Out of the Frying Pan... [SAMMEH!]

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Ellen was lucky enough not to know how hot it was in Hell, but if she had to guess, she figured it was pretty close to how hot it was in Austin, Texas. She was kicking herself for not getting the damn air conditioner fixed in her truck as she drove down a long, flat road. Sam was in the passenger seat. They hadn’t talked much in the last hour or so. That was okay by Ellen. Sam was the quiet type and she was too damn hot to say much without growling.

She was feeling nervous about this Seal of Solomon business. The last time she’d seen a Devil’s Gate things hadn’t exactly worked out in their favor. The thing had opened and spit out a whole crap ton of demons and Sam had gotten stabbed somewhere along the line. She wasn’t sure on the details. They’d have to be alert and on top of things if they were going to get through this, which was partly why she’d split up Sam and Dean. The two of them had a tendency to get so wrapped up in worrying about each other they didn’t always remember to look at the big picture. Dean really didn’t like to look at the big picture much at all, actually. But Sam was good at problem solving, stepping back and analyzing. That was what she needed.

Soon Ellen pulled into a lonely looking gas station, parking her truck and opening the door to slide off the seat.

“Whew. Feel like I just hopped out of a fryin’ pan and into the fire. Hot as anything out here.”

She ran a hand through her hair. She could feel the sweat around her hairline. So much for the nice blow dry she’d given it earlier.

“I’m gonna get a map from inside. You want anything while I’m at it?” she asked.

She looked at Sam and waited for him to reply.

[Sam Winchester (NPC)]

Sam

To say that this road trip with Ellen was a little strange was an understatement. Not that Sam had anything against Ellen, not at all. He liked her just fine, she had always been good to him and Dean. It just seemed to Sam kind of like riding in the car for a really long time with your mother. Which, technically Sam wouldn't really know about that. He'd never got a chance to know his mother. But, he imagined that this is what it would feel like. Ellen definitely had the mother thing going. In a weird way it was comforting.

He had been doing some research while they were driving. Tapping away at his laptop. Trying to figure out how the hell they were going to keep this devil's gate closed. Jo had done a good job with the research. He had been impressed when he read through it. The last time they had to deal with a devil's gate it had been Samuel Colt who had sealed it, using THE Colt as the key and surrounding it with a devil's trap made from railroad tracks that linked five churches at the points of the pentagram. Sam wondered what they were looking for this time.

Sam looked up when the truck pulled off the road and into a gas station. Closing up his laptop and sliding it into his bag and sliding it under the seat. He turned and looked at Ellen as she got out, giving her a smile as she commented on how hot it was. Then she asked him if he wanted anything while she went in for a map.

"Alright. A map is good. I have an idea and a map could come in handy. I'll just take a water, thanks. I'll stay out here and pump the gas."

Opening his door he got out of the truck. Did a few stretches of his own to work out the kinks of the long drive. He started to walker around the front of the truck to the gas pump and then he stopped and looked at Ellen again.

"This place doesn't seem to get much business. Seems pretty quiet, don't you think?"

He leaned against the side of the truck while he looked around the small station with a little mini-market inside. It definitely wasn't one of the newer chain gas stations. This was an old time mom and pop set up. Still seemed oddly quiet to him.

[Deleted]

Sam said he had an idea a map would help with and he nodded.

“Good. At least that’s somethin’.”

Ellen had a few ideas herself, but nothing like a solid plan. Mostly they were just thoughts floating around her head. She did know they’d need a map to figure out where the hell they were going. She wanted to go over the file Jo had put together with Sam. He was smart and had a good eye, so between the two of them she was confident they could find this damn door. How they’d stop it from opening, she didn’t know.

Sam asked for a water and said he’d stay to pump the gas. She nodded.

“Alright, then. I’ll head in and pick up a few things. We’ll probably need some snacks to keep us bright eyed and bushy tailed.”

A good meal probably would’ve done them good, but Ellen wasn’t sure they had the time for that. She dug some cash out of the pocket of her jeans while Sam got out and stretched. He walked over to the gas pump and stopped, making Ellen glance up at him.

“This place doesn’t seem to get much business,” he observed. “Seems pretty quiet, don’t you think?”

Ellen frowned and looked over toward the mini-mart. She couldn’t see much through the windows, but she didn’t see any movement inside. There was one car parked in a space beside the building, but there weren’t any others she could see. They were in a fairly remote area, but it was a little odd.

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” she agreed.

She thought for a second before shoving the money back in her pocket for the moment and walking around to the back of her truck. Maybe she was being overly cautious, but now that Sam had pointed out that something seemed odd she didn’t want to go in unprepared. She opened the tailgate at the back of the truck and climbed into the bed.

“See, this is why I brought you with me,” she said to Sam as she opened the metal storage box below the truck’s back window. “I may be experienced, but I’m rusty. And this damn heat’s making it hard for me to focus.”

Ellen reached into the box and pulled out a revolver, checking the ammo before tucking it into the back of her jeans. Suddenly she wished she had a jacket to conceal it better, but she was pretty sure she’d pass out if she tugged one on. It would also look mighty suspicious in this weather. She grabbed her purse out of the storage box and put the gun in there instead. Normally Ellen wasn’t the type to lug a purse around, but it was handy to have if you needed to carry weapons without looking suspicious.

She grabbed a jar of holy water just in case and stuck it in her purse. She didn’t want to hang around packing a bag in case anyone was watching. The truck would obscure what she was doing well enough, but if she took a while that wouldn’t look too good either. Right now she figured it just looked like she’d counted her money, then gone to grab her purse in case she didn’t have enough.

Once she was satisfied, she closed the storage box and hopped out of the back of the truck, closing the tailgate.

“Alright. Now I feel a little better. Keep your eyes and ears open in case anything should happen. I think we’re okay, but you never know.”

She waited for any reply from Sam before turning and heading for the door to the mini-mart, hoping at least if this was some kind of trap that it was air conditioned.