A/N: Hope you enjoy this. Thanks for reading. Please review! Oh and of course, I do not own Supernatural.
They left Bobby's the next morning at 5 AM. Scotty drove into the salvage yard while they were packing the car.
"How's he going to drive all day after being out all night?" Sam asked no one in particular as Scotty pulled the bike to a stop next to the Impala and cut the engine.
MJ gave Bobby a hug goodbye before getting into the backseat.
"Let's do this." Scotty called to them pulling sunglasses from his pocket.
Dean closed the trunk. "I'm planning on getting twelve hours of driving in today. You sure you're up for that on no sleep?"
A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. "I slept. I just didn't sleep here."
MJ rolled her eyes. Day was just breaking when they started out. Scotty followed as they made their way toward New York. He had wanted to go through Canada, which would save them about an hour of drive time, but Dean had shot that down, saying they didn't need to be crossing the border. Too much risk of having the trunk searched. They could explain away the salt and holy water, but the blades, guns and ammo probably wouldn't sit well with Border Patrol.
After two quick pit stops along the way, they finally stopped for the night in Toledo. MJ stretched her sore limbs glad to be out of the car after a twelve hour drive. They found a diner just off the highway and grabbed a booth. Dean had invited Scotty to join them, but he declined, heading to the bar across the road.
As soon as they were seated, Sam pulled out his laptop while Dean scanned the restaurant, simultaneously searching his surroundings for possible threats and attractive women. MJ looked around thinking that in this particular dive, he might find both of those things in one package. She glanced at the menu and tossed it down, noticing Dean gawking at a woman seated at a booth across the room. She was snapping her gum between her ridiculously red lips and twirling her fake blond locks around her finger. Her gold, spandex shirt was working overtime and barely containing her boobs, which she had proudly on display. She winked at Dean, before turning back to her friend and barking out an obnoxious laugh. MJ turned back to Dean who was still smirking stupidly at the girl.
"Really, Dean, that one?"
"Huh?" he asked not looking away from the girl.
MJ balled up her straw wrapper and pegged it at him, hitting him square in the forehead.
He glared at her. "What?"
"She is appalling. She's been road hard and put away wet."
Sam laughed, not looking up from his research.
"She's hot." Dean said simply.
"She is for sure diseased. That shirt is like a disclaimer for Syphyllis."
Dean shook his head. "How'd you get so bitchy?" He asked taking a drink of his coffee.
"I am not a bitch. I'm a realist. And the reailty is that if you sleep with that girl you will contract something itchy and unpleasant."
Dean choked on his coffee, giving MJ the most disapproving look he could manage while sputtering and spraying coffe down his front.
MJ giggled at the sight.
"Guys, there was another one." Sam said, the smile now gone from his face.
"Another death?" MJ asked.
Sam nodded. "Alderman Spencer Hewitt, 44, was visiting the facility when he collapsed. Cause of death undetermined, witnesses said he was clutching at his throat as if he couldn't breathe."
"What the hell? This guy wasn't even an employee." Dean said quietly.
"It looks like they tried to keep it quiet. This story is from today, but he died last week."
Dean shook his head. "It's gotta be random."
"Maybe random, but definitely our kind of thing. One of the employees spoke to the media. Listen to this: 'It suddenly got really cold in the hallway and there was this weird scratching noise. Then he just fell to his knees.'"
"So a spirit. But why these people? And why so much time in between? If it was random, it seems like it would be killing a whole lot more often. There's practically an unlimited supply of victims in there."
Sam closed his laptop as the waitress approached to take their order. Once she walked away Sam turned to his siblings. "I don't know what's going on, but we gotta get there fast before it kills again."
"Well, we can't do much until after dark anyway, so we might as well stay for the night, drive all day tomorrow and check it out tomorrow night." Dean said.
After they ate and checked into the crummy motel next door, Dean joined Scotty at the bar and Sam got to work on his laptop again. MJ decided to go for a run to stretch her legs after the long car ride.
"Be back before dark." Sam called after her.
She hadn't thought she'd be gone nearly long enough to worry about running out of daylight, but it was nearly dusk when she rounded the corner, the motel coming into view. She slowed to a walk as she approached the bar. She was getting ready to cross the street, when a hand on her shoulder made her jump. She yanked out her ear buds, turning quickly.
"Hey." Scotty said, taking a drag on his cigarette. There were a few other people standing outside smoking. "So are you mad at me or something? You've been ignoring me."
MJ didn't respond, just glared at him, wondering if this was just part of his game, or if he was really that oblivious that he couldn't figure out why she was keeping her distance.
"We're okay, right?" he asked with a wink.
MJ took a step closer to him. "No. We're not okay. We're not anything. I am tolerating you because we need you for this job. Once it's done, I don't intend to ever lay eyes on you ever again. So just stay away and keep your hands to yourself, or I promise you I will spill everything to Dean."
He smirked. "And?"
"And you'll be crying like a little girl before he's done with you."
Scotty scoffed, taking another drag on his cigarette. "Dean loves me."
"If you want to test that theory be my guest. It's your face." She turned and crossed the street, his soft laughter drifting after her.
She was shocked that she had actually confronted him. It must be post run endorphines, she thought. She was glad she had said her peace. The hard part, she knew, would be making good on her threat and actually telling Dean. When push came to shove, she knew she might not push back.
MJ took an instant liking to the tiny village of Tupper Lake. She imagined it was a bear to live here in the winter time, but in May it was absolutely beautiful. The lake itself was really no more than a large pond, but lovely nonetheless. Their motel was actually a bunch of little cabins set on the lakeshore, just off the main road where Mount Hope was located. MJ was sitting in one of the two Adirondack chairs on their small porch overlooking the water. She had Sam's old digital camera at the ready, waiting for the loons to circle back around. She knew she wouldn't get very good pictures with the old camera, but she was going to try. She had never seen any birds like them.
Sam and Dean were inside, getting their supplies ready. It was nearly dusk and they were planning to break into Mount Hope tonight to have a look around. She, of course, had nothing to prepare for because she would be staying behind. She was still less than happy about this, but she didn't bother arguing with Dean. She knew he wasn't going to change his mind. Suddenly she heard the loon call close by. She got the camera ready, aiming it toward the water. There they were, their strong wings propeling them toward her. She adjusted the focus, but before she could take the shot, someone stepped in front of her.
"Hey, what's up?" Scotty asked.
She jumped, her heart in her throat. She hadn't heard him approach, focused as she was on the loons' music.
"Uh, well I was taking a picture, but then some idiot stepped into my shot." She said aggrevated.
He hopped over the porch railing landing beside her. He was wearing dark clothes and a knit hat, and his usual flannel, except in black ."Hey, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to piss you off." He leaned on the railing, smirking down at her. She ignored him as best she could, searching the sky for the loons. She saw him lean to his left, peeking inside the cabin. Apparently satisfied that Dean and Sam were occupied, he bent toward her, his face inches from hers.
"You know I got a hot tub in my cabin. Just about big enough for two. I also got a bottle of Jagermeister and some Red Bull. What do you say you sneak over later tonight. After we get back. Good times, eh."
She did her best to ignore him, her stomach turning and face burning at his words.
She heard the door creak open and Scotty quickly moved away from her, crossing his arms over his chest. Sam stepped out onto the porch, dressed in all black, his duffel over his shoulder. He paused when he saw Scotty on the porch. He took in MJ's flushed appearance. He knew her well enough to know that the expression she was wearing was one of pure disgust and a smidge of anxiety. Sam approached the two, standing between them.
"Dean's finishing packing. You can meet us at the car." He said in a tone tht left no room for further discussion.
Scotty hopped back over the railing with a quick jerk of his head toward MJ. She exhaled slowly.
Sam turned to her once he was satisfied Scotty had followed his direction.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Fine."
"Did he-"
"No, Sam." She interrupted. "I'm okay."
Sam turned and started to head to the car, before stopping in his tracks and heading back.
"Look, MJ, I don't believe you. I know he's bothering you. Tell me the truth." He crossed his arms, waiting for her to respond.
She stood, leaning against the railing. She looked up at him. "Come on Sam. We've been through this. It's nothing I can't handle. Let's not make a big deal out of it."
He shook his head. "This has gotten out of hand." He jerked his thumb in Scotty's direction. "If he's being inappropriate, I need to know about it. He can't just get away with doing this to you. And, for the record , I don't like lying to Dean."
"You're not lying to Dean." MJ said, lowering her voice. "You're keeping a huge, unnecessary fight from happening. Think about it. What good would come of Dean knowing about this?"
Sam just looked at her for a moment.
"Besides," she continued, "Once this case is done, we'll go our separate ways and we'll never see him again."
"Fine. But I'm telling you now MJ, I know you lied before about what happened at Bobby's. If he lays another finger on you, you'd better come right to me, or I swear he won't be the only one in trouble."
MJ said nothing. She knew Sam would never lay a hand on her, that's not what he was threatening. But he would tell Dean that she lied to him about Scotty. And that wouldn't be good for anyone.
The boys left shortly after dark. MJ retreated into the cabin, laying the salt lines just as Dean had ordered her to do. She pulled out her laptop to see what she could find out. "The sooner we solve this, the sooner I'll be rid of Creepy McSmirksalot." She mumbled to herself. She had looked into the first two victims, Sara Searles and Eugene Thompson, countless times and found no connection. Both had graduated high school last June, but didn't attend the same school, didn't work the same shift and didn't seem to be friends outside of work. The third victim, Spencer Hewitt, a local alderman, was touring the facility last week when he dropped dead. Cause of death was strangulation, just like the other victims. And just like the other victims, no one was anywhere near him when it happened. Well, not anyone that the staff could see. The alderman was there to make a donation on behalf of the Joshua Morrison Foundation. He had no other affiliation with the facility.
MJ did a search of the foundation and one of the first entries that came up was a photo from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise from over a year ago. The three victims were pictured, along with three other people.
"Bingo." MJ said scrolling over the photo and reading the caption below it.
Students from local high schools competed for the Joshua Morrison Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to one high school senior pursuing a degree in the Human Services field. Pictured with the student finalists are State Senator Randall Morrison and Patricia Morrison, cofounders of the Joshua Morrison foundation, and Spencer Hewitt, Foundation Chair.
The other finalist, standing next to the senator in the photo, was Nathan Morrison. A few more clicks told MJ that he was the only surviving child of Senator Morrison. Joshua Morrison, the couple's first born, died when he was seven from a degenerative heart condition. He was also severely mentally retarded. Since his death the Senator's wife, Patricia, had worked as an advocate for children with developmental delays and began the foundation in her late son's name.
That was where the trail ended. She could find no connection between the people in the photo and and the facility. Yes, the foundation regularly made donations to Mount Hope, but beyond that there didn't seem to be any reason why these people were the chosen victims. MJ had been considering buying into Dean's theory that the deaths were the work of a restless spirit who was choosing his victims at random, but the photo she'd stumbled upon squashed that idea.
The motel room door burst open, making MJ jump a foot in the air. Sam and Scotty rushed in, awkwardly supporting Dean's weight between them. Dean was barely standing, his face a mask of pain, blood soaking the front of his shirt.
"What happened?" MJ yelled running to the bed as they laid Dean carefully on it.
"Our friend made an appearance. Sliced Dean pretty good." Scotty answered as Sam ran to get the first aid kit.
"MJ." Dean said, grimacing in agony. "Go make sure there's no blood on the upholstery."
"Screw the car, Dean, you're bleeding like crazy!" She shouted wadding up a towel and applying pressure to the wound.
The gash in Dean's abdomen looked pretty gruesome at first glance, but it turned out not to be all that deep. Sam was able to close it with five stitches and no less than a dozen violent curses from Dean.
"There. I think you're good." Sam said half an hour later as he inspected his work.
Dean carefully sat up, examining the laceration. "Man, I wanna gank this thing bad. We need to figure this out and fast."
"Were you guys able to search the place at all before you were attacked?" MJ asked cleaning up the supplies and trash.
"That's the really disturbing part. We were done. We were in the parking lot when he showed himself." Sam said.
"It's not confined to the institution. Fun times for us." Scotty said from the kitchenette as he helped himself to a beer.
MJ growled in frustration. Not only was this thing still out there wreaking havoc, slicing up her brother, but now it could apparently roam freely. Which meant it would be harder to nail down. Which meant this would take longer. Which meant more Scotty. "Did you find anything inside to help us figure out who this guy is?" She asked desperately.
Sam retrieved his jacket from the floor where he had discarded it in his haste to tend to Dean. He pulled a folded up piece of paper from the pocket. We went through the personal belongings of those three patients who died the week before the killings started. We found this picture."
MJ took the piece of paper from Sam and gasped when she unfolded it. The three victims smiled up at her from the same photo she had found online earlier.