World So Cold

18. Devil's Trap

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

John's phone rang and Meg picked it up. "You boys and girl really screwed up this time."

SALVATION, IOWA

Dean looked at his brother and friend. "Where is he?"

"You're never going to see your father again."

Dean hung up his phone. "They've got Dad."

"Meg?" Sam and Laurey asked as Dean nodded. "What'd she say?"

"I just told you, Sammy, Laur. Okay. Okay." He took the Colt and tucked it into the back of his jeans.

"What are you doing, Dean?" Sam questioned.

Dean grabbed his duffle bag. "We got to go."

"Why?"

Dean put on his jacket. "Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right. It knows we got the Colt. It's got Dad -- it's probably coming for us next."

"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come."

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready, okay? We don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving... now!"

Laurey picked up her sleeping son and her head shot up as she saw flashes of yellow eyes, black eyes and heard a loud crunch.

"Hey, Laur. Laur. Laurey!"

Laurey turned to see Dean shaking her. "What the hell happened?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I... A vision. Where's Jonathan?"

"Sam took him to the car. Can you tell me anything about it?"

She nodded slowly. "Um, demon eyes and there was this loud crunch. I don't know what it means. And I just... I... Whatever the hell it is, I'm scared."

Dean ran his hands through her hair. "Laurey, we'll figure it out, okay? I promise. For now, let's get some help, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

---

The Impala sped down the road and took a turn sideways.

"I'm telling you, Dean, Laurey, we could have taken him."

"What we need is a plan," Dean told him. "Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we just gotta figure out where. They're gonna wanna trade him for the gun." Sam shook his head and Dean glanced over at him. "What?"

"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade?" He started getting upset. "Dad, he might be..."

"Don't!" Dean cried.

Laurey shook her head. "I can tell you your father isn't."

"Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. Thanks for the hope, Laur. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing. We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job."

"Screw the job, Sam!" Dean yelled.

"Dean, I'm just trying to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going."

Laurey frowned and snapped, "Quit talking about him like he's dead already. I just told you he isn't."

Dean glanced between them. "Listen to me, everything stops until we get back, you two understand me? Everything."

Sam paused to think. "So how do we find him?"

"Maybe we go to Lincoln. Start at the warehouse where he was taken."