Croatoan, Nikki Hall [portable ebook reader txt] 📗

as usual. "Does Dwayne Tanner live here?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's my brother," the guy said.
"You think we could talk to him?" Dean asked.
"He's on a fishing trip right now," he replied.
"Well, are your parents home?" I asked.
"Yeah, they're inside." After he said that, an older man walked up behind him.
"U.S. Marshals," I said quickly. "we're looking for your son, Dwayne."
"He's not in any trouble is he?" his father asked. He had a look of worry on his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I found that a little weird.
"No," Dean said. "We just need to ask him a few questions."
"Do you know when he'll be back from his fishing trip?" Sam asked. I could tell from his voice that he didn't like their act either. The man shakes his head. "I'm not sure," he said.
"Well, maybe your wife knows," I said.
"Oh," Mr. Tanner said. "I don't know. She's not here right now." I raised an eyebrow. "Your son said she was," I pointed out.
"Did I?" he said, smiling. OK, I'm not a genius or anything, but this was getting really

creepy. "She's out getting groceries," Mr. Tanner said. "So, when Dwayne gets back, is there a number I could get back to you?"
"We'll just check back later," Dean said. We went down the steps, and Dean turned to us as the door closed. "Did that seem creepy to you?" he asked. "A little too Stepford?"
"Big time," Sam answered. We headed around the side of the house and quickly crouched down, creeping along over to a window. Inside, Mrs. Tanner, I guessed, was tied to a chair and gagged. "It's OK, Mom," I heard the younger Tanner say. "It won't hurt." We watched as Mr. Tanner pulled out a knife and cut his arm. We stayed in position a little longer, then moved to the door. Dean kicked it down, and Mr. Tanner came at him with the knife. I shot him quickly, and the younger Tanner jumped out the window. Sam followed, and I guess he got away since I didn't hear a gunshot.

*~3~*

We pulled up to a clinic in town, and Sam led Mrs. Tanner inside. Dean went to the trunk and I followed Sam. I knew this case was bothering him, and I wanted to keep an eye on him. A young nurse came to the front to help us. "What happened?" she asked.
"She was attacked," Sam explained. The nurse nodded and called out, "Dr. Lee, we need you in here!" A young, female doctor came into the front of the clinic just as Dean was entering. He had Mr. Tanner slung over his shoulder. "Was he attacked as well?" she asked Dean.
"Actually, he was the one that did the attacking," Dean said. "I had to shoot him."
"You shot him?" Dr. Lee said. "And you are?"
"U.S. Marshall. I'd show you my badge, but," he gestured to the dead body over his shoulder.
"Right, sorry. Bring him back here," the doctor told him. Dean followed her. I looked at Sam, who had given Mrs. Tanner over to the nurse. "Things just get better and better, doesn't it?" I asked. He sighed. "I just hope this is the end of it," he said. "If it gets any worse, we're probably screwed." I nodded. He was right, of course. We had no way to get in touch with Bobby or Ellen, or even Ash. Ash was a genius, who could figure this out with no problem. Bobby and Ellen may have seen something like this before, since they were more experienced than us.

We went into one of the rooms where Dr. Lee and Mrs. Tanner were. "You said Jake helped him?" the doctor asked Mrs. Tanner. "Your son Jake?" Mrs. Tanner nodded. "They beat me. And tied me up," she told the doctor. Her face was tear-streaked, but she came off as a lady that would bake cookies or cake when she knew someone was coming to visit. She was a short, plump woman with a kind face and bright eyes.
"Mrs. Tanner, do you have any idea why they would do this?" Dr. Lee asked her. Any history of chemical dependency?" Mrs. Tanner shook her head. "No, of course not," she said. "One moment they were my husband and son, and the next it was like they had the devil in them." Dean shot us a Look, and I nodded almost imperceptibly. Mrs. Tanner and Dr. Lee wouldn't catch what the movement meant, but Dean and Sam would.
"I need to speak to the two of you," Dean said to Sam and me. He led us into another room. "Those guys were whacked out of their gourds," Dean said. I nodded. "What do you think?" I asked. "Multiple Demons? Multiple possessions?"
"If it is a possession, there could be more," Dean replied. "Of course that's one way to wipe out a town, you take it from the inside."
"I don't know, man," Sam said. "We didn't see any black smoke with Tanner, or any of the usual signs of possession."
"Well whatever. Something turned him into a monster." Dean turned to look back at Sam. "And you know if you would've taken out the other one, we'd have one less to worry about."
"I'm sorry, all right? I hesitated. It was a kid!

" Sam said.
"No, it was an it. Not the best time to have a bleeding heart, Sam." Before I could get a word in, Dr. Lee came into the room. "How's the patient?" I asked.
"Terrible!" she said. Anger and worry swirled together in her eyes. "What the hell happened out there?"
"We don't know," Dean said.
"Yeah, well you shot my next door neighbor, you know." Yeah, she was agitated, and I understood that. She was human, and she was shying away from something that she didn't understand. Typical, if you ask me.
"We need the county sheriff and the coroner here," she sighed.
"We know, but the phones are down," I pointed out.
"I know. Don't you have a police radio in your car?"
"Yes, but it's not working right either," Dean said. Nice save, Dean,

I thought. She nodded. "How far's the next town?" Dean asked.
"About forty miles up the main highway," Dr. Lee replied.
"All right, I'll go see if I can get some help and my partners will stay here to keep you safe."
"Safe from what?" she asked.
"Let me get back to you on that," Dean replied after a moment. I suppressed a smile. I liked that answer. It was honest without telling her the whole truth. Because we didn't

know what we needed to keep them safe from.

*~4~*

Sam and I stood in one of the blood labs, looking at Mr. Tanner's body. Sam's eyes met mine and I shook my head. Dr. Lee was looking at a blood sample. "Hmm," she said. "Looks like Mr. Tanner was fighting off a viral infection."
"What kind of virus?" I asked.
"I don't know, that's the problem."
"Can an infection cause someone to act like that?"
"Not that I've ever heard of. I know some to cause Dementia, but not outright violence. I've never seen one do this to the blood either."
"Do what?" That had piqued Sam's interest.
"It leaves this weird residue," she replied. "If I didn’t know better, I'd say it was sulfur." I looked at Sam and motioned for him to follow me into the hallway. He shut the door behind him.
"OK, that's really weird," he admitted. I nodded and looked at the window behind him. "I've heard that the Demons are getting stronger," I said. "Maybe this is their new way of possession, that infects the victim instead of them having to be in the body."
"I don't know. It just seems too far-fetched to me."
"I know. But it could happen, right?"
"I'd have to ask Bobby or Ash, but we can't right now. Not with the phones down."
"I know. That's what's worrying me. What if this does

get worse, Sam?"
"I won't let you get hurt, Ares, I promise." I looked him in the eyes, and his hazel eyes had a look of determination in them. There was another emotion that I could sense, but I wasn't sure what it was. Affection, maybe?
We go back into the room where Mrs. Tanner and Dr. Lee are. "I don't understand," Mrs. Tanner said. "Are you saying my husband and Jake had a disease?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Dr. Lee said. "Now, during the attack, do you remember, did you have any direct contact with their blood?"
"Oh my God. You don't think I've got this virus, do you?"
"Beverly, I don't know what to think," Dr. Lee sighed. "Now, with your permission, I'd like to take a blood sample to make sure." Beverly nodded and Dr. Lee reached for her wrist with a hypodermic needle in her