Thanks to all reviewers of my first chapter. I'm so glad you liked it, and hope you feel the same about this one!
Title:The Game
Genre:Drama/Horror/Angst-all those good things!
Characters:Dean and Sam of course.(It's mostly Dean-centric, but has a healthy dose of Sammy)and some OC's.
Rating:PG13(for now)Rating will go up when it gets more graphic.
Summary:Dean finds himself an unwilling participant in a deranged game of survival.
Disclaimer:I own nothing to do with Supernatural.
The Game
Ch.2
(Sam POV)
Sam rolled over onto his back, yawning and stretching as he sat up in the small bed in the hotel room he and Dean had been using as home base while working on their current case.
He picked up his cell phone laying on the small bedside table and checked the time.
12:43. Sam did a double take at this. What? 12:43?
"What the hell Dean? Do you know what time it is bro? We were supposed to meet that Marilyn woman at 4:00 this afternoon! We'll never make the drive in time. Why didn't you wake me u..."he asked, his voice trailing off when he glanced towards the bed where his brother should have been laying, and found it to be empty.
"Dean?"he asked loudly, looking towards the bathroom door, thinking maybe he was inside.
He quickly jumped up from the bed when he received no reply, not yet in full worry mode, but heading closer in that direction by the second.
"Dean?"he repeated, knocking on the bathroom door, which swung open from the force of his knuckles rapping, revealing it to be empty of everything except the shower, sink, towels, and toilet that were customary to the room.
"Okay Sam, just don't get upset."he said aloud to himself, taking deep breaths to calm the hammering that was taking place within his chest."He probably just decided to go see Marilyn alone and let you sleep. There's no need to panic, he'll be back soon."
While telling himself this, he was simultaneously pulling on his jeans and shirt. After succeeding in doing so, he walked towards the door leading to the outside, and the place where Dean had left the only woman in his life, his Impala, parked the night before.
"You're going to open this door Sam, and see that his car is gone, and then when he gets back, you're gonna kick his ass for leaving without telling you, or at least writing a note or something."
Before he even opened it he knew what he would find, a feeling of dread had settled deep into the pit of his stomach to keep his hammering heart company.
Dean would never leave him to sleep while he went on a investigation, and if for some odd reason he had chosen to do so, he would have left a note. He knew Sam would only be worried about him, and Dean didn't like to see his little brother worried.
Not to mention the new case they were supposed to be taking on was about a 5 hour drive away. It would have been pretty dumb to drive all the way there, and then come back just so Sam could catch a few extra hours sleep.
"Shit!"Sam exclaimed when just as he'd suspected, Deans car was exactly where he'd parked it last night, and went back inside slamming the door shut.
"Okay Sam, what do you need to do here? You need to see if his wallet and keys are here still."he answered himself, walking over to his brothers match to his own bedside table, and saw to his horror that Deans cell phone, wallet, and car keys were still laying where he'd tossed them the night before.
Backing slowly from the table in disbelief, Sam tripped over something and barely saved himself from smacking his head into the very table he was moving away from.
"What the hell?"he muttered, looking to see what he'd tripped over.
Shoes, well boots to be exact.
Deans boots.
For some reason or another seeing the boots Dean had been wearing the day before hit him harder than anything else he'd encountered thus far, and the seriousness of the situation struck him with the force of a Mack truck.
Someone or something had taken his brother in the middle of the night. Right out from under his nose, and he'd slept through it.
He guessed that whoever had done it must have drugged his brother or he would surely have been awoken by the sounds of a struggle. From the looks of things Dean hadn't put one up though, and Sam knew Dean wasn't one to go out without a fight.
But who had done it? And why?
Sure they'd just finished a job here in town, but it had been an easy one, and they'd managed to for once, not piss anybody off in the process of doing so. Or so it had seemed.
Sitting down and pulling on his shoes, Sam then stood and walked over to grab the discarded keys from the nightstand, along with his brothers cell and wallet.
Pulling on his jacket, he exited the room, got in the car, and headed out to do the thing that normally was a major no no when it came to the Winchesters.
He was going to the police, because he had no idea where to start in looking for Dean. So maybe, just this once, it was exceptable to get a little help.
He just prayed that whoever had taken his brother wouldn't kill him before they found him.
Pulling into the parking lot of the local law enforcement center, Sam pushed those negative thoughts aside.
If there was anybody who could take care of themselves in extreme conditions it was Dean.
Pulling on the handle to the door, Sam walked inside, and stopped in his tracks when he saw the amount of people that were in the office.
Making his way to the desk, moving through the group of people, he was greeted by an officer with a dour expression on his face asking him,"Yeah, what can I do for you young man?"
"Um...My name is Sam Daniels, and my brother Dean and I have been visiting in your town for the past week or so."
"Uh huh. And?"the officer asked, peering over Sam's head at the group of people in the lobby.
"And, I woke up this morning and he was gone. I know the whole rule about someone not being considered actually missing until they're gone for 24 hours or something like that, but I assure you. I know my brother and he wouldn't just up and leave me. His shoes were still there. Who runs off without taking their shoes, wallet, or car? You have to believe me when I say I know someone has taken him."Sam said emphatically, his hands splayed on the front of the desk as he leaned in closer to the officer.
"Oh, I believe you son."the officer said, his whole demeanor changing after hearing Sam's rant.
"You do?"Sam asked, slightly disbelieving the fact that the police would be so easy to sway.
"Yeah, I do."the man answered with a slow nod before calling out to another officer who stood out in the lobby, with the small crowd gathered around him."Bill! You might want to come back here for a minute, we've got another one."
"Another one?"Sam asked, his eyes furrowed in confusion as the other officer made his way towards him."What do you mean?"
"What I mean is you're the seventh person to report a disappearance since this morning. All taken in the middle of the night right out from under the noses of their friends or families."
"You're kidding me right?"Sam asked his with a distrustful look, thinking maybe the man was just screwing with him.
"Do I look like I'm kidding you?"was the officers solemn reply.
The other officer had by this time reached Sam, and placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
"I'm Detective Bill Campbell."he said when Sam turned towards him, and held out a hand, which Sam grabbed and shook firmly."I'm in charge of this investigation, so please, tell me what you found this morning and give me any information that you think might be related to the disappearance of um...?"he looked at Sam questioningly.
"Dean, my brother Dean."Sam answered, a look of impatience on his face as he stared at the occupants of the lobby, who he was eager to talk to.
"Okay then, tell me everything that you remember that might be relevant. Don't leave out the smallest insignificant detail, but first I need a description of your brother."
"I want to talk to them."Sam stated, a look of determination on his face, still staring at the family and friends of the other victims.
"What's your name son?" Bill asked him, staring hard at his face.
"Sam."
"Okay Sam. I want you to hear what I'm saying, so listen real closely. We're the police, not you. So just trust in us to figure this out. I assure you we'll do all things in our power to insure the safe return of your brother."
"Oh, I trust you sir."Sam replied truthfully."But, I want to help."
"And you can, by telling me anything that you remember. Okay?"he asked Sam, who was still looking distractedly over his shoulder.
Sighing, Bill moved to where he stood directly in Sam's line of vision, blocking his view of the lobby."Tell you what, you tell me what I need to know, then I see no reason why you can't talk to the others, but that's all you're going to do. Understand me?"he asked, giving Sam the typical cop stare that signified he meant business."This is a police matter, and you'll let the police handle it"
"Yes, I understand."Sam said, crossing his fingers behind his back as he added,"I just want to know their stories, so maybe I can better understand whats going on. After that, I promise not to get in the way."
"Good, now that's settled, so start talking."Bill said, pulling out his pad as he stared at the solemn faced young man.
Bill was a good judge of character, and he didn't believe for a minute that this Sam kid would do as he'd promised, but he'd burn that bridge when they came to it.
Hearing Sam start talking, he started writing.
(Dean POV)
"Is it safe?"Casey asked, staring tentatively at the door that now stood open on the other side of the room.
"Safe or not, you heard what that dude said."Cole replied before anyone else had the opportunity."If we don't go in there, he'll probably gas this room up and kill us. At least if we attempt to play along with his little game we might have a chance to survive."
"I hate to say it, because generally teens are punks who only want to cause trouble, but I agree with the boy."the black man, who had told them his name was S.J, said, while moving slowly towards the open door.
"Me too."Mickey growled out."I'd rather take my chances with a couple booby traps than be gassed."
"All those in favor of playing this stupid psychos game, raise your hand."Casey, the young woman with glasses, said half-jokingly, raising her hand as she spoke and waving it in the air.
Marty, S.J., Dean, and Corey each quickly put their hands up, and Mickey said,"I just said I wanted to go, so I ain't raising my damn hand. What is this elementary school?"
"Rose?" Casey asked, giving the older black woman a questioning look.
"I agree also, but Katie doesn't want to go."she replied helplessly, hugging the crying child tightly.
"So what? She's a damn kid."Mickey said with a disgusted shake of his head."She don't count. She goes wherever we tell her to."
"I w-wanna go h-home!"the girl wailed."I want my... b-bed and my m-mom."she said between hiccuping sobs.
"Good god kid, suck it up and shut it up."S.J. Muttered.
"I wanna g-go home!"she sobbed even louder after his uncaring words.
"I say we just leave her in here. At least if she gets gassed we won't have to hear her damn sniveling any more."Mickey commented jokingly, but since it came out in the same tone as when he was serious, nobody picked up on the joking part.
"What the fucks wrong with you man?"Dean asked, angrily approaching the much bigger man with his hands balled into fists at his side."Why would you talk to a scared little girl like that?"
"Captain hero to the rescue."Mickey replied with a sneer, not looking the least bit intimidated by Dean."Anyway, I was just kidding."
"I think we need to make a decision soon people."Marty spoke up."Before he decides that we're not going to go along with his craziness, and just go ahead and gas us."
"You all go ahead, and me and Katie will be along shortly."Dean said suddenly, walking over to where the girl now sat huddled in the corner, head buried in his knees.
"Are you sure? Maybe we should all go at the same time."Rose said, looking uncertain as to whether she should abandon the child into the hands of a young man she really knew nothing at all about. Not that she even really knew about the girl either, but this was different.
"Go Rose. I promise we'll be there in just a minute okay?"Dean said, a hint of annoyance in his tone."She's safe with me."
"Okay then."the woman agreed, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt.
After that, one by one, each member of the group hesitantly entered the next room until the only remaining people were Dean and Katie.
"Hey Katie."he said, crouching down in front of her."I want you to look up at me for a minute please."
"No."came her muffled reply.
"Aw, come on. Just for a sec, please."he repeated.
"What?"she asked after she finally lifted her head and peered at him with tear filled eyes.
"I want you to come with me and the others into the next room where it will be safer."he stated softly.
"I don't wanna. What if the bad man from the TV is in there waiting on us?"she replied with a quick shake of her head.
"He won't be. I promise."Dean said with a grin."He's too chicken to face us alone, that's why he was on the TV and not here. Believe me, I know a puss...um I mean a chicken when I hear one. So will you come?"
"You sure he won't be there?"she asked, looking at his suspiciously.
"Positive. As a matter of fact I doubt we'll ever actually see him, so hows about you and them cute little Scooby pj's come in there with the rest of us?"he asked, giving her his most persuading smile, hoping it worked as well on little kids as it did adults.
"Well, ok."she agreed reluctantly a moment later, grabbing the hand he'd held out to her and standing up."But if he is in there I'm gonna be really mad at you for fibbing."she added seriously.
"Fair enough."Dean said with a smile before turning around and crouching down, saying."Hop on."
"Yay, I love piggy back rides, my daddy gives them to me all the time."she said, giggling happily, then asked him as they went towards the door to the next room."You think my mommy and daddy will find me?" her tone now serious.
"Of course they will."he replied with a nod of his head, hoping she'd buy his show of confidence since inside he really wasn't feeling it ."But...until they do. I want you to try and act like a big girl alright? No more crying, ok?"
"Okay."she agreed, putting her arms around his neck and hugging him from behind as she asked,"You know what Dean?"
"No, I don't know what, but I bet you're about to tell me aren't you?"he answered with a chuckle.
"Yep, I sure am. I like you Dean, you're really nice and you remind me of my big brother Kevin. One thing though, but you can never tell him I said it. You're a whole lot cuter though, he's got some big ole ears."she added in a lowered voice.
"Well Katie. I like you too, and I promise I'm gonna take care of you while we're stuck in this shit hole..uh...excuse my language, I meant to say poop hole."
"Like I've never heard any cussing before."she said indignantly as they entered the next room."I'm not a little baby you know."
"Well, excuse me."he said sarcastically, while staring around at the small room they'd entered.
Dean knelt down and Katie jumped off his back.
"You feeling better now sweetheart?"Rose asked with a warm smile as she moved to stand in front of the girl.
"Yes ma'am. I'm fine now."the girl replied.
"Katie, you stay here with Rose while I go help the others look for the key." Dean ordered, knowing the girl would do as he requested."And don't move or touch anything okay?"
"Gotcha."she said, giving him a salute and then grabbed Rose's hand.
"Well, doesn't seem like it should be too difficult to find the key."he remarked, walking over to where Marty and S.J, were in the process of searching some cabinets.
"It seems that way, yes."Marty agreed, a troubled look on his face as he finished his search, coming up empty handed.
"This room is no bigger than my bedroom."Cole piped in, from across the room where he was looking beneath the pillows on a dingy couch.
The room was only about 25" x 30" and the only furniture in it was the dingy couch, a equally dirty chair with the stuffing coming out, and several book cases, so there wasn't too many places that the guy could have hidden the key. Yet, they still hadn't found it.
"How we doing on time folks? Or does anyone even have a watch to tell?"Dean asked from where he was now knelt on the floor, pulling up a corner of the once beige, but now dirt red colored carpet to look beneath it.
"We've got about 15 minutes left."Casey answered, looking at the small watch that had miraculously been left on her arm.
"Then I suggest we hustle unless we all want a gas cocktail."Dean replied, yanking the carpet up from the floor to reveal the nothingness beneath it."Shit! Where the hell is it?"
"Ooh! Eureka!"Casey yelled suddenly, pointing at one of the most obvious places in the room."There it is!"
"But..it's in the door. Why would he put the key in the door for us?" Dean asked, staring dubiously at the doorknob.
"Well, maybe since it's only the first room he made it easy."Casey replied with a shrug as she reached to turn the key.
"I don't know if I'd do that honey."Rose spoke up quietly.
"Why not? If you want to stay in here and wait around to be gassed, then be my guest, but I for one am outta her..." she didn't get to finish her sentence because at that second, just as she turned the key, a panel opened up in the ceiling over her and something that resembled a attic door swung out and towards her before she could move. Not seeing what had been on the side of the door that had actually struck her, Dean, Marty, and SJ ran over to her, Corey trailing closely behind
"Holy shit!" SJ exclaimed, turning his head to vomit when he saw that the girl had been punctured by a bunch of small steel spikes that were attached to the side that had hit her. Blood running from her mouth as she stared at them with the one lifeless dull eye that had been lucky enough not to have been popped as the other had.
"What happened? Is she alright?"Corey asked, moving towards them.
"No, she's not, and believe me kid when I tell you that you don't want to see it."Marty said, grabbing him by the shoulders and stopping him mid-step before he could reach the door.
"Dear god."Rose muttered, stroking Katie's hair. Amazingly enough, the child, though saddened by what had happened, was not crying. She just looked at the side of the door that was only flat with solemn blue eyes.
"What are we gonna do now about getting out?"SJ asked after regaining his composure."That door is the only one in here, so if she's blocking it, what do we do?"
Dean, who was crouched down, leaning against the wall, while running a hand through his short hair, spoke up.
"Well, we're just going to have to move her out of the way."he said, standing up with a sigh.
"And just how do you propose we do that?" Mickey asked."Looks to me like that thing is pretty solid, which also means its pretty heavy."
"True, but see how it's on hinges? It swung down and hit her, so if it swings down, then we should be able to push it back up."he replied, staring thoughtfully at the paneled ceiling where it had fallen from.
"I ain't touching that thing."SJ said with a shake of his head.
"Oh really? So you'd prefer the alternative?"Dean asked incredulously."How long do we have now until the gas gets released you think? 5, 10 minutes if that long?"
"I'll help."Marty said, walking over to the side opposite where Dean stood.
"Lets do this."Mickey said, leaning over and gripping the bottom which had about an inch or so separating it from the floor.
"Alright, heres the plan. When we lift this thing up, Cole, you open the door. Then the rest of you go through into the next room. Then when everybody is safely in there, we'll let it fall back down again. Got that?"
"Yep, sounds good to me."Mickey replied.
"Okay then, everybody ready?" Dean asked.
They all nodded.
"On three then. 1,2,3, lift!"he ordered as he and the other two men pulled on the heavy steel door, hearing a sickening mushy crunch sound as Casey's body was pulled from the door leading out, stuck tight to the spikes in the steel one.
After what seemed like forever, the three of them got it lifted far enough up to allow room to gain access to the other door.
"Go now Cole."he ordered.
The teen looked hesitant to walk beneath the hanging body of the woman at first, but finally he gathered his courage and rushed forward, grabbing the blood slicked handle and turning the key the remainder of the way simultaneously, letting out a cheer of victory when the door opened.
"Okay, Rose, you and Katie go next. Cover your eyes Katie and don't look up okay? Just let Rose lead you through."he said to the girl, who nodded and placed both hands over her face.
They safely passed through, then SJ started forward.
"Get the watch off her arm before you go through."Dean said to him before he could exit the room.
"No way. I'm not touching her."the man said vehemently shaking his head.
"Don't you think we need a way of knowing how long we have in each room you dumb ass?"Dean asked the much bigger man angrily while he strained to hold the door up.
"I said I ain't touching her. You want the watch, you get it yourself."
"Listen up you pussy fucker."Mickey growled through clenched from where he held the bottom of the swinging door up."You do what he says right now or it won't be gas and booby traps that you have to worry about killing you. And thats a promise."
"Fine."the man said after a small pause, deciding it best not to give Mickey the opportunity to do as he threatened, and with a disgusted look on his face walked over and unpinned the arm that had the watch on it, trying not to look at the body it was attached to in the process. He then quickly removed it and dashed through the door.
"You next Marty."Dean said to the older man.
"Can you two keep the door up without me?"the man asked hesitant to release his hold on the heavy door.
"Don't worry about that old man."Mickey answered from where he stood."I could hold it alone if I had to."
"Go."Dean said to him again, and without hesitating again, Mickey let go and dashed through the doorway into the next room.
"Alright Mickey, your turn."
"Are you smoking crack pretty boy?"the muscled man asked with a deep chuckle."As soon as I were to let this go it would fall and you'd be trapped in here."
"No, I can hold it."Dean argued.
"My ass. Now you go first, and no more arguing cause I ain't moving till you're through that doorway."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, now quit stalling and go."he answered.
Dean reluctantly let go and walked through to the next room.
True to his words Mickey held the door up easily alone, and when he saw Dean had made it safely, slowly walked his hands along the underside of the trap, using the womans body for leverage until he too entered the next room, and then let it loose. Allowing it to fall back down with a loud bang, he closed the door behind him so no one would have to look at the body still pinned to it.
"Well, one down and who knows how many to go." Dean said with a sigh." So lets get to looking for that key people,but be careful because now we know Mr. Bush was serious about the booby trap thing."
TBC
What do ya'll think? Was it okay? Please R&R!
Next chapter: Sam tries to get to the bottom of his brother and the other missing peoples disappearances, while Dean and the others try to stay alive. Lots of angst, blood and surprises to come, so I hope you all keep reading.