AN: Sorry to took so long. Here you go the rewrite of 02 Wendigo
Hope you enjoy :)
6.7.I.M.P.A.L.A.L.O.V.E. 3
My gaze took in the cab as it took off quickly from the motel making a frown tug at my lips before I shook my head and carried on towards our room. Once I pushed the door open I was met with the sight of a pissed off John and a confused but still angry Dean... both of whom turned to me when they heard the door open. "What's going on?" I asked curiously as the men swapped uncomfortable looks and turned back to me, sympathy shining in their eyes.
"Iz..." Dean started as I glanced at the open door to the bathroom.
"Where's Sammy?" I questioned.
"See that's..." John attempted, guilt shining in his eyes as my mind back tracked to the cab.
"He didn't...?" I asked quietly as Dean stepped closer to me, taking my hands in his, "Dean please tell me he didn't."
"I'm sorry Iz," Dean muttered making me let out a sort of groan as my eyes filled with tears and my heart clenched...
A gasp sounded from the front seat, making my eyes snap open in shock as I shot up into a seating position. "You two okay?" Dean asked in surprise, apparently Sammy's gasp had woken me. I nodded my answer before leaning back against the door, my hand unconsciously going to my stomach, my fingers stroking the ugly scar that rested there.
"Yeah I'm fine," Sam replied quietly.
"Another nightmare?" Dean asked curiously, as I closed my eyes and dropped my head back against the window, clenching my jaw as I fought against the pain that clenched at my heart. "You wanna drive?" Any other time that might have amused me but...
"In your whole life you've never once asked me that," Sam pointed out.
"Just thought you might want to," Dean shrugged, "Never mind."
"Look man," Sam sighed, "You're worried about me and I get it. Thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." Dean hummed his okay. "Where are we?"
"We're just outside Grand Junction," Dean replied, "Iz get the map." I jumped slightly at him talking to me before I nodded and opened my eyes to grab it, spreading it across the seat next to me.
"You know, maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon," Sam commented.
"Sam we dug around there for a week," Dean pointed out, "we came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica..."
"We gotta find dad first," Sam sighed.
"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence," Dean pointed out. "Dad will have answers he'll know what to do."
"Izzy?" Sam asked curiously, making me glance up at them, "You're quiet..."
"Just..." I started, clearing my throat as I looked at the map, "Thinking."
"Don't hurt yourself," Dean smirked making me throw him a glare.
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"It's weird," I replied, "These coordinates that John left us... Blackwater Ridge."
"What about it?" Dean questioned.
"There's nothing there," I replied simply, "it's just wood land. Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"
"You wanna tell me what's really wrong?" Sam muttered as I stood looking at a map in the Visitor's Centre for Lost Creek Colorado. I glanced up at him before turning back to the map.
"Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote," I told him, loud enough for Dean to hear, "It's cut off by these canyons here," I indicated the map, "rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."
"Iz," Sam sighed.
"Dude check out the size of this freaking bear!" Dean called over, making me glance at him, he was looking at a photo.
"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area," I added, ignoring Sam completely, "It's no nature hike, that's for sure."
"You three aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge, by any chance?" A voice asked curiously, making me glance around to see a ranger.
"Oh no sir," Sam replied, "We're environmental study majors from UC Boulder. Just working on a paper."
"Recycle man," Dean grinned making me roll my eyes slightly.
"Bull," the ranger replied simply, "You're friends with that Hailey girl, right?"
"Yes," I nodded, "Yes we are, Ranger Wilkinson." I eyed his name tag before smiling at him.
"Well I will tell you exactly what I told her," he sighed, "Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater till the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing persons now is it?" I shook my head, "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine."
"Hailey's a worrier," I shrugged, "You know what might help her calm down? If I could show her a copy of that permit, you know show her the return date?" The Ranger gave me a curious look, "She won't stop bugging you until I put her mind at ease."
The man let out a sigh before nodding and turning to go and get the permit making me smirk slightly.
"This is why I love you," Dean told me as we walked out of the Centre a few minutes later, back country permit in my hand. "I'll never understand how you do it... but I love you for it." I offered him a wry smirk before handing the permit to him.
"What are you cruising for a hook up or something?" Sam asked him curiously.
"What do you mean?" Dean asked him in confusion.
"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for, let's just go find dad," Sam replied, "I mean why even talk to this girl?"
"I dunno, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it," Dean replied sarcastically as I arched an eyebrow at Sam.
"What?" Sam snarled at me as he noticed the look.
"Since when, the hell, were you shoot first ask questions never?" I asked him irritably.
"Since now," he spat back before slinking into the car.
"Since now," I mimicked as I glared at the back of his head, my jaw clenching angrily.
"Izzy..." Dean attempted as he slid between me and the door, something he'd started doing a lot lately.
"Not now Dean," I told him simply.
"No, not now," he agreed, "But when this is over, you're telling me what happened between you two and why the hell you're so mad at each other." I rolled my eyes slightly before pushing past him and climbing into the car.
It wasn't long before we found ourselves stood at the front door to Hailey's house as the door opened, revealing a pretty brunette girl who I assumed was who we were looking for. "You must be Hailey Collins," I smiled brightly, "I'm Izzy, this is Dean and Sam." She gave me a confused look.
"We're rangers with the park services," Dean threw in.
"Ranger Wilkinson sent us over," I continued, "We wanted to ask you some questions about your brother, Tommy?"
"Let me see some ID," she challenged making me lift my fake as Dean pressed his to the screen door separating us from her. She scrutinised it carefully before nodding and backing off. "Come on in."
"Thanks," I smiled widely as I walked past her, heading towards a sitting room where I caught sight of a young guy playing on a computer.
"So if Tommy's not due back for a while," Sam's voice asked as they walked in behind me, "how do you know something's wrong?"
"He checks in every day by cell," she replied, "He emails photos, stupid little videos... but we haven't heard anything in over three days now."
"Maybe he can't get a reception?" I offered as I sat next to the young guy.
"He's got a satellite phone too," Hailey answered smoothly making me nod acceptingly.
"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asked curiously, which was apparently the wrong thing to say since the kid next to me shot up to his feet.
"He wouldn't do that," the guy snapped.
"Our parents are gone," Hailey told us as she put a calming hand on her younger brother's shoulder, "it's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other." Chewing on my lip I glanced at the Winchesters before turning back to her.
"Any chance I can see the pictures he sent you?" I asked her curiously, she nodded before leading me to a table where her laptop was set up, clicking around for a second before showing me the photos.
"That's Tommy," she told me as she clicked through them before stopping at a video and pressing play.
"Hey Hailey, day six," the guy smiled widely, "We're still out near Blackwater Ridge, we're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry. Talk to you tomorrow." A frown tugged at my lips as my gaze caught a shadow flickering across the screen.
"Well, we'll find your brother," Dean told her, "We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing."
"Them maybe I'll see you there," she told him simply, making me turn my head, Sam and Dean were frowning at her. "Look, I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning and I'm gonna find Tommy myself."
"I think I know how you feel," Dean told her sympathetically, making me glance at him curiously before looking at the computer again.
"Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?" I asked Hailey hopefully making her smile.
"Sure," she nodded before moving to the computer.
Once we left Hailey's house we went into research mode, Sam and Dean going to the library as I headed to a bar to look over the photos and videos to see if I could figure out what was going on. It was around two hours later that the guys suddenly took seats at my table, making me glance up at them and smile briefly before going back to my scrutinising.
"So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic," Sam started up, making me look up at them again, "local campers mostly. But still, this past April two hikers went missing out there, they were never found."
"Any before that?" I asked curiously.
"Yeah in 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year," he replied, "Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936."
"That's 23 years, like clockwork," I pointed out.
"Exactly," Sam grinned as I frowned in thought.
"Check this," I told them, spinning the laptop around. "I downloaded Tommy's video..." I pressed the next button three times, showing the shadow I'd caught moving across the screen frame by frame.
"Do it again," Dean muttered, making me backtrack before repeating it.
"And that's three frames?" Sam asked in surprise.
"A fraction of a second," I nodded. "Whatever this thing is... it can move." With that Dean slapped Sammy's chest with a grin.
"Told ya something weird was going on!" he exclaimed making me smirk lightly.
"I got one more thing," Sam sighed as he rubbed his chest in pain, "In '59 one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid... barely crawled out of the woods alive."
"Is there a name?" Dean asked quickly, Sam grinned knowingly in reply...
"Look rangers, I don't know why you're asking me about this," the old man sighed at us as we sat in his sitting room, "It's public record, I was a kid... my parents got mauled by a-"
"Grizzly?" I interrupted, "That's what attacked them?" The man hesitated before nodding sullenly making me frown lightly.
"The other people that went missing that year... those bear attacks too?" Dean asked him, "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?"
"Mr Shaw, if we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it," I offered.
"I seriously doubt that," he told us, "Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make. You wouldn't believe me, nobody ever did."
"Mr Shaw... what did you see?" Sam asked him softly.
"Nothing," the man scoffed slightly, "It moved too fast to see it hid to well." He hesitated again, "I heard it though, a roar, like... no man or animal I ever heard."
"It came at night?" I asked him gently, he nodded his reply. "Got inside you tent?"
"It got inside our cabin," he corrected, "I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door, it unlocked it. Do you know of a bear that could do something like that?" A hopeless expression crossed his face. "I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screaming."
"It killed them?" Sam asked him.
"Dragged them off into the night," the man replied, "Why it left me alive... been asking myself that ever since. Did leave me this though..." he pulled the collar of his shirt down to sow us three huge scars. "There' something evil in those woods. It was some sort of demon." At his words Sam and Dean glanced at me making me clear my throat and smile weakly at the man before we excused ourselves.
"So what do you think?" Dean asked as we walked towards the Impala, "Demon?"
"Demons and spirits don't have to unlock doors," I replied distractedly, "If they want inside, they go through the wall."
"So this is something else," Sam nodded, "something corporeal."
"Corporeal?" Dean asked with a scoff, "Excuse me professor."
"Shut up," Sam sighed before turning to me, "So what do you think?"
"I don't know," I shrugged as I ran a hand through my hair, "The claws, speed... could be a skin walker, maybe a black dog. Whatever it is, we're talking creature... we're talking corporeal."
"Which means we can kill it," Dean added making me nod in agreement as he moved to the trunk to pack up some weapons into a bag.
"We cannot let that Hailey girl go out there," Sam commented as we followed Dean to the trunk, me accepting a duffel bag off of him.
"Oh yeah?" Dean scoffed, "What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?"
"Yeah," Sam replied simply.
"Her brother's missing Sam," I told him firmly, "She's not just gonna sit this out okay? We're gonna go with her, protect her... and keep our eyes peeled for a fuzzy predator-friend."
"What so finding Dad's not enough?" Sam snapped at us as Dean shut the trunk, making us swap a look and turn to him, "Now we gotta babysit too?"
"What is your problem?" I snapped at him as he glared between us.
"My problem?" he snapped back making Dean tut before taking the duffel off of me and walk away, leaving us glaring at each other, "You're the one that's suddenly bi-polar."
"Bi-polar?" I laughed, "You wanna explain that one to me?"
"One minute you're fine, we're fine," he sighed exasperatedly, "And the next you completely shut down, you lock everyone out!" I arched an eyebrow at him, "There you go, you're doing it right now!"
"Sorry for locking you out of my personal life," I scoffed sarcastically, "It's not like you bailed without a goodbye or anything." With that I turned to walk away making him groan before he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to him.
"Don't walk away again," he told me with a sigh, "We need to talk Iz."
"We really don't," I laughed dryly, "You left and you got a girlfriend... sorry for your loss by the way... but right now there's who-knows-what in the woods and someone's walking unknowingly into it. We're gonna deal with that first." With that I tugged my wrist from his hold and stalked off to the motel room, quite clearly hearing him let out a frustrated groan as I did.
"You okay?" Dean asked simply as I walked into the motel room and dropped my bag on one of the beds, making me glance up at him uncaringly.
"Peachy," I replied as Sam entered behind me making me roll my eyes at him before heading into the bathroom, snapping the door shut behind me.
"What'd you do?" Dean's voice demanded as soon as the door snapped shut behind me making me roll my eyes.
"Why would you think I did something?" Sam asked him irritably.
"She was fine five minutes ago," Dean replied smoothly.
"You obviously don't know her as well as you think," Sam countered.
"Meaning?" Dean snapped.
"Meaning she hasn't been fine the whole time I've been with you guys," Sam replied with a sigh, a slight squeak let me know he'd dropped down to sit on one of the beds making me sigh and shake my head as their voices quietened into a mutter so I couldn't hear what they were saying.
Turning towards the sink I let out a small sigh and locked gazes with myself in the mirror, the apathetic expression that had been trained to stay on my face for as long as I remember cracked slightly as I let irritation and sadness shine through. Sam was right... I hadn't been fine since he'd joined us... I hadn't been fine for a long time now.
Three bangs sounded on the door making me smooth my expression out and turn in time for Dean to come walking in, shutting the door behind him, a stern expression on his face. "You need to talk to me," he told me firmly.
"You need to get out of here," I told him simply, "I could have been naked."
"Like I haven't seen it all before," he shrugged it off as I rolled my eyes and folded my arms, leaning back against the sink as I locked my gaze with his. His stern expression wavered slightly, "Iz... talk to me, please?"
"Nothing to talk about," I shrugged, "Can I shower now?"
"Isabella," he tried again, stepping forward making me clench my jaw slightly.
"Dean," I told him, standing up straight and stepping up to him, resting my hands on his shoulders, "I'm fine, if I'm ever not I'll come running to you. Okay?" He frowned slightly before pulling me into him and wrapping his arms around me, making me sigh slightly and practically melt into his hold, breathing in the scent of leather and gunpowder that was just... him.
"Izzy..." he started again.
"C'mon Dean," I laughed slightly as I pulled away, looping my arms around his neck as I smiled up at him lightly, "What happened to the no chick flick moments thing you were perfecting?" He chuckled slightly before pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"Doesn't count with you," he told me softly before pulling away, "But if you repeat that I'll deny it." I grinned at him and nodded. "Need company in the shower?"
"Get out," I laughed at him making him grin before he headed out of the bathroom, once the door shut again my grin faltered before I turned to start the shower up.
"You guys got room for three more?" Dean questioned as the three of us climbed out of the Impala the next morning, my gaze taking in Hailey, her younger brother Ben and a stranger I assumed was her guide.
"Wait, you want to come with us?" Hailey asked in shock as I grabbed the duffel bag and handed it to Sam.
"Who are these guys?" the stranger asked irritably as we walked over to them.
"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue," Hailey commented.
"You're rangers?" the man asked us in disbelief as he trailed his gaze over us, lingering on my chest and legs a little longer than necessary.
"That's right," Dean nodded as he stepped between me and the man's inspection making me hide a smile.
"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Hailey asked doubtfully.
"Well sweetheart, I don't do shorts," Dean replied simply before glancing back at me, "That's Izzy's thing." I rolled my eyes at him and grinned slightly as his eyes lingered on my legs thanks to my black denim short shorts.
"You think this is funny?" The guide snapped. "It's dangerous backcountry out there, her brother might be hurt."
"Believe me," Dean glared back, "We know how dangerous this could get."
"We're here to help them find their brother," I cut in, "So how about we get to finding?"
We walked in silence for a while me trailing at the back of the group to make sure nothing snuck up on us and to be sure Hailey or Ben didn't get lost or left behind. I could see Dean and the guide, Roy, talking up front obviously neither man liked the other's company, so I was sure Dean was egging Roy on. Suddenly though, the two came to a stop, Roy's hand on Dean's chest forcefully.
"What's the hold up?" I called towards them, making Roy pike at the floor with a branch, setting a bear trap off.
"You should watch where you're walking... ranger," he sneered at Dean making me roll my eyes.
"Bear trap," Dean laughed back towards me making me shake my head at his idiocy before we were all heading off again.
"You okay?" Sam's voice questioned a little while later, making me glance up and realise he'd fell back to walk with me, I rolled my eyes slightly.
"I'm always okay," I told him simply making him scoff.
"We both know that's a lie," he told me, making me glance up at him, "I've known you since we were twelve Iz, I know you better than you know yourself, remember?"
"Maybe you used to," I shrugged, "two years changes people."
"Not that much," he replied softly making me look away from him hopping over a large fallen branch. "Izzy..."
"What Sam?" I asked him bluntly as I stopped walking and turned to face him, "What do you want from me?"
"I want us to be friends again," he replied sadly, making me shake my head in disbelief.
"Really?" I laughed angrily, "You think after everything that happened that I can just be friends with you again? We haven't been just friends since we were fourteen Sam."
"We can try," he sighed hopefully as he reached out to take my hand, pulling me closer to him. "I want us to be like we used to be... mostly. We used to be as close as you are with Dean."
"Yeah well Dean and me aren't just friends," I told him smoothly, making him flinch slightly, I shook my head and smirked slightly. "What? You think a girl can hang out with Dean for two years and not sleep with him?" His jaw clenched subtly, "Don't get pissy about it Sam, you're the one that took off when things got too real." With that I pulled my hand from his and started off, picking up the pace to catch up to the group.
"This is it... Blackwater Ridge," Roy commented after a little while of more hiking.
"What coordinates are we at?" I asked curiously.
"35 -111," he replied after checking his GPS, making me nod and look around, a frown tugging at my lips as I realised there were no birds or even crickets here.
"You hear that?" Dean asked as he and Sam joined my side.
"Not even crickets," Sam nodded making me swap a knowing look with them.
"I'm gonna take a look around," Roy called to us, making me snap around.
"You shouldn't go off alone," I told him simply making him sneer at me.
"That's sweet darling, don't worry about me," he told me smugly before stalking off making me glare at his retreating back before I shook my head.
"Alright everybody stays together," Dean ordered as we started to follow Roy.
"Hailey! Over here!" the man shouted back to us, making us all pick up the pace to a run to catch up with him... I slid to a stop at what used to be a campsite. The tents were shredded and bloody.
"Oh my God," Hailey squeaked sadly as she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes filling with tears as her younger brother paled in fear.
"Looks like a grizzly," Roy told her softly as I swapped a look with Dean.
I snapped around again as Hailey suddenly started to shout for her brother making Sam rush over and try to calm her down and quieten her. "Why?" she snapped at him.
"Something might still be out there," he explained to her as I wandered around the perimeter of the campsite, pausing at drag marks.
"Dean, Sam!" I called to them, making them head over to me. "The bodies were dragged from the campsite," I told them before indicating into the forest, "But the tracks vanish. We're not talking skin walker or black dog..."
"Great," Dean grumbled before walking off to Hailey who'd started crying.
"If it's not a Skinwalker or a black dog... what is it?" Sam asked me curiously as I ran a hand through my hair, making me turn to him and shrug simply.
"HELP! HELP!" A pain filled scream suddenly bellowed through the forest, making my head snap around before we took off towards it, sliding to a stop when we couldn't find anything.
"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Hailey asked in confusion making me groan and close my eyes as it dawned on me.
"Everyone back to camp," I snapped at them before taking off again, when we got there our packs and gear was gone making me shake my head and laugh bitterly.
"Our packs," Hailey muttered in shock.
"So much for my GPS and satellite phone," Roy grumbled as I pulled at my hair and paced as I wracked my mind for anything I knew that could mimic human voice.
"What the hell is going on?" Hailey asked in confusion.
"It's smart," Sam answered, "It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help."
"You mean someone, some nut job out there, just stole all our gear?" Roy snapped at us making me glare at him before I turned to the Winchesters.
"I need to talk to you two, now." I told them before walking off from the group, the two of them following me. "Journal," I asked making Dean hand it over as I flipped through the pages before pausing on the one I was looking for, "Wendigo." I handed it over again.
"Oh come on," Dean laughed, "Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never en heard of one this far west."
"No Dean, think about it," Sam told him, looking at me in agreement, "The claws, the way it can mimic a human voice... Izzy's right, we're dealing with a Wendigo."
"Great," Dean muttered as I ran a hand down my face and huffed, he pulled his pistol out, " Well this is useless."
"We need to get these three out of here," I told him, "We need to regroup and come back when we're prepared for this."
Sam nodded before walking towards the other three, "Alright, listen up, time to go," he told them, "Things have gotten more... complicated."
"What?" Hailey asked in shock.
"Kid don't worry, whatever's out there, I think I can handle it," Roy smirked at him.
"It's not us we're worried about," I snapped at the man, "If you shoot this thing the only thing you'll accomplish is pissing it off."
"We have to leave, now," Sam finished.
"One, you're talking nonsense," Roy told us angrily as he and Sam fronted off, "two you're in no position to be giving anyone orders."
"Relax," Dean intervened as I glowered at the man.
"We never should have let you come out here in the first place," Sam told them, "I'm trying to protect you!"
"You protect me?!" Roy argued, "I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight!" I froze at his words, my glower darkening.
"Yeah?" Sam snapped at him as Dean's hand landed on my shoulder warningly, "It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid ass out of here!"
"You're crazy," Roy laughed.
"Yeah? You ever hunted a win-," Sam countered, only to get shoved backwards, I darted forward and pinned Roy to the nearest tree, my dagger out of my boot and at his throat.
"ROY!" Hailey shouted in fear.
"You need to watch what you're saying and what you're doing," I growled at the man who's eyes had widened in fear at my dagger at his throat and the furious glint in my eyes.
"Izzy, chill," Dean told me firmly as his hand landed on my shoulder.
"Everyone just stop!" Hailey yelled at us as my gaze remained locked on Roy's my dagger still at his throat, "Look, Tommy might still be alive, and I'm not leaving here without him."
"It's getting late," Dean nodded as he moved his hand from my shoulder to my lower back, "Izzy... c'mon." I glanced up at him making him frown slightly, so with a slight sigh I let Roy go and backed away, letting him lean against the tree still watching me in horror.
"This thing is a good hunter in the day," I commented, "But it's an unbelievable one at night. We're not gonna beat it... not in the dark."
"So we settle in and protect ourselves," Dean nodded, "How?"
"I got it," I told him simply before walking away from him to the edge of the campsite as Dean moved to make a fire.
"One more time that's...?" Hailey asked as I carved sigils into the dirt around the campsite.
"Anasazi symbols," I replied simply, "Protection against evil. The Wendigo can't cross over them." A laugh sounded from behind me making me tense.
"Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy," Dean commented simply making me smirk and go back to my carving.
"Are you okay?" Hailey asked cautiously as she crouched next to me, her gaze watching my hands as I carried on carving. "I mean... it feels like you're a time bomb about to go boom."
"That is quite possible," I nodded, "Don't worry about it."
"I'm not worried about me," she replied, "I'm worried about you." I paused and glanced up at her, "I mean, I thrust you and your friends to get us through this... but if this is what you do for a job, isn't being angry all the time going to end up killing you?"
"I'm not angry all the time," I told her simply, making her arch a disbelieving eyebrow.
"Those guys care about you," she told me, "Maybe you should open up and talk to them." With that she got up and walked away, leaving me to finish the symbols.
Once I was finished I stood up and brushed my hands off on my shorts before turning to the others. Sam and Dean were off on their own muttering quietly and holding John's journal as Hailey and her brother tried to comfort each other, Roy just paced looking like a caged lion.
"Help!" the Wendigo's scream echoed around us suddenly making me freeze and turn towards it, "Help me!"
"That's no grizzly," Roy commented as he froze, Hailey pulled her brother to her to comfort him.
I snapped around as a branch cracked right behind me on the other side of the symbols, before I flinched at the sound of a gunshot and a scream. Pain flooded up my arm as Sam and Dean shouted my name, but Roy shouted something else and took off, making me scramble after him, ignoring the pain in my arm.
"It's over here!" I heard Roy's voice shout as I ran after him, Sam and Dean right behind me, "It's in the tree!"
"Roy?!" I shouted after him before a sickening crack echoed from above me, making me glance up to see his lifeless body staring down at me.
"Izzy!" a hand gripped my own before I was pulled into a run back towards the campsite, cracks of tree branches following us as the Wendigo gave chase.
Once we were safe on the other side of the Anasazi symbols I slid to a stop and snapped around, my gaze locking on the furious form of the Wendigo who glowered at us and roared before stalking off.
"Iz?" Sam's voice asked softly, making me glance up at him, only he was looking at my arm which was still hurting, making me glance down and groan slightly... apparently when Roy had shot at the Wendigo he'd clipped me instead.
"I don't..." Hailey hesitated as we sat near the fire, Sam doing his best to wrap my arm up since we had no supplies. "I mean, these types of things, they aren't supposed to be real."
"I wish I could tell you different," Dean sighed.
"How do we know it's not out there watching us?" she asked fearfully.
"We don't," I replied with a wince as I glared at Sam who apologised lightly, "But we're safe for now."
"How do you know about this stuff?" she asked curiously as Ben sat watching us, looking lost.
"Kind of runs in the families," Dean replied.
"We've got half a chance in the daylight," Sam told her, "And I for one, want to kill this evil son of a bitch." I smirked slightly as he finally finished with my arm.
"Well hell you know we're in," Dean answered for us.
"We should head out first light," I agreed, "We should get some rest... I'll take first watch."
"You sure?" Dean asked curiously.
"Yeah," I nodded before getting up and moving to a nearby tree, leaning back against it, "Get some rest, we're gonna need it."
A little while later they'd fallen asleep, so I finally let my guard drop, leaning my head back against the tree trunk as I closed my eyes and let my eyes fill with tears. Sure, I was in pain from my arm... I hated it when someone ended up dying on a hunt... Hailey had hit the nail on the head when she's said I was a time bomb ready to go off...
"Iz?" Sam's voice asked quietly, making my eyes snap open, a few tears escaping down my cheeks making me thank god that it was dark. He moved to sit next to me as I wiped my hands down my face to get rid of the tears subtly. "I know you said that we can't go back to being friends... but please, talk to me? I still care about you."
"I'm fine Sam," I told him lightly as I dropped my head back against the trunk again, my gaze trailing the perimeter of the campsite.
"You can say it as many times as you want, but I don't believe you," He told me softly.
"Yeah well I don't overly care what you think," I replied snappily making him sigh and shake his head before he draped his arm around my shoulders, I froze at the contact.
"I'm sorry," he told me smoothly, making me frown up at him.
"You're sorry?" I asked him doubtfully.
"Yeah," he nodded, "You were right. I panicked and I took off." I frowned again, "I was going to college Iz, dad found out and told me if I left then I wasn't welcome to come back."
"You could have at least said goodbye," I told him quietly.
"After everything that happened, I figured you'd be happy that I wasn't around anymore," he told me honestly making me shake my head.
"I was angry, and upset..." I told him, "but I needed you to be with me. We should have worked through it together. But instead you disappeared and you didn't answer any of my calls."
"I'm sorry," He muttered again as I dropped my head to his shoulder, curling into him slightly. "I am so sorry."
"Me too," I muttered as he buried his face in my hair and pulled me closer to him...
"Wendigo is an Indian word," Sam explained to Hailey and Ben the next morning as we tried to get ready for our hunt/search. "It means evil that devours."
"They're hundreds of years old," Dean added, "Each one was once a man. Sometimes and Indian, other times a frontiersman or a miner or a hunter."
"How does a man turn into one of those things?" Hailey asked cautiously.
"It's always the same story," I replied, "During some harsh winter a guy finds himself staving, cut off from supplies or help. He becomes cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."
"Like the Donnor Party," Ben pointed out making me nod in confirmation.
"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities," Sam continued, "Speed, strength, immortality."
"If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing," Dean threw in, "You're always hungry."
"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" Hailey asked fearfully.
"You're not gonna like it," Dean told her softly.
"Tell me," she snapped making me clear my throat, to get her attention.
"More than anything a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food," I told her, "It hibernates for years at a time... when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants." She gave me a look of horror, "If Tommy's still alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden and safe. We need to track it back there."
"When we find it... how do we stop it?" Ben asked me cautiously.
"Guns are useless," I replied, "And so are knives..."
"Basically," Dean threw in as he pulled out a can of lighter fluid, "We gotta torch the bastard."
With that we headed out, following scratch marks and broken branches, we'd been hiking for a while when Sam pulled us to a stop. "Guys," he muttered to us so the other two couldn't hear, "Those claw marks... so clear and distinct, they were almost too easy to follow."
"That's cause they were," I replied, as a growl echoed around us, making us look up and back off slightly. Hailey backed towards a tree as I felt someone's hand grip at my shirt at my waist. With a crack something dropped from the tree above Hailey, making her dive out of the way seconds before Roy's body hit the floor.
Dean moved to examine Roy's body as Sam helped Hailey to her feet. I grabbed Ben's hand before we took off at a run. Everyone's shouting was mixing up too much for me to understand them, but what did register was when Ben's hand slipped from mine, making me skid to a stop before I back tracked to help him back to his feet from where he'd fallen over. "C'mon we gotta go," I told him quickly... only to freeze as Hailey's scream echoed around us.
"Hailey!" Ben yelled in fear making me take his hand again before we took off towards the scream... only to slide to a stop at the sight of Hailey's white scarf on the floor.
"Shit," I growled as I looked around.
"HAILEY!" he shouted again.
"SAM! DEAN!" I shouted with him as panic started to rush through my veins, I could not do this one my own.
"If it keeps its victims alive why would it kill Roy?" Ben snapped at me.
"He pissed it off," I replied quickly as I scanned our surroundings, pulling at my hair as I did. "FUCK! I can't fucking do this..." Ben watched me with wide eyes as I groaned and paced, wracking my mind for a plan.
"Izzy?" Ben asked desperately, making me turn to face him, "Please... you need to help me find my sister." His eyes were filled with tears as I chewed on my lip, "You know how to do this... right? Please tell me you know what to do?!"
"Shit," I muttered before I pulled at my hair again, finally letting out a breath as I tied it back in a messy bun. "We need to find a trail..." I said more to myself than him.
"They went this way!" Ben called over to me, making me turn to see him holding an M&M, which Dean had been eating at some point.
"Better than bread crumbs," I smiled lightly before nodding. "Okay..."
With that I led the way, following the colourful trail through the trees before we finally got to the entrance of an abandoned mineshaft. 'Warning! Danger! Do not enter! Extremely toxic material'. I smirked at the sign before glancing back at Ben who gave me a questioning look.
"If I was a monster hiding victims I think I'd pick here," I commented lightly making him chuckle nervously before nodding in agreement, "Okay, let's go. Stay close." He nodded again before I led the way in.
A few minutes into our walk through the tunnels my ears picked up a light growl sounding from up ahead, making me grab Ben and pull him into a dark alcove, pressing him against the wall with my hand over his mouth to keep him quiet as I listened to the Wendigo pass close by. I could feel Ben's heart hammering in his chest with fear as his hands gripped at my shirt at my waist, his breath harsh against my hand as I tried to keep myself calm for his sake. A few minutes after it had passed I let out a small breath and pulled back, letting him go as he gave me a fearful look.
"C'mon," I nodded before we started off again...
I didn't hear the floor creak, so when the boards collapsed under us even I let out a slight scream along with Ben's, both of us hitting the floor below, hard. Making me groan in pain before I pushed myself up, ignoring the skeletons we'd landed on as Ben scrambled up with a yell. "It's okay," I told him quick, "It's okay, we're okay..." He let out a breath before nodding, catching his breath as I turned and headed through an opening, my gaze landing on Sam, Dean and Hailey, hanging from the ceiling.
Ben dashed across the room immediately making me scramble after him as he tried to wake his sister up, I moved to Dean and slapping at his face to wake him up, making him groan slightly, "Iz," he muttered making me let out a breath of relief. "Are you okay?" I asked him in concern as I cut the rope around his wrists, helping him to lean on a wall before I moved to help Sam down, catching him as he fell against me slightly.
"Are you okay?" he asked me in concern, making me look up at him and nod quickly.
"Izzy?" Ben asked hopefully making me rush over to help him cut Hailey down.
"Where is it?" Dean asked curiously.
"Gone for now," I replied simply as I walked over to him, taking his chin and tilting his head to the side at the sight of the blood on the side of his face.
"I'm okay," he told me simply making me frown but nod.
"Tommy!" Hailey shouted suddenly making me whip around, my gaze landed on a beaten and broken form hanging a little way away, only his head snapped up at the sound of his name. "Cut him down." I moved forward, Sam at my side to catch him as I cut him loose.
Tommy groaned in pain as his head fell forward, making me tilt his head so he was looking at me, "We're gonna get you home," I told him honestly making him nod weakly as we passed him to Hailey and Ben.
"Check it out," Dean called over to us, making me turn my head curiously to see him holding flare guns, I smirked slightly.
"Those'll work," Sam commented as I nodded and caught the one he tossed to me, checking to make sure there was a flare inside.
"Come on," I nodded to everyone.
We were headed down a tunnel towards the exit when a growl sounded loudly, meaning the Wendigo was back and had noticed it's food was missing. "Someone's home for supper," Dean pointed out, making me sigh and nod before I looked at the three civilians.
"Plan?" I asked as I turned my attention back to the Winchesters.
"Yeah I think so," Dean nodded making me sigh and nod in agreement.
"Awesome," I muttered, knowing what he was thinking immediately, "Sam?"
"Yeah," he agreed, even though his gaze was locked on me in concern.
"Alright," Dean grinned before turning to the other three, "Stay with Sam, he's gonna get you out of here."
"What about you two?" Ben asked in concern as I turned to him, I let a Cheshire Cat grin spread across my lips before I winked and backed off with Dean.
"CHOW TIME YOU FREAKY BASTARD!" I yelled as loud as I could.
"YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, BRING IT BABY!" Dean copied as we took off yelling for the Wendigo's attention, I swear I heard Sam groan slightly as Ben laughed lightly.
Once we got to a fork in the tunnel Dean and I swapped a look, "You ready for this?" he asked me curiously.
"Hell yes," I laughed lightly before heading off to the right, "DINNER'S SERVED ASSHOLE!" I yelled as I ran, "I'M RIGHT HERE!" Only the Wendigo didn't follow me.
When I came across Sam, Ben, Hailey and Tommy again they were cornered by it making me raise my flare gun as Dean joined my side. We both pulled the trigger at the same time and two flares embedded into the Wendigo's back before it went up in flames.
"Nice shot," I commented as his arm draped around my shoulders.
"Not so bad yourself," he grinned back making me laugh slightly.
A few hours later I was sat on the trunk of the Impala, my feet up on the bumper as I watched Tommy being loaded into the back of an ambulance. A ranger was interviewing Ben about what had happened and Dean was talking quietly with Hailey.
"Man I hate camping," Dean groaned when he finally walked over to us, making me turn to him as Sam stood up from where he was sat in the passenger seat.
"Me too," Sam replied making me smirk slightly.
"I don't know," I shrugged making them both turn to me with horrified expressions. "Joke... c'mon let's go." I hopped off the car and slid into the backseat, surprised when Sam slid in beside me. "Uhm, what're you doing?"
"Getting comfortable," he replied simply as he lounged across the backseat making me frown at him slightly as Dean chuckled.
"I don't want to hear you two getting kinky back there like you used to," he called to us as he got into the driver's seat making me glare at the back of his head before I shifted so I was leaning against Sam, my head on his shoulder.
"Yeah right, it was you that used this backseat one too many times," I laughed slightly before closing my eyes to get some sleep, tensing slightly as Sam wrapped his arm around my waist, his hand landing unknowingly on the scar on my stomach.