The past two months had been a blur of blood, salt, and unanswered questions. The creature in the tunnels beneath the church had been just one piece of a larger puzzle one Alex and Caleb had been trying to piece together ever since.
The killings hadn't stopped.
If anything, they had escalated. More hunters had vanished, some experienced enough that they shouldn't have been easy targets. The same patterns held: lured to haunted sites, ambushed, and dragged off without a trace. Each time, the signs pointed to creatures similar to the one they had fought beneath the church, humanoid and intelligent.
But there was something else. Something deeper.
But lately they noticed another thing, the monsters weren't just hunting. They were selective.
"Tell me you've got something."
Caleb's voice was tired over the phone, the exhaustion from weeks of dead ends seeping through every syllable. Alex stood in the back of a gas station, his laptop balanced on the hood of his car, poring over the latest reports of missing hunters.
"Maybe," Alex said, clicking through a grainy security camera still. "I've been cross-referencing the last known locations of the hunters who disappeared."
"And?" Caleb prompted.
Alex zoomed in on the map, tracing the pattern they had been following for weeks.
"It's not just haunted sites. There's something older in play here. Some of these places date back centuries, burial grounds, ancient settlements, battlefields. Whatever's doing this isn't just using these places as hunting grounds. It's doing these things for a reason."
Caleb cursed under his breath. "what ?"
Alex exhaled. "That's what we need to find out."
---
The investigation didn't stop them from taking on other hunts. If anything, keeping busy helped keep their minds from the fact that something bigger loomed over them.
One job led them to a wendigo sighting in the Montana woods, tracking a creature that had been preying on campers. Another hunt had them dealing with a particularly violent poltergeist in an abandoned theater, its rage tied to a long-forgotten tragedy. Each hunt was a reminder that the world didn't pause just because they were on the trail of something even worse.
But in every case, Alex kept an eye out for connections. Any sign that these hunts were related to the disappearances. And, disturbingly, there were traces whispers of old magic, symbols carved in places they shouldn't be, an eerie sense that something unseen was watching.
They weren't the only ones hunting. Something out there was watching them and not just the hollowed revenant but something else.
The latest lead brought them to Colorado, a hunter-friendly town where the local bar doubled as an information hub. Alex and Caleb sat at a back table, nursing beers and listening to the low murmur of hunters swapping stories.
"You hearing this?" Caleb muttered.
Alex nodded. Two hunters at the bar were discussing a recent disappearance. Same story. A veteran hunter had followed a case and never came back. But this time, there was a witness, a rookie who had barely escaped.
The kid was sitting a few tables over, nursing a whiskey like it might keep the nightmares away.
Alex stood. "I'll talk to him."
Caleb smirked. "Of course you will."
Alex approached the young hunter, sliding into the seat across from him. "You were there when he disappeared?"
The kid looked up, eyes wary but haunted. He nodded. "Yeah. He told me to stay put, but I heard something. I Went after him but by the time I got there, he was just... gone."
Alex leaned forward. "Did you see anything?"
The kid hesitated, fingers tightening around his glass. "Not clearly. Just shadows. But I heard something." He swallowed hard. "A voice. Speaking in a language I didn't understand."
Alex exchanged a glance with Caleb. That was new.
Alex took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Something about tonight felt different, a shift in the current of events that he couldn't quite place. Caleb emerged from the diner, two cups of coffee in hand, his expression guarded.
"We might have something," he said, handing Alex one of the cups.
Alex took a sip, letting the warmth settle in his chest. "Yeah?"
Caleb nodded. "Bartender inside's an ex-hunter. Said a guy came through a couple days ago, asking the same questions we've been asking."
Alex arched an eyebrow. "Another hunter?"
"Not just any hunter," Caleb said, his voice dropping slightly. "John Winchester."
Alex stilled. That name carried weight. John Winchester was as legendary as he was infamous in their world—a man who had dedicated his life to the hunt, leaving a trail of both admiration and caution in his wake.
"He's looking into this, too?" Alex mused. "That means he's taking it seriously."
Caleb nodded. "Which means we need to find him before he gets himself killed. The bartender said he was heading east, toward an abandoned mining town. Apparently, that's the last place a hunter went missing."
Alex drained the rest of his coffee and tossed the empty cup into the trash. "Then let's not waste time."
The mining town was little more than a collection of skeletal buildings and rusting machinery. Moonlight cast long shadows over the empty streets, giving the place an eerie stillness. Alex parked the car near the entrance to the old mine shaft, shutting off the engine as he surveyed their surroundings.
"John's here," Caleb murmured, pointing to fresh tire tracks leading toward the mine.
Alex nodded. "Let's move."
They armed themselves quickly, salt rounds, iron blades, and a few sigils prepared in case whatever they were dealing with leaned into the supernatural. The entrance to the mine gaped like a wound in the earth, the darkness within swallowing the weak glow of their flashlights.
Inside, the air was thick with dust and decay. Wooden support beams creaked, and every footstep echoed unnervingly. They moved deeper, following faint disturbances in the dirt, signs of recent movement. Then, a noise ahead startled them, a scuffle, followed by a low, familiar growl.
Alex and Caleb exchanged a look before rushing forward. The tunnel opened into a larger chamber, and in the dim glow of their flashlights, they saw him—John Winchester, locked in a vicious struggle with one of the creatures they had been hunting.
John twisted, driving a knife into the thing's side, but it barely reacted, its elongated limbs lashing out in response. Caleb raised his shotgun and fired, the salt round slamming into the creature's chest and sending it stumbling back. Alex was already moving, blade in hand, striking at its exposed side.
The creature shrieked, its form flickering as if caught between two realities. Then, with a final, guttural snarl, it dissolved into shadows, retreating into the depths of the mine.
John straightened, breathing heavily. His gaze swept over Alex and Caleb, sharp and assessing. "You two are damn persistent."
Alex smirked. "We get that a lot."
Back outside, they gathered around the trunk of John's truck, the older hunter rifling through a collection of notes and maps. His expression was grim as he pieced together what they all knew.
"These things aren't just hunting us," John said. "They're preparing for something."
Alex leaned in. "Preparing how?"
John tapped one of the maps, where multiple hunter disappearances had been marked.
"They're taking the strongest. Not just at random, but specifically hunters with unique skills, abilities. That's why it's not just rookies disappearing—it's veterans, people who've survived things most wouldn't."
Caleb frowned. "But why? What are they doing with them?"
John exhaled slowly. "That's the part I haven't figured out yet."
Alex exchanged a look with Caleb before turning back to John. "Then we better figure that out quickly."
John studied them for a long moment before giving a slight nod. "Alright. But you two better be ready. Because this? This is just the beginning."
Alex smirked. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
The dim glow of a motel lamp flickered as Alex sat hunched over his journal, scribbling down notes in an attempt to make sense of the tangled web they had found themselves in.
Alex unfolded the newspaper, his eyes scanning the article. Another hunter had disappeared, this time again from the town they were in recently 'Red hollow'. The circumstances were eerily similar: no sign of struggle, no leads, just gone without a trace.
"We've been tracking this for months," Alex said. "The disappearances aren't random. Someone's drawing hunters in, setting traps. We've taken out some of the creatures responsible, but they keep coming."
John leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Ever think they're just the bait?"
Caleb frowned. "What do you mean?"
John pulled out a notebook from his jacket, flipping to a marked page before sliding it across the table. "I've been digging, same as you. And What i found is that every town where a hunter vanished has a deeper history, something bigger than just monsters. We're talking ancient burial sites, cursed land, places soaked in supernatural energy."
Alex's eyes flickered as he thought about it. "Someone isn't just hunting hunters. They're collecting something."
The room fell into tense silence as the weight of John's words sank in.
Caleb flipped through the notebook, his face darkening as he read the details.
"So we're dealing with a ritual."
John nodded. "And from what I can tell, it's been building up for years. The disappearances have increased in frequency. Whatever they're planning, they're getting close to finishing it."
Alex exhaled, rubbing his temple. "We need to find out who or what is behind this before they finish whatever they're trying to do."
John pulled out a map, spreading it across the table. "I've got a lead. There's a town about a hundred miles from here, called Red Hollow. Last hunter went missing there a week ago. If this thing is still working its way inward, that's our next stop."
Caleb stood, grabbing his gear. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?"
Alex and John exchanged a look before nodding. They had a direction. Now, they needed answers.
The drive to Red Hollow was quiet. The road stretched long and empty, winding through thick forests. John drove, his fingers tight on the wheel, while Alex and Caleb went through their notes, searching for anything they might have overlooked.
"You ever heard of this place?" Alex asked, glancing at John.
John nodded. "Once or twice. It's got a bad reputation. Strange deaths, disappearances going back decades. Something's been brewing there for a long time."
Caleb tapped his fingers against his knee. "And it's the epicenter of whatever's been hunting us. Perfect."
They arrived in town just past dusk. Red Hollow was small, its main street lined with old storefronts and flickering neon signs. Despite the hour, the streets were empty, a heavy silence hanging in the air.They parked near the local diner.
John nodded.
They split up to gather information. Caleb checked in with the sheriff's office under the guise of looking for a missing relative. John hit the local bar, where older residents tended to loosen up after a few drinks. Alex visited the library, searching for any historical records that might explain why this town had been chosen.
What they found only deepened the mystery.
Red Hollow wasn't just another haunted town. It was built on cursed land, its foundation steeped in blood. Centuries ago, a powerful entity had been sealed beneath it, bound by rituals performed by the first hunters who settled there.
"That's why they're taking hunters," Alex realized as they reconvened at the motel. "They need our blood."
Caleb grimaced. "Why hunters? Why not just any poor bastard off the street?"
John's expression darkened. "Because hunters have already killed, Monsters specifically. We've got blood on our hands. Our deaths hold more weight in a ritual like this."
The pieces fit. Someone, something was trying to break the seal. And they were close.
Alex clenched his jaw. "Then we stop them."
John nodded, reaching for his gun. "Damn right we do."
The storm rolled in just after midnight, thick clouds swallowing the moon and casting Red Hollow into near-total darkness. The air crackled with electricity, an unnatural charge that would sent shivers down anyone's spine. Alex tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, eyes fixed on the decrepit church ahead the place where it would all end.
John Winchester stood beside him, shotgun loaded with consecrated shells, his expression unreadable. Caleb was on his other side, clutching a machete laced with silver and iron. They were ready. Whatever waited inside, they had one job: stop it from breaking the seal.
"We go in quiet," John muttered. "If we're lucky, we catch them off guard."
Alex exhaled slowly. "And if we're not?"
John smirked. "Then we do what we do best."
---
The church was worse than before. The air was thick with the scent of decay and burning incense. Symbols had been drawn in blood across the walls, pulsating with a sickly red glow. At the altar stood a figure cloaked in tattered robes, chanting in a language that felt wrong even to hear.
Around the figure, four shadowy creatures knelt in supplication, their forms flickering like half-solid nightmares. Their glowing eyes snapped toward the hunters the moment they entered, but they didn't attack.
The robed figure turned slowly, revealing a face lined with unnatural age. "Ah. You're too late."
John took a step forward, gun aimed at the figure's head. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing."
The figure's lips curled into a smirk. "You think you can stop this? The seal has already begun to weaken. The barrier between worlds—"
Alex didn't let him finish. He moved first, closing the distance in a blink, blade slashing toward the figure's throat. But before the steel could connect, an invisible force sent him flying backward, crashing against the pews.
The creatures lunged.
Chaos erupted.
Caleb's machete cleaved through one of the creatures, its form wailing as it disintegrated into black mist. John's shotgun roared, blasting another apart before it could reach them. Alex rolled to his feet just in time to parry a clawed swipe, his blade slicing through the creature's arm.
But the robed figure didn't stop chanting.
The sigils on the walls burned brighter, cracks forming in the ground beneath the altar. A deep, resonant 'boom' echoed through the church, the very air warping with the force of the ritual.
"Stop the damn ritual!" Caleb shouted, hacking through another creature.
Alex's eyes snapped to the altar. The blood. The symbols. The pattern wasn't just a summoning—it was a gateway.
'They weren't just breaking a seal. They were opening a door.'
John must've realized it at the same time. He fired a round straight at the robed figure, but the bullet stopped inches from his chest, disintegrating into nothing.
Alex's mind raced. 'Think, damn it.'
Then it hit him.
The sigils weren't just activating the ritual. They were sustaining it.
"Forget him! Take out the sigils!" Alex shouted.
Without hesitation, Caleb swung his machete through the closest blood symbol, smearing the lines. The effect was immediate—the air trembled, the red glow flickering.
John moved next, smashing the butt of his shotgun into another sigil. The cracks in the ground slowed, the energy faltering.
Alex turned to the last symbol, dragging his blade through it in a clean stroke.
The ritual collapsed.
The robed figure let out an inhuman shriek as the energy imploded. The remaining creatures howled, their forms unraveling as if they were being sucked into the void itself. The figure staggered, eyes wild with fury and desperation.
"No! You don't understand—"
Alex didn't give him a chance to finish. He drove his blade through the figure's chest, twisting the hilt. A burst of dark energy exploded outward, then silence.
The figure crumpled.
---
The first rays of dawn broke through the shattered windows, painting the ruined church in hues of orange and gold. The storm had passed.
John exhaled, lowering his shotgun. "Hell of a night."
Caleb wiped blood from his cheek. "Tell me about it."
Alex looked down at the robed corpse, feeling no satisfaction. Just exhaustion. "It's over."
John nodded. "For now."
Because there was always another hunt. Another threat lurking just beyond the horizon. But for now, at least, they had won.
And that was enough.
---