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I.

March 11
Crossroads near the reservoir, Kansas City, Missouri

The sun flared bright and died, heavy gold that pierced the limbs of oak trees and melted away before it crested into the other half of the world.

He waited for that. Then, he waited in the dark.

“Well, well, Sammy Winchester. You know, you’re pretty brave to want to show up here again, ( Read more... )

VII.

March 15
Room 12, Capri Motel, Joplin, Missouri


( Read more... )

VIII.

March 16, Palm Sunday
Room 12, Capri Motel, Joplin, MissouriSam’s eyes popped open, immediately fully alert. Beads of sweat were pouring off his temple and drenching his shirt. He looked for his brother on the other bed, but he was much closer than that. He was hunched right over him in the dark ( Read more... )

X.

March 18
Interstate 16, Georgia

They were pulling an all-nighter in the car again. Orbs of highway light floated through the interior like they were in a lottery tumbler. The dashboard was covered with dust, torn out newspaper articles, scrawled notes, a lone French fry. They had worn out the road trip games hours ago: letter finder and punch-a- ( Read more... )

XIII.

March 19
Gracian Restoration, Yemassee, South Carolina

“Dean. No. Please.”

“Sam, don’t. It’s gonna be okay.”

Sam cast his eyes up several times, trying to land in Dean’s eyes, but somehow they always fell short. They landed on a blank spot on Dean’s shirt, his arm, his neck, his jacket.

“No,” Sam replied. “No… it’s not.”

He watched helplessly as ( Read more... )

XVI.

March 20, Spring Equinox
Gracian Restoration, Yemassee, South Carolina

“Where’s the freakin’ iodine?” Dean asked. His voice had no tone or depth.

He had passed out for the ten minutes that it took Bobby and Sam to carry him back to the car and make it most of the way back to Gracian’s. Gracian had driven the Impala with an injured shoulder so ( Read more... )

XXI.

March 24
Dean’s Room, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Beaufort, South Carolina

Dean’s room was too small for a second bed, so Sam pulled two chairs together and slumped into them, exhausted. He yawned and leaned his head back against the wall, watching Dean with heavy eyes, one arm over his head and the other in his lap, until he fell asleep, his ( Read more... )

XXV.

April 11

When Dean woke up, the light outside was waning, but a spotlight from the tree lamp was pointed at a drawing on the ceiling above his head that hadn’t been there when he’d fallen asleep. It wasn’t a Devil’s Trap, exactly. Inside a simple circle was a triangle and then another circle. It was a larger, more elaborate version of the ( Read more... )

XXXII.

April 20

“’The only way to kill something this powerful is to call upon the wrath of something more powerful.’“That’s exactly what it says?” Sam’s knees bounced under his elbows as he rubbed his hands together ( Read more... )