Into a Cornfield Crimson

Chapter Five

Identity

Sam Winchester stretched his aching head out the window of the Impala and let the cool wind hopefully pummel the pain to smithereens.

It seemed the farther they traveled the more his head rhythmically throbbed and dulled his senses. It was as if he was being suffocated from within by a multitude of cotton balls.

He leaned back into the Impala just as Dean was trying to charm their temporary but cute passenger in the backseat.

"And how old are you? Like 30?" Chloe asked, an eyebrow raised.

"30? With a face like this? Are you sober? 'Cause we can hose you down with some reality. Like right now."

"I don't know. You were throwing out some very antiquated pick up lines," Chloe answered, grinning.

Before Dean could make a snappy comeback, Sam butted into the conversation.

"So, Chloe . . . you go to school around here?" Sam asked, as Dean gave him the old Evil Eye.

"Nope, this fortunate Smallville resident goes to the illustrious Metropolis University," Chloe said, proudly displaying her college ID.

Sam perked up in interest. "Met U? Wow. They have some really exciting programs going on there."

"I know. I'm a journalism major and I couldn't have asked for a better curriculum. And the library . . . it's amazing," Chloe continued.

"Ugh. College geek talk," Dean grumbled.

"What's your major?" Chloe asked Sam, ignoring Dean's grumbling.

"Pre-law. I, uh, I was attending Stanford," Sam stated, his words dropping off quietly. The stuffy cotton ball feeling was welling up inside him again.

"Stanford? Wait. Am I in the company of a certified genius?"

"He wishes," Dean said, as Chloe kneed the back of his seat at the remark.

Sam couldn't respond.

His skull felt like cracking into a thousand pieces. Pressure to the point of boiling sent spasms down to his toes. Sam clutched his stomach as the slam of nausea over took of him.

Dean caught his brother's twisted look of sickness and stopped the car immediately. It was obvious that his brother was being attacked by a vision. Though it has never been this bad that Sam looked like he was gonna puke. Either way best not let Chloe in on that family secret.

"Whoa, the return of Sammy's dreaded car sickness of youth. I'll go to the trunk and get some bottled water. You go barf outside the car, please." Dean ordered, reaching over Sam and unlocking the door.

"Shut up," Sam muttered, sourly as he got out.

"He looks really bad. More than just car sick," Chloe said aloud. He looks like Clark when he's hit with kryptonite, she thought concerned.

Chloe got out of the car and took Sam's arm as he heaved into the dry field grass. It was as Chloe came to his side she saw a familiar color. A glowing green at the root of the corn stalks. It was an unmistakable effect of kryptonite. Not good.

Chloe placed her palm on Sam's wet forehead. Sam immediately crumpled to the ground after a spasm of pain ripped through his skull. Chloe gripped his shoulder in worry. Maybe he was infected . . .

Before she could ponder more, an object pressed firmly into the back of her head. Cold. Heavy. If she pushed her head back an inch, she'd have one hell of a headache.

"Step away from my brother."

That was no flirty comment, Chloe thought alarmed. Dean's voice was unmistakably hard and flat. She couldn't turn to see his eyes but from that voice Chloe knew Dean would not hesitate to put a hole in her head.

She took a deep breath and said very carefully: "Dean, I'm not the bad guy, er, girl here. But I have to ask. Has your brother ever visited Smallville before? Those meteor rocks I mentioned earlier? They have a strange effect on–"

"Shut up! I know what's inside you. We've tracked you out here. Demon possessed perhaps. You don't seem like a ghost. Well it doesn't matter right now what evil thing you are. I don't know how you're doing it. But you will stop hurting Sam right now!"

Chloe felt suddenly bewildered in her peril. Ghosts? Evil thing? Tracking me?

"Okay, I think you got me mixed up with something else. Maybe with the thing that took away your sanity?"

Before Dean could respond, Sam spoke up once he had stopped decorating the Kansas countryside with his previous lunch.

"Dean, chill. She's not doing this."

Chloe suddenly felt indignant at the whole situation. "Look you saw my college id! If anything I should be asking who the hell you two are," she snapped.

She felt the gun in her hair twitch then move away. Chloe whipped around and pushed her mace in front of Dean's face.

Dean raised his hands and chuckled.

"Okaaay. Demons don't carry girly defense weapons. I believe you," Dean said.

Chloe's mouth quirked a bit but she lowered the mace. "Demons?"

"You didn't think we bought your meteor rock bull, did you? It's some supernatural nasty out in these fields that's killing folk," Dean said, crouching down beside Sam.

"Who are you? Cause you know I didn't buy that crop inspector story. And all those unsubtle questions about the recent murders you swept by me. Talk about suspicious," Chloe demanded.

Dean didn't answer as he was completely focused on his brother.

Sam weakly got to his feet as Dean supported him.

"You had a vision?" Dean whispered, out the corner of his mouth.

Sam nodded which didn't help the skull splitting pain. He took a deep breath and said "There's something out in these fields, Dean. Deep. Hidden. And man, is it pretty awful."

"You get the visual on the evil bastard?" Dean asked, directing Sam back to the Impala.

Sam's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to piece together withering images of violence.

Dean's heart raged to see his brother so wacked out by this psychic whammy stuff. Dean could pack a lot of metal and salt into various evil things but he couldn't protect his brother from this horrible "gift."

Chloe did not miss the flicker of vulnerable expression on Dean's face and decided to withhold any further verbal onslaught.

She opened the door for Sam and helped Dean ease him in. Chloe and Dean were alone as soon as Dean closed the car door.

"Listen, whatever you guys are out here to do, I'm more than willing to help. But you have to trust me," Chloe said, carefully.

Dean stared down into her determined eyes.

"Huh. Doesn't look like I should even bother getting Sammy to dissuade you with his puppy dog eyes then," Dean stated, grinning.

Chloe smiled. "Nope. But I'm very interested in investigating Sam's eyes later."

Dean's face soured. "Yuck. Just, yuck."

"Hey, guys there's a car approaching us. We should move out the way," Sam called, as he rolled down the window.

"So, what do you two ghostbusters think is killing people?" Chloe asked, as she reached for the car door.

"Jeepers Creepers," Dean stated, with a completely serious face.

Chloe goggled at him. "That thing's real?"

Dean didn't answer but winked as he slid into the car.

The guy's pulling my leg, Chloe thought disgusted, as she got in.

"Why aren't we moving already?" Chloe asked, irritated.

Dean gunned the engine again but got no response but a few sputters.

"C'mon, baby," Dean muttered.

"I, think that car up ahead isn't slowing down," Sam said, worried.

Chloe leaned forward and saw the oncoming car swerving madly but still dead on in their direction.

And her heart nearly stopped when she recognized the crazy driver.

"Lois?" she gasped.

Actually, she shouldn't be surprised with her track record for automobile accidents. But, still.

This was simply crazy.

"You know the crazy driver?" Dean said, struggling with the engine.

Deciding action was better than more talk, Chloe got out the car and waved her arms madly at her cousin.

If anything, this made Lois drive faster.

Before she knew it, Sam was at her side pulling her away from the Impala. Dean stayed in the car struggling to get it started. He hit the steering wheel frustrated.

"C'mon, Dean!" Sam called.

Dean reluctantly came out as Lois barreled ever closer.

He shook his head as he joined them. "What's with this town and its need to destroy really cool cars? Man, I can't even watch."

It seemed it was not yet time for the Impala's death as a sudden gust of wind whipped by their faces and a figure in red and blue halted Lois's car just a few feet away.

"What . . . who is that?" Sam asked, shocked.

Chloe merely smiled in relief.

It was Clark Kent.

"Dean. Dean! Open your eyes," Sam said, elbowing his brother.

"How bad is it Sammy? Give it to me straight. I can . . . What? Where'd the flannel wearing kid come from?"

"He stopped the car, Dean."

"Naw. Really?"

"Yes."

"Damn . . . We need some of whatever this kid has been fed."

Clark looked uneasy at the unexpected spectators but focused on the car's driver.

"Lois?" he called.

Clark opened the door and found her head resting on the steering wheel. No blood but a small bruise was forming. And she was breathing well.

"Is Lois okay?" Chloe asked, behind him.

"Yeah. It looks like she just got knocked out. I'm glad you're okay, too. But more important, who are these guys?" Clark asked.

"I think they're ghost hunters or exorcists."

"Now we've seen everything," Clark remarked, drily.

"Hey, thanks for saving my brother's car. I'm Sam."

Sam had come over and stuck out his hand. Clark smiled and shook it.

"So, are you infected with these meteor rocks Chloe's told us about?" Sam inquired.

"Something like that. Are you guys really ghostbusters?" Clark asked, in return.

Sam grinned. "Yeah, something like that. That's my brother, Dean. Dean, you gonna come over with the rest of us?"

Dean merely looked skeptical. "Man, what if he's like radioactive or something?"

Chloe sucked in her cheeks to keep from laughing as Sam rolled his eyes.

"Don't be an idiot," Sam chided.

"I'm just saying! You never know," Dean replied.

Clark sighed and reassured him. "I'm 100 percent radioactive free."

Also, 100 percent not of this earth, Clark thought jokingly to himself.

Dean nodded. The kid employed a kind of trust me vibe thing. Kind of like Sam.

Chloe smiled.

"Okay, now that we're all more or less chummy. Let's saddle up. Cause evil is about to meet its match."

The boys stared.

"Okay, maybe that was a bit too cheesy. But you know what I meant."

Okay, that's it for this chapter. Thank you so much for reading. Remember that reviews are very welcome. And hopefully, the next chapter will be up before Thanksgiving, lol.