Bless the Broken Road

27. Croatoan

Dean and Zach were in a dim hallway, grimly turning toward a door and pulled out a gun. They slid out the clips, tapped it on the guns, then replaced them. Inside the room, there was a Crater Lake poster on the wall. Below it, a young blond man, Duane, was tied to a chair. Nearby, were a young woman, Pam, a middle-aged woman, Dr. Lee, and a tough-looking black man, Mark. Duane looked up as Dean and Zach opened the door and entered, raising the guns.

Duane began babbling. "No, no, no, no, no, you're not gonna... no, I swear! It's not in me!"

"Oh, God," Pam said. "We're all gonna die."

"Maybe he's tellin' the truth," Mark guessed.

Dean and Zach advanced and cocked the guns. "He's not him, not anymore."

"No, stop it!" Duane cried. "Stop it! Ask her, ask the doctor! It's not in me!"

"I just... I can't tell," Dr. Lee admitted.

"No, please, don't. Don't. I swear I-"

"I got no choice," Dean said.

Duane started sobbing. "I swear, it's not in me, it's not in me! Don't, don't. Please!"

Dean fired twice while Zach slowly lowered his gun with a small frown.

MOTEL ROOM

Sam was lying on the floor beside a motel bed and coming out of his vision. Zach and Lily were shaking his shoulders. The door opened and Dean entered, chewing on jerky and carrying a six-pack of beer. Sam sat up, panting.

"Sam?" Dean called.

"No..." Sam said.

The four got into the Impala. Dean was driving, Zach and Lily were in back, and Sam was navigating with a GPS device which spoke directions.

"Continue on O-R Two-Two-Four West."

"There are only two towns in the US named Rivergrove," Sam told his brothers and friend.

"How come you're so sure it's the one in Oregon?" Dean asked.

Sam had a flashback -- the Oregon poster on the wall. "There was a picture. Crater Lake."

"Okay, what else?"

"I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair."

"And I ventilated him?"

"Yeah. You thought there was something inside him."

"What, a demon? Was he possessed?" Zach questioned.

"I don't know."

"Well, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow... so was there any back smoke? Did we try to exorcise it?" Dean wondered.

"No. Nothing, you just plugged him and Zach didn't stop you, that's it."

"Well, I'm sure we had a good reason."

"I sure hope so."

"What does that mean?" There was a silent beat. "I mean, I'm not gonna waste an innocent man. Zach's not gonna let me waste an innocent man." Sam raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't!"

"I never said you two would!"

"Fine!"

"Fine! Look, we don't know what it is. But whatever it is, that guy in the chair's a part of it. So let's find him, and see what's what."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Lily frowned, glancing between them. "You idjits done?"