Chapter 6 : Apple Pie

by

     Dean and I sat silently in the car as we tried to figure this out. He flipped through his father's journal, and I watched, enjoying the silence and the humming sensation the whiskey finally gave my body.

     "Can't we just burn it?"

     "And what if that just pisses it off more?"

     "I don't know," I admitted.

     "We'll just head back into town, recharge, and I'll see if Sammy has any ideas."

     I nodded, trying my hardest to figure it out,  but as I pulled up in front of Scotty's Diner, my mind settled on the growling of my stomach.

     "Okay, so," Dean started as he slid the keys into his pocket. "Stick to the plan and -"

     "I got it," I said quickly. "We're married. My name is Sarah Bohnam, and I will be filing for divorce tomorrow." He cocked his brow at me, and I groaned through gritted teeth before grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him behind me.

     He froze in his step and looked over at me oddly as his rough, callused fingers stiffened around mine. He looked panicked for a moment and glanced around at the busy sidewalks.

     "What are you doing?"

     "Holding your hand," I said to him, pulling our hands up in front of us. I wiggled my fingers like a child, and I felt him tense, the awkwardness instantly flooding between us. "What? You're the one that said we had to make this believable."

     "I didn't say we had to hold hands."

     "Married people hold hands, Dean."

     "I don't hold hands."

     I scoffed. "And I don't date, but here I am, apparently married and about to die on my honeymoon." I tilted my head and released his cool fingers from my grip as he glared at me. "Then what do you want me to do? I don't really know how any of this works. "

     "You've never had a boyfriend?"

     "No," I lied. I shoved my hands in my pocket and slowly looked around, making sure nobody was taking any interest in our marital dispute.

     I debated plan A over and over again. It would have been so much easier if I could have had just twenty minutes alone with the dick bag at the garage. 

     I almost did it too, my finger brushed against the cool metal in the back of my waistband, but a loud giggle caught my attention. I glanced over at the gas station next door, and I scoffed at Dean as I watched a couple our age joyfully walking towards the door, hands entwined as they laughed uncontrollably.

     I shot a look at Dean, and he huffed as he reached for my hand, squeezing my fingers gently, but I ripped my hand back and glared at him.

     "Don't be a bitch," he shot at me as he grabbed my hand again, and ya need me behind, tugging me along towards the diner.

     We took our seats in a booth by the window, and I couldn't help but dive right into the menu. I probably could have eaten the whole appetizer page. Still, a double bacon cheeseburger with fries seemed to be what I kept going back to. Dean nodded at the gentleman taking our order, insisting he wanted the same.

     "So where y'all headed?" he asked as he poured our coffee.

     Dean and I exchanged panicked glares, both of us wanting the other to speak, and I finally gave up and kicked him in the shin, causing him to jump and splash his coffee all over the table.

     "Sorry," he gave the man a nervous smile and laughed. "She's a little handsy."

     The man chuckled, telling us how adorable we were. Dean reached across the table and squeezed my fingers, looking at me with an awkward loving look as he said to the man we were road tripping for our honeymoon.

     It seemed to pique the man's interest, and he stuck his pen behind his ear before walking away with good wishes on our nuptials.

     "This is pointless," I told Dean. "For all we know, it could have grabbed a couple already."

     I rolled my eyes and turned away from him as I tried to figure this out. This whole hunt was a failure. We were nearly out of time, and here we were, sitting in a diner - eating burgers while a monster stalked the town.

     "I'll be right back," I said as I pulled myself out of the booth.

     Dean waved me off as I headed for the bathroom, but a coffee-stained newspaper caught my attention, and a surge of adrenaline rushed through me as I grabbed it and slid back into the booth.

     "I thought you were going to the bathroom?" Dean groaned, clearly unable to hide the edge in his voice.

     "I think I know what it is," I whispered as I laid the article down on the table and pointed at the headline above a picture of local farmers picketing outside of Salem Town Hall.

     "I don't -"

     "Read it," I insisted as I turned the newspaper around to face him.

     "Just give me the short version."

     I sighed and rolled my eyes. "In the last six months alone, twelve local farmers and nearly half of the residents of the surrounding towns have lost their farms and homes."

     "Your point?"

     "All but one."

     "Let me guess?" He scoffed. "Burkittsville."

     I nodded. "It has to be. This place is too perfect, Dean. I don't know why I didn't notice it before but think about it. Every town I've visited so far is ghostly. The shops are closed. The fields are dry, and every other house has a for sale sign." I ran my fingers through my hair as it all came to me. "Why is this town so special when it's smack dab in the middle of it all?"

     Finally interested, Dean snatched the paper and skimmed the article for himself. He flipped through the pages to the local classifieds, and his eyes widened as he ran his fingers over the real estate listings. Not one of them was listed in Burkittsville.

     I sipped my coffee as I waited for him to say something, but it wasn't until he chuckled that I realized he had been sidetracked by the comics.

     "Dean!" I whispered loudly, slamming my hand lightly on the table in front of him.

     He glanced up at me and swallowed hard, a guilty expression washing over his face.

     "We have to get back to the hotel. I think I've seen something like this before." I said as I folded up the paper and tucked it under my arm.

     I swallowed the rest of my coffee quickly and got up to go but stopped as I realized Dean hadn't moved. He was staring out the window at the couple still standing at the gas station. This time though, their hood was up, and the blue-clad mechanic was pulling himself out from underneath their red SUV.

     He looked up at me with wide eyes, and I reached around for my gun, but his hand gripped my forearm, and he shook his head. "What are you gonna do? Shoot him?"

     "No, but a gun usually gets answers."

     "Yeah, and a gun will also get us arrested," he nodded out the window, and I watched as the town sheriff pulled into the parking lot.

     We watched as he walked towards the Impala, and he leaned down, cupping his hands around his eyes as he peered into the passenger seat.

     "Damnit."

     "What are we going to do?" I asked him, knowing he was right.

     "You get the pie, and I will take care of them."

     "You're seriously worried about the food right now?"

     "It's pie, Andi." He stared at me blankly. "Award-winning pie."