Chapter 3
Charlie opened his eyes as best as he could. The lids felt heavy; his whole body felt heavy and he could feel sore spots all over his body. He had probably literally been through hell and back and that was because he had been tricked into trying to escape.
Bracing himself, Charlie slowly put his hands underneath him to push himself up. He grimaced as he pushed himself to a sitting position. He could see crusted blood on his knuckles and he vaguely remembered how he got them. It took considerable effort to sit up and lean against the wall.
"You were lucky."
Charlie turned his head towards the owner of the voice. He could barely make out the shape and he couldn't recall who the owner of the voice was. He winced and replied, "What do you mean I was lucky?"
"You're alive."
There was an air of finality to the answer and Charlie wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Right now he wanted to concentrate on opening his eyes up a little more. He tenderly touched his face and he could feel the swollen areas on his face and it allowed him to scrutinize his body.
He had lost his uniform shirt and the white undershirt he wore was filthy with dirt and blood. He felt like he went ten rounds with John L. Sullivan though he probably looked worse than that. He looked over and saw that the one who had been talking to him was still looking at him. "So what's so good about being alive after that?"
"Because that means they will keep you alive until you can't fight anymore."
"Fight?"
The man who was talking eased forward. He was wearing jeans and a shirt but it was raggedy. His hair was wild and he had a full beard. He looked familiar to Charlie now that his vision had cleared sufficiently. The man replied, "We fight to live another day."
"We?" Charlie frowned a little. It was difficult to see in the dim light and he did have a swollen face that didn't help any.
The man motioned to two other people. Both were young men. They looked like they hadn't been there long. In fact Charlie recognized both of them. "Stanley? Rick?"
The two young men were in their twenties and they looked like those beach bums that were famous in California. They were sporting five o'clock shadows and their hair looked like it hadn't been combed in days. Charlie remembered that they were going to do a field survey of the mine. Old Man Ellis had given his permission. As far as Charlie recalled that was nearly a week ago.
They looked at Charlie and they both exclaimed, "Deputy Russ! What are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same question," Charlie replied as he rotated his arms. The fact that nothing was broken was a good sign. "I know you two were doing a survey and last I remember I was doing a patrol. We found some remains and we wanted to make sure it wasn't a killer animal or person."
"Mutilated weren't they?" The man who had yet to be named replied. "Probably torn to shreds?"
Charlie frowned at the man, "Yeah. How do you know?"
"That's what they do Deputy," Stanley replied. "If you don't prove yourself that's what happens; they… they eat you."
Charlie looked at the boys and then at the mysterious man. What were they talking about? "What do you mean they eat you? Who are they?"
The man clicked his tongue in exasperation. He began, "They hunt for prey but they don't eat it. They test its mettle against the best and if they survive, they live. If they don't, they die. The weak and the sick die and feed the next generation. Those that live remain here until they die."
Charlie though the guy was a bit delusional It was obvious that he had been here a lot longer than Rick or Stanley. "How long have you been down here?"
"Year, maybe two. I lost count after the hits continued to keep on coming. I've seen others come and go." The man scurried back to his corner and he picked up something that he had been holding. "As I said, you are lucky. You will live another day." He then began humming and singing while working with whatever he had in his hands.
Charlie looked at the boys and asked in a whisper, "Who is the 'they' you keep referring to?"
"You faced one. Didn't you see it?" Rick looked at Charlie with a sad and puzzled frown.
Charlie tried to recall what he saw when he was charged at. It was difficult because it was moving too fast. He did remember the punches. Each one hurt and it was like being hit by a nightstick or something like that. He remembered the animal growls and he recalled that sounded very out of place since he was surrounded by people. At least he though they were people.
He was going to ask a question when there was sound coming from the tunnels. Charlie was able to take a good look. He saw that he was in a cavern of some sort and the only way out was blocked by iron bars. There was the outline of a door so Charlie could surmise that whoever it was had fairly good intelligence.
There were some grunts and growls and a figure shuffled in. Charlie couldn't make out the form clearly but it was plain to see that the figure was walking on two legs and in an upright manner. It was carrying a bucket. Charlie could only guess what it was as it approached the bars.
"Alright you maggots, here's your slop."
The bucket was placed on the ground and shoved through the opening with such force that some of the food spilled out. The figure growled and chuckled as the nameless man and Stanley and Rick scrambled over towards the bucket and fought to get their fair share. "Just like animals."
Charlie hadn't moved. True he was hungry but he wasn't going to give this thing the satisfaction of seeing him grovel and make himself a fool for food. He replied, "I would say that the one who caught us and is keeping us here is an animal."
The three chowing down in the bucket looked up the moment Charlie said something. They gave a frightened expression towards him as he got to his feet. The figure turned and growled at him and replied, "You are nothing but a maggot."
"Right," Charlie replied as he walked towards the bucket. He reached in and got a handful of what appeared to be a mushy concoction. At least there wasn't any raw meat. That would have been disgusting. He took a sniff and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You call this food? It's not even fit for the local wildlife. You have one lousy cook."
"Don't," Rick muttered in a low whisper.
The jailer growled. He suddenly reached through the bars and grabbed Charlie by the shirt and brought him close to the bars. Charlie was surprised at the reaction time but didn't let it show nor the fear that threatened when he got a good look at the one who brought them dinner. He had never seen anything like it. Still he played it off like he would and replied, "Nice grip."
"You think you're funny don't you?"
Charlie took a moment to take in the appearance of the thing. He could make out a snout like a dog but the teeth were razor sharp. The thing was hairy but it was humanlike and the grip certainly proved it. He had never seen anything like it before and thought that he was hallucinating. The grip though was very real though. The tone of the wolf man though prompted him to respond, "I have my moments fur freak."
Charlie then found himself yanked very close and he could smell the noxious breath. It smelled like Jimmy Knowles' hound dog. The thing replied, "The crazy one is right. You are lucky since you are alive. Wait until you get me."
Charlie found himself flung backwards and he landed hard on the ground. The sore spots on his body already became more sore as he fell on his back. The back of his head hit the ground and it was like bumping his head on the roof of his patrol unit or maybe just a little bit harder. He grimaced slightly as he rubbed the back of his head with the hand that wasn't covered in the food crap.
"You shouldn't have done that," Stanley said as he took a bite of the slop. "Now when his turn comes up, he will try to kill you."
Charlie sat up and dusted himself off. He had lost his appetite anyway. He shuffled to lean against one of the walls which was actually part of a collapsed tunnel. He replied, "Seems to me like we're already dead given that we have to fight to stay alive and against wolf man."
"At least we don't antagonize them. That makes them reconsider their position on you," Rick said as he finished his share. "The geologist that was assigned to us made that mistake. That was probably the remains you guys found."
"If you count a part of the arm remains considering that it was badly mangled," Charlie replied.
"The arm was a warning," the nameless man said. "It is a warning to others that those who don't cooperate will meet the ultimate fate. It was a left hand right?"
Charlie looked at the nameless man. He definitely thought that he was crazy. However he seemed to know things that even Charlie knew hadn't been released to the public. He looked at him in suspicion and replied, "Yeah. Why is that important?"
"It means that war will be declared but I pity this town. They have no idea what has been sitting here since the mine closed."
"Since the mine closed?"
"The reason why the mine closed." The nameless man began to cackle. He did sound like a crazed man and Charlie didn't know what to make of him. What he did know was that he was stuck in the mine and because he hadn't reported in, the sheriff was going to investigate if Nancy hadn't bothered him already.
Ellis, Oregon was a nice town and a small one. Susan liked small towns for the reason that most of them didn't even exist on a map but somewhere there was a deed or grant designating it was a town. It was the kind of place that one could go to in order to forget and to be forgotten. It was why she picked the damn place to settle down in and be left alone.
Susan walked through the town looking at the buildings that hadn't changed too much since the place was first built when Gerald Ellis struck it rich with the coal mine. Then the mine ran dry and it closed but it was a thriving community when she arrived. She took to it immediately and she could only grin when the busybodies started whispering behind her back. As if they knew.
Susan rested her head against the wall of the building that had been home for some time before she moved into a smaller house. She still owned this property and made it into a duplex type place. That was a feat in of itself since the economy was going to the pits. Hell she could see it and given the talk that the old biddies were saying about her, it was like they expected her to sell and indulge.
They didn't know. They didn't know the things that she had seen and done a few years ago. They haunted her still at all points of the day. Maybe not constantly but they did come around and bother her to near death. Mostly it was the memories of what she had seen at that place. She couldn't even think of the name consciously but she remembered it. Other times it was a hallucination that dogged her steps.
At least she had a steady income from the duplex that became a cheap motel. It actually came in handy for lost travelers who were looking for cheap digs. Mama Jameson had her bed and breakfast and she had this. She called it Hell's Outhouse and actually named it that as a joke. Most of the townspeople thought it was in vulgar taste but the kids found it funny. The name stuck though because the hypocrites realized that it brought in much needed revenue.
Hell's Outhouse was a pretty good place. Despite what people said, Susan kept it up fairly well and made the repairs as they were needed. She was still able to keep her cheap rates too. Right now she was looking at some rose bushes that had actually come with the place when she bought it with a sleepy expression. Every time she saw flowers, she felt the old urges creep up on her. She had wanted to get rid of them but some of her customers had commented on them and so she kept them.
There was a loud rumble… well it sounded loud to her. Susan turned to see a black car amble down the street. That certainly looked out of place here. Most vehicles were sturdy pickups and Blazers and those kinds of things. However it was a nice car and she could appreciate the look. She walked over towards the front to go into the front desk and prepare the ledger and the other things.
She was on the front porch for the office when she heard, "No way in hell are we staying here."
"Dean, it's just a name and probably somebody's idea of a joke."
"Some joke Sam."
Susan gave a wry smile. She could use a drink right about now or one of those hard stuff hits she took. If she wasn't mistaken these boys… well one of them was probably a religious nut. The one who complained got out of the driver's seat and said, "You don't mess with things like that Sam. It could be bad luck."
Oh a superstitious lot. The thought was not lost on Susan as she went inside. She did hear, "Dean, it's cheap and out of the way. The usual."
Susan gave a slight sigh and moved behind the desk. She reached into her private fridge and pulled out a beer. It wasn't as potent as whiskey but it would do for now. She was getting a headache anyway. She waited while the nut stumbled into the office and gave him a look over.
He was cute with short and styled spikey hair. Hazel green eyes and freckles added to the cuteness. Susan could see that he was a nice guy overall but he had a tough guy persona that hid that effectively. Probably he was afraid of his sensitive side and felt that the only way to survive this lonely world was to put up a wall. He was one of those guys and he probably had a past. Pretty interesting and if she had been doing what she had been doing a couple of years ago, she might have been all over him. As it was she was content with looking.
Cute Nut came to the counter and said, "Hi, I'd like two rooms please."
Susan decided to have some fun. "What you and the wife in the front seat been fighting again?"
The look on Cute Guy's face was classic. Susan' had to admit though that he was pretty good at the recovery. He replied, "No. Actually I need one with two queens and the other single with a queen."
"Oh for some company. Planning a threesome?" Susan was having fun pushing this guy's buttons. The look on his face was worth it.
He replied, "Hell no. The double is for me and my brother and the other is for our friend." He pulled out his credit card.
Susan had pity as she took a swig of her beer. "I get it sugar. Two guys and girl. The only reason for the two rooms." She began tapping on her computer and then took the credit card and looked at the name. It was probably a fake but money is money. She ran it and it was approved. She gave four keys, two for each room. "Here you go. You have the rooms at the end of the lane. Number 59 is the single."
Cute guy took the keys and thanked her. Susan watched as he went back out to the black beauty waiting. She could make out what she guessed was the brother riding shotgun and she could make out a third person who was lounging in the back. Must be the girl and judging from the look of things and she seemed very relaxed around them. Maybe they were family. If that was the case she had to hand it to the girl for being surrounded by testosterone.
Susan watched the car park near the rooms they were given and went back into the office. She was getting a headache and she was started to hear her memories again. Beer wasn't going to cut it this time. Maybe something to just relax… just as long as the smell wasn't picked up by the busybodies that always seemed to be listening. That was something they didn't need to know since they wouldn't understand a damn thing.
She sighed as she grabbed her open beer and downed the rest of it before heading into the private office. She definitely needed something that was a relaxant. She knew just the thing.
"You're kidding me? She actually said that to you?" Sam looked like he had been handed his full ride to Stanford again. He had never seen anyone fluster his brother so much besides Angela and she was looking smug about it though he thought that maybe it was the alcohol talking.
He and Dean had left her at what passed for the town library where she agreed to look up some stuff about the mine and the story of Mad Eye Garrison. He and Dean were going to check out the historic society for information. They got a tour that lasted nearly an hour maybe more that was led by an old man who was in danger of tripping over his own shoes.
It didn't matter at the length or the amount of information they got. In the end Dean was bored and annoyed that he had to listen to 'grandpa' talk about the glory days of mining. Sam was hard pressed to keep Dean's comments from reaching the ears of the old man and get them thrown out. At least they were able to find out that there really was a Mad Eye Garrison and he worked for the Ellis Coal Mine. Other than that it seemed that the stories were just that. It was going to require some deeper digging.
They went to pick Angela up at the library and found that it was closed and she wasn't there. They found her in the tavern that was down the street and nursing a bottle of whiskey. Sam was concerned that she had been drinking quite a bit the last few days. It was a habit Dean did when he was injured on a hunt. Sam wondered if that rubbed off on her or if it was something else.
Angela did deliver though on the research. Dean commented that she was faster than Sam on the research track. Sam did have to admit that he was impressed with the amount of research that she had done and still had time to go to a bar and drink. As far as she knew, she was not a heavy drinker. Yeah she would drink if the occasion called for it but this time it seemed that it was something else.
It caused Sam to carefully scrutinize his behavior of the past few days. They really hadn't fought and he tried to not be overbearing in his concern. She wasn't mad at him since she joked with him and Dean. She was playful with her gestures, often catching him and Dean by surprise by ruffling their hair. She did it more to Dean since he complained the loudest but it wasn't done with any malice on Dean's part. Sam knew something was on her mind and it was seriously bothering her even more than her birthday slump. It also occurred to him that maybe she was in more pain that she let on and was using the alcohol to compensate.
It was somewhat a relief that she wasn't drunk. However Sam had never seen her drunk under alcohol but it did lower her inhibitions enough to relax and not be so stiff. He remembered that victory party after the tournament and she actually did a repeat performance of singing on a table. True drunkenness was the result of her drinking soda and so far she hadn't touched the stuff.
Angela did give off the appearance of someone who was an alcoholic. She talked to them but she sounded like she was on something. That didn't detract from the fact that she could coherently relay her information to them. She was even able to walk out of the tavern at a normal pace but it bothered Sam that she declared that she wasn't very hungry. In fact she barely ate anything and afterwards when they were getting into the car, she flopped down on her usual seat but more like she was sick.
Now they were booked in a motel called Hell's Outhouse and Dean was telling them about the crazy receptionist who thought that he was a kinky bastard or even gay. It was amusing to Sam and he even laughed at Dean but a glance at the back showed Angela being amused but in a tired and languid way.
Sam turned his attention to Dean who handed him two keys and one to Angela. Dean was still miffed at the whole checking in thing and he grumbled about it as he grabbed his gear and headed towards his room. It left Sam alone with Angela and she was just doing the motions. He knew that the question he wanted to ask would have the potential to cause her to explode at him but he was willing to risk it. He took his stuff out and asked, "Are you okay Angie?"
Angela looked at Sam. She knew that she hadn't really been herself with the excessive drinking. Part of it was because it was a painkiller… better than morphine because it lowered her inhibitions. Part of it was because she wasn't sure of what to make of the fact that Sam had practically admitted it to her that he considered her family. The truth be told the admission caught her off guard and it caused her to think about her relationships.
To Bobby, she said it herself: she was a stray puppy that he took in and decided to stay. The boys to him were like his own. Most people never really said that but there were a few that came close. It always came close but never on the dot. Sam was the first and it terrified her. Plus there was the reality of Dean's deal. Wosret's presence and the fact that she mentioned this case could be a character case reminded her that there was more than just testimony. She knew that her efforts so far in her life would more likely be damning and the fact that recently she had gotten help from Ruby of all demons… No she was the stray puppy.
Her mind said otherwise as far as Sam was concerned and she didn't want to give him any reason to think that she didn't appreciate the… er… gesture. She just wasn't sure. Drinking seemed to make her not think about it too much. At least she wasn't getting drunk as a skunk but still Sam noticed. She sighed and replied, "I'm getting by."
"Ribs?"
He wasn't too far off with that. Angela replied as she hoisted her duffle onto her shoulder. "That and everything. The drinking somewhat helps when I don't want painkillers."
Sam studied Angela. She was trying to adjust her shoulder with the strap of her duffle. It was the shoulder that had been gouged. Was it still sore or was it something she didn't bother telling them? Deciding not to make an issue of it, he took her duffle strap and fixed it. He could have just taken it but he knew a thing or two about pride. He replied, "Okay."
"Thanks," Angela replied with a slow smile. "I know it's excessive but that bar fight didn't help. I admit that. I'll be fine in the morning and I'll go back to painkillers as needed."
"Maybe we should have stayed in Darby a bit longer."
"We needed to go," Angela replied stopping Sam with a raised hand. "George knows the coast is clear." She sighed a little. "I'll be fine."
Before Sam could answer, there was a loud shout that was incoherent. It was followed by Dean swearing, "Sonofabitch. It's freaking huge. Get it out!"
Tiredness aside, Angela gave a Sam a quick look and with the duffle on her shoulder and grabbing Absolution from the trunk and ran towards the room that Sam and Dean were to occupy. She and Sam found Dean looking genuinely scared and pointing at one of the beds.
A/N: Looks like something is going on in the mines and Angie has been drinking to much. Something must've spooked Dean badly. What is it? Find out next time on Pack of Strays...