"Rise and shine, Princess," Dean stated as he threw the comforter off of Sam and Adriana. Both shivered and opened their eyes. Dean grinned. Two birds with one stone. It was perfect. "You know, I like you two sharing a bed. I get to wake you both up with one motion," He said.
Adriana sat up, blue eyes glaring at him. "I hate you," She told him, and he grinned at her.
"You don't. In any case, we gotta hurry up and meet up at the park before Hailey takes off. No long showers, Drie," He told her, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. We're going into the woods, no need for you to get all prettied up."
Adriana glared at him again. "I will do whatever I choose to do."
"We're leaving in fifteen minutes, with or without you," Dean told her, and she knew he meant business so she sighed before hopping up and rushing into the bathroom.
"Why can't you be nice for ten seconds?" Sam asked Dean who shrugged.
"Not in my blood."
"Where's Thena?" Sam asked, glancing around.
"She was up super early and went to get coffee. Said she'd meet us at the car," Dean explained as he pulled on his biker boots. He grabbed his Colt, making sure that it was locked, loaded and ready to go. When he was positive it was all right for use, he stood up and slipped it behind it his back, the handle hooked against the waistband of his jeans. "Get ready to go, Sammy," He said and Sam nodded his head as he stood up and grabbed a fresh pair of jeans from his duffel bag. The only clean pair left.
"Dean, we're gonna have stop and do laundry in the next town," Sam said as he grabbed another shirt, the last clean one.
Dean nodded as he pulled a shirt out of his duffel bag and sniffed it. He immediately pulled it away, a grimace of disgust on his face. "Yeah. I'm with you. I wonder how Drie and Thena's clothes are doing."
And, as if in answer to his question, Adriana walked out of the bathroom, makeup done, and hair in a braid off to the side. She wore a slightly low cut dark blue-that brought out the blue in her eyes-shirt with a light brown jacket. The sleeves on the jacket stopped at her elbow and the material was the same that was worn on cargo pants. The jacket's length stopped just a little above her waist near her ribcage.
"See? I can get ready quickly," Adriana stated.
"Wanna put on some pants?" Dean questioned motioning to the girl who stood in her boycut underwear still.
"I had to find a pair to wear that was clean," Adriana said as she grabbed her duffel bag, shuffling through the contents and finally finding a pair of clean shorts. She pulled them out and slipped them on. The shorts were very short cargo shorts that were ripped in a few places over her thighs. The color matched the same as her jacket. "Speaking of which, we need to do laundry the next chance we get." She sat down on the edge of the bed, slipping on her own pair of dark brown biker boots.
Dean nodded as Sam slipped into the bathroom to get ready. "Yeah. Sam said he needed to wash his clothes as well." He smirked at the blonde girl just as she finished putting on her shoes. "So, you do have a wardrobe choice that isn't bright and girly," He teased her.
She rolled her eyes. "And yet I still look fashionable," She said teasingly.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Drie, seriously? We're going on a hunt? Why do you need to look fashionable to kill a creature."
"Girl's gotta look her best no matter what," She stated placing her hands on her hips. Dean smirked down at her as his gaze travelled past her onto the closed bathroom door where Sam was before looking back at her.
"You know he already likes you so you don't have to try hard," He told her.
Adriana cocked her head quizzically. "What do you mean?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "I know you're not that clueless, Drie." He rolled his eyes as she just blinked up at him, an innocent look in her eyes. "Never mind," He said before he stepped past her and banged on the bathroom door. "Sammy! Let's go!"
He stepped away just as Sam walked out, ready to go. "Chill out, Dean. I'm ready. All right?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." He grabbed his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulders. "You two got everything?"
Sam nodded as he also grabbed his duffel bag, and Adriana grabbed her own Glock 26. She slid the cartridge out, making sure it was loaded before pushing it back in with a click. "Yep," She said as she slipped her gun behind her back the same way the Winchesters did.
Athena was leaning against the car. She was wearing cargo pants like Adriana except hers were black and unripped. She had a navy scoop neck tank top on and an olive green military style jacket over one arm. On her feet, instead of biker boots, were calf high combat boots. She'd tied her black hair into a ponytail. Her gun was tucked into her waistband like the others. When they arrived in front of the car, she nodded.
"Right, let's go," Dean said before climbing into the car and gunning the engine, The rest of the group followed and Dean quickly drove to the national park. They pulled up to see Hailey and her brother talking to a man, their guide presumably. Dean grabbed the bag and climbed out of the car.
"I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come," the man was saying to Hailey. She looked frustrated but set her chin stubbornly.
"Roy," she said in a warning tone.
"Look, you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe. I think Ben would be safest at home," Roy protested. Hailey shook her head.
"You guys got room for four more?" Dean called as he sauntered over. Hailey glanced up in surprise, then her face morphed into suspicion.
"Wait, you want to come with us?" she asked. The guide glanced at the group.
"Who are these guys?" he asked. Hailey rolled her eyes and turned to the guide.
"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue," she said sarcastically.
"You're rangers?" Roy queried in disbelief.
"That's righ,t" Sam said walking up behind Dean.
"And you're hiking out in jeans and biker boots?"
"Sweetheart, I don't do shorts," Dean said and Adriana snorted. Roy seemed agitated.
"What, you think this is funny? It's dangerous backcountry out there, her brother could be hurt," he snapped at the foursome. Dean cleared his throat.
"Believe me, we know how dangerous this could get. We just wanna help her brother, that's all." With that, Dean began to walk on. Hailey gave Roy a glance, then shrugged. It couldn't hurt to have more people on the search for Tommy. It could only help.
"I don't see why they can't come," Hailey told Roy who rolled his eyes.
"Great. Babysitting," Roy muttered and Adriana couldn't help but giggle. That's exactly what the four of them were thinking concerning Roy, Hailey and Ben.
Roy sighed, but nodded as he walked to the front of the group, leading the way into the woods. They hiked for about ten minutes in silence, occasionally exchanging glances with each other, but no words. Everyone was deep in their own thoughts. Dean, not being able to take much more of the quietness and nature sounds around them, spoke up.
"Roy, you said you did a little hunting?" He asked their "fearless leader".
Roy nodded, glancing at Dean. "Yeah. More than a little."
"Uhuh..." Dean glanced back at Sam, and his little brother shot him a warning look. They did not need to piss of the guide. "What kind of furry critters do you hunt?"
Roy shrugged, pushing some branches aside as he moved forward. "Mostly buck, sometimes bear."
Dean smirked. "Tell me, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" He asked as he moved past Roy who had stopped beside a tree. Roy grabbed Dean's shoulder, roughly pulling him backwards. Dean stumbled back surprised from the grab before catching his balance and fixing Roy with a challenging stare as everyone else stopped behind them, curious as to what was going on. "What cha doing, Roy?" Dean asked, a not-so-kind tone in his voice as Roy released his shoulder from grasp.
He leaned down and picked up a stick before shoving it into the ground directly where Dean was about to step. A big piece of metal shot up, chopping the stick in half. Roy looked at Dean and smirked. "You should watch where you're stepping... Ranger." With that, Roy tossed the stick off to the side and continued walking forward.
Dean pursed his lips together, not happy someone had got the better of him. He turned and glanced at everyone behind him, playing it off. "It's a bear trap," He stated before walking on after Roy.
Adriana glanced at Sam. This was going to be a long trip if Roy and Dean couldn't get along.
"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers so who the hell are you." Hailey had stopped in the middle of the track and placed her hands on her hips. It seemed to Sam that they were surrounded by stubborn females. Dean sighed.
"Sam and I are brothers and Drie and Thena are friends of the family and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I figured that you and me, we're in the same boat." There was a pause, before Hailey accepted their story.
"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?" she asked, her tone more curious than accusing.
"I'm telling you now. Besides it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman," he admitted. "Ever," he added as an afterthought.
"Ever," Adriana said winking, to get the point across.
"Yeah. Okay," Hailey said.
"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions," Dean said as he pulled out a bag of peanut M&Ms, winking as he tossed them into his mouth.
Hailey rolled his eyes and continued to tramp. Adriana swiped a few M&Ms from the bag, chucking the brown ones at the back of Sam's head. The group hiked for another hour or so before Roy stopped them.
"This is it... Blackwater Ridge."
"What co-ordinates do we have?" Sam asked. Roy pulled out a GPS and tapped a few buttons.
"Uh, 35, -111." The same coordinates in John Winchester's book. Athena cocked her head, edging closer to Sam.
"You hear that?"
Adriana glanced back, surprised that the other girl had spoken. Lately she'd been saying nothing about the case.
Sam looked down at her. "Yeah, not even crickets."
"I'm gonna take a look around," Roy announced, setting his pack down.
"You shouldn't go off by yourself," Adriana said, folding her arms across her chest. Roy certainly wasn't going to listen to anyone, least of all the tiny blonde.
"That's sweet," he said patronisingly. "Don't worry about me."
"Alright, everybody stays together," Dean said, knowing Adriana was right about not having him go off on his own. He didn't like the guy very much but that didn't mean he was going to let the guy die here. He sighed as he led the group in the direction Roy had gone.
"Hailey! Over here!" Roy called out, and the group glanced at each other before quickly rushing off in the direction of Roy's voice.
"Oh my god..." Hailey breathed as she glanced around the camp site they had walked into.
The campsite looked like a grizzly bear had just come through it. The tents were all torn up with claw marks in them. They weren't even standing up anymore. They were laying against the ground, the poles bent and broken. Every so often, a splatter of blood could be seen on the white canvas of the tent. Hailey gasped as she walked around the tents, seeing clothes and other items strewn about on the ground. Sleeping bags laid out around the place, blood on them as well with claw marks.
"What the hell?" Adriana asked quietly as she glanced around.
"Tommy!" Hailey called out as she unbuckled her backpack, letting it fall to the ground. "Tommy!" She called a little louder and Sam glanced at her before taking a couple of steps towards her. He grabbed her arm gently and shushed her. "Why?" Hailey asked, referring to why she was being asked to stay quiet in the search for her brother.
Sam glanced around at the trees surrounding them. "Something might still be out there," He explained to her.
"Sam!" Dean called out. Sam glanced at Adriana, and she nodded. Sam would go off to see whatever it was Dean needed to show him and she would stay behind and watch the group. He took off towards his brother. "Their bodies were dragged through the campsite." He pointed at some marks on the forest ground. "But here, the tracks just vanish." He stood up sighing. "It's werid. I'll tell ya what. It's no skinwalker or black dog," He added before walking back off towards the campsite where everyone was.
Adriana glanced over at Hailey who had picked up a phone that was smashed into the ground. The blonde assumed it had belonged to the girl's brother, Tommy. "Hey," She said softly as she walked over to her. "He could still be alive," She added reassuring with a smile as Hailey wiped away a fallen tear just as Sam and Dean walked back up to the group.
"HELP!" Something called out throughout the forest. "HELP!"
Adriana and Hailey both jumped a little at the unexpected screams coming from within the forests. The group and ran through the forest, circling on the spot, looking for the source of the noise.
"It seemed like it was coming from around here didn't it?" Hailey asked, her voice shaking slightly. Realisation dawned on Sam.
"Shit," he muttered before yelling "Everybody back to camp!" They all ran back through the trees until they reached the camp site. The camp was destroyed and their packs were gone.
"Our packs," Hailey said. Roy crouched down, picking up some snapped branches.
"So much for my GPS and satellite phone," he said bitterly.
'What the hell is going on?" Hailey demanded.
"It's smart. It wanted to cut us off so we can't call for help," Sam said grimly.
Roy turned to face him. "You mean someone, some nut jobout there just stole all our gear?"
Sam ignored him and turned to the others. "I need to speak to you... in private," he muttered as they walked a little way off. Adriana, Dean and Athena followed, Adriana glancing back at the group. Sam held out his hand. "Let me see dad's journal," he said and Dean rummaged in his bag, pulling out a large leather bound book.
Sam opened it and flicked through the pages quickly until he found the one he was looking for. "Alright check that out," he said, pointing to a diagram of a creature.
Dean snorted in disbelief and even Adriana raised her eyebrows. "Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or Northern Michigan. I've never heard of one being this far west."
"Think about it Dean! The claws, the way it can mimic a human voice."
Dean sighed, realising he was probably right. "Great. Well then this is useless," he said, pulling his pistol out. Sam folded the book closed.
"Wendigo... that's that cannibal creature aye?" Athena asked, glancing around. Dean nodded. They tended to explain creatures to her as they crossed them but they'd been through their father's diary one day and explained most of the creatures in it.
"Cannibal creature... that'll do for now."
"We gotta get these people back to safety," Sam said as they walked back over to Roy, Ben and Hailey. "All right, listen up, time to go. Things have gotten more... complicated," Sam said.
Hailey stood up. "What?" She asked, confused.
Roy shook his head. "Kid, don't worry. Whatever's out there, I think I can handle it," He told Sam who shook his head.
"It's not me I'm worried about," He told Roy. "If you shoot this thing, you're just gonna make it mad," He added.
Roy narrowed his eyes at Sam. "One, you're talking nonsense. Two, you're in no position to be giving anybody orders."
Sam's eyes narrowed as well. "We never should've let you come out here in the first place, all right?" He said. "I'm trying to protect you."
At that Roy laughed. "You protect me?" He stated, like it was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard in his life. "I was hunting in these woods while your mommy was still kissing you goodnight," He told Sam darkly, almost as if challenging him.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" He challenged right back. "It's a damn near perfecthunter," He said lowly, trying to get how serious the situation was. "It's smarter than you, and it's going to hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid, sorry ass out of here."
Roy laughed condescendingly. "You're crazy, you know that, right?" He asked as he took a step towards Sam.
Sam had had enough of him. "Yeah? You ever hunt a wen-" Before he could finish the word 'wendigo', Roy had shoved Sam back. Sam went to retaliate, but Dean intervened.
"Roy!" Hailey exclaimed as Dean held Sam's shoulder, holding him back.
"Chill out," Dean told Roy then glanced at Sam as Adriana stepped closer to the youngest Winchester to try to calm him down. "Drie, you got him?" He asked her motioning to Sam and she nodded her head.
"Stop it, everybody just stop it! Tommy might still be alive and I'm not leaving here without him!" Hailey yelled, stamping her foot.
Dean raised his eyebrows. She was the only other girl he'd seen do that except for Adriana. He sighed. He and Sam knew the feeling. Dean wasn't ready to give up on his father. He knew he was alive and he knew they were going to find him. He couldn't make this girl leave without her brother. It wasn't fair. He nodded his head before turning to Sam who gave him a curt nod, understanding.
Dean turned to Hailey. "It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter during the day but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves," He said.
Hailey caught his gaze. "How?"
He pulled out his father's journal and flipped to a page. "We know some symbols we can draw that'll protect us." He turned to Roy. "Can you build a campfire? It's gonna get a little chilly out here at night," He said. Roy nodded. He wasn't too happy about the current circumstances they were in, but at least building a campfire would help him out. "We need to collect firewood. Drie, stay here with Sam and calm him down. I'll go with the others and get the wood." He turned to the blonde and she nodded her head before he walked away with the rest of the group.
"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" She asked, sitting down next to Sam who was leaning against the stump of a tree.
"Nothing's wrong. I just don't wanna still be here," He said turning to her. He took one look into her baby blue eyes as he felt his anger disappear a bit. He was a lot calmer than he had been because of the argument with Roy.
She rested her head on his shoulder as Dean came back with the group, each carrying an arm full of sticks and twigs. They set them down in a pile and Roy began to build the fire. As soon as the fire had been finished, night began to fall upon the group rather quickly and Dean began to draw the symbols in the dirt. Roy smirked at the emerald-eyed hunter, shaking his head. He didn't understand how a bunch of kids could know more than him on hunting, something he had done his whole life.
"So, by playing in the dirt, you're going to protect us?" Roy questioned Dean who straightened up, stopping mid-draw of the symbol, but it was Adriana who snapped first.
"I'm so sick of your crap! Just sit down and shut up!"
Roy smirked at her. "Right. Because I'm going to listen to the baby."
Adriana's eyes narrowed and she stepped towards Roy, standing right in front of him. "I'm sick of your crap. We never should have let any of you come along, but you're here with us and now we're stuck babysitting you."
Roy continued to smirk. "That's funny coming from the smallest. I really doubt you could do any damage."
Adriana had to resist every urge within her to punch him right there and prove him wrong. She bit her lip and Dean took a step forward, ready to intervene if Roy tried to hurt Adriana. Although, knowing Adriana, it might be the other way around, He thought, shaking his head.
"I know more about hunting than you will everknow," She told him eyes narrowed as she drew herself up to her full height of five foot, three inches. For being so small and short, Dean had to admit, her icy glare made her look a bit intimidating. "I know more about these woods and what's out there than you could ever imagine. You're just slowing us down in finding her brother," She said waving a hand at Hailey. "We're here to help and save him, and you're here being an asshole and stopping us from doing that. So, do us all a favor and sit down, shut up and let us do our job unless you want to get yourself killed!" She exclaimed in a hushed, deadly voice to him. It was quiet, but everyone had heard it. Roy almost looked abashed, but not quite. Athena smiled in the darkness at the smaller girl, knowing she couldn't see.
Roy turned away from the group and faced outwards of the circle, despite what Dean had said. Stupid teenage hooligans. They had no idea how dangerous grizzlies could be, yet they expected to be protected by weird voodoo magic. Dean glared at the back of the older man before walking over to Sam and leading him away from the group.
"You wanna tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?" Dean asked his brother. Athena and Adriana heard his lowered tones, but ignored them. They shared a look; for all their differences, they both cared about the brothers.
"Dean-" Sam said warily.
"No you're not fine," Dean cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "You're like a powder keg man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?" Sam sighed.
"Dad's not here." When he said it out loud, it made it real. They'd come here for nothing. "I mean we know that much for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?" he continued, almost wanting Dean to disagree with him.
"Yeah you're probably right. To tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek," Dean told him.
"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road, go find dad. I mean, why are we still here," Sam said. He seemed agitated, wound up about something.
"This is why," Dean said, holding up their dad's journal. Adriana and Athena were now both listening while paying attention to the three civilians. "This book... this is dad's single most valuable possession, everything he knows about every evil creature is in here. And he's passed it on to us." Dean paused, trying to convey his meaning. "I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things, the family business."
"That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants? Where he is?" Sam pressed.
Dean shrugged. "I dunno. But, the way I see it? Dad's given us a job to do and I intend to do it."
Sam shook his head. "Dean, no. I gotta find dad." He paused. "I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's all I can think about," He said, and Athena watched as Adriana bit her lip. He was still focused on Jessica.
Dean nodded. "Okay, all right, Sam. We'll find them, I promise. Listen to me. You've gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while, and all that anger? You can't keep it burning over the long haul. You gotta have patience, man."
Sam shook his head, sighing. "How do you do it? How does dad do it?"
Dean shrugged. "Well for one? Them." He glanced over at Hailey and Ben before turning back to Sam. "I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to hell maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable," He told Sam them smiled. "And I'll tell you what else helps," He said and Sam paused, waiting for Dean to explain. "Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possible can," He explained and Sam gave a half smile as he stood up. "Now. I'm gonna go finish these symbols, all right?" He grabbed their father's journal and headed back over to where he had stopped and began drawing in the dirt again.
"One more time, that's...?" Hailey asked.
"Anasazi symbols," Dean explained to her again. "It's for protection. The wendigo can't cross over them," He added and Roy scoffed. Dean rolled his eyes as he finished up the last symbol. "Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy," He called over his shoulder to the older hunter before he tossed the stick a little ways away as Adriana walked over to Sam and sat beside him.
"You okay now?" She asked and Sam nodded.
"Yeah." He smiled at her. "I'm good." He glanced over at her and saw something different in her eyes than he normally saw on hunts. She was actually afraid of this one. "You okay?" He asked and she turned her gaze onto his and he nodded his head to himself in confirmation. She had fear in her eyes.
"It's just... it's a wendigo..." She said quietly and that's when it clicked. A wendigo was what had killed her father. That's why she was more afraid now than she normally ever was.
"That's what killed your dad?" Athena questioned. Sam winced. Usually he moved around this subject a little more delicately.
"Yes it is..." Adriana said quietly, looking at the ground. Sam caught her chin in his hands and lifted her gaze to his.
"It'll be okay. I promise." Adriana smiled.
"Help me! Please! Help!" A cry came from the woods and the entire party jumped to attention. Adriana flinched but stood up, standing close to Sam.
"Okay, that's no grizzly," Roy said. Dean rolled his eyes.
"Now he believes us," he muttered to Sam. He moved to stand in front of Hailey and her brother. "It's okay, you'll be all right, I promise" Hailey said, trying to keep Ben calm. There was a scream.
"It's here," Sam said grimly. Roy aimed his shotgun at a shadow that darted rapidly around their group.
"I hit it!" he called excitedly, and chased into the forest.
"Shit," Dean muttered. "No, Roy, no!" he called, sprinting after him. Sam followed and so did Athena, but she paused and turned back to the blonde girl. She was standing just inside the edge of the clearing. Her face looked torn and suddenly Athena understood. She had an obligation to finish the case and kill the creature, to keep her personal issues out. But the fear showing on her face said it all. She would be too petrified to be any help.
"Adriana. Drie. Stay here," Athena said calmly. Adriana began to protest, but Athena cut her off. "Just stay here. Keep Ben and Hailey safe. Please."
The older girl's eyes pleaded with her to understand that as much hostility as she had shown her in the past, she didn't want her getting hurt. Adriana nodded and moved back into the clearing. Athena took off into the woods, following the boys. She caught up fast. Dean had his gun out and was turning, rapidly, at every movement.
"It's over here! It's in the tree!" someone called from about a hundred metres away.
Dean couldn't tell if it was the Wendigo or Roy but he moved through the trees. "Roy!" Dean called but there was nothing but silence. "Shit, shit shit," he muttered, keeping his weapon out but rejoining Sam and Athena.
"Where's Drie?" he asked.
"She stayed at camp to keep Hailey and Ben together. It was my idea," Athena said boldly. Dean looked at her for a minute before smirking at his brother. It looked as though Athena was back.
"Good idea, she hates Wendigos."
"'Hate' is a bit of an understatement, Dean," Sam muttered as they quickly walked back to the clearing.
When they appeared, Adriana breathed a sigh of relief. Hailey stepped forward but stayed within the boundaries of the protection as they stepped over the lines. She glanced around behind them trying to find Roy, but he wasn't appearing.
"Where's Roy?" She asked.
Dean shrugged. "I don't know. We couldn't find him," He said. "Look, why don't we all try to get some sleep and we'll continue looking for Tommy in the morning."
Sam nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. We're safe within the circle," He said as he sat back down against the tree stump while Dean poked the fire, starting it back up again. Hailey sat back down beside Ben sighing.
"What's out there?" She asked.
Dean sighed. "We'll explain more in the morning when we're a hundred percent sure what it is," He told her and she nodded. He walked over to Sam, Adriana and Athena who were all seated near the tree stump. He glanced at the blonde. "Are you sure you're gonna be all right?" He asked her, his voice softer than it usually ever was.
She nodded. "I know how to do the job, Dean," Adriana replied a bit harshly.
"Chill for five, Drie" he told her, grinning.
"Don't tell me to chill, Dean Winchester," she said, pouting.
"Sorry I asked," he said, leaning against the tree stump and nudging Adriana.
"Hey!" she yelled and pushed him back. Dean immediately put a finger over her lips and her eyes went wide in fright.
"Like I said. Chill for five."
"Five what, hours?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Dean looked at his watch.
"Yeah five hours should be long enough until it's light enough to hunt this son of a bitch down," he said, closing his eyes.
"Who's on first watch?" Adriana questioned. Dean kept his eyes closed and ignored her.
"I'll go. I'm not tired," Athena said. Sam smiled at her and Adriana curled up in a ball beside Sam. She knew she should try to sleep but she was never going to with a creature that killed her father out there.
The rest of the night passed without incident. Dawn broke and Athena glanced over to see Sam playing with a bracelet.
"Hey," she said quietly to let him know she knew he was awake. He nodded in acknowledgement. "Maybe Dean's onto something with the gay angle if you're carrying around a girls bracelet," she joked. Sam didn't reply, he just kept turning the bracelet in his fingers.
"It was Jessica's," he said.
"Oh." Once again, Athena felt out of her depth. There was so much history she didn't know, and probably wouldn't ever.
"Sorry," she said after a few minutes.
"It's okay. She's gone." There was some noise and Hailey sat up, blinking. She looked shattered. Adriana, curled up in the dirt, had finally succumbed to exhaustion, and Dean had the catlike ability to sleep anywhere so Sam never worried about him.
"I never thought these types of things were real," Hailey said and Sam sighed.
"Yeah. A lot of people don't," He said as he shook Adriana awake.
She sat up, stretching then smoothed her blonde hair before shaking her head and pulling it out of the braid, her hair falling around her shoulders in messy curls. She stood up, stretching some more before glancing over and seeing Ben sitting off by myself, quiet. While Sam started to shake Dean awake, she walked over to him and sat down.
"Hey, how you holding up?" She asked him. He glanced at her and shrugged.
"About as much as people can when they find out these types of things..." He said quietly and she nodded, laughing softly.
"Yeah... I know the feeling. Sorta..." She smiled reassuringly at him. "I promise, we're gonna find your brother. Sam and Dean are the best out there. They know what they're doing. I promise, you're brother's gonna be all right."
"But after that thing last night... how do you know it's not out there watching us?" Ben asked fearfully.
"We don't," Adriana said quietly, keeping her eyes lowered. "But we're safe for now." Ben looked at her, admiringly. He, like most other men they encountered on hunts, had noticed how pretty she was.
"How do you know this stuff?"
"It kind of runs in the family," she said, a slight smile crossing her face.
"I thought only you two brothers were actually related?" Hailey asked from where she was sitting. Dean shrugged.
"If we're only counting blood relations as family, then sure, I've got Sam and my dad. If not..." He trailed off, leaving it unspoken.
Sam walked over from the tree stump.
"Hey," he said softly. Hailey stood up, wrapping her arms around herself.
"So we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch," he said with malice in his voice.
"Well, hell, you know I'm in," Dean said almost instantly. Athena smirked.
"Am I never notin?" Athena questioned. Sam almost opened his mouth to make a remark. Adriana lifted a hand to acknowledge they'd spoken but said nothing more. Sam flipped through their dad's journal until he found the page. He carried it over to Hailey and Ben and Athena followed.
"'Wendigo' is a Cree Indian word. it means 'evil that devours'," Sam began, showing them the diagram of it. "They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man. Sometimes Indian or other times a frontier man or a miner or hunter."
"How's a man turn into one of these things?" Hailey asked.
"Well it's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his camp or tribe."
There was a grim silence after this. "Like the Donner party?" Ben asked, and Sam nodded before continuing.
"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities," Sam said, entering college student mode. "Speed, strength, immortality."
"If you eat enough of it over the years you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry." Hailey looked worried.
"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" she asked frantically. Dean and Sam shared a look before glancing at Adriana. She hadn't contributed anything to this conversation.
"You're not gonna like it," Dean said.
"Tell me."
"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, it stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there." When he finished he looked at Adriana again. Her dad didn't have the luxury of being kept for years and with that, a chance to be saved. He'd been killed on the spot.
"How do we stop it?" Athena asked, and Dean remembered that she hadn't known all that much about these things. Trust her to want to know about the weapons needed.
"Well, guns are useless, so are knives. Basically..." He paused, holding up a can of lighter fluid and a white cloth. In his other hand was a beer bottle. "We gotta torch the sucker. Now, come on." Dean turned and led the way into the forest while Sam grabbed the duffel bag, slinging it over his shoulder.
"So, you all hunt these creatures?" Hailey asked.
Dean nodded. "Yep. These two kinda just tag along," He said with a motion to Adriana and Athena who both rolled their eyes.
"Hey, I've been hunting longer than you," Adriana told him.
"I'm older than you," Dean stated and Adriana shrugged.
"I was in this since I was one, you were in it since you were four," She told him and Dean pressed his lips together and nodded his head.
"Touche'," He stated.
"So, you've been doing this your whole life?" Ben asked Adriana and she nodded.
"Mostly. I went to college for a few year like Sam," She explained to him. "But I have such a kind soul, I'm here helping them," She said and Dean scoffed.
"You have a kind soul?" He asked, leading the way further into the forest. "That's hilarious," He added, following the claw and blood marks on the trees.
"I joined last winter," Athena offered.
"And it shows in her skills," Dean muttered. Athena launched a fairly gentle kick into his back and he stumbled.
"The skills that one me the race to drive your car, hmm?" she said swanning past him. He glared at her. She's been quiet lately which was weird but she seemed to be back to her normal sarcastic self.
"That was onerace, Thena, it does not reflect on future races. And if I may, I beat you in our fight," he said smirking.
She stopped and turned, her hands on her hips. Dean thought it was funny how her and Athena could do the same gesture and look so terribly different. Adriana usually did it when she was annoyed, and it gave the impression that she was more intimidating than she actually was. Athena, however, looked like she was about to challenge you, and you should decline as she would win.
"At least I can hold my liquor," she said, in reference to Dean's hangover.
"I can hold my liquor. I just didn't want to," he protested.
"Whatever you say Dean."
"I'd like to see you deal with four shots of vodka, a dry whiskey and two glasses of rum any better than I did."
Athena laughed. "That's child's play!" she told him, laughing.
"I don't know if you two are aware but we are hunting a creature that could kill you. So shut up" Sam snapped.
"Touchy," Athena muttered.
Adriana rolled her eyes before she grabbed a twig off of the ground and flicked Sam in the back of the head with it. He turned around and gave her a blank stare. "Seriously?"
She shrugged. "I'm bored."
"I expect that from Dean, not from you," He said. Dean grabbed a twig as well and flicked him with it. Sam turned and glared. "Really?"
"You said you expected it from me. I wouldn't wanna disappoint you now," He said causing everyone to laugh.
Sam shook his head and took Dean's spot in leading since his older brother was more interested in joking around at the moment. As they walked, Dean glanced over his shoulder at everyone making sure they were all right. He noticed Ben's gaze seemed to flicker onto Adriana every now and again. He smirked as he nudged the blonde. She stumbled sideways from his shove, tripping over a log. She fell on her butt and glared up at him. Dean burst out laughing. He took a deep breath, trying to control himself.
"Was that really necessary?" She asked Dean darkly.
He started laughing again. "Sorry. Didn't mean to push you that hard."
"I hate you," She told him as Athena turned around and also started laughing.
Hailey giggled a bit, but kept herself under control, figuring it wasn't nice to laugh at someone who had fallen. Sam rolled his eyes at his big brother and Ben stood there, a small smile on his face. Ben walked over to Adriana and held out a hand to help her up. She accepted it and stood up, trying to brush herself down.
"Thank you Ben. I can see you'rea real gentleman," she said to him while shooting a deadly glare at Dean, who was still chuckling to himself. If looks could kill, Dean would be dead several times over. Dean caught Sam's eye and directed it to Ben.
"Looks like you got some competition there little brother," he said. Sam made a disgusted noise.
"Shut up Dean," Sam said. Dean grinned, pleased he'd elicited a reaction out of his younger brother.
"You feeling a little defensive today?" he asked.
"No, Dean, I'm feeling a little tired today due to the fact I got no sleep last night because there is an evil creature out there wanting to killme," he snapped.
"Well, technically, it doesn't want to kill you specifically, it would settle for anyone of us."
"Dean, I swear if you don't shut up, I'm going to do something to you." Dean, being Dean, kept going.
"Something? Is this a similar sort of something you'd like to do to Drie?" he asked.
Sam shot him a death glare. "Dean, shut up."
Dean smirked. "Oh, come on, Sammy. Lighten up a bit," He said but Sam ignored him and continued walking. Dean rolled his eyes as he turned to Adriana who was still glaring at him from being shoved. "What?"
"Why'd you shove me?"
"Well, technically, I just meant to nudge you. I can't help that you weigh like half a pound so you fall over with the slightest touch," Dean stated.
Adriana crossed her arms over her chest. "Was there a reason for the nudge?"
Dean smirked. "I was simply going to point out that it seems you've got yourself a little fan club going on."
"And that means?"
"I think Ben's got a little crush on you," He said with a wink and Adriana rolled her eyes at him.
"And I think you're full of shit."
"C'mon Drie. You're always trying to deny that you're blonde but if you keep playing this dumb, we're gonna have to face the facts."
"I hate you."
Dean placed a hand across his chest as though he'd been shot. "I'm wounded, Drie," he said, walking backwards so he could still talk to him.
"The name's Adriana to you," she said icily. Dean took another step backwards and tripped on a log, falling onto his back. Adriana threw her head back and chuckled. "Karma's a bitch, Dean," she said, ignoring him and skipping off. Athena smirked as she held out her hand as she walked, and pulled Dean up. He had cut his arm on a branch and blood was trickling out of it.
"These wendigos aren't like sharks are they? Smell a tiny amount of blood in a large area?" Athena asked jokingly.
"Well, the blood will probably just alert the wendigo even more that the equivalent of a big mac combo is walking through its woods."
"That's a cheery thought. You know, I could do with a big mac combo right now. Large," Athena said, sighing.
"M&Ms?" Dean offered, looking around in his bag. Athena wrinkled her nose.
"No thanks. I don't like chocolate."
"You what?" Dean asked, horrified.
"I don't like chocolate," She told him with a shrug.
"You have got to be kidding me," Dean said shaking his head. "That's so... unhuman!"
"Relax, Dean. Not everybody has to like the same things as you," Adriana told him as she glanced back at him over her shoulder. "You're not a god that everyone has to follow."
Dean looked surprised at that statement. "Really? I thought I was."
"You're impossible," Adriana stated. Dean went to retort, but Sam called out for him. Dean gave Adriana a look before hopping up to the front of the line by Sam.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You know, I was thinking," Sam began as he looked around at all the claw marks, blood and broken branches on the trees. "those claw prints, so clearly distinct... They were too easy to follow," He said and Dean shot him a look.
"You couldn't point that out before we started following the marks?" He asked. Sam started to reply, but the sound of growling reached their ears.
They both turned in opposite directions, scanning the surrounding trees. Adriana moved closer to Sam and Dean while Athena stood her ground. Ben moved closer to Hailey and Hailey took a step closer to a tree behind her. She heard a dripping sound on her jacket. She glanced at her shoulder and saw a red liquid. She turned her gaze upwards before leaping out of the way with a scream. Roy's body fell right where she had been standing. Sam leaned over Hailey to make sure she was all right as Dean examined Roy. He felt the guy's neck and sighed as he straightened up.
"You okay? You got it?" Sam asked Hailey as he helped her up and she nodded.
"His neck's broken," He announced to the group.
Suddenly, there was more growling and the trees rustled as the wendigo circled around the group. Dean turned in every direction, trying to find the creature, but it moved too fast. They had no way to see what they were up against. Adriana screamed, but when the group turned in the direction of where she had been standing, she wasn't there anymore. She was gone. The wendigo had taken her. Dean turned forward as they were more rustles from the trees.
"Drie!" Sam shouted as he turned frantically in his spot, trying to find the blonde girl. "ADRIANA!" There was only silence in reply. Dean spread out into the bush. He heard another girl's scream. Hailey.
"Hailey?" Ben called tentatively. Once again, there was nothing. Sam, Athena and Ben all moved into a group. Dean and Hailey sprinted out through the forest.
"Go, go go" he yelled and the group sprinted off. Ben stumbled over a log and tripped to the ground. Athena circled them as Sam picked Ben up but Dean and Hailey were out of caught a glimpse of something and moved forward to pick up Dean's Molotov cocktail. The bottle was broken.
"Oh shit..." he said.
"Where's my sister, where's my sister gone?" Ben asked frantically. Sam felt sorry for the poor kid. He was now missing his brother and sister.
"I've no idea Ben, but we're going to find them. They're going to be okay" Sam said calmly. Athena had one hand on her gun, despite being told it would do nothing. Ben took a deep breath.
"If it keeps its victims alive, why would it kill Roy?" he asked.
"Honestly?" Sam began. "I think because Roy shot at it, it pissed it off." At his words, Athena took her hand off her gun. They kept walking.
"Yeah cause shooting things usually pisses the victims off," Athena added helpfully.
"Thanks for that, Thena," Sam muttered.
"Are there more of these things?" Ben asked.
"These things being wendigos, or supernatural creatures in general?" Sam queried.
"I'll start with wendigos," Ben said.
"Yes, there are more wendigos out there. Not in this forest exactly, but there are more out there. Supernatural creatures? They are more of them all over the place. And it's our job to protect people from them," Sam told him as they walked forward trying to find the missing people in their group. Ben walked forward a bit and bent down, picking up something up off of the ground.
"What is it?" Athena asked as she stepped forward towards him.
"They went this way," Ben told her and Sam. He stood up and handed Sam a peanut M&M. Sam shook his head, chucking it behind him as he glanced down at the floor. There was a trail of colored M&M's leading a path.
"It's better than breadcrumbs," Sam said. "Come on," He told the three. He glanced at Athena as they walked. "I'm glad to see you're back to being yourself."
Athena shrugged. "I just needed a 'wake me up'." She noticed Sam seemed a little on edge, probably because he had just lost his brother and his best friend.
"Sometimes these 'wake me up's come in different forms" Sam said distractedly. They rounded a corner to see a mine entrance. It was marked by a ruined old sign reading WARNING! DANGER! DO NOT ENTER EXTREMELY TOXIC MATERIAL.
"If they're in there, that sign's true. Drie and Dean together classify as 'extremely toxic material'" Athena commented. Sam ignored her and pushed open the door, shining his torch into the mine. He moved into it. Athena followed him, and Ben did as well, after glancing at another sign above the large one. This one read KEEP OUT NO ADMITTANCE.
"Good thing I'm not afraid of the dark," Athena said humorlessly as they stepped into the mine. The ceiling had two or three inches between in and Sam's head. Sam flicked on a torch.
"It's not the dark you should be afraid of, Thena," Sam said as he shone the flashlight down another tunnel.
There was a faint noise; it could've been growling; it could've been wind blowing down the old mine. The noise grew louder, and Sam recognized it. It was the Wendigo growling. He pushed Ben against the wall, turned off the torch as Athena moved into the shadows. The wendigo came closer. Ben opened his mouth to scream but Sam slid his hand over it before he could. The wendigo turned down another tunnel. Athena peered around a corner to see it move around another bend in the opposite direction. Sam flicked the light back on and they kept moving through the tunnel.
"This way," Athena hissed and she moved over to an area that was boarded. She stepped onto the floorboards and they creaked. Sam and Ben followed her, and the creaking increased. "Shit," Athena managed to say before they splintered and collapsed. They fell about three metres before landing in a pile of bones. Ben scrambled out of them, looking scared for his life.
"No bones broken? At least, not the ones on your body?" Athena asked. Sam shook his head and stood up.
"That's some sick joke Dean would make," He commented, brushing the dirt off of himself.
He glanced around, scanning the cave. His gaze stopped on Dean, Adriana and Hailey who were hanging from the ceiling by their wrists. Dean's feet touched the floor, Hailey's just grazed the ground and Adriana was left on her own. They had found who they were looking for. They had found them and they were alive. That was a good thing.