2.01
I open my eyes to flashing lights and noise.
"Can you hear me?" a muffled voice asks.
I try to find the voice, but I can't seem to move my head. But the world is moving. Like I'm being dragged along the road.
"JANIE!"
I blink slowly, the lights hurting my eyes. Then I'm staring up at Sam's bruised and bloodied face.
"Sam?"
"Hey, you're going to fine," he says. His voice is muffled too. "She's going to be all right, isn't she?"
"Sammy…"
I let my eyes close, and I sink into oblivion.
November 19th 1997
"Lauren, it's creepy," says Linda.
"Not creepy, cheap," says Lauren.
Lauren walks up the steps to the front door. Each stair creaks as her weight goes on it. "And you say it's not creepy? It's like the Amityville Horror."
"Jane needs a home."
"And this is the home?"
"Better than with Mom and Dad."
Linda shrugs. "Okay you got me there. But come on, how cheap can this be?"
Lauren rushes up the steps and unlocks the front door that swings open with a groan. "$150 a week."
Linda frowns. "Why?"
"Old guy couldn't rent it fast enough," Lauren smiles, gesturing for Linda to follow her into the house.
"Probably haunted," Linda jokes, taking in the house.
Lauren smiles again, "Probably."
Present Day
Dean sits up in a hospital bed and gets up. He walks into the hallway.
"Sam? Dad? Jane? Anybody?"
Dean wanders down the stairs and finds the nurse's station.
"Excuse me. Hi. I, uh, I think I was in a car accident, my dad and my brother and sister, I just need to find them."
The nurse does not respond.
"Hello?"
Dean snaps his fingers at the nurse. Nothing.
He goes back to where he woke up, sees himself lying there, intubated and unconscious.
Sam enters the room.
"Sammy! You look good. Considering."
"Oh, no," says Sam.
"Man, tell me you can hear me. How are Dad and Jane? Are they okay? Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!"
A doctor comes in. "Your father's awake. You can go see him if you like."
"Thank god."
"Doc, what about my brother?" asks Sam.
"Well, he sustained serious injury: blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney. But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema," says the Doctor.
"Well, what can we do?"
"Well, we won't know his full condition until he wakes up. If he wakes up."
"If?"
"I have to be honest-"
"Oh, screw you, Doc, I'm waking up."
"Most people with this degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. He's fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations," says the Doctor.
"Come on, Sam. Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me. Sam?"
"Your sister should be out of recovery soon, the surgeon said it all went well too," says the Doctor.
"Oh, thank god," says Sam.
"Surgery?" Dean asks.
December 9th 1997
Tap – tap – tap.
Jane's eyes open in the dark. She freezes.
Tap – tap – tap.
Jane reaches out, turns on her lamp, sits up.
Tap – tap – tap.
"Mommy?" Jane asks, looking around the room.
Her closet door, clicks, opens slightly.
Jane rushes out of bed and downstairs.
"Mommy?" Jane says.
Lauren turns on the sofa, "Honey, what are you doing up?"
Jane climbs into her mother's lap. Hugs her tight. "There's something in my closet."
Lauren holds Jane tighter. "Is there now?"
"It opened my closet."
Lauren smiles into Jane's hair. "Oh, well, I know just who to call about that."
Present Day
Sam goes to John's hospital room. John pulls something out of his wallet.
"Here. Give them my insurance," says John.
Sam takes the card, smiles. "Elroy McGillicutty?"
"And his three loving children. How's Janie?" asks John.
"Surgery went well, they're bringing her out of recovery in an hour," says Sam.
"Good. Good," John repeats to himself. "So, what else did the Doctor say about Dean?"
"Nothing. Look. The Doctors won't do anything, then we'll have to, that's all. I don't know, I'll find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him."
"We'll look for someone," says John.
"Yeah."
"But Sam, I don't know if we're gonna find anyone."
"Why not? I found that faith healer before."
"Right, that was, that was one in a million."
"So what? Do we just sit here with our thumbs up our ass?"
"No, I said we'd look. All right? I'll check under every stone. Where's the colt?"
"Your daughter just had major abdominal surgery, your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?"
"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card."
"It's in the trunk. They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83."
"All right. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside."
"I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place."
"All right. You, you go meet up with Bobby. you get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security."
"I think I've got it covered."
"Hey. Here. I made a list of things I need, have Bobby pick them up for me."
"Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?"
"Protection."
"Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"
"No, I don't."
Sam leaves. Spirit Dean is leaning behind the door. "Well, you sure know something."
December 14th 1997
Tap – tap – tap.
Jane's tears felt silently into her pillow. It came every night now.
At first Jane would go to her mother.
But she'd always send her back to bed.
Where it was waiting.
Aunty Linda said Jane was having nightmares. Should see a doctor.
Lauren insisted she was fine.
She'd called someone.
Whispered to Jane every night, "Your Daddy will be here soon."
Aunty Linda told Jane to ignore her mother.
Her Daddy wasn't coming back.
He was a trucker who had been passing through.
Lauren tried to call him all the time.
Her hardly answered her.
But Linda didn't know that a few nights ago, Lauren had called him again.
Told him about the monster in Jane's closet.
Told him she had nowhere else to go.
If they left the house, they'd be homeless.
I'll be there in a few days, John had said.
But tonight, Jane didn't know that.
She heard it open her closet. Walk across the floor. Stand over her bed. And watch her. Jane shut her eyes tight.
But there was more than one monster in that old house.
Present Day
My eyes are heavy as I try to open them. I feel like I've been run over by a truck. I groan and try to move; all I manage is to move my head.
"Hey, sweetie."
I know that voice. I force my eyes open. "Daddy."
He smiles. "Bout time you woke up."
"Sleeping on the job," I say slowly, finding my voice. "Not very professional."
Dad smiles. I realize he's holding my hand. I squeeze back. "I'll let it slide this time."
"What happened."
"We got hit by a truck."
Well, that explains it. "My head is killing me."
"You had surgery on your abdomen," Dad says. "Internal bleeding. Apparently, they've fixed you all up."
"I can't feel anything…"
"I think you're on some pretty strong stuff."
"Mr McGillicutty?" a nurse says.
Dad looks over.
"We need you back in your room, sir."
"In a minute," Dad says.
The nurse nods and leaves.
"McGillicutty?" I ask.
Dad grins. "He has family insurance."
"Ah."
Dad pushes my hair off my face. "I'm glad you're okay," he says.
I frown. "Where are Sam and Dean?"
"Sam's fine, he's off with Bobby with the car. Dean though…"
"What happened?"
"He's unconscious. The doctor isn't sure…isn't sure he's going to wake up."
"No."
"We're going to figure it out."
"How?"
"I've got a plan."
December 15th 1997
Linda didn't even feel it.
The man didn't know it wasn't his daughter.
Linda was in his daughter's room.
How was he to know?
He had been so patient. But she never listened. She never would. So, she didn't need her head.
Jane kept her eyes tight shut. If she didn't move, maybe the monster would not realize she was here at all.
Lauren had fallen asleep on the sofa.
The man came downstairs. He didn't know she wasn't his wife. His wife would fall asleep on the sofa all the time. Avoiding him. Avoiding his needs. Shirking her duty as a wife.
Well, she would pay for that now.
He went to the fireplace.
It burned brighter. And brighter.
The rug caught fire.
Present Day
"I brought you proper food," says Sam.
I open my eyes. The dream vanishing from my memory. I press the button for the bed to raise up so I'm sitting.
"Sam," I say, looking at the food.
"Yeah?"
"That's a roast chicken."
"Yeah."
"And vegetables. And gravy."
"Yeah, I know," Sam wheels my table over me and lays out the food on two paper plates.
"This is like…food food."
"Yeah."
"What's happening?"
"What are you talking about?" Sam sits on the edge of my bed and pours the gravy.
"The last time we had food food you told me you were going off to college."
Sam pauses mid gravy-pour. "Oh."
"What's happening? Is Dean ok?"
"He's fine."
"You're lying."
"I have a hunch about something."
"What?"
"I think Dean's around…somehow."
"But he's not…dead?"
"No."
I nod slowly. "O…kay?"
December 15th 1997
Jane would have stayed. Would have stayed in the bed forever. Would have burned alive.
"You have to get up now."
Jane shut her eyes tighter. She saw stars.
"I can't protect you any longer."
Protect?
Jane opened her eyes, just a little. Turned over, just a little.
She was only a monster because she had to be.
She smiled at Jane. "You need to get up now."
Jane sniffed, the tears stopping. But she smelled it.
"Are we having a barbecue?" Jane asked.
"Afraid not."
Jane pulled the blankets off. Got out of bed. Went to the door.
"It's locked," Jane said.
"No," she said. And disappeared.
"Hello?"
Jane knew this house had secrets.
She went to her closet. Pushed aside the clothes. Pushed on the back panel.
It slid open into her Aunty Linda's room.
"Aunty Linda?" called Jane. "Aunty Linda?"
Jane had never seen so much blood. Jane had never screamed so loud.
He heard her.
He appeared upstairs.
So did she.
"Leave her alone," she said.
Jane saw them both.
"She must be punished!"
The floor was getting hot under Jane's feet. She ran to the door. Downstairs.
"Mommy! Mommy!" all the way down.
The smoke. The fire. It didn't stop her.
Lauren's eyes opened. Saw the flames. Heard her daughter screaming.
Jumped up, went to the front door. The door was locked.
"Mommy?"
"It's locked…we're trapped."
A knock at the door.
"Lauren?"
"John?"
"Lauren?"
"It's locked!"
"Dean, get the sledgehammer!"
He appeared. Grabbed Lauren by the throat and dragged her backwards.
"Mommy!"
"Now, Dean!"
Banging on the door.
Lauren screaming, being dragged up…to the light.
"Mommy!"
Running to her mother's legs, they were kicking.
"Stay out of this," he said. Pushed the child aside.
Flames licked at Jane's face. She screamed again.
The door broke in.
A loud shot.
A man by Jane's side.
"Is there a basement?" this new man was asking her.
Jane looked up at him. Her mother had a photo of this man in her room. Under her pillow. His name was John. He was her father.
"Basement?" John asked.
"Yes." Jane answered
"Dean, Sam, go!"
John picked her up. The evil man appeared again. John shot him in the face, and he vanished.
John carried her outside as the house went up in flames. Jane gripped onto his jacket. Held him tight. He felt safe.
Two boys appeared a few moments later. From the back of the house.
"He was just laying in the dirt," said the taller one. "Skeleton in the closet too. We salted them both."
"Good," said John. He held the little girl tight. She gripped him back, head pushed into his chest.
"How'd you know they were here?" asked the smaller boy.
"Lauren called. The mother." John looked down at Jane.
"Who's this?" the taller one asked.
"Jane," said John.
"I don't think anyone else is getting out of there," said the tall one. The entire first floor was now in flames. Sirens wailed in the distance. "She got other family?"
"Yes," said John. "Us."
Jane turned her head. Looked at the boys again. But they were looking at each other.
Present Day
I awoke with a start. I had to get out of this bed. The drug induced sleeping was haunting me. Standing up is new experience post-surgery. My legs feel wobbly like jelly and weak. But I manage to stand and even take myself to the bathroom. I feel a little better after moving around and slowly make my way down the hallway. I find Dad sitting in a chair in his room.
"Hey," I say.
Dad looks up, he must have been lost in thought. "Hey, Janie."
I walk over, Dad stands up and gives me a hug. "You look good."
"It's an awful lot of drugs," I say, pulling away.
"How are you feeling?"
I shrug. "A little foggy. Which room is Dean in?"
Dad smiles. "Let's go." He puts an arm around my shoulders and leads me through the hospital.
"Is he okay?"
"More than okay," he knocks on a door.
Dean is sitting up in bed.
"Dean!" I rush over, legs almost giving way, I have fall, half leap into him and hug him tight.
Dean lets out a grunt. "Jesus, Munch," he says, but he hugs me back.
I sit on the edge of Dean's bed.
"How you feeling, dude?" Dad asks him.
"Fine, I guess. I'm alive."
"That's what matters."
"Where were you last night?" Sam asks, angry.
I look over at Dad.
"I had some things to take care of," he says.
"Well, that's specific."
"Come on, Sam."
"Did you go after the demon?"
"What?" I ask, shocked.
"No," Dad says.
"You know, why don't I believe you right now?" asks Sam.
"Can we not fight? You know, half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I, I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?"
I frown. What kind of drugs is Dad on? Can I get some?
"Dad, are you all right?" asks Sam.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Hey, son, would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?" asks Dad.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Sam leaves, Dad watching him go.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
Dad comes over to the bed. He puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."
I scoff. "For what?"
Dad laughs a little. "You were never meant to have this life…"
I roll my eyes. "You don't need to tell me this again, I-"
"Jane, I wish I could've given you a better life. But I am so proud of person you've become, the wonderful person you're going to grow up to be."
"Dad?" I ask.
He kisses the top of my head. "I thought I'd lost you, and Dean."
"I'm sorry…"
"Dad, you okay?" asks Dean.
"Fine. It's just…been a rough few days. Few months, really."
Dad drops his hand from my shoulder. "You should go back to your room, before the doctors get mad that they can't find you."
"But I-" I start.
"Please," Dad says.
And there's something in his tone that tells me to do what he says. I ease off Dean's bed, giving his hand a squeeze, smile at Dad, "Okay," I say. And leave.
"What is it?" I hear Dean ask, but I keep walking.
I'm about halfway back to my room when I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. I turn back around, heading instead for Dad's room. I see Sam in front of me, with the coffee…and then he drops it.
I run.
Sam's yelling for help when I go into the room.
Dad's on the floor.
"Help, someone!" I rush to Dad's side. "No no no no no," it's all I can say.
A few nurses come in. I don't know how but somehow, I'm moved out of the room. Sam hands, gripped vice like on my shoulders as we stare into Dad's room. At another point Dean arrives. Yells. I can't make out what.
More people arrive in Dad's room.
They're trying.
I know they are.
People are talking.
I can't hear what they're saying.
They're working on Dad.
But nothing is happening.
Dad is still on the floor.
He's not moving.
A doctor says something about compressions.
A nurse says something…no pulse?
They all stop working.
I want to scream "what are you doing?!", "help my dad!" "that's my dad!" but my mouth hangs dumbly open.
No noise.
Nothing.
The next thing someone says I make out perfectly clearly.
"Time of death: 10:41 am."