CHAPTER SEVEN

Nyx is laying down in the backseat of the Impala, and it's starting to get on Dean's nerves. He knows that she does it all the time, and normally it doesn't bother him. However, he woke up in the middle of the night last night and the tv was still on — it was playing one of those weird documentary things, and he could hear it as he was trying to fall back to sleep.

There was a segment on fatalities in car accidents, and how a large percentage of deaths happen because the passengers weren't wearing their seatbelts. And since Nyx is laying down, she's obviously not buckled back there — not that the Impala has seat belts, but that's also not the point. The documentary put the paranoia in his head, and he now can't shake it; so he wants her to sit correctly.

"Are you comfortable back there?" The oldest of the three hunters questions as he glances back at the teenager again.

"Not really." The brunette tells​ him as she types a text message to her sister.

Nyx
How are you doing
with the break up?

"Maybe because that's not a bed." He says, and she looks​ at him.

"What difference does it make if I lay down or not?" She questions​, having no idea about what he watched last night.

"It's not safe."

"Neither is our job." She argues, and he sighs.

Her phone vibrates as she sits​ up and leans against the door behind Dean. He looks at her in the rearview mirror, as she checks​ the text that she just got from her sister.

Elena
We aren't broken up.
He's just avoiding me.

Nyx
That sounds like
breaking up to me.

Elena
I bet you'd be happy
if they were the case.

Nyx
I'm sorry, Elena. I
am. But maybe it's
for the best.

Elena
You just don't like him
because of what he is,
but you don't know him
like I do.

The teenager sighs as she reads​ her sister's text, shaking her head. It is true that she doesn't like that Stefan's a vampire, but her concern for her sister is so much more than that. After losing their parents and now Vicki, she's constantly terrified of getting a phone call saying that she's also lost Elena, Jeremy, or Jenna.

Sam jumps suddenly, sitting up in the passenger seat, and Dean and Nyx both look at him. He was asleep before his nightmare startled him awake — something that seems to happen often.

"You okay?" Dean asks, his gaze returning to the road ahead.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The younger boy says.

"Another nightmare?" He asks, and Sam clears his throat, but doesn't answer. "Wanna drive for a while?" Dean asks his brother.

Nyx would complain that he never lets her drive, but she knows​ that he's just trying to do something to make Sam feel even the tiniest bit better. He's been pretty upset ever since Jess died. And rightfully so. They just don't know how to help him.

"Dean, in your whole life, you never once asked me that." Sam says as he looks at his older brother. "Nyx asked to drive yesterday, and you lectured her on the last time she drove your car."

"Just thought you might want to, never mind." Dean says. "And Nyx is never driving my car again. Never." He looks at her in the rearview mirror, and she rolls her dark eyes.

"Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." He says, and Nyx looks​ away from the brothers.

Nyx
Where supernatural
creatures go, death
always follows. I can't
be okay that being
around my family.

"Alright." Sam clears his throat as the teenager hits send on her text to her sister. "Where are we?"

"We are just outside of Grand Junction." His brother tells​ him.

"You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon."

"Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing." Dean argues. "If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica—"

"Gotta find Dad first." Sam cuts him off.

"Dad disappearing, and this thing showing up again after twenty years — it's no coincidence." He says. "Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do."

Sam picks up a map and then starts looking at it. "It's weird, man. These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge..."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"There's nothing there." He tells him. "It's just woods. Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"

Nyx's​ phone vibrates in her hand again, and she lifts it from her lap to look at the text that she just received from her obviously upset sister.

Elena
And yet you purposely​ go
looking for supernatural
creatures every day. That's
kinda hypocritical, don't
you think? Just because you
have a thing for Dean
doesn't make what you're
doing any less dangerous
than me dating Stefan.

Nyx scoffs, earning Dean's attention. "Is something wrong?" He asks, and Sam turns to look at her. Neither of the boys are aware that she's talking to her sister.

"Yeah, Elena's lost her mind." She says​ as she replies to the text.

Nyx
I do not have a thing for
Dean. And I help him kill
monsters before they kill
more innocent people. It's
not the same as what's
going on over there.

Elena
You can keep telling
yourself that you don't like
him all you want, but the
only person you're fooling
is yourself.

And apparently him.

—

Later that day, the three hunters make it to where they're going and they head inside a ranger station. Dean starts looking at pictures on the walls, and Nyx follows Sam as he makes his way over to a 3D map in the center of the station.

"So, Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote. It's cut off by these canyons here." Sam says as he points areas out on the map to the teenager beside him. "Rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place—"

"Dude, check out the size of this friggin' bear." Dean says, and they both turn to him.

"—and a dozen or more grizzlies in the area." Sam finishes as they walk over to look at the photo that caught his brother's attention. "It's no nature hike, that's for sure."

"You three aren't planning to go out near Blackwater Ridge, by any chance?" A ranger asks, and they all turn to face him.

"Oh, no, sir. We're environmental study majors from UC Boulder. Just working on a paper." Sam lies.

"Recycle​, man." Dean adds, and Nyx looks up at him, the amusement clear on her face.

"Bull." The ranger retorts, and the hunters all glance around at each other before looking back over at him. "You're friends with that Haley girl, right?"

"Yes." Dean says suddenly. "Yes, we are, Ranger... Wilkinson."

"Well, I will tell you exactly what I told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth." He tells them. "So, it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?" He asks, and Dean shakes his head. "Tell that girl to quit worrying. I'm sure her brother's just fine." He says as he starts to walk away from them again.

"We will." Dean nods, and Nyx glances at Sam before walking​ away from them. "Well, that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?"

"That is putting it mildly." Wilkinson agrees.

"Actually, you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date." He says, and the ranger actually agrees to give him a copy of the paperwork.

Dean's pretty pleased with himself too; he's smiling as they walk out of the station.

"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" Sam questions as the three of them make their way back out to the Impala.

"What do you mean?" Dean asks, confused by his brother's comment.

"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge. So, what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?"

"I don't know, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it." Dean argues, and they both look at Sam as he rounds the car.

"What?" He questions.

"Since when are you all shoot first, ask questions later anyway?"

"Since now." Sam says​ and then climbs into the passenger seat of the car. Dean and Nyx look at each other for a second before getting into the Impala as well.

The hunters head over to the address on the permit, and Dean knocks on the screen in front of the door. It opens, and a girl with dark, curly hair looks at them. She seems like she might be around Sam's age, and she's really pretty.

"You must be Haley Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Nycole. We're rangers with the park service." He lies. "Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. We wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy."

"Let me see some ID." Haley says, and Dean then pulls a fake ID out of his back pocket. She looks at it for a moment before opening the screen between them. "Come on in."

"Thanks." He says, and they start to move, but Haley stops when she sees something behind the hunters.

"That yours?" She asks Dean, referring to the Impala, and he smiles as he looks from his car back to the dark-haired girl.

"Yeah."

"Nice car." She says and then walks back inside.

Dean turns to mouth something to his brother, and Nyx pushes​ him so that they can go inside and ask Haley about her brother. The hope is that this will lead them to John as well.

"So, if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's​ wrong?" Sam asks Haley as they walk over to the dining table.

"He checks in every day by cell." She tells them as she sets out food for her and her younger brother, Ben. "He emails photos, stupid little videos. But we haven't heard anything in over three days."

"Maybe he can't get cell reception." He offers.

"He's got a satellite phone too."

"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asks.

"He wouldn't do that." Ben insists as he drops his utensil on his plate, making a loud clanging noise, and Nyx looks​ at him.

"Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other." Haley says, and the teenager nods in understanding​.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asks.

"Yeah." She walks over to her laptop and pulls up what her brother's sent to her since he left with his friends. "That's Tommy." She says as they look at the first picture that she pulls up. "This is his last message." The dark-haired girl then plays them a video.

"Hey, Haley. Day six. We're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow." He seems alright, so Nyx understands​ why his sudden stop in messages bothers Haley and their younger brother so much.

"Well, we'll find your brother." Dean tells her. "We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing."

"Then maybe I'll see you there." Haley says, and they all look back at her as she moves to stand beside the younger boy. "Look, I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm gonna find Tommy myself."

"I think I know how you feel." He nods, and Nyx looks up at him.

"Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?" Sam asks, referring to the pictures and videos.

"Sure."

They leave after that, and the boys want to go to a bar, but Nyx doesn't. She's tired so they drop her off at a motel and she gets​ them a room. After sending​ the room number to Dean so that he and Sam don't have any issues when they get back, she takes​ a shower and then goes to sleep.

The three of them head out the next morning and see Haley, Ben, and the guide that she hired as they drive up to where they're parking the car before actually going out into the woods. Dean stops the car a few feet from theirs, and they get out.

"You got room for three more?" Dean asks.

"You want to come with us?" Haley questions as she looks between the hunters.

"Who are these guys?" Their guide asks her, and Nyx looks​ at Sam before walking past them.

"Apparently, this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue." The dark-haired girl tells him.

"You're rangers?" He questions as he looks at Nyx and the two boys.

"That's right." Dean says as his brother walks over to the teenager.

"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Haley questions as she looks at him, causing him to look down at his attire as well.

"Well, sweetheart, I don't do shorts." He tells her, and Nyx smirks.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Their guide looks between Nyx and Dean. "It's dangerous backcountry out there. Her brother might be hurt."

"Believe me, I know how dangerous it can be." Dean says, and she turns​ away from them. "We just want to help them find their brother, that's all."

"You don't even look old enough to be a ranger, sweetheart." Their guide says, and the brunette turns​ back to look at him, clear annoyance on her face.

"Don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself just fine." Nyx tells​ him. "Sweetheart."

Dean turns to face her and his brother and he has a small smile on his face, amused by the fiery brunette. They all then head into the woods and start hiking out to Blackwater Ridge.

"Roy, you said you did a little hunting." Dean says, talking to the guide as they all follow behind him.

"Yeah, more than a little." He says.

"What kind of fuzzy critters do you hunt?"

"Mostly​ buck. Sometimes bear."

"Tell me, uh... Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" Dean asks, and Roy suddenly grabs him by the back of his jacket and jerks him backward. "Whatcha doin', Roy?"

Sam grabs Nyx's arm and makes her stop walking, as well as Haley and Ben. Roy then leans down and picks up a large stick. He slams it toward the ground, and a bear trap snaps it. He looks back up at Dean.

"You should watch where you're stepping... Ranger." Roy says and then starts walking again.

Dean mutters​ something about the bear trap as Nyx walks​ past him, shaking her head. Haley makes him tell her the truth about why they're really out here; Nyx keeps walking and ignores their conversation. She doesn't like this situation and she definitely doesn't like Haley and Ben's hired help. Roy is in serious need of an attitude adjustment.

"This is it. Blackwater Ridge." The guide eventually says.

"What coordinates are we at?" Sam asks him, and he pulls a small device out of the pocket on the inside of his jacket to take a look.

"Thirty-five and minus one-eleven." Roy tells him.

Those are the coordinates that John left for Dean, so they're exactly where he wanted them to be. The question, however, is whether or not he's there as well.

Dean walks over to Nyx and Sam, where the pair stopped at the head of the group. "You hear that?" The older boy asks.

"Yeah. Not even crickets." Sam says as he looks around at the woods surrounding them.

"I'm gonna go take a look around." Roy says, and the hunters turn to look at him.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself." He tells him, and the older man laughs.

"That's sweet. Don't worry about me." He says, and Nyx moves aside as he starts to walk past them. "Maybe I should take the princess with me. She can take care of herself right? Maybe she can take care of me too." He says, and the brunette looks at him.

"Careful, Roy. Keep making comments like that, and I'll definitely have to kick your ass." She tells​ him. "I'd hate for Haley and Ben to see that they chose the wrong guide to keep them safe and find their brother."

He walks away from them, and Dean looks down at her. "You okay?" He asks, his hand moving to rest on the small of her back, and she nods as she looks up at him.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to condescending comments from guys who think that they're better than everybody else." She tells him, thinking back to certain people in Mystic Falls.

"Alright, everybody stays together." He says as he then turns to look at Haley and Ben. "Let's go."

"Haley! Over here!" Roy suddenly yells, and they all turn and start running​ in the direction that his voice came from.

Their group soon finds an abandoned campsite. The two tents have been torn to shreds and they're both covered in blood. Supplies are scattered around the small area, and there's no sign of anyone at all. The only good thing is that there doesn't appear to be any bodies — so there's still a small amount of room left for hope.

"Oh my God." Haley mutters as she looks at the scene.

"Looks like a grizzly." Roy tells them, and Nyx glances at Dean as he wanders between the tents.

Haley starts yelling for Tommy, but Sam rushes over to tell her to keep quiet. "Why?" She questions, eyebrows furrowed as she looks up at him.

"Something might still be out there." He says, and Nyx takes a deep breath as she looks at the trees and overgrowth surrounding the campsite.

Dean then calls for Sam, and the younger boy goes to see what his brother wants. Nyx stays with the others and looks around a little more, trying to find anything that could tell them what they're dealing with here.

Haley finds her brother's satellite phone on the ground; the back of it's broken and falling apart, and there's blood on the screen. Nyx walks over and kneels down beside the older girl. She rests her hand on her arm when she sees the tears in her eyes.

"We're gonna find your brother, I promise." The teenager tells her.

"Can I ask... Why do you seem to care so much?" She asks, genuinely curious because of the compassion in the younger girl's voice. She can tell that finding Tommy means more to her than it does to the boys — Sam and Dean want to find survivors as well, but they're more concerned with killing the monster before it can take any more victims than it already has.

"Because I'd want someone to do the same for me, if it were one of my siblings out there. We'll find him." Nyx reassures her, and Haley nods.

Sam and Dean walk back over to them, and then the group hears a man's frantic voice yelling for help. Dean and Roy both pull out guns, and they all run in the direction that it's​ coming from.

"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Haley asks once they all stop.

A silence falls over the group as they look around the spot where they all ended up. There's nothing around them — no sounds of any of the wildlife that should be there, and the yelling stopped. Whatever was calling for help, it's gone now.

"Everybody back to camp." Sam instructs, and they head back in the direction that they came from.

Nyx falls back in the group, wanting to keep Ben in front of her. He's watching his feet so that he doesn't fall, and then they hear something behind them. They both look back to see what it is, but it's quiet again and there's nothing to see.

"What was that?" The younger boy asks as he looks at the brunette.

She suddenly hears something moving above them, and her head snaps up to look, but whatever it was is gone again. "Run. Don't stop until you're with the others. Go!" She yells, and they both take off running through the bushes.

Nyx hears more noises around them, and Ben manages to get ahead of her. Something suddenly cuts her off, and she skids to a stop as her feet slide through the dirt. Her dark eyes widen as she looks at the creature in front of her — it's the ugliest thing that she's ever seen. It looks like it has leathery, gray skin pulling tight around some kind of skeletal figure; thin and tall, pointed ears and a disgusting mouth.

"Nyx?!" Dean calls out, worried because she's the only one not back at camp.

Ben looks behind him. "There was something after—"

"Dean!" Nyx yells​ as the thing suddenly lurches forward and grabs her.

Dean immediately takes off running as fast as he can back into the surrounding trees to get to her. "Nyx! Nycole!" He yells, but she's already gone. All he can do is look around at the space that she disappeared from. "Son of a bitch!"