Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 9

Dean stretched and frowned when he found he was alone in the bed. He sat up, but the bedroom was empty, so he got up, showered, and dressed before going to the kitchen to find breakfast cooking and Sammy typing away. "How long have you been up?"

"Couldn't sleep," he admitted, looking up and smiling at Dean who leant in for a kiss.

"Looking for a job?" He grabbed a glass of juice and sat opposite Sammy.

"Just looking, there's no rush." He got up to get their food, plating it up. "only thing I've found so far is Oasis Plains, Oklahoma. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob."

"Huh?"

"Human mad cow disease," Sam clarified, and Dean frowned.

"Mad cow. Wasn't that on Oprah?"

"You watch Oprah?" Sam grinned, and Dean flushed in embarrassment.

"So this guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our kind of thing?"

"Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration. It takes months, even years, for the damage to appear. But this guy, Dustin? Sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour. Maybe less."

"Okay, that's weird. And disturbing."

"Yeah. Now, it could be a disease. Or it could be somethin' much nastier," he shrugged, and Dean nodded.

"All right. Oklahoma."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, we've had a good holiday, time to get back to work."

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Sam got out of the car and frowned, looking around, there was something…whatever had happened definitely wasn't natural with what he was sensing. He shook it off and walked with Dean over to the man they were looking for. "Travis Weaver?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Are you the Travis who worked with Uncle Dusty?" Dean asked, looking suitably saddened.

"Dustin never mentioned nephews."

"Really? Well, he sure mentioned you. He said you were the greatest."

"Yeah."

Travis grinned, "Oh, he did? Huh."

"Listen, we wanted to ask you... what exactly happened out there?"

"I'm not sure. He fell in a sinkhole, I went to the truck to get some rope, and, uh... by the time I got back..."

"What did you see?" Sam pressed.

"Nothin'. Just Dustin."

"No wounds or anything?"

"Well, he was bleeding... from his eyes and his ears, his nose. But that's it," Travis shuddered.

"So you think it could be this whole mad cow thing?

"I don't know. That's what the doctors are sayin'."

"But if it was, he would've acted strange beforehand, like dementia, loss of motor control. You ever notice anything like that?"

"No. No way. But then again, if it wasn't some disease, what the hell was it?"

"That's a good question."

"You know, can you tell us where this happened?" Sam asked, and Travis nodded.

"Yeah." He quickly wrote out the address for them.

They got back in the Impala and drove to where the men had been working at the time of Dustin's death. The sinkhole was surrounded by police tape as they got out and looked around. "Huh. What do you think?" Dean asked, knowing Sammy could sense a lot more than he could thanks to magic.

"I don't know. But if that guy, Travis, was right, it happened pretty damn fast. There's something…it's not evil but there's power in this town and it's not happy," Sam explained as they ducked under the police tape and looked into the hole with a flashlight.

"So, what? Some sort of creature chewed on his brain? A curse?"

"No, there'd be an entry wound. Sounds like this thing worked from the inside."

"Huh. Looks like there's only room for one. You wanna flip a coin?" Dean asked, and Sammy shook his head.

"Dean, we have no idea what's down there. I'm going." Sam picked up the rope and began tying it around his waist before grinning at Dean. "Don't drop me."

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"Can you imagine growin' up in a place like this?" Dean asked as they walked towards the house holding the BBQ.

"Yeah, I can," he admitted, squeezing Dean's hand. "There's nothing wrong with "normal"."

They approached the house and knocked on the door. The homeowner, Larry Pike, answered. "Welcome."

"This the barbeque?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, not the best weather, but... I'm Larry Pike, the developer here. And you are... ?"

"Sam, this is Dean." They all shook hands.

"Sam, Dean, good to meet you. So, you two are interested in Oasis Plains?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let me just say - we accept homeowners of any race, religion, colour, or... sexual orientation."

"That's very good to know, thanks," Sam answered, and Larry took them outside to the backyard. There were lots of people walking around, chatting and eating. "You said you were the developer?"

"Eighteen months ago, I was walking this valley with my survey team. There was nothing here but scrub brush and squirrels. And you know what, we built such a nice place to live that I actually bought into it myself. This is our house. We're the first family in Oasis Plains," Larry explained as they joined a well-dressed woman. "This is my wife, Joanie."

"Hi there," she greeted as they shook hands.

"Tell them how much you love the place, honey. And lie if you have to because I need to sell some houses."

"Right," she agreed as they laughed.

"Boys, will you excuse me?" Larry left them in her hands.

"Don't let his salesman routine scare you. This really is a great place to live."

A very energetic woman approached them. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun. "Hi, I'm Lynda Bloome, head of sales."

"And Lynda was second to move in. She's a very noisy neighbour, though," Joanie warned as she left the brothers with Lynda.

"She's kidding, of course. I take it you two are interested in becoming homeowners."

"Y-yeah, well..."

"Well, let me just say that we accept homeowners of any race, religion, colour, or... sexual orientation."

"Right. Um... I'm gonna go talk to Larry. Okay?" he asked Sammy who smiled, and Dean leant in to kiss him and Sam kissed back before letting him go.

"Who can say "no" to a steam shower? I use mine every day."

"Sounds great." While Lynda continued talking, Sam noticed a tarantula crawling towards her hand, which was resting on a table. A few feet away, Larry's son, Matt, was watching excitedly. "Excuse me." He pushed Lynda out of the way and picked up the spider, bringing it over to Matt. "Is this yours?"

Matt took his spider back. "You gonna tell my dad?"

"I don't know. Who's your dad?"

"Yeah, Larry usually skips me in the family introductions," Matt scoffed.

"Ouch. First name basis with the old man - sounds pretty grim."

"Well, I'm not exactly brochure material."

"Well, hang in there. It gets better, all right? I promise."

"When?"

"Matthew," Larry called, and they turned to see Larry and Dean walking over. "I am so sorry about my son and his... pet."

"It's no bother."

"Excuse us," Larry pulled Matt away.

"Remind you of somebody?" Sam asked, and Dean looked over at where Larry was yelling at Matt.

"John," Dean answered, he understood now just how wrong the man had been in the way he had raised them and then treated Sammy for wanting to go to College.

"How was your tour?"

"Oh, it was excellent. I'm ready to buy, Dean grinned, and Sam laughed. "So you're onto somethin'. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here."

"What happened?"

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job. Get this severe allergic reaction to bee stings."

"More bugs."

Dean nodded, "More Bugs."

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She scried the boy's location, frowning at the massive negative energy around them. She couldn't help wondering what dear Daddy Winchester would think when he found out dear Samuel had enslaved his own big brother, even if Dean appeared to have more freedom than that spell usually allowed for. Both carried broken bonds, to the same person. Pity she couldn't meet that witch, she had been very good to be able to ensnare even an untrained witch of Samuel's power levels. And then to get under Dean's guard long enough to enslave him… it also left a very tempting way to get close to the boys. She could soothe their pain from the bond…by taking them over herself. It would give her instant access to them both without worrying about taking the time to approach carefully, to woo them to her cause. If she didn't do it, someone else would eventually.

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John fought the chains, swearing as he fought but there was no way out as the black demonic cloud approached. It poured down through his mouth and noise, choking him before the world became distant and his body relaxed. The chains released, and his body moved without his telling it to. He was possessed and there was nothing he could do about it. He walked into another room and John baulked at the spell components he saw set out. He knelt and drew a knife across his hand, letting blood drip into the waiting bowl. Words he didn't recognise fell from his lips.

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Sam grinned as he broke into one of the unsold houses from the now closed garage. They went inside and headed upstairs to the master bedroom.

"This I could get used to," Dean admitted, and Sam smirked before pushing him onto the bed, pinning him there.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" he moaned as Sammy latched onto his throat. Sammy shifted to claim his lips and Dean relaxed, giving himself to him. Their clothing vanished as Sammy's hands wandered his body and Dean was soon whimpering and pleading, unashamed of the noises Sammy could pull from him. He didn't care about whatever Sammy had done to him to make this easy, it meant no awkwardness or anything to break the mood. Neither noticed the soft buzzing until Dean whined and slapped at a mosquito. He looked, and his eyes widened. "Sammy!"

Sam looked over, eyes widening before shimmering gold, a wall of magic surrounding them protectively and Sam took a deep breath, feeling the headache start even as their clothing reappeared on them. "We need to move." They got off the bed and back towards the door, the bugs following, stopped by Sam's shield for now. They bolted for the impala and drove away as quickly as possible, Dean driving for once since Sam needed to concentrate. It was odd but as soon as they left town the swarm dispersed.

"What the hell?" Dean demanded in shock. And then the police scanner picked up the report of a woman killed by spiders. The attacks were speeding up.

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They pulled up at the curb and watched as across the street, Matt got off a school bus and began walking. "Isn't his house that way?" Dean asked, and Sam nodded.

"Yup."

"So, where's he goin'?" They get out of the car and begin following Matt. They found him in the woods, examining a grasshopper.

"Hey, Matt. Remember me?" Sam asked as they approached, and the teen eyed them warily.

"What are you doin' out here?"

"Well, we wanna talk to you," Dean told him.

"You're not here to buy a house, are you?" matt asked, and Dean shook his head. "W-wait. You're not serial killers?"

They laughed, and Sam shook his head. "No, no. No, I think you're safe." He wasn't a hunter after all.

"So, Matt... you sure know a lot about insects."

"So?"

"Did you hear what happened to Lynda, the realtor?"

"I hear she died this morning."

"Mm, that's right. Spider bites."

"Matt... you tried to scare her with a spider," Sam pointed out gently and Matt's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait. You think I had something to do with that?" he demanded angrily.

"You tell us."

"That tarantula was a joke. Anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy."

"You know about those?" Sam asked, and Matt nodded.

"There is somethin' going on here. I don't know what... but something's happening with the insects. Let me show you something." He picked up his backpack and began walking with them to another area.

"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad? Maybe he could clear everybody out."

"Believe me, I've tried. But, uh, Larry doesn't listen to me," Matt scoffed as they moved deeper into the woods.

"Why not?"

"Mostly? He's too disappointed in his freak son."

"I hear you," Sam scoffed, and Dean nodded. "Matt, how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Well, don't sweat it, because in two years, something great's gonna happen."

"What?" Matt asked in confusion.

"College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad."

"Or even travelling, as long as you're eighteen," Dean agreed.

"How much further, Matt?"

"We're close." A few moments later, they reached a large clearing. The sounds of hundreds of different insects could be heard among the trees. Sam swallowed and shivered, there was something… "I've been keeping track of insect populations. It's, um, part of an AP science class."

"What's been happening?" Dean asked, seeing Sammy's shiver.

"A lot. I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles... you name it. It's like they're congregating here."

"Why?" Dean asked as they looked around at the multitude of creepy crawlies.

"I don't know."

"What's that?" He pointed to a dark patch of grass a few feet away. Curious, they walked over to it and discovered hundreds of worms. Dean stepped on some of them, and they fell into the ground, creating a hole. He crouched down and used a stick to poke around in the hole. "There's somethin' down there." He put the stick down and pus his hand into the hole. With a disgusted expression, he felt something inside the hole. He brought his hand back up, and the three boys looked horrified. Covered in dirt and worms, was a human skull.

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Sam and Dean entered the diner and found a Native American man playing cards at a table. "Joe White Tree?" the man nodded and looked up, eyes narrowing as he stared at Sam. We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right."

"What can I do for a witch and his slave?" the Shaman asked, and Sam blinked. "You have both been touched by evil, evil that can reclaim you so long as those broken bonds remain."

"Oh…thank you," Sam said politely. "Have you heard of Oasis Plains? It's a housing development near the Atoka Valley."

"I know the area."

"What can you tell us about the history there?"

"Why do you wanna know?" Joe asked warily.

"Something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there - Native American bones," Dean jumped in to Joe's surprise, he had assumed due to the salve bond the shorter male would not speak but ti seemed he retained some autonomy.

"I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant, the cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time. And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people."

"Insects. Sounds like nature to me. Six days," Dean frowned.

"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive," Joe finished, and the boys shared a look.

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"Can you break the curse?" Dean asked as they looked at the calendar.

Sam bit his lip, thinking. "Maybe, with a lot of time and space to work or several other witches to work with but this thing is very strong. Odd are I'd only weaken it a little," he finally admitted. "We need to get Larry and his family out of here or they'll be dead by sunrise."

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She frowned as the power around the boys continued to grow. Whatever they were messed up in was not good…it was a curse of the worse kind, backed by the sacrifice of lives. She was too far away to do anything. She cast a few protection spells aimed at them but that was all she could do.

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They pulled up outside Larry's house and saw Larry peering out at them. "Damn it, they're still here. Come on," Dean grumbled as they got out, Matt moving out from the yard to join them.

"Get off my property before I call the cops," Larry demanded as he left the house.

"Mr. Pike listen."

"Dad, they're just tryin' to help."

"Get in the house!" he yelled at his side.

"I'm sorry. I told him the truth," Matt admitted.

"We had a plan, Matt, what happened to the plan?" Dean asked, frustrated, he could feel Sammy's magic surging.

"Look, it's 12:00 AM. They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go, before it's too late."

"Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm," Larry sneered.

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think somethin' weird's goin' on here?"

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, and we're gonna have a problem."

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we've got a problem right now."

"Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger."

"Matt, get inside! Now!"

"No! Why won't you listen to me?!"

"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now, are you gonna really take that risk with your family?" Sam cut in, glaring, and Larry stepped back as Sam's eyes shimmered with magic. "Get your wife, get in the car and get out of here!"

"Wait," Dean called, and they fell silent. "You hear it?" From somewhere nearby, a very loud buzzing noise could be heard, continuing to grow.

"Cars, now!" Sam ordered, eyes flashing, and Larry ran to get his wife even as Dean shoved Matt in the Impala.

"Guys!" Matt called, pointing up from his seat in the car. They looked up to the sky. Millions of bugs began flying towards the house, blanketing the sky.

"Sammy?" Dean looked at Sammy whose eyes were pure gold, lips moving silently as he wove a spell around them. Larry pulled his wife from the house and towards them and Sammy stretched the spell to cover them as the swarm dove at them, hitting the shield.

"Oh my God," Larry gasped.

"Move it!" Dean snarled as he got in the driver's seat.

Sam shoved them in the back and then dove into the passenger seat. "GO!" Dean floored it, glancing at Sammy to see him sweating, a trickle of blood coming from his nose. He was going as fast as he could, the swarm surrounding them, kept out only by Sammy's spell. He just had to get them off the land and they would be safe.

Sam groaned, pressing his hands to his eyes in pain as he fought to keep the spell going. He felt…another source of magic settled around them, it was protective, and it eased some of the strain and he shivered, it was powerful, so powerful. He felt it as Dean crossed the border, the pressure of the curse vanishing with the swarm and he slumped in his seat.

"Sammy?" Dean called.

"M'kay," he mumbled tiredly.

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They watched the family pack up, happy to hear no one would be living there again, and then they returned to the diner and Joe White Tree.

"Still alive?" the Shaman was surprised, he had felt the curse come to its normal end.

"A family of three, including a child nearly died but yes, we made it out. How do we break it?"

"You don't break curses."

"With help they can be. You're a descendant, together we might be able to break it, especially now that's it done for this cycle," Sam argued.

Joe stared at them, seeing the anger and he closed his eyes, considering. A child… "Very well, we will see what can be done."

They returned to the field where the bones had been, Joe now dressed traditionally and went to work. Dean waited nervously in the Impala, able to feel the strain Sammy was under as they struggled to truly put the spirits to rest and cleanse the land. He closed his eyes and slumped in the seat as he felt Sammy draw on the bond. For three days they fought the spirits until Sam and Joe hit the ground as the curse snapped, freeing the spirits. They staggered up and went to work on the purification, Sam ignoring the blood on his face and the pain. When they finished they stumbled back to the car and Dean drove to Joe's place and then on to the motel where he got Sam inside and into the shower to clean up before falling into bed.

When Sam woke twenty-six hours later he found Dean awake and waiting for orders. He managed to order Dean through getting them both something to eat and then they curled together on the bed to continue resting.

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Azazel smirked as a location finally appeared on the map, feeling John screaming in his head. They were in Oklahoma and dear Sammy was rather week at the moment. The perfect time to send some demons to collect them and bring Sammy home where he belonged.

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Sam packed the last bag and put it in the car. He was still exhausted, but something was telling him they needed to move on.

TBC….