After two hours, evening had settled over River Grove.
Henry stood near the entrance of the medical center, looking out through the glass doors at the street.
An hour ago it had been chaos. Infected people roaming, shouting, breaking things, attacking anything that moved.
Now there was nothing.
The road was empty. Cars sat abandoned. Debris was scattered across the pavement, but there were no screams, no movement, no signs of the violent frenzy from earlier.
It was too quiet.
Henry narrowed his eyes slightly.
'It seems like my plan worked,' he thought.
The demon running the experiment it only needed confirmation—whether Sam was resistant. Henry had deliberately fed it the information it came to gather. That Sam had been exposed. That hours had passed. That nothing had happened.
If the demon believed it had what it needed, there would be no reason to continue the experiment.
And now the infected were gone.
Just… gone.
"Where did they all go?" Sam asked, confusion clear in his voice as he stared at the empty street.
"Don't know," Henry replied, keeping his expression steady. "They were roaming around like animals an hour ago. Now it's like they just vanished. Like… poof."
"Vanished?" Dean asked, stepping closer to the glass, his face tightening.
Sam's gaze remained fixed on the road. "It's like Roanoke," he said slowly. "The colony just disappeared. One day it was there, next day—ghost town."
Dean exhaled sharply, scanning the darkness outside. "So what the hell did the demons want?" he muttered. "They show up in the morning, turn the town upside down, and by night it's over?"
Henry didn't hesitate. "Well… at least we can leave now," he said, unable to hide the relief in his voice. He had no desire to spend another minute in a town that had just been used as a demonic lab.
Dean nodded once. "Yeah. I'm getting sick of this ghost town. Sammy, pack the explosives. If the road's still blocked, we'll blast our way through."
Sam started gathering the bottles, then paused. "What about the guy we locked up?"
Dean glanced toward the hallway. "Have the doc run the test. If he's clean, we let him go. If not…" He didn't finish the sentence.
They brought Duane out and ran the blood test.
No sulfur.
Clean.
Dean untied him, watching closely for any sign of aggression. Duane looked shaken, but stable. He didn't say much before leaving the clinic, disappearing into the quiet streets.
Henry stayed silent the entire time.
He knew Duane was possessed.
But saying that out loud right now would create more problems than it solved. They didn't have a demon trap set up. No devil's trap painted.
No immediate way to contain him. They had holy water and an exorcism, sure—but if the demon chose violence first, someone could die before the Latin even started.
So Henry kept his thoughts to himself.
For now, getting out of River Grove alive was the priority.
"So, Doc, you're not coming?" Dean asked, one hand resting on the driver's door of the Impala. "You sure about staying alone in a ghost town?"
Amanda shook her head, exhaustion written across her face. "Someone has to stay. Someone has to report what happened here, authorize emergency response. I can't just leave."
Dean gave a small nod. He understood responsibility when he heard it. "Good luck with that."
He slid into the driver's seat and shut the door.
The engine rumbled to life.
Dean glanced back toward the rear door, where Henry stood hesitating.
"So, Cousin," Dean called out, "you riding with us, or you want us to drop you in some other town?"
Henry stood still for a moment, thinking.
At first he had resisted the idea. Tagging along with the Winchesters meant danger on a level he hadn't even imagined before today. Monsters. Demons. Things that didn't follow human rules.
But now there was the system.
It had reacted when he killed something supernatural. It rewarded action. If that pattern held, staying near the source of supernatural trouble meant opportunities. Growth. Strength.
He was still scared. Anyone sane would be.
But hiding somewhere else wouldn't make the world safer.
He exhaled.
"You know," Henry said, giving a small, awkward shrug, "I was basically a bum. Stayed home, drank too much, didn't do much of anything. Now my house is gone, my town's a disaster, and apparently demons are real."
Dean waited.
"So," Henry continued, "if the offer to tag along still stands… at least I'll get food, right?"
Dean smirked faintly. "You don't eat my fries."
Sam almost smiled.
Dean jerked his head toward the back seat. "Get in."
Henry opened the rear door and slid into the back of the Impala.
The door shut.
River Grove disappeared behind them as the Impala rolled into the night.
Henry leaned back in the seat and quietly opened the system interface in his mind.
A translucent screen appeared before him.
---
[Supernatural System]
[End Goal: Become the strongest supernatural in the Omniverse]
[System Points: 2]
[Available Purchases:]
Demon Immunity – 20
Demon Blade – 50
Good Luck Hex Bag – 40 (One-day use)
Guns Proficiency – 5
Angel Fragment – 1000
[Shop Refresh Condition: Shop can only refresh when at least three items are purchased]
[Gacha: Triggered by killing supernatural entities. Reward tier depends on luck. Available tiers: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, God.]
---
Henry stared at the list.
Two points.
That was it.
Guns proficiency was five points—within reach. Everything else was out of range for now.
He sighed.
It looks like I really have to work hard to become stronger.
*****
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