Chapter 2


When Sam and Dean read a sign displaying a hotdog wearing a chef’s hat and tapis above bold letters entitled “Ricky’s Diner” they’d realized it was the place Sarah suggested to meet at. Though armed with his 9mm Taurus tucked away in his jacket, Dean’s stomach had betrayed him. The smell of cheese burgers sizzled in his brain, while Sam’s nerves kicked into gear. What if this was a trap? Why would she call now after so long?

Carrying his laptop slung around his shoulder, Sam and Dean entered the kainan in hopes of spotting a familiar face waiting for them. Whether it was going to be another face of evil only time would tell as a young woman waved them over to a mesa she was sitting at. Sam immediately recognized the shimmer of her long brown hair and sultry blue eyes like rhinestones. He’d never forget a face like hers no matter how many years passed.

“Sam over here!” she smiled as they approached the booth.

Sam was stunned when she suddenly got up to embrace him. Without letting things get too awkward he returned the offer.

“Sarah hey, wow you look…” the words nearly died in his throat, grinning off the tension. “I mean you look great.”

Sarah giggled slightly brushing some free hair behind her ear. She’d almost forgotten how much he towered over her, it was almost intimidating. Even when Sam held Sarah in his arms, he could feel her anxiety to see him. She felt so warm yet fragile against his chest; it was a wonder Sam could ignore Dean’s annoyingly fake-kissing gestures behind Sarah’s back. He always had to tease Sam whenever he was around a girl he liked.

“You look good Sam.” She sinabi settling back in her spot. “I know it’s been a while but…I’m glad you’re here…both of you.”

“Oh what I don’t get a hug?” Dean chuckled at Sarah, giving Sam the She-Likes-You-Dude glance. Sam folded his hands down on the mesa nudging Dean in the shin with his foot.

“Cut it out.” He growled under his breath. Sarah politely grinned at Dean.

“You haven’t changed much either Dean. Still the stud.”

Whenever an attractive woman threw words like that at Dean, his ego immediately devoured it up faster than all the cheese burgers he could stomach. Sam loved and admired his brother but watching Dean shamelessly flirt with his almost-old flame was enough to make him stuff napkins in his mouth.

“Well at least we both agree there.” He winked at her.

Before the conversation escalated, Sarah decided to take a girl’s moment, leaving Sam and Dean to order their pagkain while they planted the mesa with every kind of trap to expose her true nature, if she had one.

Like before with Adam, he’d replaced her regular water with holy water, changed the silverware, and cocked his gun under the mesa just to be certain. But if she was a ghoul, all of these tests would fail and they’d have to get her alone in order to finish her without stirring a panic. Sam was reluctant to go with the plan, although he knew not to tanong their family’s paranoia. All the horrible things they’d seen growing up were embedded deep in their souls like emotional scarring. It could never heal.

When she returned, Sam quickly interpreted before things got off topic. “Sarah you sinabi you needed help with a friend of yours. What’s going on?”

The glee instantly drained from her face, eyes lowering to the glass of holy water nestled against her elbow. It was there, just like in her voice when she called Sam’s phone, the disturbance…the concern that refused to release her. She was very distressed about something.

“Yeah it’s my friend Kay she’s… I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I met her two years nakaraan when she moved here from Southbury Creek, boarded an extra room in my house. For the first while she kept to herself, barely liked to interact with anyone or go out. She was always afraid for some reason, never liked to talk about it. But because she was so good at fixing our company trucks, my dad set her up at some auto shop.” She paused when a waitress brought Sam and Dean some glasses of water.

“Kay started having these… these nightmares…screaming, crying. I get chills just thinking about it. I remember last taon when I walked in on her huddled in a corner going into shock.” Sam and Dean watched cautiously as Sarah inhaled, taking a sip from her glass, relived when there was no reaction she continued to explain. “And that’s when she began having serious episodes.”

Dean glowered at Sarah; squinting his skeptical green eyes. “I don’t mean to be an asno here but it… kinda sounds like your friend is having a psychotic break down of some sort. I really don’t see why you called us down here for that.”

“Dean!” Sam scoffed at his brother, encouraging Sarah to finish her story. “Don’t mind him just…just keep going. What kind of episodes was Kay having?”

Her eyes glazed, swallowing back uncertainty. “She started hallucinating, hurting herself. Sometimes when she was screaming it was like… she wasn’t coherent to anyone around her, almost like… she was talking to someone else. When I tried asking her what was happening…she would shut me out…told me I wouldn’t believe her.” Sarah breathed deeply hugging her slender arms around her neck. “And the other night when I came tahanan from work, she was on the roof threatening to jump off.”

Tears were now streaming down Sarah’s cheeks, though she quickly wiped her eyes dry with her sleeves. Politely, Sam offered her a napkin which she took. “But…when I confronted her about it she just…she went hysterical. She told me those weren’t her own feelings…that she wouldn’t have tried to jump if she could help it.”

Sam exchanged a willful but nervous look with Dean, encouraging him to take note of how serious the situation was getting. Sarah was so obviously overwhelmed she hardly noticed one of her hands brushing up against the silverware Dean had left. So it was ligtas to say she wasn’t a demon or a shape shifter, but as much as they wanted to ipakita any madami compassion, this girl wasn’t completely out of the woods yet. Even with a convincing story, Dean had to think back at the ghoul that humiliated them. They’d let their guard down and they weren’t prepared to do it again.

“So you’re saying that this friend of yours… believes she’s somehow being manipulated sa pamamagitan ng something either than psychoanalysis?” Dean pondered briskly, staring hungrily at the burger a waitress settled in front of him. Sam’s curiosity over his brother’s usage of words made him confused. Not that Dean didn’t use his brain, but since when did he use words like psychoanalysis?

“What my brother is referring to is… has she mentioned anything like spirits or unknown voices,” Sam imputed brightly, placing his hand over hers. “When you sinabi that Kay told you those feelings weren’t her own… was something forcing her to hurt herself?”

Sarah shook her head, sniffing back madami tears. “I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me. Now every time I see her, she just acts like everything is normal.”

Sam leaned in closer. “What if we tried talking to her?”

“No, I… don’t think Kay would be up for that.” Sarah countered, pulling her hand away.

Dean’s compassion instantly left his face, glaring in her eyes furiously. “Or maybe this is just a bunch of bull!” he snapped, surprising both Sarah and Sam. “Cut the innocent act sweetheart, I bet there is no girl and you’ve been spending all this time trying to cook up ways to screw with us!”

“Dean, stop it!” Sam barked in Sarah’s defense. “Just calm down alright, we’re in a public place.”

“I’m not making any of this up!” she cried. “Kay is my friend and she’s in a lot of trouble… I need your help.”

“And why should we believe you, huh? Why should we believe a person who hasn’t been so much as a blip on our radar?”

Sarah eyes were grieved and resentful towards Dean’s accusations. “Because I’ve seen what’s really out there Dean…” her voice was wilting in pain. “I know what you guys do... and I know I’m asking a lot when it comes to trust but please believe that something is hurting my friend. Kay is the only person I’m thinking about in all this… Please.”

For a minute, the boys sinabi nothing as they watched Sarah cover her tearful eyes with the napkin. Dean’s conscience was already screaming at him for being such a prick. Then Sam broke the silence.

“Sarah… where can we find Kay?”