Welcome,

So, this is a little story I created for a Halloween story writing challenge. I didn't win, but I hope you will read it and tell me how it is. This is my second attempt at a fanfic, after my first story Puppet (Thanks again for all the reviews), and my first attempt at a Holiday OneShot, so I really hope you enjoy this story that I literally wrote in 1 day.

Thanks so much to Jude for her awesome Beta work. Couldn't have done it without you!

Disclaimer - Nothing was gained on this story (except maybe a few reviews wink). So, I own nothing.

Read and Enjoy!

Grave Consequences

"Dad, why are we doing this?" 8-year-old Sam stood between his father and his 12-year-old brother in a graveyard, watching the flames burst from a grave, consuming the body of Charles Baywood.

John wiped his forehead as the orange flames danced high in the air close to his face. "To protect people, Sammy."

Sam yawned hard and wiped his sleepy eyes on his jacket sleeve. "Protect people from what?"

John looked down at his two sons standing beside him in the dark graveyard. Dean looked up at his father and their eyes met. John sighed and Dean understood. They would tell Sam everything soon, but not yet.

Sam's curiosity grew, "Is this what people do on Halloween?"

Dean wrapped his arm around his little brother and held him there, not wanting to answer. Sam accepted the gesture of comfort and leaned on Dean as he struggled to stay awake.

John waited several minutes making sure everything in the grave was ash before he began refilling the hole with soft dirt. Turning to leave, John led his sons swiftly through the graveyard. Dean walked behind his father and Sam behind Dean.

Sam's drowsiness was slowly overtaking him as he fell farther and farther behind. Soon, his father and brother were out of sight; he was alone in the dark. Panicked, Sam looked for any sign of where they were or how to get out, but it was simply too dark.

Looking around at his surroundings, he glimpsed an orange light out of the corner of his eye. He whirled around to face it, sweating hard from fear. Far ahead of him was the faint glow of a light, despite his fear he followed it, hoping to find his family. He ran to the light, but it kept getting further and further away. Determined to catch up, he kept running.

No matter how hard he ran, though, he never seemed to get closer. He was getting extremely tired, less curious and more afraid every second. He finally stopped… as did the light. He wanted to find his family, and he had a feeling this light in front of him had nothing to do with them at all.

Then more quickly than he could have imagined the light was right in front of him. His eyes grew wide, realizing the light came from a small wooden lantern, suspended freely in the air without support. Taking a step backwards, he tripped over a raised root. Even on the ground, his eyes never left the light.

As the flame began to grow, Sam felt sure the whole lantern would catch on fire, but it didn't. The light became brighter and brighter. Sam's fear increased exponentially. The orange glow of the light was blinding him. Closing his eyes, he thought of his family.

He screamed. A scream blood curdling enough to wake the dead!

Gasping for air, his voice failed him. Everything turned deathly quiet. He heard his scream echoing off nearby trees and gravestones, making him realize how alone he really was. No longer able to take the silence, he slowly opened his eyes. The sight before him horrified him!

The light illuminated a creature, a hideous creature. The body translucent, but its features stood out clearly. A face of pure evil! Contorted and awful, its eyes were so dark. Its body was small, only about 4 feet in length, and floating, up and down threateningly.

The huge teeth however were what really terrified little Sam! They were long, pointy, filling the beast's mouth completely. Sam could only imagine how much they would hurt!

Unable to utter even a whisper as the creature came closer, the space between them growing smaller and smaller, Sam stayed frozen in place. The ghoul's hideous face got so close to his he could smell its foul breath. It smelled of graves and grave dirt.

From Sam's right, he heard an owl hoot. From his left, leaves rustled as the wind picked up. His surroundings drew closer and tighter, the darkness completely engulfing him. This thing seemed to be stealing his air; his chest constricting tightly. He was suffocating… dying.

The creature placed its dreadful hand on the side of Sam's face, pressing hard against his skull, bruising his face. Sam's world was fading.

His thinking became muddled. He was imagining sounds that may not have been there. Before he completely blacked out, he heard an explosion from a gun, the loud sound of his father's deep voice. His brother's screams were prominent in the stillness, but his mind ignored it all as he faded.

He tried one more time to open his eyes, to see hope, but the orange glow had turned into a furious blue. He snapped his eyes shut, tight, as the light blinded him, spots flashing before him.

The creature's screams reverberated through the dark night, dislodging the owl from its tree, echoing through the air. The initial scream chilled Sam to the bone. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Suddenly the brilliant blue light vanished. Sam risked a quick glance, but he immediately regretted it. Its ugly face was right up in his own, its foul breath stifling him.

His eyes shut once again, trying to erase the image from his mind. He squeezed them shut, forcing himself to breathe. But he could no longer stand the chill down his spine, the smell in the air, and the image in his mind. His eyes slid open for a moment before succumbing to the darkness and the last thing he saw was the creature's face!

Sam's head hit the ground with a thud!

Around him were screams. The creature was after another young boy… Dean! Its horrendous teeth bared, shining in the moonlight.

Appearing from the darkness, John aimed his pistol, pulled the trigger. The gun went off with a thunderous bang and the sound mixed with those of the creature and the boy.

The gun roared again hitting the creature squarely in the chest. It fell hard. And as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone! No trace left behind!

The night grew still, no chirping crickets, no owls hooting, not even the grass dared to move as the Winchesters crowded around their youngest.

Dean was by his brother's side, murmuring quietly. John was at Sam's head, checking for a pulse, any sign of life. Sam could feel the prodding and feared the worst. His arms swung wildly, trying desperately to get away from, what he thought was, the creature. He wanted to get away, and in his fear he opened his eyes and the creatures face popped into his head. He struggled harder against the strong grip of his father.

But through the haze of his thinking he could hear familiar voices, sad voices. Blinking his eyes rapidly, clearing the creature's image from his sight, he realized the face above him was his brother's. He immediately calmed down, knowing he was safe.

From the trees around them, though, they all heard a cry, a terrifying wail. Before he knew what was happening, Sam was hoisted into the air, held by his father, his brother's hand on his shoulder.

No one said anything as the terrifying sound drew closer, louder. The thing was coming back for more with no way to stop it. John and his boys moved away from the cries. Around John's arms Sam could see the light of the moon being refracted from a spot in the air. Sam recognized the shape and knew the thing was invisible once more, sliding into the shadows and disappearing completely from sight.

Sam let out a whimper. John stumbled. Looking down at his son, wanting to comfort him, but his eyes were suddenly diverted as Dean let out a small, strangled cry, pointing to a spot in the trees.

The glowing lantern had once again appeared. The light was dark blue now, apparently showing its anger. It was pissed, and it would do anything to get them.

John started off again, moving through the moonlight, his hunter's instinct guiding him in the right direction.

Sam kept his eyes shut tightly, refusing to open them until he knew it was safe to do so. He could feel his father's pace speeding up as the crunching of twigs behind them got closer… and closer. Once again the air around them seemed to disappear. None of them could breathe; all of them could smell the foul odor of grave dirt. It was too close for comfort.

But a smile flitted across John's face as he spotted the large gated entrance to the Hallow Cemetery. Dean grabbed onto John's jacket as he felt the creature's long bony fingers graze his back. The creature grasping Dean's forearm caused the boy to yelp. Dean was struggling for breath and trying to remain strong.

None were sure if they would escape.

Soon though, as John was leading them through the large gates, the pressure on Dean's arm disappeared so suddenly, Dean fell over. John turned around, pulling Dean to his feet, ready to fight to the death to protect his sons, but the scene before him stunned him into silence.

The creature stood before them, no more than 20 feet away. It was no longer translucent, but fully visible in the bright moonlight. Its wooden lantern a dim blue, its face was beastly. In its ghoulish hands it held a single rose. The rose had unusual black petals, blacker than a night with no moon.

In John's world, the black rose signified death!

He knew the one to die would be this creature, this creature who had laid its monstrous fingers on his son.

The rose looked fresh and beautiful, but this creature, its aura caused it to shrivel, destroying it, killing it in an instant! Crushing the dried petals in its hands, allowing them to blow away on the midnight breeze. Just like the fragments of the rose, the creature whisked away in the wind, leaving behind not a trace!

Sam released the breath he had been holding. Though the creature was gone, the image in his mind would remain. The family stood staring at that spot for only a few moments, before John grabbed both his sons' hands and turned to leave.

Arriving home Dean stayed with Sam. He would protect his brother through the nightmares he would have. They had not explained the world of the supernatural to him yet, and they knew how he would react to this. Sam tossed and turned as he slept that night with Dean by his side the entire time.

John paced in his room looking at his journal and books, ill at ease. Feeling closed in he crept through the darkened, quiet house and went out into the still, moonlit night.

The cold wind rapped quietly at the windows, reassuring Dean of their safety in the house.

Sam awoke shortly after John had left the house. He was trembling, the images still burning in his mind. His voice was weak as he addressed his older brother. "Dean, what happened?"

Thinking back to the incident in the huge, dark cemetery, Dean's mind still held a vivid picture of the creature from that night, its huge teeth the most prominent feature. Dean looked down at his frightened brother, his innocent brother, wanting him to stay innocent for just a little while longer. He wasn't ready to give that up quite yet.

"Nothing, Sam. Just a bad dream." Dean once more wrapped his arms around his brother, trying not to think of the disturbing ghoul.

Sam's voice was small as sleep slowly overtook him again. "Dean… I hate Halloween."

Resting his blond head against his bother's, Dean decided to give no further explanation, knowing the time would eventually come for Sam to know more about the 'things' in the darkness. Just not tonight…

Gently stroking Sam's furrowed brow, Dean whispered, "Maybe one day you'll thank me."

The End

I know, a bit short, but the contest was supposed to be under 2000 words, and I wanted it up before Halloween. So, I hope I made you shiver and please review.

Thanks for reading!