Thanks to Kaz for beta'ing 
Chapter 4
Sam watched the scenery flow by beneath him. It looked breathtakingly beautiful. It was still early and the morning fog lay over the forest. Even if he would return empty handed to their motel room, Sam thought, this flight had been worth it. He didnt often get the chance to watch the landscape from so far up.
The only other time he had flown in a helicopter had been when he was about ten years old. He had broken through the ice and had taken an involuntarily dive in a frozen lake. He had been flown to hospital in a helicopter then. Not that he remembered any of that though. The only memory he still had from that day was ice cold water surrounding him. And the painful burning of his lungs when he had taken what he had then believed to be his last breath.
Luckily, it hadnt been and today Sam enjoyed every single moment of the flight. And he sure wouldnt forget anything about it this time.
Were almost there. Leonard Parker, the pilot, announced. From the clearing its a 20 minutes walk to Tobias cabin.
Sam nodded his understanding. Leonard had already shown him the way on the map before they had took off. The pilot refused to accompany him and show him the way; his reason being that he didnt want to leave his helicopter alone. Sam was glad that the older man hadnt heard Deans comment about a cunning fox taking over the helicopter.
Leonards eyes had said something else though he had looked almost scared to enter the forest. Sam was probably lucky if the man would wait for him on the clearing and wouldnt just abandon him here.
They landed without problems and after making sure that he had everything in his duffle bag that he needed, Sam started his walk to Tobias Jacksons cabin.
Packing their belongings in order to leave took Dean even less time than to pack for a Wendigo hunt. That left him with a lot of time to kill until Sam returned. Knowing his brother, Sam would search every inch of that cabin and its surroundings for even the smallest trace of something supernatural. Something other than a spirit anyway.
So Dean didnt really expect his brother to come back before early afternoon; Sam was nothing if not thorough.
Pine Creek owned one small bar at the other end of town and even though there wouldnt be many guests at this hour, Dean decided to pay it another visit. If nothing else, he could spend the time playing pool if necessary only with himself. Or maybe, if he was lucky, that red-headed waitress would be there for Dean to flirt with. Either way it sounded a lot better than spending another few hours in this room.
Determined to end his visit in Pine Creek with a little bit of fun, Dean grabbed the car keys and left the room.
After nearly slipping on the wet forest floor for the third time, Sam cursed the fact that he had ever heard of the Boobooshaw. If it hadnt been for that crazy killing shadow thing, Sam would be sitting warm and comfortable in the Impala, listening to Deans music that his brother always played too loud. Not that Sam would want to have it any other way. His brothers music blaring through the Impalas speakers was as much part of Sams childhood memories as waking up in the same warm bed every morning was for other children. It made him feel home, as weird as that sounded.
But he wasnt in the Impala and the only sounds that reached his ears where the sounds of the forest. And okay, he had loved the flight up here and he usually loved the quietness of nature, but he could have done without this walk. It was cold, the ground was slippery and five minutes into his walk it had started to drizzle. He would give anything for a hot shower right about now.
When the cabin finally appeared in his sight, Sam let out a relieved sigh. Finally!
Dean saw the car the moment he pulled into the parking lot. A black Mustang, probably 64, maybe 65. Dean knew a classic when he saw one.
Whistling, he got out of the Impala and went to take a closer look. Who would have thought that in a town like Pine Creek there would actually be a car like this. Of course it was nothing compared to the Impala, but it definitely beat the average truck and family van that were being driven around here.
Maybe the Mustang belonged to the red-haired waitress she looked like she had taste. And wouldnt that just make his day?
Smiling, Dean stepped into the bar. As expected there werent many customers. Two men were sitting at the bar, too far away from each other to have come here together, and one lonely old guy sat hunched against the wall in a dark corner. The jukebox was quietly playing some country music. And the red-haired waitress was cleaning glasses behind the bar. Today really seemed to be his lucky day.
Hi. Dean greeted her as he walked up to the bar. Shelly, right?
Its nice to be remembered Shelly hesitated a moment. Dan.
Dean. The older Winchester corrected her, not letting this small mistake ruining his mood. Not much business that time of the day.
No, its not. Shelly replied. But Greg, the owner, he still wants the bar to be open 24 hours a day. Some lonely soul is always going to find his way in here and who are we to refuse them a nice cold beer. She laughed. At least thats Gregs philosophy.
I think I like Greg. Dean grinned. So, you got a beer for this lonely soul?
Sure, here you go. Smiling, Shelly put a bottle of beer in front of him. Though you dont exactly strike me as the lonely type of guy.
I dont see any company around me. Dean quipped. Thanks for the beer.
He took a long drag and enjoyed the liquid running down his throat. He could vividly imagine Sam rolling his eyes at seeing him drinking beer in a bar at this hour. His little brother never really knew how to have fun.
Do you know who that Mustang outside belongs to? Its a great car. Dean said. He really hoped it would be hers.
Thatd be mine. A deep voice that definitely didnt belong to Shelly answered him.
Dean looked up to see one of the men at the bar holding his beer bottle up in greeting.
You know anything about cars? The man asked.
Do I know anything? Heck, I practically grew up in a car. Dean grinned. I drive a 67 Impala.
So thats yours. The man whistled. Ive seen your car in town a few times. Dyou mind? He pointed at the empty chair beside Dean.
No, not at all. Im Dean. Dean held his hand out.
Carl. The man introduced himself and shook the offered hand. So what brings you to a town like this?
Business. Dean replied. Im a reporter.
Youre here because of these killings? I heard it was a bear. Carl said.
That has to be one hell of a bear then. Dean smirked. What about you? What brings you here?
Im just cruising around, really. Carl replied. I lost my wife a while ago and I couldnt bare to be in that empty house any longer. So I took the car and left. I want to see something of the country. Mary would have loved that.
Dean swallowed down the lump in his throat at hearing the name. Even after 22 years just hearing her name conjured up the image of his mother. Mary He savoured the name. Thats a beautiful name.
A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Carl said softly, apparently lost in his own thoughts for a moment.
What happened? Dean asked carefully. It wasnt always appropriate to ask that question, but at the same time it was impolite to not ask either. It was in moments like this that he was glad his brother had returned to hunting despite the circumstances that had lead to that decision. Sam was simply a lot better at these things.
It was a long time ago. Carl replied evasively.
Dean understood. Drop the subject and move on to the next one. So, your car He grinned. What better topic was there for men to talk about?
Sam had thoroughly searched the cabin and the surroundings for the last two hours. He had even found the spot were Tobias had died. Even though most of the traces had been washed away by the rain, broken off branches and squashed bushes still bore witness to what had taken place here.
If Sam hadnt seen the photos of Tobias Jacksons body, he might have believed that a bear had killed him. But he had never heard of a bear doing that kind of damage to a human.
The body didnt indicate a bear attack, but the place where Tobias had died didnt exactly pointed towards a spirit either. Spirits didnt break branches or squash bushes. Some of these may have come from Tobias, but no way could he be responsible for all of this.
Casting a last look around the place, Sam returned to Tobias cabin. He had found some diaries that he wanted to have a closer look at. Something wasnt adding up and Sam was determined to figure out what that was. He wanted to skim through the journals quickly before he returned to the helicopter. Once he was back at the motel he would have a hard time convincing Dean to stay for a little while longer without having real proof.
Opening the first journal, Sam started reading.
August 8th, 1966
Two weeks have passed since the dreadful day that Jurij died. Two weeks and Im still dreaming about it. I cant forget the look of pure horror on his face when Jim put the sling around his neck. I still hear Henderson screaming at us to stop. That Jurij was innocent. That someone else, no something, had taken the children. We didnt believe him. I didnt believe him. And with Henderson shouting at us and Jurij screaming for his mother, we hanged him.
No trial, no hearing, no interrogation. We grabbed him and we hanged him.
I was part of that. I took another mans life. Will I ever forget? Will I ever be able to forgive myself? Will God forgive me?
Do I deserve forgiveness?
October 29th, 1966
I was in town today. Everything was so normal. Everyone is making preparations for Halloween. I even saw a few kids already running around in their costumes. The towns safe again for them.
I spoke to Harry. He said that no children had been taken since Jurij died. Is that proof enough? Was he really guilty? Did we do the right thing?
I saw his mother on my way back. She was standing on a hill, watching the town. She looked as beautiful as ever. But her eyes had changed. They were filled with hate. And this hate was directed at the town.
I didnt talk to her. I just walked away quickly.
March 13th, 1967
Mitzy is back. I saw her in town today. I didnt dare approach her one look at me and she would have known what I had done. Im glad she wasnt there that day.
I heard her talking about Chicago and how exciting a town it was. She talked a lot about the murder cases she wrote about. And people listened to her. As if they have forgotten the murder that had taken place in their own town.
I cant forget. I still dream about it every night. I thought the solitude of the forest would make it easier. Maybe its not supposed to get easier? Does it make me a better man than them that I cant forget?
Harry said that Mitzy is asking for me. Where I am, if something has happened. Of course no one tells her the truth.
I miss her. I miss talking to her, listening to her, looking at her. Does she feel the same way? Had she ever? I want to go to her, but I cant. Not anymore.
Sam put the journal down. He wondered if Mitzy and Tobias had had some kind of relationship? He couldnt really imagine the older woman with a man, but maybe something in the past had made her that way? Then again, if she had once loved Tobias Jackson, how could she had looked at his damaged body in the morgue? Or had love turned into hate and then callousness when he had left without a word?
Sam chuckled. If Dean knew what he was thinking, he would never let him live it down.
A glance at his watch told him that almost three hours had passed since he had arrived at the cabin. Feeling immediately guilty for letting Leonard wait so long, Sam quickly collected the journals and put them in his duffel bag. He would finish them later in the motel. That was, if he could convince Dean to stay a bit longer. He still didnt have any more proof than before. But he still had the feeling that they were missing something.
Leonard Parker was a patient man. He had been running his helicopter business for almost twenty years now. It hadnt been easy in the beginning, but today he was making enough money to not worry about his pension and still be able to afford to go on vacation with his wife. This year they were going to Europe. Greta, his wife, had been dreaming to go oversees since they had started dating in High school. And now her dream would finally come true.
Leonard was used to waiting for his clients. Spending three hours deep in the forest wasnt something he liked doing, especially with the killings the last few months, but it brought him good money, so he wasnt complaining.
He was still relieved though when his client, a reporter from New York, finally returned. Sam Lane was a nice guy and Mitzy had vouched for him and his partner. They were paying good money, less than he usually took from people, but with this bear on the loose, or whatever it was that was doing all these killings, people werent so eager to be flown out into the woods for a hiking trip. So when Mitzy had asked him for this favour, he hadnt hesitated to say yes.
You found what youve been looking for? Leonard asked the young man as he climbed into the helicopter.
Im not sure yet. Sam Lane replied. Im sorry for the long wait. I hadnt realized how much time has passed.
And I hadnt realized that Jacksons old cabin could be so interesting. Leonard laughed and handed Sam a headset. Here, put these on.
Thanks. Sam replied politely.
A few minutes later they were back in the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Leonard watched how Sam was reading in an old, worn looking journal. He wondered if it had belonged to Tobias?
Leonard didnt have time to ponder about this question for too long though, as suddenly several alarms started beeping and the helicopter began to shake erratically.
Whats wrong? Sam asked alarmed.
I dont know. This Hell, this cant be! Leonard hit the displays with the palm of his hand a few times. I dont understand this. He cursed under his breath and hit several buttons to find the problem.
A moment later the engine died and the helicopter rushed towards the ground.
Hold on! Leonard shouted.
TBC
Chapter 4
Sam watched the scenery flow by beneath him. It looked breathtakingly beautiful. It was still early and the morning fog lay over the forest. Even if he would return empty handed to their motel room, Sam thought, this flight had been worth it. He didnt often get the chance to watch the landscape from so far up.
The only other time he had flown in a helicopter had been when he was about ten years old. He had broken through the ice and had taken an involuntarily dive in a frozen lake. He had been flown to hospital in a helicopter then. Not that he remembered any of that though. The only memory he still had from that day was ice cold water surrounding him. And the painful burning of his lungs when he had taken what he had then believed to be his last breath.
Luckily, it hadnt been and today Sam enjoyed every single moment of the flight. And he sure wouldnt forget anything about it this time.
Were almost there. Leonard Parker, the pilot, announced. From the clearing its a 20 minutes walk to Tobias cabin.
Sam nodded his understanding. Leonard had already shown him the way on the map before they had took off. The pilot refused to accompany him and show him the way; his reason being that he didnt want to leave his helicopter alone. Sam was glad that the older man hadnt heard Deans comment about a cunning fox taking over the helicopter.
Leonards eyes had said something else though he had looked almost scared to enter the forest. Sam was probably lucky if the man would wait for him on the clearing and wouldnt just abandon him here.
They landed without problems and after making sure that he had everything in his duffle bag that he needed, Sam started his walk to Tobias Jacksons cabin.
XXXXXXX
Packing their belongings in order to leave took Dean even less time than to pack for a Wendigo hunt. That left him with a lot of time to kill until Sam returned. Knowing his brother, Sam would search every inch of that cabin and its surroundings for even the smallest trace of something supernatural. Something other than a spirit anyway.
So Dean didnt really expect his brother to come back before early afternoon; Sam was nothing if not thorough.
Pine Creek owned one small bar at the other end of town and even though there wouldnt be many guests at this hour, Dean decided to pay it another visit. If nothing else, he could spend the time playing pool if necessary only with himself. Or maybe, if he was lucky, that red-headed waitress would be there for Dean to flirt with. Either way it sounded a lot better than spending another few hours in this room.
Determined to end his visit in Pine Creek with a little bit of fun, Dean grabbed the car keys and left the room.
XXXXXXX
After nearly slipping on the wet forest floor for the third time, Sam cursed the fact that he had ever heard of the Boobooshaw. If it hadnt been for that crazy killing shadow thing, Sam would be sitting warm and comfortable in the Impala, listening to Deans music that his brother always played too loud. Not that Sam would want to have it any other way. His brothers music blaring through the Impalas speakers was as much part of Sams childhood memories as waking up in the same warm bed every morning was for other children. It made him feel home, as weird as that sounded.
But he wasnt in the Impala and the only sounds that reached his ears where the sounds of the forest. And okay, he had loved the flight up here and he usually loved the quietness of nature, but he could have done without this walk. It was cold, the ground was slippery and five minutes into his walk it had started to drizzle. He would give anything for a hot shower right about now.
When the cabin finally appeared in his sight, Sam let out a relieved sigh. Finally!
XXXXXXX
Dean saw the car the moment he pulled into the parking lot. A black Mustang, probably 64, maybe 65. Dean knew a classic when he saw one.
Whistling, he got out of the Impala and went to take a closer look. Who would have thought that in a town like Pine Creek there would actually be a car like this. Of course it was nothing compared to the Impala, but it definitely beat the average truck and family van that were being driven around here.
Maybe the Mustang belonged to the red-haired waitress she looked like she had taste. And wouldnt that just make his day?
Smiling, Dean stepped into the bar. As expected there werent many customers. Two men were sitting at the bar, too far away from each other to have come here together, and one lonely old guy sat hunched against the wall in a dark corner. The jukebox was quietly playing some country music. And the red-haired waitress was cleaning glasses behind the bar. Today really seemed to be his lucky day.
Hi. Dean greeted her as he walked up to the bar. Shelly, right?
Its nice to be remembered Shelly hesitated a moment. Dan.
Dean. The older Winchester corrected her, not letting this small mistake ruining his mood. Not much business that time of the day.
No, its not. Shelly replied. But Greg, the owner, he still wants the bar to be open 24 hours a day. Some lonely soul is always going to find his way in here and who are we to refuse them a nice cold beer. She laughed. At least thats Gregs philosophy.
I think I like Greg. Dean grinned. So, you got a beer for this lonely soul?
Sure, here you go. Smiling, Shelly put a bottle of beer in front of him. Though you dont exactly strike me as the lonely type of guy.
I dont see any company around me. Dean quipped. Thanks for the beer.
He took a long drag and enjoyed the liquid running down his throat. He could vividly imagine Sam rolling his eyes at seeing him drinking beer in a bar at this hour. His little brother never really knew how to have fun.
Do you know who that Mustang outside belongs to? Its a great car. Dean said. He really hoped it would be hers.
Thatd be mine. A deep voice that definitely didnt belong to Shelly answered him.
Dean looked up to see one of the men at the bar holding his beer bottle up in greeting.
You know anything about cars? The man asked.
Do I know anything? Heck, I practically grew up in a car. Dean grinned. I drive a 67 Impala.
So thats yours. The man whistled. Ive seen your car in town a few times. Dyou mind? He pointed at the empty chair beside Dean.
No, not at all. Im Dean. Dean held his hand out.
Carl. The man introduced himself and shook the offered hand. So what brings you to a town like this?
Business. Dean replied. Im a reporter.
Youre here because of these killings? I heard it was a bear. Carl said.
That has to be one hell of a bear then. Dean smirked. What about you? What brings you here?
Im just cruising around, really. Carl replied. I lost my wife a while ago and I couldnt bare to be in that empty house any longer. So I took the car and left. I want to see something of the country. Mary would have loved that.
Dean swallowed down the lump in his throat at hearing the name. Even after 22 years just hearing her name conjured up the image of his mother. Mary He savoured the name. Thats a beautiful name.
A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Carl said softly, apparently lost in his own thoughts for a moment.
What happened? Dean asked carefully. It wasnt always appropriate to ask that question, but at the same time it was impolite to not ask either. It was in moments like this that he was glad his brother had returned to hunting despite the circumstances that had lead to that decision. Sam was simply a lot better at these things.
It was a long time ago. Carl replied evasively.
Dean understood. Drop the subject and move on to the next one. So, your car He grinned. What better topic was there for men to talk about?
XXXXXXX
Sam had thoroughly searched the cabin and the surroundings for the last two hours. He had even found the spot were Tobias had died. Even though most of the traces had been washed away by the rain, broken off branches and squashed bushes still bore witness to what had taken place here.
If Sam hadnt seen the photos of Tobias Jacksons body, he might have believed that a bear had killed him. But he had never heard of a bear doing that kind of damage to a human.
The body didnt indicate a bear attack, but the place where Tobias had died didnt exactly pointed towards a spirit either. Spirits didnt break branches or squash bushes. Some of these may have come from Tobias, but no way could he be responsible for all of this.
Casting a last look around the place, Sam returned to Tobias cabin. He had found some diaries that he wanted to have a closer look at. Something wasnt adding up and Sam was determined to figure out what that was. He wanted to skim through the journals quickly before he returned to the helicopter. Once he was back at the motel he would have a hard time convincing Dean to stay for a little while longer without having real proof.
Opening the first journal, Sam started reading.
August 8th, 1966
Two weeks have passed since the dreadful day that Jurij died. Two weeks and Im still dreaming about it. I cant forget the look of pure horror on his face when Jim put the sling around his neck. I still hear Henderson screaming at us to stop. That Jurij was innocent. That someone else, no something, had taken the children. We didnt believe him. I didnt believe him. And with Henderson shouting at us and Jurij screaming for his mother, we hanged him.
No trial, no hearing, no interrogation. We grabbed him and we hanged him.
I was part of that. I took another mans life. Will I ever forget? Will I ever be able to forgive myself? Will God forgive me?
Do I deserve forgiveness?
October 29th, 1966
I was in town today. Everything was so normal. Everyone is making preparations for Halloween. I even saw a few kids already running around in their costumes. The towns safe again for them.
I spoke to Harry. He said that no children had been taken since Jurij died. Is that proof enough? Was he really guilty? Did we do the right thing?
I saw his mother on my way back. She was standing on a hill, watching the town. She looked as beautiful as ever. But her eyes had changed. They were filled with hate. And this hate was directed at the town.
I didnt talk to her. I just walked away quickly.
March 13th, 1967
Mitzy is back. I saw her in town today. I didnt dare approach her one look at me and she would have known what I had done. Im glad she wasnt there that day.
I heard her talking about Chicago and how exciting a town it was. She talked a lot about the murder cases she wrote about. And people listened to her. As if they have forgotten the murder that had taken place in their own town.
I cant forget. I still dream about it every night. I thought the solitude of the forest would make it easier. Maybe its not supposed to get easier? Does it make me a better man than them that I cant forget?
Harry said that Mitzy is asking for me. Where I am, if something has happened. Of course no one tells her the truth.
I miss her. I miss talking to her, listening to her, looking at her. Does she feel the same way? Had she ever? I want to go to her, but I cant. Not anymore.
Sam put the journal down. He wondered if Mitzy and Tobias had had some kind of relationship? He couldnt really imagine the older woman with a man, but maybe something in the past had made her that way? Then again, if she had once loved Tobias Jackson, how could she had looked at his damaged body in the morgue? Or had love turned into hate and then callousness when he had left without a word?
Sam chuckled. If Dean knew what he was thinking, he would never let him live it down.
A glance at his watch told him that almost three hours had passed since he had arrived at the cabin. Feeling immediately guilty for letting Leonard wait so long, Sam quickly collected the journals and put them in his duffel bag. He would finish them later in the motel. That was, if he could convince Dean to stay a bit longer. He still didnt have any more proof than before. But he still had the feeling that they were missing something.
XXXXXXX
Leonard Parker was a patient man. He had been running his helicopter business for almost twenty years now. It hadnt been easy in the beginning, but today he was making enough money to not worry about his pension and still be able to afford to go on vacation with his wife. This year they were going to Europe. Greta, his wife, had been dreaming to go oversees since they had started dating in High school. And now her dream would finally come true.
Leonard was used to waiting for his clients. Spending three hours deep in the forest wasnt something he liked doing, especially with the killings the last few months, but it brought him good money, so he wasnt complaining.
He was still relieved though when his client, a reporter from New York, finally returned. Sam Lane was a nice guy and Mitzy had vouched for him and his partner. They were paying good money, less than he usually took from people, but with this bear on the loose, or whatever it was that was doing all these killings, people werent so eager to be flown out into the woods for a hiking trip. So when Mitzy had asked him for this favour, he hadnt hesitated to say yes.
You found what youve been looking for? Leonard asked the young man as he climbed into the helicopter.
Im not sure yet. Sam Lane replied. Im sorry for the long wait. I hadnt realized how much time has passed.
And I hadnt realized that Jacksons old cabin could be so interesting. Leonard laughed and handed Sam a headset. Here, put these on.
Thanks. Sam replied politely.
A few minutes later they were back in the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Leonard watched how Sam was reading in an old, worn looking journal. He wondered if it had belonged to Tobias?
Leonard didnt have time to ponder about this question for too long though, as suddenly several alarms started beeping and the helicopter began to shake erratically.
Whats wrong? Sam asked alarmed.
I dont know. This Hell, this cant be! Leonard hit the displays with the palm of his hand a few times. I dont understand this. He cursed under his breath and hit several buttons to find the problem.
A moment later the engine died and the helicopter rushed towards the ground.
Hold on! Leonard shouted.
TBC
