Archive of Our Own ^beta

(Brookings, SOUTH DAKOTA)

It’s dark on the streets. Everyone stays at home with their families. The asphalt on the road along the houses is wet and reflects the light of the moon. We see lights coming from inside the neighborhoods homes, bringing some warmth into the night. A dog barks from afar.

„Alright, who of you is hungry?“ says Elton Roosevelt to his two sons, sitting around the table.

Both kids, one around 12 and the other 8 years old, cheer from excitement. „Me!“ they both scream, trying to outdo one another.

The father hovers a huge pot over the table and puts it down in front of the boys. Their eyes sparkle as they see the steaming turkey inside. They jump up and reach for the pot.

Eloise, their mother sits beside them and giggles over her children’s greed. „Slow down, or you‘ll burn yourselves“ she tells them with a soothing voice.

A phone starts ringing. Elton grabs it and looks on the screen. His smile fades. He stands up and leaves the room. „Marcus? What is it?“ he speaks into the phone.

„Hey, Elton. Sorry to bother you. There has been an incident here at the office, Margret had to leave early and now the hotline is a complete mess…“

Eloise looks after her husband, trying to make sense of it. Then he comes back, sighing.

„I’m so sorry. But I have to get to the office, Marcus needs me. I really wanted to spend this evening together.“

„It’s alright. Thanks for cooking.“ says Eloise with disappointment written on her face.

„Ok, see you tomorrow morning, bye. “

Elton kisses his wife very swiftly and rushes out.

The car stops at the parking lot. Elton gets out. The main entrance is always locked over night so he has to take the back door. He walks up to it when a strong gust of wind makes him stop right at the entrance. He turns around. Nothing there. He turns back to the door as a sudden energy wave strikes him. The next second, he’s gone.

12 hours later:

The engine of the Impala is howling familiar tunes and the radio sings to its rhythm as the two Winchesters hit the road once again.

Dean is at the wheel, next to him Sam, quickly scrolling through the news on his laptop. He closes it again.

„So, what’s on the agenda?“ asks Dean, breaking the silence between them.

„You mean another job?...Nothing I’d know about.“

„Really?...Ok.“ Dean looks as if he’d just lost a bet. Maybe it’s the fact that there is really nothing out there for them to hunt. Or perhaps it’s his failed attempt to find purpose. Sometimes it feels like driving in circles, when it’s late and the road seems endless. Nowhere to go.

Hunting isn’t something he enjoys but it’s the closest he can get to home. It’s what will forever connect him to his father.

„You sound disappointed.“ Sam looks at Dean who stares straight ahead.

„What do you mean?“

„You know, there doesn’t always have to be a case. Maybe we should take some time off for once. Is it so bad doing nothing at all?“

„We’ve been through that. No need to go over it again.“ Dean replies, not breaking the eye contact with the road.

„Yes and apparently you still don’t get it. We’re not on the same boat anymore ok? If there is a job, I’ll be the first to show up at the scene but I’m not looking for one just because there is nothing else to do.“

„Oh now you’re so busy with your life? And what would that be?“

„Exactly. Life! I’m trying to be busy with LIVING.“

Dean grunts.

A phone starts ringing. Sam picks up. „Hello?...Jody, hey, how are you doing? What? Where are you? Brookings? Yeah, we’re only a few hours away. Alright, we’ll meet you there.“ He hangs up.

„So there is a job.“ says Dean with a childish grin.

„Yeah. A whole block went missing. No traces of the missing people living there. A couple of hundred people vanished into thin air.“

„That sounds like us.“ Dean steps on the gas.

They arrive only 3 hours later. Jody Mills is already waiting for them at the agreed meeting point. All geared up in the suits and striped ties around their necks.

She embraces them with open arms. “Hey, boys. Thank god you came. How are you two doing?” she says while hugging one after the other.

“You know, as always. Demons, Ghosts, the usual family stuff and now missing people apparently. How about you, Jody?” asks Dean after letting go of her.

„I’m alright, yeah. Claire is a challenge, but you know how teenagers are and I can’t hold her forever. Apart from this, I barely slept last night. The department is beside itself. Hundreds of people are calling us, reporting missing people. Although this town is 50 minutes from Sioux Falls. Brookings department seems to be overrun by people and our people at the station are losing it. It just doesn’t make any sense.“

„Jody you looked in every building? Are they really all gone?“ asks Sam.

„Yes, not a single soul. We’re trying to calm the people reporting to us, but it wouldn’t stop.“

„Ok, we’ll look into it. Is there some sort of map of the whole block?“ Dean looks at Sam, then at Jody.

„There is.“ Jody opens the door of the police car and grabs a piece of paper. She unfolds the map on the engine hood. The three of them bend over to get a closer look at it.

Jody draws a red circle on it, pointing out the affected area.  „Every person in this circle disappeared. It’s like a radius. That must be around 250 people.“

„What’s in the centre?“ Sam points at the building in the middle of the circle.

„An animal protection shelter specializing on wild animals. We’ve already checked it out. Completely normal, nothing weird. Only the missing staff.“

Dean looks at Sam. „Double check won’t hurt, would it?“

„You’re right, we’d like to check it out ourselves. Just in case. “ says Sam to Jody.

„Yes of course. I gotta head back. Keep me updated if you find something.“

„We will.“

The Winchesters walk back to their car and set off.

They drive through the empty streets and stop at the shelter.

“You see those parrots there?” Dean points at a cluster of colorful, unusual birds on top of the roof.

„Yeah, that’s odd.“

„Well, let’s check it out.“ says Dean and walks ahead towards the entrance of the animal shelter. He pushes the handle of the door, and it jumps open. With one hand resting on his gun he walks inside, Sam following him.

Nobody in the waiting room and no one at the reception. They walk into the back rooms where they find multiple cages. There are not many animals in them. A snake and a bird.

„Bad business I suppose.“ says Dean swiftly looking around.

Sam pulls out the EMF detector and turns it on. He scans almost every corner. The device stays quiet. Meanwhile, Dean looks inside the cages for hexbags. Also nothing.

They check the storage room, also barely used.

„Hey, did you notice the computer at the reception desk? “ Sam asks, while walking behind the counter.

„No, why?“

„Its still on. Maybe we can find something on there.“

Luckily for them, the server is unlocked. Sam clicks around on the display, opening up different files.

„Huh, see that? They’ve got at least 200 missed calls and even more unread mails. They’re all within 24 hours.“ mentions Sam.

Dean looks at the screen. „Can you check the days before that?“

Sam filters the call list but there have only been 2 calls from the previous week.

„So the business is bad. But all of a sudden people want their pets back.“ Says Dean focusing on the screen.

„Here, the last mail says ‚Bear attack‘. The other one says…“ Sam stops, he can’t believe what he’s reading.

„What is it?“ Dean asks him.

„This one says ‚free-roaming tiger‘.“

„I’ll call Jody. See if she knows about it“

Dean puts the phone to his ear while Sam keeps reading all the mails, that seem to become more obscure by the minute.

„Jody. Hey…“

„Dean, it’s good you’re calling. People are freaking out. All kinds of wild animals are on the streets, even attacking the citizens.“

„Yeah, we know, we just wanted to see if you’ve got any hints.“

„No, but we believe those animals might’ve killed people already. There is no other way to explain the disappearances.“

„Did you find any bodies?“ speaks Dean into his phone while reading ‚car crash with elephant‘ on the computer. He’s weirded out by that information.

„That’s the thing. We did find bodies but they don’t match the missing people, which makes our theories just theories.“ Jody answers.

„Well. We’re on it, don’t worry.“

He hangs up.

“Jody is already filled in on it. She believes those animals might’ve killed some people, that’s why they are missing.” reports Dean.

“Then what’s up with the animals?”

Dean opens a few drawers and finds a rather filthy magazine in one. He picks it up and waves it through the air with a big smile. Sam notices his brother’s behaviour and gives him the look he always makes whenever Dean acts like half his age. He wants to throw it back in but notices a very old sheet of paper at the bottom with an ancient language on it.

„Did you find something?“ Sam reads off Deans expression.

„Yeah, does this language look familiar to you?“ Dean holds the paper with a handkerchief and shows it to Sam.

„That’s ancient Greek. Plus, the paper looks like it’s not fresh out of the factory either.”

„Yeah, every fiber of this screams ‘ancient’.“ Dean inspects the object. He turns the paper in all directions but that doesn’t help him understand the writing any better.

„ We should talk to the people reporting those incidents.“ Sam let’s go of the computer.

„Yeah, speaking of which. A new attack report just came in. Jody just sent me the address.” Dean looks at the phone. He rolls the paper with the letters and they leave the shelter behind.

The Winchesters stop at the given address. A park not far from the shelter. Everything is cordoned off with yellow tape. People are surrounding the scene and police officers are standing around everywhere.

„Where is Jody?“ asks Sam overlooking the park.

„She told me she’s gotta help out at a different case.“ Dean replies.

They walk up to the tape and show their badges to one officer before entering the crime scene.

On the ground lies a white blanket covering something. Dean lifts up an edge to find a dead body ripped in half.

„Eww“ He immediately drops the fabric again.

Sam walks up to one of the officers. „Special Agent White. FBI. What exactly happened here?“

The officer looks very distressed and overwhelmed. „Deputy Tagger. I’ve never seen something like this here before. This woman. It sounds crazy but she was bitten in half.“

Dean joins in. „Bitten by what? Special Agent Morgan, we’re partners.“

„That’s the thing. I’d have to show you in order for you to believe me. You’re not from here are you?“ asks the officer while leading them away from the body.

„Erh no.“ says Sam.

About 20 feet away from the corpse is another blanket on the ground, much bigger this time.

„Here, look for yourselves.“ the officer points at the fabric.

Sam kneels down and lift the corner. He scares back a little. A large head of a crocodile stares at him. It’s teeth and mouth still covered in blood.

„Don’t worry, it’s already dead.“ says the officer slightly worried.

„Is there a zoo nearby?“ asks Dean

„Ts, no. We don’t have a Zoo here in Brookings.“

„How many wild animal reports have you gotten the last 10-15 hours in total?”  throws in Dean.

„About…150, maybe more. But we also get a huge number of missing people reports from this area.“

„Has there been a similar case before?“ continues Sam.

The officer shakes his head. „No. Crocodiles? They shouldn’t even live near this state.“

Sam stands up again. „Who reported the attack? We would like to question them.“

„I mean we’ve already questioned her but maybe she remembers something new.“ The officer hands them a small note with a name and an address on it.

„Thank you, Deputy Tagger.“ thanks him Sam.

The two walk away from the dead animal.

„What the hell is going on here? It’s like ‘Jumanji’ all over the place.“ says Dean while recalling all of their previous cases in order to find an answer.

„This is all happening within the circle, so it has to be connected to the vanishing people.“ says Sam.

„Maybe. But I can’t stop thinking about the Greek paper. I bet it says something useful. “

„You’re right. It’s worth looking into it.“

The two leave the scene again and follow the address. They reach the border of the circle and beyond that border everything seems completely normal again.

The Impala stops before a middle-class house alongside a broad road surrounded by neighboring homes. Sam fixes his tie and walks ahead. The brothers stop at the porch before a wooden door with a tinted window. Dean presses the bell.

A blonde woman in her late 30s opens up. She looks at them confused. Sam and Dean raise their badges synchronously.

„Agent White, this is my partner Agent Morgan. You must be Mrs. Eloise Roosevelt. We’ve got the information that you reported the animal attack in the park. We would like to ask you a few questions if that’s alright with you?“ says Sam in one go as if he had to learn it by heart. Which he had in a way.

The woman’s expression doesn’t change, she’s still conspicuous. „I already told the officers in the park. But yeah you can come in. I might need more help. And I got a few hours before I have to pick up my boys.“

They both enter the house.

Her living room is nicely decorated with pictures of her and her family. Soft cushions give the sofa an inviting touch. The Winchesters sit opposite Eloise. A small table separates them.

She had put a large bowl of biscuits on the table. Ever since Dean entered the room, he can’t take his eyes off them.

„May I?“ he asks, irritated and impatient as a kid.

„Sure, help yourself“

That was his sign. He puts three at once in his mouth, which makes him unable to speak. Sam jabs him with one arm.

„Mrs. Roosevelt. What exactly happened in the park?“  Sam asks her with a calm voice.

„I just wanted to take a quick stroll outside. Getting my head clear after what happened to my husband. Suddenly I heard loud screaming. At first I thought someone was attacked by another human but when I got there, I saw all of that blood and that monster. What is a crocodile doing in Brookings?! It was awful.“ Eloise stares on the table, recalling the moment. Her eyes are filled with fear.

„We’re sorry you had to see this... You said something happened to your husband?“

„Yes. He’s been missing since yesterday! I’ve told the cops but they couldn’t help me. They said a lot of people went missing and that they were working on it. But nothing came from them since.“ Her eyes sparkle a little from the tears forming.

„Did your husband say anything before he disappeared? That he wants to go somewhere? Or did he act weird to you?“ asks Dean with half of his mouth full.

„No, not really. We were having dinner and he got a call from his colleagues, that he has to come to the office. But that happens quite frequently. And ever since he left, he hasn’t come back. Elton, he usually texts me before he comes home or just in general when he’s at work, even though I’m sleeping.“

“Did your husband have any enemies you could think of?” Sam asks.

“Enemies? No, not at all. I don’t think Elton could ever make himself any enemies. Everybody likes him, he’s like the golden boy of this town. He couldn’t even kill a fly if he had to. Even our pastor once told us that Elton’s soul has to be the purest he had ever encountered. So, no, no enemies.”

“Did anything weird happen lately in your house?” interrogates Dean, still chewing a little.

“No, what should’ve happened?” she replies.

“Felt cold spots around your home or maybe smelled rotten eggs?” he continues.

“No. Neither. Why is that relevant?”

“Just standard questions.” Dean responds with a little smile.

„Where does your husband work?“ asks Sam.

„At ‚Infarmence‘. It’s not far from here.“

„Ok, thank you very much, Mrs. Roosevelt.“ says Sam and they stand up.

„Can you find my husband?“ says Eloise while the two head towards the door.

„We promise, we will find him. Oh, one more question…“ Dean pulls out the paper with the ancient language on it and shows it to Eloise. „Do you happen to know anything about ancient Greek?”

„Dean!“, Sam whispers sharply and grabs him by the arm.

„What? I just want to make sure.“ whispers Dean back.

„Not really, but I might have something that could help.” Claims Eloise and quickly walks away.

Sam and Dean look at each other, neither of them expecting this reaction from her.

She comes back with a book in her hand. It has a leather cover and the titel is written on it in golden colour.

„This has been sitting in our shelf for quite a while now. My husband is obsessed with old things and occasionally collects them.“ Eloise leafs through the book. “It’s about all kinds of ‘ancient’. Getting this book wasn’t easy, mostly because it’s not a regular book about history. It has some weird stuff in there, dark stuff.”

“Would you mind if we borrowed this for a day or so?” Sam asks.

“No, not at all. Anything that helps with finding Eliot.” she hands it to him.

„Thank you very much. We’ll bring it back to you with your husband.“, says Sam and they open the door behind them.

„If you hear or see something again, give us a call and we’ll help. And stay inside. Only leave the house if necessary.“ reassures her Dean while handing her their fake business card.

They leave the house and stop before the Impala. They lean on it on both sides, facing each other over the roof.

„What do you think? Cursed object?“ asks Dean.

„Yeah, could be. Let’s find out.“

They both open the doors and get in. The engine starts and the exhaust smokes as the wheels start rolling.

They’re too far from the bunker now, so they get themselves a motel nearby. They’d stopped at a restaurant and brought some takeaway.

As they enter their room their gaze lands on two beds at the right and a table on the left.

Dean throws his jacket on the bed and grabs the old book while Sam opens his computer on the table.

„You know what’s weird? How this all should be connected. There are way more people missing than being attacked. I don’t believe that every missing person has been killed.“ says Sam while the computer is turning on.

„Me neither. Honestly, I have no idea what we’re dealing with right here. Have you got anything?” Dean asks his brother.

“No, nothing I could think of.”

Dean places himself comfortably onto the bed and digs through the pages of the book. Rituals, symbols and drawings are revealed.

And that’s how they spend the next few hours.

It’s already dark outside. Then, Dean finds something interesting that catches his eyes. It shows a page of old poems. Poems that were allegedly written by ancient gods. One is in Egyptian hieroglyphs; another is in Hebrew and one in Greek. The translation is written underneath each poem. He grabs the paper from the shelter and puts it next to the page. The sentence matches.

“I think I know what it says. It’s right in here. ‘The apple as golden as the early dusk shall only be for the Fairest’”, reads Dean from the page.

“Now that’s something to work with.” replies Sam and starts tapping.

A little later:

Dean comes out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth, while Sam sits on the bed with the computer on his legs.

“Shtill diggin?”, mumbles Dean with a good amount of foam in his mouth.

“Yeah, actually I found something.” Sam turns the display towards Dean. “The golden apple is a symbol of the Greek goddess Eris. Allegedly, many who believe, call her a trickster. She’s supposed to bring the worst out of people and…”, Sam stops and looks up.

“An wha?”

“Shut up, did you hear that?”

Dean stops brushing and listens. Nothing. “I’m still brushing, that’s it.”

“No Dean. I heard it form outside.” Sam gets up and walks to the door. Dean disappears in the bathroom again.

Sam holds a knife behind his back while looking through the peephole. He can’t see anything. There again, the scratching.

He slowly opens the door and finds nothing in front of him. He looks left and right. Strange. As he’s about to close the door again he looks down on the ground.

Blue shiny eyes gaze at him through thick, beige fur. “Meow” says the cat looking up to Sam.

“Erm ok? Are you lost?”, asks Sam while bending down, hoping to get an answer. He tries to find a collar around it’s neck. “Who do you belong to?” He can’t find anything in that fuzzy fur.

Sam stands up again. The cat tries to get in through his legs but Sam stops it on time. “Woah, you can’t come in, Dean would literally kill you if he saw you.”

“Meow”

“I’m sorry. Go and find your owner.” He carefully closes the door again. “Sorry”

Dean comes out of the bathroom wiping his face with a towel. “Who were you talking to? Are you ok? Seeing things that aren’t there?”

Sam looks at Dean annoyed. He sighs. “It’s nothing to worry about. The scratching”

“What scratching?” asks Dean even more concerned.

“It stopped. I couldn’t let it in, cuz I know how you’d react.”

Sam goes to the door and opens it to expose the little visitor.

“Yeah, obviously you couldn’t let it in. Because there is nothing there.” says Dean looking at the empty porch.

Sam looks outside and the cat is gone.

“You sure, you are ok?”

“Dean, it was just a cat.”

“Oh ok. Did it have wings as well, or maybe a unicorn?”

Sam slams the door again. “Haha. Funny.” he replies to Dean’s childish comments.

“I think we should call it a day, what do you say?” says Dean while closing the book on his bed.

“Yeah.”

Dean falls onto his bed and immediately falls asleep.

Sam goes to the door, listens one more time, then locks it.

2:25 am – it’s raining outside:

Dean snores into his pillow while Sam sleeps quietly and peacefully.

Thunder wakes Dean up. He sits up and rubs his eyes. Then stands up and goes to the kitchen counter to grab a glass of water. He chuggs it down in one. Before he goes back to his bed he notices the cat at the window. It stares right at him, all wet from the rain.

Dean blinks at it tiredly, then walks away again. Probably just a dream.

9:00 am:

Dean opens his eyes. It’s already bright outside. He looks up from his pillow, finding Sam sitting at the table, scouring the internet.

Sam looks up as he sees some movement coming from Dean’s bed. “Morning”

“Argh…morning”

“Can’t believe you didn’t wake up earlier, from all that scratching outside.” says Sam.

“The cat again?”

“Yeah, the one you wouldn’t believe exists.”

Dean doesn’t answer to this although he very well remembers seeing the cat. “Do we have coffee?”

“Yeah, on the counter.” says Sam, pointing at the coffee can.

“Good.”

Dean waddles up to it and pours himself a good amount into his mug. He takes a sip while standing still like a lifeless robot, staring into nothing.

Meanwhile, the scratching at the door gets louder and more intense.

Dean exhales sharply.

“Can this thing stop being such a pain in the ass, this early in the morning!?”

He furiously stomps to the door and opens it. The cat proudly walks in and rubs itself against Deans legs. “Oh, come on, seriously?”

He tries to lead it out the door with one foot but it won’t go. Then he picks it up very uncomfortably and puts it outside. But the moment Dean let’s go of it, it runs back inside. He tries everything to keep it outside; nothing would work. “A little help, Sammy?”

“You can handle a werewolf but not a cat? Besides, it won’t listen to me either. He’s a cat.”

 “Fine” Dean closes the door with the cat inside.

Sam is quite baffled by how quickly his brother gave up. “Maybe he’s hungry?” he asks Dean.

“This shouldn’t be our biggest concern” answers Dean while putting his leftover Japanese takeaway on the ground.

The cat runs up to it, sniffs a few times, then walks away again.

“It won’t even eat.” says Dean and sits down beside Sam.

“He. He’s a male.” corrects him Sam.

“You’re a cat expert now?”

“It’s not that hard to spot the difference in a cat” responds Sam and points out the animal with a quick glance which happens to stand with the back towards them.

Dean looks down and back to Sam. “Perve! Go look at your lore instead.”

Sam’s phone starts ringing. He picks up. “Yes hello. What happened?” Sam carefully listens to what’s being said on the other end. “Yeah, sure. We’ll be there in a few!” he hangs up.

“Who was it?” asks Dean.

“Mrs. Roosevelt. I think she saw something. She didn’t say what, we should meet her.”

“Well then, let’s go.” Dean jumps up from his seat. But Sam was faster.

“I’ll go change first” says Sam and goes to the bathroom. Leaving his brother defeated with the four-legged friend.

Dean stands in the middle of the room. The cat right before him, looking up. He analyses the animal but can’t wrap his head around it.

“Meow” makes the cat while standing up on two legs, leaning against Deans legs.

“Don’t you have some mice to catch or some ladies to sniff?” talks Dean with the animal.

The cat looks at him with big sparkly eyes and circles his legs.

Dean sighs.

He looks to the bathroom and back at the cat before bending down and carefully picking him up. “Why am I doing this?” he asks himself.

Dean holds the cat like a delicate vase. But as soon as he wraps his arm around him, the animal starts purring.

“You like that?” asks Dean while gently starting to rub his soft belly.

The bathroom door opens and Sam comes out. For a split second he catches his brother with the animal. What an odd thing to witness.

Dean immediately drops the cat like a sandbag and acts as if nothing happened.

“Ok, my turn.” says Dean tensely and rushes into the bathroom.

Only a few minutes later he comes out and they get ready to leave.

“What about the cat?” asks Sam while standing in the open doorway.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.” Dean looks at the fur ball with a lot of confused expressions going on in his face. “You, behave! I will kill you if you pee on my bed!” he says pointing at it.

They storm out of their room.

The Winchesters arrive in front of a Café called “Mug-Shot” where Mrs. Roosevelt is waiting for them. She stands on the side of the pavement. “Agents, thank god you came”, she says with great relief as the brothers walk up to her.

“Of course, that’s our job.” says Dean confidently while Sam already prepares his notebook to write things down.

“Sorry that we couldn’t meet at my house. My boys stayed at their grandmas over night and now they’re back. I don’t want them to meet the dog in case he’s aggressive towards them.” she says.

That’s when their eyes land on a black and white Border Colly next to Eloise.

“Oh, I haven’t seen him last time” Sam asks while gazing at the animal.

“That’s the thing. It’s not my dog. I don’t have one. He just came to me and I had to let him in because I felt sorry. He won’t leave my side.” Says Eloise.

“Let me guess. He randomly showed up last night?” asks Dean already knowing the answer.

“Yes, how do you know that?”

“Lucky guess.”

Dean turns to Sam and whispers to him. “Maybe this has something to do with the case. I mean the cat? Same thing.”

“Yeah” whispers Sam back.

“And did he act weird over the night? Or did you notice him change in any form?” asks Sam Mrs. Roosevelt.

“Change? No. He was very clingy. He really wanted to sleep in my bed. He must miss his owner.” Says Eloise. Then something came to her mind. “And I think I saw something else too.”

“What?” asks Dean.

“The dog, he went to the toilet at night. I woke up and heard noises from the bathroom and when I went to check, I saw him sitting on the toilet, you know, doing his business. He even flushed.”

Sam looks at Dean in astonishment, then at the dog. “Does he wear a tracker?”

“No, I haven’t found anything, not even a collar. I looked online if anyone was missing their dog, but I didn’t find anything.” replies Eloise. “Maybe I should bring him to the animal shelter.”

After she said the last words the dog twitches and whines a bit.

“Now that’s weird. He looks scared.” says Dean while observing the dogs behaviour.

“I don’t think getting him to the shelter is a wise idea. Maybe we should take him for a while. We don’t know, maybe he could be important for our case.” Tells her Sam.

Dean can’t believe his brother said this and slightly pushes him.

Mrs. Roosevelt hands Sam the leash. Dean looks back up to Mrs. Roosevelt and spots something in the distance behind her.

“Have you found any trace of my husband yet?” Eloise asks.

“We’re still working on it. But as soon as we find something, we’ll let you know.” Ensures her Sam.

“Ok. Thank you so much, agents. Bye.” Eloise waves at them and walks away.

“Hey, look. Do you see her?” says Dean to Sam, pointing next to Eloise.

“You mean Mrs. Roosevelt?”

“No, look there in the background.”

His finger points at an old lady, staring at them. She has been the whole time.

“That’s weird” says Sam after finally spotting her. But then the woman turns around and heads off, disappearing behind a corner. “Where is she going?”

“I have an idea where to find out.” replies Dean.

They walk to the Impala. Sam with the dog on his leash.

“Oh no, no, no, no. He won’t be getting in there!” says Dean, blocking Sams way.

“What else are we supposed to do with him?”

“I don’t know. But he’s not getting in this car! First of all: There is something off about him, I know it! Second: He’s a dog!

“Do you want to walk him back to the motel?” asks Sam snippy.

“So you can drive Baby? No way!” Dean opens the door and throws himself on the drivers seat.

Sam stays outside like a stubborn child.

A minute passes and Dean sighs. “Fine, get in!”

His brother then puts the dog on the back seat and is about to walk to the passenger seat.

“Ah ah ah! You sit in the back with him and keep an eye on him!” commands Dean very tense.

“Really?!”

“You put this upon yourself, don’t forget that.”

Sam gets in and stares at the dog who looks right back at him with his tongue out.

The Impala stops at the police station a couple of blocks away. The Winchesters get out.

“He’s coming with us, I don’t trust him.” says Dean and walks ahead.

Sam then grabs the leash and follows his brother with the dog.

As they enter the building, people frantically run around, and telephones keep ringing. After all, the entire town is in a state of emergency.

They walk up to the counter. The woman behind the desk barely notices them since she’s talking on the phone, trying to calm down whoever she’s speaking to. She hangs up.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” she asks the brothers.

“Hey, I’m agent Morgan, this is agent White. We would like to have a look at the surveillance footage if that’s alright with you.” says Dean holding up his badge.

“You can clearly see, that we are a little understaffed here. Why would the FBI take interest in our town?”

“Just following orders, Ma’am.” Sam replies.

“Fine, if you must.” The woman stands up and waves at her colleague. “Deryl, would you please show these two agents the computers? I’m stuck here.” she shouts at a man in his 50s who seems to be in distress.

Sam, Dean and the dog follow him and get to the backroom. A row of computers takes up half of the space in there.

“Here, help yourselves.” says the sheriff and leaves them alone.

Sam sits down in front of one of the screens. A few taps and clicks and a variety of footage from different streets show up. Sam quickly jumps through the videos.

“There, that’s the café and the road.” states Dean, pointing at the screen from behind his brother’s shoulder.

“That’s from right now, we have to go back a little.” Says Sam focusing on the video, then scrolls back.

They recognize themselves with Eloise and the dog in one of the videos. A small figure appears in the background.

“Look, that could be her.” States Dean.

Sam zooms in but some force field is blocking the camera from capturing her face.

They let the video play to the end. Sam opens another clip with the next street and sees the figure walking through the picture.

He follows her across half of the town’s surveillance footage until…

“That’s the shelter. What is she doing in there?” asks Dean.

The brothers watch her go into the building and disappear.

Sam speeds up the time and a little later she comes out again, followed by a tall, muscular man.

“So she just randomly spawned some guy. What is she up to?” says Sam trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. He then follows her further, but she disappears behind the shelter. “Shit. We lost her, there is no footage from that corner.”

“Then we have to check it out ourselves.”

“Dean, we don’t know anything about what we’re dealing with right here. What if she comes back? For all we know, this could be an actual goddess.”

“You’re right. More research then!” answers Dean, then walks out. Sam and the dog follow him.

The Winchesters arrive at their room. As they open the door, that cat already awaits them.

“Almost forgot about that.” sighs Dean.

“What do we do with him?” asks Sam looking at the Border Collie.

Dean grabs the silver knife and kneels down in front of him. “This will burn like hell if you’re a shifter. If not, it’ll do you no harm.” Then he grabs the dogs paw and puts it on the silver blade. Nothing happens. The animal seems unbothered.

“Not a shifter then.” Sam remarks.

“I still don’t trust him.” Dean takes the leash and walks into the bathroom. He ties it tightly around the radiator, leaving the animal almost no room to move besides sitting and laying down.

Dean closes the door behind him and sits down at the table. “So…Eris you said? A trickster goddess. Let’s look into it.”, says Dean. He opens the laptop and starts typing. Sam takes a seat as well and opens his own laptop.

A few minutes later:

“Hey, I think I found something. Come here.” says Sam to Dean, who gets up and goes around to get a look at the screen.

“So this golden apple. It’s not only a symbol of Eris. It’s her enchantment item. The source of her power. She’s the daughter of Nyx and sister of Ares. She also appears in the roman mythology. She uses people’s envy and anger against them.” reads Sam off the internet. “The lore also says she usually appears as a limping, shriveled, small lady. Only when she gains her full power, she turns into her true form.”

“That was her, the old lady! That means she hasn’t got the apple yet.” states Dean.

The cat jumps on the table and sits between their laptops. The Winchesters hesitate and just stare at it.

“Maybe he’s really just a cat?” asks Sam looking at the fur ball.

“Doubt that. Since when is there anything ‘normal’ in our lives? But, there is only one way to find out.” says Dean determined. He pulls out the Colt and points it at the cat.

“Dean?” Sam looks at Dean like a strict parent.

Dean glares deadly at the cat. “Do you know what this is? It’s not any regular gun. It’s the frigging Colt! Kills almost anything! So either you show your true self or I put a gaping hole between your googly eyes.”

The cat glances back at him, unfazed by the threats. Then, for a moment, his eyes start to glow.

“Woah, did you see that?” asks Dean his brother.

“No what?”

“His eyes were gleaming.” Dean replies.

“Like a shifter?”

“No. More like an angel.”

“Huh. That can’t be possible. An angel cat?” Sam tries to find a logical explanation.

“Maybe an angel possessing a cat?”

“No a cat’s vessel isn’t strong enough to hold an angels grace.” figures Sam.

The cat comes closer to Dean and puts his paw on his upper left arm. “The hell?”

He looks at the paw. The cat tabs on his arm a few times. Dean puts his hand on that spot. It’s a familiar spot; one that feels like being marked again.

And suddenly it came to him.

“CASS?!” says Dean baffled.

“Meow”

Sam’s eyes get bigger after he watched the whole thing happening. “Cass? Is that really you?”

“Meow”

“How the hell did you end up like this?” asks him Dean.

“You know, I don’t think he talks a lot.” Mentions Sam, breaking Dean’s staring contest with Cass.

“Ok…what if we ask you  ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions and when you want to say ‘yes’, you raise your paw?” asks Sam.

Cass raises his paw.

“Works good enough for me.” Dean replies and closes his laptop.

“Have you heard of the people who are missing?” asks him Sam.

The cat raises his paw. ‘Yes’

“What happened to you?”

“He can’t answer that, Dean”

“Right…About the missing people, do you know what happened to them?” interrogates Dean.

Cass raises his Paw.

“Did you maybe come across a golden apple, by any chance?”, he continues.

But Cass’s paw stays down.

“Ok. Did what happened to you also happen to the other people? Did they change too?” asks Sam while Dean is still stunned by this situation.

Cass raises his Paw. They connect the dots.

“The animal attacks. People got turned into animals and now running riot.” mentions Dean.

“She brings out the worst in people. All the envy and hatred. It’s Eris.” Sam remarks.

“Do you have any desire to kill me with your little teeth and your tiny claws?” Dean turns to Cass with a sarcastic smile on his face.

He hisses at Dean who jerks back in surprise.

“Haha. I wouldn’t mess with him. I’ve read cat bites can be fatal.” Says Sam.

“Spare me the info dump. Geek.”

Cass jumps from the table and goes to the bathroom. He starts scratching on the door. Sam and Dean look after him.

“You don’t wanna go in there. Cats and dogs usually don’t get along well.” shouts Dean.

Sam quickly turns back to his brother. “Dean, the dog! He’s Mrs. Roosevelts husband. That’s why he wanted to get to her.”

‘Oh’ thinks Dean.

They both get up. Sam opens the door and frees the dog from the leash. He calmly walks out.

“Are you Elton Roosevelt?” Sam looks down at him while he starts wagging his tail. He then barks a few times.

“That was a clear yes, I suppose” says Dean.

“Guess we owe you an apology, for treating you like this. We just wanted to make sure you weren’t going mad like the other animals…people.” apologises Sam. Elton barks again.

Suddenly they hear loud banging on the door. Elton and Cass hide in the bathroom. The Winchesters look at each other. Dean decides to walk towards it and opens it.

“Can’t you read the damn sign? No pets!”, a middle aged, small guy with grey hair stands before Dean. He suspiciously looks inside their room and sees Sam who forcefully grins back at him.

“You and your partner better get rid of that dog, or I will. House rules.” The man continues.

Dean can’t keep his laugh in. “We’re not…Whatever. No dog here. My partner and I will keep it down from now on, we were just enjoying a little…animal…roleplay.” He puts on the biggest fake-smile and shuts the door on the astounded motel manager.

“Was that really necessary, Dean?” asks Sam in disbelief.

“Nope, but his face was priceless.”

Sam rolls his eyes.

“Meow”, says Cass sitting next to the book they borrowed from Eloise.

“What is it?” Sam goes up to him. The cat puts his paw on the open page.

Sam sits down and looks at it. “Basically, the goddess Eris is immortal, but there is one thing that makes her vincible.  Her power is also her weakness.”

“The apple. That’s her source right? So we just have to find her and an old, magical golden apple and gank her.” says Dean.

“Not quite. Eris got locked away thousands of years ago. Therefore, she got separated from said apple. Humans took it and forged it into a valuable jewellery. A golden ring. ‘The ring of Eris’.” Sam continues reading.

“Does the book say anything about where this ring is now?”

“No not really. I can look through the internet.” says Sam while typing on his laptop. “It doesn’t say much either. ‘The ring of Eris’ was on the market around 1963. But it was never sold.”

“And can you still purchase it?” asks Dean.

“It says it is on the market again, but it doesn’t say where it is now.”

“Awesome.” Dean throws his hand on the table. Then his phone starts ringing. “Jody, hello.”

“Hey Dean. How’s the case going? Anything new?”

Dean looks at Cass. “You can say that. Hey, do you know anything about ‘The ring of Eris’?”

“Are we talking about the greek goddess? I’ve heard of her but nothing about a ring, sorry.”

“No, it’s alright, we just wanted to rule out any possibilities.”

“Actually, I met a hunter last week who is infatuated with antique and haunted items. I could ask him, and see if he’s got something on the ring.” says Jody.

“That would be great, thank you.”

“I can’t believe we’re dealing with a Greek goddess here.”

“Yeah, the world gets crazier.” Says Dean while looking at Elton, the dog.

“Alright, I’ll send you the infos when I get some” she hangs up.

“And, what did she say?” Sam asks impatient.

“She knows a hunter who could help, we’re getting the details soon.”

Dean walks to the fridge and grabs himself a beer. He removes the lid in one go and leans against the counter.

Sam scrolls through the news. An article says that New York is overrun by wild animals and that people are already starting a war against nature. “Look at this.” says Sam to Dean.

Dean looks at the screen. “So it’s everywhere. We better ice this bitch sooner than later!”

“Yeah.” Sam looks at Elton. “Why do you think he was so scared when Mrs Roosevelt talked about the shelter?”

“He must’ve seen something. Maybe he knows more about this place than we do. Besides, his workplace is right next to it. Whatever it is, I doubt he’ll tell us.”

“But he can show us” adds Sam.

Dean looks at his phone. A few messages from Jody pop up on the screen. “Sam I think we got a lead on the ring. There is an auction not far from here this evening. Apparently, a golden ring will be auctioned as well. This hunter knows someone who has a lot of influence in that field, he might’ve pulled some strings for us.”

“Not bad. Ok, you go to the auction, and I go check out the shelter with Elton.” Sam states. They both get up.

Sam walks to Elton and kneels down. “Listen. I know you won’t like this, but we really need your help and you could be the only … person who knows what really happened. Are you with us?”

The dog howls quietly and stands up.

“Alright, let’s go” says Dean waiting at the door. “Call me when you found something.”

“Yeah!” Sam and Elton head out. But before Dean could step outside something holds back his foot. He looks down and sees Cass clawing at his Jeans.

“Damn it, Cass. What do you want?”

„Meow“

„Oh, you want to come with? Forget it. Look, I know it‘s not your fault, just not looking like this.“

But the cat digs its claws even deeper into the fabric.

„Fine, but you stay undercover.“ Dean walks back inside. Cass leaves the room and marches outside.

„Oh no, not so fast, I meant that quite literally.“ says Dean as he comes back with a backpack, picks Cass up and squeezes him in there. He then roughly throws it on his back. The cat makes a strange sound out of discomfort.

„Sorry, Cass!” he apologizes and closes the door behind him.

The Impala stops before a big and rather modern building half an hour away from Brookings. Colorful lights illuminate the entrance. People in dresses and suits walk in, past a couple of security guards.

Dean observes the whole setting from the drivers seat. Cass sticks his head out of the backpack to get a glimpse of it for himself.

Dean fixes his tie and flattens his jacket. He looks at Cass. „If you want to come with me you have to stay inside, ok?“ he says and closes the zipper.

He takes a breath and „Showtime.“

Dean grabs the bag and leaves the car. As he approaches, the music from inside gets louder and rows of people form before the security checks. Dean looks over the queue and spots a guard rummaging through a womans bag.

„Oh crap.“ he whispers and quickly turns back. Dean walks behind the building and sees a staff member throw some trash into a dumpster. As the young man walks back in, Dean rushes after him, and sneaks in.

He looks around and finds a long hallway in which voices from the other end seem to echo. Dean follows the corridor and comes to a kitchen. A lot of people work on stoves, ovens and sinks. He quickly walks in and past the chefs and out the door that leads to the main hall where most of the guests have already gathered.

A couple of waitresses scurry past him with plates full of tiny snacks and champagne. One of them almost runs him over. Dean looks after her and his gaze eventually glides down her back a bit further. He shakes himself out of it again. The next waitress is incoming and he grabs himself a glass of champagne.

People look at him as if he was an alien. Looks like they already know each other here and he‘s the unknown intruder. Dean forcefully grins back at them and takes a sip from which he gags a little. Not his taste but he has to adapt.

The lights change and become dimmer and a spotlight shines to the front. Everybody finds themselves a seat and sits down. Dean chooses one in the back. He’s the only one sitting there. He puts his backpack on the ground in between his legs. It‘s quiet, everyone looks to the stage.

Suddenly a quiet „Meow“ leaves Deans bag.

The woman in front of him turns around and gives him a questionable look.

„Oh, excuse me. That was me…must‘ve had too many ham-rolls…“, says Dean and gently kicks his backpack.

A woman in a black dress steps onto the stage. The auction bell rings.

„Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for coming. For tonight’s auction, we offer: The ink of the sea creature ‚Kraken‘. Originally harvested by a fleet, consisting of 500 men in 1734. It had been lost in the pacific ocean for two centuries until a French submarine found it during World War II. The glass with it’s content weighs around 12 pounds.“ A screen above the stage shows a high quality picture of the item.

„Wow“ mumbles Dean impressed.

„This one has a starting bid of 10 million US dollars. Is there anyone who likes to go higher?“ asks the woman on the stage.

„Jeez, is there really anyone who can actually afford that stuff?“ says Dean to himself, although people three rows before him could still hear it. Some heads turn to him, even the woman sitting before him.

„12 million!“ shouts a man from the one of the first rows.

„Ladies and gentlemen, 12 million US dollars. Is someone willing to challenge this gentleman’s offer?“ asks the auctioneer.

„18 million!“ screams the woman in front of Dean. He looks at her, not knowing if he should be jealous or astounded.

“A huge jump to 18 million dollars from the Lady in the back. Do I hear more?” speaks the woman on the stage.

“20 million!” bawls the man in the front.

“20 million is bid for the Ink of the Kraken. Is there anyone who wants to go higher?”

The crowd stays silent.

“This is a once in a lifetime offer. A rarity if you like to call it that. 20 million US dollars.” encourages the woman her audience. But it stays quiet. She slowly grabs the hammer from the table next to her and raises it into the air.

“20 million dollars for the Ink of the Kraken for the gentleman. Going once. Going twice” The hammer hits the wooden surface of the stand. “And the piece is sold!”

A thunderous applause rings out, mixed with whistles and cheers. Dean has no other choice than playing along with the majority.

„Elvis Presleys soul. He traded it early in his career for 100 million dollars to pay off debts with producers. The demon who made this deal never took his soul to hell. Many people, including other celebrities tried to trade it with their own souls but no soul was as valuable as Presleys. It’s starting bid holds 100 million US dollars.”

“200 million!” shouts a lady in the middle of the audience.

“200 million for Elvis Presleys soul!” repeats the auctioneer. Then it stays dead silent again. Nobody dares to go higher than that.

“The one and only Elvis. King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Does anyone want to bid higher than 200 million US dollars?” continues the lady on the stage. But not a single person speaks up.

“Last chance” The auctioneer waits, then raises her hammer. “Going once. Going twice.” She hits the stand. “Sold!”

Another round of applause starts.

“The ‘Ring of Eris’. Forged out of the golden apple of the greek goddess Eris. The personified spirit of strife and discord who used the apple against her own kin. After being robbed of it she got locked up and the apple fell into human hands. As a ring it serves both as a delicate and powerful piece of jewelry at a starting bid of 5 million US dollars“ continues the auctioneer.

‘Never in hell could I afford that’ thinks Dean but “Here goes nothing. 6 million!” he shouts from behind.

“6 million for the Ring of Eris!” says the auctioneer.

“9 million!” screams a man.

“9,5” shouts Dean again.

“12 million” the man challenges again.

“13 million”

“20 million” bids the man.

There’s no going back from here, why stop anyways. Dean looks around and spots two guys all dressed in golden suits observing him. That’s when he realizes they haven’t been here before. But he keeps a poker face and continues.

“25 million” says Dean.

Now the guy who bids against him jumps from his seat. He wears gold as well. “35 million!”

‘It’s her!’ thinks Dean. He can’t let them win. The backpack between his legs starts to move impatiently. Cass scratches inside, trying to get out but Dean doesn’t notice.

“40 million!” continues Dean. He turns his head to the side and examines the golden suited men who seem more uncomfortable than before. People are discussing the topic already. The ambience is heated.

“Damn it, 60 million!” screams the man aggressively.

“100 million!” bids Dean without knowing what he’s doing anymore.

“200 million!” trumps him the man.

Dean wants to stand up as well but before he manages to do so, he feels a strong arm wrapped around his neck and a wet cloth covering his nose and mouth. He punches back with his elbows, but it doesn’t seem to work.

The auctioneer finally has a say again. “200 million for the Ring of….”

Deans vision gets blurry before he slowly faints.

Sam and Elton reached the shelter. The dog sticks tightly to him waiting for the next move. Sam pulls out a flashlight and turns it on before opening the door of the shelter. Elton tucks in his tail and steps back. Sam walks first but stops, then looks back.

“I know this is very uncomfortable for you, but I promise I’ll protect you. Nothing will happen to you, ok?” comforts him Sam.

Elton moves forward again and stays right behind Sam. Everything is like they saw it the last time. Lost and abandoned. The dog gathers his courage and goes ahead. Sam following him.

They stop before one of the cages in the back. Sam lights everything up and looks closely between the metal bars. Elton then manages to open the cage at the very bottom and barks once.

Sam kneels down. The flashlight beams inside and uncovers some sort of lever underneath a blanket. Sam pushes it down and the wall makes a loud cracking sound before it jumps slightly open.

Elton shines back and runs out.

“Genius” says Sam but as he turns around, the dog is gone. “Mr. Roosevelt!? Mr. argh never mind”

Sam carefully opens the gate further and discovers a stairway leading into complete darkness. He takes a deep breath and steps down.

He reaches the ground and sees a dark hallway with stone walls ahead of him. At the end of the tunnel is a small candle in what seems to be a chamber.

Sam grabs his gun and puts it under the flashlight. With each step he gets closer to the end.

When he finally reaches the chamber, he stops and gags a little. “What the hell?”

 In the center of it is an altar covered in Greek runes and surrounded by candles. Behind it lays a dead body, without it’s skin. The print of dark wings spreading behind it on the ground. An angel.

On top of the stone table he finds a bowl and some dried Herbs. Sam removes the bowl and finds something carved into the stone. It looks like a map of tunnels. He pulls out his phone and takes a picture of it.

He walks around in the room but can’t find anything else in there, no secret doors.

He quickly leaves the place again, rushes up the stairs and closes the hidden gate. Right after he gets out and closes the door of the building he bumps into Eloise.

“Mrs. Roosevelt, hey.” says Sam flabbergasted by her sudden appearance.

“Agent White?”

“W…What are you doing here?”

“I ran out of flour and went to buy some at the store, that’s when I saw you and I followed you. I could ask you the same thing.”

“I am… investigating. On the case.” Sam answers slightly in distress.

“This late at night? Now what are you really doing here. Because the dog clearly doesn’t want to be here.”

Sam sighs. “The thing is. I am not a real Fed ok.”

“What!?”

“Yeah, my real name is Sam Winchester. Me and my brother … we are hunters. We hunt things that normal people don’t even know exist, despite even believing in them. Monsters. They are real. And we have to protect people from them.”

“This is crazy. Why should I believe you anything right now?” asks Eloise appalled.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Sam points at Elton.

“The dog? What does the dog have to do with this?”

“You said your husband disappeared and the next night he showed up. And he didn’t want to leave your side. Acting human maybe?”

“Are you trying to say that this dog is my husband?”

“That’s exactly what I am trying to tell you. We were not sure in the beginning either, but things happened to us too. It’s him.” tells her Sam.

Eloise kneels down next to him and looks him deep in the eyes. “Elton? Is that really you?” The moment she finished her sentence he starts barking and jumps at her overly excited.

“Oh my god it’s really you. What happened to you?” asks him Eloise.

“Look, I can’t tell you what happened. I don’t want you and your husband to get into anymore trouble. But my brother and I are close. The best thing for you to do now is to take your husband home and stay there.” clarifies Sam.

“When will this be over?”

“Soon, I hope. We’ll let you know. Promise.”

“Ok. Thank you. For everything so far.” she says, then heads off with the dog strutting along next to her.

Sam breathes out. He grabs his phone and calls Dean. He immediately gets to the mailbox. Then tries again. Mailbox. ‘Strange…’ he thinks.

“Hey, Dean. I actually found something at the shelter. There must’ve been some ritual or a spell. Call me back.” Sam speaks onto the mailbox.

He dials Jodys number and calls her.

“Jody? Hello?”

“Sam? Hi, what’s up.”

“I can’t reach Dean and I might need your help with something”

“Sure anything!” she says.

“I’ll send you a picture. You might know this town better than us, maybe you know what this means.” Sam tabs on his phone. “Alright, should be on your messenger.”

“Ok, thank you. I’ll see what I can do. And about Dean. I’ll try to call him as well. But he’s probably fine. He said he went to that auction, right? You have to know it’s an inofficial and also quite illegal event. I wouldn’t be surprised if they collected his phone.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” replies Sam.

“Heads up, I’ll call you when I got news!” she then hangs up.

As soon as Sam wants to leave the place an odd sound catches his attention. He looks to his left and spots a white Rhinoceros standing 6 feet away from him, staring at him. It seems furious.

Sam freezes for a second. “Hey, you. I’m all calm here.” He says raising his arms as if a gun pointed at him. But the animal snorts angrily.

Sam slowly steps back and watches the Rhino, not daring to blink once.

But with every step the animal puts one foot forward as well.

“I’m not going to bother you any longer, pal. Please don’t attack me!” says Sam with horror in his face. As soon as he reaches the next corner of a building, he disappears behind it and starts running for his life.

The smell of pee and decaying rats spreads through the air. That’s the first thing Dean notices before he opens his eyes. The second thing he feels is the cold breeze blowing across his face. His vision is still partly blurred but he can make out a dark enclosure in which he’s being held.

His sight becomes clearer and he spots a young woman next to him. She sits against the wall staring at him with terror in her eyes.

“Are you ok?” he asks her as he becomes more aware of his surroundings.

“N..No..” the woman whispers.

“Do you know where the hell we are?”

She shakes her head. “What’s going on here?” she starts crying.

“I might have a feeling. I’m Dean by the way. What’s your name?” he asks to lighten her mood.

“Amanda.”

“Nice to meet you, Amanda…Look, I know this seems like a shitty situation but I promise you, I can get you out of here. My brother will find us. He always does.”

Dean tries to stand up on wobbly legs. He walks up to the rusty grid that seperates him from his freedom. Both hands grip tightly around the rusty iron bars. He pushes with all his power but nothing will move.

“Damnit!” he cusses in despair. He then searches his pockets but he lost his phone apparently. Outside the cell is a long corridor with other cages along the wall. But Dean can’t see another human. Instead a panda looks right back at him from a cell diagonally opposite him. That’s when he hears a sound echoing through the hallway. Like a door opening and closing, followed by footsteps. He keeps his distance from the grid.

The steps get louder. Then the old lady, they saw on the street, shows up before the cell and looks inside.

“I thought it was you. Could smell the scent of grandma from miles away.” Says Dean hoping to get a reaction. But nothing comes back. She quietly looks at him, studies him.

“A little late to the party, don’t you think?” he continues. „Or a little too old maybe?“

The woman reaches her hand through the bar and a force pulls Dean closer. Cold, thin fingers wrap around his neck. „You are Dean Winchester. Took me forever to find you.“

„You know…I‘m usually into that stuff. With women at least 200.000 years younger than you. But I know someone who’d be into y…“

She squeezes her hand tighter, making Dean gasp for air. „Is this how you talk to your new god?“

„Bite me, Bitch!„

„KNEEL!“ commands Eris and Dean gets forced to the ground. He tries to fight it in vain.

„Being locked up here is one thing but what really interests me is how come that you‘re still all wrinkly? Your men must‘ve gotten the ring by now.“

The lady breaks the spell that holds Dean put. She steps back.

„Unless, they didn‘t get it. You‘re still at ground zero am I right?“ Dean asks further.

„You are wrong. I got you. And you aren‘t going anywhere!“ Eris replies and slowly struts away.

Sam just arrived back at the motel, still out of breath. The Rhino lost track of him a couple of blocks away.

Before he can open the door to his room Cass appears underneath him.

“Cass?! What are you doing here? I thought you were with Dean.”

The cat stands up on his hind legs and leans against Sams.

“Wait, if you’re here, did something happen to him?”

Cass is unable to answer the question as much as he wants to. Sam looks closer at him and spots something in his mouth.

“What’s that?” he carefully takes it out of the cats teeth. What he holds in his hand is the Ring. Perfectly polished gold with an ingrained apple on the top.

“You got it! How?”

“Meow”

“Right, there is no time to waste. Let’s get to work. The ring itself can’t kill.”

Sams phone rings. It’s Jody.

„Hi, found something! Check out the picture I sent you.“ Jody says on the other end.

Sam looks at the screen.

„It‘s an old tunnel system from 1920. They used it to store all kinds of stuff there like food and ammunition. But it has been closed since the 60s. For good reason, people died in there because some parts collapsed. There is one main entrance though on top of the map. But there are also a few other, hidden entrances on the bottom. I’d target those.” She continues.

“Thanks Jody.”

“Have you seen the news. The animals are everywhere.”

“Yeah, I know. But we’re closer than ever to gank Eris for good.” reassures her Sam.

“Good. Be careful, Sam. And now go find Dean!”

“I will, thanks again.” He hangs up.

Sam looks at Cass. “We don’t have the Impala, so we have to improvise with the ring. All we need is one bullet, right?”

Dean sits opposite to Amanda. The ground is wet and cold. They’ve been talking for a while now.

“So, vampires, werewolves, everything is real? I can’t believe it.” says Amanda.

“Yeah well, me and my brother kill them. And trust me, there are more of them out there than you think. But not all are soulless killers.”

“What do you mean?”

“They are rare but some of them are friendly, or at least they try to be…”

“Oh that’s good, right?...Are mermaids real?”

“I haven’t seen one yet but Sirens are.” Dean replies.

“Wow. And what exactly is keeping us here? What monster is this woman?”

“Well, since we’re already here. She’s a goddess.”

“So she really is one, I thought she was bluffing when she said that earlier.” Amanda says in surprise.

“Nope. God’s are real but no god is invincible. My brother and I, we’re working on it. I bet he’ll come and get us soon. So don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“You mean, that you can actually kill her?”

“Shhh” says Dean and covers Amandas mouth with his hand. Steps are coming closer again. Eris walks past their cage.

“Hey granny!” Dean shouts.

She stops.

“You know, I’m wondering. Why don’t you kill us right here and now? Is it because you need us?” asks Dean provocatively.

“You still don’t understand. You should see this act as an act of generosity.”

“Oh, I’m so grateful to be locked up in here!”

“For a reason! The world out there thrives in chaos. Especially people. They were made to destroy themselves. But what I cannot stand is that they burn everything else down with them. Nature, animals, ecosystems, everything!”

“Then why turning them into animals in the first place?”

“It shows their deepest desire and unravels their darkest instincts. That’s true purity. That’s the truth. And it’s time that animals fight back.”

“Civil war against ‘Zootopia’, great. And I guess you want to keep yourself a few pets down here?”

“When everything is over, these animals will rule the world. A second chance, a new beginning. With me as your god, everything and everyone will be equal. And I will finally be worshiped.” tells him Eris, visualizing her dream before her eyes.

“As our god? What part do we play in this?”

“You will be the counterpart. The two of you as the beginning of a new mankind. A world that has it’s own ways, not dominated by any species…just peaceful.”

“What happens to the rest of the world? The people and your beloved animals?”

“There won’t be a ‘rest’ left. Sometimes you have to step back in order to move forward. But the result is paradise. What you see around you are the last exemplars of their species, including you two.” says Eris.

Amanda gets on her feet as well. “Why us? Why not anybody else?”

“Because you are the examples of the so called ‘perfect human’. Amanda. Your youth and fertility is your greatest strength, you have proven to be an outstanding woman in your midst. And Dean. The protector and warrior. Your physical strength is your benefit. And your will is stronger than anyone else’s. Do you understand now? This is the best thing that has ever happened to you. My Fairest!”

“You are insane!” screams Amanda.

“Look, I know I’m awesome but lady, you are delusional as hell. I mean that. And fun fact. You might be thousands of years old and you may think that you have all the time in this world. Yes THIS world! The one and only, real world. It is messed up. Lord, how many times have I imagined it burning down to the ground. It is ugly, it is brutal but it is REAL. All the people, the animals, the plants, they are as real as this disgusting air you’re breathing in right now. But you know what makes me believe in our planet? Seeing people fighting for what they believe in. And god, everyone is fighting. Every living organism is fighting because everyone and everything believes in something. Be it themselves, their loved ones, their instincts, or simply their own survival. Wanna know what else is real? My patience. Yes, my time is limited, I’ve known that since I was born, but so is yours. And all I have to do is wait here and see your clock stop ticking because you are on a sprint run right towards the end. Your end! So I don’t really mind sitting in here, when it means that I can watch your downfall.” Dean stares her dead in the eyes. He didn’t stutter once, he didn’t even blink.

She steps back from the bars, unable to say a word.

That’s when a noise from afar interrupts the silence. The echo tells her that the sound came from the main entrance on the right of the hallway. She rushes away in that direction.

Dean exhales sharply. His body loosens again.

“Wow, you really showed her right. She was almost afraid of you.” Says Amanda.

“You have no idea what I’ll show her once I’m out of here…ok, that sounded weird. You know what I mean.”

Suddenly they hear footsteps running closer. Dean buckles up already. The sound is getting louder and comes from the left. Clearly it’s not Eris who’s running. Dean bravely gets closer to the grid and then “SAM?!”

His brother stops abruptly.

“Dean! Are you ok?” Sam grabs one of his tools out of his bag and hits it against the metal bars until the door bursts open.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Despite that aggravating smell that almost makes you go blind.”

Cass comes running as well and stops next to Sam.

“Cass, thank god you’re ok. I thought she took you as well.”

“Aww, you have a cat? So cute that little fella.” says Amanda. Dean and Sam look at her speechless. Awkward.

“Oh…Oh, you are…not a real cat…she made you one…I am so sorry! I’m Amanda btw. You must be Sam right?”

“That’s me. Nice to meet you.”

“How did you find me?” Dean asks his brother.

“Long story, but I found a map to this underground place, and it felt like the last puzzle piece. Have you seen her?” asks Sam while fully opening the gate.

“Eris? Yeah we had a little chit chat.”

“Where is she now?”

“She went that way.” Dean points in the right direction.

“So, let’s go after her!”

“How are you planning to kill her? We don’t have the ring. I messed up. She probably has it by now.”

“Haha, you think?” Sam pulls out a golden bullet and throws it into Deans hands.

“Is that what I think it is?” asks Dean with sparkly eyes.

“Yap, that’s The Ring of Eris. Well, it was.”

“HELL YEAH! Now we only gotta find this bitch! Wait, how did you get the ring anyway?”

“I didn’t. Cass brought it to me. He can’t speak so I have no idea how he got his paws on it.”

Dean points down at him “When this is over, I have a lot of questions!”

“Here, your gun” says Sam and hands him the weapon.

“Thanks.” Dean turns to Amanda. “Now let’s get you out of here, we’ll accompany you until you get out safely.”

“Yeah, follow me.” Says Sam.

They get to a small, almost collapsed staircase with a tiny door on top.

“Alright. That’s where I came from. Careful when you walk up, the stairs are brittle.” says Sam.

Amanda turns to them. “Thank you so much. You saved my life. Especially you Dean. You made the time down here actually bearable.”

“No need to thank us. So, what do you think. Wanna…maybe…go for a drink sometime?” Dean asks her in a nonchalant way.

“Thanks…but probably not. You and me, I mean…”

“Yeah, no, it’s…you’re right.” Dean says while smiling awkwardly. “Worth a try.”

“Alright, guys. Bye then.”

The Winchesters wave back at her as she makes her way upstairs. She opens the door and disappears.

“We should split up and search for her. Here, the map. This place is huge, you might need it.” Sam hands him a sheet of paper with a detailed depiction of the whole tunnel system.

“What about you?”

“I memorized it.”

“Why did I even ask…Ok, I go left, you go right. We meet here, ok?” Dean points at a crossing in the center of the map.

“Yeah, alright.”

Both get their guns out and go different ways. Cass walks his own path in the middle.

Sam follows a small hallway that’s barely illuminated. There are more cages in the walls with all kinds of animals.

Meanwhile Dean walks along a wide corridor with bigger cages on the side. He hears a noise and squeezes his gun tighter. Even Sam heard it, just quieter.

They search through every possible hallway but no sign of Eris.

The two eventually meet at the agreed crossing.

“I found nothing.” says Dean.

“Me neither. I can’t say whether they are real animals or people in those cages.” Sam says while quickly fixing his hair.

“Does it matter? They shouldn’t be here.”

“You’re right. But we can’t let them out yet either. We don’t want a massacre down here.”

“No. Where the hell is she?!”

“I don’t know…” Sam looks to the ground and thinks.

Dean turns his head back to his brother. “Sam! Watch out!”

Two men dressed in golden suits tackle him and beat him. “Behind you!” Sam screams.

As Dean looks around two more men grab him tight. He punches back but somehow; they seem way stronger than him. They are not human although they look like them. And not like any monster they have encountered before. Strong arms hold them put, there is no way out.

Eris appears in the middle hallway and slowly walks towards them with another golden bodyguard behind her. She stops right in front of them.

“You two. I have been waiting for you Sam. I hoped you’d come. Wanted to give your brother his own, VIP arena battle to watch, with you being the gladiator. And Dean, I had so many plans for you. This is what could’ve been you, and even better.” She points at her bodyguard.

“Sucks for you, I’m not so perfect after all.” replies Dean.

“Why now? Why letting it all happen now?” asks Sam, still trying to free himself.

“I was imprisoned. For centuries. By my own family. They only saw the worst in me. They despised me, because of one little mistake. And all of humanity worshipped only them. It was always them and never me. So, they locked me up. This place…it was dirty and full of sin. There was nothing out of balance because there had never been balance in the first place. Ever heard of Purgatory?” asks Eris.

“Lady, I haven’t just heard of it. I’ve been there.” Dean responds cold.

“The human. It was you!”

“Haha yeah, I was quite the celebrity down there. Oh, and your maids here. I remember them. There were about 20 of you, right? Before I killed each one after the other until there was only 5 left. And you ran. Back to Mommy. And she fed you well I see.” says Dean while the grip around him tightens.

“They deserve it. After all, they were the ones to free me. They were already my strongest men. So, I enhanced them and their strength as a reward.” Eris answers.

“How the hell did they get out?” asks Sam.

“Through you. Can’t you remember? You opened that gate to purgatory. After being sucked up by this angel, they escaped right when he threw the rest of the monsters back in. And ever since they had been working on a plan to finally get me out again. Until now. And now, I got you. Where is the ring?!”

“Maybe you left it on your bedside table? Dementia comes with age.” Dean responds. The two golden men squeeze him tighter. He can barely breathe now and bones are already cracking quietly.

“Dean!” Sam scolds him but his brother is like a stubborn child.

“What do you have against me? I’m a goddess” Eris looks at Dean who’s face is already getting dark red.

With all his strength he looks to his side and spots Cass running up to him.

“We have a cat. And their bites can be fatal!” Dean croaks under heavy breathing. Cass bites into the man’s leg and suddenly his eyes and mouth start glowing, melting his insides. Then he slumps dead to the ground. Dean inhales sharply.

This caused enough distraction for Sam to box his way free. The gun falls out of his pocket and across the floor, but he pulls out his silver knife and rams it into the man’s heart. One more down.

Eris turns around and walks away. Her guard follows right behind her.

Dean fights off the third guy but gets thrown against the wall. A strong hand pushes into his ribs, reaching for his heart. Dean screams in agony. And suddenly the man’s eyes light up as well, leaving smokey holes in his skull before he collapses.

One of the golden men holds Sam by his neck and picks him up like that, just effortlessly. Despite the air being stuck in his lungs, Sam can feel his bones twist beneath his skin. He fights back as hard as he can; one weak moment and it’ll be over. His eyes turn white already and it feels like his head is being ripped off.

Bang

A bullet goes right through that golden jacket and into the heart. The man drops Sam and falls dead to the ground. Dean holds Sams gun which is still smoking.

They both catch their breaths for a second. Then they gather themselves again.

“Where did she go?” asks Dean with his hand pressed to his ribcage.

“She went this way” replies Sam out of breath, leaning on his knees and pointing at the middle corridor with one hand. “But I have a plan.” He continues.

Eris runs for her life but then she doesn't know the tunnels so well after all. She stops at one fork and goes right. She stops again. Left maybe? She walks around the next corner and bumps into Sam who clearly knows his way.

“Gotcha!” He points his gun at her head. He then aims to the right and fires off. The bullet shoots right past Eris. Her last man falls to the ground. She raises her hand, and the force pushes Sam against the wall. It feels as if a ton was pressing on his body.

“Missed me!” she laughs, pushing him harder into the wall.

“Did we, bitch?” asks Dean who’s standing right behind her with his gun pointing at her. She couldn't even move so quickly he pulled the trigger. The golden bullet leaves the gun barrel, targeting the space between her eyes from the back of her head. It didn’t travel far until it hit her head. She stands still for a moment. Then the inside of her body starts to boil and her vessel begins to shake. She lets out awful screams that sound like souls being tortured in hell before she bursts into golden dust.

Sam and Dean watch every particle fall to the ground, forming a huge pile of gold.

The expressions on their faces can only be described as bewildered, impressed and most of all dumbfounded because that’s a whole lot of glitter they get to witness right there.

“That’s got to be worth at least 100 million dollars on the market!” says Dean staring at the gold.

“What would a person even do with this?” asks Sam, as stunned as his brother.

“Don’t know. Sprinkle it over their wedding cake maybe?”

“Ahem, guys?” says a familiar voice behind them.

Sam and Dean turn around and their gaze lands on Castiel who seems to be put back to normal again. Well almost. His clothes are missing.

“Oh!” Dean panics and stares straight up to the ceiling.

“Cass! You’re…you, again.”

“As created by mother nature.” remarks Dean, still inspecting the wall above him.

“Wait, here take this.” Sam takes off his jacket and hands it to Cass who looks at it in confusion.

“Thank you, but I don’t think I am cold.”

“Erm…it’s to cover up…” tells him Sam.

Cass only then realizes he’s butt naked and binds the jacket around his waist. Dean dares to look at him again. He walks to him and stops right before him. He also takes his flannel and places it over Cass’s shoulders. “Here, take this one as well.” He says to the angel.

Suddenly they hear human voices echoing through the hallways. Sam goes to check it out. Every animal has changed back to human.

He comes running back to Cass and Dean. “It’s them. The people. I’ll call Jody! She’ll need backup!”

They wait for the police to arrive and watch the people being freed from the cages before heading off.

The three of them go back to the motel and Cass temporarily has to wear some of Deans clothes until he gets his regular attire back.

“Sit down!” Dean commands the angel as soon as he gets out of the bathroom.

“For what?” asks Cass.

“I promised you questions, so”

Cass sighs and sits down on Sams bed. Dean stands by the table and Sam sits on a chair next to him.

“What were you doing here, how did you even end up like this?”, questions Dean.

“There has been an angel-kill and I wanted to investigate on it.”

“Wait, I think I saw it, at the shelter. They must’ve used it for the ritual to free Eris.” Sam explains.

“Yes, but before I could get close enough, this force hit me and other people.”

“Why didn’t you hulk out as a cat like the other animals did?” asks Dean.

“My vessel. It is human. That’s why it physically transformed me. And Eris brings out the worst in people but-“

“-but you’re not human, you’re an angel” adds Dean.

“My grace…every angel’s grace is the purest thing that exists. It couldn’t affect me in that way” Cass continues.

“That’s why it didn’t make Elton go mad. Remember, Mrs. Roosevelt told us that even their pastor said his soul must be the purest he had ever met. That’s why he remained sane.” says Dean.

“How did you find us here?” interrogates Sam.

“After being transformed I expected you to come, since this is the kind of stuff you deal with. And I figured that this is the only motel in town, so I gave it a shot. As soon as I got close, I could already smell you. And then I tried to get your attention, but you really dislike animals.”

“We’re sorry, really. If we knew it was you we wouldn’t have hesitated.” says Sam to him.

“And being put in that backpack. It was … very humiliating.” Cass looks at Dean who seems very tense all of a sudden.

“Dean?” Sam stares at his brother reproachfully.

“Hey, don’t put this on me! He wanted to come with me. That leads me to my next question. How on earth did you get the ring?”

“After I scratched my way out, you were already gone, and most people were leaving the auction again. But not the ones buying the artifacts. I followed some security guards and that got me into a backroom with all the items stored. The ring was very difficult to get. Especially unseen. As soon as I saw my chance, I took it and grabbed the ring.”

“Wow, Cass. You never fail to surprise me. Good job.”

“Thank you, Dean.”

“Now between you and me, Cass. What the hell was up with the purring, huh?” questions Dean.

“This odd expression was as new to me as to you. I couldn’t control it. It just happened”, responds Cass slightly uneasy because he knows he’s a bad liar. His face turns slightly redder than usual.

Sam quickly turns to Dean with multiple question marks on his face. “You scratched his belly, didn’t you?”

He says that as if the angel wasn’t in the same room as them.

“Shut up, how could I have known it’s CASS?”

“I knew it!”

“And you looked at his balls ok!” Dean fires back, leaving Sam speechless. Awkward silence reigns in the room.

“Okay…I’m beat. But there is one thing you could do for me, Cass. I need my car back. So could you maybe –“ the next moment Dean and Cass stand next to the Impala at the auction house.

“Thanks” says Dean as Cass takes his hand off his shoulder again.

“How are you feeling?” the angel asks.

“Just a bit exhausted and a pinch here and there but I’m alright. Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Never thought walking on two legs can be so challenging.”

“Yeah, who’re you telling…Sorry about the backpack.” Dean apologizes with a smirk.

“No it’s alright, I understand. We never would’ve gotten the ring if you hadn’t put me in there.”

“You’re right.” Dean walks to the door of his car and opens it.

“You know, I could help with your injuries.” states Cass.

“No, I’m fine. Sometimes I’m glad to have those scars and bruises because each one reminds me of the people I’ve saved.”

The two of them enjoy the silence for a moment.

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow” says Cass before disappearing again.

Dean gets in and starts the engine before chasing away.

The next day dawns and the Winchesters ring at Mrs. Roosevelts door.

A shadow appears behind the glass and Eloise opens up.

“Sam, it’s you! I hoped you’d show up. You and your brother actually did it right? It’s finally over.”

“Yeah, it’s over…Oh and here is your book. We promised to bring it back to you.” says Sam handing her the book.

“Keep it. I don’t know how else to thank you. And having my husband back is worth more than this. Maybe you need it again one day.” says Mrs Roosevelt.

Cass appears in the distance. Sam waves at him before turning back to Eloise.

“How is Mr. Roosevelt? Is everything back to normal again?” Dean asks.

In that moment Elton appears behind Eloise and stops right next to her.

“Hello, Sam, Dean. Now we can officially introduce ourselves.” Mr. Roosevelt says while shaking their hands.

“We’re glad, you are yourself again. We don’t know whether to thank you or apologise to you after everything.” tells Sam.

“There is no need for either. I should be the one to thank you. I mean what you did, and do is beyond amazing. Most of the citizens don’t even know what happened but everyone is talking about their own experience. The town is changing, you know. People became more grateful. And that’s all thanks to you. They might not know it, but your action means a lot to them. They get to have a second chance for a normal life. And so do me and my wife.” says Elton wrapping his arm around Eloise.

“We’ve been thinking about getting a dog, actually.” she tells.

“Really?”, Dean responds surprised.

“Yes. My time on four legs helped me understand these animals better. They experience emotions on a much deeper level. Like excitement. When I saw my wife, I was overwhelmed by this flood of happiness. It is something a person could never comprehend. It’s beautiful and pure. So giving another dog a home and making it feel loved became my new purpose I guess.”

“Do you have any pets?” Eloise asks them.

“Erm, no. I’m not the biggest fan of them. I mean, if I was, I’d probably be a cat person.” Dean immediately regrets what he just said and steps back a little, bumping right into Cass who has, in fact, been standing there for quite a while.

“Cass?...” Dean winces a little but the angel seems unfazed with a tiny grin on his face. He looks at Mr. Roosevelt.

“Hi, Castiel.”

“Hello, Elton. Good to see you again.”

“We should go for a beer one day, don’t you think?”

“I suppose we should.” Castiel responds.

“Alright, we got to get back to the kids; homework and stuff. So, goodbye” Says Eloise.

“Of course, bye.” Sam replies and the door closes again.

They walk back to their car.

“You’re making new friends now.” remarks Dean to Cass.

“I thought why not give it a shot.”

“Yeah, will certainly do you good. Meeting new people.”

“Yes. I just wanted to check in and see if he was alright. See you at the bunker?” Cass asks.

“See you there.” replies Sam and the angel disappears.

Dean and Sam lean on the roof of the car opposite each other. “If I happened to be turned into a random animal, what would I be?” Dean asks his brother.

“A bull.” Sam answers without hesitation.

“What makes you say that?” Questions Dean, hoping to get his ego boosted.

“Let me think. Your anger issues. Oh, and being attracted to red flags.”

“You know that’s not true!” Dean defends himself from such truthful accusations. “And I know exactly what animal you would be” he throws back snippily.

“Yeah, what would that be?”

“A moose, no doubt.”

“Seriously, Dean? You do know Crowley always calls me that.”

“Yap. I share not a single opinion with him, except this one.” says Dean before quickly getting into the car.

Sam follows and gets in on the passenger seat. For a moment, they sit in silence. The air is dense around them because both hold back what they really want to say.

“What I meant there, a couple of days ago…about not being in the same boat with you…I-“ Sam breaks the silence.

“-No, I understand…When dad left us behind all the time, I had to be there for you, you know Sammy? I practically raised you and my whole life I was thinking that the best way to do so is to teach you everything I know, what Dad taught me. That also meant, dragging you with me everywhere I went. Dragging you into this life although you always dreamt of a normal one. And maybe it was because I wanted you to know how to fight the evil in this world. But I guess it was because I was afraid to let you go.  Deep down I was afraid of ending up like dad, all alone. But we’re not kids anymore. You’re not a kid anymore. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve held you in this cage for way too long and that I understand.” says Dean barely looking at his brother.

“Thanks, Dean…But…that’s not what I was trying to say. It wasn’t you who pulled me into this, you were just a kid yourself. How could you have known any better. Dad did this. And you didn’t drag me, I simply went with you. And although I keep trying hard to have a normal life at any given minute, I can’t run from the one I already have. When I close the door to this life, the next moment a vampire or a werewolf keeps knocking on it. It is who I am, who I became. And you and me are closer than ever. What normal life would be worth losing that?...I can’t stop thinking about what Mr. Roosevelt said back there. These people have a chance to live a normal life again. And even if we can’t have one, we do everything in our power to make it possible for other people. That’s what we are fighting for and what we believe in. I figured, why quit now?”

Dean chuckles. His brother sometimes reminds him a little too much of himself.

“What’s so funny?” Sam asks.

“Nothing! It’s just ... I’m glad that you see it that way. And I’m glad to have you by my side, I always have been, you know that.” says Dean proudly looking at Sam.

“Where do we go now?”

Dean starts the engine and the Impala howls. “I’ll let her decide where to take us.” He replies, petting the wheel of his car. Then he turns up the music and “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses sounds from the speakers.

The Winchesters drive off and leave Brookings behind, which most consider a better place now.

THE END