On the ride back to Bobby's, both boys try to engage me in conversation, but I don't respond. I just sit and watch the world outside fly by as the Impala speeds down the highway. The information that Andy bestowed upon me kept running through my head.
Ronald Patrickson lives in Midwest City.
My attacker. The man who had kidnapped and raped me when I was just 9 years old.
He was still alive. And apparently free, free to go on living a normal life. Free to just forget about the girl from whom he stole her innocence.
I also wonder if I was alone. Had he assaulted any others? Was I the only one? The more I thought about it, I realized that I was in a party of one. If there had been others, surely he would have been caught by now, but Andy had said that he lived in Midwest City. Not that he was in jail or prison.
I feel the tears run down my cheeks as soon as I see the mileage sign for Sioux Falls. Being back at Bobby's is something I am looking forward to. I hadn't given much thought about anything else. Bobby's always made me feel safe, like home. Bobby's was home. As close to home as I have ever known. I had found shelter there. I had found security there. I had found love there. True love. I had met Dean at Bobby's and we hit it off instantaneously. We had goofed, joked and flirted with one another. And all that had led me to fall in love with the eldest Winchester brother.
Three days after we return to Bobby's Sam stumbles upon a possible case nearby. A campground three hours away has reports of campers going missing. All their belongings left behind, they just vanished without a trace. So the boys and I start the mundane task of researching to find out a possible culprit. Let me rephrase that, Sam and I research while Dean complains more than doing actual research.
"Could it be a wendigo?" I ask while reading up on the monsters. "They tend to dwell in wooded areas and are known to snatch their prey and take them into caves in the forests."
"No, wendigos usually destroy personal belongings in their abductions. These campsites were left untouched," Sam explains to me, removing that prospect. "Come on guys! Let's just get out there and waste whatever it is. Work on our feet, go with our gut," Dean grumbles as I pick up another lore tomb."No, Dean," Sam insists. "We are not going in unprepared and barely making it out alive. Just quit bitching and try to find what we are after."
"Jerk."
"Bitch."
After hours upon hours of research, Sam finally narrows it down to a Cranoxion. A beast that pursues couples for no apparent reason. From the description of the creature, if seen, it would just look like a bear in the woods without a closer look. The Cranoxian has reddish-brown fur, can stand on its hind quarters, but upon closer examination, they are said to have long, sharp retractable talons and is agile and quick, like a deer.
After that we learn that the only way to kill the monster is with a weapon called an obsidian knife. The blade is made out of volcanic glass that is finer than conventional steel. Thankfully Bobby has one on hand that he is going to let us use. The blade of the knife is black and has dimples and ridges in it. Its handle is made of a curved piece of planed down and sanded wood. I turn the weapon over in my hand and just study it. For a piece of glass, the knife is sturdy and very sharp.
Sam and Dean goes to the office of the campsite to interview the proprietors about the disappearances while I stay back, waiting to see what they find out. When the boys returns they tell me that the missing campers are all couples so we decide that Dean and I will use ourselves as bait while Sam stays off, out of sight to await the attack.
When we arrive the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Nordell recognizes Dean, but doesn't seem surprised that he is there to enjoy the amenities. We rent a space and travel to find Site #19. There is already a tent set up and a firepit off to the side. As I get out of the Impala, I look out over the lake that we are near and the woods behind it. It is a pretty spectacular spot.
"Too bad we didn't bring suits," I say, once again looking at the water.
"We could always go without," Dean retorts, wagging his eyebrows. I just roll my eyes and shake my head as I help unload our bags from the trunk.
Dean gathers wood and builds a fire when the sun goes down and we sit and heat hot dogs over the flames. As we sit there, enjoying the simple peace and quiet, I decide to bring up a subject I know Dean is going to be dead against.
"I wanna go to Midwest City."
Dean turns his head and looks at me and simply says, "No, Nic."
"Dean, this is my battle. I should be the one to finish it."
"I'm not letting you do it Nic. I don't want you anywhere near that son of a bitch."
"Dammit, Dean," I scream, starting to get mad. "He took ME. He raped ME. I should be the one he looks at when he realizes he didn't get away with it."
How dare Dean think I am going to just sit back and leave it alone. I have all the information right there. I now know his name, where he lives. I want to see him; does he remember? Does he regret it? It is my right. And no one, including Dean Winchester, is going to stop me.
"Nicole, just let me handle it," Dean pleads. "I'll go there and deal with it for you."
"No, Dean. I'm not letting you handle it" I say, standing up and pacing in front of the fire. It is my past, I should be the one to 'deal with it'."
"Nic," Dean says, his voice laced with anxiety. Dean moves to get up as he continues. "Nicole!" At the tone and sound of his voice, I stop in my tracks and look at him. He is looking past me, an expression on his face I can't decipher. I calmly turn to see what is behind me as Dean jumps into action beside me. Time seems to slow as I watch the Cranoxion stalk toward us, alternating its view from me to Dean and back again.
I grab the knife, tightly grasping the handle. I haven't seen or heard Dean after hearing the splash in the lake. The monster had hurled Dean through the air like a ragdoll. I watch the Cranoxion slowly circle where I'm standing, it never takes it eyes off me. I am not going to let this thing think it's going to get one over on me. I meet its stare and hold, "Come on, you ass. Come and get me!" I scream at it while it is still making its trail around me. I watch as it stops, sniffs the air and then stands up on its hind legs and huffs. I can see puffs of air coming from its nostrils as it comes back down and stamps at the ground.
When it comes at me, I slice through the air with the hand holding the knife and the creature lets out a scream. Its talons on its left paw slashing out, grabbing the sleeve of my shirt. The Cranoxion begins pulling me toward it, but I struggle against its hold. Once I am within reach of its injured arm, it takes wounded appendage and swats me, knocking me to the ground. Last thing I comprehend is the faint sound of my name being called as I succumb to the darkness surrounding me.
"The stupid thing came out of fucking nowhere, Sam!" Dean screams into his phone at his younger brother. Pacing back and forth, looking at every inch of the campsite he can see at this time of night, Dean is frantic since he can't find Nic. "Okay. I will get there as soon as I can," Sam says. "I just have to find a car to hijack. Just stay calm, and DO NOT go after it! Not until I get there."
"But it has Nic, Sammy. You want me to just leave her to fight it off?" Dean practically pleads with his brother, but knows deep down inside that Sam is right and it would do no one any good for him to go traipsing off to god knows where.
"Dean, you know Nic can handle this. You said the blade is missing so that means she's got it which means she has a better chance of fighting it off than the others. Just stay where you are and I'll be there." With that Sam hangs up and Dean pockets his phone.
By the time Sam arrives the sun is just peeking over the horizon. Dean is beside himself with worry. The Cranoxion has Nic and as soon as it got light enough to see, Dean had stumbled across blood splatters and a trail of blood leading off into the wooded area behind the campsite.
My head is pounding and I can tell that day has broke by the light shining on my eyelids. I groan and roll my neck as I casually open my eyes to see if I can tell where I am. Sitting on the bare dirt floor across from me are 4 women and 2 men. Each one of the bodies are all in different stages of decomposition. The stench of decaying flesh hangs heavy in the air. It burns my nose and causes my gag reflex to engage. Swallowing down the bile burning the back of my throat, I slowly get to my hands and knees and crawl toward the man who is the least decomposed. Reaching out I place my fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse. His skin is cold and hardened and as I apply pressure, he sluggishly falls over.
I scramble backwards and land on my butt. All six of the missing were right here with me and every single one of them dead. I feel defeated. Why couldn't we save them? How could that monster just take them, only to leave them out here in the elements to perish? I didn't understand it at all. Pushing myself up onto my feet, I decide to go back to the task of finding out exactly where the Cranoxion had taken me.
The moss on the ground was wet; from blood or rain I didn't know and wasn't sure I wanted to. On one side was a dirt wall that had the obvious signs of attempts at escape from those trapped within. The other side was a thicket of plants and bushes that would be almost impossible to navigate and get away. The shrubbery was towering, only by looking up could you see through it to the outside. I kept searching for a trail to get out of this, this lair the Cranoxion made. There were no visible entrance or trails to show how the monster had gotten us in here. The fear of actually perishing here overrode the fear of the Cranoxion coming for me as I began screaming "Help! Help me!" as loud as I could. My throat was dry and my voice hoarse as I sit down and plan my next move. Without my screams for help, it is once again quiet in the burrow. I barely hear a whisper of "It doesn't work" come from behind me. I turn and look at my companions and see a set of blue eyes staring at me.
~~Dean's P.O.V~~
Sam and I follow the trail of blood past the campsite and to the edge of the trees and wilderness that lay beyond. Looking at one another, we step into the forest and my eyes have to adjust to the dimness. The leaves of the tall trees provide a perfect canopy keeping most of the light out. I look around at the ground and notice that the trail we are on doesn't end, but continues on deeper into the grove of trees and brush.
"This way," I tell Sam, as I continue following the route the plasma makes. I am terrified that I am following the sanguine path of my girlfriend. I pray that we do not find her body marred and lifeless deep in the woodland. Shaking those thoughts from my head, I advance over small boulders and through thick brush, following the line of plasma.
We struggle through until the plants give way to a small clearing. And laying in that clearing is something I had hoped not to find. The obsidian knife that Nic had, had in her hand the last time I seen her was there on the ground, covered with blood. I fell to my knees because I now knew that even though she had the strength and ability to overpower the Cranoxion, Nic no longer possessed the means to kill it.
"Dean," Sam says, as he lays a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe the lore is wrong. Maybe the knife isn't the only thing that can kill it. If I know Nic, she will try everything to do that too. We know she has the gift to thwart it. Just keep faith in that."
He's right, I know he's right, but fuck if it doesn't make me feel any better. It should be me out there trying to find the means to stop the Cranoxion. It should be me out there fighting for my life with everything I got. As I sit there on my knees, staring at the knife I begin to hear a faint noise.
"Sam, do you hear that?"
"Hear wh-?"
"Shh, listen."
And there it is again. Almost like an echo of an echo. "Help me! Help!" I grab the knife and stand up taking off toward the sound, Sam hot on my heels. Jumping fallen limbs and trees, I speed through until I get to the edge of a hidden ravine. I almost fall forward down into it when Sam collides into my back, but he reaches out and grabs my arm, stabilizing me.
"Nic! Nicole!" I scream, hoping to hear her voice and discover where she is. As soon as the echo of my voice dies down, I hear rustling in the brush behind us. We both turn and standing there is the Cranoxion. I stiffen my stance and tighten my grasp on the knife. The monster charges at me and I jump to the side, hoping it will maintain its journey right over into the deep canyon. Unfortunately, it is buoyant enough to halt its rush and stops at the edge, right in the spot I just vacated. Sam grabs a downed tree limb and strikes it across the back. The Cranoxion goes down and I jump toward it, thrusting my weapon right into its side. The monster tries to get up, staggers and fall dead on the ground. I huff out a breath, glad to have finally put another monster down. But my joy is short-lived when I hear Nic's voice yelling for help again.
~~End Dean's P.O.V~~
"Guys, I need a scalding hot shower. Being stuck down there with those poor people has me feeling all kinds of dirty," I say, walking into Bobby's door and upstairs.
"You saved Gerald. If it weren't for you babe, he would have met the same fate as the rest of them," Dean assures me. I stop on the staircase and smile.
"Yeah, I know," I faintly smile as I trek up the steps, leaving the boys in the kitchen.
"I still can't believe the Cranoxion attacked and took couples who were trying to work out problems in their relationships," Sam says. "I mean, why? What good did it do to take them only to leave them to meet their death by nature?"
"I don't know man," Dean answers. "Remember when fighting monsters was just black and white, no gray areas?"
"Why did it attack you though?"
"We were arguing. About Ronald Patrickson. She wants to go pay him a visit."
"Can't say as I blame her, Dean," Sam tells his brother. "Maybe she wants closure."
Sam has his nose stuck in the book that informed us about the Cranoxion, so he doesn't notice Dean's posture go rigid.
"I know, but-"
Sam interrupts him. "Well I didn't see this before."
"What?" Dean asks, coming over to read across his brother's shoulder.
"It says that the only way to kill a Cranoxion is with an obsidian knife wielded by someone who is truly in love," Sam turns his head and looks at his brother, one eyebrow raised in question.
"Whatever," Dean answers, brushing off the comment. He walks to the fridge and grabs a beer and heads upstairs.
I leave the bathroom, feeling clean and refreshed to find Dean sitting on our bed, his head hanging to his chest.
"Dean?"
He lifts his head and looks at me. "You were right. Let's go pay a visit to Ronald."