Sticks and Stones
Chapter 2
Dean walked down the nearly empty hall, half a grin on his face at his brother's plea to be subtle. Sam would actually be mortified if he knew Dean's objective was to shake the tree a little and see what fell out.
He wandered down to the classroom that served as the Home Room for the group that Mrs Halloway had described as a little forceful. Dean knew it was politically correct teacher speak for school bullies. Maybe they had taken things a little too far and there had been a mutiny in the ranks or one of their victims was getting even. Unless they found a supernatural link, this hunt was pretty much a bust and the local law would have to sort it out. The only thing that didn't sit right was the odd blue bruising that had marked the bodies.
Dean found the Home Room empty and locked so it took him a couple of minutes to gain entry and sweep the room for residual EMF. Nothing. Nothing sinister at all unless he counted the amateur artwork or creepy looking ceramic fish that adorned the room. He visibly shuddered and made a quick exit when he came across the countless copies of Wuthering Heights lying as if in wait on the shelf adjacent to the door.
As he headed towards the noise of an outside area, his attention was caught by voices and laughter coming out of the boy's toilets. Hesitating briefly outside, he was surprised to hear a girl's voice as well.
"Poor widdle Adam. Karl can teach you how to swim."
"C'mon Adam let's see how long you can hold your breath. One Mississippi…"
As Dean opened the door, a toilet flushed and someone began coughing and spluttering amidst the laugher.
"Hey, let him go." Dean walked forward and steadied the boy that had been on his knees, head down the toilet. "You idiots think this is funny?"
""Hell yeah." A voice behind him piped up. "You're not a teacher, so what's it to you?"
Dean flashed his badge. "No definitely not a teacher but maybe your parents might want to know about your little joke.
"It's only having a little fun, isn't it Adam?"
"Yeah Adam you don't mind hanging out with us. Do you?"
Dean looked at the boy standing in the middle of the group, hair wet and clinging to his head as he looked around nervously. "Yeah. Yeah we're just having some fun."
"What, you're just gonna let them get away with this? You know they won't stop." His look of disgust was evident as he shook his head. "Unless one of them is next on the hit list."
"Why would you say that? You mean what happened to Anna and Chris?"
"Shut up Liz. Why would that have anything to do with us?"
"Cause they were our friends Mikey, you've known them all you life. God how can you pretend like it doesn't matter?"
"Now you see Mikey is it? If you can't stand by your own friends then really, what's the point of it all? If you think you know something, now would be a good time to tell me. Otherwise I guess you might wanna watch your backs." Dean sounded bored as though he was discussing nothing more important than the weather.
"Isn't that your job?" The other girl spoke, not sounding so confident.
"Well we can only do our best - what was your name?"
"Beech."
Dean smiled and grabbed a notebook out of her hands and wrote on the first blank page. "In the meantime Beech, if you think of anything let me know."
He walked to the door and held it open. "Now get outta here."
Dean watched as the kids filed past him and disappeared down the corridor. He shook his head as Adam slunk past a little behind the group, head down and wet hair falling down across his face.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
The boy hesitated at the exit and then headed in the opposite direction to the others. Wise choice, was all Dean could think as he checked his watch. The kid had victim written all over him from the geeky haircut down to the complete lack of confidence.
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The crisp air was a stark contrast to the almost stale warmth of the school corridors and Dean flicked his collar up against the wind. As he reached the Impala an engine coughed and a small cloud of smoke erupted from the student's car park and he turned to watch the commotion. He couldn't help the grimace as a backfire echoed through the air to cheers and applause from onlookers as the driver of a battered old sedan tried to turn over the engine.
'Don't worry baby, never gonna happen to you." Patting the roof of the car he slid into the driver's seat and closed the door. Glancing up towards the school, he was surprised to see Sam come charging out and then stop in his tracks. Even at this distance he could see the panic on his brother's face. He hand was opening the door but as Sam finally began to move down the stairs without further alarm he sat back and waited.
He knew what this was about. He knew Sam wouldn't want to talk about it. For some reason, his younger brother seemed to think he shouldn't bring it up, couldn't talk to him about the fact that this was haunting him. Watching Sam shut down each time he went through this was heartbreaking to Dean. Especially when he knew it was gonna happen for real and when it did, Sam really would have to go through it alone.
"Hey." Dean glanced across as Sam folded himself into the car and sat, jaw clenched.
"Any leads?'
"Sam you okay?"
Sam began tapping his hand on his knee. "So I take it no leads."
"Sam you've just got to give yourself some time man, just don't shut me out."
"I panicked okay but I'm fine now, really. We need to check through these though so can we go back to the motel?" Sam pulled some pages out of his jacket and tried to smooth out the creases.
"Y'know you could get expelled for stealing school records?" Dean smiled.
"Yeah well I guess I'm just living on the edge." Sam smiled but his voice held no humour.
Dean bit back on the words that wanted to escape his lips. He knew when to pick his battles and this was gonna be a no win. He drove back to the motel wishing things weren't always so fucked up.
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Dean stirred. He was aware of something out of place and he listened without moving in the darkness.
Sam.
He contemplated giving his brother privacy but this was getting out of hand. He sat up, rubbing a hand through his hair as he listened to his brother heaving his guts up in the bathroom.
Dean placed a hand on his brother's shoulder feeling the tremors that shook his body.
"Just breathe Sam, it's okay." Dean felt muscles tense and then relax as Sam's breathing hitched and he leant slightly into Dean's hand.
Neither boy spoke as Dean guided Sam back to his bed. There was nothing for this situation that words could even begin to cover. Dean lay on his back staring into the darkness.
Sam closed his eyes. His fingers searched down his ribs and stomach for a bullet wound. Just to make sure.
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"C'mon Sam I can't sit here any longer and I need real coffee." Dean threw half a cold cup of instant coffee flavoured muck down the small sink in their room and grabbed his keys and jacket. "And breakfast."
"Sounds good." Sam followed his brother out the door, glancing back at the disarray of the room. He ignored the fleeting urge to go back in and clean it up, it was supposed to look like this. It meant they existed here and now. It meant this was real.
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Dean was a little on edge, he couldn't help it. Out of years of habit he had pulled into the first decent looking diner he had seen. It wasn't until they had walked in the door and he saw the blackboard menu that he realised it was a trigger. He glanced at Sam but didn't say anything, casually finding a booth at the back of the room.
"Dean," Sam sighed and gave him half a grin. "It's okay y'know. We're never gonna be able to get away from them, blackboard menus are like a part of our lives."
"Yeah Sam. Why the hell couldn't you be worried about something we don't deal with, like fairy floss and garden gnomes?"
Sam froze and looked at him, eyes wide.
"No way." Dean shook his head. "How the hell…?"
"Kidding, I'm kidding."
Dean visibly relaxed. It was a relief to hear Sam sounding like Sam again, even though he knew it was being put on for his benefit. He was still grateful.
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"Y'know I've been thinking…," Dean spoke around a mouthful of food. "Those files you stole pretty much confirm what everyone doesn't want to come out and say. These kids do what they want, say what they want and no one touches them cause their parents are too high profile. This has gotta be about revenge."
"Yeah you're probably right but is it revenge against the parents or the kids? If we could work out what caused those marks…it was almost like frostbite but I can't find anything that would cause it."
"I think it might be worth paying a visit to their latest victim at least – flush boy. Maybe get a little more insight on this group. Adam um something, well there couldn't be too many Adam's on the list."
Seven minutes later. "Dean there are four Adams on this class list, what do you suggest?"
"Well we'll have to visit each one I guess. I'm not gonna know him 'till I see him."
"That'll work."
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It was the third house on the list. A small neat cottage, the epitome of suburbia with the trimmed lawns, neat garden and white picket fence.
"Man this is just creepy." Dean groused as they walked up the footpath to the door.
"Dean it's not creepy, it's just…normal." Sam looked around at the perfect picture postcard scene. "Yeah actually you're right, it is a little creepy."
Dean rang the bell. It only took a minute before the door opened and the Adam he recognised was peering at them from behind his long fringe.
"Hi Adam, I'm the Detective you met yesterday at school. I'm Dean and this is my partner Sam. Can we talk to you for a minute?"
"I guess but my parents aren't home so I can't let you in."
"That's fine. We just want to ask you about those kids that were hassling you yesterday. What's the deal with them?"
"The deal? You just don't mess with them okay. They just rough you up a bit, maybe make you do their work for a bit. If you just…if you just go along they move on."
"You mean they find someone else to bully?" Sam spoke up.
"Yeah I guess. I don't care as long as it's not me."
"Look we get it okay but if no one speaks up it's just gonna go on. Sometimes you've just gotta stand up for yourself." Dean couldn't help himself.
"Adam do you know anything about the deaths of Anna Bourke and Chris Millpond? Did you hear anyone talking about getting back at them? Anything like that?"
The boy looked back at Sam with a smirk. "What you think I did something to them?" He laughed.
"If you couldn't stop them flushing your head down the toilet, I doubt you'd have the…"
"No Adam." Sam interjected. "We just wondered if you'd heard anyone talking, y'know boasting about getting even. That sort of thing."
"No. The only fights they have are with each other. I mean no one else says anything cause they always find out and it's just not worth it. They always make you pay."
"Do you know where they hang out after school?"
The boy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "They usually hang around Kramer Park but it's probably too cold so you could try Getty's Diner on Forsythe Street. Just, just don't tell them I told you."
"We won't and thanks."
"Listen if you hear anything else, let us know."
"Yeah sure." Adam glanced at the piece of paper Dean handed him and closed the door.
"Well that went well." Dean loosened his tie as they walked back to the car.
"Dean the kids scared."
"Yeah Sam I know but there's not a lot we can do about that."
"Maybe we'd better look at who's got a grudge against the parents."
"Okay we've got a coupla hours to start checking but tonight Sammy, we dine at Getty's. God I hope they've got pie."
"Oh great, another diner." Sam said quietly.
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Sam sat facing his brother in a small booth halfway between the door and the cash register. A pile of empty plates rose between them and Dean's hand occasionally picked at a stray crumb. Their research into the parents and businesses had been a total bust so far but at least there hadn't been any more deaths.
Sam drained the last of his coffee and sighed when the burnt end of a french fry hit his jacket and fell in his lap. Dean was obviously bored. He momentarily toyed with the idea of just picking up the ketchup bottle and squirting it, he grinned absently as he imagined Dean's look of surprise. It would almost be worth it but then again Dean was pretty vindictive when it came to payback.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing."
"Okay laughing boy if you're not gonna share the joke how bout we clear outta here. Over three freakin hours and all they're doing is talking. Besides I don't think I could eat anything else."
They left the booth, Dean heading out the door to remain unnoticed while Sam paid for their meals. Walking quickly in the cold night air they crossed the road and headed down the block a little to the car, Sam glanced back at the diner as he opened his door and sat down.
'Dean they're leaving. Wait, there's only two of them."
"Looks liked they're heading for a car. Okay we split up, you hang around and see what the others do, I'll follow…"
"No." Sam stared straight ahead out the windscreen.
"Sam?"
He shook his head. "No Dean, we're not splitting up on this. No."
"Okay, we'll follow these two." Dean watched the small blue car pull out into the sparse traffic and slid in to follow them staying several cars behind. They probably shouldn't even be working this job, not the way his brother was too easily spooked. At least this way he could keep an eye on Sam.
The traffic thinned as they headed for the outskirts of town and Dean had to pull further back to avoid suspicion. He hit the brakes as the traffic signal turned red and several young couples began to cross in front of them, their breath visible as they laughed and ran to keep warm. The road ahead was empty by the time the light turned green and Dean cursed as he looked for signs of the car.
Sam had pulled a street map out and was trying to read it with a small torch from the glove compartment. "Take the second left, we're close enough to Kramer Park, maybe they headed there."
"Worth a shot."
Dean followed Sam's directions until they came to a large grassed area complete with playground and seating. The play area was bordered by concrete paths that meandered through garden beds and a small wooden bridge led to what seemed to be an open field. The road bordered the park on two sides, giving enough light to see the playground was empty.
"Over there, I think it's a car." Sam pointed over to the edge of the road as he leant forward squinting into the darkness.
Sure enough the little blue car had been pulled off the road and onto the grass along the edge of the tree line.
"Y'know Sam you realise we're probably gonna be walking in on a make out session. This could get a little awkward for them."
"For them? I'm not exactly looking forward to this either Dean but I don't see what choice we have here."
Dean made a face as he stopped to open the trunk. "Well it's not my idea of a good time either Sam. They're seventeen for Gods sake."
"I guess, well maybe they won't be doing that much."
"You're kidding me Sam? What exactly do you think a seventeen year old boy would be thinking of coming out here? Never mind." He held out a gun and a flashlight.
"Salt rounds?"
"Yeah just in case. Unless you got any better ideas?"
"Salt's good."
Dean closed the trunk, tucking the gun in his waistband as they cautiously moved towards the car.
Sam coughed loudly, twice, just before Dean shone the light in the backseat. Empty.
"Man we're all gonna freeze our asses off. I hope they're enjoying themselves."
"Well at least it's too cold to be taking clothes off." Sam sounded almost hopeful as they walked across the wooden planks that bridged the small stream.
Sam walked along the top level of the embankment as Dean walked adjacent to the stream, scanning the lower ground for any signs of the teenagers. Dean hoped these two were just making out, they were too young to be messing around with black magic or demon rituals. He could deal with protecting the little shits but he didn't know how he'd feel about having to stop them if they were responsible for this mess. They were just kids.
"Dean there's a light, someone moving in the trees over there." Sam started running as Dean came up the slope to follow.
A girl's scream pierced the air further down along the stream making Dean veer off in that direction. He saw Sam stop at the sound but there was no telling who was out there and they needed to know. "Keep going Sam, just be careful."
"Dean…?"
"We don't know enough to risk it Sam, we need to check both. Go!" Dean didn't stop as he yelled over at his brother, relieved when he could see Sam's flashlight moving again.
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Dean rang along the stream as fast as he dared with only a beam of light showing him where to tread. He could already feel cold water soaking the bottom of his jeans as he ran. Another scream almost in front of him made him jump as a body almost hurtled into him, then screamed hysterically as he clamped down on the flailing arms.
"Hey, it's alright you're safe. What's wrong, where's the boy you were with?"
"Someone's got Karl, they've got him." She was still screaming, her hands pulling against Dean's grip.
"Who's got him?"
"I don't know, I couldn't see him. A guy, some guy but he was strong. Please you've gotta help him."
"Stay here." Dean stripped off his jacket and threw it over the girl.
He ran on finally hearing splashes in front of him as his flashlight picked up two figures in the water.
"Can you swim Karl?"
As Dean approached, he recognised Karl as his head was brought up from the water struggling feebly with his hands held behind his back. A boyish laugh followed as Karl's head was pushed down again as the dark figure looked straight at Dean. "Two Mississippi."
"Let him go." Dean threw his flashlight and gun on the bank, and jumped into the stream which was only knee deep, closing the distance and grabbing the attacker by his shoulders. He still couldn't get a look at the kids face in the darkness but was surprised when the boy wrenched out of his grip leaving Karl to fall forward into the water.
Dean grabbed Karl's hoodie and pulled him back over to the bank, laying him on the grass where he started to cough and splutter. The attacker was nowhere to be seen.
"Karl? Hey Karl can you hear me?" Dean glanced nervously around.
"Shit. Shit he tried to drown me."
"Who was it, did you see who it was?" Dean held his hand out to the boy, hoping he could walk. He had to get Karl and his girlfriend out of here and find Sam and this killer kid.
Dean was surprised to find himself pulled backwards. As he hit the freezing water and went under, the shock stole his breath and numbed his brain. Panic came next as he flailed his arms and found his feet, pushing himself up out of the water coughing and spluttering.
"Behind you."
He swung around at the warning and was met with an iron fist around his collar, not believing this smaller boy in front of him could possibly be this strong. "Karl go. Get outta here."
"Yeah Karl, I'll catch up with you later."
The voice sounded so young but Dean still couldn't make out any features in the near darkness. It was though the boys face was covered in shadow.
"What the hell are you?" Dean ground out as he swung a fist, connecting solidly with the side of its face. He watched in surprise as the hit had little or no effect and the chokehold remained solid as he pushed his own hands against it to try and loosen the grip.
"I think you need a lesson as well. Sometimes you've just gotta stand up for yourself haven't you? Can you swim Dean?"
Dean was dropped to his knees when a fist crashed into his back. He barely had time to inhale when a hand on the back of his neck pushed him down with such force his head hit the bottom of the rock strewn stream bed. He felt his body go slack and then the burn of ice water in his mouth and throat.
His head was pulled out above the water and he gasped in the frigid air as he tried to fight out of the hold. Dean knew he was running out of time, his legs were almost numb and his arms were screaming from being pulled behind his back. Instead he felt it close to his ear, one hand back on his neck.
"I think we'll set the record this time, so you'd better take a deep breath."
Dean let himself sag forward a little then brought his head back with as much force as he could muster. He heard the satisfying crunch as his head connected with the face behind him. There was no release of pressure though as his arms were jerked up, and a vicious punch landed in his side. He wanted to double over but instead his hair was pulled back, making the burn worse.
With a last burst of energy, Dean tried to push his arms back into his assailant but knew he was done when the hand returned to the back of his neck. As his head was thrown down into the coldness again he hardly felt the impact this time as his face hit the bottom and darkness claimed him.
tbc…