Supernatural: Another Road

Prologue

February 12, 1993: Early Morning - The First Convention

Jonas' POV

Jonas Quinn shifted in the passenger seat for what had to be the hundredth time and pressed her forehead against the cool truck window.

The highway had disappeared behind them. Wide roads had turned into busy city streets, and with every block the sidewalks grew more crowded.

At first she didn't think much of it. Then she started noticing the people.

One man crossed the street wearing a bright red cape that fluttered behind him in the February breeze. A woman with pointed ears laughed as she adjusted a long green cloak over her shoulders. Someone else carried what looked exactly like a laser gun.

Jonas frowned.

"...Dad?"

Her father glanced over, one hand resting easily on the steering wheel.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?"

He smiled.

"The convention."

"I know it's the convention."

She pointed through the windshield as another group headed toward the same building they were approaching. One lady had bright green hair, and a little kid in a blue mask sprinted ahead of his parents, struggling to keep a plastic shield almost as big as he was from dragging across the sidewalk.

"...What's everybody doing?"

Her dad laughed.

"You'll see."

Jonas sighed. That wasn't an answer.

She settled back in her seat, but she couldn't stop watching the people outside. Every few seconds someone new caught her attention. A man balanced a stack of long cardboard boxes under one arm. Another carried framed artwork almost as tall as she was. Somebody spotted a friend across the parking lot and hurried over to hug them like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Whatever this place was, everyone looked excited to be there.

Her dad pulled into a parking space that seemed much farther from the entrance than necessary.

Jonas reached for the door before the truck had completely settled.

"Easy there."

"I'm ready."

"I noticed."

He climbed out first while she practically bounced onto the pavement behind him.

The building loomed ahead, and its glass doors never seemed to stop opening as people streamed inside. Some paused every few steps to greet someone they knew, while others laughed loudly enough for Jonas to hear them all the way across the sidewalk.

She couldn't explain why, but the excitement seemed to spill right out of the building.

Her father rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready?"

Jonas kept her eyes on the entrance as she nodded.

"I think so."

The moment they stepped inside, everything changed.

Warm air chased away the February chill, and voices rushed over her from every direction. Conversations blended into one constant buzz, broken every few seconds by laughter, applause, or another burst of cheering that made her jump.