You Bastards! 4/8
Chapter 4
"What the hell?" Dean asked on their way out of the hospital. Sam could only shrug his shoulders.
"Dude, seriously. What. The. Hell?" Dean repeated.
"I don't know." He wished he knew but he drew a blank. Loosening his tie he opened the door and they stepped into bright sunlight. It shouldn't be such a sunny day. After what happened the other day he had expected rain, maybe a thunderstorm, everything but an apple pie day. Sam blinked into the brightness as they made their way to the Impala. The parking lot was nearly empty.
"If they are screwing with my car ..." Dean suddenly quickened his pace. Sam lost in his thoughts blinked before he noticed the bunch of kids near the Impala.
"We didn't touch it." One of the kid, he had a green hat and mittens the same color, hold up his hands in surrender. All of them stepped back as Dean reached them. Sam couldn't see his brothers face but he didn't had to. Dean was in a bad mood even before some short little hooligans gotten near his car.
"You better not." Dean growled now standing between the kids and his car. Normally Dean had the patience of a saint when it comes to children but not today.
Sam smiled an apology to them and patted Dean on the shoulder to calm him down. He guessed the kids around eight or nine years old, it was hard to tell behind all the thick winter clothing. From one of them - he stood aside eyes never leaving the car - Sam could only see eyes and a hint of a nose under the orange hood. This kids were the same age as that mysterious Kenny Sam realized.
"Hey you guys." Sam changed the subject. "Do you happen to know a kid named Kenny McCormick?"
The three other kids turned to the one in the orange parka who muffled something under his hood.
"You know him?" Sam guessed.
"No." The kid with a red pompon on his hat - seriously, are there still parents that cruel out there Sam wondered - spoke up. "He said he is Kenny."
"You are Kenny?" Dean asked. Sam couldn't quite place the tone in his brothers voice. It was somewhere between horrified and relieved.
The kid nodded and mumbled something which could be yes.
"You are Kenny?" Dean said again now in clear disbelieve. Another nod confirmed by the "He is." from the other kids.
Kenny backed off another step and asked something Sam couldn't understand.
"Could you take off the hood? Please?" He asked with a sigh. "I can't understand you."
"He asks if he is in trouble." Pompon kid offered a translation. All eyes were now on the Winchesters.
"No." It was Dean's turn to hold his hands up. "We are just a little surprised to see you well and healthy. And you know … alive."
Sometimes Sam just wanted to smack his brother. He was talking to little kids here. Of course they stared at Dean as if he had grown a second head. Sam opened his mouth to say something, not sure what, but he was interrupted anyway.
"You remember?" Blurred Pompon kid out.
"Holy crap." The fat kid spoke for the first time. Till now he had been more interested in the car than the conversation.
"I hit him with my car yesterday. Of course I remember." Dean shuddered. There would be nightmares for him that was for sure.
"Why shouldn't we remember?" Sam asked. Okay, this was now official weird. He shot his brother a look.
"Most times nobody remembers." Answered the kid with the green hat.
"Most times?" Dean repeated.
"Kenny's death made it into the newspaper at least three times." Sam added. "That's what brought us here in the first place."
Kenny mumbled again and backed off. Great, they had scared the kid to death.
"Wait." Dean made a step in his direction. "We are here to help." But Kenny's eyes went wide, then he turned and ran away. Dean followed him a few steps then stopped. Chasing the kid wouldn't be a good way to gain his trust at least his brother had that much sense. Sam sighed.
It didn't matter anyway. Kenny hadn't even reached the end of the parking lot when an ambulance with flashing lights and howling sirens rushed into the lot. Sam could only stare in horror. The ambulance didn't slow down after it hit Kenny and left him motionless on the ground.
"Oh my god. They killed Kenny!"
"You bastards!"
The same words Sam had heard less then a day before. This time with less enthusiasm.
"Hey guys." The fat kid tried to get the brother's attention. "How much for a ride in this sweet beauty?" He pointed to the car a pleading expression on his face.
"Cartman." Pompon kid hissed but he only shrugged.
"What?"
Sam looked from one kid to the other and then followed his brother who was already at Kenny's side.
Suddenly Dean jumped. "Rats."
When Sam reached his brother Kenny's body was covered with rats. They were dragging him away.
"Don't worry." The kids came near, calm and not freaked at all. They just saw their friend die for crying out loud. Sam didn't know what do think. "That happens all the time. He'll be fine tomorrow."
"What do you mean, he'll be fine tomorrow?" Dean found his voice before Sam.
The kids shrug in unison. "He dies, the rats take him and the next day he's fine." Green hat kid explained.
"And nobody finds this weird?" Sam asked.
"Dude, you ever listen?" The fat one spoke up his eyes already on the car again. "Nobody remembers."
"Except you." Sam pointed out.
"Why do you remember?" His brother added.
"Hell if we know." Green hat answered. "Or why it's always him."
"I bet it's because he is poor." Fat kid offered an explanation. "Poor people always die."
"Shut up, Cartman." Green hat said in a tone that indicated he said this a lot.
"Don't worry, Kyle. You will probably live forever."
Sam didn't know what Cartman wanted to indicate but the other two boys just rolled their eyes. Sam recognized friendly banter when he saw it - with Dean he had it every day, thank you very much - this however felt a bit to intense to be friendly.
"Where does Kenny live?" Dean changed the topic. Eying his brother closely Sam tried to analyze Dean's mental state. He seemed fine but he always did.
"What do you want there?" Green hat - Kyle - asked.
"We want to speak to his parents. Listen, this is not normal, you know that. We are here to find out what this is all about and stop it." Sam said wondering how much of the truth he could reveal without them getting freaked out. They were just little kids after all … used to see their friend die every day. Not much he could add to the freak factor. And they seemed to handle it very well. Memories flashed in front of Sam's eyes and he pushed them back into the deepest of his mind. Not the time or the place to think about that.
"I can show you." Cartman offered his eyes on the Impala again. He even licked his lips.
"Cartman, you are not riding with them in that car." Kyle hissed half turned away from the brothers but Sam could hear him anyway.
"Why not?"
"Dude, they are strangers. Do you even realize what could happen?" Pompon kid spoke up while he smiled at Sam in a you-seem-to-be-nice-but-I-don't-trust-you-way.
"They offer me candy? Strangers in black cars always have candy."
"Just describe us the way. That would be fine. Thanks." The last thing Sam needed right now was to be accused to be a kidnapper or worse. Even speaking with the kids could look suspicious. On the other hand nobody had shown any interest in dead Kenny.
"But ..." Cartman's attention was on the car and Sam wondered when he would start drooling.
"Another time, kid." Dean reassured him clearly beaming at the admiration of his car. His smile was natural and reached his eyes. After the accident the other day Sam hadn't expected to see that for a long time. It felt good.
Cartman just glared at Dean for a moment.
"Screw you guys, I'm going home." With that Cartman left and the remaining kids took a breath in relieve.
"Don't mind him, he's an asshole." Pompon kid said as soon as Cartman was out of hearing distance.
"Sure." It was a little strange hearing kids their age talking like that but Sam had to admit he felt the same way towards this Cartman kid.
"So, where does Kenny live? Did live. You know ... whatever." Dean asked showing the same confusion Sam felt.
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