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(15.1) ─ Benders

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫:
‧⁺˚*‧☾ 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭, 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 ☽‧*˚⁺‧

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The three were currently sitting in a random dive-bar. Sam was going through their dad's journal while nursing a beer. Carmen watched as Dean threw darts while she sneaked a few sips from his beer. To which Sam had caught her doing, shaking his head with a smile before looking back at the journal. "So, local police have now ruled out foul play. Apparently, there are worse signs of a struggle,"

"Well, they could be right, it could just be kidnapping." Dean shrugged.

"Maybe this isn't our kind of gig," She suggested, tapping her nails on the wooden table. "Yeah, maybe not. Except for this, Dad marked the area." Dean came over to his other side as they all peered at the journal. Seeing the bright red circle. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker."

"Why'd he do that?" She asked with frowned brows, tilting her head to the side nearly colliding into her brother's head.

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too-this country has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state." Sam explained looking between the two. "That's weird. Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds? Jenkins was taken from a parking lot." Dean added.

"Well, there are all kinds. You know, Spring Heeled Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime." Sam said before Dean went back to throwing darts. "Look, guys, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either."

She looked over her shoulder to see the bartender staring them down. Well mostly starring Carmen down. "I should go wait outside." Both her brothers looked at her with a confused expression. "Why?"  "Because I think I gave him a bad fake." She pushed off the table top. "I told you to throw it out." Dean remarked before turning back to the board. "I thought I could use it as a backup in case I had nothing else." She tried to explain while walking away, "Yeah it shows how that works," She heard her older brother remark, flipping him off before fully walking out.

She sat on the hood, pulling the ends of the flannel she absolutely stole from one of her brothers. Her head snapping when a thud hits the spot next to her on the Impala. "Miss me?" Shutting her eyes at the sight of the black cat–correction, talking black cat. "You aren't really talking to me."

"Yet you're still talking to me."

"You're just–"

"A talking cat that your mother allowed only you to hear." Her eyes snapped open and her head practically ripped into his direction. Just when her eyes landed on the cat, his attention was drawn elsewhere and went off to find it. At the sound of the front door opening, followed by the loud music, her attention was brought to Sam. Feeling her neck start to hurt from whipping it around, 'Where's Dean?"

"Bathroom, you know beer goes right through him." He walked full up to the car and pointed a finger at her, she started to mentally run through any reason she would get in trouble. "You are one sly cat. He never noticed a single one of those drinks."

She smiled, titling her head, "Learned from the...best?" A noise from under the Impala caused her words to trail. The two looked at each other, Sam placed the journal next to Carmen and reached through the half cracked passenger window for his flashlight. Grabbing a hold of her wrist and pulling her off the hood and behind him. Thinking the last thing they needed was to spend the rest of the night in the emergence room because they got bit by a racoon. Bending down and looking under the car. Out from under came a black shadow followed by a small meow. Sam jumped back, shocked, but then letting out a pathetic airy laugh solely because a cat scared him that bad.

While Carmen's eyes were wide, "Don't you dare..." She whispered at the cat who had come up and used her legs to rub against. She wasn't exactly sure who could hear the cat, but she wasn't ready for the endless question that she knew her brothers would have for her. Answers she had no idea how to even find, let alone know. "I wouldn't dream of it,"

"Did you say something?" He asked not knowing if she was talking to the cat or him, leaning towards the cat because it meowed in almost a response-like way.

"Yeah, you should've seen your face. Priceless."

Sam stood up and gave her a 'bitch' face, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, very funny."

"Aww, it's okay big brother, I'll protect you from the scary black cat." She remarked, reaching down and patting the cat's head. If what he said was true and he had something to do with my mother, then he couldn't be that bad, could he?"

Both were now leaning against the doors, the cat sat in between her legs. She could feel his purring, and the occasional head rub, but it all stopped suddenly. "You both need to get inside the car, now." She could only frown at his words. Opening her mouth the say something when she felt something grab onto both ankles and violently yanked her down. Seeing from the corner of her eyes that the same thing had happened to Sam. Seeing the face and panic in the cats eyes before it all went black.

Not even 2 minutes later Dean walks out of the bar on his way to the Impala. Confused on why he couldn't see either of his siblings. Seeing the brown journal sat on the hood. Grabbing it and moving to the backseat, thinking maybe that Carmen was asleep and he just missed Sam. But no one was in the Impala. Looking around at the dusty parking lot. A small group coming out of the bar, he went up to one of the bikers and his girlfriend, who were drunk. "Hey, you guys been outside, around here in the last hour or so." The two of them shook their heads before walking away.

"Carmen! Sam!"

Looking around where his eyes found a surveillance camera on the top of a streetlight. "Sammy! Carmen! Guys!" He shouted walking into the middle of the deserted road, now more desperate on where his siblings where.

💾

It was officially morning when Dean made it to the police department. A deputy, Kathleen, was looking over Dean's ID. "So, what can we do for you, Officer Washington?" She asked, handing him back the badge. "I'm working a missing persons."

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police."

"Oh, no, there's someone else. Actually, two people, my cousins, we were havin' a few last night at this bar down by the highway, and I haven't seen them since." He explained as she slightly raised a brow and asked the obvious question, "Do your cousins have a drinking problem?"

"Sam? Two beers and he's doin' karaoke. Carmen, she's underage, besides she sneaks a sip and spit it straight out. No, they were taken." Kathleen nodded her head and finally took a seat at her computer. "Alright, what's your cousin's names?" He followed, taking a seat in the chair in front of her desk, "Winchester. Sam and Carmen Winchester,"

"Like the rifle?"

"Like the rifle,"

Typing away she brought up the two records, starting first with Sam's before moving to Carmen. Her brows slightly frowning at the link that brought up Dean's record. "Samuel and Carmen Grace Winchester. So, you know that their older brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. and, uh, was suspected of murder."

He gave her an innocent smile, "Yeah, Dean, kinda the black sheep of the family, handsome, though."

"Uh-huh," She muttered, her eyebrows raised before typing something else. The sounds of keycaps started before she found something else, "Well, all I have is an adoption record for Carmen. Other than that, there's no current field reports."

"Oh, I already have a lead. I saw a surveillance camera by the highway." He explained as she hummed in response asking if he was meaning the country traffic cameras. "Right. I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took him, or, whoever."

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the country works department, but–well, anyhow, let's do this the right way." She declared before getting up and grabbing a few papers. "Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over here?" She handed him a clipboard as he got up. Clearly not wanting to just sit here and wait, "Officer, look, uh, they're family. I kind of–kind of look out for those kids. You gotta let me go with you." He tried to plead, Carmen's voice in the back of his head reminded him about how the truth can sell parts of a lie, or even portray people to help you more.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that,"

"Well, tell me something. Your country has its fair share of missing persons. Any of 'em come back?" He already knew that answer, and when her head dipped in shame and sadness, that answer was just proven right. "Sam and Carmen are my responsibility. They're comin' back. I'm bringin' them back."

💾

Dean was sitting outside on a bench, waiting very impatiently for Kathleen to come back with the footage. Just before he was about to go look for her she came up behind him, holding printouts of the footage. "Greg," She called as Dean had to remind himself that was her current name, glancing over at her before standing up.

"I think we've got something." Each of the printouts were black and white photos, he studied each of them looking them over and over. "These traffic cams take an image every 3 seconds, as part of the Amber Alert Program. These images were all taken around the time that your cousins disappeared." She explained as he gave the photos another flip through but didn't see anything, "This really isn't what I'm looking for."

"Just wait, wait–next one."

He glanced at her before turning to the image she was talking about. An image of a rusty truck driving down the road. "This one was taken right after Sam and Carmen left the bar. Look at the back end of that thing. Now, look at the plates." Dean turned another page, seeing it was a close-up image of the truck's license plates. "Oh, the plates look new, they're probably stolen." He stated, causing her to nod her head. "So, whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved."

Just then an old beat up van drove by them, the loud engine was whining loudly causing Dean to frown at the noise, "Hear that engine?"

"Yeah,"

"Kind of a whining growl, isn't it?"

"Sure,"

Dean stared as the busted up van drove away, "I'll be damned."

💾

"Carmen," Sam's voice echoed throughout the wooden building. His sister was asleep in the cage across from him. Semi-large cages, enough to fit two people, filled the room, along with an array of chains and weapons. "Carmen." His voice was now loud enough to send her bolting straight up. "Hey, hey, it's just me, are you okay?"

She looked around at the area, taking it all in. Then down at herself before nodding her head, "Got a few scrapes, wondering why the hell we're in cages." She replied, ratting the rusty bars, having to wipe said rust off her hands.

Sam tried to kick down the door of his cage, but of course it didn't work. The man in another cage near them groaned as he started to wake up from the noise. "Hey! You alive in there, man?" She asked, hearing him groan, "Hey, you okay?" Sam added, matching the same level of concern in her voice.

"Does it look like I'm doin' okay?" The man snapped at them.

"I will sick that cat on you...Do you know where we are?" Carmen asked, muttering the first part. "I don't know. The country, I think, smells like the country." He stated in almost disgust, but then a wave of retaliation washed over Sam, "You're Alvin Jenkins, aren't you?"

"Yeah,"

"We were lookin' for ya,"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah, actually," She snapped, already knowing where his tone was leading towards. "Well, no offense, but this is a piss-poor rescue." He remarked as she shook her head, "Well, our brother's out there right now, too. He's lookin' for us, so-" Sam started to explain but got swiftly cut off by Jenkins. "So, he's not gonna find us, we're in the middle of nowhere." He nodded towards the door leading into the building, "Waiting for them to come back and do God knows what to us."

"What are they?" She asked, sitting fully on her knees. "What are you talking about?" Jenkins asked, looking between the two like they were crazy. "Whatever's got us, what'd they look like?" Sam asked, knowing that they would have some type of chance if they at least knew what they were going up against.

"See for yourself."

At his words the doors to the building opened, two men wearing black walked in. One of them walked over to Jenkin's cage and kicked the side of it, causing him to crawl into the back corner. While the other man went over to a panel of buttons attached to a pole in the middle of the room. He inserted a key into the panel and twisted it. Causing Jenkin's cage to unlock and the men to enter. "Leave me alone! Don't you take me, leave me alone!" The man placed a plate of food in front of him and then just walked out of the cage. Back over to the panel, twisting the key again to lock the cage before removing it. The two of them then just left the building.

"Holy shit they're just people," She sat on her legs, looking at her brother in shock.

"Yeah, what'd you expect?" Jenkins remarked, while devouring all the food on the plate. "How often do they feed you?" Sam asked, trying to keep his voice calm in order not to scare his sister even more. "Once a day, and they use that thing over there to open the cage." Jenkins replied, pointing towards the panel causing the two Winchesters to look at it for a moment before looking back at him. "And that's the only time you see 'em?"

"So far, but I'm waitin',"

Carmen titled her head looking at him like he was now the crazy one, "Waitin' for...?"  "Ned Beatty time, sweetheart," She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I think that may be the least of your worries."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Sam stood up and started to walk around his cage, fully taking in every inch of it. "What do you think they want then?" Jenkins said in an almost challenge. Sam reached through the top of his cage and grabbed a hold of one of the long metal wires stretching from the top of the pole down to the ground. He tried to pull it down towards him, "Depends, would you want them to puree your body or have it more as a cake batter?"  "Carmen," he warned while continuing to pull on the wire. "They're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks, if you ask me. Lookin' for love in all the wrong places." Jenkins remarked, Carmen quickly bit the inside of her cheek knowing it would just go into a huge circle with the two of them. Instead watching as her brother kept pulling at the wire and it started to detach from the pole.

💾

It was now night again as Dean and Kathleen drove the Sheriff's car. Deciding to follow every traffic photo to see where the kidnappers were heading. She pointed to a passing traffic camera, "Okay, the next traffic cam is 50 miles from here, and the pickup didn't pass that one, so–"

"So, it must've pulled off somewhere," Dean finished her sentences before looking at the area around them, "I don't see any other roads here."

"Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads."

"Great."

On Kathleen's computer something new popped up onto the screen. Dean's ID, his very fake ID. "So, Gregory," Dean turned to her and muttered a 'yeah', busy with trying to find a road that could lead them to the truck. "I ran your badge number. It's routine when we're working a case with state police. For accounting purposes and what have you. And, uh, they just got back to me," She then pulled the car to the side of the road. "It says here your badge was stolen."

Dean looked surprised, this ID was his better one and the fact it was called out this fast surprised him. "And there's a picture of you." She then turned the computer to the oldest Winchester. It wasn't Dean, not even close. It was a picture of a heavyset African-American man. He glanced at her then back at the computer before turning back to her, "I lost some weight," He suggested, giving a small chuckle. "And got that Michael Jackson skin disease."

Kathleen shook her head, stripping off her seatbelt, "Okay, would you step out of the car, please?"

"Look, look, look," Dean repeated, trying to stop her, "If you wanna arrest me, that's fine, I'll cooperate, I swear, but first please–let me find Carmen and Sam."

"I don't even know who you are, or if these Sam and Carmen people are even missing."

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this." He insisted, looking at her straight into his eyes. "Identity theft? You're impersonating an officer." She protested. "Look, here's the thing. When we were young, I pretty much pulled Sam from a fire. I would stay up with Carmen when she would believe that her mother was coming back. Since those days I've felt responsible for both. Like it's my job to keep them safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find them fast-please." He explained to her, his voice breaking as a lump started to form in the back of his throat. "They're my family."

"I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in." She spoke clearly disappointed at her reply. She glanced at her visor, her eyes focusing on a photo of her and another man, smiling. She let out a sigh, before looking back at Dean, "After we find Carmen and Sam Winchester."