Hymn to the Missing (Supernatural Fanfiction)

Scene 18

The boys went to Jefferson City, they looked around for four days, checking in hotels, motels, anywhere people could stay, and found no trace of Hope. They did however find traces of the two hunters 'the girl' had supposedly helped. They found the motel the hunters had stayed at, a diner and bar they frequented and some gruesome stories from locals about ghosts, poltergeists or witches that have been terrorising them.

Truth was, the locals had no idea what it was that was after them, but Pete's ledger, (as the boys now referred to the story-containing journal) said they had been after a Wendigo. Perhaps, by local accounts, a recently formed Wendigo which was not as feral as most – yet.

The boys managed to get their hands on hospital records that supported the story, that these hunters had both been hospitalised. The records did not show how they got to the hospital, just that they were in a bad way when they did.

Yet the trail ended here, no sign of Hope or a girl with long brown hair, just two hunters who had long since moved on.

The boys had moved on too. Tracing other stories across the states, going backwards in time according to the ledger. On their travels, they unearthed a few potential stories of their own, that may have been hunters helping locals; the stories connected the dots forward but still nothing, that pointed the brothers towards Hope.

After three weeks, and having backtracked the last six stories in the ledger, the boys were ready to call it quits.

They had just ran, through the pouring rain, to the Impala. It was parked outside a truck stop, on the outskirts of Cedar Grove, in the middle of nowhere.

Sam was in the driving seat and Dean on the passenger side, both boys were shaking the water out of their hair, "Where to now?" a wet Sam asked aloud, as he set the Impala purring.

"I don't know Sammy! But I am tired of going backwards." Dean was looking at Sam as he spoke. Sam turned towards Dean, and raising his eyebrows, asked, "Going backwards?"

"Yes... Sammy... We are going backwards. Three weeks ago, we were three months behind her. Now we are eight months away," Dean was referring to the fact that the last story they were following up on – had happened eight months ago, "I don't see how we can find her here, or this way. I feel like we are further away than ever before."

Dean sighed and silence enveloped the car.

Both boys were lost in their own thoughts; Sam thinking about where they might have gone wrong – was this ledger nothing to do with their sister? While Dean was thinking that, he had failed in this as he had failed in so many other things over the past years.

"West..." Dean muttered, not sure he had the courage to make this decision, "and North" he added, with a little more confidence, making its way into his voice.

"Dean, we have been travelling east – and now you want to do a complete turnaround, and head west... and north? Why?" Sam questioned, shaking his head, seeking to understand his brother's weird decision.

"Just... do it." Dean commanded.

"No! Not unless you can give me a reason – I mean – we were already three months behind her in the beginning, but that does not mean that we would not be any closer to her just because we had gone east? She could be anywhere. She could have hopped on a plane, and be on the other side of the country – or in another country altogether." Sam sounded frustrated and tired, as he voiced his opinion about Dean's command.

"Sammy..." Dean implored, "I don't know why. I just... Know... Like... I feel it is the right thing to do. West and North..."

"What? You couldn't have felt that, four weeks ago?" Sam declared sarcastically, as he threw the Impala into gear and pulled her out onto the highway, screeching the tyres, a grimace on Dean's face; heading north.

"Shut up and drive, Sammy. Shut up and drive..."

Fade Out