Twelve – A Pattern
Charlie felt a headache coming on. She refused to stop working on finding Sam and Dean. Since Crowley was of no help, she felt the need to take on the burden.
The group knew there was a pattern: the demons in Sam and Dean were using the Winchesters' bodies to murder other hunters around the country. That seemed logical. But pieces were still missing for Charlie. There was the biggie of did whoever was behind this have a beef with the brothers?
Well, what monster wouldn't? They're famous and infamous in the supernatural world.
Charlie was using her hand as a support for her head. She blocked everyone else out so she could properly focus. She remembered the last time she had to put her brain to good use: it was back when she had to decode a code for the Book of the Damned.
She shuddered, remembering where all that decoding got her. Dead, in a bathtub. She was absolutely positive that Sam and Dean had found her. There was no way that they wouldn't have once they realized she had disappeared.
Since her death, life in Heaven had been easygoing. No monsters to kill, no riddles to solve or decode. No life-threatening situations. Just bliss, in her own little house, with her own little Scarlett Johansson. She missed ScarJo, a lot.
I'll come back for you, Scar. I'll come home soon. Being back on Earth didn't even feel like home for her. Cas didn't feel like home, nor did the bunker. She felt no strong bonds with Jessica, Jo, or Meg. The few she had ties with were currently possessed.
For a fleeting moment, Charlie Bradbury wished she had never left her home, her ScarJo, in Heaven.
A firm hand on her shoulder forced her to jerk away from the laptop and scream. Cas put his hands out in surrender, and Charlie sighed irritably.
"I didn't mean to scare you," the angel said sincerely, "I just thought...you've been so focused that you might want something to eat." He set out snack foods all cluttered together on a paper plate for her. "It's not a sandwich or anything, unless you'd rather want that."
"The effort is appreciated, Cas." Charlie sat back in the chair, rubbing her eyes. She had a map of the US saved on the laptop, and she'd marked with a program where Sam and Dean had killed hunters. She'd even written the town, and the date of the murders. She wanted to be thorough.
"Any luck?"
"No more than when we banked on Meg's travel to Hell idea." She felt like ripping a few pieces of red hair out of her head. "What kind of supernatural being can cloak them so well that they can even evade you, Cas? Is it—I don't know, are we dealing with a witch who has demonic hires? Are we dealing with a demon? There's a lot we still don't know."
"You're very...detail-oriented with the map."
"Thanks...I think. We know there's a pattern of their victims." Charlie gestured to the screen. "We know they're slaughtering hunters left and right, to wipe out that population. I have a feeling that once Sam and Dean are left, they'll get...get offed too." She swallowed. "But as long as there are more hunters, that gives us time."
"That's a very grim perspective, Charlie."
"I agree," said Jessica, who came into the war room. "We can't just use other hunters as bait for the demons. We can't use them to buy time. We should be out there trying to predict the next murder and prevent it."
"Look, we're not Sam and Dean. We're not methodical, and I'm way rusty in searching for cases." Charlie looked to the blonde wearily. "Unless you're recently clairvoyant, there's no for-sure way to predict who the next kill will be."
"You put the dates on here, too?" asked Cas, who now shifted the laptop away from Charlie.
"Like you said, I'm detail-oriented." Charlie noticed Cas's fixation on the map now. "What is it, Cas?"
"I think I see a pattern, with the dates. They don't jump states from coast to coast, they're making their way across the country." Cas's eyes suddenly got wide. "Excuse me."
"Cas?" Charlie spun around as the angel stalked off. Jessica and Charlie exchanged looks before shrugging. The redhead spun back to the laptop, trying to see what Cas picked up on. It took a few tries, but she did notice the pattern that the demons were leaving.
It was almost like breadcrumbs. So maybe we can predict where they'll strike next, at least.
Carefully, Charlie moved a finger from murder dot to murder dot, following the timeline of each kill. The way it looked, it seemed like the demons were trekking up towards the north part of the country. They weren't cutting a straight line, it was like a hiking trail path.
"Okay, does anyone want to explain why Cas won't tell us something?" Jo asked as she and Meg came down the stairs from the bunker entrance.
"Is he out there?" asked Jessica.
"Yeah, genius, he is," Meg commented. "He's on the phone with someone, can't tell who. He wouldn't tell us, either, he just shushed us. I was a little offended. Oh, hey, speak of the angel." Cas was back in the bunker. "Were you calling for reinforcements?"
"No, forewarning them. I think I know where Sam and Dean might hit next," Cas said gravely. "We need to head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We need to beat them there."
"Why? What's in Sioux Falls?"
"Grab what you can, I'll meet you ladies there." Turning on his heels, Cas disappeared right back out of the bunker.
"Um, hey, dumbass, we need the address!" Meg shouted.
"I'll text it to you," came the angel's response through the other side of the door.
"He never did say what's in South Dakota," said Jessica.
"It has to be hunters," said Charlie. Hunters he seems to know or keep in contact with. He wouldn't have made that call otherwise.
"Well, I guess we're packing bags for South Dakota," said Jo. "Road trip number two."
Charlie shut the laptop, and the four women dispersed, already seeming to fall into a routine. She was focused primarily on what she was going to be packing, not everyone else. And we get to drive Baby. If these hunters know Sam and Dean, they'll be in a shock to find four women they've never met before in their car.
Charlie recalled the look on Cas's face when he made the connection. She couldn't understand just yet, there was still a piece missing. He looked spooked, utterly terrified. He'd been so urgent to get the ball rolling.
Just who was in South Dakota that Cas was so afraid for?
The four women met outside of the bunker, and one phone was used for GPS. Cas, as promised, had texted the address in South Dakota, with an ending note of I'll see you there. If anything happens prior, I will let you know immediately.
"Let's hope we don't get there too late," said Jessica. She was with Meg in the back, Jo was in shotgun, so Charlie ended up driving.
As the car tore onto the road, Jo dialed Cas's number, the only one that was programmed into each phone.
"You left us hanging, Cas," said Jo the second he answered. "Who's in South Dakota?"
"A family. A single mother with two adopted daughters," he said shortly. "The one daughter, Claire Novak, she is the daughter of the man whose body I walk in."
Now it made more sense to Charlie.
"The woman, Jody Mills, she's a sheriff in Sioux Falls. She's aware of the world we live in and fight. And then there's Alex Jones, the other daughter. She became part of the household after Sam and Dean got her out of a mess with vampires. They mean something to Sam and Dean, and if they're watching as their bodies murder them..."
Charlie nodded solemnly. "We understand."
"I don't think you can, Charlie. Anyway, I'll reach Sioux Falls first. I'll keep them aware and let them know you're on your way. If Sam and Dean don't reach us first, we'll devise a plan to get them back. Hopefully if we can do that we can figure out who is behind all the murders."
"Sounds like a plan, Cas," said Jo. "Keep us posted."
"Don't get sidetracked, any of you."
"I think pee breaks aside, we'll be good," said Charlie. "Good luck, Cas. And be careful."
When Jo cut the call off, Charlie felt the severity of this situation grow. If something happened to Jody Mills, Claire Novak, and Alex Jones, and if they weren't there to help Cas stop Not Sam and Not Dean...
Charlie already felt responsible, even though nothing bad had happened yet.