Supernatural: The Full First Season

Bugs

It's the evening. We're at a bar. Dean just won a chunk of cash playing pool. He comes trotting back to me and Sam.

"You know, we could get day jobs every once in awhile," Sam says.

"Hunting's our day job," Dean says, counting the cash. "And the pay is crap."

"Yeah, but hustling pool?" Sam asks. "Credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world, guys."

"Hey, don't lump me in. My family's loaded. I don't steal anything," I say, sitting back in my chair. Dean rubs my hair.

"We got a new gig or what?" Dean asks.

"Maybe," Sam says. "Oasis plains, Oklahoma. Not far from here. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob."

"Huh?" Dean asks.

"Human Mad Cow Disease," I say. They look at me. "What? I have a Bachelor of Science and Nursing." I shrug.

"Mad Cow. Isn't that on Oprah?" Dean asks.

"You watch Oprah?" Sam asks, slightly disturbed. I raise an eyebrow towards Dean.

"So the guy eats a bad burger. How is that our kind of thing?" Dean asks, changing the subject.

"Mad Cow disease causes massive brain degeneration that takes months," Sam says.

"Even years," I butt in.

"But this guy, Dustin, sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour, more or less," Sam glares at me.

"Okay, that's weird," Dean says.

"Yeah," Sam says.

"Now it could be a disease, or it could be something much nastier," I say.

"Alright, Oklahoma," Dean claps. "Man, work, work, work. No time to spend my money." He hops in the car. I climb on my Harley.

We're at the Oklahoma gas and power company.

"Travis Weaver?" Sam asks a man getting in his car.

"Yeah, that's right," Travis says.

"Are you the Travis that worked with Uncle Dusty?" I ask.

"Dustin never mentioned a niece," Travis says.

"Really?" Dean asks. "Well he sure mentioned you. He said you were the greatest."

"Oh, he did? Huh," Travis smiles.

"Listen, we wanted to ask you, uh, what exactly happened out there?" I ask.

"I'm not sure," Travis says. "He fell in a sinkhole. I went to the truck to get some rope. By the time I got back . . ."

"What'd you see?" Dean asks.

"Nothing, just Dustin," Travis says.

"No wounds?" Sam asks. "Or anything?"

"He was bleeding from his eyes, his ears, and his nose," Travis points to his face. "That's it."

"Do you think it could be this whole mad cow thing?" I ask.

"I don't know," Travis says. "That's what the doctors are saying."

"But if it were, he would have acted strange beforehand," Sam says. "Dementia, loss of motor control. You ever notice anything like that?"

"Nah, no way," Travis says. "Yeah, but then again, if it wasn't some disease, then what the Hell was it?"

"That's a good question," Dean says.