**Hey! Okay if you review on this chapter there is one quick question I'd like you to answer: Did you find all the switching (persons, past, present, etc.) confusing? I'm asking cause there might be more chapters where I switch from 1st to 3rd person like that and change from past to present. This chapter has a lot more switching than I've done in the past, and I just want to make sure that everybody can keep up with it. I hate it when stories are confusing like that, so I'm just making sure mine isn't. Also: I am planning on doing all the seasons I can, and I already have plans for a lot of them so get ready! Thank you so much and if you have ideas or suggestions or flashbacks you want to see or anything really please review! Thanks again!**

The Benders

"Are you sure this is a case?" Sam questioned skeptically, flipping through the missing persons flyers for the billionth time. I rolled my eyes at the all too familiar question and turned my gaze out the passenger's window as Dean answered.

"Kid says he saw a man get dragged under a car. That seem normal to you?" Dean was getting tired of the question too.

"Not to mention that Hibbing, Minnesota has one of the highest disappearance rate in the country," I added, glancing in the rearview to see Sam still looking uncertain. "It's here," I pointed to the old looking brick house that stood on the corner. Dean parked the car in front of the place, and we got out. The woman let us in without question, barely asking to see our badges. I'd come to love the trusting people; they made our job so much easier.

"Look, I know your just doing your job, but the police have been here all week already. I don't see why we have to go through this again," She told us as Dean got out his small notepad that he wrote details on. My eyes fell on the shy looking kid that stood by her side. "The more he tells the story, the more he believes it's true,"

"Mrs. McKay," Sam and Dean took off their hats in unison while I kept studying the boy, trying to get any type of feeling from him. All I could get was a distant fear and shock. "We know you spoke with the local authorities," Sam started, and I turned my attention back to the boy's mother.

"But this really is more of a state police issue. So, if you don't mind going through it once more," I smiled kindly at her, and she returned it somewhat unhappily but nodded nonetheless.

"Don't worry about how crazy it sounds, Evan. You just tell us what you saw," Evan gave a big sigh after Sam had finished and began his story.

"I was up late… watching TV… when I heard this… weird noise," His eyes grew distant as he spoke.

"What did it sound like?" Sam questioned.

"It sounded like… a monster," My eyebrows rose at his choice of words. I could feel Sam's I-told-you-so expression as he turned his eyes on Dean and I, but I refused to turn to face him.

"Tell the officers what you were watching on TV," His mother prompted, giving us a look with pursed lips.

"Um… Godzilla versus Mothra," Dean chuckled while I cracked a smile.

"That's our favorite Godzilla movie," Dean told him, gesturing to me and himself, and I grinned slightly. He had made me watch it years back, and I'd actually liked it more than I thought I would've. In return, he had to watch Dr. Sexy MD, and Dean had gotten hooked. "It's so much better than the original,"

"Totally," The kid agreed, grinning up at Dean with newfound respect.

"Yeah, he likes the remake," Dean glanced at Sam before making a face at the kid.

"Yuck," The kid scrunched up his face in disgust, and Sam cleared his throat loudly, making me press my lips together to keep from laughing. Dean opened his mouth, and I hit his arm lightly to stop him from saying whatever smartass comment he had been about to make.

"So, Evan, could you see the thing or could you just hear it?" I inquired, getting back on track.

"Just hear it," He answered, his gaze dropping to the floor with a frown. "But I saw it grab Mr. Jenkins. It pulled him under the car,"

"Then what?" Sam questioned.

"It took him away," Dean tapped the pen against the notepad impatiently, knowing this kid didn't see enough to be of real use. "I heard the monster leaving. It made this really scary sound,"

"What sort of sound?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him. I was starting to have my doubts about this case. Usually, when something supernatural was going on, I would get this tight feeling in my stomach, almost as if I was excited but with more fear mixed in. Right now, I felt nothing except a vague sense of trepidation.

"It was this… whining growl," I glanced at Sam with a tight smile and an almost imperceptible nod.

"Thank you so much for your time," I smiled winningly at both of the residents of the house as Dean, Sam and I got back into the Impala. We ended up at a local bar called Kugel's Keg to mull over our findings for the day.

"So the local police have now ruled out foul play," Sam informed us, scanning the printed sheet he was holding. "Apparently there weren't signs of a struggle,"

"Yeah, you know, for once, they could be right about this. I mean, maybe it just isn't our kind of thing," I pointed out, throwing a dart at the target. It hit dead center, and Dean let out a small groan of annoyance while I grinned. I had a knack for bar games of any kind, and it drove Dean crazy.

"Yeah, maybe not. Except for this," I glanced at Sam in surprise that he had switched his perspective on the 'case'. "Dad marked the area, guys," I left the darts on the board and came to stand by Sam. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker," He read off while my eyes followed him.

"Why would he even do that?" Dean questioned, taking a sip of the beer that was on the table.

"Well, he found a lot of folk lore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too, this county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state," I shifted the book so I could read it easier. We had known about the town having one of the highest in the country but the county too.

"That's strange," I agreed as Dean went back to darts, and I took his beer.

"Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds?" Dean brought up a good point. It wasn't normal for them to get pulled under cars. "Jenkins was taken from a parking lot,"

"Mostly, yeah, but they're different kinds," I spoke up, moving the clippings that John had attached to the page with a paperclip. "A lot of these can take people from anywhere,"

"Look, guys, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either," Sam started, and Dean turned back to us, wrapping an arm around my waist and smiling slightly before turning to Sam.

"Yeah, you're right. We should ask around more tomorrow," I nodded at the idea as Dean handed me the yellow darts and kept the red.

"Right," Sam agreed somewhat hesitantly as I threw one of the darts. It hit just inside the red bullseye. "I saw a motel about five miles back," "Whoa, whoa. Easy, let's have another round," Dean appealed to him, nodding to the beer on the table, and Sam just shook his head.

"We should get an early start," Sam spoke logically, but I frowned in annoyance at his words.

"You really know how to have fun don't you, grandma?" I hit Dean's shoulder lightly before sighing.

"He's probably right. We should go," Dean looked at me as I spoke.

"Not you too," I grinned slightly at his disappointed expression. Finally, he sighed in defeat. "All right. I'll meet you outside. I got to take a leak," He headed off to the bathroom while Sam collected the papers, and I picked up John's journal. We headed outside, and I was aware of Sam's eyes on me the whole way as I walked in front of him. Something was off about the way he was looking at me. Ever since the telekinetic boy - Max - his eyes held a certain wary look to them. Sam shut the door behind him, and I slowed to let him fall into step beside me.

"What?" It had been the first time we'd been really alone since Max. We'd had a few moments, of course, here and there but there'd been other people around. Not like this. The parking lot was completely deserted save for me and Sam.

"What do you mean?" Sam questioned innocently, and I glanced around the lot, making absolutely sure no one was listening.

"Why do you keep giving me those weird looks," I elaborated, glancing at him to see him studying my face.

"What looks?" He denied knowledge of anything.

"Your doing it right now," I told him, stopping and crossing my arms over my chest in frustration and annoyance. Sam kept walking, glancing back at me briefly.

"I don't know what your talking about," I scoffed at his lie.

"Was it your vision?" He stopped short and turned to face me. I'd given it a lot of thought and replayed the events a million times in my head, and that was the only explanation I could come up with. Judging by Sam's face, I'd gotten it right. "What did you see that your not telling me?" I demanded, scanning Sam's hesitant face for any clues. "Sam, what did you see?"

"You," He answered simply, and I frowned in confusion. He looked away and then back, shifting his feet uncomfortably. "Max shot Dean, and you… you killed him," I closed my eyes in resignation, but I wasn't as surprised as I should've been. "But it wasn't just that, Mel. You… you moved him," My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then, all at once, I understood.

"You mean, I…" I swallowed hard, my face growing cold as I thought about what he'd seen. "I was like Max," Sam nodded, but he still looked worried.

"There's more," Sam swallowed before speaking again. "You forced him to drop the gun. It was like, as powerful as he was, he was nothing compared to you. You threw him against the wall, and then picked up the gun, and…" He had been talking faster and faster as he'd gone on, but suddenly he trailed off, as if unable to continue.

"And I shot him," I finished for Sam. We stood in silence for a moment, and I opened my mouth to say something when we heard a rattling sound, almost like a fence being shook. "Sam, get back inside," A bad feeling was rising in my stomach, and I took a step away from the cars.

"It's probably just a cat," He set his papers down on the car's hood and took a flashlight out of his pocket, turning it on and shining it around the empty parking lot. He bent down, and I reached him in three quick steps, setting John's journal down on the hood next to the papers.

"Sam, let's just go back inside," He bent down slowly, and I bent down with him to check under the car. An angry meow greeted us, and we both jerked back. He let out a breath of relief, but I was already pulling him up. My mind was working double time to process everything that was happening: Sam's vision, the bad feeling in my stomach, the weird noises I was hearing. Maybe that was why I didn't realize Sam had walked away from me and to the side of the car. I didn't realize until Sam let out a small cry. I snapped out of my thoughts and sprinted to the spot where he was struggling against an unseen force under the car.

"Sam!" I grabbed his hand and tried to yank him out. All of a sudden, thick, ropey hands grabbed me from behind, tearing my hands from Sam's. "Dean!" It was the only name I could think to yell as I struggled desperately, and Sam disappeared under the car. I lashed out with my foot and caught someone's chin. There was loud swearing followed by a sharp pain in my head, and then the world sunk into darkness.


-3rd person-

Dean walked into the sheriff's department quickly and handed one of his many fake badges to the woman behind the desk. His mind went a mile a minute as it listed all the possibilities that could've taken his brother and girlfriend. They could be dead already. That thought seemed to be on a loop in his mind driving him insane. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it. They had to be alive. They had to be. He couldn't loose them both. He didn't think he could survive loosing them both.

"What can I do for you, Officer Washington?" He blinked at the woman and forced himself to focus on the present.

"I'm working a missing persons," He informed her tightly. An unwanted image of the three of them in high school flashed through his mind. They were sitting in the back of the pickup Bobby had owned Mel's arms were wrapped around his neck, and she was laughing at something he'd said while Sam sat next to them grinning as well.

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police," He put the badge back into his back pocket.

"Uh, no, no. It was someone else. Two people, actually. It's my cousin and my girlfriend," Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and her eyes held sympathy. "The three of us were having a few last night at this bar down by the highway, and I haven't seen either of them since,"

"Does your cousin or your girlfriend have a drinking problem?" Dean's mouth twitched as he thought about Sam and Mel having a drinking problem.

"Two beers and Sam's doing karaoke, and Mel… she's not a drinker," He finished, and the lady smiled slightly. "No, they weren't drunk. They were taken," He held eye contact with the woman, trying to make her believe him.

"All right," She agreed finally, straightening and heading to the computer. "What're their names?"

"Scott and Winchester," Dean opened the small, wooden gate and stepped inside. "Melody Scott and Sam Winchester,"

"Like the rifle?" The lady questioned, typing on the keyboard.

"Like the rifle," Dean confirmed. She searched Sam first, and Dean waited impatiently for the search to go through. The woman clicked on his name and his information popped up on the screen.

"All right, Sam Winchester. So you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis, and, uh, was suspected of murder," She finished in shock, glancing at him quizzically.

"Yeah, Dean," Dean played off. "Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though," The joke momentarily distracted him from the situation.

"Well, he's not showing up in any current field reports. Let me check Melody," She exited out of Sam's information and typed in Melody. "You said her name was Scott?" She checked, and Dean nodded. The search went through faster, and she clicked the link. "Nope. Nothing,"

"Oh, I already have a lead," Dean told her, and she nodded at him to continue. "I saw a surveillance camera out by the highway,"

"Uh-huh. County traffic cam," The woman agreed.

"Right, yeah, I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took them," He reasoned quickly. "Or whoever," He hastily corrected himself, realizing his mistake.

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but… Well, in the meantime, let's do this the right way," Dean's heart sunk as she got up and bent over a table with papers littering it. "Why don't you fill out a missing-persons report, and sit tight over here" She put the paper on a clipboard, handing it to Dean. Another memory slammed into him. He was standing with his arms wrapped around Mel's waist as they looked up at the sky and watched the fireworks explode. A thirteen-year-old Sam was gazing in awe up at the reds and blues, and Dean reached out to ruffle his hair fondly much to Sam's annoyance. Their own little Fourth of July.

"Officer, look, uh… they're family, and I kind of - I kind of protect them, you know? You got to let me go with you," He tried appealing to her empathy, but she just gave him a tight lipped smile.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that," He looked down at the forms in his hand. Sam had fallen asleep in the backseat, and Dean had parked on the side of the road to take a break from driving. He was lying on the hood of the Impala with Mel wrapped in his arms as they gazed up at the starry sky.

"Well, tell me something. Your county has it's fair share of missing persons. Any of them come back?" She glanced down and then back up, confirming what Dean already knew. "Sam and Mel - their my family, and their coming back. I'm bringing them back,"


-1st person-

I jerked awake, my eyes darting around the darkness, desperately searching for any sign as to where I was. There was straw lining the ground, leading me to believe I was in some sort of barn. I realized I was in an iron cage, and quickly checked the rusty bars for a key hole but found none. Sam. The name made my brain ignite with panic, and I quickly scanned the room for the other cages. The one to my left held a motionless form, and the one across from me held an equally motionless lump.

"Sam!" I hissed the name into the darkness, praying for a response. "Sammy!" I snapped, daring to raise my voice above a whisper now. I heard a gasp from the cell beside me and pressed my hands against the bars as I saw him scramble to the back of his cage. "Sam, it's me," The cell was big enough for me to stand up in, though I had to hunch a bit.

"Mel?" Sam sounded relieved and worried at the same time. He wrapped his fingers around the bars of the door to his cage and gave a yank; they rattled but didn't open.

"I tried that. Doesn't work. No key hole either. There must be some sort of electronic opener," I explained everything I'd figured so far, and he turned to me, going over to wrap his hands around the bars nearest my cage.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, and I smiled slightly at his concern.

"Yeah, you?" I responded, knowing the answer before he said it.

"I'll be better once we get out of here," Yeah, me too. I glanced across from us at the limp man that lay in his cage and swallowed hard, silently praying Dean was coming to get us. I shook my head to get rid of any distracting thoughts and focused on finding a way out.


-3rd person-

A sixteen-year-old Dean ducked to avoid Mel's well-aimed kick at his head, and, in response, he sent his fist flying at her stomach. She, of course, blocked the punch; he knew she would. She blocked another punch before attempting to knee him in the stomach; he avoided her knee and caught her fist in his hand as she threw a punch aimed for his jaw. She grabbed his wrist and, to his surprise, slammed her back into his, sending him to the floor. Instead of letting go of her wrist like she'd thought he would, he tightened his hold, bringing her down on top of him. He flipped them over, pinning her wrists above her head.

"I win," He grinned, and she groaned in mock annoyance. They were both breathing hard from the fight as Dean looked triumphantly at her. His grin slipped from his lips as he gazed into her hazel eyes, and he realized how beautiful his friend really was. Suddenly, he became aware of how their faces were only inches apart, how her breath was tickling his cheek, how her eyes became more green then brown in the glow of the afternoon sunlight. Almost on an instinct, he tilted his head and brushed her lips with his. She responded tentatively, and his hands relaxed around her wrists to lace through her fingers. When he pulled back, her wide, breathless smile reflected his own.

"Greg," He was snapped out of his reverie by the officer who was walking towards him with some photos clutched in her left hand. "I think we got something," He rose from the bench, hoping against hope that she was right. She handed the photos to him, and he took them greedily. "These traffic cams take an image every three seconds as part of the amber alert program. These images were all taken around the time your girlfriend and cousin disappeared," She explained, but Dean was barely listening. He looked up at her in disappointment as the photos showed nothing out of the ordinary.

"This really isn't what I'm looking for," He began, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"Just wait, wait next one," He flipped the page to reveal a grainy black and white photo of a truck leaving the parking lot. "This one was taken right after Sam and Mel left the bar. Look at the back end of that thing. Now look at the plates," He flipped the page to a picture of the back of the van.

"The plates look new. It was probably stolen," He deduced, glancing up at the officer who was nodding.

"So whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved," A loud, whining squeal caught Dean's attention, and he looked over to see a black van going by on the road, it's engine letting out another whine. It was then that everything clicked in Dean's mind.

"You hear that engine?" The officer frowned in confusion about why that had anything to do with anything but nodded anyway. "Kind of whining growl, isn't it?"

"Sure?" Dean wasn't listening to the woman's confused response as his eyes followed the van until it was well out of sight.

"I'll be damned," He muttered.


-1st Person-

Sam let out a groan of effort as he kicked the cage wall again to no avail. He swung himself up to kick it twice more, which did about as much good as the first ten times he did it. I had my eyes closed and my right hand pressed against the cool, iron bars, trying to move them. If Sam said that he had had a vision of me moving something with my mind, then I should be able to do it here. The only problem was: I couldn't. A groan brought me back to reality, and I looked over at the previously limp man who was now slowly getting to his hands and knees.

"Your alive?" Sam asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Are you alright?" I questioned, ignoring Sam's.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" Fair enough. The man squinted distrustingly at us from his cage.

"Where are we?" Sam tried, and I knew what the man would say as soon as his face scrunched in disgust for the question.

"I don't know," He replied as if it were the dumbest question in the world.

"Guess," I offered, annoyed with this guy's attitude already. He sighed, and some of his attitude seemed to melt away.

"Country, I think," He glanced at the windows were small shafts of light were the only indication it was daytime. "Smells like the country,"

"Alvin Jenkins, then?" I phrased it like a question even though I was almost positive he was.

"Yeah," He confirmed with an air of pride to his voice. Sam let out a humorless chuckle and leaned on the bars of his cell door.

"Wow. We were looking for you," Sam told him, glancing at me and then back to him.

"Oh, yeah?" Alvin asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, and he made another face at us.

"Well, no offense but this is a piss-poor rescue," I couldn't help laughing a bit at his ungratefulness.

"My brother's out there right now, too. He's looking for us, so…" Sam spoke the words like a promise, but I could hear the hope and worry in his voice.

"So, he's not gonna find us," Alvin told us morosely. "We're in the middle of nowhere, waiting for them to come back and do god knows what to us,"

"What do they look like?" I questioned, suddenly needing to know the answer. "Have they came?"

"What are you talking about?" He shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever grabbed us. What did it look like?" Sam explained shortly. My head snapped up as I heard footsteps outside.

"See for yourself," I moved to the side of my cage nearest the door that was creaking open. One of them banged on Jenkins door hard, and he got the message, scurrying to the back of his cage quickly. A buzzer went off, and my eyes quickly located the source of the sound. They opened the door to his cage, and he pressed himself into the bars at the back.

"Leave me alone! Don't you touch me! You leave me alone!" He yelled at them, fear evident in his voice. The figure ignored him and set down a tray on the ground before closing the door to his cell. It clicked shut on it's own, and the figure walked towards Sam's cage, giving it a bash and making him jerk back.

"I'll be damned," Sam muttered, and I had to agree with him.

"They're people," I sounded as miffed as Sammy as they walked to the controls and clicked another button. There was a buzzer and my door clicked open.

"Come here," The voice sounded old and gravelly. It sounded like I'd imagine a farmer to sound. I backed up until my back was against the bars of the cell. My door was opened by a wrinkled hand, and I moved away from it. "Come here, you bitch,"

"Hey! Hey, don't touch her!" Sam yelled at them, slamming his hand into the iron bars of his cage.

"Shut up!" One of the men snapped, slamming the club he'd been holding into Sam's cage. The hand managed to grab my collar and drag me out of the cage.

"Get off of her, you son of a bitch!" Sam's shout distracted them just long enough for me to devise a plan. I slammed the heel of my boot into the man's chin, making him swear and release me, reeling in pain. I whipped around, grabbing the club before the second man could swing it at me, and I gave it a hard yank, throwing him off balance. I slammed my elbow into the second man's nose, making him scream as I saw blood beginning to seep from it. My head was jerked back as the first man grabbed ahold of my hair, and I threw my elbow back, trying to hit him. Unfortunately, he wasn't as dumb as I'd hoped he was. He avoided my blow and wrapped an arm around my stomach, pinning my arms to my sides. "Melody!" I barely registered Sam's yell before the second man's fist was brought down on my face.

-3rd Person-

"Melody!" Sam screamed her name. She was a good fighter, but the two men were twice her size and one of them held a club. Sam could only watch in helpless desperation as the man with the bloody nose slammed his fist across her face. She went limp in the other man's arms, and he threw her over his shoulder effortlessly. The man holding her walked out the door while the one with the bloody nose turned to give the area one last glance. His eyes fell on Sam, and Sam's face twisted into an expression of hatred. "My brother's going to come. And when he does, he's going to kill every one of you bastards," In answer to Sam's threat, the man slammed his club into the cage, forcing Sam to back up, before he followed his partner out the door.

"She your girl or something?" Sam tore his gaze from the door to focus on Jenkins.

"No," He answered, his mouth twitching briefly into the beginnings of a smile at the thought of Mel being his girl. He quickly blinked that thought away and focused on escaping. He needed to find her.

"Could've fooled me the way you were shouting for her," He glanced at Jenkins and then down at the food that he was wolfing down. "Sister, then?" Jenkins inquired, and Sam's lips twitched again as an idea came to him.

"How often do they feed you?" He questioned, ignoring what Jenkins had asked.

"Once a day," He answered through a full mouth. "They use that thing over there to open the gates," Sam followed his pointing finger to the small control panel on the post in the middle of the room.

"And that's the only time you see them?" Sam asked, and Jenkins eyes narrowed as he answered.

"So far, but I'm waiting," Sam moved closer to the bars as another idea struck him.

"Waiting for what?" He asked.

"Ned Beatty time, man," His lips twitched again at the man's response.

"I think that's the least of your worries right now," He told Jenkins.

"Oh, yeah?" Jenkins questioned sarcastically, annoyed at how Sam appeared to know everything.

"Yeah," Sam answered, barely paying him any attention.

"What do you think they want, then?" He asked as Sam braced himself against the cell, reaching the wire pipe that hung down from the ceiling.

"Depends on who they are," He told the man as he began pulling on the pipe.

"They're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks, if you ask me, looking for love in all the wrong places," Sam braced his feet against the cage, using his body weight to pull the pipe.


"Okay," The officer, whose name Dean had found out was Kathleen, spoke up after an hour of silence since they'd left the town. "The next traffic cam is fifty miles from here, and your pickup didn't pass that one, so…"

"So they must have pulled off somewhere," Dean finished for her. The last hour had been hell for him. His mind had bombarded him with memories of Sammy, Mel, and him doing anything from hunting to sitting on the couch watching a game and laughing. "I don't see any other roads here," Dean told her, studying the map on his lap and trying to dispel the images.

"Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads," Officer Kathleen informed him, and Dean grew annoyed at her words.

"Great," He muttered dejectedly as the computer beeped. Kathleen glanced at it and then back at Dean, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she typed in a few words, her eyes frequently glancing at the road. Her eyes scanned the computer for a moment before they flicked up to Dean. Dean's eyes were gazing out the window, not really seeing any of the scenery that was passing by. Dean let out a startled yelp as a sudden weight hit his back. Sam wrapped his arms around Dean's neck and wrapped his legs around Dean's stomach, pinning his arms to his sides. Dean looked down as he heard laughter, and his eyes found Mel, who was on the ground where he'd managed to trip her as they had been practicing like John told them to. "Get him, Sammy," Mel called through her laughter. Dean stumbled back and finally fell over into a pile of mud, covering both him and Sammy's clothes in a thin layer of dark brown mud. Dean looked up at her to see her holding her sides and crying with laughter. He stood, slipping a bit and started towards her, making her eyes widen as she scrambled back. "No, no, no, Dean, no," She turned to run, and he caught her around the waist, covering her backside in mud as they both laughed.

"So, Gregory…" She began cautiously, and he looked at her.

"Yeah," He answered, almost forgetting about the name he was going under. He glanced out the windshield to see where they were, having been out of it since they left the town.

"I ran your badge number," Dean's heart sunk with that statement. "It's routine when we're working a case with state police for accounting purposes and what have you. And, uh, they just got back to me," She pulled over on the side of the road. "It says here your badge was stolen, and there's a picture of you," Dean's eyes dropped to the monitor she'd turned around. He found himself staring at a man who couldn't be more different from himself.

"I lost some weight," He began, knowing it wouldn't work but thinking what the hell. He had to try. They were his family. "And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease,"

"Okay, would you step out of the car, please?" She asked, shaking her head, clearly annoyed as she shut off the car and unbuckled herself.

"Look, look," He stopped her, growing desperate and grasping for anything to say. "You want to arrest me, that's fine. I'll cooperate, I swear. But first, please let me find Sam and Mel,"

"I don't even know who you are, or if these people are missing," She pointed out, still shaking her head, unconvinced.

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this," He met her eyes, his begging hers to believe him.

"Identity theft? You're impersonating an officer," She listed to him, trying to make him understand how trapped she was in having to bring him in.

"Here's the thing," He looked away from her as he remembered that day. "When the three of us were young, I pretty much pulled them from a fire," The officer's eyes widened slightly, and he knew he was getting through to her. "And ever since then, I've felt it's my job to keep them safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find them fast…" He let the sentence hand, unable to finish it. They could be dead already. "Please," He begged the woman. "Their my family,"

"I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in," Fear shot through Dean as he realized what that would mean for Sam and Mel. Kathleen turned to the road again and her eyes caught a picture that was clipped to her sun visor. "After we find Sam Winchester and Melody Scott," Dean's whole body went weak with relief, and he slumped in the seat as she buckled herself and turned on the car.


-1st person-

When I slowly blinked awake, the first thing I was aware of was the two men talking, and, from the sound of it, they were in the room with me. The next thing was the moldy smell to the room that made me want to be sick. When I opened my eyes completely, I took in the two rough looking men, who were standing there with their hands over their chests and seemed to be arguing about something. It was only when I tried to move that I became aware of the ropes that bound my wrists and ankles to the chair.

"Good. You're 'wake," One of them leaned closer to me, and I pressed my back against the chair, trying to get away from his horrid breath. "We been waitin' for you," I was right, they looked like farmers, with their plaid shirts and trousers.

"What do you want with me?" I demanded, raising my chin defiantly to glare at them. The one to my right grabbed my chin roughly and studied my face for a moment before smiling exposing his rotting teeth.

"She's feisty, this one. I like her," He released my chin with a jerk of his wrist.

"Pa says she's mine," The other one complained in an almost whining tone of voice. The first one glared at what could only be his brother.

"Let's ask him then," Both brothers left the room, and I closed my eyes, trying to find Sam.

"What's your name again?" That was Jenkins voice. They were to my right. I didn't know how far, but the pain in my head was barely anything so it couldn't be more than a hundred yards.

"It's Sam," Sam's voice sounded strained as if he were pulling on something. I heard him grunt in effort and then a groan that sounded like metal giving way.

"Why don't you give it up, Sammy? There's no way out," Jenkins spoke morosely, and I could almost feel Sam's anger.

"Don't… call me… Sammy!" There was a snap and then a thud, and Sam groaned and coughed.

"What is it?" Jenkins wanted to know. I heard a slight scrape as something was picked up off the floor of Sam's cage.

"It's a bracket," I heard Sam say before my door swung open with a bang and in walked another man with grayer hair. The two others from before walked in behind him. One of them knelt beside me and grabbed my chin again, forcing me to look at the older man.

"Ain't she pretty?" His twang was even more noticeable now than it had been before.

"Sure is," He agreed, making me feel sick to my stomach as he smiled his rotting smile. "What's your name, princess," He reached out to touch me, and I did the only thing I could think of, I spit on him. He jerked back, his face twisting in hot fury before smacking me across the face, making my cheek sting. "She's all yours," The older man clapped the man who was beside me on the shoulder. "You'll get the next bitch that comes our way," The man added as he turned to the frustrated one who was still by the door. A fourth men appeared at the doorway, looking at the older man.

"He's free," The older man grinned, walking towards the door before turning back and giving me one last horrid smile before all the men walked out. I closed my eyes again and tried to find out what was going on. Who's free?

"I think you should get back in there, Jenkins," Sam was saying, his voice holding a tremor of fear and wariness. I heard the creak of a cage door opening and then footsteps. Jenkins was free.

"What?" Jenkins hissed as if Sam was crazy.

"This isn't right," Sam's voice was rising as he tried to get Jenkins to do understand how much danger he was in.

"Don't you want to get out of here?" Jenkins asked. He was walking slowly towards the door, looking around for any catch.

"Yeah, but that was too easy," Sam argued, and I silently begged Jenkins to listen to him.

"Look, I'm gonna get out of here. I'm gonna send help, okay? Don't worry," Jenkins told Sam, ignoring his protests and concerns.

"No. I'm serious. Jenkins, this might be a trap," Jenkins made it to the door, for I heard a slight creak.

"Bye, Sammy," The creak grew louder, and then stopped as Jenkins shut the door behind him.

"Jenkins!" Sam called after him. I hesitated a moment before focusing on Jenkins' footsteps heading away from the barn-like structure. I could hear the rain as his boots squished through the mud towards where I was, which, from the looks of it, was some sort of house. The footsteps paused, and I strained my ears to hear any small sound. There was a slight noise that I knew all too well. He'd picked up a blade of sorts. That's when a truly horrible thought occurred to me. Everyone had left my room. They'd said 'he's free'. And Jenkins happened to find a blade on the ground.

"Thank you," I was so horrified I almost missed Jenkins' whisper before he ran off through the woods. The woods were crawling with men that Jenkins couldn't see. I could hear their heavy breathing. Suddenly, there were hoots and hollers and wood snapping as they ran. Jenkins footsteps sped up to a sprint as he grew more and more afraid. There was a grunt and then a sickening thud and then a big squish as Jenkins was hit and he fell to the ground. I heard him panting as he scrambled for the knife, the man's maniacal laughter following him. There was a disgusting ripping of flesh and then the man howled and laughed.

Jenkins was fleeing again. His quick footsteps slowed to a walk and then stopped. He was lost. There was a sudden thwack that made me jump and Jenkins let out a scream of agony. I wasn't sure where the knife had hit him, only that it had. There was the sound of wood on wood as he desperately tried to defend himself against the farmers. They cackled at his attempts and another thud told me the knife had been kicked out of his hand. There was rustling as he stumbled along, still hoping to escape. There was a stretching sound and then a moan and thud as he hit the ground again. There were exhilarated whoops and laughter from two men that I could tell.

"Oh, god. Oh my god, no. Please, no," I whispered as I heard there boots crunch on the leaves. They were in front of him now. My eyes shot open, and my hearing snapped back to me. I didn't need my abilities to hear his dying screams.


-3rd-

"Okay, officer," Dean began, needing to talk to keep the memories at bay. "Look, I don't mean to press my luck,"

"Your luck is so pressed," She reminded him as they made their way to her police cruiser, coffees in hand. They'd been up all night.

"Right. I was wondering… why don't you just lock me up?" He questioned, and she nodded as if she had anticipated this question.

"My brother Riley disappeared three years ago - a lot like Sam and Mel," She took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "We searched for him, but… nothing. I know what it's like to want to protect someone, and for them…" She trailed off before looking back at him and seeming to snap back into reality. "Come on. Let's keep at it," They got back into the car, and started driving again. They'd only been driving for fifteen minutes when a road off to the side caught Dean's eyes.

"Wait, wait, here. Pull over," The officer pulled over to the side of the road. Dean got out of the car, and walked around to the dirt road. "This is the first turnoff I've seen so far,"

"You stay here. I'll check it out," Dean barely glanced at her as she gave him an order.

"No way," He answered, his eyes trained on the dirt road that could lead him to his family.

"Hey," She stopped walking, forcing Dean to turn and face her. "You're a civilian - and a felon, I think. I'm not taking you with me," Dean glanced at the road again before looking back at her.

"You're not going without me," She sighed sharply, looking around as if the trees would give her the answer.

"All right, you promise you won't get involved?" She looked him in the eye as she spoke. "You'll let me handle it,"

"Yeah, I promise," Dean shrugged, eager to follow the road.

"Shake on it," Dean shrugged again and took her hand only to have her cuff his wrist before he could let go.

"Oh, come on," He groaned as she led him to the car and cuffed him to the handle of the driver's door. "This is ridiculous," He complained, turning to watch her walk away. "Kathleen, I really think you're going to need my help," He called after her as she locked the car.

"I'll manage. Thank you," She answered, heading down the dirt road. He pulled at the cuffs for a moment before checking his pockets. Usually, Mel was the one who had a bobby pin to pick the handcuffs and get them out of a tight situation.

"I got to start carrying paperclips," He muttered to no one in particular.


-1st-

I was trembling in my chair both in fury and in fear. I had barely slept the night before and what little sleep I did get was riddled with nightmares and left me gasping awake, which would earn me a smack across the face for waking up the man that slept in the room. I hadn't been fed since I'd gotten to this hell hole, and my stomach was now growling uncontrollably. After he'd gotten home from the 'hunting trip' the man whose room I was in cut off my shirt and thrown it to the side. The man, as I'd found out soon after that, was named Jared Bender. His brother was named Lee. The jacket I'd been wearing when Sam and I had been abducted was now around the shoulders of the daughter, whose name was Missy. Apparently, Missy hadn't liked my shirt so he'd just cut it off instead of giving it to her as a gift.

It was a game to him. He'd rip off one piece of clothing every day until there was nothing left. I could imagine what happens after that. My boots had been taken off yesterday along with my jacket and socks. I was now barefoot in dark blue skinny jeans and a black lace bra. Thankfully, my shoes hadn't fit the girl so they were in a pile with my socks in the far corner of the room, meaning when I got out of these ropes, I'd put them back on. My shirt, however, was completely torn through, making it unwearable. My cheek stung, and I knew a bruise was probably forming on it along with my shoulder that he'd taken a club too when I'd bit his finger while he cut off my shirt. I'd tried just about everything I could think of to get out. When they'd taken my jacket, they'd found the knife up my sleeve, and I'd already tried moving the chair, which seemed to be bolted into the ground. The chair wasn't rough enough for me to saw through the ropes that way, meaning I was stuck here with no way out.

"Anybody home?" My head snapped up as I heard the female voice call. The voice was followed by a knock on the door, and the creaking of hinges as it opened. "Hi," She sounded shocked, and pity lined her voice, letting me know it was Missy that answered. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" The scratchy voice responded, and I struggled against my bonds. I knew it was useless, struggling would only make them chafe my wrists and ankles.

"I'm, uh, I'm Kathleen. I'm a deputy," Dean. It had to be Dean. The only problem was, as much as I strained my hearing, I didn't hear him with her. "What's your name?"

"Missy," She answered, and I heard her backing away.

"Missy. That's a pretty name. Missy, is your mom home?" She asked, uncertainty in her voice.

"She's dead," Missy answered without much feeling.

"Oh, I'm sorry," The woman told her, trying to be nice. "That's a nice jacket. Where'd you get that?" I heard Missy take a step back.

"My dad," She answered shortly, taking another step back.

"What about him? Is he here? No?" I assumed Missy'd shaken her head.

"I just want you to look at a picture a picture," I heard the crinkle of a photo. "Have you seen those two people?" There was another crinkle as Missy took it. "Look at that picture," There was a moment silence, and then, "What?"

"That's gonna hurt," I hung my head as I heard a clang of metal hitting her.

"Missy, sweetheart, go tell your brothers I want to see them," I stopped listening when I heard the door bang open and in walked Jared Bender. I swallowed hard as he knelt by me and trailed his rough fingers down my cheek, smiling that rotting smile.

"Can't wait till I take those pants," He fingered the waistband of my jeans as an involuntary shiver ran through me, causing his grin to widen. I glared ferociously at him.

"Go to hell," I told him, earning me a smack across the face. "Oh, wait. You're already there," Another two smacks. He was gearing up for a third when there was a small snicker by the door.

"Daddy wants to see you," Missy informed him in her light, scratchy voice. He grabbed my chin, squeezing it enough for it to hurt.

"I'll be back later," He grinned as he left with Missy, and I let out a breath. Where was Dean?


-3rd-

Dean's back was pressed against the trunk, and his eyes were wide in fear. It was only his third real hunt. Kids weren't supposed to die at sixteen, right? His gun had been crushed by the Wendigo when it'd taken him by surprise. It was going to kill him. The thing was huge, and it stalked towards Dean slowly, knowing he had nowhere to run to. He searched the woods desperately, trying to find anything to help him. Anything that would stall the beast. There was nothing. His leg was scratched up, so even if he did manage to get up, he'd be limping. The wendigo would be on him in seconds. It was right in front of him now. Less than five feet away. It let out a roar that made the trees shake, and Dean trembled as he waited for the raised claw to descend on him.

"Hey!" His head snapped sideways to look at the girl that stood there, flare gun raised. Dean thought he'd never seen anyone more beautiful in his entire life. She fired. The wendigo went up in flames, screaming in agony. As soon as the beast was safely reduced to a pile of ashes, Mel dropped the gun and sprinted toward him, falling to her knees next to him. "Your leg's bleeding," He panted resting his head against the tree before looking at her concerned hazel eyes that were studying his torn up leg. He let out a small, pained laugh.

"I love you," Her eyes widened and slowly rose to look at his face, studying it to see if he was serious. "I mean, uh, I-" His stammering was cut off by her lips pressed against his. The hand that wasn't on the ground supporting them flew up to rest against the back of her neck as one of hers rested lightly on his chest and the other was resting on the side of his neck.

"I love you too," She whispered, smiling widely as she pulled away.

There was the groan of an engine and then a squeaking sound, and Dean's head snapped back to look towards the road. His eyes caught the antenna that was on the back of the car. Perfect for picking a lock with. The squeaking and groaning grew closer.

"Son of a bitch," He hissed as he stretched for the antenna and began unscrewing it. He let out a grunt of effort as it finally came loose and dropped to the sloshy ground. He picked it up hurriedly, glancing towards the road before getting to work on the handcuffs. The handcuffs snapped off, and he stole around the front of the car with the handcuffs in hand.

"I've never seen him so angry before," One of the men spoke to the other as they studied the car with twin smirks.

"Never been followed by the police before," The other pointed out as the first one unlocked the car and got in. Dean snuck towards the road, keeping low to the ground to avoid the hicks seeing him. Once he was safely out of eyesight, he sped up to a run. He got to an open area with a house, but his eyes focused on the barn. That's where they'd keep the people they kidnap. The door creaked as Dean opened it to find a dark room inside, but his eyes adjusted quickly. His eyes scanned the room as he walked through it, avoiding the hanging chains. Finally, he found Sam in the cage.

"Sam?" He knelt down by his brother, who came to the bars, smiling in slight relief. "Are you hurt?" He demanded. "Where's Mel?"

"No," Sam shook his head, no longer smiling. "They dragged her inside. I don't know,"

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" Dean turned his attention to the officer in the cage opposite Sam.

"I know a trick or two," He turned back to Sam and then to the locks. "All right. These locks look like they're gonna be a bitch,"

"Well, there's some kind of automatic control right there," Sam pointed through the bars at the pole that held the controls.

"Have you seen them?" Dean questioned as he looked at the controls. He glanced at the door, fear running through him again as he thought of where Mel could be. She could be dead already.

"Yeah. Dude, they're just people," Sam told him, shaking his head.

"And they jumped you and Mel? Must be getting a little rusty there, kiddo," Sam rolled his eyes, knowing his brother was trying to distract himself. They were both worried about her. "What did they want?"

"I don't know. They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me," Dean pressed the button a few times and nothing happened, making him study the mechanism more intently.

"Well, that's the point. You know, with our - our usual playmates, there's rules, there's patterns. But with people… they're just crazy,"

"See anything else out there?" Sam asked as Dean went to Kathleen's cage.

"Uh, he has about a dozen junked cars hidden out back. Plates from all over. I'm thinking when they take someone. They take his car too," Dean figured.

"Did you see a black mustang out there, about ten years old?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah, actually, I did," She looked down. "Your brother's?" Dean guessed, and she nodded confirmation. "I'm sorry," He returned to the problem. "Let's get you guys out of here, and then we'll take care of those bastards," He turned to Sam, getting impatient. "This thing takes a key. Key?"

"I don't know," Sam shook his head, and Dean glanced towards the door again. "I think they took her to the house, but I'm not sure," Sam answered Dean's unasked question, knowing where his brother's head was at.

"I'm gonna go find her… and the key," He added, glancing back at his brother and Kathleen.

"Hey," Sam called after him, and he turned slightly. "Be careful,"

"Yeah," Dean agreed, shutting the door after him.


-1st-

I was starting to grow shaky after not having eaten for almost two days now. They gave me water from time to time. Not enough to be refreshing, but enough so I wouldn't pass out. I could barely go past my normal range of hearing now; it had been getting worse and worse as the hours ticked by. I'd first noticed it two hours ago when I'd tried to hear Sam and realized I could only hear the hallway. Now I couldn't hear anything besides what was normal; I didn't get any feelings either. Nothing. I was a regular person. Well, a regular person that was trying to escape from psycho hillbillies.

Jared Bender was off doing god knows what; he'd left a couple minutes ago. When he gone, he'd promised my pants would come off when he returned. In that time, I'd managed to free my right leg by pushing up my skinny jeans until the ropes were loose around my bare ankle without the extra fabric there. I was currently working on freeing my left leg when I heard the loud creak in the hallway. I froze. I wasn't ready to escape yet. If I attacked him in my weakened state it would be a joke. The door to my room slowly swung open, and I shut down my face, the only emotion showing was the glare my eyes were sending. It wasn't Jared Bender who stood in the doorway.

"Mel?" Dean rushed into the room and knelt next to me, cradling my face between his hands. "Are you alright?" His finger brushed the bruise on my cheek, and I hissed in pain, making him turn my head to see the bruise. "I'll kill every single one of those bastards," He swore, his eyes darkening frighteningly.

"Dean, I'm okay," I finally found my voice, though it was scratchy from disuse. "There's a knife on the table," I jerked my chin at the table across the room. Dean grabbed the knife and cut through my bonds easily. I stood shakily and would've fallen if Dean hadn't wrapped his arms around my waist tightly.

"You're okay," He pressed his forehead against mine as he murmured the words, and I tightened my arms around his neck, knowing he spoke the words to comfort both me and himself. "You're okay," I tilted my head upwards to kiss him softly. He pulled away gently and shrugged off his jacket handing it to me. It fell to my thighs, but I didn't care. Just the scent of the jacket comforted; it smelled like him. "Never do that to me again,"

"I'm not planning on it," I returned weakly, laughing a bit. "Sam," I suddenly realized, my eyes snapping to Dean.

"Right," Dean agreed. "We need to find a key opens the electronic locks," He informed me, starting to move towards the door. I followed after slipping my boots back on. He made sure there was no one out there before we crept through the hallway, stopping at what must be the kitchen area. There was a man, Lee, I think, with his back to us who was sawing something. Dean picked up a wooden post with a large nail jutting out of the top and held it like a weapon, handing me the knife he'd used to untie me. We walked stealthily forward until we were only two yards away from him and scanned the room. My eyes fell on the counter where there was a box full of keys open. I nudged Dean and pointed to it. Dean nodded, and we started forward.

I yanked Dean behind the wall as Lee turned around, and we waited for him to go back to cutting before we walked towards the keys. Dean picked up the keys and then the jar of small white objects. I frowned at it for a moment before my eyes widened as I realized what they were. Teeth. Human teeth. My stomach flopped, and Dean seemed to have figured it out as well for he set the jar down hurriedly. We made to leave but froze when we faced Missy, who stood in our way wearing my jacket.

"Shh," Dean encouraged her, holding a finger to his lips, and then he frowned, glancing at me before back at her.

"She's one of them," I hissed, brandishing my knife. He turned back to her but not fast enough, and she slammed a small knife into the wall, pinning his shirt to it.

"Daddy!" She screamed loud enough for Sam to hear back in the barn. "Daddy!"

"Run!" Dean yelled at me. I grabbed the knife and yanked it out of the wall just as her father came around the corner. I summed up every bit of energy I had left as Dean was grabbed from behind by Lee. Jared rushed us, and I slammed my booted heel into his gut before punching him across the face. I glanced across the room as the wood of the shelf came crashing down. Dean was up and punched Lee. I ducked Jared's rush and slammed my fist into his gut. Arms grabbed me from behind. The father. Shit. He threw me into a wall as Jared helped Lee surround Dean.

"Missy, get her," I scrambled up just in time to catch the psychotic girl as she leapt at me. We rolled over a few times until I managed to untangle myself from her grip and ran to where Dean was backing away from Jared and Lee.

"I'm gonna kick your ass first," He gestured to Jared before turning to Lee. "Then yours," I snatched the knife up from the floor and when I looked back up there was a figure behind Dean.

"Dean, behind you!" My warning came too late, and the father hit him over the head with a frying pan. Jared rushed me, and I ducked easily, slashing the knife along his thigh and making him howl in pain, clutching the already bleeding wound. Lee lunged, and I hooked him in the jaw with my fist, grabbing his arm as he tried to punch me and jerking my elbow up to hit him in the nose.

"Hey!" I turned to face the father to see him holding up a barely conscious Dean by the hair, making his head tilt back. In his hand he held the hilt of the knife he was pressing against Dean's exposed neck. "Drop it," I did. He released Dean, who slumped the the floor fully unconscious now. "Tie them up. If she tries anything. Kill him,"

An hour later we were tied to chairs in what I think was supposed to be their living room. The father of the family put a sword over the fire, making the tip turn a threatening yellow color. He then came to sit in front of Dean and wait for him to wake. Thankfully, they'd left Dean's jacket on me and placed me next a foot or so from him, so I could clearly see him breathing.

"Dean," I was growing more and more worried about him the more time passed. There was a cut on his face that was bleeding heavily from what I could tell although his head lolled to the side making it hard to see much of anything on his face. "Dean," His head jerked up, and he groaned.

"Come on," Jared Bender bent down to his dad's ear. "Let us hunt him," His black eyes flicked to me for a moment and he added. "We'll hunt the bitch too. She put up a hell of a fight,"

"Yeah, they're fighters, all right. Sure would be fun to hunt," Lee agreed as I glared at them, which only made the father laugh harder.

"Oh, you got to be kidding me," Dean tilted his head back to look at the family. "That's what this is about - you yahoos hunt people?" The father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and his eyes developed an unnerving gleam to them.

"Either o' you ever killed before?" He glanced at me and then back at Dean.

"Wha…" Dean started, glancing up at the other before looking back at the father. "Well, that depends on what you mean,"

"I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear. I even got a cougar once. Huh, boys?" He looked up at his sons who snickered and nodded. "But the best hunt…is human. Oh, there's nothing like it. Holding their life in your hands… seeing the fear in their eyes just before they go dark makes you feel powerful alive,"

"You're sick," I couldn't hold it in anymore. Every word he said made me want to jam a knife into his stomach. What made these people any more human than the things we hunted. They were just as horrible. "They're people,"

"We give him a weapon," The man defended, rising from his chair. "We give him a fighting chance. It's kind of like… our tradition, passed down father to son. 'Course only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down. We never been that sloppy,"

"Yeah, well, don't sell yourself short. You're plenty sloppy," The man came in-between Dean and I and bent down so his head was level with ours.

"So, what, you with that pretty cop? Come to get your girlfriend?" I moved my head back as far as I could as his fingers stroked my face.

"Don't touch her," Dean snarled at him, struggling against the bonds, and the father turned back to him. I felt the coarse wood of the chair and hid a small, victorious smile as I started rubbing the rope against the coarse wood. Slowly but surely, it began to cut.

"If I tell you…" Dean started, making me glance at him. "You promise not to make me into an ashtray?" The man turned to look at one of his sons. Jared came forward, but he didn't head towards Dean. Instead, he came towards me and slapped my already bruised cheek, making my head crack to the side. I slowly turned to look at the man that had hit me as I heard Dean swearing at them.

"Only reason I don't let my boys take you both right here and now is that there's something I need to know," The father informed us in a threatening voice.

"No," I answered for Dean, and the father, who was getting the sword out of the fire, looked over at me eagerly. "You shouldn't marry your sister," I sent him a grin as he ignored my answer and looked at the glowing tip of the sword.

"So, tell me," He approached Dean threateningly. "Any of the cops gonna come looking for you?"

"Oh, eat me," Dean groaned out. "No, no, no, wait - you actually might," Jared came forward and grabbed Dean's head, forcing him to look up at the father, who was holding the glowing sword tip in front of Dean.

"You think this is funny? You brought this down on my family. All right. You want to play games? We'll play some games," He looked up at Jared, grinning madly. "Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys, and you get to pick the animal. The boy, the cop, or the bitch," He grinned nastily at me, and I swallowed hard.

"Okay, wait, wait, wait. Look, nobody's coming for me, all right? It's just us," Dean tried.

"If you don't choose, I will," He pressed the glowing tip into Dean's shoulder, and I strained against the bonds again.

"Me!" I yelled, and the father pulled the sword away from Dean. "He chooses me,"

"No!" Dean snapped. "The guy, the guy! Take the guy!" My eyes widened as he chose Sammy. I tried to rub the rope harder and faster against the chair.

"Go do it," The father nodded, taking off the key that he wore around his neck and handing it to Lee as Jared roughly released Dean. "Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage,"

"What?" I snapped my eyes moving back and forth between the family members. "You said you'd hunt him!"

"You were gonna give him a chance!" Dean yelled desperately. "Lee, when you're done with the boy, shoot the cop too," Lee grabbed a rifle and headed out the door. "We got to clean this mess up before any more cops come running out here," My breath came faster and faster, and I urged my hands to move faster. I was almost there. There was a loud gunshot, and I froze, fear spiking through me.

"If you hurt my brother, I'll kill you. I swear. I'll kill you all. I will kill you all!" Dean threatened as the father walked towards the hallway.

"Lee!" He called. No response. "Lee!" Still no response. The man turned back to us. "Jared, you come with me. Missy… you watch them, now," She waved the knife slowly in Dean's face as her father and brother left. That's when the ropes around my wrists gave way with an audible snap. Missy spun to face me and leapt at me with the knife. I grabbed her hand, covering the fist that was clutching the knife, and spun her so that her own knife was at her throat while I grabbed her other wrist in my hand, restraining her from moving it. She let out a grunt as she struggled, but I used my superior strength to keep her helpless. Slowly, I worked the knife out of her hand and released her with one hand, punching her across the face and knocking her down. Usually, I would've never hit a child, but in her case, I had no trouble making an exception. I cut through the last of my bonds and grabbed her, ignoring her struggles and screams. I shoved her into the closet and locked it with the key that was already in it, setting the key on the table next to the locked closet. I then went back to Dean.

"Go help Sammy," I bit my lip, torn for a moment. There were five gunshots in rapid succession, and my head shot up to look in that direction. "Go! I'll be fine,'" I turned and ran out the door and into the barn only to run straight into Sam.

"Thank god," I muttered, wrapping my arms around the boy tightly as he hugged me back equally as tight.

"Dean?" He asked as I pulled away.

"He's tied up inside. We heard the gunshots…" I trailed off as I saw the woman holding a shotgun to the father who was on the ground with one bullet hole in his arm.

"Come on," I hesitated, glancing at the woman for a moment before following Sam back to the house and untying Dean. We walked out the door of that hell hole and down the stairs to see the cop coming out of the barn, and we hurried to meet her.

"Where's the girl?" She questioned us.

"We locked her in the closet," I answered, glancing past her. "Where's the dad?"

"Shot," She took a deep breath before continuing. "Trying to escape. I'm going to go radio this in," Dean, Sam and I started walking back towards the dirt road as she trailed after us.

"I think the car's at the police station," Dean told us.

"So…" she began, and we turned to face her. "State police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna want to talk to you. I suggest that the three of you are long gone by then,"

"Thanks," I smiled briefly at her as I thanked her, and she gave me a small smile back.

"Listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kinda in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?" Dean asked, and her eyes hardened.

"Start walking," She told him, and I grinned a bit. "Duck if you see a squad car," She added as an afterthought.

"Sounds great to me. Thanks," Sam agreed and walked past us a little bit up the trail before pausing and turning back.

"Listen, uh… sorry about your brother," Dean spoke earnestly. She nodded, her face tightening as she looked around.

"Thank you. It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth. But… it isn't really. Anyway, you should go," She nodded up the path, and I gave her one last sympathetic smile before I turned, leaning my head on Dean's shoulder as we walked away.

"Don't ever do that again," Dean told us, and I smiled slightly.

"Do what?" Sam questioned, even though he knew.

"Go missing like that," Dean elaborated gruffly.

"You were worried about us," I smiled as I spoke.

"I was worried about you," He corrected, glancing at me and then looking at Sam as he spoke his next words. "All I'm saying - you vanish like that again, I'm not looking for you,"

"Sure you will," Sam grinned.

"I'm not," Dean insisted.

"So, you two got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl, huh?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Shut up," I nudged him gently, and he laughed lightly.

"Just saying, you're getting rusty there, kiddos," Dean and I laughed along with him.

"Shut up," Dean muttered between laughs as I walked through the night with my family.