𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧

Chapter 84-Not Everything Is As It Seems

Pulling up to the victim Bethany's house we get out of the car making our way towards her room opening the door and heading inside "you got anything over there?" Sam asked "nah, nothing." Dean replied "yeah, me neither." Sam sighed as I walked over to the window and realized there
were weird markings on the outside of the windowsill "uh, guys?" I said "yeah?" Dean asked as they both walked over while Sam unlocked the window and pushed it open.

On the windowsill was an elongated handprint that looked like it had caused the wood to rot
"Huh. You were right. It's not pneumonia." Sam said as Dean just stared at the handprint "it's rotted." I replied "what the hell leaves a handprint like that?" Sam asked as Dean kept staring at the handprint "I know why Dad sent us here. He's faced this thing before. He wants us to finish the job. Let's go." Dean said as he walked out of the room without another word while Sam and I gave each other a look and then followed him to the Impala.

[......]
Once we pulled up to the motel we get out of the car as we stand outside "so, what the hell is a shtriga?" Sam asked "it's......kinda like a witch, I think. I don't know much about 'em." Dean explained "well, I've never heard of it. And it's not in Dad's journal." Sam said "Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin, about sixteen-seventeen years ago. You were there. You don't remember?" Dean asked him "no." Sam replied "and I guess he caught wind that the things in Fitchburg now and kicked us the coordinates."Dean said "so, wait, this...sht-." Sam stuttered.

"Shtriga." Dean said "right. You think it's the same one Dad hunted before?" Sam asked him "yeah, maybe." Dean replied as we walked around the car toward the office "but if Dad went after it, why is it still breathing air?" Sam asked "cause, it got away." Dean said "got away?" Sam asked with confusion laced in his voice "yeah, Sammy, it happens." Dean said frustrated "not very often." Sam shook his head "well, I don't know what to tell ya, maybe Dad didn't have his Wheaties that morning." Dean said sarcastically "what else do you remember?" Sam asked him "nothin'. I was a kid, alright?" Dean defensively replied.

As I followed him inside the front office ringing the bell seeing a kid a little younger than me come out from the back "a king or two queens?" He asked as Dean glanced back at Sam "two queens." Dean replied "yeah, I'll bet." The boy snickered "what'd you say?" Dean asked him "nice car!" The boy said as a woman entered "hi." She said "hi." Dean said "checking in?" She asked "yeah." Dean nodded "uh, do me a favor, go get your brother some dinner." She said looking down at the boy "I'm helping a guest." The boy said frustrated.

As she looked at him making him sigh in frustration as he walked out "funny kid." Dean muttered "oh, yeah. He thinks so. You never give your dad here a hard time, do you?" She said nodding at Dean as I smirked at her "well yeah, I do, but actually, he's my brother." I said "yeah, but I've helped raise her since she was a baby." Dean replied nodding as he smiled proudly "will that be cash or credit?" She asked him "you take MasterCard?" Dean asked her as she nodded "perfect. Here you go." Dean replied handing her the card.

[.........]
Once inside the motel room Sam began doing research on his computer as I laid down on the bed just staring at the ceiling "well, you were right. It wasn't very easy to find, but you were right. Shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about them trace back to Ancient Rome. They feed off spiritus vitae." Sam said "spiri-what?" Dean asked him "vitae. It's Latin, translates to 'breath of life.' Kinda like your life force or essence." Sam explained.

"Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearing out?" Dean asked "it's a thought. Ya know, she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone, but they prefer-." Sam said "children." Dean nodded "yeah. Probably because they have a stronger life force. And get this. shtrigas are...invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man." Sam read "no, that's not right. She's vulnerable when she feeds." Dean said "what?" Sam asked him "if you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought-iron...uh...buck shots or rounds, I think." Dean said.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked him "Dad told me. I remember." Dean answered bluntly "oh. Huh. So uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?" Sam asked him "nope, that's it." Dean said as Sam kept staring at him "what?" Dean asked "nothing...Okay. So, assuming we can kill it when it eats, we still gotta find the thing first, which ain't gonna be a cakewalk. Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting." Sam said "what kinda human disguise?" Dean asked "historically, something innocuous. Could be anything, but it's usually a feeble old woman, which might be how the witches as old crones legend got started." Sam replied.

As Dean got up and grabbed a map off of the table "hang on." He said "what?" Sam asked him "check this out. I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now, these are the houses that have been hit so far, and...dead center?" Dean said pointing to the middle "the hospital." Sam said "the hospital. Now when we were there, I saw a patient, an old woman." Dean explained "an old person, huh?" Sam asked "yeah." Dean replied "in a hospital? Whew. Better call the Coast Guard." Sam joked.

"Well, listen, smart-ass, she had an inverted cross hanging on her wall." Dean said "all right, let's take a look." Sam replied "I'm going." I announced as Dean grabbed my jacket "yup, I want you close." He said.