"Kenzie. Kenzie."
I groaned as I felt Dean shaking my shoulder.
"What?" I grumbled.
"Come on." He hit my arm. "Dad called. We gotta go check out this job in Indiana."
I snapped my eyes open at the mention of Dad’s name. "What?" I cried sitting up. "Dad called and you didn’t wake me up?" I jumped out of bed and followed my brothers’ example of packing and getting dressed.
"What did Dad say?" I asked as we hurried out toward the Impala.
"Nothing much. Just gave us some names and told us to look into a job." Dean threw his duffel into the back and climbed into the driver’s seat.
"But he didn’t say where he was. Is he gonna meet us there?" I questioned, crestfallen.
Dean looked uncomfortable but he hid it well. "No, but we have to do like Dad says. If he wants us to do a job, we do it. It’s that simple."
I bit my lip and slumped back against my seat as we took off. I closed my eyes to get some rest.
* * * * *
I was pulled out of my sleep when I felt the car being pulled over off the road.
"We’re not going to Indiana." I heard Sam say as he turned off the ignition.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"We’re not?" Dean asked.
"No. We’re going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code."
"Sam." Dean began in his ‘I’m tolerating this for now’ voice.
"Dean, if this demon killed Mom and Jess, and Dad’s closing in, we’ve gotta be there. We’ve gotta help." Sam pleaded.
"Dad doesn’t want our help." Dean said sharply.
"I don’t care."
"He’s given us an order."
"I don’t care. We don’t always have to do what he says." Sam stated firmly.
"Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives, it’s important."
I pursed my lips at their argument. I was less than thrilled to include myself in it and I felt that it wasn’t really my argument to enter.
"Alright, I understand, believe me, I understand. But I’m talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge."
"Alright, look, I know how you feel." Dean started patiently, but Sam cut him off again.
"Do you?" Dean raised his eyebrows in shock at Sam’s accusing tone. "How old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. How the hell would you know how I feel?"
"Dad said it wasn’t safe." Dean reasoned. "For any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don’t, so if he says to stay away, we stay away."
"I don’t understand the blind faith you have in the man. I mean, it’s like you don’t even question him."
Dean lost it at that. "Yeah, it’s called being a good son!"
Sam jumped out of the car and slammed the door. Dean was next and I followed suit unsure of what to do, but I had to be ready to break up a fist fight should it ensue.
"You’re a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever you want. Don’t care what anybody thinks." Dean accused angrily.
Sam grabbed his duffel and backpack from the trunk and I opened my mouth in a silent gasp.
"That’s what you really think?" Sam asked angrily.
"Yes, it is."
"Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California." Sam angrily slung the backpack over his shoulder and began striding away.
"Wait, Sam!" I called out.
He didn’t turn. I continued to gape at him. To think that he would leave us again. Just like that.
"Come on, you’re not serious?" Dean asked.
"I am serious."
"Sam I want to go with you." I blurted out before I could register what I was saying.
Both of my brothers spun in my direction and stared at me. A look of such hurt and shock flashed in Dean’s eyes that I almost wavered in my decision.
"What?" My brothers asked simultaneously.
I grabbed my duffel and slung it over my back. "This thing didn’t kill my mother, but I want to see Dad. I want to know why he left us to hunt alone." I started towards Sam trying not to let my confidence waver.
"It’s the middle of the night!" Dean cried behind us. Me and Sam turned and walked off. My heart was breaking at this. Leaving Dean alone. I swallowed and blinked back tears of regret. "Hey, I’m taking off, I will leave your asses, you hear me?" Dean called after us.
Sam stopped beside me again. "That’s what I want you to do."
We stared at one another for a few tense seconds before finally Dean slammed the trunk shut. "Goodbye, Sam." He looked at me. "Goodbye, Kenzie."
Dean got into the car and sped off.
* * * * *
Sometime in early morning we came across another hitchhiker. A girl with short blond hair and punk themed clothes. She was nodding her head in time with the music blasting through her headphones.
Sam reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and exclaimed. "You scared the hell outta me." She took off her headphones.
"I’m sorry. I just thought you might need some help." Sam said kindly.
She gave him a once over. Then she turned to me and something flickered in her eyes. It was almost possessive looking. "No, I’m good, thanks."
"Uh, so where you headed?" Sam asked awkwardly.
She looked him over again and said wryly, "No offense, but no way I’m telling you two."
"Why not?" I asked.
"You could be some kind of freaks. I mean, you are hitchhiking." She replied matter-of-factly.
"Well, so are you." Sam shot back.
The girl laughed. There was something off about her. Like the way her eyes flickered strangely every time she glanced my way.
A car horn honked behind us and we turned. A van pulled over beside us and the driver called, "Need a ride?"
"Yeah." We all three replied.
"Just the girls." He said looking at Sam. "I ain’t takin’ you."
The girl gathered up her things and got in the van. "You coming?" She asked me and I shook my head.
"Nah, I’m good." I replied
"You trust shady van guy and not me?" Sam asked her through the open window.
She grinned. "Definitely." They drove off.
* * * * *
I was beginning to regret my decision of going with Sam.
We had been walking for hours after meeting the girl and had finally found a bus station.
While Sam was seeing about tickets I excused myself to the restroom.
I locked the door and dug out my cell phone. I flipped through my contacts to Dean’s number and dialed it. It rang for several moments before finally his voicemail picked up.
"Hey, Dean." I said. "If you get this, please call me back. Sam and me are on our way to Sacramento. Just, please call me back, okay?" I flipped the phone down and let out a breath of air.
When I came back out I noticed Sam was talking to the same girl we had meet earlier. I shuddered involuntarily as her possessive eyes flittered my way.
Sam turned when he saw where her gaze was. "Oh, and that’s MacK." He introduced. I smiled slightly and held up my hand in greeting.
"Hi." The girl answered cheerfully. "I’m Meg." She held out her hand to shake and I took it.
"Nice to meet you." I said trying not to grimace at how hard her handshake was.
"Yeah, you too." She grinned and turned back to Sam after she let go of my wrist. I rubbed it sure I was going to find bruises there tomorrow. "How about we go get a couple drinks?" She suggested.
"Sure." Sam said eagerly. I was tempted to roll my eyes. He was such a lovestruck puppy dog.
Half an hour later Sam and Meg are drinking a couple beers and chatting away like old friends.
I sat politely through their conversation not really adding anything of my own. Later that night though when I noticed Meg had dozed off on the floor I told Sam about what happened earlier.
Sam gave me a look. "Kenzie, I’m sure it’s nothing. She’s just some normal girl trying to get to California."
I snorted. "Yeah, normal. Sam, she was hitchhiking."
"So? So were we."
"Yeah, and we’re not normal!" Amazing how loud you can shout when you don’t even raise your voice above a whisper.
"Fine! Whatever you say! If you want to think that every person we meet might be a monster then go ahead. Hell, why don’t you just go ahead and call Dean and tell him to come get you."
"I did!" I snapped back, which wasn‘t entirely true.
Sam’s eyes widened then they darkened. "Do what you want. I don’t care." He turned around and stomped off.
I dozed off for a few hours until I felt someone shaking my shoulder. I rubbed my heavy eyelids and waited for my vision to focus on Sam’s face. "What is it?" I whispered.
"Dean called." He said and I sat up. "He said he thinks there’s a pagan god taking the form of a scarecrow to take the human sacrifices offered to it. Then it keeps up the town’s crops for the year."
"Which god is it?" I asked.
"Dean doesn’t know yet. He’s on his way to figure it out."
I nodded. After a long moment I asked, "Sam, do you think we’re doing the right thing? Leaving Dean like that." Sam stared at me. "I mean, I want to see Dad as much as you do, but this demon didn’t kill my mom. If you want revenge, then, go ahead. I’m going back to Burkitsville."
Sam’s eyes drooped sadly. "Yeah, I figured. I’ll meet up with you two sometime later then."
I nodded.
* * * * *
I planned to wait and see Sam off to California. At five o’clock Meg came up beside us and I suppressed the shudder growing inside me.
"Hey. Our bus came in." She said.
Sam hung up his phone again. I looked at him concerned. "Dean still hasn’t answered?" I asked worriedly.
Sam shook his head. Then to Meg he said, "You better catch it. We gotta go." I looked at him.
"What?" I asked at the same time as Meg asked, "Go where?"
"Burkitsville."
I stared, feeling disappointed and excited at the same time. Sam was coming with us and I was happy about that, but now we wouldn’t know how Dad was, where he was, or what he was doing.
Meg’s eyes clouded over with disappointment. "Sam, wait."
I was tempted to roll my eyes. I seriously hoped this wouldn’t be a chick-flick moment.
"I’ve been trying to call my brother for the last three hours. I’m just getting his voicemail." Sam explained to her.
"Well, maybe his phone’s turned off." Meg said convincingly.
"No, that’s not like him. Meg, I think he might be in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Meg acted concerned.
"Bitch." I muttered.
I felt her piercing gaze lock on my face but I kept my eyes on Sam. There was no way she could have heard that.
"I can’t really explain right now." Sam tried awkwardly. "I’m sorry, look, I don’t want you to miss your bus."
"But I don’t understand." Meg said feigning ignorance. Obviously Sam didn’t see through it. "You’re running back to your brother? The guy you ran away from? Why, because he won’t pick up his phone? Sam—come with me to California."
"I can’t. I’m sorry."
"Why not?"
"He’s my family." Sam stated. He grabbed my arm and pulled me after him.
I didn’t look back but I felt Meg’s eyes on my back.
Out in the parking lot Sam kept watch while I hurriedly hot wired a car. We drove non-stop all the way back to Burkitsville, unsure of what we might find when we got there.
"We need to check the orchard first. He might’ve gone to check it out. Something could have happened." I rambled on worriedly.
Sam laid a calming hand on my knee. He glanced at me as he drove. His voice was a bit shaky but he was doing his best to keep it steady. "Hey, everything’s going to be fine. We’ll find Dean. Don’t worry."
I licked my dry lips and nodded.
* * * * *
We found the orchard no problem.
It was creepy looking place. We walked cautiously down the dirt path and I kept my gun cocked. I wasn’t sure if it would kill the thing or not but it made me feel safer to have it on me.
We turned around the corner of a patch of trees and up ahead we caught sight of two figures tied to trees.
"Dean?" Sam asked what I was thinking.
Dean turned his head to see us better. "Oh!" he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, I take everything back I said. I’m so happy to see you two. Come on." Sam moved toward him to begin untying his wrists while I did the same for the girl.
"How’d you guys get here?" I heard Dean ask.
Even in the dark I could see Sam’s slight blush. Or maybe it was just because I knew it was there. "We, uh—we stole a car." He said hesitantly.
Dean laughed. "Haha! That’s my boy!" The girl I was untying gave Dean a funny look and I hid a smirk. "And keep an eye on that scarecrow. He could come alive any minute."
I looked up as I helped the girl to her feet. "What scarecrow?" Sam asked.
I looked over where Dean was at the empty post. Uh, oh.
We ran through to orchard my gaze sweeping left and right for any sign of movement. I’d given Dean my gun knowing he’d be better off with it than me.
"Alright, now, this sacred tree you’re talking about—" Sam began.
"It’s the source of its power." Dean finished for him.
"So let’s find it and burn it." I said wanting nothing more than to get away from this place before we all became sacrifices.
"Nah, in the morning. Let’s just shag ass before Leather Face catches up." Dean said as we came into a clearing.
Townspeople blocked our way. "This way." Dean said and we turned only to find that we were surrounded.
We huddled together our backs to each other.
"Please. Let us go." The girl, whose name I had learned was Emily pleaded.
"It’ll be over quickly, I promise." A man from the crowd said reassuringly.
"Please." Emily begged.
"Emily, you have to let him take you. You have to—" The man was cut off when the end of a bloody scythe sprouted from his stomach.
Emily and another woman screamed while me and my brothers, along with the other townspeople watched horrified.
The scarecrow loped an arm around the woman and dragged her and the man away into the shadows. Emily flew into Dean’s arms and I stepped closer to Sam and Dean, not necessarily out of fright—I mean, I fight crazy, scary things everyday—but more for reassurance that we were all alright. The townspeople had run and now it was our turn to get the hell out of there.
"Come on, let’s go." I heard Dean say, as if I needed to be told. We started running but then suddenly we heard a noise. We stopped and looked around but we didn’t see anything else. The scarecrow and its’ victims had disappeared.
The next morning we headed back to the orchard intent on burning the tree, and we watched silently as the tree went up in flames.
After seeing Emily off at the bus stop we made our way back to the Impala.
"So, can I drop you guys off somewhere?" Dean asked.
I looked at Sam. I was staying this time, but I expected him to leave. "No, I think you’re stuck with us." Sam said and I raised my eyebrows happily.
"What made you change your minds?" Dean asked surprised. He looked between the two of us until Sam answered.
"I didn’t. I doubt Kenzie did either. I still wanna find Dad. And you’re still a pain in the ass." Sam began and Dean nodded. "But, Jess and Mom—they’re both gone. Dad is God knows where. You, me, and Kenzie. We’re all that’s left. So, if we’re gonna see this through, we’re gonna do it together."
Dean paused and then said a teary voice, "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful." He put his hand on Sam’s shoulder and Sam knocked it away. We laughed.
"You should be kissing our asses, you were dead meat, dude." Sam said teasingly.
"Yeah, right. I had a plan, I’d have gotten out." Dean tried unsuccessfully.
"Right." Sam drew out the word to show he didn’t believe a word of it.
Grinning we got into the car and headed off as a team on our next hunt.