𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 > 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 {𝟏}

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕

In the morning, the dynamic trio together again at the gas station. Sam was looking at the map, laid out on the top of the car. Dean was on his phone, listening to the voicemail from a friend he knew. Karina came out of the gas station, carrying their treats, and herself a coke. She handed Dean some chips he asked her to get, while she gave Sam some apples and carrots. Or as she called his diet-wabbit diet.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

She opened her bottle of coke before she took her sip. She investigated what Sam was looking at. "So, find a shortcut?"

"Yeah, I think I found a way we can bypass that construction just east of here. We might even make Pennsylvania faster than we thought."

Dean hung up on the phone and walked around the car. "Yeah, the problem is we're not going to Pennsylvania."

Sam and Karina looked at Dean, confused. Sam asked, "Wait--what?"

"I just got a call from an old friend. Her father was killed last night. She thinks it might be our kind of thing."

"What?"

Dean opened his door, "She never would've called, never, if she didn't need us."

Dean gets in the car, leaving Sam and Karina to look at each other. Curiosity. Dean reminded them to come in eager, then they both did.

While Dean was driving his way to Pennsylvania, Dean explained what happened with Cassie's father. He was in a car accident last night. After Dean's explanation, Karina couldn't help but lean over to ask Dean. "So what you meant by "old friend", you mean..."

"A friend that is not new."

Karina scoffed, "Helpful, Dean. Way to clear it up."

Sam asked, "So, her name's Cassie, huh? You never mentioned her."

"Didn't I?"

"No."

"Yeah, we went out."

Sam and Karina were surprised. That player, ladies man Dean, actually went out with a person. "You mean you dated someone? For more than one night?"

Dean looked at Sam, and then to Karina who was smirking at him. "Am I speaking a language you're not getting here?"

Karina shook her head as she was still smirking, "No! No! I think what Sam means, correct me if I'm wrong. That you as Dean Winchester didn't do a one-night stand with this girl, which surprised us." Sam nodded to the fact she was right, and Dean rolled his eyes.

Karina asked, "So how did you and Cassie meet?"

Dean answered, "My Dad and I were working a job in Athens, Ohio, she was finishing up college. We went out for a couple of weeks."

"And?"

Dean shrugged slightly, and Sam inferred, "Look, it's terrible about her dad, but it kinda sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which, by the way, how does she know what we do?"

Dean went silent and Karina read his face as well as Sam's.

Sam's eyes went wide open, "You told her. You told her the secret. Our big family rule number one--we do what we do. We shut up about it. For a year and a half, I did nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a couple of times and you tell her everything? Dean!!"

"Yeah, look like."

Karina raised her eyebrows and muttered one word, wow. She leaned back on her seat, while Sam shook his head and eyes on the road. On the way to Pennsylvania on a long ride, it was silent between the brothers. Including the Huntress.

When they all finally arrived in Pennsylvania, they all walked up to the newspaper office. As they entered the office, they saw a black, young woman with curls. After the meeting was over between them, she turned to the trio. She saw a familiar face, Dean.

"Dean."

"Hey, Cassie."

She walked closer to him. They both looked deeply into each other's eyes, giving Sam a smile as he watched the scenery between them. Karina played with her fingers as she watched them.

Dean cleared his throat and pointed her out to the people behind him. "This is my brother, Sam. My friend, Karina." Cassie looked at the people that Dean introduced her to and she smiled softly at them. Still grieving her father in her eyes. "I'm sorry about your Dad."

"Yeah, me too."

Sam was still smiling and he looked down at Karina. All he saw was her playing with her fingers. He noticed she had been doing that a lot. Maybe her habit, or keeping her sane of her humanity. Whether it's worth it, he is still sorry for her. Wishing she knew what she's wanting to feel.

As the trio arrived at Cassie's house, she offered them tea but Karina said no. When Cassie came back with a tray of two cups and tea, she began to explain what happened and the backstory of her father to the trio on the couch.

"My mother's in pretty bad shape. I've been staying with her. I wish she wouldn't go off by herself. She's been so nervous and frightened. She was worried about Dad."

Dean asked, "Why?"

"He was scared. He was seeing things."

"Like what?"

"He swore he saw an awful-looking black truck following him."

"A truck?" Karina looked at the boys, and then looked back at Cassie, "Did he tell you that he caught sight of a driver?"

"He didn't talk about a driver, just the truck." She walked with two cups of tea and put sugar cubes in them as she continued, "He said it would appear and disappear. And in the accident, Dad's truck was dented like it had been slammed into by something big."

She handed the tea to the boys, and Sam thanked her. Cassie sat down in front of them as Sam asked, "Now, you're sure this dent wasn't there before?"

"He sold cars, always drove a new one. There wasn't a scratch on that thing. It had rained hard that night. There was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks from Dad's car leading right..."

Her voice started cracking as she proceeded as the emotions took over her, "To the edge where he went over. One set of tracks--his."

Dean asked, "And the first person killed was a friend of your father's?"

"Best friend-Clayton Soames. They owned the car dealership together. Same thing. Dent. No tracks."

Sam looked at the people beside him, sharing a look with each other. Collecting all the information from Cassie. She continued, "And the cops said exactly what they said about Dad-- "He lost control of his car.'"

Karina asked, "Cassie, ever thought of why your father and his best friend would be targets?"

"No."

Sam asked along, "You think the vanishing truck ran him off the road?"

"When you say it aloud like that... Listen, I'm a little skeptical about this ghost stuff or whatever it is you guys are into."

Dean chuckled, "Skeptical. If I remember, I think you said I was nuts."

"That was then."

Dean and Cassie stare at each other. Sam and Karina looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Third Wheel, here?

Cassie proceeds, "I just know that I can't explain what happened up there, so I called you."

The front door opened, leaving all of them to look at who was walking in. It was a white, middle-aged woman. The trio rose their feet and looked over to the woman. Cassie walked over to her, worried.

"Mom. Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry. I had no idea you'd invited friends over."

"Mom, this is Dean, a friend of mine from... college, and his brother and his friend, Sam, and Karina."

Cassie's mom began stuttering with words in a frightened tone, "Well, I-I won't interrupt you."

Dean walked closely, "Mrs. Robinson? We're sorry for your loss. We'd like to talk to you for a minute if you don't mind."

"I'm really not up to that just now."

Mrs. Robinson walked away in a hurry, and Cassie turned to the people with a sad look in her eyes. All the trio did was look at Cassie.

***

By the next morning, Cassie informed Dean that there was another familiar accident last night. Another connection to her father. The trio visited the crime scene, seeing what Cassie described them from that night. Cassie went full-on the Mayor, and all Karina mouthed to herself.

"Damn."

Karina was impressed by her words and actions defending her color, even though the Mayor wasn't racist at all. The boys were dressing up in the suits, while Karina was brushing her hair up to the ponytail in her suit as well.

Sam commented as he walked over to Karina and Dean, "I'll say this for her-- she's fearless."

"Fearless? Please, Sam. She's a badass."

Dean hummed a, yes, not giving them a response to them.

Karina looked at Dean as she was still tying up, "I bet she kicked your ass a couple of times."

Dean glanced at Karina, all she did was laugh softly.

Sam inferred, "What's interesting is you guys never really look at each other at the same time. You look at her when she's not looking. She checks you out when you look away. It's just a... just an interesting observation in a... you know... observationally interesting way."

"You think we might have more pressing issues here?"

"Hey, if I'm hitting a nerve..."

Dean turned away and left the room, "Let's go."

Sam chuckled, and Karina winced from the scenery. "Wow... you were totally hitting the nerve."

"You too, by the way."

"Hey, if I were a man, I would date her."

Karina put her blade in her ponytail, and she turned to Sam. She noticed his tie is crooked, she pointed out, "Your tie is crooked."

He looked at his reflection, seeing what she was seeing. He tried to fix it again, "Aw, damn it."

She shook her head and offered to let him come to her. "Come here."

He walked to her, and she put her hands on the tie. Making it straight, Sam couldn't help but look down on her as she fixed it. Her brown eyes were captivating to him, her eyes were on the tie. His eyes were on her ponytail, closely seeing a little sight at the end of the blade.

Sam swallowed his curiosity, remembering what Karina said to him. She didn't want him to know anything about her. Her real self. Karina's hands kept going, she could sense what he was thinking without looking up at him.

"Go ahead."

Sam looked down at her, awkwardly stuttering, "W-What?"

Karina softly smiled, "I know you're wanting to ask me something, so go ahead. Tell me what's on your mind."

Sam chuckled, "Um... I noticed you playing with your fingers. I mean, I know you're keeping yourself sane... but I couldn't help but notice it."

Karina's hands stopped, her eyes went hollow, staring at his tie. She pulled up the tie being straight and centered.

She tried to push it aside, "Dean's right... You really have a way of getting on anyone's nerves."

"Karina..."

She finally looked at Sam's eyes, and she gave a big sigh, "You're right. I had been struggling... Still am. Hearing Cassie talking about her father, gave me flashbacks about my father too. I can still hear him, you know? Him yelling my name while he was burning alive."

"I can't imagine..."

"It is what it is, Sammy. You can't change the past. Sometimes everything happens for a reason, I believe in that."

Sam shook his head slightly, amazed by her words, "How do you do it? Moving on with your life?"

Karina shrugged and smiled softly, "Faith. Not anyone, or anything. Myself."

Sam and Karina smiled at each other. Staring at each other's eyes. Hazel and brown collided. They both didn't know how long it would last. She looked down on his tie one more time. She turned him to his reflection, seeing his tie.

"Look at that. Good as new."

She left the room, following Dean's steps. As Sam looked at his reflection and smiled at what Karina said. He buttoned his blazer and followed his way to the exit.

***

The trio walked down to the fishing pier. They all see a few people on a foggy, cloudy day, fishing. They approached two people eating their lunch of seafood. Karina turned to a white man, "Excuse me, are you Ron Stubbins?" He nodded, "Friends with Jimmy Anderson?"

He looked at the people wearing suits, talking to him, "Who are you?"

Karina explained, "We're with Mr. Anderson's insurance company. We're here for the information that we're gathering that you might help us."

Sam inferred, "We were just wondering, had the deceased mentioned any unusual recent experiences?"

Rob asked, "What do you mean, unusual?"

"Well, visions, hallucinations."

Dean explained a little more clearly, "It's a part of a medical examination kind of thing. All very standard."

"What company do you say you were with?"

Karina opened her mouth to speak, but Dean interrupted her. "All National Mutual." He showed papers to prove from the side pocket of his blazer. Dean continued, "Tell me, did he ever mention seeing a truck? A big, black truck?"

"What the hell are you talking about? You even speaking English?"

A black man sitting beside him began to speak, "Son, this truck, a big, scary, monster-looking thing?"

"Yeah, actually, I think so."

The man nodded, almost familiar with what they were asking.

Karina asked, "You know about it, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I heard a truck like that."

Sam asked, "You have? When?"

"Not where-- when. Back in the '60s, there was a string of deaths. Black men. Story goes they disappeared in a big, nasty black truck."

Dean asked, "They ever catch the guy who did it?"

"Never found him. Hell, not sure they even really looked. See, there was a time, this town wasn't too friendly to all its citizens."

Karina looked at the boys, and then she gave a soft smile to the man. "Thank you."

They all walked to Dean's car. Gathering all the information they needed to see the connections to the backstory. Dean spoke from his mind, "Truck."

"Keeps coming up, doesn't it?"

"I was thinking. You heard of the Flying Dutchman?"

Karina nodded, "A ghost ship infused with the captain's evil spirit, it's a part of him."

"So, what if we're dealing with the same thing? A phantom truck who's the extension of some bastard ghost, re-enacting past crimes."

Sam pointed out, "The victims have all been black men."

"I think it's more than that. They all seem connected to Cassie and her family."

Karina smiled, clearly reading Dean's mind. Little aching for him and Cassie as well as Sam. Karina clapped her hands together, "All right, you work that angle, then. Go talk to her."

"Yeah, I will."

"Oh, and uh... let us know when you mentioned the other thing..."

Dean turned to Karina and Sam looking straight in his eyes, "What other thing?"

Sam and Karina looked at each other, smirking. Sam answered as he laughed, "That serious unfinished business. Dean, what is going on between you two?"

Dean shifted his eyes down and looked at two people smirking at him, "So maybe we were a little bit more involved than I said."

Karina nodded slightly, smiling a little, raising her eyebrows. "Ok. Sure."

Dean gave in after Karina's look at him, "Okay, a lot more... Maybe. I told her the secret about what we do, and I shouldn't have."

Sam replied, "Look, man, everybody's got to open up to someone sometime."

"Yeah, I don't. Either you do too, Karina. It was stupid to get that close. I mean, look how it ended."

Sam and Karina were smiling a little, staring at Dean's face. He was freaking out because they were staring together at the right time. "Would you guys stop?" No response from either of them. "Blink or something."

Sam began to speak up from his mind, "You loved her."

Dean turned his back away from them, "Oh, god..."

Sam walked toward Dean, "You were in love with her, but you dumped her."

Dean looked up to Sam, and then his eyes went down. Karina's smile turned to frown, reading Dean's mind and his action, "Oh... she dumped you."

Dean looked at both of them and ordered them to get in the car. His face was upset and trying to avoid it.

***

By the next morning, Sam informed Karina that Dean hadn't come back from the meeting with Cassie. Since his bed hadn't been slept in. All Karina did was laugh. They walked together on the road during a snowy day.

Sam and Karina were drinking coffee, but Karina ordered a peppermint latte. Along with a chocolate chip scone and for Sam, a croissant. They both wear winter coats, drinking their coffee, and their baked goods.

"Thanks, Sam, for dragging me out of my sleep into this beautiful, snowy morning."

"No problem..." She took a sip of her latte, he shook his head. "Wow, you're really a sweets person."

"Why not? It's not like I have a wabbit diet."

"Ouch."

Karina laughed. Sam smiled a little before she took a bite of her scone. She noticed him smiling as he looked down. "Oh my god, stop with this silent treatment of you smiling and thinking. What? Do you have a disease or something?"

Sam turned to her, "I don't have a disease!"

"Then what?"

"Nothing... It's just... you have a beautiful laugh."

Karina raised her eyebrows, and chuckled a little, "Wow. You have some flattering words to sweep the girls' feet. Your puppy eyes, wow."

"Can you for once accept my compliment?"

Karina groaned a little, eyes on the road, "Fine. Thank you, Sam Winchester. Annoying friend with visions of people. I'm touched."

"You're welcome, Karina Leone. Badass huntress, not so annoying friend, who has a capability to kick asses in the room."

She shifted her eyes to Sam and smiled a little. Sam smiled a little back at her. Her smile turns frown, not able to feel anything. She takes a deep breath of cold, bitter air, and turns away from Sam's eyes. Sam turned away from Karina, realizing what she was doing. Pushing him away.

Until then, the cop cars drove by them. Their sirens were blaring, and in a hurry, as they were walking toward the end of the road. They both looked at each other, sharing a knowing look. They both walked faster, following the cars. Then Sam called Dean.

Sam and Karina landed just in time to see the scene. There was another accident just this morning. It was the Mayor. What disconnected the Mayor was white. Dean was walking toward Sam and Karina talking to the cop, Sam informed the cop that he was with them. The cop let them be, and Dean approached them, who were looking around the crime scene.

Karina turned to Dean asking him teasingly, "So, lover boy, where were you last night? My friend here just informed me that your bed hadn't slept in or made it back to the motel."

"Nope."

Sam smirked, "I'm guessing you guys worked things out."

"We'll be working things out when we're 90." Sam and Karina chuckled, and Dean moved aside. "What happened?"

Sam answered, "Every bone crushed, internal organs turned to pudding. The cops are all stumped, it's like something ran him over."

"Something like a truck?"

"Yep."

"Tracks?"

"Nope."

"What was the Mayor doing here anyway?"

Karina answered, "From a few weeks ago, he bought the property and he owned it."

"But he's white, he doesn't fit the pattern."

"Not just because he's white, also they didn't happen on the road either. No more connections now."

Sam and Karina went to the courthouse records to find any more connections as they're still hoping. Sam found something similar this morning that Karina informed Dean on. Dean was at the newspaper's office with Cassie to find the history of the family, maybe the killer of the truck.

Karina called Dean while he was there with Cassie, he answered the phone, and Karina put it on the speaker to let Sam informed what they both got.

"Ok, the courthouse records show that Mr. and Mrs. Mayor bought an abandoned property. The previous owner was the Dorian family for like 150 years."

Dean asked, "Dorian?"

"Yeah." The line was silent for a sec, closely hearing Cassie answering Dean's question. They heard a few clicks on the computer. He commented on what he saw on the screen, "That's interesting."

"What?"

"This Cyrus Dorian, he vanished in April of '63. The case was investigated but never solved. It was right around the time the string of murders was going on."

Karina pointed out, "Actually, I found something too. The Dorian property, it must have been in a bad shape when the Mayor brought it."

"Why's that?"

"The first thing that he did was knock everything down. More like he bulldozed the place."

The line went silent as Dean was talking to Cassie about the information he gathered from Karina. He asked, "Hey, guys, you got a date?"

Sam read the document, "Uh... the 3rd of last month."

Dean read over the article he found on the computer, "Mayor Todd bulldozed the Dorian family home on the 3rd. The first killing was the very next day."

"Well, boys, look like we found some connection, alright..."