The truck swerved slightly into the middle of the road and Chad laughed, the alcohol in his system making him feel invincible.

"Watch the road arsehole!" Jim's words slurred from the passenger seat

"You don't like it then get out and walk" Chad barked at him wondering if he should kick his arse to the curb on principle anyway.

Looking back to the road a figure stood suddenly illuminated by the headlights "What the fuck!" he yelled clumsily turning the wheel to the right and slamming on the brakes.

"Shit" Jim said next to him, turning in his seat to see that whoever stood in the road hadn't moved "Who the fuck is that?"

Taking a deep breath Chad felt the rage that went hand in hand with his short temper wash over him as he threw open his door and stepped into the cold night ready to teach whoever it was a lesson they'd never forget.

As he rounded the back of his pickup he saw a girl stood in the road looking back at him. Giving her the once over he couldn't help but notice that she was a pretty little thing, all blonde hair and big eyes, skinnier than he usually liked them but filled out where it counted judging by how her black top was stretched over her chest.

"Who is it?" called Jim as he struggled to get his large frame out the passenger door.

"Hey beautiful what are you doin' out here on your lonesome?" he spoke in a patronising voice all the while obviously still checking her out

The girl before him didn't reply, instead she just stood staring at him a bored expression on her face. There was something about her that unsettled him and he was surprised to feel a nervous bead of sweat run down his back.

"What you got nothin' to say bitch! You nearly killed us!" Jim yelled making Chad jump as he hadn't been aware of him moving to stand by his side.

Squaring up his shoulders suddenly embarrassed by his momentary fear of this slip of a girl he slapped Jim playfully on the shoulder and laughed "I don't think the girls all there Jimbo"

"Yeah" he laughed back "What loony bin did you escape from?"

"How bout we teach you how it's done out here in the real world Miss" Chad sneered pulling up his lips enough to reveal stained teeth. Taking a step towards her he felt a chill, something in the back of his mind warning him away, but he shook it off as he wasn't about to lose face in front of Jim.

Jim whistled as he moved around the girl eyes lingering on her backside clad in tight black jeans "I think a lesson in definitely in order Chad" he laughed as Jim moved hands reaching for her hips as he asked "What's your name gorgeous?"

The girl turned her head to look at him before opening her mouth to speak. The woods around them went deathly still, no bird song, no crickets, even the wind seemed to be hiding as a voice soft with a British accent spoke one word "Bea"

The moment Jim's hands touched Bea he recoiled, his face etched with confusion as he raised them in front of his face, then came the screams as the ends of his fingers glowed red like the dying embers of a fire before crumbling and falling onto the road.

Chad stood frozen, in too much shock to fear for his own life as he watched his friend slowly burn up and turn to ash. Only when what was left of Jim fell to the floor did he look up to see eyes of red and blue staring at him.

Xxx

He pulled the impala up behind the three police cars which stood blocking the road lights flashing. Dean and Sam climbed out and moved towards the police tape where a young deputy stood a light sheen of sweat covering his face as he wiped at his mouth.

Dean straightened his jacket feeling as uncomfortable as he always did while wearing a monkey suit. He was desperate for a lead on Bea. Until yesterday they'd heard nothing for a whole week when there'd been a possible sighting of someone fitting her description walking along this highway a few hours before the police got a call about some bodies being found. He was just praying that one of them wasn't her.

Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out his fake FBI badge "Agent Wes" throwing a casual nod in Sam's direction "And Agent Fred"

"Wow you guys got here quickly" the young officer said in awe "We only got the call a couple of hours ago"

"Yeah, government improvements" Dean mumbled already moving under the police tape with Sam following.

Ahead of them a pickup truck sat across the middle of the road black brake marks across the tarmac behind it. Sam and Dean walked to where three police officers stood silently looking down at the ground.

"Agent Wes" Dean said once more flashing his badge but no one turned to acknowledge him and he flashed an impatient look to Sam.

"Sheriff, we're with the FBI" Sam began holding his badge out for inspection "We heard…"

"They're just all burned up" the sheriff spoke "Just burnt away, but there's no sign of a fire, no car crash, no fuel, just Chad and what we think was Jim Knight…" he looked up at Sam and Dean for the first time since they'd arrived, his face a mixture of shock and confusion "Burnt away, how does that even happen".

xxx

Dean looked down at the road trying to make sense of it all. Behind him he could hear Sam and the sheriff talking, it was obvious that the local sheriff was very pleased to be handing this call out over to the boys and he agreed willingly to give the boys some space to work.

Sam moved to stand by him pulling his eyebrows in the way he always does when he's trying to figure something out "Is that..?" he started to ask

"A skull, or what's left of it"

There before them lay a pile of ash spread around two skulls, their jaws hanging open in what could only be read as terror.

Looking down at his notebook Sam said "The sheriff said the pickup belonged to a guy called Chad Wood, a real lowlife by his account. He was last seen at a local bar with his buddy 'Big Jim'" this earned an eyeroll from Dean at the spectacualy obvious nickname "they left early hours of this morning but never made it home. Then this morning a local delivery guy came across all this"

Dean looked away from the screaming skulls and rubbed his hand across his face "And what is this Sam?" he turned back to face his brother pointing at the bodies "Is this just a case or is this somehow connected to Bea?"

Sam hated seeing his brother so unsure of himself "It seems to much of a conicinence for Bea to have been on this road and this to have happened" Sam took a deep breath and tried to word what he wanted to say next carefully "Dean we can't rule out that Bea.."

"Don't!" Dean shouted in Sam's face, trying to calm himself when he saw the officers looking at him "Don't say Bea did this, we don't even know she was definitely here. We've just got to keep looking"

"Dean from what the sheriff told me about these guys they deserved what they got. Chad had a list of convictions for sexual assaults as long as my arm but if Bea did this then we have to entertain the thought that she's gone darkside"

Dean closed his eyes for a moment hanging his head as he took in Sammy's words "But it's Bea" he said "I shouldn't of abandoned her, I was so angry and I just left her"

Shifting uncomfortably as some of the blame landed on Sam's shoulders "I'm sorry" he said

"It doesn't matter Sam. I let her down and I've got to find her"