The Three Winchesters

Salvation

MOTEL ROOM - MANNING, COLORADO

Ellie, Sam, Dean and John are all in a motel room looking at all of John's research. Ellie and John are sitting at a paper strewn desk, the colt on the table. Sam leans against the counter while Dean paces.
"So this is it. This is everything I know. Look, our whole lives we been searching for this demon right? Not a trace, just... nothing. Until about a year ago. For the first time I picked up a trail." John tells his children.
"And that's when you took off." Ellie adds.
"Yeah. That's right. The demon must have come out of hiding, or hibernation." John says.
"All right so what's this trail you found?" Dean asks.
"It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California. Houses burned down to the ground. It's going after families, just like it went after us." John explains.
"Families with infants?" Sam asks.
"Yeah. When the kid is 2 and a half years old." John tells them.
"I was 2 and half years old that night?" Sam asks.
"Exactly that old." John says.
"So basically, this demon is going after these kids for some reason. The same way it came for me? So Mom's death... Jessica. It's all because of me." Sam says full of self loathing. Ellie looks up at him.
"We don't know that Sam." Ellie tells him softly.
"Oh really? Cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure." Sam snaps back, Dean looks at him frustrated.
"For the last time, what happened to them was not your fault." Dean says.
"Right. It's not my fault but it's not my problem." Sam shouts. Dean takes a step towards his brother.
"No it's not your problem it's our problem!" Dean shouts back at his face. Ellie sighs and puts her head in her hands. John stands up.
"Okay. That's enough." John says, everyone takes a breath and calms down and Ellie looks up.
"So why's he doing it. What does he want?" Sam asks a lot calmer.
"Look I wish I had more answers, I do. I've always been one step behind it. Look, I've never gotten there in time to save..." John trails off looking down, unhappy.
"All right so how do we find it... before it hits again." Ellie asks softly.
"There's signs. It took me a while to see the pattern but it's there in the days before these fires signs crop up in an area. Cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked.... and.." John drops his head.
"These things happened in Lawrence?" Dean asks.
"A week before your mother died. And in Palo Alto... before Jessica. And these signs, they're starting again." John tells his children.
"Where?" Ellie asks.
"Salvation, Iowa."

ROAD

John and Ellie ride in his truck while Dean and Sam are in the Impala, suddenly John gets a call, he talks for a moment and then bangs his steering wheel in anger. Ellie looks at him confused.
"What is it, dad?" Ellie asks, concerned. He suddenly pulls off to the side, the Impala follows and everyone springs out of their seats.
"God damn it!" John shouts.
"What is it?" Ellie asks confused.
"Son of a bitch!" John shouts again.
"What is it!" Dean semi shouts half concerned, half confused.
"I just got a call from Caleb." John tells them.
"Is he okay?" Dean asks.
"He's fine. Jim Murphy's dead." John says softly. Ellie breathes in.
"Pastor Jim? How?" Ellie asks sadly.
"His throat was slashed. He bled out. Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place." John tells them.
"A demon." Ellie states, John nods.
"The Demon?" Dean asks.
"I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're getting close." John says.
"What do we do?" Ellie asks.
"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health centre in this county. We split up, cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's going to be six months old in the next week. Ellie you'll come with me." John tells them.
"Dad that could be dozens of kids. How do we know which one's the right one?" Sam tells him.
"We check them all that's how. You got any better ideas?" John eyes his son. Sam realises that it was not a good idea to argue with his dad right now.
"No sir." Sam states. John nods at the boys and they all turn back to their cars. John stops, leaning on his trunk. Ellie goes over to him. Dean turns back as he opens the door and pauses.
"Dad?" Dean says. John looks upset, Ellie puts her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah. It's Jim. You know, I can't..." John's face hardens as Ellie looks at him in sympathy. "This ends, now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes." John says angrily. Everyone gets back in their cars and pull back onto the road, speeding into the distance. They drive for a little while and Ellie looks over to her father. John's hands tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles white as he looks dead ahead.
"Are you okay, Dad?" Ellie asks. John quickly glances at his daughter who is still staring at him.
"It's just... I don't know how many people are going to be killed because of this bastard, Jim's death.. It just feels like a bad sign of what's to come, if any thing happened to you or the boys, I don't know what I'd do." John admits, he breathes out.
"Dad, you don't have to worry about us. We'll be okay, all of us. We are going to get through this. I promise you." Ellie tells him, he quickly glances at her and sees the sincerity in her eyes. He breathes out.
"You sound so much like your mother." John tells her. Ellie smiles.
"You always say that." Ellie tells him.
"It's because you always do." John says. Ellie smiles at this, John smiles too.
"You know, you should smile more often." Ellie tells him. John looks at her with raised eyebrows. Ellie sticks her tongue out at him and he laughs a little, shaking his head.