( BEYOND THE GRAVE )

SUBURBAN STREET
[ ☼ ]

      Sam and Elena get out of a rental car. They make their way up a footpath, knocking on the door. It is opened by a middle-aged man. His son comes to stand beside him, around 6-7 yrs old.

      "Yeah?"

      "Hello sir, we're with the phone company?" Elena says.

      "We didn't call the phone company." The Man says.

      "Oh no sir, we're calling you. We've had a lot of complaints from the neighbourhood lately." Sam says.

      "Complaints?"

      "Yes sir. Dropped calls, static, maybe even strange voices on the other end of the line?" Sam asks.

      A teenage girls steps into the hallway while Sam is speaking, looking startled. "No, we haven't had any of that here." He says.

      "Nothing?" Elena asks.

      "No."

      "Okay. Great, just thought we'd check. Thanks." Sam says.

      "No problem." The Man turns to his son. "Come on, Simon."

      As they turn to close the door Sam sees the girl staring at him, looking scared. She turns away as the door closes. Sam stares after her. Sam returns to his car. As he opens the door the girl appears.

      "No way you work for the phone company." She says.

      "Sure we do." Sam says.

      The girl gives Sam a once over. "Since when does a phone guy drive a rental or wear a cheap suit?" She says.

      Sam huffs a laugh. "Yeah, well. Maybe we're both keeping secrets." He says.

      "Why did you ask my Dad if he's hearing strange voices on the phone?"

      "Why, did you hear something?" Elena asks.

      "No."

      "My mistake, I thought maybe you did." Sam says.

      "Well I didn't, okay?"

      Sam smiles. "Okay. Sorry to bother you." He says. The girl looks uncomfortable but doesn't move. Sam looks down at his keys. "Because you know...if you did...then I would have told you that I've been right where you're standing right now. Hearing things, even seeing things that can't be explained. Maybe I would have been able to help out a little bit. Anyway..." They start to leave.

      "Hey wait. Maybe...maybe I've been talking on the phone...with my Mom."

      "Well that's not so strange." Elena says.

      "She's dead. Like three years now."

      "How often does she call you?" Sam asks.

      "A few times. It started a week ago. I thought I was like, crazy or something." The girl says.

      "Well I can tell you one thing for sure, and you're going to have to go with me on this, okay? You're not crazy,"

SAM'S RENTAL CAR
[ ☼ ]

      Sam answers phone. "Yeah." He says.

      Dean is seen walking down a busy street. "Dude, stiffs have been calling people all over town." He says.

      "Yeah, tell me about it." Sam says.

      "I just talked to an 84 year old grandmother who's having phone sex with her husband, who died in Korea!" Dean yells.

      "Eww."

      "It redefined my understanding of the word 'Necrophilia'."

      A young woman walking past Dean overhears and gasps, giving him a dirty look as she passes. He pauses, grimacing, then turns to check her out as she continues walking.

      "So what the hell's going on here, Dean?" Sam asks.

      Dean reaches the Impala. "Beats me, but we'd better find out soon. This place is turning into spook central." He says.

      "Yeah. All right, I'll call you later."

      Dean opens the door. "Yeah." They hang up. Dean's phone immediately rings again. "Yeah, what?" There is nothing but static. "Sam?"

      "Dean?" Dean freezes, looking shocked. "Dean, is that you?"

      "Dad?"

MOTEL ROOM
[ ☼ ]

      Sam and Elena sit at the table, Dean paces. "Dad? You really think it was Dad?" Sam asks.

      "I don't know, maybe." Dean says.

      "Well what did he sound like?" Elena asks.

      "Like Oprah!" Dean yells. "Like Dad, he sounded like my Dad, what do you think?"

      "What did he say?" Sam asks.

      "My name."

      "That's it?" Sam asks.

      "Call dropped out." Dean says.

      "Why would he even call in the first place, Dean?" Sam asks.

      "I don't know, man. Why are ghosts calling anybody in this town? But I mean, other people are hearing from their loved ones, why can't we? It's at least a possibility, right?"

      "Yeah, I guess?" Elena says.

      "Okay, so what if...what if it really is Dad? What happens if he calls back?" Dean says to Sam.

      "What do you mean?" Sam asks.

      "What do I say?"

      "Hello." Sam says.

      "Hello?" Dean repeats and Sam shrugs. "That's what you come back with. Hello?"

      "Uhh..." Sam starts.

      Dean grabs his jacket and heading for the door. "Hello!" Dean walks out. Sam looks after him, concerned. He shakes his head.

      Later, Sam sits on the couch with the laptop in front of him and Elena strokes his hair. Dean returns. "Find anything?" He asks.

      "After three hours I have found no reason why anything supernatural would be going on here." Sam says.

      "Well, you know, you think a Stanford education and a high school hook up rate of zero point zero would produce better results than that." Dean says.

      Elena rolls her eyes at him. "Hilarious." She says.

      "Sammy, you're just looking in the wrong places, pal." Dean says.

      "And what are the right places, Dean?"

      Dean reaches into his jacket pocket. "Motel pamphlet rack." Dean drops some literature on the coffee table. "Milan, Ohio. Birthplace of Thomas Edison."

      Sam flicks through the papers. "Yeah, right. So what?" He asks.

      "Keep reading." Dean says.

      Sam scoffs slightly and keeps looking. He sighs, but after a few moments his eyebrows go up and he looks at Dean. "You're kidding." Sam says as Dean raises his eyebrows back, smiling.

MUSEUM
[ ☼ ]

      A young female guide shepherds a tour. "And we're walking. And, here we have one of the museum's most unique and treasured possessions. Thomas Edison's spirit phone. Did you know that Mr Edison, as well as being one of America's most beloved inventors, was also a devout occultist? Ooh!" She says.

      "What's with the quote-y fingers?" Dean whispers to the gang.

      "He spent years working on this, his final invention, which he was convinced could be used to communicate with the dead. Pretty spooky, huh?" The guide checks her watch, twirls her fingers in the air and begins leading the group into the next room. "And we're walking. We are walking. We're walking. And we're not touching that. And we're walking. And stop."

      Sam quickly gets out his EMF and holds it over the spirit phone. "Anything?" Dean asks.

      "Nothing." Sam says.

      "What do you think?" Elena asks.

      "Honestly? It kinda looks like an old pile of junk to me." Sam says.

      "It's not even plugged in." Dean points out.

      "Maybe it didn't work like that."

      "Okay. Maybe it's like a radio tower, broadcasting the dead all over town." Dean says.

      "Could be." Sam says.

      "You know, this caller I.D. is 100 years old, right? Right around the time this thing was built." Dean says.

      "Yeah, but why would it all of a sudden start working now?" Elena asks.

      "I don't know. But as long as the mouldy are calling the freshers around here it's the best reason we've got." Dean says.

      "Yeah, maybe." Sam says.

      "So maybe it really is Dad."

MOTEL ROOM
[ ☾]

       Sam and Elena sleep in one of the beds. Dean sits at the table, a large take away coffee cup in his hand, his phone beside him. He stares into space. The phone rings, the display showing 'sHA33'. Dean grabs it quickly and heads into the bathroom.

      "Dad?" He whispers.

      "Dean." John says.

      "Is it really you?" Dean asks.

      "It's me."

      "How can I be sure?" Asks Dean.

      "You can't. Dean, how could you do it?" John asks.

      "What?"

      "Sell your soul." He replies.

      "I was looking after Sam, like you told me to." Dean says.

      "I never wanted this. Never. You're my boy, I love you. I can't watch you to go to hell, Dean." John says.

      "I'm sorry. I don't know how to stop it." Dean says.

      "Cause if you break the deal Sam dies, right?"

      "What?" Dean asks.

      "Well I know a way out. For both of you."

      "How?" Dean asks.

      "The demon who holds your contract. He's here. Now."

LANIE'S BEDROOM
[ ☼ ]

      The girl from before, Lanie, is on her computer. "Okay. See you tomorrow." She types. The computer beeps a new message.

      "Lanie? Is that you?"

      "Mom?" Lanie asks.

      "I asked you a question last night. Have you thought about it?"

      "I don't know what you want." She says.

      "Of course you do. I want to see you."

      "I went to see you. At the cemetery." Lanie types.

      "That's not what I mean."

      "But I'm scared." She types.

      "Don't be sacred. I'm right here with you." The screen suddenly blacks out. Lanie can see her reflection in it. She is terrified.

      Behind her, her mother approaches and lays a hand on her shoulder. Lanie swings around but there's no one there. She jumps up, turns off the screen and backs away, gasping and crying. The screen turns itself back on. She gasps. "Come to me." is typed over and over across the whole screen. Lanie approaches the computer, crying.

      Dean is typing furiously on the laptop. Sam and Elena. "What's up?" Dean asks.

      "That girl Lanie, her Mom's ghost spooked her out pretty bad last night." Sam says.

      "That sucks." Dean says.

      "Yeah it does. What are you doing?" Elena says.

      "I think my Dad's right. I think the demon is here. Check it out." Dean hands Sam some papers and goes to his bag.

      "What is this, weather reports?" Sam asks.

      "Omens. Demonic omens. Electrical storms everywhere we've been for the past two weeks."

      "Ahh...I don't remember any lightning storms." Sam says.

      "Well, I don't remember you studying meteorology as a kid either. But I'm telling you, that bastard's been tailing me...wearing some poor dude's meat." Dean says.

      "And it's following you because..." Elena starts

      "I guess I'm big game, you know. My ass is too sweet to let outta sight." Dean says.

      "Okay. Sure." Sam says.

      Dean snatches the papers back. "Don't get too excited, Sammy. Might pull something." He says sarcastically.

      "Dean, look, I wanna believe this man, I really do..." Sam starts.

      "Then believe it! if we get this sucker, it's Miller Time." Dean says.

      "Yeah, that's another thing. Dad rattles off an exorcism that can kill a demon? I mean not just send it back to hell, but kill it?" Sam asks.

      "I've checked it out. This is heavy duty Dark Ages. Fifteenth century." Dean says.

      "Yeah, I've checked on it too Dean. And so did Bobby." Sam says.

      "Okay, and?"

      "Look. It definitely is an exorcism, okay, there's just no evidence it can kill a demon." Says Sam.

      "No evidence it can't." Dean says.

      "Come on man..."

      "Hey, as far as I'm aware the only one of us who has actually been to hell is Dad. And maybe he picked up a couple of tricks down there, like which exorcisms work." Dean suggests.

      "Maybe it does. I hope it does too, but we gotta be sure." Sam says.

      "Why aren't we sure?"

      "Cause I don't know what's going on around here Dean! I mean, some guy blows his brains out, a little girl is scared out of her wits." Sam says.

      "Wow, a couple of civvies are freaked out by some ghosts. News flash Sam, people are supposed to be freaked out by ghosts!"

      They stare at each other for a long moment. Sam sighs and Dean drops his head in frustration. "Dad tell you where to find the demon?" Sam asks.

      "I'm waiting on the call!" Dean yells.

       Sam sighs again. "I told Lanie I'd stop by." He says.

      "Oh, good yeah. No you go hang out with jail bait. Just, uh, watch out for Chris Hansen. Meanwhile I'll be here getting ready to, you know, save my life." Dean says sarcastically.

      Sam keeps moving toward the door. "You're unbelievable, you know that? I mean for months we've been trying to break this demon deal. Now Dad's about to give us the freaking address and you can't accept it? The man is dead and you're still butting heads with the guy!" Dean yells.

      "That is not what this is about." Sam says.

      "So what is it!"

      "The fact is we've got no hard proof here, Dean. After everything, you're still just going on blind faith!" Sam yells.

      "Yeah, well maybe! You know, maybe that's all I got, okay?" Dean says.

      They stare at each other again. Dean looks down. "Please. Just please don't go anywhere until we get back. Okay, Dean? Please." Sam says as Dean remains silent. Sam shakes his head and turns for the door. Dean watches him go and continues staring at the door for a long moment. He shakes his head and moves to sit heavily at the table.

LANIE'S HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

      "Have you told your father about any of this?" Elena asks.

      "And bother him at work? No. He wouldn't believe me anyway, he'd just Chuck me into therapy." Lanie says.

      "So what did your mother say?" Sam asks.

      "She wanted to see me. So at first I thought I was supposed to go to the cemetery."

      "Did you?" Elena asks.

      Lanie nods. "Nothing happened. But then she started asking me to do other things." She says.

      "What sort of things?" Sam asks.

      "Bad things."