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(7.2) ─ Hello Preacher

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

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"Not only did I save my ass, but both of y'alls!" Carmen boasted turning on her heel looking back at both of her brothers, Dean held the door for them while Sam yawned rubbing his eyes adjusting to the morning sun. The three had spent the whole night there, but the sheriff had seemed to believe her story after getting a report. "And to add to this "what would you do without me?" cake, I talked it all the way down to a fine."

"How the hell did you do that?"

"I told him you two were some dumbass pledges and it was a stupid prank." She told them leaning on the back seat door.

"What about the shotgun and the rope?" Sam asked, leaning on the passenger door. "You know, the typical Hell Week prank you two were ghost huntin'. And I made you believe that spirits are repelled with rock salt." She explained, smiling ear from ear. "And he believed you?" Dean asked tilted his head. "Well believe it or not Dad was right about a few things."

A few seconds passed, when suddenly a handful of the cops ran out of the building and filed into their cars before speeding off. Only being able to exchange a confused look to each other before getting into the Impala and driving off after them.

Pulling up to the scene, Lori was wrapped in a blanket sat in the back of an ambulance. Spotting the black Impala as it drove past. Parking down on the other street, the three got out and started to the back of Lori's sorority house. "Why would the Hook Man come here? This is a long way from 9 Mile Road," Sam asked. "Maybe he's not haunting the scene of his crime. Maybe it's about something else," Dean replied.

Just then, two sorority girls came rushing out of the side door in nothing but their pajamas and whatever shoes they could find. Quickly the three leaned against the side of the house next to the bushes. Dean was smirking looking at the girls, who were walking away. "Guys, sorority girls! Think we'll see a naked pillow fight?"

Carmen simply rolled her eyes, now was not the time. Searching up the second store of the house and saw a balcony. She quickly whipped her palms on her shirt, drying them as much as possible before swinging her arms back and jumping upwards. Reaching her arms up as she hit the highest point, latching on the bottom part of the railing. Quickly pulling herself upwards, wiggling her legs around trying to move her body to get some type of leverage. In the midst of her legs flinging around she kicked Dean in the back of his head. "What the hell?" He held his head looking up at her. "I got myself up here, didn't I?" She remarked glancing down, smirking proudly, as she completely pulled herself up and got herself over the railing. She was extremely proud of herself not needing any help from her brothers. Normally she would climb onto either brother's shoulders, or they would just leave her on the ground.

They each climbed into the hallway window, standing on the small window seal before getting on the floor. Carmen, then Sam, then Dean. Except Dean tripped and stumbled into Sam. "Oh, sorry!"

"Be quiet,"

"You be quiet!"

"You be quiet!"

"Both of you shut up, before we get arrested again." Carmen scolded, seeing a deputy leaving the bedroom, but saw there were still two talking. Waiting the two deputies out, watching them leave, going fully downstairs and out of the house before going into Lori's bedroom. "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" She read out loud the red giant words on the bedroom wall. Shivers ran down her spine after smelling the metallic, rotten egg smell meaning the red letters were written in blood.

"That's right out of the legend," Sam stated.

"Yeah, that's classic Hook Man all right." Dean added, tapping his nose, "It's definitely a spirit." She nodded her head, pulling her shirt over nose as the smell was giving her a headache, "Have either of you smelled this strong of ozone before?"

"Hey, come here," Sam said, staring at the symbol beneath the writing. The youngest and oldest moved to either side of him as he pointed towards the cross-like symbol. "Does that look familiar to you?"

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"It's the same symbol," Sam noted, as the three were now sitting on the trunk of the Impala. Sam held a picture of the cross symbol from the library and it matched the one on the wall. "Seems like it is the spirit of Jacob Kams."

"Alright, let's find the dude's grave, salt and burn the bones, and put him down." Dean said simply, as it is that simple to deal with ghosts.

"After execution, Jacob Kams was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery-" Carmen read aloud before sarcastically smiling at Dean, they had spoke to soon. "-in an unmarked grave."

"Great, now we get to play guess who with some graves, Super." Dean remarked, rolling his head back with a huff.

The three got up from the trunk and walked towards their own doors. "Ok, so we know it's Jacob Kams. But we still don't know where he'll manifest next. Or why," Sam explained. "I'll take a wild guess about why. I think your little friend Lori has something to do with this." Dean responded as they climbed in.

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Carmen stood against a wall, a random soda can in her hand. Looking over the sea of people, finding her brother talking to a blonde woman. Wondering how she let Dean talk her into going with him to a party instead of staying at the hotel with Sam. "It'll be fun Carmen, besides I won't tell Sam if you sneak a beer." His words replayed in her head right before he had left her.

"Hey," A guys voice caught her attention. He was an average college frat guy, red solo cup in his hand as the other was pushed up against the wall by her head, leaning towards her.

"Hi," She said, trying to be friendly, taking a sip from her drink.

"I'm Liam." He said with a smile as she nodded, taking another sip of her drink trying to give the signs that she wasn't interested. She felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket, taking it out to see that Sam had texted her saying to meet him outside. She looked up seeing Liam still standing there looking at her, "Good for you," She said flipping her phone shut, shoving it back into her pocket before walking past him. Weaving threw the sea of drunk college kids with music so loud she was bound to have a headache later. Finding Dean where she had last seen him still talking to the blonde girl. "Hey, Sam's outside," She told him, glancing between the two, obviously interrupting the two. "I like your top." She complimented the girl with a smile before grabbing Dean's forearm and pulling him outside.

"Hey!" Sam called as the two made their way over towards him.

"Man, you've been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome!" Dean exclaimed, grinning widely. "This wasn't really my experience." Sam quickly added. "Let me guess. Libraries, studying straight A's?" Sam nodded his head, "What a geek,"

"Shut up," Carmen remarked, hitting his arm lightly.

"Now, it was bugging me, right? So how is the Hook Man tied up with Lori? So, I think I came up with something." Sam started to explain, unraveling a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "1932, Clergyman arrested for murder. 1967, Seminarian held in hippie rampage." Dean read out the different dates and their correlating events.

"There's a pattern here. In both cases, the suspect was a man of religion who openly preached against immortality. And then found himself wanted for killings he claimed were the works of an invisible force. Killing carried out, get this, with a sharp instrument." Sam explained.

"What's the connection to Lori?"

"A man of religion? Who openly preaches against immortality-"

"Hey, is this your phone?" A guy's voice called towards them, all three of their heads turned to see who was trying to get their attention. It was Liam. "That's not mine." Carmen yelled back. "Are you sure? It looks like it could be yours?" She rolled her eyes, knowing he was trying to get her attention. She took a few steps, ending up a few steps away from him, pulling her phone from her pocket, "See it's not mine."

She went to walk back to her brothers when suddenly her wrist holding her phone was grabbed. "Oh no," Sam muttered as the two saw the scene fold out. She glanced down at his wrist up to his face, seeing that stupid shit eating grin. She dropped her phone, grabbing his wrist and starting to bend it pushing on the certain pressure point causing him to drop to his knees. "Touch me again and I'll cut your hand off." Liam groaned and hissed in pain. "Do you understand?"

"Pl-please let me go,"

"I said, do you understand?"

He quickly hissed out in pain, "Yes, yes I understand."

"Good boy." She said letting him go, crouching down next to swapping up her phone before walking back towards her brothers. "That's my girl," Dean said with a smirk as they both raised up their hands, and she high-fived them. "Continue," She nodded towards Sam, while shoving her phone back into her pocket.

"Right, except maybe this time, instead of saving the whole town, he's just trying to save his only daughter." He finished saying. "Reverend Sorensen. You guys think he's summoning the spirit?" Dean asked.

"Maybe,"

"Or, you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?" She added. "Yeah, the spirit latches onto the reverend's repressed emotions, feeds off them, okay." Dean agreed. "Without the reverend ever seen knowing it," Sam said.

"Either way, you should keep an eye on Lori tonight." Dean told Sam, who nodded in response. "What about you and Carm?" Sam asked. Dean's eyes wandered over towards the blonde girl from earlier, smiling at him by the pool table inside the house. "Dean?" Carmen warned. "Ho man," The oldest whined as they both rolled their eyes knowing he wanted to stay. "We're gonna play a game of guess who, with a couple of unmarked graves." She joked with a smile, grabbing his arm before dragging him away from the loud house.

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The North Cemetery was quite uncomfortable at night. Granted it is a graveyard at night. But the thing that really unease Carmen was the fact that the newest grave was from the 50's, nothing newer. Shining her light around examining each headstone before spotting the giant cross engraved on it.

She whistled, getting Dean's attention and he quickly made his way over to her. "Nice job, Munchkin." He remarked seeing it was the right headstone.

He held out a shovel towards her, and she just looked at it before looking back at him. He gestured at the shovel once more, "Dean, if you give me that shovel I will hit you with it." She remarked with a sarcastic smile, He rolled his eyes with a huff before starting to dig. It took almost two hours. Carmen would hand him a water bottle every so often, but kept on watch for any sign of night guards or zombie priests. "That's it. Next time, I get to watch the cute girl's house."

She scoffed, "You're just upset she likes Sam more than you."

Before he could say something back to her smart ass remark his shovel hit something. The two exchanged a look before Carmen slid down next to him. Taking the blunt end of the flashlight and helping smash it into the wooden grave. With both the shovel and flashlight the old rotting wood gave out and Jacob Karns's skeleton remains were there. "Well, hello, Mr Preacher." Carmen remarked, shining the light on the preacher's face.

Dean tossed the shovel aside, quickly climbing out. Holding his hand out and helping his sister out of the hole. Afterwards he started pouring salt and lighter fluid into the grave, while she held the light steady. Striking a match from the match book from his pocket, "Goodbye, preacher." Dean remarked throwing the match into the grave immediately igniting it into flames. Watching the bones burn into nothing but dust.

"Let's go see Sammy," He signed out of tiredness, as Carmen nodded, picking up the shovel and fleshlight before leading the way back to the car. Feeling a bit better about the dark possibly haunted, zombie-rendent graveyard after dealing with one of their friends.But making sure to walk a bit faster...just in case.

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The sun came up within the last hour it took them to drive to the hospital. Lori's dad had been attacked by the Hook Man. Walking out of the elevator and down the hall to where Sam told them he was only to get stopped by two deputies. "Sorry, you can't pass."

"No, it's alright, we're with him," Dean started trying to explain, pointing towards Sam. Carmen placed her thumb and pointer finger in her mouth and whistled. Knowing her brother and the two deputies would be going in circles, and that the loud high pitched noise would get everyone's attention. And sure enough, Sam and the Sheriff turned towards us, "Hey! Brother!" Dean called towards him, as him and Carmen waved at him. "Let them through." The Sheriff announced as the two deputies let the two through, "Thanks," Dean muttered letting her walk in front of him.

"Please tell me you're okay?" She said hugging her brother. "Yeah, yeah, I am." He told her quickly, hugging her back before the two pulled apart.

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked, glancing back to see the Sheriff and the two officers down the hall, closer towards the elevator.

"Hook Man,"

"Wait, you saw him?"

"Damn right. Why didn't you two torch the bones?"

Dean and her looked at each other both clearly confused before turning back towards their brother. "What are you talking about, we did."

"Yeah Mr. Preacher should be bye bye." She added fumbling with her necklace.

"You're sure it's the spirit of Jacob Karns?"

"It sure as hell looked like him. And that's not all, I don't think the spirit is latching onto the reverend." Sam started to explain as both of their heads tilted. "I think it's latching onto Lori. Last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman."

"So what?"

"So she's upset about it. She's upset about the immortality of it. She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished." Sam explained as Dean was yet quick to disprove him, "Ok, so she's conflicted." Carmen, ignoring her brothers remarked, "And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching onto her repressed emotions and he's possibly doing the punishing for her?" She suggested. "Right," Sam agreed, "Rich comes on too strong. Taylor tries to make her into a party girl. Dad has an affair."

"Remind me not to piss this girl off. But Carm and I burned the bones, we buried them in salt, why didn't that stop him?" The oldest WInchester asked.

"You must have missed something."

"How? We burned everything that was there." She stated.

"Did you get the hook?"

"The Hook?" Dean asked, clearly confused. "What hook?" Carmen added trying to figure out why the hook is a bad thing.

"Well, it was the murder weapon, and in a way, it was part of him." Sam explained as Carmen's shoulders dropped, "The goddamn hook," She muttered. "So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power." He clarified. "So if we find the hook-" "We stop the Hook Man," The three said at the same time smiling.

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"Hey, here's something, I think," Dean said as the three were back at the library going through more papers. "A log book, 'Iowa State Penitentiary. Karns, Jacob. Personal effects: disposition thereof," He read aloud. "Does it mention the hook?" Sam asked as Dean started scanning the page, "Yeah maybe. 'Upon execution, all earthly items shall be remanded to the prisoner's house of worship, St. Barnabas Church'."

"Where Lori's father preaches?"

"Bingo little sis," Dean replied.

"Where Lori lives?" Sam asked. "Maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverends' daughters for the past 200 years." Dean said.

"Right, but if the hook was at the church or Lori's house, wouldn't you think someone might've seen it? I mean it's bloodstained, silver-handled hook?" She asked, confused on how anyone can miss a bloody hook.

"Check the church records."

Sam searched through a few papers, "St. Barnabas donations, 1862. Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary. Reforged," He red before trailing off with a sigh, "They melted it down. Made it onto something else."

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"Alright, we can't take any chances. Anything silver goes in the fire." Dean announced as the three walked up towards the St. Barnabas Church. "I agree," San added. "Wouldn't it be easier just to burn the church down?" Carmen asked as both brothers looked at each other before ignoring her. "So, Lori's still at the hospital. We'll have to break in,"

"Alright, take your pick," Dean said. "I'll take the house," Sam said as both of them looked at their little sister, "C?" The oldest asked, making her shake her head before walking up to the church doors. Leaving the two on the sidewalk. Sam nodded at Dean before walking back towards the Impala, "Hey!" Dean called, causing him to turn back to him, "Stay out of her underwear drawer."

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"I got everything that even looked silver," Sam announced walking through the basement doors and towards where Dean and Carmen were throwing things into the furnaces. "Better safe than sorry," Dean remarked as they started throwing each of the things into the fire. Stopping when they each head soft footsteps above them. "Okay, move, move," Dean whispered gently, putting down whatever he had in his hands and moving towards his gun. Both younger siblings set their things down and followed close behind him as they quietly went up the stairs.

It was Lori, sitting alone in one of the pews crying softly. Dean lowered the gun without her seeing them and went back downstairs and Carmen followed leaving Sam to comfort her.

Slowly going back down to the basement Carmen watched as the last thing she threw into the furnace started to melt. Her hand went up to her necklace, feeling the slightly warm metal but the cold red stone. It felt like she was watching her own necklace burn.

Which would happen, one day. A hunter's burly, burning the body with salt making sure their body burnt completely, bones and all. Wondering if her mother had something like it, and that's why she gave her necklace to her. Not wanting it to end like this, and instead wanting it to live on with her daughter. Wondering if she and her brothers would have to burn their father. Everyday she was losing more and more hope that they would find him alive, or find him at all. Trying to keep optimistic with her brothers, knowing they would worry about her going through another muted phase after her mother died.

"Carmen?" Dean asked, placing a hand on her shoulder breaking her from her thought, "Yeah?" She said blinking a few times, letting the red stone of her necklace drop to her chest. "I was asking if you were okay?" She nodded twice, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Dean opened his mouth to protest, knowing she wasn't but a loud scream and pair's of running footsteps interrupted him. He stood up grabbing the rock salt shotgun, "Stay here,"He started running towards the stairs before glancing back to see Carmen was on his heel, "Stay here!" He repeated before sprinting up the stairs.

"Stay here," She mocked, but kept watch of the stairs knowing one of her brothers would be flying back down them. Either because they need to burn something or because they got shoved down them.

She stood closer to open furnaces feeling the warmth of the flames on the back of her neck, as she continued watching the stairs. Sure enough, Dean came running back down and threw Carmen the cross necklace Lori had been wearing. She turned, throwing it into the fire, keeping an eye on it watching it burn, glancing over her shoulder, seeing Dean on guard. Waiting for the necklace to almost be completely melted before shutting the furnace door and turning back to her brother. "Come on," He said.

"I was supposed to burn that right?" She asked, following him back up the stairs. "Yeah, you were."

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It was officially the next morning. An ambulance was parked outside the church, bandaging Sam up after his fight with the Hook Man. The Sheriff was talking with Dean, who was leaning against the Impala as Carmen sat inside resting her elbows on the rolled down window listening in. "And you saw him, too? The man with the hook?" The Sheriff asked. "Yes, I told you, we all saw him. We fought him off and then he ran." Dean lied and the man looked towards Carmen who nodded agreeing with the fake story. "And that's all?" He asked, taking one final look between the two. "Yeah, that's all."

"Listen," The Sheriff spoke quietly leaning closer towards Dean, "You, and your sister, and brother-"

"Don't worry about us, we're leaving town." Dean cut him off. The man nodded before walking off, agreeing with him. Dean glanced at Carmen, who gave him a soft smile which he returned. Walking around to the driver seat and climbing in and the two watched Sam through the rolled down passenger window. Lori walked over to Sam after one of the paramedics finished wrapping his arm. The two started talking, Sam nodded his head with a smile before walking away without another word.

Carmen sighed lightly, while Dean shook his head as Sam got into the back seat. "We could stay." He suggested.

Sam shook his head, and the two siblings in the front seat exchanged a look of disappointment for their brother. "So, I take it you didn't look in her drawers?" Dean asked, trying to lighten the mood. Both of his younger siblings chuckled, shaking their heads. And just like that the trio was back on the road once more.