~*****~

Unease. Discomfort. Whatever term to describe it. Sleeping seemed to be the least of my worries. Every night since Dean found out about John's deal- I'd been plagued with nightmares. And every single one of them ended with my heart ripped from my chest. I sat on a love seat besides the window, just staring outwards. No comfort- no reassuring- no sex. Nothing from him. Not even those annoying flirty gestures that I'd come to adore. It was like he wanted nothing to do with me, and it hurt more than anything- more than the nightmares, and definitely more than the sleep deprivation. I had no idea where Dean was at the moment, and it was just Sam and I. He lay asleep in his bed, and just as I get up to go grab a water, he starts thrashing in his sleep. "Sam?" I inquire softly before sitting at his bedside. I start shaking at him urgently as he shouts out in fear. "Sam!" I called again, and he sits up with a gasp. The door swings open and Dean strolls in with a six pack and a jerky stick hanging from his mouth.

"Sam?" Dean asked, looking towards me for an explanation. I ignored him and started checking over Sam again.

"You alright? What happened?" I asked as I smoothed his hair away from his face.

"We need to go." Sam replied through clenched teeth. He gently moved passed me and started to grab our stuff as I stood up and shoved my feet into my boots. Dean spared one glance at me before turning and grabbing our duffel and heading outside.

~*****~

The sun had only just started breaking the horizon as we sped down the highway. I tried focusing on ambient noises to stay awake, and even the annoying GPS Sam had on was lulling me to sleep.

"There are only two towns in the US named Rivergrove." Sam spoke up.

"How do you know it's the one in Oregon?" I asked groggily.

"There was a picture. Crater Lake." Sam explained.

"Okay, what else?" Dean asked.

"I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair." Sam recalled.

"And I ventilated him?" Dean asked in confusion.

"Yeah. You thought there was something inside him."

"What, a demon? Was he possessed?"

"I don't know." Sam answered.

"Well, your visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow... was there any black smoke?" I ask.

"We try to exorcise anything?" Dean added.

"No. Nothing, you just plugged him, thats it." Sam replied.

"Well, I'm sure I had a good reason." Dean assured.

"I sure hope so." Sam sighed.

That set him off. "What does that mean?" Dean inquired. When Sam didn't reply, his tension just grew. "I mean, I'm not gonna waste an innocent man." Sam gave a small, uncertain shrug. Even I felt offended. "I wouldn't!"

"I never said you would!" Sam argued in defense.

"Fine!" Dean snapped.

"Fine!" I rolled my eyes and leaned back.

"Look, guys- we don't know what this is. But the guy in the chair is apart of it. Let's find him and find out what, okay?" I asked softly.

"Fine." Dean repeated in an irritated huff.

"Fine." Sam sighed. The Impala fell into silence, and I wanted so badly to start screaming. The silence was lulling me to sleep again, and I wasn't going to handle another nightmare. But before I could protest, I was swallowed my sleep deprivation.

The subtle drip echoed through the dark, dank cage I was chained up in. My body ached and stung everywhere as I tried to keep consciousness through it all. I was all alone. Abandoned or by choice, I didn't know. All I knew, was that demons loved the taste of my blood. They loved tearing small pieces off one by one. I wasn't dead- no, I was in hell, that much I knew. I shared my cage with a Red-Eyed being. The grand daddy demon. Well, they say demon, but it was more sinister than that. His eyes- they didn't fill blood red- they just glowed with an oddly familiar red glow. Something that I should know very well- something I'd seen millions of times before, but I had no idea where. The smell of iron, mixed with festering wounds of the like filled my nostrils and never left. And the worst part of it all; No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to stop the screams of pain when he came for another bite.

~*****~

I gasped heavily as I sat up in shock. Fog covered the small town of Rivergrove. It looked so sinister to me, but apart from my nightmares, I'd take anything else. Dean pulled the Impala to a stop outside a cabin like shop. Everything seemed normal with the towns folk as the bustled about- finishing errands or just enjoying the day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Sam glanced around a little until he spotted a man across the road who sat on a porch. He was putting a fishing rod together, and they way he did, told me he'd done it before. "He was there," Sam said breathlessly as he tapped on Dean's arm. We all gave each other the same look before exiting the car, and stalking towards the man. Dean slipped his hand over the small of my back, and it surprised me. I looked back at him in confusion and offered a small smile.

"Morning." Dean greeted.

"Good morning. Can I help you?" The man asked once he tore his gaze away from the fishing pole.

"Yeah," Dean smiled as he pulled out his fake ID and showing it to him. "Uh, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Joan Jordan. U.S. Marshals."

The man perked up and gave us his full attention. "What's this about?"

"We're looking for someone." Sam stated softly. "A young man, early twenties. He'd have a- a thin scar right below his hairline."

The man's face fell. "What'd he do?"

"Well, nothing. We're actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man could hep us." Sam added.

"He ain't in any kind of trouble." I commented. "Well, at least, not yet he ain't. I think maybe you know who he is.... Master Sergeant." I add as my eyes trail down his arm to the army tattoo. The man grinned and looked down at his arm. "My father in law was in the Corps, he was a Corporal."

"What company?" The man questioned.

"Echo 2-1."

"So, can you help us?" Sam asked, pushing him for an answer.

The man took a deep breath. "Duane Tanner's got a scar like that. But I know him. Good kid, keeps his nose clean."

"Oh, I'm sure he does. You know where he lives?" Dean asked.

"With his family, up Aspen Way." He jut his fingers out in the general direction.

"Thank you." We left the man to finish the pole, but it didn't take a genius to see the worry etching over his posture. Just as we cross the road, Sam bumps into a telephone pole, and I nearly bust out in laughter. He glanced back at it for a moment, and did a double take before to  us to come over. Dean and I go to his side as he points at a word carved into the wood.

"Croatoan?" Dean asked.

"That's... unsettling..." I comment. Dean gives us a blank look.

"Roanoke? Lost Colony? Come on, Dean- it was the only history project in high school you got an A in. Did you even pay attention?"

"Uh, yeah! Shots heard 'round the world, how bills become laws--" Dean listed off.

"That's not school. That's Schoolhouse Rock." Sam corrected in disbelief.

Dean thought for a minute before shrugging. "Whatever."

"Roanoke was one of the first English Colonies in America, late 1500's." I stated plainly.

"Oh yeah, yeah, I do remember that. The only thing they left behind was a single word carved into a tree." He recalled finally. "Croatoan."

"Yeah. There were theories -- Indian Raid, Disease, but nobody really knows what happened. They all just vanished. Overnight- everything was gone." I explained.

"You don't think that's whats going on here, I mean..." Dean trailed off.

"Whatever I saw in my head, it sure wasn't good." Sam started. "But what do you think could do that?"

Dean huffed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I mean, like I said, all of your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed demon somehow, so...."

"We should get help. Bobby- Ellen maybe." Sam suggested.

"I think that'd be a smart idea." I agreed softly. I tugged out my cellphone, and gazed at it curiously. "That's weird." I commented as I stepped away from them, and held my phone up a little higher. "I have no bars here-- I checked before we got here, full signal."

Sam and Dean glanced at one another before mimicking me. "I don't either." Sam said as Dean shook his head.

"Line's dead." Dean confirmed as he tried the nearby payphone. "I'll tell you one thing-- If I was to massacre a town; that'd be my first step." He reached out and looped his hand around my back again to lead me to the car. "Let's go."

~*****~

Duane Tanner's home looked relatively normal, and a small sign hung by the door that read, 'Born to Fish, Forced to Work'. I smiled at the thought and turned my attention back on the front door as Sam rapped his knuckles against it. A young man answered the door. "Hi. Lookin' for Duane Tanner. He lives here, right?" Dean asked as he flashed his badge.

"He's my brother," The young man replies.

"Can we talk to him?"

"He's not here right now," The young man replied curtly.

"Do you know where he is?" I butt in.

"Yeah, he went on a fishing trip up by Roslyn Lake." He said in a cheery tone.

"Your parents home?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they're inside."

"Jake, who is it?" A man called from inside the house. A few moments later, an older man appeared behind his son.

"Hi, U.S. Marshals, we're looking for your son, Duane." Dean greeted.

"Why? He's not in trouble, is he?" The man asked as the worry flitted over his face.

"No, no, no, no. We just need to ask him a couple of routine questions, that's all." Dean assured as he put on that dazzling smile.

"When's he due back from his trip?" Sam asked. Something about these people was freaking me out a little.

"I'm not sure." Mr. Tanner breathed out.

"Well, maybe your wife knows." Sam suggested.

"No, I don't know, she's not here right now." Alarms were ringing in my head.

"Your son said she was here." I cut in.

"Did I?" Jake asked in a bored tone.

"She's getting groceries." Mr. Tanner chuckled as he put a hand on his son's shoulder. "So, when Duane gets back, there's a number where he can get a hold of you?"

"Oh, no. We'll just check with you later." Dean told them, and we turned to walk down the steps. As the door shut, I spared one last glance; that ominous feeling just kept growing.

"Was I the only one getting the heebee jeebee's?" I ask uncertainly.

"No, no- Me too." Sam confirmed. A subtle buzzing echoed in my skull as we rounded the back of the house. I gazed into a window by the back door, and nearly yelped out in shock. What I assumed to be Mrs. Tanner, was tied up in the kitchen with a gag stuffed in her mouth. Jake circled to the front of the chair and whispered into her ear before standing before her. Mr. Tanner stepped in with a large kitchen knife, and took a hold of his son's arm, dragging the blade over his forearm slowly, and let the blood flow out and onto his mothers shoulder. Dean grasped my arm and tugged me away after peering in.

Dean lifted his leg and broke the back door down. The men in the house looked up in anger and surprise as we burst in, guns raised. Mr. Tanner screamed out as he lunged at the three of us.

I fired my gun off, and shot him twice. He fell to the ground as his son ran away from us, going for the nearby window. It shattered as he leapt through it. Sam tried going after him, and you could see the hesitation in his movements. I started trying to untie the hysterical woman, and shushed her calmly as the men tried looking for Jake.

~*****~

"Shh, shh- hey, it's okay..." I murmured to the whimpering woman besides me. "Does it still hurt?" I ask as I try soothing her frazzled nerves. She shook her head before whimpering again. To have her family attack her like that- I had no idea what was going on, and from the looks of it, I don't think I wanted to know. While Sam helped Mrs. Tanner into the clinic, I helped Dean lug out Mr. Tanner. He hauled him over his shoulder before letting me lead him in. "Hey!" I called to the doctor before she went into the exam room with Mrs. Tanner and Sam.

"Is that--" She started as worry etched over her face.

"Mr. Tanner?" Dean asked.

"Was he attacked, too?" She asked.

"More like he did the attacking." I sighed. "He got himself shot."

"Shot?"

"Yeah."

"And who are you?"

"U.S Marshal," I quip as I pull out my badge. "These men are my partners. Where can we set him down?"

"Oh, sorry. Bring him back here." The doctor stated as she gestured to a room. We laid him down and went into the exam room where the doctor did an exam while Mrs. Tanner explained what happened as tears fell from her eyes. "Wait, you're saying your son helped him? Jake?"

"They beat me..." She whimpered. "Tied me up."

The nurse- Pam- stood off to the side with a bewildered expression. "I don't believe it." She mumbled.

"Pam-" Doctor Lee cut her off. "Beverly, do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?"

"No, of course not. I don't know why..." Her voice was cracking with sobs, and I felt my own heart start to constrict. "One minute, they were my husband and son, and the next, they had the devil in them."

Dean brushed his nose over my head as he spoke lowly. "We got to talk." Sam and I nodded and followed him out. We stepped out into the lobby. I let out a heavy sigh as I wrapped my arms around my waist. "Those guys were wacked out of their gourds."

"What do you think? Multiple demons? Mass possession?" I ask softly.

"If it is a possession, there could be more." Dean answered. "God knows how many, could be like a friggin' shriner convention. Of course, thats one way to wipe out a town-- you take it from the inside."

"We didn't see any of the demon smoke with Tanner." I stated softly. "Or any of the other usual signs. And I couldn't sense any demonic energy from either of them."

"Well, whatever. Somethin' turned him into a monster." Dean shot back with a shrug as he walked passed us. "You know, if you would have taken out the other one, there'd be one less to worry about." Dean shot to Sam.

"I'm sorry, alright? I hesitated." Sam said with a confused look. "Dean, it was a kid."

"No, it was an 'It'. It's not the best time for a bleeding heart, Sam." Dean quipped angrily. I shot a look of concern at him just as Dr. Lee stepped back in.

"How's Mrs. Tanner?" I ask softly.

"Terrible- What the hell happened out there?" She snapped.

"We don't know." Dean said softly.

"Yeah? Well, you just killed my next-door neighbor." She snapped.

"We didn't have a choice-" I snapped back.

"Maybe so, but we need the county sheriff. I need the coroner."

"The phones are down." Sam stated.

"I know- I tried. Tell me you've got a police radio in the car." She exasperated.

"Yeah, we do, but it crapped out like everything else."

Doctor Lee let out an annoyed huff. "I don't understand what is happening."

"How far is it to the next town?" Dean asked.

"It's about forty miles down to sidewinder." She explained.

"Well, I'm gonna go down there and see if I can find some help." Dean stated. "My partners will stick around and keep you guys safe." Dean urged as he clasped my shoulder.

"Safe from what?" Doctor Lee asked as the realization crossed over her face.

Dean cast a glance at her before answering. "We'll get back to you on that."

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Look, keep a close eye on Mrs. Tanner for a minute, alright? I have to talk with my partner for a moment." I urge to Doctor Lee. She nodded slowly and went back into the exam room. "I got a bad feeling, Sam." I said quietly.

"I know- I don't like this." He sighed.

"I'm concerned-- what were they doing to Mrs. Tanner earlier? The blood?" I state as I look over my shoulder at the shaken woman.

"I don't know." Sam simply replied. I sighed heavily and went to one of the windows.

"You go stand watch with them. I'll keep a look out here, okay?" Sam hesitated before nodding slowly, and venturing into the exam room. I sighed outwardly and pressed my forehead against my hand as that buzzing wrapped up my temples.