Their last hunt hadn't gone quite as planned. They had finally trapped the monster, which they had been hunting, in a warehouse. What the brothers didn't know was that the owner, of the warehouse, had illegally been storing a large amount of fireworks inside of it. Dean had told Sam to stay outside and make certain that the monster didn't sneak out of the warehouse. Meanwhile, Dean had gone into the warehouse to kill the thing. At some point, the monster had ripped out a bunch of electrical wires and started a small fire. Undeterred, Dean had continued hunting and upon cornering the monster in the manager's office, he killed the thing. As soon as Dean verified that the thing was dead, he quickly scanned the warehouse area, from the window in the manager's office, and noticed how quickly the fire was spreading. Not wasting any time, he quickly spied an exit and started towards it. Since the manager's office was at an end of the warehouse where there were several other offices, it had a private exit nearby, which allowed Dean to avoid entering the warehouse floor, where the fire raged. What Dean had not been able to see from the manager's window was where the fireworks were stashed and how close the flames were to reaching the boxes. Dean was just a couple feet from the exit, when the flames reached the fireworks and set them off. The stashed fireworks included small firecrackers and whistlers. But, it also contained mortars and shells, which had been specifically purchased for their very loud bang.
Sam had been outside the warehouse and had positioned himself where he could easily watch two sides of the building. While he focused on watching these two sides, since they had the most doors and windows on them, he would also occasionally check the other sides and make certain that the thing hadn't snuck out. Thankfully, they were hunting in January and fresh snow had recently fallen. This allowed Sam the ability to easily check the area for fresh tracks and had assured him that the monster had not left the building. While patrolling the warehouse's exterior, Sam had noticed a reddish glow coming from some of the warehouse windows. Sam had seen enough fires to know what the glow was from. Concern for Dean had Sam considering entering the warehouse. However, for all Sam knew, Dean might have been the one to start the fire, in order to trap the monster. For now, Sam decided to remain outside the warehouse. However, he quietly decided that if the fire worsened that he would then go in and look for Dean. Since Sam remained outside, he did not know what was stored in the warehouse and thereby, he too had no way of knowing about the secreted fireworks. Sam had observed that the flames had increased some and was debating how he should enter the warehouse, when he heard and felt a sudden explosion. From where he had been standing, Sam had seen part of the warehouse get blown out. Instincts and training had immediately kicked in and Sam had dove for cover behind a truck, before any flying debris had a chance to strike him. Sam lay on the ground and had covered his hands over his head. He lay there for a few seconds and waited for the commotion to settle a bit. However, Sam noticed that the commotion never slowed done. Normally, an explosion is followed by a bit of silence. Not this time. This time, one immense explosion was followed by many smaller ones and many whistling sounds. Sam cautiously raised his head and peeked around the truck. To his amazement, half of the warehouse was still intact. Fireworks could be seen easily exiting through an area where part of the warehouse wall had previously stood. All of the warehouse's windows had been blown out and through many of these open windows, more fireworks came flying out. Sam's chest tightened, as he saw how much destruction had been done to the warehouse. Sam was quick to get to his feet and was evaluating his best entrance into the warehouse. He had no idea where Dean was, except that Dean had been in the warehouse when it had exploded. Concern for Dean's well-being overrode any thoughts that Sam might have had for his own safety. Right then, all Sam wanted to do was to find his brother and to make certain that Dean was alright.
/SN/
One second, Dean was on his feet and headed towards the exit. The next second, he found himself engulfed by a loud, ear-piercing sound and forced to the ground by a powerful burst of hot, sulfur air. He shook his head and tried to get his bearings. Lifting his head, he saw that he was still facing the exit. In fact, the door was no longer closed and now stood welcomingly open. Despite not feeling one hundred percent, Dean placed one hand on a nearby wall and managed to get to his feet. Not sure what had happened but realizing that now was not the time to stay in the warehouse and find out, Dean worked his way out of the building. As he put some distance between himself and the warehouse, Dean was shocked by how cold the outdoor temperature was. He hadn't realized how hot the air, inside the warehouse, had become, until he was no longer surrounded by it. The cold air stunned his lungs and Dean found himself gasping for air, as his lungs adjusted to the temperature change. Dean was bent over at the waist, with both hands on his knees, as he gasped for air. Something was wrong; but, he didn't know what it was. Right then, his focus was on getting air into his lungs without any additional difficulty. While he focused on that, he began to take stock of himself. Fortunately, he didn't feel any severe pain anywhere. Miraculously, by being in the hallway for the offices, he had managed to avoid most of the explosion and the flying debris. Unexpectedly, Dean felt something touch his back. Years of training allowed Dean to immediately react. Without any warning, Dean quickly stood. While twisting his entire body around, his right arm shot back and came in contact with whatever had touched him. Dean's right hand clamped down on it and with the combined force from Dean's body weight and momentum, Dean was able to easily pin his target to the ground. What Dean hadn't expected was to learn that his target was Sam. Quickly, Dean released his grip and checked to make certain that he hadn't injured his brother. Sam's shocked eyes stared up at Dean. Dean saw Sam's lips move; but, Dean heard nothing. After quickly looking over Sam, Dean's attention returned to his brother's face. Sam had a quizzical look on his face and kept moving his lips.
Dean didn't feel up to playing charades and decided to ask Sam a question…
A quizzical look soon appeared on Dean's face, which matched the same look that Sam had on his. Dean had sworn that he had asked Sam a question; but, he hadn't heard himself ask the question.
Dean tried again… Dean still heard nothing. Dean backed away from Sam and frantically began to look around. No longer trying to catch his breathe, Dean was able to realize what had been nagging him. It was silence. Complete and total silence! Dean looked at the flames and fireworks, which were exiting the warehouse and realized that he could not hear the crackles, whistles, and bangs that normally went with them. Dean tried not to panic and tried to rein in his emotions. A pair of hands suddenly came to rest on Dean's shoulders and he found himself looking into Sam's face. Sam's face was full of concern, worry and understanding. Dean placed his hands on top of Sam's and shook his head. Dean still had a job to finish and all that remained was getting the hell out of there. Dean quickly realized where they were in relation to the Impala and immediately headed towards his beloved car.