Forged In The Fire

08. Crossroad Blues

"Youngest in the history of the place. She got the position... ten years ago?"

"Huh."

"Huh," Sam repeated. "An overnight success. Ten years ago."

"Yeah, we know a guy like that. Oh, look at this." He held up the photo and flipped it over to show writing on the back. "Lloyd's Bar."

---

At another motel room, Dr. Pearlman, terrified and disheveled in appearance, paid for another night and chained the door.

CROSSROADS

Dean, Sam, Lucie, Harriet and Cadence pulled up outside Lloyd's Bar and got out. As they walked towards the bar, Dean noticed some yellow flowers growing by the side of the road and stopped.

"Hey," Dean called.

"Yeah?" Sam and Lucie asked.

"That's weird."

The yellow flowers were growing on multiple corners.

"What?" Sam wondered.

"Think someone planted these?" Dean questioned, picking up Cadence before she could touch the flowers. "Let's not touch those, okay?"

Cadence frowned. "I do?"

"Sorry, Cady. No touching."

"Wook?"

"Of course you can look."

Lucie took Harriet's hand with a frown as she looked around. "Middle of all these weeds?"

"These are, uh, what do you call 'em?"

"Yarrow flowers?" Sam answered in a questioning tone.

"Yeah. Used for certain rituals, aren't they?"

"Yeah, actually. Summoning rituals," Lucie answered.

"Heh. So, two people become sudden successes about ten years ago. Right around the time they were hanging out here at Lloyd's."

"Where there just happens to be a crossroads. You two think?" Sam asked.

Lucie looked between the brothers. "Let's find out." She walked to the center of the crossroads and looked around, measuring. "This seem about the dead center to you two?"

Dean handed Cadence to Sam and walked up to his wife and elder daughter and dug a few inches into the hard soil and hit something solid. He stopped.

"Yahtzee," Dean said.

Dean dropped the shovel and he and Lucie dug with their hands. He pulled out an old rusted box and opened it. The box contained, among other things, several small bones and a small stoppered jar that Sam took out.

"I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt," Dean said. "And a black cat bone."

"That's serious spellwork," Sam noted. "I mean, that's Deep South Hoodoo stuff."

"Used to summon a demon."

Lucie shook her head. "Not just to summon one. Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn thing. You know, 'cause that always ends splendidly."

Sam nodded and Dean said, "Yeah, whoever this demon is, it's back and it's collecting. And that doctor lady? Wherever she's running? She ain't running fast enough."

---

Dr. Pearlman's room was broken into by something invisible and sharp claws dug into her legs, leaving bloody trails. She was pulled across the floor, grasping at the bed sheets and screaming.