The Demon Within

No Exit [2]

"I'll flip you for the sofa," El joked as the group was in the apartment.

Dean looked over at Jo "Does your mother even know you're here?"

Jo shrugged "Told her El and I were going to Vegas,"

"You think she's gonna buy that?"

El crossed her arms "I'm not an idiot. I laid a credit card trail all the way to the casinos,"

"You know, you shouldn't lie to your mom." Dean warned Jo "Shouldn't be here either,"

"Well, I am." Jo argued "So untwist your boxers and deal with it,"

Sam looked over at El "Where'd you get all that money from, anyway?"

"Working, at the Roadhouse,"

"Hunter's don't tip that well," Dean sassed.

"Well, they aren't that good at poker, either,"

Dean's cell phone rang "Yeah," he answered.

"Are they with you?" Ellen asked over the phone.

"Oh, hi Ellen," Dean greeted.

"I thought you did the cell phones," Jo hissed at El.

"Ours. Not theirs," El pointed out.

"She left a note she's in Vegas with El." Ellen explained to Dean "I don't believe it for a second,"

Dean held the phone back and looked at the two women "I'm telling her,"

"Dean?"

"I haven't seen them," Dean lied.

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure,"

"Well, please. If they show up, you'll drag their butts right back here, won't you?"

"Absolutely,"

"Okay. Thanks, honey,"

Dean hung up the phone as El smirked.

"He is so whipped," Myra claimed.

El began flipping a small knife around. "This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into an apartment a few months ago,"

"Yeah?" Dean asked "What was here before 1924,"

"Nothing. Empty field,"

"So, a most likely scenario, someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell," Sam suggested.

"I already checked." El admitted "In the past eighty-two years, zero violent deaths. Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor," she snorted.

"So, have you checked police reports, county death records..." Dean wondered.

"Obituaries, mortuary reports, and seven other sources." El listed off "This isn't my first rodeo,"

Dean rolled his eyes and glanced at El flipping the knife "Could you put the knife down?"

El tossed the knife embedding it in the wall next to Dean's head.

"Okay!" Sam exclaimed to ease the tension of the room "So, if, it's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it,"

"Well, we've got to scan the whole building." Jo said, "Everywhere we can get to, right?"

"Right." Dean nodded "So. You and me, we'll take the top two floors,"

"We'd move faster if we split up," El noted.

"Oh, this isn't negotiable,"

***

El and Sam were walking down a dim hallway with EMF readers.

"So. You gonna buy me dinner?" El asked.

"What are you talking about?" Sam wondered.

El shrugged "It's just if you're gonna ride me this close it's only decent you buy me dinner,"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight...I don't know if you and Jo's noticed, but you two are kind of the spirit's type,"

El smirked "Exactly,"

"You and Jo wanna be bait?"

"Just me. It was supposed to be just me on this trip...but Jo can be very...persuasive," El gave Sam a knowing smirk.

Sam cleared his throat in realization "Oh,"

"What?" El asked with a tilt of her head.

Sam sighed "El, you've got options. No one in their right mind chooses this life. My dad started me in this when I was so young...I wish I could do something else,"

"You love the job," El pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm a little twisted,"

El thought about her brain's roommate "You don't think I'm a little twisted too?"

The duo approached a grating near the floor.

"You smell that?" El crouched by the grating; her EMF reader purrs. She looked over at Sam "It's inside the vent,"