Chapter 2: Visions in the Dark

"Welcome to the middle of nowhere," Dean said as he threw his car keys onto the hotel table.

"The middle of nowhere is usually where we run into problems," Sam commented, sitting down at the table and turning on the laptop.

"Dude, it's like three in the morning," Dean said, pulling off his jacket, "Go back to sleep. You were sleeping like a baby in the car."

"Well, now that you've got me wide awake," Sam replied, "I may as well do more digging."

"Digging's what got this started," his brother muttered.

Sam rolled his eyes. Dean could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. One minute he wanted something, the next he was complaining.
But God help me, Sam thought, you gotta love him. Even when he's at his worst.

"I think you're the one who needs sleep," Sam said, "You almost made us a stain on the pavement back there."

Okay, so maybe Dean was rubbing off on him.

The older Winchester shot Sam a nasty glare, but said nothing. Sam felt a little bad. That little EVP incident had left Dean shaken, and even though he was doing a good job at hiding it, Sam could still tell.

"I guess the first thing we could do tomorrow is visit the construction site," Dean said as he sprawled himself out on his bed. "Then..."

"Then what?" Sam asked, tapping keys, glancing at his brother.

"Then visit the first victim's family, I guess," Dean answered.

"The first victim doesn't have any family," Sam replied, "She was an old widow living alone down by the railroad tracks."

"Hmm," was Dean's only response.

"The second victim left behind a wife and two kids. Dean, there are no patterns in these deaths. They're not even similar." He paused for a reply. "Dean. Dean?"

He turned with a comment on his lips, but it dyed away as he saw his brother was sound asleep. Sam had forgotten that he'd been driving all night and must have been exhausted. He turned back to the computer screen, then sighed.

He's right. This can wait until tomorrow, he thought as he shut down the laptop.

Crawling into bed, he turned out the light and fell into a deep sleep.
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He's standing in an old, abandoned building. He's actually not certain whether or not it's abandoned, but all the dust and cobwebs seem to be good indications that no one's been here for a while.

He looks out the window and sees a train car sitting outside in the night.

A train station, he thinks, I'm in an old train station.

He doesn't know why he's so sure of this, he just is. But suddenly a noise catches his attention. It sounds like...

Chanting? But, who would be here?

He starts to make his way through the cluttered building. The station is full of dusty benches and shelves, like it's been used for storage for many years.

He sees a light coming from under a closed door at the end of the hallway. He starts towards it, but a voice stops him.

"No, Sam."

He turns. There is a girl standing there, watching him. In the darkness he can't really make out her features, but he can clearly see her green eyes. Eyes almost the same shade as Dean's. Because of this, he cannot be afraid of her. Or maybe he knows her? He isn't sure.

"Sam," she calls, holding out a hand, "Come with me. Don't go there."

Her voice is soft and pleasant. He reaches out and takes her hand. Her fingers are warm and she smiles at the touch, seeming amazed at the contact.

This vision is so different from the rest, he thinks, It feels so real.

"It's not a vision," she replies, looking up from their touching hands, the smile still on her face.

"What do you mean?" he asks her.

"I know this is unusual for you," she answers, shocking him by wrapping her arms around his waste, "but hold me. Just for a minute. Just because you can."

"What are you-?"

"I've come to tell you and your brother something," she interrupts, pulling away to look up at him, "I came to you through a dream so that it'd be more real."

"You're the one who called out to Dean," he says, looking into her green eyes.

"Sam, listen to me," she insists, "You're-"

The chanting from the other room suddenly swells in volume and the girl shrieks, grabbing her head as if in pain. He reaches out to her, but his hand moves through her.

"Free Hope Church!" she yells, "Find it, Sam!"

The chanting increases still and now he can barely hear her. He covers his own ears as the noise becomes deafening, but he hears her final shriek.

"Dean!"
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Sam woke up with a start. He was sweating and breathing heavily as he sat up and looked around the silent room.

What the hell? he thought, running a hand through his unkempt hair. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before and now he felt a little weak. His heart was pounding and his legs felt shaky as he went into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and willed himself not to look so pale. He noticed that the sun was rising outside as he left the bathroom and decided that going back to sleep was not an option. So he pulled out the laptop to pass the time until Dean woke up. The older Winchester would be very interested in what Sam had to tell him.