Bless the Broken Road

60. Yellow Fever

"Al Britton," the sheriff introduced. "Good to meet you." He shook Sam, Dean and Zach's hands.

"You too," Sam said as the sheriff gestured for the brothers to sit down. "Thank you."

Sheriff Britton took out alcohol gel and started slathering his hands. Dean looked at Sam and Zach with a weird look on his face.

"Okay. So, what can I do for Uncle Sam?" Sheriff Britton asked.

"Well, we're looking into the death of Frank O'Brien," Sam replied. "We understand some of your men found his body."

"They did. Me and Frank, we were friends. Hell, we were gamecocks." Dean snickered, earning a stern look and Dean looked abashed. "That's our softball team's name." Dean nodded. "They're majestic animals. I knew Frank since high school. To be honest, I just this morning got up the strength to go see him. Frank was... he was a good man."

"Yeah. Big heart," Dean said.

"Before he died, did you notice Frank acting strange?" Zach asked. "Maybe scared of something?"

"Oh hell, yeah. Real jumpy," Sheriff Britton answered.

"You know what scared him?" Sam asked.

"No. Wouldn't answer his phone. Finally, I sent some of my boys over to check on him, and well, you know the rest." He poured alcohol gel on his hands again and Dean looked at his brothers with a WTF look on his face.

Sheriff Britton slathered gel on his hands as he questioned, "So, why the Feds give a crap? You don't really think there's a case here?"

Dean looked at Sam and Zach. "No, no. It's probably nothing. Just a heart attack."

The brothers left the sheriff's office.

"No way that was a heart attack," Dean said.

"Definitely no way," Sam agreed while Zach nodded. "Three victims, all with those same red scratches. All went from jittery to terrified to dead within 48 hours."

"Something scared them to death?"

"All right, so what can do that?"

"What can't? Ghosts, vampires, Chupacabra? It could be a hundred things."

"Yeah," Zach agreed. "So, we make a list and start crossing things off."

"All right, who's the last person to see Frank O'Brien alive?"

"Uh, his neighbor, Mark Hutchins."

Dean noticed something ahead. "Hang on, hang on."

"What?" Sam asked.

Dean faced his brothers. "I don't like the looks of those teenagers down there." Sam and Zach looked around and saw teenagers talking near the Impala. "Let's walk this way."

He crossed the street while Sam and Zach stood with a perplexed look on their faces.

INT. NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE

"Tyler, Perry and Hamilton. Just like Aerosmith," Mark said as Dean looked around the room.

"Yeah, small world," Sam replied. "So the last time you saw Frank O'Brien?" Dean noticed a big lizard and suddenly faced forward, swallowing.

"Monday, he was watching me from his window. I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

"Hmm," Zach hummed. "Did you speak to him recently? Did he seem different? Uh, scared?"

"Oh, totally. He was freaking out."

Sam and Zach looked at Dean who looked incredibly freaked out.

"Do you know, uh... do you know what scared him?" Dean questioned.