Chapter 5

The house was quiet except for the random tapping of computer keys as Dean scanned websites for any information on the carnival they had visited. He was wired and knew it wouldn't do any good to try and sleep, plus, he was waiting for Bobby to get there. His mind was racing because he knew the longer Sammy was gone, the better chances of something bad happening to him.

When a loud knock sounded at the door, Dean grabbed his gun and went to the door to answer it. He cracked the door, standing to the side with the gun pressed against the door at waist level. Once he saw it was Bobby, Dean sighed with relief and opened the door to let him in.

"Hey, Bobby, thanks for coming," Dean greeted him leading him into the living room. "I have coffee if you'd like a cup."

"I'm glad you called me for help, son," Bobby replied. "I could do with a cup. What have you found out?"

"I've been doing some research on this Bingham Brothers Carnival and followed their path across the country. It seems in every city they have stopped at, people, mostly children, but some adults too have gone missing. No one put the pieces together since some of the kids were from neighboring towns and some were not reported missing for a day or two. The carnival was checked out, but nothing was found to link it to the missing people. It was just one at a time and spread out over several jurisdictions, so the feds never flagged it either to investigate."

"So, something is going on at that carnival. Did you check out the owners, Bingham brothers, to see if there are any red flags?" Bobby accepted the cup of coffee Dean poured for him and took a sip.

"Yes and I couldn't find anything bad about them. They're actually having a great year, almost too good to be true."

"Maybe someone that works there has made a pact with a creature or monster and is giving it human sacrifices for success. Come to think about it, there was a hunter that contacted me about a month ago wanting some research done on a case he was working on. Something about following a trail of missing people and none of the victims had been found. He was supposed to contact me again and he never did."

"Crap, how do we find them? I'm sure Sammy disappeared in the House of Mirrors."

"That's a start." Bobby pulled his trucker hat off and rubbed his head before replacing it. "We need to get back into that attraction and check it out again when there's no visitors to the place."

"What if one of us tries to get a job with the carnival? It'll be morning in a few hours, and we could go there. The other could sneak into the House of Mirrors and check it out."

"It should probably be me asking for a job."

"Why? I'm young and strong."

"Because someone might recognize you from last night and I'm a better bullshitter than you are son. I've been around a lot longer and know all the tricks."

"I guess you're right," Dean huffed pacing the room and deciding Bobby was right. "Alright, while you do your thing, I'll get into the House of Mirrors and see if I can find anything unusual or off about the place."

"Good, that's settled. Why don't you lie down for a few hours and try to get some sleep. It won't help your brother if you're too weary to do your job."

Dean faltered in his pacing and looked at Bobby as what he said sunk in. He was running on adrenaline and caffeine right now and knew he should try and rest. He couldn't let Sammy down. Dean knew he was depending on him to find and save him. After a moment, Dean let out a long breath and nodded his understanding.

"If you wanna use Dad's room to rest, it's on the left and the bathroom is at the end." Dean checked the answering machine to see if John had left a message yet. He had a downfallen look on his face when he saw there wasn't one.

Bobby had an idea what he was doing and cussed John for doing this to his son. He felt bad for Dean and was glad he at least had the sense to call him for help.

"Did you call John, son?"

"Yeah, I've left messages, but he hasn't called back."

"He's probably in the throes of a hunt or doesn't have cell reception. Don't be getting discouraged son, we'll find your brother."

"Thanks for coming Bobby, it means a lot to me," Dean told him, his voice filled with respect and hope.

"Alright. Go on now son, I'll be sure to wake you if you're not up. In the meantime, I'm going to see if anyone has been in contact with that hunter, Jasper was his name. Maybe he could tell us something."

"Okay." Dean shuffled down the short hall to his and Sammy's bedroom and stepped inside. He looked over at the empty twin bed near the window that was empty and with a heavy heart dropped to his bed and stretched out. He threw an arm over his eyes and tried to work on calming his frazzled mind so he could try and rest.

After thirty minutes of tossing and turning, Dean finally drifted into an uneasy sleep that was plagued with nightmares of Sammy being taken and he couldn't get to him in time to save him. He jerked himself awake stopping the desperate cry that almost passed his lips. He dropped back onto the pillow and drew in some slow, deep breaths to slow his racing heart. Dean knew there would be no more sleeping and decided to get a shower before starting the coffee.

Dean rummaged in the dresser for clean clothes noticing he was getting low and remembered Sammy had told him they needed to do laundry. A sadness swept over him, and he closed his eyes as his body stiffened for a moment before he was able to start moving again and went into the bathroom.

When Dean looked into the mirror, he saw a haggard, pale face with bloodshot eyes staring back at him. He looked ten years older than he did the day before. Losing a little brother would do that to a person. He pushed from the counter and turned on the water in the shower to heat. Dean rubbed his scratchy, irritated eyes, thinking it felt like they were full of grit.

After shedding his clothes, Dean stepped into the tub and let the water hit him in the face for a moment before spitting out a stream of water and turned to wet his hair so he could shampoo it. He picked up the bar of soap and began to wash his body before rinsing. He stood under the spray for a few more minutes before shutting the water off and reaching for a towel. He dried off, taking his time before stepping from the tub to put on his clothes.

The smell of coffee drifted down from the kitchen and Dean figured he had woken Bobby when he showered since the walls in this house were thin. He followed the smell to the kitchen and found Bobby sitting at the small table sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Sorry if I woke you," Dean greeted him. "Couldn't sleep so I decided to get a shower."

"It's fine Dean. I just hope you got a little sleep."

"Not much. Let me see what I have for breakfast."

"How about I take us out for that and then we can head over to the carnival afterwards."

"You sure? I think there's some bread and eggs maybe. Sammy and me were going to the store this weekend, but…" his throat tightening to where he couldn't finish the sentence.

"It's fine Dean. Your mind's not on cooking and I know it."

"Did you find that hunter, Jasper, wasn't it?" Dean inquired.

"I called everyone I know, and no one's seen him around in the past three weeks. It's like he disappeared. I know hunters do that, but I think something's not right."

"You think he might be connected to Sammy disappearing?"

"I don't know, but it's worth keeping in mind. "Now get ready and let's go get some breakfast."

"Fine, I guess you're right," Dean huffed closing the fridge back and looking over at Bobby. "Let me get my jacket, keys, and wallet. I can drive."

"I will let you do that." Bobby got up and sat his cup in the sink and waited for Dean at the door. He knew the boy was hurting and blaming himself for Sam being missing but was trying his best to not show it.

"You ready?" Dean inquired as he slipped his jacket on.

"Yes." Bobby followed Dean from the house to the Impala and they got in to drive to the diner in town. When they were finished with breakfast, they would head over to the carnival and see what clues they could find.

spn

"You watch yourself in there, Dean. These people don't take kindly to strangers snooping around in their business," Bobby warned him as Dean pulled into the area used for parking.

"I will Bobby. No one's going to notice a random kid checking out the carnival."

"Don't be an idjit boy. Don't need you getting hurt before we find your brother."

"You watch yourself old man. Same goes for you."

"Who are you calling old," Bobby growled at Dean slapping him up aside the head.

Dean laughed as he scooted away and headed around the outskirts of the carnival searching for the House of Mirrors. He hoped to sneak in the service entrance and look around to see if there was anything off behind the scenes.

Workers were moving around, picking up trash, checking rides, restocking booths for the next opening, feeding animals, and checking the overall appearance of the place. Bobby made his way through the booths, stopping a worker to ask where the owner was located. He was directed to a trailer at the far end of the carnival where others were set up.

Bobby looked around being sure Dean hadn't been spotted and was in trouble. He stopped at the trailer and knocked on the door before stepping back and waiting for an answer. He had already devised a cover story for needing a job and hoped the owner bought it.

A/N: Bobby made it and now the hunt for Sam begins. I hope you are enjoying the story and it has been entertaining. Thank you for any guests who left reviews. I do like reviews/comments. NC