A/N: Against my better judgment, I'm writing another multichapter. This story was finished before I posted it, due to the fact that I needed to connect things. So, you'll be getting a new chapter every couple days. If anyone cares. Also, a couple words of warning:

1. This is VERY AU. This isn't speculation. It's more of a crack fic. A very unfunny crack fic. At least, I'm hoping it's not funny. If it is, I defeated my purpose. And OOC.

2. Heavily, heavily, heavily influenced by a couple of movies. One very recent, and I'm not saying which one or else you'll know exactly what I'm writing. The other, which I got the title from, an old movie (1948, to be exact). Let's just say I have MANY spoilers for the very recent movie.

3. I know I've written stories like this. I personally think these kind of stories are my best.

4. Disclaimer: See everything above. Also, I don't own Supernatural. Or any of the influences for this story. And, once again, I want to invoke the MST3K motto: Repeat to yourself "This is just a show; I should really just relax."

The Snake Pit

Dean hung up his phone and tapped the pad. He already had a feeling that something was rotten in this case. He didn't want to take this case. But, people needed to be protected, and if he didn't protect them, who would?

"Was that Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean said, trying to get his stomach unknotted. Although he had reasons to dislike cases involving mental institutions, his stomach tangling itself in knots was ridiculous. "Bobby says this guy was fulfilling a dare at this old, uninhabited former mental institution that's supposed to be haunted…"

"Is it?" Sam interrupted him.

"Bobby says a few years ago, a hunter checked it out. It isn't. That doesn't mean these urban legends die out. Particularly, since this guy's frat brothers went to the police, saying that our guy never came back."

"So, what are you thinking? That the hunter was wrong?"

"Ghosts don't usually make people disappear. And I'm not sure why Bobby called us about it. But, for some reason, there hasn't been much on the Lucifer front." Dean tossed his pencil down. "You want to take it?"

"Sure. Nothing else is going on." Just killing time until Detroit, the thought came unbidden into Dean's head. He shoved that thought aside and continued, "We'll leave tomorrow."

It was pouring in Springfield when they arrived. Dean noticed a dilapidated building complex, high on a hill, out of the city limits. He could see one long building through the driving rain. A couple of smaller buildings stood next to it. A dreary, rusty, iron gate hung off its hinges. He could just make out an overgrown lawn through the rain.

"Sam, do you think that building's the old asylum?"

Sam looked up from his map and out the window. "Probably. You want to check it out?"

"If it ever stops raining."

"Don't count on it any time soon. Forecast says rain the next seven days."

"OK, we'll rent a rowboat or something. I want to check it out. But, first, let's talk to those frat boys."

Sam nodded. "The house is on Oak Street. Turn left at the light."

Dean turned as Evan McCormack came down the stairs. "Hi, agents," he said nervously. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"We want to ask you about your brother who disappeared," Dean said.

Evan glanced over at the guy who got him as he left the room. "Look, agents, I know he's done some wrong things. But, he is my brother. When he gets out of the hospital, our parents would like to take him home, see if he can get help closer to them. I know Mom and Dad are petitioning the courts."

Dean held up his hand. "Wait. John Beaumont is your brother, not your fraternity brother?"

Evan looked even more panicky. "Please don't tell anyone here. I took Mom's maiden name, trying to distance myself from John. But, when I can get away, I visited him in the hospital. He escaped. I did call the authorities after he escaped. He says he forgives me. But, he doesn't want to go back to that asylum. I don't blame him. Someone cut him up pretty good."

Dean looked up at Sam. He noted to his frustration that Sam didn't look as confused as he felt. He turned back to Evan, "John is your actual brother?"

"Please don't tell anyone. Especially since he's making me nervous that the guys who attacked him will come after him. It might be his delusions talking, but he's very persuasive. Have you… um… talked to him yet? He's in our hospital. A guard is with him at all times."

"Your brother is in the local hospital?" Sam asked. "He's not gone?"

"No. He was found two days ago, screaming about people with black eyes torturing him. Listen, can I go? I have class in a half hour."

Dean looked up at the mention of black eyes. "Yeah," he told Evan distractedly.

As they left the frat house, Sam asked, "Demons are making people disappear and, what? Torturing them?"

"Makes sense. Bringing about Hell on earth. Why would they start with someone in a mental institution, though?"

"Because no one will believe them? Maybe wraiths and demons are working together?"

Dean sighed. "Let's hope not. I can deal with demons. I hope that we'll stay away from that institution." A thought struck him as he walked around the Impala. "I thought that ruined building was the institution that this guy was at. Like he was on a prank or something."

"Isn't that the information that Bobby had? Do you think we ought to check out that place, just in case?"

Dean got inside the car. He looked outside as it started raining harder. I already hate this case.

The armed guard raised a skeptical eyebrow at the sight of Sam and Dean's FBI badges. He sighed as he took another look, but suddenly gave it back right after Dean's peripheral vision caught a slight movement of Sam's head. Dean looked over at him, confused, but the movement had stopped, leaving Sam just looking back at him.

"I'll give you five minutes," the guard said brusquely as he stepped into the room in front of Dean.

"Can we talk to Mr. Beaumont in private?" Dean asked.

"No," the guard who Dean had dubbed "Officer Friendly" in his head said. Dean noted that he said it more to Sam than he did to him.

Dean stepped forward to the hospital bed. John was strapped down to the bed, sleeping. The man had painful looking bruises on him and cuts all over him. He looked like someone had beaten him half to death.

Dean turned to Officer Friendly. "Why exactly is he strapped down like this?"

"Well, Agent Shaw," Officer Friendly began with an edge Dean didn't like in his voice, "If you had read his file, you would have seen that he tried to stab his father while in a delusional state. Plus, he's an escaped mental patient. Of course we're keeping him strapped down." The guard hit the bed hard, causing it to move enough that the patient stirred and opened his eyes. "Hey! Wake up! You've got visitors."

John opened his eyes and stared up at Dean for a couple seconds before he started whispered panicky, "Get away from me."

"Mr. Beaumont…"

"You did this!" the man's voice started raising in pitch. "Black eyes… you did this to me!" He lurched forward, as if wanting to start swinging at Dean, and Dean took an instinctively step backwards, suddenly glad that Beaumont was strapped down. The man glared up at Dean with hatred that Dean had never seen outside of Hell. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!"

Officer Friendly grabbed Dean's arm and roughly shoved him out the door. He shoved the guard back into the room when Sam stepped in between them.

"Dean, since he's confused right now, maybe it would be better if you didn't interview him. I'll stick around and see if I can talk to him after the doctors can get him calmed down. But, he's agitated seeing you right now."

Dean looked over Sam's shoulder back in the room. The man was still alternating between yelling about needing Dean to get away from him and yelling about black eyes. His agonized screams sent chills down Dean's spine. The screams rattled Dean more than he wanted to admit to even himself. "All right. See if you can talk to him after he's calm. I'll do some digging about the mental institution."

Sam nodded and walked back inside the room. Through the closed door, Dean could still hear the man's screams, begging for him to stay away from the injured man.

Officer Friendly stepped out of the room as two doctors came in. "I've been asked to escort you out," he growled.

"I know the way out."

The officer fell into step with Dean. "You guys are all alike. Come in, thinking that you'll be able to save us. Instead, you prove to be men of violence. You're all the same."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You think I'm a violent man?" He asked, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. Officer Friendly has no idea what he's dealing with. Same old ignorant, arrogant cop we see all the time.

The officer chuckled humorlessly. "I didn't say you were a violent man. I said you're a man of violence. You live in violent times. And I'm sure that if I've seen everything you've seen, I would have cracked up years ago. But, that doesn't give you any right to do what you did."

Dean glared at him as he walked out of the door. "I'll see you soon," he snarled at the man.

"I'll be waiting."

As Dean turned to him when the doors closed, the officer's eyes turned black.

Dean rushed back inside. The man reared back his head and dropped to his knees as the demon came smoking out of him.

The officer stared up at Dean and then smirked. "See you around, Agent Shaw."

TBC

A/N: As I said, this was finished before I posted anything. My last chapter will be the longest. I'm not sure how many chapters it'll be. I do know it's 29 pages. And, it's not what you think.

As always, not very proud of this. But, I did work hard on it. And I really hope you enjoy it.