Post by Silwyna on May 15, 2009 17:51:56 GMT 1
Many thanks to Yor for beta reading
Chapter 7
Slowly Matt walked up to Dean, his eyes following the other man’s line of sight. Shivers ran down his spine. No matter how often he looked at the hole in the ground, no matter how often he told himself what happened had to happen, it didn’t take away from the horror he felt deep inside. This time, he knew some of the people trapped inside.
Karen, the waitress in the hotel’s cafe who had brought him coffee was one. He had seen the wedding ring on her finger - one of the onlookers most likely was her husband, waiting for her to be rescued.
Nikki, the desk clerk who had started flirting with him the moment he had entered the hotel.
Ben in the room next to his, who he’d met in the elevator. Ben had told him that he was on a business trip, and that he couldn’t wait to get home to his wife and three kids - his oldest was celebrating her seventh birthday next month. Ben had wanted to bring her something special.
Sam, whom he’d first noticed on the drive into town, sitting in the front seat of a black Chevy. Then later in the corridor of the hotel, clutching his head and collapsing on the floor. He was going to offer help, but then had turned around because there was just something about that kid! Also, his brother seemed to have things under control. His brother, Dean, the guy he’d chosen to get to know better because he liked his car.
He had met all those people, knew them just well enough now to worry about them.
He had been stupid. He should have just gotten his room key; should have ignored Nikki’s advances; should never have gone into that café. Most of all he should have stayed away from Dean - seeing the barely masked devastation in the man’s eyes nearly destroyed him.
He should have never gotten this close to anyone.
He had known something was about to happen in this town; it was the only reason he was here in the first place. He had done this so often and never, never had he let people affect him like this. He had made the mistake of allowing himself to feel safe inside the hotel, believing nothing would happen there; because he hadn’t felt anything. There had been no signs – nothing pointing at the hotel being the center of everything. He had felt nothing.
That alone should have warned him that something was wrong. There was always something - a black cloud hanging over the scene where it was going to happen. A dark shadow following the people about to die. The signs were always there, always! Since the day the pyres burned, he was drawn to death like a moth to a flame. It followed him or he followed it, he wasn’t really sure. He didn’t want to know, to be honest. He didn’t want to live with the knowledge that his presence was in some way the cause for all these deaths. Not again …
Not for the first time he wished he had chosen to listen to his friend all these years ago. To let the people go and return home, leave the cursed crusade behind and never look back. He wouldn’t have lived long afterwards; most likely he would have been arrested as a traitor and convicted to death. Yet, it would have been better than this. Seeing death at every corner; past, present and future – always death, no matter where he looked. Always condemned to watch, never able to help or prevent what was going to happen.
He had seen nothing since he came into this town though. Had he really believed it was over? That after hundreds of years the curse was suddenly broken? No, he hadn’t been that naïve, not really. He had told himself Rosehill, Nebraska, was the most peaceful town he’d ever come to pass through. No violent death at every corner, no appending catastrophe waiting for him. Just a small town giving him a break from all the death and sorrow that followed him wherever he went.
He’d been an idiot.
Now it was too late to change it. He was right in the middle of things and he didn’t know how to get out. Just walking away wasn’t an option anymore.
Inhaling deeply, he walked the last few steps towards Dean.
“Hey, man, you okay?” He asked as he stopped next to him.
Dean cast him a side-ways glance, his eyes saying more than words ever could.
“Sorry, dumb question.” Matt cleared his throat, wishing he had more experience in handling such a situation; it wasn’t that he hadn’t witnessed enough tragedies in his time – he had just never stayed long enough afterwards to care about the aftermath. Not in a very long time. “You want some coffee? That woman, Amy, she asked me to … well, she thought you might want some. She would have brought it out herself, but … you know …”
“Thanks.” Dean replied hoarsely, his eyes never leaving the giant sinkhole. As if he expected his family to climb out of it at any moment.
The rescue workers were still trying to find a way back in, motivated now by the knowledge that three of their own men were trapped as well. So far they had come up empty. Every possible way in was either blocked or not stable enough for a rescue attempt.
“Any news?” Matt asked.
Dean exhaled frustrated as he turned an angry glare at him. “What are you still doing here, Matt? You came here alone. There’s no one down there you need to worry about. Why don’t you just leave?”
Matt was taken aback at Dean’s outburst. “I thought you could use the company.”
Dean puffed in response. “I don’t even know you, dude. I couldn’t care less about your company.”
"Look, I’m just trying to help. I know you’re worried about your family and ..."
"You don’t know anything about my family. Just leave me alone." Dean hissed.
"Dean ..."
Dean didn’t want to listen anymore. Taking one last look at the hole, he turned and quickly walked away from Matt.
“What are we going to do now?” Roberta asked.
She, John, Sam and Ben were standing in front of the collapsed stairs. For the last hour they had been trying to find a way up but eventually had to give up. It was impossible now to climb the stairs anymore.
“The rescue teams should find us eventually.” Sam said. “We just need to wait and …”
“Since when has waiting ever helped us?” John interrupted his son with a growl.
Sam had to admit he had a point.
“There has to be something else, some other way …” Ben looked around, as if expecting a hidden staircase to show up out of nowhere.
“The tunnels!” Sam snapped his fingers. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?
“What tunnels?” John asked surprised.
“There are tunnels everywhere under this town and the surrounding area." Sam explained. "The desk clerk, Nikki, she told me about it. They were just recently discovered. They’re probably the reason the hotel collapsed in the first place. The rain must have weakened their foundations and the ground eventually gave in.”
“Makes sense.” John nodded.
“No, it doesn’t.” Ben huffed. “There are no tunnels. I’ve lived in this town my whole life. If there were tunnels, I’d know about it.”
"No, you wouldn’t. They were just discovered when the ground under the car show gave in. No one knew about them before." Sam said.
"Dude, if you got that info from Nikki, most likely she just wanted to impress you to get you into bed." Ben replied.
Sam blushed. "Don’t be stupid, why would she ..."
“Because she’s Nikki! She flirts with every guy that crosses her path.” Ben called out exasperated. “I want to get out of here, but that won’t happen if we go on a goose chase after some fictitious tunnels.”
“Dad.” Sam turned to his father. “You’ve seen the sinkhole on the road and you know what happened at the show. The tunnels would explain all of this.”
John nodded. “You’re right. It’s at least worth looking into.” John looked around the area. “If we’re lucky, we find an entrance on this floor. If not, we need to get lower.”
“Lower?” Roberta called out shocked. “Are you insane?”
“Only as a last option.” John replied calmly. “All right, this will go faster if we split up. Roberta, you and Ben check the rooms on the right, Sam and I take the left. Look carefully … if there’s a way out of here, I want to find it.”
“Don’t we all?” Ben smirked. He still didn’t look convinced.
“Dad, wouldn’t it be better if one of them goes with one of us?” Sam suggested carefully.
Both Roberta and Ben looked at him surprised.
“Why?” Ben asked.
“It might be safer.” Sam replied.
“I wouldn’t exactly call anything about this situation safe, young man, no matter who’s going with whom.” Roberta cut in.
Sam ignored her and looked intently at his father. “Dad.”
“We do as I said.” John said sternly.
“The man has spoken, let’s go.” Ben said.
He was ready to turn away from them, but Sam held him back.
“Wait. Dad, you know I’m right.” He went closer to his father and continued in a low voice, careful not to let the others hear what he was saying. “I don’t know if my visions mean anything, but something might be wrong here. And we’re both better equipped to handle this something than those two.”
“You’re hurt; you might not be able to help them at all.” John said quietly.
“Come on, we’re all hurt.” Sam huffed. “Have you not noticed the gash on your forehead? Roberta can hardly walk as it is, debris or not, and Ben … well, I’m sure he’s hurting somewhere as well.”
“Neither of them was crushed by a huge rock.” John replied, his voice sounding strangely hoarse.
“Oh come on, that’s no reason, and you know it. We have no idea what …”
“There is no reason to argue, gentlemen.” Roberta cut in. “I don’t plan to walk around in this debris. I’m going to fall and break a hip – or worse!”
“I’m going with Ben then.” Sam said quickly, before his father could respond.
John stared at him angrily. Sam returned the glare, daring his father to continue the argument.
“All right.” John said, looking as if he was ready to explode. Before he walked away, he whispered in Sam’s ear. “We talk about this when we’re out.”
“Promise?” Sam asked quietly.
John stopped in his tracks, looking startled at his son. For a moment, the anger in his eyes vanished, replaced by a flicker of warmth. “Promise. Now go find those tunnels. I don’t want to keep your brother waiting.”
“Already on our way.” Sam smiled.
Dean didn’t really know where he was supposed to go when he’d stormed away from Matt. He wasn’t even angry at the man. He was angry at the whole situation and his inability to do anything. Matt had just come to him at the wrong moment.
Usually, Dean would go back and offer his apologies. Or not. Once they’d leave this town, he’d never see the guy again. So why bother? Either way, he didn’t want to go back. He couldn’t stand staring at this freaking hole any longer. He couldn’t stand still anymore and do nothing.
His whole family, the only two people he had left, was buried in there. If he could he’d have dug them out with his own hands. He’d dug up so many dead corpses, but with the two living ones that counted? The two he might be able to save? He was condemned to do nothing but stand by and let others do the job.
Eventually he walked towards the diner across the street. He could use a beer right about now. He could also check on Amy; she had looked absolutely terrified when they had led her away from him. She hadn’t been joking when she had said she was afraid to be outside. Not even the inside of the ambulance had felt safe enough for her, so eventually they’d brought her into the diner and gave her a quick medical check there.
When he entered the diner, he saw her sitting in the farthest corner away from the door – alone. Slowly he walked up to her.
“Hey.” He said as he took a seat at her table.
“Hey.” She smiled. Her hands were clutched tightly together; Dean could still see them shaking anyway.
“Thanks for the coffee.” He said quietly.
“Any news?”
Dean shook his head.
They sat in silence together, both staring out the window. Dean tried not to think about anything, to block everything out for a while. Sleep would be good right about now, but he was too afraid to miss anything … to miss his chance to get Sam and his father back.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the day’s events, replaying them in his mind over and over again, thinking them through and trying to find something that he could have done differently.
He could have told Sam to meet him somewhere outside the hotel.
He could have called Sam himself, just a few minutes earlier, and convinced him to come out.
He could have taken another road to Lincoln.
He could have refused to leave the hotel, let someone else get Amy out.
He should have never left Sam alone.
There were so many things he could’ve or should’ve done differently. But there was nothing he could do now.
Then he remembered.
With a frown he looked at Amy. “What did you mean when you said I should find Sam before they do?”
Amy paled – something Dean didn’t think was possible considering her pallor. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but then changed her mind about it.
“Amy?” Dean urged her to reply.
She shook her head. “It’s … it was nothing.”
“Nothing, huh?” Dean wanted nothing more than to leave it at that. Nothing was good. Nothing meant that the only danger his family had to face was a collapsed hotel. The problem was that nothing usually was something in his job. “How do you even know Sam?”
“He invited me for a coffee. We talked.” Amy said absentmindedly. “He’s nice.”
“Yeah, he is.” Dean looked at her urgently. “You said you haven’t left the hotel for nine years. Did something happen back then?”
When he saw her tense up, he knew he was on the right path.
“You know, I have seen some pretty weird stuff in my life. There isn’t much you can surprise me with.” He said.
“You have no idea.” Amy sighed.
“Let me guess … you’ve seen something that no one in their right mind is going to believe. Something that scared you so much that you’re afraid, really afraid to ever leave the house again.” He paused a moment. “Something that might now be threatening my family.”
If they’re still alive.
He could see the hesitance in Amy’s eyes. She wanted to share her story, but was afraid he would call her nuts.
“I killed a werewolf when I was sixteen. It was pretty cool.” He said with a grin. He didn’t think she would believe him, but hoped it might break the ice.
“Really?” She asked with a raised brow. It was obvious she thought he was joking.
“I’m one of those people that believe pretty much anything you have to tell. Except if it’s about aliens. I don’t do aliens.” Years of experience made it easy for Dean to talk in this light tone while deep inside he wanted to scream out his frustration over not being able to do anything.
“It’s not aliens.” She gave him a smile that vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “What I’ve seen … I told people … My own parents sent me to a mental institution afterwards. I stayed there for over a year.”
“Must have been some story.” Dean said.
“Yeah …” She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and then made up her mind. “I was on a date … ten years ago. With Brian Campell, he was the new guy in school and the man of my dreams … at least that’s what I thought back then. We went to the lake to … enjoy the view.”
“Sure.” Dean grinned.
She smiled, but it vanished as quickly again. “There are tunnels under the town. I don’t know how he found them. No one seems to know about them. I grew up here and I never heard of them. He wanted to show them to me, but I wasn’t really interested in crawling around in them in the middle of the night. So, I left and he stayed.” She paused for a moment and Dean knew that the interesting part was about to come. “I’d walked maybe 500 feet when I heard him screaming. I ran back, but he was gone.” She ran her hand through her hair nervously; Dean could see how difficult it was for her to talk about this. “His flashlight lay on the ground. I picked it up and went into the tunnels. It was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done.”
“I would call it pretty courageous.” Dean said quietly.
Amy shrugged in response.
“What happened next?”
“I found him. I’d been searching for him for about an hour and then … I found him.”
“Was he still alive?”
Amy laughed bitter. “Alive, yes. Though I wouldn’t say that was a good thing.”
“That bad, huh?” Dean smirked.
Amy looked at him surprised.
“I told you I’ve seen a lot.” He shrugged. “What did you see?”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Helplessly, she looked at Dean.
“Amy, if the tunnels go under the hotel, then whatever got to Brian back then might go after whoever is still trapped down there now as well. You need to tell me.”
And she did. When she was done, Dean ran out of the diner and to the Impala, fetching his phone to call the one person close enough to be able to help him.
TBC
Chapter 7
Slowly Matt walked up to Dean, his eyes following the other man’s line of sight. Shivers ran down his spine. No matter how often he looked at the hole in the ground, no matter how often he told himself what happened had to happen, it didn’t take away from the horror he felt deep inside. This time, he knew some of the people trapped inside.
Karen, the waitress in the hotel’s cafe who had brought him coffee was one. He had seen the wedding ring on her finger - one of the onlookers most likely was her husband, waiting for her to be rescued.
Nikki, the desk clerk who had started flirting with him the moment he had entered the hotel.
Ben in the room next to his, who he’d met in the elevator. Ben had told him that he was on a business trip, and that he couldn’t wait to get home to his wife and three kids - his oldest was celebrating her seventh birthday next month. Ben had wanted to bring her something special.
Sam, whom he’d first noticed on the drive into town, sitting in the front seat of a black Chevy. Then later in the corridor of the hotel, clutching his head and collapsing on the floor. He was going to offer help, but then had turned around because there was just something about that kid! Also, his brother seemed to have things under control. His brother, Dean, the guy he’d chosen to get to know better because he liked his car.
He had met all those people, knew them just well enough now to worry about them.
He had been stupid. He should have just gotten his room key; should have ignored Nikki’s advances; should never have gone into that café. Most of all he should have stayed away from Dean - seeing the barely masked devastation in the man’s eyes nearly destroyed him.
He should have never gotten this close to anyone.
He had known something was about to happen in this town; it was the only reason he was here in the first place. He had done this so often and never, never had he let people affect him like this. He had made the mistake of allowing himself to feel safe inside the hotel, believing nothing would happen there; because he hadn’t felt anything. There had been no signs – nothing pointing at the hotel being the center of everything. He had felt nothing.
That alone should have warned him that something was wrong. There was always something - a black cloud hanging over the scene where it was going to happen. A dark shadow following the people about to die. The signs were always there, always! Since the day the pyres burned, he was drawn to death like a moth to a flame. It followed him or he followed it, he wasn’t really sure. He didn’t want to know, to be honest. He didn’t want to live with the knowledge that his presence was in some way the cause for all these deaths. Not again …
Not for the first time he wished he had chosen to listen to his friend all these years ago. To let the people go and return home, leave the cursed crusade behind and never look back. He wouldn’t have lived long afterwards; most likely he would have been arrested as a traitor and convicted to death. Yet, it would have been better than this. Seeing death at every corner; past, present and future – always death, no matter where he looked. Always condemned to watch, never able to help or prevent what was going to happen.
He had seen nothing since he came into this town though. Had he really believed it was over? That after hundreds of years the curse was suddenly broken? No, he hadn’t been that naïve, not really. He had told himself Rosehill, Nebraska, was the most peaceful town he’d ever come to pass through. No violent death at every corner, no appending catastrophe waiting for him. Just a small town giving him a break from all the death and sorrow that followed him wherever he went.
He’d been an idiot.
Now it was too late to change it. He was right in the middle of things and he didn’t know how to get out. Just walking away wasn’t an option anymore.
Inhaling deeply, he walked the last few steps towards Dean.
“Hey, man, you okay?” He asked as he stopped next to him.
Dean cast him a side-ways glance, his eyes saying more than words ever could.
“Sorry, dumb question.” Matt cleared his throat, wishing he had more experience in handling such a situation; it wasn’t that he hadn’t witnessed enough tragedies in his time – he had just never stayed long enough afterwards to care about the aftermath. Not in a very long time. “You want some coffee? That woman, Amy, she asked me to … well, she thought you might want some. She would have brought it out herself, but … you know …”
“Thanks.” Dean replied hoarsely, his eyes never leaving the giant sinkhole. As if he expected his family to climb out of it at any moment.
The rescue workers were still trying to find a way back in, motivated now by the knowledge that three of their own men were trapped as well. So far they had come up empty. Every possible way in was either blocked or not stable enough for a rescue attempt.
“Any news?” Matt asked.
Dean exhaled frustrated as he turned an angry glare at him. “What are you still doing here, Matt? You came here alone. There’s no one down there you need to worry about. Why don’t you just leave?”
Matt was taken aback at Dean’s outburst. “I thought you could use the company.”
Dean puffed in response. “I don’t even know you, dude. I couldn’t care less about your company.”
"Look, I’m just trying to help. I know you’re worried about your family and ..."
"You don’t know anything about my family. Just leave me alone." Dean hissed.
"Dean ..."
Dean didn’t want to listen anymore. Taking one last look at the hole, he turned and quickly walked away from Matt.
---SPN---
“What are we going to do now?” Roberta asked.
She, John, Sam and Ben were standing in front of the collapsed stairs. For the last hour they had been trying to find a way up but eventually had to give up. It was impossible now to climb the stairs anymore.
“The rescue teams should find us eventually.” Sam said. “We just need to wait and …”
“Since when has waiting ever helped us?” John interrupted his son with a growl.
Sam had to admit he had a point.
“There has to be something else, some other way …” Ben looked around, as if expecting a hidden staircase to show up out of nowhere.
“The tunnels!” Sam snapped his fingers. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?
“What tunnels?” John asked surprised.
“There are tunnels everywhere under this town and the surrounding area." Sam explained. "The desk clerk, Nikki, she told me about it. They were just recently discovered. They’re probably the reason the hotel collapsed in the first place. The rain must have weakened their foundations and the ground eventually gave in.”
“Makes sense.” John nodded.
“No, it doesn’t.” Ben huffed. “There are no tunnels. I’ve lived in this town my whole life. If there were tunnels, I’d know about it.”
"No, you wouldn’t. They were just discovered when the ground under the car show gave in. No one knew about them before." Sam said.
"Dude, if you got that info from Nikki, most likely she just wanted to impress you to get you into bed." Ben replied.
Sam blushed. "Don’t be stupid, why would she ..."
“Because she’s Nikki! She flirts with every guy that crosses her path.” Ben called out exasperated. “I want to get out of here, but that won’t happen if we go on a goose chase after some fictitious tunnels.”
“Dad.” Sam turned to his father. “You’ve seen the sinkhole on the road and you know what happened at the show. The tunnels would explain all of this.”
John nodded. “You’re right. It’s at least worth looking into.” John looked around the area. “If we’re lucky, we find an entrance on this floor. If not, we need to get lower.”
“Lower?” Roberta called out shocked. “Are you insane?”
“Only as a last option.” John replied calmly. “All right, this will go faster if we split up. Roberta, you and Ben check the rooms on the right, Sam and I take the left. Look carefully … if there’s a way out of here, I want to find it.”
“Don’t we all?” Ben smirked. He still didn’t look convinced.
“Dad, wouldn’t it be better if one of them goes with one of us?” Sam suggested carefully.
Both Roberta and Ben looked at him surprised.
“Why?” Ben asked.
“It might be safer.” Sam replied.
“I wouldn’t exactly call anything about this situation safe, young man, no matter who’s going with whom.” Roberta cut in.
Sam ignored her and looked intently at his father. “Dad.”
“We do as I said.” John said sternly.
“The man has spoken, let’s go.” Ben said.
He was ready to turn away from them, but Sam held him back.
“Wait. Dad, you know I’m right.” He went closer to his father and continued in a low voice, careful not to let the others hear what he was saying. “I don’t know if my visions mean anything, but something might be wrong here. And we’re both better equipped to handle this something than those two.”
“You’re hurt; you might not be able to help them at all.” John said quietly.
“Come on, we’re all hurt.” Sam huffed. “Have you not noticed the gash on your forehead? Roberta can hardly walk as it is, debris or not, and Ben … well, I’m sure he’s hurting somewhere as well.”
“Neither of them was crushed by a huge rock.” John replied, his voice sounding strangely hoarse.
“Oh come on, that’s no reason, and you know it. We have no idea what …”
“There is no reason to argue, gentlemen.” Roberta cut in. “I don’t plan to walk around in this debris. I’m going to fall and break a hip – or worse!”
“I’m going with Ben then.” Sam said quickly, before his father could respond.
John stared at him angrily. Sam returned the glare, daring his father to continue the argument.
“All right.” John said, looking as if he was ready to explode. Before he walked away, he whispered in Sam’s ear. “We talk about this when we’re out.”
“Promise?” Sam asked quietly.
John stopped in his tracks, looking startled at his son. For a moment, the anger in his eyes vanished, replaced by a flicker of warmth. “Promise. Now go find those tunnels. I don’t want to keep your brother waiting.”
“Already on our way.” Sam smiled.
---SPN---
Dean didn’t really know where he was supposed to go when he’d stormed away from Matt. He wasn’t even angry at the man. He was angry at the whole situation and his inability to do anything. Matt had just come to him at the wrong moment.
Usually, Dean would go back and offer his apologies. Or not. Once they’d leave this town, he’d never see the guy again. So why bother? Either way, he didn’t want to go back. He couldn’t stand staring at this freaking hole any longer. He couldn’t stand still anymore and do nothing.
His whole family, the only two people he had left, was buried in there. If he could he’d have dug them out with his own hands. He’d dug up so many dead corpses, but with the two living ones that counted? The two he might be able to save? He was condemned to do nothing but stand by and let others do the job.
Eventually he walked towards the diner across the street. He could use a beer right about now. He could also check on Amy; she had looked absolutely terrified when they had led her away from him. She hadn’t been joking when she had said she was afraid to be outside. Not even the inside of the ambulance had felt safe enough for her, so eventually they’d brought her into the diner and gave her a quick medical check there.
When he entered the diner, he saw her sitting in the farthest corner away from the door – alone. Slowly he walked up to her.
“Hey.” He said as he took a seat at her table.
“Hey.” She smiled. Her hands were clutched tightly together; Dean could still see them shaking anyway.
“Thanks for the coffee.” He said quietly.
“Any news?”
Dean shook his head.
They sat in silence together, both staring out the window. Dean tried not to think about anything, to block everything out for a while. Sleep would be good right about now, but he was too afraid to miss anything … to miss his chance to get Sam and his father back.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the day’s events, replaying them in his mind over and over again, thinking them through and trying to find something that he could have done differently.
He could have told Sam to meet him somewhere outside the hotel.
He could have called Sam himself, just a few minutes earlier, and convinced him to come out.
He could have taken another road to Lincoln.
He could have refused to leave the hotel, let someone else get Amy out.
He should have never left Sam alone.
There were so many things he could’ve or should’ve done differently. But there was nothing he could do now.
Then he remembered.
With a frown he looked at Amy. “What did you mean when you said I should find Sam before they do?”
Amy paled – something Dean didn’t think was possible considering her pallor. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but then changed her mind about it.
“Amy?” Dean urged her to reply.
She shook her head. “It’s … it was nothing.”
“Nothing, huh?” Dean wanted nothing more than to leave it at that. Nothing was good. Nothing meant that the only danger his family had to face was a collapsed hotel. The problem was that nothing usually was something in his job. “How do you even know Sam?”
“He invited me for a coffee. We talked.” Amy said absentmindedly. “He’s nice.”
“Yeah, he is.” Dean looked at her urgently. “You said you haven’t left the hotel for nine years. Did something happen back then?”
When he saw her tense up, he knew he was on the right path.
“You know, I have seen some pretty weird stuff in my life. There isn’t much you can surprise me with.” He said.
“You have no idea.” Amy sighed.
“Let me guess … you’ve seen something that no one in their right mind is going to believe. Something that scared you so much that you’re afraid, really afraid to ever leave the house again.” He paused a moment. “Something that might now be threatening my family.”
If they’re still alive.
He could see the hesitance in Amy’s eyes. She wanted to share her story, but was afraid he would call her nuts.
“I killed a werewolf when I was sixteen. It was pretty cool.” He said with a grin. He didn’t think she would believe him, but hoped it might break the ice.
“Really?” She asked with a raised brow. It was obvious she thought he was joking.
“I’m one of those people that believe pretty much anything you have to tell. Except if it’s about aliens. I don’t do aliens.” Years of experience made it easy for Dean to talk in this light tone while deep inside he wanted to scream out his frustration over not being able to do anything.
“It’s not aliens.” She gave him a smile that vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “What I’ve seen … I told people … My own parents sent me to a mental institution afterwards. I stayed there for over a year.”
“Must have been some story.” Dean said.
“Yeah …” She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and then made up her mind. “I was on a date … ten years ago. With Brian Campell, he was the new guy in school and the man of my dreams … at least that’s what I thought back then. We went to the lake to … enjoy the view.”
“Sure.” Dean grinned.
She smiled, but it vanished as quickly again. “There are tunnels under the town. I don’t know how he found them. No one seems to know about them. I grew up here and I never heard of them. He wanted to show them to me, but I wasn’t really interested in crawling around in them in the middle of the night. So, I left and he stayed.” She paused for a moment and Dean knew that the interesting part was about to come. “I’d walked maybe 500 feet when I heard him screaming. I ran back, but he was gone.” She ran her hand through her hair nervously; Dean could see how difficult it was for her to talk about this. “His flashlight lay on the ground. I picked it up and went into the tunnels. It was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done.”
“I would call it pretty courageous.” Dean said quietly.
Amy shrugged in response.
“What happened next?”
“I found him. I’d been searching for him for about an hour and then … I found him.”
“Was he still alive?”
Amy laughed bitter. “Alive, yes. Though I wouldn’t say that was a good thing.”
“That bad, huh?” Dean smirked.
Amy looked at him surprised.
“I told you I’ve seen a lot.” He shrugged. “What did you see?”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Helplessly, she looked at Dean.
“Amy, if the tunnels go under the hotel, then whatever got to Brian back then might go after whoever is still trapped down there now as well. You need to tell me.”
And she did. When she was done, Dean ran out of the diner and to the Impala, fetching his phone to call the one person close enough to be able to help him.
TBC