sparks fly, sam winchester [ 2 ]

006. broken ribs

It's the next day and Sam and Miranda are sitting against a tree stump. Sam is holding John's journal and playing with a lanyard attached to it. Miranda's head rests on his shoulder.

"He's, like... definitely dead, right?" Miranda asks.

"Yep." Sam nods. "But..."

"What?" She asks.

"Sometimes it keeps victims so it can eat later." Sam says.

"Comforting." Miranda mumbles.

"Come on." Sam gets up and helps her up, leading her back to the campsite.

"Hey." Sam calls to the others. "So, we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch."

"Well, hell, you know I'm in." Dean says.

Sam shows the two siblings the wendigo page.

""Wendigo" is a Cree Indian word. It means "evil that devours."" Sam informs. 

"They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter." Dean says.

"How's a man turn into one of those things?" Haley asks.

"Well, it's always the same." Dean says. "During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."

"Like the Donner Party." Ben says.

"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities. Speed, strength, immortality." Sam says.

"If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry." Dean says.

"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" Haley asks.

"You're not gonna like it." Dean says.

"Tell me." Haley orders.

"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food." Dean says. "It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake, it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, it stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there."

"And then how do we stop it?" Haley asks.

"Well, guns are useless, so are knives. Basically--" Dean holds up a can of lighter fluid, a beer bottle, and a white cloth. "We gotta torch the sucker."

+++

"Dean." Sam calls, Dean walking over to the couple. There's bloody claw marks on the trees and multiple broken branches. "You know, I was thinking, those claw prints, so clear and distinct..." He chuckles. "They were almost too easy to follow."

They hear growling and trees rustle. Sam's grip on Miranda's hand tightens, pulling her behind him.

Haley looks at her shoulder when blood drips on it. She looks up and screams, jumping out of the way, falling to the ground as Roy's body falls out of the tree.

"Oh, my God!" Miranda exclaims.

Dean feels around Roy's neck while Sam helps Haley up.

"His neck's broke." Dean informs.

They hear more growling.

"Okay, run, run, run! Go, go, go, go!" Dean yells, the group running off.

Miranda follows Dean and Haley, not noticing Sam and Ben fall back.