Chapter 17

Brooklyn

My feet walked over the metal floor, my hands full with a giant box. In the corner of my eye, I spotted Sam still at the map table with his laptop, doing who knows what.

It wasn't until I had walked into the library that I spotted Dean. One of the boxes sat in front of him, his hand already pulling out an object.

"You know, would it have killed these asshats to label these boxes in something other than hieroglyphics? It's ridiculous," Dean said as I walked past him, sitting the box on the table.

In the corner of my eye, I spotted Dean move his eyes away from the object in his hand and over to me. When his Body tipped slightly to the side, I knew what he was doing. With a smirk, I said, "Really, Dean? Checking out my butt when your brother's in the next room?"

My body turned, my arms crossing as I looked at him. He shrugged, tilting his head slightly as he said, "Well, it is nice to look at."

Suddenly, Sam starts coughing in the next room, sounding as if he's ready to cough up a spleen. Dean and I both look at Sam, worry in both of our eyes. "Hey, Doc Holliday, you all right over there?" Dean asked?

"Uh, yeah," Sam says, coughing into a napkin again before pulling it away. He clears his throat before throwing the napkin away. "I'm fine, just wrong pipe."

Though I'm not convinced, I'm silent and move into the map room, following Dean. He sits sideways from Sam, his chair turned to face his brother while my butt sits on the map table behind Dean.

"Did you find anything?" Dean asked?

"I did, yeah - uh, dead bodies showing up all over the Midwest last week. Benton, Indiana; Downers Grove, Illinois, Novi, Michigan; and then again last night in Lincoln Springs, Missouri."

Scrunching up in confusion, Dean asked, "And how is this us?"

Looking at the two of us, Sam said, "Because each of the victims had severe burns around their eyes, hands, and feet, puncture wounds through the backs of their hands, eyes and internal organs liquefied."

I nod, smacking my lips slightly as I said, "Yup, sounds like us."

Sam nodded, "Yeah. Also, no link between any of the victims. Uh, one was a real-estate agent. Another was a local historian. Woman killed last night was a teacher."

"So, chupacabra," Dean said, making Sam chuckle and me smile with a role of my eyes.

Though we knew it couldn't be that, Sam shrugged, "I don't know. Worth a shot, though. I'll grab my gear. We should probably leave in five."

Dean nods, humming in response as Sam gets up and leaves. I'm not surprised when Dean moves his chair to face me, a playful smirk on his face. "So, we have five minutes-"

"No," I said, making Dean pout and a laugh leave my lips. My eyes move from Dean to the trash, something red inside of it. Dean must have noticed my eyes move in confusion because his head and body turned in the chair. His hand picked up the small trashcan, examining what was inside of it.

The red object was the napkin Sam had coughed in, blood covering it.

Dean let out a sigh, seeming to grow in his worry for his brother. My hand found its way to Dean's shoulder as he sat the trashcan down, hoping to bring him comfort.

Sam was getting worst and we were all worried that he wouldn't make it through this. But we had to trust that he would, or at least I had too.

We grabbed our stuff, changed into our Fed suits, before heading out to Mr. Morton's house.

Standing in the living room of the Morton's house, Sam started up with the questions, "We just have a few routine follow-up questions about your wife, sir. Did she have any enemies?"

"Ann? Honestly, I can't think of a soul who'd want to hurt her, even after everything that happened."

My eyes scrunched up in confusion, "Everything that happened?"

Mr. Morton let out a sigh, "About a week ago, something changed in Ann. She was out of sorts, not herself at all."

"Out of sorts how?" Dean asked?

"It'd be better if I show you," Mr. Morton said before turning around and walking over to a door. He opened the door, revealing stairs leading downstairs. Dean and I looked at each other before following the man, Sam right behind us.

Mr. Morton began explaining, "She stopped sleeping."

The basement was half lit, revealing a large table covered with a miniature village on it. Plastic bags hung over the top of it.

"She stopped eating. She went out in the middle of the night, going God knows where. I tried to talk to her, but she would just mutter to herself."

"About what?" Sam asked as we looked over the table.

"Something about an orchard?" Mr. Morton said, unsure of his past wife's words. "Finally, I just followed her one night, and she went to the playground. Over here, the elementary school," He said, pointing it out on the mini village, making me realized that the village was actually the town. "And she started digging. She would leave with these little bags full of dirt. Hung them here. All these bags represent holes that she dug in the ground."

My hand reached up, touching one of the bags before squishing the dirt inside.

Dean spoke up, already joining me on my suspicions, "Were these holes, uh, about 6 feet deep?"

Mr. Morton shook his head, slipping his hands into his pockets, "No. She dug for hours. She never broke a sweat. Straight down 10, maybe 15 feet."

"Did you notice anything else?" I asked, pulling my hand away and looking at Mr. Morton. "I didn't say anything to the cops 'cause I didn't want them to think I was crazy. After Ann came home, I came down here to confront her, and she was on the phone."

Standing next to me, Dean asked, "Any idea who she was talking to?"

Mr. Morton shook his head, seeming nervous of his words. "No. But I know what I saw. And it wasn't my Annie. After I called her out, her eyes... they turned black. Now, I know I must have imagined it. I know I did. But I left. I went to the bar, probably had too much to drink, and by the time I came back..." his voice trailed off and he sighed before looking at the ground. "I should have stayed. I should have protected her. I'm moving into my sister's place today. I can't be here anymore."

Sam nodded, understanding, "Sure. Well, um, thank you very much for your time. We're all very sorry for your loss."

Mr. Morton nodded before leading the way upstairs. I quickly pulled out my phone, taking a picture of the miniature village and the bags before joining them upstairs.

We made our way outside, slipping into the Impala before heading out. Sam started calling up the different people that had died, trying to find the connections. Once we arrived at a lady's, named Wendy Rice, house that knew Ann, Sam got off the phone.

"So, real-estate guy's wife said he was acting weird. Uh, historian's hubby said the same - just got all obsessive and then weird." We climbed out of the Impala and made our way up to the house. "No one saw any black eyes, but still, where there's smoke, you know..." His voice trailed off before picking back up again, "I wonder what they're all looking for."

"Well, Wendy Rice here was the last person to speak with Ann, so let's see if she can tell us," Dean said before I knocked on the door. A short, brown haired women opened the door with a large smile.

The three of us held up our badges as Sam introduced us, "Special Agent Lynne. These are my partners, Special Agent Tandy and Special Agent Hoffmann. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Ann Morton."

"Oh," Wendy said, acting a little nervous, "Uh, of course. Please come in."

We made our way inside, the three of us sitting on the couch in front of her as she talked. "I had never met her before she called the other night."

"Why was she calling you?" I asked as Sam wrote things down.

Wendy let out a large breath, "She was looking to find an original map of the city. She didn't say what for, but she mentioned an old orchard that had gone missing."

"Missing?" Dean asked, confused like we were.

Wendy started to explain, his eyes drifting to Sam every once in a while. "This town was wiped from the earth by one of the river's 100-year floods. It was rebuilt though. But all the original records were lost. I'm a PhD candidate. And this is my research." She gestured to some papers that sat on the table before us.

"My dissertation is on the history of this town and, uh, its connection to the Underground Railroad and whatnot."

She eagerly hops up and brings over a bright pink binder, pulling out a map. She lays the map out in front of us as she talks, "I've been working to re-create a map for years as part of my research, and this..." She pointed to a section of the map, "is the old Jakubiak orchard. I found out yesterday it's where Downey meets Bond Street."

Sam looked over the map, seeming impressed before asking, "Now, did Ann say why she was looking for the site of an old orchard?"

Shaking her head, Wendy said, "No. We set up a time to meet, and she never showed. Then I read about her in the paper. It's just tragic. Ann's assistant called this morning, though, asking if I still had the map."

"Assistant?" I asked, and as if on cue there was a knock at the front door.

"Oh. That's probably him. Maybe he can help," She makes her way towards the front door. Dean, Sam, and I stood up, the dog barking next door making me reach for my gun.

Wendy opened up the door, revealing three men standing on her front porch. The second the door opens and they spot us standing behind her, their eyes go black. Wendy lets out a scream before backing up as the three men make their way inside. In seconds, she's flung into the living room, smashing into the coffee table.

The demon who had tossed Wendy Rice grabbed the map before running out the door. Before I could even give it a second thought, I chased after him.

"Brooke! Wait!" Dean yelled behind me but was caught by one of the other demons.

My feet pushed me off the porch and down the road, chasing the demon as he booked it quickly down the sidewalk. I yanked out my gun, shooting it at the demon's leg which only made him trip slightly.

Suddenly, the demon turned around, throwing his hand out at me. My body flung backwards, skipping and rolling on the cement road.

I hissed slightly in pain, my hands pushing me up to my knees. My head looked around, the demon nowhere to be found. Looking at my hands, I noticed the scraps and cuts on my hands, knees, and elbows.

Well, shit.

A small groan left my lips as I stood up, taking one last look around before heading back to Wendy Rice's house.

I swung open the front door, surprised when I found Dean and Sam sitting on the couch and Castiel standing in front of them.

"Cas," I said shocked, closing the door behind me.

"Brooklyn," He nodded to me, as if that was his greeting to me.

Dean stood up from the couch, his eyes set on me. It took no genius to know that he had spotted the dirt on my clothes and the rip in my black pants. Immediately, he made his way over, his hands lightly touching my arms. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," I reassure him, closing my hands so he wouldn't see the cuts.

Though he didn't seem to fully believe me, he kept his mouth shut. My eyes looked past Dean, at Sam and Cas, "The demon got away with the map."

Castiel nodded as I moved into the living room, Dean taking the spot next to me.

"I bound the one I caught in a devil's trap. I'm gonna interrogate it now," Castiel said, turning to go into the kitchen.

Sam stopped him, "Wait a second. Cas. How about you answer some questions first? Like, where the hell have you been?"

Dean looked at Cas, his eyes studying him, "You heard me, didn't you?"

My mind remembered hearing Dean's voice the other day, praying. None of us seemed surprised except Sam, who looked at his brother like he just heard that he was a girl or something. Which, he isn't, I can reassure you of that.

"You prayed to him?"

I looked at Sam, my eyes giving him the answer. Though he seemed surprised that I knew, he was like his brother and knew when to shut up.

Castiel answered Dean's question, "Yes, I heard you. But that's not why I'm here." He sat down in the chair across from the couch where Sam still sat. Dean and I moved to the couch, standing next to it.

"I've been hunting demons," He said, looking at each of us.

The pieces started to slide together, making my mouth drop slightly, "So this is you. Why?"

"I've been searching for the other half of the Demon Tablet."

"Without us?" Dean asked, seeming shocked that Castiel was now hunting.

Nodding, Cas looked at Dean, "I've been trying to help, Dean. And in my search, I uncovered that Crowley has sent out demons to find Lucifer's crypts."

"Lucifer had crypts?" I asked?

"Dozens of them, apparently," Cas said, seeming just as surprised as we were about the answer. "They're looking for a parchment that would allow them to decipher Crowley's half of the Demon Tablet without a Prophet."

Dean's eyes went wide and his eyebrows rose, "A demonic decoder ring? In Crowley's hands? Awesome," He said, shaking his head as he looked away from Cas.

Cas paused for a second before speaking again, seeming slightly side tracked, "The crypts were, uh, lost over time. Only those closest to Lucifer knew their whereabouts."

"Then how did Crowley find them?" I asked, making Cas look over at me. "His demons have been possessing locals who may have some special knowledge."

Sam looked over at Dean and I, "That would explain the crazy room at Ann's house."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, but not how they knew where to start looking in the first place?"

"That is why I'm hoping the women in the kitchen is more knowledgeable than the others I interrogated." He stood up, leaving the three of us before disappearing into the kitchen swinging door.

My eyes watched as the door swung close, my mouth speaking up, "Somethings up with him."

"Yeah, something's defiantly off," Dean nodded in agreement before taking the lead. The second we entered the kitchen, I was surprised to see that Wendy was tied to a chair, her eyes turning black at the sight.

Of course she got possessed!

Wendy smirked, "San and Dean Winchester. Boy, the stories I've heard about you two." Her eyes moved to me, "And Brooklyn Myers. I see you've found your way to Dean-O. Crowley will be excited to hear about that."

"You don't talk to her," Dean said protectively, pointing his finger at Wendy.

"Oh, already so protective," She said, looking between and Dean and I as we stood on the other end of the table. Cas stood next to her while Sam leaned against the sink counter.

Suddenly, my body jumped slightly when Cas used his angel blade, stabbing Wendy's hand with it. She screamed out in pain as he pulls out the blade, sparks flying from the weapon.

Getting right to the point, Cas asked, "Who told you about the parchment?"

"What parchment?" Wendy exclaimed before getting stabbed in the other hand again. She let out a blood curdling scream, "Okay, okay!" Cas pulled out the blade, looking at the demon.

"Crowley is Hell-bent on finding the Angel Tablet," She said, trying to catch her breath.

Sam, Dean, and I's eyes furred in confusion while Cas just stood in silent, hiding something.

"Angel Tablet?" I asked, making Wendy sigh and nod slowly. "Crowley found out Lucifer had it, figures it's stashed in a crypt."

Cas looked to us, "Well, this is news to me, as well. Demons I interrogated, they must have been lying about their true intentions."

My eyes widened, not believing Cas' words one bit. When Castiel's eyes met mine, it was like they were screaming at me to shut up about any suspicions I had.

And, for some reason, I did.

"Where is the Crypt?" Dean asked, moving to stand next to Wendy.

Wendy glared up at Dean, "Like I'd tell you." Quickly, I moved past Cas, pushing him to the side. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the picture of the mini-village Ann had created. I held it up to Wendy, "Then show us. Or I swear to God that, that Angel blade will seem like a little pinch compared to what I'll do to you."

Though I didn't have any ideas, I hoped that my voice wouldn't show that.

It must not have, because she sucked in a shaky breath. She nodded to the picture, "Between those two trees, near the white house."

"What's there now?" Sam asked?

Wendy opened her mouth to speak up, but instead Castiel moved behind her and stabbed her back. Her mouth and eyes sparked, killing the demon and her instantly.

My eyes went wide, "Cas! What the hell was that?" I yelled at him.

"It told us what we needed," Cas said with a shrug, clearly missing the point. If I wasn't suspicious before then I was now.

"Hold on a second-" Sam started but was cut off when Castiel disappeared from our sights.

Dean looked around before yelling, "Cas? Cas? Damn it." A sigh left our lips as we shook our heads in disbelief.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry there isn't to many Dean and Brooke scenes, but the next one will start off with one. Hope you enjoy!