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Chapter 8

Silence followed this little announcement. Deans brain seemed to have jammed. He had heard Missouri's words, he knew what she had said, but it didn't register. He couldn't

quite grasp what she was saying, what she was telling them and what it entailed. He looked to Missouri for help, but found none (she continued to gesture at the coffin). He

looked blankly to his dad. JOhn neither saw his sons attempt to catch his eye, or he ignored it. He was frowning and chewing on his lip.

"Missouri?" Dean ventured after a second. "What do you mean?" (Maybe asking would help him fight through the fuzz in his brain)

"That is not Sam." she repeated, a little more forcefully this time. Caleb's eyes widened and Bobby let out a gasp. Other than that, they made no sign that they had been affected

by Missouri's announcement. They recognised this as a Winchester moment.

"But," impatience grated his tone. (she had not really answered his question) "How do you know it isn't Sam?"He didn't dare believe or hope.

"The last thing this man saw," she gulped, took a steadying breath and continued "before he died was Sam. Screaming."

The mystery person who was seen around Sam's apartment.

"Sam? Screaming?" Disbelief was obvious in his dad's voice. You wouldn't have needed to be a physic to know that JOhn was questioning her. Missouri finally tore her eyes

away from the coffin and rounded on John.

"Do you want me to describe it to you? The heat of the flames? The darkness? The sight of your son struggling? The fear on his face? All I know is that the last thing this poor

soul saw, before he died was your youngest son."

"Darkness?" asked Dean quietly, the colour fading from his face.

"Demon." John confirmed grimly.

"The demon?" Dean asked. His hand clapped the his mouth in shock.

"Fire and death are his MO." John nodded

"But there was only two bodies recovered," Dean said slowly, "A male and a female. Does that mean-"

"There's hope for Sam yet." There was a glint in Johns eyes that Dean hadn't seen in a long time, "A slight hope-"

"No," Dean disagreed. "I think Sammys gotta be alive. I mean, it goes to all that trouble, to attack them and make us think that he was dead. He wouldn't just kill him. That's not

what he would have wanted- or else there'd be three bodies in that apartment.

Missouri gasped and fear flitted across her face. Her breath quickened as terror took over.

"what is it Missouri? What's the matter?" Bobby asked concernedly.

"Evil," she uttered, pointing across the road. A lone figure stood there, unmistakebly watching them. Despite the bright day, he (it was a man) was wearing a long woolen coat

buttoned up to the neck and a hat pulled down over his head. He took a slow step forward, moving closer to them. Then another. The four men and one woman watched,

transfixed, until John yelled,

"Into the Church!" He threw out an arm and grabbed Dean pulling him along. Bobby, Caleb and Missouri followed closely in his wake.