A/N: So who else is crying in a hole over 9x03? Seriously depressing. Anyway, "Wendigo"!
Disclaimer: I don't own the people, or the show or anything. Sigh.
"Everyone ready?" Mary asked the group. They all nodded.
"Bring it!" David grinned.
There was a lighter edge around the group. The most personal and painful part of this was over for them. It was almost as though they were just watching T.V. now, except that at least two people were real and the events weren't fictional. All they had to do was get over the fact that Sam was a hunter of supernatural phenomena.
Blackwater Ridge – Lost Creek, Colorado:
"I've been there once," Brady said suddenly. "My family goes camping there sometimes."
"If we're watching it, nothing good is happening," Cassandra said.
"Maybe they don't all start off really depressing?" Lizzie suggested, hopefully.
"These 'episodes' all start off with some background information so you have an idea about what's going on," Mary told them. "Not all of them are depressing though."
There is a strange growling noise as a campsite is seen. Two young men are playing a video game in one text, while in another tent, another young man records a video for Haley on his phone. Back in the first tent, one of the guys leaves to go to the bathroom. There is a strange crackling sound that doesn't come from the fire, and more growls. The guy screams.
"Brad?" the first gamer asks.
"Gary, what's going on?" the video recorder is worried.
Gary pokes his head out of the tent and sees whatever grabbed Brad. It pulls him from the tent and he screams.
"Never leave safety. Never go and see why people are screaming!" Cassandra reprimanded Gary.
"What was he supposed to do?" Jess asked.
"Anything else! Everyone knows the rules of a horror movie! You don't have sex, you don't split up and you don't go towards the person doing the screaming."
"You know this isn't actually a horror movie, right? It's real life?" David asked.
"Of course. The rules still apply in real life though!"
The last guy shuts off his light and sits in the middle of the tent.
"See. That's how you survive," Cassandra told them.
The creature surrounds the tent, and eventually claws his way through.
"Uh huh," David said and everyone laughed. Cassandra blushed.
Palo Alto, California:
Sam walks up to Jessica's grave, holding flowers.
Immediately everyone sobered.
"He looks nice, all dolled up," David tried for humour. Everyone was too focused on the scene to pay him much attention.
"I um, you always said roses were lame, so I brought you uh –" he cuts off as he sees a picture of her.
Jess wanted to scream, or cry, or anything. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let him go. He looked so sad, so lost. This wasn't fair! Why did this have to happen to her? To him? To them? She didn't even realize she was crying until Mary wiped a tear from her face.
Mary reached out and pulled Jessica close, wiping the tears from her face, trying not to let her own fall. Her poor baby. This wasn't supposed to happen to him. None of it.
There are tears in his eyes as he walks forward. "Jess," he says kneeling. "I should've protected you. I should've told you the truth. He puts the flowers down against the tombstone, and a hand comes up to grab his wrist.
Everyone jumped at the sudden movement.
"Woah, did that scene just go from really really sad to really really scary?" Lizzie asked.
David nodded.
Sam jumps awake as a blast of music explodes in the Impala. Dean looks over at him, obviously concerned.
"That was only a dream?" Cassandra was floored and everyone else was stunned. "That was intense."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam rubs his eyes and looks forward.
"Another nightmare?" Sam coughs and pointedly ignores the question. "Want to drive for awhile?" Dean asks.
Sam snorts. "Dean, your whole life, you never once asked me that."
"Just thought you might want to. Nevermind." Dean sounds frustrated.
"Look man, you're worried about me, I get it. And, thank you, but I'm perfectly okay."
"Mhm." Dean doesn't believe him.
"Don't listen to him, Dean. You need to help him," Jess told him.
"You know they can't –" David cut off as she glared at him. "I said nothing."
Sam clears his throat and reaches for a map with coordinates. "Where are we?"
"We are just outside of Grand Junction."
"You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon."
"Sam, we dug around there for a week, we came up with nothing. If you want to find the thing that killed Jessica –" Dean watches the road.
"We gotta find Dad first," Sam is staring at the map still.
"Dad disappearing, and this thing showing up again after twenty years? It's no coincidence. Dad'll have answers, he'll know what to do." Dean sounds sure of it.
"They have a lot of confidence in their father," Lizzie noted.
"They grew up trusting that he knew the answer to everything," Mary responded. "He was their safety."
"It's weird, man. These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge."
"What about it?"
"There's nothing there. It's just woods. Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?" Dean doesn't answer.
The brothers are at a Ranger's Station, where Sam is looking at a more detailed map of the area. Blackwater Ridge is a remote area, cut off by canyons, with rough terrain, dense forests, and abandoned mines.
Dean cuts off Sam's report about the area. "Dude, check out the size of this friggen bear," he says, looking at a picture. The bear is massive. Sam comes over to look with him.
"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area," he finishes off. "It's no nature hike, that's for sure."
"You boys aren't planning to go out by Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" The Winchesters turn, startled, to face the man who must be a Ranger.
"Oh, no sir," Sam lies. "We're environmental study majors from UC Boulder. Just working on a paper."
"Recycle man," Dean contributes.
"Subtle Dean," Cassandra laughed.
"Bull," the ranger says.
"Well that was fast," Brady said.
Sam looks at Dean, and Dean watches the ranger. "Your friends with that Haley girl, right?"
Dean considers for a moment before confirming that this is true.
The group laughed. He just bounced so easily from one lie to the next.
"Well I will tell you exactly what I told her," the ranger starts. "Her brother filled out a back country permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth. So it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?" Dean shakes his head once. "Tell that girl to quit worrying. I'm sure her brother's just fine." Ranger Wilkinson walks away.
"Or he was eaten," Cassandra said darkly. "Why doesn't anyone believe people when they're in trouble?" she asked at large.
"Not everyone is an expert on horror like you are," David joked.
"We will," Dean assures him. "Well that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?"
"That is putting it mildly."
"Actually, you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that back country permit, you know, so she could see her brother's return date."
Sam and Dean leave the station. Dean is laughing while folding up the permit.
"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" Sam asks.
"What do you mean?"
"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" Sam sounds frustrated.
"Doesn't sound like Sam to just go rushing into things," Jess said uncertainly.
"I don't know," Dean says from one side of the Impala. "Maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it?" Dean has a look of disbelief on his face.
"What?" Sam asks, after a pause in which Dean stares at him.
"Well since when are you all shoot first, ask questions later anyway?"
"Well I'm glad that didn't change. Well, I mean, I'm glad that I knew something about him that his brother knew too. Even if it's apparently wrong," Jess muttered.
"Since now," Sam replies, and he gets into the car.
"Oh really?" Dean says to himself, following suit.
There is a knock on a door and a young woman opens it.
"You must be Haley Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam. We're rangers with the park service," Dean introduces them.
"Again with the lies?" David asked in disbelief.
"Ranger Wilkinson sent us over and we wanted to ask you some questions about your brother, Tommy?"
"Let me see some I.D." Haley says after she looks them over.
Dean pulls out a piece of I.D. that passes the test as Haley lets them in. When she opens the door, she sees the Impala on the curb. "That yours?" she asks Dean.
"Yeah," he says with pride.
"Nice car." Dean turns to mouth something to Sam who just rolls his eyes.
"Yes! Someone else who appreciates what a fine specimen that is!" David cheered.
Everyone else just rolled their eyes.
"You know, we were supposed to own a van," Mary informed him. "Someone showed up and convinced my husband that the Impala would be a better car though."
"Yeah, a smart someone," David retorted.
Mary laughed. If only he knew.
In the dining room, Sam starts collecting information. "So if Tommy's not back for awhile, how do you know something's wrong?"
"He checks in everyday by cell," Haley answers, carrying in a bowl and a pot and setting them on the table where another young man is sitting. "He emails, photos, stupid little videos. But we haven't heard anything in over three days now."
"Wow. Possessive or overprotective much?" Lizzie said.
"Well maybe he can't get cell reception?" Sam offers.
Haley shakes her head. "He's got a satellite phone too."
Brady whistled.
"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?"
"He wouldn't do that," says the young man.
"Our parents are gone," Haley says. "It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other."
"I guess that makes sense…" David said.
"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asks.
"Yeah," Haley shows them several pictures of Tommy, and then the video from day six. Sam seems to notice something in the video.
"What'd you find, Sammy?" David said in a sing-song voice.
"Well we'll find your brother," Dean says. "We're heading over to Blackwater Ridge first thing."
"Then maybe I'll see you there," Haley answers. Sam and Dean share a look. "Look, I can't sit around here anymore so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning and I'm gonna find Tommy myself."
"I think I know how you feel," Dean looks at her appreciatively.
"Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?" Sam interjects. Haley says that she will.
Sam and Dean are in a bar, discussing the case.
"So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic. Local campers mostly," Sam says, digging through his bag. "But still, it's past April, two hikers went missing out there and they were never found." He opens a book to reveal some notes and articles.
Sam notices something and asks Haley to forward them to him.
Brady shivered. "I'm glad my family managed to avoid whatever's out there."
"Me too," Jess smiled at him.
He smiled back at her tentatively.
"Any before that?" Dean asks.
"Yeah. In 1982, up to eight people all vanished in the same year." Sam hands Dean the article, 'Grizzly Bear Attacks! Up to Eight Hikers Vanish in Lost Creek Area Hikers Disappearance Baffle Authorities'. "Authorities say it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959, and again before that in 1936." Sam pulls out his laptop to the video of Tommy that had him puzzled earlier. "Every twenty-three years. Just like clockwork."
"How is it that the police or whoever, never notice these things?" Lizzie asked. "Shouldn't they be looking out for patterns?"
"In the middle of the woods though? They're not going to expect abductions or anything like that," Mary reminded her. "People usually either overlook the strange circumstances, or give it a natural beginning."
Okay, watch this. Here's a clincher," Sam draws Dean's attention to the video. "I downloaded that guy, Tommy's video to the laptop. Check this out." Sam moves frame-by-frame and there is a shadow moving behind the tent. Sam repeats it when Dean asks him to. "That's three frames. It's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move."
"Wow that's fast," David gapped.
"Thanks, Sherlock," Lizzie rolled her eyes.
Dean smacks Sam's arm. "I told you something weird was going on."
"Yeah," Sam closes the laptop. "I got one more thing. In '59, one camper survived the supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barley crawled out of the woods alive."
"Is there a name?"
"Look ranger, I don't know why you're asking me about this." Sam and Dean follow an older man into a cabin. "It's public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a –"
"Grizzly?" Sam interrupts. The man pauses. "That's what attacked them?" The man pulls his cigarette out of his mouth and nods.
"The other people that went missing that year; those were bear attacks too?" Dean asks, stepping towards the man. "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?" Dean waits a moment. "If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it."
"How does anyone believe them?" Lizzie had her answer in the next sentence. Nobody really did.
"I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make. You wouldn't believe me. Nobody ever did." He is settled in a chair.
"Mr. Shaw," Sam says, stepping forward. He sits by Mr. Shaw. "What did you see?"
"Look at those puppy eyes!" Lizzie said in wonder. "Honestly, it's amazing! How did you ever say no to him?" she asked Jess.
Jess laughed. "It didn't happen very often."
"Nothing," Mr. Shaw says. "It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it though. A roar. Like no man or animal I ever heard."
"It came at night?" Sam asked. Shaw nodded. "Got inside your tent?"
"It got inside our cabin," Shaw corrected.
"That's crazy," said Brady.
"I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it." The boys shift, unsettled.
"Okay, if they're uncomfortable with that, then I'm uncomfortable with that. They're the experts." Cassandra shuddered. "What could it be that could unlock a door, move really fast, and can hide really well? How do you even start to hunt something like that?"
"You know a bear that could do something like that? I didn't even wake up until I heard my parents screaming."
"It killed them?" Sam questioned.
"It dragged them off into the night. Why it left me alive, I've been asking myself that ever since. Did leave me this, though," Shaw pulls back his collar to reveal nasty claw marks. "There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon."
The students shuddered at the mention of a demon. "It couldn't be though, right? I mean, they wouldn't leave claw marks like that," David asked uncertainly.
"No," Mary answered. It's definitely not a demon."
The room sighed in relief.
***
"Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors if they want inside, they just go through the walls," Dean is saying as the brothers walk down a hallway.
"So it's probably something else, something corporeal."
"Corporeal? Excuse me, professor," Dean snarks.
"Shut up. So what do you think?"
"The claws, the speed that it moves… Could be a skinwalker, could be a black dog. Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature and it's corporeal. Which means we can kill it." Dean walks away and after a moment, Sam follows.
"That's a comforting thought," Brady said sarcastically. "What about everything else it can do?"
Dean goes outside and opens the trunk of the Impala. He senses something and pauses, turning around to survey. Deciding that there was nothing that needs his attention, he turns back to the trunk and pulls open a bag, throwing weapons in it.
"We can not let that Haley girl go out there," Sam says as he joins Dean.
"Oh yeah? What're we gonna tell her? She can't go into the woods because of a big, scary monster?"
"Yeah."
"Her brother's missing, Sam. She's not just gonna sit this out," Dean seems to be talking from experience.
"It's just like their father. There's no way that they would just give up looking for him and let someone else do it," Cassandra said quietly.
"No, we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend." Dean takes the bag out of the trunk.
"So finding Dad's not enough?" Sam drops the gun holding up the trunk and shuts it. "Now we gotta babysit too?" The boys stare at each other. "What?"
"Nothing." Dean throws the bag at Sam.
"I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come," a man who must be the guide says to Haley. She is dressed in shorts, a long sleeve shirt and hiking boots.
"Roy," Haley starts.
"Look, you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe, I think Ben's safest at home."
"He's probably right. After all, Tommy went missing in the woods, not at home," Lizzie said.
"Yeah, but she's worried enough about one brother. At least she can keep an eye on this one," Cassandra replied.
The Impala comes around the bend and Haley, Ben and Roy watch it pull up. Haley steps forward and shakes her head.
"You guys got room for two more?" Dean asks, while Sam pulls their bag out of the back seat.
"Wait, you want to come with us?" Haley asks.
"Who are these guys?" Roy interjects.
"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue."
"You're rangers?" Roy questions doubtfully.
"That's right," Dean replies.
"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Haley is skeptical.
Dean looks down, "Oh sweetheart, I don't do shorts."
"But imagine if he did," Lizzie said, her eyes going out of focus.
"Quit that," Jess smacked her arm.
"You think this is funny? It's dangerous back country out there. Her brother might be hurt."
"Believe me, I know how dangerous it can be. We just want to help her find her brother, that's all."
There is a mineshaft with sunlight coming in through the roof. Tommy's wrists are tied over his head. He is covered in dirt, but seems to be all right. There are other ropes and clothing hanging and Gary is tied up like Tommy. The creature approaches him and there is the sound of tearing flesh and Gary's screams. Tommy's face contorts as he tries not to cry out.
"Oh my gawd, that's horrible!" Lizzie gasped. Cassandra's hand flew to her mouth and the others looked like they wanted to be sick.
"I'm never going camping again," Brady said weakly. "Never mind the already dead thing."
The rescue party is hiking through the woods.
"Roy, you said you did a little hunting," Dean tries to start a conversation.
"Yeah, more than a little."
"Uh huh. What kind of furry little creatures did you hunt?"
"Mostly buck, sometimes bear."
"Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" Roy grabs Dean's jacket and pulls him back. Everyone stops to watch. "What'cha doin', Roy?"
In answer, Roy picks up a stick and jabs it down where Dean was about to step. A bear trap closes over it. Roy smiles. "You should watch where you're stepping. Ranger." Dean is somewhat embarrassed.
"That's a little embarrassing," David said. "You're slipping up Deano." There was a pause when everyone looked at him. "What? If we're gonna call Sam, Sammy, then Dean needs a nickname too. And you can sing Deano better than Dean."
"A bear trap," he tells the rest of the group sheepishly. They walk by, Sam staring at the trap.
"You didn't bring any provisions," Haley says to Dean, concerned. "You guys are carrying a duffle bag. You're not rangers. Who the hell are you?" She grabs his arm and spins him around. Dean nods to Sam to keep going.
"So, do they do this nonverbal thing all the time?" Jess asked no one in particular.
"Looks like it," Cassandra said. "How they managed so long without each other, I don't know and this is only the second time we've seen them together."
"Sam and I are brothers. And we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat."
"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?"
"Oh, because we like lying and seeing how long it takes everyone to figure us out?"
"I'm telling you now. Besides, it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman. Ever. So we okay?"
"Yeah," Haley says after a pause. "Okay."
"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?" Dean asks, managing to sound hurt. He pulls out a bag of M&M's. With a smirk, he turns and keep walking. Haley just watches him.
"Those are great provisions," Brady said in wonder.
"This is it, Blackwater Ridge," Roy announces.
"What coordinates are we at?" Sam asks, stepping past Roy.
"35, -111."
Dean joins Sam, and they look around. They see nothing but trees.
"Do you hear that?" Dean asks Sam.
Everyone goes silent, but they hear nothing. Confused, they keep watching.
"Yeah. Not even crickets."
"Ohhhhh."
"I'm going to go take a look around," Roy says.
"You shouldn't go off by yourself," Sam argues.
"That's sweet. Don't worry about me." Roy leaves.
"Yeah, don't listen to the professionals," Lizzie rolled her eyes.
"They don't know, remember?" David reminded her.
"All right, everybody stays together," Dean orders. "Let's go." They follow Roy.
"Haley, over here!" Roy calls. The group runs over to find the campsite. It's in complete disarray. The tents are torn, everything is scattered and there is lots of blood. Haley looks in horror, while Dean is critical.
"Tommy?" Haley takes off her backpack. "Tommy? Tommy?!"
"Shh," Sam runs over to her.
"Why?"
"Something might still be out there."
"Sam!" Dean calls. Sam goes away from the camp to find Dean crouching, staring at some tracks.
"The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here the tracks just vanish. It's weird. I'll tell you what. It's no skinwalker or black dog." Dean walks back to the others. After a moment, Sam follows.
Haley finds Tommy's phone. It's cracked and covered in blood. Dean comes up and crouches beside her. "Hey, he could still be alive," he tells her. She looks at him with tears in her eyes.
"Help!" Somebody yells. Immediately the group stands up to see where the sound is coming from. Roy and Dean are both carrying guns and they lead the way. They end up in a clearing, and there is no one in sight.
"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Haley asks.
"What? That's so weird," David stared.
"Everybody back to camp," Sam orders. They arrive back in camp where all their items have disappeared.
"What's going on?" Haley asks.
"It's smart. It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help," Sam explains.
"You mean someone. Some nutjob out there just stole all our gear," Roy corrects.
"I need to speak with you," Sam whispers urgently to Dean. "In private."
Away from the others, Sam turns to Dean. "Okay, let me see Dad's journal." Dean hands it over and Sam starts flipping through pages. "All right, check that out." He holds it out to Dean.
"Dude, come on," Dean says, glancing at the page. "Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods, or – or Northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west."
"Think about it, Dean. The claws, the way it can mimic a human voice."
"Great. Well then this is useless," Dean holds up his gun.
"What?" Jess asked nervously. "So they have no weapons? Nothing to protect them?"
Sam starts walking back to camp, thrusting the journal into Dean's chest. "We've got to get these people to safety.
"Ahh, there's Sammy," David sighed. "Always looking out for others."
"All right, listen up, it's time to go," Sam commands, walking back into camp. "Things have gotten more complicated.
"What?" Haley demands.
"Kid, don't worry, whatever's out there, I think I can handle it," Roy says confidently.
"It's not me I'm worried about. If you shoot this thing you're just going to make it mad. We have to leave. Now."
"One, you're talking nonsense. Two, you're in no position to be giving anyone orders." Roy argues.
"Relax," Dean speaks up.
"We never should've let you come out here in the first place, all right?" Sam continues. "We're trying to protect you."
"You, protect me?" Roy says, outraged, moving closer to Sam, who stays his ground. "I was hunting these woods when you're mommy was still kissing you goodnight."
"Yeah? It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you. And it's going to hunt you down and eat you alive unless we can get your stupid sorry ass outta here."
Roy laughs in Sam's face. "You know you're crazy, right?"
"Yeah? You ever hunt a wen– " Dean grabs Sam and pushes him back, effectively cutting him off. Sam is furious.
"Chill out," Dean orders him.
"Stop. Stop it. Everybody just stop." Haley takes control. "Look, Tommy might still be alive. And I'm not leaving here without him." Dean and Sam look at each other.
"It's getting late," Dean starts. "This thing is a good hunter in 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." Roy looks unimpressed.
"How?" Haley asks.
"At least someone's going to listen to reason," Jess fumed. All Sam and Dean were trying to do was protect everyone and Roy was just getting in the way. Everyone had to keep reminding themselves that Roy didn't know that there was anything other than a bear out there.
At night, there is a fire going, and Dean is drawing symbols in the dirt with a stick. Roy is keeping watch.
"One more time, that's –"
"Anasazi symbols. It's for protection. The wendigo can't cross over them." Roy laughs. "Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy," Dean says mildly, getting up. He drops his stick by the fire and goes to Sam who's a little ways away.
"You want to tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?" Dean asks him, sitting down.
"Dean," Sam starts.
Dean shakes his head. "No, you're not fine. You're like a powder keg, man. It's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?"
"Dad's not here," Sam begins. "I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would've left us a message, a sign, right?"
"I've never seen him look so lost," Jess said sadly.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek." Sam looks at Dean.
"Then let's get these people back to town, and let's hit the road. Go find Dad. I mean why are we still even here?" Sam throws a stick down in frustration.
Dean moves so he's sitting in front of Sam instead of beside him, forcing Sam to look at him. He pulls the journal out and pats the top of it.
"This is why. This book." Dean taps it again with his finger. "This is Dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us." Sam looks up. "I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. Saving people, hunting things, the family business."
"That makes no sense," Sam runs his hands over his face. He seems lost and confused. "Why? Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants? Tell us where he is?"
"I don't know," Dean replies. "But the way I see it, Dad's given us a job to do, and I intend to do it."
"Dean," Sam shakes his head. "No. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about." His eyes are oddly bright.
Jess felt tears in her eyes at that. She just wanted to be able to comfort him. She wanted to tell him that it was all right, that he didn't have to go on a revenge hunt. That it wasn't worth the pain he was in.
"Okay, all right. Sam we'll find them, I promise. Listen to me. You've gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take awhile. And all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long-haul. It's going to kill you. You gotta have patience, man."
"How do you do it?" Sam asks his big brother, looking like a lost kid. "How does Dad do it?"
Dean looks towards the group at the fire. "Well for one, them." Sam glances over to see Haley and Ben talking to each other. "I mean I figure our family's so screwed to hell maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little bit more bearable. I'll tell you what else helps." Sam focuses on Dean. "Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can." Dean smiles slightly at his brother, and Sam finally smiles back.
"Wow, he actually got him to smile," Lizzie said, surprised. "And Dean was really understanding."
"If there was anyone who could understand him right now, it's his big brother," Mary told them. "The boys have been through a lot, with only each other and their father to support them. And Dean has been Sam's biggest support through everything. While Dean may seem rude and aloof and uncaring, if there was anything that could turn him into a softy, it's his brother. All Sam has to do is frown and Dean will do anything to see him smile again. If there's one thing everyone knows after meeting them, it's that you don't hurt one, because the other one will be right there, fighting back."
Jess smiled. "I'm glad Sam has Dean then. And it seems like Dean needs Sam too."
"He does," Mary confirmed. "Like two sides of the same coin."
The moment is interrupted by a yell, "Help me!" The boys pull out flashlights and look around. "Please! Help!"
"It's trying to draw us out. Stay cool, stay put."
"Inside the magic circle?" Roy asks sarcastically.
"Help! Help me!" The yells are cut off and they heard a loud growl.
"Okay, that's no grizzly," Roy says. He walks over to some bushes. There is a quiet moment and Haley reassures Ben that Tommy will be all right.
A sudden snarl. "He's here." The sounds are coming from all around the camp. The bushes rustle as something moves through them. Roy shoots but hits nothing. Roy shoots again and there is a pained cry.
"Didn't they say shooting it would only make it angry?" Brady said, paling.
"Yeah," Cassandra replied, shakily. "If he stays in the circle he should be fine… I think…"
"I hit it!" Roy calls triumphantly. He goes after it into the woods.
"Okay, or he's not going to be fine at all," Cassandra corrected herself.
"Roy, no!" Dean shouts after him. "Roy!" He orders Haley and Ben not to move as he chases after Roy with Sam on his heels.
"It's over here! It's in the trees!" Hands come down from the tree Roy is standing beside and breaks his neck before hauling him up.
"Roy?!" Dean yells. Silence.
In the morning, Sam is sitting against a stump with his Dad's journal.
Jess sighed. He was so alone and something was still bothering him. He needed to know that Dean was there for him, that he could confide in him.
"I don't –," Haley starts again. "I mean, these things aren't supposed to be real." Dean drags his fingers over claw marks on a tree.
"I wish I could tell you different."
"How do we know it's not out there, watching us?"
"We don't." Dean is matter-of-fact. "But we're safe for now."
"How do you know about this stuff?" Haley asks Dean.
He considers for a moment. "It kind of runs in the family." He walks away.
"Hey," Sam says, joining them. "So, we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one, want to kill this evil son of a bitch." Dean looks at him, proud.
"Well, hell you know I'm in."
"Wendigo is a Cree Indian word. It means 'evil that devours'," Sam explains to Ben and Haley, showing them the journal.
"They're hundreds of years old," Dean intercepts. "Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian or other times a frontiersman or a miner or a hunter."
"Okay, that's just creepy," David shook his head.
"How's a man turn into one of those things?" Haley asks.
"It's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving. Cut off from supplies, or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."
"Like the Donner party," Ben supplies.
Sam takes over again, "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities. Speed, strength, immortality."
"If you eat enough of it," Dean continues, "over years you become this less-than-human thing. You're always hungry."
"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?"
Dean looks at Sam who motions for Dean to explain. "You're not gonna like it."
"Tell me."
"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time. When it's awake, it keeps its victims alive and, uh, stores them. So it can feed whenever it wants." Haley and Ben look at each other. "If your brother's alive it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden and safe. We gotta track it back there."
"And then how do we stop it?"
"Well. Guns are useless. So are knives." Ben looks discouraged. "Basically," Dean holds up a beer, bottle, a cloth and lighter fluid, "we gotta torch the sucker."
"At least they have a plan," Cassandra declared, "And they have a way to kill it."
Dean is leading the group through the trees, holding the beer bottle and cloth. There are more bloody claw marks. Sam draws his attention to many more, higher up on trees.
"You know, I was thinking, those paw prints so clear and distinct. They were almost too easy to follow."
"Ah," David's eyes widened.
There is a growling noise. A figure runs around them in circles. Blood drops down on Haley and she looks up. Roy falls as she screams and steps away. Sam helps Haley up from the ground as the growling gets closer.
"Run, run!" Dean urges. The group makes a break for it. Ben falls and Sam goes back, helping him up.
"Sam!" Jess cried nervously.
"He's gonna be okay," Lizzie tried to assure her.
Dean and Haley are suddenly stopped by the creature. Haley screams. Ben and Sam run faster.
"Haley!" Ben calls. Sam reaches down and picks up the cloth and piece of the bottle.
"Dean!" Sam yells, looking around.
"Oh no, not good. Not good at all. They're separated," Cassandra wailed. "It's never good if they're separated."
"Sh," Jess silenced her. "They're going to be okay. Everyone's going to be okay."
"If it keeps its victims alive, why did it kill Roy?" Ben asks Sam as they walk through the woods.
"Honestly? I think because Roy shot at it. Pissed it off."
Ben stops and picks something up off the ground. An M&M. "They went this way," he tells Sam, giving him the candy.
"It's better than bread crumbs," Sam throws it away, grinning.
"That was pretty ingenious," Brady admitted.
They follow the trail to a mine, with a sign posted, 'Warning! Danger! Do not enter! Extremely toxic material'.
"Of course they shouldn't enter," David rolled his eyes.
Sam enters, and Ben follows, both of them looking around. They follow a set of tracks and hear a growl. Sam pulls Ben to the side and hides his light. The creatures leaves the tunnel. Ben starts to make a noise and Sam clamps his hand over his mouth. Their steps creak and they pause before the floor gives way and they fall through.
Everyone paled.
"This is the part where one of them, probably Sam, breaks his leg and can't fight it off and they both die trying to get out," Cassandra started rambling.
"Cassie," Jess shushed her. "You're not helping."
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Sam reassures Ben. Sam glances around and finds Dean and Haley tied by the wrists. "Dean. Dean." Dean starts to wake up, blinking. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Haley. Haley. Wake up. Wake up," Ben pleads. Sam gets Dean down as Ben gets Haley down. They remove the bonds and Haley sees Tommy. She starts crying and immediately moves towards him.
"Tommy. Tommy." Tommy opens his eyes and gasps. Haley steps back with a startled cry. "Cut him down," she tells Sam.
"Yeah! They found everyone and they're all alive!" David cheered.
"They still have to get out though," Brady reminded him.
Dean goes through the bag he's sitting beside and pulls out two guns. "Check it out."
Sam looks over. "Flare guns. Those'll work," Sam grins. Dean smiles back.
"Finally, good luck!" Lizzie sighed. She felt like they weren't going to get much of that, watching the Winchester's lives.
They begin to exit the mine, Dean leading the way, followed by Sam, Tommy who's leaning on Haley, and Ben. There is a growl and Sam raises his gun.
"Looks like someone's home for supper," Dean says.
"We'll never outrun it," Haley declares.
"Why are they talking so loudly?" Cassandra asked. "It's going to hear them!"
Dean looks at them all and comes to a decision. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks Sam.
"Yeah I think so," Sam replies.
"All right, listen to me," Dean turns to the Collins'. "Stay with Sam, he's going to get you outta here."
"What are you gonna do?" Haley asks. Dean winks at her, and moves away from them.
"Chow time you freaky monster!" Dean yells into the mine. Haley looks after him in disbelief. "Yeah, that's right! Bring it on, baby! I taste good!" He motions for them to go. Sam leads them out, keeping his gun at the ready.
"Does he have a death wish?" Cassandra asked.
Dean is still yelling, keeping his eyes open.
"Definitely," David replied to Cassandra's question.
Sam and the Collins' hear the growls and Sam tells them to go, the exit is right there.
"It would ignore Dean to go after Sam," Jess said nervously. "Get out of there!"
He moves back against the wall and waits for it. There is a snap behind him and he turns quickly. The wendigo is right there. He fires at it and flings himself away.
"No! Sam!" Everyone watched, tense. They breathed in relief as Sam appeared, running up the tunnel.
Haley and her brothers hear the shots and she calls out for Sam, worried. He comes running down the track and pushes them forward. The wendigo is following. They hit a dead end.
"Behind me," Sam places himself between them and the wendigo and it comes into view. It roars.
"Sam," Jess whimpered. She knew that Sam would never let something hurt someone and he would always place himself in danger first, but he should still think of himself.
"Hey!" Dean yells, coming from behind.
Everyone sighed in relief.
The creatures turns to him, and Dean shoots. The fire flares up in the creature and it is soon dead. "Not bad, huh?" he asks with a smirk. Haley looks impressed and Sam just grins.
"That was terrifying," Lizzie stated.
"No way!" David grinned. "That was awesome!"
"We saw you hugging yourself, you can't lie to us," Cassandra poked him.
"He totally wasn't," Brady said.
"Damn straight. Thanks man."
"Hey, we gotta stick together."
Ben and Sam are talking to rangers outside the station, telling them that it was a grizzly attack.
"So really, I don't know how to thank you," Haley says to Dean. They are both bandaged up. Dean smirks at her. "Must you cheapen the moment?"
"Yeah!" Dean replies, smiling.
The group laughed. Now that they had seen the softer side of Dean, they were beginning to actually like him.
"You riding with your brother?" a paramedic asks Haley.
"Yeah." Sam and Ben come over. "Let's go," she tells her brother. He nods. Haley leans forward and kisses Dean's cheek. "I hope you find your father." Dean nods. "Thanks Sam," she puts her arm around Ben and they walk away. Sam and Dean lean against the Impala.
"Man I hate camping," Dean complains.
"Me too."
"Sam, you know we're going to find Dad, right?"
"Yeah," Sam nods. "I know. But in the meantime, I'm driving." There is a moment where Sam looks at Dean and Dean stares straight ahead, making his decision. Then he throws the keys to Sam, who happily takes them. They walk to their respective sides and shut their doors in unison. Sam drives off.
Night turns into morning, and the boys have the open road to themselves.
"I really hope they find him soon," Jess said. "I wonder why he left in the first place."
"Do we find out soon?" Cassandra asked Mary.
"I'm not going to tell you that," Mary laughed. "That would give everything away."
Brady stayed silent. He knew whereabouts John was at that point, but only because of the demon. He didn't know too much more though – he had met a hunter and that had been the end of it really. He just hadn't existed anymore.
"Let's keep going then," Lizzie said.
"You know what I like about being dead?" David asked them. Everyone shook their heads. "We don't need to sleep or eat, or go to the bathroom or stretch. Now that I think about it, it was so tiring having to pee all the time!"
The rest of the group rolled their eyes but laughed in agreement.
"Okay, let's start the nextone."