Wasting Them

Sam quickly ushered both Dean and McKenly out of his apartment and into the hallway. “This is crazy, Dean.” He whispered before shutting his front door.

McKenly took the lead in walking down the many stairs they had just climbed and to the Impala, where Dean’s master plan to get Sam to go with them would fall into place.

“I mean, come on, you can’t just break in, in the middle of the night and expect me to hit the road with you.” Sam complained.

“I’m not expecting anything.” McKenly pointed out quietly.

Dean hit her shoulder lightly as they continued down the stairs, earning a glare from her. “You’re not hearing me, Sammy. Dad’s missing. We need your help to find him.”

“You remember the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil’s Gates in Clifton?” Sam asked. “He was missing then, too. He’s always missing, and he’s always fine.”

Dean stopped on the bottom stair and turned around to face his brother. “Not for this long. Now, are you coming with us, or not?”

McKenly stopped as well, noticing the boys weren’t following her.

“I’m not.” Sam said.

“Why not?” Dean asked, practically begging his brother.

“I swore I was done hunting. For good.”

“C’mon. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t that bad.” Dean reminded, continuing on his trek out to his car.

“When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45.”

McKenly laughed, following after Sam. “Oh, that was great. You should have seen the look on your face when he handed you that gun.”

Dean shot McKenly a look and her laugh died out. “What was he supposed to do?” Dean stopped just outside the door.

“I was nine years old. He was supposed to say, ‘don’t be afraid of the dark’.”

“‘Don’t be afraid of the dark’?” Dean repeated, probably questioning Sam’s sanity. “What? Are you kidding me? Of course, you should be afraid of the dark. You know exactly what’s out there.”

“Yeah, I know, but still. The way we grew up after mom was killed, and Dad’s obsession to find the thing that killed her…” Sam paused. “But we still haven’t found the damn thing. So we kill everything we can find.”

“Do you realize how many people we’ve saved by doing just that?” McKenly asked, stepping into their small circle. “So many lives saved because one of us, or all of us, stepped in.”

Dean looked to Sam, nodding in agreement towards McKenly.

Sam scoffed. “Do you think Mom would have wanted this for us?” Sam asked Dean before he looked to McKenly. “Ken, do you think that your parents would have wanted you running around with guns, chasing after creatures of the night.”

McKenly tensed up, her face hardening into a stare towards Sam. “Don’t you dare bring my parents into this, Sam. This is not about them.” She pushed her way between the boys to exit the building.

Dean quickly followed her, hand slamming on the metal door to keep it open.

“Look, all I’m saying is that we learned how to use a gun before we were teenagers.” Sam tried catching up to the two. “We were melting silver to make bullets. Guys, we were raised like warriors. It was like Dad was putting us through boot camp.”

“So, what are you gonna do?” Dean asked as they approached the Impala. “You just gonna go back in there, have sex with your girlfriend, and live some normal, apple-pie life?”

“No, not normal. Safe.”

“Is that what it is? You were scared?” McKenly asked, still practically fuming from him bringing up her parents. “Is that why you ran away?”

“I didn’t run away!” Sam argued, taking a couple steps closer to her. “I was going to college! It was Dad who said if I was gonna go that I should stay gone. And that’s what I’m doing.”

“Well, John is missing. And probably in some real trouble, if he’s not dead already.” McKenly snapped, apologizing to Dean with a look. “In order to save your father, who, by the way, replaced the father that I lost, you need to help us on this. You need to put your life on pause for just a while so we can figure this out.”

Sam gave McKenly a sorrowful look. “I can’t just leave, Ken.”

“Sam, I can feel it. Something’s wrong.” Dean begged. “We can’t do this alone.”

“Yes, you can. You have each other. It’s how it’s been for years.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to.”

Sam looked to both Dean and McKenly. He could tell that McKenly wasn’t at all happy with him and, yet, she was still pleading a case for him to help. He sighed, giving in. “What was he hunting?”

Dean gave him a questioning look, wondering if Sam was really gonna help or not. He relented, turning to unlock his trunk. Opening it, and propping up the false bottom with a shotgun, he started digging through his stuff. “Alright, let’s see.” He said, looking around. “Where the hell did I put that folder?”

McKenly rolled her eyes and peeked around from the side, reaching a hand in, and grabbing the file folder to hand to him.

“So, when Dad left, why didn’t you guys go with him?” Sam questioned.

“We had our own gig. This ghost thing, down in New Orleans.”

Sam smirked. “Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourselves?”

Dean paused in his attempt to flip through his papers, shooting a glance to Sam.

“You aren’t giving us enough credit.” McKenly said, smirking. “We can handle our own.”

“Seriously. I’m twenty-six, dude.” Dean said to his brother. He pulled out a few papers from the folder. “Okay. So, Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy - ” Dean handed Sam a paper with a picture on it. “They found his car, but he’d vanished. Completely MIA.”

Sam read over the papers. “So, maybe he was kidnapped.”

“That’s what we thought. But then, here’s another one in April…” Dean threw the articles into the trunk. “Another one in December ‘04, ‘03, ‘98, ‘92. There have been ten of ‘em over the past twenty years.” Dean took the papers back from Sam and put them away. “All men. All same five-mile stretch of road.”

McKenly reached in again to grab the voice recorder she put John’s voicemail on. “It started happening more and more, so John went to go poke around. That was...three weeks ago?” she questioned, looking to Dean, who nodded. “We hadn’t heard from him since then, until this voicemail Dean got last night.” She pressed play on the device.

“Dean, something is starting to happen. I think it’s serious. I need to try to figure out what’s going on. Be very careful, Dean. Especially with Ken. We’re all in danger.”

Once the message was over, Sam spoke. “You know there’s EVP on that?”

McKenly nodded. “Not bad, Sam. Kinda like picking up a bike again.” She said, earning a quiet laugh from Dean. “Anyway, once Dean and I noticed that. I slowed it down, worked some techy mumbo-jumbo and came up with this.” McKenly pressed the play button again.

“I can never go home.”

“Never go home.” Sam repeated, thinking of a solution.

McKenly nodded, throwing the voice recorder into the trunk before Dean could close it. The three of them were still gathered around the trunk, McKenly and Dean studying Sam.

“You know,” Dean started. “In almost two years, I’ve never bothered you. Never asked you for anything.”

“And, unfortunately, since I’m not quite happy about it, we need your help.” McKenly added, joining Dean as he leaned against his car.

Sam sighed. “Alright, I’ll go.” He nodded. “I’ll help you find him. But I have to get back first thing Monday. You two, wait here.” He said, turning back towards his building.

“What’s first thing Monday?”

“I have an interview.” Sam paused.

“What, a job interview?” Dean asked. “Skip it.”

“It’s a law school interview, and it’s basically my entire future on a plate.” Sam argued.

McKenly raised her brow. “Law school?” She questioned. “Really?”

“So, we got a deal or not?” Sam asked, ignoring McKenly’s question.

The blonde looked to Dean, realizing he wasn’t going to answer. McKenly knew that Dean wanted Sam to go with them long term. “Yes.” She answered for Dean. “We got a deal.”

Dean gave McKenly a look once Sam started making his way back into the apartment building. “What was that?”

“I was getting him to come with us. Isn’t it better to have him for one job than not at all?” McKenly asked. “You’re lucky you had my help at all.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, what’s that about. For someone who doesn’t want him to come along, you’re agreeing to certain stipulations?”

McKenly shrugged. “He’s your brother, Dean.” She stated, moving her gaze to her fingernail to pick at it. “And for some reason that I can’t begin to understand because I don’t have a brother, you want him back.”

“You don’t like him, though, huh?”

“It’s not that at all.” McKenly shook her head. “I just…” She searched for the right words. “I feel betrayed by him. Sam and I spent a lot of time together when we were kids. Before John started to let me go with you, it was me and Sam, spending hours in some crappy motel room watching repeat cartoons. And then he had the fight with your dad…” She trailed off, pausing to look at him. “There one minute, and gone in the next. He was my best friend and he left us. I feel really betrayed by him.”

Dean nodded, understanding.

“I love Sam, I do.” I just hate that he let things get that bad, and just left them like that.” McKenly sighed. “I know you want him back.”

“I’m pretty sure you do, too. You want things back to normal as much as I do.”

“It’s not that easy for me to just let things go. But I’m willing to be civil, try to be calm, and help you. If only for a weekend.”

Dean showed a one-sided smile. “I couldn’t have asked for a better you, Ken.”

“You could. But you wouldn’t get one.” McKenly joked. “I’m just too awesome.” She smiled and hip-bumped him, pushing him off the car.

“You definitely are.” He caught himself on his feet and moved to face McKenly. He picked her up by her waist to sit her down on the trunk of the Impala.

McKenly laughed. “Dean?” She asked. “What are you doing?” She watched as he pulled himself up to sit next to her.

Dean wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her with him to lean back so they could look at the stars.

McKenly laughed at him. “Fair warning would have been nice.”

“Nah,” He said, shrugging. “I like the element of surprise.”

“It sure does suit you.”

!@#$#@!

The three of them were about halfway to Jericho when the Impala, and Dean, needed to fill their tanks. McKenly worked on filling the Impala, and then returned to the back seat, stretching out along it.

Dean came out of the convenience store with a bag full of snacks. He tossed a bag of chips and a soda through the open rear window. “Hey!” Dean called to get Sam’s attention. “You want breakfast?”

Sam turned his body slightly out of the car for just a moment before returning to rifle through Dean’s cassette tape collection. “No, thanks. So how’d you pay for that stuff? You and Dad still running credit card scams?”

Dean took the nozzle out from the gas tank. “Yeah, well, hunting ain’t exactly a pro-ball career.”

McKenly sat up in the back seat. “‘Sides, it’s not our fault they send us the cards. We just apply for them.”

“Yeah, and what names did you write on the application this time?”

“Uh, Bert Aframian?” Dean questioned, looking to McKenly as he walked around the car.

She nodded. “And his son, Hector.”

“Scored two cards out of the deal.”

“Sounds about right. What about you?” Sam asked, glancing back at McKenly as Dean climbed in the car.

“Don’t need one.” McKenly shrugged. “I’m always with him.”

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Sam stated. “You got to update your cassette tape collection.

“Why?” Dean asked.

“Well, for one: they’re cassette tapes.” Sam held up a few tapes. “And two: Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica?” He questioned, Dean grabbing the former from his hand. “It’s the greatest hits of mullet rock.”

Dean opened the cassette case and inserted it into the player. He glanced back at McKenly in his rearview mirror. “You got something to say about my tapes?”

McKenly shook her head. “I don’t mind at all.” She smiled.

“That’s my girl.” Dean said, making McKenly blush slightly.

Sam looked back at her and she quickly tried to hide the redness.

“Well, house rules, Sammy.” Dean dropped the case back into the box. “Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole.”

“You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve year old.” Sam clarified, passing the box back to McKenly. “It’s Sam, okay?”

Dean cranked up the music a little bit as Loveless’ “A Gift to the World” started to play. “Sorry, I can’t hear you!” Dean shouted over the music. “The music’s too loud.”

!@#$#@!

Seven miles outside of Jericho, Sam had finished making a couple calls to the Jericho hospital and morgue. No one matching their father’s description came up which took a load off of both McKenly’s and Dean’s shoulders. McKenly even saw Dean loosen up a little bit, but she knew that he was still worried.

Dean put the car in park just off of the bridge that a missing kid’s car had been found abandoned. He grabbed the box of their fake badges that was kept in the glove compartment and handed one to McKenly. “Sorry, Sammy, but you don’t have a badge.”

McKenly laughed. “Looks like you’re hanging here.”

Sam sighed, relaxing in his seat.

Dean smiled at McKenly through the mirror. “Let’s go.” Dean said, pushing himself out of his car.

McKenly looked over the side of the bridge, noticing two divers come out from the river, probably searching for any sign of a body. There were officers who were gathered around the car, searching for evidence. McKenly listened to their conversation, hearing something about the deputy’s daughter being connected to the missing guy.

Dean spoke first, gaining the deputies’ attention. “You fellas had another one like this last month, didn’t you?”

“And who are you?” One deputy asked.

“Federal Marshals.” Dean said, flashing his badge, along with McKenly.

The deputy gave them a once over. “You two are a little young for marshals, aren’t you?” he asked.

Dean laughed, “Thanks, that’s awfully kind of you.” He stepped towards the car. “You did have another one just like this, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s right, about a mile up the road. There have been others before that.” The deputy added.

“So the victim…” McKenly started. “Did you know him?”

The deputy nodded. “A town like this, everybody knows everybody.”

Dean circled the car. “Any connection between the victims?”

“Besides the fact that they’re all men?” McKenly added.

“No.” The cop answered. “Not so far as we can tell.”

“What’s your theory?” McKenly moved around the car, joining Dean on the other side of it.

“Honestly, we don’t know. Could be serial murder, kidnapping ring.”

“Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I’d expect out of you guys.” Dean insulted, earning a slap to the gut from McKenly.

“Thank you for your time.” McKenly enforced. “And keep up the good work.” She smiled, before pulling on Dean’s jacket, signalling that they were leaving. McKenly hurried off a few steps in front of Dean.

Dean caught up with her in a few large strides. “Ken, what was that for?”

“You can’t talk to cops like that, Dean.” McKenly stopped, turning to face him.

“C’mon.” Dean begged. “They don’t really know what’s going on here. We’re all alone on this.”

“That doesn’t mean that you have to be a sarcastic asshole to people who are just trying to do their job. Which is surprisingly hard when they don’t know the whole story.”

“Exactly. They don’t know everything. If we’re gonna find Dad, we’ve got to get to the bottom of this thing ourselves.”

McKenly glanced up past Dean and cleared her throat.

Dean turned, seeing a sheriff and two agents standing behind him.

“Can I help you two?” the sheriff asked.

“No, sir.” Dean said. “We were just leaving.” As the feds walked past them he greeted them with some bogus names. Dean and McKenly walked back towards the Impala. McKenly was able to fill Sam in on what happened as Dean pulled onto the main street of the small town to stop for food.

Sam wasn’t all too fond of the fact that Dean was mouthing off to the cops either.

McKenly laughed as she realized that she and Sam were agreeing on something. They walked down the street, running into a couple girls who were putting up missing posters. “Maybe that’s the deputy’s daughter.” She inferred.

“We can’t know that for sure.” Sam said.

McKenly shrugged. “No harm in trying to find out.” She walked up to one of the girls. “You must be Amy.” she said, looking behind her to see Sam and Dean copy her actions.

The girl nodded. “Yeah.”

“Troy told us about you.” McKenly smiled. “We’re his cousins. I’m McKenly, this is Sam and Dean.” She said, gesturing to each one of the boys.

“He never mentioned you to me.” Turning to walk down the street.

McKenly laughed, following her. “That’s our Troy, I guess.”

“We’re not around much.” Dean clarified. “We’re up in Modesto.”

“We’re looking for him, too, and we’re kind of asking around.” McKenly insisted, walking in front of her to stop her trek down the street.

Her friend came up and put a comforting hand on her elbow. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked, earning a nod from Amy.

“Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions?” Sam asked.

“Sure.” Amy answered.

“Is there a diner or something we could go to so we can talk more privately?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, just down here.” Amy said, pointing across the street and walking in that direction. After walking into the diner, they approached a booth against the window. Amy and her friend taking one side, McKenly and Dean taking the other, and Sam pulling up a chair at the end.

“Why don’t you tell us about the last time you spoke to him?” McKenly suggested.

“I was on the phone with Troy.” Amy explained. “He was driving home. Then he said that he would call me right back, and he never did.”

“He didn’t say anything strange or out of the ordinary?” Sam asked.

Amy shook her head. “No, nothing I can remember.”

McKenly noticed that Dean put his arm around the back of the seat behind her, and leaned forward with her elbows on the table, assuming that Dean was going to let her try to get something out of them. “We really wanna find Troy.” She said. “The way Troy disappeared… I just don’t feel right about it. If you have heard anything, that you can think about, you can tell us.”

The two girls looked at each other.

Dean leaned forward, slightly, noticing their hesitation. “What?” He asked. “What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…” Amy’s friend started. “I mean, with all these guys going missing, some people talk.”

“About what?” Dean and McKenly asked at the same time.

McKenly look at him, blushed and looked away.

“It’s kind of this local legend.” The girl explained. “This one girl, got murdered out on Centennial. It was decades ago, only…” She paused. “Only some people think that she’s still out there.”

Sam nodded for her to go on.

“She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up, they disappear. Forever.”

Sam and Dean looked to each other, while McKenly sat between them nodding to the girls, happy that they had something more to go on to solve this case.