A/N: So I woke up this morning to an inbox full of story alert adds and favorite adds for Corrupted. I must sincerely say: Thank you. An even bigger thank you for those of you who have commented (Xenascully, BranchSuper, supernaturalrenegade, SPN Mum, and JustShyOfMe). I always enjoy hearing your thoughts with what I'm doing. It gives me the encouragement to keep writing. Here's hoping you enjoy the rest of what I have to offer with this fic. And now...the next chapter!
Sam sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, the effort burning fire through his chest. His throat was raw where he'd been screaming and his face felt swollen as it throbbed dully, as if he'd been hit hard. He raised a shaking hand to his cheek, blinking as painful prickling spread out from where his fingers came to rest. The memory of where they'd just been came flooding back to him. Castiel had raised his hand to kill them, enveloping them in a bright light. He'd never felt pain like that before, not even in the pit.
Fear filled his chest and he pushed himself awkwardly to his feet, forcing his eyes to focus. He had no idea where he was, no idea where Dean and Bobby were. Were they even still alive? Was he alive? Had Castiel actually sent them to some twisted form of Heaven? He looked down at his feet, noting that he was standing in a field of well-kept grass. His eyes continued to scan the ground, looking for signs of Bobby and his brother. He found the later almost thirty feet away, sprawled haphazardly on his back.
Forcing one foot in front of the other, he made his way across the flat field, falling to his knees beside Dean's limp body. Carefully, he gathered him into his arms, collapsing onto his rear as he held his brother tight. Relief flooded through him as he found the older Winchester breathing shallowly. There was still a chance that they were going to make it through this.
"Dean," he managed hoarsely, his voice scratching roughly through his raw throat. He shook his brother's still body gently. "C'mon, Dean. Wake up. We're still alive." He raised his eyes, continuing the search for Bobby as he continued to talk to his brother. They were alive, though he had no idea how and no idea where they were.
He looked down again as he felt Dean grip his arm, his body tensing as he regained his senses and felt fresh pain wash over his body. A deep groan tore from his chest as his eyes fluttered, bringing him fully into the present.
"Oh, God," he wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut.
"It's okay, Dean." He hugged his brother tight, feeling Dean snake his arm around his shoulders and grip into his jacket.
"Everything...hurts." He coughed, shifting more securely into his brother's embrace. "You okay? Where's Bobby?"
"I'm alright." He helped his brother to his feet, keeping his arm secured around his waist for support.
They stumbled together across the field, pushing through the crippling pain that threatened to drag them down again. The need to find Bobby drove them continually forward, their eyes gradually readjusting to the light. Castiel had nearly blinded them.
Bobby's body had found a resting place not too far from them and they fell to their knees beside him, bowing their heads thankfully as they found him breathing as well. They had all survived whatever Castiel had thrown at them. Dean looked up, fresh tears pouring shamelessly down his cheeks as he met his brother's eyes.
"What the hell just happened?" he asked, gripping handfuls of the soft grass, feeling anger and grief shake through him. "How are we alive?" Trembling, he bit his lip, waiting for some sort of divine revelation from his brother.
"I...I don't know," Sam stammered. "Where are we?" He peered around him, discerning that they were in an open field, his vision slowly returning to normal to reveal that the field stretched for miles before disappearing into the woods.
"Beats me." He moved closer to Bobby as the older hunter stirred, resting his hand on his chest to let him know he was there. "Easy there, Bobby." He wiped the tears on his face with the back of his free hand.
"Easy?" came the bitter response. "Feels like I been hit by a damn truck." He blinked sluggishly, finding Dean's face hovering not far above his. "Whaddya want? A kiss? Help me up, son."
"You alright then, Bobby?" Sam queried, taking the side opposite his brother as they hoisted Bobby to his feet.
"Reckon...I been through worse sometime," he grunted, swaying dangerously before he found his footing. "Where the hell are we?"
"Ass end of nowhere," Dean grumbled, turning on his heels to get a better view of what was around them. "There's nothin' for miles."
They stood together for what seemed like an hour, eventually feeling an ease up on the aches and pains that had plagued them since waking. Their breathing came easier as the pain gradually lessened and soon, the thought of walking didn't seem so much of a chore.
"So, did Cas zap us here or..." Bobby trailed off thoughtfully.
"No, I think he fully intended to kill us," Sam answered faintly, still dealing with his own personal demons even as his physical pain wore away.
"How you holdin' up there, Sammy?" Dean asked worriedly, moving closer to his brother.
Sam's hands came to rest on his hips and he shifted on the balls of his feet, shaking his head.
"Can I help?"
"Cas took down the wall, Dean," Sam whispered brokenly. "I...remember...everything." He looked up at his older brother, the lines of exhaustion rimming his tear-filled, hazel eyes. A deep sadness had settled over him and his skin had seemed to adopt an ashen color as if he were desperately ill. "I can...feel...everything." He hid his face in his hands, willing the flood of memories to stop.
"Sammy." Protectively, Dean wrapped his arm around the younger man's shoulders, pulling him against him. He couldn't help but feel guilty now for refusing Castiel; Cas would have taken Sam's pain away if only Dean had said yes instead.
Helplessly, Sam wrapped his arms tightly around his brother, sobbing against his chest. He held to Dean as if afraid he was going to slip through his fingers and leave him there alone, alone to face the memories and the nightmares, leaving him begging for a friendly face, a friendly touch. Even the memories of soulless Sam, who had been with Dean for part of the time that Sam's soul had been in Hell, were no comfort. He felt the guilt of all the harm his body had done, of all the damage he had inadvertently done. He could feel each life he'd taken, each life he'd damaged. Soulless Sam had even almost killed Bobby, his second father, just to protect himself from having to deal with having the damaged soul placed back in his body.
Now they knew that it had all started with Castiel. Castiel had raised Sam from the pit, without his soul. Had it been on purpose? The angel had denied it, and Sam wanted desperately to believe him. At that time, Cas had still been their friend and ally. It was, however, impossible to tell how long he'd been working with Crowley. They knew now he had burned the wrong bones. Had it all been part of the plan?
"I'm so sorry, Sammy," Dean choked, holding just as tightly to his brother. "I shouldn't have let you say yes to Lucifer." He felt Sam's grip tighten through his jacket. "I'm so sorry." His heart broke for his little brother. What he himself had experienced in Hell at the hand of Alastair couldn't be worse than what Michael and Lucifer did to his brother in the pit out of boredom, and Adam was still locked in there away from them, enduring the pain in Sam's place.
Bobby could only watch the two boys in silence, his heart breaking for the both of them. Nothing, it seemed, would ever be okay again.
tbc...
Additional A/N: Check out my friend, Xenascully, if you haven't already. She's running a SPN fan fic convention in VA soon! Check out her page, her facebook page, or xenascully dot com for information. It'll be a blast! (She's also a great writer ~.^)
You can find me on facebook as well! Hope to see you there!
