The Sound Of Silence

by Ixelfaye

Sam is desperate to save Dean from his fate but, as he searches for a way, he discovers secrets that were better left unknown and more people than he’d thought are damned. SamOC, Rating may change. Post All Hell Breaks Lose pt 2

Title: The Sound of Silence
Spoilers: Written Post-All Hell Breaks Lose
Genre: Action, Demon, Romance
Ship(s): Sam/OC
Summary: Sam is desperate to save Dean from his fate but, as he searches for a way, he discovers secrets that were better left unknown and more people than he'd thought are damned

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Eric Kripke, The CW, and other associated people. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. All original characters and the plot line, however, belong to me.
Author's Notes: I've been planning this since before the end of the first season, but haven't actually gotten around to writing it. Thanks goes to Noelle, Yttan, Solitaire and the other people who've helped me finally put this thing on paper, you're legends. Constructive criticism is welcome on any aspect of the story, whether it's plot or characterization or grammatical (…bane of my existence). Alright, hope you enjoy it!

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence

-- 'Sound of Silence' by Simon and Garfunkel

Chapter 1

Lucy pulled the thick wool jacket tight across her small frame. Her mother had given it to her for Christmas two years prior, and it was now too small, however it was her favorite jacket, black with large red buttons, and she couldn't bring herself to throw it away. Lucy fingered the large hole in the corner of the jacket where it had snagged on a chain link fence a few months ago. She and her best friends had decided to sneak out of school during lunch. An uncomfortable feeling filled her stomach as she thought of how she would never return to her elementary school, tomorrow was the first day of seventh grade. Lucy sat on a worn patch of dying grass and leaned against a strong tree as the wind picked up. She trailed her fingers over the large leather bound journal cradled in her arms. It was a treasure she'd discovered in her attic, the old yellowing pages filled with magic and mystery. She paused for a moment before opening it to a well-read page in the middle of the book, but she was interrupted by the sound of squelching mud. Her head snapped up as another gust of wind blew by, a strand of her long, dark hair pulled free from the braid at the back of her head.

"Hello?" She called out into the darkness, pressing a hand into the wet earth beneath her and twisting to look in all directions. The full moon above cast an eerie glow on the white orchid tucked behind her ear that she'd plucked from one of the many bouquets laying around Holy Cross Cemetery. She got to her feet, narrowed her eyes, and summoned all the bravery she kept in her heart. Peering around the trunk of the tree, she studied the tombstones and surrounding area. "Hello?" She cried again, and heard a twig snapping in the distance. It was probably one of the groundskeepers, she assured herself. Her house was not very far away, it was just around the block and she could make it in five minutes if she ran.

A cold hand gripped Lucy's wrist tightly and pulled her backwards. She screamed as she tripped over one of the gnarled roots and hit the ground, mud spattering her coat and skirt. There was loud laughter above her, and she looked up into the face of her friend Shay. Shay reached down and grabbed Lucy's other hand, pulling her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Lu," Shay gasped, "I didn't mean to scare you!" Lucy smiled and tried to wipe the mud from her jacket, cringing when she saw runs in her last pair of stockings.

"That's alright" Lucy assured her. "You guys took a long time getting here." Shay lived across the road from the cemetery, even closer than Lu.

"Uh, yeah, getting here took a bit of --" Shay started, swiping a short strand of black hair behind her ear.

"We shouldn't be out here, oh my God, we're going to get in so much trouble! Lu this is all your fault!" Blair wailed hysterically, tugging at the hem of her shirt. Her wild mane of red hair was pulled back into a bushy ponytail.

"—convincing" Shay finished with a grin. Shay looked around, eyebrows raised, and stretched her arms above her head. "So, Miss Johnson, what on earth possessed you to drag B and I out to a graveyard in the middle of the night?"

"The only person who did any dragging, Shay, was you" Lucy replied crisply, motioning to a scared Blair with her eyes. Blair was half a head taller than both Lucy and Shay; she was all gangly limbs, freckles, and thick glasses. Her breath was coming unevenly as she looked around, still dressed in her church clothes from earlier this morning. Shay shrugged, collapsing to the ground, her question still unanswered. Lucy pursed her lips. They wouldn't be happy with what she was about to say, but Lucy was oldest by a few months and the leader of their little group. They would go along with whatever she said. "We're going to summon a ghost," she said slowly.

Silence reigned. Blair's jaw dropped and her face turned a paler shade of white. Shay looked equally as stunned. "Ohh… Lu…" Shay whispered, her eyes taking on a soft and understanding look. Before she could continue, however, Blair lost it.

"Summon a ghost!?" She roared. "Lu, have you totally lost your mind!? There's no such thing as ghosts! There's no such thing as magic! What is wrong with you?" Blair stomped her foot, turning around. "I'm leaving," she screamed over her shoulder as she staggered back the way she came, back to Shay's house.

"What are you going to say, when you show up at my house alone Blair?" Shay called out. "You can't get back in through the window without me, so you'll have to wake up my parents. Do you really want to be the one to tell my mother I'm hanging out in a graveyard with Lu? She'd never let any of us see each other again and you know it." Shay crossed her arms over her chest, gaze drifting back to a defensive Lucy. "You're right, though. There are no such things as ghosts."

"There are" Lucy declared. "I've researched on the net, there's loads of proof." Blair was still standing off in the distance, sulking. She turned at last and came back over to sit next to Shay, glowering at Lucy from across the little circle they'd made.

"How are you going to summon them, then?" Blair demanded icily. Lucy watched her friend, a mischievous look spreading over her face.

"After the ice cream incident last week," Lucy started, grinning at them. Last week they'd stolen several boxes of ice creams from the back of an ice cream truck. She could still taste the chocolate, melting beneath the heat of the sun, as they sat with their spoils on the playground. Which had been a pretty dumb thing to do, as Lucy's father had caught them. "Father said I had to clean out the attic as my punishment. I was going through a bunch of old boxes that belonged to my great grandmother when I found this." She produced the leather bound journal with a flourish. "I looked through it, and I realized that it was filled with spells and stuff. Like this one." She opened to that page in the middle of the book and showed it to Shay and Blair.

"A summoning spell?" Blair asked cautiously. "Summoning what?"

"A ghost, of course." Lucy snapped. "What else would anyone summon?" Blair's face heated up with embarrassment.

"I don't know" Blair mumbled, fiddling with her shirt hem again.

"Who's ghost are you going to summon?" Shay asked softly. Though she didn't need to ask, they all knew who Lucy would summon. Her mother had died last year in a car accident.

"I just wanna see mom, just one more time" Lucy whispered. Blair's anger faded, and she sighed audibly. Lightly she reached out, long fingers searching for Lucy's small hand. Lucy reached up and swiped at her eyes with her jacket sleeve. Shay coughed, interrupting the moment.

"So, let me get this straight. Some dusty old book you found in your attic that belonged to your even dustier great grandma is going to bring back the ghosts of people who've croaked?"

"Yeah, pretty much. The ghosts are probably gonna be pretty dusty too." Lucy laughed, squeezing Blair's hand for a moment and then letting go.

"Right then, lets get this freaky dusty party started." Shay clapped her hands together. "What do we need?"

"Nothing, everyone just needs to hold hands." Lucy's excitement built, her heart hammered in her chest and she placed the book in front of her so she could read. Blair frowned, reading the page from an angle.

"But, Lu, it says we need candles and an alter and --" Blair started, her nervousness returning and her palms started to sweat. "Not that I believe that even if we did have those things it would work" she said hurriedly. "I just don't think that we should do this wrong. That way you know for sure that there's, uh, no such thing as… like… ghosts and stuff." Blair stammered.

"The stuff doesn't matter, I don't have time to go and get it, this will have to do." She grabbed one Shay's hands and one of Blair's. "Guys, just read along okay?" They both nodded.

Lucy started to read. She stumbled over the Latin words, they came out harsh and mispronounced, but she didn't stop. Even when the wind started to pick up, she didn't stop. Then the wind came in large gusts, making the tree shake and leaves fall on top of them. Flowers were ripped from their places at the tombstones and tossed like feathers. Lucy's young voice was screaming to be heard above the roar of the wind. Her hair came loose whipping about her face and tangling in the wind. Shay's loose shirt was tugging in every direction, and she was squinting to keep the wind from stinging her eyes. Blair panicked. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy could see Blair yelling something at her and trying to tug her hand out of Lucy's, but Lucy wouldn't let go. The chanting got louder and louder, and the wind was so strong Lucy was sure that at any moment she would be pulled from the ground and swept into the wind herself.

A bright light flashed across the sky, and white filled their vision. The rolling thunder was indescribable, such a loud noise it left them deaf for a short time. It took awhile for their vision and hearing to return to normal, but none of them noticed as they sat there dazed. When the lightening had struck, their hands had broken contact and they had screamed their throats raw. The wind had stopped now and the graveyard was still as death.

Lucy twisted around searching for any sign of her mother's ghost, but she saw nothing. Desperately she scrambled to her feet to get a better look. "Mom?" She cried, voice rough from overuse. "Mom are you here?"

"No, Lu, she's not. She's not here and she'll never be here again. There's no such thing as ghosts, okay? So here's your damn proof" Blair hissed, frightened tears spilling over her cheeks. Lucy could tell Blair was mad they hadn't stopped, but that didn't keep the angry and betrayed emotions from surfacing.

"That was harsh, Blair," Shay said flatly. "and Lu I know you miss your mom, but you've really got to accept that she's gone. Doing crazy spells or rituals or whatever the hell that useless thing was supposed to be is not going to bring anything back. I'm going home." She turned and started to walk home, arms crossed over her chest and visibly shaken.

"Finally" Blair muttered and started after Shay, but Shay swirled around quickly.

"B, you aren't coming with me." She laughed acidly. "I'm sick of all this, you sort things out with Lu or you walk the several blocks back to your house in the dark. I don't want anything to do with either of you." Shay walked a few paces before breaking out into a run across the cemetery.

"I'm not walking home alone in the dark!" Blair screamed after her. "Shay, stop!" Lucy said nothing as she gathered the old journal and the now crushed flower into her arms. "Okay, Lu, I'm sorry" Blair whispered quickly. "I didn't mean it." Lucy resolutely started walking in the opposite direction Shay had gone. "You're not really going to leave me here alone, are you?" Lucy kept walking. "Lu!" She yelled. "What the hell kind of friends are you?" She wailed at nobody in particular. "Well you're not mine, that's for sure! I'm never talking to you again, Lu! You can tell the same to Shay too!"

Lucy hopped over a crumbling tombstone, tears stinging at her eyes. She got the feeling she wouldn't be telling anything to Shay anymore, let alone speaking. She started running, as fast as she possibly could, trying to run from everything that had happened tonight. This was a stupid idea. The large black iron gate loomed ahead of her, yet another obstacle. She ran even faster, stretching her right hand out as she leaped, gripping the top bar to vault her small frame onto the sidewalk.

Lucy was halfway across the street when she heard the shrill scream pierce the night air, as sharp as the lightening. Lucy paused, glancing over her shoulder in uncertainty, before rolling her eyes. "Baby," she muttered, continuing on to the safety of her home.

\\-//

Sam lay sprawled out in the passenger seat of the Impala, hooded eyes staring out the window. The mood within the car was sullen and tension had been with them since the gate had been opened. Sam clenched his hand into a fist and frowned he'd been unable to look at his brother since he'd found out about the deal. He should still be dead. Sam swallowed and shifted in his seat. He was relieved the demon was dead, it was justice for his mother and for Jess, but now he had a new mission… to save his brother. One year, Dean had one year. That familiar sick feeling settled in his stomach as he thought about it. Over the past week he'd been running through all kinds of plans, ideas to save Dean from his fate, but couldn't think of anything. He'd been researching, looking down every avenue, but still Sam had nothing. Anger coursed through him and he bit his bottom lip to keep from yelling at Dean again. It wasn't good enough, there had to be a way out of it. Sam would save his older brother, just as Dean had saved him so many times during his life. Typically, though, they hadn't spoken about it since it happened. Dean seemed to be focused on ignoring the whole thing.

"So, what do we know, then?" Dean asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music. Sam returned his gaze to the newspaper in his lap.

"Um… there have been three disappearances in the past week… Which is a lot for Neah Bay, as the population is around eight hundred" Sam mumbled, returning his gaze to the window. Outside he could see the water and several worn down fishing boats, a light fog had settled making everything hazy.

"The past week…" Dean sighed, "So this is probably one of the demons, then? The ones that got loose?"

"Most likely" Sam said stiffly. "Well you saw the crime scene photos too, those women were literally ripped apart. A human man couldn't have done that, it's got to be a demon." Dean nodded absently, mind clearly elsewhere.

"So this chick is the only survivor?"

"Yes" Sam squinted at the paper before him. "Ella West, she's 32. A tourist up here, she was fishing with her husband and was attacked around the docks. Then a nearby bar caught fire and when all the people evacuated the demon… left I suppose."

"He just gave up?" Dean raised his eyebrows suspiciously "Wouldn't he just drag her off with him?" Sam shrugged. "I wouldn't have thought that a few drunk guys would put him off."

"Well according to the paper she's been severely injured, she's at Forks Community Hospital. It's around 40 miles from here." Sam glanced back out the window.

\\-//

Sam had never liked hospitals, they were cold unfeeling places. People moved quickly through the hallways, and the smell of disinfectant was far too strong. Cringing, he flashed his police badge at the nurse behind the desk.

"I need to speak with Ella West, I've got a few questions to ask her." Sam made his voice sound confident, hoping she didn't inspect the badge too closely. The nurse behind the counter looked hesitant, eyes flicking over his badge as she adjusted her thick glasses.

"Well… Yes, I suppose you can" she mumbled, tucking a loose gray hair behind her ear. "But don't stress her too much she's been through a lot." The nurse paused, "Though I suppose I don't need to tell you that, officer." She rose to her feet, blue scrubs creasing as she moved. "Right this way." Sam turned and motioned to Dean to follow. The nurse walked swiftly, with an air of confidence as she led the way. A few turns and she left them outside a door… a door that looked the same as every other in the hallway, nothing remarkable about it. "The husband is with her." And she left to return to her post.

Dean reached for the handle, twisting it and walking through the door. Dean preferred to be first. The room was small and dimly lit. A single bed lay in the middle of the room, though the figure in it was hard to distinguish. Beside it in a small brown chair sat a man with his head in his hands, his grief radiating off of him in waves. A single vase holding some small flowers sat beside what must have been Ella's bed. Dean got out his badge.

"Ma'am, sir, we're from the--," Dean began starting forward, and the man's head snapped up.

"We've already spoken to the police" he spat. His hair was messy, several days worth of stubble were on his cheeks and his blue eyes had deep circles beneath them. His voice was hushed, and he shot a quick glance toward the still shrouded figure of his wife. "She's resting, come back later." He paused for a moment "Actually, don't bother coming back at all."

Dean shot a look at Sam, this was his part. When the people became upset it was Sam's role to step in and be the calming reasonable voice. Dean couldn't handle human emotions very well.

"We understand that you two have been through a lot," he said softly. "But in order to catch the man who did this to your wife, we need more information." Sam's eyes grew soft with sympathy. A pained look crossed the man's face.

"We've told you everything…" he whispered. "We've answered the questions, jumped through the hoops… just find the man who did this to my wife." The figure in the bed shifted, a slender hand reached from beneath the sheets to grip the man's hand. Even from across the room Sam could see that she was weak, and that simple movement took a lot of effort.

"They're just trying to help" Ella's soft voice rasped. "Turn on the lights, Chris." Reluctantly he shifted, reaching back he flicked the light switch. Harsh yellow light flooded the small room. Sam heard himself take in a sharp breath at the sight of the woman in front of him, and saw Dean's eyes widen with surprise. The woman struggled to roll onto her back; Chris leaned forward quickly to help his wife. She might have been pretty once, her brown eyes were soulful and deep, and her body was tall and thin. However now her head was heavily bandaged, stitches ran along her swollen cheek, one eye was black and swollen shut. One arm was in a sling and as Sam swept his eyes along Ella's body he was hard pressed to find a part of her that was not blue or purple with a bruise. He could tell that both her legs were broken, possibly in several places, and her breathing was heavy and raspy. She smiled at them, though it caused obvious pain, and Sam noticed she had several teeth missing. "Thank you, officers, we appreciate everything you've been doing for us" She choked out, Sam and Dean nodded. "Sit down, please." Both boys sat down in the chairs next to Chris.

"I'm Sam, this is Dean. We just need to ask you a few questions Mrs. West--,"

"Ella, please."

"--Ella. So, this attack took place three days ago?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Do you think you could walk us through what happened?" Dean asked, leaning forward.

"I don't see how forcing my wife to relive what happened is going to help you" Chris sneered, shooting an angry look in their direction.

"I was waiting for Chris to dock, he was out on the Hannah Beth-- our boat, Chris and I fish but I was tired that morning so I slept in and he took the boat out with our friend Joel. It was dark, and cold. I was walking toward where I knew they'd tie up the boat. I could hear footsteps behind me; they followed me for a while. Then I felt a hand grab my arm." Absently Ella brought her right arm to rest across her stomach. Sam narrowed his eyes; there was something wrong with the bruise on that arm. It was in the perfect shape of a hand, even pressure the whole way through. In a normal human, there would be parts where the pressure was greater, and others such as where there would be no bruising at all. Perfect bruising is impossible for a human.

She'd spent hours doing her hair, she looked fantastic. Laughing she tossed her dark hair over her shoulder as she spoke into her cell phone, 'No. Yeah. Really? I can't imagine you blonde; you need to send me a picture. I'm not sure when I'm leaving, but hopefully soon, there's nothing here.' There was a scraping noise behind her, and she turned around quickly, heart beating a little faster. She'd heard the stories of the women disappearing around here…She tugged her denim jacket tightly around her body and continued walking. 'Sorry, I'm here. No it was nothing, just a noise.'

"I was wearing this wool coat, and when I struggled he tore the sleeve straight off. Then he grabbed me again, even harder. He pulled me backwards and I tripped. He dragged me across the ground towards the entrance of an alley. He broke my legs when I started to struggle."

She started walking a little faster, tossing paranoid glances behind her. 'Oh, that's nice. No I haven't heard from him. Well, I did tell him not to call me.' She laughed, a high nervous giggle as she heard footsteps on the jetty. 'No I just got off the boat.' She began to move even faster.

"A lot of my injuries were from when I was struggling and hitting things as he dragged me. That's when the fire happened at the bar. I think the fire startled him, and all these people came rushing out. I crawled across the ground toward them, but because I was so low and they were all so scared I was trampled a bit…" Her voice trailed off.

"Did you see him at any point?" Dean asked. Ella immediately looked uncomfortable, shifting and averting her eyes.

"That's enough" Chris said sharply.

"Ella, this is important, do you remember what he looked like?" Sam pressed, green eyes wide and sincere.

"I said enough, my wife has been through enough, she doesn't remember anything--,"Chris screamed, standing up quickly and glowering down at them.

"Chris," Ella interrupted softly, "I need some water." Christ pursed his lips, glancing over at Sam and Dean.

"I don't think--,"

"Chris, please" she mumbled.

"I'll be back in a minute. If you have any problems call a nurse." He shot a warning look at them and stalked out.

She hung up quickly without saying goodbye, her fingers automatically dialing when a cold strong hand closed around her arm, tugging her backwards with great force. She screamed as she tumbled backwards, her phone flying from her grasp as she felt herself being dragged from the dock.

"I've been around a lot of strong men, with what I do, but I've never felt that kind of strength in a man before." Her voice was low and shaky. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but, his eyes were black, pure black. And there was this… yellow dust underneath his fingernails. And it smelled terrible… And his voice, I couldn't understand what he was saying but his voice sounded wrong." Her voice cracked, tears sprung up in her eyes. "It wasn't human. That night, the devil tried to take me. He tried to drag me to the depths of hell, but I resisted. You cannot catch the man who did this to me, you cannot catch Satan." She sobbed the last word. Sam reached out his hands to comfort her, however Chris came back at that moment. He stood in the doorway, glass of water in hand, eyes bright with rage.

"Get out," he hissed, a dark tone to his voice. Sam and Dean glanced at each other before standing up and heading for the door. Chris returned to his place by his wife's side.

"Thank you for your time, Ella." Sam smiled at her. She sniffled and nodded, smiling weakly.

Dean and Sam walked out into the hallway, heading back the way they came.

"So, what do you think?" Dean asked, looking up at Sam.

"I think it just proves what we've been thinking the whole time, it's one of the demons." Sam sighed, glad they were leaving. "Did you see the bruise on her arm?"

"Yeah… She was lucky" Dean muttered. They were outside the hospital now, Sam tipped his head back and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"So, now what?" Sam flicked his eyes back up to his brother's face.

"Now? Now we go back to Neah Bay and kill that son of a bitch." Dean shrugged, tossing his car keys into the air then catching them, smirking at his brother.

tbc.

Thank you, please review.