Soul To Steal: Sam Winchester

Chapter 2: 4 Years Down the Road

I squinted with an audible groan as I exited from my hotel room in the early morning light. The demon from last night proved trickier then I'd bargained for. Truth be told, I wasn't actually ready to face the coming day. I turned in my motel key and headed for my car. The engined roared to life in my corvette and I backed out of the parking lot. Last night's job only provided a sliver of the information I was trying to obtain. It had been a few months since news broke out that the Winchester brothers had stopped the apocalypse and strange rumors were swirling around about Sam. People were saying he was back from hell. How is that even possible? I had heard years ago that there was something different about the Winchester family but always chalked it up to convoluted stories. Something was different this time. People were afraid of Sam and I had to know what was real and what wasn't. I couldn't seem to picture that lumbering sweet oaf as anything but that. Some unseen force had always attracted me to him and this nagging feeling that I needed to help was like an itch I couldn't quite scratch.

I had just finished a case in Nebraska near the Roadhouse and just had to talk to Ellen. I needed to find out for myself and I knew I could count on her to know the truth. I pulled into the gravel parking lot of the Roadhouse and put my car into park. Maybe if I had a chance to talk to her before they opened for the day I could finally get to the bottom of this. I swung open the front door to the establishment, dust dancing on rays of sun as they spilled onto the floor inside. Jo sat behind the bar washing glasses and glanced my way. "We don't open for a few more hours," she called out as she continued cleaning. "Hey Jo, just looking for your mom." "Alex," she said with a smile as her eyes adjusted. She headed around the bar to the back without another word. I sat down at a small, rickety table off in the corner of the room.

A few minutes later Ellen approached me and sat down. "Alex, what can I help you with so early in the day?" I cleared my throat and crossed my fingers. "Well... is it true that Sam Winchester is back? I mean, how is that even possible?" I searched her eyes with concern. Ellen sat thoughtfully for a moment or two before responding. "He passed through here just last night Alex.." "Do you know where he.." "Now hold on just a minute. Yes Alex, he is back but something is off about that boy. I haven't quite put my finger on it. I don't think it's wise to go snooping around though. Let me look into this. Dean doesn't know it yet and we are gonna keep it that way for now, ya hear?" So many more questions swam around in my head. "Why the hell wouldn't anyone tell his brother?" She averted her gaze before answering me. She looked.. guilty. "Dean had managed to get out of the business and settle down. Let's not tear that away from him unless we have to. I'd also reckon Sam would've reached out. If he hasn't, there is a reason and it's not our business to speculate what that reason is."

I nodded at Ellen,"I understand. I appreciate the heads up. I'm gonna head on down the road now, get some distance under my wheels while I still got plenty of day left yet. Thanks again, Ellen." I headed towards the door and nodded at Jo with a small smile as I left. I sat in my car with my engine running, trying to formulate a plan. Sam could very well still be in town but if Ellen wasn't willing to share that information then I didn't quite know how I was going to track him down. The thought popped in my head to call Bobby but then Sam would likely catch wind of me and at least for now I wanted to maintain the element of surprise. I sighed in frustration and decided to pull out my tablet and search for nearby cases. I definitely needed a distraction. After scrolling for a few minutes I found something that looked promising not 20 minutes down the road in the next town over. "Why not work while I figure out my next move," I said to myself as I put the car into drive and headed towards the highway.

There had been some attacks in a small town and the news stories were pretty wild. If memory served me correctly from what I'd heard in those eye witness videos it sure as hell sounded like a Rugaru to me. I glanced at the clock in my Stingray. It was nearing on 11 AM. I smiled to myself and slapped the steering wheel enthusiastically. Hot damn, there was plenty of time to interview and hunt! Might not even need to grab a questionable motel room tonight. I chuckled to myself triumphantly as picked up speed on the highway. I always got giddy on the way to work a case. There was a thrill in the hunt and it never crossed my mind to live any other way. Dean popped into my mind. Got dang, I couldn't believe he'd got out. Never pictured he even wanted a normal life. When I met him early on in my hunting career I'd fancied us to be one hell of a team before Sam was brought back into the fold. I'd made bets that he would be the one to get out if either of them. Things now seemed to be all out of whack and upside down. My determination to solve the mystery sharpened like the grin on my face as I approached the welcome sign to my quaint little country town.

I ran through a drive thru to grab a quick bite and parked to look at my plans for the day while I ate. Burger in hand I found the address to a nearby bar and headed out again. Last body was found out back by the dumpsters of the mom and pop establishment. Hoping the employee who found the body was in and willing to do an interview. I ended up interviewing a couple different folks and plugged the intell into my tablet. "Called it!" I sang out victoriously, confirming it was indeed a Rugaru. After doing some research on the guy I discovered he had a nice house, a blue BMW and a very pregnant wife. Shit, shit, shit. I was not prepared to deal with that one. My mood suddenly somber, I performed another quick search and found his address. I wasn't looking forward to this hunt but the bodies were piling up. With a heavy sigh I started my engine and headed out.

As I turned the corner and approached the house I began to slow down and turned off my headlights. I eased my car to a stop just two houses down and turned off the ignition. I stepped out into the street, careful to stay in the shadows as I came closer to the house. It was such a nice and tidy neighborhood. Nobody would ever guess a monster lurking amongst them in a place like this. I creeped in closer and noticed a light on in the kitchen window. Peering closer still, I could see him hunched over the kitchen counter... eating? I tried to see around him to get a better idea of what I was looking at and he must of sensed the movement. The man turned suddenly, a wild look in his eyes and blood caked on his face. "Oh hell no!" I said quietly to myself and ducked.

I made my way over to a nearby door and ever so carefully turned the know. Sure as shit it was unlocked! The entrance led into a dark hallway right outside the lit kitchen. I stepped onto the tike floor blade out and every nerve in my body on high alert. As I turned the corner I held my breath and found the kitchen to be empty. My heart in my throat, I spun around just time to get out of the line of fire. The monster lunged at me, his eyes blood shot and his face already distorted. He slammed into the kitchen island, knocking several pots and pans to the floor. He lunged again and managed to catch me by the shoulder. There was a short struggle before I was able to shove him off of me. In one swift motion I swung my blade and separated his head from his shoulders. Mere seconds after his body crumpled to the ground an ear piercing scream erupted from behind me. I turned on my heels again to see his very pregnant wife looking at me absolutely terrified. She carried a baby in her stomach that would one day become another monster. Even knowing this I hesitated. "Please..my baby.." She sobbed desperately as she held her protruding belly defensively in her hands. I opened my mouth to respond and horror sprung anew in her eyes as she appeared to be looking at something either behind or above me. Hairs stood on the back of my neck and I only heard the slight whisper of a step before I noticed the silver glint swing past me towards the mother to be. It all happened so quickly. I drew in a sharp breath and her head hit the tile floor before I could react. I looked up slowly to see none other then Sam Winchester standing before me. His chest heaving as he casually wiped off his blade with a nearby hand towel.