Hymn to the Missing (Supernatural Fanfiction)

Scene 16

"So... It was some sort of insect?" The boys were sitting in a booth, at The Manor, with Pete. He was trying to understand the story the brothers had just told him. "I mean, seriously, a giant bug?" he asked again, clearly amazed at what had transpired.

"Yes, well it had six legs... and it just crawled out of her mouth – while she stood there. I am fairly sure she was dead the minute 'it' got in her, from the third victim." This was Sam, answering Pete's many questions. Dean sat silently, still a bit shell-shocked by the, 'near death by bug' experience.

"It had black blood!" Sam added, as an afterthought.

"You think it was demonic?" mused Pete, after taking a swig on his beer.

"I will tell you one thing for sure..." Dean started in a low voice, "that thing was not native to planet Earth. It might have managed to crawl its way out of hell, survive a while topside, but I for one... am glad Sam destroyed its butt."

Pete was nodding as he added, "I am sure glad you boys decided to come back here and to finish up one of your daddy's cases!"

Dean and Sam looked at each other; sure, the boys had finished the case, mostly a fluke, but that was not why they were here and neither had forgotten it.

"Well... Pete... Much as we would like the credit on this one. We did not actually come here for this case." Sam started, trying to set the record straight...

"Good Lord! There is another case here in town that I do not know about?" Pete was looking and sounding stressed now.

"No... God no!" calmed Dean, "it is not a case. We were here looking for a girl; she is family. We had reason to believe we could find some information here, about her whereabouts."

"You... are looking for the girl too? I can't believe it." neither could Sam and Dean, judging by the look that they had just given each other and the one they were giving Pete right now. "I mean... Of course, you two and the 'Hunter saviour' are relatives. It makes so much sense! I cannot believe I never thought about that before... It is so obvious. Why, didn't you say anything? Hmm?" Pete was rambling away, as the thoughts and questions popped into his head.

"Hey... Slow down," Dean interrupted, "we have no idea what you are talking about? We are looking for a girl called Hope. We do not know any 'Hunter Saviour'. What are you on about?"

Pete took a long swig of his beer before starting, "About five years ago I was hunting a group of vampires. I thought there was four, turns out, I was wrong... there was actually five. The last one was upset, that I had killed four of his friends. Anyway, he had me, dead to rights. He had taken my knife, carved up my leg - well you know the rest of that story – and there he was standing over me gloating about killing me... telling me to enjoy hell... Here I was, on the ground, slowly dying, and just as he swung his arm up for the final chop at my throat, he dropped to his knees. As he fell forward, his head fell off..." Dean and Sam both sat back, stunned at this turn of events, as Pete continued, "now I was nearly out of it, but I know what I saw... Behind where the vampire had stood, was a girl? She had long brown hair and she was holding a beautiful silver sword. I passed out then, but I woke up and I was in a hospital. I know she saved me... Twice... and I've been looking for her ever since."

There was silence at the table as Pete finished his story, but the music and the general noise of the bar filled the void.

Finally, Sam said, "Wow... Some story." he was not trying to be sarcastic, but it did come out that way.

Pete automatically went on the defensive, "I know what you are thinking. But seriously... the vampire had me, I should be dead. But... I am not. How do you explain that?"

Dean started to speak, but Pete drowned him out "No... No... there is nothing you can say that I have not said to myself, or, that some other Hunter has not said to me. See, I have been telling that story ever since... to anyone who would listen and sure, sometimes... I even think the loony bin is looking good right now, but for this..."

Pete took a notebook out, from the tray under his wheelchair and threw it across the table at the boys. It looked a lot like John Winchester's hunting journal.

"What is this?" Dean asked, as he flipped it open and started flicking through the pages.

"Eyewitness accounts, from other hunters. You see, at first most of the hunters were like you two, saying or thinking 'as if'... but eventually, I came across other hunters who had similar stories. The front part of the journal contains the stories of hunters, who were as good as dead, but who was saved at the last minute; they too saw the girl, long brown hair. The back part of the journal is hunters who have similar stories, but they were too out of it or just did not see the girl. You see... there are hundreds of incidences in there... We can't all be crazy!" Pete finished speaking and took a final swig of his beer.

Sam and Dean were starting to come around or at least that was what the look on their faces said. They were both thinking this might be the information, they were supposed to find.

"Why do you think this is the same girl we are looking for?" asked Sam.

"You said she was family and, well... I'm not an idiot, I hear the stories of the Winchester boys and the things they have done for people, for humanity, and it figures that you would be related to this girl, who by all accounts has dedicated her life to saving hunters." Pete said this as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"But, you don't know where she is?" asked Dean, his eyes and heart pleading with Pete, to say he did.

"No, I don't. But, I have got my feelers out there. Everyone knows that I am collecting stories and looking for her. They ring me up from all over, just to tell me their stories, you know..." All of a sudden, Pete stopped as he saw the clock on the wall "Hells bells, I should be off... the Mrs is going to kill me..."

Pete pushed off and spun his chair around to face the exit, "You keep that..." he said motioning to the journal in Dean's hands, "seems to me, you might need it more than me right now..." Pete paused to think, before he added, "third last entry in the front is the latest story I have... the last sighting - in Jefferson City."

"How long ago was that?" Dean asked.

"Three months..." Pete replied, "Best be going. You boys keep in touch and if you find her... Tell her... Thanks." Pete pushed off then and started rolling towards the door.

"Pete..." Dean cried over the noise of the pub,

"Yes?" Pete hollered, looking back over his shoulder.

"Call us... if you get another story?"

"Of course I will boy. Of course..."

Fade out