Neil's House
Greenville, Illinois
August 22, 2006
Third Person POV
"Okay. We've got booze, we've got chocolate, and wait for it... tortured emo rock. Guaranteed cure for any broken heart." Neil said, excitement tangible in his voice.
"You didn't have to do all this. I'm fine." Angela said, still trying to look brave, despite her teary eyes.
"Yeah, I can see that." Neil said, the concern for his best friend palpable.
Sensing the need for comfort and understanding, Angela put her other hand in his and smiled up at him. "Thanks, Neil."
"Yeah." he replied, feeling humbled by the moment.
Just then, there was a loud pounding at the door. Both of them jumped and looked around.
"Look..." Neil started to say.
"It's probably him," Angela said with a chill in her voice.
Neil took a deep breath, then steeled himself as he spoke. "I'll take care of it."
He went to the door and opened it, as expected Matt was standing there.
"Where is she?" Matt demanded.
"Let's just chill out and think about this for a second, okay?" Neil asked Matt, trying to keep the tension from rising further.
"I need to talk to her." Matt said through gritted teeth.
"Some other time." Neil replied firmly.
Matt narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "You get out of my face, Neil." he growled.
Matt pushed past Neil and struggled to open the door. Neil shut it behind him and followed him into the kitchen. Once there, they found that Angela had gone.
Highway - Night
Angela POV
I am driving down a dark highway, tears streaming down my face. My cell phone rings, and the display reads 'Matt Cell Phone Calling' with a picture of his face. I pick up and with a trembling voice I tell him "Leave. Me. Alone."
Matt responds, "Angela, I'm sorry."
I laugh. "You're sorry? You're sorry, oh, that's great."
"Angela, listen to me." Matt pleads.
"No, I don't want to listen to you! I'm done listening!" I yell at him.
"Listen to me!" Matt tries to tell me.
But I gasp as I realize what I'm about to say. Taking a shaky breath, I tell him "No - I... I love you!"
Tears started streaming down my face as I keep driving. I don't take my eyes off the road, but I don't notice the sharp turn. I crash into the barrier.
"Angela? Angela?" Matt's voice is faint, fading away.
The world around me darkens and zooms into a close up of my face, my eyes still open, staring blankly ahead, my face covered in blood.
I don't answer. I'm dead.
Road - Day
August 29, 2006
Dean POV
I shook my head, but stayed silent as I sped down the two-lane highway. Sam stared out the window, looking out at the scenery as it passed. I knew why Sam was going, and I didn't agree with it.
After a few minutes of silence, I finally spoke up.
"Come on, Sam, I'm begging you. This is stupid." I said, shaking my head.
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Going to visit mom's grave? She doesn't even have a grave - there, there was no body left after the fire." I said, my voice filled with frustration. "Just like the twins' visit to their moms grave. They never knew her!"
"She has a headstone." Sam said softly.
"Yeah, put up by her uncle, a man we've never even met. So, you wanna, go pay your respects to a slab of granite put up by a stranger? Come on." I spoke.
Sam sighed, then turned to look at me. "Dean, that's not the point." he said, gently.
"Well then, enlighten me, Sam." I tell Sammy.
"It's not about a body, or a casket." Sam began, feeling a wave of emotion drown over him. "It's about her memory, okay?" Sam explains to me.
"Hmm" I hum.
"After Dad passed, it just feels like the right thing to do." Sam tells me sadly.
I was thoughtful for a moment before I responded, "It's irrational, is what it is."
"Look, man. No one asked you to come." Sam said.
I looked confused. "Why don't we swing by the roadhouse instead? I mean, we haven't heard anything on the demon lately. We should be hunting that son of a bitch down."
Sam was silent for a few moments. Then he said, "That's a good idea, you should. Just drop me off, I'll hitch a ride, and I'll meet you there tomorrow."
I shook his head. "Right. (Heh) Stuck ... stuck with those people, making awkward small talk until you show up? No thanks."
Graveyard
The grey sky looms overhead, casting a pall of gloom over the graveyard. Sam kneels before a headstone, digging in the ground with a folding knife. The headstone reads: MARY WINCHESTER, 1954-1983, In Loving mother they had never known, and Sam kneeled before it with a folding knife. He took out a set of dogtags, which had been our fathers in life, and he said with an emotional sob "I think, um ... I think Dad would have wanted you to have these."
He dropped the tags into the ground and said, "I love you, Mom."
I watched my brother with a sad expression, then my gaze wandered towards a nearby gravestone marked as Loving Father with a dying tree next to it. I walked over to inspect the tree, then noticed a perfect circle of dead grass surrounding a gravestone. I crouched down, fingering dead flowers.
Later, Dean takes a card from a man in a suit, when Dean walked over to Sam again, he had the card in his pocket. He handed it to Sam and said, "Angela Mason. She was a student at the local college; funeral was three days ago."
Sam looked at the card and asked, "And?"
"And?" I replied. "You saw her grave. Everything dead around it, in a perfect circle? You don't think that's a little weird?"
"Maybe the groundskeeper went a little agro with the pesticide." Sam suggested.
"No, I asked him. No pesticide, no chemicals. Nobody can explain it." I tell Sammy.
Sam was thoughtful and asked, "Okay, so what are you thinking?"
I said, "I dunno. Unholy ground, maybe?"
"Un-" Sam stops, speechless.
"What? If something evil happened there, it could easily poison the ground. Remember the farm outside of Cedar Rapids?" I tell Sammy.
Sam nodded, "Yeah, b-," but I interrupted him, saying, "Could be the sign of a demonic presence. Or the, the Angela girl's spirit, if it's powerful enough."
Sam nodded and turned away.
"Well, don't get too excited, you might pull something." I spoke.
"It's just... stumbling on a hunt? Here, of all places?" Sam questioned skeptically.
"So?" I said simply.
Sam shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "So - are you sure this is about a hunt, and not about something else?"
"What else would it be about?" I asked Sammy.
Sam sighed heavily and shook his head, moving to get into the car. "You know what, just forget about it." he said.
I grabbed Sam's arm and stopped him. "You believe what you want, Sam, but - I let you drag my ass out here, the least we could do is check this out."
Sam sighed again but nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. Fine."
I smiled in satisfaction and started heading towards the car. "Girl's dad works in town. He's a professor at the school."
Sam and I entered Dr. Mason's office. When we knocked on the door, the weary Dr. Mason looked up, seeing us for the first time.
"Dr. Mason?" my voice was gentle as he spoke.
With a heavy sigh, the man nodded. "Yes?"
Sam stepped forward. "I'm Sam. This is Dean. We were friends of Angela's. We...we wanted to offer our condolences."
Dr. Mason silently looked at them before getting to his feet. "Please, come in." He opened the door and motioned them in, closing it behind them. Sitting down, he looked at them sadly before picking up a photo album from the table.
He opened the album and began to turn the pages, showing them pictures of Angela from when she was a child to the last one taken only a few weeks ago when she spent time with him. His voice was thick with emotion.
In the corner, I was looking through an old book.
As Sam looked through the photo album with Dr. Mason, he said, "She was beautiful."
Dr. Mason nodded and said, "Yes, she was."
I was standing nearby, looking at a bookshelf. I picked out a book and said, "This is an unusual book." I showed the cover of the book, which had carvings of Greek letters and a triangular symbol.
Dr. Mason smiled and said, "It's ancient Greek; I teach a course about it."
"So, a car accident, that's, that's horrible." I said softly.
Dr. Mason nodded solemnly. "Angie was only a mile away from home when, uh ..."
My eyes glazed over with understanding. "It's gotta be hard. Losing someone like that. Sometimes, it's like they're still around. Almost like you can still sense their presence."
Sam looks at me with concern.
I looked up at Dr. Mason, my eyes full of sadness. "You ever feel anything like that?"
Dr. Mason looked up; his eyes filled with sadness. "I do, as a matter of fact."
Sam spoke up, while still looking at Dean, his voice gentle. "That's perfectly normal, Dr. Mason. Especially with what you're going through."
Dr. Mason nodded, his throat tight with emotion. "You know, I still phone her. And the phone's ringing before I remember that, uh ... family's everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I, I, I'm just lost without her."
Sam reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're very sorry."
Motel Room - Night
Rhiannon POV
It was the middle of the night as they sat inside a motel room with us kids.
"I'm telling you, there's something going on here. We just haven't found it yet," Dean said as he fed Gryphon and Altair.
Sam shook his head as he fed Gwen. "Dean, so far, you've got a patch of dead grass and nothing."
Dean started to argue, "Well, something turned that grave into unholy ground."
Sam sighed. "There's no reason for it to be unholy ground. Angela Mason was a nice girl who died in a car crash. That's not exactly vengeful spirit material. You heard her father."
Dean's face hardened. "Yeah, well, maybe Daddy doesn't know everything there is to know about his little angel, huh?"
Sam had had enough. "You know what? We never should have bothered that poor man. We shouldn't even be here anymore."
"So what, Sam? What, we just bail? Without even figuring out what's going on?" Dean asked skeptically.
"I think I know what's going on here. It's the only reason I went along with you this far." Sam replied, his face pale and sombre.
"What are you talking about?" Dean pressed.
"This is about Mom's grave." Sam stated solemnly.
Dean scoffed at the suggestion. "That's got nothing to do with it."
Sam gave a look. "You wouldn't step within a hundred yards of it. Look. Maybe you're imagining a hunt where there isn't one, so you don't have to think about Mom. Or Dad."
Sam turned to look at me who had peeked out from behind him. My sad eyes seemed to convey my disappointment. Sam sighed. He wanted to make things better, but it felt like he was doing anything but that. He looked to Dean, whose arms were crossed, anger evident in his gaze.
"You wanna take another swing? Go ahead, if it'll make you feel better." Sam said, giving Dean an opportunity to take out his frustrations.
Dean shook his head minutely. "I don't need this crap." he said, grabbing his jacket and keys.
"Dean, where're you going?" Sam asked.
"I'm going to go get a drink. Alone." Dean replied, turning to leave.
I watched my dad walk away, my face now serious. "Good going, Unca Sam." I spoke. Sam looked away, knowing that things between him and Dean were now more strained than ever.
Matt's House
Matt was sitting in his living room, watching movies of himself and Angela. He smiled as he saw himself playing with her in the park. He couldn't help but miss her.
Suddenly, he felt like he needed a beer. He got up from his chair and went to the kitchen to get one. As he left the room, a close shot of a small plant on the side table caught his eye. Instinctively, he smiled at it as he passed.
The moment he left; however, the plant's leaves began to droop and its colors to fade, leaving it a withered husk of what it had been. Matt never noticed.
He returned to the living room, beer in hand, and sat back down. He continued to watch the movie and paused the tape when Angela's face came up on the screen. He smiled fondly at her image.
Suddenly, he felt a chill go down his spine as he noticed something peculiar. In the reflection of the paused image, he could see Angela's silhouette standing in the doorway. He screams, and blood splashes the screen.
Angela's House - Day
August 30, 2006
Dean POV
I enter an apartment. I picked up a framed picture of Angela that was sitting on the couch and caught my own reflection, just in time for Lindsey to appear in the doorway.
"Who the hell are you?" Lindsey asked. She had a fiery rage in her eyes that I did not expect. I knew I had to think fast.
"Wait, wait, hold on!" I pleaded. Without waiting for an answer, Lindsey began to shout, "I'm calling 9-1-1!"
I sensed her panic. I could see her tightening her grip on her cell phone and I knew I had to act fast.
"I'm Angela's cousin!" I announced, lying through my teeth. "Her dad sent me over to pick up her stuff. My name's Alan. Alan Stanwick."
Lindsey opened the door as she said, "Her dad didn't tell me you were coming."
Dean held up a keyring with a smile on his face. "Well, I mean, how else would I have the key to the place?" His voice was a nervous laugh, but a reassuring one.
Living Room
Dean POV
I could tell that Lindsey was deeply affected by the death of her friend. I could also tell that she was struggling to make sense of what had happened. I handed her a kleenex and Lindsey blew her nose.
"So, I'm sure you got a, a view of Angela that none of the family got to see." I said, my voice gentle and quiet. "Tell me, what, what was she like? I mean, what was she really like?"
Lindsey's face fell and her tears began to flow again. "She was great. Just great. I mean, she was so...so..."
"Great." I finished for her. She nodded her head and sobbed. I handed her another tissue and kept my mouth shut, giving her a chance to collect her thoughts.
Lindsey took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "We were really close. But it's not just her, it's Matt."
"Who's Matt?" I asked.
"Angela's boyfriend." Lindsey said quietly. "He killed himself last night. He cut his own throat. Who does that?"
I was taken aback. "That's - terrible." I spoke.
"He was taking Angela's death pretty hard, and I guess... I mean, he'd been messed up about it for days. He kept saying that he saw her everywhere." Lindsey tells me.
I swallowed hard. "Well, I'm, I'm sure that that's normal, I mean with everything that he was going through."
Lindsey shook her head. "No, he said that he SAW her. As in, an acid trip or something."
I was even more surprised. I furrowed my brow and asked cautiously, "Were Angela and Matt a happy couple? I mean, is there any reason that Angela would be angry with him?"
Lindsey looked confused. "What? No, of course not, why do you ask?"
"Just asking." I spoke. "Where did Matt live?"
Motel Room
Sam POV
I sat in the small motel room, the only light coming from the television. Dean had been out working a case, and I had been mindlessly watching the Skin channel while the children slept. As soon as Dean walked in, I quickly shut off the TV and threw the remote down.
"Hey." I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
Dean walked into the room slowly, looking between Sam and the TV.
"Awkward." he said.
"Where in the hell were you?" I ask.
"Working my imaginary case." Dean replied.
I blew out a breath and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And?"
"Well, you were right, I didn't find much." Dean said. "Except Angela's boyfriend died last night, slit his own throat. But, you know, that's normal. Uh, let's see, what else. Oh, he was seeing Angela everywhere before he died. But you know, I'm sure that's just me transferring my own feelings."
I nodded sympathetically. "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry, maybe there is something going on here."
"Maybe?" Dean said. "Sam, I know how to do my job, despite what you might think."
"We should check out the guy's apartment." I spoke.
"I just came from there. Pile of dead plants, just like the cemetery. Hell, dead goldfish too." Dean said.
"So, unholy ground?" I ask.
"Maybe. I'm still not getting that powerful angry spirit vibe from Angela." Dean said. He crossed the room and picked up a pink book. "I have been reading this, though."
I glanced over. "You stole the girl's diary?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, Sam. And if anything, the girl's a little too nice."
"So what do you want to do?" I ask.
"Keep digging, talk to more of her friends." Dean said.
I nodded. "You get any names?"
Dean smiled. "Are you kidding me? I have her bestest friend in the whole wide world." He held up the diary.
Neil's House
"Yeah, I didn't realize the college employed grief counselors. I'm sorry, what was this about?" Neil asked in confusion.
Dean stepped forward and gave a practiced smile. "Oh yeah, yeah. You talk, we listen." His smile grew wider as he continued, "Or maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage, whatever jump-starts the healing."
Neil chuckled, though it was an uneasy laugh. "Well, I think I'm okay. Thanks."
I stepped forward now and gently said, "We just wanted to make sure you were okay. Grief can make people do crazy things and we heard what happened to Matt Harrison."
Neil nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Yeah, I did."
"Well, we just wanted to make sure you were okay. Grief can make people do crazy things." I said, making a worried face.
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. But if he killed himself it wasn't cause of grief." Neil says, shaking his head.
Dean and I exchanged a glance. Dean spoke first. "No? Then why?"
Neil's expression hardened slightly, and he began speaking slowly. "It was guilt. Angie's death was Matt's fault, and he knew it."
I leaned forward slightly, curiosity in my voice as I asked, "How was Matt responsible?"
A long pause ensued before Neil finally answered. "Well, she really loved that guy. But the night of the accident she walked in on him with another girl. She was really torn up, that's why she crashed the car."
We exchanged another look, and Dean was the one to break the silence. "Hmm."
Neil nodded slowly and started to edge towards the door. "Um, look, I gotta get ready for work, so ... thanks for the concern, but... seriously, I'll be okay."
With that, Neil shut the door and we were left standing on the porch. Dean turned to me and looked significantly at him.
Street
Dean and I walked away from the house, both of us processing the events that had just happened. What had seemed like a random, unexplained occurrence had suddenly become clear: a vengeful spirit might be the cause.
"Well, that vengeful spirit theory's starting to make a little more sense." said Dean. "I mean, hell hath no fury..."
"So if Angela got her revenge on Matt," I said, "you think it's over?"
Dean thought for a moment then said, "Well, there's one way to be sure."
I looked at my brother skeptically. "Yeah? What's that?"
Dean turned to me with a serious look on his face. "Burn the bones."
I laughed. "Burn the bones? Are you high?"
Dean shook his head. "Angela died last week! So?"
I shook my head in disbelief. "So, there's not gonna be bones. There's gonna be a ripe, rotting body in the coffin." I said.
Dean fixed me with a look. "Since when are you afraid to get dirty? Huh?" Dean asked.
Graveyard - Night
Laila POV
I could hardly believe what I was about to do right now. I just wanted to cuddle to Harry but my niece had to call me because my brothers couldn't talk things out. But here I was, standing outside the gates of a graveyard with my twin sister Lorelai at her side and her older brothers Dean and Sam Winchester.
The brothers had been tracking a powerful spirit called Angela, who had killed her ex-boyfriend. It was our job to put a stop to it and tonight, we were finally going to get the chance to do just that.
The moonlight cast a pale light as we began to dig at the gravesite. We worked quickly and soon were panting and sweating with exertion. Soon, all that was left of the shallow graves was the coffin standing atop the grave.
Dean grabbed the flashlight from Sam and with a heavy heart, cleared the rest of the dirt off the top. Clearing his throat, Dean said, "Ladies first."
Sam gave a curt nod and handed Dean the flashlight. Taking a deep breath, Sam opened the coffin - only to find it empty. He, Dean Lorelai, and I looked at each other with confusion.
Neil's House
Third Person POV
Neil slowly made his way down the stairs to the basement, a feeling of anticipation in his chest.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw her. She was there, pale and beautiful. She was waiting for him. She turned towards him and smiled.
"I missed you." she said, her voice low and soft.
Neil felt the butterflies in his stomach growing and before he knew it, she had crossed the room to stand before him. She leaned forward and kissed him, and he felt his heart beating faster. The kiss was gentle and tender, and he responded eagerly, his lips pressing against hers.
Graveyard
Lorelai POV
My heart raced as my brothers shone the flashlight inside of the empty coffin. It's not the first time I have been to a graveyard at night before, and the stillness of the place was almost too much to bear. I suddenly felt a chill run through her, and she began to shiver. Laila gives me her jacket.
Dean, my eldest brother, spoke up in a grim voice, "They buried the body four days ago."
Sam, the second oldest, shook his head. "I don't get it."
I could almost feel my heart drop to my stomach as I heard my own questions being repeated in my brother's voice.
Suddenly, Sam's voice broke the silence again. "Look." he said, pointing to something inside the coffin.
Dean shined the flashlight inside the coffin and noticed something carved into the wood. He leaned down for a closer look and noticed what appeared to be symbols.
"What is that?" Dean asked.
"I'm not sure." Sam answered.
Dean stepped back and thought for a moment. '"I've seen these kinds of symbols before." he said.
Outside Dr. Mason's Office
I shrank back as I watched my brother, Dean, pound on the door of Dr. Mason's office. He was obviously thinking about the runes on Angela's coffin. Lorelai could hear Sam's low, encouraging voice trying to coax Dean back to a more even footing. Dean may have been her big brother, but even he was struggling to handle the events which had unfolded in the past week.
At last, the door of the office swung open, and Dr. Mason stood in the opening, his shoulders sagging with the apparent weight of grief. I had not known his daughter, but I knew all too well the twinge of pain that shot through my heart when I realized he had been the one who had to bury her.
He seemed to recognize the two boys at his doorstep right away. "You're Angie's friends, right?" His voice was weary but resolute.
Sam stepped forward; his voice gentle but trembling slightly. "Dr. Mason..." he said, trying to get the doctor's attention.
But it was Dean who stepped forward, his voice harsh and authoritative. "We need to talk." he said.
Dr. Mason gave a small nod, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "Well then." he said. "Come in."
Sam and Dean stepped into the doctor's office, and I stayed outside, knowing too well that this was something my brothers had to deal with on their own. As I stepped away from the office, my heart wrenched for my brothers. We all were stronger together, but even the strongest people needed help sometimes. But my brothers never got that memo.
Inside Dr. Mason's Office
Sam POV
Dean and I had been following a lead that Angela's case had left them. After weeks of searching, they had finally tracked her down to Dr. Mason's office.
When they arrived, they could feel a sense of anxiety in the air. Sam had his doubts, but Dean was sure that Dr. Mason had something to do with Angela.
"You teach Ancient Greek. Tell me-what are these?" Dean said, as he was unwrapping paper on which he had copied some strange symbols from Angela's grave.
Dr. Mason looked at the symbols with confusion, "I don't understand. You said this had something to do with Angela?"
Dean continued, "It does. Please, just humor me."
"They're part of an ancient Greek divination ritual." Dr. Mason answered.
"Used for necromancy, right?" Dean persisted.
"That's right." Dr. Mason replied.
Dean explained to him, "See, before we came over here, we stopped by the library and did a little homework ourselves. Apparently, they used rituals like this one for communicating with the dead. Even bringing corpses back to life. Full-on zombie action."
Dr. Mason's face revealed the truth. "Yes. I mean, according to the legends. Now, what's all this about?" As I am watching Dr. Mason's face, I began to have doubts.
But Dean pushed on, "I think you know."
I interjected, "Dean!"
Dr. Mason asked, "What are you talking about?"
Dean answered angrily, "What's dead should stay dead!"
Angered by Dean's words, Dr. Mason yelled, "What?!"
I had had enough and grabbed Dean's jacket, pointing to a row of living plants by the window, "Stop it! Look, beautiful, living plants."
I then looked at Dr. Mason and said, "We're leaving."
Dr. Mason shot back, "I'm calling the police."
Dean went to leave, but I held him back, finally calming him down until he relented and followed me out of the office. We both knew that Dr. Mason wasn't hiding anything. As we walked away, neither of us could shake the feeling that we had made a mistake.
Sidewalk
Lorelai and I followed Dean's determined strides along the sidewalk, but eventually our frustration got the better of us.
"What the hell is the matter with you, Dean?" I asked.
"Back off." was Dean's only response.
"That man is innocent!" I said, exasperated. "He didn't deserve that!"
"Okay, so she's not here, maybe he's keeping her somewhere else." Dean muttered.
"Stop it!" I said angrily. "That's enough, okay? Enough!"
Dean turned to look at me. "Sam, I know what I'm doing."
"No, you don't. At all." I said, shaking my head. "Dean, I don't scare easy, but man, you're scaring the crap out of me."
Dean sighed. "Don't be overdramatic, Sam."
I crossed my arms and looked Dean straight in the eyes. "You're lucky this turned out to be a real case. Because if it wasn't you would have just found something else to kill."
Dean blinked in surprise. "Wha-"
I cut Dean off. "You're on edge, you're erratic - except for when you're hunting, because then you're downright scary. You're tailspinning, man. And you refuse to talk about it and you won't let me help you."
Dean stared at his feet and said quietly, "I can take care of myself, thanks."
I softened my voice. "No, you can't. And you know what? You're the only one who thinks you should have to. You don't have to handle this on your own, Dean, no one can."
Dean looked up at me, and I could see the storm raging within him. "Don't bring up Dad's death one more time." he warned.
"Stop." I pleaded, and I see Lorelai watching. "Please, Dean, it's killing you. Please. We've already lost Dad. We've lost Mom. I've lost Jessica. And now I'm going to lose you too?"
Dean cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We better get out of here before the cops come."
I nodded silently, understanding all I needed to about Dean's inner turmoil. "I hear you." he said. "Okay, I'm being an ass. And I'm sorry. But right now, we've got a friggin' zombie running around, and we need to figure out how to kill it. Right?"
I managed a slight smile and shook my head. "Our lives are weird, man."
Dean smiled back. "You're telling me? Come on."
Neil's House - Night
Third Person POV
Neil nervously shifted on his feet as he looked over at Angela, sitting across from him. He had been unable to keep his mind off the topic of Matt, and it was only a matter of time before Angela called him out.
"Honey, is something bothering you?" Angela asked, her gaze never leaving Neil's. Neil took a deep breath, resigned to the fact that she was going to find out.
"It's about Matt." he admitted.
"Haven't we already talked about that?" she asked, an edge of frustration in her voice.
"I know, but uh..." Neil trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
"Haven't we wasted enough time on him already? Come sit down." Angela said, motioning for Neil to join her on the couch. He obliged, wishing he could forget about Matt for good.
"You always said that he didn't deserve me. You were right." she said, her voice soft.
"Angela, you didn't get out, and go see Matt, or..." Neil said, feeling as if he was walking on eggshells.
"I've been here the whole time. Neil. You really think I could do something like that?" Angela said, her gaze locked with his.
"No. I don't know. I can't help it, you just, you just seem..." Neil said, unable to keep the worry from his voice.
"Different? I am. I've realized you're the only one who ever really loved me. You proved that. You brought me back. I'm with you now. Isn't that what you always wanted?" she asks Neil.
Motel Room
Laila POV
The neon green glow from the window blinds illuminated Dean's worried face and gave the dimly lit motel room a creepy atmosphere. Dean started to pace back and forth while Sam, Lore, the kids and I stayed seated on the beds, Sam cradling our father John's journal in his hands.
"We can't just waste this with a head shot?" Dean said, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Sam shook his head. "Dude, you've been watching way too many Romero flicks."
Dean took a deep breath and stopped pacing. He looked pensively at Sam. "You're telling me there's no lore on how to smoke 'em?"
Sam shifted on the bed and stood up, joining Dean at the table by the window. "No, Dean, I'm telling you there's too much. I mean, there's a hundred different legends on the walking dead, but they all have different methods for killing them. Some say setting them on fire, uh, one said, where is it? Right here. Feeding their hearts to wild dogs. That's my personal favorite. I mean, who knows what's real and what's myth?"
That right there had me and Lorelai scrambling for the bathroom.
Dean slammed his fist on the table as if only violence could help solve his problems. He turned to Sam and asked, "Is there anything they all have in common?"
Sam shook his head. "No. But a few said silver might work."
Dean thought for a moment before finally nodding. "Silver's a start.
"But now how are we going to find Angela?" Sam asks.
"We've got to figure out the person who brought her back." Dean looked up at Sam with a determined expression.
"Any ideas?" Sam asks with a head tilt.
'I think if it's not her dad it might be that guy, Neil.' Dean looked up at Sam with a determined expression.
Sam frowned. "Neil? How'd you come up with that?"
Dean crossed the room and picked up the pink diary. "Well, you've got your journal, I've got mine." He flipped to a specific page and read from it, "Neil's a real shoulder to cry on, he so understands what I'm going through with Matt." Dean looked up from the diary with a wry smile. "There's more in here where that came from. It's got unrequited Duckie love written all over it."
Sam quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean he brought her back from the dead."
Dean grinned and shrugged. "Hmm. Did I mention he's Professor Mason's TA? Has access to all the same books."
Sam nodded, a plan beginning to form in his mind.
Neil's house
Dean POV
Sam and I hurried to Neil's house, determined to find Angela before she could do something drastic. We had to act fast.
As we crept through the darkened house, we could hear no sound. I called out, "Hello? Neil?! It's your grief counselors - we've come to hug."
When we arrived, Sam and I were surprised to find the house dark and quiet. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
I pulled out a gun. Sam looked at it. "Silver bullets?"
"Yeah, enough to make her rattle like a change purse." I replied.
We started searching the house, I was leading the way with the gun at the ready. In a corner, we noticed wilted plants by a window. I found an entrance to the basement and nodded at it. "Unless it's where he keeps his porn..."
Sam opened the door and descended the stairs. The room was empty, nothing of importance to be seen. "Sure looks like a zombie pen to me." I spoke.
"Yeah. An empty one." Sam said. "You think Angela's going after somebody?"
I found a loose grate and pulled it aside. It led outside. "Nah, I think she went out to rent Beaches." I said with a smirk.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Look, smartass, she might kill someone. We gotta find her, Dean."
I suddenly have an idea. "Yeah. All right. She, uh, she clipped Matt because he was cheating, right?"
"Yeah." Sam answered.
"Well, it takes two to, you know, have hardcore sex." I said, raising an eyebrow.
Sam shook his head and sighed.
"I don't know, it just seemed that, uh, Angela's roommate was broken up over Matt's death. I mean, like, really broken up." I said, lost in thought.
Angela's House
Third Person POV
Lindsey stared at the picture, a fading photograph of Matt and Angela, her lover and best friend. There was an ache in her chest that had been there ever since the day they had died. Suddenly there was a noise from outside, and Lindsey jumped up, suddenly wary. She stepped cautiously to the front door and called out into the dark.
"Hello?" she called, her voice trembling.
When she opened the door, she didn't see anyone, but when she turned her back again, there was Angela standing in the doorway. It had not been so long, but Lindsey recognized her immediately. Her heart leapt at the sight of her friend, alive and well, and she was about to cry out in joy. Then, out of nowhere, Angela grabbed her by the hair and Lindsey screamed.
"Hi Lindsey." Angela said with a smile. "I'm home!"
Lindsey yelped, grabbing hold of the kitchen table to keep away from Angela.
But Angela was undeterred - she kept swinging and stabbing with the scissors until Lindsey broke away from her and ran into the kitchen. Following, Angela picked up the scissors and advanced again.
"You know what you did!" Angela shouted, her voice dripping with hatred.
'I'm sorry. I am so, so -' Lindsey begged, her voice shaking.
"You're not sorry enough!" Angela replied. She lunged forward with the scissors, but Lindsey managed to duck. In a desperate move, she kicked out, knocking Angela forward. Her momentum carried her onto the scissors, the sharp blade piercing her chest.
Lindsey gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Angela gurgled, her eyes still open. She still had a grip on the scissors and tried to pull them out; Lindsey held her breath.
Before Angela could complete her deadly move, the door burst open. Dean and Sam came in, guns blazing. Dean swiftly fired his gun at Angela, hitting her in the chest and sending her flying out the window.
Lindsey let out a sigh of relief, thankful for Dean and Sam's arrival. As Dean followed Angela out the window, Sam ran to Lindsey and hugged her.
"Gotcha. I gotcha." he whispered, his voice trembling.
A few moments later, Dean returned through the window.
"Damn, that dead chick can run." He said.
"What now?" Sam asked, still holding Lindsey tightly.
Dean paused for a moment, thinking. Finally, he spoke. "I say we go have a little chat with Neil." he said.
Highway
Sam POV
Dean and I were racing down the dark highway, the Impala growling as Dean pushed it to its limits. I was frantically searching through the Journal, looking for anything that could help save Angela from her undead fate.
"So, the silver bullets, they did something, right?" I asked Dean.
"Yeah, something, but not enough. What else you got?" Dean replied.
"Um, okay, besides silver, we have ... nailing the undead back into their gravebeds. It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire staking lore came from." I spoke.
Dean turned to me, incredulous. "Their gravebeds? You serious?"
I nodded, not daring to look Dean in the eye. "Yeah."
Dean grimly returned his attention to the road. "How the hell are we going to get Angela back to the cemetery?"
Neil's Office
Neil had known when he made the deal that things wouldn't end well. But he hadn't expected a couple of us barging into his office in the middle of the night.
He was nervous, shaken. He wasn't sure what they wanted, or why they were here. He looked up to see Dean and I standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the night sky.
"What are you guys doing here?" Neil asked, his voice trembling.
"You know, I've heard of people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you - you take the cake." Dean said.
Neil felt himself flush in embarrassment. "Okay. Who are you guys?"
"You might want to ask Angela that question." I said.
Neil's mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. Then it all clicked. They knew about the ritual he had performed to bring Angela back from the dead. He gulped. "What?"
"We know what you did." I spoke. "The ritual? Everything."
Neil scoffed. "You're crazy."
Dean stepped forward; his face serious. "Your girlfriend's past her expiration date and we're crazy? When someone's gone, they should stay gone. You don't mess with that kind of stuff."
I chimed in. "Angela killed Matt. She tried to kill Lindsey."
Neil shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Dean grabbed him, hauling him out of his chair by his collar. His voice was harsher now. "Hey! No more crap, Neil. His blood is on your hands. Now. Me and him can make this right, but you've gotta tell us where she is. Tell us!"
"My house. She's at my house." Neil choked out.
Dean let him go, then saw the dead plants in the corner. He scowled.
"You sure about that?"
Neil nodded, looking around nervously. Dean looked past him to see a closet. Thinking, he seemed to get an idea. He raised his voice slightly.
"Listen. It doesn't really matter where she is. There's only one way to stop her. We've got to perform another ritual over her grave, to reverse the one that you did. We're going to need some black root, some, some scar weed, some candles... It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple hours. I think you should come with us." Dean says.
He paused. "I'm serious, Neil. Leave with us. Right now."
Neil shook his head. "No. No."
Dean leaned in again, lowering his voice. "Listen to me. Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. Don't make her mad."
He motioned for Sam to follow him, "Let's go." he said to me.
Third Person POV
Swallowing hard, Neil goes to the closet and opens it. Angela is there.
"You said you'd stay in the house.' he said, his voice weak.
"Sorry. I just needed to see you. Neil, please. You have to help me." Angie tells Neil. She lowers her arms to show the stab and bullet wounds. Neil cringes and his heart sinks.
"Oh, god." he manages to murmur.
Angela looked at him pleadingly. "Come with me to the cemetery. Neil, they're trying to kill me. We have to stop them."
Neil was in shock. He started to shake his head, but then stopped. He looked at Angela, fear and wariness in his eyes. "You mean kill them." he said.
She nodded.
"It's true. Matt and Lindsey." He looked at Angela, fear and wariness in his eyes.
"They hurt me! If you love me, you'll make sure nobody hurts me again. Take me to the cemetery. And then all this will be over. We can start new lives, together." Angela looked at him pleadingly.
Neil looked at her, nodding. "Okay. God help me, but okay. I'll go get the car. Just, just wait here."
He turned and left.
Parking Lot
The parking lot is completely empty, illuminated sparsely by the streetlamps. Neil, sweating and panting, fumbles to unlock his car door. Just as he finds the right key, he drops them, and they scatter across the pavement. As he scrambles to pick them up, he notices the sound of footsteps. He stands up quickly and finds Angela standing there.
'Neil, you look nervous,' she said.
Neil tried to force a smile and replied, 'No, I'm, I'm fine.' His trembling betrayed his words, however.
Angela narrowed her eyes and fixed him with a sharp look. 'Were you going to leave me?'
Neil shook his head. 'No, of course not,' he said, although his lie was transparent to both of them.
Angela's expression shifted from hurt to rage. 'You were, weren't you?! How could you? Neil, I loved you!'
Neil opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, Angela had grabbed his head and wrenched it. He was dead before his body hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Graveyard
Sam POV
Dean and I stood in the darkness around Angela's grave, the only sound the gentle flicker of lit candles.
"You really think this is going to work?" I asked, my voice tense.
Dean shook his head. "No, not really. But it was the only thing I could come up with."
Suddenly, a noise caught both of our attention and I quickly reached for the gun in my belt, pointing it in the direction of the sound. As I crept forward, a figure emerged from the shadows.
I froze, keeping my gun raised at the figure. "Wait!" the figure said, and the voice strangely sounded like Angela's. "It's not what you think. I didn't ask to be brought back. But it's still me. I'm still a person. Please."
I watched her cautiously, my gun shaking slightly in my hands. Despite the fact that she sounded like a person, I knew that she could no longer be trusted. I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on the gun. I fired, hitting Angel in the forehead and sending her body flying backwards.
At the same time, Dean ran forward and grabbed a metal stake from the ground, diving into the open grave and burying it into Angel's chest. She screamed and then went limp, her lifeless body illuminated by a beam of moonlight.
Finally, Dean said solemnly, "What's dead should stay dead."
Graveyard
Now, we were at the graveyard, scooping mud and dirt onto the grave we'd laid the zombie to rest in. Both of us were out of breath.
I turned to the grave, breaking the silence. "Rest in peace." I said to Angela's grave.
"Yeah. For good this time, okay?" Dean replied.
As we walked away from the grave, I shouldered the shovel. "You know that whole fake ritual thing, luring Angela into the cemetery? Pretty sharp." I said, admiringly.
Dean nodded. "Thanks."
"But did we have to use me as bait?" I grumbled, gingerly testing my injured hand.
Dean chuckled. "I figured you were more her type. You know, she had pretty crappy taste in guys."
I sighed. "I think she broke my hand."
Dean laughed, ruffling my hair. "You're just too fragile. We'll get it looked at later." he said.
Dean stopped to look at our mom's grave one last time, and I watched him. After a few moments, I spoke up. "You want to stay for a while?"
"No." Dean shook his head, and we quietly loaded their things into the car. Dean took the driver's seat and we drove away from the graveyard.
Highway
Rhiannon POV
Dad is driving along with a scowling face. Sam looks at him, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Dad suddenly pulls the car across the road to stop in the opposite shoulder. He gets out and sits on the hood, staring off into the far distance. Sam follows, worry creasing his forehead.
"Dean, what is it?" Sam asked, his eyes filled with worry.
Dad paused for a long moment before speaking up. "I'm sorry." he said slowly.
Sam was confused. "You're sorry ... for what?"
Dad looked down, letting out a heavy sigh before he answered. "The way I've been acting... and for Dad. I mean, he was your dad too as well as Lorelai's, Laila's, Evan's, and Alex's plus he was the grandfather to our kids. And it's my fault that he's gone."
Sam was stunned. "What are you talking about?"
"I know you've been thinking it - so have I. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." Dean said. "Back at the hospital, I made a full recovery. It was a miracle. And five minutes later Dad's dead and the Colt's gone."
Sam crossed to sit on the hood, close but not touching. "Dean. We don't know that. Not for sure."
Dad shut his eyes and nodded. "You, Lore, Laila, the kids, Harry, Razi, and Dad." he said, voice shaking. "You're the most important people in my life. And now ... I never should've come back, Sam. It didn't end in natural way. And now look what's come of it. I was dead. And I should have stayed dead."
Sam looked away, unsure of what to say.
"You wanted to know how I was feeling. Well, that's it." Dad added. He turned to Sam, his eyes red and glistening with unshed tears. "So, tell me. What could you possibly say to make that all right?"
Dad and Sam sat on the hood of the car; their faces cast down in grief. With their father gone, the future seemed uncertain, but Dean and Sam were determined to make it through together.
