Chapter 9

Angela stood at the gates of the Ellis mansion. She debated on whether or not to bypass the com button and scale the gates herself. She felt up to it and it helped that she took a mugful of blood without flinching about it. The only thing that was driving her was that she knew instinctively that her boys were in trouble. By what, she wasn't sure but she knew that Michael Ellis knew what it was.

The day before when she paid a visit, he had been very evasive when she had gotten close with her questions regarding what made the decision for the mine to close. He had been willing to talk about Mad Eye Garrison though and now that she had time to think about it, the two were connected; that she was certain of.

Normally she would have headed straight for the mine but she didn't want to get lost in the maze of tunnels. If anyone would have a map, Michael Ellis would have one. The maps she sketched from memory were older and only partials. She needed more information and Ellis was the one to get it from.

Deciding to go direct, Angela backed up. She heard Setna squeak in her pocket. The kitten seemed to have made itself home in her jacket pocket and that meant she had one more pet that was probably going to drive Bobby crazy since he already had Cerebus guarding the house. She put her hand in her pocket and rubbed the kitten's ears. It was going to be okay.

Angela tensed her muscles and started in her sprint. Putting a spring in her leg muscles, she vaulted herself onto the gate and was up and over it easily. She landed with a dull thud and the ease of long years of practice. Her fingers barely touched the ground before she was running up the hill towards the house.

One of the guard dogs came running out and she put an extra sprint in her muscles. She vaulted over one of the garden fences and ran up one of the nearby tree and grabbed the branches. She swung herself from the tree and onto the balcony of the mansion. She was barely panting when she turned to look down and saw the dog looking up at her and barking.

"Very impressive. Most people wouldn't have tried what you've done."

Angela turned to see Michael Ellis looking at her with a bemused expression. In fact it looked like he had been expecting her. It couldn't be since she decided to go there this morning and she had been standing outside his gate for about ten minutes debating on what to do. Those ten minutes he could have been watching her and of course her mad sprint up the hill to his house. He could do whatever he wanted since it was technically his property.

She looked at the man with a stern expression and replied, "We need to talk."

"I figured that you might," Michael replied and led the way in. "Just like I figured that you weren't what you said you were. That little display with my dog confirmed it."

"I train in athletics."

"But none could outrun and run up a tree and onto my balcony without breaking wind or a sweat," Michael replied. He walked over to where he had his alcohol. He had watched her since she arrived that morning. He was curious about what she was going to do since she was still as a statue when she did that.

When she vaulted herself over the gate, he was surprised but not frightened. He had suspected that she wasn't normal at all. Even though it was a standard security camera, it did pick up on a few things and he noted how she didn't seem to cower when he spoke to her. It wasn't the courage sick people got either. When he viewed her vaulting over, he froze the camera and noticed something. He noticed that her eyes weren't normal at all.

Michael poured himself a drink and he poured another for his 'guest'. He offered the glass to her and she held it and took a polite sip. She knew her etiquette. That was impressive to him. He was more impressed that she worked up the nerve to come back and talk to him like she was doing now as she replied, "As I said, we need to talk and it is not a social chat."

Michael offered her a chair and sat down in his own. He said, "Well I've always liked it when my deals were straight up and to the point. So what is it that you feel the need to break and enter onto my property?"

Angela knew she was caught on that one. She was lucky at the moment that Michael decided not to call the sheriff on her. That could lead to complications in rescuing the boys and if the sheriff found out about them, that would have Henrickson on their tails. The last she checked by tapping into the FBI database she found that he was on a false trail that had been set by none other than Austin. That came as a surprise since she never told him of that problem.

Looking at Michael, Angela compartmentalized everything as she usually did and focused on her purpose in coming. She replied, "I want to know the real reason the mine was closed and what really killed Mad Eye Garrison."

Michael smiled and replied, "I told you the official statement and…"

"That may work for the people of Ellis, but this is something serious," Angela interrupted. She was probably risking quite a lot but she got the feeling that this was a matter of life and death. It was a serious matter since it concerned her boys. "I have a feeling that you and Mad Eye were close. That picture in your parlor says quite a bit. I also think that you know what's in there. I can help with that but I need your help to do it."

Michael studied his guest. That she wasn't normal was obvious from the sketchy evidence he had. However he knew that the information that she sought was something that he wasn't prepared to release if she couldn't convince him that she knew what she was doing. He replied, "And how to you propose to help with this problem? Assuming of course you are right in your suspicions?"

Angela took a moment to study the man. He was good at questioning everything to get what he needed to know; just like her boys. He would make a good hunter if he knew of the world that existed parallel to the 'normal' world. She replied, "I have means to kill whatever it is and I know that there are things that exist that you have probably gone to great lengths to keep from the people of Ellis."

"And what do you think that to be?"

It was a test for information. Angela had played that game herself many times before. It was a means to find out how much your opponent knew in the game you were playing. She would know since she had played it numerous times with Azazel and now Crowley. She replied, "I don't know but it is a creature capable of abduction and leaves behind hair that is not human. Funny thing is that this… whatever appears after the person sees Mad Eye."

Michael leaned back in his seat. He could sense the urgency in her voice but he could also see the patience. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He had seen the thing that had killed Mad Eye and knew what was down there and agreed to let them have the mine if they would leave the people of Ellis alone. Stanley and Rick were supposed to be looking at mineral deposits away from the mine but the last communiqué he had from them suggested that they were being nosy in that mine. He suspected that the leader thought he had violated the agreement.

The mayor thought that there was a serial killer and of course the mine was included in the patrol zones. He had warned Sheriff Talbert to stay away from there. Now it was a huge mess and he had a girl who was too pale for his own liking but had a determination to fix this. What if he got more people unnecessarily hurt. He replied, "Suppose I did know that there was something. That doesn't mean that I know what it is."

"A description helps."

"Really? And you would have the means to kill it when so many others have failed?"

Angela sighed. This was tiring but right now he was the key to getting the details she needed. Maybe that was why the boys preferred that she snow job the more difficult people. It was because she had the patience for it even when it was an emergency. "I am a hunter, Mr. Ellis. I know about things that you know that you don't want others to know. It is a life."

Michael studied her. She was telling the truth and he knew that. He could afford to give some information. He replied, "You are right in that Mad Eye's death wasn't an accident. The other miner Martin was right in that it was something that killed him."

"The growls and the clawed hand?"

"Let me tell you a story. Back when Gerald Ellis was making his start in the mining business, he happened to chance upon a young boy that appeared to be a stray. As you may have heard, that term refers to the many kids that pass through here on their way to the bigger cities and the like. Anyway Gerald found that this stray was different from the others that came by. He took him in and raised him as a son along with his own boy.

"The stray grew up and learned the mining business but unfortunately there were complications. The other miners began to notice things about the stray. They began poking fun at him and he grew angry until he ran away. Gerald Ellis was heartbroken having lost a son but then he found his boy again but only after he had gotten the news."

Michael got up from his seat and walked over to the desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out a few documents. He had never shown anyone this before since he harbored the fear of what would happen if he did. He showed them to Angela and continued, "As it turned out, the stray returned to Ellis and Gerald set aside a part of the tunnels for him to live with the others he brought with him. It was agreed that they would leave the miners alone and they could have free range over the nearby forest. As long as Gerald was alive, that seemed to work. His son and brother to the stray upheld the bargain and their sister married the stray.

"As so it was they lived in that part until the miners began poking around. A war was started by the time Gerald Jr. came along and then in a last ditch effort, I decided that closing the mine would be best so that they would be left in peace. It worked until those that remembered decided to try and go after them. A hunter like you passed by and…"

"And you just let them? They didn't come back so you must have suspected what was done to them," Angela countered as she held the papers in her hands. She hadn't read them yet since she was on a roll with getting the story from Michael.

"I warned people to stay away. I made up that stuff about EPA so that they wouldn't go near it thinking that there was something dangerous down there. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't just advertise for hunters to go in there. I couldn't…"

Angela knew that feeling. It was like trying to explain to someone who had the blinds down and now they were being forced open. It was like trying to explain demons are real to someone like Andy (May his soul be at peace). Michael had tried his best but now this had to end. She asked, "The name of the stray… what was his name?"

Michael looked at Angela. He replied, "His name was Joseph. Joseph Turner."

Angela did everything she could to prevent herself from bolting out of her chair and running towards that mine. She glanced at the papers she had been handed and found that it had been newspaper clippings and discreet inquiries made by Gerald Ellis about his boy to local law enforcement. The newspaper clipping held her interest since she remembered that night.

She had gotten the call from a friend with the marshal's office. Her help was needed on an impending attacking on a settlement near the river in Alabama. Word had it that a new breed of creatures was attacking and killing people in some twisted sense of a blood feud between freaks and humans. The leader was one Joseph Turner and the reports said that he was a werewolf.

She had ridden hard since it seemed that in those days she had been called to settle blood feuds with regular frequency. Sammy Colt used to joke with her about that since she stopped frequently to help people. In that case she rode on to the settlement which was called Sojourner only to find that she had gotten there too late. Turner's men were ravaging the settlement and had just about killed everyone or carted off suitable candidates.

Still she tried to stop Turner and actually faced him. She had never seen a creature like him before but she knew where his 'special' blood came from. She took him on and it was a hard fight. She left him with a nasty wound on his forearm and he left her with a gaping wound on her back. The rest of the town was ravaged and in the end she supervised the cleanup. The smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils and she could still smell it to that day.

Angela never thought that Turner would be connected to Ellis. If he was here in town, that meant that Sam and Dean were walking into a trap. They would either be killed or made to suffer and they would wish they were dead. She looked up at Michael and said, "I am going to need the most accurate map you have of that mine."

"Why?"

"Because I am going to kill Joseph Turner."

Susan walked through town feeling that they day was slightly off. She had met Nancy at the diner and she was still worried that something had happened to her Charlie. Susan normally wasn't the sentimental type but she spent a good portion of her time comforting the woman. She gave a calm reassurance that the sheriff would find Charlie and that he would be back to busting truants in no time.

That calmed Nancy down enough to offer some of the diner's best coffee. Not normally a coffee person, Susan made an exception. Besides she couldn't always resort to the drink and that other stuff to drive away the memories. So she sat at the counter and chatted with Nancy for a spell. It took her completely by surprise when Nancy asked, "You know those two boys and that girl that came by here? They staying at your place?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask Nancy?" Susan tried to play it off nonchalant so that she didn't appear too interested.

"Well I gave the girl Mama Jameson's number since she said that they were doing something for a history class in local lore. I didn't expect them to head to your place."

"I run a business at a cheap rate. Sometimes travelers need cheap but I'm sure that you mentioned Mama Jameson's bread," Susan replied. She disliked the hits her place took. So what if she was cheaper than the Jameson bed and breakfast and so what if she gave it a less ominous name than people might like? It was still a business.

"I did mention it to her. She seemed to like it. I wonder why she and her friends didn't come in today." Nancy spoke in an absentminded fashion. Her thoughts were clearly on what happened to her Charlie.

Susan was curious too. She hadn't seen them all day so far. In fact the last time she say the boys was when they accepted her stew for dinner and the girl didn't show up at all. The boys said that she was tired and that she was getting over some sort of cold. Susan didn't quite buy that for a minute since the giant went to her room to talk to her later. She had her suspicions but she had to maintain some sense of townspeople curiosity. She replied, "Probably paid Mama Jameson for a meal if they couldn't resist the bread."

"Maybe that's it. I would hate for what happened to my Charlie to happen to them. They seemed like such a nice group."

"Well best not to count the chickens before they hatch as I think the saying goes," Susan replied. She didn't want Nancy to start thinking morbid thoughts or anything like that. "Well I better get going. I have to help Louisa with the housekeeping."

It was a lie but Susan wanted to get away from Nancy for a while. Sometimes that girl did get way too nosy and sometimes she made wild speculations that could spell trouble if someone didn't put a stop to it. She was a nice woman and Susan could admit that she liked her but the suspicions she had in mind weren't for someone like her considering she was still missing her husband. "See you later Nancy."

Susan made a quick exit and decided to head back to her place. Along the way she bumped her bad arm on something. It belonged to one of the buildings in town and at the moment she didn't care. The bump caused the injury to flare up and she gritted her teeth in pain as she went back to Hell's Outhouse. She rounded the corner and entered her rose garden. Since she was well hidden, she stopped to examine her arm. She found that the stitches had popped open and that was a surprise considering that even when high her stitches held.

"That looks nasty. You should have someone take a look at that."

Susan looked up to see the girl that was checked in with the boys. She looked slightly defeated but still up and kicking. She also looked like she knew something and Susan's own instincts went up. She replied, "I got it covered. I've been doing this for a long time."

"Oh," the girl replied with a slightly raised brow, "Because I would think the smart thing to do with a GS wound was to go to a center. The only reason someone wouldn't is if they are trying to hide something."

"Or they know how to deal with it themselves," Susan retorted. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a room here in case you forgot."

"Right and I suppose you just weren't spying on me?" Susan felt the old rage start to build up. She forced it back down since she didn't want to hurt the girl unnecessarily.

"I came from a meeting and here to think. Yet I find the owner of the motel here examining an injury which surprisingly is in the same spot that Officer Stark mentioned that he hit some creature night before last." The girl put one of her hands in her pocket and the other on her hip.

Susan panicked. She had avoided them for years. She was not going to let them take her. She had every right to live. She saw the bench that she had put there for guests to sit on when they visited the garden. It took two delivery men to put it in; it took only her to reach down grab it and hurl it at the girl. She then surprised the girl with her secret.

Susan didn't expect the girl to react with the same amount of speed she was moving. The girl leapt out of the way and landed in a crouched position with one of her hands for balance and support. Susan stood upright on her hind legs and sprang forward just as the girl did. Susan grabbed the girl by her shoulders and pushed her to the ground. She growled, "You're one of them."

The girl reacted and Susan saw her eyes glow and the slight formation of pointy eye teeth. The girl kicked her away and righted herself up. "I could say the same... Lupei."

Susan found herself looking at the girl. This was not a hunter but one of the others; the mortal enemies of all of her kind. She growled at her, "I will not be subjugated by your kind ever again Vampire." She then charged.

The girl used her ability to avoid the more powerful blows that Susan was capable of delivering. However Susan noticed that the girl was not trying to hurt her. That she pressed to her advantage especially when the vampire grabbed her in an attempted chokehold. Susan grabbed the vampire and flung her away.

She growled with relish as the vampire hit the trellis arch and crashed down. Susan rushed over to finish the vampire only to find that there was no body. Susan stood up and looked around. She sniffed for any sign of scent of the vampire. She was not going to let this vampire go to her friends. She was not going to be at the mercy of the hunters because of that night.

Suddenly something grabbed Susan's neck in a chokehold. It was the vampire and Susan struggled. She heard the vampire say, "I don't want to hurt you."

That sparked a memory from long ago for Susan. Her olfactory senses picked up on the scent of the vampire. It brought her back to the memory of that night. It was a night that she had been trying to forget.

The flames where running high. The smell of smoke and blood was in the air as she watched the others ravage the settlement. She looked around in horror. They were supposed to make a home here and he attacked them.

She ran through the settlement as soon as she heard the shots. The hunters had arrived and they were out to kill. He said that they would shoot first and ask questions later and that it was the same with all humans. They didn't want to be around those that were different; like them.

She ran as far as she could. She got hit though and the bullet burned. It was pure silver. She had been hit in the leg and she couldn't keep up. She made it to a glen to hide and waited for them to come back. She thought that she was in the clear until she heard that step and smelled that scent of her people's mortal enemy.

Susan held her breath, hoping that whoever it was would pass her by. They didn't. She tensed and growled softly when the person came into view. Susan growled in pain and fear as the hunter-vampire looked at her. Slowly the hunter kneeled down to touch the leg. The hunter was a she and she said in a gentle voice, "I don't want to hurt you. I know you didn't do this." The hunter then reached down and took her injured leg to look at it…

Susan flung the vampire off and watched as she hit the side of the main office building with a thud. She reverted back to her normal self. The scent was familiar and she couldn't believe it. Was it even possible? She slowly walked over towards where she had thrown the vampire.

The vampire was slowly getting up. Susan could see that the fight had taken a toll on her. Then again she wasn't a normal vampire. If Susan remembered correctly, the hunter was not a whole vampire but one of those other ones. Susan pulled her flannel shirt over her body to avoid prying eyes. She said, "You aren't here to hurt me?"

The hunter smiled slowly as she picked up her jacket where she had dropped it and checked the pocket she had her hand in earlier. She pulled out a kitten and made sure it was all right. Cuddling it in her hand she replied, "No but I can help you with that arm."

A/N: Looks like Angie is getting some answers and there is more to Susan than meets the eye. Stay tuned for next time on Pack of Strays...