Carli 💜 (Burning in University™)

The morning after killing Jeremy, the Singers and Winchesters parted ways, the brothers deciding to hit the road in search of Bela while the Singers keep tabs on the hunters’ network for any word of her there. “Call us first before you dive nose first, idjits,” Bobby grumbled as a goodbye, climbing into his truck without fanfare. “Seriously though, if you find her… I’ve been wanting to punch her smug little face for years, so don’t take all the fun for yourselves.” Alex smirked, patting their shoulders before heading over to Murphy. And just like that the Singers were gone.

“Hey, Sam, I was wondering…” Dean zipped his duffel while Sam stood next to him at the trunk of the Impala, “When you were in my head, what did you see?”  “Uh, just Jeremy. He kept me separated from you. Easier to beat my brains out that way, I guess,” Dean scoffed lightly at that, “What about you? You never said,” Sam asked, a little worried frown creasing his forehead like usual. Dean looked at him for a moment, pressing his lips together and shaking his head, “Nothing. I was looking for you the whole time.” A beat passed between them and Dean closed the trunk firmly. They circled around to the front, sitting in their usual seats, Dean sat unusually stiff and spoke his brother’s name quietly. “Sam.” “Yeah?” Sam looked over immediately, casual. Dean cleared his throat, “I’ve been doing some thinking, and…” He cocked his head to the side, “Well, the thing is…” His voice got thicker and lower as he tried to bring it out, “I don’t wanna die.” Sam took a deep breath, sitting upright as he watched his older brother’s lip quiver just barely, “I don’t wanna go to Hell.” Sam swallowed, once, twice and gave a little nod, “Alright. Yeah,” Then nodded more firmly, his voice cracking a little, “We’ll find a way to save you.” “Okay good,” he swallowed with relief, a tired smile breaking through and Sam felt his chest tighten. They exchanged a small nod, before Dean started the engine and the familiar rumble settled in the silence between them, and they were on the road once more.

“We’re really not going to a bar? On New Year’s Eve?” Sam asked Dean for probably the fifth time that night, his brother shrugged. “Yeah. Why’s that so surprising?” he looked mildly offended, shrugging off his jacket as he settled on the motel bed with a squeak of the springs. “Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?” Sam scoffed, eyebrows still raised in disbelief. “You used to love going out on New Years, said it was the second best night of the year after Valentine’s Day, for and I quote this, ‘banging lonely chicks’,” he emphasised it with bunny ears. “Well, I’m a changed man, Sam,” he leaned back on his hands, toeing off his boots with a quiet grunt, “Got more important things to do goin’ on right now giving a woman the best night of her life,” he smirked. Sam laughed quietly, “There’s some of it at least.” He sat down on the twin bed, a moment of silence passed between them before he gave a small nod, “We’ll find her, Dean,” The older Winchester’s jaw twitched for a moment, not needing the name to know exactly who they were talking about. “Yeah, well. When we do– you better be the one to talkin’ because I’ll be too tempted to stick a bullet in her brain first,” Sam nodded in understanding.

A few hours later and several beers in, the brothers were half awake on their motel beds, the TV on low in the background as they watched the live New York New Year’s Eve Countdown. The room was thick with tension that they were trying to ignore. “Three… two… one… Happy New Year!” the TV flickered with confetti and colours, people cheering or kissing on screen. “Two thousand and eight is coming in to an amazing start for some people already—” Dean turned it off with an irritated groan, “Yeah yeah, happy friggin’ New Year,” he tossed the remote across the room lazily and rolled onto his side away from Sam, curling into himself, letting the buzz of the alcohol sink in. “Happy New Year, Dean,” Sam said quietly. Dean grunted, “Happy New Year, Sammy,” before sighing loudly, closing his eyes as silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Sam nodded slowly, then slowly climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to his chest, he swallowed thickly and reached for his phone on the bedside table before texting the Singers a happy New Year. The room fell into silence.

Days turned into weeks without any sign of Bela. As much as they’d hate to admit it, she was smart. When Bela wanted to hide, she knew how to cover her tracks, though it was naturally easier when she kept in contact with spirits that probably tracked the hunters without their knowledge. Sam and Dean were constantly on the road finishing off hunts while keeping an eye out for Bela when they could, and it was beginning to wear them down, because Bela could’ve easily used the Colt for herself, or simply sold the Colt on the black market by now. Either way Sam had a feeling they weren’t going to find it once they found her. Bela was just the tip of the iceberg of Sam’s problems, without the Colt, the little leverage they had on finding the right demon and terminating Dean’s contract was gone.

Sam gasped softly as his eyes flew open, the Trickster snapped his fingers just moments before and tossed him back into reality like it was just another Tuesday. Tuesday, oh God no— Sam sat upright, hand clutching the sheets over him and his eyes tracking the room with a frown, instead of Asia playing on the radio clock there was a different song playing, ‘You better promise me, I’ll be back in time~’ There stands Dean in the tiny bathroom, his usual gruff ‘too damn early’ demeanor written all over his face, brushing his teeth like it was any other day. When they lock eyes Dean grumbles, “Were you gonna sleep all day?” Sam just stared at him like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I know, no Asia. This station sucks.” He continues brushing his teeth and Sam glances at the radio clock. Wednesday. Thank God. “It’s Wednesday,” Sam whispers and his eyes immediately well up, and Dean seems to have no idea why Sam sounds so relieved. “Yeah.” Dean frowns, eyeing him, “Which usually follows Tuesday. Turn that thing off.” He gestures his toothbrush at the radio clock, and returns to the bathroom to spit. Sam ignores the request, throws off the sheets from his legs as his eyes stay locked on his brother, worried that if he blinked Dean would die, again. He pushed himself off the motel bed, padding over in a few strides and just as Dean turned around Sam wrapped him up in a tight embrace, arms over his shoulders. Dean physically froze, and Sam could just picture the surprise on his face, but right now, he just wanted to hold him. “Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?” Dean mumbles, his arms come around Sam slowly. “Enough.” Sam replies. “Wait,” he pulls away and Dean lets go, he steps back and looks at him, “What do you remember?” He sees the concern on Dean’s face clearly now. “I remember you were pretty wacked out yesterday. I remember catching up with the Trickster. That’s about it,” Dean lists it off, shaking his head slightly with a small shrug. Sam just gives a small nod, his throat bobbing and a quick inhale, “Let’s go,” he says quietly. “No breakfast?” Dean asks, eyebrows raised. He scoffs, “No breakfast,” Dean looks disappointed for a moment then decides, “Alright, I’ll pack the car,” “Wait. You’re not going anywhere alone,” he blocked Dean’s line of sight to the doorway in one swift step. “It’s the parking lot, Sam,” Dean argues. “Just— just trust me.” Sam looked exhausted, so Dean didn’t argue.

They pack their bags in silence and once they’re ready Dean opens the door, looking at him with concern, “Hey, you don’t look so good. Somethin’ else happen?” Sam doesn’t look at him, and mumbles, “I just had a really weird dream.” Dean’s head moves in a nod, “Clowns, or midgets?” Sam finally looks up at him, as Dean grins that stupid smart ass smile, and Sam can barely muster lifting the corner of his mouth as a smile in return, before shrugging his backpack over his shoulder. The brothers walk out of the motel, Sam taking his time and eyeing their messy beds for a moment, he didn’t bother making his bed like he usually would. With a soft exhale he switches the light off with a flick of his finger, before shutting the door behind them.

The drive to the Salvage Yard had been relatively quiet, at least on his side. He didn’t mind Dean’s purposefully off-key singing, the little smirks and quips when they stopped at a diner on the road back. For once, Sam was actually taking note of it and he hated that he felt the need to. The Trickster really screwed with his mind, so taking in every moment of his brother actually alive and breathing next to him felt like the only thing anchoring him to reality. “You sure you’re okay, Sammy?” Dean asked for probably the tenth time in the last few hours. “I’m fine.” It was a lie, they both knew it, but he just couldn’t tell Dean what happened without sounding insane, or being babied for a while, so he kept it to himself. Dean’s jaw tensed but he stopped bringing it up. When they finally pulled up to the Salvage Yard late in the afternoon they found Bobby inside, a pile of books on either side of him as he sat at the desk, he looked up when they walked in. “Hey Bobby,” the brothers greeted in unison. “Boys,” he greeted back gruffly.  They made themselves comfortable fast, Dean grabbing a beer from the fridge while Sam grabbed two sodas once he realised Alex was out back tinkering with Murphy. Before he could even open his mouth she turned from her work and smiled. “Hey Sam,” she wiped grease from her hands with a rag, then eyed the bottle in his hand, he passed it over and she opened it with the edge of her shirt before sipping, “Thanks,” she raised the bottle in cheers and then really looked at him, “You’ve got that look that says ‘I’ve been thinking too much’... What’s going on?” They sat next to each other on the stairs, Sam’s legs resting a little awkwardly but he made it work, he took a long sip of his soda and then sighed. “Do you ever… question what’s real or not?” He finally asked and she frowned. “I mean, that’s a hell of a question to ask a hunter. Everything we do makes me question reality,” she scoffed, shaking her head and turning it slightly to look at him, “Something happened with Dean again?” He swallowed, nodding, “Yeah. And it’s been chewing me up all day because I can’t even talk to him about it without sounding crazy,” his leg twitched a little, his nerves finally getting the chance to self-soothe for the first time all day. “Okay... Well I’m here now. So why don’t you tell me what’s been going on in that giant head of yours, and I’ll make the final verdict.” She offered, taking another sip of soda and that was enough to almost make him tear up again.

He took a deep breath before starting, “We were checking out the disappearance of a guy in Broward County, place called The Mystery Spot, and I had this feeling that maybe it was like those other kinds of phenomena like the Bermuda Triangle and Oregon Vortex—” he stopped himself, “I’m already sounding stupid for this, Dean thought I was ridiculous,” “Well I don’t,” she shook her head, “Sam, c’mon. Keep yapping,” she patted his leg and he nodded. “Alright well, I’ll skip to the gist of it.” He drew a deep breath, “Turns out it wasn’t the place that was iffy, it was a thing. Something we thought we’d killed over a year ago but I guess we weren’t as thorough as we thought. Bobby still helped us take care of it, but we were wrong,” he shook his head. “What was it?” She pressed, watching him carefully. “It was a Trickster. He thought it was hilarious to make me relive the worst Tuesday of my life,” his eyes welled up definitely now and he looked the other way, frustration building. “Bastard really acted like he was giving me some kind of cosmic lesson,” his voice cracked a little and he hated it, “I watched Dean die. Too many times, different ways. No matter what I did to try and change the outcome he found a way for it to happen. Like it was some kind of sick game making me watch my brother die over and over again.” “Oh Sa—” “He said it was funny.” He continued bitterly, tears falling hot down his cheeks, “Asked me how long it was gonna take to finally admit that I can’t save Dean. As if he knew it was inevitable, you know? That’s what made it worse.” He stammered now, hands shaking. “Hey.” Alex’s palm brushed across his back in a soothing motion before settling around him, a little awkwardly since she was too short to fully hold him but he leaned in slightly anyway, appreciating the comfort. “You’re not crazy. Not after that, I’d be questioning everything too,”  “That’s not even the worst part,” he mumbled, tired and she waited, “We’d buried him, together. After a few months I stopped calling Bobby, and you… For six months he made me think Dean was dead. I worked myself stupid, hunting everything I could get my hands on while obsessing over finding the damn Trickster,” he continued, breathing unevenly, “I was broken— but didn’t want to admit it to either of you.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees as he hides his face in his hands, the soda set aside and forgotten. He kept the fact that in that reality he’d killed Bobby when he believed he was the Trickster in disguise, Alex’s voice brought him back.

“Well the Trickster clearly doesn’t know me very well,” she huffed, squeezing Sam’s side and rubbing her palm across his back again, “Because if you ever go AWOL on me, I will hunt your ass down and get answers from you,” she chuckles softly, patting his back firmly and it actually pulls a weak laugh from him. “Yeah?” A small smile forms, “Dean’s the best hunter I know, and when I ran off on purpose, he didn’t know how to find me,” “Dean’s the best— wow. That’s just wrong on so many levels,” she shakes her head, “And sexist I might add,” she moves her arm away and nudges him firmly with her shoulder, “D’you forget I took down a big vampire nest before you met me and how I nearly knocked your giant ass out when I’m basically a whole foot shorter than you?” She scoffed, “You wound me, Samuel.” She puts her hand on her chest. He smiles, feeling a little lighter, and shakes his head, “How can I forget? My neck still aches if I sleep wrong where you choked me,” he rubbed the back of his neck, remembering how they first met. There’s a moment of silence, calmer, Sam takes in a breath and lets it out, “Thanks, Alex.” “If you ever need to vent, I’m here,” she nodded and he picked up his soda, they clinked them, “But seriously, I’m gonna be on you like a tick. You’re family.” She grinned and he chuckled softly again. “Yeah, family.” He agreed.

The town was eerily quiet when Bobby’s truck pulled up, the Impala slowing down just a car link behind them, Alex’s jaw tightened but they climbed out anyway. The Singers checked over their shoulders out of habit as they walked over to the Winchesters. The nearby diner’s windows were boarded up, lights off as the night was settling in and not a single car or person was on the streets. “Okay, so the town’s definitely got something going on,” Dean muttered as he closed his door, “Apologies, Bobby. You were right.” “‘Course I was,” the older hunter huffed, patting his handgun in his back pocket as they walked on, “A small town suddenly cuts off all communication with the outside world, all because an area in the fringes starts gettin’ dug up? Somethin’s awake and it’s pissed,” “And it’s got everyone spooked,” Alex agreed, “Population around a thousand give or take… Where’d they all go?” She gestured to the space around them as cicadas chirped loudly in the distance. “Alright, we split up. No heroics, you kids yell if anything is off,” Bobby sighed, clearly not liking the plan at all. He glanced down at his phone and then tucked it away. “Cell towers are down, we’ll use these,” he grabbed the radios from behind his seat in the truck and handed them each one. They flick them on, testing that they’re linked to the same channel and give a nod. “Twenty minutes, then we meet back here. Got it?”  “Yeah, Bobby,” they said at the same time, Bobby gave a nod of satisfaction, and they split off on their own.

Alex looked around, the main shops in the centre of the town were boarded up like they were keeping someone out. Her EMF was already quietly scanning the area but nothing was spiking, there was no smell of sulphur in the air ruling out spirits or demons in the immediate area. She sighed and pocketed her EMF, walking carefully around another corner when a warm hand suddenly wrapped around her mouth and another around her middle. She kicked and flailed her arms violently, and managed to get her jaw to move enough to bite the offender’s hand hard enough to make him let go on instinct with a yelp. “Elijah, get her!” the man’s voice yelled and she turned around to see a man around Bobby’s age shaking his hand furiously, and heard the footsteps of someone running behind her. “Hey— wait!” She held her hands up in defense and managed to duck just as a fist came swinging for her face, the radio fell on the ground with a loud clatter, it made a shrill electronic noise before the older man crushed it and two other men came running towards her. “Bobby!” She yelled loudly, hoping that either he or one of the brothers would hear her. Alex backed up, hands still raised in surrender when something splintered against her back and she yelped, falling to her knees. Her hands barely braced in time to avoid her face hitting the tar, then someone’s hands gripped her jacket and lifted her up by the collar and she looked up, eyes wide. “Thought you’d come out here on your own to find our hideout, did you?” The old man’s face is hovering inches from her face, teeth bared. Two men grabbed her arms and held her tight enough to bruise. “I don’t—” “Shut up.” He hisses, then looks at the others, “Let’s get her bound, blindfolded and find out who she is. Now.” “The Hell you are,” Bobby’s voice called sternly as his handgun clicked in his raised hand, “Let her go, nice and slow.” “Who the Hell do you think you are?” The old man retorts. “Your worst nightmare, if you don’t let her go,” Dean’s voice called out from the opposite side, making them turn their heads. Sam and Dean stood with their own handguns cocked, eyes locked on the men surrounding her. The old man looked both ways, three guns pointed at the four of them, he sighed, “Let her go,”  The men holding her arms dropped her and she grunted, catching herself before standing and making her way back to Bobby, eyes not leaving them. Bobby’s voice was low, just for her, “You alright, Pumpkin?” “I’m fine. Someone’s gonna get their ass kicked in a minute if they don’t explain soon though,” she grumbled, wiping her hands down on her jeans, before crossing her arms as she looked over at the men. “I suggest you talk,” Bobby lowers his gun slightly, “What’s goin’ on here?” “Womenfolk lost their damn marbles just over a week ago, town’s been under a siege since,” one of the others explains as one of the older men glares, then looks over at Alex. “How do we know she’s not one of them?” He asks. “One of what, exactly?” Dean asks, “We just got here to find an empty town.” “Sorry, we’re just gonna gloss over ‘womenfolk’? Okay.” Alex muttered. There’s a beat and the old man sighs, “Come with us. If she has to come with, so be it.”

Several minutes of walking through abandoned streets later, they end up inside a bed and breakfast that’s been converted to some kind of military base. Windows nailed shut, curtains drawn, candles lighting the darker corners. Bobby’s in front, with Dean following right behind, then Alex and Sam at the back. Alex feels a strange prickle under her skin as they walk past many faces, not a single woman among them, and each one of them seems to bristle as she walks through the house. She feels a soft hand settle between her shoulders briefly before slipping away as Sam steadies his steps to walk beside her. “Please tell me you noticed how creepy this is too,” she whispered. “I don’t think creepy cuts it,” Sam agrees just as quietly, “But we’ve got your back,” They walk on until they reach what looks like a war room, a map laid out on the table with pins and markers drawn all over, on the wall a cork board with patrol schedules and zones marked for potential food sources once they run out. The four men stop around the table, and the older man finally introduces himself. “Name’s Connor, semi-retired mechanic. My son, Elijah,” he gestures to the man who had tried to punch Alex earlier, he just nods, eyes still locked on her. The other two introduce themselves as Philip and Walter. “Bobby. My daughter, Alex,” he introduces gruffly, “And my boys, Sam and Dean,” the brothers don’t correct him, just nod. “So what’s been goin’ on here, Connor? And you can cut the crap about wonderin’ if we’re gonna believe you. Trust me, we’ve seen a lot.” “Yeah? And who exactly are you?” Connor crossed his arms, “You’re not exactly dressed for a family road trip, and if you are, you picked a Hell of a night to pass through,” “We’re hunters, not your regular kind either,” Bobby started. “Yeah, we take out the demons and monsters under your bed that you tell kids about,” Dean smirked. Bobby gave Dean a look, then continued, “I had a tip off from another hunter that this town was actin’ haunted, so we came to see for ourselves,” he mirrored Connor, crossing his arms. “So tell us, how did it all start exactly?”

Connor’s eyes raked over them for a moment, sitting on Alex for longer than necessary before meeting Bobby’s eyes again, “About ten days ago, the Reverend David’s daughter, Michaela, started acting up outta nowhere. Getting all kinds of defensive, then aggravated. Escalated when she threw a lamp at her father, glass everywhere, screaming like a banshee,” he pauses, as they all look at each other, “Figure of speech in my case, I think. They wanted to put her in a facility up north but then other women started acting the same too, before we knew it we were up in arms trying not to get the daylights beaten outta us. Tempers high, eyes an unnatural colour. Definitely not medical textbook stuff,” “Unnatural how, black?” Bobby asked. He shook his head, “Coloured parts were a strange golden colour, not like jaundice, in that— what’s the part you called it again, Elijah?” “The irises,” he spoke up. Sam turned towards Bobby, “Doesn’t sound like demons, unless…?” He doesn’t want to bring up Azazel’s name. “Too many people for one demon,” Bobby shook his head. “Has to be a spirit, considering the construction,” “Some spirits change the colours of people’s eyes when they possess their bodies,” Alex suggested, “Rare, but noted in some lore books. A town this size though?” She shook her head, “Unless we’re going with ancient burial grounds.” Connor scoffed, but that didn’t deter Sam, “Did anything major happen in this town in recent years? Like a tragic death or murder?” “No,” Connor shook his head, “Most we have is petty crimes.”

“That’s not true,” a man’s voice piped up from the nearby doorway, where he’d been listening in. “Noah, what’re you doing here? You’re supposed to be making rounds,” Elijah’s brow hardened as he stared down the younger man. “I swapped with Rick when I saw you bring them in,” he answered and then looked at the hunters, “There was this big unsolved missing person’s case about twenty years ago,” Connor scowled, “Boy, that’s got nothing to do with this madness—” “Actually, we’d like to hear him out,” Sam shut him down with a raised hand, then looked at the young man. “Noah, right? Why’d you think this missing person’s important?” “Bethany Calhoun, she was Michaela’s best friend—” “Wait, you didn’t say how old Michaela is,” Dean looked at Connor, “You made it sound like she was a hormonal teenager,” “She may as well have been,” Connor huffed, “She’s what, thirty-six, thirty-seven years old and started throwing fits out of the blue. Everyone thought it was menopause,” Alex rolled her eyes then gestured to Noah to continue, he cleared his throat and nodded, “Well, anyway– there were rumours about what happened to Beth, that maybe she died. Some saying suggesting suicide, others that she was murdered by a hitchiker passing through,” he shrugged, “Cops never found anything. They labelled her a runaway teen.” He finished. The hunters looked thoughtful for a moment, huddling together and whispering ideas and then nodded in unison, Bobby cleared his throat and spoke up, “Your missin’ girl might be takin’ revenge on your town for buryin’ somethin’ that shouldn’t’ve been.” “What?” Connor stared at them in disbelief. “We’re dealing with a vengeful spirit,” Dean elaborated, tired of dancing around things now. “Someone had something to do with her death. Yeah, death. And she’s pissed off enough to take over a whole town just to get back at the people she deems responsible. And in case I wasn’t being clear: it’s you. All of you.”

“How many of the women have these golden eyes?” Sam asked, then dropped his shoulders when they stayed quiet, “The more we know the better chance we have at dealing with this,” “About three dozen, maybe more,” Elijah’s fist tightened at his side, “They’ve taken over the police and firestation. The men they managed to capture are cuffed or tied up in temporary holding cells. From what we’ve managed to survey at a distance,” “Any casualties yet?” Dean asked, throat working a little, they shook their heads, “Good. We plan to keep it that way,” “And what exactly makes you all so special?” Connor asked. “We’re ‘special’ because we’ve been doin’ this since we were kids,” Dean chimed back, patting Sam’s shoulder, “We know our way around these kinds of things. So why don’t you just get off your high horse—” “I didn’t fight in ‘nam just to be spoken to with such disrespect.” Connor spat, “I should give you the belt for being such a smart mouth—” “Hey! Enough.” Sam yelled, stepping between them as they had moved closer, “We’re here to help, alright? We’re on the same side,” “Not with her here,” Elijah shakes his head, stepping forward as his eyes locked on Alex, “How do we know she’s not infected too?” “Because she came with us, dumbass,” Dean glared at him “He’s right, we need to see if she has the mark or not,” “Mark? You didn’t mention that earlier,” Sam’s brows furrowed, frustration building gradually, “What does it look like?” “It’s medallion shaped, whatever is it makes a dark circle,” Noah explained, “It’s branded on their forearms like it’s some kind of cult thing,” “Shit,” Dean murmured, “Think this just became way more complicated,” “You think?” Alex scoffed, “But we’re in it now. Even if the townsfolk are a little strange.” She looked between the hunters and civilians. “Still, we need to be sure you’re not just spying on us,” Philip spoke up for the first time, eyes on Alex. “Fine. You need proof, here,” she shrugged off her jacket, her arms bare in her tank top as she flexed her arms both sides to show that they’re unmarked. “Happy?” The other man, Walter, stepped forward and flicked on a torch at his side before raising it to her face. She blinked at the harsh light suddenly cast in her eyes but stayed on the spot, letting him examine her eyes, her jaw clenching irritably. He suddenly sucked in a breath, “What the…” Elijah stepped forward, too eagerly and Sam nearly stepped up just to get between them. Elijah scoffed, “You’re seeing things, they’re blue.” He almost sounded disappointed as they stepped back. “She’s safe,” he nodded at his father, before adding under his breath, ‘For now.’

A few hours later the group was finally allowed to grab their gear and set up sleeping arrangements in an unoccupied space of the house. It was getting dark out when they returned to the war room to have another look at the map, they listened as Elijah listed off places where they knew the women were entering and exiting, and where they think the likeliest places are for the hostages they took. Every so often Elijah’s gaze would fall onto Alex, distrusting and Sam caught onto it every single time it happened. Eventually the group decides to turn in after making what felt like a small amount of progress, but it would have to be tomorrow’s problem. Tensions were still a little high and sleep was needed soon before making hasty decisions. Bobby was talking outside with Connor, while Dean talked to Elijah about the Impala trading car stories like he was an old friend, meanwhile the other two hunters sat in their makeshift room. Alex was polishing gear that didn’t need to be cleaned while Sam paged through their dad’s old journal for information that might be helpful. He sighed and set it aside, rubbing his temple before glancing at her, “Hey, you okay?” “Mm? Yeah, fine.” She didn’t look up, “Find anything in your dad’s book?” “Nope,” he shook his head, leaning back against the spring mattress with his palms, still watching her. “You trying to make a mirror or polish your blade?” His mouth twitched in a smile. She rolled her eyes and set it aside, “Just keeping my hands busy, you know how it is sometimes.” She met his eyes, “This whole situation just isn’t sitting right with me. There’s something bigger going on here, and I feel like we’re about to dive head first without seeing how deep it is, you know?” “Yeah, I get it,” he nodded slowly, then glanced at the doorway. “That Elijah seems eager not to trust you.” She scoffed, “Pretty sure he would’ve punched me if I was under the mark’s influence or not, I think he just wanted an excuse.” She looked over at Connor, “Rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I think.” Before they could say more Bobby and Dean walked in, closing the door behind them, the four of them looked at each other, “Right, well tomorrow mornin’ we’re gonna scope out the place ourselves. It’s across town, but we gotta keep our eyes peeled because it’ll be easier to see us in broad daylight,” Bobby gave a final nod, “Now let’s sleep. I have a feelin’ this is gonna be a heavy one,” They settled into the makeshift beds, Singers on one side and the Winchesters on the other. It took some time for them to fall asleep, with the town being unusually quiet compared to the noise and hum of motels that they were more accustomed to, but eventually they drifted to sleep.

By early dawn the four of them were up and stretching, preparing to take on the day. They gathered around the map table to finalise their plan of action when Connor and Elijah strolled in, watching them curiously. Bobby pretended not to notice, “Alex, you and Sam can take the east side, Dean and I can take the west, I’ve still got two radios we can use,” he gives a pointed look to Connor, who doesn’t react. Instead, he steps closer, “You’re really letting her join you?” He crosses his arms, “No offence, sweetheart, but biting isn’t gonna get you far when you’re surrounded again,” Alex bristled at that, glaring at him, “Next time I’ll make sure to draw blood then,” and then added, “I’m not the one who copped out using a damn chair to hit someone from behind like a coward—” “Enough.” Bobby said sternly, settling his hand on Alex’s shoulder, then looked at Connor, “She’s tougher than she looks, she handled these two with just her hands and a pistol,” he gestured to the Winchesters.  Connor scoffed, “Really? Then we may as well be handling this thing ourselves if your boys can’t handle a girl—” “Hey, I’m twenty-three, do I look like I’ve got pigtails and a little dress on to you, grandpa?” “What I’m saying is I think you should let the men handle it, honey. It’s not your business, this is what we’re built for,” Connor smirked. “I’ll show you what I’m built for—” “Whoa—” Dean grabs her shoulder with force. Conner watches Dean and Bobby hold Alex’s shoulders back, “See? Hot temper’s not gonna help us out there,” “Yeah? And you guys have it all figured out here do you?” She tried to shrug them off but they kept their hands firm, calming down for a moment, “That’s why you’re stuck in this hiding hole, because a bunch of ‘girls’ scared the crap outta you?” She spat back. “Do you want our help, or not?” Sam asked, exasperated, “Because we could just pack up and leave,” Bobby gave him a look but Sam’s lips pressed tight together, staring at the father and son standing in front of them. “Alright, alright.” Connor mumbled, “Just keep her in check,” he gestures with a bandaged hand and the two of them walk out without saying another word.

The silence that filled the space now that they were gone somehow felt more tense than the shouting match had. Dean had removed his hand the second Connor had turned away, but didn’t meet her eyes as if he regretted his action. Bobby’s hand remained tense until they were sure they were out of the room, only then did he release Alex’s shoulder and she let her shoulders drop finally. Sam turned his head, locking eyes briefly before the four of them headed towards Bobby’s truck outside. “You don’t have to prove anything, not to them. Not to us,” Sam spoke low, just for her as he walked behind her. She scoffed, “Yeah? That’s why I’m butting heads with that geezer, because I’m competent and everyone believes in me?” “He’s a jerk who has no idea you could headlock or outfight him,” he countered, “Bobby and Dean are just… trying to keep the peace.” He shrugged. “Well they’re doing a great job, I feel fantastic,” she muttered. “You done runnin’ your mouths?” Bobby’s voice spoke up, gruff enough to make them flinch, he opened the truck. “Good. We got a case to work,”

The truck rumbled to a stop as they reached the location, just as discussed they split off to either side. Sam and Alex take the east while Bobby and Dean head west, handguns and shotguns loaded and ready, just in case. Sam takes out his binoculars when he sees a hint of movement inside, “There’s probably dozens of them in there, like they said. A few dressed in uniform, a couple firefighters and cops,” he gathered, and then sighed, “You know what would actually be more useful? Having someone on the inside to take them down from their inner circle—” “Sam, you’re a genius,” Alex smacks his arm, grinning widely as he lowered the binoculars down. “Oh no, what’s that look for? You’re not—” “C’mon, Sam, it’s a brilliant plan! I’ll sneak in, take down notes and come back to the compound—” “And how exactly are you gonna convince them you’re one of them? Without the eyes, and the the- branding?” he gestured. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it,” she waves the reasoning away. “We’ll talk to Bobby first,” Sam raised his hand as Alex whined his name, “We have to, you know that.” “But you also know Bobby’s gonna shut it down the second I bring it up.” “Then I’ll try to sway him,” he offered and she sighed, “Let’s go find them, maybe he’ll agree to it.” Bobby absolutely did not. “Did you two hit your heads on somethin’ while we were gone?” Bobby asked, “Why would I purposefully let you walk in a buildin’ full of hostile people on your own?” He shook his head as he looked at Alex and then turned to face Sam, “And you, boy. How on earth did you get into Stanford to be dumb enough to hop on board with this cockamamy idea?” “Hey, let’s not do this—” Dean started and Bobby held up his hand. “Not even if Hell freezes over, end of discussion.” Bobby looked between Alex and Sam, shaking his head again firmly. Alex started, “But Bobby—” “No.” He gritted his teeth, “End. Of. Discussion.” He walked away before either of them could argue. Dean looked between them, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Bobby was out of earshot, “For the record, you are crazy.” He gestured to Alex, “But I would’ve totally been on board with it too.” “Then why didn’t you say anything?” Alex asked, throwing her hands in the air and crossing her arms. “You think Bobby’s gonna take democracy over you?” He clapped back, “Besides, last time we used you as bait you ended up in the friggin’ hospital mauled by a damn Wendigo.” She scoffed, “I don’t think these women are gonna cut me up,” “You don’t know that, they could be like Dahmer, or Bundy. Plenty of psychos looked normal,” Dean shrugged, “Look. We’re not even sure there aren’t any casualties, we don’t need to start with one on our side.” He patted her shoulder and walked after Bobby back towards the truck.

Sam placed his hand on her shoulder and she shrugged him off, hands curled into fists at her side as she moved towards the truck, he followed in silence. “Alright you three, here’s the plan: we’re gonna stake out the place for a few hours, see how regularly they’re patrolling if at all, get an idea of numbers.” Bobby stated, looking between them, and lastly on Alex, “Nobody goes inside, are we clear?” “Yes, Bobby,” they said in unison. For the next few hours they remain split up, Bobby and Dean stay inside the truck on the west side, while Alex and Sam find a small convenient store to hide out in. Sam jolts when he hears a whizzing sound only to turn around and find Alex sipping from a Monster Energy.  She raises her hands in the air, “Sorry, didn’t think you’d spook over a can,” “Seriously? You’re stealing. Isn’t this town going through enough?” “Oh my God, what are you? The cops?” She huffed and placed a five dollar bill on the counter, then stashed another can in her backpack, “Hey, I paid for two I’m taking two. Calm down, Sergeant Buzzkill. See anything new yet?” She crouched down to his level by the counter he was leaning over. “Just another patrol. They travel in groups of five by the looks of it,” he said, jotting down on a paper, “That’s the third one I’ve seen, different faces every time.” “They’re organised,” she shook her head, “Sam, if this is a vengeful spirit—” “Then it’s nothing like what we’ve dealt with before.” He finishes with a nod, “This kind of planning and long-term control…” “Feels kind of, cult-ish, don’t you think?” she suggested, suddenly chewing a protein bar and he looked at her, “Relax, I brought this with me,” “Actually, yeah. Now that you mention it,” he thinks for a moment, “They’re acting like a unit, only targeting the men... Whatever happened to Bethany must’ve been ignored by the town,” Alex straightened a little, bar wrapper shoved into her pocket as her eyes fixed on something in the distance, she raised her hand and pointed, “I’m betting all-in that it has something to do with the Church,” Sam raised his binoculars, just beyond the police and fire station was in fact a Church, he lowered them, “How did you see—?” “Reverend’s daughter was the first one, remember?” She ignored him, dialling into the radio, “Hey Bobby,” Alex spoke into the radio, “We should find out more about the local Church. I’ve got this gnawing feeling that it has something to do with Bethany,” “Oh, we’re sure it has,” Bobby agreed, “From our vantage point, the place has been defaced. Looks all recent too.” She elbowed his side, “Told you!” She grinned, then pressed the side button on the radio again, “So what’re we doing next?” “We rendezvous where we started at midnight, and then we’ll go inside as a unit. That way none of us get used as leverage,” “Seriously? That’s still four hours from now—” “Alex, don’t argue with me.” “Fine.” She put the radio down firmly on the counter, barely glancing at Sam, “I’m gonna walk around the store. I hate waiting.”

The sun descended over the horizon and darkened the streets and abandoned buildings. Every fifteen minutes Sam would answer Bobby’s check-in over the radio, Alex kept herself busy by pacing and occasionally using the binoculars to look through the store window. “Hey, you okay?” Sam finally asked as she circled for the umpteenth time. “Like I said an hour ago, I hate waiting.” She kicked her boot into the floor, sighing deeply and let her hands rest in her pockets. “Anxiety’s a bitch. I keep thinking about what we could be doing right now instead of standing around doing nothing—” “Alright, yeah that makes sense.” He stands, reaching out and tilting his head a little, “Then how about you have one of your blunts?” She shook her head, “I only need them for sleeping,” she glanced at the window, “What would really help me is if I could go in now—” “Bobby would kill us,” “So we’re dead either way! That’s fine,” “Alex—” “Sam!” She groaned, throwing her hands in the air, “I’ll be in and out in an hour, max. C’mon, don’t you trust me?” “I do trust you. But we’ve no idea what’s gonna happen if you go in there,” “I’ll pretend like I came from outta town, that the men tried to capture me and I need help. They won’t question me,” “And how are we gonna keep in touch if something goes wrong?” “With these, duh,” she unveiled the second radio from her backpack, “I’ll use Channel Five. Then you can keep checking in every fifteen minutes with Bobby and Dean, they won’t even know I’m gone.” He shook his head, “There’s so much that could go wrong. What if they find or see the radio, or brand you or—” “I’ll keep in contact, they won’t suspect anything. Just trust me on this, Sam. Please.” “Fine just— Be careful, please.” He looks at her with worried eyes.  “I will, Sam. Just keep your comms on, I’ll use this channel,” she gestures to the dial and he nods, “But don’t try to contact me, or my cover will be blown. One hour, if I’m not back then—” “Bobby will kill me, then he and Dean will come looking for you,” he half-jokes, nodding. “Go, I’ll be here when you get back,” “I owe you one, Sam,”

Fifteen minutes. Twenty-five minutes. Thirty-Five minutes. Sam counted the time like it was a safety line he was going to have yanked away when the hour was up. Bobby’s been checking in on-time, but Sam switches the lines between to make sure Alex isn’t trying to reach him in the meanwhile.  “C’mon, Alex…” he murmurs under his breath as the radio remains static on the channel. A few minutes later he heard footsteps behind him, without thinking he raised his shotgun and then sighed in relief when Alex rounded the corner. Her hands are raised, she looks a little gritty and sweaty but otherwise, unharmed. “Miss me?” She grinned, tossing her backpack on the ground and pulled out a paper with crudely drawn markings in a ballpoint pen. “‘Scuse the penmanship on this, but I managed to make a rough map,” “You– wow,” Sam crouched down next to her, symbols marking the compound to indicate where the captured were being held, where some of the women and children were staying and how often they patrolled. He frowned, “That’s really detailed…” “Told you I’d get it though, didn’t I?” She elbowed him softly. “I mean yeah, but— how? They just trusted you like that?” “Why do you think I stayed so long? I was snooping around Sam, gathering intel,” “Anyway, with this, we can take them on. As much as I hate it, we can team up with Connor’s men and overwhelm them,”

“Is that so?” Bobby’s voice spoke up behind her, arms crossed, when she flinched and turned to meet his gaze that was burning with anger, “You went in there, despite me telling you explicitly not to. Have you lost your God damn mind, Alex?” “If Elijah finds out you went in, he’s gonna have a field day,” Dean added, glancing at her arms. “Elijah can bite me,” she rolled her eyes, picking up the map, crumpling it slightly. “I went in so we could one-up the situation here, can’t you see that?” Her jaw tensed as she made eye contact with him. “I knew I should’ve left Dean with you is what,” the older hunter looked angry, Alex just shook her head and pushed the map into his chest firmly before storming back to the truck. “Alex—” Sam started but fell short, eyes meeting the floor when Bobby glared at him, the map now gripped in his fist angrily. “Boy—” “Bobby—” “If you ever put that girl’s life at risk on purpose again, I’ll—” he didn’t have to finish. Bobby moved past him, with Dean smacking Sam on the back of his head as if to say ‘Are you kidding me?’ and the brothers followed the older hunter back to the truck.

The four of them sat in the truck, tension thick enough to slice with a blade, Alex and Sam in the backseat while the other two sat in front. Bobby had been eyeing the map under the low light, quietly, thinking. Then cleared his throat, “Good work on this, Alex, but-” he cut her off as she was about to speak, “You don’t do that again. Understand?” Silence. “Alex?” “I understand.” She said finally, looking out the window of the door, then looked at him in the mirror. “So what’s the plan now? Are we going in or not?” “We’ll go back to base, get some of Connor’s men to join us, like you suggested,” he grunted in quiet approval, “More hands we have, the better our chances.”

Half an hour later back at the base, some of the men who knew the fire and police station layouts better had been given Alex’s map to look at and compared it to their own, nodding and marking the page to match it up accurately. Connor looked impressed, standing beside Bobby and nodded, “Nice work, Singer. Colour me surprised,” “Thanks,” Alex nodded, and that made Elijah perk up. “You were the one who went into the compound?” “What, like it’s hard?” She scoffed, “Maybe instead of hitting first and asking questions later you’d have gotten half as far,” He eyed her for a moment, clearly pissed off and then looked at his dad, who gave a short nod and Elijah smirked. “Philip, torch.” He held his hand out and the older man obliged. “This again?” Sam sighed, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “How long was she in there?” he looked at Sam and he rolled his tongue in his cheek, not answering. “She could’ve been branded in that time,” he clicked the torch on and held it by her eyes and she kept her gaze focused on him, not flinching this time. Without hesitation she removed her jacket again, and Philip and he moved to check her, the torch’s white light flashing across her skin in the dim light of the room. For a moment it stayed on her upper chest and Elijah squinted for a moment too long, she scoffed. “Buddy, first time being this close to a woman?” Alex asked, making him back off immediately and step back, flicking the torch off quickly. “She’s clear.” He said, setting the torch down on the table nearby. “Again.” Sam added, watching him with crossed arms. “Yeah well, can never be too safe,”

They gathered in the kitchen area after that, dishing food up to eat, the hunters taking a small portion not to dent the men’s supplies. Bobby and Connor sat close, discussing who of Connor’s men should go with to the compound. They had around a dozen people all together by the time they were finished, gearing up and making small talk about getting their town back, Sam reminded Dean that they were going to be passive about the situation and the older Winchester rolled his eyes but agreed. When the group moved to the back towards their trucks they found the tyres were flat. Dean smacked the hood of his car in anger while Bobby shook his head, “Looks like they’re taking risks,” “They?” Elijah looked at Alex and the men around him shook their heads. “Elijah, she was with us getting ready not five minutes ago, we all saw her.” One of them sighed. “Doesn’t explain why her friends get away cleaner than the rest of us,” he squinted, pointing at Bobby and Dean’s cars as they were the only ones not slashed in the group. “Are we gonna argue, or are we gonna help get your town back, boy?” Bobby asked, then cleared his throat loudly when Elijah had kept quiet. “Right, we go in from both sides, no firearms, just pacify and tie down where necessary. We got kids in there,” he looked at the groups, and gestured for them to split up and they did, bit by bit. Bobby and Sam, along with Elijah and some others on one side while Dean, Alex, Connor and the rest stood on the opposite. “Let’s move,”

The group continued on foot, Connor and Dean leading the group while Alex fell in to step with one of the others who looked nervous, she leaned a little closer, concerned. “Hey, you alright?” “I’m fine, I just want my daughter back,” his hands clenched into fists as they walked on, “One thing I know, God must be looking out for us. Sending you people to help,” She nearly scoffed but stopped herself, noticing the clerical collar around his neck, “Oh… right,” she nodded, “You’re the Reverend then?” She looked at him properly, noticing a small semi-healed scar still on the side of his forehead. Dean glanced back for a second before focusing ahead. “Yes, unfortunately.” He said, and she nodded, “Hopefully we’ll finally resolve this tonight.” He nodded firmly. “We will,” she gave him a reassuring smile. Twenty more minutes had passed until they reached the outer parts of the compound, Dean paused, checking in on the radio to confirm Bobby’s side had made it to their location as per the plan. The radio was silent, nothing besides static crackle, Dean tried again looking worried immediately. “Well that’s not good,” Dean looked at Connor, “We better move–” Alex, who had already rounded a corner, waved them over, “It’s clear over here, c’mon!” Dean followed without question, with Connor and the others moving as well.  They froze when several guns clicked in sync behind and in front of them, the women made them drop their weapons.