Mistaken Identity
It was the spring of 2001 and everything was changing, everyone knew it, it was just a feeling that was in the air around the small formerly tight knit family. Sam was seventeen and he had graduated a semester early from high school and had been helping out with hunts a lot more lately. John seemed impressed by the way his youngest son had thrown himself into his work and figured that now, with high school over Sam was finally joining the family business without complaint but Dean knew the truth. A month ago, Dean had found the Stanford acceptance letter under Sam's mattress. The kid had gotten a full ride and knew what it meant, Sam was leaving for good, and he was hurt that his little brother still hadn't told him, but Dean put the letter back under the mattress and said nothing, he would deal with it later. Sam would have to tell everyone at some point, he was a member of the Brotherhood and even though he didn't proclaim it by wearing his ring, he still had to let Jim and the rest of the Triad know he would be leaving, and that would include telling John Winchester which was a fight that Dean was not looking forward too. When Caleb had gone away to Auburn John had made it quite clear that he thought higher education had no place in the hunting world, while Mackland Ames, Caleb's adoptive father proclaimed that it was better to balance the two worlds, in this sense Sam had the wrong father. Dean pushed the thoughts about the future away for now, he had five months, five months of his family being whole, before it was all over, so for now he focused on the task at hand. Dean stood in the motel room with his brother, father, and Caleb, who might as well be his brother, they were discussing the hunt and as usual Sam and John were arguing, this time about the creature they were supposed to be hunting that night.
"Sam, just follow my orders okay?" John said coldly.
"Dad, this isn't about following orders, I am not trying to piss you off, I just don't think a spirit did this."
"Sam, we have a woman who was murdered in the house, and bodies that have been ripped to pieces. It's a violent spirit."
"Dad, look at the crime scene photos, these people are so ripped up there is no way to tell if all of them is there, you can't rule out this may be something else, we need to research this more."
"Sam, that's enough, we don't have time for more research, we are going after this thing tonight and that is final!" Sam sighed.
"I'll go grab some more salt from the car so we can make some more salt rounds. Is that alright with you sir?" Sam said.
"I'll go help him." Caleb said. John nodded and turned towards Dean to continue talking about their action plan for this hunt, Caleb went out to the Impala where Sam was already standing by the trunk filling a duffel bag with shotguns, shells, and rock salt. Caleb stood beside the kid and began to pass him stuff to throw into the bag, he stopped when he picked up a small black velvet bag, which he opened and a silver ring fell into his hand, a ring that matched the one that him and everyone else in the Brotherhood wore.
"This yours or Johns?" Sam looked at the ring in Caleb's hand and sighed. Sam had gotten the ring the year before at Thanksgiving and he had never put it on, he wasn't sure he wanted to be in the Brotherhood, and getting his ring didn't make him happy or make him feel honored like it had for his brother and Caleb, it made him realize even more how little he wanted this life.
"Mine… Dad keeps his in a wooden box at Pastor Jim's."
"And you keep yours in the trunk?"
"Closest place to home I can keep it." Caleb couldn't really disagree with that. Except for the farm, the Impala had been the only other constant "home" Sam had ever had; he grew up in the back seat of that car, him and Dean both did.
"Guess I'm just surprised you kept it, I kinda figured you didn't want it."
"I don't, but when your Dad gave it to me, he told me I had to decide if this was the life I wanted, but he wanted me to have the ring anyway… I may not want to wear it, but it doesn't change the fact Mac gave it to me." Caleb nodded, when John gave him his ring it was more then just becoming part of the Brotherhood, it was just an honor that John had considered him worthy.
"So level with me, why don't you think it's a spirit?" Sam frowned at Caleb and then rolled his eyes.
"No reason, I am just trying to pick a fight with my Dad, because I have nothing better to do with my life." Caleb laughed and closed the trunk when Sam threw the duffel bag over his shoulder.
"Bullshit."
"And how would you know that Caleb?"
"C'mon kid, give me a little credit, the only person out there who knows you better then me, is your brother. If you were just trying to pick a fight, it would never be over a hunt when you know that could jeopardize the lives of everyone you care about." Sam smiled, he couldn't argue that Caleb knew him better then almost anyone, and he definitely knew him better then his father.
"I don't know Caleb, something isn't right about this, but Dad made his choice, so we go, hope to hell he is right, and if he isn't, we get the hell out of there alive."
"Alright, look I respect your Dad, but I got your back kid." Sam walked passed Caleb and back towards the room.
"I know you do Caleb, so I'm sorry." Caleb frowned.
"Sorry for what Sam?"
"That I can't do this forever." Sam went back into the room and the conversation was over, but it left Caleb with a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but that would have to wait, they had two hours to prep for this hunt. Caleb followed Sam back inside, and began to take out rock salt, and pack them into the shotgun rounds.
"Alright here's what is going to happen. Dean and Caleb, you guys are going to go around back, Sam and me are going to take the front entrance. Since she was cremated, we are looking for anything that could be tying her to the house. Any questions?"
"No sir." The three younger hunters replied in unison.
"Alright, get those bullets ready to go, and load the guns. You have an hour." John went outside without telling anyone where he was going; all they knew was that he would be back in an hour.
"Bossy motherfucker ain't he?" Caleb said. Sam snorted, and Dean just shook his head.
"He is the senior hunter Damien, he has always taken that job a little bit too seriously." Dean replied. Caleb laughed, and the three continued working. Every once in a while Caleb would catch Dean watching Sam, as if he was memorizing what his little brother looked like. If Sam noticed, he said nothing; he just continued to load salt rounds into the shotguns, completely focused on the task at hand. Caleb would have to talk to Dean about that, there was obviously something going on that he wasn't privy too, and it was making him uncomfortable, he wasn't used to there being secrets between him and the brothers. John eventually came back to the room and inspected all the weapons; as if the three younger hunters had never done something as simple as load a shotgun before.
"Alright load up, I'm gonna take the truck, I'll meet you guys there." John said. John grabbed one of the bags of guns, leaving the other on the bed for Sam, Dean, and Caleb.
"Everyone ready?" Dean asked.
"Damn right, lets go kick some evil ass." Caleb said.
"Sammy you ready?" Sam put the magazine of his favourite Taurus into the gun and put it into his waistband.
"Yeah Dean, lets go." The three men made their way out to the Impala, and Sam folded himself into the back of the car, and Caleb made his way to the passenger side. The drive was quiet, each of the three of them in their own little worlds. Dean was thinking about Sam and his plans to leave, Caleb was watching Sam in the rearview mirror, and Sam was still thinking this hunt over, something wasn't right and he knew it. He may be young, but he wasn't stupid and he had hunted his fair share of monsters. Sam sighed; he just had to make sure everyone got out safe. When they pulled up to the house, it looked exactly like what any haunted house in any scary movie looked like. It was old and run down and there were boards over the windows and doors. It was obvious no one had lived there in awhile. John got out of the truck and passed one of the shotguns to Sam.
"Alright boys, lets get this done." Dean and Caleb went around the back of the house and Sam and John went towards the front door, they pried some boards loose and climbed into the house. It was dark, and it smelt like something had died in there, which they all knew, lots of people had died in and around the house. Sam and John searched the main floor of the house, and came up with nothing, and they made their way towards the center of the house and they met Dean and Caleb in the kitchen.
"You guys find anything?" Caleb asked.
"Nothing, anything upstairs? "John asked.
"Nothing, guess this house is clear." Dean said.
"We didn't check the basement." Sam said, John turned towards his youngest son.
"This place has a basement?"
"Yeah… I was looking at the floor plans last night, there is a hatch in the living room floor." Sam walked to the living room and moved back an old dusty carpet, and opened a hatch in the floor; it was dark and musty smelling, John began to enter the basement when a vase flew from a rickety table in the corner, and across the room, narrowly missing Sam's head.
"Dad go! See what you can find." Dean said.
"Alright, if you see it, shoot it." John said and he crawled into the basement. Things continued to fly around the room and Sam, Caleb, and Dean kept shooting, and after awhile there was a yell when one of the salt rounds hit someone… A man flickered into sight, and Dean shot at him again, and it hit the creature, but it didn't seem to hurt him. The creature smiled and flicked out of sight again.
"That isn't a spirit!" Caleb yelled.
"Well then what the hell is it?" Dean said dodging a flying chair.
"Rakshasa!" Sam yelled.
"What the hell is that?" Caleb said.
"It's a monster, corporeal, likes to eat people."
"How do we kill it?" Dean asked.
"Brass knife, which we don't have which mean we have to get out of here-" Sam didn't get to finish his sentence as he was thrown against the wall behind him, and a piece of broken glass was launched into his stomach, Sam folded over as the man flicked back into view and bit into Sam's shoulder, and Sam let lose a guttural scream.
"Sammy!" Dean yelled. Sam hit the floor and he struggled to hold himself up as blood flowed from his arm and stomach. At the sound of his sons screams John ran back up the stairs.
"Dean, Caleb! Get Sam out of here." John yelled.
"What about you?" Dean yelled.
"I am gonna go find something to kill this bastard, take care of your brother." Caleb and Dean through Sam over their shoulders and ran out of the house and to the Impala. Caleb got into the drivers seat of the car and Dean got into the back with Sam attempting to stem the bleeding, while keeping the teenager securely in his lap.
"Sammy? I need you to open your eyes okay?" Sam's eyes opened and looked at Dean blearily.
"De?"
"Hey kiddo." Dean whispered.
"Caleb?" Sam looked around the car, and finally met Caleb's eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Right here kiddo."
"You guys okay." Dean laughed sadly.
"We're fine Sam, we aren't the ones leaking red stuff all over the seats."
"Wha?" Sam said, he tried to sit up and groaned as Dean pushed him back down.
"Stay still Sam."
"Deaaaan, get it out."
"I will as soon as we get back to the motel, just hang on." Sam rolled his head against Dean's shoulder and his eyes began to slip closed. "Hey, Sammy stay with me okay?"
"Mmmmm… tired…" Dean looked at Caleb in the mirror, Sam was losing a lot of blood, and he was fading quickly.
"C'mon Sam, don't do this to me man, keep those eyes open…" Dean licked his lips and then made a decision. "Tell me about Stanford." Sam's eyes opened into slits and he stared at his brother, Caleb listened carefully.
"How do you know about that?" Dean laughed.
"C'mon kiddo, did you really think my little brother was going to get a full ride and I wasn't going to find out about it?" Sam smiled.
"Guess not… you know everything about me… I'm sorry De… I need to go…" Dean felt tears well up in his eyes.
"I know you do Sammy… just... make sure you come back okay?" Sam didn't answer him and his eyes slipped shut. "Sammy?" Dean shook his brother gently. "Sammy! Wake up!." Dean felt for Sam's pulse, it was still there, going pretty steady, so Sam was still alive.
"Deuce? What do you want me to do? Hospital or motel?"
"Motel."
"Are you sure? What if he needs a blood transfusion?"
"We learned how to do field transfusions as kids Damien, we will give him my blood if we have to." Caleb nodded, and sped up a little, they had to get Sam patched up and fast.