This is my first story, so please be nice. Tell me what you think! I do not own any of the characters (except for Alex) and I do not own any of the storylines.
Chapter 26
The Winchesters walked into the empty roadhouse bar to see Ellen storm away from Joe to answer the ringing telephone behind the bar. Joe saw the Winchesters and grabbed a manila folder off the bar. He walked over to them and handed it to Dean.
"Two weeks ago, a girl goes missing from her Philadelphia apartment."
Dean sat at the bar and began flipping through the pages in the folder while Joe continued talking.
"That's not the first, either. In the past 80 years, six women have vanished from the same building. All young blondes."
"Who put this together? Ash?" asked Dean.
"I did it myself," said Joe.
"We've hit the road with a lot less," said Alex, looking at Dean.
"Good. You take it then," said Ellen, hanging up the phone.
She turned to them.
"Mom!" said Joe.
"Jonathon Brite, this family has lost enough. I won't lose you, too."
Alex smiled sadly at Joe and Joe tentatively smiled back.
After a few hours, the Winchesters were in the missing girl's apartment. Sam had gotten out his EMF reader and was now holding it in his right hand as he walked around, scanning the apartment.
"Got anything?" asked Dean.
"Not yet," said Sam.
He turned to the wall closest to the front door and saw black goo oozing from the electrical outlet. He touched it.
"Oh, my God," said Sam.
Alex and Dean walked closer to him and touched the black goo as well.
"Ectoplasm," said Alex.
"I've only seen this stuff twice. You have to be a majorly pissed off spirit to make this stuff," said Sam.
"Alright. Let's find this badass before he snags anymore girls," said Dean.
He turned off the lights as he followed his siblings out of the apartment.
They were walking down the apartment complex's hallway when they heard an oddly familiar voice. They stopped and not a second later, Joe rounded the hallway corner with the apartment building's landlord. Joe smiled at them and walked over to Alex. He kissed her cheek and snaked his arm around her waist.
"This is my girlfriend, Alex."
The landlord smiled at her.
"Oh, and these are her brothers, Sam and Dean. They're helping us apartment search," said Joe, still smiling.
He looked at Alex.
"Did you check out the apartment?"
"Yes. It was fabulous," said Alex.
"Right. Now, Ed, when did the last resident move out?" asked Joe.
"About a month ago," said the landlord, Ed.
"Well, we'll take it."
Joe handed Ed a huge wad of cash and he headed to the apartment while Ed walked downstairs to the lobby.
"You shouldn't be here," said Dean, once they were in the apartment and the door was closed.
"Dean, stop. He's an adult," said Alex.
Joe sat down beside her on the couch and their thighs touched slightly.
"And stay away from my baby sister," said Dean, glaring at Joe.
Joe nodded and scooted away from her, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa. Alex flipped Dean off and Sam chuckled. Joe smirked. Dean's cell phone began ringing and Alex grabbed it off the coffee table in front of her.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Is he with you?" asked Ellen.
"Oh, hey Ellen."
Alex looked at Joe, who motioned that he wasn't there.
"Um, I haven't seen him."
"You're sure?" asked Ellen.
"I'm sure," said Alex.
"Okay. If he shows up, have Dean drag his sorry ass back here," said Ellen.
"Will do," said Alex.
"Thanks, sweetie. Here, Kellan wants to talk to you."
Alex heard the phone being exchanged and then Kellan's deep voice was on the other end of the line.
"Alex?"
"Kellan! What's up?"
"Is he there with you? Be honest, Ellen's not in the room with me."
Alex bit her lip.
"Yeah, he's here."
Joe's eyes got wide and his face fell.
"It's Kellan," whispered Alex.
Joe relaxed and sunk into the couch.
"Alright, I'm coming to you. Be there in a day or two."
"Okay, see you soon. Bye, baby."
Alex hung up and set it on the table.
"Kellan's coming," said Alex.
"Great. Another person to compromise our job," growled Dean.
Alex looked down as the vent sputtered and quit blowing air into the living room.
"There's something in the vent," she said to Dean.
Dean lay on his stomach and pulled the vent cover off of the vent. Alex stood beside him and Sam and Joe were behind him as he reached inside and felt along the walls of the vent. A few minutes later, Dean removed his hand from the vent and held a clump of blonde hair in between his fingers.
"Oh, that's nasty," said Alex, twirling a lock of her own blonde hair around her fingers.
"Someone's keeping souvenirs," whispered Dean.
After they had all eaten dinner, Dean flopped down on the couch. He kicked off his boots and stripped down to his boxers. He pulled a blanket around himself and quickly fell asleep. Alex set her Chinese takeout container on the counter when she was finished.
"I'm going to shower."
She kissed Sam's cheek and he grabbed her still half-full Chinese takeout container, finishing the rest of her Chinese food. She smiled at Joe before walking to the back of the apartment and entering the master bedroom. She shut the door behind her and a few minutes later, the water was turned on.
"Hey, you can take the bed tonight. The rest of us can crash out here," said Sam to Joe.
"Thanks. I'm going to go ahead and crash, actually," said Joe.
Sam nodded and Joe walked to the back of the apartment. He walked into the master bedroom and shut the door behind him.
After stripping down to his boxers, Joe climbed into the king sized bed and turned on the TV. He flipped through all of the channels and found nothing on so he turned it off and lay down on his left side, facing the bathroom. His eyes closed and he began drifting off to sleep.
Alex wrapped a towel around her body and realized that she left her clothes in the bedroom. She quietly opened the door and peeked around it. She didn't see Joe's still form in the bed, nor did she see his eyes pop open as she stepped into the room silently, wearing only her towel. Alex was halfway to her duffel bag to grab her clothes when Joe sat up in the bed. Alex looked up at him.
"Joe, I didn't even see you in here."
Joe nodded and stared at her, his eyes blackened with lust as he took in her nearly naked body. Alex looked down, suddenly realizing that she was only wearing a towel. Her breathing quickened as she heard Joe get off the bed and walk towards her. She backed up into the dresser and Joe stalked towards her.
"Alex," whispered Joe once he was inches away from her.
Alex looked into his face and he leaned in towards her. His lips lightly touched hers and she grabbed the back of his neck, forcing him impossibly closer. He grabbed her hips and hoisted her onto the dresser. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he began kissing down her neck. Alex threw her head back and closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations Joe was causing her to feel. He came back up to her face and kissed her again. His tongue met hers and Alex moaned. When she separated from his lips to breathe, she felt Joe's hand travel onto her thighs and inch higher. When they reached the bottom of her towel, Alex finally grabbed his hands.
"Joe, stop."
He let go of her and stepped back, shaking his head.
"Oh, my God, Kellan. Shit, fuck. Fuck," cursed Joe.
He sat down on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Alex got off the dresser and sat next to him.
"Look, we just won't tell him. Let's just pretend this never happened, okay?" said Alex.
Joe looked at her, nodding with agreement.
"Good."
She patted his knee and grabbed her duffle bag. She left the room and went to change in the bathroom off of the hall. Joe lay back on the bed and sighed.
The next morning, Alex was sitting at the countertop looking through photos of the case they were working. She picked up one photo of an empty field, which was located next to the hotel across the street from the apartment building they were staying in. She glanced at the building on the left side of the picture and noticed bars on the windows.
"We've been looking at the wrong place this whole time," she whispered.
She grabbed Joe's phone off the counter and dialed Ash. As Alex waited for Ash to pick up, there was a knock on the apartment door. The boys were all transfixed on the television so Alex stood up and walked over to the door. She opened the door and Kellan stood on the other side of it, his duffel bag in one hand and his other hand poised to knock on the door again.
"Kellan!" yelled Alex, hanging up the phone and putting it back into her jeans pocket.
She jumped into his arms and peppered his face with kisses. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he wrapped his arms around her back, dropping his duffel bag to the floor.
"Hey, baby," said Kellan.
He kissed her and she responded to the kiss eagerly. Once they separated for air, Kellan set her down and he picked up his bag. She grabbed his hand and led him into the apartment.
"Hey, boys," said Kellan.
Dean nodded at him, Sam waved slightly and Joe stood up. He walked over to Kellan and hugged him.
"Man, I can't believe you left Mom like that. She's worried sick," said Kellan.
"I just… had to get away," said Joe.
Kellan nodded and Joe glanced at Kellan's hand that was intertwined with Alex's. He looked away and Alex pretended not to notice.
"Where should I put my stuff?" asked Kellan.
"In the bedroom, man," said Sam.
Kellan let go of Alex's hand and went into the bedroom. Joe returned to his spot on the couch and the phone in Alex's pocket began to vibrate. She pulled it out and saw that Ash was calling. She stepped into the hallway and answered.
"Look at this."
Alex set the picture she had found earlier in front of the boys.
"It's just an empty field," said Dean.
"No, look at the windows on the building to the left," said Alex.
"Bars," noted Sam.
He grabbed the television remote and turned off the T.V.
"Yep. La Mamel Prison. And they executed people in the field next to the hotel," said Alex.
"We need names," said Kellan.
Alex smiled and set the laptop in front of them. Kellan began scrolling through the names of executed prisoners.
"One-hundred and fifty-seven names," said Kellan.
He clicked on a certain name, Herman Webster Mudgett.
"Wasn't that H.H. Holmes' real name?" asked Joe, looking over Kellan's shoulder.
"You gotta be kiddin' me," said Dean.
"Who is he?" asked Alex.
"America's first serial killer," said Joe.
"He confessed to over twenty-seven murders," added in Sam.
"Victim of choice? Pretty, petite blondes," said Kellan.
Dean looked at Alex, who fit that description to a T.
"He used chloroform to kill 'em. At his place, police found human bone fragments and locks of blonde hair," said Kellan, reading the article on the computer.
"We just salt the bones and burn 'em, right?" asked Joe.
"No, it's not that easy. His body is encased in concrete," said Dean.
Alex's face paled as she looked over Kellan's shoulder and read another article he had found. Sam looked at her pale face.
"Alex?"
Kellan handed him the computer and Sam skimmed through the article.
"Fuck. Holmes built this complex and hid his victims within its walls," said Sam.
"We've got to tear down any walls big enough to hide a girl. Come on," said Dean.
He led them all out of the apartment.
Dean and Alex were climbing within the walls of the apartment complex. Sam, Kellan, and Joe were on the first floor looking for more entrances into the walls. Both Alex and Dean had a flashlight with them. Alex slid her cell phone back into her jeans pocket and looked at Dean.
"Sam said they're almost done with the first floor. They haven't found anything yet."
Dean rounded a corner in the wall and grunted.
"What is it?" asked Alex.
"It's too narrow for me to fit," said Dean.
"Let me see."
She squeezed in between him and the wall and shined her flashlight down into the space that Dean couldn't fit into.
"I can fit in there," said Alex.
"You're not goin' in there by yourself."
"Dean, I can do this."
She slid into the opening and moved forward, out of Dean's eyesight. After a few minutes, Dean called her cell phone.
"Where are you?" he asked.
Alex looked at her surroundings.
"By the north wall."
She put her phone on speaker mode and set it down on the floor as she climbed into an even smaller space. When she was in the air duct, she grabbed the phone from above her and held it to her ear.
"I'm climbing down some sort of air duct."
"No, stay up here," said Dean.
"We've got to find this girl, Dean. I'm okay," reassured Alex.
"I'm headin' to you."
Dean began walking back the way that they had come and he kept the phone back up to his ear.
Alex jumped down farther into the air duct and grabbed her phone from where she had left it. She held it to her ear again. She shined her flashlight down another hallway to see what was ahead of her when she heard a strange noise above her head. She looked up to see black goo oozing by her head. She shone the flashlight above her head and saw ectoplasm oozing from the wall. Her eyes filled with tears and she sucked in a deep breath.
"Oh, God," she said into the phone.
Dean was still on the phone with Alex when he heard her mutter "Oh, God." He was on the stair's landing and he stopped walking.
"Alex? What is it?" he asked.
Dean then heard Alex screaming through the phone. He quickly hung up and began racing down the stairs. He found the north wall and began tearing it down with the sledgehammer he had left down there. Once he had a hole big enough to fit through, he stuck his head into the hole in the wall. He looked down and saw Alex's phone lying on the ground.
"Fuck," he muttered.
He grabbed her cell phone and quickly headed down the hall.
Dean walked down the hallway, not looking where he was going, and ran straight into Sam's shoulder. Joe and Kellan were on either side of Sam and Dean looked up at all of them.
"He's got Alex."
Joe's mouth fell open in shock. Kellan punched the wall.
"How'd the fuck that happen?" asked Sam.
"I left her alone. Damn it!" yelled Dean.
"Hey, calm down. We'll find her," reassured Joe.
"Inside the walls, yeah," scoffed Sam.
He pushed open the door to their apartment and they all filed inside.
"Maybe we've got Holmes' M.O. wrong," said Joe.
"And Alex will know what to do," said Kellan.
He walked with Joe and they looked at a map together on the counter. Dean's phone began ringing and he pulled it out of his jacket pocket.
"Yeah?"
"You lied to me. Joe's there. Put him on the phone," said Ellen.
"Ellen, we need him to help us find Alex. The spirit we're hunting took her," explained Dean.
Ellen gasped.
"I'm on the next flight out."
Ellen hung up and Dean stuck his phone back in his pocket.
"There's a sewer syst-" began Joe.
"Let's go," said Dean, not letting Joe finish his sentence.
Alex opened her eyes and came about in a small, enclosed space. She grabbed her flashlight from beside her right hand, clicked it on, and looked around. She was in a wooden box with scratch marks on the top of the box. Alex touched them reverently and covered her mouth with her hand as she began to cry silently. She turned her head to the left and saw a small slit cut into her box. She slowly peeked out of it.
"Hello?" she called out.
"Is anybody there?" called out another girl.
Alex looked out of the small slit the best that she could and she saw another pair of eyes peeking out from a different box across the room.
"Teresa?" asked Alex.
"Yes," sobbed the girl as a reply.
"This won't make you feel better, but I'm here to rescue you," said Alex.
"Oh, God," cried Teresa.
Footsteps sounded in the room suddenly and a hand reached into the slit and pulled Alex's hair out as Alex screamed in pain.
Dean and Joe had their shirt sleeves rolled up to their elbows as they dug a hole into the sewer system. Sam and Kellan stood by, acting as lookouts. They finally hit the sewer entrance and Dean reached down, pulling the lid up. He threw his shovel to the ground and climbed in first, followed by Sam, Kellan, and finally, Joe.
Alex scooted farther into her small box as the spirit's hand reached in and touched her side. She gagged in disgust and when his hand scooted toward her hip, she lunged out and stabbed him with the small knife she had been carrying in her pocket. He quickly pulled his hand out and cried out in pain.
"That's pure iron, you creepy son of a bitch!" yelled Alex.
The spirit didn't respond so Alex scooted closer to the slit and stuck her knife back into her pocket. She looked out of the slit when suddenly, his hand reached in and covered her mouth. She grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him off of her.
"Hey!" yelled Dean.
The spirit pulled his hand out of Alex's box quickly and turned to face Dean. Dean shot him with rock salt and he vanished. Dean stepped farther into the large, cave-like room with Sam, Joe, and Kellan behind him.
"Alex!" yelled Sam loudly.
"Over here!" called back Alex.
Dean followed the sound of her voice and grabbed a crowbar from beside the wall. He pried Alex's box open and Alex tumbled out of it. Sam grabbed Alex before she fell onto the floor and Joe and Kellan helped Teresa out of her box.
"Let's get out of here," said Alex into Sam's chest.
Sam looked at Dean as he stroked her hair.
"Alex, sweetie, we need you to be bait," said Dean.
Alex looked up at her oldest brother and nodded. He kissed her temple and Kellan hugged Alex close.
"We'll be right here," he promised and then he kissed her on the lips.
He joined the other boys and they left the room.
Alex sat on the stone cold floor of the huge cavernous room, listening to water drip from the ceiling. She kept concentrating on her breathing as she heard the ghost approach her from behind. She closed her eyes as he got closer and exhaled every deep breath she took in. As the spirit reached out to stroke her hair, Dean yelled.
"Now!"
Alex took off running for the only door as Sam and Dean shot at the bags of salt hanging in the large room. Joe grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her from the room as Holmes finally realized that he was trapped in a never-ending circle of salt. He began screaming and Dean and Sam shut the door.
Outside, Sam pulled Alex into his chest as she began to sob.
"Shh, you're fine now."
He rubbed her back up and down and watched as Dean backed up the borrowed cement truck so they could fill the sewer. Joe began to smile, but stopped when he saw Ellen marching toward them.
"Hey, Ellen," said Sam, still holding Alex.
Dean stopped the truck and hopped out of it.
"Ellen, I'm sorry we lied to you. But Joe did good out there. His father would've been proud."
"Don't you dare say that! I'm taking him home. Kellan, you too."
Ellen grabbed Joe's arm and walked him across the street to the car that she had rented for her small drive from the airport. Kellan followed and Alex watched them get into the car and drive away.
At the motel that night, Alex was sitting on her bed. She was dressed in her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of Dean's boxers and one of Sam's Stanford t-shirts. She dialed Kellan's number and waited for him to pick up.
"Hello?" answered a gruff voice.
"Kellan? What's the matter?"
"Oh, nothing. Except for the fact that you made out with my best friend!"
Alex winced at his tone.
"Look, I was going to tell you. It just happened. And we stopped before it went too far."
"Whatever. Look, just give me some time. Don't call me for a while. Here, he wants to talk to you."
The phone was passed over and Joe got on the line.
"Hey, Alex."
"Joe, how are you?"
"I'm fine. Kellan punched me, but it's just swelling a little bit. Look, I'm sorry, but I felt guilty. I had to tell him."
"No, I understand. Is he really mad?"
"Yeah, he just needs time to cool down. He really likes you, Alex. Give him some time."
Alex nodded and she heard Joe take in a deep breath before he spoke again.
"Listen, my mom told me today why she was so upset about me going on the hunt with y'all."
"And?"
"Well, turns out that your dad's mistake on a hunt cost my dad his life."
"What? That can't be right," argued Alex.
"It is. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I really am. I've got to go, but I'll see you around. Goodbye, Alex."
Joe hung up and Alex ended the call. She threw her phone down onto the nightstand and sighed.
Sam stepped into the motel room and saw Alex lying on her bed. She looked upset. He sat on the other side of the bed and took off his shoes. He put them next to the bed and lay next to Alex. His arms were folded across his chest and he stared at the ceiling like Alex was doing.
"Ellen didn't want Joe to go on the hunt with us because our dad went on a hunt with Joe's dad and got him killed. Plus, I made out with Joe and Kellan's pissed off."
Alex looked over at Sam, who hadn't moved an inch.
"Ellen was afraid we would get Joe hurt or… killed," said Alex.
Sam nodded.
"And I made out with my boyfriend's best friend."
Sam nodded again.
"Aren't you going to say anything at all?" asked Alex, sitting up.
"That sucks," said Sam.
Alex scoffed.
"Well, it's over now. Dad got him killed. There's no changing that," stated Sam.
Alex nodded.
"And Kellan will be alright. He's obviously hurt. Just give him some time."
Alex sighed and lay down next to him again.
"You're right."
Sam smirked.
"What was that?"
Alex hit his arm, smiling. Suddenly, the motel room door was kicked down and they both sat up quickly. A SWAT team rushed into the room, surrounding them and Sam and Alex jumped up from the bed.
"Going somewhere, twins?" asked a blonde woman who was standing within the middle of the uniformed SWAT team.
Alex and Sam were sitting next to each other in a police interrogation room. They were across the table from the blonde woman that had arrested them in their motel room earlier. A silver table sat in between them and the blonde woman and their chairs were pulled up to the table. She set two cups of coffee on the table and slid them across the table's surface to Sam and Alex.
"I thought you might be thirsty," she said as she sat down across from them.
Sam and Alex didn't touch the coffee.
"So, you're the good cop. Where's the bad one?" asked Sam.
"He's with your brother."
"Why are we being held?" asked Alex, venom lacing her words.
"He's being held on suspicion of murder. You two, we'll see."
"Murder?" asked Sam, his eyebrows raised.
"You sound genuinely surprised," said the woman.
"Who the fuck did he supposedly murder?" yelled Alex.
"We'll get to that," said the woman, calmly.
"You can't just hold us here without charges," said Sam.
"Sure we can. For forty-eight hours. You being a pre-law student should know that, Sam," said the woman, smirking.
Both Sam and Alex visibly stiffened and the woman's smile grew larger. She opened the file folder that she was holding, stood up, and began reading from it while pacing in front of the table.
"I know all about you two. Twenty-three years old, no job, no home address. Your mother died when you were babies and your father's whereabouts are unknown."
Alex put her hand on Sam's knee with her palm down and Sam covered it with his own hand.
"Your family moved around a lot when you were kids. Sam, you got into Stanford with a full ride."
The woman stopped pacing and set the folder on the table in front of them. She looked at them.
"A year ago, there was a fire in your apartment, Sam. Jessica Moore, your girlfriend, died, and then you fell off the grid."
"I needed some time to deal. So, I'm taking a road trip with my siblings," said Sam.
"How's that goin' for you?" asked the woman.
"Great. Just awesome," said Alex, smiling sarcastically at the woman.
"We ran Dean's fingerprints through the database. Found over twelve possible hits. Makes you wonder what we'll find when we run your prints."
"Please. Let us know," said Sam.
Both he and Alex smiled sarcastically at the woman. The woman sat on the edge of the table and Alex and Sam looked away from her.
"Dean's a bad guy. His life is over. But you two can be free."
"You want us to turn on our own brother?" asked Sam.
"No. We already caught him cold. At Karen Guiles' murder. We just need you to fill in some missing pieces."
The woman climbed off the table and sat down in her previously vacated chair. Alex sighed and gently squeezed Sam's fingers. He laced their fingers together on his knee and began to talk.
"My dad and Tony Guiles were old friends. Known him since we were kids. So, naturally, we came when we heard about his death."
Sam walked up to the booth where Alex and Dean were sitting. He handed them each a coffee cup and sat down across from Dean and next to Alex. He sipped his own coffee cup as Dean slid the paper across the table's surface to Sam.
"Anthony Guiles," said Dean.
Sam skimmed the obituary.
"Who's Anthony Guiles?"
"Baltimore lawyer," said Alex.
"Huh. Sounds like an invisible killer," said Sam, once he had finished reading the obituary.
He set the paper down on the table and looked at Dean across from him.
"Let's check it out," said Alex.
She stood up and the boys followed her out the door.
"It would've been hard for Dean to kill Tony considering we weren't in town at the time," said Alex.
"Yeah. Then we went to see Karen. She was barely holding it together. We talked for a while, gave her hugs, and then left. That's it," said Sam.
"Look. We have an eyewitness that saw two men and a woman fitting your and your brother's descriptions, breaking into Guiles' office," said the woman.
"Okay, look. Karen wanted some pictures out of the office, but the cops wouldn't let her in," said Sam.
"Hey, look at this."
Alex held up a paper from Tony's desk.
"Dana Schulps. Huh. Karen said he saw a girl in his dream the night before he died. Maybe that's her," said Sam.
He sat down at the desk behind the computer and began trying to crack Tony's password as Alex and Dean looked through file cabinets. After looking through everything, they had found nothing about Dana Schulps.
"Alright. I'm going to go check on Karen. You two stay and keep workin'," said Dean.
He walked out the front door and Alex pulled up a chair next to Sam.
"You two were with your brother the whole time you three were in Baltimore. Why separate now?" asked the woman.
Alex removed her hand from Sam's as they both shrugged their shoulders. The woman sighed.
"So, he could murder Karen?" she asked.
"He didn't murder anyone, you fucking bitch," seethed Alex.
Sam grabbed Alex's hand again and squeezed it tightly. Alex relaxed, keeping her hand in Sam's and intertwining their fingers. Sam let his hand relax around hers and the woman glared at Alex before storming out of the room.
Sam watched as the door slammed shut behind the woman. Once it was fully closed, he stood up and grabbed a piece of paper from off the table. Alex grabbed a pen and Sam handed her the sheet of paper. She wrote Dana Schulps at the top of the paper.
"Anagram maybe?" asked Sam.
Alex nodded and they began writing out different name combinations using the same letters in Dana Schulps' name.
A lawyer entered the room that Alex and Sam were sitting in. He set his briefcase on the metal table that they were sitting behind. He handed Sam a note and Sam took it, opening it. Alex read it over his shoulder and smirked.
'Hilts- It's a street, Ashland. – McQueen'
"I hope that was meaningful. Can we discuss your case now?" asked the lawyer.
"Sure thing, Matlock," said Alex and Sam at the same time.
The lawyer shook his head and sat down across from them at the table. He took out a pen and a piece of paper from his briefcase as a knock sounded on the door. The woman cop entered the room and the lawyer looked at her.
"We need you with the other one."
The man cop set up a video camera in front of Dean. He hit record and pointed at Dean to begin. Dean took a deep breath and looked straight into the video camera.
"My name is Dean Winchester. I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy sunsets and frisky women. I did not kill anyone. But I think I know who did. Or what. I think we're dealing with a vengeful spirit."
"Excuse me?" asked the woman cop, Diana.
She shut off the video camera.
"Like Casper, the unfriendly ghost. You see, it's trying to tell us something."
Dean held up a piece of paper.
"At first we thought it was a name. Dana Schulps. But now, we think it's a street. Ashland. Whatever's goin' on, I'm bettin' it started there," explained Dean.
As soon as Diana and the lawyer had left the room and the door had firmly shut behind them, Sam and Alex burst out of their chairs.
"Hilts is Steve McQueen's character in The Great Escape," said Sam.
"I know. Let's get out of here," said Alex.
She opened the window and crawled out onto the fire escape with Sam right behind her.
Diana entered the interrogation room where Dean was being held.
"Let's pretend for a minute that you're not insane. What would one of these spirits want?" she asked.
"Well, they're created by violent deaths. Then they come back for a reason, usually a nasty one. Like revenge," said Dean.
Diana reached up and scratched at her neck. This action caused her shirtsleeves to ride up and Dean then noticed the bruises around her wrists.
"You've seen it, haven't you?" he asked.
"How'd you know?" asked Diana.
"Because Karen had the same bruises on her wrists. It's got somethin' to do with the spirit."
"You think I'm going to die?" asked Diana.
"You need to go to Alex and Sam. They'll help. Go to the first motel listed in the Yellow Pages. Look for Jim and Alice Lockford."
Alex opened the door and Diana stepped inside the motel room. She held up her wrists to show Alex and Sam the bruises.
"Tell us exactly what you saw," said Sam.
Diana put her arms at her sides and began to speak.
"She was, um, pale, and her throat was cut. And her eyes were a deep, dark red. It appeared like she was trying to talk to me, but she couldn't."
Alex walked over to the table and picked up a stack of photos. She held them out to Diana.
"Tell us if you recognize any of these girls."
Diana looked through the photos and about halfway through the pile, she stopped.
"This is her. I'm sure of it."
She handed the pictures back to Alex with the photo of the girl on top.
"Claire Becker. Twenty-eight years old, disappeared eight or nine months ago," said Sam.
"I don't even know her. Why would she come after me?" asked Diana.
"Well, before her death, she was arrested twice for dealing heroin. You ever bust her?" asked Alex.
She held the mug shot of Claire up to Diana. Diana shook her head.
"Let's head over to Ashland Street. Maybe we'll find something there," said Sam.
Sam led the way down the stairs to the basement. They were in the house on Ashland Street where the drug bust of Claire Becker had taken place. They stepped into the basement and Alex and Sam walked slightly in front of Diana. Diana suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream and they turned around. There was nothing there.
"She was just here," said Diana.
"Did she attack you?" asked Sam.
"No. She was reaching out to me. She was over by the window," explained Diana.
Alex and Sam moved a shelf out of the way to see sunlight streaming through a window that said, "Ashland Supply." Alex turned around and saw it written on the wall as well as the window.
"Now the extra letters make sense," said Alex.
Sam nodded and took out his EMF reader. They all walked toward the wall. The EMF began blinking rapidly when they were right beside the wall. Sam grabbed a metal bar from behind the stairs and began smashing the wall.
"Why the hell would Claire lead us to her remains?" asked Alex.
When Sam had a hole in the wall big enough to reach into, he reached inside and pulled out a black body bag. He set it down onto the floor and Sam cut the ropes around it with his pocketknife. He pulled the bag open and inside were Claire's remains. Diana reached in first and gently grabbed Claire's necklace.
"Does that mean something to you?" asked Sam.
"No, but I have one just like it."
Diana grabbed the necklace from around her own neck.
"Pete gave it to me."
"Your partner, Pete?" asked Alex.
Diana nodded.
"It all makes sense," said Sam.
He stood up and began pacing while Alex and Diana sat beside the body.
"Claire's a death omen. She's not killin' anyone. She's trying to warn them," said Alex.
Diana looked between them, confused.
"She wants justice. That's why she led us here," said Sam.
Alex stood up with Diana.
"Detective, how much do you know about your partner?"
Diana thought for a minute.
"Oh, my God. About a year ago, a heroin addict went missing from lock-up. It was obviously a cop, but we never found out who did it," said Diana.
Sam and Alex exchanged a glance.
Pete roughly threw Dean onto the cold, hard ground. Dean spit out the mouthful of grass that he had gotten and sat up on his knees, looking up at Pete.
"You're going to die trying to escape for St. Louis," said Pete.
He pulled out his gun and aimed it straight at Dean's forehead.
"Wait, wait. Let's talk about this," said Dean.
Pete smirked, but kept his gun trained on Dean's forehead.
"Pete! Put the gun down," yelled Diana from behind Pete.
She had her own gun trained on Pete.
"I don't think so," said Pete, his gun still on Dean.
Alex bit her lip, nervous for Dean. Dean looked at her.
"Diana, I still love you. Let me do this," pleaded Pete.
Diana lowered her gun and Pete smiled at her.
"Thank you."
He turned his attention back to Dean and aimed once again. Diana quickly brought her gun up and shot at Pete. She hit him in the thigh and Dean rolled away as Pete grabbed his thigh, falling to the ground in agony. Diana walked over to Pete and he lunged for her, grabbing her legs and knocking her to the ground. Sam went to help Dean, but Pete grabbed his gun and held it at Sam. Pete stood up while Sam held his hands up and Alex glanced at Diana, who was next to her. Diana, her eyes trained on Pete, slowly handed Alex her gun. Once she had the gun, Alex looked at Sam, who nodded imperceptibly. Alex aimed and shot at Pete. Pete fell to the ground, dead. Sam helped Dean stand up and Alex walked over to her brothers. Diana stood up and looked at the three siblings.
"Go on. Get out of here before I call the cops."
Alex handed Diana her gun and Diana stuck it in her gun holster. She watched as Alex stood in between her brothers as they walked down the road.
Alex sat next to Sam in a booth at a local diner. She picked at the fries that were in front of her. Dean sat across from them in the booth and Sam was on his laptop. He easily found Dean's criminal record.
"Way to keep a low profile, dickhead," said Alex.
Dean glared at her and Sam laughed.
"What about the case?" asked Dean.
"Sean Boyd jumps off a high-rise he built, killing himself. Claims he saw a big, black dog for two days before his death," said Sam.
"Alright. Let's check it out," said Dean.
He left a few bills on the table and walked out of the diner with Sam and Alex following behind him.
"Do you know where the doctor went?" asked Sam.
They were visiting the home of a woman who had filed a complaint about a black dog. The maid shook her head.
"She seems pretty young to be Chief of Surgery," said Dean.
"Youngest in the business. She had, like, an overnight success," said the maid.
"And how long ago was that?" asked Alex.
She picked a picture up off the counter and looked at it. It was of Sophia, the doctor.
"About ten years ago," said the maid.
Alex flipped the picture over and looked at the back of it. It read, "Lloyd's Bar." Alex showed the picture to Sam.
"Guess that's where we're headed next."
Dean parked the Impala a few feet from Lloyd's Bar and he and his siblings got out. They headed towards the bar and Alex noticed flowers blooming among the weeds on the side of the road.
"Aren't these flowers used for summoning rituals?" she asked.
She crouched down to get a closer look at them.
"Yeah," said Sam.
"You think this is a crossroads?" asked Dean.
"Let's find out," said Sam.
He walked to the center of the road while Dean headed back to the Impala to grab shovels from the trunk.
Dean had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he dug a hole in the middle of the road. His shovel hit something hard and he pulled his shovel up and threw it beside him on the ground.
"Yahtzee."
He reached into the hole and pulled out a small, metal box. He opened the lid and pulled out a small bone from inside it. Sam and Alex crowded around him to look inside the box.
"Bet that's graveyard dirt," said Sam.
He pulled out a bottle of black dirt from the box.
"And a black cat bone," said Alex, nodding to the bone in Dean's hand.
Dean tossed the bone back into the box.
"Crossroads are where pacts are made. You summon a demon, they come and make a deal," said Dean.
"They're seeing hell hounds. Demonic pit bulls," said Sam.
"That doctor lady sure ain't runnin' fast enough away," said Alex.
She stuck her hands in her sweatshirt's pocket and squinted at her brothers, the sunlight blinding her.
"So, it's just like the Robert Johnson legend," said Sam.
"Yeah, except that wasn't a legend. You know his music," said Dean.
He looked at Sam. Sam frowned and Alex looked away.
"You two don't know Robert Johnson's songs?" asked Dean.
Alex shook her head.
"There's cult references all over them! 'Crossroad Blues, Hell Hound on my Trail'," said Dean.
Alex shook her head and Sam shrugged. Dean took in a deep breath.
"Story goes, he died chokin' on his own blood. He was muttering about big, evil dogs."
"We've got to find out if anyone else struck a bargain around here then," said Sam.
"Right. You gotta put your own picture inside, so…"
Alex reached inside the box and grabbed a picture of a young, black man out of it.
"Let's go inside and see if anyone knows this guy," said Dean.
He led the way to the bar with Alex and Sam right behind him.
Alex knocked on the apartment door of a man named George Darrow. He was the man who had his picture in the crossroad's box.
"Look at this," said Sam.
He crouched down and touched black dust that was lying outside the apartment door. He stood up and held his hand out to Dean. Dean smelled the substance.
"Pepper?" asked Dean.
The door opened then and they all looked at the man standing in the doorway.
"Looks like you grabbed the wrong shaker. Usually when you want to keep out something evil, you grab the salt," said Dean.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said George.
Dean reached in his pocket and held up George's photo from the crossroad's box. George's expression turned to shock.
"Tell me, have you seen the hell hound yet?" asked Dean.
George's lip quivered slightly.
"Look, we want to help," said Alex.
George nodded and opened the door wider to let them all in.
George poured himself a glass of whiskey before facing Dean, Alex and Sam.
"So, what was that stuff out there?" asked Alex.
"Goofa dust," said George.
He grabbed a bag off his coffee table and threw it to Dean. Dean caught it with one hand and opened it, peering inside.
"What is it?" asked Sam.
"Keeps out demons," said George.
"Mr. Darrow, we know you're in trouble. But it's not hopeless. There's got to be somethin' we can do," said Sam.
"I appreciate it, but I called the demon myself. The worst part was that it stuck around, making deals with other people."
"Who else, George?" asked Alex.
"Think," said Dean.
"Hudson. Evan Hudson," said George.
He took a drink from his whiskey and flinched at the sting as it crawled down his throat.
That night, Alex, Sam, and Dean walked up the steps of a front porch. The house was very nice and the lights were on inside. Dean knocked on the front door and a tall man answered the door.
"Evan Hudson?" asked Alex.
He nodded.
"You ever been to a bar called Lloyd's? About ten years ago?" asked Dean.
Evan's face showed his panic and he quickly slammed the door shut. Dean sighed. He kicked the door in and they all rushed upstairs, looking for Evan. They heard noise from the office and they entered the office. Evan stood in the middle of the room, his face pale white and sweaty.
"We're here to help," said Sam.
"Can you stop it?" asked Evan.
He ran a hand over his face.
"Don't know. We'll try," said Alex.
Evan shook his head.
"I want to die."
"Oh, come on. What'd you ask for anyway?" asked Dean.
"My wife," said Evan.
Dean chuckled sarcastically.
"That's worth goin' to hell for."
"Dean, stop," said Alex.
"No, he's right. I made the deal. I was desperate."
Evan had his back to them and his hands were holding onto the edge of the desk. He took in a deep breath.
"Julie was dying. They kept saying a matter of days."
Evan turned to face them.
"So, yeah, I made the deal."
"So, now she has to live without you? Did you think of her at all before you made the deal?" asked Dean.
"Okay, that's enough. Evan, sit tight. We'll be back," said Sam.
Evan sat behind his desk and the siblings walked out into the hall.
Sam closed the door behind him and Dean walked downstairs to check for signs of a hellhound.
"Sam, I'm going to go and summon the demon," said Alex once Dean was safely out of earshot.
"Alex, no. That's crazy," said Sam, shaking his head.
"Look, I need to do this. It'll buy us time. Please, let me go."
Sam sighed and closed his eyes. He opened them, looked at her sternly, and pulled the car keys out of his pocket. She hugged him and he kissed her temple. Alex snuck downstairs, past Dean, and out the front door.
Back at the crossroads, Alex threw one of her many fake ID's into the box. She closed the box's lid, set it back in the hole she had just dug up, and piled the dirt back on top of the hole. She stood up from her crouched position and felt a presence behind her. She turned and saw a very handsome man smiling back at her. He walked a few steps toward her.
"First time?" he asked, an eyebrow slightly raised.
"You could say that," said Alex.
"Aw, don't sell yourself short. I know all about you, Alex Winchester."
"So, you know my name. What else did you hear?"
The demon stepped even closer.
"What can I do for you, Alex?"
Alex smirked at his avoidance of her question. She turned and walked toward the Impala, the demon following.
"Where's Alex?" asked Dean as he walked back upstairs and only saw Sam in the hallway.
Sam finished sprinkling a line of Goofa dust across the door of the office and he stood up to look at Dean. He bit his lip nervously, a habit he and Alex shared.
"Um, she went to summon the demon," whispered Sam, looking down at the floor.
"Excuse me? It sounded like you said she went and summoned the demon," said Dean.
Sam looked up at him and released his lip from between his teeth.
"She did."
"Are you serious?"
Sam nodded.
"What the hell, Sam! Why'd you let her go?"
"She wanted to, Dean! She's a big girl. We can't always be around to protect her."
Dean nodded sternly.
"I don't like it, but we've got a man to protect. Let's focus on our current job."
Dean entered the office and Sam followed him.
"I want Evan Hudson released from his contract," said Alex.
"Sorry, darling. That's not negotiable," said the demon.
"I'll make it worth your while."
Alex stopped walking and faced the demon.
"What are you offering?"
Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.
"Me."
The demon smirked.
"You'd offer your life for someone else's. Like father, like daughter," laughed the demon.
Alex's expression faltered and she looked at the ground. The demon moved closer to her.
"You did know about your father's deal, didn't you? His life for yours?"
Sam and Dean stood with Evan in his office. A circle of Goofa dust surrounded them. The hell hounds were barking and howling at the office door and one burst through an air vent, invisible to Sam and Dean.
"It's here!" yelled Evan as Sam and Dean looked around, seeing nothing.
"Can you bring my dad back?" asked Alex.
The demon smirked and walked even closer to Alex. He stopped a few feet from her face. He looked up above at the belly of the water tower they were standing under and saw a Devil's Trap drawn on it. Alex had drawn it on before she had summoned him and now he was trapped in it.
"Alex. Let me out now," threatened the demon, his eyes narrowing.
"Sure. We've just got to make a little deal first. You call off your hounds and let Evan go."
"I can't break a binding contract."
"You mean can't or don't want to?"
The demon looked at Alex, anger on his face.
"Okay then."
The demon watched as Alex pulled out her dad's journal and opened it.
The hellhound stood at the edge of the circle that Dean, Sam, and Evan were currently standing in. The hellhound was still invisible to the brothers, but Evan was trembling. There were visible scratches outside of the circle.
"C'mon, Alex," whispered Sam.
Alex tightened her grip on the rosary she was holding in her left hand.
"Look, forget Evan. Think of your dad," said the demon.
Alex paused for a few seconds. She began reading from the journal again and the demon began screaming in pain and agony.
"Wait," he finally gasped out.
Alex stopped and the demon reached out, grabbing her. He pulled her in close and attached his lips to hers roughly. He stuck his tongue in her mouth and his fingers wrapped in her hair. Alex pushed him away after a few seconds.
"What was that?" asked Alex, wiping her mouth with the back of her left hand.
"Me sealing the deal. Evan's free. Now let me out."
Alex reached up and rubbed away a spot of chalk, breaking the Devil's Trap bond. The demon looked at her.
"See you later, doll face."
He walked off into the woods, leaving Alex alone by the Impala.
Alex pulled the car into Evan's driveway and put it in park. She had barely stepped out of the car when Sam and Dean came bounding down the front porch steps to meet her.
"Don't you ever do that again," said Dean.
He pulled her into a hug and breathed in her scent. Alex looked up at him and there were tears pooling in her eyes.
"Alex, what's wrong?" asked Dean.
"Dad sold his soul to save me," whispered Alex.
Her tears finally spilled over and Sam sighed as he walked up on Dean's left.
"It's my fault he's gone," sobbed Alex.
She buried her head in Dean's chest and her tears soaked his shirt.
"Shh, it'll be okay. We'll be alright," reassured Dean.
He stroked her hair gently and looked at Sam over Alex's head.
Dean loaded his gun and entered the room. The man in the chair was crying and looked up at Dean as he stepped into the room.
"It's not in me, I swear. Please," begged the man.
Dean aimed the gun at the young man in the chair.
"I've got no choice."
Dean pulled the trigger and multiple shots suddenly rang out.
Alex jolted awake at the same time as Sam. They were both breathing heavily.
"Dean?" asked Sam.
Alex nodded. The door opened then and Dean stepped into the motel room.
"What's going on?" he asked his siblings.
"We've got to go to Riverview, Oregon," said Alex.
She jumped out of bed and began throwing things into her duffel bag.
"Dean, we've got to go right now," said Sam.
"Okay, okay. I'll get us checked out."
Dean left the room and Alex and Sam quickly threw their belongings into duffel bags.
"What else did you see?" asked Dean.
He had his eyes on the road and one hand was resting on the steering wheel.
"A guy tied to a chair," said Sam.
"And then you shot him, Dean. You thought something was inside him," said Alex.
"What, like a demon?"
"I don't know," whispered Alex.
Dean glanced at Sam, who shook his head. Dean turned his attention back to the wheel, his grip suddenly tighter and his knuckles turning white with force.
Dean pulled the car to a stop by the sidewalk's curb. Alex got out and stretched her arms above her head, yawning. Sam yawned also and stretched out his back. A chill swept through the air and Alex opened the passenger door, reached into the backseat, and grabbed a sweatshirt. She pulled it on over her head. It was way too big, seeing as it was Sam's old Stanford hoodie. She looked down, shrugged, and joined her brothers on the sidewalk. She glanced at an electrical wire pole and noticed the word "Croatoan" was carved into the wood. She grabbed Sam's arm and pointed to the pole. Dean squinted at it to see.
"Huh. Croatoan," said Dean.
Alex and Sam looked at him.
"Roanoke?" asked Sam.
His eyebrows were raised. Dean shrugged and Alex groaned.
"Roanoke was one of the first colonies of America. Late 1500's," said Sam.
Dean snapped his fingers.
"Yeah, I do remember that, actually. They only left behind one word carved in a tree. Croatoan."
"Yeah," said Alex, her face relieved.
"Come on. We've got to find the kid from our vision," said Sam.
Dean knocked on the front door of Dwayne Tanner's house. This was the home of the kid that Sam and Alex had seen in their vision. A teenage boy answered the door, but it was not the son that they were looking for.
"Hi. Is Dwayne Tanner here?" asked Sam.
"No, actually. He's out fishing," said the boy.
"Are your parents here?" asked Dean.
The kid nodded and a man appeared next to the boy in the doorway. He smiled politely at them.
"Hi. Can I help you?"
"We're looking for Dwayne Tanner," said Sam.
"Oh, he's on a fishing trip."
"Do you know when he'll be back?" asked Alex.
"No, I don't," said the man.
"Maybe your wife does. Can we talk to her?" asked Dean.
"She's out shopping. I'll let her know you came by."
The man retreated into the house and the son shut the front door. The Winchesters looked at one another once the door was shut.
"That was way too Stepford. C'mon," said Dean.
He jogged down the front porch steps, Alex and Sam following him. They walked around to the right side of the house. There was one window, but it was too high above their heads. Sam crouched down and helped Alex sit on his shoulders. He held onto her legs and stood up so that Alex could see into the window. Dean watched them and spotted her, making sure that she didn't fall.
"Um, the son just cut his own forearm. He's trying to get his blood into the mom's bloodstream. She's tied to a kitchen chair, crying. The dad is standing over her, watching. Oh fuck, the kid's getting closer to the mom. Go, Dean, now!"
Dean quickly ran around to the front side of the house and up the porch steps. He kicked in the front door and headed for the kitchen. Sam held up his hands and Alex grabbed them. Sam tightened his grip on her hands and flung her backwards off his shoulders and over his head. Alex flipped through the air once, doing a back tuck and landing steadily on her feet. They ran around the house to the front and up the porch steps. They ran inside and over to the kitchen. Dean had his gun trained on the son and Sam pulled his own gun out, pulling it from his waistband and aiming it at the father. Alex pulled out her gun and held it in front of her, looking between the son and the father, ready to shoot either one of them. The father looked at all three of them. He charged at Dean. Dean shot him and he fell to the floor. The son ran out the front door and the Winchesters ran to the window. They watched him run across the front lawn and into the neighboring woods.
Dean parked the Impala on the curb once they were back in the city. He parked by a doctor's office and helped Sam haul Mrs. Tanner out of the car. Alex shut the door behind them and followed them into the doctor's office. Dean opened the office's door and Sam led Mrs. Tanner inside.
"We need a doctor!" yelled Sam.
A blonde nurse entered the lobby and gasped when she took in Mrs. Tanner's appearance. Her arm was cut and still bleeding and her face was streaked with tears.
"Mrs. Tanner! What happened?" she asked.
Mrs. Tanner began crying again and Sam looked at the nurse.
"She's been attacked."
"Dr. Lee!" yelled the nurse.
A brunette woman rushed into the lobby and looked at Mrs. Tanner.
"Bring her back."
Sam nodded and helped Mrs. Tanner walk down the hall to an examination room. Alex waited in the lobby with the blonde nurse. Dean walked into the room with Mr. Tanner hefted across his shoulders.
"Is that-" began the nurse.
"Mr. Tanner? Yeah," said Dean.
"Was he attacked, too?"
"No. You see, he did the attacking and then got himself shot," said Alex.
"And you two are?"
"U.S. Marshals."
Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out her fake badge. The nurse looked at it and nodded.
"Alright. Bring him back here."
The nurse led them into a different room.
"Do you know why they did this to you?" asked Dr. Lee.
Mrs. Tanner shook her head, her tears beginning to fall again.
"One minute, they were my husband and my son. The next, they had the devil in them."
Sam's brow furrowed and Alex cocked her head to the side, confused.
"We need to talk," whispered Dean.
He quietly left the room and his siblings followed.
Once they were in the hallway and the door to the room was shut, Dean faced his siblings. He stuck his hands into his jacket pockets.
"What do you think?" asked Sam.
"Could be demons," said Alex.
"Yeah, but there are no signs of possession," said Sam.
Dean opened his mouth to speak, but the door opened and Dr. Lee walked up to them.
"What the hell happened out there? You just killed my neighbor!" she yelled.
"Sorry," said Dean, no hint of sympathy in his tone at all.
"Well, now I need the sheriff, the coroner…"
"Phones are down," said Sam.
"How far is it to the next town?" asked Dean.
"About forty miles," said Dr. Lee.
"Okay. I'm going to go and check it out. These two will stay here and keep you safe."
He patted Sam's shoulder, kissed Alex's forehead, and walked out of the office swiftly.
"Safe from what?" asked Dr. Lee.
Alex shrugged.
Alex was sitting in the exam room, keeping an eye on Mrs. Tanner as she slept. The door opened and Dr. Lee and Sam stepped into the room. San pulled on Alex's arm and Dr. Lee took her place as Alex and Sam stepped out into the hallway. Sam shut the door and looked at his sister.
"The doctor says there are traces of sulfur in Mr. Tanner's blood," said Sam.
"Serious?"
Sam nodded and Alex pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream was let out from the next exam room over. Sam opened the door and they ran inside to see Mrs. Tanner attacking the doctor. Sam grabbed Mrs. Tanner around the waist, but she shoved him into the glass cabinet that contained the medical supplies. She turned to Alex next. Alex grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and hit Mrs. Tanner over the head. She crumpled to the floor and Alex looked at Sam.
Alex walked into the lobby, exhausted. She heard the door creak open and she waited anxiously to see who rounded the corner. A black man rounded the corner and Alex's face fell when she didn't see Dean. She looked up again when she heard boots scuffing the tile floor. She smiled and ran up to Dean, hugging him tight. He hugged her close and his arm went around her waist. The black man that had walked in before Dean shuffled into the exam room and Alex let go of Dean, looking at him. Sam joined them in the lobby.
"What's going on out there, Dean?"
"I don't know. Sarge is the only sane person I could find."
He nodded to the black man that was in the exam room.
"Doc thinks we're dealin' with a virus," said Alex.
"And the infected are trying to infect others with blood to blood contact," added Sam.
"Oh! The virus also leaves traces of sulfur in the blood."
"Jesus, it's like a Biblical plague," said Dean.
"And… the wife's infected," finished Alex sadly.
"Is there any cure for this?" asked Sam.
The doctor shrugged.
"You can't just shoot her like an animal!" yelled the blonde nurse, Pam.
Dean ignored her and walked to the closet where Mrs. Tanner was being held in. Sam followed and Alex stood with Sarge, Pam, and Dr. Lee. Seconds later, three shots were fired and Pam flinched. Alex looked over at her sadly.
A pounding on the office doors startled everyone inside it. Sam, Dean, and Sarge went to the lobby into see the commotion. Alex stood in the exam room doorway, Pam and Dr. Lee behind her.
"It's Dwayne Tanner," said Sarge.
He opened the door and let Dwayne inside. He locked the door once he was inside and followed Dwayne into the lobby.
"Who else is here?" asked Dwayne.
Dean led him into the exam room.
"Doc, can you check him out?" asked Dean.
Dr. Lee nodded and slid on a pair of latex gloves. She bent down and saw a cut on his knee.
"You're bleeding."
"Where'd you get that?" asked Dean.
"I was running and I must've tripped."
"Tie him up."
Sarge grabbed the rope and directed Dwayne to a chair.
"Is there any way of knowing, Doc?" asked Sam.
"Not unless Dwayne turns."
Sam nodded and he left the room.
The Winchesters walked into the exam room across the hall, Alex leaning against the doorframe. Sam and Dean stood in the middle of the room.
"We can't kill him, Dean. He might not have it," said Sam.
"His whole family had it, Sam. What choice do we have?"
Dean loaded his gun.
"We can't know unless he turns. He could be innocent."
Dean nodded. Sam relaxed and Dean quickly shoved Sam into the room. He pushed Alex out of the way, slammed the door shut, and locked it.
"Dean!" yelled Alex.
"Alex, do you want to be locked in there as well?"
Alex shook her head and followed Dean into the exam room, ignoring the pounding on the door by Sam. Dwayne saw the gun in Dean's hand and began pleading.
"It's not in me, I swear."
Dean pointed the gun at Dwayne, but Alex touched his wrist. She stepped in front of him and he lowered the gun.
"Dean, he's clean. Let him live."
Dean looked at his sister for a few seconds before nodding. He stuck his gun back into the waistband of his jeans and Alex walked across the hall to let Sam out of the closet.
Four hours later, Alex, Sam, and Dean were sitting in Dr. Lee's office making explosives.
"Dwayne's blood is clean. Can we untie him?" asked Dr. Lee.
Alex nodded and Sam got up, walking across the hall to get some more rubbing alcohol. When his back was turned, Pam entered the room. He turned to face her when she suddenly lunged at him, knocking him to the floor. She climbed atop him, cutting her palm with a scalpel. She then cut Sam's collarbone and stuck her palm on his open wound. Dean ran in the doorway and shot Pam three times. She fell off of Sam, dead.
"She bled on him. He's got the virus," said Sarge, his eyes wide as he pointed over to Sam.
Sam sat on the examination table in another exam room. White gauze was covering his wound and he was staring off at nothing. Sarge and Dwayne stood by the doorway. Alex stood with Dean, her face in his chest.
"Doc, check his wound again."
"Did her blood actually enter your wound?" asked Dr. Lee.
"C'mon, of course it did!" yelled Sarge angrily.
"We don't know that for sure!" yelled Dean.
The vibrations from his voice rumbled in his chest and Alex began to cry even more. Dean stroked her back.
"We can't take a chance," said Dwayne.
"Nobody is shooting my brother," said Dean.
Alex looked up at him.
"Dean, they're right," whispered Sam.
Everyone looked at him and Alex shook her head.
"I'm infected. Give me the gun and I'll do it myself."
"Forget it," said Dean.
"I'm not going to become one of those things!"
"I'm not letting you die!" yelled Dean.
Alex reached into Dean's jacket pocket and pulled out the Impala keys. She put them in Dwayne's palm and closed his fingers around them.
"Get the hell out of here. Take Dean's car. The explosives are in there and other stuff, too. Take Sarge and Doc with you."
"What are you going to do?" asked Sarge.
Alex looked behind her at her brothers and looked back at Sarge.
"Alex, no. No. Go with them," said Sam.
Alex shook her head, tears freely falling down her cheeks.
"He's right. You two should come with us," said Dwayne, looking at Alex and Dean.
Dean looked at Sarge, who nodded in agreement. Dean shook his head and Sarge ushered Dwayne and Dr. Lee out of the room. Dean shut and locked the exam door behind them. He turned to his brother and sister.
"Please don't do this. Just get the hell out of here," begged Sam.
Tears were forming in his eyes.
"No way," said Dean.
"I'm sick. It's over for me. You two can keep going," pleaded Sam.
"We don't want to. We're tired, Sam," said Dean.
Alex nodded. She sat on the table next to Sam and wiped away his tears. A knock on the door startled all of them. Dean opened it and Dr. Lee stood on the other side.
"The whole town is gone. Completely vanished."
The next morning, Dr. Lee was looking at Sam's blood under a microscope.
"It's clean. No trace of the virus," she said.
Sam nodded and walked outside. He got in the Impala and Dean drove away from the small town.
On an old, abandoned road, Dean was leaning against a fence. Alex and Sam were sitting on the same fence and they were each drinking a beer.
"Are you really tired of the job?" asked Sam.
"I don't know. I just think we should take a break and live a little," said Dean.
He began walking toward the car. Sam and Alex jumped off of the fence and followed him.
"Dean, whatever weight you're carrying, let us help," said Alex.
Dean turned to face them.
"I can't. I promised."
"Promised who?" asked Sam.
"Dad."
Alex gasped and Sam's brow furrowed.
"What are you talkin' about?"
"In the hospital room?" whispered Alex.
Dean nodded.
"Right before Dad died, he told me something. Somethin' about you two."
"Dean, what did he tell you?" asked Alex.
"He said he wanted me to watch out for you two. Take care of you."
"He told you that a million times," said Sam.
Dean looked at the ground.
"Nah, this time was different. He said that I had to save you two. That nothin' else mattered. And that if I couldn't, I'd have to kill both of you."
"Kill us?" asked Alex.
Dean nodded, looking up at them again. Alex's eyes began to water and fill with tears.
"Did Dad know the demon's plans? What else did he say, Dean?" asked Sam.
"Nothin'. That's it, I swear."
"You had no right to keep this from us!" yelled Sam.
"I think we should lay low for a while," said Alex, sniffling.
She looked at Dean, who nodded. Sam turned away from them.
"Whatever."
That night, Alex woke up, the motel room almost pitch black. Moonlight was filtering through the windows, the curtains sheer enough to let the light through. Alex looked over and saw Dean's figure lying in the bed next to her bed. She reached over on the other side of her bed, but felt no one. She sat up and saw a tall figure standing in the middle of the room. She blinked, getting the sleep out of her eyes.
"Sam?" she whispered.
The man turned toward her voice. Alex stood up, walking to the man. She saw that it was Sam. He had one bag in his hand and another bag over his shoulder.
"Wha- what are you doing?" asked Alex.
"Alex, I have to leave. I want to know what the demon has planned for us."
"But we have to lie low. Please, Sam. Don't do this."
"I let you go to the crossroads. Please, let me do this."
Alex nodded and Sam pulled her close. She breathed in his musky scent and he kissed her forehead gently.
"Don't tell Dean I went to the roadhouse."
Alex nodded once again and Sam walked to the door, opening it. A cab was waiting for him outside. Before he stepped outside, Sam turned to Alex.
"Love you, sis."
"Love you too," said Alex.
She watched him shut the door and she climbed back into her bed. She grabbed the pillow Sam had used, pulled it close to her body, and fell back asleep.
Sam set down his beer and looked over at Ash.
"I got five people. Born in '83, mother died in a nursery fire," said Ash.
"Five? That's it?" asked Sam.
"Alex Winchester, Lawrence, Kansas. Sam Winchester, Lawrence, Kansas. Andrew Gallagher, Guthrie, Oklahoma. Jason Smith, Detroit, Michigan. And, um, Scott Carry."
"You got an address for the last guy?" asked Sam.
"Kind of. Plock Hills Cemetery, Indiana."
"You mean he's dead?" asked Sam, raising his eyebrows.
"Yep. About a month ago, he was stabbed."
Sam downed the rest of his beer and nodded at Ash.
"Thanks."
He grabbed his jacket and flung it on, walking to the front door. Kellan and Joe came strolling into the roadhouse just then and they stopped when they saw Sam.
"Sam! Fancy seeing you here. What's up?" asked Joe.
"Just workin' on a case," said Sam.
Joe nodded and walked around the bar. Kellan looked at Sam.
"Hey, is Alex with you?"
Sam shook his head.
"Well, how is she? Did I hurt her feelings?"
"She's fine. Why don't you just talk to her?" suggested Sam.
Kellan nodded. Sam slapped his shoulder and walked out the door.
"You said you went to high school with Scott?" asked Scott's father.
Sam nodded.
"Scotty's changed a lot since you knew him."
"What do you mean?" asked Sam.
He rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward.
"Started about a year ago with these headaches. Then he got depressed, paranoid. Then there were nightmares. He closed up on me after that. I tried to get him help, but he'd just lock himself in his room for days."
"You think I could see his room?" asked Sam.
Scott's father nodded and led Sam up the stairs.
Once Scott's dad had walked back downstairs, Sam shut the door to Scott's room and began snooping around. He saw bottles of pills on Scott's nightstand. He took one of the bottles, sticking it in his jacket pocket.
As Sam was unlocking his motel room door, he felt a presence behind him. He quickly spun around, grabbed the person's shoulders, and held them against the door.
"Who are you?" asked Sam to a twenty-something brunette woman.
"Um, you're in danger," she quickly stammered out.
Sam looked at her face for a second. Deciding he could trust her, Sam ushered her inside his room.
"Okay. What's your name?" he asked her.
"Ava. Ava Wilson."
"Ava, I'm Sam Winchester. Now, you said I was in danger?"
"Yeah. See, I've been having these dreams…"
Ava looked up at him to gauge his reaction. Sam just stared at her.
"You said you've been having dreams?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, um, about a year ago, I started having these headaches and nightmares, I guess. I really didn't think much of it until I saw this one guy get stabbed in a parking lot."
"When was this?"
"Um, about a month ago. Anyway, a couple of days later, I found this."
Ava held out a newspaper clipping of the stabbing she had dreamed about. Sam took it from her hand, skimming it.
"I saw this guy die. Days before it happened. I don't know why. It's just, for some reason, my dreams are coming true," said Ava.
She looked up at Sam.
"Last night, I had another one about you. I saw you die."
"How did you find me?"
"Oh, um, you had motel stationary so I Googled the motel and it was real. So, I just thought I should warn you."
Sam sighed.
"I don't believe this."
Ava whimpered and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Of course you don't."
"No, I mean you must be one of us. One of the psychics. Like my twin sister, Alex and me. Ava, I have visions too."
Ava barked out a sarcastic laugh.
"So, you're nuts. That's great."
"Okay, look. Did your mother happen to die in a house fire?" asked Sam.
"No. She lives in Palm Beach," said Ava.
Sam sighed and looked away from her.
Dean and Alex were in the Impala, Alex sitting in the passenger seat. Dean had one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on his cell phone, waiting for Sam to call.
"I just don't know where he would go," muttered Dean.
Alex bit her lip, but said nothing. She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked out the window. Dean noticed her movement and looked over at her.
"Alex? Do you know something?"
Alex sighed and released her lip from between her teeth.
"He went to the roadhouse."
Dean stared at her.
"Have you known this all along?"
Alex nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth once again. Dean hit the steering wheel with his fist in anger and frustration.
"Damn it, Alex! Why didn't you tell me this earlier? We've wasted valuable time!"
"He asked me not to tell you, Dean!"
Alex rolled her eyes and looked away from him. Dean sighed. He punched in Ellen's number and held his cell phone up to his ear.
"Ellen, it's Dean. Have you seen Sam?"
"Yeah, he asked me not to tell you where he went," said Ellen.
"Come on, Ellen. Please."
"Now, Dean. They say you can't protect your loved ones forever… but I say screw that. He's in Lafayette, Indiana."
"Thanks, Ellen."
Dean hung up and threw his cell phone into a cup holder. Alex had her legs curled up underneath herself and her head was resting against her window as she looked out of it. Dean looked over at her and sighed sadly.
"Alex, I'm sorry."
He reached over to her and rested his hand gently on her calf. Alex looked at his hand on her calf and then up at him.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. But Sam asked me not to. I'd do the same for you and you would've done the same for me or him."
Dean nodded and smiled at her.
"I love you, baby sis."
"I love you, too, big brother."
"Why can't you just leave town?" asked Ava.
"I just can't. There's somethin' goin' on here with you and with me. I have to figure out what it is," said Sam."
"Fine. I'm going home to address my wedding invitations," said Ava.
She began walking toward the door, but Sam's voice stopped her.
"Don't these visions scare the hell out of you? If you want to know the truth, you need to stay."
Ava turned to him with her arms crossed over her chest.
"I need your help," said Sam.
The next day, Sam and Ava entered Sam's motel room after running a little illegal errand. Sam spread out Scott Carry's file from the doctor's office onto the table and glanced at Ava.
"You okay?" asked Sam.
"I just helped you steal some guy's psych file. I'm awesome!" said Ava, smiling brightly.
Sam grinned infectiously.
A few hours later, Sam and Ava stood around the table in Sam's motel room listening to Scott's voice on the recording of his sessions with his psychiatrist doctor.
"He's not talking about us, is he?" asked Ava.
Scott had mentioned people like himself in the tape.
"Yes, I think he is, actually," said Sam.
Suddenly, the windows of the motel room were shattered, glass flying across the room. Sam dropped to the floor and dragged Ava down along with him, covering her with his body. She covered her head with her hands. After the noise had stopped, Sam slowly peeked over the top of the table that they were taking cover under to see who had shot at them.
Dean and Alex pulled into the motel's parking lot to see Sam and an unknown girl cowering under a table in the middle of Sam's motel room. Dean looked up at the building next to the motel and saw Gordon with a rifle in his hands, aiming for Sam's head, which was above the table. Dean looked at Alex.
"Stay in the car. If I don't come back, go find Sam."
"Dean? What?"
Dean gently and reverently kissed her forehead and got out of his beloved car, heading straight for Gordon.
After Dean had been gone for a good twenty minutes, Alex got out of the car. She walked to Sam's motel room and looked through the shattered window. Sam wasn't in the room. She sighed and walked over to the warehouse next door and climbed up to the roof. Sam and the girl were now on the roof and Sam was crouched down, looking at a strewn bullet casing.
"Sammy," called out Alex.
Both Sam and the girl looked over at her.
"Alex, how did you-" began Sam, but Alex cut him off.
"Ellen," said Alex.
Sam nodded.
"Where's Dean?"
Alex bit her lip.
"Um, he went to stop Gordon from shooting you and he never came back," said Alex.
Sam took out his cell phone, dialing Dean's number.
"Hey, Sam," said Dean.
"Hey. Listen, I'm in Lafayette, Indiana," said Sam.
"Ellen told me. Yep, it's a funky town."
"Yeah, there's someone after me."
"What? Who?"
"I don't know. We need to find out. Where are you?"
"Stayin' at 5637 Monroe Street. Why don't you meet me here?"
"Yeah, sure."
Sam hung up then and looked over at Alex, giving her a quick glance.
"I figured as much. Fuck," said Alex.
She ran her hands through her hair.
"Wait, how did she… You didn't say anything!" yelled Ava.
Sam chuckled and Alex smiled.
"Ava, this is my twin sister, Alex," said Sam.
Alex smiled at her and Ava finally nodded with understanding.
"What's wrong with your brother?" asked Ava.
"He's in some trouble," said Sam.
"What kind of trouble?"
"He gave me a code word. Someone's got a gun on him," explained Sam, writing an address down on his hand.
"Funky town," said Alex.
Ava looked at them curiously.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. C'mon, let's go," said Sam.
He led Alex and Ava over to the ladder that led up to the roof and climbed down after them.
"I don't think I should leave," said Ava.
She was holding her car keys in her hand and was standing by her car. Sam and Alex were standing in front of her.
"I don't want you in harm's way," said Sam.
"What about you?" asked Ava.
"Harm's way doesn't really bother us," explained Alex.
Ava looked over at Sam, who nodded in agreement with his little sister.
"You are walking right into my vision."
Alex's brow furrowed in confusion at Ava's statement.
"Doesn't matter. It's my older brother," said Sam.
He opened Ava's door for her as she got in. He patted the roof gently and she drove off.
"What vision, Sammy?"
"Um, she had a vision of me, um, dying," said Sam, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably.
"Jesus, Sam! Now we're walking right into the trap Gordon set!"
Alex threw her hands up in the air, frustrated with her brother.
"It's Dean. We have to save Dean," said Sam.
"You're lucky that I love you, kid," said Alex.
"Kid?"
Sam raised his eyebrows.
"Come on," said Alex.
She grabbed his arm and dragged him along with her.
Sam held up his hand that he had written the address on. He looked at the numbers on the house and compared them, making sure they were at the right address. He nodded and put his hand down. He and Alex walked over to the front of the house and peered in through a rather large window. Dean was tied to a chair, his mouth gagged. Gordon sat with his back to the window, looking at Dean. A gun rested across his lap. Alex followed Sam as he ran to the back of the house. He found a back door, but it was locked.
"Here," whispered Alex.
She pulled a bobby pin from out of her hair and handed it over to Sam. Sam unlocked the door using the black bobby pin and Alex watched him step inside the house. A few seconds later, the back of the house exploded. Alex ducked for cover and quickly entered the house once it was all clear. She saw Gordon enter the room and Sam stepped out of the shadows, holding a gun to Gordon's head.
"Put down your gun!" yelled Sam.
Gordon slowly bent down and set his gun down onto the floor. Alex moved past them to help Dean.
Alex rushed over to Dean and began untying him. She removed his gag first and grabbed her pocketknife out of her jeans pocket. She cut the ropes on his hands and was cutting the ones from off of his feet when Sam stepped into the room. His face was bloody from the punches Gordon had laid on him. He had a cut lip, a cut on his forehead, and another cut on his cheek.
"Son of a bitch," said Dean.
He stood up once Alex was finished and began walking into the other room to beat up Gordon.
"Dean, no," said Sam.
Alex stuck her knife back into her pocket and grabbed Sam's face. Her hands were on his neck and she tilted his face up to better examine his wounds. Sam's hands covered hers on his neck. Dean looked back at the other room regretfully, but followed his siblings out of the house.
Halfway to the Impala, Dean, Alex, and Sam heard gunshots. They turned to see Gordon walking out of the house, shooting at them. A gun was in each of his hands.
"Go, go!" yelled Dean.
They all ran into a ditch and cowered in it to avoid getting shot. Suddenly, two police cars pulled up and surrounded Gordon. He knelt down to the ground and the police handcuffed him while Dean, Sam, and Alex watched from the ditch. Sam and Dean looked at Alex once the cops and Gordon had left. She grinned, her white teeth gleaming in the night.
"Anonymous tip," she said.
Sam chuckled.
"You are a fine, upstanding citizen, Alex," said Dean.
Alex beamed and flipped her hair back.
"Did you get a hold of Ava yet?" asked Alex a little while later.
Sam shook his head sadly.
"Well, I'm sure everything's fine."
"Yeah, I hope so," said Sam.
"Hey, is it safe to say that Gordon doesn't know I have visions? I mean that Ava chick only saw Sam dying in her visions," said Alex.
"Yeah, Gordon had no clue you have visions," said Dean.
"Good."
She went back to popping her gum and her brothers smiled.