Seven Bridges Road

XXVIII. Born Under a Bad Sign

UNDERPASS

Dean was on his phone, leaning against his car. He was fidgeting and upset. Johanna stood next to Dean, a worried look on her face.

"Ellen, it's me again. Any chance you've heard from him?" He paused. "I swear, it's like looking for my dad all over again. We're losing our minds here." He paused again. "No, Josie and I've called him a thousand times, there's nothing but voicemail. We don't know where he went, or why. Sam's just gone." He phone beeped. "Hang on."

Dean got a call from Sam and answered. "Sammy? Where the hell are you? Are you okay?" He paused. "Hey, hey, hey! Calm down. Where are you? All right, don't move, Johanna and I are on our way."

Johanna glanced at Dean and he nodded. "Yeah, Josie, it's really him."

MOTEL

Sam hung up the phone slowly, looking numb. His knuckles were bloody.

Dean and Johanna drove to reach Sam, passing a sign that read TWIN LAKES. They arrived at the hotel and parked and got out.

Dean and Johanna walked frantically down a narrow hallway, checking door numbers until they reached room 109 and knocked.

"Sam, it's us. Sam!" Dean called.

Johanna tried the door to find it open. Sam was sitting numbly on the bed.

"Sam?" Dean called. "Hey."

"Hey, Dean. Hey, Josie," Sam replied.

Dean knelt beside him. "Are you bleeding?"

"I tried to wash it off."

Dean saw Sam's shirt covered in blood and groped at it, searching for a wound. "Oh my God."

"I don't think it's my blood."

"Whose is it?" Johanna wondered.

"I don't know."

"Sam, what the hell happened?" Dean asked.

Sam finally looked up. "Dean. Johanna. I don't remember anything."

Dean left the room, leaving Johanna with Sam.

She rifled through his bag, pulled out a shirt and handed it to him. "Change. You'll feel a lot cleaner. A shower might help too."

Sam silently took the shirt before asking, "Coffee?"

"Yeah. Go on and it'll be ready when you come out."

Sam went to freshen up and Johanna brewed coffee for Sam.

Once he was out of the shower, Johanna poured him a cup of coffee and made it the way he liked it.

Sam sat at the table and sipped the coffee. "Thanks, Josie."

"Sure," she replied. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Good. I'm glad, Sammy."

Dean returned to the room, carrying a grocery bag.

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

"You checked in two days ago under the name Richard Sambora," Dean told him. "Of course, I think the scariest part about this whole thing is the fact that you're a Bon Jovi fan-"

"Dean."

"Your room's been quiet, nobody's noticed anything unusual."

"You mean no one saw me walking around covered in blood?"

"Yeah. That's what I mean."

"Then how the hell did I get here, Dean, Josie? What happened to me."