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(13.2) ─ Seven Tenths

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫:
‧⁺˚*‧☾ 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐨, 𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝 ☽‧*˚⁺‧

"How was it?" Carmen asked, looking over towards the opening door while turning the tv down. "We talked to Ron and his friends. Back in the '60's there was a string of deaths. Black men. Story goes, they disappeared in a big, nasty, black truck." Sam explained as she was now fully sat upright, "Did the police ever catch the guy?" Dean shook his head while taking off his jacket and draping it on the back of the couch, "Nope. Never found him."

Sam let out a sigh as he took off his own jacket, "They said that they're not even sure they even really looked. There was a time, the town wasn't too friendly to all its citizens."

"So, what now?"

"I'm gonna change and head to Cassie's. Talk with her about this." Dean stated while walking into the bathroom, "It's gonna be just me and you Carmen tonight." Sam remarked as Carmen laughed, walking over towards the fridge looking for anything that peaked her interest, "Please,  we won't see him again till noon."

"I'm going." Dean announced walking out of the bathroom, now dressed back into his normal clothes, and grabbing his keys. "Don't touch my pie!"

"I'd never," She faked gasping, holding her chest. Holding the aluminum tin with the see through lid. "Then why is there a piece missing?" He asked as she shrugged her shoulders slightly, "Pie fairy?"

"And does this 'Pie Fairy' have my flannel on?"

"Hah..hah...I got nothing for that either,"

Dean started to slowly start walking closer to her, "What if- nothing is going to get me out of this is it?" He shook his head, "Nope,"  "This flannel looks better on me than it does on you." She managed to get out knowing what he was about to do next. Just as she turned her back towards him to run away, he already grabbed her up by her waist. Tossing her onto the bed as he started to tickle her causing her to laugh. "Pie Fairy my ass,"

"Stop, please, Sammy, help me." Except he did the opposite of what asked and joined in. Trying to move away feeling her eyes start to water and stomach hurt from laughing so hard. But her eyes shot open when she no longer felt the chain around her neck. The one cold, tight necklace hadn't moved with her; she knew it broke from the weight of all of them. "Wait, wait!" The two quickly stopped taking a step back, both considered by the sudden change in her voice. Watching as she started to carefully put the red stone into the palm of her hand while untangling the chain from her hair.

"I'm sorry Carmen, I didn't mean–"

"It's a cheap chain, they're bound to break. I have another in the Impala." She placed the ruby into her front pocket, since these were smaller and tighter. Tossing the broken chain onto the nightstand.

"Hey, I'll go with you, okay?" Dean suggested as she nodded, giving him a soft smile. Her hand reached up to feel her bare chest, feeling naked without the jewelry.

Reaching into the truck of the Impala was a small clear box. Inside had different chains, clasps, and small pillars. "I truly am sorry Carmen," Carmen took the box under her arm before shutting the truck. Turning towards her brother shaking her head, he knew how much that necklace meant to her and the fact that it was his fault hurt. "Dean, it's fine, really. In our line of work, I'd figured why not be prepared. And the pennant is what matters, not the chain."

About to go inside after watching the Impala drive off when suddenly she heard the cries of a cat and kids laughing. Rounding the corner, she could see 2 kids cornering a black cat, 1 even had a knife. "Hey! Leave that cat alone!"

"And what are you going to do about it, little miss princess?" Carmen raised her brow, taken back at how rude the kids were. "Imma shove both of your 9-year-old heads through that fucking brick wall."

"You can't do that." The unarmed one tried to protest. "Yeah, that's illegal." She rolled her eyes at the two, "So is harming an animal. So, say you're sorry." The two boys looked nervously between each other. Neither one was ready for someone to actually call out what they were going to do. The tone of her voice gave them both the feeling of being scolded by their mothers. "We're sorry."

"Not to me to the kitty,"

"We're sorry kitty,"

"Good. Go!" She shouted at them as they quickly bolted away. Watching them fully leave before crocheting down where she stood. "Hey hone, I'm not gonna hurt you." Her voice was light and soft, trying not to scare the cat even more. Holding her hand out as the cat came out from the shadows seeing it was a beautiful black cat. "See I'm not gonna hurt 'yuh." The cat rubbed their head up against her hand. Its tail and body rubbed up against her legs. "Why would anyone want to hurt you? You're too sweet." Something that sound like glass hitting the metal lid of the dumpster scared both her and the cat. "Bye, kitty," she said sadly standing to her feet before going back to her motel room.

💾

Awoken by Sam, shooting straight up the bed, "I'm up! Put the water away, Dean." She looked around not wanting a repeat on the previous morning. "I guess he and Cassie worked things out." He said as she let out a yawn and stretch, "Finally."

Tossing the bedding to the side she went into the bathroom to brush her hair. Taking the black hair tie that was around her wrist and tying it up into a messy ponytail. Not bothering with smoothing out the bumps. Her mind was too busy when her eyes looked down to see that her necklace wasn't there. Checking her shorts as if they didn't have any pockets.

Walking out of the bathroom and started to shake out her comforter. "Hey, we have to–What are you looking for?" Sam asked after shutting his phone.

"My necklace, have you seen it?" He slowly shook his head, "No, the last place was the Impala though. But We need to go. There was another victim. Mayor Todd." She gave him a confused look as she grabbed a pair of pants and her jacket, "Guess that means I'm changing in the backseat, again." He nodded, slipping his jacket after handing her shoes, "I'll call Dean on the way."

💾

It had started snowing when the two got to the crime scene. Getting past the cop, Sam flashed his fake ID as Dean came up, "He's with me." Sam told the two cops. Moving away from them before speaking to him, "Where were you last night?" He questioned with a half smile. "You didn't make it back to the hotel."

"Well..." Dean trailed off with a shrug. Carmen shook her head with a small smirk, "I'm guessing you two finally worked things out."

"We'll be working things out when we're 90." Dean joked as the three of them laughed. "So what happened?"

"Every bone was crushed. Internal organs turned to pudding. The cops are all stumped, it's like something ran him over." Sam explained as Carmen cringed at the idea. "Something like a truck?" Dean asked as they all stopped walking through the field. "Bingo," She added.

"Tacks?"

"Nope."

"What was the Mayor doing here anyway?" Dean asked with a frown. "He owned the property. Bought it a few weeks ago." Sam answered. "But he's white, he doesn't fit the pattern." The oldest stated.

"Killings didn't happen on the road. That doesn't fit either." She pointed out.

Dean let out a huff, "Alright, Daria–"

"I've always wondered why Daria, or Shorty?" She asked with a small head tilt. "Because the only cartoon you would watch without getting bored was Daria. Plus you were always the shortest of the family." She rolled her eyes at him.

💾

Carmen was with Cassie at the newspaper office. Digging through the different details of the different reports from the 60's. Sat at Cassie's desk, typing away on her boxy computer. Glancing over to see the older woman coming over to her with a Dr. Pepper can in one hand and a mug in another. "I got the one near the back of the fridge." She placed the can next to her.

Carmen smiled at the can and then up at her. "Because it's the coldest."

Cassie took one of the chairs from an empty desk. Pulling it up next to the Winchester looking between her and the screen. "I'm trying to find some link between those killings back in the '60s and what's going on now. But there's barely anything about it in the paper."

"Not surprising. Probably minimal police work too. Back then equal justice under the law wasn't too literal around here." She explained as Carmen listened to every word. This was the reason she never wanted to go to school. It was full of stuff from a textbook that had been edited to portare a certain cookie cutter way of life. She had seen what life truly was.

Her almost deafening ringing of her phone brought her back to position. "Winchester Family Business, how may I direct your call?"

"Okay, the courthouse records show that Mr. and Ms. Mayor bought an abandoned property. The previous owner was the Dorian family for, like, 150 years," Sam explained on the other end.

"Hey, Shorty, let me talk with Cassie for a minute," Dean shouted as she could hear the engine of the Impala in the background. She smirk glancing over to the women next to her, placing the phone on speaker, "Only if the two of you behave,"

"Cassie, didn't you say the Dorian family used to own this paper?"

"Yeah, along with everything else around here. Real pillars of the town," Cassie answered. "Right, right, Carmen, can you check it?"

"Magic word?"

"Carmen,"

"Fine, fine, you are no fun I swear" She remarked typing away at the keyboard in front of her. Her eyes searching the result on the screen causing her head to tilt to the side. "Huh, what are you,"

"What?"

"Cyrus Dorian. Vanished. April, '63. The case was investigated but never solved. Huh, and get this, it was right around the time the string of murders was going on back then," She spoke letting out a small confused breath. "Well we pulled a bunch of papers up on the Dorian place, it musta been in bad shape when the Mayor bought," Sam explained to them.

"Why's that?"

"The first thing he did was bulldoze the place," Sam answered causing her to look over at Cassie, "Did Mayor Todd knocked down the Dorian place?"

"It was a big deal. One of the oldest houses left. He made the front page," She replied.

"You got a date?" She asked her brothers on the other end. Reading her fingers on the keyboard.  "The 3rd of last month," Dean replied. Scanning the article before clicking onto the next webpage. Leading her to another article, the one that housed that answer she was looking for. "Mayor Todd bulldozed the Dorian family home on the 3rd. The first killing was the very next day."

💾

The three had dropped Cassie back at home. Barely getting through the door before Cassie called them saying that she had saw the truck.

The truck.

Dean and Carmen sat with the two Robinson's in the living room. Sam came from the kitchen with a tray of cups filled with tea. "Maybe you could throw a couple of shots in that." She joked while taking the cup, her hands clearly shaking.

"I take it you didn't see the driver?" The youngest asked, causing her to shake her head. "It seemed to be no one. Everything was moving so fast. And then it was just gone." She explained as her mother was staring down at the liquid in her cup, "Why didn't it kill us?"

"Whoever was controlling the truck wants you afraid first." Dean replied.

Sam looked over at Ms. Robinson, "Cassie said that your husband saw the truck before he died." The woman said nothing, instead just continuing to just stare off into the distance. "Mom?" She asked, causing her mother to look over at her, "Oh. Martin was under a lot of stress. You can't be sure about what he was seeing."

"Well after tonight I think we can be reasonably sure he was seeing a truck." Dean started, turning his body towards the woman, "What happened tonight, you and Cassie are marked. Okay? Your daughter could die. So if you know something now would be a really good time to tell us about it."

"Dean." His sister quickly warned.

"Yes. Yes, he said he saw a truck." Ms Robinson confused, causing everyone's head to snap to her. After a few questions they were finally able to get the answer on who he thought the owner was. "A man named Cyrus." Carmen quickly grabbed her bag, pulling out a bright white paper with a printed copy of a old newspaper article on it. Showing it to the woman, "Is this Cyrus?" She didn't look at it but still responded, "Cyrus Dorian died more than 40 years ago." Carmen frowned her brows, "How do you know that? This says that he went missing?"

"We were all very young. I dated Cyrus a while, I was also seeing Martin...in secret of course. Interracial couples didn't go over too well back then. When I broke it off with Cyrus and when he found out about Martin, I don't know, he...changed. His hatred. His hatred was frightening."

"The string of murders,"

"There were rumors. People of color disappearing into some kind of truck. Nothing was ever done. Martin and a....Martin and I, we were gunna be, uh, married in that little church near here. But last minute we decided to elope as we didn't want the attention." Ms Robinson explained as everyone was hanging onto every word she spoke. "And Cyrus?" Dean's question caused her to break down, "The day we set for the wedding, was the day someone set fire to the church. There was a children's choir practicing there. They all died."

"Did the attacks stop after that?" Sam softly asked.

"No! There was one more. One night that truck came for Martin. Cyrus beat him something terrible. But Martin, you see, Martin got loose. And he started hitting Cyrus and he just kept hitting him and hitting him," She said, sobbing.

"Why didn't you call the cops?" Dean asked as his sister stared at him as that was by the far the dumbest question.

"He called on his friends, Clayton Soames and Jimmy Anderson. They put Cyrus' body into the truck and they rolled it into the swamp at the end of his land and all 3 of them kept that secret all of these years."

"And now all 3 are gone." Sam stated, "And so is Mayor Todd." Dean added, "Now he said that you of all people would know he is not a  racist. Why would he say that?"

"He was a good man. He was a young deputy back then investigating Cyrus' disappearance. Once he figured out what Matin and the others had done he...he did nothing, because he also knew what Cyrus had done."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cassie asked her glossy eyes matching her mothers, "I thought I was protecting them. And now there's no one left to protect."

"Yes there is."

💾

The two leaned against the Impala watching as Dean was pacing up and down. "God, look at him. He's acting like me." She remarked, crossing her arms across her chest.

Sam let out a soft sigh, "Ah, my life was so simple. Just school." He said and Dean stopped and took his spot beside his sister as Sam started again, "Exams, papers on polycentric cultural norms."

"So I guess we saved you from a boring existence," Dean joked as Carmen smirked and nudged his side, "So he talks!"

"So this killer truck," Dean started as she cut him off, "Man how I miss those conversations that did not start with 'this killer truck'..." She trailed off with a laugh that her brothers joined in.

"Well this Cyrus guy. Evil on a level that infected even his truck. When he died, the swamp became his tomb, and his spirit was dormant for 40 years," Dean said, keeping the topic. "So what woke it up?" Sam asked. "People working on his house."

"Construction or destruction?" She asked in a smart ass tone.

"Right. Demolition or remodeling can awaken spirits, make them restless." Sam said as both his siblings nodded. "Like that theater in Illinois, ya know?"

"Yeah and the guy that tore down the family homestead–Harold Todd–is the same guy that kept Cyrus' murder quite and unsolved." Dean added.

"So now this spirit is awakened and out for blood."

"Yeah, I guess,"

"Huh, and here I thought we were dealing with Casper." Carmen remarked her hand meeting her bare chest, forgetting that she hadn't had her necklace on.

"You do know we're going to have to dig that body up from the swamp right?" Sam said as her smile dropped, "Great, just fan-fracking-tisc." Walking in front of them letting her arms drop to her sides. "What?" She asked see her brother faces, "At least I didn't say fuc–"

"Hey," Dean's voice cut her off, pushing off the Impala.

Turning her head around to see Cassie walking her way down the front steps and towards the three. "Hey. She's asleep. Now what?"

"Well, you should stay put and look after her..and we'll be back. Don't leave the house." He ordered. She smiled a little while crossing her arms over her chest, "Don't go getting all authoritative on me. I hate it." He glanced over his shoulder at the two. Both poorly hid their smiles, looking away as he took a step closer to her. "Don't leave the house please?" Carmen smiled as she watched the two from the corner of her eye. Sam cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him see he was grinning wider looking at them. Dean continued to kiss Cassie, holding one finger back to them. Sam looked down at his sister putting his hand over her eyes. "You comin' or what?"

💾

"All right. Let's get her up!" Sam announced to Dean who was behind the wheel of a tractor that they "borrowed". The tractor jerked forward, bringing the muddy monster truck further out the swampy water. "Alright. A little more. Little more. Alright, stop!" He turned off the engine and jumped down. "Nice job, bob the builder." Carmen joked holding her hand up as her brother hit it with a 'hell yeah' as they walked back to the Impala.

"Now I know what she sees in you."

"What/" He asked, frowning his brows at his younger brother.

"Cassie," She remarked in a singy tone. Causing her brother to shoot her look. "Where's a haunted demon death truck when you need it?"

"Come on man, you can admit it. You're still in love with her." Sam clarified.

"Can we focus please?" He asked opening the trunk. "I'm just saying Dean," Sam muttered as they each took a light. Sam took a red gasoline container. Dean grabbed the large blue salt cylinder. Leaning Carmen to grab the silver lighter, tucking a book of matches in her front pocket. Just in case.  "Okay, let's get this done." Dean stated shutting the trunk.

Once up to the patchy truck that clearly didn't age kindly from years station in the water. Dean pulled open the driver's door. His face twisting at the decayed body, hands still on the wheel. "All right let's get to it."

The brothers dragged the bout out, pouring the salt and gas over the body. Carmen walked over to a drier patch of the swampy area. Finding a stick and using the lighter to set it on fire before tossing it onto the body. "Think that'll do it?"

Blinding bright pairs of lights shot towards them. A loud revving ready to kill engine followed like lightning and thunder. "Think that's a different killder truck?" She remarked feeling her stomach drop at the sight and sound.

"So burning the body had no effect on that?" Sam suggested as the two brothers pushed her behind them. "Sure it did. Now it's really pissed." Dean reamark causing Carmen to nod her head, "Noted, don't piss off the demonic killer truck. But shouldn't we be done with Cyrus' ghost? It should be gone, right?"

"Apparently not the part that's fused with the truck." Dean stated, starting to back away and heading towards the car.

"What are you doing?"

"Goin' for a little ride,"

"What?!" Sam and Carmen both exclaimed in unison.

"Gonna lead that thing away. The busted piece of crap, you gotta burn it."

"How the hell are we supposed to burn a truck, Dean?" Sam asked, clearly overwhelmed with everything happening.

"I don't know. Figure something out!" He responds by tossing a bag to Sam before climbing into the Impala. "Figure something out!" He repeated out the window before revving the engine. He took off with the truck right after him. Sam grabbed Carmen's collar and the two ducked down out of eyeline as the truck drove past. Quickly both the Impala and truck were out of their views.

"I'm so going to kill him." She seethed, taking out their father's journal (it was in the bag that Dean had tossed them) flipping through the pages going through anything that had the would demonic. Which was most of the book.

Sam's phone rang out as he quickly answered it putting it on speaker. "Hey, you gotta give us a minute."

"I don't have a minute. What are we doing?" Dean voiced asked as the engine could be heard on the other end.

"Let me get back to you," Sam answered, hanging up the phone, looking desperately at his sister for any answer she could have. "Wait, the map. I need the map!" She shoved the journal into Sam's chest. Digging through the bag that was housed on Sam's shoulder.

"Let's see, let's see," She muttered as the two started to scan the paper. She than pulled out her phone and went to Cassie's contact, calling it. ""Hello?" She picked up. "Cassie, I need some information and it has to be exactly right. And if it's not then we are screwed." She got all the information she needed from her before having Sam call Dean.

"Alright, Dean?"

"This better be good," Dean said.

"Where are you?" I asked. "In the middle of no where with a killer truck on my ass! It's like it knows I put the torch to Cyrus,"

"Dean, Dean, listen to me, this is important. We have to know exactly where you are," She repeated now the two dropping to the ground. Having rocks holding the four corners down. Sam was holding the phone in between the two. Leaving Carmen with one hand holding a blue ballpoint pen that was from the journal and a flashlight in the other.

"Decatur road, about two miles off the highway," He said. "Ok. Headed East?" She asked her eyes to find the words needed. "Yes!" Dean snapped, there were some noises in the background causing him to curse. "You son of a bitch!"

"Ok, uhhh, turn-turn right! Up ahead make a right," While the silences filled the air she traced the line.. "Did you make it?"

"Yeah, I made the turn! Carmen you need to move this thing along a little faster," He responded clearly panicking more and more by the second. "Trying. Alright, you see a road ahead?"

"No! Wait. No, yes, I see it,"

"Ok, turn left,"

"Wha...?" He trailed off before the screeching brakes came. "All right, now what?"

"You need to go seven tenths of a mile and then stop,"

"Stop?"

"Dean, exactly seven tenths, no more no less." She insisted.

"Seven tenths, seven tenths,"

There was a drafting silence, seeing Sam glance over at her silently asking if she was right. She was already questioning the same thing. Sam was the one to break the silence. Asking the question never one wanted to actually say, hoping for the good answer. "Dean, you still there?"

"Yeah,"

The two let out a loud heavy sigh of relief, "What's happening?"

"It's just staring at me, what do I do?" Dean asked. "Just what you are doing bringing it to you," He said. "Wha..." Dean asked but his voice trailed off clearly confused. The two younger siblings looked between each other hoping they hadn't celebrated too early. "Dean? You still there? Dean?"

"Where'd it go?"

"Dean, you're where the church was," Carmen stated, circling the spot on the map where Dean had to be. "What church?" He asked. "The place Cyrus burned down. Murdered all those kids," Sam explained. "There's not a whole left,"

"A building there or not. Church ground is still holy ground. Which evil spirits can't cross. Sometimes it even destroys them." She explained smiling slightly at the fact that her plan had actually worked. Putting the information that she knew from the journal and from Cassie together had gotten her a very sketchy plan.

"We figured it could maybe work." Sam added as a sharp inhale of breath could be heard, "Maybe? Maybe! What if you were wrong?" Dean yelled on the other end. The two looked down at the flip phone almost waiting for him to break out through it. Like some final Freddy kill from a numberless Nightmare on Elm Street squeal. T

💾

It was the next day, the three were standing in front of the newspaper office. Sam was sat in the driver seat as Carmen was in the back seat searching for her necklace. The sound of the passenger door opening and closing caught her attention. Looking up to see Dean had climbed into the seat looking out the window seeing a sad but smiling Cassie. Waving at the young Winchester who waved back as the car started to drive away.

She laid her back against the row. She had basic tossed the entire motel room in search for her necklace. Having her brothers help her before the two convinced her that if it was in the room then it had to be in the Impala.

Yet it hadn't been found.

Feeling the corner of her eye start to burn and sting, fighting back the tears that were forming. She hated crying, it always ending with her face hot and puffy. And a headache that made her feel like a red balloon on an AirHeads wrapper.

Running her palms across her face as the feeling of defeat rushed over her body. The feeling of embarrassment washed over her for good measure.

She was hating herself. Hating the fact that the two last things she had that reminded her of her mother were gone. Mr. Kitty was lost months ago. And now her necklace. The necklace that her grandmother had given to her mother and now her mother gave it to her. It was all settling into the nauseating pit in her stomach.

She let her arms drop over the edges of seats. Her fingers meet with a cold metallic feeling. She knew that cold feeling. Shooting up a bit keeping her fingers on the feeling of the cold metal. Her smile and hope grew as the pads of her fingers could feel the different sides of the object. One that she had felt that brought her comfort.

Hooking two fingers around the object and pulling it up. Her eyes wide and her mouth slightly gaped. Her necklace was in her palm. The chain was new and more studered looking. And the red jewel was shining. "Huh," Whispering to herself as she clasped the chain around her neck.

It was strange though. She could've sworn she had it in her pocket after Dean drove off with the Impala. She still had when dealing with the black cat. But afterwards she couldn't say if she did or didn't.