1.16 Shadow

In Chicago, Illinois, a young woman, Meredith, is walking home late at night listening to her iPod. Meredith turns into an alley when her iPod starts to cut in and out before dying completely. A faint, breathy whisper calls her name, right when it starts to get windy. It calls to her again. She calls out "Hello?" looking around only to find no one is there, but it calls her name again, stronger. Becoming more scared she continues to walk back to her apartment. The voice calls her again, and she glances back over her shoulder to see a shadowy figure appearing behind her. Meredith begins to fast walk, and again the creepy voice calls out Meredith. She looks back over her shoulder again, as shadow behind is getting larger and following her. She freaks out and starts to run to her apartment, only a few seconds away. She frantically scrambles to look for her key and open the door. Finally she is able to to open it and slide inside to slam the door shut. Meredith opens her own apartment door, setting the alarm and locking the doors. Only then does she allow herself to calm down. After settling in and grabbing a beer, she listens to her voice messages on her answering machine. First one is from Kristen, wanting details of Meredith's date. The second one is from Derek, wanting to set her up as a blind date with someone. The shadow enters her house through her vent, and materializes behind her. Meredith starts to hear the third message when the shadow's long claws rips through the back of her chest. Her blood splatters on the wall, her shadow spasms in death throes, before falling to the ground.

One week later the boys arrive in Chicago, dressed in Alarm Technicians with PF Alarm Systems uniforms. Dean parks across the street from Meredith's apartment. Sam rereads the newspaper clipping of Meredith's death, as Dean grabs their equipment, including the EMF meters, in the toolbox from the trunk. Sam confirms this is the place, and they head over. Dean complains about their stupid costumes, and he feels like a drama dork before recalling Sam's acting in Our Town. Sam warns they need to pull this off, and Dean mentions that the outfits costs "hard-earned money" because credit card fraud is not easy.

Impersonating alarm company workers, the boys are let in by the landlady, Mrs. Dunwiddy. They question her about the condition of the apartment, which was perfect, and about the condition of the body which was in pieces. The landlady claimed if she did not know any better, she would have said a wild animal did it. Sam asks for some time to check everything over, and Mrs. Dunwiddy tells him to go ahead and leaves. Sam knew this is their kind of gig, and Dean turns on the EMF meter and as it lights up, he agrees. Dean takes one side of the room and Sam the other, both scanning with EMF, as they discuss the case. Dean had talked with Amy, an officer of the law, and he recounts dreamily that she is a Sagittarius, loves tequila, has a little tattoo - Sam interrupts, and finally learns that Meredith's heart was missing. They discount werewolves due to it being the wrong time of the lunar cycle, and there is no trace. Sam believes it was a spirit. Dean notices that the blood spatter on the carpet forms a symbol, and manages to lay out a symbol with masking tape on the carpet. A symbol they do not recognize.

Later at the bar where Meredith worked, Dean is flirting with the bartender until Sam shows up, and he joins him. Dean and Sam compare notes. Dean did not gain any useful information other than the bartender's phone number, because even though Meredith worked at that bar, nothing strange was going on with her. Sam has been looking through their father's journal, and could not find anything on the symbol. There was another victim before Meredith, Ben Swardstrom, who died under the same circumstances, but nothing else connected the two of them that Sam could tell. Suddenly Sam spots a familiar face. Leaving Dean at the table, Sam walks across the bar to greet Meg, the girl he met when he was going to travel to California to find John (Scarecrow).

Sam and Meg start conversing, and Sam mentions he is there visiting friends, who were not at the bar at that moment. Meg went to California - she came, she saw, she conquered. It got old, so she is living in Chicago. Dean clears his throat, but is ignored. Sam manages to get information out of her - she is from Andover, Massachusetts, originally. Sam did not think he would see her again, but she is glad he was wrong. Again Dean clears his throat loudly, so Sam introduces him to Meg. She is not impressed with Dean, berating him for dragging Sam around the country, but Sam covers. Because of the awkwardness Dean leaves to get a drink. Meg apologizes to Sam about how she acted. Meg confirms that Sam has her number and tells him her last name is "Masters". Sam promises to call her and gives his "Scout's Honor."

Leaving the bar, Sam thinks something weird is going on. However, Dean is upset, wondering if Sam is being kept against his will. Sam explains it was during their fight, and it is not important, and would Dean just listen? Sam explains he had met her on the side of the road, and now he has run into her again in a random bar. He thinks it is weird. Dean thinks it is just a random coincidence, but Sam believes that it does not happen to them. Sam insists there is something up with her and he will watch her while Dean checks up on her and researches the symbol. Dean teases Sam about how he has a thing for Meg, before he heads back to the motel.

While Sam sits outside her apartment, observing her from the Impala, Dean calls to say her story checks out. He teases Sam a bit to go ask Meg out. Sam ignores him, and asks about the symbol. Dean found out the meaning behind the symbol - it is a sigil for a Daeva, or "demon of darkness." It is a type of Zoroastrian demon, that is savage, animalistic, nasty attitudes, and demonic pit bull. Sam is impressed, and wants to know how Dean figured it out. Dean tries to bluff, but Sam knows Dean does not read books, so Dean concedes that Dad's friend Caleb told him. They need to be summoned or conjured so someone is controlling it. It is risky, so someone is a major player who knows their stuff. But no one has seen them for a couple of millennia. Dean suggests a strip o gram; Sam retorts with "Bite me". Dean suggests to bite her, but not leave teeth marks... Sam hangs up. He is watching as she walks in front of her window wearing a black bra. A passing woman calls Sam a pervert. Meg leaves her apartment, and Sam follows. Sam tracks Meg to an abandoned warehouse. Not able to follow her because he does not have the passcode, he climbs the bars in the elevator shaft. From there he can hide and observe. Meg walks over to a black altar, where she said a spell over a goblet of blood. She speaks to someone through the blood warning that the brothers are in town, and is told to wait for the entity at the other end. After she leaves, Sam comes in and finds the Zoroastrian symbol on the altar, along with a lot of other black magic stuff.

Sam returns to tell Dean what he has seen. Dean teases slightly about Sam having a thing for the bad girl. They discuss how Meg was able to communicate - like scrying, and who she might be communicating with. Could not be Daevas, those things are savages. Dean has his own information - both victims so far were actually born in Lawrence, Kansas. Sam wonders if this is tied up with the demon that killed Mom. Dean wants to trash the altar, grab and interrogate Meg. Sam disagrees, stating to stake out the warehouse and see what is showing up to meet her. Dean does not want to do it alone, and leaves a message for their father, asking him to come to Chicago and leaving the address of the warehouse. Meanwhile Sam has raided the trunk for everything he could think of, because he is not sure what to expect. They prepare for the fight that night, both claiming not to be nervous. Sam fantasizes about what life may be like after they kill the demon responsible - to sleep, to go back to school, to be a person again. Dean is surprised Sam wants to go back to school, and with Dean's behavior acting strange, Sam questions what Dean will do. Dean first says there will be others to hunt, but Sam pushes and Dean opens up about his desire for the three of them to be together as a family again. Sam, however, does not want to live this life forever, and warns that when it is over, Dean will have to let him go his own way.

At the abandoned warehouse, the brothers climb up the elevator again as Meg chants her ceremony. The brothers execute military maneuvers, sliding into place at the end of the warehouse and hiding. Meg cheerfully calls out to them and invites them in. They are careful when they come out of hiding, asking who she is waiting for. She says she was waiting for Sam, and then the Daeva strikes, knocking them both unconscious. The two brothers awake to find themselves tied up to pillars. Sam concludes the whole thing was a trap to lure them in, but Meg reveals it is not a trap for them, and Sam realizes it is to bring in their father. Dean tells Meg that Dad would not walk into this, but Meg claims John's one weakness is his boys, so she will use them as bait for John to bring him into the room full of Daevas. Meg starts to flirt with Sam, reminding him of watching her getting dressed, and gets a little physical. Dean has a knife, and in the process of cutting himself free, accidentally drops his knife and it clatters. Meg notices and goes over to take away his knife. Meg, feeling smug, goes back to Sam to taunt him. However, Sam has his own knife to cut himself free, headbutting Meg to scramble up, and to throw the altar over. Freed from her control the Daevas turn on Meg, and throw her from the window, where she falls seven floors to the street below. Sam cuts Dean free, and they head over to the window to see her dead on the pavement beneath. Sam guesses the Daevas did not like being bossed around. Dean teases Sam not to pick a girl whose buckets-o'-crazy next time he wants to get laid.

Back at the hotel room Dean and Sam, carrying the weapons bag, are greeted by an unexpected visitor - their father. Dean and John share an emotional hug, while John and Sam acknowledge each other. Dean informs Dad that it was a trap for him. John thought it might be; he got there in time to see the girl take a swan dive. John is not surprised. The demon has tried to stop him before, because it knows John is close to killing it, not just exorcise it like hunters do to send it back to hell. Dean wonders how, and John just smiles and says he is working on it. Sam wants to join Dad, to help. John does not want to bring them along with him to research the demon, because he does not want them caught in the crossfire. John does not want his boys to be hurt, because he is their father. John brings up the fight when Sam left for college, and only tells him that it is good to see Sam again, it has been a long time. Sam agrees, "Too long" before they embrace, crying. Father and son pull apart, and suddenly John is thrown against the cabinets in the kitchen area. The Daeva slices Sam, and another one throws Dean. Meg, outside, is controlling the Daevas with a pendant. Two Daevas hold John and slash at him multiple times, while a third Daeva keeps throwing Dean around. Sam has a brilliant thought, to light a phosphorus flare to get rid of the shadow demons. It works! Scrambling around in the bright white light, Sam grabs the weapons bag while Dean grabs John and all three manage to stumble out the front door and make their escape.

Escaping to the Impala, Dean announces that Meg was right, John is vulnerable when he is around them. Sam makes an attempt to stay and help Dad fight the demon. John tells him the fight is just starting, and they all have a part to play but Sam needs to trust him and let him go now. It is hard for Sam, but he finally pats his dad's shoulder to say goodbye. John and Dean share a nod, and John walks to his truck. Turning around, he is proud and worried for his boys, telling them to be careful. Dean and Sam climb in the Impala, watching Dad drive off in one direction, and they drive off in another. As they leave, Meg, from the shadows, watches them go.