Here is the latest story. I got the inspiration from accomplished author Dean Koontz and his book The Husband. Hope you enjoy. This is not a part of the Lightning Strikes Series but a new story with a new enemy. Please read and review.

Sheila

Chapter 1

A man begins dying at the moment of his birth. Most people live in denial of Death's patent courtship until when late in life, and deep in sickness they become aware of him sitting by the bed.

Eventually Sam Winchester would begin to think about the minute that he began to realize the inevibility of his death. Monday May 14, 2006 at 11:43 in the morning-one month after they'd faced the most challenging time in their life, Sam Winchester began to die inside.

Until then he had always thought about death. In his and his brothers line of work they couldn't help but think about it. It was always there, ready to snuff them both out, but he never thought of it like he did at that moment.

When the call came he was on his knee's, helping Jack and Brad, a couple of doctor friends of his fix up Jack's house that had been destroyed by a particular bad assed demon named Alanya.

Tony and Bryan were also there. They'd faced the same demon as the others and all six of them had grown closer than ever. That's what happens when you go through something together, that almost destroys you. You learn to rely on each other. Tony and Bryan were both police officers for the great state of Virginia and took it upon themselves to look after Sam and Dean whenever their father wasn't around, which, thought Sam, was hardly ever.

He sighed, regretting his thoughts instantly because John had been there for both his son's and their friends, through this whole mess. Well, most of it anyway but now he'd taken off again heading God know's where.

Sam, Dean and John were hunters, but not the kind of hunters that have hunting clubs and hunt deer, squirrel and rabbits, no, Sam, Dean and John went around the country hunting evil and destroying it. To Sam and Dean life was intense, and to Sam, the youngest, it was about to suffocate him.

Sam walked over to the flower bed and joined Bryan who was down on his knee's planting impatients. He looked up when Sam approached and frowned at his grin.

"What's so funny?" asked Bryan good naturedly. He was 37 to Sam's 23 and he felt like his big brother. Of course he wasn't. Dean was, but Bryan and Tony as well as Jack and now Brad all took it upon themselves to watch after Sam and his brother.

They were too young to have so much on them and something seemed to always be after them, so Bryan and the others made themselves honaray big brothers, rather Sam and Dean liked it or not.

"You," said Sam. "You're on your knee's playing in dirt."

"I am not playing in dirt. I'm planting flowers. I happen to be a great gardener for your information," replied Bryan and Sam laughed, holding up his hands, palms out.

"Okay, okay," said Sam. "It's just as long as I've known you, I've never seen you garden."

"Well," said Bryan getting to his feet. He got up a little to quickly. Sam involuntarily stepped back and flinched. Bryan held up a hand palm out, so that Sam could see it was empty and not meant for harm.

"Sorry," said Sam. "I'm trying." He took a step toward Bryan again felling a little ashamed.

Sam had been tortured. They all had been tortured, thought Bryan as he looked at Sam, but Sam had been tortured the most and for a very long period of time, and he still had trouble sometimes with people touching him or moving too fast.

"It's okay," said Bryan. "You're getting better." Sam nodded. He really was, but it still embarassed him when it was his brother or his friends that he was afraid of.

"I know," replied Sam, "now, what were you about to say?"

"I was about to say," said Bryan, getting the hint that Sam didn't want to talk about it, "we've been preoccupied the last 9 months. I haven't had time to garden, but I love doing it." He looked around. "Where is Dean?" Bryan was nervous. It had only been a month, and he really didn't want anybody going off by themselves, at least not right now.

"He went to Rolling Thunders," said Sam.

"He's gone to a bar when we've got work to do?" asked Jack walking over.

"Yeah. He said he'd be back and bring us food and drinks." said Sam.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Tony also walking over.

"I don't know," replied Sam. "He said he'd be back."

"You know, it's just like him to get out of doing work," said Brad and hammared another nail into the board at the side of Jack's house.

"That's my brother." Sam knelt down to help Bryan plant. Tony stretched and wiped a brow with his forearm. "I must have eskimo genes," he said. I break a sweat at fifty degrees." Bryan shook his head and laughed.

Sam looked up and out toward the woods where Alanya's cave had been. A man and a dog was walking into the woods. The dog, a retriever, spent less time walking than it did sniffing and raising it's legs. All of a sudden it got still.

The stillness pooled so deep that Sam almost believed he could hear the panting of the distant canine.

"Sam," asked Bryan. Somthing was wrong.

Sam's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and flipped it open. The time was 11:43-but no callers number showed on the screen. He took the call anyway.

"Hello," he said.

"Sam. Don't listen to them," said Dean.

"Dean? Why aren't you using your cell phone?" asked Sam.

"Whatever happens Sam, don't listen to them." Dean cried out in pain. A clatter and a crash suggested a struggle. Alarmed, Sam rose to his feet. "Dean?" Some guy said something, some guy who now had the phone. Sam didn't hear words because he was focused on the background noise.

Dean cried out. Sam clutched the phone harder.

"Sonofabitch!" yelled Dean and was silenced by a sharp crack, as though he'd been hit.