( SEVERED HEADS )
MOTEL ROOM
[ ☼ ]
Dean and Sam sit down on the bed listening to every word that leaves Elena's mouth. "As you are both aware, I've recently had a reconnection with my memories. Well, part of it." Elena says.
"What exactly do you remember?" Dean asks.
"Well, for starters, my full name is Elena Gilbert and I used to live in a town called Mystic Falls. I had a lot of friends, but both of my parents were murdered." She says. "I had to live with my Aunt for a while and she protected me. After a while, these people started to come after me, they had black eyes."
"Demons." Sam says and Elena nods.
"When I started college, I took martial arts classes and learned how to defend myself and after a while they stopped showing up. Until..." Elena starts.
"Us." Dean says.
Elena nods. "Then one night, this man with bright yellow eyes visited my house and wiped my memories of everything." She says.
"Do you know why he did it?" Sam asks.
"All he said was that he had plans for me, but first he wanted me to go find these people with special powers." Elena says.
"Like me?" Sam asks and she nods.
"That's why whenever I got close to you or one of them, I had those weird visions and seizures." She says.
Dean patted his knee. "You mean that thing that had you lookin' like a comic book character, who could forget." He says sarcastically.
"The last thing I remember him telling me was that I would remember in time. Now I'm...me." Elena says.
Sam fidgets. "So are you going back?" He asks.
"To what?" Elena asks. "There's nothing left for me to go back to. And I'm not leaving either."
"What made you change your mind?" Sam asks her.
"When I saw your Dad there on the ground, I couldn't help but feel responsible for all of it. Like there was something I could've done but didn't." Elena says.
"You and me both." Dean mumbles.
"So I'm not leaving until we find this thing and kill it." Elena says vehemently.
RED LODGE, MONTANA
DARK FOREST
[ ☾]
A young woman is running through a dark forest. She trips and falls. She stops behind a tree and her pursuer runs past. Relaxing, thinking she's safe, she steps out. A large hook appears, slices her head off.
The Metallicar zooms up a 2-lane, driven by Dean. He is in a good mood, grooving along to his music. "Whoo! Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?" Dean asks Sam and Elena.
"You know, if you two want to get a room, just let me know, Dean." Sam says as Elena shakes her head.
"Oh, don't listen to him, baby. He doesn't understand us." Dean says.
"You're in a good mood." Elena says.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asks.
"No reason." Elena says.
Dean smiles. "Got my car, got a case, things are looking up." He says.
"Wow. You hear a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mister Sunshine." Sam says.
"How far to Red Lodge?" Dean asks.
"Uh, about another three hundred miles." Sam says.
"Good." Dean steps on the gas.
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
[ ☼ ]
In Red Lodge, a Sheriff with an impressive mustache is talking to Sam, Elena and Dean, who are posing as reporters. "The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time." The Sheriff says.
"Sure, sure, we understand that, but just for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?" Elena asks.
"Mm-hmm."
"Okay, and the other, a uh, Christina Flanagan." Elena says.
"That was two days ago. Is there–" A young woman knocks on the door, points at her watch. "Oh. Sorry guys, time's up, we're done here." The Sheriff says.
"One last question." Sam says.
"Yeah, what about the cattle?" Dean asks.
"Excuse me?" Sheriff asks.
"You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained...over a dozen cases." Dean says.
"What about them?"
"So you don't think there's a connection?" Elena asks.
"Connection...with..." The Sheriff asks.
Elena speaks. "First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff."
"You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff?" Dean asks.
The Sheriff laughs. "You–you're not kidding." He says, now serious.
"No." Dean says lamely.
"Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?" The Sheriff asks.
"How?" Sam asks.
"Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty eight hours the bloat will split it open so clean it's just about surgical." The Sheriff says. "The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan. What newspaper did you say you work for?"
Dean thinks. "World Weekly News..." He says.
"Weekly World News." Elena and Sam say.
"World–" Dean starts.
"Weekly World–" Elena corrects.
"Weekly... I'm new." Dean says.
The Sheriff looks at all three of them, squinting. "Get out of my office."
HOSPITAL MORGE
[ ☼ ]
Dean, Elena and Sam enter the morgue. Dean and Sam are still wearing their shirts and ties with a lab coat while Elena wears a purple dress. The intern on duty has a name tag that reads "J. Manners." Dean looks at it, calculating. "John." He says.
"Jeff."
"Jeff. I know that. Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away." Dean lies.
"But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation." Jeff says.
"Well, he's back. And he's pissed, and he's screaming for you, man, so if I were you I would...okay." Dean says.
The intern runs away. "Hey, those satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?" Elena asks.
"Yeah, reversed pentacle on the forehead." Sam says.
"Yeah. So much f-d up crap happens in Florida." Dean hands Sam a pair of latex gloves and puts on a pair of his own.
Sam offers Elena a pair. "Nope, you guys got this." She says.
Sam opens a compartment and wheels out a corpse; there's a box between its legs. "All right, open it." Dean says.
"You open it." Sam says.
"Wuss." Dean carries the box over to another table and flips off the lid, grimacing. Sam approaches, cringing. "Well, no pentagram."
Elena leans over and winces. "Wow. Poor girl." She says.
"Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kinda like Moth in Silence of the Lambs." Dean suggests.
"Yeah, here, go ahead." Sam says.
"No, you go ahead." Dean interjects.
"What?"
"'Put the lotion in the basket.'" Dean says.
"Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh? Whatever." Sam steels himself and starts poking his fingers into the mouth. "Dean, get me a bucket?"
"You find something?" Elena asks.
"No, I'm going to puke." Sam says.
Dean sees something. "Wait, lift the lip up again?" He says.
"What? You want me to throw up, is that it?" Sam asks.
"No, no, no, I think I saw something." Dean says and Sam pulls back the lip. "What is that, a hole?"
Dean presses on the gum and a narrow, sharp tooth descends. "It's a tooth." Sam says.
"Sam, that's a fang. Retractable set of vampire fangs, you've got to be kidding me." Dean says.
"Wait, vampires are real?" Elena asks.
"As real as ghosts." Dean says.
"Well, this changes things." Says Sam.
"Ya think?"
BAR
[ ☾]
Dean, Elena and Sam pull up near a local bar, go around to park. They go inside. They approach the bar. "How's it going?" Dean asks the bartender. Someone watches them from a distance.
"Living the dream. What can I get for you?" The Bartender asks.
"Two beers, please and a margarita for the lady." Dean says and Elena elbows him hard. "Make that three beers." He corrects.
"So, we're looking for some people." Sam says.
"Sure. Hard to be lonely." The Bartender says.
"Yeah. But um, that's not what I meant." Sam pulls out a $50 bill, fingering it, and drops it on the bar; bartender takes it. "Right. So these, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink..."
"Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night." Dean says.
"Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot - drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice."
"Thanks." Dean says. They leave their half-finished beers on the table and leave. The man who was watching them is gone, a smoldering cigarette left behind. As Dean, Elena and Sam leave, the man watches, then stalks them. They go down an alley, he follows.
He loses sight of them, turns. Dean and Sam are suddenly there, pinning him to the wall, Dean with a knife at his throat. Elena stands next to the black male, sneering.
"Smile." Dean says.
"What?" He asks.
"Show us those pearly whites." Dean says.
"Oh, for the love of–you want to stick that thing someplace else? I'm not a vampire." He says and Sam frowns. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there."
"What do you know about vampires?" Sam asks.
"How to kill them. Now seriously, bro. That knife's making me itch." The Black man says. Dean cocks his head. The man starts to pull away, Sam pins him harder. "Whoa. Easy there, chachi."
He slowly brings his right hand to his lip, pulls it back, revealing normal gums. "See? Fangless. Happy?" He asks and Dean lets up. "Now. Who the hell are you?"
At the man's car, he pulls out his arsenal, which includes the large hook from the teaser scene.
"Sam and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it. You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear you guys fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a tight spot–" The Man says and turns to Elena. "But I don't know who you are. One of their girlfriends maybe?"
Elena shakes her head. "Why does everyone keep saying that? No, I'm not for your information." She says.
"Oo. Fiesty." He says and turns to Dean. "You should keep her Dean."
Deans face is completely blank. "You seem to know a lot about our family." He says.
"Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk." He says.
"No, we don't, actually." Dean says.
"I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?" The Man says.
Sam shifts uncomfortably. "So, um, so those two vampires, they were yours, huh?" He asks.
"Yep. Been here two weeks." The Man says.
"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Dean asks.
"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone." He says.
"Where's the nest, then?" Elena asks.
"I've got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it." The Man says.
"We could help." Dean asks.
"Thanks, but uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy."
"Come on, man, I"ve been itching for a hunt." Dean says.
"Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out." He gets in his car. "It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side.
A man is sitting in the quiet mill, alone. He hears a noise, starts investigating. He goes up to the roof, pulls out a crowbar. A crow flies at his head, startling him. He relaxes, then turns around to find the black male attacking him with a machete.
The man extends his fangs. They struggle near an electric saw; the vampire turns it on, pinning Gordon down below it, nearly decapitating him until... Sam pulls him to safety.
Dean attacks the vampire, getting him pinned under the electric saw. He lowers the saw, decapitating him. "So uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink." Sam stares at Dean, stunned.
BAR
[ ☾]
Gordon, Dean, Elena, and Sam are sitting around a table in the bar. A waitress brings them another round, Dean reaches for his wallet. "No, no, I got it." Gordon says.
"Come on." Dean says.
"I insist." Gordon says and turns to the waitress. "Thank you, sweetie." He raises his shot glass. "Another one bites the dust."
"That's right." Dean says.
Dean and Gordon drink a toast; Sam is sitting back, arms folded. Elena watches Sam. "Dean." Gordon laughs. "You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend."
"Thank you." Dean says.
"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Gordon says.
"Yep. You all right, Sammy?" Dean asks.
"I'm fine."
"Well, lighten up a little, Sammy." Gordon says.
Sam motions to Dean. "He's the only one who gets to call me that." Sam says.
"Okay. No offense meant. Just celebrating a little. Job well done." Gordon says.
"Right. Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess." Sam says.
"Oh, come one, man, it's not like it was human. You've gotta have a little more fun with your job." Gordon says.
Dean smiles. "See? That's what I've been trying to tell him. You could learn a thing or two from this guy." He says to Sam.
"Yeah, I bet I could. Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel." Sam says.
Elena gets up also. "Me too." She says.
"You sure?" Dean asks.
"Yeah." Elena says.
"Sammy? Remind me to beat that buzzkill out of you later, all right?" Dean tosses Sam the keys. "Don't you kids do anything I wouldn't!" He yells as they leave.
Gordon looks back. "Him and her?" He asks.
"Nah, she wants to play it safe." Dean says.
Gordon snorts. "Damn, if he won't hit that, I will." He says.
"Hey, she's still my friend." Dean says defensively and Gordon holds his hands up in a surrendering motion.
"How come you never got some of that?" Gordon asks.
Dean smirks. "She has a thing for Sam. Besides, she's not really my type anyway."
"By the way, what's up with him. Something I said?" Gordon asks.
"No, no, he just gets that way sometimes. Tell you what. Match you quarters for the next round." Dean says.
Sam and Elena return to the motel room. Sam drops the keys on a hook. "I'm gonna go take a quick shower." Elena says.
"'Kay." Sam says. Elena goes to the bathroom and accidentally leaves the door cracked. Sam sits on the bed and turns to see Elena stripping in the bathroom. He sees her bare back and turns away.
Back at the bar, Dean and Gordon are still laughing and having a great time.
"So. I pick up this crossbow. And I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart. Sammy's waiting in the car, and uh, me and my dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp. I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm sixteen years old." Dean says. "Most kids my age are worried about pimples, prom dates. I'm seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So right then, I just sort of–"
"Embraced the life?" Gordon finishes.
"Yeah." Dean says.
"Yeah." Gordon repeats.
"Yeah. How'd you get started?" Dean asks.
Gordon sighs. "First time I saw a vampire I was barely eighteen. Home alone with my sister. I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So I shoot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone." He says.
"And then?" Dean asks.
"Then...try explaining that one to your family." Gordon says.