A.U. : The Beginning Of A Lifetime Friendship

 By Elodie Kohler-Andrianos 

This story takes place in the middle of a very cold winter,in the far away year of 1970. In the big State of Kansas,lots of unexplained events were happening... In the beautiful - usually so calm - town of Lawrence,things got really messed up very quickly. John Winchester lived there with his parents,they were Man and Woman of Letters and they taught him everything he knows until now. He learned how to shoot with different guns,the different kinds of knives,how to fight,all the kinds of monsters who exist in this world. He took lots of notes in a journal,it would become his greatest help in all his hunting career. 

He was alone in his room;his parents left,for a meeting with the Men of Letters. He was reviewing his notes about monsters over and over again. He needed (and wanted) some fresh air and to stretch his legs out... His parents told him to go out only if needed and to stay out of troubles. 

-"What the heck... My parents are far away,in a nearby State. How could they check on me?"  he thought to himself. He left his room,grabbed his coat and got out. He had in a small holster a gun (with silver bullets) and in his back pocket a small knife. One can never be too careful... It was so freezing outside that your breath coming out of your mouth looked like fog... He shoved his hands deep inside his pockets and he continued,down the road.

He decided to go to the Arcades,maybe he would meet Mary (he had a massive crush on her...). He was a kind of V.I.P. there,the owner let him stay after closing time and he was a close friend of his parents. 

"The first of our many dates took place here... If only I could find her there today..."  John thought,on his way to his favorite place.

-"Hey Johnny! You came late morning today. Late night party?" asked the owner,Michael Collins,with a teasing smile. 

He loved to tease John,he was like the little brother he never had... 

John giggled at that joke and answered: 

-"Hey Mike! Nah,I was lost in my book. Betcha I can beat you at Pong!".

Michael ruffled John's hair: -"You're on! You're gonna regret this!".

-"Prepare yourself,old man. The loser pays the drinks." said John laughing,as Michael elbowed him softly,laughing as well.

They played hours,the first game was won by John and the second Michael had won it. Now they were about to start the third game when this person arrived...

He was a few years older than John,dressed like a biker (without the tattoos and the attitude),his hair was longer than his and he always had a cap on... John's hair was short and black and he dressed more casual...

-"Bobby? What's going on?" Michael asked the older teen (who looked alarmed but not scared).

-"Something happened in the abandoned hospital... Something freaky..." Bobby answered. He glanced at John and continued: "Can I speak in front of...?". He showed John, not remeremembering his name. They met a few times,in the halls of Lawrance's High-School,but that was it... They never really spoke to each other...

Michael assured him that there was no problem: -"Sure you can. John,here,is the son of the Winchesters: Man & Woman of Letters. He helps them on some cases.".

Bobby whistled in admiration and he turned to John,shook his hand and introduced himself: 

-"I'm Bobby Singer. Nice to meet you officially. I'm gonna need all the help I can get.".

-"John Winchester. Honored to meet you at last.".

Both teens felt (inside their hearts and minds) that this would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Bobby explained what had happened in the past two months in the old abandoned hospital... More of a mental hospital,where they tortured more the patients than cured them... 

-"We got ourselves a bunch of vengeful spirits! So John,are you on?". 

-"You bet I'm on! What are we waiting for?".

Michael cleared his throat and both teens turned around to look at Mike's smiling face:

-"Go smash them! But be careful.".

Both teens exchanged a surprised look and then hugged him. He continued: " Call me if you are in troubles and need a helping hand.".

They both agreed and they made a stop at both houses to get some more things they might need when they get there... They brought also some snacks and a thermos full of coffee or tea. They were in Bobby's car,it was well hidden and they were waiting for the cover of darkness... To pass the time,they talked. Long personal talk. They learned a lot about each other and they realized how much alike they were. 

Everything was quiet...until they heard a car approaching,and soon enough,blinding lights illuminated their sight. Doors opened and closed,two teenagers (around their age), walked towards the building and they carried flashlights with them. Both hunters exchanged a glance and followed them. Most likely they were doing this for a bet... 

-"Did you recognize them?" asked John. 

Bobby nodded: -"Phil and Jacob... They never miss an opportunity to show off... Idjits!".

They got out of the car,took flashlights and a bag with guns filled with alted pellets,knifes,salt,... 

They had a hunch where they might be heading:downstairs,to the dungeons, where they used to torture people suffering from dementia. The walls had a few cracks; due to the intense humidity,the paint was shattered and the disgusting smell of decay was unbearable. They found an exit door and entered from there,and now,they were looking for the dungeons... They found it rather quickly,they had also some help with the loud voices of the twins. They thought they were alone so they weren't so careful. Their mistake...

With their flashlights,the hunters saw the chaos: the paint was cracked,most windows were broken (at least the ones on the first floor),they could see (from some opened doors)beds and furniture scatteredall over the rooms,as if someone was having a terrible fit of anger. They found the door leading to the basement, the temtemperature dropped significantly and it smelled like stagnant water.

They climbed down the stairs carefully,it was very slippery. There were lots of rooms but they just had to listen to the voices. 

-"Told ya there were no ghosts!" Jacob said, with an ironic tone.

-"Yeah,right! Stories for kids on a Halloween night.".

John and Bobby exchanged a look and shook their heads in agreement. They opened the door widely and that scared the twins. The hunters showed themselves right after and told them to follow them. They explained the facts to Phil and Jacob,who listened to them with wide eyes. They didn't know what to think anymore... They didn't believe in ghosts or anything supernatural. They needed proves, and even so,it wasn't sure they would trust the hunters. 

-"Let's go now,before it's too late! We'll explain in more details outside,once we'll be safe." Bobby said,in a rather calm voice.

-"Let's follow them. Maybe they are right." Phil said,not daring to look at his brother.

Jacob let out an offended grunt,and said rather sharply to the hunters (and his brother): 

-"You know what? Do what you want! I refuse to go with you. I'll explore this crappy old building by myself.".

-"Jake,please it's not that. Listen to me,to them..." Phil started,but Jacob stopped him coldly. 

-"I don't care! I don't wanna hear anything else. I've waisted enough time listening to you." he said,turning his head to look at the hunters right in the eyes. 

He didn't wait for the reply,he turned around and left.

The three teens looked at each other and,very fast,ran after Jacob. He was out of the basement and ready to climb the big stairs to get to the next floor when something happened....

Both Bobby and John arrived on time to see a ghost appear... It was the ghost of a young man,he was still good looking,considering what he was. He appeared right behind Jacob! Both hunters screamed at the rebellious teen,to run outside the building as fast as he could. 

-"Jacob! A ghost,behind you! Run!" the hunters screamed in unison.

The blond haired twin turned around and saw it. He screamed loudly and tried to run but the ghost got him. The terrifying apparition was quicker than him. Even though Bobby and John were fast,they couldn't reach the stairs on time... They disappeared... Phil followed them, he was as white as a sheet. He just realized that ghosts were real,he just couldn't (wouldn't) believe it.

 -"Do you have silver on you?" Bobby asked the teen. 

-"I don't think he has... We'll follow them and we'll fight." John said,already climbing the stairs with the EMF counter going crazy.

Bobby was on his heels and Phil,who was freaking out,followed them.

When they arrived to the first floor,both hunters were looking for iron items to use on the ghost... Phil called out to his brother and they heard Jacob's voice calling to them... 

They couldn't find something big enough,it didn't matter though. They had salt pellets,it will work just fine. 

They looked inside every room on either side of the corridor. They finally found him:he was in the middle room of the left side. All the rooms were destroyed,as if there had been a terrible earthquake... Phil entered the room and was about to hug his twin when the ghost appeared. He was smiling evilly and was ready to attack them. 

Fortunately,Bobby and John were ready and John shot him with salt pellets. The ghost disappeared. It gave them a little time.

-"Jacob,are you alright?" Bobby asked,benting down and putting his hand on his shoulder.

Jacob nodded,whispered a thank you and got up.

-"Let's go. We need to burn the corpse... Maybe we could find the bones in the basement." said John.

They all left the room,they climbed down the stairs,straight to the basement. 

They checked all the rooms,they looking for corpses,even skeletons.... They had to lift sometimes heavy furniture... They didn't have much luck until now... 

The ghost was coming for them,they felt the room becoming colder and their breath was like smoke. 

Bobby was quick and opened the bag,and took a bottle. It was full of salt. He spread the salt on the floor circle motion and told the twins to stay inside the circle and nothing would happen to them.

The ghost appeared,he was wearing a bloody tainted shirt and old fashion pants... He was quite tall and his hair was short,black and messy. His eyes who were beautiful when he was alive,now were full of rage.

He couldn't do anything to the twins,they were protected by the salt. John was keeping the apparition busy while Bobby was looking for the skeleton. He shot from time to time a salted pellet. The twins were watching the fight with big bulging eyes... They would need lots of time to forget about all that.

-"How're you holding up guys?" John asked, after shooting at the phantom. 

Both teens were trembling,Phil answered to John: -" We're fine,thanks. We still need some time to process all this....".

John patted him friendly on the shoulder and told them to relax,that everything would be alright. 

-"Bobby,did you find anything?" John continued,turning around to look at his friend.

-"Nope,negative. So if it is not in the room..." 

Both hunters said together -"Then it's in a secret room.". 

Bobby knocked on the wet walls and listened if it made a hollow sound. 

After a few minutes,he finally found the secret door. He looked all around the room to find something strong enough to break the door. 

While he was searching,the ghost appeared behind him and was about to grab him.

John screamed to alert his friend and he shot the ghost. 

Bobby looked at his friend and tilted his head as a thank you. He pulled out of the bag the kit to open doors. He was very skilled at opening doors fast. 

He took the bag and entered the room. John was comforting the twins and shooting at the ghost everytime he appeared. 

Bobby,with the help of his flashlight,explored the room. It had as much humidity as the other rooms. He found the corpse:it was now mummified. The stench was too much... Bobby tried not to breathe too much. He threw salt and gas on the corpse.

John warned Bobby: -"Quick,set it on fire! It's coming for you!".

Bobby lifted his head,saw the ghost coming closer and lit a match. He threw it on the corpse and it was all over. The ghost  started to burn and turn to ashes. Very soon,he was gone.

They let it burn a little more time and then they left.

It was almost dawn. How time flies... 

The cold air helped the twins to realize what they've been through. 

They thanked them and they asked them how did they know all these things. 

Both hunters smiled and John said: 

-"We're hunters. This is what we do.".

Bobby contined: -"Don't speak about this at school. We don't want to cause more panic... There are dangerous things out there.".

Phil and Jacob agreed to never talk about any of it. They shook hands and left.

The hunters watched their car leaving and soon after,they left. They had to make a stop at the Arcades and tell Michael all about the case.

They made it and successfully!!

They arrived at the Arcades,they knocked on the door of his home. Fortunately,he lived on top of the Arcades and he was an early bird. He always woke up very early.

He let them in and offered them a nice hot cup of coffee,as he was listening to their story. 

He was very happy and pleased: -" John your parents would be so proud of you. And I can see that you would be two of the best hunters the world ever met.".