thank you all once again for the great reviews, they really do mean alot to me. i hope you enjoy the next chapter. :)
IN TRANSIT
Chapter 3
Sam sat cross-legged, his back against the wall, laptop on his knees as the train rolled down the tracks. He had been trying to see if there was anything he had missed but his searches were still turning up the same old thing over and over again. Mysterious murders, tagging associated with the FTRA, and now people dying of fright along this lonely stretch of track. But there had to be something more, some place to start this hunt, because, obviously just hopping on the train hadn't done the trick.
So far there wasn't a single bit of evidence that anything supernatural was going on, but something in the pit of Sam's stomach told him otherwise. Right up until he boarded the train he hadn't believed there was an actual hunt. He had gone along with it simply because it was something he knew Dean had wanted to do since he was a little child. But Dean couldn't just take a vacation, couldn't just act on impulse and do something fun. No, everything in his life had to revolve around some kind of hunt, and so, Sam humored him. But now, well now Sam was starting to think that he may have been wrong.
And, to top it all off, his attention spannless brother was really starting to get on his nerves. Sam hadn't even been researching for ten minutes when Dean started to sing very annoying hobo songs.
"This is a story 'bout Sam and Dean, rollin' down the tracks, rollin' down the tracks."
"Dude. Knock it off."
"Little geek boy's got a stick up is ass, stick up his ass." Dean sang again, popping his head in time with some imagined beat.
"Dean, you're really making this difficult."
"Making what difficult, you've been researching the same thing over and over again. You've probably got it all memorized by now."
"Yeah well, it takes a lot of concentration to see if there's something I missed."
"Nothing has been missed, Sam, so just let it go."
"Let it go? How're we gonna figure out who we need to salt and burn if I just let it go?"
"That's why were out here, to talk to people. I mean this has only been happening for what, five years? Someone around here's gotta know something." Dean stated as though it was as simple as two plus two.
Dean's laid back, easy as pie attitude was really starting to grate on Sam, his nerves growing shorter the longer the older man sat there, humming to himself. He knew that, initially his brother had wanted to get to the hunt because of the freight-hopping, but now it seemed that Dean was over that, his most likely broken wrist having a lot to do with it. Dean had been so excited, and now, well now cold reality was setting in and it was weighing him down.
"Well, the only people I saw were those kids and they didn't really seem like the FTRA type."
"At least it's someone." Dean stated, trying to hide the a groan of pain as he stood.
Despite the ice pack Sam had managed to find, his brother was still in a great amount of pain, his arm swollen more than both men knew it should have been. And, while Dean kept insisting that it was nothing more than a bad sprain, Sam knew better. From the way his brother was holding his arm, to the small cringes he thought Sam couldn't see, it all led the younger hunter to the truth, Dean had broken his arm, and that was going to add a whole new level to the hunt.
Dean needed to have free use of both arms to make it from one boxcar to the next safely. Yes, if push came to shove he could probably still manage, but the word 'safely' kept floating through Sam's already full mind. He couldn't help but picture his brother hanging precariously from the train, one arm holding on for dear life, the other hanging useless. And every time he imagined what could happen all he heard was the stubborn man's voice, insisting that he was fine.
"Up and at um, geek-boy. We're burning daylight."
"It's ten in the morning."
"Yeah, so."
"So, we've got plenty of daylight to burn, cool your jets."
"My jets are cool. Come on."
"Come on, where?"
"To see those kids."
"I already told you, they don't know anything."
"How do you know?"
"They don't seem the type. Did you hit your head or something because we already had this conversation."
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, little brother. Did you at least talk to them?"
"I think I mumbled 'hi' in passing." Sam answered sarcastically before turning back to his computer.
"Well, then let's go get better acquainted."
"Dean, why can't you just stay in one place for a little while?"
"Because we're on a hunt, Sam."
"But your arm."
"I've hunted hurt before."
"Yeah, on solid ground. If you haven't noticed, we're on a moving train."
"Oh really, I thought it was just a really drawn out earthquake."
"Bite me."
"What's your problem, all we're gonna do is interview a bunch of kids."
"Yeah, four cars back."
"So."
"So! So? So forgive me if I don't want to see my only brother fall from a moving train."
"Aw, Sam, you do care."
"Would you be serious for five minutes."
"I'm not gonna fall."
"Oh yeah, and how do you plan on hanging on?"
"I've got my ways."
"And what ways are those?"
"Hop out on the ladder and I'll show you."
"Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me?"
"Reverse who?"
"You know, trying to trick me into letting you go by thinking that you don't really want to go."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Man, college has filled that freaky head of yours with all sorts of wacked out ideas."
"Can we just go?"
"After you, princess." Dean said, moving aside as Sam packed up his laptop, never once seeing the knowing smirk on the older man's face.
"Just, follow my lead and don't do anything stupid."
"When have I ever done anything stupid?"
Sam just gave his brother a look, his mind going over each and every stupid thing Dean had done in his life. Hell, forget his life, he could fill up two pages just listing what he'd done in the past month.
"Now." Sam began, shouldering his bag and pulling open the door. "I'm gonna go out, then I'll reach back in for you."
"Screw that, Sam, I'm not five."
"Would you let me do this."
"I feel like a freaking first grader. But I'll hold your hand if you want me to, Mr. Sam."
"Shut up." Sam scowled, reaching out towards a ladder. He balanced himself on the metal rungs, making sure he had both feet securely planted before moving down the car. He slid his feet along a groove, one hand still gripping the ladder, the other holding a pipe. After a few calming breaths, he reaching out for his brother.
Getting Dean onto the ladder was easier said than done, and Sam's heart beat fast with the knowledge of just how difficult this would really be. Even with two fully functioning arms Sam was still having a hard time, but he never was one to underestimate his brother. And, after a very tense, and nearly disastrous start, Dean managed to slide his way down the cars, left hand holding onto Sam, right arm wrapped around the poles and ladders, his wrist tucked in close to his body.
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"I think I hear voices." Larissa Matthews whispered to her boyfriend, Robby, the two teens huddled together in the cold boxcar, their friends sleeping a few feet away.
"For the last time, Ris, this train isn't haunted."
"But I swear I heard something."
"It's just your imagination. We did get up really early this morning, maybe a nap would help."
"I am not hallucinating. I really heard something."
"Sure."
"Hey, you didn't believe I saw a six foot something guy climbing along the cars until he stopped here."
"Yeah, alright, you win, you're hearing the voices of the haunted train."
But, just as Robby tried to comfort his obviously frightened girlfriend, he too heard the voices. They were low, barely audible over the roar of the train, but they were definitely there, and getting louder. Larissa leaned into him, Robby wrapping his arms protectively around her shoulders as he kicked his friend Trevor awake.
"Dude, what's your problem?" The seventeen year old mumbled, rolling over, pressing his face into his girlfriend, Kayle's shoulder.
"Get up, something's coming."
"Like a cop?" The groggy teen asked sitting up.
"I don't know. It's just voices right now."
"You think it's the ghost?" Kayle asked, her eyes wide with barely hidden excitement. It had been her idea to go 'ghost hunting' in the first place, and, while the other three said it was for babies, they had all agreed to it rather quickly.
"Oh god, I hope not." Larissa moaned, curling into herself.
"I don't think so, Ris." Robby began, crawling towards the door and pushing it open, the voices floating through. "Unless its the ghost of the three stooges."
"…..Dude, stop holding my hand."
"Would you rather fall off?"
"Yes, at the moment I would."
"You liar."
"Hello?" Robby called, wondering what the hell was actually going on.
"Hi."
"We're back."
"Dean, you weren't here before, so you can't be back."
"It was a line from 'poltergeist'. Watch a movie." Dean chided, just as Sam wrapped his free hand around the open door.
A moment later Sam and Dean stood, safe and whole in the boxcar, four very surprised looking teenagers staring up at them.
"You're back." Larissa began, sighing in relief. The stories they had been telling the previous night were really beginning to get to her.
"Yeah, hey." Sam smiled awkwardly, Dean turning on the charm beside him.
"Back from your dreams, Sweetheart."
"Oh gosh." She laughed, grabbing Robby's hand, the boy standing a good four inches shorter than Dean. "That was kind of lame."
Sam couldn't help but snort as the little seventeen year old shot down his older brother without even batting an eyelash, Dean mumbling beside him as he searched for a place to sit.
"So." Trevor began after a few moments of strained silence. "I see you found your brother. Why'd you come back?"
"No reason really." Sam began shrugging, trying to make it sound like he hopped trains on a daily basis. "We just got a little bored over there."
"Yeah. Sam here's not much of a conversationalist." Dean began, trying to regain himself, still a bit thrown by being turned down. After all, he was Dean Winchester, stuff like that just didn't happen to him. "So, you guys do this a lot?"
"No, actually, this is the first time." Kayle answered nervously. "You?"
"Once in a while.'
"What made you decided to up and hop a train?" Sam smiled at the kids, trying his best to gain their confidence.
It was obvious to him that they were all trying to be a lot tougher then they really were. But acting like you could handle yourself and actually being able to do it were two completely different things and, by the look in their young eyes, Sam could tell that all four were second guessing their idea.
"It was Kayle's idea."
"Thanks, Robby."
"I didn't mean it that way. We heard these stories, you know, about people dying of fright. So we figured hey, ya only live once, why not do a little ghost hunting."
Sam and Dean exchanged a quick glance, the moment so small that it was lost to everyone other than the two seasoned hunters. And then slowly, as though he were about to hear the most interesting story ever, Sam spoke. "So, what have you heard?"