"I have passed my time alone
When the church bells rung
I stayed out on the tower
In a dying sun." –Dire Straits
The sky was a sharp, cloudless blue and the yellow grass swayed in the gentle breeze. With the wind came the pungent smell of blood and death. A once lively village was now nothing more than ash and timber. Dozens of bodies littered the ground. Left where they had fallen, men, women, and children. Their blood seeping into the dark soil, still fresh. Testament that these men who had carried out this attack were skilled at killing. The carnage was quick, clean, and efficient. Tire tracks wove in and out of the small hamlet. Their footprints told him almost everything about them. How tall they were, how much they weighed, their level of skill with a machete, their numbers. The only thing they could not tell him was why these men had taken the villager's eyes. The corpses lay on the soft ground, their eyeless faces staring at him, and a cold shiver crept up his spine.
Dean came awake with a start, the dream making him cry out. A strong hand rested on his chest. It kept him from bolting into an upright position. He glared at the hand, groaning when a sharp pain lanced through his head, letting him know that sitting up was not a good idea at the moment. His body ached terribly. Most notably his head, which felt like it was in the middle of conducting Beetoven's Symphony No. 8.
"Want some water?" Sam removed his hand, reaching for the little Styrofoam cup with a plastic bending straw inside it.
Finally opening his eyes, Dean grimaced at the painfully white hospital walls that greeted him. The strong smell of antiseptic filled the air. His lovely hospital gown was entangled in the stark white sheets that twisted around him and an IV line ran from his arm.
"Here," Sam said, handing him the cup.
"What happened?" He croaks, letting the cool water sooth his parched throat.
Sam sighs. "You were attacked by a hyena."
The beast's yellow eyes and brown fur flashed before him. He threw a confused look at his brother, wondering what a hyena was doing in fucking Arizona.
"Cops say there's some kind of wild animal compound a few miles from here. The owners have all kinds of animals from Africa. They're biologists or something." Sam informed him. "How are you feeling?"
"How do you think I'm feeling?" he griped.
Sam made a face. "It's that not that strange what happened, considering the kind of things we deal with on a daily basis."
"If I'd have stayed in the car, I would have been fine. I threatened its territory. That's why it attacked me." He muttered, bringing the heel of his hand to his forehead, feeling the thick bandage that was wrapped around his head. Sam squinted, staring at him as if he'd just grown a second head.
"How do you know that?"
Dean shrugged, wishing for more drugs. "I must have seen it on the Discovery Channel."
"You watch the Discovery Channel?" Sam asked, incredulous. Damn, he hadn't meant to let that information slip out. The symphony suddenly grew louder, the pain became more intense, and he let out a small groan. "Dean, are you ok?" Sam's worried face floated in front of him, and he was forced to close his eyes as his stomach flipped, making him nauseous.
"I'll call the nurse," Sam announced, "she'll give you some more pain meds."
Oddly, he sounded far away, and he had to strain to hear him. Dean was about to tell him that, but decided he was too tired to bother. The last thing he heard before he drifted off was the sound of Sam repeatedly pressing down on the nurse's button.
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Troy, Arizona was everything one would expect in a small southwestern community. Adobe style houses lined the streets. The population numbered somewhere around six thousand and claimed to house the world's largest Tarantula. Near the center of town there was a cluster of shops that sold art, jewelry, and souvenirs, and cost tourists an arm and leg to buy them. Troy had eight churches, two schools, ten Mexican restaurants, five bars, and a medical center.
The one thing that did stand out about the town was the number of people who'd gone missing in the last month. For the first time in six weeks, Adrian Chang was beginning to think he'd found them---the Hayawani. He knew they were here. He could feel it, wondered if they knew he was here. Trailing them without Mason was probably a stupid thing to do, but he hadn't heard from his friend in over a week. It was how his partner operated. Sometimes Mason wanted his help, and sometimes Mason disappeared for weeks at a time.
Adrian donned the white coat and read the nametag. Doctor Goode. He was only twenty-five and hoped he could pull off being a resident. Skimming over the stolen chart, he learned that his patient's name was Doug Clifford, like the drummer in Creedence. Mr. Clifford had been driving west on route 80 when he accidentally hit a hyena. The beast attacked and left him with a nasty concussion. The case had Hayawani written all over it—and the fact it was an African animal didn't escape his notice. They were definitely in the area. He just had to find them, and interrogating the Hayawani's latest victim was, in his opinion, the best place to start.
Stepping quietly into the room, the first thing he saw was a tall, lanky guy with dark hair sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair, intently staring at the prone figure on the bed.
"I'm Dr. Goode," he said lamely, disappointed that Clifford was asleep. He walked around to the other side of the bed, placing the stethoscope against his fake patient's chest. "And you are?"
"I'm his brother, Sam." His eyes focused on him, and Adrian hoped he was buying the act. "He was in a lot of pain."
"Well, that's not surprising. He has a major concussion. It's not uncommon." He continued checking Clifford out. "I heard he was attacked by a hyena." What he didn't say was that he'd heard it from his police scanner. "That's a little unusual. Where did it come from?"
Sam threw him an odd look, and Adrian got the feeling that somehow he had slipped up. "There's a wild animal refuge a few miles outside of town. Cops said it came from there."
"Ah. I should have guessed. Just moved here." He offered, trying to cover his tracks. Mason was so much better at this. "We'll have to watch for infection, but your brother should be just fine." It was time to make his escape. With remarkable speed he replaced the stethoscope back around his neck, smiled, and informed him that he would be by later to check up on his brother. Adrian made his way back to the laundry room and tossed the coat back into the corner, deciding he was never trying that again. As he turned to sneak out the back door, he was thrown against the wall, strong hands trapping his arms.
Sam was behind him, pressing a long, curved knife to his throat. "Who are you?"
A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed, even though was stupid and made me upload a new story, so they got erased. GRR.