Sunday morning in Alex's house began just like any other weekend morning. Alex and the girls lazed on the couch until ten o'clock before finally getting up to wash and have breakfast.
Samanta, half-asleep, stood in front of the mirror brushing her teeth, lazily leaning her shoulder against Alex, who was washing up beside her. Alice flat-out refused to get up from the couch — sprawled out with her arms and legs in every direction, she just lay there with her eyes closed, pretending not to hear anyone calling her. Lucina had washed up first, but now, while getting dressed, was battling sleepiness — her eyelids kept drooping, and she was one step away from dozing off while standing.
This Sunday promised to be the laziest day yet in Alex's house. Even GIR, MIMI, and Stitch were unusually quiet, peacefully napping in their corners. Fighting off laziness with great effort, Alex and the girls finally made it downstairs for breakfast — or, more accurately, to at least try to eat something, since no one really felt like doing anything at all.
After breakfast, life seemed to slowly return to the house — but only just enough to beat drowsiness, not boredom. Alex settled onto the couch with a cup of coffee and turned on the TV to a random channel, just to have something playing in the background.
A few hours passed. Alex still hadn't decided what to do, so he just scrolled through his phone, replying to messages. Lucina, tired from reading through police, FBI, and FBC archives, sprawled across the couch with her legs on Alex's lap, lazily scrolling through her tablet. Samanta decided to redo her manicure, and of course Alice immediately wanted the same color. The two sat by the small table near the couch, surrounded by an entire set of colorful nail polishes.
Meanwhile, Alex was messaging Saga to see how she was doing. He was glad she had taken a short vacation from her FBI work and gone with her husband and daughter to visit Tor and Odin Anderson in Bright Falls. Saga had even sent him a picture of Tor and Odin playing with their great-granddaughter.
Alex, of course, couldn't help but wonder if those two old men had already gotten drunk or were managing to stay sober for the kid's sake. The answer came quickly: Saga's next photo showed empty bottles on the table. Alex just smirked — that explained everything.
"Alex, give me your hand," said Alice with a mischievous smile when she noticed he was distracted by his messages.
Alex absentmindedly held out his hand while continuing to type. He was asking Saga not only about how she was feeling after the events in Bright Falls, but also about Casey. According to Saga, he had also taken a break and gone "fishing" — though in Casey's case, that word always sounded suspicious.
Saga also mentioned that she had received a job offer from the FBC but hadn't decided whether to accept it yet. Alex, knowing her well, was sure she'd make the right choice. Still, he wrote that working for the Bureau was more dangerous than the FBI, but at least her family would be under his protection. Saga understood that — which was exactly why she was still hesitating.
"Now the other hand," said Alice, smiling as Alex stayed completely absorbed in the conversation.
Alex only grunted vaguely, switched his phone to the other hand, and obediently offered the second one — just as Alice asked. He kept texting Saga, completely unaware of why Alice and Samanta were quietly giggling.
Lucina, who had been reading on her tablet, glanced at the girls and couldn't help but smile too. She was amused by how focused Alex looked, typing away, utterly oblivious to what was happening right under his nose. She was actually curious to see his reaction once he finally realized what Alice had done.
Meanwhile, Alex texted Saga again, asking how her husband and daughter reacted to the news that they suddenly had two grandfathers. Saga replied almost instantly: David had insisted they all go to Bright Falls to visit the old men, while Logan was thrilled — she was finally going to meet her great-grandfathers.
Alex sighed, imagining the kind of things those two perpetually drunk old men might have told their great-granddaughter. Continuing the conversation, he asked if Logan had inherited the same gift that ran in the Anderson family. But even Saga didn't know the answer — the girl was still too young to tell.
After a while, Saga texted that the whole family was planning to drop by the "Coffee World" — just for a little adventure.
Of course, Alex didn't forget to remind her how her previous "little adventure" at that very Coffee World had ended. In response, Saga sent him a middle-finger emoji. Alex chuckled and put his phone down on the table.
Only then did he notice what Samantha and Alice were up to. The girls were calmly painting his nails black and drawing some sort of patterns on them. Alex turned his other hand and saw the result: his nails were neatly coated in black, with a red pentagram painted on top.
"Looks like you two are having fun while I'm busy," Alex said, glancing at the girls with a faint smile.
"Well, you were so focused," Alice replied with a bright grin. "So I thought you could use a manicure too. And admit it — it looks awesome!"
"Hmmm… I wouldn't say it's bad," Alex mused, studying his hand. "Actually, it's quite nice. If you look closely… you even painted tiny details of a demon trap."
"That was all Alice," Samantha said proudly. "My hands would've fallen off trying to draw something that precise. Though honestly, I kinda want one like that next time. But for today, I'll keep it simple."
Alex wasn't surprised that Alice could draw such tiny, intricate details — she really did have a talent for art. He took Samantha's hand and examined her manicure with interest. Even without being an expert, Alex could tell it was beautiful: dark trees against the backdrop of an evening sky.
"Hmm, a landscape," he said quietly. "Definitely Alice's work."
Samantha just smirked. Meanwhile, Alice showed off her own nails — a deep blue background with shimmering stars, like a fragment of the night sky.
When Alice finished "decorating" Alex's hands, he turned them thoughtfully in front of him. A mischievous thought crossed his mind: what if those demon traps actually worked if he grabbed someone by the collar?
Lucina, who had been watching the whole scene from the couch, couldn't resist anymore — she wanted a manicure too. Sliding off the couch, she sat next to Alice on the floor, and the latter instantly perked up, grabbing her palette of nail polishes. The girls started discussing what pattern to choose, while Samantha, giving up her spot to Lucina, moved to the couch beside Alex. She put her legs across his lap, wrapped an arm around his waist, and rested her cheek on his shoulder.
"Why didn't you use that thing that prints designs on nails?" Alex asked, watching the process.
"What thing?" Samantha asked lazily, not lifting her head from his shoulder.
"I don't remember what it's called," Alex replied thoughtfully. "I saw it back in Night City. You just stick your finger in the device — and a few seconds later, you've got whatever design you want."
"Sounds convenient," Alice said without looking up. "You'll show us later? I wanna see that wonder-gadget."
Alex nodded and reached into his inventory. A few seconds later, he pulled out a small device and set it on the table in front of the girls.
Lucina recognized it immediately — she'd used one many times back when she lived in Night City. Gloria, Kiwi, and Becca had them too — as did half the women in the megacity.
Samantha wanted to try it out right away, but after glancing at the neat design Alice had painted on her nails, she changed her mind — it would've been a shame to ruin such beauty.
Lucina, however, decided to demonstrate how it worked. Connecting to the device via her phone, she inserted her finger into the small slot. After a few seconds, the device quietly hummed — and Lucina's nail turned a deep purple that shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow at different angles.
Samantha and Alice watched with genuine interest.
"My designs are still better," Alice said with a satisfied smile, deliberately showing off her manicure.
"No one's arguing with you, my love," Alex replied softly, stroking her hair. "But don't forget, this is from Lucina's world. Many things there weren't made for utility, but to show off or stand out. Especially among the wealthy. Some types of Chrome were created purely to flaunt how rich someone is."
"And how much did those implants cost?" Samantha asked, looking at Lucina with keen interest. "I only know about your world from the memories Alex shared with me. But all of this sounds… insane."
"Oh, the prices vary," Lucina began, while Alice continued giving her a manicure. "For example, 'Sandy' — a time accelerator used by Maine — cost about 250,000 euro-dollars on the black market. And that was a military prototype. Custom versions for corporates could start at 300,000 and go up to a million."
"That's… a lot?" Samantha asked thoughtfully. "I don't really understand how expensive that is."
"Very," Alex said. "Even just wearing those implants was dangerous. I remember one job — I had to deliver a couple of implants to a corporate client. They were custom 'praying mantis arms' made of gold. And they cost, damn it, 1.3 million."
"Praying mantis arms? Made of gold?" Alice blinked in shock. "Why would anyone even want to look like an insect?"
"Not literally," Alex laughed. "They're blades hidden in the forearms. When extended, they resemble mantis blades — hence the name. But yes, if I had stolen that implant and sold it to the right people, I could've made 1.5 million."
"I remember that case," Lucina added with a light smile. "After that, Pilar whined for a whole week that he wanted golden arms too."
"Pilar… that's Becca's brother, right?" Alice asked. "Tall, with a mohawk and a permanent smirk?"
"That's him," Lucina nodded. "Once we were coming back from work, just wanted to have a drink, walking through an alley. And there was some idiot sitting on a container, pissing into a barrel."
"Um… and that's normal?" Samantha raised an eyebrow.
"For Night City — absolutely," Alex smirked. "Alright, I'll continue while Lucina's busy. We walked by, and the sound of his piss hitting metal pissed Pilar off. He, as usual, couldn't hold back and went up to the guy with complaints. Turns out, the guy was a cyberpsycho. And this cyberpsycho almost killed Pilar — only shot off his ear."
"Oh my God…" Samantha exhaled.
"And you know what he said afterward?" Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "'Well, now I can attach golden ears.'"
"Oh, typical Pilar," Lucina laughed, shaking her head.
Samantha and Alice exchanged glances, then stared at Alex and Lucina, their expressions silently asking: "Are they serious right now?"
Alex just chuckled and pulled out his phone, showing pictures of Pilar — before and after his "upgraded" ear. Samantha and Alice leaned in to examine the photos. In the first, Pilar had a normal ear; in the second, it was golden, gleaming in the sunlight.
The girls' reaction made Alex chuckle softly.
"Pilar's a strange guy, of course," he said, smiling, "but smart. He even did some side work for companies that made implants to earn money for upgrades."
"And what's he up to now?" Alice asked, finishing the pattern on Lucina's nails. "He lives in Orario, right, like the rest of you?"
"Alex helped him open a prosthetics shop," Lucina said, admiring her fresh manicure. "And it became incredibly popular. Orario has plenty of adventurers who've lost limbs in the dungeon. Pilar doesn't just make prosthetics — he customizes them for clients. You could say he's literally swimming in money. Even aristocrats come from other cities to buy his prosthetics."
"Aristocrats? Aren't they supposed to be arrogant?" Samantha asked, snuggling closer to Alex.
"In Orario, status hardly matters," Lucina smirked. "Unless you're a strong adventurer… or Alex. He has more influence there than any noble. Our family owns part of the city, and Alex once single-handedly killed a world-threatening disaster. And that's not even mentioning Freya and Hephaestus' influence."
Lucina poked Alex's knee with her finger.
Alex just smirked. He never really cared how the people of Orario felt about him. But Lucina, of course, couldn't resist the chance to talk about how people reacted whenever he returned. Every time Alex appeared in the city, some grand change inevitably followed.
Alex just shrugged: in the end, everyone was happy — the residents, and the gods too, who found new ways to entertain themselves so they wouldn't go mad from boredom or start another chaos.
The conversation gradually shifted to simple, everyday topics. After a while, Bella came by — she hadn't forgotten that she wanted to learn more about fighting supernatural beings.
But the moment she stepped through the doorway, Alice immediately grabbed her hand and dragged her to the low table. Bella just blinked — and suddenly she was sitting on the floor while Alice skillfully worked on her manicure.
As a teenage girl, Bella couldn't help but notice how beautiful Lucina's and Samantha's nails looked. But when her gaze fell on Alex's hands, she became a little flustered.
"Nice manicure," she said shyly.
"Yeah, thanks," Alex replied with the calmest expression. "Well, while you're having your little girls' day, I'll run to the store. Want me to pick anything up?"
"I left a list on the fridge," Lucina said, nodding toward the kitchen. "It has everything we're missing."
"And get some apples," added Alice without looking up from her work. "I want to bake an apple pie."
"But we already have apples," Alex noted calmly.
"Those ones? No way! They're sour! Only you and your brother can eat them. I won't touch them," Alice snorted, sticking her tongue out at him.
Lucina and Samantha immediately understood which apples she meant and exchanged a glance — better not touch them. Bella, meanwhile, just blinked in confusion, not understanding the fuss.
Alex smirked, shrugged, and walked over to the fridge. Scanning the shopping list, he nodded.
At that moment, Stitch came down from the second floor, grinning widely and tapping along the steps. His goal was simple: to get his favorite milkshake from the fridge.
He was almost there when, suddenly, he was lifted into the air and a second later — sat in the front seat of the Impala, milkshake in paw, secured by the seatbelt.
Stitch blinked, staring at Alex in shock.
"You're coming with me," Alex said calmly, "enough sitting in your room playing video games."
"No," Stitch grumbled, reaching to unbuckle the belt.
"Then no pie. But if you come with me — you get the biggest slice," Alex replied evenly, turning the key in the ignition.
Stitch's paw froze mid-air at Alex's words. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he looked up. Not a single muscle in Alex's face twitched — he was completely serious.
Stitch quickly ran the situation through his head, weighing the pros and cons, and of course reached the obvious conclusion — he wasn't giving up the apple pie. Especially not the biggest slice. Just the thought made his mouth water. He imagined sitting at the table with tiny pieces for GIR and MIMI, while he had a huge slab of fragrant pie.
Deciding that the benefits far outweighed the downsides, Stitch lowered his paw and sat upright, hugging his milkshake.
Noticing this, Alex grinned, turned the key, and the Impala's engine purred softly. The drive to the store was calm — except for the fact that Stitch turned on music and started dancing in the passenger seat, waving his paws to the beat.
When they arrived, Alex parked the car and, without wasting a moment, pulled a leash from his inventory. He put it on Stitch and wasn't even surprised by the annoyed look the little rebel shot him.
"You're serious right now?" the look said without words.
Alex just rolled his eyes, opened the door, and lifted Stitch into his arms. Closing the Impala, he attached the leash to his belt — just in case the little troublemaker decided to cause chaos in the middle of the supermarket.
After waiting for the cars to pass, Alex crossed the street and entered the store. Stitch immediately tried to pull him toward the snack aisle, but Alex, armed with the shopping list, had no intention of giving in.
He rolled the cart with one hand while holding the list in the other, completely ignoring Stitch's protests. At one point, Stitch simply plopped down on the floor, crossed his paws over his chest, and dramatically refused to move any further without his "treats."
Alex wasn't impressed. He continued walking, dragging Stitch along the floor as if the little alien experiment were nothing more than a stubborn puppy.
After gathering everything they needed — including the apples for the promised pie — Alex finally turned toward the snack aisle, deciding to give Stitch a chance to pick out a couple of packs.
Of course, Stitch interpreted this in his own way. The moment they entered, he started filling the cart with everything in sight — chips, cookies, sweets, and even dog treats, simply because the packaging looked "tasty."
Alex had to exert quite a bit of effort to stop the energetic little creature, who seemed determined to buy out the entire aisle.
After managing to calm him down and removing half of the mountain of snacks, Alex rolled the cart to the checkout. Standing in line, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure ahead of him.
"Oh, Sheriff Donna! Good morning," he said cheerfully.
Donna, lost in her thoughts, turned at the familiar voice. Seeing Alex, she immediately smiled. Forgetting him was impossible — this guy always radiated calm and friendliness, as if just being near him made the world feel safer.
"Good morning, Alex. I see you're shopping too. And who's this little cutie?" she asked, noticing Stitch at his feet.
"This is Stitch, my pet," Alex replied with a smile. "Looks like he decided to help pick out groceries today. And I see you've decided to treat yourself to some sweets too," he added, glancing at Donna's basket.
"Sometimes you have to," she admitted with a slight blush. "Being a sheriff isn't easy. Stress makes you crave something sweet… and yes," she smirked, "it's showing a bit on me. By the way, nice manicure you've got there."
Alex smirked.
"That… is a recent result of spending time with the girls," he said. "And what about the stress? Did something happen? Is it about the bodies found in the forest yesterday? Or the two missing school kids?"
Donna tensed.
"How do you know about that? No one's even talked about it publicly yet."
"Sheriff Donna, don't forget, I'm friends with your colleague's daughter," Alex replied calmly. "We were at my place yesterday when Charlie called and reported the missing people. And Bella said this morning that they found more bodies."
"Oh, right…" Donna sighed. "They found five more bodies last night. Poor things… just unlucky to run into wild animals."
"Have they found the kids?" Alex asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Unfortunately, no," Donna shook her head. "When they found the new bodies, Sheriff Swan ordered everyone pulled back. Just in case."
"I see…" Alex scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Were you able to figure out what kind of creature is attacking? Wolves, maybe? Or a rabid bear? Although…" he smirked, "maybe some forest monster got bored of being alone?"
"Why did you mention a monster?" Donna asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"I just like reading old legends," Alex said, pretending it was a simple joke. "In small towns, you stumble across them everywhere. I thought — maybe something really did awaken in the forest? Although," he smirked again, "monsters don't really exist. It's all just stories."
He said it with a light smile, but for a brief instant, a shadow flickered in his eyes — so fast that Donna might have thought it was just a trick of the light.
Donna continued to smile but listened carefully to Alex's words. Deep down, she decided she would tell Dean and Sam about this when they arrived in town. Alex, meanwhile, calmly stood with her in line, chatting about various trivial things and dropping subtle hints. He knew perfectly well that Donna was connected to the Winchester brothers and was confident — if she couldn't find the answers herself, she would call them.
What Alex didn't know was that Donna already had: she had called Dean and Sam, asking for their help.
When they left the store, Alex said goodbye to Donna and, carrying the shopping bags, headed toward the Impala. Donna watched him go. For a moment, she felt that he might somehow be connected to what was happening. After all, he had only moved to town a month and a half ago — a very suspicious coincidence. Besides, his words about a monster in the forest didn't sound like a joke; they sounded like a hint. Donna had been sheriff for several years and could easily read intonations.
Alex got behind the wheel, started the engine, and, passing Donna's pickup, waved to her. She nodded in response, and he turned on the music and drove home, wondering whether she had picked up on his hints or not.
At home, Alex unloaded the groceries from the trunk and went inside. In the living room, the girls were already settled in front of the TV, watching another episode of Ghostfacers with keen interest. Passing through the kitchen, Alex began putting the groceries away and, in the process, explained why he had been delayed. When the girls learned he had been talking to Sheriff Donna, they just nodded knowingly. Bella added a few details she had heard from her father.
Everyone already knew that the string of murders was the work of James, Victoria, and Laurent, but the rest of the townspeople, including Bella's father, could never have imagined that the killers were vampires.
Evening came unnoticed. Bella left with Edward for a date, leaving the house quiet and cozy. As promised, Alice baked an apple pie, and Stitch, fairly, got the largest slice. Of course, within a minute he was already bragging about it to GIR and Mimi — which, naturally, ended in another scuffle.
Alex and the girls just watched with smiles as the trio fought again over trivial things, like whose piece was bigger or who ate the last snack.
After dinner, Alex suggested going to the beach — just for a walk and some fresh air. The girls happily agreed. Returning from a short walk along the rocky shore, everyone settled comfortably in the bedroom and started a movie. After a while, one by one, they fell asleep.
A new day arrived — which meant another school week had begun. This time, Alex woke up on his own, without any help. He felt that this Monday was going to be special — and his intuition rarely failed him. After a quick wash, he went down to the living room and kissed Lucina, Alice, Samantha, and Mari, who had just arrived to make breakfast.
While Alex ate, the girls exchanged suspicious glances. Usually on Mondays, he looked like he was ready to kill someone just to avoid going to school. But today — he was smiling, and even his eyes held a spark of anticipation.
"Why are you so cheerful first thing on a Monday?" Lucina asked, sipping her coffee.
"Just have a feeling it's going to be an interesting day," Alex replied, finishing his breakfast.
"Interesting, huh?" Mari smirked, resting her cheek on her hand. "What could possibly make a Monday interesting? Or are you planning to send a teacher 'on a journey of self-discovery' again? Who's the victim this time?"
Alex's eye twitched at her comment, and Lucina, Alice, and Samantha quietly snickered.
"I'm not sending anyone anywhere," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I just think the day will be interesting."
"Suit yourself, dear," Mari smirked. "I have to go to the clinic. Without me, Shizuka definitely won't open."
After kissing Alex, Mari got up from the table, and a portal immediately opened behind her.
"Don't get bored at school, dear," she said with a slight smile and, waving goodbye, stepped into the glowing rift, which closed immediately behind her.
Lucina, Alice, and Samantha still looked skeptical about Alex's words regarding a "wonderful Monday." Their suspicions only grew — everyone knew: if Alex said the day would be interesting, something was bound to explode, burn, or disappear somewhere.
Alex, however, ignored the suspicious looks. After finishing breakfast quickly, he changed his clothes using magic. Alice and Lucina, already ready, stood by the door. Before leaving, Alex kissed Samantha, wished her a good day, and stepped out of the house.
Following his morning routine, he waved to Bella and Edward as he arrived to pick her up. Then he got into the Impala with the girls and drove to school.
When they arrived, even the Kallens exchanged glances — in their opinion, Alex had clearly lost it if he thought a Monday morning could be interesting. Alex just waved it off, repeating with a grin that his instincts never failed him. And, as it turned out, he was right.
Another black Impala was rolling into Fork. Old rock music blared from the speakers, and behind the wheel sat Dean Winchester. In the passenger seat was his younger brother, Sam.
"Dean, are you sure it was worth driving halfway across the country instead of looking for Crowley or Amara?" Sam asked, turning toward his brother.
"Sammy," Dean drawled with a lazy smile, "we've already spent tons of time searching. And what did we find? Nothing. Crowley, as always, knows how to hide. So a little distraction won't hurt. What could go wrong here? Maybe a couple of stray vampires, maybe some ghouls. Nothing new — at least we'll have some fun."
Sam shook his head and sighed.
"Fine. Which motel is Donna staying at? We should stop by her place first before doing anything."
"Farwest Motel," Dean replied, tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel. "We'll grab a room, drop our stuff, then get to work. Classic: find, kill, drink — and go home."
Sam just rolled his eyes, staring out the window. A few minutes later, the black Impala pulled up to the Farwest Motel. The brothers got out and headed to the front desk. After getting their keys and leaving their things in the room, Sam reached for his phone to call Donna.
But there was no need to call. Her pickup drove onto the motel grounds just then. Donna had returned from the station and immediately noticed the brothers standing by the car. A bright, joyful smile spread across her face.
She parked, jumped out, and promptly hugged both of them in turn.
"Great to see you guys! How have you been?" Donna asked, beaming with pleasure.
"Same as always, Donna," Dean replied with a smirk. "Did you manage to find anything out?"
"Alas, nothing so far," she sighed. "No leads, no traces."
"Looks like we'll have to examine the bodies ourselves," Sam said, nodding.
"That can be arranged," Donna replied. "I know the local sheriff. The bodies have already been examined by Dr. Kallen — a local celebrity."
"Kallen?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what makes him so famous?"
Donna grinned.
"Well, besides being handsome, charming, and gentle — the dream of every unmarried woman," she giggled. "He's also one hell of a doctor."
Dean smirked.
"Not a doctor, a walking romantic hero."
"So what now?" Sam asked, turning to his brother.
"First, we head to the sheriff's office, then the morgue," Dean said, slamming the Impala's door decisively. "Let's see what wandered into this town."
Sam nodded and went to change into his FBI suit. A few minutes later, the brothers were ready. Sam straightened his tie, and Dean, as usual, rolled his eyes and muttered,
"Hate suits. Feel like an accountant."
"At least for five minutes, you can look like a grown-up," Sam smirked.
Dean just snorted and headed to the car.
Following Donna's pickup, they soon arrived at the sheriff's office. Inside, at a desk, sat Charlie Swan — intently reviewing papers related to the bodies found in the woods. Donna knocked on the doorframe, drawing his attention.
The sheriff looked up and saw Donna, and next to her—two men in sharp suits with unreadable faces.
"Donna?" Charlie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You left just a couple of hours ago. And who's with you?"
"FBI agents," she replied, stepping aside. "They came about the killings."
"Agents Ford and Hamill," Dean introduced himself, showing his badge. Sam did the same.
Charlie frowned, glanced quickly at their credentials.
"FBI? And why, pray tell, would FBI agents be dealing with wild animal attacks? We already established this is most likely just a bear."
"Sheriff Swan," Sam said calmly, "we go where the Bureau sends us. If it's only wild animals—great. We'll just confirm it ourselves."
Charlie looked at them skeptically, then shrugged.
"All right, your call. But I'm warning you—you're wasting your time."
"Where are the bodies now?" Dean cut in. "We'd like to take a look."
"At the morgue. The coroner's assistant is on duty right now; I'll let them know you're coming," Charlie said, picking up his phone.
"Thanks for the help, Sheriff," Sam nodded.
A few minutes later Dean, Sam, and Donna pulled up at the local morgue. The coroner's assistant met them at the entrance, nodded briefly, and—without asking questions—led them into the refrigerated room, then disappeared behind the door.
Three steel tables. White sheets. The smell of disinfectant.
Sam and Dean approached silently. When they pulled the covers back, deep, ragged wounds showed on the bodies, as if some immense force had tried to rip throats out. Two were literally torn in half.
"Well, definitely not vampires," Dean said quietly, studying the wounds. "Too chaotic. Werewolves don't do that either—the hearts are intact."
Sam frowned as he removed his gloves.
"Nor ghouls. Too clean for them."
"What about the missing students? Have they been found?" Dean turned to Donna.
"No," she sighed. "They're combing the woods, but there are no traces."
"Maybe it's a wendigo," Dean suggested. "Looks similar: animalistic behavior, brutality. But a wendigo would usually drag bodies back to its lair, not rip them apart on the spot. And where did the two students go?"
Sam shook his head.
"I don't think so. Donna said the trail leads from Stillwater itself. A wendigo wouldn't wander that far."
Donna frowned thoughtfully.
"One guy told me… that the monster might have 'awoken' after a long sleep."
"What guy?" Sam asked, interested. "Who?"
"Alex," Donna replied. "A new Forks resident. Weird but smart. He also has an Impala. Lives near the sheriff. Goes to the same school as his daughter."
"School, you say?" Dean raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Perfect. Time to play our favorite game: 'FBI drops by the high school to question students.'"
"Maybe we'll hear what the locals are whispering about," Sam added, nodding.
Donna smiled.
"Knowing you two, you'll find trouble anyway."
"Part of the job, Sheriff," Dean said, slamming the Impala door. "So, Sammy, shall we go to class?"
Sam sighed as he climbed in beside him.
"Try calling me 'biology teacher' and I'll kill you."
To be continued...
(So, here they are, Dean and Sam, arriving in Forks. I'm debating whether to dedicate a whole chapter to this, or just let things unfold. Personally, I think most of the episode is them talking about family, and then, with a miracle of luck, they find the right trail. Okay, screw it, I don't know, I'm hungry right now. I'll go get something to eat. Have a nice day.)
Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter