Rebecca Dessertine - Supernatural : War of the Sons

by Keith R.A. DeCandido

by Joe Schreiber

Based on the hit CW series SUPERNATURAL created by Eric Kripke

TITAN BOOKS

Supernatural: War of the Sons

ISBN: 9781848569287

Published by

Titan Books

A division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd

144 Southwark St

London

SE1 0UP

First edition August 2010

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

SUPERNATURAL & 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Cover imagery: Front cover image courtesy of Warner Bros.; Ancient Scroll Shutterstock; Black Vector Silhouettes Skyline Shutterstock.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in the United States.

This novel takes place shortly after the season five episode

My Bloody Valentine.

This guys not from around here.

The thought occurred to Caleb as soon as he saw the mans car. It was almost silent, drifting up the long driveway to the camp with no engine noise, the only sound the crunch of gravel under its tires. The gunmetal-gray frame came to a halt in the grass field adjacent to the camp that was too-generously labeled Parking Lot.

Caleb stared as the drivers door opened and a tall man got out. The strangers appearance was immaculateevery hair perfectly in placebut something was off. Caleb figured it was probably the Hawaiian shirt.

Where is Justin Black? the man intoned, without preamble.

Despite Calebs considerable strengths as a camp counselor, actually keeping track of the children was a remarkably low priority for him. Were in the middle of the woods, he told himself, where are they gonna go? For that reason, the Hawaiian-shirted man had caught him off guard.

Uh... at camp? Caleb said, and regretted the words as soon as they spilled from his mouth. Is Justin Black the fat one with the Harry Potter birthmark , he pondered, or the creepy little one who was always trying to give out free hugs?

My son. His location. The man paused for effect. I require more specific information.

Caleb glanced into the open window of the activities building, hoping that hed happen to see the boy in there.

Nope .

Ill find him. Hes out by the lake, I think, Caleb said, putting on his best reassuring voice. Hed better be , he thought, or this is going to be awkward .

No, the man said. Ill find him myself.

The man walked purposefully toward the forest path, and Caleb quickly followed. There was something off-putting about the guy, and Caleb didnt recognize him from parents night. Could have been the weed, though , he thought. Actually, wasnt it Justin Blacks dad whod brought the weed?

Caleb hurried to catch up to the mans long strides.

Is there a problem? he asked. Usually Justins mom picks him up

No problem. The man cut him off. I just need to speak with the boy.

Yup, hes a pervert . Who else calls their son the boy? Caleb sped up his pursuit.

What was your name again? Caleb asked, hoping it would jog some memory of this guy. I didnt catch it before.

The man turned, slow and deliberate.

Don. Call me Don.

The camp counselor was certainly annoying, but it was by no means the worst thing Don had had to put up with in his long and storied existence. His former profession had brought him into contact with the absolute worst of the worst, the darkest blights on the fabric of humankind that ever walked the Earth. Im like Jerry Springer without the fame , Don thought, amused by his own analogy. After his previous occupation, it didnt take much to amuse Don. Well, the fame part is about to change .

Losing the counselor in the forest was a simple matter. One moment, the kid was an arms-length away. The next, Don was a quarter-mile ahead of him. The path wound its way down a hill, dense thickets of forest obscuring the view. It would all be over before the counselor caught up.

The lake itself was pristine and beautiful, its glassy surface rippling with the slight breeze. An amazing summer day, one like Don hadnt seen in... too long to remember.

Ew! Dont touch it with your bare hands!

Dons head turned an unnatural degree to find the source of the shout. It had come from a girl, about ten years old, running away from a boy of the same age.

Justin Black.

Youre gonna get warts! the girl cried, desperately dodging away from the frog in Justins outstretched hands.

No I wont, Justin said, my brother said frogs give you herpes.

Whats that? the girl asked innocently.

I dunno. Why dont you ask the frog? Justin thrust the amphibian at her, only to have it leap out of his hands and into the bog at the lakes edge.

Great, now you made me lose it, Justin complained.

He reached down into the bog to find the lost creature, but another pair of hands got there first. Don lifted the frog out of the swampy water, holding it delicately, as if the slightest pressure would shatter it.

Its not lost, my boy, Don said, a warm look on his face.

Justin took a step back, confused.

Dad?

No, Justin, not exactly.

The frog croaked loudly, startling both of the children. Justins brow furrowed.

Mom said youre not supposed to come see me. She said the police wouldnt let you.

My boy, that was the old me. Theres a new set of rules, now. Don held out the frog to Justin, trying to bring the boy closer.

You like frogs, dont you?

Calebs mind was racing. Where had the man gone? Should he call the cops? How the hell had he got so far ahead? He began to run, hurtling down the path as he started to panic, stumbling over the uneven ground. Then he felt his foot hit a rock, sending him tumbling down the slope and slamming into a tree.

Damn it! he groaned, as the pain shot through him, bringing tears to his eyes. Wincing, he shifted into a sitting position and peered at his leg. His pants were ripped and a trail of blood was seeping down his thigh.

Crap.

He pulled himself up, took a step forward, and collapsed. Oh God, I cant stand. Maybe its broken.

Fear filled his mind. Fear of what would happen to the kids at the lake, fear of what would happen when his boss found out about his inattentiveness, and fear of dying slowly of bloodloss out in the woods where no one could find him.

Calm the hell down , he thought, this isnt even that bad. Its barely even bleeding . That realization helped him get back to his feet. He had managed to hobble a few steps forward when he heard it.