Chapter 1

Sam never thought the impala could get any smaller but apparently he was wrong, dead wrong. Ever since they left Bobby's for the last time, ever since they had fought off the vampires and left Gordon Walker behind the tension between them had grown, and the impala's interior had shrunk to the minimum size required to hold her two passengers.

Sam was currently wedging himself against the door and hiding behind his laptop trying to ignore Dean's tightly locked jaw and white knuckles. Dean had been irritable for a couple days now, still fighting with the feelings that lingered where Gordon was concerned. Sam had been somewhat relieved when he had returned to the run down old farmhouse to see Gordon still alive, beaten to hell maybe, but still alive.

They were on their way to Arkansas now, trying to find the creature behind the ten deaths that had occured in the past three months. Locals had said something about a Bigfoot but Dean had snorted at their ideas, saying they had no idea what was lurking out in the dark, and the day a Bigfoot was found was the day he would eat his boxers.

Sam had insisted that they look into it anyway, so he was currently scanning mythical beast websites trying to find something that would fit the description that the beast had been given. So far he had come up empty handed, and the silence between them had grown heavier. Dean hadn't even bothered to turn on his favorite classic rock tunes, something Sam would gladly take in return for the silence right now.

Trying to look as if he wasn't, Sam shot another glance to his brother. Dean's posture hadn't shifted in the slightest. Dean's eyes were squinted out into the warm afternoon's sun, a few lines crinkling around his normally bright eyes, his jaw muscles bulging under his skin, anger and regret streaming from every pore in his body.

Sam looked away again, chewing on his lip as he clicked on a different link hoping that he would come up with something helpful this time. Although, after checking so many other sites his expectations weren't high.

"Find anything?"

Sam flinched at his brother's sharp tone but shook his head. "Nope, so far there has been zilch about a large hairy beast with sharp claws, pointed teeth, and an ape like face."

"I'm telling you Sam, Bigfoot doesn't exist. This hunt is pointless." Dean ground out, not relaxing his aching face muscles at all. His fingers were beginning to cramp from holding the steering wheel as tightly as he had been.

Sam looked to his brother's face, his eyes lingering on the darkening red and purple bruises, more compliments of Gordon, before staring out the windshield and shoving down his own disappointment and frustration. "People are dying, Dean."

"I know that Sam! But I'm telling you…you aren't going to find anything on a Bigfoot because the damn thing…"

"Doesn't exist." Sam finished. "Dean, you've already said that."

"Well I don't think you are hearing me Sam." Dean turned away from the road to glare at his brother, his eyes barely hiding the pain that Dean was forcing behind the coat of armor that was rapidly falling apart before Sam's eyes.

"I'm hearing you, Dean. I just think that there might be something else…something that would be real that could explain all these deaths."

"Whatever." Dean was looking at the road again, his teeth clenched even tighter than before, his eyes narrowed to slits against the sun's glare.

Sam sighed and closed his laptop, rubbing his thumb and pointer finger against his eyes to try and work out some of the weariness he felt there. His stomach grumbled loudly in the quiet impala, causing both brothers to look at it surprised.

"We'll stop in the next town. It's at least another hundred miles." Dean's tone had softened slightly.

Sam gave his brother a silent nod and looked out the window to the passing landscapes. He was growing used to the silence that had grown between them ever since John had died a little over a month ago. Dean had withdrawn, retreated into the only safe haven he had left, and constantly pushed Sam away.

Sam wasn't stupid, he knew how hard Dean was taking John's death, they were both struggling with this and the unease between the two of them was only growing instead of gradually decreasing like it should.

Killin' that guy, killin' Meg. I didn't hesitate. I didn't even flinch. For you and Dad the things I'm willing to do or kill...it's just uh...it scares me sometimes.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that Dean had confessed that to Sam, Dean had changed so much since that day. It was true that he had never been the first one to open up and share his feelings with Sam. He had a strict 'No chick flick moments' rule, something he often put into practice when Sam wanted to get big brother to open up.

Sam sighed heavily letting his hands shift up to rub his temples as a soft pounding started there. He saw Dean shoot him a concerned look but it didn't last for more than a fraction of a second before Dean was staring out the windshield again.

"Sam." It was blunt, quick, and required an answer.

"I'm fine." Sam said softly, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window, letting his hands fall to his lap once more. He wished for once that Dean would stop worrying about him and would be concerned for himself for a change. Dean was hiding behind a wall of sarcasm and lies and it was killing him.

Dean pushed harder against the gas, gunning the engine with a deafening roar and sent the classic shooting forward in a burst of speed. Sam chewed on the inside of his cheeks, lost in thoughts and memories too horrible for him to speak out loud.

On the opposite side of the car Dean too was lost in his own thoughts, his own regrets, his own anger. A muscle in his jaw jumped slightly as he clenched his teeth together so tightly that he was sure he had heard his jaw pop. He shot Sam another look from the corner of his eye and felt anger spike through him, his fingers stretching out over the steering wheel before tightening once more.

Sam didn't seem to notice this, his head was turned towards the window, watching the many shrubs and trees pass by in a blur. The whispered last words that John had spoken were repeating themselves over and over in his mind like a broken record. He sent his brother a fierce glare, a determined glint in his eye before he gunned the engine once more adding another burst of speed to the impala's already straining engine, pushing them closer to Jasper city.