Title: Down in the Underground
Author: Disasteriffic Kaz
Info: Post 2x03 "Bloodlust" Sam and Dean are called to Oregon when a reputed haunted underground suddenly becomes lethal but things are never quite what they seem. Hurt/limp!Sam and Dean some angst/protective/comfort and brotherly bonding
Author's note: Ok these chapters may seem a bit short but I have seven of them written out already and working on the eighth. LOL So there wont be long waits between updates on this one. Hope you're all enjoying so far! I've got a few twists. Heh.
Do please Review once you've read. :D Every comment and vote of support helps keep me writing. Not to mention if I've pooched anything, someone can always tell me. :P
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Dean chuckled. He pulled out his FBI badge and flashed it at the stringy haired man behind the counter. "Agent Stokes. My partner Agent Sanders. What room is Mrs…"
"Millie Greeling." Sam supplied, stepping up beside Dean.
"Oh, um… Mrs. Greeling is in room 410." The Manager nodded.
"Thanks." Dean looked around and groaned when Sam pointed to the stairs. "Invest in an elevator, man." Dean groused and followed his brother's long stride.
Despite his complaints, Dean managed to outpace Sam and reached the fourth floor first with a satisfied grin. Dad being gone didn't mean training stopped and that thought sobered his good humor. It was still too close, too painful. He shoved it down deep and strode out into the hall and to room 410. He rapped his knuckles on the door as Sam came up next to him. Dean stepped back quickly and drew his gun as the door swung open an inch.
"Shit. That can't be good." Dean breathed. He saw Sam draw his own and then nudged the door open with his foot. "Mrs. Greeling?"
CHAPTER 2
"Lights." Sam warned and reached over to flick the switch. They popped on, not bright enough to blind them and showed a comfortable room with what would have been cheerful colors if nor for the dead woman at the foot of the bed and the spray of red across the lacy quilt.
"Dammit." Sam knelt at the woman's head to check for a pulse and found her throat opened wide instead. "Ghost?" Sam asked, looking around warily. Dean pulled his EMF meter from his pocket and turned it on. He shook his head when it only hummed faintly.
"Not this time. Pretty sure this was all human." Dean tucked the EMF away and his gun. "Man I hate people."
"You do a quick search." Sam put away his gun. "I'll go get the manager to call the cops."
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"Well that was a monumental waste of time." Dean slapped their cabin door shut behind them and went to put the beer he carried in the little refrigerator. "Good thing Bobby was manning the phones. I don't think that Sherriff believes us for one second."
Sam took one of the beers Dean held out and dropped into the chair. "I don't get why anyone would kill her. I mean, her husband was offed by a ghost." He shrugged and took a swig of beer.
"Dude, people are crazy. You know that." Dean shook himself like a dog. "People are scary. You never what they're thinkin."
Sam nodded. He vividly remembered his time in the Bender's cage and his absolute shock that they were just people. At least with the supernatural, whatever the flavor, you usually knew where you stood.
"I got a copy of the report from the Sherriff's deputy." Sam laid it on the little table and flipped it open. "Witnesses said they were in the Card Room when whatever it was happened. The accounts are pretty much all over the map except for no one seeing the guy get capped by Casper."
"Card Room huh?" Dean smiled. "Think we oughta take the tour tomorrow."
"I think so." Sam nodded. "There's over seventy miles of tunnel under this town."
"Oh well that's just awesome." Dean groaned. "Lemme guess, ninety percent of them are closed to the public and no one's got a damn map."
Sam smirked. "There are maps. They're a little out of date with tunnel collapses and the like." He finished his beer and stood. "I'll find one tomorrow. I'm turning in."
Dean watched him rub carefully over his healing arm and frowned. "You need anything for that?"
"No, it's fine." Sam shook his head and headed for the bathroom. He didn't feel like a pain killer induced sleep.
"I'm checking it before you sleep." Dean said firmly and raised a brow inviting Sam to argue. Sam sighed instead and shut the bathroom door. "Good boy." Dean smiled.
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The next day dawned cooler than the one before and a heavy fog had drifted into town from the Blue Mountains. Water droplets clung to everything in a fine mist. Dean wiped his eyes clear, only able to see a few feet in front of them and pointed as a large sign loomed up out of the white.
"Guess we're going the right way." The sign said 'Pendleton Underground Tours at end of block' and a huge hand pointed to their left.
"Subtle." Sam smiled, following his brother. "Maybe the pea soup'll keep most of the tourists inside and out of harm's way." He hoped it would as sooner or later someone else was going to get hurt or die.
"Ah hell." Dean groaned. "Not likely." Ahead, though they couldn't see them yet, was the sound of a dozen or so voices chatting and laughing.
"Great." Sam rolled his eyes.
"Gather round everyone!" A woman's voice called loudly as the neared enough to finally see the gathering of people. There were a dozen or so and a woman standing on a crate to get their attention. "So glad so many of you could make it out today." She smiled widely; white teeth, blue eyes and blonde hair above a tanned face and a trim body that Sam couldn't help but admire.
"I'm Liz. I'll be your guide today." She pointed to the underground entrance beside her. "Everyone please stay together. No wandering off. Cell phones have no reception down there so if you DO get lost, shout or bang on something and we'll come find you. If you'd all head down the stairs and gather in the lobby we'll get started!" Liz watched her charges file down and out of sight and her gaze lingered on the two tall men bringing up the rear. Both were mouth-watering but the taller of the two made her heart skip a beat with his head of shaggy, dark hair and soulful hazel eyes. For once she was going to enjoy giving this tour.
Dean watched the attractive your guide take him in a little smile and then go wide-eyed and dry mouthed over his little brother. He chuckled softly as they descended the stairs and he elbowed Sam. "Dude, you see the way she undressed you up there?"
Sam groaned. "Come on, Dean." He hissed because the woman, Liz, was right behind them.
"Well he's not wrong." Liz stepped between them, blushing deeply and tilted her head up to Sam. "I'm Liz. Oh but I already said that…um…oh hell." She rubbed both hands over her face while Dean smother a laugh and left them on the stairs.
"I'd love to…go out some time. You know, coffee or something." Sam said shyly. "If that's what you were going to say."
"Oh it was!" Liz smiled up at him. "Good! Uh…tour." She giggled and raced down the stairs, leaving the sweet scent of Lilacs in Sam's nose.
"Hurry up, Romeo!" Dean called back to him.
"Such a child." Sam met him at the bottom and saw the still flushed face of Liz as she gathered her charges and led them into the first tunnel.
Each room Liz led them too was decorated for the time period; vintage furniture, worn rugs and tapestries, even appropriately dressed dummies in various poses. The old Chinese laundry was a little suffocating, cluttered with hanging bags and the powerful scent of soap. It made Sam's eyes water though as he turned to mention it to Dean, his brother looked just fine. In fact, no one seemed to notice the odor but Sam. He took in several lungfuls of clean air as they left it behind.
The next chamber was once a speakeasy. An old Mahogany bar sat diagonal across one sloping wall with a stained glass mirror. Sam rubbed his eyes as flashes of color shot across his vision. For a second his head swam and he leaned into the door. A whisper in his ear made him jump.
"Hey. You ok?" Dean had his arm and was searching the area around them for a threat.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ok." Sam rubbed his eyes again. "Must be getting a migraine. It's nothing."
"Uh huh." Dean studied his brother's pale face and frowned. "You sure about that?"
Sam smiled, trying to reassure him. "It's nothing."
"Yeah well lately your 'nothing' is usually something so how about you stay where I can see you?" Dean gave him a soft push and followed at his back.
The tour was moving into the next tunnel and as soon as Sam stepped out of the bar, he instantly felt better. The lack of floored lights in his vision was such a relief he swayed.
"Ok that's it." Dean said fiercely and steadied him. "We're leaving."
"Dean." Sam glared at him. "I'm not a kid and I'm fine. Ok, something weird was happening in that room but it's gone now."
Dean's anger simmered with the need to stay on the hunt and keep Sam safe at the same time. "Dammit." He watched the last person turn a corner up ahead and slapped a warning hand to Sam's chest. "Anything else hinkey happens and I mean anything...you see a rat doin' the damn riverdance, you tell me."
Sam smirked and then chuckled. "I see that I'm getting out my camera. Come on. We're getting left behind."
Dean followed him with a growl. They jogged down the poorly lit tunnel to catch the group and stepped into the next room in time to hear Liz announce they were now standing in the Card Room. Dean and Sam raised their brows at each other in surprise. They'd expected it to still be a crime scene since no one knew yet what or who had shot the late Millie's husband. There were several small tables, square and round, spaced through the room. Each was occupied by several dummies dressed as cowboys sitting round them with cards propped in their hands and fake booze on the table. An overhead light hung from the beamed, earthen ceiling and as Sam watched, it began to sway. The colored lights came again and Sam stepped back into Dean.
"Hall." Sam said softly, dropping his pounding head into his hands while Dean took his arms and led him the few steps outside the door. Liz's voice went on behind them about gamblers and guns.
"Sammy?" Dean pried his head up for a look. Sam was white as a sheet and broken out in a fine sweat.
"Not a migraine." Sam wrapped both hands across his head as it started to split open, or felt like it was. "Dean…"
"Son of a bitch. It's a vision?" Dean asked and got a short nod before Sam's legs went out from under him and his eyes opened wide in that sightless stare that Dean both hated and was afraid of.
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To be continued…