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(7.1) ─ The Hook Man

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫:
‧⁺˚*‧☾𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫☽‧*˚⁺‧

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"Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is gettin' cold over here, Francis." Dean joked after seeing a very annoyed Sam walking back over to the two. "Bite me," He snapped back sitting down next to Carmen who was looking through their dad's journal. She swiftly thumped the back of his head, "What was that for?" He asked, holding the back of his head looking at her. "For being an ass."

"Language."

She rolled her eyes at the two, shutting the journal shut. "What'd you find this time, Blues Clues?" Sam shook his head slightly, he had just gotten off the nearby payphone, "I had 'em check the FBI's Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe's fitting Dad's description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations." He explained after letting out a heavy sigh.

"Sam, I'm tellin' ya, I don't think Dad wants to be found." Dean changed the subject, turning the laptop around showing them an article. "Check this out, it's a news item out of Planes Courier. Ankeny, Iowa. It's only about a hundred miles from here."

"The mutilated body was found near the victim's car, parked on 9 Mile Road." Sam read a loud.

"Keep reading,"

"Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible." Carmen finished reading. "Could be something interesting." Dean suggested. "Or it could be nothing at all. One freaked out witness who didn't see anything. Doesn't mean it's the Invisible Man." Sam said making it clear that his mood was going to be hard to break him out of. "But what if it is?" Dean protested, "Dad would check it out."

💾

Carmen shut the Impala's door looking around at different frat guys stared at them confused, "Someone please remind me why we're here, again?" She crossed her arms leaning on the Impala.

"Victim lived here," Dean reminded, her brows knitted together at the frat house, "Right must have misread that part of the article." She muttered avoiding the eye contact of some of the guys that were scanning her up and down. "Besides, you're staying in the car."  "Why?"  "Because, I don't wanna have to beat someone up for saying the wrong thing." He started walking away. "He has a point," Sam agreed before walking after him.

She watched them disappear into the house, before scoffing pushing herself fully against her door. "I don't wanna beat someone up." She mocked hating when they went all protective brother on her.

💾

After the brother's finished talking with the different frat guys, they went off to the church. The door shut loudly behind them, causing a group of people's heads to turn and stare at them. "As a community, and as a family. The loss of a young person is particularly tragic. A life unlived is the saddest of passings." The reverend announced as the three Winchesters sat in one of the back pews. "So, please, let us pray. For peace, for guidance, and for the power to protect our children." Everyone bowed their heads except for Dean. Which Carmen noticed, reaching up and pulling his head down by his ear.

After The Father finished his service, the three followed everyone outside seeing a small group of girls. "Are you Lori?" Carmen asked a girl who had just pulled away from one of her friends. The girl, Lori, fully turned towards them, "Yeah,"

"My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean. And our sister Carmen." He introduced as they both gave her a slight wave. "Dean and I just transferred here to the university. Little Carmen is helping us move." He quickly made up, slinging his arm over his sister's shoulder.

"I saw you inside."

"We don't wanna bother you. We just heard about what happened and..." He trailed off as Dean finished his sentence, "We wanted to say how sorry we were."  "I kind of know what you're going through. I saw someone get hurt once. It's something you don't forget." Sam told her unpretentiously just before The Father walked over to them. "Dad, um, this is Carmen, Sam, and Dean. Dean and Sam are new students, and Carmen's here to help them." Lori explained as Dean shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say, that was an inspiring sermon."  "Thank you very much. It's so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord's message." He said, making Dean chuckle slightly, "As Dad always says, if it ain't the Lord's way, it ain't right way." Carmen said with a smile, Sam nudged her a bit signaling her she was pushing it.

"Listen, uh, we're new in town, actually." The oldest started to explain, leading The Father away from either of his siblings. "And, uh, we were looking for a, um, a church group."

Sam and Carmen turned back towards Lori, "So, tell us Lori. What are the police saying?"

"Well, they don't have a lot to go on. I think they blame me for that." She told them, making Carmen's head tilt, "Blame you, why?"

"My store. I was so scared, I guess I was 'seeing things'."  "That doesn't mean it wasn't real." Sam said, making her smile. Carmen looked between the two smiling lightly, she liked seeing her brother like this. Happy. "Well, uh, can you tell us what you saw?" She took a deep breath glancing down then back up at the two. "I heard scratching on the roof. I got out, and then I...I found his body suspended upside down over the car."

"Suspended?" They asked at the same time as she nodded. The two looked at each other with confusion and worry. What have they gotten themselves into now?

💾

The small library was busy, as busy as a small college town library can be. Carmen weaving through different towers of bookcases and students, trying to find a more secluded table. She figured they would have to go through quite a bit of history, and knowing how Dean is on distraction and Sam is on noises, the more secluded the better.

"So, you believe her?" Dean asked Sam, "I do," He answered. "Yeah, I think she's hot, too." Dean added, thinking he knew why his brother was believing Lori. Carmen turned on her heel reaching over and slapping the back of his head. "I swear women," He muttered looking at her. "What was that Tweety?" She raised a brow turning back to him.

"There's something in her eyes. And listen to this; she heard scratching on the roof. Found the bloody body suspended upside down over the car." Sam recounted, growing tired of their bickering. Dean stopped in tracks while Sam kept following Carmen. "Wait, the body suspended? That sounds like the-"

"Hook Man? Yeah, now keep up." She remarked tugging on his elbow as they kept going through the small maze of bookshelves to the back of the library. "That's one of the most famous urban legends ever. You don't think that we're dealing with the Hook Man." "Every urban legend has a source. A place where it all began." Sam added. "Yeah, but what about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures and the Invisible killer?" Dean asked. "And what if the Hook Man isn't a man but some kind of pissed off spirit?" Carmen suggested as they finally sat down at the table.

The librarian walked over to them, placing a few brown dusty large boxes onto the table. "Here you go. Arrest records going back to 1851." She said with a smile before walking as they each muttered a 'thanks'. Dean blew some dust off one of the boxes, quickly waving the dust out of his face, "So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh?"

"Welcome to higher education."

Three full boring hours of checking record after record. "Hey, check this out." Sam announced getting all the attention. "1862, a preacher named Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. Looks like he was so angry over the red-light district in town that one night he killed thirteen prostitutes. Uh, right here, 'some of the deceased were found in their bed, sheets soaked with blood. Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh." Dean turned the page pointed at a part of the text, "Get this, the murder weapon? Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook."

Carmen had stolen another one of the pages, smirking as she placed it down on the table, "And guess where it was found."

"9 Mile Road."

"Same place where the frat boy was killed,"

"Nice job, Dr. Venkmen. Let's check it out."

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Climbing out of the Impala after parking on the shoulder of 9 Mile Road. Dean went straight to the trunk, handing Sam a shotgun. "Here you go," "If it is a spirit, buckshot won't do much good." Sam pointed out. "Yes, but a little bit of rock salt does some damage." Carmen remarked going over the map while sitting in the back seat. "Huh. Salt being a spirit deterrent." Sam thought to himself. "Yeah. It won't kill 'em. But it'll slow 'em down." Dean said taking out a coil of rope and closing the trunk.

Carmen checked her flashlight, before slipping her backpack on and shutting the car door. Both brothers on either side of her as she started to lead them through the maze of trees. Looking up every so often to make sure she wasn't going to run into a tree trunk or trip or rock. "That's pretty good. Did you both think of this, or just Dad?"

"I told you. You don't have to be a college graduate to be a genius," Dean remarked.

She smirked about to say something but just as she was about to check the path in front of her she saw a pair of eyes. Her brows knitted together in confusion as they stared back at her almost a yard away. They weren't human, instead glowed green with a thin black oval for a pupil, like a cat's eye. "Can one of you remind me if bobcats live near here?" She asked as her brain started going through every single possible cat-like creature that this could possibly be.

But before either one could answer her, the sound of crunching leaves came to their right. Sam raised his gun looking around. "Over there. Over there," Dean whispered twice, while pull Carmen to his side sandwiching her between the two of them. Just as Sam cocked the gun, something shot out from behind the trees. "Put the gun down now! Now! Put your hands behind your head." The Sheriff and a few other officers shined their lights while also pointing their guns in their faces. Sam gently placed the gun down as Dean set the rope down as well. "W-w-wait, okay, okay!"

The sheriff too a few more steps closer towards them, blinding them with the bright light from his flashlight, "Now get down on your knees. Come on, do it! On your knees!" They all did as he said, kneeling down with both their hands placed behind their heads. "Now get down on your bellies. Come on, do it!" They continued doing what he said, each slightly annoyed that they got caught to begin with. "He had the gun!" Dean protested, as Carmen shot him a quick glance, clearly telling him now was not the time.

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Carmen sat in a hard plastic chair with a thin piece of foam for a cushion, a cuff locked around her right wrist while the other cuff was locked to the arm rest. The chair was placed in between the two integration rooms that held each of her brothers. Waving her hands at every officer that walked by, making sure the chain of the cuff was loud. "Hey! Hello!? Woman chained to a chair here!?"

She slumped back into her seat with a loud huff, "Asshole,"

The plan that she had come up with wasn't exactly fool-proof, and wasn't exactly but it was believable. Said plan had been fully thought through as she was put into the back of a separate cop car, handcuff. Figured it was better shutting up instead of arguing to a wall. Wither that be her being fourteen, or that she was innocent. Or the most important fact being that Dean was considered legal dead and a murder, so if they were to run each of their print's things would be absolutely fucked for them.

So, she waited, and waited, and waited. Knowing (hoping) that the Sheriff would come out and finally question her. And when she heard the door open to her right, she couldn't hold back a small laugh of relief.

"You find something funny, kid?"

"Yeah," She giggled out, making the man pull a rolling chair up to her. Sitting down, crossing one leg over the other before crossing his arms and leaning back. "This whole thing has been a huge misunderstandment."

"Has it, now?" He asked, raising a brow at her.

"Yes, definitely. See my brothers are newly pledges to this frat, I think it's stupid, but they're really excited about it. So, I just played a little prank. I mean, it's not hard to just look up 'ghost stories nearby'. I thought I could trick them into doing a little ghost hunting and throw a rock at them or something. A small rock! A very small rock." She explained calmly.

"And the guns?"

"Real, but on those stupid ghost shows they use rock salt, so I got some empty shells and filled them up with rock salt." She explained studying his face and saw that he actually was believing her. Turns out her father was right; the sweet girl act pays off. He nodded his head thinking fully about what he was about to say, "If the stories match and if my guys say that the guns are what you say they are then we'll talk." He told her before standing up, pushing the chair back towards a desk, and went to the left room.