where the hell was she and was this the twilight zone of her own delusional mind?

"Feeling a bit better?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, thank you. I had a long walk this morning."

"Where did you come from? I'm sorry to pry but a young girl like you shouldn't be on her own."

She laughed, he sounded so much like her brother. "I'm from out of town and you don't need to worry about me, I can handle myself just fine."

"Still…I'm going to have to contact the sheriff; you cannot be on your own."

She raised an eyebrow, "What did you not understand sir, I CAN handle myself."

He stepped over to the phone, picked up the phone, but before he could dial she knocked it from his hands and pointed the gun at him.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but why the HELL do you look like my brother Dean!"

He looked at her oddly, "I have no clue what you mean miss, my name is Derek."

She scuffed, pulling a picture out of her back pocket without wavering the gun. She placed the picture in his hands, "See what I mean?"

The man Derek looked at the picture in horror, how could it be? "That's Dean? Then who is the taller man?"

"Sam, my other brother."

"That's my cousin Jakob."

"What the…" she stopped, "You mean to tell me that there is two of you and Sam? Ugh!"

Derek nodded, "I'm afraid so. But you also look like my mother when she was younger, her name was Lana." He said and pulled a very old picture of his mother out; Alana stared at it, the gun dropping to the floor. It was her in the picture, but it wasn't her.

"Where the hell am I?"

"Jakob's Ladder."

"What?"

"Jakob's Ladder. It's named after my great-grandfather."

"What a weird name for a town."

He agreed, "It use to be Maryville."

Alana gaped, "My brother's mom's name. Now I am in the twilight zone." She gasped.

Derek looked at her bewildered, "My brother is John. But I don't have a picture of him. But I have a feeling you're unwell and need to lie down."

She shook her head and grabbed the gun, but Derek was too quick and kicked it from her reach. "Come now, you need to lie down."

She was too stunned to fight, she let him lead her to a room and she lied on the cot, closing her eyes and drifting into a deep peaceful sleep.