Chapter 9: Mr. Law Abiding Sheriff

"I don't have a good idea."

"Well...fuck!"

That was the exchange between Sam Winchester and Jessica Moore right after Jess explained everything to the Winchesters.

"Dean?" Sam turned to his brother. "If you have anything in mind, the time is now."

"Me? My plan is simple." Dean gave out a slight smirk. "We get a good night's sleep, and we go for a dive tomorrow."

Jessica was drinking from a cup of water. All the explaining made her thirsty as hell. Hearing Dean's troll of a plan, she began a full-minute long coughing session that ended up with water all over her lap.

"Are you serious?" Eventually, Jessica finally had the chance to voice her concerns. "Is every plan of yours just charge into the battlefield with your guns blazing?"

"Wow wow wow." Dean held his hands up harmlessly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. That was a joke!"

"Are you alright, Jess?" Sam asked, concerned. "Look, you have had a long day. If you want to take a break…"

He had to admit, Jessica did really well for her second hunt, and he was proud, but at the same time, she was still new to this. Hunting was hardly good for the mental health of hunters. There was a reason many hunters were drinkers.

On the phone, Jess has already told him and Dean she thwarted one assassination attempt of the attacker. He would fully understand if she needed some time off.

But that only made Jessica snap.

"I'm not going to take a break until that Peter whatever-his-last-name-is is dead! Grrrr!"

The room was quiet for a moment. The Winchesters exchanged a concerned look. Finally, Sam had something of an idea.

"Peter's attacks have been more and more frequent. Dean and I think it's because the local dam is getting broken down, which will flood the lake. That will destroy the lake, and along with it, Peter."

"That makes sense. Peter's control over the lake water can only go so far. Scatter those water in the midst of an ocean and he's done." Killian reasoned. "Interesting. He has the power to destroy an army, but under the proper execution, he may go down without anyone knowing he ever existed."

"But we have to keep everyone alive before that." That was the catch.

This was an idea Jess could get along with. She turned to Bill.

"You said Sheriff Devins was also involved in the murder? Peter must be going after him too. Take a guess. What are the chances the other people on the list are related to him?"

"High."

Dean stood up.

"Sam and I talked to Sheriff Devins during the day. We can go talk to him and get him to go along with our plan. If this thing is going after the families, then Andrea and Lucas need to be protected too. God...this is gonna be rough."

"Who's Andrea?"

"The Sheriff's daughter." Sam shrugged, barely containing a smile. "Dean tried to flirt with her...it didn't go well. Jess, do you want me to stay here with you?"

"Such a chivalrous knight, but I'm fine." Jessica refused. Having Sam here would only deter her from using Killian's powers. "We shouldn't be a problem. I doubt those two will get near any water source in the near future. It's the sheriff that you should worry about. Get going!"

Sam nodded, giving one last farewell before he left.

"Be careful, Jess."

As the Winchesters left, Jessica turned her attention back to the Carltons. As hard as it was to admit, she was bored. Her laptop and most of her belongings were in the motel room. She had her phone, but what could she do with it? It wasn't like she had anyone to call or text.

The father and son were sitting on the sofa. Bill was whispering something to his son. The whole thing felt very teary. Without anything else to do, Jessica turned back to the other soul in her body.

"I wonder how the boys handled these things before I came along. When their guns don't work, they seem awfully incompetent."

"Well, not everything needs to be solved by guns. This Peter Sweeney, for example, never hurt anyone unrelated to his murderers. Sure, he still killed some innocents, but I have seen a lot of people use vengeance as an excuse to commit even greater horror than those did to them."

"Wait, are you saying this Peter is still redeemable? He still has good in him or something like that?"

"Not really, only that he is determined." Killian reminded Jessica. "Do you remember what Sam told you on the car here? Spirits are souls who refused to leave Earth because of attachments. To Peter, his attachments were his killers."

"So if he got his hands on his killers, he may be set to rest?"

"I don't know about set to rest, but it's worth a try."

Jessica glanced at Bill. She knew if she handed him to that thing in the lake, it would kill him easily, and it wouldn't be pretty. Best case, he would disappear in the lake just like his daughter.

Finally, she turned back.

"Look, I know you'll probably call me weak or something, but I'm not going to throw the man to the metaphorical sharks. It's a matter of principle."

"Oh," Killian coughed. "actually, I wasn't telling you you should do that. I am just saying it's a possibility. When have you ever seen me pressure you to do something? I give you information and suggestions. That's all. The choice has always been yours."

Jessica nodded. Suddenly, across the living room, Bill started saying something. Jess didn't think he was talking to her. It was more like a vague monologue.

"I'm sorry, Peter...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have lied…"

She sighed. Bill would be a fool if he didn't sense something was wrong when everyone around him started turning up dead, but throughout the decades, there was nothing he could do but watch his friends and family leave this world one by one. 35 years of suffering, all because of a mistake he made when he was a teen.

Jessica had to admit she was furious when she first heard what Bill did, but now, she just felt bad for the man. She silently walked over and sat down beside Bill.

She didn't say a word.

Bill continued mumbling.

"You have to understand, Peter. It...it just felt like the best thing to do...I meant well! I didn't know...I didn't know this would end up like this!"

Jessica was listening patiently when it suddenly hit her.

Bill Carlton's biggest mistake wasn't killing Peter. It was lying about it. What could the law really do to punish a kid for an accidental kill? But by telling a lie, he ruined his whole life.

That sounded...familiar.

Jessica also told a lie herself. She lied to Sam about the whole Demon Brady thing. It felt like the best course of action then, but who knows when the truth would get out? This was a Supernatural world, and even Killian wasn't invincible.

Perhaps one day, she would be the one regretting the lies that she told.

All of a sudden, Jessica lost whatever patience she managed to muster. She snapped to Will.

"If you or you dad needs to go to the bathroom or use water, wake me up. Now is not the time for privacy. I'll go take a nap on the couch. If nothing happens, wake me up in a couple of hours and we change shifts."

Will nodded.

Jessica walked over to the side, took off her shoes, and laid back on the couch. All the fighting and talking has made her truly exhausted. She closed her eyes and nodded off.

---

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Jessica faintly opened her eyes.

Knock. Knock.

"Rrrrr…"

The blonde sat up in annoyance. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was.

The Carlton house. Peter Sweeney.

"Someone...go answer the door...wait, Will?"

It suddenly occurred to Jessica that she was alone in the house. No Will. No Bill. The only thing that existed was the constant, unceasing knocking and the nonstop sound of the clock ticking.

"I don't like this…" She whispered. "Kil, something's off...Kil?"

That was when the panic really struck her. Killian was gone too. The being that has been with her since she was but a little girl was nowhere to be seen! Where was he? Did he leave her behind? Did something happen to him? A thousand thoughts crossed Jessica's mind.

And then the knocking sound brought Jessica back to the door.

Knock. Knock.

She slowly stood up and walked over. Her hand reached into her back pocket, pulling out the handgun she used to kill Brady. She peeked through the peephole, fully expecting to see nothing.

Instead, she saw the familiar face of Sam Winchester.

"Oh thank god!" Jessica pulled the door open. The next second, she found herself staring down at a double-barrelled shotgun.

Sam pulled the trigger without mercy.

Tick. Tock.

The world seemed to have quieted down. In less than a second, Jessica felt herself flying across the air before crashing into the wall. All of a sudden, all strength left her. She could barely move a muscle as Sam walked up to her.

"How does that feel, monster?"

"What...what are you talking about, Sam? I'm Jess! I'm your girlfriend!"

Sam turned around and said something to someone. The next second, Dean Winchester walked into sight. The older Winchester was equally expressionless. He replied something to Sam before setting his pistol next to Jessica's forehead.

A gunshot rang out.

Tick. Tock.

Jessica's eyes snapped open.

"Kil!" She screamed inside, fully expecting to get nothing in return. What would she be without Killian inside her?

"Rough dream?" Killian's reply was like a can of cold soda. It eased Jessica's shaking hands and burning cheeks. "Are you alright?"

Jessica turned around. On the sofa beside her, Bill was fast asleep. Will was reading some sort of book to kill time.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Two and a half hours. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes…" Jessica suddenly had a strange thought. She tried to put it out, but that idea grew like crazy until she couldn't suppress it anyone. "Kil, you're not going to leave me, are you?"

"Well, eventually I'm going to leave you. None of us are immortals. Why?"

"Nothing."

Jessica stood up in frustration. Her skin was covered in sweat. She was about to go take a shower when she remembered the whole people-drowning-lake-spirit thing. She wasn't worried about her own safety, but she didn't want to raise any suspicion.

All she could do was sit back down and wait in boredom.

Knock. Knock.

"Shit…" Really? Again? Jessica's swear barely left her mouth when she saw Will stand up and go to answer the door. Oh...now that she thought about it, Sam and Dean did talk about bringing the other family back here to keep everyone safe at the same time.

For a moment, she was just glad to see the Winchesters.

Will opened the door, but his figure suddenly froze. Jessica watched as he slowly stepped back. His hands reached up into the air.

A man with a handgun walked into the house.

A police badge on his belt.

"Shit!" Jessica immediately pulled out her pistol, but it was too late. Sheriff Denvis turned around and expertly unloaded half a magazine of bullets at her from across the room.

Jessica flinched before realizing none of the bullets really hit her. Killian deflected all of them, and then, all of a sudden, her heart was covered in an endless fury.

I was already having a bad day with all the guilt and the nightmares! Now you're tryng to shoot me! Well, then don't blame me for not holding back!

Jessica didn't even raise her gun. Where was the fun in that? Instead, she leaped into the air over a table and launched a counter-charge into Sheriff Denvis.

Denvis didn't expect such a bold move. He was knocked over while trying to go for cover. Before his gun was wrestled out of his hand, he shot at least three bullets at Jessica in close range. When the girl acted as if nothing happened, he was already wondering if it was time for him to retire. How bad did his eyesight need to be to miss this many times?

"9 shots. 9 hits. Say whatever you want about him as a person, but he's got quite the aim." On the other side, Killian commented quietly as he maintained the energy transmission into Jessica.

But Jessica wasn't listening. As soon as she got Sheriff Denvis on the ground, she started punching him relentlessly. Once. Twice. Every punch was balls to the walls. In just moments, the Sheriff's face was covered in blood.

He tried to fight back, but the girl was just too strong. Was she a bodybuilder or something?

The Sheriff swore if he survived this day, he would file for resignation the next morning.

"Jess! Stop!"

Suddenly, Jessica heard Sam calling out from the side. She turned around and found the two charging into the room. The mark of handcuffs could still be seen on their wrists.

She looked down on the sheriff. The man was still breathing, but not because she went easy on him. He was still breathing because Killian dropped nearly all the energy input into Jessica during her fit of rage. Otherwise, with enough strength to cripple a Wendigo in one punch, there wouldn't be anything left of the Sheriff by the time the Winchesters arrived.

Jessica stood back up and made her best attempt to make a joke.

"I take it Mr. Law Abiding Officer didn't take the murder accusation well?"

Sam nodded, but the concerned look he gave Jessica could hardly be covered.