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14.1 Born Under a Bad Sign

"Ellen, it's me again. Any chance you've heard from him? I swear, it's like looking for our dad all over again. Dean's losing his mind. I'm losing my mind. I've called him like five thousand times. It's nothing but voice mail. I don't know where he went or why. Even Salem can't find him, I mean Salem can find anyone!" She rambled off but than toon a deep breath in trying to catch her breath. "Sam's just gone."

"I know, I know, just try to breath. Your talking a mile a minute and gunna pass out if you don't." Ellen said on the other end.

"Hang on," She told her hearing she had another call.

She pulled the phone down looking up at Dean who was standing leaning on the passenger door. She looked down seeing it was Sam's number. "Sammy, where the hell are you? Are you okay?" She answered as Dean quickly took the phone. "Sammy? Hey, hey, hey, hey. Calm down. Where are you?" He asked. "Don't move. We're on our way." He handing the phone back to Carmen as the two climbed in.

"Ellen, we found him. Call you later," She said going back to Ellen.

"Thank goodness, be careful honey." She heard her say before they hanged up.

💽

Twin Lakes

They pulled into the motel and quickly got out and found the room. 109. "Sam, it's me." Dean yelled pounding on the door.

No answer.

"Sam!" He banged on the door as Carmen bent down to pick-lock the door but saw that it was unlocked. She stood back up and pushed the door open as he followed her inside.

"Sammy?" She asked seeing him on the bed staring at the ground.

"Hey," Dean called shutting the door.

"Hey, Dean." He muttered not looking up at them.

She saw his bloody hands and carefully pulled them towards her checking them for any cuts. "Are you bleeding?"

"I tried to wash it off." He said emotionless in almost a whispered.

But that's when she saw his waist. "Oh, my god. Dean," She said moving his jacket to the side getting his attention. The bottom half of his shirt was covered in dried blood. She kept moving his clothes around to see were the source was. "I don't think it's my blood."

"Whose is it?" The youngest and oldest Winchester asked in unison.

"I don't know."

"Sam, what the hell happened?"

"Dean... I don't remember anything." He said as both of them glanced at each other thinking the same thing.

💽

Carmen was in the bathroom soaking all of Sam's clothes in the bathtub to try and get the blood out. She sat on the edge of the tub sighing heavily looking up at Salem, who sat on the counter top.

"I don't know what's going on," She sighed out place her hands on her knees.

"You should be careful,"

"Huh?" She muttered before hearing the front door open as she quickly got up and leaned on the doorway.

"What did you find out?" Sam asked as Dean locked the door a set a bag on the table.

"You checked in two days ago under the name Richard Sambora. I think the scariest part about this whole thing is the fact that you're a Bon Jovi fan."

"Dean," Both warned trying to get him back on track.

"Your room's been quiet. Nobody's noticed anything unusual." He admitted. "You mean no one saw me walking around covered in blood?" He remarked walking around the room. "Yeah, that's what I mean."

"I can't tell if that's a good or a bad thing." Carmen thought out loud. "Because on one hand no noticed you covered in blood but also no one saw you covered in blood."

"Then how the hell did I get here? I mean, what happened to me?" Sam asked as both shrugged.

"I don't know, but you're okay, and that's what matters. Everything else, we can deal with." Dean explained as Carmen felt Salem brush by her legs, staying as close as possible to her.

"Oh really? Cause what if I hurt someone or worse?"

"Sammy," She trailed off gaving him a look.

"What if this is what Dad warned you about?" He asked ignoring her turning back towards the oldest.

"Whoa, whoa. Come on, man. Let's not jump the gun here. We don't know what happened." Dean quickly corrected. "Dean' right, we treat this like any other job. Before we start jumping to conclusions. So what's the last thing you remember?" She added walking closer to him but Salem stopped her.

"Us in that motel room in West Texas." He started to explain, sitting on the bed as the both looked at each other speechless. "We went out to grab some burgers. And I remember Carmen gave Salem a bit of her milkshake because he would stop swapping at it."

"West Teaxs--"

"Sammy, that was over a week ago." She said softly starting to get even more worried about him.

"That's it," He informed as they both looked down trying to figure out what to do next.

"Next thing I knew, I was sitting here...bloody. I felt like I had been asleep for a month." He admitted as Carmen started to fumble with her necklace. "Okay, retrace you steps." She suggested.

Dean's eyes light up as he nodded, "Yeah, the manager said you left yesterday afternoon, and never saw you come back." He informed as he walked over to look out the window to see some blood on the handle.

"Hey," He called getting his younger siblings attention. As they quickly ran up to see what he was looking at.

💽

"Recognize anything?" Dean asked as they both watched as Sam looked around. "Not really," He muttered as they started to walk down the alley behind the motel.

"Wait,"

"What?" Both stopped looking at him as Carmen held Salem closer to her, covering him with her jacket as it was to cold for him to walk.

"I think I was here." He informed as they saw a small storage/garage units to there left and a few houses to the right.

"You remember?" She asked hoping for a good answer.

"Not really. I just...feels familiar, you know?" He said as they both sighed before going to the first unit about to try and open it but Sam stopped them. "Try that one." He said pointing the one right next to it. "Yeah,"

"Okay," Dean muttered grabbing the handle as Carmen let Salem down.

"Wait." He said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. He gave it to Dean and he pushed the key into the lock and twisted it, making it unlock. Sam stood back as him and Carmen pushed the door up, revealing an old, old, rusty bug.

"Please tell me you didn't steal this." Dean muttered looking towards Sam.

"Hey! Some Bugs are cool, but please tell me you didn't steal this?" She repeated as they both ignored her comment before going to check out the car. Carmen went to help but Salem made her trip over him.

"More blood." She heard Sam say showing his finger at Dean.

"Sam, backseat." Dean said as she saw Sam slowly pull a bloody knife into her view. "Is that?" She asked seeing it through the dirty windshield.

"You think I used this on someone?"

"I'm not thinking anything. Right Carm?" He asked emotionless trying not to freak himself out.

"I'm thinking you probably saved someone. You know pulled the knife out threw it back there and tried to stop the bleeding." She quickly rambled out not wanting to say what the back of her head was thinking.

He looked between the two before using his jacket to wipe off his finger prints. "Okay, now, this is disturbing." Dean said as Carmen quickly pushed on the tips of her toes to see what he meant. Holding an open box of cigarettes, which Sam has never smoke a day in his life. Let alone smokes menthols.

"Come on, Man. This couldn't have been you. It could have been someone else ─ somebody who, uh, smokes menthols." He asked.

"Hey, a gas receipt, a few towns over." Sam said holding the receipt to him.

"Than why are we still standing here? Let's go!" Carmen explained motioning for them to come on.

💽

The drive wasn't that long considering Dean was driving.  "All right, receipt's for ten gallons at pump number two." Dean read aloud pointing towards the pump.

"You getting any, uh, goose bumps yet? DéJà Vu? 'Holy shit, this looks familiar,'' Carmen suggested leaning forward.

"Language," Dean quickly warned but Sam didn't even notice she did it. She raised a brow at him before glancing at Salem remembering what he had said earlier.

"Maybe someone inside will remember you. Come on," Dean suggested turning the Impala off as they climbed out.

"You ─ out of here. Now. I'm calling the cops." The cashier quickly said clearly paniced.

"You talking to him?" Dean asked pointing towards a confused Sam.

"Yeah, I'm talking to him. Jerk comes in yesterday, stinking drunk, grabs a 40 from the fridge, starts chugging it." He explained.

Her head tilted to the side, "This guy?" She asked pointing to Sam as the cashier nodded. "You're drinking malt liquor? Fricking body snatchers are starting to sound better by the minute."

"Not after he whipped the bottle at my friggin' head."

"This guy?" Both asked not believe what he was saying.

"What, am I speaking urdu?"

"I'm really sorry if I did anything─" Sam started to apologize as the cashier cut him, "Tell your story walking, pal, okay? Popo will be here in five." He said putting the corded phone up to his ear.

"Wait. He's leaving. Put the phone down." Dean said as Carmen knew what he was getting at. "Sam, go wait in the car."

"But, Dean ─"

"Go wait in the car!"

"It's either the car or the back of a cop car." Carmen pointed out looking up at him as he sighed lightly before walking out.

"Okay, look, I just want to talk to you, that's it, okay?" Dean said calmly which got the guy to put the phone down.

"Thank you. Now, when he took off yesterday, which way did he go?" She asked watching as he watched Sam outside.

"Why don't you ask him?" The guy snapped back.

"Cause I'm asking you." Dean quickly added, "Please, you'd be doing us a huge favor, okay?"

"Oh, do you a favor. Well, that is what I live for. You know, your buddy didn't pay for the booze or the smokes, which he also illegally lit up." He said as both of them went from trying not to punch him in the throat to surprised.

"You saw him smoking?" Both asked.

"Yeah, guy's a chimney."

Dean pulled out his wallet while clearing his throat. "This, uh... Ought to cover it." He said putting a wad of cash on the counter.

"Hmm, it's, uh, it's coming back to me now. He took two packs."

Carmen started to pop her knuckled trying to control her anger in any way possible. "Dean," She warned him through greeted teeth. "I got this," He said before pulling out more cash. He took the cash before looking up, "He went north on route 71, straight out of town." He informed as Dean took two of the chocolate bars before pushing him and his sister out the door.

💽

It was now night and they were still driving. Sam staring aimlessly out the window as Dean and Carmen both kept glancing at him.

"What's going on with you, Sam, hmm? The smoking, throwing bottles at people ─ that sounds more like me than you." The oldest asked breaking the silence.

"Dean, wait. Wait. Here. Turn down that road." He said pointing to the road.

"What?"

"I don't know how I know. I just do." He said as Dean turned down the road as Carmen held onto Salem as the turn was gunna fling him across the car.

Dean went down a long dark road as different motion sensor lights turned on when they passed them. He ended up pulling in front of a large dark house.

They got out as Carmen quickly made sure Salem had his collar on before taking him with her.

Sam went to walk follow Carmen walking around the trunk but Salem quickly hissed at him and swinged at him. "Salem," She whispered before seeing Sam quickly walk the other way around.

"What is going on?" She muttered to herself before running up to Dean.

A light under a security carmen shined at them. "Whoever lives here, I'd say they don't like surprises." Sam said pointing out the obvious.

Carmen sighed lightly letting both her brothers walk in front of her before following up the few porch stairs. "Should we knock?" Dean suggested. "Think we would get met with a shotgun." She remarked out loud starting to feel the anxiety start to pool in her bottom of her stomach.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam muttered before walking over to the left side of the porch to look at a window.

Dean glanced at Carmen who shook her head, her body language shouting something was wrong. He than knocked as Sam shined at something with his light, "Guys," he called as the saw some of the broken glass on the window sill.

"I'm surprised the cops didn't show ─ place like this you'd think would have an alarm." Dean explained pulling his light out and started checking the window.

"Yeah, you would." Sam said as Carmen slowly walked up to him as he backed up. She saw that the phone box was cut.

They walked into the house seeing it was trashed. Carmen followed as Dean and Sam lead through the house each stepping on the glass on the floor. Dean had walked into an office as they followed in seeing a dead body on the ground. Dean kicked him to see if he was actually dead. Which he was.

"Hit the lights," Dean said as Carmen flipped the light switch next to her.

The two brothers turned their lights off and Dean bent down and pulled the guy towards him. As Carmen walked up behind him seeing the guys throat was slashed as a pool of dark blood was under him.

"Dean, I did this." Sam muttered.

Carmen slowly backed into the closet door behind her pulling Salem closer to her.

"We don't know that." Dean quickly said.

"What else do you need? I mean, how else do you explain the car, the knife, the blood?"

"I don't know, man. Why don't you tell me?" Dean argued back. "Even if you did do this, I'm sure you had a reason ─ you know, self-defense, uh, he was a bad son of a bitch ─ something." He tried to come with before starting to pat the body down.

She stayed quite not knowing what to think she just stared at the desk trying to understand everything.

"He doesn't have any I.D."

She finally noticed the door handle digging in her back. She pulled back looking down and seeing it looked. She sat Salem down next to her before starting to pick the lock. Salem meowed getting her brother's attention just as she pushed the doors open reveling an array of guns and weapons. "Wow,"

"Holy..."

"Either this guy's a Unabomber ─ or a hunter." Carmen muttered placing her kit back in her pocket and picking Salem up.

"Carmen, I think I killed a hunter."

"Let's find out." Dean said looking up at the camera that was in the office. Sam sat down  in the chair as the two crouched down next to him to.

He rewinded the video, "Here we go,"

They watched as the dead guy fought Sam off but Sam started kicking and punching him repeatedly in the face. They saw the guys head creak open on the corner of the desk as Sam dragged him into the corner and sliced his throat open. Dean paused it just as Sam whipped some of the blood on his shirt.

The three were shocked and confused by what they just saw.

💽

Dean and Carmen were whipping everything down, "How do you ease this, huh?" Dean asked pointing at the screen. "Sam, come on. I need your help."

"I killed him, Dean." He breathed out. "I just broke in and killed him."

"Listen to me," She sat standing infront of the desk crossing her arm's. "Sammy, whoever this guy is, he's a hunter, which means other hunters are gonna look for his killer, which means we've got to cover our tracks, okay?"

"His name was Steve Wandell. This a letter from his daughter." He said throwing the letter on the desk.

Dean glanced around before looking towards Carmen. She closed her eye's and sighed heavily before grabbing the tower and smashing it to the ground and stomped on it.

Both brother's stared at her knowing it was definitely revealing her emotions. "That's how you ease it," She huffed out flickering the pieces of hair out of her way.

"Now, man up, wipe your damn prints. Then we get the hell out of here and forget about this day." Carmen said throwing a rag at him before storming out of the room.

"Feeling better?"

"Much," She muttered seeing him on a window sill.

💽

They finally got back to the hotel room, Carmen walked in with Salem in one hand and turning on the lights with the other. Sam followed as Dean shut the door and locked it.

"All right, we get a couple hours' sleep, and then we put this place in our rearview mirror." Dean said throwing his bag off his shoulder and onto the bed.

"And that why I'm sleep in the car, cause a hot shower is calling my name." Carmen said walking into the bathroom and placing Salem on the counter.

Normal she placed him on the bed but since he was acting so strange around Sam she knew it would better for him to be in the bathroom.

"I know this is bad, okay? You got to snap out of it." Dean said as she went through her bag getting some clothes while Sam stayed silent.

"Sam, say something. Literally anything." She remarked.

"Just get some sleep and leave in the morning? Murder, Dean ─ that's what I did." He said making her stop and turn to the two knowing how this was gunna go.

"Maybe, okay?" He said making Sam scoff. "Hey, we don't ─ shapeshifter." He suggested.

"Oh, come on. You know it wasn't. You saw the tape both of you saw the tape. There was no eye flare, no distortion." He listed off debunking his theory. "Okay, but it wasn't you, all right?" Carmen argued back. "Maybe it might have been you, but it wasn't you." She said pointing her finger at him.

"Well, I think it was." Both Winchester frowned at their brother sitting doen on the bed. "I think maybe more than you know."

"The hell are you talking about?" She asked before turning to Dean. "What the hell is he talking about?"

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean asked not taking his eyes off his little brother.

"For the last few weeks, I've been having...I've been having these feelings." Sam started to say vagally. "What feelings? Both asked in unison. "Rage.. Hate. And I can't stop it. It just gets worse. Day by day, it gets worse."

"You never told me this," Dean muttered slowly sitting down across from him.

"I didn't want to scare you, either of you." He admitted fumbling with his fingers.

"Well, bang-up job on that." The oldest remarked standing up.

"Dean, the yellow-eyed demon ─ you know he has plans for me. And we both know that he's turned other children into killers before, too."

"No one can control you but you." Carmen said as and arm was crossed herself as the other was messing the chain of her necklace. "It sure doesn't seem like that, Carm. It feels like no matter what I do, slowly but surely, I'm just becoming ─"

"What?"

"Who I'm meant to be. You said it once yourself, Dean. I got to face up to who I am."

"I didn't mean this!" Dean yelled raising his voice. "But it's still true. You know that. Dad knew that, too that's why he told you if it ever came to this ─" Sam yelled back walking up to him.

"Shut up!" Carmen snapped stressfully running her hands through her hair.

"Dean, you promised him. You promised me."

"Shut up Sam, he's not killing you. No one is killing anyone!" She yelled throwing her arms to her side as tears started to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Dean, Dad told you to do what ever it takes and make sure Carmen doesn't get in the way." Sam said as Dean shook his head looking anywhere but at either at them. "No, listen to me. We're gonna figure this out, okay? I mean, there's got to be a way, right?"

Carmen finally started breathing normal until she saw what Sam was about to do.

"Yeah, there is." He said picking up the gun, holding it up for Dean to take it. "I don't want to hurt anyone else."

Dean didn't take it and Carmen was getting ready tackle whoever was gunna point at gun at Sam. ''I don't want to hurt you or Carmen."

"You won't," Dean replied looking up taking a breath not wanting to do it. "Whatever this is, you can fight it." He insisted as she felt her leg start to bounce as she felt the anxiety kick in. "No, I can't...not forever." He said with tears in his eyes. "Here. You got to do it."

"Dean don't," She warned her voice creaking feeling a tear start to roll down her cheek.

Dean stood there staring at him, not wanting to do it. So Sam placed the gun in his hand. They stared at each other before Dean looked down at it, "You know, I've tried so hard to keep you both safe."

"I know,"

Dean stared at him before looking to Carmen. Who had tears in the corner of her eye's and was very clearly stressed out by the event. He turned back to Sam, "I can't, I'd rather die." He said dropping the gun on the bed and walking over to the window turning his back to him.

Carmen sighed out a sigh of relief tucking the hairs behind her ears. Feeling her heart slowly start to beat back to normal.

"No, you'll live." They both heard Sam muttered.

Dean turned back seeing him pickup the gun as she slowly started to back up towards the bathroom. "You'll live to regret this." He said before hitting him with the butt of gun. Making him fall to the floor unconscious.

She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "Sammy?" She whispered as he started towards her.

She kicked him in the stomach making him stumble onto the bed as she started to run to the bathroom. "Salem!" She yelled as Sam quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up slamming the door shut and locking it. "Let me go! Let me go!" She screamed hitting and kicking him. He walked to the front door hitting her against door to knock her out.