Forty-Two
Jenny yawned as she drove down the dark road, Dean next to her, half asleep, as Sam was passed out in the back.
"I think we should—" She yawned again. "—should find a motel soon. I don't know how much longer I can drive." Jenny told Dean, who rubbed his eyes as he tried to stay awake.
"Sounds like a plan. This case can wait until morning." He spoke groggily, leaning his head back.
Jenny blinked slowly, feeling her eyes grow heavy before snapping back open, jerking the Impala to the side as she had nearly hit a woman. "Jesus Christ!" She yelled, slamming on the brakes and causing Sam and Dean to jolt awake.
"Jenny what the fu—" Before Dean could finish his sentence Jenny was pointing, and a woman pounded on the passenger window, startling Dean.
"Does she know she's dead?" Jenny raised her brows as she whispered. The woman kept slapping the window, and Dean finally rolled it down.
"You've got to help me. Please. Please!" The woman cried as Dean raised a hand up.
"All right, all right. Calm down, calm down. Tell us what happened."
———
Jenny had parked the Impala on the side of the road, the four of them now standing around it.
"I-I swerved, a-And we crashed. And when I came to, the car was wrecked and my husband was missing. I went looking for him, but that's when the man from the road, he... he started chasing me." The woman explained as Jenny had already guessed who she was by the feeling in her gut, giving Sam and Dean that single look.
Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, sighing. "Did he look like he lost a fight with a lawn mower?"
The woman frowned at Dean, confused. "How—How did you know that?"
"Lucky guess."
"Ma'am, what's your name?" Sam asked quietly, the woman turning to him.
"Molly. Molly Mcnamara." Jenny pressed her lips together tightly, looking over at Dean again, then to Sam, who had the same look.
"I think maybe you should come with us. We'll take you back into town." Sam suggested, gesturing to the car. Molly shook her head quickly, jumping back.
"I can't! I have to find David. He might have gone back to the car." Molly turned back to the woods, worried.
"We should get you somewhere safe first. Then Dean, Jennifer and I will come back. We'll look for your husband." Sam reassured, but Molly was persistent, still shaking her head.
"No. I'm not leaving here without him. Would you just take me back to my car, please?" The three Hunters sighed quietly, nodding.
———
Jenny, Sam, Dean and Molly walked through the woods, Molly occasionally looking back to them as if she was afraid they would abandon her. "It's right over there."
They finally made it to the crash site, Molly pausing in confusion when her car wasn't there. "I-I don't understand. I'm sure this is where it was. W-We hit that tree right there. This... this doesn't make any sense." Molly went forward to investigate, just out of earshot.
"Guys, we got to get out of here. Greeley could show up at any second." Sam stated, noticing Jenny was staring at Molly with a strange look. "Jenny?"
"I think we should tell her." She spoke, turning back to the Winchester brothers.
"What are you gonna tell her?" Dean asked. Jenny crossed her arms and stayed quiet, shrugging.
"The truth? Jenny, you can't." Sam said, and Jenny gestured to the tree that was supposedly a victim to a car.
"Sam's right. She's gonna take off running in the other direction." Dean continued.
"Well would you rather she figure it out herself? With no way of how to protect herself?" Jenny raised her brows and the two brothers shared a look.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I crashed into that tree." Molly said as she walked back over to them. "I don't know who could've taken it. It was totaled. Please. You have to believe me."
"Molly, listen, we do believe you." Sam reassured, and Molly sighed in relief.
"But that's why we want to get you out of here." Jenny continued, Molly now frowning again.
"What about David? Something must have happened. I have to get to the cops."
"Cops... that's a great idea." Dean smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We'll take you down to the station ourselves. So just come with us. It's the best way we can help you and your husband."
"Okay..." Molly tailed, following the Hunters back to the Impala.
———
Molly gave the large purple dragon a strange look as she sat in the middle, Sam next to her in the back seat. "What's with the stuffed dragon?"
"Oh— that's a uh... I won that at a Nickel World." Jenny answered, Molly nodding. Silence filled the car for a moment.
"We're supposed to be in Lake Tahoe."
"You and David?" Sam asked. Molly nodded again.
"It's our five-year anniversary." Dean raised his brows, whistling.
"A hell of an anniversary." Dean commented, Jenny giving him a warning look.
"Right before, we were having the dumbest fight. It was the only time we ever really argued... when we were stuck in the car." Sam let out a laugh, nodding.
"Yeah. I know how that goes." Dean scowled at his brother through the rear view mirror.
"You know the last thing I said to him? I called him a jerk. Oh, god. What if that's the last thing I said to him?" Molly began to tear up, wiping them away as Jenny turned to face her.
"We're gonna figure out what happened to your husband. I promise." She reassured. Molly hummed, still wiping the tears away.
The radio made an odd noise, Jenny quickly turning back around as House of the Rising Sun started playing. The two front passengers frowned in confusion, and Dean looked at Jenny.
"Did you—?" She shook her head, Dean clicked his tongue. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"This song ..." Molly spoke quietly, eyes filled with dread.
"What?" Dean looked at her through the mirror.
"It was playing when we crashed." The radio crackled again, settling on another station. A freakish voice started to speak, Jenny's brows raising.
"She's mine. She's mine. She's mine." The three hunters shared a look again.
"What is that?" Molly pointed straight ahead, to which Dean, Jenny and Sam all looked back out the front window. A man who looked like a zombie, guts spilling out of his stomach, stood in front of the road.
"Hold on." Dean ordered as he slammed on the gas, gunning right for Greeley
"What are you doing?!" Molly yelled as she grabbed onto the dragon, eyes wide with terror. Dean slammed into Greeley, who disappeared into a cloud of smoke. "What the... What the hell just happened?"
"Don't worry, Molly. Everything's gonna be all right." Sam said as the Impala started to shudder. Jenny deadpanned, slowly turning back to look at Sam.
"Spoke a little too soon, Sammy." Dean grumbled as the Impala came to a stop on the side of the road. Dean tried to start it again, but the ignition sputtered, and Jenny let out an annoyed sigh
"I don't think he's gonna let her leave." She mumbled, sinking in her seat.
After a moment, the four got out of the Impala, looking around for any signs of Greeley. "This can't be happening." Molly muttered, holding her arms close to her body.
"Well... Trust me. It's happening." Dean said as he and Jenny walked to the trunk. Molly frowned, following them to see the arsenal of weapons, and backed away slowly.
"Well... Okay. Thanks for helping, but I think I got it covered from here." She said, starting ti walk away quickly as Jenny had grabbed a large shotgun. Sam went after the woman, Dean and Jenny loading everything they could to fight against a ghost.
"Wait. Molly, Molly, wait a minute!" Sam called out, but Molly still walked, shaking her head.
"Just... Just leave me alone!" Jenny turned to watch the interaction, that strange feeling still settled in her stomach.
"No no no. Please. You have to listen to me."
"Just stay away." Molly continued walking, and Sam turned back to his friend and brother, both of whom shrugged.
He faces Molly again. "It wasn't a coincidence that we found you, all right?" Molly stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around.
"What are you talking about?"
"We weren't just cruising for random people when we ran into you, sister. We were already out here. Hunting." Dean answered, Molly frowning in confusion.
"Hunting for what?"
"Ghosts." Jenny finally spoke as she opened the shotgun, slipping a bullet inside.
Sam sighed, staring at Jenny. "Well don't... Sugarcoat it for her."
Jenny shrugged. "Okay. Ghosts are real, Molly. So are vampires, demons, anything you can think of, really."
"Angels?" Molly asked, and Jenny clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Oh. You're nuts."
"Really? About as nuts as a vanishing guy with his guts spilling out. You know what you saw." Dean stated, still looking through the arsenal.
"We think his name is Jonah Greeley. He was a local farmer that died about 15 years ago on this highway." Sam explained as Molly waved her hands in front of her face.
"Just ... stop."
"One night a year, on the anniversary of his death, he haunts this road. That's why we're here, Molly. To try and stop him." Sam continued, and she fell quiet for a moment, thinking.
"Now, I suppose this ... ghost made my car disappear, too?"
"Crazier things have happened, huh?" Dean looked to Jenny, who nodded.
"You know what? I'm all filled up on crazy. I'm gonna get the cops myself."
"I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't think you're gonna get too far." Dean called out to Molly as she started walking away again, and she paused once more.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Means that plan A was trying to get you out of here. Obviously that didn't go over too well with, uh, Farmer Roadkill." Dean flashed a fake smile.
"Molly, we're telling the truth. Greeley's not gonna let you leave this highway." Sam said, Molly looking between the three hunters.
"You're serious— you're serious about this, aren't you?"
"Deadly." Dean answered quietly, Sam shooting him a soft glare.
"Every year, Greeley finds someone to punish for what happened to him. Tonight that person is you."
"Why me? I didn't do anything." Molly scoffed, started to walk back towards them.
"Doesn't matter. Spirits go after anyone they see fit." Jenny replied as Dean shut the trunk, and she leaned on it.
"So you're saying this ... Greeley, he took my husband?" A long pause before Jenny nodded in confirmation. Molly shuddered a breath, turning away. "Oh, god."
"Molly, look, we're gonna help, all right? But first, you gotta help us." Sam gave her that look that practically made everyone cave, and she nodding.
"How do I help?"
———
Molly led the hunters back to the cabin where she saw Greeley, slowly coming to a stop in front of it. "This is it. This is where I saw him."
"Must have been his hunting cabin." Dean joked, gesturing to the vicious tools hanging outside along with the bloodstained table. He hummed softly. "Huh. Seemed like a real sweet guy."
"No markers or headstones outside." Sam stated the obvious as he looked around. Jenny did as well, noticing how dark it still was.
"You're looking for Greeley's grave?" Molly asked, and Jenny nodded.
"Yep. Gotta salt and burn the bones to get rid of him." She answered, and Molly nodded.
"Oh. Sure, naturally... And that'll save David?"
"Well, this is what'll help both of you, provided there's a corpse to be found." Sam shrugged.
"So how do we find it?" Molly questioned as Dean looked to Jenny, who frowned and shook her head at him.
"Well, after Greeley died, his wife claimed the body. And that was the last anyone saw of her." Sam started, slowly walking towards the cabin. "So, good guess she brought him back here. But they had a thousand acres. He could be buried anywhere on 'em."
"So this is really what you guys do? You're like Ghostbusters?" Jenny smirked, nodding.
"I guess. Except hotter and we didn't just learn this all overnight." Molly gave Jenny a strange look, and she dropped the smirk.
"Minus the jumpsuits, too." Dean grinned, clearing his throat before starting to talk a little faster. "This is a fascinating conversation and all, but this highway is only haunted once a year, and we got till sun-up to wrap this thing up. What do you say we move it along, okay? Great."
The group continued their search. After a while, Molly was growing anxious of the silence, speaking up. "What are we looking for?"
"Greeley's house. Maybe he's buried there. Look for roads or paths or something. Stay close." Sam responded, the woman nodding.
Molly suddenly paused, spinning around before dashing off. "David? David? David!"
Greeley appeared from behind a tree and snatched Molly. She let out a loud scream, Jenny raising her shotgun quickly. Without a moment to hesitate, she let out a quiet breath and pulled the trigger, shooting Greeley in the face and he disappeared in another cloud of smoke.
Sam rushed over to Molly, looking around before back to her. "Are you all right?"
"What has that son of a bitch done with my husband?!" The woman yelled, trying her best not to break down.
"Just take it easy, all right? You're gonna see David again. You will." Sam promised, though he didn't seem to believe it, himself.
"Hey!" Dean called out, Sam, Jenny and Molly all turning to see him indicating to something ahead of them. "Follow the creepy brick road."
Molly caught up with Jenny, who was trailing behind Dean. "That thing shoots rock salt?"
"Yep." She answered shortly, gripping the shotgun as she looked around on high alert.
"And plain salt keeps away spirits?" The woman raised a brow, and Jenny nodded.
"Yeah. In most cultures, salt's a symbol of purity, so it repels impure and unnatural things."
"You know your stuff." Molly complimented, making Jenny smirk.
"Well. I did learn from the best."
"Who taught you?" She asked, quietly wondering if it were Sam and Dean that taught her.
"My dad. Well— Not really my dad. He took me in after my parents passed and taught me everything I know now. I have a lot to repay him for."
The four rounded a corner, stopping as a worn down and creepy house came into view.
"You know, just once I'd like to round the corner and see a nice house." Dean complained. Jenny nodded in agreement, checking the chamber of her shotgun to make sure there was another rock salt bullet inside before closing it back up.
Sam and Molly walked inside first, Jenny and Dean checking outside before following them in.
"Any headstones outside?" Sam asked, the two older hunters shaking their heads.
"Yeah, right. Is it ever that easy?" Dean scoffed, Sam letting out a small chuckle.
"I guess not."
"You two check upstairs. See if you can find any notes or records telling us where he's buried. Jen and I'll just check down here." Dean stated as Molly nodded, following Sam up the stairs. "I hate haunted houses." Dean grumbled.
"You and me both. I'd rather it be one of those cheesy Halloween Haunted Houses. At least I don't have to kill anything." Jenny commented, causing Dean to laugh.
After coming up with nothing, the two walked up the stairs to find Molly and Sam talking as they searched a room.
"Well, they weren't evil people, you know? A lot of them were good. Just... Something happened to them. Something they couldn't control." Sam spoke solemnly as Dean listened in the doorway.
"Sammy's always getting a little J. Love Hewitt when it comes to things like this." He spoke up, Molly and Sam turning to him. "Me? I don't like 'em. And I sure as hell ain't making apologies for 'em. There's nothing downstairs. You two find anything?"
"Uh, just about every piece of mail or receipt they ever had. Looked through a couple, but nothing about a grave so far." Sam sighed in defeat as Jenny slapped the door.
"Well, don't get your hopes down. We always find something." Dean walked into the room, staring at a wall with a curious frown.
"What?"
"There's something behind here." Dean tossed his flashlight to Sam, moving a cabinet aside to reveal a small, hidden door. Dean poked it, humming. "It's locked from the inside." He turned around, throwing a back kick at the door, which did nothing. He looked surprised, then braced himself and kicked harder, which did nothing again.
Jenny snorted a laugh, walking over and gently nudging Dean aside. "Yeah, good luck with that. If I can't do it—" Jenny slammed her foot into the door, which splintered open. She smirked, turning to Dean, who had his brows raised to the roof. "How the hell—"
"Never skip leg day, Deanasuar." She patted his shoulder as Sam chuckled, and Dean shot him a glare. The group crawled through the door, brushing away cobwebs as they stood up.
"It smells like old lady in here." Dean complained, Jenny staring up at a corpse hanging by the neck on the ceiling. "And that would explain why. Well, now we know why nobody ever saw her again."
"She didn't want to live without him." Molly gave the decaying corpse a half-hearted smile before frowning.
Sam grabbed the chair below the corpse and stood it up, standing on it. "Dean, give me a hand
"Really?" Dean raised a brow, shaking his head.
"What are you gonna do?" Molly asked, crossing her arms again.
"Well we can't leave her like this." Sam stated, gesturing to the poor corpse.
"Why not? I ain't touching that." Dean spoke, taking a step back.
"She deserves to be put to rest, Dean." Sam continued. Dean gave his brother a long stare before reluctantly agreeing. He grimaced, holding the corpse by the hips as Sam cut her down from the rope.
Dean gagged, turning away as he held the corpse. "Son of a ... this is disgusting."
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