There was an old red sofa against one of the walls in the living room, but it had gotten little use over the years. The springs were hard and the material smelt of smoke and spilled bear. The room itself was filled with bookcases that created a library of monster and demons. There were books stacked on the floor, papers were pinned to the walls, and ancient relics poked in the corner. Rare herbs were stuffed in drawers, while museum quality artifacts lied on the table. Ironically, many hunters who could barely make ends meet possessed items worth a fortune.
Each wall of the living room was decorated in the same dark red patterned wallpaper, original to the house, and between the papers and old symbols were landscape paintings purchased back when the house had belonged to a normal family rather than a widowed hunter.
Bobby's desk occupies a place at the far side of the living room in front of the fireplace. It too was piled high with books and to the side was a bowl containing remnants of opium, wormwood, hemlock, and various other ingredients.
The elderly hunter was neck deep in research when a phone started ringing in the kitchen. Grunting Bobby forced himself away from his books to take the call.
There were five cordless phones on the wall, each labeled with a strip of white tape either FED marshal, FBI, CDC, Police, and Health Department with a second label stating the corresponding alias for each role he played. The phone that rang was for the FBI.
"Agent Willis." He answered gruffly.
There was a moment of pause on the line and for a moment he considered hanging up.
"Hello." A female voice greeted nervously, offset by the rough tone in his voice.
"Can I help you with something?" Bobby questioned wanting to get this over with and get back to work.
"Yes, I mean maybe." The woman responded flustered by the rambling of her own voice.
"Who is this?" Bobby cut her off, his rough voice rising a few decibels in his confusion.
"My name is Jennifer Jareau." The woman answered cursing herself silently. She had acted as hostage negotiator, spoken to serial killers, and stood in front of dozens of cameras and the media nearly every day. She had not been so scared to speak since her third grade talent show.
"Sam and Dean gave me this number, they said to call if anything strange happened." JJ finally stated unsure exactly how much she was supposed to say over the phone.
"Jennifer, the FBI lady, yeah the boys mentioned you. What can I do you for?" Bobby stated as the name clicked in his mind suddenly becoming much more friendly.
"I think there is something happening. I've looked for omens in the area but there is nothing that I can find but I know something is wrong." She explained pleased that her voice had once again became steady. JJ hoped she was not calling him to early in the game; she had wanted to confirm that there was actually something that needed hunting before making this call.
"All right tell me what's happening." Bobby instructed as he sat himself in his chair and let JJ start from the beginning. He listened attentively and without interruption until she was finished.
"You've had a rough time. Not a lot of people know what you know it might just be paranoia." Bobby stated once she had finished. It was the simplest answer, truthfully, she had only just gotten wind of the supernatural crap and the gut feelings of an ordinary human were not much of a case. "That being said, it's better to be safe then sorry. I'll have a hunter swing by and check it out." Bobby finished already knowing which hunter to pass the job to.
"Thank you." JJ breathed into the phone not realizing she had been holding her breath until then.
Everything appeared normal enough; the houses lining the street all had either a white picket fence or neatly kept hedges dividing their property. Kids were walking home from school, kicking chunks of ice and snow as they went, while their parents were going about their daily routine. The only thing out of the ordinary was the old rusted Ford Ranchero that was rolling down the street.
From the driver's side window the young hunter did a quick sweep of the area while he skimmed through the local paper. There was nothing in it that would draw a hunter to town, but if bobby called in a favor Garth wasn't going to say no.
…
Angela and Kenneth Conlin bought the house seven years ago when they were expecting their first child. Three stories with white panel siding and new red shutters that didn't even have time to fade. In searching the history of the house Garth had not been able to find so much as a kitchen fire, or call to an electrician.
Hopping the fence Garth checked the back of the house not wanting Bobby to think he hadn't investigated thoroughly. It was there he noticed the distanced scratches on one of the windows.
"Damn." Garth muttered. It was starting to look like there was more going on in this town.
Angela gave Miranda a nervous glance; she had finally convinced her to play on her own. Miranda had been so tired lately finding it difficult to move, and Miranda's behavior had been so strange she didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't wait until her husband got back.
A knock on the front door drew her out of her thoughts.
Opening the door Angela was surprised to see a strange man on her front porch.
"Can I help you?" She asked watching him carefully as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"Hi." He smiled friendly. "My car got a flat can I use your phone?" He asked before tilting his head back towards the road to where his car was conveniently parked.
"Of course." Angela said choosing to be the good samaritan and let him into her home. Truthfully, she was grateful not to be alone.
"My names Garth." He introduced himself again with a smile.
"Angela." She responded before handed him the cordless for him to make his call.
Once Gath made the call to a local tow company he started his interview.
"You have a beautiful family." Garth complemented, as he looked at the framed picture of a smiling Miranda standing between her two parents. If anyone else had said that Angela might have been nervous, a stranger completing her family picture, but Garth was completely unthreatening. He appeared a little quirky, and even with the stubble on his face he had a childlike appearance that seamed it imply he didn't mean any harm
"Thank you." Angela responded simply.
"I'm new to town, looking a place myself, how long have you lived here?" He asked starting with a question that he already knew.
"Oh about seven years." Angela answered casually as the two took a seat in the living room as they wanted for the tow truck.
"That's nice." Garth smiled keeping the conversation light and friendly, it would likely cause him trouble it he came right out and asked if she suspected her daughter had been switched by a neck sucking monster. Though outright accusing suspects of using black magic, hodo, or seeing ghost often caused them to display a reaction that allowed Garth to judge how much they knew (even if it made them think he was crazy). He suspected that wouldn't work in this case. It was still to early to know for sure but if the mark on the woman's neck was anything to go by, something was snacking on her.
Instead he kept the conversation casual, stating that the winter weather and lack of sun always made him feel tired, to which Angela agreed that she had felt rather drained lately. He invented a sister who hated having her picture taken, to which Angela added nervously that Miranda had become like that recently.
Garth was about to move to more bold questions when the young girl skipped into the room.
"Mommy will you play with me?" She asked ignoring Garth completely.
"Not right now honey." Angela answered gently, despite her fears, she was the ever loving mother.
Miranda pouted at her words. "We have a guest right now, and I have to start dinner for your father." Angela explained.
Miranda's deep brown eyes locked onto Garth's coldly, the hunter's instinct that he had developed caused a cold shiver to run down his spine in warning.
"Mommy, make the man leave." She stated in a deadpan voice, gripping tightly onto her mother arm, with more malice than an eight year old should possess.
"Sorry she's been rather clingy the last few weeks." Angela tried to apologies
"It's alright I'll wait by my car it was a pleasure to meet you." Gath responded with his friendly smile. He had seen all he needed to.
Angela watched the man leave to wait by his old car in the lightly falling snow, while Miranda wrapped her tiny arms around her waist but something about the hold did not feel loved
Kenneth arrived home that afternoon and Angela was relived to have her husband home, she found it impossible not to feel safe when he was home. By dinnertime all her anxiety had melted away and the family of three were chatting over a hot meal.
"Daddy, my ball is on the roof." Miranda blurted out as she put down her glass of water.
Kenneth looked up from his meal waiting for more information.
"We were playing earlier and I kicked it up there, right mommy." Miranda elaborated proudly. Angela could only nod and give a simple 'yes dear'.
"My little girl is going to be a soccer star." Kenneth joked his proud laugh filled the room and brought a smile to his wife's face before he promised to get it down for her.
…
The high angled tilt of the roof and thin layer of ice left him unsteady causing his head to hammer against his chest. Though he drove a eighty-thousand pound truck he had never been the bravest man when it came to heights. Both feet firmly on the ground or sitting behind the wheel of an eighteen-wheeler he was unstoppable.
Inching forward with his arms spread wide Kenneth was able to retrieve the red ball and quickly toss it to the ground.
But when he looked over the side Miranda was not there to retrieve it.
He called her name but there was no answer. Fear struck him as he shouted his daughters name and frantically put his feet on the ladder; one foot after the other he climbed down as quickly as he could. After only four steeps Kenneth came level with the second story window and Miranda's dark hair
"Miranda." Kenneth said in utter relief. "I was calling for you."
"I know, daddy." she said no emotion crossing her face or filling her cold voice.
Nothing more was said as Miranda reached out through the open window, tiny hands that usually held plastic tea cups for him to take gripped the ladder and with more force then a young child should be able to muster shoved it from the house.
The shock lasted longer then the fall. It lasted right up until Kenneth's head met the black asphalt