The Heroes' Paradox

60. Family Remains

INT. CAR - NIGHT

Sam woke from sleeping in the backseat of the car. Dean and Madelyn were studying some papers. Noah, Daisy and Reagan were off on another hunt.

"What are you two doing?" Sam asked.

"What's it look like we're doing?" Dean shot back.

"Like you two are looking for a job."

"Yahtzee."

Sam sat up. "We just finished a job like two hours ago. Madelyn looks exhausted."

Madelyn nodded. "Yeah, because he woke me up."

Dean glanced at her before saying, "Adrenaline's still pumping, I guess. So, what do you two think... Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or Chi-Town?"

Madelyn frowned at him. "I think..." Dean looked at her expectantly, "I want to get some sleep!"

"Relax, honey. You will."

Sam looked between them before saying, "I am all for working. I really am. And I think Madelyn might be, too. But you got us chasing cases nonstop for like a month now. We need sleep."

"Yeah, we can sleep when we're dead," Dean said.

"You're exhausted, Dean."

"I'm good."

Madelyn looked at him and shook her head. "No, you aren't. You're running on fumes, and you can't run forever."

Dean looked between them. "And what am I running from?"

"From what you told us," Sam replied. "Or are we pretending that never happened?"

"Stratton, Nebraska. Farm town. A man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house. No signs of forced entry."

Madelyn yawned and said, "Sounds like a ghost."

"Yes, it does."

Sam sighed and flopped back down. Madelyn let out a sigh and curled up in her seat and closed her eyes.

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY

As the Impala drove into the house road, there was a SOLD sign hidden in the grass.

INT. FARM - DAY

INT. HOUSE - DAY

"Boy, three bedrooms, two baths, and one homicide," Dean said. "This place is gonna sell like hotcakes."

They entered the kitchen and opened cabinets. Dean spotted something on an empty piece of wall and said, "Hey, check this out." He knocked on the wall to find it hollow. "Huh."

"It's probably a dumbwaiter," Sam guessed. "All these old houses had them."

"Know-it-all."

"What?"

"You said..."

"What?"

"Never mind."

They entered a bedroom.

After looking around, Dean said, "Well, no bloodstains, fresh coat of paint; it's a bunch of bupkis."

"Needle's all over the place," Sam noted.

"Yeah - power lines."

"Great," Sam and Madelyn muttered.

They looked in the closet and saw a doll head on the floor.

"Uh..." Sam began.

"Well, that's super disturbing," Dean commented.

"Think it got left behind?"