Faith opened the bathroom door, clad in a shirt and underwear, silently annoyed at herself for forgetting her pants as she wandered over to her bag.
Hmm, car keys. She should probably ring Angel and let him know that he was minus one car.
Dean
"Wow. If I'd known I was going to get that for free every morning? I wouldn't have wasted money on pay-per-view," Dean remarked, walking through the door with an arm full of beer.
Faith
Faith jumped slightly, startled by the fact it wasn't Sam, like she was expecting.
"Well, you know me. I'm a giver."
She grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on quickly.
Dean & Sam
"I would agree with that, but it was usually the other way around," Dean said thoughtfully as he closed the door behind him.
"Drop it," Sam scorned as he followed Faith from the bathroom, drying off his hair again.
"But the glass will break and then we'll have no beer," Dean hit back in the same tone.
Faith
"Beer o'clock already?" Faith asked him, shaking her hair out of the loose bun it had been in.
"Well, I guess it's 8 somewhere, right?"
Dean & Sam
"No reason to allow our stocks to get low," Dean pointed out, starting to put the bottles in the small bar fridge.
"You do realise we're leaving soon, right?" Sam's eyebrows rose.
"So?"
"So why are you putting them all in the fridge?"
"So the eskimos in there can share, ok?"
Faith
Faith tossed her duffel down on the floor and sat down beside it, going through her weapons.
"Ah, leg cramp."
She made a face, then stretched her legs out in front of her, finally moving into the splits, then sat like that for awhile, still sorting through her weapons.
Sam & Dean
Sam sat on the bed near her, leaning over to pull his boots on.
"You know, some more physical exercise could help with that," Dean walked past them both, chewing on some jerky, "maybe you need something more than banging Sam once a month."
Sam glared at his brother as he sat at the table by the door.
Faith
Faith finished sorting her weapons and stood, pausing in her movements to put her hand on Sam's shoulder, steadying herself.
"Ok, so, where are we headed?" she asked, ignoring Dean's comment. She bent down to put her shoes on, giving a clear view down her shirt.
Dean & Sam
Dean leered, and Sam quickly pushed Faith own so she was sitting on the bed to do it.
"Wesley emailed and gave me the heads up on this back road not far from here. Apparently a lot of people have gone missing there. He doesn't think it's a vampire or demon thing, so he handed it over to us."
"Because we always do everyone else's dirty work," Dean rolled his eyes.
Faith
"If it's not dirty, it's just not fun," Faith put in.
She finished putting her boots on, then stood, eyes scanning the room for a second.
"So, here's hoping that it's something I can fight. Itching for a good spot of violence."
Dean & Sam
"Something else you don't get from Sam," Dean said absently, biting off more jerky.
"Dean-"
"What?" Dean glared back at Sam, making Sam hold his tongue.
Sam stood from the bed and grabbed his jacket silently, putting it on before going over to his lapto to find the diretions.
Faith
Faith decided it would be a good time to escape the tense situation by grabbing her bags and heading outside to the impala.
She set her bags down beside the car, and stretched her arms up, basking in the sunshine.
Sam & Dean
Sam wrote down the directions as fast as he could, turned off his computer, and packed it up.
Dean finished his jerky, brushed off his hands, and went to get three of the beers from the fridge. Without another word Sam grabbed the room key and Dean grabbed the impala key, and they both left the room.
"So it's about 25 miles from here," Sam said as they got in the car, "just head East and I'll direct from the town it comes out of."
"Sure thing 2IC," Dean gunned the engine.
Faith
Faith leant back in the seat, sliding her sunglasses onto her face.
"Awesome."
Sam & Dean
Sam glanced across at her, carefully sliding his hand up her thigh and massaging with his thumb.
Dean's eyes caught the movement, but he returned them to the road before clearing his throat.
After they'd been on the road for a good twenty minutes, Sam pointed up ahead.
"Turn right there. There should be a dirt road to the left about a quarter mile up."
Dean didn't reply, just did as instructed.
Faith
Faith smiled lightly and rested her head on Sam's shoulder, sliding her eyes shut as they drove.
"Did Wes give any indication as to what he thought it might be?" she asked suddenly as they turned off the main road. "Because I know he can be awfully lax with information sometimes."
Sam & Dean
"He left us to figure that out," Sam replied tiredly, putting his arm around her.
"Of course."
"But I can put forward a few educated guesses..."
"A spirit out for vengence."
"For one," Sam agreed, "or it could be something coporeal out for blood..."
"If it was a wendigo or werewolf or a freakin' bear, there'd be bodies. And blood," Dean pointed out, "which could have made Wesley think it was demon oriented."
"True. But maybe he had someone case it already, I don't know," Sam shrugged.
Faith
"I think it's something they get taught at the Watcher's Academy," Faith said, rolling her eyes and curling into Sam's side. "How to not give all that much information before sending a Slayer into a death trap. Chosen One my ass."
She yawned.
"So we only know the location, not the sitch. Peachy."
Dean & Sam
"Nevermind. What's unusual about death traps for us anyway?" Dean smirked, pulling onto th dirt road with a grimace, "my baby's gonna get so dirty..."
Sam held back a snort, massaging Faith's arm a little.
"Is the EMF on?" he asked his brother.
"Never turn it off."
Faith
"If this were a porno, I would volunteer to wash the car naked or something."
Faith scratched her nose.
Dean & Sam
"Oh please do," Dean pleaded in his most pathetic voice.
Sam resisted the urge to hit him and simply rolled his eyes.
"About five miles up this road is where communication with the victim's was usually cut off, so..." he shrugged, "I don't know. You might want to stop before then."
"And why would I do that? In cae I drive into a portal or something?" Dean scorned.
Faith
"Man, dimension hopping isn't as fun as you'd think," Faith said absently. "It leaves you with that unsettling 'too much tequila' feeling. Without the drunken sex feeling."
She grinned slightly to herself.
"But you know... we're saddled up, there's no recourse, it's hi ho silver..."
Sam & Dean
"Signed Bad Horse," Sam concluded.
"Been there, done that. Dimension hopping. Sort of," Dean frowned, "not looking to repeat the experience. But hey, whatever happens happens."
"I doubt it's a portal, seriously. There's like a 99% probability that there's an Earthly explanation. Well... being that spirits could count as Earthly."
Faith
"Well, I'm up for anything. Throw me in the lions den, you know."
Faith looked down and then adjusted her bra so it was more comfortable.
Dean & Sam
"Oh what the...?" Dean cringed as he pulled the impala up not too far up the road.
Sam looked up to see a large log - at least a metre in diameter - laying across the road.
"I guess that means no entry," he looked across to Dean.
Faith
Faith got out of the car and eyed the log.
"I can move that, no worries. Unless there's another problem?"
Dean & Sam
"Of course there is," Dean grunted.
Sam opted to stay with the car.
"There's a river or something behind it. Looks like some stepping
stones to get across on. No way we can take the car," Dean informed
Faith, "crap."
Faith
Faith made a face.
"Of course."
She looked back towards Sam.
Dean & Sam
Dean squinted as he tried to see the other side of the track, but
soon gave up and walked back to the car.
"Gear up Sammy," he demanded, banging his hand on the hood.
Sam opened the trunk from inside and Dean immediately started
gathering their common tools into a duffel.
Faith
Faith grabbed a jacket from her bag, and slid a knife into her
pocket.
She sniffed slightly as the breeze blew.
"Oh God, what is that smell?"
Dean
Dean looked up, half paying attention. He sniffed the air and
balked.
"Hopefully it's not a pile of corpses some random wild animal's
collected in the aftermath of whatever's here."
Faith
Faith waved her hand in front of her nose, taking a few steps back
before losing her balance.
She let out a yell as she slid down the small hill and then her
hands landed in a pile of animal corpses. She gagged, her face right
up against them.
"Argh!"
Dean & Sam
"Faith!" Sam yelled.
But Dean had already sprung into action, beating his brother to
the hill and sliding down on his right thigh.
Sam stood on the ledge, fumbling with a flashlight before pointing
it down to them. He grimaced when he saw the scene, watching as Dean
grabbed the back of her top and pulled her back up into a itting
position beside him.
"You good?" Dean made sure.
Faith
Faith had a look of disgust on her face.
"Yeah. Ugh. I smell. Ugh. Gross."
Dean & Sam
Dean helped her stand up, making sure she could reach Sam's
outstretched arms before getting up himself.
"We've got some water in the car you can wash off with," Sam
assured.
Faith
"Great."
Faith made another face.
"I think that experience just turned me off meat. For awhile."
Sam & Dean
Sam glanced at Dean as his brother crawled up the slope on his own.
"I guess it doesn't work the sam for people who've had to kill
their own," he mused, turning to go and fetch the water.
Dean huffed when he got to the top, and stod brushing himself off.
Faith
Faith touched Dean's shoulder as she passed him to follow Sam.
"Hey, thanks."
Dean & Sam
"Sure thing," Dean brushed the muddy blood from his jacket where
she touched him, cringing a little as he imagined trying to wash it
out.
Sam got out one of their larger bottles of water and held it ready
to pour onto her hands.
Faith
"Wet t-shirt contest?" Faith joked, holding out her hands.
She rubbed her hands together.
Faith
"Hold up, cutie," Faith said to Sam.
Without a second thought, she took off her jacket and her shirt,
standing in her bra as she rummaged through her bag to get another
shirt out.
Once dressed again, she nodded.
"Ok. Little less stinky now," she said.
Dean & Sam
The brothers shared a glance, before Sam locked up the car and
threw Dean the keys.
"Let's go," Dean grinned, walking around the log and starting over
the stepping stones.
Sam climbed over the log, slipping down the other side before
following their steps with his flashlight.
Faith
Faith walked beside Sam, slipping her hand into his and having to
take two steps to his one.
"God I hope we find a motel. So you can run me a bath and provide
me with some loud orgasms."
Sam & Dean
"Faith," Sam frowned.
Dean chuckled to himself as he went on ahead.
Faith
"Eh, kidding. Mostly. Would like a shower though."
Faith looked up at him.
"You're all bad and moody. What's up?"
Sam & Dean
"Nothing," Sam insisted.
"Just... got a bad feeling is all."
"Careful Faith, Sam has a 'feeling'."
P>
Faith
Faith rubbed Sam's arm as they walked.
"Well, hopefully it'll come to nothing."
Dean & Sam
"Unless it involves bare skin. Yours, not his."
"Ha ha," Sam spat sarcastic.
Faith
"Personally, I think I look much better in clothes," Faith said,
shrugging.
"I have too many random scars and I always have fresh bruises to
be walking around naked."
Dean & Sam
"You severely underestimate yourself," Dean assured, "besides,
scars are hot."
"Can we change topic?" Sam suggested, just as the smell hit them
again.
The boys both stopped, balking.
Faith
Faith waved her hand in front of her nose.
"Wow. That's rank."
Dean & Sam
"Ok, we need to check that out," Dean said decidedly, jogging up
ahead.
"Dean, wait!" Sam called after him.
He glanced at Faith, then took off after him.
Faith
Faith looked at the sky for a second. "And I couldn't be a normal
girl, why?"
With a sigh, she started after the boys.
Faith
"Yeah, I have to admit... demons and everything, I get. They're
evil coz they are. Humans? They're just batshit crazy."
Faith moved so she was behind Sam, resting her head on his
shoulder.
Sam & Dean
Sam caught up to his brother where'd stopped in a corner, and both
of them frowned in confusion.
They stood on the main street into a small town, completely lit up
as if it were carnival night.
Sam turned off his flashlight, waiting for Faith to join them.
"That was slightly unexpected," Dean voiced his surprise.
"How do these people live with that stench?" Sam screwed his face
up.
Faith
"How do girls get any work done with breasts?" Faith asked,
shrugging as she joined them. "You learn to live with it."
She whistled softly.
"So..."
Dean & Sam
Dean sighed, then stepped forward.
"Dean, don't-"
"Shut it Sammy. We can't stand here all night. Let's find some
locals and get in touch with the legends."
"Well I don't see a bar anywhere," Sam called after him, "or for
that matter, any people."
"Can't look by standing still, move it!"
Faith
"Well, I just don't feel right if I'm not fighting for my life, so
count me in."
Faith gestured up towards the hill.
"I'm sticking with you, bud."
Sam & Dean
Sam pursed his lips, annoyed, but followed them into the town.
Dean scanned the main street houses as he walked, vaguley noting the
lack of cars. Guess no one needed them in such a small town anyway. But
why would it be so cut off from the main road?
Sam's eyes darted to about every second window where he was sure he
saw movement, seeing a granny look out her window at them as they
passed her house. Feeling a bit awkward - maybe these people wouldn't
take kindly to strangers - he slipped his hands in his pockets and
looked the other way.
Faith
Faith fell behind, pausing to fix her boot. She straightened up
and went to follow the two boys, looking around for any sign of life
when she felt something go over her nose and mouth and then
everything just seemed a little bleary.
Sam & Dean
The boys walked on, oblivious.
"I'm telling you, something's not right about this place," Sam
shook his head insistantly.
Dean glanced over at him.
"I mean for a place that seems so... lively, have you seen anyone
yet?"
"Maybe we should split-" Dean turned to look behind them and
started walking backwards, before stopping.
"Where's Faith?"
Sam looked back over his shoulder, also stopping in his tracks.
"FAITH?!" he yelled.
Faith
Faith's eyes slowly opened and she struggled against the
restraints.
"Mmmmmmphhhhmmhhppphhh!" she moaned.
Dean & Sam
"She was here a second ago," Dean looked pained.
"Maybe she-"
"No, she wouldn't have gone off," Dean cut his brother off, "she
knows this is our game when it come to spirits."
Sam frowned as he looked around, spotting something shiny over
near the lit up garage. He walked over to it and bent down to
retrieve it.
"What?" Dean asked, following him.
"Is this Faith's ring?" Sam held it up to his brother, looking
confused.
Dean took it from him to study.
"I never got a good look to be honest," he admitted.
Faith
Faith struggled, moving her face away from the man, her eyesight
still blurry. She winced, hands cutting into the metal of the chair
and she pressed her lips together, to stop him from doing whatever it
was he was doing.
Moments later, a man walked out from the church, heading down the
road towards the service station.
"Can I help you folks?" he asked.
Dean & Sam
"US Marshalls," Dean went into the mode instantly, pulling out his
ID.
"We have some promising intel that a fugitive may be taking refuge
in this town. Faith Lehane."
"Have you seen this woman?" Sam asked, holding out a photocopied
copy of one of Faith's wanted posters.
Faith
Faith heard voices coming from above her and she noticed the
grating.
"Mmmphhhh!" she yelled, unable to make more of a noise due to her
lips being glued together. She struggled again, letting out a loud
moan of pain as she dislodged her shoulder.
Above, the man coughed to cover the noise Faith was making.
"Uh, no," he said, peering at the poster. "Haven't seen her."
Dean & Sam
"You're sure?" Dean said sternly, "it's very serious offence to
lie to an officer of the law."
Sam looked over his shoulder with a frown, not sure if he could
hear something or not.
Faith
The guy looked again, and shrugged, stuffing his hands into his
pockets. "No, sir, can't say I ever saw her."
Faith wrenched one hand free, the arm of the chair ripping off
along with it. She frantically pulled her other arm free, standing
and clicking the metal from the chair against the grating.
"Mmmmmphhhhhhhhhh!"
She climbed, balancing precariously and stuck her hand up through
the grating.
The guy stepped back, stomping on her hand hard and she fell in
shock, landing on her jarred shoulder. An anguished moan sounded from
below them.
Sam & Dean
"FAITH?!" Sam bellowed again, almost making Dean jump.
But Dean had heard it as well, and turned back to the stranger in
front of them.
"We'd like to search these premises if you don't mind," he smiled
sarcastically, before turning and jogging straight to the garage
doors.
Sam made his way to the grate and tried to look down through it.
Faith
Faith brought her arm up and used her fingernails to split her
lips apart, wincing slightly and feeling the warm blood flood her
mouth.
"Sam!" she called, struggling to get to her feet with only one
working arm.
"I wouldn't advise that," the man said, then he stepped forward
and grabbed the back of Sam's jacket.
Dean & Sam
Dean broke his way into the garage, following Faith's voice to a
basement staircase.
Sam froze, his face darkening.
"You have two seconds to get your hands off me before I snap your
neck in half," he threatened cooly.
Faith
Faith flipped to her feet, albeit, a little painfully, and looked
up as Dean appeared.
The man laughed, still holding onto Sam.
"Doubt you could, fella. I'll do to you what I did to the little
bitch in the basement. And worse."
Dean & Sam
"Wow. Holy crap," Dean cringed at the sight of Faith covered in
blood.
He flicked his knife out as he made his way over, starting to cut
her free.
"Some chosen one you are, I mean damn."
"She's still alive," Sam smirked slightly, "you won't be."
He turned, and as he did, his fist slammed into the man's jaw
sending him backwards several feet.
Faith
"But I bleed so prettily," Faith replied, then winced as he
brushed her shoulder.
"Speaking of pretty, hold me for a second."
The man recoiled, one hand going to his jaw and the other reaching
for a knife as he stood up, swaying slightly.
"She won't be for long, boy," he replied smugly. "This is my town."
Dean & Sam
Dean used one hand to hold her shulder, while the other continued
cutting through tape.
Sam smirked again as he sighted the knife.
"It could be mine if I wanted it," he said simply.
He squinted a little, aiming for a pressure point, and watched the
knife fall from the man's hand. Darting forward, he kicked it out of
reach.
Faith
Faith took a deep breath then cracked her shoulder back into
place, moaning a little from the effort.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"We don't take kindly to freaks in this town. Freak."
Dean & Sam
Once Dean had Faith unrestrained, he began to pay more attention
to what was happening upstairs.
"Oh so I'm the freak?" Sam feigned shock.
"Sorry, but I don't take random people from the streets and make
them my living RealDoll."
Faith
Faith glanced up, then without second thought, head for the stairs.
"But she's so pretty," the man mocked. "I was going to find a good
use for her."
Dean & Sam
Dean watched from elow a moment longer, then jogged after Faith.
After that, Sam held his hand out and picked the man up
telekinetically. His face going red from both the strain and his anger.
"I'm sure they'll find one for what's left of you."
Faith
Faith pushed through the glass doors and stopped short at what she
saw. She shook her head slightly, as though to clear it, and moved
towards Sam, putting her hand on his arm.
"Sam," she said. "Stop."
Sam
"Faith, no," Sam insisted, visibly struggling.
Faith
"Sam, I said I'd be your safety net. This is me. Doing that."
Faith looked from Sam to the guy.
"There are other ways."
Sam & Dean
Sam held his grip on the man for a moment longer, than suddenly
dropped him with a groan just before Dean appeared through the garage
doors.
"As long as it involves blood," Sam looked down at Faith sternly.
Faith
"Hey," Faith said, grinning slightly. She snapped a kick into the
man's stomach, who curled up, panting for breath.
"You know me. All about the blood."
Dean & Sam
"What is this, a mother's meeting?" Dean looked disgusted.
"Why are you standing around talking? Just break the guy's legs
and lets get to the bottom of the haunted town story already."
"I think we might have found the town story already," Sam said to
him.
Faith
The man spat, blood hitting the pavement and Faith's shoes.
"Dude," Faith said, looking down. "Bad."
She kicked him again, this time in the face and his eyes rolled
back in his head.
Sam & Dean
"What do you mean?" Dean frowned.
"This guy said he had some ideas in mind for Faith," Sam
explained, "my guess is whatever he was planning to do, he's done it
plenty of times before. I mean the disappearances weren't on a
schedule and they didn't have a pattern beyond them all passing
through this way..."
"Nothing we could find, anyway," Dean shrugged.
Faith
"Why do guys always have ideas in mind for me?" Faith asked
absently.
She rolled her neck a little.
Dean & Sam
Dean's eyebrows rose, and he looked between them incredulously.
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"
"Dean," Sam sighed, "what do you want to do here? If it's just
this guy..."
"First we make sure," Dean insisted, starting to look
around, "which means first finding another freshie in town."
Faith
"I didn't see anyone," Faith said. "But, you know, I was busy
being tied up."
She paused.
"And not in a good way."
Dean & Sam
"But thankyou for that mental image," Dean smiled at her.
"Come on," Sam tapped his brother on the arm as he started walking
away.
"Faith, he's yours," Dean nodded to the man still standing behind
them, before splitting to the opposite side of the street from Sam.
Faith
"Hey buddy?" Faith said, raising her eyebrow at the guy. "You're
lucky I don't kill people anymore. Currently."
She knocked him out, then restrained him inside the garage, coming
out a few minutes later, wiping blood off on her pants.
Dean & Sam
Dean had broken into a few houses, but found no one.
Sam had beaten him to the end of the street, and begun walking down
a gravel road towards the church.
Faith
Faith caught up to Sam, stopping slightly at the sight of a
church, remembering her last visit to one.
"Hmm."
Sam
"You ok?" Sam asked her, reaching out to hold her hand.
Faith
Faith took his hand, lacing her fingers through his.
"Yeah... just um... it's nothing. Let's go in," she said, a
hesitating note in her tone.
Sam
Sam offered her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, then led her
up the steps and opened the door.
To a funeral.
"Oops..." he clenched his teeth.
Faith
Faith hung back slightly.
"Let's go."
She turned, and was out the door pretty quickly.
Sam
Sam closed the door behind him, mouthing 'Sorry' to the offended
crowd, before stopping on the top step.
"Ok... a) those are the only people we've found. B) who holds a
funeral this late? Seriously?" he just looked confused.
Faith
"I don't know, but seriously, I'm tipping this town is already
pretty weird. I was just tied to a adult sized high chair."
Faith paused, considering.
"Also, he glued my lips together."
Sam
Sam shook his head.
"No, we need answers. And if interrupting a funeral is the worst
we can do after what happened to you, then so be it," he insisted,
going back and opening the door.
He stopped for a moment when he recieved the same reaction, then
squinted a little.
"Faith...?"
Faith
"Man, I hate churches."
Faith followed him in, noticing that no one stirred. She walked
over to the closest person and bent down, studying their face for a
second.
"Oh God. They're... they're..."
She poked the statues cheek and it peeled off, and she recoiled,
jumping backwards in shock.
"They're all real, underneath!"
Sam
"Like, literally?" Sam frowned, stepping over to study the...
person.
He saw where she'd put her finger, and grimaced. Half from the
sight and half from the smell.
"Gross," he coughed, looking at another 'statue' nearby.
Faith
"Alright," Faith said, wrinkling her nose.
"Humans are batshit crazy."
She turned away and head for the doors, intending to find Dean so
they could kill whatever was doing this, and then get the hell away.
Sam & Dean
"It's definitely human work," Sam agreed, screwing his face up as
he followed her out.
Dean was walking up to the church, stopping when he saw them
emerge.
"So the town's full of freaks," he said plainly with an
exaggerated shrug, "they're freakin' wax statues. All of them."
"Sorry to disappoint, Dean," Sam strted down the steps, "but they
were human once too."
"What?" Dean frowned.
Faith
"Yeah, they're all... human, underneath it."
Faith made a face.
"So glad that didn't happen to me."
Dean & Sam
"You mean..."
"Yeah," Sam nodded.
"Ok. Wow. Gross. So some dude likes to wax cadavers in his spare
time..."
Sam glanced at Faith, pulling a face.
"You mean they were alive at the time?" Dean raised an
eyebrow, "poor sons of bitches..."
Faith
"Yeah," Faith said, gesturing to the only unlit building in the
whole town.
"And I bet that's our House of Wax."
She paused for a second.
Dean & Sam
"What gave that away? The fact that it's made of wax, or the huge
ass sign that says 'House Of Wax'?" Dean teased.
"I guess we should see if anyone's working tonight," Sam slipped
his hands into his pockets, unsure.
Faith
Faith hit Dean lightly over the back of the head.
"Sure, let's do it."
She started up in that direction.
"Mmm, I wish I were naked in a shower right now."
Sam & Dean
"Oh me too," Sam sighed, following.
"Well I'd rather be naked in a motel room with a six pack, meat
pizza and the Doublemint Twins," Dean said, readying his shotgun as
he fell into line.
Faith
Faith stopped when she came to the doors, then pushed lightly,
nodding in satisfaction when they opened.
"Not much for security, then."
She walked inside, and sneezed from the dust.
Sam & Dean
"I guess people are welcome to walk straight in..." Sam looked
around curiously as he stepped through.
"...And never walk out again," Dean ended for him, scratching some
wax from the walls and screwing his face up at it.
Faith
Faith looked around, wrinkling her nose up.
"Creepy."
Sam & Dean
Sam made his way through to what looked like a dining room, noting
that pretty much everything was made of wax.
Dean was looking through wax sculptures on the mantle, picking up
a weird looking creature and turning it over. He noticed the
name 'Vincent' inscribed in the bottom before putting it back down
again.
"Any idea if the guy you didn't kill's name was Vincent?" he asked
Faith.
Faith
"Not sure, we didn't really exchange pleasantries."
Faith shrugged, catching a glimpse of something in the kitchen and
going to check it out.
Dean
"If it wasn't him then we should probably..."
Dean turned to see that he was alone. Shrugging, he went back to
gawking at everything.
Faith
Faith ducked under a cobweb, face wrinkled up in disgust.
"Gross," she said softly. "And people thought I was a freak."
Sam
"What is it?" Sam followed her into the kitchen.
Faith
"Little wax kid," Faith said, shuddering.
"This just gets..."
A movement from outside caught her eye.
"Tell me you saw that too?"
Sam & Dean
"What?" Sam looked up, "what did you see?"
Dean joined them in the kitchen then, noticed them staring toward
the window, and started looking around behind them.
"Ok that's kinda creepy," he said, eyes falling on two old style
high chairs hidden behind the door.
Faith
"I thought I saw someone..."
Faith moved closer to the window.
Sam & Dean
Sam cast a glance to where Dean was looking, went to follow Faith,
then doubled back.
"Didn't the chair you were in look like a big one of these,
Faith?" Dean raised an eyebrow looking up at her.
Faith
Faith glanced back at Dean.
"... yeah. Huh. Weird."
Sam & Dean
"It looks like they're the only thing in the house not made of
wax," Sam observed, stepping forward to touch them and confirm his
theory.
"Nameplates," Dean pointed out, "Vincent... and Boe. I guess we've
got brothers on our hands. Or brother now."
Faith
"Hmmm, well, I just love playing with brothers."
Faith glanced around the kitchen again.
Sam & Dean
Sam and Dean glanced at each other, before turning opposite ways
and walking away from each other.
"Guess we'd better find the dick then," Dean announced, throwing
something towards the window before leaving the room.
"Should we split up?" Sam asked Faith.
Faith
"Yeah, I guess so."
Faith turned and started to leave the room.
"Mmm, this will end well," she muttered.
Sam
"Meet back here in ten!" Sam yelled, loud enough for Dean to hear
as well, before deparing himself.
Dean mimed his brother sarcastically, heading for the front door
and making hisway around the side of the house.
Faith
Faith glanced at her wristless watch and snickered slightly,
before walking up the stairs.
She felt a little uneasy walking on wax.
Dean & Sam
Dean found the opening to a basement at the side of the house,
turned on his flashlight, and made his way down the stairs into it.
Sam had found his way down a hallway, finding yet more rooms
filled with wax sculptures.
Faith
Faith peered into the first room, seeing nothing but a bed made of
wax, of course, and she moved on, heading down the corridor.
"Weird."
Dean & Sam
Dean had found himself at the end of a long tunnel. Shining his
light down one direction, he found himself what looked like some sort
of switchboard. Flicking a few of them on and off, he shrugged when
nothing happened.
Sam meanwhile had found yet another room of random wax-made objects,
which looked almost like a foyer in the way it was set out. Stepping
over to a large curtain nearby, he pulled it aside and jumped a little.
Behind it was what looked ike a surgical steel table, complete with
shackles and some not-so-happy-looking tools on a nearby table.
As he walked over to inspect them, the lights suddenly went out.
Faith
Faith looked up at the still faintly glowing lightbulb. She
wrinkled her nose and slowly made her way out of the room, not really
wanting to be alone in the dark in a creepy house. Made of wax.
Sam
Sam felt his way back to the curtain, nervously contemplating if it
as just an electrical fault/Dean had done something stupid/there was
some other rational explanation.
Until he felt the hand around his ankle.
He jumped a few inches by reflex, but the hold was steady. He
reached out for the table - trying to grab one of the metal tools - but
his fingertips only just touched the tray and sent it tumbling to the
floor. As a result he lost balance, falling over himself, before
feeling a sharp blow to the head that knocked him unconscious.
Faith
Faith's ears picked up a faint crash in the distance and she
carefully, but quickly, made her way down the rest of the stairs.
She listened again, and then head in the direction she heard the
noises from.
b>Dean
Dean was lost. But not really. He was still in the tunnel, but
he'd begun to realise that it wasn't so much a tunnel, it was more
like a labyrinth. The tunnel had multiple exits, all leading to
different parts of and buildings in the town. For now he'd found his
way to the movie theatre, to a pet store, and some random old
grandmother's house.
But he couldn't find his way back to the wax house. So he'd found
his way out another end, and opted to walk back to the house. Without
Faith and his brother, the street was eerily quiet. It was still
possible there might be ghosts in the town after all... they just had
to deal with the human problem first.
He found the entrance to the basement again and made his way down,
turning a different direction this time and making his way into the
actual house basement. The first thing he saw was a clothes
rack. Frowning in confusion for a moment, it took a while to click
that these were obviously what the losers used to dress the
sculptures with when they were 'set'.
Faith
Faith walked along slowly in the dark, when she noticed a thread
of light coming from a little further away.
She shrugged slightly, and followed it, pushing open the door.
Dean
Dean came to a more open area of the room, before freezing as he
heard the creak of a door opening.
Stepping back behind it, he readied his pistol, before reaching
for the doorknob and yanking the door open.
He immediately aimed his pistol, and cursed.
"Damnit Faith! You scared the crap out of me!" he stopped to catch
his breath, hunching over.
Faith
"Hi Dean," Faith said dryly.
"Maybe I should wear bells. Hey, have you seen Sam?"
Dean
"Not since he was with you," Dean replied, putting the pistol away.
"Why? Looking for some waxy nookie?"
He laughed at his own, very lame, joke.
Faith
"Yeah, weird situations really get me going."
Faith grinned slightly, then shook her head.
"I thought I heard a crash before... unless that was you?"
Dean
"Nope, I've been getting lost. And doing a mighty fine job of it
too if I might add," Dean mused.
"Only got back to the house a minute ago. Heard nothing."
Faith
"Oh... well... that's doesn't sound great for Sam then."
Faith looked at Dean.
"Alright, time to save the day, much in the style of John Wayne."
Dean
"Wait," Dean put his hand up, freezing again.
He listened, hearing footsteps, somewhere below them. He tapped
Faith on the arm and pointed downwards.
Faith
Faith nodded.
"Let's go," she mouthed.
Dean
Treading carefully so as not to make any noise, Dean headed for
the far side of the room. There, was another tunnel opening, heading
down some stairs. As he made his way down he grimaced at the
bloodstains covering the floor, vaguely noting that they were only a
day or so old.
Faith
Faith followed behind Dean, making a face at the sights along the
way. Her nose wrinkled up as she picked up some horrible smells along
the way.
She peered around Dean carefully.
Dean
As Dean came to the bottom of the staircase, he could see the
hunched back of someone wearing all black. They were working on
something he couldn't quite see, their body blocking the view.
He reached for his pistol again, stepping onto the loor and stepping
aside so that Faith could join him.
Faith
Faith stopped beside Dean and took in the sight before them,
before her eyes narrowed, picking up on something Dean hadn't noticed.
Sam's shoes.
She nudged Dean and pointed to the feet.
Dean
Dean looked down, spotting Sam's shoes as the man in black took them
from... Sam's feet.
"HEY!" Dean yelled, adrenaline kicking in.
The man turned, startled, and Dean froze for a second as he saw his
distorted face. But it didn't take long for the hunting instinct to
kick in, and he blasted two rounds into the man's shoulder before
running forward.
"Sam?! Sammy?!" he exclaimed, trying to find an end to the tubes all
pointed at his brothers body.
He pulled a disgusted face when some melted wax dripped onto him
from some of them.
Faith
Faith grabbed the man as he tried to get away and threw him back
into a wall. She walked slowly over, pulling a knife from the back of
her pants.
"Pick me up a switch, son," she said, tilting her head
slightly. "There's about to be a whopping."
Dean & Sam
Dean gulped when he realised that nothing was holding his brother
down, but his eyes were open and focusing.
"Hang in there Sammy," Dean tried to sound reassuring, as he looked
over the 'wax contraption' to try and figure out how to move it.
Before he heard a rumbling from the other side of the room...
Faith
Faith threw the guy against the wall, distracting him long enough
for her to help Dean out.
"Hey, what do you need?" she called out.
Dean & Sam
"Holy sh-!" Dean lost his footing and fell over as all the tubes
suddenly spurted out wax.
He heard his brother trying to yell through his closed mouth, and
quickly jumped to his feet and tried to find where the wax was coming
from. Finding the main hose, he wrenched it from the connection and
prayed melted wax all over the floor.
"Gross," he shook his hands off.
Faith
Faith was going to help Dean when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She threw her head back, smacking the guy in the face.
"Not now," she said.
Dean & Sam
Through freak adrenaline, Dean managed to pull back the wax rack.
When he got it turned away he darted in to Sam and starting wiping some
of the wax off him.
"Sam?! Sammy?!" he patted his cheeks, trying to get a response.
He heard some grunting, but that was it.
"Faith?! Stop playing with the creep and help me carry him! We need
to get him out of here."
Faith
"Coming. Hopefully."
Faith pushed him against the wall, then jogged over to help Dean.
Dean & Sam
Dean managed to slide his hands under his brother's shoulders,
waited until Faith got his legs, and grunted loudly as he lifted him.
Faith
Faith lifted Sam's legs with ease, helping Dean to support his
brother as they walked.
She glanced worriedly at Sam, then looked away, focusing on
getting them out of there.
"I vote we get the hell out of dodge."
Dean
"That's kinda the idea," Dean grunted.
"It couldn't have been you made into a wax doll. No. It had to be
the heaviest..."
Faith
"Yeah, but he would've been a pretty doll. Not that I'm condoning
this behaviour."
Faith ducked slightly, under a low hanging cobweb.
Dean
"Whatever," Dean grunted again, starting up the stairs.
"Doesn't change the fact that he's a freakin elephant."
Faith
"Well, if it helps, you do look hot when you're sweating."
Faith shrugged slightly, then adjusted her grip on Sam.
Dean
"I know, thanks," Dean chuckled a little.
When they made it to the top of the stairs, he dropped Sam on the
floor and looked back down.
"Oh gross," he grimace, when he saw the wax walls starting to melt
behind them.
Faith
"Especially that line of sweat you'd get across your back when we
were..." she cleared her throat. "Nevermind."
Faith gently let go of Sam when they reached the top of the stairs,
propping him up into a sitting position against her body, and she knelt
slightly to support him.
"Ok, time to vámonos," she commented. "Sam? Really helpful if you
suddenly regained strength."
Dean & Sam
Dean looked down at Sam again, worried, before stooping to lift
him again.
Sam let out a muffled cry, all that he could really do.
Faith
Faith helped Dean lift Sam and then nodded in the direction of the
door.
"Alright, well let's get our little candle out of here."
Dean & Sam
It took until the building was practically melting around them, but
they finally managed to get Sam out into the street.
The first thing Dean did was check for a pulse. It was weak, but
there.
"What the hell did he do to you?" Dean frowned, wiping wax from his
brother's face.
Faith
Faith touched Sam's head lightly, glancing around for a second to
make sure they were all alone.
"Hmm. People are crazy."
Dean & Sam
Dean stepped to the side and sat his brother up. He slid his right
hand under the wax on Sam's back, carefully feeling up and down his
brother's spine.
"There's no obvious spinal damage, he must have been drugged," he
said, letting Sam lay back again.
He wiped some more wax from his eyes and checked on Sam's pupil
dilation.
Faith
"You'd have to drug him, to get him this obedient."
Faith ran a hand over Sam's cheek.
"Ok, do you want to get the car and get it into town? There must
be another way in. Or, we carry him there."
Dean
"There's a garage here, right?" Dean stood and looked around.
"Maybe there's a trolley. Here," he armed his handgun and threw it
to her.
"Stay with him," he pointed at her, before jogging over to the gas
station.
He tried to open the door, found it locked, and resorted to using
his elbow to smash the glass in the door and unlock it from inside.
He made his way through the store, looking for some sort of service
trolley, before heading for the garage part to fetch one from under a
car.
Trolley under his arm, and jogged back out to Faith and Sam.
Faith
Faith ran a hand through Sam's hair as she waited for Dean. She
looked up as he arrived.
"Alright, let's do it."
Dean
"Let's," Dean agreed, dumping the trolley and making his way to
Sam's shoulders again.
With Faith's help he lifted his brother onto the trolley,
attempted to make him as comfortable as possible, then looped his
belt through the end of the trolley to use as a pull chord.
Faith
"I miss days when I wasn't carting around my candle..." Faith
paused for a second. "Boyfriend."
She cracked her neck as they walked.
Dean
"Just keep an eye out, we don't know if those guys actually bit it
or not," Dean insisted, grunting with the effort it took to pull Sam
along.
Faith
"Mmm, not really wanting a repeat performance."
Faith looked around every so often, her ears listening out for any
unusual noises.
Dean
By the time they got back to the creek, Dean stopped to catch his
breath. Sam had coughed and groaned a few times, but managed to do
nothing more than twitch his fingers.
"Hold up Sammy, almost there," Dean patted him on the shoulder.
Faith
Faith glanced at Dean.
"Want me to do the heavy lifting now?"
Dean
Dean looked up suddenly.
"Ah... yeah. I forgot about the whole monster strength thing. Go
for your life," he indicated Sam.
"Need any help getting across?"
Faith
"I would've thought you'd have some fond memories of the 'monster
strength thing'," Faith teased lightly.
She shook her head.
"I'm good."
She cracked her shoulders, then started the task of getting Sam
across to the car.
Dean
"Awesome."
Dean jumped across and unlocked the car, opening the trunk to get
some clothes out for Sam while Faith brought him across.
Faith
Faith stopped as she arrived at the impala, and gently helped Sam
up and into his clothes.
"We should always end up with someone naked on our missions. Makes
for some excitement."
Dean
"Well I'd offer, but-" Dean was cut off by the sound of a footstep
behind him.
He froze, before turning and grabbing the person in question and
slamming him against the car. He heard a knife drop in the process, but
usd his weight to lean against them and hold them down.
"What are you trying to pull, huh?!" Dean demanded, not even caring
which of the psychos it was.
"You dod that to my brother? I'll KILL YOU!"
Faith
Faith stood in front of Sam protectively, watching Dean threaten
the new arrival.
Dean
Dean spun the man around, seeing it was the one with the wax face.
Not deterred, he punched him across the face three times, letting him
fall to the ground in a heap before kicking him twice more.
Satisfied the man coudn't move again, he pulled his dagger from
his belt and raised it.
Faith
Faith grabbed Dean's arm firmly, pushing it back against the car.
"No," she said firmly. "I know he's the bad guy and all, but he's a
human. And it's... you can't."
Dean
"I don't CARE!" Dean yelled.
"Bastards like that don't deserve to live! They are
monsters!"
Faith
"Dean, you can't," Faith replied vehemently. "I know he's... but
you can't. That's not what - "
She looked up as the guy started to hobble away, and she grabbed
the knife from Dean's hand. She took a breath and then threw the
knife, it landing square in the guy's back.
"180."
Dean
"Damnit Faith!" Dean shouted, slamming the door of the impala shut.
He went to retrieve the knife, yanking it out forcefully and
wiping the blood off on the guy's coat.
Faith
"Look," Faith said, a little calmer than Dean, but tone still
angry. "It's just, it's not... let's go."
She turned away.
Dean
"What was that about, huh?" Dean scowled, going to throw the knife
and trolley in the trunk before slamming it and returning to the
driver's side.
"You about to preach to me about the sanctity of life and then you
pull that crap?"
Faith
"I'm complex."
Faith slid into the car, supporting Sam gently.
"I'd rather kill someone than have you do it, ok? Well, actually,
I'd rather not kill someone, but if I have to stop someone, then I
will."
Dean
"Ah... why?" Dean demanded.
"It's not like I haven't killed my share of people. It goes with
the job."
Faith
"I'm not talking about this now."
Faith stared determinedly out the window.
"Let's just get Sam to someplace safe."
Dean
Not being one to argue when it came to his brother's safety, Dean
immediately gunned it back to the highway and headed back for their
hotel.
Ten minutes down the road he cleared his throat.
"So talk now," he demanded.
Faith
"Nothing to talk about."
Faith kept her gaze out the window.
Dean
"Right. Except for the fact that you just stopped me from killing
a guy that you killed anyway, when I would have been a lot more happy
to do it," Dean scorned.
Faith
"I just... killing isn't always the first option."
Faith shrugged.
"It's something I've been trying lately."
Dean
"See, problem with that theory?" Dean scowled.
"The dude was just trying to get away. And if you'd stopped me
from killing him, he would have gotten away anyway. So what the hell
was the point of stopping me?"
Faith
"I'm complex," Faith said again.
She leaned back in the seat, body language clear that she wasn't
going to be opening up again.
Dean
"That's just a pathetic excuse," Dean glared at the road, deciding
to ignore her the rest of the way.