The Krampus Before Christmas

By Ria

A/N: True to my usual m.o., here's the hurt!Sam. WARNING: This chapter is not so light-hearted and gets a bit dark. If you're squeamish about subjects like cannibalism, you may not be okay reading this part.

Beaignu is my awesome beta for this tale.

THANKS FOR REVIEWS: 13 Is A Lucky Number, sammysmissingshoe, mb64, SPN Mum, reannablue, Sphinxius, KKBELVIS, Ciel Tombe, Autobot-of-Music, weirdiam, cammie, Kas3y

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PART FOUR

Sam's world had narrowed to a kaleidoscope of anger and guilt as painful, repressed memories assaulted his subconscious. He would have thought the attack was just a montage nightmare if not for the sequential order of events and the sensation of an outer force pulling the information from his mind. After hours of having to relive all his worst arguments with Dean and Dad, Sam was definitely ready for the release from consciousness when it came.

What must have been hours later, Sam returned to the waking world, groaning in discomfort. The air was much colder than he would have expected for Cali and although he was unable to see through the inky blackness surrounding him, the earthy smell lead Sam to believe he was underground — possibly a cave or mine shaft. The occasional drafts confirmed his suspicion that some of his clothes had been stripped — t-shirt and sweat pants definitely missing. He stilled, listening for any sign of life in the enclosed space but could only hear his own harsh breathing and the slight clinking of metal anytime he tried to move.

He felt overly stretched, all his weight centered on his shoulders and arms pulled above his head. As uncomfortable as it was, the rest of his muscles felt dead and refused to obey any attempts to move. Sam hung there feeling helpless, attempting to keep quiet. He knew what waited in the darkness — it was a monster he'd confronted before — and was not anxious to face the threat again.

More time passed and nothing happened. Eventually, daylight must have broke over the horizon because his vision started coming back as light filtered into the space. Sam knew from the research he'd done their last encounter that the beast wouldn't return during daylight hours and allowed himself to drift into a fitful sleep, hoping he could recoup some energy to resist whatever Krampus had in store for him the following night.

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The next time Sam woke, he was in a world of physical agony and the shooting pains weren't just from his over-stretched limbs. His body immediately jerked away at a pinching and slicing sensation along his side; but as soon as he did, the chains coiled around his arms and legs tightened until the movement stopped. His skin burned and itched with a ferocity that surprised him but he was unable to comprehend why in those initial moments.

Unable to resist his curiosity any longer, Sam boldly opened his eyes to face a demon he never thought he'd see again. Life just wasn't fair. This wasn't supposed to be happening, he was out of hunting.

Krampus grinned back at the young man maliciously before raking his nails over Sam's exposed abdomen. The jagged edges slashed and poked through his skin, causing rivulets of blood to trickle down into a large cauldron the former hunter had been suspended over. The creature took great joy as Sam tried to twist away again only to scrunch his face in pain when the chains magically constricted, keeping him locked in place.

The beast continued with the torture until most of his captive's skin was stained red, scratches and puncture wounds speckled over the young man's upper body and legs. When Krampus was satisfied with the amount of free-flowing blood, he snapped his fingers, releasing the power holding Sam in the air. The chains stayed tight around the young man's limbs as his body dropped into the massive pot below with a loud splash.

The water was warm, definitely not scalding as Sam had expected and almost soothing against his abused skin. The small fire below must have been ignited just before he woke up. The liquid dispersed the blood from Sam's wounds, turning the cauldron's contents a horrifying shade of crimson.

Sam attempted to twist away when Krampus reached into the vat for him; but there wasn't enough room to move and the creature seized his neck tightly. It hoisted Sam from the twisted broth and discarded him on the floor next to the cauldron. The roasting fire flared up brightly and the former hunter just managed to roll clear without being burned. His action caused dirt to cling at the water droplets on his skin, coating him with crusty patches of mud.

Laying completely still, Sam's muscles tensed as he waited for the creature to advance on him, but no attack came. Instead, Krampus turned his back to the young man, focusing on a table behind the cauldron. For the first time, Sam noticed the bulging sack that had been resting there and swallowed hard, remembering being trussed up in the filthy smelling burlap.

There was a rustling noise as Krampus removed the sack's contents; and even though the beast's massive frame blocked most of what it was doing from view, Sam stared horrified, knowing exactly what was going to happen and powerless to stop it. As though sensing the young man's thoughts, the monster shot him a mocking grin before whirling around to give Sam a full view of its prey.

The little girl couldn't have been more than eight years old, her eyes large and round, filled with fear as a constant stream of tears flowed down her cheeks. Her body jerked as she tried to struggle against the beast's hand which held her suspended by her long blonde locks. Her mouth moved as though screaming but no sound came out, her vocal cords having been numbed by poison just as Sam's were several years earlier.

For the first time in nearly 24 hours, Sam found his voice. "No. NO!" He shouted, desperately pleading with the beast. "Leave her alone. Take me. Please take me instead."

The child's eyes fixated on Sam. Even at her young age, she was able to recognize her only chance for survival. She continued to tremble but stopped struggling, hoping this stranger could rescue her.

Krampus focused his cold, emotionless eyes onto Sam, but did not utter a word. Ultimately, the beast would kill and consume the youngest Winchester, but the man's essence would not sustain the monster's magic. Only the souls of disobedient children would keep his power strong.

With a feral sneer, the beast threw the girl into the now boiling blood broth in the cauldron.

"NOOOO!" Sam screamed, attempting to free himself from the chains once again — he had to get to the girl before it was too late. The chains constricted once more, immobilizing his limbs; but he continued to fight them, grinding his ripped and swollen skin into the dirt floor. Above the splashing of liquid, he could hear Krampus's nasally, victorious laugh.

The child couldn't make a peep as the scalding water seared her entire body. She jerked and spasmed against the heat, causing the red-stained water to to slosh over the rim of the vat, but there was no escaping. Within minutes, her skin turned the same shade as the water she was submerged in and all movement ceased.

Sam watched through blurry eyes as the beast picked up a large wooden spoon to stir his sinister soup. Tears tracked over the young man's dirt-covered face as he panted heavily, trying to keep from retching. The silence was evidence enough that the child was dead and Sam's heart was heavy with guilt — he couldn't save her. This was his fault. If not for him, the monster wouldn't even be in Palo Alto; and if he had kept up with his hunter training, he could have stopped the beast back in his apartment. His father's disappointment had not been misplaced - Sam was a failure and a disappointment.

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Dean sat in the driver's seat of the Impala, head pressed into the steering wheel in frustration as his outstretched hand kept a crushing grip on the golden twig he'd found on Sam's bed. He turned his head to the passenger seat, glancing at the chaotic mess of maps he'd 'borrowed' from the local library. Although Brady had been present during the attack, he didn't have much information beyond the moment he fell unconscious, certainly nothing that would help Dean determine Sam's current location. The area maps were useful and helped him narrow down a few potential locations where the beast could be holed up with his brother — mostly surrounding forests and low population density areas.

He thought about the reindeer antler he had tucked away in the back seat and how unconfident he felt about its ability to take out Krampus. Dean knew from the conversation with his father the other night that there was no solid supporting evidence the thing would even work to trap the beast. With Sam's life hanging in the balance, there was no way the older brother could be comfortable with maybe. He looked hesitantly at the phone for the tenth time within the last half hour.

Dean closed his eyes as their last encounter with Krampus flashed through his mind — Sam over that bubbling cauldron with a look of sheer terror plastered on his face. There was no way in Hell the kid was going through that again, not if Dean could prevent it. Mind made up, Dean grabbed the phone and was dialing out without another thought.

"Singer." The voice on the other line introduced.

"Bobby, it's Dean. Please don't hang up." Dean requested, sounding positively forlorn. Bobby was the only person he could reach out to aside from his father but wasn't positive his friend would help this time. Even though John's argument with the older hunter had been years prior, Dean wasn't sure if time had mended any feelings.

"I ain't gonna hang up on ya son, but let me guess… your father is being an idgit and you need me to pull his ass outta the fire?"

"Uh no. This isn't about Dad." Dean answered. "It's Sam."

"Sam? He's still at school ain't he?"

"You knew? You've had contact with him?" Dean asked in disbelief, feeling hurt that Sam had spoken to Bobby but not himself.

"Yep. He called me on the way to Stanford. Wanted to keep me in the loop about what happened." Bobby advised before continuing, "Guess yer daddy decided to be a real asshole about it. Poor kid was so miserable 'bout the fight. Didn't feel like he had a home anymore. I told him he's welcome here anytime."

Dean was silent for a moment, glad his brother had at least reached out to someone he trusted. "Well, I'm in Palo Alto now. Sam's roommate called to tell me he's missing." He paused, listening to Bobby curse. "You know anything about Krampus Bobby? That's what took him."

"Course I do. Doesn't yer dad?"

"He knew a few things, but nothing I'm confident about. He's not here either. Didn't think Sam would be in danger even though the beast nearly killed the kid the last time we confronted it about three years ago." Dean responded, his tone turning angry over his father's attitude.

"Balls." Bobby swore. Of all the irresponsible jackass decisions John Winchester had made with those boys, this had to be one of the worst. "Okay Son. We got this. Listen up, here's what you're gonna do..."

TBC…

Thanks for reading and please review. *HUGS*