“ | Road crew. It was -- they were like rabid dogs. I fired off a warning, but they didn't stop. They...(...) I knew some of the boys, but they didn't look -- something was wrong. | ” |
— Jenna Nickerson describes her encounter with the Rabid road crew.
in Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire |
“ | A truckload of 'em pulled up. (...) They didn't say nothing. They just went off, attacking folks like they were possessed. I tore back inside to get this little one. I found that supply closet, and you know, been there since. I could hear them, though. Tearing through the halls. Doctors, nurses -- they didn't care. | ” |
These unnamed road workers from Superior, Nebraska were amongst the first to become Rabids due to the Darkness.
History[]
These men were a part of a road crew working outside of their hometown of Superior, Nebraska. Some of them were friends with local deputy Jenna Nickerson who knew their families as well.
When the Darkness is released, it hits the nearby town of Superior. These men are the first to become infected and turn into Rabids. While some of the men head further into town to continue spreading the infection, others remain at the worksite where they ambush a family trying to escape. Though the family calls for help, the road workers slaughter them. Jenna eventually arrives in response to the emergency call and when the Rabid men won't stop coming after her, kills them, injuring herself in the process.
After regaining consciousness, hunters Sam and Dean Winchester head into Superior and find the gruesome aftermath of the slaughter of the family and Jenna's fight with the road crew. A surviving member comes after the Winchesters who quickly realize that something is wrong by his behavior. The man is then shot and killed by Jenna and examined by Sam who realizes that the man was no longer human.
By the time the Winchesters arrive at Nuckolls County Medical Center to sew Jenna up, they discover that the infection has been spread throughout the town and many people in the hospital are dead or have been infected. Sam discovers a member of the crew banging on a closet where Mike Schneider is hiding with his daughter Amara but the Rabid burns out before Sam can intervene. Mike explains how a whole truckload of the Rabid road crew arrived and attacked the hospital like rabid dogs. Sam realizes that Mike has been infected and Mike confirms that they bled on him, proving that the infection can be transmitted.
Though Sam stays behind and successfully finds a cure to save the surviving residents of Superior, as the first to be infected, the road crew would've all burned out long before Sam could help any of them. While working in the hospital to find a cure, Sam took the time to cover the bodies with sheets, including the Rabid road worker who had burned out. Later, Sam found the Reaper Billie crouched above the dead road worker singing O Death.