* * *
Once they reached I-70 West, Dean spun the radio dial in search of a clear classic rock station. After a while the signal would grow faint and he’d search for the next station.
“Suppose it’s the best possible outcome,” Sam said at last.
“Better than I expected,” Dean said, nodding. He’d expected lots of jail time and heartache for a bunch of unfortunate people, with no way to prove their innocence. Of course, all the money in the world wouldn’t erase the heartache. “But Pangento skates again.”
“PR win, but a big financial hit,” Sam said. “To be fair, they had no hand in the blackouts or possessions.”
“Doesn’t make what they did right.”
“True.”
“Poetic justice, maybe,” Dean said.
Sam nodded. After a while, he asked, “What about you? Feel any better about our current situation?”
Dean thought about willingly turning over control of his life for a potential greater good versus literally losing control of his own mind and body to an invading entity. He’d never be okay with the Brits’ condescension and their micromanagement style, but he’d signed on, no strings attached, and would continue the course while their goals aligned—but not for one second after they diverged. That remained his choice.
“Every day is a battle, Sam,” Dean said. “Sometimes a series of battles. You face them head on. They knock you down, you get back up. You lose one, you damn well better win the next. You take the wins. Because tomorrow is a crapshoot.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing involves a lot of time working alone, but books don’t happen without the support of a great team. With that in mind, my heartfelt thanks go out to Joanna Harwood, Cat Camacho and Miranda Jewess at Titan Books in the UK. Closer to home, many thanks to Chris Cerasi and everyone at Warner Bros. I wouldn’t get to play in the Supernatural universe (again) without all of you!
On the home front, I am thankful for the support of my wife, Andrea, along with Matthew, Luke and Emma. I promise to get to all the stuff I put on hold to finish writing this one.
Finally, none of this would be possible without the creative mind of Eric Kripke or the wonderful performances of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. You guys rock!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Passarella won the Horror Writers Association’s prestigious Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel for the coauthored Wither. Columbia Pictures purchased the feature film rights to Wither in a prepublication, preemptive bid.
John’s other novels include Wither’s Rain, Wither’s Legacy, Kindred Spirit, Shimmer and the original media tie-in novels Supernatural: Night Terror, Supernatural: Rite of Passage, Supernatural: Cold Fire, Grimm: The Chopping Block, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ghoul Trouble, Angel: Avatar, and Angel: Monolith. In January 2012 he released his first fiction collection, Exit Strategy & Others. Supernatural: Joyride is his thirteenth novel.
A member of the Horror Writers Association, International Thriller Writers and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, John resides in southern New Jersey with his wife, children and two dogs. As the owner of AuthorPromo.com, he is a web designer for many clients, primarily other authors.
John maintains his official author website at www.passarella.com, where he encourages readers to send him email at [email protected], and to subscribe to his free author newsletter for the latest information on his books and stories. To follow him on Twitter, see @JohnPassarella.
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