Chapter 2

Sam gathered the files they had gotten from the local cops on the victims now in the hospital as he got out of the Impala. He went to the back to snag his bag and followed Dean to the motel room door, waiting for him to unlock it. Dean stepped into the room and gave it a quick once over before heading into the room and claiming the bed closest to the door.

"Why don't I run over to the diner across the street and get us some dinner?" Dean offered, before stepping into the bathroom to use it.

"Fine with me. It'll save us some time," Sam agreed sitting his bags down and dropping the files on the small table by the window. "I'll start on these files while you're gone."

"You want your same rabbit foot?" Dean asked stepping back into the main room.

"It's healthy food," Sam retorted with a snort.

"Whatever, I'll be back shortly, go do your geeky thing," Dean replied with a shrug taking the room key with him as he headed back out the door.

"And I won't die of a heart attack," Sam called to him as he disappeared out the door. "Jerk," he mumbled to himself as he sat at the table and opened the first file. He started reading through the reports on the first victim while he waited for Dean to return. He stopped long enough to dig out a pad of paper and pen so he could take notes as he went. Sam was on the third file when noises at the door had him tensing for a moment until he saw Dean coming into the room with bags in his hand.

"Foods here," Dean announced holding up the bags. "Find a stopping place and let's eat while it's hot."

"Okay, give me a second," Sam replied gathering the files into a stack and moving them out of the way. He caught the enticing aroma coming from the bags and his stomach growled loudly.

"You better feed that before it attacks," Dean chuckled.

"I plan on it," Sam said as Dean sat a container in front of him along with a drink.

"This is going to be good," Dean surmised opening his container and drawing in a deep breath before sighing happily. He cut a piece of hamburger steak and popped it in his mouth, humming his delight as he chewed and swallowed so he could take another bigger bite.

Sam shook his head at his brother's antics, slowly opening his container to see what Dean got him. He smiled seeing a large salad with chicken strips across the top and a roll. He found the dressing, poured it across the salad, and mixed it before taking a bite and chewing as he thought about what he had read so far.

Dean glanced at his brother and could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"What's going on in that huge brain of yours, bro?" Dean questioned.

Sam looked up at him as he pulled himself back to reality.

"I'm not sure," Sam answered. "Studying those patients and reading their charts…It's like their minds are empty; there's nothing there. They're not like zombies that are one, dead and two, eat people. The victims are still alive, and they can learn again. They just need to be retrained to do things again."

"Like the minds have been erased?" Dean suggested. He dipped steak fries in ketchup and popped them in his mouth as he thought about it.

"I've read something about that," Sam mumbled as he turned his laptop where he could tap the keys as he continued to eat. His brow knitted and he caught his lower lip trying to bring up the information. He scrolled through web sites, clicking on different articles until he finally found what he wanted. He frowned as he skimmed the article and then sat back in his chair to think.

"Well," Dean mumbled around a bite of food. "What is it?"

"Dude! At least swallow before you speak," Sam complained rolling his eyes.

"Okay, spill, what did you find?" Dean asked sipping his drink.

"I think what happened is called, Tabula Rasa."

"Tab…what? Speak English bro."

"Tabula Rasa, it means the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions. Like you said, the person's mind is void of all memories."

"Damn," Dean huffed as he tried to picture that. How would it feel to have all your memories taken from you and you'd have to start all over again learning everything. "That sucks," he finally said.

"Yeah, not having any memories of your life, family, friends, who you are or how to do basic things. It's like being reborn but still an adult and having to learn everything like a child."

"There are some memories I'd like to get rid of forever, but not all are bad."

"I know," Sam sighed. He sipped his drink as a sadness filled his eyes. He looked down at his salad to hide his thoughts from Dean so he wouldn't sense his feelings.

"Do you think they are gone for good?"

"I don't think so, but I don't know. Someone took them from the victims for some reason, but I don't know why."

"I'm going to call Bobby and get his input on this case," Dean decided wiping his mouth and gathering his trash. He got up and tossed it in a trash can to be taken out once Sam was done. He dug around for his cell and placed the call.

"Singer," Bobby Singer, a fellow hunter and mentor to the boys, answered his cell.

"Hey Bobby, it's Dean," Dean replied. "We need your help."

"Dean, what's going on?"

"We're checking out a case in Blair, Nebraska and it's turning into a strange one."

"How so? You haven't stepped into a pile of crap, have you?"

"No, I don't think so. People's memories are being taken from them in some way. And I mean all their memories are gone."

"Does it kill them?"

"No, they're like starting from scratch having to learn everything all over again, but they have no memories of who they are."

"It's called Tabula Rasa," Sam supplied. "Do you know why someone would want to do that?"

"I'm not sure Sam. Let me do some research and get back to you."

"Thanks Bobby. We'll keep checking things here and wait to hear from you." Dean disconnected the call and laid his cell down.

"I'll keep checking the files and see what I can find," Sam told his brother. He set them back in front of him and opened the top one back up to begin reading the content. "You want to start on the next one?" Sam asked Dean pushing a file his way.

"Might as well, not much else we can do this late," Dean grunted flipping the file opening and picking up the pages inside to begin reading.

Once the brothers had read the five files, they compared notes.

"The victims don't really have a personal connection, but there are some similarities," Sam noted. "The age range is between twenty-five and thirty-five. They were all in good health and had good paying jobs, so they were intelligent. No preference since there are male and female victims."

"All true. So, how is someone choosing their victims?" Dean asked as he leaned back in his chair and thought about what they knew. "Tomorrow let's check out the last places the victims were seen and see if anything sticks out. Hopefully Bobby will get back to us in the morning."

"Fine with me," Sam replied suppressing a yawn. He was tired and his mind was overloaded and needed a rest. "I'm going to take a shower."

"I'm going to browse the internet," Dean decided pulling the laptop in front of him and tapping some keys.

"No porn," Sam stated in a stern voice as he stepped into the bathroom. "Last time it took me two days to clean it up and get it running again."

"Bitch," Dean snarked at him.

"Jerk," Sam snapped back without looking at him.

Dean gave him a snarl and snort as he pulled up a search engine glancing at the closed bathroom door trying to decide if he could get away with it without crashing the laptop again.


A/N: The brothers have called in help from an old friend. At least they have a name for what is happening, but why, who, or how is still a mystery. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Thank you to any guests who have left reviews. I do like reviews/comments. NC