379. Strange Clues!
"What's up?"
Seeing the change in Jo's expression, Alex asked casually.
"Sam and Dean seem to have found something, but it's hard to explain over the phone. They want us to meet them back at the motel. Looks like they might have a lead," Jo replied as she tucked her phone away and downed the last of her coffee.
Alex and Jo had originally planned to visit the church, but it seemed unlikely they'd find anything useful there. The missing girls were from different areas with no apparent connection.
By the time they returned to the motel, Dean and Sam had been waiting for a while.
"Did you find any leads?" Sam asked eagerly when Alex and Jo walked in.
"Sort of. Alex discovered that all the victims were virgins, which should help rule out some possibilities. Also, I found no signs of demons—no sulfur, no supernatural frequencies. This likely has nothing to do with demons," Jo said, pulling out her demon tracker and giving it a shake before crossing her arms.
"I'm leaning more and more toward the idea of cultists worshipping a dark god," she added.
"Interesting angle," Dean said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Alex with curiosity. "How did you figure out they were virgins? If I had that ability, my life would be so much easier."
"Oh, come on, Dean. Since when did your preferences change?" Sam immediately shot back, dismantling his brother's comment.
Dean didn't mind, though. Instead, he chuckled.
"Fair point. I prefer those with experience," he replied with a grin.
"Are you seriously going to keep having this conversation in front of me?" Jo glared at Dean.
Noticing her gaze, Dean awkwardly reined in his smile.
"Alright, folks, back to business. Did you find any useful information to share? Maybe if we combine everything, we can figure out what we're dealing with," Alex said, grabbing a cold beer from the fridge and handing one to each of them before turning to Sam.
"Well... I wouldn't exactly call it solid information," Sam began, accepting the beer and sitting down in front of his laptop. "Dean and I visited the home of one of the victims, and we came across something intriguing."
Sam continued, "While the victim's family didn't provide anything new, a neighbor mentioned seeing signs of a fire at the girl's house the night she disappeared."
"A fire?" Jo exchanged a puzzled look with Alex.
None of the information they had collected so far had mentioned anything about a fire.
Sam noticed Jo's confusion and explained further.
"That girl was the only victim who disappeared from her home. Her neighbor swore that he saw flames coming from her bedroom that night. But interestingly, the local fire department never received a report."
"And there were no burn marks in the girl's room either," Dean added. "Plus, the neighbor was reportedly drunk out of his mind that night, so no one took his words seriously. That's why it never made it into the police reports."
Hearing these details, Jo frowned even deeper, resting her chin on her hand as she tried to piece the clues together.
Feeling that the drunk neighbor's account might not be convincing enough, Dean took another swig of his beer and added with a smirk, "Want to know what's even more interesting? Before the first girl disappeared, there was a wildfire in the nearby national park. The fire was contained quickly, but no one could figure out what caused it."
"Well, that's intriguing," Alex mused. "A wildfire, missing girls, and a house fire on the night of a disappearance..."
An idea struck Alex immediately, and he realized the likely culprit behind it all.
Over the years, the brothers' bond with Bobby had grown to be almost familial. No matter the trouble Dean and Sam encountered, Bobby was always their first call.
"How exactly am I supposed to help you this time?" Bobby's exasperated voice came through the phone.
"A dragon, Bobby," Dean said, wincing. "I know it sounds crazy, but we're serious."
"Dragons? Are you kidding me? First angels, and now dragons? Why don't you just go look for God while you're at it? Dragons aren't real! What do you expect me to do—call Hogwarts?"
Dean gave an awkward glance at the others and retreated to the bedroom, phone in hand.
"I'm serious, Bobby," he insisted.
"This isn't the Loch Ness Monster we're talking about. Dragons aren't real. They're myths. I've been in this business a long time, and I've never heard of anyone encountering a dragon."
After a pause, Bobby sighed.
"I'll make some calls and ask around, but don't get your hopes up."
Back in the living room, Sam curiously turned to Alex.
"So... you already knew, didn't you?"
"I come from a world of superheroes, Sam," Alex said with a shrug. "In my world, dragons aren't common, but they're not unheard of either."
He hadn't forgotten about the uncontrollable extraordinary dragon roaming the wastelands back on Earth in the post-apocalyptic dimension he'd visited.
"However, in your world, I'd guess dragons aren't too hard to handle. If you can find the right approach, there's always a way to deal with them."
The Supernatural universe had links to various multiverses. Marvel Comics often made references to the Winchester brothers, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow even had a crossover with the series.
"Do you happen to know how to deal with a dragon? Or how we might find one and rescue the kidnapped girls?" Sam asked.
After a moment of thought, Alex nodded slightly.
"If I remember correctly, dragons live in caves. They feed on virgins and hoard treasure—gold, silver, jewels. If we find their lair, we'll likely find them and the missing girls."
"Good point."
Hearing this, Sam turned back to his laptop and began searching for caves or natural caverns in the area.
At that moment, Alex's expression shifted slightly, as if sensing something. His eyes narrowed.
After a brief pause, he stood up and said, "I'm going out for a bit to grab something to eat. Since I'm in this world, I might as well try some of the local cuisine."
"I'll come with you!" Jo said eagerly.
"No need. I'll just wander around nearby," Alex replied with a meaningful smile.
"I won't be long."
.....
30 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
380. The Yellow-Eyed Demon!
381. The Method to Slay a Dragon.
382. Night Exploration of the Dragon’s Lair.
383. Slaying the Dragon.
384. A Good Chance of Winning.