Wasting Them

The three woke early the next morning and piled into the Impala with gigantic cups of coffee. McKenly wasn’t saying much, neither did the boys. Dean drove the car as far into the forest as he could before he managed to find the car he assumed Haley drove in with her search party.

McKenly downed the rest of her coffee before pushing herself out of the backseat of the car, grabbing the duffel bag the boys had packed.

“You guys got room for three more?” Dean asked.

“Wait, you want to come with us?” Haley questioned.

“Who are these guys?”

Haley looked to the man who asked. “Apparently, this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue. Roy, this is Dean, Sam, and McKenly.” She turned to the hunters. “Roy’s the guy that I hired to help us find Tommy.”

“You’re rangers?” Roy asked.

Dean nodded. “That’s right.”

“And you’re hiking out in biker boots and jeans?” Haley questioned.

“Well, sweetheart,” Dean responded, approaching her, “I don’t do shorts.”

“He doesn’t!” McKenly called ahead of her. “It’s his knees. They’re kinda creepy lookin’.”

Dean held his hand up to her as if to show Haley that McKenly spoke the truth. Dean walked passed her to join McKenly and Sam.

“What, you think this is funny?” Roy asked. “It’s dangerous backcountry out there. Her brother might be hurt.”

Dean looked to Sam and McKenly. “Believe me, I know how dangerous it can be. We just want to help them find their brother. That’s all.”

Roy sighed, relenting.

“Don’t worry, Roy.” McKenly spoke. “We can hold our own.”

About a half hour into walking, the quiet seemed to start to bug Dean. He was chatting with Roy while McKenly hiked alongside Ben, Sam and Haley following close behind them.

“Roy, you said you did a little hunting.” Dean said.

Roy scoffed. “Yeah, more than a little.”

“Uh-huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?”

“Mostly buck. Sometimes bear.”

Dean smirked. “Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?”

Roy grabbed the back of Dean’s jacket forcefully, making McKenly put her hand on the gun she had in the waistband of her jeans.

“What you doing, Roy?” Dean asked him.

Roy didn’t respond. Instead, he let go of Dean’s jacket and picked up a stick from the ground, jabbing the end into the space in front of Dean causing a trap to go off. “You should watch where you’re stepping… Ranger.”

Dean looked back at McKenly and Sam and chuckled. “It’s a bear trap.” He said before continuing after Roy. The group carried on with their trek, McKenly staying close to Dean and Haley, listening in on their conversation.

“You didn’t pack any provisions.” Haley pointed out. “You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You’re not rangers. So, who the hell are you?” Haley grabbed Dean’s arm, stopping them.

McKenly looked at Dean, shrugging her shoulders.

Dean sighed quickly. “Sam and I are brothers, and we’re looking for our father.”

Haley looked to McKenly and then back to Dean. “What about her? She your girlfriend or something?”

“What? No, she’s my best friend. My dad raised her. Now, he might be here, but we don’t really know. I just figured that you and me, we’re in the same boat.”

Haley hesitated for a moment, thinking it over. “Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?”

Dean raised his brow. “I’m telling you now.” He admitted. “Besides, it’s probably the most honest I’ve ever been with a woman. Ever.” Dean paused. “So, we okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“And what do you mean, I didn’t pack provisions?” Dean asked. He pulled a bag of peanut M&Ms out of his pocket. He took some out and then offered the bag to McKenly.

McKenly smiled and took a handful, walking on towards Sam.

!@#$#@!

The group had been walking for quite a while. The sun was shining much brighter through the trees than it was when they had started. McKenly looked up, squinting at the light, wondering where they were. She glanced around at the group. Dean was walking with Haley again, Sam easily kept up with Roy, and McKenly was walking with Ben. The two talked whenever he would talk back. McKenly found Ben to be a quiet kid, but when he did say something, she found he was a good kid.

Roy addressed the group, taking in his surroundings. “This is it.” He said boldly. “Blackwater Ridge.”

McKenly grabbed his comment and stepped in front of him to look around.

Sam followed closely behind her. “What coordinates are we at?” Sam asked the leader.

Roy pulled out his GPS from his pack and checked it. “Thirty-five minus one-eleven.”

Dean walked over, standing next to McKenly and Sam. He spoke softly. “Do you hear that?” He asked the two.

“Hear what?” McKenly listened. “There’s nothing.” She quickly realized.

“Not even crickets.” Sam added.

Roy ignored the hunters gathering together on their own, deciding he should wander off from the group. “I’m gonna go take a look around.

McKenly, however, noticed at tried to stop him. “You shouldn’t go out there by yourself.” She warned.

Roy cocked his head to the side with a fake smirk. “That’s awfully kind of you, sweetheart, but you don’t need to worry about me.” He grabbed onto his shotgun with both hands and walked between the three of them to continue on his trek.

McKenly rolled her eyes, facing Dean. “I don’t think that’ll help him.” She admitted. “It might just make this thing angrier that it already is.”

Dean nodded, agreeing with McKenly. As Haley and her brother caught up with the hunters, Dean spoke. “Alrighty, everybody stays together.” He insisted, taking the lead of the five of them that were left.

McKenly wasn’t really scared. She was more worried for Roy’s well-being. Especially since the three of them hadn’t figured out what exactly they were hunting yet. There was another half hour of walking before McKenly needed to sit down and stretch out the muscles in her legs. She took a seat on a rock and started to roll her ankles. The four that were left with her, continued to look around for clues of Tommy’s whereabouts while McKenly took her small break.

“Haley!” Roy shouted from a short distance. “Over here!”

McKenly hadn’t realized they had kept so close to him. She pushed herself off of the rock quickly and followed quickly after the others, who were well ahead of her. When she caught up with the others, she found herself in a clearing that held a disastrous campsite.

“Oh, my God.” Haley gasped as she took in the sight before her. The tents were torn open and camping gear was scattered all over the clearing. The worst was when McKenly noticed the blood. She glanced back at Dean, who didn’t have anything to say.

“Looks like a grizzly.” Roy assumed, standing amongst the mess.

They stepped forward, still trying to make sense of the mess.

“Tommy?” Haley called, reaching to take off her backpack. “Tommy!” She shouted even louder.

Sam quickly chased after her trying to keep her quiet.

“Tommy!” She screamed.

Sam put a hand on her arm and shushed her a last time.

McKenly wasn’t happy with Sam’s lack of progress so she approached him and Haley. “Haley,” she said forcefully. “We have to keep quiet.”

“What?” Haley asked. “Why?”

“There might still be something out there. We don’t want to lead it right back to us, do we?”

Haley shook her head.

“Good. Now, let’s get back to the others.”

“Ken. Sam.” Dean called.

McKenly turned her head toward the sound of his voice and quickly joined his side, Sam following close behind her. “What?” She saw him and noticed he had dropped their duffel bag back at the camp.

Dean crouched down, waving for she and Sam to do the same. “The bodies were dragged from the campsite.”

“Their bodies, Dean.” McKenly argued. “We don’t know they’re dead yet.”

Dean glared and rolled his eyes before speaking again. “Okay, their bodies.” He corrected. he pointed to the ground. “Anyway, right here, the tracks just vanish.”

McKenly stood to her feet, just as the brothers had. “So what is it?” she asked. “What does something like this?”

“I’ll tell you what.” Dean started, glancing to Sam. “It’s no skinwalker or black dog.” He turned away from the others and walked back to the camp.

McKenly followed after him and saw Haley bending down to reach for a cellphone in the dirt.

Haley’s lip quivered.

Dean did something McKenly had never really seen before, especially with someone they had met on a case. He crouched down next to Haley in a comforting way. “Hey, he could still be alive.”

Haley looked to him with hopeful but unbelieving eyes.

“Help!” A loud voice screamed. “Please! Somebody help me!”

Roy quickly ran to go aid whoever had screamed. The group followed after him.

“Help! Help!” the voice just shouting out.

The entire camping group gathered in a small clearing, looking in different directions of the circle.

McKenly stood in one place, turning slowly to look out in the forest in each direction.

Haley approached McKenly. “It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn’t it?” she asked the blonde.

McKenly nodded once and looked around again. She turned her body quickly, rustling the leaves at her feet when she thought that she saw something.

“Ken?” Dean questioned, noticing his friend’s sudden alertness. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

McKenly hesitated before answering. “We need to get out of here.” She said, her voice shaking slightly.

Dean strode over and grabbed her elbow, gently pulling her back in that direction.

“Everybody back to camp.” Sam ordered.

Dean pulled McKenly along when she didn’t immediately follow, still distracted by the unknown through the trees.

Eventually, McKenly followed. Upon returning to the camp, she quickly noticed that everybody’s bags and supplies were missing.

“Our packs!” Haley shouted, exasperated.

“So much for my GPS and satellite phone.” Roy said.

“What the hell is going on?” Haley asked the hunters.

McKenly shook her head, not being able to answer. She was still trying to figure out everything that she saw, going through the list of the supernatural that she had in her head.

“It’s smart.” Sam told her. “It wasn’t to cut us off so we can’t call for help.”

“You mean someone.” Roy corrected. “Some nut job is out there and he just stole all our gear.”

Sam approached Dean and McKenly from behind. “I need to talk to you two.” He said aloud but quietly. “In private.” Sam leaded them a little ways away from the edge of the campsite. “Let me see Dad’s journal.” Sam demanded.

Dean reached to his inside jacket pocket to take it out and hand the book to his brother.

Sam opened it, quickly searching for a particular page. “Alright. Check this out.” Sam handed the book back to Dean, pointing to a drawing.

“Oh, come on.” Dean said, not believing Sam’s assumption. “Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or - or northern Michigan. I’ve never seen or heard of one this far west.” Dean rolled his eyes, rejecting the idea. He closed the journal and stuffed it in his jacket pocket again.

“Dean, it makes sense.” McKenly insisted. “Think about it. The claws, the speed, the way it can mimic a human voice. I saw it. It was fast, but I caught a quick glimpse of it and it looked like a large human.”

Dean sighed. “Great.” He took his gun from his waistband. “Well, that means that this is useless.”

McKenly nodded, wishing that wasn’t the case. She looked back to the others in the group. They had no idea.

“We’ve got to let them know.” Sam said.

The blonde disagreed, shaking her head. “No, we gotta get them to safety.” McKenly corrected, trudging back to the camp before the boys. She addressed the camp. “We’ve got to talk.”

“Actually, we have to leave.” Sam said. “Things have gotten… More complicated.”

“What?” Haley questioned. She looked from Sam to McKenly, who nodded.

“Kid, don’t worry.” Roy wished. “Whatever’s out there, I think that I can handle it.”

“It’s not me that I’m worried about.” Sam argued. “If you shoot this thing, you’re just gonna make it mad. We need to leave. Now.”

Roy shook his head. “One,” the man showed one finger. “You’re talking nonsense.” Roy added another finger. “Two, you’re in no position to give anybody orders.”

Dean stepped forward, wanting to calm the conversation. “Relax.”

“We never should’ve let you come out here in the first place, alright?” Sam raised his voice. “I’m trying to protect you.”

Roy stepped forward into Sam’s face. “You protect me?” He scoffed. “Son, I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you good night.”

“Yeah?” Sam questioned, sarcastically. “It’s a damn near perfect hunter. It’s smarter than you, and it’s gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid, sorry ass out of here!”

“Sam!” McKenly shouted. “Stop it!”

Roy just laughed. “You know you’re crazy, right?”

“Yeah?” Sam shouted, somehow getting further into Roy’s face. Things were getting worse. It’d be dangerous for a fight to break out now. “You ever hunt a wen - ”

Dean quickly rushed, pushing Sam away from Roy. “Chill out!” He ordered to the both of them.

Sam walked away, trying to calm himself down.

McKenly stood in the circle, trying to figure out their next step.

“Everybody just stop.” Haley forced. “Look, Tommy might still be alive. And I’m not leaving here without him.”

There was a good pause before McKenly spoke. “If we’re gonna stay, we’ve got to stay it smart.”

Dean relented. “It’s getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day but an unbelievable hunter at night.” He pulled out his father’s journal, flipping through the pages. “We won’t beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves.”

Haley shook her head, more out of confusion than objection. “How?”

Dean handed McKenly the journal after losing patience trying to find the page.

McKenly laughed. “This is the gun part.” She explained, quickly finding the page. “Ben, you and Roy start building a fire.” She instructed, getting nods. McKenly looked to Haley. “You can help us.”

“With what?”

“We need to draw these…” She flashed Haley the journal, showing her some symbols John had drawn, “around the campsite.”

“And what exactly are these?” Haley questioned, studying the strange markings.

“Anasazi symbols. They’re used for protection. The wendigo can’t cross over them.” McKenly explained, holding the book open so Dean can copy the design into the dirt with a stick.

When he finished, he stood from the ground and handed the stick to McKenly. “Where’s Sam?” he asked.

McKenly gestured her head to the edge of the clearing.

“I’m gonna go talk to him.” he said, getting a nod from McKenly.

“Go on. We got this.” She said, looking to Haley, who nodded. “How hard could a few drawings be?” McKenly smiled.

“Be careful.” He wished, taking off in Sam’s direction.

McKenly knelt down and started drawing a symbol herself. On the next one, she handed the stick to Haley. “You try this one. Make sure you copy the symbol exactly. Otherwise its useless.”

“No pressure, right?” Haley joked. She took her time, drawing perfectly. They finished the circle quickly and joined Ben in the middle of the circle to sit around the fire.

The boy poked at the small fire, looking in McKenly’s direction. “Do you guys really think that we should get out of here?” he asked. “Is it really that dangerous?”

McKenly shrugged her shoulders, but nodded. “I think it’s not safe for either of you. We’ve been doing this kind of thing our whole lives. You guys don’t know enough about what is out there to protect yourselves.” She admitted. McKenly’s head spun quickly towards the sound of a twig snapping. She looked out through the trees, but didn’t see anything. “Sam. Dean.” McKenly called quietly, but loud enough for them to hear and join her by her side. “I heard something.”

“Help me!” A voice shouted, the hunters assuming it was the wendigo. “Please!”

Everyone stood from their spots.

Dean took out his gun and cocked it, still knowing it wouldn’t work. He needed something to be able to protect Ben, Haley, and McKenly.

“Help!” It screamed again.

“He’s trying to draw us out.” Dean insisted. “Just stay cool. Stay put.”

“Inside the magic circle?” Roy asked, mocking the hunters.

“Help!” The wendigo shouted again. “Help me!” The creature growled.

Roy aimed his gun through the trees, towards the sound. “Okay, that’s no grizzly.” He said.

“No, shit.” McKenly mumbled. She turned to look at Haley and Ben. “you guys are gonna be okay. We won’t let anything happen to you.” As she said it, McKenly felt a large gust of wind rush past her. She had assumed it was the wendigo.

Haley screamed.

“It’s here!” McKenly warned.

Roy noticed the rustling, quickly turned and shot at it. “I hit it!” he boasted. Roy ran towards the direction his bullet shot.

“Roy, stop!”

“Roy, no!” Dean tried, hoping he’d listen, which he didn’t. “Get back here!” When Roy didn’t, he cursed. “Dammit.” He took a few steps to follow Roy into the woods and paused, looking to McKenly.

“Go!” McKenly insisted. “We’ll be fine here.”

“Don’t move.” Dean said strictly, running off after Sam and Roy.

McKenly, Haley and Ben stood in a circle, each facing the trees. McKenly had her hand on her gun. Haley picked up a stick from the fire and held it with the fire on the opposite end. McKenly glanced at the other girl’s weapon, thinking Haley’s was probably a better choice given their situation.

“Don’t freak out, okay? We’re safe in the circle.” McKenly reassured. “They’ll be back soon.” She said, mostly for herself. As the minutes passed, McKenly’s breathing got heavier and she began to worry. Even though she was sure the brothers would be okay, the anxiety wouldn’t go away.

McKenly heard rustling coming from the opposite direction that Sam and Dean left. She quickly rotated the circle so that she faced the moving bushes. With her gun cocked and aimed at the tree line, she hoped that it wasn’t the monster. McKenly held her finger over the trigger, ready to squeeze it. She almost did, but then Dean came from the brush. McKenly sighed and turned the safety back on to her gun. “Oh, thank God.” She jogged over to him, threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

Dean hesitated a moment before hugging her back.

McKenly released a relaxed breath and pulled away from Dean slowly, a little embarrassed. “I, uh… I’m glad you’re okay.”

Dean nodded in response. “You, too.”

“Did you guys find Roy?” McKenly asked, trying to move past the awkward moment.

“Honestly, I think the wendigo got to him.

McKenly groaned. “Awesome.”