Make all of my decisions for me,
Ive never taken the fall for deceit,
Well keep a secret if you keep me guessing,
The taste of your lips says we shouldnt have met like this.

Coffee Shop Soundtrack - All Time Low

No matter how many times hed been woken in the small hours of the day, no matter how hed had to get used to it, there was no way Kurt could deal with the early hour. At least, not without coffee. 

"Im going to take my laptop down to the coffee shop, do some research on the local news, scope out the area..."

"Inhale excessive amounts of coffee."

"That too."

 Burt chucked at his son, grabbing a gun and holstering it.

"You go do that, Ill have a chat to the local police department, ask about any suspicious deaths or disappearances recently. Keep your phone on you, if I call, I expect an answer."

Burt had always been protective of his son, and that had only grown after they began hunting. While the job required the boy to have at least some independence, Burt always made sure to keep in contact with him. 

Kurt nodded, grabbing his laptop, a silver knife, and a bottle of holy water - the minimum precautions on a job like this - and headed out of the door. 

It didnt take long to find the local coffee shop, strangely named The Lima Bean, a bell sounded on the door as he walked in, looking around the small shop.

Cute.

Not exactly the best coffee shop Ive ever seen, but itll do- 

Oh my god was that a mouse?

Never mind, just order the freaking coffee.

Kurt walked up to the counter and smiled at the girl behind it. She looked about his age, pretty, dark skin and black hair. She smiled slightly, but there was frustration in her eyes 

"What can I get you?" 

Her voice sounded tired, sad. 

"Um, a grande non-fat mocha please. Hey, you okay?" 

There was definitely something going on in this town, and this girl seemed to have experienced something... Whether it was to do with the demon or not, it was worth talking to her. She looked up at him, met his eyes.

"Im fine, thanks. Just tired. Student life gets you hard." 

Lies. Kurt had been studying peoples behaviour long enough to recognise the body language of someone lying. The slight scratch of her nose as she spoke, keeping her eyes closed just a fraction too long when she blinked, fidgeting with her fingers. He didnt push too hard, not just yet. Kurt nodded, smiling when she passed over his coffee. 

"Thank you."

He walked over to a small booth in the corner of the small shop, sitting down and opening his laptop. 

Lima.

The name didnt seem familiar so nothing big must have happened here. Still, best to check it out.

After looking through page upon page of useless information on show choir winners and juvenile delinquents, Kurt decided it would be easier just to ask about the newspapers.

He walked up to the counter to talk to the barista who had given him his coffee earlier;

"Hey, is there any digital way to find the old local newspapers from this place? Im doing a newspaper article on Limas history and present but I cant seem to find the information I need."

The girl smiled at him, stepping forward to lean on the counter,

"Theres a website you can use, its got papers from the late 1900s to now?"

"Yeah thanks that would be great." 

"Here, Ill write it down for you." She pulled a pen from beside the coffee cups and grabbed his hand. Kurt started a little, but let her scrawl the url across the back of his hand. 

"There you go." The barista smiled up at him again, giving his hand a little pat. 

Kurt smiled backs turning to his table. "Thanks again." He called back. 

Kurt opened a new window in his browser and typed in the website address. He spent the next few hours looking through the papers carefully, making notes whenever something interesting came up, and ordering coffee every so often from the nice barista. The amount of signs of demon activity in the town and local area just kept growing.

Local Lima town attacked, over half the cattle dead.

Abnormal weather patterns worrying local scientists

Hottest and coldest recorded temperatures in the same week!

Record number of power outages, council looking to dig up electrical lines.

And most importantly 

Local boy goes missing.

Sam Evans was walking home from his part time job as a delivery boy when he disappeared. 

There were no witnesses and police would like anyone who may have any information to come forward.

Bingo.

"Hey there," 

Kurt looked up to see Mercedes standing beside his table. 

"Would you like a refill?" She asked, indicating his empty cup. 

"Thatd be great, thanks." Kurt smiled at her gratefully. He was still exhausted from the early hour, even with the copious amounts of coffee. 

"Are you getting anywhere?" Mercedes asked, leaning in to peer at his computer screen. Her face fell as she took in the article. "Oh, you saw that, did you?"

Kurt looked up at her tone. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. 

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, I.. I knew the guy who went missing..." She smiled sadly. "Were pretty close, but not... That close, you know? I mean, hes going to wait until I feel ready for a relationship. Well, he was."

"Im so sorry." Kurt put his hand on her arm. "Do you know anything about what happened?"

Mercedes shook her head. "I wasnt around when it happened. He was going home after his shift, during one of the storms... He always took shortcuts, he was so excited to get home to his brother and sister." She smiled a sad, fond smile. 

"The police managed to trace him a little way, but then he just vanished. Even the dogs lost the scent. They said that was such an overpowering smell there, like acid or something. In the end, they said he was probably chemically imbalanced and ran off, that hed show up sooner or later. But I know Sam.. He wouldnt do something like that."

"Im sure theyll find him." Kurt assured her soothingly. 

Mercedes smiled gratefully. She cleared her throat, and picked up his cup. 

"Ill go get you your coffee."

Kurt watched her return to the counter, before turned back to his laptop. It all made sense; the storm, the disappearance, the acidic smell, most likely sulphur.. All signs of demon activity. He needed to get back to Burt with this information. 

Kurt closed his laptop and headed to the counter.

"Hey, Mercedes? Can I have that coffee to go?" He called over. 

She turned and smiled at him. 

"Sure thing." She nodded back. 

Kurt waited, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Something was bugging him about these events. There was way too much activity for just one demon. There had to be more with the one they were hunting. And a host of demons was never a good omen. 

"Here you go." Mercedes placed his coffee on the counter. 

She looked bemusedly at him as he pulled out the money he owed her. 

"Youre a strange guy, you know that?" She asked as he handed it over. 

Kurt scrambled over words in his mind for a response. 

"Yeah, I suppose." He tried for a nonchalant shrug. It mustnt have come of the way he hoped, as Mercedes grinned happily at him. 

"Ive got to go." Kurt stepped away from the counter. "Thank you for your help. And the coffee." He lifted his styrofoam cup gratefully. 

"Any time." Mercedes called after him. 

Kurt smiled, turning to exit. His shoulder bumped something hard, knocking him back slightly. 

"God, Im so sorry!" Kurt gasped, glancing up to check he hadnt spilt coffee on the stranger. He only caught sight of shiny, dark hair before he hurriedly pushed open the door and started off down the street.

Mercedes watched him go, Kurt completely oblivious to her soft smile at his lapse in concentration and hasty apology. She followed him with her eyes as long as she could, before her next customer stepped up to place an order, and secretly hoped shed see him again.

Blaine wasnt particularly happy to begin with. The news of another hunter out for his neck, along with the rest of his coven, was bound to put a damper on a persons mood. So, Blaine (being the responsible demon that he is) decided to go and get some coffee. He walked into The Lima Bean just as another boy turned away from the counter... And walked straight into him.

Stupid, insolent humans, what the hell is wrong with this race?!

No, calm down. He just wasnt looking thats all, hes probably busy.

Too busy to pay attention to where hes walking? God, they make me sick, so caught up in their own petty existence, which doesnt even last very long anyway! Youd think theyd take more care to savour the short time they had. 

And now, theres a hunter out for me, Ive got better things to do than go after a silly teenage boy, who poses no threat to me anyway except a few drops of coffee on my shirt.

... I liked this shirt...

Blaine sighed and walked towards the counter, feeling a small stab of guilt when he saw the sorrow in the baristas eyes. He knew where her Sam was, of course he did. But there was nothing he could do to help the boy now. He settled for giving the girl a smile.

"Hey there, could I get a medium drip please?" 

"Sure thing." 

The girl made his coffee quickly. One thing he liked about this place, efficient staff. Blaine smiled, thanking the girl and taking the cup, walking over to the corner booth and sitting down.   

Kurt hurried back to the motel room, it was only when he got through the door that he remembered his dad wouldnt be here anyway. Kurt sighed, slipping his laptop under his bed and getting out his phone as he left and locked the room again. 

The phone rang.

Once...

Twice...

"Kurt?" 

"Yeah, its me Dad. So Ive been looking through the newspapers for the past few months and we have a problem." 

"What kind of problem?"

"Um... Theres far too much activity in this area for one demon. Were dealing with a coven of at least ten, probably more."

There was silence on the line for a few seconds, then...

"Shit. Okay, kiddo listen to me. Go back to the motel, lock the door, line everything with salt. Dont leave."

"What? No, Dad! You need me! Especially now! Lets face it old man, youre not as swift as you used to be, and if were dealing with a lot of demons, youre going to need my help."

Kurt walked out onto the street, away from the motel and towards the police station.

"Where are you by the way? What did you find out?"

Burt laughed quietly at his son. "God, Kurt. Youre as stubborn as your mother... Okay, fine. Im stood in an alleyway on the right of the police station. I found some information on this boy called Sam-"

"Evans." Kurt interrupted. "Yeah, I met his friend. She said that he took shortcuts home, through alleys and on back roads. The demons probably have him, if he hasnt been possessed. Okay, Im nearly with you, Im hanging up." 

Kurt took the phone away from his ear and put it back in his pocket, ducking into the narrow alleyway. He walked about ten metres down before he caught sight of Burt, who started speaking when Kurt got closer.

"So we need to check out alleyways then. If we find anything, any sulphur, well talk to his parents. Ask if he went home, if he was acting strange. I have his address from the police report, the motel were at apparently. He worked at the local pizza delivery so I suggest we start there."

Kurt nodded in agreement. 

"Okay then, lets get this job on the road."