By late afternoon, the Impala rolled into Carthage, Missouri, before finally stopping outside a modest house.
Dean climbed out first, followed by Sam and Henry.
The front door opened before either Winchester could knock. A broad smile spread across the older hunter's face.
"Dean. Sam."
"Travis."
The brothers stepped forward, and Travis pulled each of them into a firm hug. "It's been one hell of a long time since I saw you boys." He stepped back and looked them over before chuckling. "Look at you two. Last time I saw you, you were still following John around. Now you've gone and grown up."
Dean grinned. "Yeah, happens to everybody."
"Not to hunters," Travis snorted. "Most of us just get older."
Sam smiled. "It's good to see you again, Travis."
"You too, Sam."
Only then did Travis notice the young man standing a few steps behind them. His eyes shifted toward Henry. "And who's this?"
Dean answered without missing a beat. "Our cousin, Henry."
Travis raised an eyebrow. "Your cousin?"
"Long story. We'll fill you in later."
Travis looked Henry over for a moment before extending his hand. "Well, any cousin of the Winchesters is welcome here. Name's Travis."
Henry shook his hand. "Henry Winchester. Nice to meet you."
"Come on inside. You boys have probably been living on gas station coffee and greasy burgers. I've got real food waiting."
As they finished eating, Dean wiped his hands on a napkin and looked across the table at Travis. "So, what's the case?"
Travis took a slow sip of his coffee. "A Rugaru."
Sam frowned. "A Rugaru? What's that?"
"Not surprised you've never heard of one. They're rare as hell. Most hunters go their entire lives without running into one."
Dean leaned forward. "So what exactly is it?"
"A Rugaru is born, not made," Travis explained. "For most of its life, it looks and acts completely human. It grows up like anybody else, gets married, has kids, holds down a job. Most of them never even know what they are."
Henry listened quietly. "What changes?"
"The hunger," Travis answered. "Sooner or later it wakes up. They start craving human flesh. They can fight it for a while, but the moment they take their first bite..." He paused. "...that's it. They stop being human. Once a Rugaru feeds, there's no turning back."
Sam rested his elbows on the table. "So until then, they're innocent?"
"That's what makes the job ugly," Travis replied. "Technically, yeah. Until they eat human flesh, they're just people carrying a curse in their blood."
Dean frowned. "So who's the target?"
Travis reached into his jacket and slid a photograph across the table. "Jack Montgomery."
Dean picked up the picture.
"Local family man," Travis said. "Wife, steady job. On the surface he's as normal as they come, but I think he's starting to turn. If I'm right, we've got a very small window before somebody ends up on his dinner plate."
Sam frowned. "How do you know he's already turning? You just said a Rugaru looks completely human until it changes."
Travis nodded, as though he'd expected the objection. "Because his father was a Rugaru." His expression darkened.
"For years, the man looked like anybody else. Then one day he snapped. Started eating people. I caught up with him after he'd already killed and put him down." He took another sip of coffee.
"By the time I learned he'd left behind a son, the trail had gone cold. Jack had disappeared off my radar. It took me years to track him down again."
Sam remained unconvinced. "So what do you want us to do?"
"Watch him," Travis replied. "See if he's showing any signs. Increased aggression, strange cravings, blackouts — anything that says the change has started."
Dean folded his arms. "And if he is?"
Travis didn't hesitate. "Then we do what has to be done. Burn him alive. That's the only way to kill a Rugaru."
***
Inside the Impala, Dean kept his eyes on the road. "Well, it's a Rugaru. I think we should keep an eye on the guy for a while before we do anything." He glanced briefly at Sam. "Just because Travis says he's going to turn into a monster doesn't mean we get to kill him."
Sam nodded. "I agree. If he hasn't eaten human flesh yet, then he's still human. We can't execute someone for something they haven't done."
Henry didn't comment.
A short while later, the Impala rolled to a stop near Jack Montgomery's house. Night had already fallen, and the lights inside were still on.
Dean raised a pair of binoculars and looked through the kitchen window. A second later, his expression stiffened.
"...Sam."
Sam took the binoculars and looked through them himself.
Jack Montgomery stood alone in his kitchen, tearing into a large piece of raw pork with his bare hands. He wasn't cooking it or seasoning it — he simply ripped off chunks with his teeth and swallowed them with an almost animalistic hunger.
Sam slowly lowered the binoculars. "That's definitely not normal."
Dean took them back for another look. "No... Travis was right. That's one of the signs."
Henry let out a quiet sigh. The transformation had already begun. Fortunately, Jack hadn't crossed the point of no return yet — as long as he never tasted human flesh, there was still a chance to stop him from becoming a full-fledged Rugaru.
He looked toward the house. There was still time to prevent another monster from being born.
*****
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