The drive to the town of Gunnison took a little over nine hours, part of which Alex simply slept through or spent talking with Dean. During such a long drive, Alex started to forget just how boring it could be. But knowing Dean's dislike of teleportation, Alex had to endure nine hours of driving in the Impala to a town in the neighboring state next to Kansas.
Halfway there, Alex even suggested teleporting along with the car to save time. In response, Dean simply turned the music up louder and started singing along loudly while drumming his hands on the steering wheel. Watching Dean pretend he hadn't heard his words, Alex had no choice but to accept it and continue pretending he was enjoying the trip.
After making a few more stops on the way to Gunnison to grab some food, Alex and Dean finally arrived in Gunnison. First, Alex and Dean went to a motel to check in and change clothes. After renting a relatively decent room, Alex and Dean went to change.
"When was the last time we dealt with some spirit or something like that?" Dean asked, putting on his suit.
"Well… You and Sam handled the last case that Bobby and Rufus didn't finish… Although no, that house doesn't count," Alex said thoughtfully while tying his tie.
"Yeah, that house definitely doesn't count… Although you know, I was glad to see Bobby again. Even if only for a moment," Dean said with a tired smile on his face as he put on his jacket.
"You just miss the days when he called you an idjit… After all, only Bobby could talk you two idiots out of causing trouble," Alex said with a laugh while fastening the cufflinks on his shirt.
"Maybe… And are you really going to keep wearing those gloves? And what are those expensive cufflinks? Since when do you wear stuff like that?" Dean replied with a laugh, nodding toward the gloves and cufflinks on Alex's hands.
"The cufflinks belonged to Integra's father. Since I'm officially her husband, I'm basically Lord Hellsing now… And the gloves… You already know, Carmilla wore them for a hundred years after she was defeated by Van Helsing," Alex said, pulling a thin cigar from the pocket of his jacket.
"Oh right. You're blue-blooded and all that… Alright, let's go. We need to stop by the sheriff's office and find out what's what," Dean said, grabbing the keys and his pistol from the nightstand.
Alex nodded, adjusted his tie, and followed Dean. Leaving the motel room, Alex and Dean got into the Impala and headed to the sheriff's office. What Alex liked about small towns like Gunnison was that everything was within walking distance, and the whole town could be crossed on foot.
Opening the window, Alex lit his thin cigar and stuck his hand out the window so Dean wouldn't complain about the smoke inside the car. They quickly reached the sheriff's office. Alex looked out the window at the building. The sheriff's office looked exactly like such buildings usually do in small towns — a fairly spacious two-story building that could fit everything in one place, from the desks where local police officers worked to the temporary holding cells.
Dean parked between a police car and the sheriff's vehicle, which was an off-road pickup truck. Seeing that the sheriff's car was there, Alex and Dean figured they wouldn't have to search for the sheriff or wait for him.
Getting out of the Impala, Alex and Dean looked around and headed toward the sheriff's office. Entering the building, Alex asked where the sheriff was. One of the officers Alex asked pointed to the sheriff's office. Thanking the officer, Alex and Dean walked past the police officers, who were watching them with interest.
At first glance, Alex and Dean looked like federal agents who had come to their small town. And the appearance of federal agents in such small towns always caused considerable interest and many questions.
Habitually ignoring the curious glances, Alex and Dean approached the sheriff's office. Knocking on the door, Alex opened it and entered together with Dean. Behind the desk sat the sheriff, who raised an eyebrow in surprise upon noticing Alex and Dean.
"Agents Voldigoad and Winchester. We're here to investigate the missing persons case," Alex said, pulling out his badge along with Dean.
"I'm Sheriff Tyson… Have a seat, agents," Sheriff Tyson said, pointing to the chairs in front of her desk.
Alex and Dean put their badges back into the inner pockets of their jackets and sat down. After a short exchange of pleasantries and a full explanation of why they had come, Alex and Dean wanted to get to the main point. Sheriff Tyson calmly listened to Alex and Dean and nodded slightly.
She didn't even feel like asking questions about why federal agents had decided to investigate a missing persons case in her town. After all, she already had a whole pile of problems on her plate just from being the sheriff of this place. And Sheriff Tyson still had to find a normal explanation for the locals so they wouldn't panic.
"How many people have gone missing in total?" Dean asked, looking at Sheriff Tyson while Alex took out a notebook for notes.
"Counting the latest disappearance, that makes six people… And that's just in the last two days," Sheriff Tyson replied in a tired tone, because the last two days had been very difficult for her.
"Were there any common factors in the disappearances of these people?" Alex asked, looking up at the sheriff.
"No… All these people just disappeared one after another," Sheriff Tyson answered, shaking her head.
"Alright. Then let's start with the latest victim… What was her name, Libby…" Dean began, pausing for a moment as he tried to remember the name of the latest victim.
"Strauss. Libby Strauss," Alex said, glancing at Dean and helping him remember.
"Yes, Libby Strauss. As I understand it, she wasn't a local?" Dean said with a nod, having remembered the victim's name thanks to Alex.
Sheriff Tyson nodded and stood up from her desk. She walked over to the filing cabinet, opened it, took out a small folder, and placed it on the desk in front of them so Alex and Dean could see for themselves. Pulling the case folder toward himself, Alex opened the first page and saw a photo of Libby Strauss along with all her other information, including where the missing girl was from.
Dean leaned closer to Alex to look as well. While flipping through the pages, Alex noticed that the folder contained not only Libby's case but also those of the other missing people. Out of habit, Alex reached for a thin cigar, but felt a nudge in his side. Turning his head, Alex looked at Dean, who was giving him a look that said: seriously, dude? Rolling his eyes, Alex took out a candy and put it in his mouth.
The sheriff calmly watched as Alex read the documents, not rushing him. After all, she thought that perhaps the federal agents could provide a normal explanation for what had been happening in her town over the last few days. After finishing reviewing the documents, Alex nodded and returned to the first page with the report of Libby's disappearance.
"As you can see, she came here with her friend from Tucson. Libby was reported missing before everyone else," Sheriff Tyson said, pointing to the details in the documents.
"And the other five were locals?" Dean asked for clarification, looking away from the folder in Alex's hands.
"Yes, all locals," the sheriff nodded, answering Dean's question.
"Do you have any theories about who might have taken these people? Or any witnesses?" Alex asked, closing the missing persons folder.
"The only witness is Libby's friend… But she's not the most reliable source," the sheriff said, rubbing her forehead and leaning forward slightly.
"Why is that?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow and suspecting that Libby's friend had said something ridiculous.
"Well, let's just say… Libby and her friend had finished a hiking trip that included a marijuana tasting. When she was questioned, the girl was still smoking like a chimney," the sheriff replied, leaning back in her chair.
"Thomas the Tank Engine had quite the trip," Dean smirked, not hiding his amusement at what he had heard.
Dean chuckled a little at his own joke. Even the sheriff couldn't hold back a smile and shook her head so as not to show it. Alex covered his eyes with his hand but also chuckled slightly. Dean was quite pleased that his joke had landed.
But he quickly pulled himself together to continue the conversation and not stray too far from the topic. Stopping smiling, Alex thought that it would be good to use this case to relax a little. After all, he already knew what they were dealing with and how to handle these green-eyed creatures.
"Has anything like this happened in this town before? Or is this the first strange incident of its kind?" Alex asked, continuing to play his role.
"Not for the record, agents… But twenty-seven years ago, several locals disappeared. And twenty-seven years before that, another eight missing people," the sheriff said, standing up from her seat, walking around the desk, and standing in front of Alex and Dean.
"Over the same period? And all within a couple of days?" Dean asked, frowning slightly at what he had heard.
"And at the same time of year," the sheriff replied, nodding and folding her arms across her chest while leaning against her desk.
"And before those events, had people gone missing?" Alex asked with interest, stroking his chin.
"That's all we have. The town was built in the fifties. As for whether people disappeared in this area before that… I definitely can't tell you. There was just forest here, then they found coal mines. And only after that was the town built," the sheriff said, shaking her head to indicate she didn't know about other cases.
"And how did the locals explain the disappearances?" Dean asked, looking up at the sheriff.
Hearing Alex's question, Sheriff Tyson looked at him and thought for a moment. She herself didn't understand how she was supposed to explain all the legends she had heard over the last few days while questioning people and searching for leads. And all the elderly people she had asked had said almost the same thing, and it all came down to some kind of mysticism that she rejected.
After all, she couldn't explain to the families of the missing that some forest spirit had woken up and started abducting people again. That kind of explanation wouldn't work and could cause even more problems.
And after talking with the previous sheriff who had handled a similar case twenty-seven years ago, she had heard a fairly normal explanation — that these people had simply left. So she decided to stick with the same theory: that the missing had quietly left town because they were tired of this place.
"Mostly they didn't explain it at all. People come and go. I've only been in this town for two years. The old-timers have their own theories," the sheriff said, picking up her coffee mug.
"And what are they? That the town was built on Indian graves?" Alex asked, putting his notebook back in his pocket.
"That's one of the theories. Others say the forest spirits are angry that we're stealing their coal. And other similar stories," the sheriff said, making it clear that she herself didn't believe in these legends.
"And what's your theory, Sheriff?" Dean asked with interest, standing up from his seat.
"It's a small town. People get tired of it and leave. If someone manages to break free, it's like a successful escape. The rest also want to leave this place," the sheriff said with a slight shrug, sticking to the most plausible theory.
"Every twenty-seven years, like clockwork? Anyone would find that strange," Dean said, looking at the sheriff with a calm gaze.
"Look, agents. Honestly, I'm dealing with the people who've gone missing now. You can review all the related cases and talk to the witness. I need to somehow stop the panic among the locals," the sheriff said with a tired expression on her face.
After finishing speaking, the sheriff looked at Alex and Dean once more and said goodbye, showing that she had other matters to attend to. Alex and Dean said goodbye to the sheriff, who left her office. Watching Sheriff Tyson leave, Alex and Dean exchanged glances.
They decided to go outside to talk without extra witnesses. Before leaving the sheriff's office, Alex decided to take the folders for the other missing persons cases. Before going outside, Alex and Dean stopped by the police archive and took the case files. Holding three folders in his hands, Alex and Dean left the building. Approaching the Impala, Alex lit a thin cigar and placed one of the folders on the roof of the car.
"So what the hell is going on here? Is there another Bobo the Clown living here who likes to snack on adults instead of kids?" Dean asked, loosening his tie slightly and looking at Alex.
"Unlikely. If that were the case, we would have sensed it the moment we drove into this town," Alex said, shaking his head and starting to read the old cases.
"Alright, whoever it is, this thing has been living in this town for a long time and is back for seconds. We just need to figure out if it's a spirit or a curse," Dean said, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to shake off drowsiness.
"You're right about that. We have what we need to kill this creature. We just need to find it. Go talk to the pothead. I'll look through the old cases in the meantime. With luck, we'll find a lead," Alex said, looking up at Dean.
Dean smirked, waved his hand, and headed back into the police station. Left alone, Alex looked wearily at the folders with documents. Over the past week, Alex had gotten so tired of working with documents that he was starting to feel sick at the sight of them. Lighting his thin cigar, Alex began quickly skimming through the documents to find everything he needed and stop dealing with this kind of work.
While reviewing the cases, Alex memorized everything important and wrote down the necessary details in his notebook. After putting all the documents back into the folders, Alex thought for a moment about going and finishing everything alone. But he quickly suppressed that desire, trying not to rush and simply relax as he usually did while working.
Thinking about getting some coffee before Dean returned, Alex turned around and saw Dean coming out of the police station with a strange expression on his face, as if he himself doubted what he had heard. Approaching the Impala, Dean looked at Alex as if he wanted to say something, then immediately fell silent, as if unsure how to properly explain what he had heard.
"So what did the pothead tell you?" Alex asked, observing Dean's facial expression.
"Well… First of all, it was weird. Even for me," Dean said with a crooked smile, looking at Alex and trying not to laugh.
"Go on, spill it. Your face says it's really funny," Alex said with a smile, leaning on the roof of the Impala.
"Our missing Libby was attacked by a buzzing man without…" Dean said, barely holding back laughter and waving his hand down low.
"You mean to tell me Libby was attacked by a guy without a dick? Like a Ken doll or something?" Alex said, covering his mouth with his hand and trying not to laugh.
"Exactly, a buzzing Ken doll. Libby became a victim of a dickless guy," Dean said, swallowing and trying to keep a straight face.
Alex and Dean looked at each other and could no longer hold back — they burst out laughing. Their imaginations painted not the most pleasant pictures, but that didn't stop them from laughing at what Dean had heard. Being children in adult bodies, Alex and Dean couldn't stop exchanging stupid jokes, which made them laugh even harder.
They didn't even care that they were standing just a few meters from the police station. Tired of laughing, Dean raised his hand, showing that if he laughed any more he was definitely going to feel sick.
Alex straightened up and tilted his head toward the sky, taking deep breaths in an attempt not to laugh. Alex had long since realized that Dean shared his silly sense of humor and that they could exchange stupid jokes for quite a long time. Trying to catch his breath, Dean straightened up and rubbed his cheeks after laughing.
"What else was there besides the fact that we're looking for a green-eyed Ken?" Alex asked, rubbing his face after the prolonged laughter.
"It turned out that our green-eyed Ken somehow turned Libby into one of his own kind. Green eyes, buzzing like an insect, and all that… Did you manage to find out anything?" Dean asked with a nod, getting into the Impala.
"Not much. The previous sheriff… Cochran, I think. Found one of the missing people, and that's where the report ends. Cochran himself resigned after a couple of months and then disappeared," Alex said, getting into the passenger seat of the Impala and taking out his notebook.
"So we hit a dead end with the previous sheriff. Did you find anything else? Besides the fact that the previous sheriff was hiding something and then decided to get the hell out," Dean said, starting the Impala and turning his head toward Alex.
"Most of the witnesses from the previous incidents have either died or left town… But one woman from the last cycle seems to still be in town. Etta Fraser, here's her address," Alex said, showing Dean the notes in his notebook.
"Then it's time to talk to Etta. Maybe she can tell us who we should be looking for," Dean said, nodding and turning around to back out of the parking spot.
Alex nodded and gave Dean the address they needed to go to. Pulling out of the parking lot in front of the police station, Dean got onto the road and immediately headed toward the residential area of town. Once they reached the residential area, Alex once again confirmed that houses in such neighborhoods always looked the same, which gave him a rather unpleasant feeling.
Deciding not to dwell on it, Alex pointed his finger at Etta's house. Dean nodded and parked the car on the side of the road. Getting out of the Impala, Alex and Dean walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door was opened by a woman in her forties who was still in the prime of life and looked like someone ready to start new relationships.
Showing their badges and stating the reason for their visit, Etta let Alex and Dean into the house. Etta led Alex and Dean into the living room to talk. Sitting down in armchairs opposite Etta, who sat on the couch, Alex reached for the notebook in the inner pocket of his jacket.
"Your husband was one of the people who disappeared last time. Correct?" Alex said, taking out his notebook.
"Pete was my second husband. To be precise. Pete only stayed here for a couple of months," Etta said, rubbing her hands with a strained smile on her face.
"So your second husband left voluntarily?" Dean asked for clarification, leaning forward.
"Oh, that. Well, Pete managed to sleep around the whole town. Right before he disappeared, people saw him screwing two different women. In public. In different places," Etta said in a sarcastic tone, as if it were the biggest joke of her life.
"He was seen doing all that?" Dean asked in surprise, exchanging a glance with Alex.
"Well… Yeah, basically. Pete didn't like putting on a show. But apparently Doris and Missy awakened the pig in him," Etta said with a strained smile on her face.
"Are you talking about these two women?" Alex asked, placing the case folder on his lap.
Alex opened the folder and took out photos of the two women so Etta could identify them. Holding the photos so Etta could see them, Alex decided to make sure once and for all. Etta leaned closer to get a better look at the photos.
Dean, meanwhile, looked at Alex and slightly raised his chin, silently asking if Alex had figured something out. Alex just shook his head, showing that he was only checking the details. While Alex and Dean were exchanging glances, Etta finished examining the photos and leaned back on the couch.
"Oh yes. That's them. What a surprise that they disappeared too. I'm sure Pete spent my mortgage money on one of those whores," Etta said with a gentle smile on her face.
"But in your husband's case file, it says you filed a missing persons report," Alex said, taking out her husband's case file.
"Well, he had been gone for three days. And I started thinking he had died in some ditch. I only found out about those women much later. After he had already vanished from my life," Etta explained the reason for her call to the police.
Alex simply nodded and put the document back into the folder on his lap. After this conversation, Dean realized they had hit another dead end and that they wouldn't get any useful answers from Etta. Already thinking it was time to leave and interview other people or go to the place where Libby was last seen, Dean's nose twitched slightly. Dean caught a strange smell that he had previously ignored.
The smell seemed very familiar to him because he had dealt with spells and witches in the past. And thanks to the changes his body had undergone from Amara's blessing, Dean's sense of smell had become even sharper. Looking around the living room for the source of the smell, Dean saw suitcases standing against the wall.
Dean carefully nudged Alex to get his attention. Feeling the nudge, Alex turned to Dean and tilted his head, preparing to leave. Dean indicated the suitcases with his eyes. Alex turned and also saw the suitcases.
"Planning a trip?" Dean asked, nodding toward the suitcases.
"Yes, you could say that. I'm planning to stay with my sister for a couple of weeks," Etta explained cautiously, nervously adjusting her hair.
"Is there some reason for that?" Alex asked with a calm smile, looking at Etta.
"I don't think you'll believe me," Etta replied with a strained smile, carefully glancing at Alex and Dean.
"There's not much that can surprise us. So feel free to share the reason for your trip," Dean said, nodding to show that he and Alex were ready to listen.
"Well… When Pete disappeared and we found out about the women, my grandmother told me that he had caught the buzz. She said that once a generation, on the day of the spring equinox, people go crazy. They have orgies, copulate in the forest. And after that they disappear forever without a trace," Etta said, recounting what she had heard in the past and making it clear that she herself didn't believe it.
"Well, that explains Pete's disappearance," Dean said with a smile, chuckling slightly.
Ignoring everything around him, Dean chuckled at his own joke. Etta looked at Dean and gave him a blank stare, making it clear she didn't appreciate his joke. Alex decided to listen to what else Etta's grandmother had told her about this local legend connected to the forest and the buzzing sound coming from it. After listening to everything Etta had to say, Alex and Dean thanked her for her help and prepared to leave.
Leaving the house, Alex and Dean exchanged glances and walked toward the Impala. Approaching the car and wanting to discuss what they had heard, Dean's phone started ringing. Dean answered, and it was Cory, Libby's friend, who had just seen her friend in the forest again. Dean quickly finished the call, promising they would be there soon.
"The pothead is in hysterics. She just saw her friend in the forest again. She's too scared to go there herself, so…" Dean said, opening the door of the Impala.
"Let's go take a look. With luck, we'll find our green-eyed Ken. Maybe that will give us the answers we need," Alex said, getting into the Impala.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Dean said, starting the Impala's engine.
Alex and Dean drove toward the forest where Cory had seen her friend again. On the way to the forest, Dean explained what Cory had told him and what was happening there. Alex nodded, thinking this would be an excellent chance to quickly close the case and return to the bunker to rest. Some time later, the Impala pulled up to the edge of the forest, and Dean turned onto the trail that cars usually used.
Making sure he was going the right way, Dean drove along the path Cory had described. Reaching the designated spot, Dean turned off the engine and got out of the Impala together with Alex. As soon as they stepped out of the car, Alex and Dean heard a strange sound resembling a very loud insect buzzing. Exchanging glances, Alex and Dean drew their weapons. Alex took the Casull pistol from his inventory, while Dean pulled out Cain's blade from behind his belt.
Exchanging glances, Alex and Dean headed toward the sound. The closer they got, the clearer the buzzing became. Coming out from behind the trees, they saw Libby standing in a clearing among the trees with her head lowered. The loud buzzing sound was coming from Libby, who was very dirty and unnaturally pale, almost gray. Alex and Dean looked at each other and began cautiously approaching Libby, circling her from both sides.
"Hey, Libby, everyone's been looking for you," Dean said in a careful tone, stopping a couple of steps away from Libby.
Libby didn't respond to Dean's words and continued standing with her head down, making the buzzing sound. Seeing this, Dean was about to step closer and touch Libby. But before Dean could touch her, she raised her head and let out a strange buzzing sound, like a scream.
Following Libby's buzzing scream came the distinct sound of running. Alex and Dean turned their heads and saw a man with green eyes and gray skin running toward them. While Dean was distracted, Libby attacked him, and the man attacked Alex. When the man got close to Alex, he immediately jumped at him, trying to knock him to the ground.
Alex simply stepped aside, and the man flew past and fell to the ground, hitting his face. Before the man could get up, Alex aimed the Casull at the back of his head and fired. Following the shot, the man's head exploded, and he went limp, falling to the ground. After killing the man, Alex turned his gaze to Dean, who was trying to subdue Libby.
"Dude, need help?" Alex asked, holstering the Casull.
"I got this," Dean said, kicking Libby away with his foot.
Dean slightly miscalculated the strength of the kick and sent Libby flying. From Dean's kick, Libby crashed back-first into a tree, and a branch pierced straight through her chest. Libby died instantly from the impact, and Dean just sighed because he realized he had accidentally killed someone who could have helped them understand what they were dealing with.
Thinking about hiding the bodies, Alex and Dean heard more footsteps and sharply turned toward the sound. A moment later, two men emerged from behind a tree, each holding a machete. Alex and Dean aimed their weapons at the approaching men, and they froze in place.
"Wait. We're here for the same reason you are," one of the men said, making it clear they weren't enemies.
"Hunters?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Yes, we're hunters too. This is Jesse, and I'm Cesar," Cesar confirmed, pointing to the second man, who was stabbing the man Alex had killed in the chest with a knife.
"I'm Alex, and this is Dean. I think we should talk… Well, after your friend stops stabbing that corpse," Alex said, pointing to himself and Dean and nodding toward Jesse.
"I think so… Jesse, that's enough. He's already dead," Cesar said, placing a hand on Jesse's shoulder.
"Just making sure the bastard doesn't get back up," Jesse said, finally stopping stabbing the already dead body.
Alex and Dean exchanged glances at this dynamic and decided to hide the bodies first. Thanks to the help of Cesar and Jesse, hiding the bodies went fairly quickly. Jesse and Cesar pointed to their pickup truck, which was parked nearby. Nodding, Alex and Dean got into the Impala and followed Cesar and Jesse's truck.
On the way, Alex and Dean talked about how these two hunters might know what they had just killed. Dean nodded, thinking about how to explain to Cory that her friend Libby wasn't coming back. Meanwhile, Alex remembered on the way who Cesar and Jesse were and what connected them to this town. And all Alex could think was that people don't become hunters by choice, and everyone has their own reason for it.
To be continued...
(Sometimes I love my good memory, and sometimes it's annoying. And it's all because I can't remember the characters' names. But luckily, there are good people who create fandoms, and I've kissed their hands for doing it. I have such a hard time remembering someone's name that I forget it again in a second unless they repeat it over and over again to make sure I remember it. I remember everything I need to, but the name, heh, no. Okay, I never finished watching season 11 because I chose FF 15. Well, you know, the choice was obvious. So I'm going to go get something to eat, and happy reading to you. Peace, love, and whoever invented grinding, I'll strangle you.)
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