To The Beat Of The Devil's Drums [Supernatural]

Warning Signs

Two Days Earlier

Gravel crunches beneath the tyres as the Impala rolls to a standstill, coming to stop at the foot of a wide, unkempt driveway leading up to the park gates. More crunching follows as the doors swing open and two pairs of boots step out, footsteps falling into a synchronised rhythm as the men make their way towards the entrance.

Dean casts an unimpressed eye over the dishevelled sight before him, taking in the stained, flaking paint of the park walls that he can just about make out beneath the thick overgrowth threatening to swallow the structure whole. Long grass and weeds swipe at their ankles as they approach, while the sign above the entrance does its best to creep out from behind the moss and ivy clinging to it. Faded purple letters proclaim the park's name followed by a strapline, the childish bubble font attempting a poor imitation of cheerfulness.

"Wanda's Wonderland," Dean reads drily as the he and Sam draw nearer. "Where dreams come true!" He quirks a sarcastic eyebrow. "Which of your dreams is gonna come true in there, Sammy? World peace? Adopting a shelter of abandoned puppies? Channing Tatum in a g-string?" Dean smirks, shooting a sideways glance to gauge his brother's reaction, but Sam looks nonplussed.

"I might get lucky. You sent that movie back to the rental company before I had chance to watch it," Sam retorts casually, and Dean scowls.

"Well, if I get through those gates and Lucy Liu isn't waiting for me in a leather bikini, I'm calling bullshit." He strides up to where a "Danger! Keep out!" sign is hanging redundantly on the concertinaed security grill pulled in front of the entrance, and then looks across to where the gate is already falling out of its frame. A gap has formed between the gate and the wall, and Dean grasps the edge of the metal and gives a tug to widen it. "Guess this is how those kids got in. After you, Sammy."

Sam clambers through the opening, a "Trespassers will be prosecuted" sign protesting futilely beside his head before Dean follows. The pair of them make their way past the abandoned ticket booths, the space opening out into what remains of the grand entrance to Wanda's Wonderland. The remnants of a grand fountain stand before them, a few inches of green, slime-coated water lingering at the bottom, while just beyond it a large billboard advertises one of the park's major attractions. Several tarmac pathways branch off from the central space, each accompanied by a rather sad-looking sign pointing the way to a different themed region. The desolate signs promising "More fun this way!" draw particularly dubious looks.

The brothers exchange a glance and then each cast their eyes around, the forlorn figures of long-dead attractions standing lonely and silent in the near distance. Dominating the skyline, the skeleton of a gigantic red rollercoaster towers up from the thin layer of mist coating the ground, standing out stark against the pale grey clouds. Sam raises an eyebrow as he takes in the shape. It starts out flat, followed by a bump, then a dip, leading into a steep climb that must be over 300 feet before the sharp crest turns into a near vertical drop, plummeting into the mist before the track wrenches itself up again. There's a brief stretch of almost-flat rail until it suddenly twists into a series of loops and corkscrews that would make anyone's head spin, and then the track finally plateaus and curves back to its starting point. Up until the start of the crazy loops, Sam notes that the shape reminds him of an EKG trace.

Dean has taken a few steps forward, coming to stand in front of the billboard that's so coated in grime Sam didn't immediately recognise the shape on it. He takes a few more paces to stand beside his brother, gazing up at the image portraying the real-life rollercoaster beyond, from another time when the park was bustling and the sky blue. "So this is it, then," he remarks, "The rollercoaster with the two fatal accidents that got the park shut down."