it's been a while. hi. haha (:

chapter five. 

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1.2 || haley
Alternatively known as: Wendigo.

⛤

❛ Older brothers are mean. ❜
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"WANNA DRIVE FOR A WHILE?"

Sam Winchester had just jolted up from another nightmare, and for a second, he thought that maybe, just maybe he was still dreaming. 

Ophelia's surprised sputtering cough made him realise that he was, indeed, awake. 

He let out a surprised chuckle, looking at his brother incredulously, "Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that." 

Dean rolled his eyes, his nonchalance masking his concern as he looked back at the road ahead, "Just thought you might want to, never mind." 

"Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it—"

"Dude, I'm worried about you, and that's saying something." Ophelia spoke from where she was laying in the back seat, a white hoodie with a large imprint of a cartoon cat, Chi, on it, keeping herself occupied by fiddling with her cast. "Clearly, you do not get it." 

"I get it," he spoke, looking at her pointedly, "and thank you. But I'm perfectly fine." 

"I suppose your definition of perfectly fine is insanely different from mine." Ophelia sat up, wincing as she put slight pressure on her injured wrist. 

"And what'd that be?" 

"Well, for starters, when you're getting decent sleep at night and not waking up in the middle of what I'd assume to be an amazing nap in a moving car with pure horror written on your face, I'd start believing that you're fine."

"Alright, thanks, Dr. Freud." Sam pulled up a map, snorting to himself at Ophelia's disheveled hair, to which she let out an offended whine. "Where are we, anyway?" 

"We are just outside of Grand Junction." Dean lowered the volume of the music just by a little bit. Sam sighed, analysing the map for the millionth time as he shook his head, "Y'know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." 

"Sam, we dug around there for a week and came up with nothing." Dean sounded like a broken record, repeating the same thing over and over. He'd tried to be sympathetic, empathetic, but that really wasn't his zone, more of Ophelia's. He still tried to be sensitive, "If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica —"

"— We gotta find dad first, yeah I know." Sam ran a hand through his hair.

Dean continued, "Dad disappearing and this thing showing up after twenty years, it's no coincidence. Dad will have answers — he'll know what to do." 

Sam noticed how quiet Ophelia went at the mention of their father. He ignore it for the time being, "It's weird, man. These co-ordinates he left us, Blackwater Ridge — there's nothing there. It just. . .woods."

Sam looked out on the road, a frown creasing his face as he continued thinking out loud, "Why is he sending us in the middle of nowhere?" 

"Because the-middle-of-nowhere is an excellent place for stupid scary creatures to hide? Christ, it's like you've never watched the Ring. Didn't Sadako live in some well in some isolated woods?" 

Sam and Dean shared a look, Sam being concerned and Dean being amused, and even interested. It was Sam who asked, "Phea. . .how do you know about the Ring?" 

Ophelia froze, hand halfway through her packet of dried pineapples as her eyes widened and her signature pout made an appearance, a sheepish squeak making its way up her throat, "Uh, general knowledge?" 

"Phea. . ."

"In my — and her — defense, Naya covered my eyes and ears through scenes I didn't need to watch." 

Sam groaned, hitting his head on the dashboard before looking at Ophelia, who'd resumed munching on her dried fruit.

"She isn't coming with us on this hunt, is she?" he asked Dean loud enough for her to hear. She let out a groan in protest, her brothers' voices overlapping hers. 

"'Course not. She's grounded, along with Naya. They're gonna spend their days in a motel room doing homework." 

"Hey, you're supposed to be the fun one!" Ophelia scooted forward until her butt was barely resting on the edge of the seat and her forearms were leaning on the front seat. "I thought at least you'd be on my side." 

"I am on your side." Dean flicked her forehead. "You're the one who had to fall out of a haunted, moving car—"

"Literally the same car we're sitting in right now—"

"—and break your wrist—"

"—a little more than a hairline fracture, I don't even need the cast anymore!" 

"Point is," Sam took the stage once again, "You and Naya broke rules, and now you're gonna stay put." 

"We saved your butt." 

"You increased my blood pressure." Sam pinched Ophelia's lips shut when she started to argue again, "Zip, Lia."

"OLDER BROTHERS ARE MEAN."

"Older sisters are mean, too."

Annie gave them both a look, the stern, motherly look that was supposed to shut kids up within milliseconds. It worked, of course.

Annie sighed. She hated playing the bad guy, but then again, these were kids. They were lucky enough to know have gotten seriously hurt, or worse. . . she shook her head.

"Phea, you are a kid, and you've hurt yourself twice, while going on the only two hunts your dumbass of a brother and idiot of a father let you tag on. And you Nini, aren't seventeen yet." Annie braced her hands on her hips, looking down at the two girls who were sitting on the edge of the dull white bed in the small motel room. "And even if you were, you'd still be just a kid. Act like it."

Annie turned on her heel, grabbing her side bag on her way out, and looked back at them just as she turned the doorknob, "Homework, then TV. I've got snacks, they're in that red duffel there. You step a foot out of this room, and it's the last time you'll ever walk, anywhere."

And with that, she slammed the door on her way out, locking it for good measure, ignoring the guilt she felt as she did so.

Naya and Ophelia shared a look. Of course, they were gonna watch TV and do away with homework later. Only insane people would do the opposite.

Annie, on the other hand, received a call from Dean, which she promptly ignored as she got in her Camaro. Only seconds later, Sam rung her phone, to which she answered, "Hola! How may I be of service?" 

"Oh, but when I call, you're too lazy to answer."

"Selected people are lucky enough to receive my attention, you do not make the list, Dean." Annie rolled her eyes, mouthing, 'so dramatic' as she started the ignition. "What do you want?" 

"We're questioning this girl, Haley, about the missing complaint she filed for her brother. Seems weird considering he's supposed be away till the 24th. Sammy's gonna be good boy and text you the address, be there, yeah?" 

"Aw, but I was gonna head out to a strip club, you ruined my plans."

"Sweetheart, there aren't any clubs within miles of this place. Get your ass here."

"Bad word! You owe Phea another ice-cream." 

"Just shut up and come here."

"LOST YOUR TOUCH, DEAN? TOO SCARED TO TALK TO A GIRL?"

Annie made her way between the brothers, walking two steps ahead of Dean, chortling to herself at her joke, Sam chuckling along, ringing the bell. Dean just rolled his eyes and tugged at her ponytail, to which she punched his shoulder, to which he flicked her cheek—

A pretty girl answered the door, looking confused at Dean and Annie's bickering. They stopped immediately upon noticing her presence. 

"Hi." Dean flashed his signature boyish grin, pocketing his hands. "You must be Haley Collins. I'm Dean, this is Annie and Sam — we're, ah, we're rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother Tommy."

Haley eyed them suspiciously, holding onto the handle of the screen separating them. Then, as if trying to steady herself, she spoke, "Let me see some ID." 

Annie was ready for this, so as soon as Haley asked for it, she held her (fake, of course) badge up, the name ANISHA KUMAR written in bold letters beside her picture. 

Beside her, Dean pulled a badge out as well, and after a good thirty seconds of silence, Haley nodded, though she still seemed wary. 

"Come in."

"Thanks." Dean smiled and nodded, making his way through the doorway, when Haley spoke again. 

"That yours?" she asked no one in particular, nodding towards the Impala. 

"Yeah." 

"Cool ride." 

And with that, Haley led them into the kitchen, where there sat another boy, going through something on a laptop. 

"So, if Tommy's not back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?" 

Haley walked back to the dinning table, keeping a bowl on the chestnut top. "He checks in every day by cell. He emails, photos, stupid little videos-we haven't heard anything in over three days now."

She chuckled softly, sadly as if thinking about those photos and videos. 

"Well, maybe he can't get cell reception." Sam was going through his brain for all plausible causes, feeling very much like a profiler as he did so. 

"He's got a satellite phone, too." Haley raised her eyebrows, as if asking Sam to stop thinking of all other possibilities. She'd already been through them. 

"Could it just be that he's having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asked, clutching onto the back of the chair in front of which he stood. 

"He wouldn't do that," the boy answered, looking up briefly and looking away as soon as he saw all the eyes on him. Haley came back with two more bowls of food, placing them on the table. 

She sighed, "Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other." 

They knew what that felt like. Without any further questions, Sam made a request, "Can I see the pictures he sent you?" 

"Yeah." Haley nodded. Pulling the laptop towards her, she moved her finger over the touchpad for a few seconds before opening up to a window with a picture, turning the laptop such that Dean, Sam and Annie could see it. 

"That's Tommy." she clicked to a new picture, then to the still of a video that started when she clicked the spacebar. 

Annie could practically see the gears turning in Sam's head, looking for possible causes. He replayed the video, then asked for it to be sent to his email. 

"We'll find your brother," Dean assured Haley, nodding towards the door when he caught eyes with Annie. "We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge." 

"Maybe I'll see you there." Haley piled a bunch of salad on her plate and placed it on the table, hands bracing the back of the chair. 

Annie raised an eyebrow, silently asking for an explanation. to which Haley sighed, "Look, I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm gonna find Tommy myself." 

.  .  .

"HAVE YOU DISOWNED US, ALREADY?" 

Dean sighed. They'd been to a local bar after talking to Haley, working on finding out whether this was one of their cases or not. They simply lost track of time. . . and the fact that their sisters were in a hotel room, all alone, probably raising hell. 

"No, you're not that lucky, Phea." Dean was distracted by the bartender, whom he kept making eye contact with. Maybe he'd get lucky tonight. "We're gonna be in late, okay?"

"But I'm boooooored, can't we help?" 

"No." 

"Naya's asleep and I already completed my homework." he could already picture Ophelia lying on the bed, facing the ceiling, that big pout on her mouth when she wanted something. "What else can I do?"

"Prank Naya." 

"And get myself killed? No thank you."

"Look, Phea. . ." Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes momentarily, wincing when he felt them burn with the need of sleep. Meh. Sleep was for the weak. "I can't help you right now, okay, Kiddo?"

"I'm a smart kid, you know. I'll track this phone call and come find you."

"Your Nintendo's behind the mini-fridge in the room. Go waste your braincells on that." 

"Yay! Thank youuuuu—"

He ended the call. 

"Are the girls alive?" Annie was perched on a barstool, a beer beside her laptop, glasses on her face. Since when did she have glasses?

"Yeah, sort of."

"Sort of's good." Annie scrolled through the webpage, rubbing her temple with her right hand. "Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic. It's local campers, mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found." 

"Anything before that?" 

"Nothing that I can find here —"

"In 1982, eight people all vanished, their bodies were never found," Sam butted in, rummaging through his bag to get a copy of the article. "Authorities said that it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959, and before that in 1936." 

"Every 23 years?" Annie removed her glasses, lowering the screen of her laptop. 

"Just like clockwork." Sam nodded, starting up his laptop. He played the video Haley sent him, then replayed it in slow motion, pausing once he saw the movement in the background. 

"That's three frames. It's a fraction of a second — whatever that thing is, it can move, and it's fast." 

Dean punched Sam's shoulder in accomplishment, eyes glued to the shadow behind Tommy in the video. "Told you something weird was going on!" 

"It isn't exactly an accomplishment, Dean." Annie flicked his ear, making him frown before leaning over and replaying the video again. It was fast. 

What could it be?

"One more thing." Sam raised a finger, his other hand holding a bunch of copies of articles. "In '59, a camper survived a supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid, barely crawled out of the woods alive." 

Annie raised her eyebrows, "You've got a name?"