Stories For My Friends To Read

6: Wendigo

Sam jerked awake. It was 10 Nov 2005, he was riding shotgun next to Dean, Foreigner's "Hot-Blooded" playing. Jackie was laying down in the backseat, a sleeping Salem curled up on Jackie chest. When Sam came back was the first time in two years she'd been able to sleep for real. She always had a hard time sleeping away from her brothers. They raised her and she slept better when she knew they were safe because they were with her. Sam blinked and rubbed his eyes, causing Dean to look over in concern. "You okay?" Dean asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." Sam lied, glancing at his brother before looking away. Dean nodded, "Another nightmare?" Sam cleared his throat. "Do you wanna drive for a while?" Dean asked Sam. Sam laughed, "Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that." "Just thought you might want to. Never mind." Dean defended. "Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." Sam tried. "Mm-hm." Dean sassed. Sam pulled out a map.

"All right, where are we?" Sam asked. "We are just outside of Grand Junction." Dean told his brother. SAM folds down the map, which is of Colorado and has a large red X labeled 35-111. "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." Sam suggested. "Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica—" Dean was cut off by Sam finishing his sentence, "We gotta find Dad first." Sam sighed. "Dad disappearing—and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence. Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do." Dean explained. "It's weird man. Theses coordinates he left us. This Black Water Ridge." Sam said. "What about it?" Dean asked. "There's nothing there. It's just woods." Sam told his brother, putting the map down, "Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"

They drove past the National Forest sign that says, "Welcome to LOST CREEK COLORADO National Forest"

Sam was looking at a 3D map of the national forest, paying particular attention to the ridge labeled "BLACKWATER RIDGE". Dean looked at the decorations while Jackie stood with her cat in her arms, also looking at t

"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote. It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place." Sam notes aloud. "Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear." Dean said in amazement. Sam looked over at his brother. Dean was looking at a framed photo of a man standing behind a much larger bear. Sam comes to stand next to Dean. "And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure." Sam told him.

A forest ranger, Ranger Wilkinson, walks up behind them; when he speaks, the siblings whip around, startled. "You kids aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance? Especially with that cat?" He asked. "Oh, no, sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper." Sam lied, with a little laugh, as Dean grinned. "Recycle man!" Dean pumped his fist.

"Bull." The ranger stated blatantly. Sam's eyes flicker to his siblings for a moment, neither of them move. "You're friends with that Haley girl, right?" He asked. After a moment of consideration, Dean said, "Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger—" Dean paused to read his nametag, "Wilkinson." "Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?" Wilkinson sassed. Dean shook his head. "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine." The ranger reassured. "We will. Well that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?" Dean said. "That is putting it mildly." The ranger told them. "Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date." Dean tried. The Ranger eyed Dean. Dean raised his eyebrows convincingly.