"Hey. You guys all right?" Sam asked as him and Alayna came over to the booth that Karoline and Dean were sitting in, in the abandoned bar.
"Yeah, I think so." Karoline nodded and she pulled out a towel, putting it on the table. "And I think I know what's going on." She said and Alayna quirked an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
"Part of it, at least." She said, opening the towel and revealing an ear wrapped inside.
"Uh, the ear part?" Sam asked weirdly and Karoline nodded.
"Ripped it off of Dracula's head," She explained with a look of something mixed between disgust and excitement on her face. "Touch it."
Dean hesitantly reached out to feel the ear; it was all rubbery and flesh like and suddenly it made sense, "Son of a bitch."
"What?" Alayna looked between the two of them confused.
"Skin of a shapeshifter." Dean explained and both him and Alayna shared a similar look of annoyance. "Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee. Of course this one's all holding buckets of crazy. Oh, and, uh..." He pulled out a medallion from his jacket. "This, I uh, pulled it off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon."
Sam read the label and then glanced up in wonder, "It's a costume rental." He said and Dean nodded.
"All three monsters - the Dracula, Wolf Man, and the mummy -- all the same critter, which means we need to catch this freak before he Creature from the Black Lagoons somebody."
"Okay, so, the stagecraft, the costuming..." Alayna trailed off taking the medallion from Sam and looking it over. "It's like he's trying to re-enact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the murders."
"Wait a second." Karoline cut in with a frown. "Who the hell is Mina?"
"Mina?" Sam echoed, his lips twitching in amusement.
"Yeah. That's what he called Kare. And he called me Mr. Harker." Dean added thoughtfully.
"Jonathan Harker?" Sam repeated and Dean nodded confused. "They're characters from the movies and the novels -- Mina, Dracula's intended bride, Harker the fiancé that stands in the way. Seems like he's fixating on you, like he sees you as his bride."
"Wow. Lucky me." Karoline sighed, resting her chin in her hand.
"But to fixate on you, my guess is that the shifter has to have seen you before or been around you." Alayna pointed out. "Has anyone strange talked to you... or taken a specific liking to you."
Karoline shook her head, opening her mouth, but no words came out, "I don't know, I just..." She trailed off and her eyes widened suddenly.
"What?" Dean prompted when she didn't continue.
"Ed." She looked at each of them in turn. "Ed Brewer. Lucy swears he has a crush on me. He's come in almost every night since I started here."
"Do you know where he lives?" Dean asked urgently.
Karoline shook her head, snapping her finger, "No, but he did say something about working at the old movie theater. He's a projectionist."
"Take care of Mina?" Sam teased and Dean nodded while Karoline scowled at him. "Let's go." He nodded for Alayna to follow and she followed him out of the bar.
Karoline watched them walk away and took another sip of her bourbon, grimacing. She sighed and laid her head back on the seat, "You know, our lives suck." She said randomly and Dean raised an eyebrow at her.
YOU ARE READING
Breathe ~ Supernatural Fanfiction
Fanfiction[Book 4 of 14] {Completed} "Dean is alive." They were only three words. Three simple words, but the effect they had on her was anything, but simple. Her voice caught in her throat at just the sound of his name. She inhaled sharply, almost forgettin...
