𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀𝐍

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

"Looks like there's only room for one," Dean sighs, rising to his feet, and looks to Sam. "You wanna flip a coin?"

"Dean, we don't know what's down there," Katherine says, turning around to look at him.

"Exactly—which is why you're not gonna be the one to do it."

She laughs shortly. "Why, 'cause I'm a girl?"

"Yes, because you're a girl." He walks back to the both of them with a green hose.

"Flip the damn coin," she says. "And I'll duke it out with whoever loses the toss."

Dean snorts. "Okay."

"I'm serious! Or rock, paper, scissors." She puts her hands on her hips and nods. "Mature, like the adults we are."

Dean sighs and looks to his brother. "You're not gonna let a girl go down there before you, are you?"

"Shut up," the other two chorus. Katherine picks the hose up.

"What are you doing?" Dean asks.

"I'm going down there," she says, and ties it tightly around her hips, weaves it between her legs, and knots it. "Don't drop me, all right? If I break my ankles and die, you're the first person I'm gonna haunt."

"And what an intimidating ghost you'll be," Dean says. Katherine sighs, tying her hair back, and carefully creeps into the hole. She looks at Dean one last time. "Get in before I pull you out and go down myself." She rolls her eyes and moves wordlessly.

"Can one of you toss me a light?" She asks. Sam reaches down and drops a flashlight to her. She clicks it on and shrieks.

"What is it?!"

"Frikken bugs!"

Dean gasps. "In the dirt? I never would've guessed."

"Shaddup," she quips.

"What kind of bugs?" Sam asks.

"I dunno, beetles?" She says, crouching down a bit. "I swear, if any of these start moving—"

"Wait, they're dead?"

"Yes," Katherine answers. "Is that significant?" She grimaces, looking up at the brothers. "Can I come out now?" Dean sighs and jerks up on the hose, and she yelps. "You're so rough," she mutters. Dean smirks and she rolls her eyes. "God, Dean," she mutters. She puts her foot up on the dirt and pushes herself out further.

"Oh, look, you've got one on your shoulder."

She stiffens, eyes darting to Dean. "No I don't."

"Do."

"Don't lie to me," she warns. Dean flicks at her shoulder and she makes a face.

"Stop tormenting her," Sam defends. Katherine shoves Dean's shoulder and starts untying the hose form her waist.

"I didn't see any tunnels or tracks," she says. "There wasn't any monster down there."

"Some beetles do eat meat. I mean, it's usually dead meat," Sam reasons with a bit of a shrug.

"How many were down there?" Dean asks.

Katherine stares at him and puts her hands on her hips. "I don't know, ten maybe."

"Okay, so ten beetles aren't capable of eating someone's brain."

"Either way, we need more information," Sam says. "The area, the neighborhood...whether something like this has ever happened before."