Heart of a Hunter

24: Shadows in Nebraska

(Apologies for the shorter chapter)


Sam's POV:

Nebraska came into view like a ghost town rising out of the mist. The sky had turned a dull, stormy gray, the kind that made you feel like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. We'd been driving for hours, the stretch of highway behind us long and lonely, but now we were here. Finally.

The town we were heading to—Middlebury—was the kind of place you'd miss if you blinked. Tucked away in the middle of nowhere, it was a quiet, unassuming dot on the map, the kind of place where people didn't ask too many questions and didn't want to be found. Which, of course, made it the perfect hiding spot for someone like Lucas, the hunter we were here to see.

The Impala rumbled down the deserted main road, the tires kicking up small clouds of dust as we passed old, weather-beaten buildings that looked like they'd seen better days. A diner. A gas station. A few scattered houses. It was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone, and outsiders stood out like a sore thumb. We were definitely the outsiders.

Blair sat next to me, her hand resting on her thigh, just inches from mine. She was staring out the window, her expression unreadable, but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she held herself so carefully still, like she was bracing for whatever was waiting for us. I reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She turned to me, her eyes meeting mine, and for a second, the tension in her face eased. "We're really here," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with the weight of everything that had led us to this moment.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "We're here."

Dean, sitting in the back, had been uncharacteristically quiet for most of the drive. But as we approached the outskirts of town, he leaned forward, his arms resting on the back of our seats. "So, what's the plan?" he asked, his voice low but focused. "We find Lucas, get the info we need, and figure out why the hell the Arcani are so interested in Blair."

I nodded, my eyes flicking to the side mirror as we passed a rundown general store. "That's the plan. But we don't know what Lucas is going to tell us. We have to be ready for anything."

Dean grunted in agreement, his fingers tapping a rhythm against the seat. "Yeah, and let's hope this guy's not another dead-end. We're running low on leads."

I didn't say it out loud, but I knew Dean was thinking the same thing I was: if Lucas couldn't help us, we were back to square one. And with the Arcani looming over us like a shadow, we didn't have time to waste.

We turned off the main road, following the GPS coordinates that led us to a small farmhouse on the outskirts of town. The house looked old, its paint chipped and faded, but there was something sturdy about it, like it had weathered more than a few storms. The kind of place where someone could disappear and still keep a watchful eye on everything around them.

The Impala rolled to a stop in front of the house, the engine rumbling softly before I shut it off. We sat there for a moment, the three of us staring at the house, none of us moving. The weight of what was waiting inside hung in the air between us.

"You ready?" I asked Blair softly, my thumb brushing over the back of her hand.

She took a deep breath, nodding. "Yeah. Let's do this."

Dean was already out of the car, stretching his legs and cracking his neck like we were about to walk into a bar fight. He glanced back at us, his face serious, though I could see the flicker of concern in his eyes. "Let's get this over with," he muttered, heading toward the front door.

Blair and I followed close behind, and as we approached the porch, I couldn't help but feel the familiar sense of unease that came with walking into the unknown. We didn't know who this Lucas guy was or what he was going to tell us. We didn't know if he'd even talk to us. But we didn't have much of a choice.

Dean knocked on the door, his knuckles rapping against the wood with a sharp, echoing sound. For a long moment, there was nothing. No movement inside, no sound of footsteps. Just silence.

I exchanged a glance with Blair, her eyes wide with anticipation. She was trying to stay calm, but I could feel the tension radiating off her. She was scared—not just of what Lucas might say, but of what it might mean for her, for her family, for everything she thought she knew about herself.

Dean knocked again, harder this time. "Hey! Lucas! We know you're in there."

Still nothing.

Dean sighed, glancing back at me. "What do you think? Break the door down?"

Before I could answer, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from inside the house, followed by the creak of the floorboards. The door opened a crack, revealing a man who looked like he'd been through hell and back. His hair was graying, his face lined with age and exhaustion, but his eyes were sharp, taking us all in with a single glance.

"Winchesters," he said, his voice low and rough, like he wasn't surprised to see us. "Figured you'd show up eventually."

I took a small step back and glanced at Dean who raised an eyebrow.

What the fuck?