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Bugs
The trick was to snap your wrist at the right moment. The gruff, bearded man next to me let out a loud groan, and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I heard his buddy echo the sound. I straightened from where I'd been leaning over the pool table and held the cue delicately in one hand as I beamed at the man who was counting out twenties. He handed them over reluctantly, and my smile widened as Dean came up holding two beers.
"How much?" I counted out the twenties before his eyes. We'd had a small bet about how many people we could hustle in one month. So far I was up ten to eight. It was only a week in.
"Hundred-fifty," I accepted the beer, and, noting Dean's slightly sour look, added, "Cheer up, Dean. There's still three more weeks," I laughed as I walked back to the car where Sammy was hunched over a newspaper on the hood. I held up the money and wiggled my eyebrows as I approached the black Impala, which made Sam roll his eyes at me.
"You know, we could get day jobs once in a while," Sam pointed out.
"Hunting is our day job, and the pay is crap," Dean replied as I passed him the money and he counted it out again.
"Yeah, but hustling pool, credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world, guys," Sam insisted, giving us a admonishing look that made me feel like I was a toddler getting scolded.
"He actually has a point," I admitted, glancing at Dean and biting my lip in false thought as I leaned on the driver's door. "You and Dean would make excellent cashiers, Sam," I raised my eyebrows at Sam, who opened and closed his mouth for a moment. "Or waiters, or-"
"I get it," Sam cut me off, giving me another look to which I grinned. "I'm just saying, there are more honest ways of making money,"
"Come on, Sam, it's what we were raised to do," Dean brushed off Sam's guilty conscience.
"Yeah, well how we were raised was jacked," Sam reminded us bitterly. As if we needed reminding. We were sitting outside a bar with a car that held all of our possessions.
"We got a new gig or what?" Dean changed the subject quickly just like he did whenever our past came up.
"Maybe," Sam stated cryptically, jumping off the hood. "Oasis plains, Oklahoma - not far from here. Gas company employee," He came around the car, and set the newspaper down on the hood. "Dustin Burwash supposedly died from Cruetzfeldt-Jakob,"
"What?" I asked at the last part, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Human mad cow disease," Sam explained shortly.
"Mad cow?" Dean echoed in confusion. "Wasn't that on 'Oprah'?" Sam and I both turned to look at him in incredulity.
"You watch 'Oprah'?" Sam questioned, and Dean's mouth opened and closed a few times.
"Mel makes me," I cocked an eyebrow at him as he turned to me and then back to Sam, who clearly didn't believe him. "So," He went on quickly before Sam could question him further. "This guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our kind of thing?" I turned back to Sam, trying desperately to hold in the laugh that was begging to escape.
"Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration," Sam started.
"But that should take months, maybe years to show, and this guy…" I nodded to the newspaper, thinking I knew where Sam was headed. Sam nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, sounds like his brain disintegrated in an hour, maybe less," Well, this is definitely our kind of thing.
"Okay, that's weird," Dean conceded.
"Yeah," Sam added. "Now, it could be a disease,"
"But when is it just a disease?" I followed Sam's logic, and he nodded in agreement.
"All right, Oklahoma," Dean clapped his hands together and headed over to the driver's seat as I opened the passenger's door. "Man, work, work, work. No time to spend my money," I looked up at him and raised and eyebrow challengingly.
"You're money?" I echoed, making him grin cheekily.
"Our money?" He offered, and I just shook my head, smiling widely as I got in.
Two and a half hours later we were pulling up in front of Oklahoma Gas & Power Co., which was a large bleak looking building painted a pale pink. It was almost too depressing to look at. We got out and headed towards the building to check on the coworker who witnessed the whole thing, or so the papers said.
"Travis Weaver?" Sam questioned as we came up to a man who was fixing his car.
"Yeah, that's right," He gave all three of us a nervous glance.
"Are you the Travis who worked with Dusty?" Dean asked, glancing at Sam before slipping his hand into mine, making it clear what role I'd be playing. Supportive girlfriend. The trick worked, and Travis' posture instantly relaxed and he smiled at us.
"Dustin never mentioned nephews," Travis was still slightly suspicious, but the comment was more conversational then anything.
"Really?" Dean asked in surprise. "Well, he sure mentioned you. He said you were the greatest," I slipped my other hand around Dean's elbow and looked at Travis with large eyes.
"Oh, he did? Huh," Travis grinned, looking down before back up at us with sad eyes.
"So, we wanted to ask you - what exactly happened out there?" Dean got down to the real reason we were here.
"I'm not sure," Travis confessed, shaking his head and shrugging. "He fell in the sinkhole. I went to the truck to get some rope, and, uh, by the time I got back…" He shook his head again as if the image was too horrible to picture.
"What'd you see?" Dean asked, and I gave his arm a gentle squeeze, warning him not to be to pushy.
"Nothing. Just Dustin," Travis replied, shaking his head again as though to shake off some unwanted memory.
"No wounds or anything?" Sam prompted, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Well, he was bleeding from his eyes, and his ears, and his nose, but that's it," Another shrug and a pained look in his eyes.
"But, I mean," I cut in, looking at him with wide, horror-filled eyes, "Do you think it could really be mad cow disease?" He shrugged again as if it didn't really matter all that much.
"Yeah, I mean, that's what the doctor's are saying," Travis told us.
"But if it was, he would have acted strange beforehand, like Dementia, loss of motor control. Did you ever notice anything like that?" I suppressed a wince at how much of an interrogation that sounded like.
"Nah, no way," This time the head shake was firm and convinced. "Yeah, but then again, if it wasn't some disease, what the hell was it?"
"That's a good question," Dean answered, glancing at me.
"Could you maybe tell us where this happened?" I suggested hopefully, and he nodded.
"Yeah, A couple miles up the road there's a construction site. Oasis Plains Estates. They're building homes. You can't miss it," He pointed down the road we'd just come up.
"Thanks," Sam, Dean, and I headed back to the car.
-30 minutes later-
"Huh, what do you think?" Dean questioned Sam and I as he walked between us towards the yard. I glanced at the caution tape surrounding a sinkhole and flinched at the terror that flashed through me.
"I don't know, but if that guy Travis was right, it happened pretty damn fast," Sam recalled, and I nodded as Dean passed under the caution tape. I followed quickly after and joined him in leaning over the dirty hole.
"So what? Some sort of creature chewed on his brain?" Dean offered as I shined a light down the hole, trying to see any clue I could.
"No," I answered for Sam. "There would've been an entry wound," I couldn't see anything past the roots that were intertwined and covered the hole. "I think whatever this thing was was inside him when it killed him," We crouched as I shined the flashlight around, barely illuminating anything.
"It looks like there's only room for one," I straightened hurriedly in surprise, clicking off the flashlight and turning as Dean slipped back under the yellow tape. "You want to flip a coin?"
"Dean, we have no idea what's down there," Sam pointed out in shock before I could get a word out.
"All right, I'll go if you're scared," Dean brushed off his concern, picking up the hose and walking back over to us. I rolled my eyes, knowing Sammy wouldn't back away now.
"Flip the damn coin," He ordered, making Dean chuckle before fishing a nickel out of his pocket and handing it to me. I sighed, taking the coin. Men.
"All right, call it in the air," With swiftness that comes from years and years of practice, I balanced the coin on my thumb and sent it spinning into the air. Sam snatched it out of the air, glaring at Dean.
"I'm going," He stated, leaving no room for argument. I shrugged and glanced at Dean, knowing that he had never wanted to go down there.
"I said I'd go," Dean offered halfheartedly as Sam determinedly picked up the hose and began wrapping it around his waist.
"If he wants to go, let him," I told Dean, sending a grin at Sammy, who gave me a look.
"All right," Dean agreed with a shrug, and Sam started tying the hose.
"Don't let him drop me," He didn't look up from where he was tying the knot, but it was clear he was talking to me.
"Don't worry, Sammy. You'll be fine," I gave him the flashlight, and he was lowered into the hole by Dean, who grunted with effort and grumbled something about 'Sam' and 'so damn tall'. It was times like this that I was reminded why Dean had such an incredible body while he ate nothing but junk food all day. While I tried not to stare at him (he had his jacket off and the grey shirt he was wearing really showed off his biceps), Dean fed Sammy more rope until it finally went slack.
"Hey, I think I found something," Sam called up to us, and I leaned over the edge of the hole to see what he'd found. All I could see was a hidden spec of light. "Pull me back up," He tugged on the rope to emphasize his words, and Dean groaned before starting to haul him back up. I caught his hand as soon as he came within reach, and Dean did the rest.
"What did you find?" I couldn't stop the curiosity from bubbling over, and my gaze dropped to Sam's closed hand.
"I'll show you in the car. Come on," We crossed the street to the Impala, and I leaned my elbows on the front seat to look over Sam's shoulder at what he found, which was a bug.
"A beetle?" I asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Sam replied but didn't bother elaborating.
"So, you found some beetles in a hole in the ground. That's shocking, Sam," Dean grew frustrated with his silence as Sam poked the dead beetle around his hand.
"There were no tunnels, no tracks, no evidence of any other kind of creature down there," Sam explained finally, waving his arm for emphasis. "You know, some beetles do eat meat," I made a face. "Now, it's usually dead meat, but-"
"How many did you find down there?" Dean interrupted him.
"Ten," Sam responded, poking the beetle again.
"Well, it would take a lot more then ten to kill Dustin," I pointed out even though I was starting to get a feeling he might be right. I really hoped not.
"Well, maybe there were more," Sam replied.
"I don't know. It sounds like a stretch to me," Dean sounded unconvinced, and I glanced at Sam uncertainly.
"Still, it's worth checking out. We don't have anything else to do," I abruptly switched sides.
"Exactly, thank you, and we need more information on the area, the neighborhood," Sam listed.
"Yeah, whether something like this has ever happened before," I added, nodding and turning to Dean. "Can't hurt," He pursed his lips, his eyes following something through the windshield.
"What?" Sam asked, and my eyes followed Dean's gaze to an 'open house' with balloons hanging off of it.
"I know a good place to start," Dean grinned, glancing at us. "I'm in the mood for a little barbecue, how about you?" Dean followed the sign down the road as Sam turned to give him a look. "What, we can't talk to the locals?"
"And the free food's got nothing to do with it?" Sam already knew the answer to that, and I relaxed into the backseat.
"Of course not. I'm a professional," Dean told him, pulling into an open parking space in front of the house. I slid out of the back seat, enjoying the fresh air and the chance to stretch my legs before we started 'working'. I walked in the middle of the two boys as we went up the driveway to the nice house.
"Growing up in a place like this would freaked me out," Dean let out a small laugh.
"Why? I think it would be kind of nice," I admitted, looking around at the surrounding houses. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I could actually see myself raising a family, having kids, getting married. I glanced at Dean. Of course, none of that really mattered without him.
"The manicured lawns, the 'how was your day, Honey?' - I'd blow my brains out," For some reason, that comment stung me a bit, but I kept it hidden.
"There's nothing wrong with normal," Sam cut in before I could say anything. "I'd take our family over normal any day," Dean stated, glancing at me, and I couldn't help but smile at that. Dean knocked on the door of the house, and it was opened a moment later, revealing a formally dressed man with a big smile.
"Welcome," He greeted.
"Is this the barbecue?" Dean wasted no time in asking.
"Yeah, not the best weather, but…" He trailed off, leaning forward and glancing at the darkening sky before straightening and holding out his hand to Dean. "I'm Larry Pike, the developer here, and you are?"
"Dean," Dean filled in, accepting the handshake. "This is Mel and Sam," The man - Mr. Pike - offered his hand to me next, and I took it graciously, smiling at him.
"Mel, Sam, Dean, good to meet you," He shook Sam's hand last before returning it to his side. "So you three are interested in Oasis Plains?"
"Yes, sir," Dean answered him.
"Let me just say that we accept homeowners of any race, sexual orientation, color, or…" He trailed off gesturing to us uncertaintly, "Beliefs," I furrowed my brow at him in horror. What exactly did he think was going on?
"She's my girlfriend," Dean slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me slightly closer to him as he cleared that up.
"They-They're brothers," I added helpfully, trying my best not to stammer like an idiot and failing.
"Our father is getting on in years," Sam pointed to Dean and himself, "And we're just looking for a place for him," He glanced at me almost apologetically, and I gave him a wide smile.
"Great, great," He spoke enthusiastically, trying to bypass the awkwardness, "Well, seniors are welcome, too. Come on in," He moved aside and waved us through the doorway.
"You said you were the developer?" Sam questioned as we exited the house onto the patio.
"Eighteen months ago, I was walking this valley with my survey team. There was nothing here but scrub brush and squirrels," He turned to walk backwards so he could see our faces as he told the story. "And you know what? We built such a nice place to live that I actually bought into it myself," I frowned, a sudden bad feeling twisting my stomach. "This is our house. We're the first family in Oasis Plains. This is my wife, Joanie," She smiled at us, holding out her hand to shake.
"Hi, there," Joanie greeted, still smiling.
"Hi, nice to meet you," I accepted the hand and shook it. Dean and Sam did the same.
"This is Sam, Dean, and Mel," Larry pointed to each of us in turn as he said our names.
"Pleasure," She said cordially.
"Tell them how much you love the place, Honey," Larry prompted, making me raise my eyebrows in slight shock. "And lie if you have to because I need to sell some houses," I smiled at his joke as he turned to face us again, "If you'll excuse me," He walked towards another couple that had just come through the door.
"Don't let his salesman routine scare you. This really is a great place to live," Joanie reassured us with another award winning smile.
"Hi, I'm Linda Bloom, head of sales," A perky, feminine voice came up behind Joanie.
"And Linda was second to move in," Joanie told us, gesturing to the redhead that was beside her, "She's a very noisy neighbor though," Linda laughed at the joke.
"She's kidding, of course. I take it you three are interested in becoming homeowners?" She asked.
"Well, not-" I began only to be cut off by Sam.
"Y-yeah," I glanced at him in surprise. "We're looking to buy a house,"
"Well, let me just say that we accept homeowners of any race, sexual orientation, color, or… beliefs," She curled her lip slightly at that. Why would people think that?
"Right," Dean muttered, not bothering to correct her and instead lacing his fingers through mine. "We are going to go talk to Larry," He held up our joined hands pointedly. "Okay, Honey?" We walked away from Sam to 'look for Larry', but, knowing Dean, we were probably headed for the food. Not that I was complaining, I'd barely eaten all day.
"Hey," Larry greeted, seeming to pop out of nowhere. "Leaving already?"
"Actually, we were looking for you," I smiled at him, "We were wondering if you would give us a tour of the house,"
"Ah, thinking of getting one for yourself?" He grinned before gesturing for us to follow him. "I don't blame you. It's a great house - perfect for newly weds," He gave us a look, and I felt my face heat up as we were led up the stairs. I avoided looking at Dean, and, thankfully, Larry went on before I was forced to say anything. "You can get a choice of three bedrooms and two bathrooms, if you want kids, or two bedrooms and three bathrooms. This is only for the second floor of course." He opened some doors, which led to nicely furnished rooms.
"What about that construction guy?" Dean asked him, and I saw his back stiffen. "What was his name… Dylan?"
"Dustin," Larry corrected, shaking his head and turning to us. "You two really do your research, huh?"
"We just prefer to know about a neighborhood before we consider it," I told him with a polite smile.
"It was a shame what happened to him," Larry shook his head again in pity. "Poor guys,"
"He wasn't the first?" Dean questioned and earned another head shake.
"There was a guy about a year ago, before the construction started. A surveyor - he died on the job. They said he had an allergic reaction to the bees." Dean and I exchanged a glance. There was a moment of silence before he lead us back down the stairs. "Anyways, enough about that, let's talk about floors. You have three choices - carpet, hardwood, and tile,"
"Whoa," I glanced up at Dean and followed his gaze to the jars that were sitting on a small coffee table. "Someone likes bugs,"
"My son," Larry sighed, a disapproving look in his eyes. "He's into insects. He's very inquisitive. but if you have any questions, here's my number," He wrote his number down and handed it to me. "Come on we should go back outside…" He trailed off, and I scanned the backyard for Sam, spotting him near the back, talking to a kid who was holding a tarantula. Larry marched across the yard towards his son with a stern look on his face. "I am so sorry about my son and his… pet," He began by apologizing to Sam.
"It's no bother," Sam assured him as I came up beside him.
"Excuse us," Larry grabbed his son's arm and steered him away from us, past Dean, and back into the house.
"Remind you of somebody?" Sam questioned us, glancing down at me and then at Dean. My eyes flicked to where Larry was yelling at his son on the porch. "Dad?" Sam prompted, and I decided to stay out of the argument.
"Dad never treated us like that," Dean protested, frowning at the kid, who was still getting castigated. I bit the inside of my cheek as I remembered what it was like back then.
"Well, Dad never treated you or Mel like that. You were perfect. He was all over my case," I felt Dean's eyes on me, but I avoided his gaze, choosing instead to study the buffet table. "You don't remember?" Sam was getting more and more pissed off.
"Maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes you were out of line," That was true. An understatement, yes, but true.
"Right," Sam laughed coldly, "Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bow hunting," I remembered that all too well. For three weeks I'd taken Sammy to soccer practice secretly. No one had ever found out, but if John had….
"Bow hunting's an important skill," Dean defended his father, and I looked away again, not being able to meet his eyes.
"Whatever," Sam muttered rolling his eyes. "How was your tour?"
"It was great," I cut in. "Very informative,"
"We're ready to buy," Dean added. "So you might be onto something. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here,"
"What happened?" Sam asked, lowering his voice.
"Almost a year ago, before they started digging, Larry had a surveyor that dropped dead. Here's the interesting part - they called it a severe allergic reactions to beestings,"
"More bugs," Sam pondered.
"More bugs," I confirmed, knowing we were all finally on the same page. We went back around to the front of the house and got into the Impala as the sky grew dark. Thankfully, it hadn't rained while we were at the barbecue, and now night was approaching, which meant we needed to find a motel to stay at.
-3rd POV-
"I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles?" Dean questioned from the passengers seat as Sam drove. He glanced up to see Mel fast asleep, stretched out over the three backseats. He returned his gaze to his dad's journal that he was leafing through and fought a smile. "What is it that could make different bugs attack?"
"Well, hauntings sometimes include bug manifestations," Sam suggested, but Dean knew it wasn't a spirit.
"Yeah, but I didn't see any evidence of ghost activity," Sam pursed his lips at Dean's words, but he had to agree with him.
"Yeah, me neither," He kept his eyes on the road as he talked, knowing Dean would yell at him if he didn't.
"Maybe they're being controlled somehow, you know, by something or someone," Dean offered, looking up from the journal and at Sam.
"You mean like 'Willard'?" Sam asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, bugs instead of rats," He glanced into the rearview again to see Mel still sleeping. He kept expecting her to suddenly wake up and jump in with the perfect answer, but she just kept sleeping.
"There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals, elementals, telepaths," Sam mulled it over.
"Yeah, the whole Timmy/Lassie thing," Dean added, grinning. "Larry's kid," He suddenly realized, his eyes widening, "Bugs for pets,"
"Matt?" Sam echoed dubiously.
"Yeah," Dean nodded as Sam shrugged, thinking it through.
"He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula," Sam remembered.
"Think he's our 'Willard'?" Dean questioned, feeling good about the lead.
"I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess," They drove in silence for a few moments before Dean couldn't take it any more.
"Sam, whatever Dad did, he had his reasons," Sam let out an annoyed huff at the mention of his father.
"I know, but still, the way we were raised…" Sam just shook his head, frowning deeply.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Dean tried to play off, but Sam just glanced at him and then in the mirror at Mel before returning his eyes to the road.
"For you maybe," He muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean countered, growing defensive.
"You were his perfect son," Sam laughed bitterly. "And Mel… well, she had her own dad who protected her,"
"He was trying to teach us how to survive, and Mel had arguments with him too" Dean argued, keeping his voice low so they didn't wake her.
"Yeah? Well, you protected her," Sam grumbled, and Dean looked at him in surprise.
"What?" Was all he could get out before something caught his eye out the window "Hey, pull over here," They pulled into the driveway, and Sam shifted the gear into park. Dean got out, slamming the door behind him, tossing frequent looks back at Sam, thinking about what he'd just said.
"What're we doin' here?" Mel's tired, confused voice mumbled from the back seat as she sat up.
"It's too late to talk to anybody else," He reached down and opened the garage door.
"We're going to squat in an empty house?" Sam asked incredulously as Dean looked past him at Mel.
"I want to try the steam shower," Lust closed her throat, and all of a sudden, she was very awake.
"I agree, we should stay here," Sam groaned half in disgust half in annoyance at Mel's words.
"Maybe I'll just sleep in the car for the night," Sam muttered.
"Come on!" Dean ordered, gesturing through the garage door. Sam pulled the car into the garage before parking it, and Dean shut the door behind him.
-1st POV-
"You two ever coming out of there?" Sam's muffled yell was followed by several angry knocks. I was breathing heavily, my body was pressed against the wall as Dean hungrily kissed my neck. I tilted my head back and tried desperately to hold in a moan of pleasure. There was another loud knock.
"If we ignore him he'll go away," Dean mumbled, resting his forehead against mine. In response, I kissed him harshly, flipping us so he was against the wall. I heard his breathing grow even more ragged as I began trailing kissed down his neck, running my hands over his wet abs. I could feel his heart pounding through in his chest beneath my fingers.
"Guys, come on!" Another loud bang from the door. With a massive effort, I stopped myself, pulling back a bit and making the mistake of looking up at Dean. We locked eyes, his dark with desire.
"It's not that important," I barely had time to nod before Dean's lips were locked with mine, and we stumbled back, my hands fisting in his short, damp hair.
"A police call came in on the scanner," I pulled back from him, placing a trembling hand on his chest and resting my head on his shoulder. That was important. Damn it. Dean groaned in protest but reached around me to turn off the water.
"Hold on," He shouted to Sam, handing me a towel. We were both struggling to regain our breath as I wrapped the towel around me, staying close to the wall so Sam wouldn't be able to see me when Dean opened the door. "Someone was found dead three blocks from here. Come on," Dean wrapped a smaller towel around his head in an urban-looking do. I couldn't help but laugh breathlessly as he opened the door.
"This shower is awesome," Dean grinned, still breathless. I could barely see him through the thick steam even though I was only a few feet away.
"Come on," Sam whined disgustedly, and I heard his footsteps turn the corner.
I changed into dark blue skinny jeans and a light grey tank top that I covered with a darker grey jacket that zipped to the side. I figured since it probably rained last night, it would be chilly and foggy today. For the most part, I was right, but it was drizzly and chilly not foggy. We turned the corner in the Impala just as a body was being loaded into a trunk of a police car by the coroner. Sam parked the car behind another police car, and I got out, getting under Dean's black umbrella to save my cute leather jacket.
"Okay, look, I don't know anything more right now. I'll have to call you back. All right," We walked up to Larry, who was talking on the phone with someone but quickly shut it as we approached. "Hello," He greeted, attempting a smile, "You're back early,"
"Yeah, we just drove in wanted to take another look at the neighborhood," Dean told him, looking around.
"What's going on?" Sam asked curiously, and Larry looked back at the body being loaded into the trunk.
"You guys met Linda Bloom at the barbecue?" Larry reminded us sadly.
"The realtor," I remembered, frowning at him. "Did something happen?"
"Well, she, uh, passed away last night," I let the confusion slip off my face and looked at him with shock.
"What happened?" Dean asked in horror.
"I'm still trying to find out," Larry admitted. "I identified the body for the police," He looked back at the man who was waving him over. "I'm sorry. This isn't a good time,"
"It's okay," I reassured him as he took a step back, towards the house.
"Excuse me," He took off towards the porch where he began talking to an officer.
"You know what we have to do, right?" Dean phrased it like a question, but we all knew the answer.
"We got to get in that house," Sam answered him.
"See if there's a bug problem," I added as Dean turned back to the house.
Twenty minutes later I was standing beside the wooden fence that ran alongside the house, watching a cop car pass by. I turned nodding to Sam and Dean as soon as it was clear. Dean grabbed the top of the fence and pulled himself up with ease, and Sam and I followed. I balanced on the top of the fence for a moment before jumping to the house, nearly slipping down the side but catching myself. I slipped through the window after Dean and Sammy followed, sliding it shut behind him.
"This looks like the place," Dean said unnecessarily as we stared at the black tape in the outline of a body. Dean moved into the bathroom, shaking out a small towel to reveal a couple dead spiders. "Spiders. From spider boy?"
"Matt," Sam corrected stiffly. "Maybe,"
"I'm sorry, what?" I was completely lost here. "You two think Matt's behind the killings?"
"Yeah," Dean straightened from where he was crouched. "We think he might be a psychic to animals,"
"Like 'Willard'?" I asked dubiously, and Dean and Sammy both grinned as if I'd said something incredibly funny. "What?"
"Nothing, and yeah, like 'Willard' except with bugs not rats," Sam filled me in, and I shook my head.
"That boy isn't a sociopath," I would've felt it, but I didn't say that. How much longer would I be able to keep this secret from Sam? He frowned at me but didn't say anything.
"You don't know, he could be," Sam countered, and there was nothing I could say to that.
"Fine, let's check him out," I relented, still feeling as though he were more of a victim than anyone. We crept back out the window and down the fence before riding to the school bus stop that was in front of Oasis Plains. "I feel like a pedophile," I complained, glancing out the windshield at the school bus that was pulling up. Dean and Sam snickered at that, and I hit Dean in the shoulder. "Hey, where's he going?" I noticed he was walking the opposite direction.
"Isn't his house that way?" Dean wondered.
"Yep," Sam confirmed from the back, and we got out, following the boy. I swallowed hard as we saw Matt with a huge preying mantis on his wrist. There wasn't a lot of things I was truly scared of. Well, actually, there was only two things that I was really, truly scared of. That being said, I didn't like bugs much. I wasn't scared of them, but they grossed me out. I remained an okay distance away by Dean's side, "Hey, Matt," Matt looked up at us in surprise as Sam announced us. "Remember me?"
"What are you doing out here?" He asked, glancing between the three of us suspiciously.
"We just need to talk to you," I informed him in the most non-creepy way I could.
"You're not here to buy a house, are you?" He figured, turning back to Sam before his face went ashen, and he took a step back "Wait, you're not serial killers?" I let out a small laugh at that.
"No, no. No, I think you're safe," Sam reassured him.
"So, Matt," Dean began with a grin, "You sure know a lot about insects,"
"So?" He shrugged, studying the mantis on his wrist.
"Did you hear what happened to Linda, the realtor?" Dean questioned.
"I hear she died this morning," The boy looked genuinely sad.
"Mm, that's right," Dean informed him before dropping his voice into a whisper. "Spider bites," The boy looked down, swallowed, and then looked back up at Sam.
"Matt, you tried to scare her with a spider," Sam told him, and Matt's eyes widened with surprise.
"Wait," He held up a finger, "You think I had something to do with that?"
"You tell us," I told him, shrugging, but still sticking to my feeling that the boy was innocent.
"That tarantula was a joke," He protested, "Anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas-company guy," I frowned, paying closer attention. He might not be the one causing it, but maybe he did have some sort of connection to the insects.
"What do you know about those?" I questioned him, more interested now.
"There is something going on here. I don't know what, but something's happening with the insects," He spoke with conviction, putting down the mantis, and swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Let me show you something," He told us, walking past us and leaving us to follow.
"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad?" Sam asked him. "Maybe he could clear everybody out,"
"Believe me, I've tried, but Larry doesn't listen to me," He calls his dad by his first name, which means they aren't on good terms. That and the bitter undertone in his voice was a dead giveaway.
"Why not?" Sam inquired even though I think we both knew the answer.
"Mostly? He's too disappointed in his freak son," I glanced at Dean quickly to see him processing the words.
"I hear ya," Sam sympathized with him, and I bit the inside of my cheek again.
"You do?" Dean echoed in surprise, making Sam turn to look back at us.
"Matt, how old are you?" Sam questioned him.
"Sixteen," He answered with a glance back.
"Well, don't sweat it cause in two year something great's gonna happen," Sam told him, and I glared at the back of his head.
"What?" Matt asked dubiously.
"College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad," Sam tried to comfort him with an underlying bitterness in his voice.
"What kind of advice is that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light and the anger out of it.
"A kid should stick with his family," Dean added, and Sam turned back to glare at Dean while I glared at him.
"How much farther, Matt?" Sam turned away from us.
"We're almost there," Matt answered, glancing from Sam to Dean to me uncertainly. He led us for a few more minutes before we stopped in a clearing. "I've been keeping track of the insect population. It's part of an AP science class,"
"You two are like peas in a pod," Dean muttered, his eyes flicking from Matt to Sam.
"What's been happening?" He asked.
"A lot," Matt told us. "I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles - you name it. It's like they're congregating here," Matt explained.
"Why?" I questioned curiously.
"I don't know," He admitted, shrugging, but looking around the clearing.
"What's that?" Sam asked pointing to a big mound of dirt near the middle of the clearing. Matt shrugged, and Dean pushed past them to find out. I followed with Sam and Matt, coming up by Dean's side as he knelt by the mass of earthworms that were wriggling in the dirt. I swallowed my disgust and suppressed the urge to take a step back. Dean took a stick that had been lying beside him and poked around in the hole that he'd made. It hit something that made a hard thunking sound.
"There's something down there," He announced, looking up at Sam and me. I swallowed again. "Oh, man," Dean stuck his hand into the hold, feeling around as he grunted with effort, trying to lift the thing. "Come on, come on," He succeeded in pulling up the thing. It was a skull. There were three more.
Sam opened the door to the backseat and shrugged off his jacket while I waited on the other side of the car with Dean. He covered the box that contained the skulls before lifting it out of the car and joining us.
"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave," Sam mused aloud.
"Yeah, maybe this is a haunting," Dean offered, "some pissed off spirits - some unfinished business,"
"Or a curse," I suggested, the words seeming to fly out of my mouth before I'd processed them. The two boys looked at me, and I shrugged thoughtfully. "It makes sense. The bugs - nature - attacking people who are trying to sell the land,"
"All right, but the question is why bugs and why now?" Sam got to the point, and I agreed.
"That's two questions," Dean told him, and I bit back a grin. "So, with that kid back there, how could you tell him to just ditch his family like that?" Dean asked.
"Just, uh, I know what the kid's going through," I'd talk to Sam later about that. Truth be told I wasn't so happy with him either. I don't care what kind of crap you've been through, and Lord knows, Sam's been through a lot of crap, but you don't unload on a kid like that.
"How about telling him to respect his old man? How's that for advice?" Dean snapped at him, getting angry.
"Dean, come on," Sam grabbed his arm and stopped, facing him. "This isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect Dad. That's what this is about," I hesitated before deciding to stay. The last thing we needed was for them to get into it right here. Dean glanced away from Sam, and his eyes caught mine. I gave him a meaningful look. The one that said 'we are working a case - save it for later'.
"Forget it, sorry I brought it up," Dean turned away from Sam, starting towards the building.
"I respected him, but no matter what I did, it was never good enough," Sam's face twisted into a resentful look.
"So, what are you saying, that Dad was disappointed in you?" Dean's voice was flat when he talked as if he was suddenly very, very tired.
"Was? Is… always has been," I turned to meet Sam's eyes in surprise.
"Why would you think that?" I'd promised myself I wouldn't get involved in this one, but I couldn't help the words escaping my lips.
"Because, Mel, I didn't want to bow hunt or hustle pool. Because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which in our whacked-out family made me the freak," Sam vented.
"Yeah, you were kind of like the blond chick in 'The Munsters'," Dean joked, and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I watched the two.
"Dean, you know what most dad's are when their kids score a full ride? Proud. Most dads don't toss their kids out of the house,"
"I remember that fight," Dean remembered, and I swallowed hard, remembering that day. "In fact, I seem to recall a few choice phrases coming out of your mouth," Sam scoffed, shaking his head.
"You know, truth is, when we finally do find Dad, I don't know if he's even gonna want to see me," I frowned at Sam's words.
"Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you. Never." Dean told him truthfully.
"He was scared," I finally spoke up again, knowing Dean would never say those words. Sam's eyes snapped to my face and he furrowed his brow in disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" He scoffed.
"She's right," Dean agreed, glancing at me before returning his eyes to Sam. "He was afraid of what could have happened to you if he wasn't around. But even when you two weren't talking, he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could, keep an eye on you, make sure you were safe,"
"What?" Sam asked in shock.
"Yeah," Dean confirmed with that same tired voice.
"Why didn't he tell me any of that?" Sam demanded.
"That's a two way street, dude. You could've picked up the phone," There was a moment of silence where Sam mulled over Dean's words.
"We'd better go," I finally cut in to the silence. "We're gonna be late for our appointment," We walked in and set the box down on the professor's desk to have him examine them.
"So, you three are students?" He scrutinized us as he carried the box.
"Yeah. Yeah, we're in your class," Sam prompted him.
"Anthro 101," I added helpfully.
"Oh, yeah," The professor spoke as if he remembered.
"So, what about the bones, professor?" Dean asked him.
"This is quite an interesting find you've made. I'd say they're 170 years old, give or take. The time frame and the geography heavily suggest native american,"
"Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" Sam inquired, and the professor thought for a moment.
"Not according to the historical record, but, uh… relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time,"
"Right," I spoke confidently, "But are there any local legends? You know, stories about the area?" The professor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing at me.
"Well, you know, there's a Euchee tribe in Sapulpa. It's about sixty miles from here," He shrugged, "Someone out there might know the truth,"
Forty-five minutes later we were pulling into the grounds in Sapulpa. Dean leaned out the window to ask a guy where he could find the elder of the tribe. We were pointed a short ways up the road, and Dean parked in front of what looked like a diner. We entered the diner and looked around, spotting the man with the grey hair in a booth near the entrance.
"Joe Whitetree?" Sam asked him. The man didn't answer but instead just nodded with a slight frown. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right,"
"We're students from the university," Dean told him, grinning winningly.
"No, you're not. You're lying," The man called him out without so much as blinking.
"Um… well, the truth is-" Dean began.
"You know who starts sentence with 'truth is'? Liars," The man interrupted him in a throaty voice, continuing his card game.
"Have you heard of a place called Oasis Plains?" I figured he'd answer the questions as long as we didn't lie to him. "It's a housing development near the Atoka Valley," The man looked up at Dean.
"I like them. They're not liars," Dean looked away in annoyance. "I know the area,"
"What can you tell us about the history there?" Sam inquired.
"Why do you want to know?" He questioned us, frowning again.
"Something bad is happening in Oasis Plains," Sam started.
"We think it might have a connection to these old bones we found down there," I added.
"Native American bones," Sam prompted.
"I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. 200 years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the american calvary came to relocate them. They were resistant… cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on a night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the calvary first raided our village. They murdered, raped," I glanced away and back again, unable to hold his gaze for too long. "The next day, the calvary came again, and the next and the next, and on the sixth night the calvary came one last time, and by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up, and protect the valley, and it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white men as the calvary brought upon his people,"
"You were right," Dean fixed me with his green eyes, "Insects. Sounds like nature to me. Six days?"
"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive," The man finished ominously. We turned and headed out the door without bothering the man anymore.
"When did the gas-company man die again?" I asked, a tug in my gut telling me this was not good.
"Uh, let's see, we got here Tuesday, so Friday the 20th," Dean replied.
"March 20th," I reiterated, glancing at Sam.
"That's the Spring Equinox," Sam caught on.
"The night the sun and the moon share the sky as equals," Dean pieced together, and Sam let out a half laugh.
"So every year about this time, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger," Sam summed up.
"Larry built his neighborhood on cursed land." I muttered, trying not to be too frustrated. He didn't know. I suddenly stopped short, a sudden thought coming to me. The boys walked a couple more steps before turning, realizing I wasn't with them anymore. "The sixth night,"
"That's tonight," Dean realized, his eyes widening. I walked quickly to the car, opening the passenger door.
"If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise," Sam told us, for once not arguing about being in the back. I bit my lip at Sam's next words. "So, how do we break a curse?" I exchanged a pained glance with Dean.
"You don't break a curse," He told Sam, "You get out of it's way. We got to get those people out now,"
By the time we were even close to Oasis Plains, it was dark already. I snatched Dean's phone from the seat and flipped it open, quickly dialing the number Larry had given me the previous day.
"Hello?" A man's voice answered.
"Hello. Is this Mr. Larry Pike?" I questioned in an grave voice.
"Yes, who is this?" He asked.
"Mrs. Swann from the Oklahoma Gas and Power," I maintained my somber tone as I spoke, trying not to rush my words despite the urgency. "I'm calling to inform you there's a main-line gas leak in your area,"
"God, really? And how big?" Larry asked.
"Well, I wouldn't want to alarm you, it's nothing we can't take care of. However, we do need you and your family to evacuate for the night. We are sorry for any inconvenience, but your safety is our first priority,"
"And who is this again?" I bit my lip uncertainly at his doubtful tone.
"Charlotte Swann from Oklahoma Gas and Power. I'm the CEO of the company," I informed him.
"Uh-huh, well, see the problem is I know the Oklahoma Gas and Power company. The CEO is Mitchell Westfield, so who is this?" I hesitated before snapping the phone shut with a sigh of frustration. Sam grabbed the phone from my fingers, and flipped it up, dialing quickly.
Hello? A boy's voice answered on the other line, and I glanced back at Sam incredulously. When did he get the kid's number?
"Matt, it's Sam," He spoke hurriedly with urgency.
Sam my backyard is crawling with cockroaches. Matt sounded scared.
"Matt, just listen. You need to get your family out of the house right now, okay?" Sam ordered him, leaving no room for arguing.
What? Why?
"Because something's coming," Sam replied shortly.
More bugs.
"Yeah, a lot more,"
My dad doesn't listen in the best of circumstances. What am I supposed to tell him? Matt asked, panicked.
"You got to make him listen, okay?" Sam demanded.
"Give me the phone," Dean snapped, holding out his hand into the back. We swerved, and Sam handed him the phone. "Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell him the truth. He'll just think you're nuts,"
But he's my- Matt began, terrified, only to have Dean interrupt him.
"Tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side," He commanded, ignoring the kid's fearful protest. "And you got to go to the hospital, okay?"
Yeah, yeah, okay. Matt agreed determinedly before hanging up the phone.
"'Make him listen'," Dean scoffed, glancing back at Sam, "What were you thinking?" For once, I had no problem with Dean's speeding. Five minutes later, we were pulling up in front of the Pike's house. "Damn there still here. Come on," I got out of the car, meeting Larry's eyes through the window as he pulled back the curtain.
"Get off my property before I call the cops!" Larry yelled at us, pointing an accusing finger.
"Mr. Pike-" I began in a calm tone.
"Dad, they're just trying to help," Matt tried to come to our aid, but his dad turned on him.
"Get in the house!" His dad hollered at him.
"Sorry," Matt ignored his dad and looked at us instead. "I told him the truth," I closed my eyes in defeat. Damn it.
"We had a plan, Matt. What happened to the plan?" Dean chastised him.
"Look, it's twelve AM. They are coming any minute now," Sam tried to reason with Larry.
"He's right. You need to worry about your family. Get them and go before they come," I pleaded with him.
"Oh, yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm," Sarcasm lined Larry's voice as he sneered at us.
"What do you really think happened to that realtor, huh?" Dean spoke with dead seriousness in his voice. "And the gas-company guy? You don't think something weird's going on around here?" Larry's eyes flicked to Sam and then to me, and I could see his confidence was wavering.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy," Larry had made his choice, and his eyes darkened with anger. "You come near my boy or my family again, we're gonna have a problem,"
"Well, I hate to be the downer but we got a problem right now," Dean replied with urgency.
"Dad, they're right. Okay, we're in danger," Matt cut in, begging his father to change his mind.
"Matt, get inside now!" Larry turned on his son.
"No!" Matt yelled back. "Why won't you listen to me?" I watched the exchange warily, glancing over my shoulder at the surrounding trees uncertainly. That's when I heard them. The buzzing.
"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!" I grabbed Dean's arm tightly and nodded towards the trees as Sam yelled back at Larry.
"Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now are you really gonna take that risk with your family?"
"Guys," I interrupted their argument, earning silence from everyone as they looked at me. "Do you hear that?" I got blank looks until a second later when a quiet buzzing filled the air like a million tiny wings. The buzzing was intensifying by the second, and I turned to look up at Dean. "We have to get them out of here,"
"What the hell?" Larry asked softly, his face twisting in confusion. The lantern on Larry's porch crackled as bug after bug flew into it.
"It's time to go. Larry, get your wife," Dean ordered. "Sam-"
"Wait," I stopped both brothers at the same time Matt spoke in a weak voice, "Guys?" A hoard of winged insects were coming up from the trees, forming a dark cloud that loomed over the forest forebodingly.
"Oh, my god," Larry muttered in horror and fear.
"We'll never make it," Sam spoke lowly to us, and it was clear he was trying his best to remain calm.
"Everybody in the house. Everybody in the house. Let's go!" I quickly ascended the steps, grabbing Matt, who seemed to be frozen in place, and pushing him in front of me. Dean shut the door behind him, locking it securely, and I faced Larry.
"There's no one else in the neighborhood, right? Just you," I checked, hoping beyond hope that I was right.
"Yes, it's just us," My eyes shut for a moment in slight relief before snapping open again.
"Honey, what's happening?" Joanie came out of the kitchen to stand beside her husband. "What's that noise?" She questioned, a tinge of fear coming into her voice as the buzzing grew louder and angrier.
"Call 9-1-1," Larry instructed his wife, who just stood their in shock. "Joanie!" He snapped, causing her to snap out of her trance. My eyes fell to the floor where they fixed on the opening beneath the door. Bugs would be able to get in from anywhere.
"I need towels!" Dean grabbed Larry's shoulder and shook him a bit. Larry rushed off into another room.
"We need to lock this place up," Sam pulled Matt with him. "Come on, doors, windows, the fireplace, everything,"
"You and Matt get the living room," I yelled at Sam as I raced into the kitchen. "Dean and Larry will get upstairs," I snatched the phone out of Joanie's hands and hung it up. "The police can't help us now," I told her, opening and closing her drawers, pulling out anything that could be of help. "Where do you keep the dishtowels?" I grew frustrated and turned to her to see her holding a cleaver. "That won't be of use either, you'll just end up hurting someone," I took the knife from her and returned it to its place before grabbing her shoulders. "Joanie, you and your family will be fine, all right? I promise. But you have to help me, all right? You have to help me protect your family," She nodded, renewed determination in her eyes, and I released her shoulders.
"What do you need me to do?" She asked.
"Where do you keep the dishtowels?" She rushed to a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen and began pulling down dishtowels. She picked up the phone again and before I could do anything, she set it down again, looking at me with panic. "The phones are dead!"
"They chewed through the phone lines," Dean explained as he hurried through the kitchen with towels. I closed the windows and locked them, making sure there was no way for anything to get in. The lights shut off. "And the power lines,"
"Maybe my cell," Larry offered, diving for his phone, "No signal,"
"You won't get one. There covering the house," I responded, grabbing a towel from Dean and doing the backdoor as well before returning to them. The windows were being pelted by black bugs of all different size and shape.
"So what do we do now?" Larry questioned, breathing quickly as he tried to process what was happening.
"We try to outlast it," Sam replied, "Hopefully the curse will end at sunrise,"
"Hopefully?" Larry echoed in fear as Dean walked into the kitchen, and came back a moment later carrying two cans of bug spray.
"Bug spray?" Joanie sounded incredulous. Dean handed one can to me.
"Trust me," There was a loud creaking, and my head snapped up, my eyes zeroing in on the fireplace.
"What's that?" Joanie turned to look at the living room in terror. Adrenaline was making my hearing even sharper, and I could hear each individual buzzing sound coming from millions of different insects. Sam and Dean approached the fireplace while I stood rooted to my spot, entranced by the sound.
"The flue," Sam realized. The bugs were about to come in through the fireplace, and I forced myself to snap out of it.
"Everybody needs to get upstairs," I spoke quietly but urgently, pulling Matt towards me and then pushing him up the stairs before doing the same to Joanie. There was the splintering of wood, and dark shapes, moving too fast to see, shot out of the fireplace. I covered my face as I heard Larry's family start screaming in fear and horror.
"Get up the stairs! Now!" I focused on Dean's voice and pressed the bottle of bug spray. Fire came spurting out, disintegrating the bugs nearest it. My eyes locked on the stairs, and I followed Larry, using the bug spray to ward off the insects.
"Go! Go, go, go!" I heard Sam's voice leading us as we ran up the stairs. I heard the crash of the ladder coming down; we were headed towards the attic. "Go, Joanie," The spray bottle killed more of the bugs. "Come on!" I grabbed the bottle tightly and climbed as fast as I could, knowing Dean was behind me. Sam grabbed my arm as I neared the top and helped me out, and I crouched beside him, spraying the bugs that got up. Dean was up a couple seconds later, and we torched the bugs as Sam hauled up the latter and closed the attic.
"Oh, god. What's that?" I don't know how long we'd been up here but it must've been at least an hour. The bugs were still trying to find a way in, which means the sun hadn't risen yet, and, by the feel of my can, I was almost out of bug spray. The Pikes were all in a corner of the attic, huddled together, and Joanie was pointing to the roof where a shower of sawdust was falling from a slight hole.
"Something's eating through the wood," Dean realized, and my heart sunk.
"Termites," I told him. What else could it be?
"Okay, everybody get back," Dean ordered, gesturing his hand at them as they retreated farther into the corner. The wood broke, and I barely had time to get the bottle up to protect my face when I was attacked by a swarm of bugs.
"Sam!" I cried to get his attention, pointing to the piece of metal that was by his foot. He picked up the metal thing and pressed it to the hole, and Dean held it there with a beam, bracing it against the door. I worked on getting rid of the remaining bugs, but, unfortunately, there was another splintering of wood and another hole opened up. The fire abruptly cut out, and I ran back the family. Distantly, I saw a flame cut out in the middle of the swarm and knew Dean's was empty as well. I heard the clink of the bottle hit the ground, and a moment later the metal sheet that Sam had put up fell and the hole grew twice as big.
Next thing I knew, Dean's body was covering mine, and he propped his jacket up to cover a little bit of Matt as well. The noise pounded on my eardrums as if I was at in a mosh pit at a concert right next to the speakers. Joanie's screaming, the buzzing, everyone's terrified heartbeats going a mile a minute, their shaky breathing. Suddenly, the attic was flooded with light, and the bugs began to diminish. Slowly, Dean lowered his jacket and stood, and I followed, looking out from the hole in the roof at the sunrise in immense relief.
After much, much convincing, I'd persuaded Dean and Sam to stop by the Pikes' house before we left to say goodbye to them. Sam and Dean hated goodbyes, which was ironic considering how much we had to give them. We pulled up in front of the house, and, as expected, a moving van was in front loading furniture into it.
"What?" Dean questioned, feigning hurt as he got out of the Impala. "No goodbye?" I walked around the hood to join him and Sam in walking towards Larry.
"Good timing," Larry commented. "Another hour and we'd have been gone," He shook Sam's hand, smiling at us with a look of gratitude.
"For good?" Sam questioned.
"Yeah," He confessed, "The development's been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found, but I'm gonna make damn sure no one lives here again." I smiled at his determination.
"You don't seem to upset about it," Sam noticed.
"Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but, somehow," He looked back at his son, who was carrying some boxes out of the house and smiled. "I don't really care," Sam nodded, smiling and looked back at the kid before deciding to walk over to him.
"So, where are you planning on going next?" I asked, turning away from where Sam was talking to Matt.
"Oh, I don't know," Larry shrugged but looked happier than I'd seen him this entire hunt. "We're going to live a couple neighborhoods over until we figure out what we're going to do," I nodded, and there was a moment of silence.
"Can I help you with those," Dean took a couple boxes and lifted them onto the truck.
"Thanks," Larry shook hands with Dean and then with me before going over to his boy as Dean and I walked back over to the car and leaned on the side of the hood. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I leaned on his chest as we watched Larry and Matt talk. Sam came over to us and leaned on the hood beside me.
"I want to find Dad," His voice was raw with emotion as he spoke the words.
"Yeah, me too," Dean replied, and I covered his hand with mine, lacing our fingers together.
"Yeah, but I just… I want to apologize to him," I glanced at Sam in surprise.
"For what?" I questioned, although I think I already knew the answer.
"All the things I said too him," Sam told us. "He was just doing the best he could,"
"Well, don't worry we'll find him, and you'll apologize, and within five minutes you guys will be at each others throats," Both Sam and I laughed a bit at the truth behind those words.
"Yeah, probably," Sam admitted.
"Definitely," I corrected him, earning another laugh.
"Let's hit the road," Sam straightened, heading around the car.
"Yeah," I agreed, and I slid into the back of the car, stretching my legs out across the seats. Dean revved the engine, and we were off again, another town disappearing in the rearview mirror.
