THE HUNTERS AND THE HUNTED

Dead in the Water

A couple days have passed by since Bobby had sent me away, entrusting him with Sam and Dean. Bobby had maintained that the I would be safer with them rather than himself.

It became increasingly obvious just how the brothers felt about having Winston around. Dean made his feelings known with his constant display of irritation and rudeness, going out of his way to ignore and belittle the kid. Meanwhile Sam seemed much more tolerant and patient, offering a kinder and more understanding demeanor towards Winston.

Sam let out a stifled sigh as he approaches the table, catching sight of Dean shamelessly flirting with the waitress. As Sam looks over to Winston, he notices the kid staring out the diner window with a vacant expression on his face. Over the past few days Winston has hardly uttered a word to the two.

"Just the check, please." Sam grumbles as he sits down between Dean and Winston, glancing at the kid before turning towards his older brother. Dean's head drops with a groan before glaring at Sam.

"You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while." Dean grumbles, pointing to the waitress as she walks away. "That's fun."

"Here take a look at this, I think I got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin." Dean says, passing a newspaper over to his brother. A woman's picture has been circled, and Winston turns around to take a look. He quietly reads what's written on the page, his eyes shifting over the article.

Winston looks over at the two men as they discuss the case, engaging in a brief squabble over not searching for their father or something along those lines. Winston isn't really paying much mind to their conversation, his thoughts elsewhere.

Now the three were cruising along in the car on their was to Lake Manitoc, with Dean blaring his music as usual. In the back seat, Winston was gazing out the window, watching the scenery pass by. As the car drove past the 'Welcome' sign, a sense of unease settled over him.

"You stay in the car," Dean orders firmly, his glare directed at Winston through the car window, their eyes meeting in the reflection. Without waiting for a response Dean gets out the car and walks off with Sam following him.

Winston was left alone in the back seat of the car, watching them silently until they went inside some guys house.

Winston cast his gaze around his surroundings for a brief moment before spotting an old man on a dock in the middle of a lake. As he watched the man, a strange sense of unease crept up on him, and he couldn't help but scan the water around the old man with wary eyes.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when Sam and Dean climbed back into the car, prompting Winston to snap back to reality.

He follows after the two brothers as they walk into the police station, remaining silent as always. As Sam and Dean sit down and begin conversing with the Sheriff, Winston can practically feel the man's gaze upon him, undoubtedly questioning the presence of a child in conjunction with Wildlife Services.

"These are people from my town. People I care about," the Sheriff asserted firmly, his bodily language exuding authority as he leaned forward in his seat and fixates his gaze on Dean. "And I have to ask, why do you have a kid with you? Seems a bit too young to be working with Wildlife Services."

The Sheriff then shifted his attention towards Winston, studying him with a suspicious and scrutinizing look.

Before Dean and Sam could come up with a convincing story, a woman walked in, prompting the men to rise from their seats and greet her. "Sorry, am I interrupting?" She said softly, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "I can come back later."

The Sheriff introduces everyone to his daughter and Dean steps forwards, his usual flirtatious smirk in place as he introduces himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean." He shakes her hand, his charm turned up to the maximum.