As the Impala rested at the roadside dinner, Sam, Luna and Dean sat in a book, enjoying their lunch while Dean read over newspapers and Luna played Pokemon Silver. "Haven't you beaten that game already?" Sam asked.
"Ten times, why?" Luna asked.
“Silver and Gold are still the best pokemon game, and Diamond and Pearl isn’t coming out for another year.” Dean said matter of factly.
“Still need to get a DS. Hope this time around whatever we kill has cash on it, or something of value…”
“Or, you know, do some jobs for a little bit like three normal ass americans?” Sam stated.
“Your first mistake was thinking we’re three normal ass americans.” Dean chuckled.
“He’s got you there Sam.” Luna said with a chuckle.
Sam rolled his eyes. “EIther way, where are we heading next?”
“Place called Blackwater, a simple town in Wisconsin that’s been having a whole lot of mysterious drownings.” Dean stated as he pulled out a few papers with the reports on them. “No reports of any bodies, so whatever it is is keeping the bodies.”
“So what, Little Mermaid gone bad?” Sam asked as he took the paper and read it over.
“Pretty sure Mermaids, if we ever run into them would be salt water.” Luna stated, looking over at the paper. “Not even any bones?”
“Nope, and it can’t be Kappa’s, even if we’re not in Japan those bastards still found a way here.” Dean rolled his eyes. “Cause we’d find the shriveled husks of people with their asses torn open if it was Kappa’s.”
“I almost feel bad for Japan, they got all the weirder monsters.” Luna said, saving her game and closing her gameboy. “Alright, go start up the Impala, we’ll be out in a minute.” With a nod Dean left the two alone. “So, nightmare’s still?”
Sam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah.”
“About Jess?”
“What else would I have nightmares about?”
Luna sighed. “Sam… I’ve been thinking… This thing, what killed Jess, and your mother… what’s the common theme?”
“It’s a monster.” Sam said in a low voice.
“You.” Luna said, having Sam look at her. “It was in your nursery, and Jess was your fiance, your love… It’s targeting you Sam.”
“... I figured… Just, why though?”
“Why do monsters do anything? Whatever this thing is, I promise you, we will kill it, and well… whatever happens after happens.”
The long road trip was typical for the Winchester siblings, a few arguments, Dean blasting music the other two hated and Luna threatening the Impala’s leather seats with a knife if Dean didn’t turn said music off.
Arriving in Blackwater, before heading to the sheriff’s department, Luna had them all head on off to a nearby house, the building was well kept but clearly warded, runes and glyphs in spots hidden from the untrained eye.
“Uh, where are we Luna?” Sam asked.
“This place is heavily warded.” Dean pointed out. “Whoever made this place sure as shit didn’t want anyone to get to them.”
“Uncle Bobby told me about various other hunters here and there and most don’t actually talk to one another, so rather than have a list of phone numbers I set up a website. Just a simple chatroom that’s password protected. Not much but better than nothing, Hunter kid that goes by Ripwell lives in this town so we just needed to find the house.” Luna said, knocking on the door.
“Who is it?” The voice inside spoke.
“Gamecrazed.” Luna replied.
Several heavy bolts opened and once they did the person inside was a rather young, mid twenties man opened the door. He was pretty average, but his eyes told another story his appearance didn’t. “Ripwell, so, you’re Luna?”
“That’s me. You’re Hunter?” Luna asked as the man nodded. “Get in, now.”
The group entered, noticing all the large five gallon water bottles around the floor and in shelves. “Take it these drownings got you freaked?” Sam asked, looking around.
“It’s in my own backyard, so yeah. Didn’t get into the Hunting thing like my dad but I learned enough to notice when something’s up.” Hunter said. “So, who are you two?”
“These are my brothers, Sam and Dean.” Luna said.
“Sure know your stuff if this house is this heavily protected.” Dean pointed out.
“Inherited it when my dad passed.” Hunter said. “It’s all his work, all i did was shut off the water and cut the pipes.”
“Didn’t the victim drown in the lake?” Sam asked.
“She did, and the whole town get’s their water from that lake. Not risking some water monster that can slide through pipes.”
“So you have an idea what this might be?” Luna asked.
“Not a clue. But my dad was researching these drownings for years, his notes might have something.”
“This isn’t the first drowning?”
“From what I remember pops telling me, no.”
“Has there been any pollution to the lake?” Dean asked simply. “Anything that would piss off any water spirits?”
“No, lakes’ practically drinkable, though with all the moss and fish in there I wouldn’t.”
Hunter gave the Winchesters his fathers notes and the trio was off.
Arriving at the Sheriff's office they passed for News Reporters, Luna convincing them that Wildlife Agents would be dumb, and getting what story they could out of the sherrif.
Sheriff Jake was very off putting of the issue, putting it as a kid running away and her father’s aging mind playing tricks on him. It was clear there wasn’t going to be anymore information coming out of the sheriff. “Hey dad.” THe trio looked, seeing a women and child enter, the Woman looked tired, too tired and her son looked… empty. As the boy left to draw the woman gave Sheriff Jake some food. “Who are these three?”
“Oh, just some news people.” Jake shrugged off. “Some new online news thing.”
“Nice to meet you ma’am.” Dean nodded with a smile.
"Hi." She waved at the three.
As Dean talked a bit more between the Sheriff and his daughter, Andrea, Luna and Sam noticed her son, Lucas, drawing as if it was only himself in the whole world.
When eventually the Sheriff kicked them out for taking up too much time, Dean managed to get Andrea to speak with them at a local park, Dean spoke to Andrea about her about Lucas's father and what had happened while Sam and Luna walked over to Lucas.
The boy wouldn't talk, he was so closed to the outside world, but still, the siblings spoke to him, Sam even drawing an image of his family, poorly, after talking to Lucas about seeing things nobody would belive or understand.
"Is that supposed to be a dog?" Luna asked, looking Sam's drawing over and noticing one four legged blue… thing.
"Uh, no that's you. Ouch!" Sam yelped as Luna gave him a light-hearted punch, the two laughing.
Before they left, Lucas gave the siblings a drawing. It was of an old house near a church. More detailed and different than his usual drawings.
"Well that's interesting." Luna said as they parted ways from Andrea and Lucas.
"How so?" Sam asked, looking at the house drawing.
"What's up?" Dean inquired.
"Well, look, that drawing is way too detailed to be some typical kids drawing. The church nearby, the colors, fence, this is too detailed."
"Think it's someplace here in town?" Sam asked.
"I'm thinking whatever happened to Lucas, he and this… whatever it is, are connected."
"Wonder what it has to do with the kid besides giving him art lessons." Dean pointed out.
"Message maybe? Come on, let's research some back at the motel." Luna said as the siblings were off.
At the motel, Sam and Dean went over some records about the recent victims. Luna read through the old journal of Hunter's father. "Hmm… strange."
"Something up?" Sam asked.
"According to this, Hunter's father wrote down a possible cause being connected to some strange lightshow, this… rainbow meteor he described it as fell over by the lake. He searched around but didn't find anything."
“So we got magic space rocks to deal with.” Dean frowned. “Even if I’ve seen enough shit to believe this...aliens? Really?”
"Maybe not aliens per say, I mean, little we know about… Luna's…" Sam started.
"People?" Luna offered with a shrug.
"Right, They're supposedly dimensional travelers, so might be something like that?"
"If It's my race then nope, I already look like a little girls cartoon show I'd rather not embody that."
“Who knows.” Dean shrugged. “At the moment, we have at least some possible lead, some enchanted stone is messing with the town, and it’s been affecting the lake possibly."
"Cursed object then?" Sam suggested.
"Never heard of a cursed object that drowns people." Luna sighed. "Let alone some rainbow rock from space or whatever."
“Curses are weird.” Dean shrugged. “We also don’t know if anyone found it, we only have one account of someone searching for it.”
"True, but who in their right mind picks up a… whatever it is we're looking for?" Sam asked.
Luna frowned, looking at the drawing Lucas gave them. "A child?" She suggested.
“Or someone that found it and thought ‘this is a nice looking stone’?” Dean also suggested. “Which...yeah would be a child in most cases.”
"So, what? Some kid finds a cursed pebble in the lake, and then what?" Sam asked, their room phone ringing. "Hello?" Sam picked up, his face looking worried. "Uh, yes, yes thank you…" He sighed as he put the phone down. "That was Andrea, she said the first victim's brother is missing."
"How so?"
"Something about his shoes were left in the sink?"
“Why in the hell would that happen?” Dean asked.
"... Hunter said the town's water is connected to the lake." Luna said, sifting through news papers. After a short bit she pulled up one. "And the new Damn is going to drain it forever. Whatever this is, it's running out of time…"
"Time for… both the victims were Carlton's kids… and before them was Andrea's husband… "
"Revenge." Luna said. "It's… it's a ghost."
“Shit…” Dean sighed out. “Alright, so we have a motive, and what this thing is...but we have no idea how it got here or how to stop it.”
"If it's a spirit then we need to find the body, bones or personal belonging it's attached to and burn them." Sam said.
"And if it's at the bottom of that Lake?" Luna said.
"Fuck… well, there's still one person we can ask… Carlton. It already took both his kids, he'd be an idiot to deny anything at this point."
"Get the car started Dean." Luna said as she started packing a few weapons. "He lives right next to that lake."
“Alright.” Dean nodded as he went off to get the car, already thinking about how to stop this damned spirit.
To say Dean was a responsible driver, would be a lie. Like his I'D's, all his Driver's Licenses were also fake. So when he drives, he knew how to drive safe. He often chose to ignore that. Like now, when he ran five red lights, two stops signs, side blinded a biker and took two out of nine lives from a very unlikely cat.
Arriving at the Carlton's home, Luna desired to thank Dean in the only appropriate manner. Hurling all over the back seats leather and floor.
"Got room for one more!" Sam yelped, adding his thanks to Luna's.
Dean, reacted accordingly.
“I hate you both…” Dean took a deep breath. “I literally just had this stupid thing cleaned last week!”
Once the 'thanks' was finished given the trio ran out of the car and spotted Bill Carlton stepping into his boat. "Mr. Carlton!" Sam yelled as the older man untied the rope from the boat keeping it docked.
"Leave me alone!" Bill yelled.
“We can solve your ghost problem!” Dean called out bluntly.
"I just want my children back!" Bill cried out, leaning his head over the boat. "You hear me you bastard! I'm sorry!"
As Bill yelled at the water, Luna noticed it was starting to bubble. Without thinking, she used her magic and yanked Bill off the boat, Sam and Dean ungracefully caught him as the water rised up over the edges of the boat, pulling it down with enough speed and force to sent a ten foot splash of water into the air. For a brief moment, the head of a young child poked out from the water, looking at the Winchester's and Bill before submerging.
"Okay, that's was new." Sam said, carefully getting Bill off him and back up.
“No Ghost I’ve ever seen could do that.” Dean stated carefully.
"That… that was Peter…" Bill muttered, staring at the lake before looking over at the siblings. "How did you pull me off the boat that fast?"
"...A- Adrenaline, yeah. Does crazy shit…" Sam said.
“Alright, so looks like we can kill two birds with one stone if what you said is true.” Dean said. “And that’s dealing with your ghost problem and getting at least this Peter back.” He said, getting straight to the point rather than dwell on Luna’s magic.
"B-but Peter…" Bill said, shaking. "How could…"
"Maybe we should get you inside…" Luna said. "And… yeah, One of you two shut the water off."
“I’ll deal with it. You two are better at calming people down.” Dean said as he went off to turn off the water.
Once inside and Bill was calming down, the siblings began asking questions. "How long Bill?" Sam asked. "These drownings go back years…"
"I… I… I didn't know there was a connection…" He spoke, quiet and scared.
“Water’s shut off.” Dean said as he entered the room. “So, about the ghost possessing someone you know.”
"P… Peter." Bill said. "We were friends, back when I was younger… Me, Jake and Peter."
"You three were friends?" Luna asked.
"... Mostly… Peter was smaller than Jake and I, so we picked on him a lot…"
“Did he ever find a strange looking rock?” Dean asked simply.
"I dunno. He was always picking up whatever, we all did. Rocks, bugs, dead racoons once. Thought we could make a hat out of it." Bill gave the faintest laugh. "We'd go by the lake everyday, and… one day we… we went too far."
"... You…" Sam started.
"It was an accident…" Bill started tearing up. "We held him down too long."
“Well that explains why they’d go after you and your family...but not everyone else in this town.” Dean stated.
"We weren't the only ones to pick on him, he wasn't a popular kid. Was practically the town punching bag, only things he ever genuinely cared for was his mom and his red bike."
"And… what of Peter's body?" Luna asked.
"... We, we watched him sink…" Bill muttered.
"Shit." Sam said, looking over to Luna and Dean. "And they never found the body?"
"They never found anyone's." Bill stated. "They drained the lake several times over the years and never found anything, no bones or anything."
“Shit…” Dean muttered, having a feeling he knows what kind of Ghost this is.
"Then you need to get out of here, at least until the damn goes up and the lake dries out permanently. You and Jake both." Luna said.
“I doubt that will happen.” Dean said. “It’ll try and keep itself alive as long as it can until it gets it’s revenge, or we ‘deal’ with it.”
"How, there's no body and we can't set a lake on fire?" Sam retorted.
"What about his Bike?" Luna asked. "You said he loved it, maybe he's attached to it?"
"Jake took it to bury in the woods. He'd know."
“Sheriff’s not gonna be happy about any of this that’s for sure.” Dean shook his head.
"As it is, he's been completely off-putting of all of this." Luna said with a nod.
"At the very least we can try and get Lucas and Andrea out of here." Sam said.
“Anything that can help keep this thing from killing more people.” Dean said honestly.
The group, plus Bill, took his car. Dean still had to wash off he back of the Impala and was going to make Sam and Luna do it while he made sure they did it right.
Upon arriving the group was met by a distraught Lucas that opened the door seconds after they knocked.
Upon hearing the thrashing inside the siblings ran inside, seeing Sheriff Jake trying and failing to open the bathroom door. Pushing him aside Dean kicked the door wide open, Andrea was in her tub, the water black and murky and head under the water as her arms flailed and tried to break out above it.
Dean, Sam, and Jake all began pulling her back up, her head breaking above water as she gasped and couged for air, Luna holding onto Lucas to comfort him.
When the shock began to die down, Bill and Jake began arguing back and forth about what happened. The second Bill spoke Peter's name Jake looked ready to kill him, and was held back by Dean. "Jake we have to set this right, you already lost your son in law! You almost lost Andrea!"
Jake growled. "There's no such-"
"Stuff it!" Sam yelled at the cop. "Don't go on with that there is no such thing as ghosts bullshit. You got a better explanation for what just happened?! Huh?! This is how it is, your friend Peter, who YOU both killed, and let drown in the lake, is out for payback and blood, be it yours, or your family." Sam spoke, keeping eye contact with Jake. "You, Bill, Lucas and Andrea need to leave town, once the damn goes up, the lake will dry up and Peter can't get to you after that, so til then, take a nice, long vacation."
“Best listen to my brother Sheriff.” Dean said simply. “Cause when my brother gets like this...it’s best to listen.”
“... Alright… Andrea, Lucas… Pack your things… I’ll go shut the water off.” Jake said, walking out around the house.
The siblings helped them pack, Luna as she passed a window noticed a woman with familiar green hair and after looking around rapidly ran outside. “Chrysalis.” Luna said.
“Luna.” Chrysalis said with a nod. “Dealing with the dead kid huh?”
“Someone’s gotta.” Lun shrugged. “So what brings you here?”
“Not even gonna question how I know?” Chrysalis asked, mocking a surprised tone.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve followed us enough to understand what’s going on.” Luna pointed out. “Have you been following us?”
“More or less.” She shrugged. “Word gets around in the Supernatural, and the name Winchester carries some weight.” She said, handing Luna a small leather bound book. “Consider it a gift.”
“Really?” Luna asked, carefully taking the book. “This is quite sudden Chrysalis, what’s the occasion?”
“Oh, just building bridges.” She said, opening the book in Luna’s hands. Upon laying eyes on the text Luna realized, these were nothing like Black Magic and other magic related texts she read… this was specific to her type of magic. “We outsiders gotta stick together.”
Luna looked up, and Chrysalis was already gone.
“She’s gotta teach me how she does that ninja vanish…” Luna pouted.
When Luna rushed back inside the house, Andrea was calling for Lucas. “Have you seen Lucas? I looked away for just a minute to grab the photo albums.” She started.
“How the hell can a little kid vanish so fast.” Sam said, rushing around rather panicked himself.
“I shut the water off, it can’t... “ Jake froze. “The Lake’s in walking distance.”
“Well then let’s get to the Lake!” Dean stated simply.
The group all ran to the Lake, spotting Lucas reaching into the water as Andrea, Jake, and Bill all called out to him.
As Lucas turned to see them, a pale arm reached out and yanked Lucas into the water.
Sam pulled Andrea was running in, Bill and Jake jumped in along with Dean.
As Bill resurfaced for air, Peter did as well, grabbing Bill by the head and holding him under, the older man trying to escape and failing.
Dran rapidly rushed trying to pull Jake out from the water before Peter targeted him.
Luna didn’t think, she acting, her magic lighting up as she flowed it around Peter, and pulled him out of the murky water.
When Peter hit land and Bill came back up for air, he and Jake watched with wide eyes as Peter, a pale and slime coerced reflection of the boy long gone, stood up.
“Okay… that’s new.” Sam said, Peter screaming as the water from the lake flowed out, rushing at everyone like appendages and flowing over them, attempting to drown them on land.
Luna’s nose and mouth could not grasp air, and all she tasted was mossy, stale water as her body flailed and jerked around in a feeble attempt to escape. Her brain rushing through ideas, noticing Peter, his arm raised as a small bracelet rested… inside his arm. The small bracelet was seemingly melding into his body. Luna used her magic, wrapping around it best she could manage through the hazy vision of the water and lack of air, and pulled.
Instantly the water fell, Air and coughs filled Luna and everyone’s lungs. When their vision cleared everyone noticed Peter still stood there, his skin changing, becoming more normal and less pale as the slime and muck along his body seemed to melt off until what stood there was a small, soaked child.
“Okay now what the hell?” Sam asked as the lake began to bubble and soon, one by one, people started surfacing, catching air and swimming around as if lost. Upon spotting Lucas Andrea pushed Sam aside and jumped in, grabbing Lucas and giving him a hug and kiss as more people surfaced. Bill’s heart nearly stopped as his son and daughter popped out of the lake as well.
Two Days Later
“So… what the fuck happened again?” Sam asked.
“This.” Luna said, holding Peter’s bracelet, and inside tied by thin strands was a faintly glowing purple shard of some gemstone. It was clearly part of something larger, and as far as anyone could guess, was part of something in the shape of a star at one point. “Peter said he found it by the lake, the day after that crazy light show. Made this with his mom.”
“So a magic rock gave the kid ghost powers, kept not only him alive but also everyone he ever dragged into the lake, and now Six people who were missing in the span of thirty five years and the recent victims are all alive, Peter included, like no time at all passed for them?”
“Definitely the weirdest ghost hunt we’ve been on.” Dean shrugged. “No idea how or why that happened, cause meteorites aren’t magic and aliens don’t exist as far as I know.”
"So, what about Peter? He's… alive now, it seems." Luna sighed.
"Well, after a heartfelt reunion with his mother they are moving, Peter may not be dead and neither were the other displaced people but he still has a very bad hatred of Bill and Jake, so they're moving away and telling no one where." Sam informed.
"Well they did drown him for… that whole time. What about this?" Luna asked, holding the gem shard.
“We’re gonna have to look into what the hell is with that rock cause I haven’t heard of any magic rocks being able to give ghost powers.” Dean said honestly, taking the gem shard and looking it over. “Not to mention...this is only a shard...so imagine what the whole thing would be.”
"So, pit stop at Bobbies?" Sam asked.
"Sounds better than nothing." Luna sighed.
In a house, an average place lived a writer, or so he claimed. His books didn't sell big, but he had a following. He wasn't just a writer. In truth, he was a creator, God.
He was God.
He ran away, left his children both on earth and in heaven to live without them and hid. Hidden here on earth as a human, he experienced life, and enjoyed it. All the ups and downs.
He was God, he was all powerful, all knowing.
"*Cough!*" He was bleeding. He was beaten. He was dying.
"Oh Chuck, how pathetic you truly are." A woman spoke, eyes and hair black as the void and skin pale and cold as death. "I expected more from a god like you."
Spitting blood, Chuck, God, looked up at the woman. "How, who… what are you?" He asked, his breaths rasping.
"How, easy, you didn't hide very well. Who, they call me Pain these days. As for what, well…" The woman, Pain, kneeled down over Chuck as a sadistic grin crossed her lips. "I'm what you pray to. If you had faith. I'm also the one who is going to kill you."
"You- you can't! I die, so does everything I made." Chuck spoke, spitting out more blood.
Still smiling, Pain leaned in and whispered into Chuck’s ear. "And I say, you can die, and this world will continue spinning."
There was a sensation, a wave of Energy as Pain spoke. Chuck felt all his work, his connection to it all change and alter… he was no longer this or any of his worlds God. He was cut loose.
Panic arose in Chuck as Pain took his head, still smiling as she kept eye contact.
Crack
A swift, painless movement, and Pain had killed a god. Not her first, and not her last.
"Now, onto his sister." She said, standing as she vanished into thin air.