Phoenix [Supernatural Season 1]

Bugs [2]

Inside the house, Larry and Phoenix came downstairs, finishing a tour.

"You've got three choices-carpet, hardwood, and tile,"

Phoenix noticed a jar full of bugs on a nearby table "Whoa. Someone likes bugs,"

"My son..." Larry replied "he's into insects. He's very...inquisitive,"

***

Outside, Lynda was still talking to Sam and Dean.

"Who can say no to a steam shower? I use mine every day," Lynda explained.

"Sounds great," Sam said uninterested.

As Lynda continued talking, Sam noticed a tarantula crawling towards her hand, which was resting on a table. A few feet away, Larry's son, Matt, was watching excitedly.

"Excuse me." Sam said as he pushed Lynda out of the way and picked up the spider, bringing it over to Matt "Is this yours?"

Matt took the tarantula from Sam "You gonna tell my dad?"

"I don't know. Who's your dad?"

Matt scoffed "Yeah, Larry usually skips me in the family introductions,"

"Ouch." Dean said as he walked over "First name basis with the old man-sounds pretty grim,"

"Well, I'm not exactly brochure material,"

"Well, hang in there. It gets better, all right?" Sam reasoned "I promise,"

"When?"

"Matthew," Larry called out as he and Phoenix walked towards the group "I am sorry about my son and his...pet,"

"It's no bother," Dean shrugged.

"Excuse us," Larry walked away with Matt.

"Remind you of somebody?" Sam asked.

Dean looked over at Larry, who was yelling at Matt. Dean looked back at Sam, confused.

"Dad?" Sam suggested.

"Dad never treated us like that," Dean argued.

"Well, Dad never treated you like that. You were perfect. He was all over my case. Don't you remember?"

"Well, maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes, you were out of line,"

Sam scoffed "Right. Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bowhunting,"

"Bowhunting's an important skill,"

"So I think we're onto somethin'," Phoenix interrupted before the argument could go any further "Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here,"

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job. Get this severe allergic reaction to bee stings,"

"More bugs," Dean noted.

Phoenix nodded "More bugs,"

***

While Sam drove through the neighborhood, Dean looked through their father's journal.

"You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles?" Dean wondered "What is it that could make different bugs attack?"

"Well, hauntings sometimes include bug manifestations," Phoenix pointed out.

"Yeah, but I didn't see any evidence of ghost activity," Sam said.

"Yeah, me neither,"

"Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone," Dean claimed.

"You mean, like Willard?" Phoenix scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Yeah, bugs instead of rats,"

"There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals..." Sam reasoned "elementals, telepaths,"

"Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing." Phoenix stopped to think for a second and realized something. "Larry's kid-he's got bugs for pets,"

"Matt?" Dean asked.

"Yeah,"

"He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula," Sam said.

"You think he's our Willard?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess," Phoenix shrugged.

"Ooh, hey. Pullover here,"

Sam pulled into the empty driveway of one of the Oasis Plains homes. "What are we doing here?"

Dean was already getting out of the car "It's too late to talk to anybody else,"

"We're gonna squat in an empty house?" Phoenix voiced.

"I wanna try the steam shower," Dean reasoned.

Phoenix laughed as she got out of the Impala "Sorry, Dean but if anybody deserves to get in the steam shower first, it's me," Phoenix grabbed her bag and headed into the house.

***

Sam entered the room and heard the shower still running. He looked over at Dean "She still in there?"

"Don't rub it in," Dean muttered.

Sam laughed as he knocked on the door.

"I've already said no, Dean!" Phoenix called out from in the bathroom.

"Police call came in on the scanner," Sam reported.

Phoenix groaned "Hold on,"

The bathroom door opened.

Phoenix was standing there, in the steam-filled room, with a towel covering herself and on her head.

"Someone was found dead three blocks from here. Come on," Sam told her.

"Am I allowed to put some clothes on first?"

"I mean..." Dean started.

Phoenix rolled her eyes and went back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

***

Dean, Sam, and Phoenix pulled up to the Bloome residence and got out of the car. They approached Larry, who was finishing talking to someone on the phone.

Lynda's body was being carried out in a body bag on a stretcher.

"Hello." Larry greeted the trio "You're, uh, back early,"

"Yeah, we just drove in, wanted to take another look at the neighborhood," Dean lied.

"What's going' on?" Sam asked.

"You guys met, uh...Lynda Bloome at the barbeque?" Larry asked.

"The realtor,"

"Well, she, uh...passed away last night,"

"What happened?" Phoenix asked.

"I'm still trying to find out. Identified the body for the police. Look, I-I'm sorry, this isn't a good time now,"

"It's okay," Sam nodded.

"Excuse me," Larry said as he left the trio.

"You know what have to do, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Phoenix said "Get in that house,"