Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or anything affiliated with it.
AN: Dean is 10, Sam is 6.
Summary: Pre-Series AU. Someone from John's past decides to exact revenge on John by going after his family.
Warning: Contains violence and graphic materials in some chapters.
Chapter 1 The Road to Darkness
The room is dark except for a smattering of lights that flicker due to a small window on the top. There is barely any furniture except for a wooden table and chair placed beside the door. The place is cold and damp. Occasionally, droplets of water dripping on the stone cold floor could be heard. The squeaking of rats could be heard once in a while as they shuffle around the room in pursuit of food. The room is definitely not meant to be occupied by a person.
When the moon shines through the small window, a small figure lying on the floor could be seen. The figure is dressed in a short sleeve black tee and dark blue jeans. The air is cold and the boy shivers as goose bumps erupts through his body. Though his eyes are closed, the boy tries to weather the coldness by curling himself tightly into a ball. When he curls himself into a ball, a clanging sound reverberates across the room as the chains wrapped around the boy's left leg moves around to accommodate the boy's movements.
Suddenly, there's a loud thumping before the door opens and the boy awakens with a start as he wildly looks around. The boy becomes scared when he realizes he doesn't know where he is.
"How do you like the basement?" a man's voice cuts through the air.
The boy looks to his captor before dropping his eyes back to the floor.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, Boy! If you know what's best for you, you do as I say!" the man roared.
The boy raises his head slightly answering in a low tone, "This place is a dump."
The man chuckles slightly. "Well, at least, you're honest."
"Where am I?" the boy asks.
"Somewhere far and deep within the woods that no one will ever find you. Even if you screamed, there's no one out there who could help you," the man answered triumphantly.
A shadow of fear passes through the boy momentarily as he struggles to compose himself.
"I'm guessing you have no clue who I am?" the man questioned.
"You're not famous, are you?" the boy said cheekily.
"You think this is a laughing matter, boy?" the man queried. "Well, for starters my name is Tim and my Boss has great plans for you," Tim gloated.
Tim is a huge man who stands at 6ft 6. He's beefy with huge muscles rippling through his tee. On both his forearms there are two huge tattoos. On his right, there's a tiger while on his left there's a snake. What's more, Tim has a large angry black mole on his right cheek coupled with a huge moustache. His hair is cropped military style and his murky gray eyes sets off his look.
The boy eyed him warily. "My Dad is coming and when he finds out where you've been keeping me, he's going to kill all of you."
"Sorry to disappoint you kid, but my Boss and your Dad go way back. He knows how to get pass John Winchester. Guess, you're going to be stuck with us for awhile," Tim grinned. "Okay, enough of this idle chit-chat. Let's get down to business."
"You're the one who was yapping my head off, old man!" the boy shouted.
"Why you insolent little brat, you'll pay for that!" Tim screamed. "Ted, get in here! Bring the supplies with you."
A huge guy with a bald head enters the basement carrying a toolbox. He has electrifying blue eyes and a couple of piercings on his eyebrow and lip. Below his right eye until the corner of his chin there is a huge scar. The scar on his face gives him a more sinister look and when he smirks at the boy, the boy shivers with fear.
Tim grabs the boy as he kneels before him. He scrutinizes the boy for a long moment before finally touching his face. The boy flinches at the man's cold touch and turns his face away. The man grips the boy's face with his fingers and forcefully pushes the boy to face him. He digs his fingers painfully into the boy's cheek before letting go. The boy whimpers in pain as tears cloud his eyes.
"Hmm... you have a beautiful face," Tim said softly. He looks at the boy for a beat sighing as he unchains him. "Guess I understand what the Boss meant when he said you're a real looker."
Tim grabs the boy and throws him at the far wall. The boy hits the wall with a loud thud. The boy feels dizzy as he tries to stand. He feels nauseous before bile rises up and he starts puking. His vision is blurry and he drops to the ground as he sees his captors circling him. Hands grab him and the boy is too shaken up to put up much of a fight though, the boy does try his best to twist his body and squirm away from their touch.
The boy is dragged to the center of the room where a harsh clanging sound is heard. The boy looks up and is shocked to see chains that hang from a pulley on the ceiling. Tim prepares the chain as Ted holds the boy tightly in his arms. Once everything is in order, Tim chains him up. Both the boy's arms are tied while his legs are left to roam free. His hands are stretched to the limit that the boy barely feels the floor. To regain his balance, the boy has to stand on his tip-toes.
"He looks so small tied up like that. You sure, he said to do that to the kid?" Ted asked.
"Yup, he did. Don't tell me you're getting soft," Tim replied.
"Nah, I'm not... I don't give a hoot about the kid. Just wanted to clarify that we're doing this the right way," Ted answered.
The boy watches his captors like a hawk, anticipating their every move. Tim stands in front of the boy while Ted circles him. Before he knows it, the boy feels a sharp stinging blow to his left cheek. His eyes water but he locks his jaw and looks squarely at his captors. The next blow is expected but he flinches nonetheless. His lip is split and blood drops down his chin. He spits out a mouthful of blood before looking up to his captors.
Tim watches him warily before turning to Ted, "Bring the toolbox here."
"As you wish," Ted answered grabbing the toolbox.
Tim opens the box and the boy gasped when he sees the tools in the box. There are knives, nails, cattle prods, switches, hammers and a whole bunch of stuff the boy hasn't seen before. Once he sees the contents of the box, the boy faces his captors staring at them pleadingly to leave him be.
"Please... don't do this," the boy begged brokenly.
Tim fixes his eye on the boy for quite some time before turning away nodding to Ted. The next thing the boy knows both his captors are throwing punches at him like nobody's business. The boy moves side to side trying to regain his balance but his captors just push on without mercy.
The blows are fast and harsh and the boy feels winded after a couple of punches to his ribs. He cries out in pain and tries to stifle their attacks but it's not working. Just as he loses consciousness, his two captors stop.
"Looks like his fighting spirit is gone," Ted deduced.
"You better behave yourself... if not, you'll be getting a taste of those tools in the box," Tim lectured.
The boy nods his head weakly before dropping his head to his chin.
"I think it'll be good if we leave you hanging for the night. Try not to fall asleep or you might trip," Tim concludes as he grabs a fistful of the boy's hair.
His captors share a laugh before Tim pushes him away. The boy struggles to maintain his balance as his captors leave the room. Once the door is shut and locked, the boy surveys his place of capture. He sees there is no way out and drops his head down desolately. His whole body hurts and his ribs feel on fire but the boy grits his teeth and bears with it. As he feels himself dropping off to sleep, the boy struggles to remain upright. The boy wills himself to not fall asleep and instead thinks about his family.
-xxx-
I'm over the moon. After so long, I have his son in my custody. Even though, we haven't seen each other since our time together serving in the Marines, I've been gathering information about him ever since I got in. I wasn't one to sit on my laurels, so I hired someone to get intel on John.
I know he has two kids. His wife, Mary died six months after giving birth to his second child in a fire at his kid's nursery. He lived with his family in Lawrence, Kansas before his wife's death. After her demise, he took off with his kids. Those who knew him said he had lost it as he claimed he saw his wife being burn alive on the ceiling of the nursery in his home. From then onwards, he never stayed permanently at one place. He's always on the move with his kids in tow. His son Dean, is ten years old and looks like his mother with every passing day though on the outside he's John's little soldier. His baby boy Sam on the other hand, just turned six. He has his father's features and his mother's warmth.
After leaving that place, my sole purpose was to ruin John the way he ruined me. So, I continued my hunt for him. Many believe that John has eyes at the back of his head. But, I find this laughable. If he's so great, why doesn't he realize that I'm onto him? Unless he doesn't recognize or has forgotten about me. Lucky for me, I don't mind his forgetfulness as it gives me the leverage to get what I want. Sometimes I wonder is it worth going after him. However, that question is answered when the feeling of rage overwhelms me and I know I made the right choice. Why is it that I want revenge on John especially after so many years?
The truth is John and I didn't get along when we served together. I was Joe White, the person who commanded everyone's respect while John was the popular guy who got along great with everyone except me. He and I hated each other from the start. He thinks I'm a bully because I prey among those who defy me however, I see it as character building. Yes, I'm arrogant and a snob but I had a right to be. I was respected among my peers and being respected, I wielded a lot of power. Besides, it's hard work getting to the top and I wasn't going to let anyone steal my thunder after the effort I put in.
Everything changed one day. I was in the middle of taunting a newbie when John got in my face. He was sick of my stunts and he finally decided to confront me. If he took it up with me in private, things would have gone down differently, but he chose instead to stand up to me in front of my peers. I felt belittled and humiliated and I vowed to ruin John the way he ruined me.
The incident changed the way I was treated. Earlier, I was feared but now I was treated like a leper and was the butt of everyone's joke. From being on top of the throne, I became the dirt on their feet. I was beaten up by those who I had earlier mocked and was constantly used by some whenever they needed release. My life was in shambles and I was swallowed by darkness.
Eventually after a few months, I couldn't take it anymore and snapped. I was being use by one of my fellow men when I saw a window of opportunity. I grabbed his knife and stabbed him in the chest. I didn't intend to kill him but I guess I blew up after bottling my emotions for far too long. Once I had incapacitated him, I just drove the knife into his body over and over until he bled to death. Only then did I realize I love the feeling I get when I'm hurting others. Before this, I've never felt anything but after my first kill, I crave for the floating feeling of ecstasy I get when I hurt someone. It's addictive and it clothes me with blissfulness and I've never felt more satisfied in my life than torturing a person.
Before joining the Marines, I got hitched. After learning what I had done, she left me. At that time, I knew no matter what I said she wouldn't take me back, so I acted like it didn't matter. But, that all changed when I got out. I tracked her down and was surprised to see her with a child who resembled me. I confronted her and she clued me in that she got pregnant the last time we met. I was appalled and furious. She screamed I didn't deserve to know because I was a monster. I recoiled from her words swearing I would take him away. In the end, she relented and I met up with him from time to time. Although, that's gone now.
Anyway, I made the right choice hiring those two thugs. Ted and Tim came with colorful recommendations and I wasn't disappointed. First of all, they got the kid without any difficulty and left no trace regarding the boy's whereabouts. Second, they shared an important trait with me. They both love the smell of blood that lingers in the air and the cries of pain that follows.
I wanted to take both his kids away from him but due to unforeseen circumstances, my goons were only able to capture one kid. Honestly, it's better this way. With one kid in the hospital and the other missing, it might take John a lot longer to find me and by then, I would already have broken his son. When my eyes feasted on the kid that was kidnapped, I couldn't believe it that I was so lucky to have captured the child resembling John's dead wife. Truthfully, both his kids have their mother's charm but only one of them reminds John of his beloved wife. I knew that by losing him, John would lose the biggest part of Mary he has.
I've watched John for awhile now and I've seen that he wears a stoic expression and doesn't let anything clouds his emotions. Yet, when one of his kids is hurt, the mask he perfected crumbles and his eyes speaks volumes as they shine brightly with pain. John's greatest fear is losing his kids. Because without them, the piece of Mary he has disappears. I've come to an understanding that without Mary's touch, John sees himself as a failure. So yeah, I do know John Winchester and I bet you he doesn't know anything remotely valuable about me.
-xxx-
-Earlier in the day-
"Ms. Philly, I don't feel so good. My stomach hurts. Can I go see the nurse?"
"Sure, do you want Daniel to help you?" Ms. Philly asked just as the boy passes out. "Daniel, get the nurse! The rest of you stay where you are," Ms. Philly instructed.
Pounding footsteps could be heard as Daniel ran to get the nurse. As he barreled through the hallway, Daniel prayed that his friend would be alright. His shoes screeched the floor as he came to a halt in front of the sick bay. Breathlessly Daniel called out, "Help, I need some help!"
"Is anything wrong?" a young nurse asks as she rushes out of her room.
"Yeah, my friend wanted to see you but before he could leave the class he collapsed," Daniel answered.
"Let me get my kit before we leave," the nurse informs as she made a beeline for the medical kit in her room.
"Let's go," Daniel said as they hurried to Ms. Philly's class.
"How is he?" the nurse asked as they skidded to the room.
"He's unresponsive. I can't get him to wake up. Before he passed out, he was complaining that his stomach hurts," Ms. Philly answered.
"Both of you help me out while I check on him," the nurse ordered. She touches his abdomen gently and is surprised to feel it tender beneath her fingers. "His abdomen is inflamed. We've got to get him to the hospital."
"I'll call the ambulance," Ms. Philly volunteered. Once the call connects, Ms. Philly spoke hurriedly, "A kid in my class collapsed. He's unresponsive and has an inflamed abdomen. Please send an ambulance to West Elementary School and hurry." Ms. Philly exchanged a few more words with the operator before hanging up.
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes. You think you could stay with him while I call his Dad?" Ms. Philly inquired.
"Sure, tell him to go to the hospital directly," the school nurse replied.
"Will do... class, I'll be back in a bit," Ms Philly notified her students before leaving the class to place the call.
The phone rang a few times before it was picked up. "Hello, Mr. Winchester? I'm Ms. Philly calling from West Elementary School. Yeah… I'm his teacher. I'm surprised that you recognize the names of both your sons' teachers. Anyway, I'm calling to inform you that your son has been brought to the hospital. He collapsed in my class. The ambulance is on its way. You best get to the hospital. What about him? Oh…he doesn't know yet. Do you want me to get him? Oh… okay, I'll inform his teacher," Ms Philly nodded before hanging up.
-xxx-
I'm sitting in class going through my work when Ms. Philly appeared. What is his teacher doing here I wondered? I'm surprised when I see Ms. Philly ushering Ms. Laura out the corridor to relay a message. Guess it's lucky I'm sitting in front today. I craned my head towards the door as Ms. Philly and Ms. Laura spoke in hush tones. By the looks on their faces, it must be serious. Worry flooded me when I caught the words 'Winchester... unresponsive... ambulance'. Don't tell me he's sick. I need to see him.
Suddenly Ms. Laura appeared at my side. "Your brother is being taken to the hospital. He collapsed in Ms. Philly's class and he's been unresponsive. Your Dad is already at the hospital. He informed us to keep you here until he comes for you. After school is over, come and wait with me in the lounge area until your Dad gets here."
After that, I couldn't concentrate on whatever Ms. Laura was saying. I was scared and all I wanted was to see my brother. At first, I was confused why Dad didn't get me out of school. Then, I realized Dad didn't want me to worry. But of course I worry, he's my brother. Whenever something afflicts him, it afflicts me and vice versa. Since there's nothing I could do, I decided to at least listen to Ms. Laura.
Fifteen minutes later, I still couldn't concentrate and instead tune out Ms. Laura's teachings as my mind wondered what had happened to my brother. I wished Dad would come get me as I felt stir-crazy sitting in class. I didn't notice I was so out of touch with my surroundings until I heard my name being called loudly. I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Ms. Laura motioning for me to follow her to the lounge area. I didn't even hear the bell ringing.
-xxx-
I'm driving like a maniac on the road getting as fast as I can to the hospital. Ten minutes later, I finally arrived at the hospital pulling the Impala into the first available parking spot. I quickly exit the car and start walking towards the hospital entrance. Walking through the sliding doors, I strode over to the nurses' station in the middle of the room and waited for the nurse to get off the phone.
"Hello, my name is Helen, how can I help you?" the desk nurse asked as she looks into the face of a rugged looking man whose eyes are frantic with worry.
"Hi, my name is John. I'm hoping you can tell me where my son is. The school called and informed me that he was being brought here by ambulance from West Elementary School."
"Oh yes, I remember seeing the boy," Helen replied as she typed some words into the computer. Once she scanned the screen, she looks up. "Your son's surname is Winchester, right?"
"Yes," I nodded.
"Well, he's just been brought down for surgery. The doctors found out that his appendix had ruptured and are preparing for surgery to remove his appendix."
"How long will the surgery take?" I asked.
"Normally, the surgery itself takes less than an hour but since his appendix ruptured, it may take a lot longer. Why don't you take a seat in the family waiting area at the corridor to your left? I'll come get you when he's out of surgery," Helen stated concernedly.
Before answering I looked at my watch. I have a few hours left until I have to pick him up. "Yeah, okay. Could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" Helen replied.
"If the surgery hasn't ended by 2pm could you notify me? I have to pick up my other son from school."
"No problem. I'll put a note on the computer to remind me," Helen answered favorably.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Anyway, it's not a big deal," Helen said smiling lightly.
I give her a small smile before making my way to the left corridor. I enter the room feeling better when I see there's no around. I sit heavily on the sofa as the wheels in my head churned out my worst nightmares.
-xxx-
It's been two hours and Dad still hasn't come to get me. Ms. Laura looks concerned and just as she's about to call Dad, her phone starts ringing. "Hello? Mr. Winchester, when are you coming? Oh… so, what do you want me to do?" Ms. Laura queried. "Yes, I can do that. It's not a problem. Your son is a really good kid." She hangs up the phone before looking at me. "Your dad can't come and get you as your brother just came out of surgery. He wants me to drop you off the hospital. Grab your bag and let's get you to your family," Ms. Laura instructed as she headed for the doorway.
As we walked side by side, I'm amazed to see that we're one of the last ones to leave the school. The corridors are dim and each step we take echoes throughout the hallway. Once we reached the entrance leading us out of the school, I breathe a sigh of relief. I look at the teacher's parking and see two cars parked side by side. One is a black van with tinted windows and the other a lime green VW Bug. Immediately, I knew which one was Ms. Laura's car. As we descended down the parking area, a bad feeling starts creeping in my stomach. I look around discretely noticing there's no one around except us.
Ms. Laura unlocks the car and just as she's about to get inside, the door of the van beside her car opens suddenly and a man in black suit jumps out flinging a towel at Ms. Laura face. I looked on in terror as Ms. Laura's head fell lifelessly. I turned away trying to escape when my legs are pulled out from under me and my body collided painfully with the ground. I look up to see the man who had jumped Ms. Laura coming for me. I try to scramble away when I noticed I wasn't moving. I look to my right and am astounded to see another man's feet on my strap. Before I could fling my backpack away, the man pounces pinning my arm behind me as he gripped me tight. I try my best to squirm away but my efforts are futile as the guy is massive. He turns me around and the other man presses the cloth down hard on my face. I tried to get away but I couldn't and soon the drugged cloth began working as my eyes rolled out back and my head falls limply.
Instead of letting go, the man holds the cloth to the boy's face for a little longer just to be sure. When the boy doesn't move an inch, the man lifts the boy quickly from his partner speed-walking to the waiting van. He held the boy against his chest as he slid the sliding door open. The man tipped the limp body back, resting the boy on the floor of the van. The man looks at the boy for a moment before grabbing the roll of duct tape from the hook inside the door. He wraps the boy's legs tightly at the ankles and also at the wrists. He then finishes up by tying another drugged cloth over the boy's mouth ensuring the boy wouldn't be awake during the ride. Once the man is done, he surveys the boy before closing the door shut.
"Tim, get the lady in the car and buckled her up, so no one suspects a thing," Ted hollered climbing into the driver's seat.
Few minutes later, Tim eases into the passenger seat comfortably. "Alright, that was easy. Let's get out of here," Tim surmised as Ted floored the van.
Thank you for reading and reviews are highly appreciated :)