Scarecrow
I shoot upwards, my heart pounding in my chest. Sam said 'dad'. He clearly said; 'dad'. "Are you hurt?" Is the next thing he mutters into the phone, dumbstruck. "Is that dad? Is that really him?" I hiss at my brother. Sam ignores me. "We've been looking for you everywhere! We didn't know where you were, if you were okay." He continues hastily, glancing back at me and a still sleeping Dean. "Dean." I hiss, elbowing my brother in his ribs. He lets out a surprised grunt in his sleep, groaning as he starts to wake up. "Well, we're fine. Dad, where are you?" Sam continues to speak into the phone in a hushed voice. Dean slowly rises up, glancing from me to Sam in confusion. "What? Why not?" Sam's voice rises. "Is that dad?" Dean asks in complete shock. He's also ignored by Sam, who's eyes darken as he listens to something dad's saying. "You're after it, aren't you. The thing that killed mom." He whispers into the phone. My eyes widen. "A demon?" Sam sounds completely surprised. "You know for sure?" Dean shoves me a little, to make more room for himself, glancing back at Sam. "A demon? What's he saying?" He hisses. I slowly move closer to Sam's bed. What I wouldn't give to hear dad's voice right now, just for a second. "You know where it is." Sam states, his eyes a little watery as he pushes the phone closer to his face. "Let us help." He then offers. I give Dean a concerned glance, having no idea what's happening or what dad is telling Sam.
"Why not?" Sam's voice rises and takes on a disobedient tone. "Give me the phone!" Dean hisses, reaching his hand out to Sam. "Names? What names? Dad, talk to me! Tell me what's going on." Sam continues into the phone, protesting to whatever dad is telling him. I've had enough. This is typical Sam and dad and I'm not gonna let their little stupid dynamic ruin the first we hear of our father in six months. I reach forward and snatch the phone out of Sam's hand. He blinks in surprise, but I slam it against my ear. "Dad?" I whisper into the phone, my heartbeat accelerating instantly. "Baby girl?" His deep voice rings in my ears. I let out a relieved sigh, a smile instantly pushing through on my face. "Yeah, it's me. Are you okay? I was so worried…" He cuts me off. "I'm okay, don't worry! Has Dean been taking good care of you? I'm sure your exams must start soon?" Crap. "Yeah uh… Yeah, he has, dad. I'm preparing for the exams." I quickly lie to him. "Ah, that's good. It's good you're all together right now. Are you okay, sweetheart?" His tone turns soft and loving, making my eyes water involuntarily. "Yeah, dad. I'm fine." I whisper back, trying to keep my voice under control. "Okay, now give me Dean, sweetheart. Okay?" I nod and instantly hand the phone over to Dean. He snatches it from my hands and eagerly pushes it to his ear. "Dad? It's me, where are you?" He calls out. He falls silent after that. I watch him listen intently for a few moments. "Yes, sir." He then mutters. I glance over at Sam, who is staring into the room with clenched jaws, a fierce look on his face. "Uh, yeah, I got a pen." Dean glances around, before snatching a notebook and pen from the nightstand. "What are the names?" He scribbles a few things on there, staying silent as he listens to dad. "Yeah, yeah, I got them. Dad, is there… No, yeah… Oh, don't worry, I'm on that… Yes, sir… Yes, I will." Dean lets out a deep breath, hanging up the phone. "What the hell was that?" Sam barks at him, getting out of the bed. "All right, pack your stuff. We're going to Indiana." Dean doesn't answer his question, kicking his legs off the bed and standing up. "He's sending us on a hunt again?" I question. "No, he's sending me and Sam on a hunt." Dean replies, stalking to his bag. "Did he say anything else? Like where he is?" Sam raises his hands in the air in confusion. "No." Dean shakes his head at him. "Well, he said that he's after the demon that killed mom." Sam states. I swirl my head around. "So, the thing that killed mom is a demon and he's found it?" Hundreds of questions enter my brain. "Yeah, he's closing in on it." Sam throws his hands to his face nervously. "We should be with him, shouldn't we? Maybe we could help." He cries out. I let out a sigh. Dad just told me not to worry, but he is hunting the demon that killed mom. Alone. How can I not worry about that? Sam throws me a look, to say 'I know', but Dean interferes. "We should not be doing anything other than go to Indiana, like he ordered." He raises his voice, staring Sam down. Sam lets out an exasperated sigh, dropping his arms back to his side.
Half an hour later, we're packed and ready to move. Sam drives, as Dean's digging into papers and the internet to find out more about the names dad gave him. I stay silent. It's rapidly getting dark outside, we must have slept through most of the day. Which is not weird, considering we were in an asylum last night, having the fight of our lives. With an evil doctor and each other, unfortunately.
"All right, so the names dad gave us?" Sam breaks the silence after a few hours have passed. "Yeah, seems they were couples. Three different couples, who all went missing." Sam frowns. "And they're all from different towns? Different states?" Dean nods, glancing back at the laptop. "That's right. Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road trip cross country, none of them arrived at their destination. None of them were ever heard of again." Dean glances sideways at Sam. "Well, it's a big country, Dean. They could've disappeared anywhere." Sam suggests, tightening his hands on the steering wheel. "I doubt that's the case, Sam. Why else would dad send us to Indiana." I retort, crossing my arms. Dean's shoulders tense up when he hears my comment. He slowly turns around to me. "Skye, we're in the car. You're supposed to be studying." He informs me. I grit my teeth. "It's dad, isn't it. He said something to you, didn't he?" I confront him. I knew this would happen. "Yeah, he told me to take good care of you and make sure you were safe, like he always tells me." He snaps at me. "And I can't keep you safe if you interfere and join in on hunts with us. Plus, you're sitting this one out anyways." He adds. That infuriates me. "What? Why?" He shrugs calmly. "After what you pulled in that asylum, I can't trust you. You had clear orders, you ignored them completely and recklessly put yourself in danger." I wince, those words hurting more than they should have. "Ah, okay. So you're punishing me for something I couldn't help. I thought you texted me, remember?" I snap at him furiously. "You should have known, Skye!" He argues with me, his glare turning darker. "Sam?" I try the last thing I have, which is my other brother. "I'm not getting into this again." Sam slowly mutters with a shake of his head. I grit my teeth. "Ah, sure. Okay. Then just drop me off at a motel like a dog you can ditch." I snare. Sam instantly tenses up after hearing those words. Words he yelled at me when he was under influence of doctor Ellicott, hitting me right in my heart. "Skye…" His voice is soft and fragile, but I don't need his pity. "Never mind." I growl, deliberately focusing my eyes on the window. Staring into the darkness outside.
"To get back to you, yes they could have. But, each one's route took 'm through the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April." Dean glances up at Sam. "One year after another, after another." Sam frowns. "This is the second week of April." He points out. "Yup." Dean nods, ruffling through the papers in his hands. "So, dad's sending us to Indiana, to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?" Dean points his finger at him. "Yahtzee." Sam lets out a slow breath, but wisely stays silent. "Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits dad had to go through? The man's a master." Sam huffs at that, clearly annoyed. He then lifts his foot of the gas pedal and starts steering the car towards the side of the road. I raise my eyebrows in confusion. "What're you doing?" Dean asks, stunned. Sam stops the car and shuts it off, clenching his yaws. "We're not goin' to Indiana." He states, staring right ahead. "Damnit." I softly curse under my breath. "We're not?" Dean looks thoroughly confused. "No. We're goin' to California." Sam answers in determination. "Dad called from a payphone, Sacramento area code." I lean forward in my seat, deciding to stop being angry for a second. "Sam…" Dean starts, instantly realizing what he's going on about. So have I. "Please don't do this again, Sam." I mutter slowly, pushing myself further forward to try and look at him. "Guys, if this demon killed mom and Jess and dad's closing in… We gotta be there. We gotta help." He glances at Dean and then at me. That same look of helplessness right back in his eyes. "I don't think dad wants our help." I inform him softly. "She's right, he doesn't." Dean nods. "Well, I don't care." Sam purses his lips together. That gets Dean going. "He's given us an order." He argues loudly. "I. Don't. Care." Sam repeats, also raising his voice. "Sam…" Sam glares at me, before looking back at Dean. "We don't always have to do what he says." Dean is getting annoyed, I can see it in his features. "Sam, dad is asking us to work jobs. To save lives. It's important." Sam takes a sharp breath. "I understand that! Believe me, I understand that. But, I'm talking one week here, man. To… To get answers." Dean lets out a deep sigh. "To get revenge." Sam adds. "We shouldn't go after that demon out of revenge, Sam." I whisper, not really feeling confident enough to speak up. They're both agitated. "Then for what?" He throws at me with a scoff. "To make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else! Killing that demon won't get mom back." I look at the window as I speak, having no desire to look into his helpless eyes. "Oh, please. You don't want to take a shot at that demon simply for what it did to mom?" Sam's voice is rising again. "Okay, all right." Dean breaks it up. "Look, I know how you feel." Sam stares at him in disbelief. "Do you?" He lets out a sarcastic laugh. "How old were you when mom died? Seven? Jess died six months ago, how the hell would you know how I feel." A tense silence rises. That sentence made me sad. I'm now suddenly understanding why he'd want revenge that bad. "Dad said it wasn't safe, for any of us. Hell, he even made me promise I wouldn't tell her!" Dean states, pointing his thumb back at me. "I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away!" Dean's voice is rising and I can already sense that this is soon going to take a turn for the worse. "I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man! I mean, it's like you don't even question him." Sam's voice rises too. "Yeah, it's called being a good son!" Dean snaps back, his eyes spitting fire. I let out a soft groan, only able to imagine how that must sound to Sam. He unlocks his seatbelt, opens the car door and just steps out. "Sam? Hey, Sam! What're you doing?" I instantly unlock my own seatbelt and step out after him. Sam ignores me, simply opening the trunk. "Sam." I jog around the car, towards him. Behind me I hear the passenger door opening, Dean's getting out too. Sam grabs his backpack and throws it around his shoulder. "Sam…" Dean interrupts me. "You're a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever the hell you want, don't care what anybody thinks." He spits out, moving over to Sam and taking a stand right in his face. "Don't do this… Guys, come on…" My weak protests fall to deaf ears. "That what you really think?" Sam challenges Dean, pushing away the hand I reached out to him. "Yes, it is." Dean stares him down, disgust in his eyes. Sam lets out a hurt huff, reaching into the trunk and getting his other bag. "Well, this selfish bastard is going to California." He states, swinging the bag across his other shoulder and turning around. "Sam! Sammy, don't leave. Come on, we can sort this out! Sam!" I take a few steps after him, a painful lump in my throat. "Don't worry, Skye. He's not serious." Dean calls out, his eyes on Sam's back. "I am serious!" Sam calls back instantly. He's not turning around, he just keeps walking. "Sam!" I'm starting to get desperate. "It's the middle of the night!" Dean yells angrily, shaking his head in disbelief. Sam doesn't react. "Hey! Well, I'm taking off and I will leave your ass! YOU HEAR ME?" Dean grabs my shoulder firmly. "We are NOT leaving him!" I yell at him, tears forming in my eyes. "Sam, come back! Please!" I try to go after him, but Dean keeps his hold on me. Sam slowly turns around, his face stoic. "That's what I want you to do. Skye, you can come with me if you want." His anger fades when he glances at me. "Like hell she is!" Dean yells angrily, tightening his grip on my shoulder. Sam chuckles sarcastically. "You have a voice of your own, too, Skye!" Is the last thing he calls out. Dean's had enough. "Goodbye, Sam." He states drily, slamming the trunk shut. "Get in." He orders in a softer growl, moving around the car towards the driver's seat. "Stop! We're not doing this!" I feel panic rising. "Sam, don't walk away! We can figure this out." I throw him a pleading look, a first tear falling. "He doesn't want to figure this out, Skye. But, don't worry. I'll call." Sam is trying to sound genuine and softer, but there is just horrible sadness hidden in his voice. "Sam!" I try one last time, but he turns and starts walking away again. "SKYE! Get in!" Dean's angry growl is coming from right behind me. With trembling hands I turn around. The glare Dean gives me is clear, very clear. I slowly move towards the passenger seat, not able to process that this is literally what's happening right now. Sam's walking away, again. Dean's letting him and no one is listening to me. Dean starts the car as soon as I've sat down. "Where is he gonna go? I mean, he can't go anywhere… We can't leave him like this, what if something happens? You have to drive after him, Dean. We can…" Dean lets me ramble on, hitting the gas and speeding away. I throw my head around just in time to see that Sam's watching us leave. I can't see his face anymore.
It's silent as we drive. I angrily keep wiping away the tears that escape my eyes. Somehow, this is giving me flashbacks of what happened two years ago, when Sam left for college. It almost feels exactly the same and exactly as awful. We still have quite some driving ahead of us and I'm surprised Dean just keeps going. He doesn't look back, he doesn't stop and turn around. I know he and Sam had a fallout during that fight, I know he is still angry about what Sam said when he was under influence from Ellicott, but I hadn't expected him to just leave like this.
After a few hours of tense silence and silent driving, Dean slams his fist onto the steering wheel, scaring me. I have stopped crying by now and am just staring outside. "Alright, pup, what do you want to hear? Some good old rock and roll?" He starts a conversation about something completely irrelevant, out of the blue. "I don't care." I tell him softly. "Yes, you do. You dislike Jazz, I know that. Good thing I don't have it, too. You have any preference?" He continues in forced happiness, grabbing his box of cassettes from the backseat and throwing them on my lap. "There, pick something good." He keeps staring at the road as he speaks. "Dean, I don't care." I repeat softly, pushing at the box. "Puppy, please pick something." His voice wavers for a second, he must not be able to stand the tense silence any longer. I let out sigh, but comply and choose his 'Bob Segar' cassette, pushing it into the player. As the tunes start playing, Dean's shoulders relax a little. He taps the steering wheel with the beat. It's all forced, it's all a facade. That's what he does. Pretend nothing's wrong, when everything is wrong. I've never been good at that.
I end up falling into a restless sleep in the passenger seat. It feels wrong, the cushions feel different than the ones in the back. I am exhausted, though, and that wins from my uncomfortable feelings.
"Pup!" Dean is the one who wakes me up. I have no clue how long I was out. What I do know is that a new day seems to have started, the sun is climbing up in the sky. "Damnit." I curse softly, instantly sitting up. "You were out a while." Is Dean's dry comment. The car is parked in what looks like a small town. Small, inviting houses surrounding us. Across the road is a café. It's raining softly. "What is that?" I ignore his question and nudge at the pieces of paper in his hand. "Well, I found out that this couple went missing about a year ago. They went through this town, but did not continue their road trip. They went missing somewhere around here." He tells me, showing me two missing persons leaflets. "And you've got their missing pages out of thin air?" He chuckles slowly, glancing at his hand. "No, uh… I drove past a copy shop." He tells me. "Huh…" I move down towards my bag and pull my cellphone out of it. "It rang twice." Dean mutters. "Ah, come on." I curse, noticing two missed calls from Sam. "You really didn't pick up, or wake me?" I accuse angrily. "Nope." Is his short reply. "Call him, Dean. Come on…" Dean throws me a glare, before opening the car door. "Stay here." Is all he says to me. He slams the door shut and stalks away, towards the café across the road.
Without hesitating, I call Sam. Instantly. Hoping to the God's he picks up. He does, after the second ring. "Hey." His tone is flat, his greeting short. "Hey, I'm sorry I didn't pick up. I fell asleep." I apologize instantly. "Huh… Sleep… Can't remember when I last had that." I know it's a joke, but it sounds pathetic. "Sam, are you okay?" I bite my lip nervously, hoping he's not mad at me. For choosing Dean's side. For not coming with him, but staying with Dean. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm sure I'll find a ride soon." He tells me in fake optimism. "You've been walking all night?" I ask incredulously. "Oh, don't worry. It's fine." He replies way too quickly. "Sam, be real for a minute. How do you think you'll get to California?" Sam clearly does not desire to speak about the fight from yesterday. "I'll get there." He almost sounds rude. "Come back…" I hate how I sound like a five year old, but I'm scared and I miss him. "You could have come with me." Is Sam's reply to that. I know he's trying, but the betrayal in his tone fires up my guilt. "Sam… Please, I don't want to fight with you too… I can't pick a side… I just…" I can't find the right words, so fall back on what I know. Apologizing. "I'm sorry…" I can hear Sam let out a deep sigh. "No, no, it's okay. I didn't mean…" He also stops himself. "Hey, wait… I think I see somebody… Maybe I can fetch a ride. I'll call you later." He hangs up without saying goodbye. I slam my head against my seat in frustration. He's definitely mad at me. Or at least angry that I didn't go with him.
Dean comes back and opens up the door. "Speak to him?" He asks, sitting down and handing me the pieces of paper. "Yes." I reply shortly. "Hmm." Dean doesn't ask anything else, he just starts up the car. "And? Find anything on the missing couple?" I decide to change the subject, tired of the tense silences. I've had enough of those for a year at least. "Nahh, weird dude. He didn't say much. But I know another place…" We drive off. I lean backwards into the chair, letting out a deep breath. How we're gonna fix this situation is beyond me. It worries me deeply.
Dean stops outside a store called; Jorgeson General Store, with a company on the side, called Jorgeson Motors. "This is the general store in town. If that couple had car trouble or anything else, they must have gone through here." Dean tells me, parking the car. "Why are you telling me this? I'm not even supposed to know about this." I retort sharply. Dean glances at me and for a moment, I can see doubt in his eyes. Doubt and fear. He's insecure. He has no idea what to do anymore, or what he's been doing and if he made the correct choices up till now. Especially when it comes to me. That softens me up instantly. I've been nothing but harsh to him since last night, which is not helping. "I'm sorry…" I softly apologize, bowing my head. Dean leans forward and kisses the top of my head swiftly, before once again stepping outside and entering the shop.
I close my eyes and patiently wait for him to return. He has a different look in his eyes, when he does. "Okay, I got something." He announces when he steps back inside. I encourage him to talk to me and he tells me that the family from the store did see the missing couple last year, they stopped for gas and then went on their way towards the inner state. "Tell you how to get there?" I question, fastening my seatbelt. "Hell yes." Dean starts the car and we make our way towards the directions that he received.
It's a normal drive, until a noise catches us both off guard. I frown, glancing at Dean and then glancing at the back seat. "The hell?" Dean questions, keeping his eyes on the road. "I think it's your EMF." I tell him, reaching back and grabbing his bag. "My EMF?" He retorts in confusion. "Yeah…" I pull the EMF meter out of his bag. It's on and making a lot of noise. Dean gives it one look, before steering the car to the side of the road and stopping. "What the hell…" He repeats, taking it from me and examining it. "Did you leave it on?" I ask curiously. He shakes his head, his eyes darting towards the windows. I follow his lead and look outside. To my right, a little further up, is a pathway. A large pathway, marked by trees growing on either side. Forming a bow. "This is not happening by chance." Dean concludes, shutting off the EMF and stuffing it back in his pocket. "Stay here, I'll quiz ya on history later, so you better know all the answers." He barks at me, opening his door. "Oh, hell no." I protest, opening my own door. "You are not leaving me here, next to a suspicious pathway into god knows where, while you go investigate." I state, stepping out of the car. "Fine." Dean does not give any more protest, which surprises me. I don't say anything, but just follow him towards the pathway. It looks weird and scary, with the rain and a little mist from the bad weather.
The pathway leads to a bigger area, filled with woods and trees. It's almost a little like a farming station, making me realize the trees around us are apple trees. I follow Dean further in, glancing around warily. When he suddenly stops, I almost crash into him. "Dude!" I complain. He ignores me, slowly walking on and approaching something he's spotted, a little further on. It looks like a scarecrow, on a wooden pillar, next to baskets of apples.
The closer we get, the more my chest tightens up. The area feels weird. The scarecrow feels weird. It looks so real, especially now we're standing right in front of it. "Man, he fugly…" Dean comments drily, staring up. I snicker nervously. "Dean, it looks like it's moving." I quickly take a step back, blinking furiously. I could have sworn I saw the chest area of the scarecrow move up and down slowly. "Pup, it's a scarecrow. A really ugly scarecrow." Dean informs me with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah, a scarecrow that…" I stop talking when I see Dean glancing sideways to a ladder, leaning against a few baskets. "Why…?" I'm at loss for words, when I watch him drag the ladder towards the scarecrow. "He has something in his hand that I need to see." Is his short answer. I glance at the hand Dean pointed out. There's a large hook in the scarecrow's hand, but there's also something black behind it. "What is that?" Curiosity wins from creepiness and I inch closer to the ladder. Dean climbs up, until he's face to face with the scarecrow. I hold my breath. "Huh…" I hear him mutter a few seconds later. "What?" He glances down at me. "Hand me the photo of that guy, on the missing report." He asks, sticking his hand out. I fumble in my pockets, before pulling out the papers. "It's this one." I hand it to him. He unfolds it and glances from it, to the arm of the scarecrow. "What is that, Dean?" I call out to him, holding onto the ladder. "This scarecrow literally has the same tattoo as the missing guy." Dean tells me with a frown. "How can that be?" I raise my eyebrows in confusion. "No idea, but we'll need to figure that out." He states, stuffing the paper back in his pocket and climbing down. The tension dies down, now he's no longer face to face with that damn scarecrow. I hastily follow him back to the impala.
We drive back towards the town. When we pull up to the store we were about thirty minutes ago, a woman is walking by the part of the store that's the motor shop and gas station. Dean stops right in front of her and gets out. "You're back." I hear the woman say to him. "Never left." Is Dean's cheeky answer. "You still looking for your friends?" She asks him, which he nods to. She must be the person he spoke to earlier, when he went in there alone. It feels awkward to stay in the car where she can see me, but not come out. "Hi, I'm Skye." I announce loudly, stepping outside. Dean looks annoyed, but the woman gives me a friendly smile. "Do you mind filling it up for me, uh, Emily?" The woman is wearing a large necklace with that name and by the looks of it, Dean guessed right. She gives him a short nod, turning around to start her job. As soon as she's turned around, Dean angrily motions for me to get back in the car. We're getting into a silent discussion, but stop quickly when she stands up after putting the hose in the tank, looking directly at us. "So, uh, did you grow up here?" Dean asks, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Uh, I came here when I was thirteen." She answers. She seems to hesitate for a moment, before continuing. "I lost my parents, car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in." She tells us with a small shrug. "Ahh, I'm sorry." I apologize to her, receiving a very friendly smile once again. "Well, they're nice people." Dean concludes with a small nod. "Everybody is nice here." Emily answers. "Ah, the perfect little town…" I mutter, shaking my head shortly. "Well, you know, it's the boonies. But, I love it. I mean, the towns around us… People are losing their homes, their farms. But here… It's almost like we're blessed." I try my hardest not to frown at that strange story she just told me. Dean gives her a friendly nod. "Have you ever been out to the orchard? Seen that scarecrow, by any chance?" He continues, scrunching up his face. She mimics his. "Yeah, it creeps me out." She answers. I huff, nodding. Dean gives a small laugh of recognition. "Who's is it?" He then asks. She shrugs. "I don't know… It's just always been there." I frown. Dean's eye catches the red, slightly beat up truck behind Emily. I follow his glance. "That your aunt and uncle's?" He asks, nudging his head towards it. Emily turns around. "Customer. Had some car troubles." She then answers casually. I instantly shoot my eyes towards Dean. He seems to catch on as well. "It's not a couple, is it? A guy and a girl?" He questions slowly. Emily nods at him. "You might know where they're staying?" I ask her. "I think they went to Scotty's, until we fixed their car." She answers. "Ah, Scotty's…" Dean nods knowingly. The car's filled up and Dean walks back inside with Emily to pay for the gas. I reach for my phone and without thinking, dial Sam's number again. I'm anxiously listening to the beeps, until relief washes over me when he picks up. "Hey." He sounds annoyed. "Hey, what's up?" I question. "Ah, not much. Currently waiting at a bus stop." He informs me slowly. "A bus stop?" I frown, turning around and opening the car door. "Yeah, but the next one to California is not until tomorrow." Ah, that explains the annoyance. "You could still come back..?" I suggest hesitantly. "Skye, please, not again." He sighs into the phone. He sounds agitated. I see Dean walk back outside and instantly become anxious. "Keep me posted, okay?" I hang up, right after he makes me that promise. Dean does not acknowledge that I was on the phone and simply starts the car back up. "Is Scotty's the café you went in earlier?" I ask him. He gives me a short nod. We drive there in silence. With a promise of a cup of coffee and something to eat, I follow Dean inside the café, thankful for the warmth. A tall man is standing next to a table where a couple is getting their food served up. I nudge Dean knowingly. "How are ya, Scotty!" Dean brightly greats the man who's serving the couple. The man's friendly smile falters completely, when he spots Dean. "Got a coffee, black. And a cappuccino?" He orders instantly, confidently walking on. Right towards the table behind the couple. "Oh, and some of that pie, too." He calls after the man. "Make that two, please." I hush at him, my mouth already watering at the scent of the food. "That's my girl." Dean chuckles, taking place at the table. I sit down across from him and lean back, stuffing my hands inside my jacket. Ready to watch him do the magic here. He instantly initiates contact with the couple. "How you doin." He starts, grabbing their attention. They both give him a friendly nod. "Just passing through?" He questions. "Road trip." The woman answers him in excitement, glancing back down at her eggs. "Hmm, yeah, us too. Takin' my little sister here to see the country." He makes up, on the spot. "Ah, that's nice." The guy turns to me and flashes me the same friendly smile. I smile back at him and then we both watch how Scotty comes back with lemonade, serving them up some more. He does not look happy, his eyes locking on Dean. "I'm sure these people wanna eat in peace." He mutters, keeping his eyes on his task. "Just a little friendly conversation." Dean reacts with raised eyebrows, watching the man walk back past us. "Oh, and those coffee's too, by the way." He adds challengingly. If looks could kill, Dean's be dead for sure. I snicker. "The hell did you do?" I whisper to him, as soon as Scotty is out of reach. He shrugs at me, turning his attention back to the couple. "So, what brings you to town?" He questions. "Oh, we just stopped for some gas. And uh, the guy at the gas station saved our lives." The woman answers. "Is that right?" Dean asks in surprise. "Yeah, uh, one of our break lines was leaking. We had no idea. He's fixing it for us." The guy answers him, seeming relieved about that. "Nice people." Dean comments drily. "Yeah." The guy takes a bite of his pie. "So, how long till you're up and running?" The guy turns back. "Sundown." He answers. Dean nods slowly. "Really?" He ponders slowly. "Don't get me wrong, but isn't that quite a long time just to fix a break line? I remember you telling me it could be done in half an hour…" There comes my part of the conversation. "Yeah, no, you're right. If you want, I could take a look at it for ya?" Dean's invite is friendly, but the couple clearly is not yet trusting enough. "Well, uh, I'd rather have a mechanic do it." The woman answers, slightly awkward. "Ah, sure." Dean leans back, visibly agitated that that offer didn't work. He tries again, in an even worse way. He babbles something about unsafe roads at night, which make the couple suspicious of us. The man shuts the conversation down by reminding him that they're just 'trying to eat'. "Ah, you know. My brother could give you this puppy dog look and… you just buy right into it." He mutters, more to himself than to them. I tense up. This is the first time he has mentioned Sam, since the fight they had. He seems very aware that Sam's not here, all of a sudden. My attention gets caught by the bell at the door ringing and what looks like a police officer, stepping inside. Crap. I quickly kick Dean under the table. He grunts and throws me an angry look. I nudge at the door and he instantly notices. "Ah, thank you for coming, Sheriff." Scotty also makes a re-appearance from behind the counter, approaching the sheriff quickly. I watch how he whispers something to the sheriff. We're clearly in trouble. Dean rolls his eyes at me with an annoyed shake of his head. "I'd like to have a word, please." The sheriff announces, approaching our table. "Ah, come on. I'm having a bad day already." Dean grumbles, letting out a sigh. The sheriff slowly leans closer to him, glancing from me to him shortly. "You do not wanna make it worse." He warns. Dean glances at him, looking ready to challenge him on that. "Sure, Sheriff." I decide to play nice. I kick Dean into his shin once again, and stand up. Dean grunts, throwing me another glare, but also stands up. We both walk with the Sheriff, back outside.
About twenty minutes later, Dean and I are being escorted out of the town in the impala. The sheriff is literally following us with the sirens on, making sure to give us a very dramatic exit. Dean is very grumpy, cursing under his breath behind the wheel. I'm just looking outside at the trees, wondering what the hell happened that made the sheriff kick us out. As soon as the sirens disappear and the police car turns around, Dean visibly relaxes. "What now?" I ask him. "Now, we wait. This couple is gonna make their way out of here tonight. I'm sure as hell, they're not gonna make it out. I think something strange is going on here." He tells me, pulling the car to the side of the road. We're once again close to the orchard with the scarecrow. I follow Dean's lead and get out of the car. I watch him rummage through the trunk, before he pulls out two shotguns. "We have enough time to teach you how to use one of these bad boys." He announces, throwing the second one to me. "And don't you dare ever tell dad that I let you touch one of these." He adds harshly, his eyes serious. I'm sure he's worried about that. He's made dad a promise to keep me safe, but disobeys that with every step he takes with me. He desperately wants to be the good son, but can't bring himself to leave me behind. "Dean, you're actually keeping me safe way better by teaching me how to protect myself." I tell him softly, hoping to ease the self-loathing he's got going on right now. He ignores me, but simply stalks towards the trees behind us.
The sun starts to go down around seven. Dean has some crackers in his bag that we eat together, as we wait for the inevitable. I feel a lot more confident, now I know how to slightly work a shotgun. If I need to use it, I'll at least know how.
It's silent, but I have noticed that the mist is pulling up. Worse than before. Darkness takes over and everything starts to look more creepy with the second. I shiver, diving deeper into my jacket. Dean's about to hand me a scarf from somewhere in his bag, when we hear noises somewhere up front. "That's them. I'm sure of it." Dean grunts, instantly throwing open his car door. "Stay here." He tells me, handing me one of the shotguns. "Shoot anything that moves. Imma check it out." And with that, he runs away, his own shotgun straight in front of him. I nervously watch him go. I stay in my seat and listen, I just listen. For noises, for sounds. For anything, really.
A scream and then a few yells cut right through the silence. I jolt, tightening my grip on the shotgun. My heart rate speeding up. Not short after, I hear the first gunshot. Loud and clear, making me jolt once again. My eyes dart through the darkness helplessly, having no idea what's going on or why Dean's shooting already. After two more gunshots, closer than before, I shoot into action. Without thinking, I throw myself out of the car. The chilly air makes me shudder. "Dean?" I don't see him anywhere. I also don't see the couple, who's screams I presume I heard. Another gunshot, coming from somewhere in front of me. I start running, shotgun aimed in front of me, just like Dean did. I run past the entrance of the orchard that Dean and me visited earlier. Nothing. Further up ahead, there's another entrance and when I glance right, three people are sprinting towards me. Indeed the couple, with Dean right behind them. "What is it?" I yell, noticing the terror on their faces. The couple doesn't react. The woman just screams again, before reaching me and literally placing herself behind me, holding onto her boyfriend for dear life. I aim the shotgun at the direction Dean's still coming from, feeling a fierce determination. This couple is literally behind me, counting on me to protect them. I will.
Thankfully, it's not needed anymore. Dean reaches us and turns around, taking a very protective stance in front of me, panting harshly. "Wha… W-what the hell was that?" The man pants, having wrapped both arms around his girl. "Don't ask." Is Dean's short reply. We take our time consoling the couple, who need a few moments. They're not sure what they saw. The only thing they keep repeating, is that something came at them in the dark. It was suddenly behind them.
Dean ends up fixing their car and we personally make sure they get out of there as fast as possible. They thank us profusely, especially Dean. It's not necessary, Dean just wants them safe and out of there. We watch their tail lights disappear into the darkness. It's satisfying, knowing that they could have been killed just now.
"Alright, so what the hell did they see?" I raise my arms in the air, looking at Dean. "The scarecrow, pup. You were right when you saw it moving, cause it literally crawled off its cross and came after these people." My eyes open wide and I gawk at him. "Jesus…" Dean nods, glancing at me. "You have any idea what this could be?" He asks me. I let out a deep breath. "Spirit possessing this thing? Or just a plain evil scarecrow? Who doesn't seem to be able to get any further than the orchard." I take a guess. "Almost." Dean throws me a grin. "I think it's a God." He then informs me. "A God? Huh? As in, like… God?" I motion upwards to the sky, thoroughly confused. Dean barks out a laugh. "Nah, no. More like a God comparable to the Greek ones, you know?" He tries to explain. "Ah, like the god of water, the god of fire, the god of mischief…" He nods at me. "Yeah, but a Pagan God. Although I'm not sure what this one is about." He wonders out loud. "But, why a Pagan god?" I question. "Well, it's annual. There's a cycle here, a cycle of murder. Every year in April, and always a man and a woman, too." He quickly explains to me. "But, why a Pagan God?" I repeat my question. "Alright, did you see how the town treated us? And how they treated that couple?" Dean asks me patiently. "Yeah, there was a very clear difference." I nod. "Yeah, well I think there's a reason for that. More like a sacrifice maybe, to a Pagan God." He concludes. "So, every year, this town sacrifices a man and a woman to that scarecrow?" It sounds ridiculous. Dean chuckles. "The world out there is weird, pup." He glances at his watch. "Alright, we still have time to search for a motel room." He suggests slowly. "Nahh, thanks. I don't desire going back to that damn town, maybe we'll be the sacrifices now they lost this one." I scrunch up my face. "Good point. All right, we'll sleep in the car. Grab your history, it's time for that quiz." The way he looks at me stops me from protesting. I let him help, even though I'd rather go out shooting with that shotgun again.
It becomes quite late, before I move myself to the back seat and lie down on the cushions. Dean has given me one if his extra jackets and is starting up the car. Ready to drive it around a bit, to warm it up for me. I'm glad I'm with him, even though I'd rather have Sam here too. I would never choose a side willingly, but my big brother never walked away from me. That's all I do know.
I end up sleeping quite great. The impala is like a home to me. Dean is already awake and drinking a black coffee when I wake up. He's looking very tired. We aren't parked near the orchard anymore, but somewhere different. "Where are we?" I ask groggily, sitting up. "Ah, morning." Dean gives me a short nod. "We're gonna be on our way to see someone at a local community college, soon. I made an appointment with a professor there." He tells me shortly. I frown at him. "You can't figure out which Pagan god it is?" I ask him. He clears his throat awkwardly. "Not without my trusty sidekick." He admits slowly. "Call him." I retort, trying to hide a smirk. I knew it would only be a short matter of time, before Dean would start to miss Sam too. And not just because of the case and the fact that Sam always does the research. Dean lets out a groan, but pats the seat next to him, inviting me to come sit. As I maneuver myself over there, he grabs his phone. He still seems to hesitate. I roll my eyes and grab his phone out of his hand. "Drive." I tell him, before dialing Sam's number quickly. He starts driving with a steel expression. Sam picks up after the first ring. "Dean?" I lean back slowly. "Yeah, gimme a second. He's driving." I tell him. "Hey honey." His voice softens a little. "Hey, you still at the bus stop?" I ask. "Yeah, but I found company, so no worries." He tells me reassuringly. "Alright, gimme the phone." Dean impatiently sticks his hand out and with a smile of triumph, I hand him the phone. "Sammy?" He grunts into it as he presses it to his ear. He stays silent a while. Then he starts to talk. "Yeah, no, things goin' on here for sure. We found the fourth couple that was about to disappear here. Saved 'm last night. When we got here, we found an orchard with a funky lookin' scarecrow and last night, that thing came off its cross to attack these people." His explanation is short. "Yeah, I'm telling ya, Burkittsville, Indiana. Fun town… No, I can cope without you, you know… Nah, it's more than a spirit. Brainiac here thought that as well, but it's a God. A Pagan God, anyway… Yeah, she's learning, but the annual cycle 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, fattened them up like a Christmas turkey." Dean swiftly glances sideways at me. "Yeah, I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice, to appease some Pagan God… The scarecrow takes its sacrifice, and for another year, the crops won't wilt and disease won't spread… No, not yet… I know, we're actually on our way to a local community college, got an appointment with a professor. You know, since I don't have my trusty, sidekick, geek boy to do all the research." Dean grins slightly into the phone. "I'm not hinting anything…" Dean falls silent, his eyes darkening slightly. "Actually… Uh, heh…" He awkwardly clears his throat. "I want you to know… I mean, don't think…" He seems at loss for words. I roll my eyes. My brothers and their awkwardness in expressing their feelings or apologizing. Sam does seem to know what to say though, cause Dean's face lightens up a little. His jaws clench. "Sam… You were right. You gotta do your own thing, you gotta live your own life." He confesses in a low tone. I raise my eyebrows, confused as to what brought that out in him. "You've always known what you want, and you go after it. Stand up to uh, to dad. And you always have… Hell, I wish I…" I glance out the window purposely, as I listen in to what he's confessing. "Anyway, I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy." My heart fills with warmth and pride. He's proud of Sam, I'm proud of him. "Say you'll take care of yourself." Dean's jaws unclench and he nods. "Call me when you find dad… Yes, of course. She's safe with me… I'll tell her." Is the last thing he says, before slowly lowering the phone. A heavy sadness enters my heart. I hesitantly glance sideways at Dean, who's just staring at the road ahead of us. "He'll call you later." He then softly murmurs. I slowly nod, feeling a large lump in my throat. "That, uh… That sounded a lot like a goodbye…" I then whisper, the words hurting when they leave my mouth. Dean stays silent. I let out a deep breath. Sam's not coming back. I had hope, but that's rapidly disappearing.
We arrive at the college, half an hour later. Dean drags me with him, claiming he doesn't desire talking to a 'boring professor' on his own. We meet up with the man, who seems a little confused by our arrival. "You know, it's not every day that I get a research question on Pagan ideology." He tells us with a small chuckle, leading us down the stairs of the building. "Yeah, well, call it a hobby." Dean states, imitating the professor's body language and also chuckling. "You said you were interested in local lore?" The man questions, glancing at Dean. "Yeah, especially for her, you know. She's working on a history project about it." He points his thumb in my direction. "Well, I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship." He tells me, having reached the bottom of the stairs. "Well uh, what if it was imported. You know, like the pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?" Dean takes back over. "Yeah." The professor nods. "Like that town near here, Burkittsville. Where are their ancestors from?" The professor glances at him. "Uh, northern Europe, I believe. Scandinavia." He seems a little reluctant to talk, if you ask me. "Did they also have Pagan gods?" I ask. The professor chuckles slightly. "Well, uh, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses." He gives a slight shake of his head. "Well, we're actually looking for one. Who might uh, live in an orchard." Dean takes a stand in front of the professor, giving him the specific detail. "Follow me." The professor leads us further into the hallway, into one of the classrooms. He approaches his desk and drags a big, old book out of the drawer. He drops it on the table, beckoning us over. "Woods god." He announces, grabbing his glasses out of his jacket and putting them on, flipping open the book. "Well, let's see…" He mutters. I lean in closer to Dean, expectantly looking into the book. The professor flips the pages and a strange looking picture catches my eye. I can't really look at it, because the professor flips another page. That's when Dean's eye catches something. "Wait, wait…" He hushes, stopping the man from continuing. He puts his hand on the page. I instantly see what he saw. A drawn picture of something on a cross, in a crop field, with what looks like brainwashed villagers around it. "What's that?" I question, leaning closer. "Uh, that's not a woods god, per se." The man leans back, taking his glasses off. "The Va-Vanir?" Dean questions, reading the title of the page out loud. The professor nods. Dean continues reading. "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villagers built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villagers practiced human sacrifice. One male, one female…" I huff, that sounds exactly like what we saw last night. Dean points at the picture. "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?" He turns his head to the professor, who's intently staring at him. "I suppose…" He mutters with a slight, sarcastic chuckle. Dean doesn't notice, he starts reading again. "This particular Vanir that's energy sprung from the sacred tree?" He frowns. "Well, Pagan's believed all sorts of things were, uh, infused with magic." The professor says, nodding at me when he catches my glance. "So, what would happen if this sacred tree was brought down, or something?" I ask him directly. "Or torched. You think it would kill the God?" Dean joins in. The professor gives an awkward chuckle. "Huh, son, these are just legends we're discussing here." He points out. "Oh, of course. Yeah, you're right." Dean mutters, glancing back down at the book. I decide to cut the conversation. I no longer feel comfortable. "Hey, Dean. Maybe it's uh…" Dean follows my lead. "Yeah, listen. Thank you, very much." He sticks out his hand to the professor, who hesitantly takes it. My brother is very good at making people uncomfortable, I've started to notice. I also shake the hand of the professor, before following Dean to the door. Dean gives me a smile, opening the door. I let out a jolt and yelp of surprise, when the back of a shotgun hits Dean straight in the face, out of nowhere. With wide eyes, I look up and see the sheriff standing there, a determined look on his face. "What the hell! Dean!" I quickly crouch down, grabbing my brother's jacket. He's out cold. "You ratted us out!" I yell angrily towards the professor, who's exchanging a meaningful look with the Sheriff. He stays quiet and simply bows his head. "What the hell!" I once again angrily snarl at the sheriff, who is glancing down at me. "Do I have to knock you out, too? Or are you gonna follow me like a good girl?" I absolutely despise the way he speaks to me, but wisely keep quiet. He's the one with the shotgun, which I'm sure is not loaded with rock salt.
The professor ends up taking the shotgun to keep me under control. The sheriff takes it upon himself to grab Dean and carry him outside. We're in trouble, big time. Something does catch my eye, though. They all seem to be in on this, and they're not happy. Not at all. The sheriff is unnecessary gentle with Dean, laying him inside his police car. The professor never once actually aims the shotgun at me, as he pushes me to walk after the sheriff. I'm sure he would if I made any movement that would suggest I'm running away, but they're both coming across as if they're carrying a burden.
The sheriff drives me and Dean back to the town. I try to get Dean to wake up, but he was hit in the head quite harshly. With gritted teeth I stare at the back of the sheriff. His shotgun is between his legs, I'd never reach it in time, or without causing a car crash that would kill all of us. "Why are you doing this, huh?" I snarl, making him jolt with the sudden noise. "Shut up." He snaps back. "Not before you at least tell me why we're being kidnapped back into this town and you hit my brother out cold." I yell, keeping both my hands on Dean's chest. Making sure he's breathing the whole time.
"You don't understand." The sheriff's tone dies down and becomes slightly hesitant. "You're a police officer, for crying out loud! You really gonna murder two people in brought daylight?" I challenge him. "It's NOT murder!" He yells back, instantly agitated. "Oh, so you're not gonna give us to that scarecrow god thing, or whatever?" He hits the steering wheel in frustration, before once again snarling at me to shut my damn mouth.
We're driving back into town, straight to the shop where we stopped for gas. Where we spoke to Emily. The Sheriff drives around back. It's raining quite heavily. He steps outside, pulling up a black umbrella. "Wake him up." The sheriff barks at me. "It was you, who floored him." I mutter sarcastically, but shut up when he directly aims the shotgun at me. I lean towards Dean and shake his shoulders. "Dean?" He doesn't react, his lifeless body hanging in the chair. "Slap him, or something!" The sheriff seems very impatient, constantly glancing around the area. "I'm sorry…" I mutter apologetically, before hitting my brother straight across his face. His body jolts and his eyes spring wide open. He shoots forward, gasping for air. Relief fills my veins and I let out a slow breath. "What the hell…" Dean grabs at his head, grunting at what I'm sure is a headache. "We're in trouble…" I softly whisper to him, nudging past me towards the sheriff, standing there under his umbrella, shotgun aimed at us. "Ah, really?" Dean grunts, clenching his yaws. He slowly takes the lead, getting out of the car. I follow him, until we're both standing outside in the pouring rain. To my surprise, two people exit from the back of the house. An older man and woman, both holding the same black umbrellas. "They're all in on it." I whisper to Dean, who's just glaring at the sheriff. "In here." The older man calls out to the sheriff, moving towards the side of the house. The entrance of a cellar is beneath some crates. "Walk." The sheriff motions for us to move. Dean tightly grabs my arm, angrily stomping towards the cellar, shielding me with his body. Per usual.
We're almost pushed inside, but thankfully Dean's grip on my arm keeps me from falling face first into the harsh floor. "Why? Why is this necessary?" I snarl upwards at the sad faces, now staring down at us. "For the greater good, child." The woman answers me, before she and her husband grab the cellar doors and close us in, locking them tight. "Well, isn't this just lovely." Dean mutters in pure sarcasm, letting me go. I watch how he stomps up the stairs and starts bashing against the panels, in hope of breaking them. "I don't think that's any use, Dean! There are chains around those things." I inform him. "Well, I refuse to let them sacrifice you to a damn scarecrow!" He snaps, putting more effort in and smacking himself against the panels. "Us, Dean. One male, one female." I point out miserably. Dean pants heavily, giving up and stalking back towards me. "Yeah, us." He confirms with a short nod. "What're we gonna do?" I ask him in a small voice. He glances at me and his face softens up. "I'll think of something, pup." He promises me. "Well, can you think of a tree that you saw, that the scarecrow might be tied to? Cause I can't. The book said that we might be able to kill him, but we'll have to…" Dean's eyes light up. "Yes, you're right. The tree…" He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to remember if we saw a tree. "Okay, so this tree is probably really old and they'll all hover around it, treat it with respect, like it's sacred." He starts to think out loud. "It has to be in the orchard, why else would the god be there?" I glance at him, not sure of myself. "Yes, keep thinking…" Dean and I try to think of the tree for what feels like hours. I can, unfortunately, conclude that I haven't seen a tree like that. Dean refuses to agree with me, but he knows I'm right.
We're just in a hushed conversation about escaping tactics, when we hear noise above us. The chains rattle and then the doors open. Scotty and the sheriff come into view, both wearing straight faces as they point their guns into the cellar, right at us. Emily's uncle and aunt are also there. "It's time." The older woman speaks slowly. I throw Dean a helpless look, starting to make my way up. They have guns, we can't run. Plus, we need to get to the orchard anyways. The tree is there.
We are driven back to the orchard in the police car. Another lovely ride. Dean and I stay perfectly silent, huddled close together. Waiting.
We are hurled out of the car and walked into the orchard at gunpoint. Right up to the trees near the scarecrow, who's back on his cross. Looking terrifying, even like this. Just hanging there. When you know what'll happen when the sun goes down, it's even worse to look at him.
Scotty is the one who grabs me roughly and pushes me towards a tree. "Hey! Keep your damn hands off of her!" I hear Dean's angry yell, but he's not able to get to me. He's being dragged to the tree next to mine. We're both tied up, hands up against the tree in a sitting position. I keep angrily glaring at Scotty, but he refuses to look at me. The coward. "So, how many people have you killed, Sheriff?" Dean starts. "How much blood is on your hands?" He's enticing him. The sheriff's jaws clench. "We don't kill them." He points out. "No, but you sure cover up, after." Dean snarls at him, wincing at the tightness of the robes. "I mean, how many cars have you hidden. Clothes have you buried." The sheriff doesn't react. I decide to let them know what I think. "You might not do the actual act, but you are the ones killing them. Hell, murdering them. Just as you are gonna murder us." My raw voice echoes through the orchard, bouncing off the trees. Scotty pulls on the robes as an answer, making me wince as they rub into my skin. Dean's look of fury is terrifying, but Scotty's purposely not looking.
The old woman does seem to have had enough. "Please, try to understand." She begs, crouching down before me. "It's our responsibility, we just don't have another choice." She looks at me with teary eyes. It's real sadness, but it only makes me angrier. "The town needs to be safe, darling. The good of the many, outweighs the good of the one." Are her last words to me. She stands up, throwing her husband a remorseful glance. All of then turn around and start to leave us. Shotguns in hand. "Hope your apple pie is freaking WORTH IT!" Dean snarls after them. "Dean, what do we do now?" I am starting to get scared. "I'm working on it." He calls back to me.
After about three to four hours, I presume, it's getting dark. Quickly. The tension in the air builds, I know it's not long now. "Dean, we've tried to get out for hours now!" I call out desperately. The robes around my wrists only get tighter, the harder I pull. I'm sure my skin is bleeding, I can feel it trickle down my arm. "Can you see?" Dean calls back. I glance around swiftly. "Is he moving yet?" He adds. I let out a panicked breath, trying to lean around my tree. "I can't see!" Right after the silence returns, I can hear something. "Oh god!" I cry out, the rustling of the leaves coming closer. "I think he's off!" Nothing more than a whisper comes out. "Brace yourself! I'm coming!" Dean instantly starts to wildly trash around, grunting at the pain. Fear fills my heart and I close my eyes in terror.
"Dean?" An immense relief washes over me when I recognize a different voice coming from behind me. It's Sam's voice. Dean lets out a relieved gasp, slumping back down against the tree. "Ah! Oh, I take back everything I said! I am so happy to see you!" He pants, glancing to something behind me. "Sammy?" I trash my head in an attempt to see where he is, not believing he actually came back yet. "Yes, yes, it's me!" Sam steps into my view and a bright smile breaks out on my face. "Oh, it's you! Thank god." Sam rushes to Dean, but he shakes his head wildly. "Get her out first! Come on." Sam instantly runs up to me and crouches down in front of me. I keep my eyes on his face, my heart filling with happiness instead of fear. He came back. This time, he did come back. He starts fumbling with the robes around my wrists, careful in trying not to hurt me. "How did you get here?" I ask him, wincing when he pulls and the robe cuts into my skin. "I uh…" Sam throws a glance back at Dean swiftly. "I stole a car." He then confesses to me. I giggle, but Dean full on barks out a laugh. "That's my boy." He cheers, shaking his head through his laugh. "Wait, wait! Sam, is that scarecrow still there?" Sam finally undoes my bonds and swiftly glances back over his shoulder. "It could come alive any minute!" Dean calls out. I pull my hands down and examine my wrists in the little light I still have. Definitely bleeding. "What scarecrow?" Sam asks in confusion, running over to Dean to help him get out. I freeze, throwing Dean a terrified look. "Crap!" Dean curses, motioning for Sam to hurry up and untie him. I scramble to my feet and jump around the tree. There's just an empty cross, a few feet away from me. No scarecrow. "He's gone! Dean, he's gone!" I call out in panic, my eyes darting around nervously. Dean jumps up as soon as he's loose and runs to me, putting a strong hand on my shoulder. Both of us stare at the empty cross.
"We need to move, now!" Dean announces, starting to run. I follow him instantly. "Dean, that sacred tree…" I remember suddenly. "Yeah, I know!" He calls back. "All right…" Sam pants as he runs beside me. "Now, that sacred tree you're talking about…" Dean speeds up a little. "It's the source of its power." He explains shortly. "So, let's find it and burn it!" Sam calls out. "Nah, in the morning. Let's just shag ass before Leather Face catches up." Dean disagrees, shaking his head. "Dean…" I'm about to say something, when a sudden light in my face catches me off guard. Dean skids to a halt, grabbing me. Emily's uncle and aunt are right in front of us. She's holding a flashlight to our faces, he's holding a shotgun. Both of their faces filled with determination. Slowly, they start stalking towards us. "This way!" Dean turns around, but there's Scotty. Appearing out of nowhere, also aiming a gun at us. My heart is pumping in my chest. The chances of us getting out are close to none, now. We're enclosed. Everywhere we turn, flashlights and guns are pointed at us. Sam lets out a gasp, shaking his head furiously. I can feel both his hands firmly on my shoulders, he's trying to shield me. A loud noise from somewhere in the distance catches our attention. Emily's uncle swiftly glances to the right. "Let us go! Please let us go!" I call out, my voice scaring everyone in the clearing. Sam's hands twitch. "It'll be over quickly, I promise." Emily's uncle nods at me, trying to seem reassuring. I open my mouth to retort, but a slicing sound interrupts me. Something pierces his chest, sharp and metallic. Emily's aunt screams as she watches her husband being impaled. Emily's uncle is letting out gasps and gurgling noises. I let out a scream as well, completely taken off guard and turn around, hiding my face in Sam's chest. He wraps his arms around me in an attempt to soothe me. I, however, am positive I'll never get that image out of my head. The scarecrow was right behind him. All I hear is terrified screaming and running footsteps. Panic, everywhere. "Come on, let's go." Dean hisses, grabbing my arm tightly. I look up just in time, to see the terrifying looking scarecrow drag a very dead man and Emily's aunt, who's screaming from the top of her lungs, back. "Oh, god…" I can't stop looking. "Skye, come on!" Dean growls, dragging me with him. We're close to the road. All we have to do now, is get to it. Spurred on by my brothers, I break into a sprint.
We reach the road, panting harshly. "Well, I guess it got its sacrifice…" Dean shakes his head, eyes still wide. I can't talk yet, I can't get the image of that poor man out of my head. Impaled and all, terror on his face. I can't shake the feeling that that could have been Dean. Or Sam. Or me.
"He's killed t-them…" I eventually stammer. Instantly, soothing hands find their way to my shoulders and back. "They got what they deserved." Dean states slowly. "Still…" I shake my head shortly, my body still in panic mode. "W-what do we do? Can we save them?" I glance up at Sam, who's still looking at the now empty orchard. "I don't think so, honey." He tells me sadly, glancing down.
We slowly make our way to the road. Miraculously, the impala is not far away from us. Dean's the one that happily spots it, just after we decided to walk back to the town to find supplies to burn that tree we still need to find. "That is not where we left it." I point out slowly. "Where did you leave it?" Sam asks. "Well, we were ambushed at the community collage…" Dean reaches in his pockets, he still has the keys. "Did they really manage to get it here without the key..? Why?" I'm thoroughly confused. "They were probably gonna hide it, or break it down, after we were sacrificed." Dean snarls. Only the thought of someone doing that to his sacred car enough to enrage him. "Well, I'm not complaining." I let out a loud yawn, the exhaustion once again catching up with me. Hunting seems to be going at night, so far.
"Let's get some sleep, first…" Dean unlocks the car and I happily crawl into the backseat. One pro about owning the back seat, is the amount of space I have. I don't have to deal with my feet not being able to fit somewhere. I can just lie down flat and still fit. My eyes flutter shut, even before my head has landed on the cushions.
I get woken up by Dean's loud snoring. The sun is bright, high in the sky. I feel better, now that I got some well-deserved sleep. When everyone's awake and well, Dean unlocks the trunk and grabs the gasoline from the duffle bag, handing it over to Sam. "Okay, this tree is probably bigger and older than the rest of 'm. It'll stand out, maybe they even put some kind of sacrificial crap around it." He explains, eyeing me meaningfully. We set out, back into the orchard. It looks half as terrifying, now there is daylight and we know the scarecrow will not leave his cross. It's where we start, though. I can't get the image of Emily's uncle being impaled out of my head, I try to stay as far away from it as I can. We can't see their bodies, we don't find them either. What we do find, is the tree. Sam spots it, a little further back. It's indeed larger and older than the rest, it has a menacing look about it. There are some markings on the side, in black chalk. I don't know what it means and I don't care either. I only feel slightly better, when I watch Sam open the gasoline can and pour every last drop onto it. Dean has found a rather large stick and lights it on fire with his lighter. He offers it to me. He has a serious look in his eye. "Go ahead pup, if you want. However, that whole town will die." I take a deep breath, before taking the stick from him. "Yeah, and each year two innocent people will be sacrificed if it stays alive. I can't do that." I tell him. He gives me a slow nod. "Then go ahead, pup. Light it up." I frown, suddenly hesitant. "You don't think we should..?" He glances down at me. "No, I just want you to think your decision through. There's not always a clear solution." He tells me. I lean my head to the side, rethinking if this is what we should do. "We can't let that God take innocent people every year, just for a town to blossom. They'll have to take care of themselves now, just like we do." I then state. I'm not confident in that, I'd rather let him make the decisions. However, it is part of becoming a hunter.
I hold the stick to the tree and within seconds, the tree lights up in fire. The heat grows and soon I have to put a slight step back. We watch it burn in silence.
"Come on…" Dean puts a hand on my shoulder and softly pulls me with him. Back to the car. "Do we still do something about the rest of the town's people? I mean, they all just get to get away with it?" Sam asks Dean as he walks. "What'll happen to the town… I think that's punishment enough." Dean answers slowly, grabbing his keys and unlocking the car. An awkward silence rises. "So…" Dean starts, clearing his throat. "Do I need to drop you off somewhere?" He eyes Sam, his face not telling me anything else than just him asking a casual question. Fear clutches my heart for a second. "Nahh, I think both of you are stuck with me." He answers with a slight chuckle. Dean raises his eyebrows and stops, turning to him. "What made you change your mind?" He questions, genuinely curious. "I didn't really, I mean I still wanna find dad…" He heaves his eyes to the sky. "And you are still a pain in the ass… And this one continuously needs saving cause she sticks her nose into everything…" Sam wraps a tight arm around my neck, pulling me against his chest. I was already smiling with relief, but that smile only grows. "But… Jess and mom, they're both gone. Dad is god knows where… It's us, we're all that's left." Dean listens to him in silence, watching how he places a swift kiss on top of my head. "So, if we're gonna see this trough… We're gonna do it together." Both me and him are now looking at Dean, who's still wearing the same look on his face. "Hold me, Sam…" He then mutters, his voice fake cracking. "That was beautiful…" He reaches his hand out towards Sam's face, a playful grin appearing on his face. Sam lets go of me to slap Dean's hand away in the same playful annoyance. Dean is chuckling to himself, making his way over to the front seat. "You should be kissing my ass, you were dead meat, dude. Both of ya!" Sam points an accusing finger at Dean, a grin on his face. "Yeah, right. I had a plan. I'd have gotten us both out." Dean retorts. "As if!" I burst out in laughter, doubling over. "Shut your face!" Dean advises me, stepping inside. "We were dead meat!" I confess to Sam, grinning widely. Sam takes a sarcastic bow. "Hey, uh…" My eyes dart towards Dean, who's fumbling with his keys inside the car. "You came back." I then state awkwardly, glancing at the ground. "Yeah, I did." Sam mutters slowly. "Thanks… For that, I mean." I give him a meaningful look, before quickly crawling into the back seat. Not giving him space to react and not letting him know how much that actually means to me. Sam clears his throat, taking his place back in the passenger's seat. "Here, pick something…" Dean points to the box of cassettes, starting the car. "I thought it was; driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole…" Sam challenges with a grin, that quickly turns into a real laugh and twitch when Dean's hand shoots out and roughly squeezes his side. "Dohon't you dare!" Sam's eyes darken, his arms shooting towards his sides to protect them. "Pick something." Dean replies, shooting his hand forward to squeeze his knee. Sam yelps, kicking out his leg and barking out another laugh. "Stohop!" He raises his voice, to sound more serious, which is not really breaking through his happy expression. Dean chuckles, but retreats his hand, grabbing the steering wheel. I slowly lean back in my seat, a warm feeling spreading through me. That sight I'd pick over any fight, any day…