Back to the shadows | Dean Winchester [2]

Chapter 8: Pretty, living, not dead, plants

Children shouldn't play with dead things 1

"Come on, Sam. I'm begging you, this is stupid." Dean says.

"Why?" Sam asks.

"Going to visit Mom's grave? She doesn't even have a grave. There was no body left after the fire."

"I don't see a problem with this, Dean. Maybe it would be good for you." Alexis shrugs, not looking up from her sketch book.

"She has a headstone." Sam looks over at his brother.

"Put there by her uncle, a man we've never met. So you wanna go pay your respects to a slab of granite put up by a stranger? Come on."

"That's not the point." Sam argues.

"Well, then, enlighten me, Sam."

"Its not about a body or a casket. Its about her memory, okay? And after dad, it just feels like the right thing to do."

"Its irrational, is what it is."

"Look, man, no one asked you to come."

"Why don't we swing by the roadhouse? We haven't heard from the demon lately. We should be hunting that son of a bitch down."

"That's a good idea. You should. Just drop me off. I'll hitch a ride. I'll meet you tomorrow."

"Right. I'll be stuck with those people, making awkward small talk until you show up. No thanks."

"You'll have Alex."

"Yeah, that'll only make things worse. No one there likes me." Alexis shrugs.

~~~

Alexis stands beside Dean as he looks at a headstone. She slips her into his, giving him a smile. Dean continues walking, until a tree catches his eye. The two make their way to the tree. He looks at the ground, noticing the circle of dead grass.

"Lex, look." Dean nudges her side with the back of his hand.

She looks down, "Hmm, that's weird."

Dean lets go of her hand, kneeling to the ground. He reaches out to the flowers that sat in front of the plaque. They were dead too.

~~~

"Thank you." Dean tells the man. "Angela Mason." Dean states, walking over to Sam and Alexis. "She was a student at the local college. Funeral was three days ago."

"And?" Sam asks as the three walk through the graveyard.

"And, you saw her grave. Everything dead around it, in a perfect circle. You don't think that's a little weird?"

"Maybe the groundskeeper went a little aggro with the pesticide."

"In a perfect circle? Okay." Alexis crosses her arms over her chest.

"No, I asked him. I asked him. No pesticide, no chemicals. Nobody can explain it." Dean tells the two.

"Okay, so what are you thinking?" Sam asks.

"I don't know. Unholy ground, maybe."

"Un-?"

"What?" Dean looks at Sam as they stop walking. "If something evil happened, it could easily poison the ground. Remember the farm outside of Ceder Rapids?"

"Yeah." Sam shakes his head.

"Deans right," Alexis shrugs. "could be a sign of a demonic presence."

"Or the, uh Angela girl's spirit, if its strong enough." Dean adds. Sam rolls his eyes before walking away. "Oh, don't get too excited, you might pull something." Dean and Alexis follow him.