Dean could barely keep his eyes open as they came upon the small green sign welcoming them to Danbury, New York. He resisted the urge to flip it the bird as they drove past. He'd give anything to know why ghosts prefer to hang out in small little podunk towns.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Dean grabbed onto the dashboard as Sam took the turn into the motel parking lot a bit too quickly.
"Sorry. It slipped." Sam mumbled as he parked the car.
"I mean, why are we stopping?" Dean rolled his eyes. He tried to be patient; Sam was coming off of a head injury. But with nightfall rapidly approaching, they had to move fast before anyone else was injured...or worse.
"We still have a few hours til sundown. You're going to rest while I try to figure out what the hell is going on with the Mustang." Sam replied sternly.
"And don't even think about arguing." Sam cut off Dean's comeback before it could leave his lips.
Although he'd never admit it, he knew Sam was right. All he needed was a quick catnap to recharge his depleted batteries. Then he and Sam could set forth figuring out this mystery.
"Fine." Dean relented. "But you need to find out all you can about this road, about the car. We need to end this thing before anyone else gets hurt."
Their battered bodies protesting, the Winchesters got out of the car. Dean frowned as he watched an unsteady Sam grab onto the door, lowering his head onto his arm as it rested atop the Impala.
"Sam?" Dean's frown deepened as the only answer he received was Sam's palm extended outwards.
Making his way around the car, Dean put his hand on Sam's back. "Hey, Sammy. What's going on?"
Finally Sam raised his head. Dean was shocked at the pale hue that colored his brother's face.
"Stood up too fast. Give me a minute." Sam said, putting his head back down on his arm.
For a brief moment Dean considered calling his father. Normally a case like this would be a piece of cake. A piece of moldy cake topped with razor blades, but one that they could handle. But with Sam's concussion and his own problems, they could definitely use the back-up.
After a few deep breaths Sam felt strong enough to push away from the car. "You go check us in. I'll take care of the bags."
Dean chewed on his lower lip a moment before speaking. "You know, Sam..."
"Dean, I'm fine." Sam said a bit crossly.
Oh, yeah. Clearly. Dean thought to himself.
"Maybe we should call Dad." Dean suggested a bit timidly.
Sam wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Why?"
"Do you really have to ask? Look at us. A twelve year old could kick our asses."
"One already did." Sam cracked, referring to Dean's run-in with the youngest Bender a while back.
"Sam, I'm serious." Dean snapped.
"Ok. So we call Dad. Even if he can come, who knows how long it'll take him to get here. Not to mention the ass-kicking we'll get for dragging him away from the hunt. You yourself said that he's better off alone." Sam pointed out bitterly.
Dean chose not to comment on the irony of their conversation. For months Sam had been obsessed with finding their father while Dean chose to focus on their mission. Now Sam was balking at an opportunity to be together again. But he knew Sam was right. Again. The kid sure had an annoying habit of pointing out the obvious.
"Yeah. I guess." Dean conceded. "Don't move. I'll be right back."
Sam leaned against the trunk, watching his brother walk towards the office. A quick check of his watch revealed less than three hours of daylight remained. If he didn't find a quick solution... Sam pushed the thought away.
After checking to make sure Dean's back was turned, Sam rifled through their bag of disguises. Finding the outfit he hoped he wouldn't need, Sam quickly stuffed it inside his duffle bag.
Sam had just zipped up the bag when he sensed Dean walk up behind him. Sam stood up slowly to avoid another head rush. After giving Sam a quick once-over, Dean led the way to the last door.
Dean groaned as he settled onto the bed. "Oh, that's the stuff."
Sam set up the laptop on the small table by the window. He took a moment to gaze out the window, his worry growing as he saw the red sun setting low in the sky. Soon darkness would swallow the sun, bringing the nearly full moon to hover over the little town. For a split second the sun morphed into a clock, it's hands spinning wildly out of control.
Sam rubbed his eyes hard with his knuckles. Now was not the time to lose it. He had the feeling he was in for a very long night.
Dean's voice floated over to him. "See what you can find on the other car. Maybe we can track down the driver, if he's still alive."
Sam looked over at Dean, who was fiddling with his cell phone. "I know what to do, Dean. Just get some rest."
"One hour, Sammy. I mean it." Dean said sternly.
"Uh huh." Sam muttered, already engrossed in his research.
Dean finished setting the alarm on his cell phone, then placed it on the bed next to the pillow. He knew he could count on his little electronic friend to wake him up; his brother surely would not. If Sam could, he'd let Dean sleep until the middle of next week. While Dean wanted nothing more than to do just that, they had a job to do. The ghost car wasn't going to wait until Dean and Sam were back in fighting form to go after it's next victim.
"Hey, Sam?" he mumbled as he felt sleep begin to slink over him.
"Yeah?"
"We need a plan. In case we can't end it tonight. Keep people off the road." Dean's eyelids drooped lower with each word.
"Don't worry, Dean. I've got it covered."
Dean tried to force himself up at the strange tone in Sam's voice, but found he could not fight his fatigue. His right arm stretched out as far as he could bear it, Dean gave into the darkness.
Sam waited until he was sure Dean was dead to the world before making his move. Holding his breath, Sam edged his way over to Dean's bed. His heart pounded as he slowly stretched his hand towards the sleeping man. Wrapping his long fingers around Dean's cell phone, he cautiously backed away from the bed.
Sam waited until he his back hit the bathroom door before allowing himself to breathe. The fact that Sam was able to carry out his mission without his brother waking up showed how badly Dean needed his rest.
Once he had turned off the alarm, Sam gently placed the cell phone next to Dean. Sam returned to the laptop, desperate to find any information that would explain the strange events happening on Blue Corners Rd. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not focus on the matter at hand. His mind kept drifting to the setting sun, and the innocent people that could possibly lose their lives thanks to his carelessness.
"Screw it." Sam knew there was really only one thing he could hope to accomplish that night. Sam quickly changed into his state police uniform, hoping that although his head felt like it was still two sizes too large, the hat would still fit him. Scribbling a note to Dean, Sam quietly left the room.
Sam sat behind the wheel of the car, wishing there was some way of masking it's booming engine. Sam hoped Dean was too caught-up in dreaming about fast cars and faster women to hear the roar of the Impala. He could practically see an irate Dean bursting through the door, shaking his fist as Sam skulked away in his brother's car.
The street lights blinked on just as Sam turned on the ignition. Sam could see the moon's pale light mocking him from behind the thick clouds. A sudden rush of anger came over him. Well, bring it on!
Sam didn't know if the Mustang would make an appearance tonight, but he would make damn sure that if it did, no lives would be lost.