Roads of Reckoning

Wendigo

10 November, 2005
I'm sprawled across the back seat of the Impala, book in hand. Sam jerks awake in front of me. He looks stressed. It's hasn't been long since Jessica died and I'm worried he's not taking it well. He rubs his eyes and looks around and back to me. I give him a warm smile and he returns it.
"You ok?" Says Dean. He can be an ass but when it comes to Sam, he's vulnerable. Sam nods.
"Another nightmare?" Sam clears his throat.
"Dean don't grill him." I say quietly. Sam sits up straighter.
"I'm fine." Dean turns his attention back to the road.
"You wanna drive for a while." I look up. Wow. Dean must really be worried. Sam looks at his brother in disbelief.
"You have never once in your whole life asked me that." Dean shrugs.
"Just thought you might want to. Nevermind." Sam sighs.
"Look guys, you're worried about me. I get it and thank you but I'm perfect ok." I give him a disapproving look in the rear view mirror and he looks away. He picks up the map.
"Where are we anyways?"
"Just outside of Grand Junction." I reply. Sam nods. His thoughts clearly elsewhere.
"What's on your mind?" I prod. Sam thinks for a minute.
"Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon."
"Sam we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica~" Sam cuts him off.
"We have to find dad first." Dean continues.
"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years. It's no coincidence. Dad will have the answers. He will know what to do."

I look back down at my book. Dean always looked up to his father, but I wasn't a fan. John was tough on the boys but they didn't know different. Our dads were friends and we would all hunt together. I despised John but I never said anything. Sam's voice breaks my thought.
"These coordinates he left us. This Blackwater Ridge. There's nothing here. It's just woods." He puts down the map. "Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"
We pass a sign thats says 'Welcome to Lost Creek Colorado National Forest.'
•———————————————————————•
We park at the Ranger Station, Dean wanders around while Sam and I study a map.
"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote. It's cut off my these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place. And a dozen or so grizzlies in the area." Sam traces his finger across the map, following trails.
"Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear!" Sam and I turn around. Dean is looking at a framed photo of a man standing behind a much larger bear. We go and stand next to him.
"It's not nature hike that's for sure." I say.
"You kids aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance." We whirl around to find a ranger with a badge that reads 'Wilkinson' standing behind us. Sam is the first to speak.
"No sir. We're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper." We all smile innocently. I hold up a fist.
"Recycle man." Sam stifles a laugh and Dean looks at me, proud.
"Bull." Says the ranger. "You're friends with that Hayley girl right?" Dean is quick to reply.
"Yes, yes we are, Ranger..." Dean checks his name badge. "...Wilkinson."
"Well I will tell you exactly what I told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying that he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until ten twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing persons now is it." We nod in agreement.
"Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that permit. So she could see her brother's return date." Dean raises his eyebrows waiting for a response.

Dean comes out of the station holding a piece of paper and laughing. I look at him.
"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" I start. Dean looks at me confused.
"What do you mean?" Sam backs me up.
"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" I turn back to Sam.
"That's not what I meant."
"I don't know. Maybe we should know what we are walking into before we actually walk into it?" Says Dean. We look at each other and back at Sam.
"Since when are you all shoot first ask questions later?" I ask. Sam turns to get into the car.
"Since now." Dean and I look at each other again and get into the car.
•———————————————————————•
It's a small town and it doesn't take us long to arrive at the Collins household. We wait at the door and Sam knocks. A young girl opens the door.
"You must be Hayley Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Demi, we're, ah, we're rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother Tommy."  Hayley, hesitates, looking between us.
"Lemme see some ID." We all grab out our fake badges and smile. She looks at them and then back at us and moves out of the doorway, letting us through.