Dogtown

By Tidia & MOG, September 2006

Authors' Notes: Welcome to the continuation of Tecumseh. However, you do not have to read Tecumseh to read this fic


Chapter 1/10

Voiceover: “Previously on Supernatural"

Preface (From ‘Tecumseh’)

Sam scooped up his brother’s phone from the nightstand and tossed it to him.

Dean’s face registered a surprised smile when he saw the caller ID. He flipped open the phone, throwing out a warm greeting. “Caleb, man, how ya doin’? What’s up, where you at?...Palm Springs! Oh, please tell me you did not get some cush. gig in-”

Sam scanned the meager amount of tv channels and could just hear the muffled voice on the other end of the call. His split attention became focused wholly on Dean, however, when he saw his brother’s expression change dramatically. He hit the mute button on the remote and watched Dean drop into the worn armchair and stare at the floor, listening.

“Where did you hear this? I mean, are we talking some cheesy rumor website or-” He leaned forward, resting his knees on his elbows. “Jesus Christ, do you really think it’s her?….Uh, no, we haven’t heard from him in awhile. We’re not sure where he’s at. But Sam’s with me. We’re in Oklahoma.”

Dean listened for a moment, then looked at his watch. “No, man, we can hit the road tonight….no, look, Caleb, it’s cool - I understand. You do what you gotta do there. Me and Sam will check it out…yeah, man, we will. You too. I’ll call you when we learn something. Later.”

Dean flipped the phone closed but didn’t lift his eyes from the floor. Sam waited a few seconds, finally speaking when he realized his brother wasn’t going to be forthcoming about the topic of the call.

“What was that about?”

Dean stood and crossed to the bathroom. “Unfinished business.” He gathered up the few belongings scattered around the room and stuffed them in his bag of clothes. “I need to go to Massachusetts.”

It was evident to Sam that his brother was rattled about something but the younger Winchester knew his sibling well enough to know that Dean wasn’t going to talk about it until he was ready. Sam clicked off the television and went about getting his own things together.

“Massachusetts it is,” Sam said. He tried to lighten his brother’s mood a little and added with a smile, “I was getting bored around here anyway.”

Dean stopped what he was doing and stared at his brother. Sam didn’t miss the anxious look in his eyes. “Sammy, this isn't like our normal--” he cut himself off, unsure how to explain. “I mean, maybe I can drop you in New York, you could hook up with Sarah.”

Sam raised his brows and showed a wry grin. It didn’t matter where Dean was headed - he would be with him. “Dude...what do we ever do that's normal?” He caught his brother’s eye and fixed him with a determined gaze. “If you're going to Massachusetts...so am I.”

Sam saw a little of Dean's uneasiness fade, but his brother just nodded once and zipped shut his bag. Whatever ghosts Dean was about to face - he wouldn't be facing them alone.


Amy ran out the back door knowing, even as she slammed it, that her parents wouldn’t hear her leave. They were arguing again and the fourteen-year-old refused to listen to the insults and digs they would throw at each other. Pulling her iPod from the pocket of her hoodie jacket, she slipped the tiny buds into her ears. It was spring in the coastal Massachusetts town of Gloucester, but a misty rain and the ocean wind brought a distinct chill. She flipped the hood of her coat over her head and ran, keeping tempo with the music in her ears.

The gravel shoulder of the rural road grew narrower until she veered away from the asphalt and into the wooded acreage of the conservation land. There was no real trail but she didn’t care, all she wanted was to distance herself from the echoes of her parents’ bitter voices.

Finally, her hard running surpassed her anger and frustration, and labored breath slowed her to a walk. The sunrays of twilight filtered pale shades of gray and gold through the tall pines. At school, Amy had heard the stories about the woods - strange sightings, unexplained sounds, rumors of hauntings.

The branches of the trees created faint spider web patterns on the forest floor and flared her imagination towards what things could be amongst the pines. The endless woods never seemed uninviting when she drove past on the bordering road, yet suddenly they felt claustrophobic. She clicked off the iPod when a feeling of being watched overwhelmed her.

A strange noise, like a hissing whisper, filtered through the trees. She held very still, straining to identify it, but there was nothing - no sound at all. No birds, no frogs, nothing moved. It was an unnatural, uncomfortable silence. Turning around slowly, she tried to ignore her racing heartbeat and began a light jog out of the woods.

A haunting howl broke the silence. Amy whipped her head around, expecting to see the camouflaged gray coat of a coyote. The thought that one or more of the feral canines could be close made her increase her speed, until her breath came in deep gasps. A long winter had made the wild dogs bold in their search for food and recent newspaper reports of coyote sightings fed her racing imagination. She could only picture hungry jaws closing in on a meal.

Over her own heavy breathing, she heard an echoing whisper.

“The toll must be paid.”

The rasping voice surrounded her, filling the woods. Through the trees, she saw the familiar black asphalt of the road and tried to push herself harder. Unseen hands whipped the hood from her head, jarring loose the small buds from her ears. She screamed and desperately shrugged out of her jacket as she ran, not caring about giving up the coat or the iPod. She only wanted to reach the edge of the woods, get to the road and away from her invisible attacker.

She could make out the lights of a near-by house across the street and she risked a glance backward, but saw nothing. Swinging her head forward again, a scream was wrenched from her throat as she engaged every muscle she could in order to stop her advancing momentum. A massive black dog stood between her and the road.

Red eyes flashed from its shadowy form and thick saliva glistened on its lips and jagged teeth. Amy let out another scream and the dark attacker growled in response.