Chapter 2

Dean was watching Sam without really watching him as he ate his food and flipped through their father's journal. His brow was creased as he tried to work the puzzle out. He didn't like it when they were at odds with each other and hoped Sam would get out of his bitchy mood soon. He crammed the last of his burger into his mouth and chomped on it, taking a sip of his soda to wash it down.

"Yes!" Sam cried out suddenly sitting up straighter and looking at Dean in triumph.

"What?" Dean asked after swallowing his food.

"The wounds on the animals…These strange punchers see how it's sort of in a triangle pattern; I knew I had read about it. Dad wrote about it in his journal. He helped hunt one down when we were young."

"Hunt what down? Don't leave me in suspense," Dean fussed at him.

"It's a Chupacabra."

"I haven't heard that name in a long time. I think Bobby hunted one in Texas years ago. Are you sure?"

"Yes. The circular wounds are the clincher."

"But they don't usually kill people so why are we still here?"

"Because that's just the beginning. A Chupacabra will start killing people if they have the chance. Animals are easy, but their thirst for blood has them hunting humans too," Sam read from the journal. "Dad even drew a picture of one," he continued turning the book to show him the picture. "It's basically described as a dog like creature around the size of a small bear with a row of spines down its back. It has leathery, greenish gray skin, five to six feet tall when standing on its hind legs. It has fangs and claws to attack its victims, an oval shaped head, powerful legs, red eyes, and will hiss or screech alarm. It omits a sulphuric stench so we should be able to tell if it is near before actually seeing it."

"Nasty looking bastard," Dean commented looking the drawing over. "Does the journal tell how to kill it?"

"Silver bullets should do it or cutting the head off but let me see what I can find online." Sam pushed the journal aside and pulled his laptop to him to boot up and began searching for information on the Chupacabra.

"Great job Sammy, I knew you'd find what we were looking for. I'm going to work on the map," Dean offered tossing his trash before picking up the reports and the map Sam had gotten at the gas station. He was going to mark the farms where the animals were attacked and see if he could figure out the hunting grounds for the Chupacabra. Dean found a marker and spread the map out on his bed and began to skim the papers looking for the farms. He carefully marked each one and leaned back to study the map.

"There's not much else we don't already know," Sam told him as he sat back in his chair. "It hunts mostly at night and…"

The ringing of Dean cell made Sam pause and wait for Dean to answer it.

"Hello," Dean greeted the caller. "Yes it is…I see…Where was the body found?...Can a copy be emailed to me?...I'd appreciate it and we will be on the hunt tonight so keep everyone else out of the woods…I will let you know…Thanks sheriff."

"They found a human body?" Sam asked.

"You were right. Some bikers found a body and it looks like the Chupacabra claimed its first human victim. There are the same wounds on the body. The sheriff is emailing photos to me." Dean closed the windows of programs he had been checking and pulled up his email account. He clicked on what the sheriff sent and turned the screen so Sam could see.

The photos were of a young male victim that had his torso ripped apart. They could tell the wounds were made by deadly claws that were razor sharp. One picture showed the three circular wounds like on the animals that were attacked. There wasn't much blood around the victim, since the Chupacabra had feasted on him, but chunks of gory flesh were scattered around.

"What's the plan?" Sam asked checking the photos. He grimaced at the violence of the attack and wondered if something had angered the Chupacabra. Then he saw a knife lying near the victim's hand and figured he had tried to defend himself.

"It's too early to go out yet. Why don't we grab some sack time and head out around midnight to hunt. I think I've pinpointed an area that the Chupacabra is using to hide during the day."

"Maybe we'll be lucky, and this will be an easy kill."

"And now you just jinxed us," Dean whined getting up and heading for the bathroom. He closed the door behind him ending the conversation.

Sam shut the laptop and waited for Dean to finish in the bathroom. He did feel weary, since he hadn't been sleeping that good and a nap would help if they were going to be out in the woods later tonight. He stood and stretched before going to the bed and turning down the covers. Sam sat down on the bed and tested it while he waited.

It wasn't long before Dean came out of the bathroom and moved to his bed to drop down on it. He found the remote and turned on the television while Sam went to use the bathroom. He flipped through the channels before stopping to watch a movie that looked good. He settled and got comfortable as he let his body relax.

spn

"Hey, wake up bro," Dean called to his brother as he shook his leg.

"Wha…" Sam slurred jerking awake as he reached for a weapon. He saw Dean walking away and dropped his head back on the pillow and allowed his body to catch up with his mind and wake too. After a few minutes, Sam threw back the covers and sat on the side of the bed, yawning widely and wiping his face.

"It's the second day of the full moon, so we'll have some light while we're in the woods. I hate hiking but we don't have a choice in the matter," he mumbled the last to himself.

"Give me a couple of minutes to get ready," Sam grunted as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. When he came back out, he sat back on the bed to put on his boots and take a swig of water from a bottle sitting on the nightstand.

"You ready?" Dean asked him as he grabbed the weapon's bag and looked back at Sam.

"Yes," Sam replied grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. He followed Dean from the room and to the Impala. He knew he had been working with the map to determine where the Chupacabra might be hiding during the day. If they knew that, then they would know where to start looking. He dropped into the passenger seat and settled while Dean cranked the Impala and pulled from the parking lot of the motel.

There wasn't much traffic out this time of night and the brothers made good time heading out of town and away from all the lights and civilization. They were quiet on the drive as Dean checked the road signs to be sure he was heading in the right direction. It wasn't long after the road changed from paved to gravel to dirt that Dean finally pulled off and parked in a small clearing near the edge of forest.

"Let's arm up," Dean told Sam after cutting the engine and getting out. He went around to the trunk and armed himself as Sam did the same. "You wanna take the small pack with the first aid kit?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Sam nodded slipping the pack over his shoulders and adjusting it. He checked the load on his handgun before stowing it in his waistband. He added several knives to his pockets and slipped a machete onto his belt. "You know where to start?"

"Hope so," Dean mumbled looking up at the almost full moon and pulling a compass from his pack. He used a flashlight to look at the map and get his bearings before leading Sam into the forest.

The brothers moved quietly through the trees as their senses went on hyper alert so they could listen for any foreign sounds that might be the Chupacabra. The forest was filled with night sounds that echoed around them and would go quiet as they passed. There was a stiff breeze blowing through the branches at their back hindering them from smelling the Chupacabra. Dean finally held up his hand to stop so he could check the compass and the map.

"We're here," he whispered softly to Sam. He motioned for him to go right as he moved to the left to spread out. He kept Sam in sight as they continued to move through the darkness of the night. Visibility was not good now that they were under the leafy branches of the trees and they moved slowly, watching their steps.

The hairs on the back of Sam's neck stood up and he paused to listen for any movement. He could feel something watching him as he slowly began to turn, pulling his gun out to be ready. He squinted, trying to see better in the darkness as he swung his arms up when suddenly a large, dark form exploded from the brush toward him.


A/N: Don't hate me, you know I love cliff hangers. Thank you for coming along on this journey and hope you enjoy the read. I do like reviews/comments. NC