The suggestion had been simple: try and get out. Putting his brother's words into practice, however, was no easy feat. Sam reached for another hand-hold, only a foot above the bottom of the pit. The various indentations in the rock were helpful, but not numerous. And most of them weren't large or deep enough to fit a hand or boot.
Worry for his brother made his chest tighten. Sam had seen the Nalusa Falaya almost tumble into the pit with him, had seen it dart away and heard the muted sounds of it entering the tunnel – presumably going after Dean. Three-quarters of him was grateful the monster hadn't fallen, knowing the drop into the natural oubliette wouldn't have killed the agile beast. But the rest of him was filled with terror for his brother.
When he'd told Dean to run, he hadn't meant so that Dean could be a distraction. A blossom of anger unfurled in him as he pushed the tip of his boot into a new space in the rock. If Dean had just gone instead of arguing, he might have got away before the monster had reached the cavern. Sometimes his brother was infuriating.
'Damnit, Dean,' Sam muttered, shifting his hands.
Agonizingly slowly, he climbed up toward the lip of the pit. His muscles burned with the effort of keeping his body weight upright. His unusual height and good physique were normally useful assets on hunts, but here they were proving drawbacks. He impatiently blew a strand of brown hair out of his eyes and eased himself higher up the wall. A glance down showed him he was about five feet up. By his judgement that meant six feet were still above him.
A hollow snuffling made his gaze snap upward. Sam wondered what the hell else could be down here. A thought almost made him lose his grip: did the Nalusa Falaya have offspring? The information they'd garnered from their Dad's friend had been scarce; one of the reasons the boys had elected to play demolitions experts.
The sniffling continued and Sam realised with increasing trepidation that it was getting closer. He held his breath, keeping himself as close to the wall of the pit as he could. Was it possible he could blend in and escape notice? He doubted it, but didn't move.
After what seemed a couple of decades, the sounds began to fade away. Sam looked upward but couldn't see anything to tell him the baby Nalusa Falaya had left the cavern. Desperately hoping luck was on his side, Sam began climbing again. Every now and then he paused and strained to hear more movement. Each time there was nothing but the distant drip of water and his own panting.
His mind swam as he finally reached the edge of the pit. Being knocked out and then climbing twelve feet was definitely not treating his body kindly. Sam groaned from the pain but curled the fingers of one hand over the stone rim. If he could just –
Scree skittered back down the pit as his foot slipped. A yell echoed through the cavern as Sam lost his grip. He felt himself falling, plunging back into the depths of his prison. Then he jolted to a painful stop. Sam blinked, gazed up the length of his own arm. A set of huge canine jaws was wrapped around his left forearm, fangs punching holes in his jacket, shirt and skin.
'What the –' Sam's voice trailed away.
Golden eyes gazed down at him with unnervingly human emotion. The beast backed up, bringing Sam closer to the edge of the pit. He reached up with his free hand and again grasped his chance at freedom. The fangs withdrew and Sam was able to use both hands to haul himself up onto level ground.
He lay on his back, soaked in sweat and breathing hard. Without moving, he scanned the cavern. Searching for the shape of whatever had just saved his life, Sam was astonished to find no trace of it in the gloom. Rolling onto his side, he propped himself up on an elbow. Still there was nothing to see but the airy expanse of cavern lit by tiny holes in the ceiling.
Was I hallucinating?
Bringing his arm to his face, Sam made out the tears in the fabric of his Corduroy jacket. Along with the stinging of pinprick cuts in his skin, he was reassured he hadn't been imagining it all.
So where did it go?
Sam slowly got to his feet, wincing at the tendon pulling in his shoulder. He gazed at the tunnel entrance for a moment before he saw that gap lay beside it. Figuring that Dean would have avoided the tunnel the Nalusa Falaya obviously could move easily through, Sam walked toward the split in the rock. The thing that had saved him was gone, and it wasn't as important as finding his brother.
Sam eased an arm and leg into the slender tunnel … and then realised he couldn't fit. There was no chance of his body sliding entirely through the small gap; he couldn't go the way Dean had led the monster. Cursing his height under his breath, Sam stumbled down the main tunnel.
He'd find another way to Dean.
