Carnival - Day
Medford, Wisconsin
The POV pans over a Ferris wheel, past a fire eater and close on two clowns entertaining a young girl. She is clearly enjoying herself. Her parents stand behind.
"God, I hate clowns. They always creep me out." the dad tells the mom, shivering at the sight.
"Shh. She likes them." the mom hushes her husband and leans over. "Last ride." the mom tells her child.
The girl looks over to the side and sees a clown. She waves, it waves back a little creepy. She tugs on her mom's sleeve.
"Look, Mom, another clown!" the girl says, pointing at the creepy clown.
When the mom looks over the clown has disappeared.
"What are you trying to do, scare your father?" the mom asks her daughter.
"Hey." the dad says, huffing.
Highway - Night
The family is driving home from the carnival. The girl sees the clown again, on the side of the road, waving.
"Look, Mom, a clown!" the girl says, pointing at the creepy clown.
The clown disappears again as Mom looks over.
"You missed him." the girl pouts.
Inside the House - Night
The girl is asleep in bed and hears something. She gets up and goes to the window, sees the clown standing outside. Smiling, she goes downstairs and waves at him, then opens the door to let him in. He takes her hand and enters.
Woods - Night
Laila POV
From my POV, we flash to a funeral pyre - dad's. The only light comes from the wrapped, burning body. Standing behind, hands in their pockets, are Sam, Dean, Lorelai, the kids, Harry, Razzi and me. Sam is near tears and fidgeting; Dean is staring into the flames silently.
"Before he... before, did he say anything to you? About anything?" Sammy asks Deano, looking at him.
Dean is not looking at Sam.
"No. Nothing." Dean tells him.
Junkyard - Day
One Week Later
August 13, 2006
My POV pans over a junkyard containing cars in various states of demolition.
Dean and Harry are underneath their cars working on them, only their legs sticking out. They are little more than rusted frames, but it looks considerably less crunched than last time and Sam approaches.
"How's the car coming along?" Sam asks Dean and Harry.
"Slow." Dean tells Sam.
"Yeah? Need any help?" Sam asks Dean.
Dean drops something heavily.
"What, you under a hood? I'll pass." Dean tells Sam.
"Need anything else, then?" Sam asks Dean.
Dean pushes himself out from under the car and stands.
"Stop it, Sam." Dean tells Sam.
"You stop it, Deano.
"Stop what?" Sam asks Deano.
"Stop asking if I need anything, stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay. Really. I promise." Deano tells Sammy.
"All right, Dean, it's just... We've been at Bobby's for over a week now and you haven't brought up Dad once." Sammy says.
"You know what? You're right. Come here. I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, and maybe even slow dance." Dean says sarcastically.
"Don't patronize me, Dean, Dad is dead. The Colt is gone, and it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this, and you're acting like nothing happened." Sam tells Deano.
"What do you want me to say?" Dean asks Sam.
"Say something, all right? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car." Sam rants to Dean.
"Revenge, huh?" Dean asks Sam.
"Yeah." Sam tells Deano.
"Sounds good. You got any leads on where the demon is? Making heads or tails of any of Dad's research? Because I sure ain't. But you know, if we do finally find it - oh. No, wait, like you said. The Colt's gone. But I'm sure you've figured out another way to kill it. We've got nothing, Sam. Nothing, okay? So, you know the only thing I can do? Is I can work on the car." Dean rants at Sam. Dean crouches by the car again, getting back to work.
"Well, we've got something, all right?" Sam tells Dean and he pulls out a cell phone. "It's what I came by here to tell you. This is one of dad's old phones. Took me a while, but i cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this." Sam tells us.
Sam hands the cell phone to Dean, who stands and takes it reluctantly.
"John, it's Ellen. Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me." Ellen's voice comes through.
"That message is four months old." Sam points to the phone.
"Dad saved that chick's message for four months?" Dean asks Sam.
"Yeah." Sam tells Dean.
"Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?" Dean asks Sam.
"No. But I ran a trace on her phone number, and I got an address." Sam tells Dean.
"Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars." Dean tells Sammy.
Road - Harvelle's Roadhouse Saloon - Day
In a beat-up, poorly maintained minivan, Dean, Harry, Razzi, Lore, Sam and, I pull up to the Harvelle's Roadhouse Saloon.
"This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!" Dean tells us.
"Well, you are a dad to six kids!" I tell Deano.
"It's the only car Bobby had running." Sam tells Dean.
We start looking around.
"Hello? Anybody here?" Sam and I ask.
"Hey. You bring the, uh," Dean starts to ask Sam.
"Of course." Sam tells Deano.
He tosses something to Dean, who catches it. We open the door and go inside. The saloon is quiet except for a fly buzzing. A light bulb blows out. We go to the back and see a man passed out on the bar.
"Hey, buddy?" Sam and Harry ask and there's a pause. "I'm guessing that isn't Ellen." Sam tells us.
"Yeah." Deano says.
Sam goes into a back room, looking around. Dean goes down the steps, then pauses as he feels the point of a gun touch his back.
"Oh god, please let that be a rifle." Dean says.
The gun cocks. I look over to reveal an attractive blond girl.
"No, I'm just really happy to see you. Don't move." Jo tells Deano.
"Not moving, copy that. You know, you should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it really easy to do..." Dean tells Jo as he turns fluidly, grabbing the rifle and cocking it.
"That." Deano says.
Jo punches him in the face and takes back the rifle. Dean doubles over, clutching his nose.
"Sam! Need some help in here." Dean tells Sam. "I can't see, I can't even see." Dean mutters.
The back door opens to reveal Sam, Harry, and Razzi, both hands on their heads. They enter slowly.
"Sorry, Dean, I can't right now. I'm a... little tied up." Sam tells Dean. He nods his head, indicating Ellen, who is behind him with a handgun pointed at his head.
"Sam? Dean? Winchester?" Ellen asks.
"Who else could you beat up Elle, Jo." I tell them.
"Yeah." Sam and Dean tell her.
"Son of a bitch." Ellen tells us.
"Mom, you know these guys?" Jo asks us.
"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys with the Singers, and the Winchester Twins of course." She lowers the gun, laughing.
"Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo." Ellen tells the boys. We girls met since we met her once, when dad came here in 1994.
Jo also lowers her rifle, and Dean smiles at her.
"Hey." Jo says to Deano.
"You're not gonna hit me again, are you?" Deano asks Jojo.
Ellen is handing Dean a small towel filled with ice.
"Here you go." Elle tells Deano.
"Thanks. You called our dad; said you could help. Help with what?" Dean tells Elle as he grabs the small towel.
"Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it." Elle tells Dean, leaning on the bar.
"What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?" Dean asks Elle.
"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad, a long time ago. John was like family once." Elle told my brothers.
"Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?" Dean asks her.
"You'd have to ask him that." Elle tells Dean.
"So why exactly do we need your help?" Dean asks, wanting to argue with Elle.
"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..." Elle starts to yell at Dean, then she stops, realizing. "He didn't send you." Ellen realizes and tears escape, and I try to keep up the tough girl facade.
Dean looks down, then back at Sam, Harry, Razzi, Lore, and I.
"He's all right, isn't he?" Ellen asks us.
"No. No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it, I guess." Sam says as he wants to cry.
"I'm so sorry." Ellen tells us.
"It's okay. We're all right." Dean tells Elle.
"Liar." I tell Dean.
"Really? I know how close you and your dad were." Elle tells Deano.
"Really, lady, I'm fine." Dean tells Elle.
"So, look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get." Sam tells Ellen.
"Well, we can't. But Ash will." Ellen tells us.
"Who's Ash?" Sam, Lore, and I ask.
"Ash!" Elle yells.
The man passed out on the bar jerks awake and sits up, flailing. "What? It closin' time?" Ash asks Elle.
"That's Ash?" Sam asks, incredulous.
"Mm-hmm. He's a genius." Jo says, nodding.
A brown folder is slapped down on the bar; Sam and Ash are sitting, Dean standing behind them. Jo is on the other side of the bar pouring glasses of water.
"You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie." Dean tells Jo.
"I like you." Ash tells Deano.
"Thanks." Dean tells Ash.
"Just give him a chance." Jo tells us.
Dean sits and opens the folder. "All right. This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it." Dean tells Ash.
Ash pulls out the papers and starts rifling through them. He shakes his head. "Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this." Ash tells us.
"Our dad could." Sam says after we all look at each other then at him.
"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations, I mean... damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms... You ever been struck by lightning? It ain't fun." Ash tells us.
"Can you track it or not?" Sam and Lore ask Ash.
"Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time, uh, give me... fifty-one hours." Ash tells them. He gets up to leave.
"Hey, man?" Dean asks Ash.
"Yeah." Ash says to Dean.
"I, uh, I dig the haircut." Dean tells Ash.
"All business up front, party in the back." Ash says, messing with his mullet.
As he leaves, Jo walks by, flirting a little with Dean. He checks her out tiredly, then gets up to follow her. Sam sees something behind the bar.
"Hey, Ellen, what is that?" Sam asks Ellen.
"It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things, we..." Elle starts to say.
"No, no, no, no, the, um, the folder." Sam tells Elle.
"Uh, I was gonna give this to a friend of mine. But take a look, if you want." Elle tells Sam. She takes a folder from the wall and places it in front of same. It has some newspaper clippings attached to the front, and on the front, in red marker: COUPLE MURDERED, CHILD LEFT ALIVE, MEDFORD, WISC.
At the window, Dean sits down by Jo.
"How did your mom get into this stuff, anyway?" Dean asks Jojo.
"From my dad. He was a hunter. He passed away." Jojo tells Deano.
"I'm sorry." Deaan tells her.
"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad." Jojo tells him.
"Yeah. So. I guess I've got fifty-one hours to waste. Maybe tonight we should, uh..." he says, almost about to flirt with her. He looks up at her. "No, you know what? Never mind." Dean says, changing his mind.
"What?" Jo asks Dean.
"Nothing, just, uh, wrong place, wrong time." Dean says.
"You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pickup line." Jo tells Dean.
Dean chuckles, embarrassed.
"Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some... pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV." Jo tells Dean.
"Well... what a bunch of scumbags." Dean tells Jo.
"Not you." Jo says, looking at Dean.
"I guess not." Dean says to Jojo.
"Dean, come here, check this out." Sam says.
"Yeah." Dean says, sidling on over to Sammy's side.
"A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt." Sammy tells Dean, showing him the folder.
"Yeah. So?" Dean asks Sammy.
"So, I told her we'd check it out." Sammy tells Dean.
Highway - Night
Sam POV
Back in the minivan, Dean and I drive. It's raining; I have the research open in my lap.
"You've gotta be kidding me. A killer clown?" Dean asks me, meanwhile I remember leaving Lore and Lei as they were asleep.
"Yeah. He left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually." I tell him.
"And this family was at some carnival that night?" Dean asks me.
"Right, right. The, uh, Cooper Carnivals." I say, looking at the file.
"So how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?" Dean asks me.
"Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus, this girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course." I tell Dean.
"Well, I know what you're thinking, Sam. Why did it have to be clowns?" Dean says, smiling at at me.
"Oh, give me a break." I tell Dean.
Dean laughs. "You didn't think I'd remember, did you? I mean, come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television." Dean tells me.
"Well, at least I'm not afraid of flying." I tell him.
"Planes crash!" Dean yells at me.
"And apparently clowns kill!" I yell at Dean.
"So, these types of murders, they ever happen before?" Dean asks me.
"Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers Circus, same M.O. It happened three times, three different locales." I tell Dean, looking at the file again.
"It's weird, though, I'm mean if it is a spirit, it's usually bound to a specific locale, you know, a house, or a town." Dean tells me.
"So, how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?" I ask Dean.
"Cursed object, maybe. Spirit attaches itself to something and the, uh, carnival carries it around with them." Dean tells me.
"Great. Paranormal scavenger hunt." I tell him.
"Well, this case was your idea. By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job." Dean tells me.
"So?" I ask him.
"It's just... not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt." Dean tells me.
"I don't know, I just think, this job, it's what Dad would have wanted us to do." I tell Dean.
"What Dad would have wanted?" Dean asks me.
"Yeah. So?" I ask Dean.
"Nothin'." Dean says.
Inside the Funhouse
Third Person POV
A little boy and his father are going through the funhouse at the carnival. The boy is playing a hand-held videogame and not really paying attention.
"Check it out. Hey, look, Evan! Scary!" the dad says, trying to get Evan's attention.
"Yeah, dad. Scary." Evan says, still playing the game.
"No, it's over here. Wow. You know, when I was your age, this would have scared the pants off of me." the dad says, looking at a decoration.
The boy ignores him. He looks up and sees the creepy clown from earlier waving at him. He looks around, and the clown is gone.
"Evan? Hey! What is it?" the dad asks Evan.
"I... I saw a clown!" Evan tells his dad.
"Don't be afraid of clowns. They're nice, they're your friends. Okay? Come on." his dad tells him.
Inside Evan's Home
Evan's parents are asleep; he places a hand on his dad's arm. "Dad. Dad!" Evan says, shaking his dad.
The dad wakes slowly. "Evan? What is it?" he asks Evan.
"You were right! He is my friend!" Evan tells his dad, smiling.
"Huh?" the dad asks. He looks up to see the Clown holding Evan's hand. It smiles. He screams.
Carnival - Day
August 14, 2006
Dean POV
The squeaky minivan pulls up outside the carnival. We see what appear to be detectives talking to some carnies.
"Check it out. Five-oh." I tell Sammy.
Sam stands with his hands in his pockets as a three-foot-tall woman in a clown outfit passes him. He stares at her, nervous, and she stares back before moving on. I approach.
"Did you get her number?" I joke to Sam.
Sam scowls at me. "More murders?" Sam asks me.
"Two more last night. Apparently, they were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them." I tell Sammy.
"Who fingered a clown." Sammy tells me.
I pause and give Sam a weird look.
"What?" Sam asks me.
"Yeah, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air." I tell Sammy.
"Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. They could be anything." Sammy tells me.
"Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything." I tell Sam.
"Oh, good, that's nice and... inconspicuous." Sam tells me.
I see a "Help wanted... S. Cooper" sign.
"I guess we'll just have to blend in." I tell Sammy.
Inside the Blind Man's Tent
A man is throwing knives at a target; they all land near but not quite on bullseye.
"Excuse me, we're looking for a Mr. Cooper, have you seen him around?" I ask the man.
'What? Is that some kind of joke?" the man asks me. He pulls of his sunglasses; he's blind.
"Oh. God, I'm, I'm sorry." I tell the man.
"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper? Or a sunset, or anything at all?" the blind man asks me.
"Wanna give me a little help here?" I ask Sam, quietly.
"Not really." Sam tells me, getting amusement from my torture.
"Hey man, is there a problem?" the little person asks.
I turn, then looks down to see an extremely short man in a red cape.
"Yeah, this guy hates blind people." the blind man tells the LP.
"No, I don't, I..." I start to say, rambling.
"Hey buddy, what's your problem?" the LP asks me.
"Nothing, it's just a little misunderstanding." I tell the dude.
"Little?! You son of a bitch!" the LP yells angrily.
"No, no, no, no! I'm just, could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" I ask desperately.
Sam laughs.
"Please?" I beg.
Inside of Mr. Cooper's Office
"You boys picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat." Mr. Cooper tells us.
I look at the available chairs; one is normal, the other is pink, with a giant clown face on it. I beat Sam to the normal chair. Sam scowls, fidgeting before sitting gingerly in the clown chair.
"We've got all kinds of local trouble." Cooper tells us.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Oh, a couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first. So, you two ever worked the circuit before?" Cooper asks us.
"Yes sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas." Sam says.
"Yeah." I tell him as well.
"Doing what? Ride jockies? Butcher? ANS men?" Cooper asks, looking at us, wanting to know what "jobs" we did.
"Yeah, it's, uh, little bit of everything, I guess." Sam tells him.
"You two have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?" Cooper asks us.
"Nope. But we really need the work. Oh, and uh, Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady." I tell Mr. Cooper.
"You see that picture? That's my daddy." Mr. Cooper says, pointing at the photo. He looks just like his dad.
"You look just like him." Sam says, taking the words out of my mouth and mind.
"He was in the business. Ran a freakshow. Till they outlawed them, most places. Apparently displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So, most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress. I guess. You see, this place, it's a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you two? You should go to school. Find a couple of girls. Have two point five kids. Live regular." Cooper tells us.
I am about to say something, but Sam leans forward, eyes serious.
"Sir? We don't want to go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this. Plus, we already have kids. Our wives died. Dean has six kids, I have four, and we are two of seven." Sam tells Cooper.
I look at Sam.
Carnival
August 15, 2006
Sam POV
"Huh." Dean says, looking at me.
"What?" I ask Dean, looking at him.
"That whole, uh, I don't want to go back to school thing. Were you just saying that to Cooper or were you, you know, saying it? Sam?" Dean asks me.
"I don't know." I tell Dean.
"You don't know? I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to Wussy State." Dean tells me.
"I'm having second thoughts." I tell him.
"Really?" Dean asks me.
"Yeah. I think. Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job." I tell Deano.
"Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted? You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want, Sam." Dean asks me.
"Since he died, okay? Do you have a problem with that?" I ask Dean.
"Naw, I don't have a problem at all." Dean tells me.
Later
I am wearing a red "COOPER CARNIVAL" jacket and picking up trash, while surreptitiously scanning with the EMF reader. I go into the funhouse, still scanning. A skeleton fell from the ceiling; I scan it, not getting a reading, but I get an idea.
Carnival
Dean POV
Wearing a similar uniform jacket, I am putting trash into a dumpster when my cell phone rings. I pick up.
"Hello?" I ask.
"Hey, man." I hear Sam on the phone.
"What's the matter? You sound like you just saw a clown." I joke to Sammy.
"Very funny. Skeleton, actually." Sam tells me.
"Like a real human skeleton?" I ask Sammy.
"In the funhouse. Listen, I was thinking. What if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object - what if it's attached to its own remains?" Sam tells me over the phone.
"Did the bones give off EMF?" I ask Sammy.
"Well, no, but -" Sam starts to say.
"We should check it out anyway. I'm heading to you." I tell Sammy.
As I hang up the phone, the Blind Man grabs my arm.
"What are you doing here, kid?" the blind man asks me.
"I'm... I was just sweeping." I try to tell him.
"Bull. And what were you talking about? Skeletons? What's EMF?" he asks me.
"Dude, your blind man hearing is out of control." I tell him.
"We're a tight-knit group. We don't like outsiders. We take care of our own problems." the blind man says.
"We got a problem?" I ask the Blind man.
"You tell me - you're the one talking about human bones." he tells me.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" I ask him.
"What?" he asks me.
"My brother and me... umm. We're writing a book about them." I tell him.
Near Funhouse
Having gotten away from Blind Guy, I approach Sam.
"What took you so long?" Sam asks me.
"Long story." I tell Sammy.
"Mommy, look at the clown!" a little girl suddenly says.
Sam and I both look over to see a little girl pointing at something.
"What clown?" the mom asks her daughter.
We look to where the little girl is pointing, but don't see anything.
"Come on, sweetie, come on." the mom tells her daughter.
Sam and I share a look.
Family's Home - Night
Sam POV
Dean and I are on stakeout outside the family's home.
"Dean, I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown." I tell Dean.
"I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown. I never said it was real." Dean tells me, rolling his eyes. Dean pulls a gun and cocks it. I grab at it, pushing Dean's hands down.
"Keep that down!" I hiss at Dean.
"Oh, and get this. I mentioned the Bunker Brother's Circus in '81 and their, uh, evil clown apocalypse? Guess what?" Dean asks me.
"What?" I ask Dean.
"Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager." Dean tells me.
"So, you think whatever the spirit's attached to, Cooper just brought it with him?" I ask Dean.
"Something like that." Dean says and shakes his head, and sighs. "I can't believe we keep talking about clowns." Dean tells me.
Later
Dean is dozing as a light goes on in the dining room. I shake him awake. Inside, the little girl goes to the front door, where the phantom clown is waiting.
"Wanna come in and play?" the little girl asks.
The clown nods, takes her hand and is led inside.
Inside the Family Home - Night
As the girl leads the clown down the hallway, Dean and I are already hiding in wait, weapons ready.
"Wanna see Mommy and Daddy? They're upstairs." the little girl tells the clown.
I leap out and grab the girl, who starts screaming, as Dean shoots the clown in the chest. It falls on its back, then gets up as Dean is cocking the shotgun again.
"Sam, watch out!" Dean tells me.
The clown leaps out the window, turning invisible as it runs away. The parents come rushing out.
"What's going on here? Get away from my-" the dad starts to say.
"Oh my god, what are you doing to my daughter?!" the mom yells.
"Who the hell are you? Get out! Get out of my house!" the dad yells at us.
Dean and I leave the girl and run away terribly fast.
"Mommy, Daddy, they shot my clown!" the girl tells her parents.
Backroad - Day
Dean POV
August 16, 2006
Sam and I have parked the minivan off the side of a road and are digging out our belongings - including the license plates.
"You really think they saw our plates?" Sam asks me.
"I don't wanna take the chance. Besides, I hate this friggin' thing anyway." I tell Sammy.
We start walking down the road.
"Well, one thing's for sure." I tell Sam.
"What's that?" Sam asks me.
"We're not dealing with a spirit. I mean, that rock salt hit something solid." I tell Sammy.
"Yeah, a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" Sam asks me.
"Yeah, and dresses up like a clown for kicks? Did it say anything in Dad's journal?" I ask him, looking at Sammy.
"Nope." Sam says and he clears his throat, pulling out his cell phone.
"Who are you calling?" I ask Sammy.
"Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash'll know something. Hey, you think, uh, you think Dad and Ellen ever had a thing?" Sammy asks me.
"No way." I tell Sammy.
"Then why didn't he tell us about her?" Sammy asks me.
"I don't know, maybe they had some sort of falling out." I tell Sam.
"Yeah. You ever notice Dad had a falling out with just about everybody?" Sam asks, while waiting on the phone.
I nod casually; Sam lowers the phone.
"Well, don't get all maudlin on me, man." Sam tells me.
"What do you mean?" I ask Sam.
"I mean this "strong silent" thing of yours, it's crap." Sam tells me.
"Oh, God." I say.
"I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man." Sam tells me.
"You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to." I tell Sammy.
"No, no, no, that's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it, man. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay." Sammy tells me.
"Dude, I'm okay. I'm okay, okay? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwing punches. These are your issues, quit dumping them on me!" I yell at Sam.
"What are you talking about?" Sam asks me.
"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, oh, what would Dad want me to do? Sam, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him. And now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry Sam, but you can't, it's too little, too late." I yell at Sammy.
"Why are you saying this to me?" Sam asks me.
"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this. I'm dealing with Dad's death! Are you?" I ask Sammy, yelling.
Sam swallows, looks upset. "I'm going to call Ellen." Sammy tells me.
Later
Further down the road, Sam is hanging up the phone.
"Thanks a lot." Sam tells Ellen. "Rakshasa." he tells me.
"What's that?" I ask him.
"Ellen's best guess. It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited." Sam tells me.
"So, they dress up like clowns, and the children invite 'em in." I tell Sammy.
"Yeah." Sam tells me.
"Why don't they just munch on the kids?" I ask Sam.
"No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?" Sam tells me.
"What else'd you find out?" I ask Sam.
"Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects." Sam tells me.
"Nice." I tell Sam.
"Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years. Slow metabolism, I guess." Sam tells me.
"Well, that makes sense. I mean, the Carnival today, the Bunker Brothers in '81." I say.
"Right. Probably more before that." Sam tells me.
"Hey Sam, who do we know that worked both shows?" I ask Sam.
"Cooper?" Sam asks me.
"Cooper." I tell him.
"You know, that picture of his father, that looked just like him." Sam tells me.
"You think maybe it was him?" I ask Sam.
"Well, who knows how old he is?" Sam asks me.
"Ellen say how to kill him?" I ask Sam.
"Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass." Sam tells me.
"I think I know where to get one of those." I tell Sam.
"Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're going to want to make damn sure it's him." Sam tells me.
"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy." I tell Sammy. We smile at each other. "All right, I'll round up the blade, you go check if Cooper's got bedbugs." I tell Sam.
Carnival - Night
Sam POV
I pick the lock on Cooper's trailer and go inside.
Dean POV
Elsewhere, the Blind Man is leading me.
"Well, I've got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I've got a brass one, though." the blind man tells me.
Sam POV
In Cooper's trailer, I pull out a pocketknife and starts slicing open the mattress. A shotgun cocks behind him; Cooper is there, pointing the gun at me.
"What do you think you're doing?" Cooper asks me.
Dean POV
In the Blind man's trailer, he leads me in and taps a trunk with his cane.
"Check the trunk." he tells me.
I open the trunk and find a red clown wig. I pause and stand.
"You?" I ask him.
The Blind man drops his cane, pulls off his glasses; his eyes look normal. "Me." he tells me. His eyes get cloudy, his face begins to melt. He waves, then his face disappears, Cheshire-cat style with his eyes glowing last.
I struggle with the door in the Blind Man's trailer, trying to get out. A knife flies past my head to bury in the door. I jump. Another lands with a thunk a little higher.
"All right!" I yell.
I manage to get the door open and books it out of there, tumbling. Outside, Sam sees me.
"Hey!" Sam tells me.
"Hey." I say.
"So, Cooper thinks I'm a Peeping Tom, but it's not him." Sam tells me.
"Yeah, so I gathered. It's the blind guy. He's here somewhere." I tell Sam.
"Well, did you get the -" Sam starts to ask.
"The brass blades? No. No, it's just been one of those days." I tell Sam.
"I got an idea. Come on." Sam tells me.
We enter the funhouse; as we go through, a door slams between us. We struggle to open it.
"Sam!" I shout.
"Dean! Dean, find the maze, okay?" Sam tells me.
Sam finds a pipe organ, which is giving off steam. He grabs for one of the pipes, but it's too hot. "Gah!" Sam says, flinching from the heat. He takes something from his pocket and starts pulling off a pipe. I come around the corner.
"Hey." I tell Sammy.
"Hey! Where is it?" Sammy asks me.
"I don't know, I mean, shouldn't we see its clothes walking around?" I ask him.
A knife flies past me, pinning my sleeve to the wall. Another one pins my wrist.
"Sam!" I shout.
Sam pulls the pipe all the way off and stalks forward slowly. A knife flies past his head; he dodges.
"Dean, where is he?" Sam asks me.
"I don't know!" I shout.
I reach up and pulls a lever; more steam pours from the pipe organ, giving a vague shape to the invisible attacker, which I see.
"Sam, behind you! Behind you!" I shout to Sam.
Sam stabs the pipe behind him without looking. He turns and sees it buried in the still-invisible creature, blood pouring from the wound. I manage to free myself. We look to where it's fallen and see only empty clothes and a bloody pipe.
"I hate funhouses." I tell Sammy.
Inside Roadhouse Saloon - Day
Laila POV
August 16, 2006
Dean and Sam are sitting at the bar; Ellen lays down a couple of beers.
"You boys did a hell of a job. Your dad'd be proud." Elle tells them.
"Thanks." Sam tells her.
Jo, sitting down on the other side of Dean, gives Sam a look.
"Oh yeah, um, I've gotta... uh, uh, I've gotta go. Over there. Right now." Sam says, and I snort.
"So." Jo says, as she clears her throat.
"So." Dean says, being as awkward.
"Leave me out of a hunt again, and you'll regret it." I tell Dean really quick.
"Am I gonna see you again?" Jo asks Dean.
"Do you want to?" Dean asks Jo.
"I wouldn't hate it." Jo tells Dean.
"Hmm. Can I be honest with you? See, normally I'd be hitting on you so fast it'd make your head spin. But, uh, these days... I don't know." Dean says.
"Wrong place, wrong time?" Jo asks, pointing at her mom.
"Yeah." Dean tells Jo.
"It's okay, I get it." Jo tells Dean.
The back door opens, and Ash enters, carrying the folder and a bizarre looking laptop.
"Where you guys been? Been waitin' for ya." Ash asks the boys and I have to scowl.
"We were working a job, Ash. Clowns?" Sam tells Ash.
"Clowns? What the -" Ash starts to ask.
"You got something for us, Ash?" Dean asks Ash.
Ash sets the laptop down on a table. It looks homemade, with exposed wiring.
"Did you find the demon?" Sam asks Ash.
"It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie." Ash tells us.
"What do you mean?" Sam asks Ash.
"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world, my rig'll go off. Like a fire alarm." Ash tells us.
Dean reaches for the laptop.
"Do you mind..." Dean starts to ask.
Ash gives him a look. Dean pulls his hand back from the keyboard. "Yeah." Ash says.
"What's up, man?" Ash asks us.
"Ash, where did you learn to do all this?" Sam asks Ash.
"M.I.T. Before I got bounced for... fighting." Ash tells Sam.
"M.I.T.?" Sam says, skeptically.
"It's a school in Boston." Ash tells Sam.
"Okay. Give us a call as soon as you know something?" Dean asks Ash.
"Si, si, compadre." Ash tells Dean.
Dean takes another sip of his beer, then sets it down. Ash picks it up and drinks. Dean, Sam, Harry, Razzi, Lore and I head for the door.
"Hey, listen - if you boys and girls need a place to stay, I've got a couple beds out back." Elle tells us.
"Thanks, but no. There's something I gotta finish." Dean tells her.
"Okay." Elle tells us.
Junkyard
Dean POV
I am working on the car again; Sam is pacing nearby.
"You were right." Sam tells me.
"About what?" I ask Sam.
"About me and Dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know he died thinking that I hate him. So, you're right. What I'm doing right now, it's too little. It's too late." Sam says and his lips tremble. There's a beat of silence.
"I miss him, man. And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not all right. Not at all." Sam tells me with tears in his eyes. "But neither are you. That much I know." Sam tells me.
There's a pause. "I'll let you get back to work." Sam tells me.
Sam leaves. I am still for a moment. I pick up a crowbar and smash the window of a nearby car. Then I start slamming it into the trunk of my own car, over and over. It clatters to the ground, and I look after where Sam has gone, lip trembling.
