Hiraeth
Burnin' For You
They had already been at the diner for thirty minutes and Sam still hadn't told them what he'd found that was so interesting. Dean had insisted on ordering his meal before talking business, as he called it, while Sam had opted out of ordering. Coralee herself had ordered a chicken basket with some sweet tea to drink while she absentmindedly read through some of the articles she'd copied off at the library. One of the articles, dated December of 1956, caught her attention, and she arched her eyebrow as she read through the first few paragraphs.
Body of Missing Local Boy Found
Late last evening, local authorities recovered the remains of little Timothy Sheffield, who went missing just two weeks after the grand opening of Lake Lanier. The body was discovered off the east bank of the lake, in a wooded area outside an outlying residential area of Flat Creek. Sheriff Terrence Herring said in a briefing earlier this afternoon that the mother of the boy, Martha Sheffield, made a positive ID. Authorities are still looking for Mrs. Sheffield's husband and the boy's father, George Sheffield, and believe he may be connected to the death of his eight year old son. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Hall County Sheriff's Office at your earliest convenience.
"Huh. Interesting." Coralee muttered to herself as she held the article up for Sam. "I think I might have stumbled across something interesting as well."
Sam's eyes glanced over the article and he nodded, shuffling through some of the pages he'd printed as well. "I came across something similar," he showed her the article he'd found. "You think maybe this little boy is the cause of the recent disappearances?"
"Well, it makes sense. All of the recent vics were men in their 40s." Coralee answered him.
"So if it's this Timothy kid, we just have to find his body, salt and torch him, and we'll be good to move onto our next case. Sounds good to me," Dean spoke up, taking another large bite of his burger before arching his eyebrow at the look Coralee was giving him. "What?" He asked through his food. She grimaced, looking away.
"Let's hit the local cemetery tonight and see if we can find him there," she suggested. "With any luck we'll be out of here and on our way to Sioux City tomorrow morning."
Neither of the boys had asked her why she was so keen on getting to Bobby's place, but they didn't have to. The hunting community wasn't very big, and everyone knew Coralee's back story. Like most hunters, she'd lost someone important to her. It was her mission in life to avenge her sister's death, and both brothers knew full well what that kind of weight did to someone's shoulders.
"I was thinking maybe we could take a scenic route back," Dean shrugged. "Monsters are always going to be there for us to hunt, Cora. We could all take a break."
"A break? With you two?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "No offense, but that doesn't sound like my idea of a good time. I just want to get back to Sioux City so I can head back out on my own."
"You know, you're not in this alone, Cora. We're always here for you," Sam spoke up this time, giving her one of his famous pity looks. It only served to make her feel sick. She didn't need pity, she needed to find the son of a bitch that had killed her sister and kill it.
She chose not to reply to him, and instead stood up, exiting the diner. Dean shot a nasty look at his brother as he stood, tossing a twenty onto the table.
"Bobby told you not to push her," he reminded his brother. "That girl is fragile as they come, Sam. Tough as nails on the outside, sure. Whatever's going on in that head of hers, she's gotta sort it out on her own. She knows we're here if she needs us."
"So when did you become Dr. Phil?" Sam shot back at his brother as he stood before both of them followed her out of the building. Coralee was already sitting in the backseat of the Impala, rummaging around in her bag. Sam sighed, walking around to the passenger seat while Dean got behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.
By the time they reached the cemetery a few miles outside of town, the sun had set and the moon was casting an eerie glow over the landscape. With its crumbling brick fence and tall, thick grass interspersed with weeds, Coralee figured this must be the old cemetery. With any luck, it had still been in use the summer of '56, and they'd find the boy's body here.
"I'll take that section up there," she suggested as they walked past the gates that Dean had busted open. With her flashlight and salt gun in hand, she began making her way up the overgrown road, not stopping until she was a decent distance away from the brothers, who'd already begun searching.
As she looked at headstone after headstone, Coralee couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling settling over her. The last time she'd come to a cemetery had been as a young girl, when her mother had died of a drug overdose. Vivian's body had never been found, and so there had been no funeral. She and her grandmother had held a simple memorial service in Atlanta for her friends, and then they'd gone home to Mississippi and that had been that. Life had moved on, but she never had.
They'd been in the graveyard for a little over an hour and a half before Sam called out that he thought he'd found something. Taking one last look at the gravestone in front of her, Coralee turned back onto the narrow road towards Sam's voice. She reached him a few moments later and bit down on her bottom lip as she looked at the stone he'd illuminated with his flashlight.
"Timothy Sheffield; born April 27, 1948. Died August 19th, 1956," she read aloud. "Well, it looks like you found it."
"Better get digging then." Dean told her, handing a shovel to both her and Sam before digging his own shovel into the dirt.
This had always been Coralee's least favorite part of the job. She didn't mind killing things, and losing people was just part of the job. But digging up graves had always felt wrong to her, even if it was for the better good sometimes. Part of her wanted to ask the boys to take care of it, but she knew that wouldn't be logical. And so she dug, not stopping until the coffin was visible and Dean could get the door open.
Sam helped her up out of the hole that they'd dug, and she watched as Dean sprinkled some lighter fluid and salt down onto the little boy's body. Coralee couldn't help but feel her heart breaking for him. He'd not even been a decade old, and yet he'd died under horrible circumstances. She was sure he hadn't wanted to become a vengeful spirit, but sometimes people didn't have a choice. She hoped her sister wasn't out there somewhere in the state this boy had been.
Dean muttered a few words under his breath before tossing a lit match down into the grave, the body going up in flames almost instantaneously. She was thankful that this case had gone down with a hitch and that they could get back on the road to Sioux City. She was restless to make progress on her sister's case, and that could only happen once she was in South Dakota and had Bobby's help.
Body of Missing Local Boy Found
Late last evening, local authorities recovered the remains of little Timothy Sheffield, who went missing just two weeks after the grand opening of Lake Lanier. The body was discovered off the east bank of the lake, in a wooded area outside an outlying residential area of Flat Creek. Sheriff Terrence Herring said in a briefing earlier this afternoon that the mother of the boy, Martha Sheffield, made a positive ID. Authorities are still looking for Mrs. Sheffield's husband and the boy's father, George Sheffield, and believe he may be connected to the death of his eight year old son. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Hall County Sheriff's Office at your earliest convenience.
"Huh. Interesting." Coralee muttered to herself as she held the article up for Sam. "I think I might have stumbled across something interesting as well."
Sam's eyes glanced over the article and he nodded, shuffling through some of the pages he'd printed as well. "I came across something similar," he showed her the article he'd found. "You think maybe this little boy is the cause of the recent disappearances?"
"Well, it makes sense. All of the recent vics were men in their 40s." Coralee answered him.
"So if it's this Timothy kid, we just have to find his body, salt and torch him, and we'll be good to move onto our next case. Sounds good to me," Dean spoke up, taking another large bite of his burger before arching his eyebrow at the look Coralee was giving him. "What?" He asked through his food. She grimaced, looking away.
"Let's hit the local cemetery tonight and see if we can find him there," she suggested. "With any luck we'll be out of here and on our way to Sioux City tomorrow morning."
Neither of the boys had asked her why she was so keen on getting to Bobby's place, but they didn't have to. The hunting community wasn't very big, and everyone knew Coralee's back story. Like most hunters, she'd lost someone important to her. It was her mission in life to avenge her sister's death, and both brothers knew full well what that kind of weight did to someone's shoulders.
"I was thinking maybe we could take a scenic route back," Dean shrugged. "Monsters are always going to be there for us to hunt, Cora. We could all take a break."
"A break? With you two?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "No offense, but that doesn't sound like my idea of a good time. I just want to get back to Sioux City so I can head back out on my own."
"You know, you're not in this alone, Cora. We're always here for you," Sam spoke up this time, giving her one of his famous pity looks. It only served to make her feel sick. She didn't need pity, she needed to find the son of a bitch that had killed her sister and kill it.
She chose not to reply to him, and instead stood up, exiting the diner. Dean shot a nasty look at his brother as he stood, tossing a twenty onto the table.
"Bobby told you not to push her," he reminded his brother. "That girl is fragile as they come, Sam. Tough as nails on the outside, sure. Whatever's going on in that head of hers, she's gotta sort it out on her own. She knows we're here if she needs us."
"So when did you become Dr. Phil?" Sam shot back at his brother as he stood before both of them followed her out of the building. Coralee was already sitting in the backseat of the Impala, rummaging around in her bag. Sam sighed, walking around to the passenger seat while Dean got behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.
By the time they reached the cemetery a few miles outside of town, the sun had set and the moon was casting an eerie glow over the landscape. With its crumbling brick fence and tall, thick grass interspersed with weeds, Coralee figured this must be the old cemetery. With any luck, it had still been in use the summer of '56, and they'd find the boy's body here.
"I'll take that section up there," she suggested as they walked past the gates that Dean had busted open. With her flashlight and salt gun in hand, she began making her way up the overgrown road, not stopping until she was a decent distance away from the brothers, who'd already begun searching.
As she looked at headstone after headstone, Coralee couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling settling over her. The last time she'd come to a cemetery had been as a young girl, when her mother had died of a drug overdose. Vivian's body had never been found, and so there had been no funeral. She and her grandmother had held a simple memorial service in Atlanta for her friends, and then they'd gone home to Mississippi and that had been that. Life had moved on, but she never had.
They'd been in the graveyard for a little over an hour and a half before Sam called out that he thought he'd found something. Taking one last look at the gravestone in front of her, Coralee turned back onto the narrow road towards Sam's voice. She reached him a few moments later and bit down on her bottom lip as she looked at the stone he'd illuminated with his flashlight.
"Timothy Sheffield; born April 27, 1948. Died August 19th, 1956," she read aloud. "Well, it looks like you found it."
"Better get digging then." Dean told her, handing a shovel to both her and Sam before digging his own shovel into the dirt.
This had always been Coralee's least favorite part of the job. She didn't mind killing things, and losing people was just part of the job. But digging up graves had always felt wrong to her, even if it was for the better good sometimes. Part of her wanted to ask the boys to take care of it, but she knew that wouldn't be logical. And so she dug, not stopping until the coffin was visible and Dean could get the door open.
Sam helped her up out of the hole that they'd dug, and she watched as Dean sprinkled some lighter fluid and salt down onto the little boy's body. Coralee couldn't help but feel her heart breaking for him. He'd not even been a decade old, and yet he'd died under horrible circumstances. She was sure he hadn't wanted to become a vengeful spirit, but sometimes people didn't have a choice. She hoped her sister wasn't out there somewhere in the state this boy had been.
Dean muttered a few words under his breath before tossing a lit match down into the grave, the body going up in flames almost instantaneously. She was thankful that this case had gone down with a hitch and that they could get back on the road to Sioux City. She was restless to make progress on her sister's case, and that could only happen once she was in South Dakota and had Bobby's help.