Supernatural Dream (Fan-Fic)

Every night, Iris would kneel in front of a mirror and say, "Hello, Beautiful." But only part of her believed it. She had been taught all of her life that everyone was beautiful, but she didn't think she was beautiful. A few years ago she had been in a car accident that disfigured ¾ of her face. Despite the corrective surgeries and skin grafts, the doctors could do no more than make her face look like a deformed hunk of ground beef.

No one could bear to look at her anymore. So she fashioned a mask to cover her face and left to live in solitude. Each night was peaceful. The lavender and sage incense helped to keep negative emotions at bay. The salt along the windows and doors made her feel safe. The last thing she needed were demons or something else to torment her.

But, one night, she heard running footsteps coming towards her place. When she looked out the window she saw two men with guns. She backed away from the window and curled herself into a ball. They were hunting something, but what? She heard the door of the barn, she was staying in, slide open. Then cautiously the men entered.

The first comment to Sam of something stinking. Sam called the other Dean and pointed out the salt in the doorway. Were they demon hunters?

She had heard of Sam and Dean. The Winchester boys. They checked out anything out of the ordinary. If it was supernatural, they fought it.

"Winchester," she said aloud.

She heard the guns cock below her. If anything, being shot would be a blessing, but something felt wrong. She lit her lamp as Dean called to Sam about the ladder.

"Put your guns down," she said. "Now."

"I don't think so," Dean said as he climbed into the loft.

Iris' mask shown in the dim light and she saw Dean's gun on her. "Do you really think that shooting me will do you any good?"

"That depends," Dean said.

Sam reached the top of the ladder, gun ready, standing only slightly behind Dean.

Iris stood slowly and hung the lantern on a hook. Then she backed into the corner and sat down.

"I don't think this is a demon, Dean," Sam said.

"Then what the hell is it?" he replied.

Iris laughed. They had found a copy of the town's newspaper. There was always a story of a witch or ghost of a woman that haunted this barn, and anyone who entered disappeared.

"What's so funny?" Dean demanded.

"What was the story you found in the paper?"

"That a woman with a pale white face was responsible for the disappearance of engaged couples."

Iris laughed again. The couples.

She had just doubled over in her laughing when she felt a shower of rock salt just overhead. She stopped laughing.

Dean had actually fired. Well, at least she knew what was in those guns.

"Seriously, Dean. What good is rock salt when there is no way a malevolent spirit could be here?"

"What do you mean? The salt in the entryways? That could have been placed there to keep the spirit in."

"But why would they want to trap it? For trapped as it would be, that doesn't stop the couples."

"So you know about the couples?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I do," she replied as she stood. "But let me finish the explanation. Dean, the first thing you said when you came in here was, 'What is that smell?' It is a mix of sage and lavender. The sage purifies the area and the lavender is supposed to be calming. But, I guess when one is hunting, a sense of calm might impair your abilities."

"What about the couples?" Sam asked.

"If you noticed, most everyone in town is getting on in years and their children are ready to get married and move out. Most of the couples that come here have eloped despite the strong opinions of their parents. Then they come here, ready for marriage, and looking for a way to escape."

"But this is a barn, how do they escape?" Sam asked.

Dean had pulled out a different gun and had it pointed to her.

"I would show you, but Dean would shoot me the moment I took a step."

"Damn right," he said, "What happened to the couple we saw come in here earlier tonight."

"You are not ready to understand."

"What?"

Iris threw down a smoke bomb and ran, she had to get her incense burner. She threw in a bunch of Valerian leaves. Dean and Sam were still in the loft looking for her. It didn't take long for the smell to permeate the barn. She could hear them struggling to stay awake, but eventually they slept.

While they slept, she removed their guns and hid them. They could have them back, but she couldn't have them filling her skin with rock salt or silver bullets. Iris added a little mint to her incense burner then fell asleep as well. For some reason the mint helped keep her nightmares away.

She woke the next morning to find the boys still asleep. She went down into the cellar and got some roots and vegetables to make a stew out of. It was almost ready when the boys got up. Dean was the first to react.

"What the hell have you done with our weapons?!"

"Breakfast first," she said. She dished up three bowls and handed two to Sam and Dean. They reluctantly tried it then eventually ate all of it.

"How much research do you do?" she asked.

The boys seemed taken back. Whatever she was, she wasn't supernatural though the newspaper articles said otherwise.

"Tell us about the couples," Dean said, none too happy.

"Tell me what you think you know then I'll fill in the rest."

"Well the story begins with a beautiful young woman who got into a terrible accident down the road. I guess her face was so badly mutilated that she came to this barn, shot herself, and her body dragged away by wild animals. That was until she was seen again on the full moon. Each full moon a couple from town would enter the barn where the spirit of this woman would kill them and give the woman's body to the wild animals and store the men's bodies in the cellar."

"It is amazing the things the town can come up with," she said. "Especially when they are afraid to face the truth."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"The car accident was true," she said, removing her mask. "Very much true."

The boys grimaced.

"However, as you can see, I am not a spirit. Soon after coming here, a wounded animal came in. I healed its wounds and let it go. I had gone out gathering when they came to inspect the barn. The stories of the couples started on a full moon night when a few people I knew came to see the barn. I stayed hidden and listened. The one thing these people wanted more than anything was to get away so they could get married. I was only a voice in the dark to them. I encouraged them to live their lives and not let anyone rule it for them. They decided then that they just wanted to disappear. So they carefully followed their tracks back to the road and left for some distant town, never to be seen or heard from again."

"So what of the couples after them?"

"They each decided to disappear in their own ways. Some by walking, some by hitch-hiking."

"Then how did they link it to you?"

"One couple was followed by the police, and they were taken back home. The police officer saw me standing in the window for just a moment before I hid again. However, there were a few times the couples had friends watching. They thought it would be a fun joke to be seen going in, but not coming out. So, I gave them a little help." She opened her cellar and beckoned for the boys to follow.

"Not without our guns," Dean said.

"They're under the cloak," she said, pointing to where she had stashed them.

After they retrieved their guns, the followed her. She walked quickly and soon all they could see were dirt walls.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Dean said.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked.

"Where are you?" Sam asked.

The dirt wall moved and there she stood. "It's cloth. You coming."

They followed her down a tunnel to the far side of the barn where no one would be seen leaving.

"Anymore questions?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Because no one should have to live a life they don't want to because of someone's opinions. Good luck with your hunting." Then she turned and walked away, never to be seen again.