I've haven't written in a while but I wrote this on a whim. I'm publishing it before I change anything. I'll continue it soon once I replenish my whiskey.

"Sky above me, Earth below me, Fire within me."

The darkness was quiet as if the slightest whisper of a sound would bring the whole thing crashing down. The air wasn't cold but it did have a bite to it that would make you cross your arms if you weren't watching. Not many wandered into the forest this late at night but Winchester had no choice in the matter. Something about family and a brother in need.

The trees seemed barely alive in this winter cold making it look more menacing than it actually was. Of course that didn't stop the Winchester from having his cold pistol locked tight in his hand. It was pointed down out of harms way as he continued his trek but it was always ready to come up in self defense. The pistol helped with his sense of confidence and protection to a degree that had him almost running towards his goal. However, he knew he had to take his time. If he ran into danger and got hurt then his brother was lost. And Winchesters would never let that happen.

Branches pulled at his jacket silently begging him to turn back from his mission. They tore and ripped at him as the wind caused them to brush against his body. No matter what grabbed at him he pushed his way through the thickening forest with no complaint. Nothing would stop his crusade to end this hunt and drag his brother back to the Impala in one piece.

He knew what he was up against. A witch. Yes it was a simple, country, in the middle of nowhere witch but it didn't really matter. It was still a witch gaining revenge through means that beckoned the Winchesters from one state over. It wasn't hard to find the culprit but it was immediately realized that they weren't that hard to find either when one Winchester went missing almost immediately. And that Winchester better have not one hair out of place or a witch will pay a slow and painful price.

A branch tangled in his hair and he grabbed at it angrily with curse words to follow that filled the silent forest. As he pushed the branch away he noticed most of the trees seemed much closer than they did before and he could barely back up before hitting another tree behind him. A tug on his arm and he was turning to see a vine wrapping around his forearm. Definitely not good. His free arm swung his gun to use it as a blunt instrument against his forest predator when another branch tangled in his hair again.

No. His brother needed him. No forest witchery would take him away from finishing this hunt and finding his brother. A swing of his arm just made him more tangled as branches out of nowhere lunged at him. His hand was jerked back from swinging as vines wrapped around his wrist of his trigger arm. A whisper in the trees told him to just relax and it only caused him to struggle more.

A tightening around his throat told him he was done for but he didn't stop the fight. Cursing definitely didn't help as he felt his breath being stolen from him by whatever was around his neck. The branches seemed to be fighting as all his appendages were starting to be pulled in different directions. He feared for a moment that the trees would tear him apart limb from limb but the whisper told him his fate.

Relax. Accept the blackness. It's for the best.

As if on cue the blackness creeped up and the Winchester heaved for a breath to send it away. The last gasp of air he received did nothing to help him as his vision darkened completely. He used his last bit of air to scream his brother's name. He wasn't sure if it was for reassurance that his brother was alive or to beg for forgiveness that he couldn't save him.

"The most powerful force on Earth is the soul on fire."

The basement was dimly lit with a swinging lightbulb, it was cold and stank of stale laundry. The witch's cabin barely had two bedrooms but it had a full basement with instruments of death. A whole table of surgical instruments took up the table while some still had blood dried on it. Why bother to clean it when the witch will just use the knives again on her next victim?

Sam Winchester was currently awake cautiously twisting his wrists in the handcuffs hoping that something would give. After hours of furious wrist twisting it was slow going now even as his eyes roamed over every inch of the basement. Nothing stood out to him but his gaze always landed on those knives wondering if they would be used on him. The pole he was leaning against, with his arms tied around it, made him cold with just his t-shirt on. His legs were out in front of him and every hour he shifted them to another position to try and keep them from falling asleep.

He swallowed behind the gag in his mouth knowing full well that his mouth turned dry a long time ago. No one came to visit him during his captivity and he wondered if anyone would. Sam knew eventually he would see his brother burst through the door to the basement. Dean would come for him. No matter what.

A creak in the floorboards above him had his head shooting up to see a shadow play over the light filtering through. The creaks continued until he heard the door to the basement open and he could do nothing but sit up straighter. Black sturdy boots came down the stairs first and a thin framed woman followed after. She looked to be in her mid forties with gray tinging her hair and her mouth was thin with a frown.

"Your brother is stronger than I thought."

At the mention of Dean Sam glared as much as he could muster at the witch but she pointedly ignored him. Dean might be hurt or captured if she was telling Sam about him. Dean wasn't coming. Sam was on his own. He swallowed when he saw she was going towards the table of knives.

She pulled up a foot long blade before turning to look at him with a depressing look. She frowned deeper at him before starting to walk closer. Sam's legs came up so that his knees were bent in front of him with a small sense of security.

"I left your brother out there. The forest will kill him."

Sam couldn't breathe as he thought of Dean being killed in the darkness alone. A guilt and dread settled in the pit of his stomach and if it wasn't for the gag he would have puked. The witch was close by to bend by him and push his knees down and softly sit on his legs. She was almost gentle in her movements. He turned his head away from her but her hand grabbed his chin roughly and brought his face back to the front.

"It was for the best Sam. I only needed one of you and you were the best candidate. I want you to know it was quick and painless."

He screamed at her in the gag but the muffled sound just made the witch frown more at him. The knife came to land on his cheek and slide down slowly along his jaw line leaving a small trail of red.

The demon deal was nothing now with Dean dead and Sam could only think that he didn't save him. He was meant to save him not be the cause of his early demise. This witch would pay. She would pay slowly and Sam would cherish every scream he dragged from her. To get there though he needed his fury to overwhelm his grief. He was finding that very hard to do at the moment.

"It's okay. Give me time and you will see the reasoning for what I must do."

Her hand went to tangle in his hair as he felt the knife tip land on his hip. She leaned in to rest her face against his and whisper in his ear. The words were meaningless to him and he almost couldn't hear them. All he heard was his brother's voice.

Don't give up. I'm coming for you. Hold on Sammy.

The knife tip slid into his hip and he bit into the gag to help with the pain. More whispers and he felt fire through his body from the knife all the way down his legs. He twisted in the handcuffs and under the witch from the flare in his body.

Hold on Sammy. Hold on.

The knife was being slid up towards his rib cage and he could do nothing but scream into the gag. The witch's body felt like it was molding onto his as he trembled and shook under her. The flare came next and he thought the first scream was loud. He could have sworn that whatever darkness in the forest Dean was trapped in he could hear Sam scream.

The witch laughed into his ear as the fire consumed ever inch of his body and mind as the darkness sucked him under.

Hold on Sammy.