The drive to Hope Springs turned out to be quite long, even with Dean behind the wheel, who preferred to squeeze the maximum speed out of his Baby. Twelve hours on the road was something Alex still couldn't get used to, considering his habit of teleporting to the right place.
But every time Alex suggested to Dean that they teleport straight to the destination, Dean found dozens of excuses why they needed to use the Impala instead of teleportation. Sam didn't even try to argue with his brother, as he had already learned from bitter experience that Dean could be extremely stubborn in certain moments, especially when it came to his car.
So Sam did what he always did: he took out his headphones and turned on a history podcast that he preferred to listen to on the road, instead of listening to the same songs for twelve hours straight. Noticing what Sam had done, Alex decided to follow his example. Sprawling out on the back seat of the Impala, Alex put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, thinking about getting some sleep.
Dean didn't pay attention to the fact that Sam was once again listening to his podcast, and Alex had simply fallen asleep. At that moment, many thoughts were swirling in his head. And most of them were connected to Amara. He was wondering whether Amara had really started consuming human souls again to restore herself.
Dean didn't want to believe that Amara had started consuming human souls again after she herself had told him that she wouldn't do it anymore. He remembered how Amara had told him that she had only done it because she wanted to restore her powers faster and didn't understand the value of a human soul. And it was only because of those words that Dean doubted whether Amara had consumed a human soul again.
Gripping the steering wheel, Dean sighed heavily and tried to mentally talk to Amara. Calling out to Amara a couple of times, Dean received no answer to his question and frowned slightly. The first thought that came to Dean's mind at that moment when he didn't get an answer from Amara was that there might be some problems with the connection. And that Amara could only talk to them like this occasionally. Clicking his tongue in irritation, Dean wanted to talk about this with Alex.
After all, Alex was the only person who could explain everything. Turning his head to the side, Dean looked at Sam, who was sitting with headphones on and a thoughtful expression on his face. Dean thought that he shouldn't discuss something like this when Sam was sitting next to him. After all, the last time he had told Sam about his connection with Amara and that because of this connection he couldn't harm Amara, Sam had repeated more than once that this connection could be dangerous.
Shaking his head, Dean decided not to discuss this topic for now and to deal with figuring out the details after arriving in Hope Springs. Dean pressed down on the gas pedal to speed up and reach Hope Springs faster, and to find out whether Wes Cooper had really lost his soul.
Or whether Wes Cooper had ended up the way Alex had said: the guy had simply gotten tired and decided to end it all on his own terms. When the Impala sped up, Sam jerked slightly and turned his head toward his brother. Noticing how focused Dean was on the road, Sam decided not to bother him and turned back. Looking at the sleeping Alex, Sam calmly looked away and continued listening to his podcast.
A few hours later, Dean decided to refuel the car and turned into a gas station. Parking the Impala, Dean turned to Sam and patted him on the shoulder to pull his brother out of his stupor. Sam opened his eyes and looked at Dean with a silent question about what he needed.
Dean nodded toward the store, hinting that Sam should buy some snacks while he refueled his Baby. Sam exhaled through his nose, turned back, and nudged Alex in the knee to wake him up. Opening his eyes, Alex looked at Sam and Dean, who were looking at him.
"What?" Alex asked, rubbing his eyes after waking up.
"We're at the gas station. If you want to grab a snack, now's the time," Dean said, pointing at the window.
Sleepily rubbing his eyes, Alex shifted his gaze toward the window and saw a completely ordinary gas station with a store. Yawning slightly, Alex thought that it was worth getting something to eat. At that moment, Sam put his things in his bag and got out of the Impala to go to the store. Seeing Sam leave, Alex yawned again and reached for a thin cigar. Opening the door of the Impala, Alex lit the thin cigar and was about to follow Sam into the store.
"Mmm… Alright," Alex said, getting out of the Impala.
"Get me two burgers, a pie, and something to drink," Dean said before Alex left.
Alex waved his hand at Dean, letting him know he would buy everything. Bringing the smoldering thin cigar to his lips, Alex exhaled smoke and raised his gaze to the sky. When they had left the bunker, it had been two o'clock in the afternoon, and by the time they were driving, evening had already arrived. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alex lowered his gaze and caught up with Sam, who was waiting for him at the entrance to the store. Putting out the thin cigar, Alex entered the store together with Sam.
While Sam was paying for the gas, Alex was examining the shelves with products to get something to snack on. Taking two burgers and a piece of pie for Dean, Alex walked over to the refrigerators and pulled out a salad for Sam. Stopping by the refrigerator, Alex thought for a moment and also took a salad and a bottle of cold tea for himself. Holding the food in his hands, Alex approached the checkout.
By this time, Sam had already paid for the gas and was holding a newspaper in his hands, looking through the latest news. While the burgers for Dean were heating up, Alex saw a pack of jelly candies and placed it on top of the rest of the purchases.
"Get some for Dean too, otherwise you two will start arguing over the candies again," Sam said, looking at Alex.
"Are we kids who are going to fight over candies?" Alex asked with doubt in his voice, looking at Sam.
"Yes. You two are grown-up kids," Sam said, nodding his head and placing another pack of jelly candies for Dean.
Alex looked at Sam, who stood with an impassive face, making it clear that he wasn't wrong when he said those words. Rolling his eyes, Alex handed Sam his salad and then took the rest of the purchases in his hands. Holding the food, Alex headed to the Impala. By this time, Dean had finished refueling the car and, seeing his coveted food in Alex's hands, immediately closed the gas tank and quickly approached Alex, snatching his hot burgers from his hands.
Shaking his head, Alex got into the back seat of the Impala and began eating his salad. Dean and Sam sat in the front seats and also began eating what was hard to call dinner in their current situation. But for Dean and Sam, this was so familiar that they didn't complain and calmly ate their food.
"How much longer do we have to drive to Hope Springs?" Sam asked, stirring his salad.
"We still have about five hours to go… Roughly. If we hurry, even four hours," Dean said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and reaching for the second burger.
"At this rate, we'll reach Hope Springs by midnight. And we definitely won't catch the sheriff," Alex muttered, eating his salad.
"Stop whining. I've said many times that I prefer the classics. A car, the road, and great music. We've been driving around the country like this for ten years. And we somehow managed without all these teleportation tricks… Right, Sammy?" Dean said, turning to Alex and then looking at Sam.
"Should I remind you that you were ready to teleport to an abandoned cemetery in Europe?" Sam asked, raising his gaze to Dean.
"That's not the same thing. This and that are different things. Isn't it obvious," Dean said, moving his hands as if trying to explain his point of view.
Sam looked at his brother and snorted slightly, not intending to continue this conversation. He saw no reason to explain anything to Dean at that moment. Alex also wasn't going to argue with Dean and simply wanted to finish his salad, which turned out to be quite good, considering the place where this salad had been bought.
Seeing that no one was trying to convince him, Dean proudly raised his chin and continued eating his burger, thinking that he had won the argument once again. Seeing the proud expression on Dean's face, Alex looked at the plastic fork in his hands and thought about poking Dean with it. Looking at the plastic fork in his hand, Alex shook his head, deciding to abandon the desire to poke Dean with the fork.
After finishing his burgers, Dean grabbed the cold tea and took a sip. Tasting the peach-flavored cold tea, Dean looked at the bottle with interest and nodded, thinking that he should buy this cold tea for the bunker. Passing the bottle of cold tea to Alex, Dean started the engine and drove out of the gas station, keeping one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a piece of pie.
As Dean had said, he decided to drive faster to Hope Springs so as not to delay any longer on the road. And already four hours later, Dean's black Impala crossed the city limits of Hope Springs. It was approaching midnight, and Dean immediately turned toward a motel to rent a room and get some sleep. While Dean was parking the car, Sam went to rent a triple room for the three of them.
Standing by the Impala, Alex and Dean waited for Sam with the room keys. A couple of minutes later, Sam came out with the keys and went to open the room. Grabbing their things, Alex and Dean followed Sam.
Entering the room, Dean threw his things on the bed and immediately lay down himself. Sam calmly placed his bag on his bed and sat on the edge, checking the latest news to make sure nothing had happened during their drive. Alex lay down on the bed and thought about texting the girls. But seeing the time, he decided not to disturb them.
"Alright, guys. Time to sleep. In the morning we need to go to the sheriff's office, and then to the coroner. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and I don't want to listen to your complaints about not getting enough sleep," Sam said, getting ready for bed and looking alternately at Alex and Dean.
"Okay, Mommy," Dean said, rolling over to the other side and holding his phone in his hands.
Alex just waved his hand, letting him know he understood. Sam looked at Alex and Dean and just shook his head, realizing that they still wouldn't listen to him. Deciding that this was no longer his problem, Sam turned off the light and turned away, intending to get some sleep to gain strength for tomorrow. Alex lay there a little longer, texting with the girls in the family chat, asking how they had gotten to Forks.
Seeing several funny selfies from the girls, Alex put his phone aside and closed his eyes. Some time later, Dean also fell asleep, putting his phone aside. But Dean still preferred to sleep holding a weapon. And if before Dean had held a pistol in his sleep, now he held the First Blade in his hands.
Morning came quite quickly, and Alex woke up to the sound of their room door opening. Opening his eyes, Alex saw Sam, who had entered the room holding a tray with coffee and pastries. Waving at Sam, Alex rubbed his eyes and went to the bathroom with clear reluctance to wake up.
Passing by Dean's bed, Alex stopped for a moment, and then kicked Dean off the bed with his foot. Crashing off the bed, Dean sharply opened his eyes and immediately saw Alex standing next to him. Sam, hearing the crash, turned back and noticed Dean, who had gotten up from the floor. Grinning, Sam sat down at the table and began drinking his coffee, paying no attention to how Dean had been woken up.
"What the hell, man," Dean said in an irritated tone, getting up from the floor and looking at Alex.
"Good morning…" Alex muttered, yawning as he headed to the bathroom, ignoring the irritated Dean.
Entering the bathroom, Alex simply closed the door behind him, not intending to talk to Dean. Dean looked at the bathroom door with an irritated gaze and then sighed, sitting down on the bed. Rubbing his face after the not-very-pleasant awakening, Dean caught the smell of coffee and fresh pastries. Turning his head back, Dean saw Sam calmly drinking coffee and flipping through news on his phone.
Yawning sleepily, Dean walked around his bed and approached the table, sitting down opposite Sam. Taking his coffee, Dean took a sip and let out a long sigh. Taking another sip of coffee, Dean reached for another hot pastry, simply wanting to fill his stomach in the morning. After all, it was easy to guess that they would have to drive around this small town a lot to figure out why Wes Cooper had decided to kill his colleague and then himself.
"While you two were sleeping, I chatted with a couple of locals…" Sam began, setting his phone aside.
"And what did they say?" Alex asked, looking away from his phone screen and looking at Sam.
"The usual. It's a small town, everyone knows each other. And no one expected something like this from Wes," Sam said, handing the coffee to Alex's hands.
"Sam, did you learn anything else besides the fact that no one expected our guy to blow his colleague's brains out and then his own?" Dean asked, flipping through the news article.
"Mostly various little things. I think it's better to talk to the sheriff once you finish breakfast," Sam said, shaking his head to show that he hadn't learned anything special.
Alex and Dean nodded, agreeing with Sam's decision. While Alex was finishing his coffee, Dean and Sam began changing into suits to head to the police station. Quickly finishing his breakfast, Alex also changed into his suit and was ready to go.
Getting into the Impala, they drove to the police station to talk with the sheriff and learn more details about the sudden change in Wes Cooper's behavior. Alex already knew the whole truth but was going to stay silent until what Chuck had planned happened. Propping his cheek on his palm, Alex looked out the window at the streets of Hope Springs.
Alex knew what Chuck was going to arrange in this town, and that after his appearance he would once again shift all the blame onto Amara, who was already considered a villain. Alex couldn't help but laugh at what a clichéd script Chuck had written: appearing at the end to save everyone, and ultimately showing everyone that you are the villain, and that everyone had been living within the plot he had written. Shaking his head, Alex could already imagine the look on Chuck's face when he realized that the script he had written had already been rewritten without his knowledge.
Lost in thought about his plans, Alex didn't even notice that the Impala had pulled up to the police station. Alex continued looking out the window until he heard a knock. Raising his gaze, Alex looked at Sam, who waved his hand, letting him know they had arrived. Alex blinked slightly and shook his head, realizing that he had once again sunk into unnecessary thoughts.
"What were you thinking about so deeply that you didn't even notice we had arrived?" Dean asked, looking at Alex as he got out of the car.
"I want a vacation… Like, a real vacation. Without any monsters, cultists, and other crap. Just a damn vacation where I don't even have to move," Alex said with a heavy sigh, taking a candy out of his pocket.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told you last time. You want too much," Dean said with a grin, patting Alex on the shoulder.
"Still, we might need a vacation after this whole situation with Amara… We deserve it, Dean," Sam intervened, looking at Alex and Dean.
Dean looked at Sam with no less surprise. He clearly hadn't expected his brother to talk about going on vacation. An image of a sunny beach immediately appeared in Dean's mind: him in beach shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, lying on a lounge chair under a palm tree and drinking a cocktail from a coconut.
And at that same moment, Dean realized that the salary he received as an FBC agent allowed him to go to such a resort where he could fully enjoy his rest. Dean automatically nodded, showing that he was now also thinking about vacation. Seeing Dean nod, Alex and Sam exchanged glances and headed into the police station. Dean snapped out of his daydreams and looked at Alex and Sam, who were walking into the police station.
"Hey, wait. What about deciding where we're going on vacation," Dean said, hurriedly catching up with Alex and Sam.
"We should finish the job first. Then we can think about vacation," Alex said, laughing at Dean.
"Oh, right. You and your vacation ruined my whole mood, you bastards," Dean said in an irritated tone, walking past Alex and Sam and entering the police station.
Alex laughed as he entered the police station after Dean. At the same time, Alex was thinking about what kind of face Dean would make when he learned the whole truth. Alex was sure that Dean would first start cursing, and then accept the whole truth. And then he would start asking a dozen questions.
And in the very end, he would start demanding to try food and drinks from other worlds, even if he had already drunk alcohol from other worlds before. Finding themselves in the police station, Alex, Dean, and Sam showed their badges and asked where the sheriff was. One of the officers pointed toward the sheriff's desk.
Turning their heads, they saw a man in his forties dressed in a police uniform with a sheriff's badge on his chest. Thanking the officer, Alex, Dean, and Sam headed to the sheriff's desk. Approaching the sheriff's desk, Sam immediately began explaining the reason for their visit. The sheriff listened attentively to Sam and nodded at the end.
"Good that your Bureau is interested in this case. We've never had anything like this before," the sheriff said in a calm tone, twirling a pen in his hands.
"Can we look at the files on this murder so we can understand where to start?" Sam said calmly, looking at the sheriff.
"Sheriff, can I leave early today?" a female voice sounded from the neighboring desk.
Alex and Dean shifted their gazes to the side and looked at the female officer who was the sheriff's secretary in Hope Springs. The sheriff looked at Jen, who smiled apologetically and pointed at her phone. Lowering his gaze to the phone, the sheriff sighed slightly.
"Let me guess, Art is back… Oh, newlyweds… Alright. But first go and show Agent Winchester the files on the murder, and then you're free," the sheriff said, shaking his head and shifting his gaze to Jen.
"Thank you, sir," Jen replied with a smile, standing up from her desk.
Jen looked at Sam and nodded at him, offering for him to follow her. Sam turned to Alex and Dean and nodded, showing that he would be back soon. After that, Sam followed Jen to look at what had happened to Wes. When Sam left, Alex and Dean decided to ask the sheriff a few more questions.
Informing the sheriff of this, he offered Alex and Dean to sit down since they wanted to ask a few more questions. After all, he thought that since the feds had taken the case, it would greatly ease his work. After all, he himself didn't know how to properly explain the fact that Wes Cooper had suddenly become a different person as if by the snap of a finger. Sitting down on a chair, Alex habitually took out a notebook to make a few notes, in case they might come in handy.
"Sheriff, what can you tell us about Wes Cooper? And about how he behaved in the last few days… Before everything that happened," Dean said, deciding to start the conversation.
"Everything as usual. A model family man, went to work, came home, spent time with his wife. Everything as always," the sheriff said, lacing his fingers and placing his hands on the table.
"Did his family or friends say anything about his behavior in the last few days?" Alex asked, raising his gaze to the sheriff and continuing to take notes.
"I questioned his family, friends. None of them can imagine why he did it… One of the witnesses heard Wes before the suicide. Says that Wes was completely unlike himself," the sheriff began explaining everything he had managed to learn during the investigation.
"And how unlike himself was Wes according to the witness?" Dean asked with interest, raising an eyebrow.
"Wes was saying that life is meaningless, that no one loves him. As if all the negative thoughts and feelings had surfaced at once," the sheriff said in a calm voice, listing everything he had heard from the witness.
"So, like Wes had suddenly developed severe depression?" Alex asked, closing his notebook with notes.
"Something like that, Agent. Yesterday he was smiling, and the next day he's already talking about how life is meaningless and no one loves him. And then he shoots his colleague and then himself in the head," the sheriff said, shaking his head.
While Alex and Dean were talking with the sheriff, Sam was busy reviewing the murder files and talking with Officer Jen. Sam asked Jen what she knew about Wes, and she began telling him that she was acquainted with Wes's wife and that they spent time together. Sam listened attentively while Jen told him everything she knew as she searched for the case folder.
Finding the right folder, Jen placed it on the table in front of Sam so he could see it. Telling him about the coroner's conclusion, Jen showed photos from the crime scene. Sam immediately noticed the strange marks on Wes's arm, which were very familiar to him. Sam had already seen similar marks in the past when Amara had broken free, and the nearest town had suffered from her release.
All the residents of that town had been infected with the Darkness, and their bodies had similar black marks resembling black veins. Sam had also been infected with something similar when the blood of one of those infected with the Darkness had gotten on him. After looking through the photos, Sam looked at Jen.
"Were there any other people in your town with such marks on their arms or bodies? Maybe some strange fog appeared?" Sam began asking, pointing at the photo.
"No, sir. Hope Springs is always sunny… At least… it used to be," Jen replied with a smile that quickly faded.
"I see, thank you. You don't mind if I take the folder, do you?" Sam said, nodding and taking the folder in his hands.
"Of course, take it, Agent… And if you have no more questions, I need to get home," Jen said, nodding and standing up from the table.
"No, that's all. Thank you again," Sam said, shaking his head and stepping aside.
Jen smiled and, taking her police jacket, began to leave. Sam looked at the departing Jen and decided to return to Alex and Dean. Returning, Sam saw that Alex and Dean were still talking with the sheriff. Approaching closer, Sam hinted that they should talk outside. Alex and Dean exchanged glances and said goodbye to the sheriff, following Sam outside. Leaving the police station, Alex, Dean, and Sam headed to a diner to discuss their findings, which had brought them nothing, without talking about the case near the police station.
Reaching the diner and ordering coffee, they sat down at a table. Sitting at the table, Sam immediately placed the folder with Wes Cooper's case files on the table and took out one photo from the folder, turning it toward Alex and Dean. Leaning closer, Dean saw the very familiar marks on Wes's arms. Raising his gaze to Sam, Dean decided to ask if it was what he was thinking. Sam nodded, confirming that it was exactly that.
"Now it's clear why poor Wes suddenly became a depressed idiot and decided to blow his brains out," Dean said, pushing the photo away from himself.
"All that's left is to understand why this town. And what we missed," Sam said, putting the photo back into the folder.
"We didn't miss anything. We collected all the fragments of the Darkness and destroyed them. I'm absolutely sure of that," Alex said, shaking his head and reminding them that they had found all the places where the fragments of the Darkness had been.
"Then why did Wes suddenly become infected? Could we have missed one fragment? Or maybe these are echoes of Amara's past power?" Sam said thoughtfully, looking at Alex.
"Instead of thinking and guessing, it's better to just go and check everything ourselves. We'll visit all the places where Wes had been. Don't forget, Sammy. We have a living detector with us," Dean said, finishing his coffee and nodding toward Alex.
In response to Dean's words, Alex just shrugged carelessly, because he knew that they wouldn't find anything except for a few more victims who were yet to appear during the investigation. But Alex was still amused by how Chuck was setting the stage for his appearance, continuing to sit in his hideout and writing his autobiography. Finishing his coffee, Alex, Dean, and Sam left the diner and began visiting the places where Wes had been.
Fortunately, the case folder had everything clearly documented, especially the places Wes had visited in the last few days before the suicide. Returning to the Impala, Alex, Dean, and Sam immediately drove to Wes's house to talk with his wife. Being in Wes Cooper's house, Alex and Sam talked with the wife while Dean, under the noise, went to the couple's bedroom to look for clues.
When Dean returned, he only shook his head, showing that he hadn't found anything. The next place they visited was Wes's workplace. Interviewing colleagues and examining the crime scene, Alex, Dean, and Sam found nothing. Alex, Dean, and Sam spent the entire evening driving around all of Hope Springs, trying to find traces of the Darkness that had infected Wes Cooper.
But all the places they visited brought them nothing. After visiting all the places on the list, Alex, Dean, and Sam came to a family restaurant to have dinner and discuss their search, which had brought them nothing.
While waiting for their order, Alex, Dean, and Sam were busy with their own things. Sam was once again checking the list of places, thinking if they had missed something. Alex was texting with the girls, asking how they had gotten to Forks. Dean was waiting for his food because he was very hungry, since all he had eaten today was coffee and a pastry in the morning.
"I don't understand…" Sam muttered, looking alternately at the files in both of his hands.
"What exactly don't you understand, Sam?" Alex asked, looking away from his phone screen and looking at Sam.
"We've been to everywhere Wes had been. But we didn't find a single trace. No smell of sulfur, no strange fog. Nothing at all," Sam said, placing the files in front of him.
"Maybe Wes picked up this infection somewhere else. We only visited the places where Wes had supposedly been… But what if he got infected on the way home from work," Alex said, placing his phone on the table.
Sam looked at Alex and nodded. They had only checked the places where Wes had presumably been, but there were also enough places in Hope Springs where he could have specifically become infected with the Darkness. Putting all the files back into the folder, Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relax. He understood that without direct traces they couldn't do much.
And even if they found another person infected with the Darkness, at least they could save that person. But it was unknown whether this was an isolated case or if something similar would happen again. Dean, meanwhile, had been trying to contact Amara through their connection the entire time.
But Amara didn't answer his call, and this caused Dean suspicions. Dean was going to try talking to Amara again, but their food was brought. Seeing the food in front of him, Dean preferred to eat first and then try to contact Amara again. Watching Dean and Sam, Alex only shook his head and began eating his dinner.
To be continued...
(Once again, I'm convinced that no matter how hard I try to rush things to make everything happen, it just doesn't work. Oh well, you should be used to it by now. Meanwhile, we're moving on to the finale. Luckily, my memory hasn't failed me yet, and even if I rewatched Season 11 while playing FF16, I still remember the necessary events. And now, as always, it's time to eat. Peace, love, and who stole my pie?)
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