Wasting Them

As is got later in the night, the three hunters decided that the group should get some rest while one of them stayed up on watch. McKenly had taken the first shift, so the boys could get a couple hours of sleep.

Dean being Dean, refused to sleep, so he decided he’d take the responsibility of watching over the others. He sat in the dirt, leaning against a tree towards the outside of the circle.

McKenly had quickly fallen asleep next to him with her head in his lap. Her neck was being lightly massaged by Dean’s hand until she drifted into a deep slumber.

McKenly awoke the next morning as the sun started to rise in the sky. She turned over onto her back to look up at Dean, her head still resting on his legs.

Dean’s arm was draped across her shoulders as if to hold her against him so she couldn’t get up.

McKenly rolled her eyes at the sight of Dean sleeping uncomfortably against the tree. She moved slowly, picking up his hand gently, to not wake him.

However, as soon as Dean felt the movement, his eyes shot open and his hold tightened on the blonde.

“Dean!” McKenly called softly, in case the rest of the camp still slept. She placed her hand around his wrist to calm him. “It’s alright.”

Dean let out a breath and removed his arm from around her.

McKenly sat up next to Dean. “How’d you sleep?”

“Like crap.” He said, rubbing hard at his neck.

McKenly looked around, only to find a rock behind her. She pushed herself up onto it and grabbed Dean’s shoulders, pulling him towards her.

Dean hesitated, staying tense, but as McKenly started to put a well-needed pressure on the knots in his neck, he relaxed. A soft groan fell from between his lips.

“Good?” McKenly asked.

“Hell yeah.”

McKenly continued the massage for a while longer, watching the rest of the group as they came awake.

Sam had been up for a while, reading his dad’s journal intently and playing with the lanyard on it.

Ben and Haley were starting to wake around the dying fire. Haley stared into the flames for a long while like she was contemplating all that the hunters had told her. She quickly got up and made her way over to McKenly and Dean.

McKenly quickly removed her hands from Dean’s shoulders, even after his sound of protest.

“I don’t…” Haley started, confused and trying to find her words. “I mean, these types of things, they aren’t supposed to be real.” She continued to stumble over her words.

McKenly felt bad. She hated when she had to pull the veil from people’s eyes and tell them what was really out there.

“I wish we could tell you different.” Dean told her.

“How do we know it’s not out there watching us?” Haley questioned.

“We don’t.” McKenly answered honestly. “But I’m pretty sure we’re safe for now.”

“How do you know about this stuff?”

Dean looked behind him at McKenly, showing her a half-smile before turning back to Haley. “Kinda runs in the family.”

McKenly turned her head when she saw Sam make his way over to them. The four of them stood in a circle.

“So we’ve got half a chance in the daylight.” Sam said. “And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch.”

“Well, hell, you know I’m in.” Dean said quickly. He looked to McKenly.

McKenly looked to Sam, who, with only a facial expression, questioned whether she was with them or not. “Of course.” She answered. “I’m stuck in the middle of the woods with you guys. I kind of don’t have a choice.”

Sam smiled. “Good.” He held out his dad’s journal to show what they were working against.

Haley had waved Ben over so that he could see, as well.

“‘Wendigo’ is a Cree-Indian word.” Sam explained. “It means ‘evil that devours’.”

“They are hundreds of years old.” Dean added. “Each was once a man. Sometimes an Indian. Other times a frontiersman or a miner. Maybe a hunter.” Dean’s eyes glanced over at McKenly.

Haley looked to each of them. “How does a man turn into one of those things?”

“We’ll it’s really strange, actually.” McKenly started. “During some insanely harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving. He’s cut off from supplies or help. So eventually he becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp.”

“Like the Donner Party.” Ben guessed.

“Exactly.” McKenly smiled.

“Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities. Speed, strength, immortality.” Sam explained.

McKenly had opened her mouth to add on, but Dean talked over her.

“If you eat enough of it, over years, you becomes this less than human...thing.” Dean said, for lack of a better term. “You’re always hungry.”

“So, if that’s true, how can Tommy still be alive?” Haley asked.

“You’re not gonna like it.” Dean said, glancing to Sam and then McKenly. It was obvious that he didn’t want to be the one to tell them.

McKenly rolled her eyes and looked to Haley. The blonde sighed. “More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It’s like a bear, but instead of just hibernating through the winter, wendigos go for years. When it is awake, they keep their victims alive.” McKenly said, turning to Ben with hope. “It stores the bodies in its cave or hideout, whatever, so that it can feed whenever it gets hungry. If Tommy is alive, that’s where he’d be.”

“And that’s where we need to track it to.” Dean finished. He left the group, going towards what little was left from the camping gear.

“So how do we stop it?” Ben asked.

“That’s the tricky part.” McKenly said. “Guns and knives are pretty much useless. Weapons like that will only make it more angry and vengeful.”

“So basically…” Dean held up a can of lighter fluid, a beer bottle, and a scrap from a t-shirt, “We gotta torch the sucker.” Dean smirked at McKenly.

McKenly rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

“Alright?” Dean questioned the group, earning nods from them. “We’re moving out.”

McKenly nodded to Dean and took to follow behind the group. She marched for the woods at the back of the line, checking the ground for tracks. McKenly noticed claw marks and fresh blood along the path.

“Dean.” Sam called, leaning into a tree, examining the claw marks in the trunk.

Dean caught up to Sam, and the group stopped as the two were paused by the tree. “What is it?” Dean asked.

McKenly stood behind the boys, so she could see the trunk.

“You know, I was thinking.” Sam pondered. “These claw prints. They’re so clear and distinct.”

McKenly nodded. “They were too obvious.” She agreed. “Too easy to track. They were put there purposefully.”

Sam nodded.

Growling sounded deep in the woods a second later. The hunters whipped around in their spots as they heard the trees rustle.

McKenly quickly looked to Haley, wondering if her and her brother were close by. She noticed something dropped to the brunette’s shirt. McKenly’s eyes moved upwards to where the drop came from. Her eyes bugged out when she saw Roy practically torn apart strung up in the tree. McKenly jumped back, her hand wrapping itself tightly around Dean’s forearm.

Haley jumped out of the way just in time for the body to fall to the ground.

Dean pulled himself out of McKenly’s grasp to check the body.

McKenly furrowed her brow, wishing Dean hadn’t torn himself away. She felt a hand tighten around her own arm and she was being pulled in a certain direction. McKenly could barely see straight. So much was happening, too much was going on.

“C’mon, I gotcha.” Sam said.

McKenly wasn’t sure if he was talking to her though. A loud growl quickly brought her back to focus. McKenly heard it and immediately started to run on her own, even a little faster than the group. Once the growling had stopped, McKenly slowed, coming to a stop on a slight hill. She looked behind her, only seeing that Sam and Ben had been following her.

“Sam?” McKenly asked.

Sam paused in his running and put his hands on his knees.

The blonde took in short breaths. “Sam, where’s Dean?”

Sam turned slightly in his spot, also seeing that it was just the three of them. “I - I don’t know. He was right behind us. With Haley.” Sam stumbled for words. “He was right behind us.”

McKenly looked around, wide-eyed and in a panic. “No.” she whispered before taking off running without warning. McKenly ran back in the direction that they had come from hoping to find him.

“McKenly!” Sam called after her, trying to get her to stop.

McKenly couldn’t stop though. She needed to find Dean. When McKenly arrived back to the spot where Roy’s body fell from the trees, she stopped. There was no one. Dean and Haley were both gone. “Dean!” McKenly shouted, not caring if the wendigo heard her. She turned in a single spot and stopped when something caught her eye. She bent down to pick it up. It was a piece of the glass Dean tried to use for his fire bomb.

McKenly’s hand shook as she held the piece of glass.

“McKenly?”

Her head shot up at the sound of Sam’s voice. McKenly stood up straight, eyes filling with small tears. She held the glass in the center of her palm to show Sam. “They’re gone.”

Sam slowly approached her, trying to take the glass from McKenly’s hand, but that only made her hold the piece tighter.

“They’re gone. It has them.” McKenly didn’t feel the pain as the pointed edges of the shard dug into her skin. She was trying, and failing miserably, to keep her cool for Ben.

“McKenly…”

The blonde took a large breath in and shouted. “Dean!” McKenly screamed again.

When there was no response, Ben yelled for his sister.

McKenly finally dropped the glass.

“McKenly, we’ve gotta fix your hand.” Sam said to her.

McKenly shook her head, taking a few steps to find a path to follow. “I’m fine. We have to find Haley. And Dean.”

“Mc - ”

“I said, I’m fine!” She screeched, turning sharply to face him again.

Sam noticed the insane fire in her eyes and nodded. “Okay. We’ll find them.”

McKenly turned back to the trail, keeping a good distance between herself and the boys as she led them through the trees. Even though she didn’t know where they were going, she had to keep going. Behind her, McKenly heard Sam and Ben talking about Roy and what might have been done to him. McKenly did everything in her to not think about any of it happening to Dean. She looked down at the dirt as she stepped, trying to find the wendigo’s tracks. Instead, McKenly found something smaller. Orange. She furrowed her brow and knelt down to pick it up.

A peanut M&M.

McKenly smiled. “Dean. You are a fucking genius.”

Sam heard the blonde speak and took quick steps, coming up behind the blonde. “What is it?”

McKenly held the piece of candy between her fingers to show the boys.

Sam smirked. “It’s better than breadcrumbs.”

“You can say that again.” McKenly nodded. She picked her head up, in search of more chocolates. When McKenly found them, that was the directions she led the boys in. The three walked for quite a long time before the candies stopped. McKenly looked up and a few yards in front of her was an entrance to a mine. “Guess this is it.” She took a few steps towards it.

“McKenly, maybe we should - ”

McKenly stopped for a moment, and looked back at Sam. “We’ve dealt with worse, Sammy.” She shrugged. “Let’s do this.”

Sam nodded.

McKenly took the lead, ducking down to enter the mine. She grabbed her flashlight and flicked it on so they could see where they were headed. The blonde was so focused on getting through the maze of darkness, that she she didn’t notice the growling that bounced off the walls.

Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her against a nearby wall. He pushed McKenly into the wall, standing her on the other side of Ben from which he took.

McKenly’s heart was beating hard in her chest as she hurried to shut off her flashlight. She leaned her head back against the dirt walls.

Ben tried to peer around Sam to get a look at the wendigo, but when Sam noticed the boy about to scream he wrapped his hand around the boy’s mouth.

The wendigo continued down a tunnel that was not connected to the one that the three were down.

McKenly peered around the boys to be sure that the monster was gone. She got Sam’s attention and nodded to him. McKenly pushed off the wall and led them down a different corridor from the one the wendigo went. As the three walked along the tracks, McKenly could hear the wood creaking underneath their steps. She turned back to look at them, pointed to their feet, and put the same finger to her lips.

The three attempted to take a few more steps, but the floor kept creaking.

McKenly sighed. “Please don’t tell me we entered an episode of Looney Tunes.” She begged.

Before anyone could go any farther, the floor caved in, making them fall to the floor below.

McKenly groaned, realizing she practically fell right on top of Sam. “Yup, this is what I hoped wouldn’t happen. Sorry, Sammy.” She rolled off of the younger guy with a grunt.

“It’s okay.” Sam promised, pushing himself off of the ground.

The two heard Ben start to scream. They both shot up from the ground to find him.

McKenly rushed to his side and pulled him up. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, trying to calm him.

Ben stared down at the skull that was on the ground.

McKenly laughed.

“How are you not freaked out by that?” Ben asked.

“Honestly, kid, I’ve seen worse.” She pat him on the shoulder and looked around, trying to figure out where they could be. As McKenly did, she saw a couple of bodies hanging by their arms. Instantly she recognized one. “Oh, my God.” She hurried to get in front of him.

Dean coughed into her face, but it didn’t seem to bother McKenly.

“Dean,” McKenly sighed in relief. “Sam!” She called behind her.

“Haley!” Ben called, seeing the other body as his sister.

McKenly turned her focus back to the guy in front of her. She put her hands on either side of Dean’s face to wake him. “Hey, Dean, you okay?”

Dean blinked a few times, slowly coming back into consciousness. He groaned. “Ken?”

“Yeah.” McKenly dug in her pocket for her knife and flicked it open. “Yeah, Dean, it’s me. Sammy, too.” She looked behind her at Sam and looked to Haley. “Cut her down. I got the damsel in distress.”

“Shut up.” Dean grunted, as Sam did what he was told.

“Says the person I have the power to leave hanging.” McKenly reached up on her tiptoes to cut the rope, her face very close to Dean’s. She felt his eyes on her as she focused on the rope. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m… I’m good.”

McKenly nodded. “Almost got it.” Biting her lip as she cut the last thread. McKenly flipped her knife closed and put it back in her pocket so she could support Dean easier. She wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and carried him to the wall to sit. Before McKenly could set him down gently, they both fell to the ground with a groan. “Urgh, I’m sorry.” She wriggled herself out from underneath Dean and sat beside him.

Dean groaned again.

“You sure you’re alright?”

“Mhmm.” He replied, nodding. “Where is it?”

“Gone. At least for now it is.” McKenly noticed Haley and Ben get up and find another person hanging by their wrists. She gave Sam a look to follow them and make sure everything was okay.

“Tommy?” Haley asked, touching the boy’s face.

Tommy gasped awake, making Haley step back and scream.

“Ken.” Dean said.

McKenly turned her head to see backpacks on the other side of Dean. Her eyes lit up and she got up to help dig through them. “Flare guns?” McKenly asked, taking out a couple and showing them to Dean.

Dean nodded and tried to push himself off of the ground.

“Slow down there, cowboy.” McKenly said, quickly getting herself up to help him.

Dean still leaned against the wall for support as his legs got their strength back. “Sammy.”

Sam turned his head and looked to his brother. “Flare guns?” He smiled. “Those’ll work.” Sam chuckled.

McKenly dug around for another one and Dean spun his around his forefingers. “Can we get out of here now?” Everyone agreed instantly.

With Tommy practically limping, Sam and Haley had grabbed one of his arms around their shoulders, helping to walk out.

Dean and McKenly led the group, both with the flare guns in their hands. Dean passed one of his off to his brother, just in case.

Growling sounded through the tunnels and the group stopped. All three hunter raised their flare guns, ready to shoot.

“Looks like someone’s home for supper.” Dean said, trying to be comedic.

“We’ll never outrun it.” Haley panicked.

McKenly bit her lip, looking back at the siblings, then to Dean. She nodded, mostly to herself, and took a step forward.

Dean’s hand stopped her as it had grabbed her arm.

McKenly looked back to him with a furrowed brow. “What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna draw it away.”

“Like hell you are.” Dean argued.

“C’mon, Dean. Someone has to do it.” McKenly pulled her arm away from Dean. She looked back to Haley, Tommy, and Ben. “Someone has to get them out of here, while the others distract the wendigo.”

Dean pursed his lips, not wanting to admit that she was right. He looked to Sam. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Dean asked his brother.

“I think so.” Sam said.

Dean paused another minute. “Alright. Listen to me.” He said, turning to face the others. “Stay with Sam. He’s gonna get you out of here.”

“Are you guys crazy?” Haley questioned, looking between Dean and McKenly.

McKenly nodded, shrugging. “Little bit. But that comes with the job description.” She looked to Dean, ready to go, and nodded.

“Chow time, you freakin’ bastard!” Dean shouted to the wendigo.

McKenly followed after him as he moved down a separate hallway from the others. “Bring it on, dickface!” She shouted. The two of them continued down the tunnels, screaming loudly to draw out the monster. McKenly looked back briefly to make sure that Sam was leading the others out.

“Hey! You want some white meat, bitch! I’m right here!” Dean shouted as they paused, trying to figure out which way to go next.

McKenly listened to the silence, hoping to get some sort of inkling of where the wendigo was. “I think we should go back.”

“Go back?”

“I don’t hear it anymore. What if it caught on that we were trying to drag it out and it went after Sam?” McKenly asked. “We could be going the wrong way.”

Dean thought about it for a minute before nodding. “Let’s go.” He said, before taking off running.

McKenly and Dean heard a shot go off and they started running faster.

“Sam!” They heard echoing through the walls.

McKenly got ahead of Dean and saw a hall that Sam was on the other end of, hiding the siblings.

The wendigo was in between them and Sam. It paused, exactly in the middle, put its arms out to the wide and roared loudly.

“We need a plan.” Dean said.

McKenly caught her breath. “Trust me. I have a plan.” She quickly turned into the tunnel and held up her flare gun. “Hey, asshole!” McKenly shouted at the monster.

The wendigo faced her, not expecting McKenly to fire off the shot. The flare hit the monster right in the stomach and it started to catch fire, burning it from the inside out.

McKenly dropped the gun from her hand, feeling the heat radiate from it. She cursed and backed away from it into Dean.

“What’s wrong?” Dean asked.

McKenly stared down at her hand, but shook her head, looking back up at the wendigo as it burnt to a crisp. “Nothing.” She hoped.

Dean looked to her in disbelief.

“Fine, I uh, I found your Molotov cocktail. Or what was left of it.” McKenly showed him her palm. “I cut myself on it.” When the monster fell to the floor, McKenly looked up at Sam. “Not bad for a crazy person.” She said jokingly.

Haley looked to her, impressed.

!@#$#@!

When the group was finally out of the mine, they made their way back to the ranger’s station. Once they were back in cell range, Dean called for a couple ambulances and explained the situation. The emergency vehicles were waiting there for them when they arrived.

Without saying a word to her, Dean grabbed McKenly’s arm and led her to one of the ambulances.

“What gives?” McKenly asked, angrily.

“She cut her hand.” Dean said to the EMT. Dean turned and walked away, leaving the girl alone with the technician.

The man picked up the blonde’s hand, making her wince when he touched the burn. The EMT turned her arm to get a good look at it. “When did you get this burn?”

McKenly shrugged. “About a week ago.”

The man in front of her shook his head. “It looks fresh. Are you sure it didn’t just happen?”

“I’m sure.” McKenly said shortly.

“Alright. I’ll patch it up. But you should have it looked at in a few days.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” She said, dismissively. The second the man was done tending to her wound, McKenly jumped out of the truck and walked over to Dean and Sam who were talking with Haley and Ben.

“Let’s go.” Haley said to Ben.

Ben nodded, looking to Sam and McKenly in appreciation.

McKenly nodded back. “You guys be careful if you’re ever back out there. I’m sure there’s not another bear...” She said, using their cover, “but you never know.”

Haley leaned forward, kissing Dean on the cheek. “I hope you find your father.” She smiled and Dean nodded back. Haley turned back, putting her arm around Ben’s shoulders. “Thanks, Sam. McKenly.”

McKenly showed a small smile, confused by what just happened between Dean and Haley. She cleared her throat as the two walked away. McKenly walked forward, pushing herself onto the Impala, sitting herself cross legged on it’s trunk.

Sam came over and leaned on it in front of her. The three of them watched as the ambulance holding Tommy drove away.

“Man, I hate camping.” Dean said, breaking the silence between the three.

“Me, too.” Sam agreed.

McKenly nodded, but stayed quiet.

After another beat, Dean spoke again. “You guys know we’re gonna find Dad, right?”

Sam sighed. "Yeah, I know." He said.

Dean looked back at McKenly, who was uncharacteristically quiet. "Ken?"

McKenly nodded. "I know. And we'll find the killer. Jess' and our parents'." She looked down into her lap at her own mention of her parents. "We're gonna make it right."

"Yes, we will." Dean agreed.

"But..." Sam started. "In the meantime, I'm driving."

McKenly smiled and looked to Dean.

Dean played with his keys in his hands like he was debating it.

"C'mon, Dean. Let the kid drive." McKenly coaxed. "You can sit in the back with me to get some sleep. I’ll let you use me as a pillow."

Dean still wouldn't answer.

"At least until we get back to the motel." The girl added.

Dean nodded slightly, throwing the keys up in the air.

Sam caught them effortlessly and smiled. He pushed off the car looking to McKenly who sent him a wink.

Dean turned around, facing McKenly. “C’mon, Princess.” He joked, picking her up from the trunk and throwing her over his shoulder.

McKenly smiled and shook her head.

Dean opened the back door and put McKenly down on the seat.

McKenly sighed, thankful to have a semi-comfortable seat to sit in. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, drifting off into a quick nap.