Chapter 8
"You wanna call Cas and find out what room he's in?" Dean asked as they pulled into Clarksburg.
Oree pulled her phone out and speed dialed Castiel waiting for him to answer.
"Hello." Castiel said.
"We're pulling into town, have you found the room?"
"Yes Aurora, I'm waiting in room number 117."
"We'll be there shortly."
"I will be waiting." Castiel told her hanging up.
"Room 117." Oree said pocketing her phone. "Do you want me to grab some take out for dinner before going to the motel?"
"Okay, burgers and steak fries?"
"I know, you go grab some drinks and fill the car." she instructed pointing to a diner across from a gas station still being indifferent to him.
"Be careful. You packing?" he asked her before she could get out of the car.
"Yes. I'll be fine." she responded dully, getting out and heading for the diner.
Dean watched her walk away from him sighing sadly, knowing he was still on the outs with his sister and felt bad about it. He had to fix this somehow.
spn
Dean pulled away from the diner and headed across the street to the gas station frowning about the way Oree was still toward him. He got out and filled the Impala looking around the town as he waited. It seemed like the perfect small town America on the outside. He headed inside to pick up drinks and pay for the gas.
Oree was waiting outside the diner when he pulled up in front of it. She slipped into the Impala holding the food in her lap. Dean took in the aroma wafting from the bag and heard his stomach rumble in protest of not being fed sooner. He headed for the motel that was four blocks away. The sun was sinking back behind the mountains as the last rays filtering through the trees casting long shadows in its wake. Dust was falling quickly as they pulled into the parking lot and found the room.
Castiel opened the door at the first knock to let the two siblings in. Oree sat the food on the table so she could divide it out, while giving the room a quick once over. It had a lot to be desired. Dean pulled drinks out of his bag, leaving two out and putting the rest in the mini fridge.
"I got the hospital records on Sam." Castiel informed them laying a chart on the table.
"Great." Dean said taking the chart and opening it up to read as he ate.
Dean skimmed the pages as he popped a fry into his mouth. Oree bit into her burger as she gauged his reaction to what he was reading.
"Anything in there?"
"It seems some hikers found Sam's body in the state park on a little used trail. They called 911 and they brought him to the hospital. They couldn't find any injuries or the reason he was unconscious. Tests were going to be run, but he disappeared before they could be completed. I'm taking that was your doin'?" Dean asked his sister.
"Of course, you think I would leave him there with doctors who don't know what they're dealing with? Cas brought us back to the house."
"Where's Sam's lab top?" Dean asked looking around the room quickly.
"It wasn't here when I arrived." Castiel said. "I did find this file on the table when I got here."
Oree took the file and began to look through the contents. She found articles on missing people for the past month. The disappearances were all centralized in a five mile radius at the state park. There were police reports on each missing person. Sam had scribbled notes in the margins of what he had found.
"Sam was looking into missing person reports for this area. Looks like there have been seven in the past month." Oree said as she read the report.
"After I eat, I'll check with the front desk and see how long he's been here." Dean commented dipping another fry into ketchup. "Cas can you check the state park parking lot to see if Sam's car is there? He's driving a beat up, Dodge Charger, slate blue, trunk is a different shade of blue."
"And shall I bring it back here if I find it?" Castiel inquired.
"Yeah, that would be good."
"Angel be careful." Oree commented before Castiel disappeared with a soft whish.
"You two seem pretty close now." Dean commented absently. He was already on her shit list, he didn't want to make things worse by accusing her of anything.
"He's been there for me." she responded not telling him any more information.
Dean looked down at his burger without responding. Those words still bit deep because he knew they were true. He had learned quickly when to confront Oree and when to let it ride. This was a time to stay quiet, bide his time and keep a keen eye on everything and everyone.
spn
Castiel walked around the parking lot looking for the car Dean described. He was about to give up when he spotted a car parked in the far corner of the lot almost hidden by a dumpster. As he drew closer, he saw it was the Charger. Castiel laid his hand on the door and opened it so he could get in. He slid behind the wheel and put his hand on the dash starting the car with his power.
The lot was almost empty as he steered the car out and to the main road heading for the motel. He had a thirty minute drive back there, if traffic cooperated. He drove the speed limit being sure to obey all traffic rules of the road.
spn
Dean was reading over the file that Oree had just finished. He glanced at Sam's writing and a sadness swept over him as memories of his brother forced their way in. He frowned, rubbing his eyes, trying to remove the traces from his thoughts so he could concentrate. He took a sip of soda before picking up another page out of the file and skimming its contents. Sam had been pretty detailed, but research was his expertise.
Oree was the first to hear a car pull up outside the motel door. She looked up waiting for the knock before going to the door. As if on cue, a soft knock sounded prompting Oree to get up and answer it. She glanced out the side window, gun ready, before opening the door to admit Castiel back into the room.
"I found his computer in the trunk and brought it in." Castiel informed them holding out Sam's computer bag.
"Great, let's see what he has on it." Dean said accepting the case from him.
Oree stood by his side as Dean powered up the lap top and began to search it's contents. He found several files regarding the research Sam had done on the case. He checked the search engines to see what Sam had been looking into. He found different supernatural sites Sam had visited looking for the creature that might be causing the disappearances. First thing that came to mind was a wendigo loose in the area or maybe a vampire nest taking the people for food.
"You thinkin' wendigo?" Oree asked him as she looked over his shoulder.
Dean still found it amazing how much insight Oree had on things. His sister scared him at times, but not in a bad way, in a way that had him concerned for her. He knew she was strong, level headed and so much wiser beyond her tender years. He worried for her, but hid it well. He knew she wouldn't like it if she knew.
"Yeah, maybe, but Sam didn't find any other dates in the past of people goin' missing around here." Dean commented.
"Would one move it's hunting ground to another site?"
"Maybe, if it's food source dried up, but there are a lot of other things it could be."
"I don't understand, no one else has been found like Sam. Could we be dealing with two threats here?" Oree surmised.
"Right now I don't know what to think. It's not making sense. No other bodies have been found anywhere around the area."
"What do you want to do now?" Oree asked taking a seat beside him and Castiel. She knew they were both still tired and could use some extra rest, but if Dean wanted to start the search, she would comply. This was their brother, she would do whatever it takes to save him.
"It's already late, not much we can do tonight. We can't go wandering around in the woods in the dark, maybe get ourselves lost or hurt. We both need the sleep, we'll start fresh at first light." Dean decided knowing they needed to be on their A game if they were going to figure this out.
"Gather everything up, we're going to move down the road to the hotel there." Oree said as she began to pack Sam's thing up.
"What's wrong with this place?" Dean asked looking around. It was a little rundown and could use new carpet and some paint, but he had stayed in worse.
"Please, I want hot water and no bugs when I take a shower." she added handing Castiel a bag as she continued gathering Sam's research. "Besides this place has a strange smell that I really don't want to know what it is."
"What if Sam comes back here?"
"Well, his body is at my house, so I don't think that'll happen." she answered checking the bathroom for any missed items. "So are you coming?" she asked Dean as they stood by the door waiting on Dean's decision.