The next morning Dean slipped outside while Brinley was sleeping to make some phone calls. He contacted a local professor at a nearby community college to set up an appointment, hoping the professor could help with the scarecrow case. He hung up the phone, and decided to call Sam to make sure he was doing all right.
"Hey Sammy," Dean greeted.
"Hey Dean," Sam replied, happy to hear from his brother.
"I had quite the night," Dean sighed, and then went on and told Sam everything that had happened.
"The scarecrow climbed off its cross?" Sam questioned.
"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya. Burkittsville, Indiana. Fun Town," Dean replied. "And this kid…."
"It didn't kill the couple, did it?" Sam questioned.
"No. I can't cope without you, you know," Dean replied, "And the kid doesn't listen to me. Almost got herself killed after I told her to wait in the car."
"Oh boy," Sam replied. "What did you do?"
"Nothing…I warned her not to do it again. She thinks it's a joke. She had a nightmare last night. I think it was because of the scarecrow."
"Maybe that will help her understand," Sam replied. "So, about the scarecrow, something must be animating it. A spirit."
"No, it's more than a spirit. It's a god. A Pagan god, anyway," Dean replied.
"What makes you say that?" Sam asked.
"The annual cycle of its killings? And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right. And you should see the locals. The way they treated this couple. Fattenin' 'em up like a Christmas turkey," Dean explained.
"The last meal. Given to sacrificial victims," Sam agreed.
"Yeah, I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god," Dean said.
"So, a god possesses the scarecrow...," Sam thought out loud.
"And the scarecrow takes its sacrifice. And for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread," Dean said, completing Sam's thought.
"Do you know which god you're dealing with?" Sam asked.
"No, not yet," Dean replied.
"Well, you figure out what it is, you can figure out a way to kill it," Sam replied.
"I know. I'm headed to a local community college soon. I've got an appointment with a professor. You know, since I don't have my trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research," Dean joked. Sam laughed.
"You know, if you're hinting you need my help, just ask," Sam stated.
"I'm not hinting anything. Actually, uh—I want you to know….I mean, don't think….," Dean started to say, but couldn't figure out how to finish.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, too," Sam said.
"Sam. You were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life," Dean replied.
"Are you serious?" Sam questioned.
"You've always known what you want. And you go after it. You stand up to Dad. And you always have. Hell, I wish I—anyway….I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy," Dean said.
"I don't even know what to say," Sam replied.
"Say you'll take care of yourself," Dean replied. "I got this. Now if only I can make sure this kid doesn't get herself killed."
"I will," Sam replied. "And Dean, I'm sorry I'm not there to help."
"Call me when you find Dad," Dean replied.
"OK. Bye, Dean," Sam replied sadly. Dean hung up, and headed back into the motel room to find Brinley sitting up in her bed.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hi," she replied quietly.
"Everything ok?" he questioned. He thought something seemed off about her. Brinley nodded her head. "That was quite the nightmare you had last night," he commented.
"Yeah….nothing new," she replied.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.
"Nah," she replied. Dean nodded his head. He didn't want to push her. He figured she'd open up on her own.
"I have an appointment this morning," he said. "Think you'll be all right here on your own? Or you can wait in the car?"
"I'll stay here…..at least I can watch tv," she replied.
"You'll still be here when I get back, right?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere with that scarecrow out there somewhere," she replied jokingly.
"I'll leave you my number, Sam's, and Dad's," he replied as he scribbled the numbers on a piece of paper on table. "If you have an emergency, try me first." Brinley nodded her head. "You are old enough to leave on your own, right?" he questioned, feeling uncomfortable about his decision.
"Come on Dean, I lived on my own for months," she sighed.
"Right," he replied. "I'll be back in about an hour. Put the chain on the door after me and do not open the door for anyone." Brinley watched as Dean rushed out the door. She waited for the Impala's engine to roar away, and then climbed out of bed. She found her bag at the end of the bed and searched for her pocket knife. Once she found it, she headed into the bathroom. She yanked up her pajama sleeve to a slew of scars on her forearm. Without hesitation, she dragged her pocket knife on an area of her forearm and watched as blood slowly pooled to the surface. She dabbed it with a piece of toilet paper, and once it stopped bleeding, she pulled down her sleeve.
Meanwhile, Dean's visit with the professor started out well. He figured out it was a Vanir god. The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female. He even noticed the picture of a Vanir god looked kind of like a scarecrow. He also learned that Vanir gods sprung their energy from a sacred tree. When Dean opened the classroom door to leave, the sheriff was waiting outside and hit him on the head with the end of his rifle and Dean fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, three hours had passed, and Brinley was getting worried. Dean's bag was still in the room, so she didn't think he abandoned her. She tried calling his cell phone and grew even more worried when she went to voicemail. She decided to call Sam.
"Hello?" Sam answered.
"Sam, it's Brinley," she replied.
"Brinley, hey, everything ok?" Sam questioned.
"Dean said he'd be back in an hour and its been three hours," she replied. "I tried calling but I go to his voicemail." A knock on the door interrupted her phone call. "Hold on, someone's at the door."
"Don't open the door," Sam said, but it was too late. She had already set the phone down. She peered through the peephole to find the sheriff on the other side.
"I know you're in there," he said. "Open the door, your brother has been in an accident." His words terrified her, so she unlatched the door and slowly opened it. "I need you to come with me," he stated once Brinley was in full view. "It's an emergency."