I hope you all enjoy this chapter, the boy were angsting all other place! Let me know what you think!
Please forgive all mistakes they're mine alone.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the wonderful characters that I am taking on this journey.
Chapter 4
Determination
Dean listened as his brother woke up with a gasp and a moan of pain. "Sammy?" Dean struggled to hear an answer from his injuries little brother.
"Mmmmmnnnn... Oh god... Ow" Sam said softly, still not aware enough from waking up from passing out to realise that Dean had spoken to him.
"Sammy? Can you here me?" Dean said again, hoping to get his brothers attention, needing to know he was alright.
"Hhhmmmm? De'n... Is tha' really you?" Sam mumbled, his brain was fuzzy, he thought dehydration and the possible head injury was making him hallucinate.
"Yeah Sammy, it's really me... Are you okay? Dean asked worriedly.
"I'm... I'm not... I don't feel too good" Sam blinked slowly, trying to clear his vision.
"I'm here Sammy... I'm on the other side of the collapsed wall... We're waiting for an emergency search and rescue extraction... So I need you to stay awake... I need you to tell me how hurt you are..." Dean said, hoping Sam wasn't so out of it that he didn't understand what he was asking for.
"Hhmm uummm...De'n?... I... I'm trapped... My legs are numb..." Sam tried really hard to speak coherently. He knew he was not necessarily succeeding but he wanted to try. To not be such a burden on his older brother.
Trapped! Shit that can't be good. Okay so the extraction would have to include digging his little brother out from under tonnes of rock not just from a blocked of part of the cave.
"Alright little brother... What else? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Dean didn't want to think about anything worse than possible leg and back injuries but it helped to hear his brothers voice while he got the courage to apologise.
"Uumm... Everything hurts De'n... I think I must have lost some blood because... I feel light headed Oww" Sam swallowed around his dry crackled lips and tried to clear his croaky voice. "It smells funny down here too De'n... I think there's a gas leak or... I'm thirsty..."
Dean had to strain to hear his brothers voice, trying to keep up with his thoughts though was another matter. The blood loss must be messing with his head. "Alright Sammy, we'll figure everything out..." Dean made a mental list of things to ask Garth once he returned from checking out the alter. His brother needed help, especially if he really was breathing in a possibly toxic gas. He may have less time to be saved than he originally thought.
"Hey hey, Sammy listen to me... I'm going to get you out of there but you gotta do something for me... You gotta try to stay awake ok?... Keep talkin to me Sam alright..."
Dean listened for an answer from his brother but heard only silence. A shuddery breathing came down the line and Dean let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Then he heard something that made hope flair through his chest. "De'n?" his little brother said softly.
"Yeah Sammy, I'm here... You doin okay?" Dean asked gently, eyes glistening with gratitude. He was grateful for a second chance to make things right, after all the hurtful words he had said, pushing Sam away, blaming him for abandoning him when it was now clear that his little brother was responsible for his return. Guilt ate away at him but when he heard the soft voice on the other end of the walkie talkie say his name again, he focused again of his little brother.
"De'n? I'm... I'm awake... Owww" Sam moaned out, then gasped when the pain in his back ebbed down his legs. "I'm okay"
"Yeah, I'd believe you Sammy but you would have to stop saying 'ow'... Your really worrying me little brother" Dean said with as much 'big brother knows best' in his voice as he could muster.
"Yeah... I... Why would you believe me anyway... I... I'm so sorry Dean... I never meant to hurt you... Ah!" Sam cried out as a shower of rocks come down on top of him, covering the torch, dulling its brightness, making Sam start to panic as the darkness crept in.
"Sammy?... Sammy! What's happening, talk to me Sam!" Dean yelled frantically down the walkie talkie.
Garth came running into the cave panting, he was covered in dust "Dean! We have to move, some of the cave is collapsing!" Garth was practically yelling, waving his arms around, in near hysterics. Dean walked over to him and slapped him across the face, jolting him out of it and grabbed onto his forearms.
"Garth! Calm down... I know the cave has collapsed again because I'm having trouble hearing Sam. I think he's running out of time" Dean was anxious that his brother was yet to answer him. "Sammy?!... Sam!, come on buddy" Dean yelled down the walkie talkie, hoping to hear anything from his trapped little brother.
"D'en..." A rattling cough stopped him from saying anything else. The dust was still lingering in the air, his head was covered in dark dust, he shook his head slightly and a cloud of dust came off his head, his face and body were covered in a fine powder making the whiteness of his eyes and teeth doubly white.
"Sammy!... Are you alright?" Dean was both relieved and scared for his little brother, for the millionth time since they had found his brothers location.
Sam considered the answer, besides being converted in dust, the pain from being trapped under tonnes of rock had not been made worse by this latest collapse, but he now had the pleasure of enduring a chesty, rattling cough after breathing in the fine dust that now covered everything. "I'm... I'm okay... I just... I breathed in some of the dust so, my throats... irritated" Sam said they proceeded to cough, his chest constricting when he tried to suck in a deep breath. His ribs protested and he cried out when he felt a rib snap from the pressure and force of his coughs. "Ow!..." He groaned out once the cough subsided and the pain now pulsed along with his fast heart beat.
"What? What's happening Sammy... God! Your giving me grey hairs here" Dean said, listening to his little brothers coughs then scream in pain made his edgy to het in there and drag his little brother out of danger.
"I ah... I coughed too hard De'n... I think I broke a rib" he cleared his throat, trying to delay coughing again. Sam suddenly remembered that his brother had a bottle of water in his duffle and he dragged the bag closer to him so he could see inside it without sitting up. Now that he had broken a rib, if he sat up, he risked puncturing his lungs. Finding the water, he took the lid off but took a breath trying to calm his heart and to stop from gulping down the soothing elixir. He took a sip and allowed the cool liquid to run down his throat, he made a happy sound and he could hear his brother calling his name.
"Sammy?" Dean was on the verge yet again of panicking into a shop allow grave.
"De'n... I found some water in your duffle... It's helping my throat... I'm... I'm fine" Sam blinked to clear his bleary eyesight. He realised his brothers journal was still on his lap. He grabbed it with his other hand as he took another sip of the cool water.
"Alright buddy... That's good. Just stay awake and try not to move around too much alright... We'll get you out soon" Dean said soothingly, even through he felt anything but soothed by his brothers words. He knew now that his brother wasn't keeping things from him, but he thought Dean didn't want to know, or care about what happened to him.
Swallowing down the huge ass bitter pill of guilt for making his brother feel so lost and uncared for Dean let determination to take over as he turned to see Garth, writing in his own journal. "Hey what'd you find?" He asked Garth as his brother took another sip of water and sighed on the other end of the staticky line.
"I found the alter... There are some freaky stuff involved here... We're not dealing with your typical Wendigo man... It... he summoned a ghost and locked them here to do his bidding. I haven't heard of anything like it" Garth shook his head, even after all his years as a hunter, the monsters he hunted never ceased to amaze him.
"Whoa... really?, how is that possible? Do we know who either of them are?" Dean asked, unaware that his walkie talkie was on continuous communication, like Sam's.
"His name is... George Garrett... He... He was in here with me..." Sam said softly, he had listened to what Dean and Garth had said and thought he could help in some small way. Having met the ghost of George Garrett and be threatened to be taken hostage by a monster. "The... Wendigo is his... ancestor"
Dean looked over at Garth smiling. His brother was literally buried under a mountain and he was still helping Dean with the research. "Thanks Sammy... Wait, did you say he was in there with you?" Dean said suddenly aware that his brother was in more danger than he already was. "Are you Okay?"
Dean heard his brother take a sip of the water and swallow loudly. "He... He said I should stay here and he was going to make me take his place... I don't... I don't want to be trapped with that... that monster De'n" Dean could tell his brothers strength was depleting.
"I won't let him have you, Sammy, okay..." Dean promised as he listen as his brother sniffed. "We'll get you out of there and... and when we get you all fixed up... we'll take a break, alright Sammy?" Dean said earnestly, he really wanted his brother to know he was willing to be there for him and to take some time to get to know each other again. He had pushed him away to the point where it was almost irreversible.
Sam blinked to try and clear his vision, his head was full of memories and dreams, visions and hallucinations. It was getting harder and harder to see straight and to know the difference between his true memories and what Lucifer had done to him in hell. He knew some of his darker memories were from his time in the cage. Down there Lucifer had taken great pleasure in torturing him in many different ways, not all of them were necessarily physical. He hadn't told Dean about any of it because he was unsure of how he would react. When Sam had been having hallucinations, Dean had been worried and concerned but all Sam saw was doubt, lack of trust and accusation.
Sam had listened to his brothers voice and drifted in and out of consciousness, occasionally he would hear Deans voice saying his name but he allowed the darkness to take him under its wing.
Dean yelled his brothers name to get his attention until his voice went dry. Obviously Sam had passed out again. It was really starting to worry the big brother, perhaps he was running out of air, perhaps the weird smell was a toxic fume or perhaps he had lost so much blood from his injuries that he was unable to remain conscious for very long. Any of these options were reason to worry and to hope that the cavalry would be there sooner rather than later to help get Sam out of this predicament.
Dean sat down on the camp chair Garth had insisted they bring and began reading his brothers notes to help pass the time. 'Its been five weeks, seven days and eleven hours since the hounds took Dean in a bloody, gory mess and I still can't seem to get his blood of my hands. Everyday I wake up and for a split second, I forget that Dean is in hell for ME and then reality hits me in the guts like a sledge hammer and I have to stop myself from screaming. Tears are a nearly daily occurrence, if Dean were here, he would laugh at me and call me names 'suck it up pricess' he would say. Everything I do and everywhere I go, everything just seems to remind me of him, the smell of gun oil and engine grease, packs of cards, pie, diners, bars, hotels, petrol stations, classic cars and roads... vague reminders, I know but the hole in my chest just keeps getting unbelievably bigger every time I think about him... he's everywhere.
It's getting harder, living without Dean, some days I feel like maybe, I could survive this life, how rewarding it is, saving people, but then I think, none of the people realise that my big brother is rotting in hell and they are living their happy go lucky lives oblivious to monsters and ghosts and demons. Others days I want nothing more than to find the nearest cliff and drive right off into the rocks below. I have never been suicidal, I've been depressed before and lonely, but this feeling I have in my bones, is resignation and finality, like I don't have a will to live anymore. I've come close a few times now to just ending it, pills, gun, knife, each time, I've chickened out or I still had that nagging feeling that Dean was watching me, to do the deed properly or with any conviction. I could never tell Dean I did that, even if he comes back, he would be to disappointed in me. The scars on my arms are reminders of my weakness that he can never see... or know about.
I'm pretty sure if a demon turned up right now with a plan and a promise for revenge, no matter the cost I would gladly jump in front of that train and ride it all the way to the sunset. Dean kept saying that I should move on, that I'd be able to get past his death and live my life. He was monumentally wrong and now there is no going back, there is no way to change it, no one wants to deal with me. I just hope that I at least go down swinging', Dean was shocked and saddened that his brother had felt so low and at the end of his tether that had considered and foreseen his own demise. It made sense now why Ruby got her claws into him so quickly and easily, he was desperate and lonely.
He shook his head and cringed, he had either not noticed or had been so caught up in his own crap that he completely ignored all the signs that something had been terribly wrong with his brother, who had obviously been dealing with a lot more than he could comprehend.
Dean flicked through the notes yet again and found a page were his brothers normally soft curvy writing had turned into heavy, scratchy writing, showing the stress his brother must have gone through when he wrote it. 'Dean and I have finally come to blows, I just couldn't make him understand why I was doing this and now I know just how much he doesn't trust me or my decisions, he made that pretty clear on his voice mail. I understand his feelings, I don't like the way the blood makes me feel but sacrifice is a Winchesters middle name, Dean has sacrificed SO much for me, now it's my turn, my life, my soul... Doesn't even come close to what I owe him.
Dean is probably right about Ruby, I've had a lot of trouble trusting her myself and I still don't really trust her, but I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for him, and I'm not expecting to get out of this alive but the hate I saw in his eyes as I walked out that door, hurt more than anything, and I deserve to feel that and after I kill Lilith, I will finally give him the peace he deserves'.
"Well shit" Dean whispered to himself, then closes his eyes and takes a frustrated breath. He couldn't believe how screwed up this whole situation was and how monumentally he had let his brother down. He had been so mad at Sam, at the angels, demons and at himself. It was only now, years later that he realised that all that anger had been directed mostly at the one person who had the most to loose, his sensitive, guilt ridden, puppy dog eyed little brother. How the hell was he ever going to make this better. Was Sam too far gone? Was this last argument about Purgatory, the last straw, making the ever growing divide between them almost to wide to cross? Was he too late to fix their relationship?
Dean hoped that he could make his brother believe that he really did want him in his life, that he was sorry for what he said to hurt him. Reading Sam's notes gave him some insight into his little brothers psyche now and during some the toughest situations they had ever been in. It was now, more obvious than ever, that perhaps he had let his anger go on for a little too long, he had teased and provoked Sam about all his failings, over and over, never giving him the forgiveness he deserved. No wonder Sam was in such a bad place, he still believed that Dean didn't forgive him for ANY of the bad choices he had made. God! He was such a hypocrite.
Sam groaned awake and hearing the sound of staticky voices arguing. "Deee?" Sam whispered, his throat was dry from the stuffy thinning air in the cave, he had to clear his throat a few times to get any sound above a whisper. "De'n?" He asked a little stronger, the voices stopped then one clear voice came down the line.
Dean grabs the walkie talkie as soon as he hears his brother and waves Garth away. "Sam? It's me, I'm here Sammy" Dean really had to get an inventory of his brothers injuries, he kept passing out and he would wake up was disorientated and in pain. The worry for his injured little brother was in epic proportions. The need to get in there and help him was overwhelming. Wanting to start looking at the collapsed rock wall for any weaknesses or a section where it wasn't as high so he could at least try to at least see his brother and get a better idea of what they were dealing with.
Sam's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts "De'n... I'm cccold" Sam said, sounding like a five year old but making Dean worry even more, he ran his hands through his short hair in frustration, this waiting was excruciating. "You don't have to stay... I'm... I'm Ok De'n" a cold stab of fear shot through Deans already fragile heart at Sam's words, knowing he was the reason Sam felt that his big brother didn't need to stay there for him. "I deserve it... I left you... Tha's what you said"
"Sammy... buddy, I'm not going anywhere... I know you didn't leave me Sam... OK?" Dean said gently, he was adamant that he wasn't going anywhere until the rescue team arrived, and even then he would right behind them on their way to Sam. Dean was hoping that Sam was awake enough to understand him.
"Mmmnn" Sam took some deep breaths through the pain but instead of the relief he had hoped he just felt dizziness wash over him. Hearing a questioning noise on the other end of the line he replied without having to hear the words "I'm... I'm fine De'n... just.. dizzy" Coughing loudly Sam grabbed the bottle of water beside him and shakily guzzled some of the cool liquid, soothing his sore, scratchy throat.
Sam stopped drinking to take a breath and from the first exhale of frosty breath, he knew he wasn't alone in his closed off cave. "Ah Dean... I've got company... It's... It's George..." Sam gasped, trying put his pain to one side and leant back as far as he could as the ghost appeared mere inches from his face. "Hhheeeeelllllppppp mmmmeeee!"
Sam shuddered as the icy breath of the ghost went down his throat, causing him to cough, he felt the chill run right down his throat to his chest making it hard to breath, it felt like he was being frozen from the inside out. "Nnnnooo... Sstop... I can help you... Pplease tell me where you're buried... We... Dean cannn put you to rest" Sam said between coughs and gasps for air.
Dean could hear what was happening through the tinny walkie talkie and it made him want to scream. It was so frustrating that he couldn't help his brother, even though ever since he came back from purgatory, he hadn't exactly been there for his brother. Hearing Sam ask the spector where he was buried was a clever move, his brother was buried under tonnes of rock and he was still getting the job done, so he tried to listen carefully so he could burn the ghosts bones and put it out of his misery.
"I wasssss brought to himmmmm... Heeeee keptsssss mee close" Dean knew that had to mean George was buried in the lair, possibly under the alter. Cursing softly knowing that he would have to go directly into the line of fire and somehow distract the Wendigo enough to dug George up, and salt and burn his bones... Easy!
Sam continued to feel the frost spreading through his chest, causing his breaths to shudder and him to feel a tightness I his chest. "Nooo George sstop! I can, my brother can help you" Sam said desperately, hoping Dean would hear him. His chest was getting tighter and tighter, but as black dots began to appear in front if his eyes, he grabbed for the Deans bag and fumbled blindly for the salt canister, that his brother always had in his duffle, he popped the lid off and swept the salt towards the ghostly figure still right in front of him and George shrieked loudly as he was repelled. Sam fell backwards and took deep gasps for breath, he was suddenly more awake that he had ever been since being buried under all this rock.
Dean paced the small cave entrance like a caged lion, he wanted desperately to just dig his way into that cave and hold his brother in his arms and tell him that he would get him out of there, that he would stay with him until the rescue team dug him out, that he will not leave him alone during this ordeal, he would also let his little brother know that everything bad that he has believed about himself and how Dean feels about him, was not true... Unfortunately he had to take care of a couple of pesky supernatural creatures before he could do any of those things.
Garth returned from scouting the Wendigo's lair, and his plan involved both he and Dean getting into the thick of things to end the reign of terror. Which would require him leaving his brother alone for a period of time, which was not something that the eldest Winchester would be looking forward too but it was a necessity.
"Ah Dean? Can I have a word?" Garth asked timidly, not sure of the reaction to interrupting the brothers from connecting.
"Hold on a second Sammy, Garth wants a word... Don't go anywhere" Dean said with a smirk, hoping he would get some sort of positive reaction. He was not disappointed when he heard a snort of amusement and a mumbled bitchy reply.
"Yeah, Garth... What have you got?" Switching the concerned big brother mode off as soon as he turned away from his brother and turning the professional hunter on in the blink of an eye.
"Yeah, umm I have a plan to destroy this Wendigo and the ghost at the same time... But it's going to need to be coordinated, so... I'll need you on the Wendigo and I'll go after the ghost" Garth cringed, squeezing his eyes shut waiting for the explosion he was sure would come but Dean sighed long and deep and glanced over at the collapsed wall and looked back at Garth.
"Yeah, I figured... I don't want to leave Sammy you know, but the sooner we get this done the sooner we can get Sam out of here, get him medical attention and get the hell out of this town" Dean was seriously considering taking the walkie talkie with him but he would need to concentrate in order to get the job done and he would be distracted if he was continuously worried about every noise he heard coming from Sam.
Dean moved back to the walkie talkie so he could talk to Sam "Sammy? Buddy? Can you hear me?" Dean waited until he heard his brother grunt a reply. "Garth has a plan to get rid of the Wendigo and the ghost but it's a two person job... Do you understand what I'm saying Sam?" Dean asked, hoping that his little brother was coherent enough to comprehend what he was saying, that Dean would have to leave him alone for a while. "I'm going to have to go with him to get the job done... I gotta leave you alone for a bit.. but I'll be back as soon as I can"
Sam took a deep breath and attempted to clear his vision and his muddy mind. He cleared his throat and tried to make sense of what his brother had just said, his mind swirled with flashes of memories of the past and he shook when the clear words came into focus in his head.
The words made sense and as much as he wanted to have his brother there with him, he knew they had to finish the hunt. "Yeah... De'n, I understand"
Dean smiled at his brothers voice, it sounded so sure and yet it sounded like a little kid being told he was going to be left behind. "I'll be back as soon as I can Sammy, we'll get you outta there... Alright?"
Dean had been gone for about forty minutes but to Sam it felt like hours, his mind kept drifting and floating. When he awoke, his mind was clearer and more focused, he was able to sit up and take a few more sips of water, the sooth his dry scratchy throat. He then sat there, trying to take deep breaths of oxygen to stop the tilt-a-wirl in his head and the nauseousness in his stomach. After a few moments he was over the worst and was able to see the dim light that shone down on him from outside through the small opening at the top of the cave. He vaguely realised that if it wasn't for that small hole, allowing precious oxygen to come into the cave, he would probably we out cold by now from lack of oxygen. That being said there was something else that was making his moments of lucidity few and far between, some noxious gas that was making him slip into unconsciousness.
Sam sat there with the bottle of water in his hand when he realise that he could take advantage of the small amount of light coming in and read some more of his brother journal.
Sam touched the soft leather journal with his shaky hands and picked it back up, then started flicked a few pages back and forth, trying to find something he hadn't already read. Then he found a few pages where his brothers writing was heavier and thicker than the other pages and from the first line he knew exactly where in their lives this was from. The year before Deans deal and the painful, countdown to his due date. This was to Sam the catalyst of all his bad choices and the diving rift between the brothers that was now bigger than ever.
'In twenty four hours time I will be in hell... as scary as that thought is, I am glad that Sam will be able to live on without me. He has always been independent, he has never really needed us, so I have no doubt that Sam will be OK without me. He isn't like me, he isn't so wrapped up in this family and so afraid of being alone that he would make any stupid deals or stupid mistakes. Sam will live on, keep hunting and making me proud, I'm sure if it.
I never wanted it to end like this, Sam has been in so much pain, walking around with this wounded, sad, emo look on his face all day, thinking that I'm going to hell because of him, blaming himself and with the deterioration of our relationship, I'm so sad that we have been keeping secrets and lying to each other, our connection has been shattered and I'm so sorry that I've done this to Sam... He doesn't deserve it but he didn't deserve to die either... I just hope that Sam will learn to forgive me and to believe in himself and remember what we mean to each other. I'm really going to miss him, my brainiac, brave, brawny, brilliant little brother'
Sam wiped the tears from his eyes as he remembered that time, the pit of despair he had felt for the twelve long months before Deans deal came due and the numerous sleepless nights, from both never ending research and of nightmares of his brother dying and never coming back, his left over trauma from the mystery spot. There were days then and most notably now that Sam had thought all of this crap that they were wading in, for years now, could have been avoided if his brother had just left him dead when Jake had stabbed him. If he had just taken a deep breath and realised that he could survive without Sam, the black sheep, the odd one out and thorn in their sides.
Sam took a few deep breaths and took another sip of water, trying to squash these feelings down, he had never known his brothers feelings of that time, he had been such a closed book, never showing how scared he was, always trying to protect Sam, to be strong for him. The thing is, Dean never saw what that did to him, how that made him feel like he was pushing Sam away, that he really did blame him, that he regretted making the deal. This was Sam's biggest fear and after everything they had been through, he was surprised and shocked that he had survived this long, that his older brother hadn't just put a bullet in his head long ago and rectified the problem. This however was his depression talking, obviously his brother had found something to hold onto, something to save and he was grateful down to his soul that he did.
Sam leant back to rest, the unexpected tears had taken a lot of his energy and as he lay there, he thought, if he just closed his eyes, just for a second, he would be awake enough to talk to his brother when he came back.
Sam awoke with a start, he opened his eyes and everything was blurry, and his head was swimming like he was drunk, he kept hearing voices but when he would call out, no one would answer. He reasoned the voices were just in his head, they had to be, it had to be his mind playing tricks on him, he didn't realise the ghost had been in there with him, again breathing frosty air in his mouth, through his nose as he lay there delirious. He welcomed the darkness, the warm embrace of nothingness that came with sleep, unconsciousness and death.
Dean and Garth had been stalking the Wendigo for the last forty minutes, as soon as it was far enough away, Dean was going to run like crazy to the alter and start digging up the remains of George Garret and salt and burn his bones and put him to everlasting rest. He would then destroy the alter, breaking any further link that Norman/Wendigo would have the his ghostly ancestor. While Dean was destroying the ghosts bones and the alter, Garth was going to be luring the Wendigo into his trap and burn him to a crisp. Well that was the plan anyway, Dean hoped there were no surprises lurking around every corner.
Garth was crouched on the other side of the lair, near the entrance/exit waiting for the right time to distract the Wendigo and make it follow him. Hew acted his Dean on the other side, behind a large boulder, he kept looking down at his watch, then look back up to keep watch, then down at the watch. Garth knew that he wasn't looking at the time, because it was dim in the cave and you could barely see a metre in front of you, and he couldn't see any hint of luminous dials... That watch must have been a gift and he could only guess from who, however the significance of it was lost on Garth as he had never known Dean to be sentimental about an object...
He had witnessed Deans bitter outburst about his brothers failings, mistakes and less than perfect choices. Garth however also knew of Sam's great sacrifice and devotion for his brother, a secret that Sam had yet to tell the eldest Winchester and Garth had vowed to not reveal it. Dean did now at least have awareness that there was something his brother was keeping from him, not because of anything sinister but because he was uncertain as to his brothers reaction. Unfortunately, not telling Dean had made him think the worst of his brother, something that Garth as an honorary Winchester wanted desperately to rectify. Getting his mind back in the game, Garth took a breath, shaking his head... "Idjits" he whispered.
Dean watched as the Wendigo stalked away from its latest victim, a bruised and battered, blond haired girl, dressed in a aqua coloured track suit and sneakers, was strung up from the ceiling, bleeding sluggishly. He wanted run to her and make sure she was alive enough to save but he needed the signal from Garth first.
He waited for five, ten, then twenty minutes after the Wendigo had left, and from the far corner of the lair, he heard a click, like a cicada and he was off towards the defenceless victim, placing two fingers softly to her neck, feeling for a pulse, when he located one he untied her and carefully lowered her down to the muddy floor and rested her against the wall. He then ran over the the alter and dragged it to one side and took his lighter out, along with the salt canister and sprinkled it liberally on the table, then then the lighter fluid, and flicked the lighter until a flame appeared and was about set the book of spells alight when the ghostly figure of George appeared in front of him, angry and snarling, making him drop the lighter but keep his hold on the book, the ghost moved closer to him again "Whaaaat aaaarrrreee youuuuuu going to do to myyyyy bodyyyyyy?" The spooky voice yelled at a startled Dean.
"I'm... I'm setting you free... Like my brother said, I can help you... Let me set you free" Dean practically begged, he didn't want his brother to die and be forever condemned to haunt this town. He derived to live, to have the life he always wanted.
"Hheeeee won't let meeee leavvvvvve" the ghost said "You havvve to help me or yourrr brother will take my placccccce"
"Okay... Ok, just... Let me do this and I can put you to rest but you have to let me... Get up at least" Dean said, watching cautiously as the ghost moved away.
Dean quickly picked up the lighter and again flicking it to life and moving the flame to the old brittle pages of the book of spells and they burst into flames quickly, so quickly Dean had to brow the book before his hand was burnt, the ghost watched the book go upon flames, but nothing happened, he was still here so he showed his displeasure by pushing Dean with a grunt to the floor on his back once again. "Nothing happened!" The ghost bellowed.
"Yeah! Cause I haven't finished yet! Back off!" Dean yelled, clearly pissed that the ghost was questioning his every move, keeping him from doing his job and away from his brother.
Dean picked himself up and made a show of dusting his pants off, then walking back to where the alter had been, he picked up the shovel he had brought with him and started digging up the hard packed earth. It took him a lot longer than it usually did when he and his brother were digging together which just makes him sad and long to get back to his brother. The feeling of being half empty came back with a vengeance.
The ghost of George Garrett watched intently, moving towards Dean the further down toward his body the hunter got. "Hurrrry, he is commming" George said softly.
Dean's head shot up and quickly looked around the cave searching for Garth and the Wendigo who he was supposed to be taking care of. So much for his so called trap! Dean went back to digging up the bones when he suddenly hit something that made a crunching noise, he quickly dug the rest of the heavy soil away, then the ghost moved quickly towards him, suddenly aware that his bones where exposed. Dean got down on his hands a knees and started brushing the dirt away from the off-white bones, he grabbed the salt canister and spread it liberally over the bones, then squeezed the lighter fluid on top of that, then took his lighter and a book to matches out of his pocket and flicked it on, he looked at the ghost and said "Are you ready to be free?" With his eyebrows raised he waited for a nod of the ghosts head.
When he got the response he was waiting for, he took the book of matches out of his pocket, then moved it toward the lighter and watched as it erupted into flames then he flicked it onto the bones and took a step back. Dean was mesmerised as always by the blue then red hot flames that flickered and crackled over the bones. The ghost watched as his body was covered in flames, looked up at Dean and said "Thank you... Get to your brother... Before it's too late" then in the next second the ghost disappeared with a scream and a cloud of ash.
Dean cheered on the inside, one problem down, one more lethal problem to go. At least Sam would be protected now from the ghost visiting him. 'Wait? Before it's too late?... What the hell does that mean?!' Dean thought, then hurriedly gathered all his things and shoved them back in his duffle, he made sure the alter had been destroyed and the book of spells had been turned to ash. He then ran to the cave entrance and looked outside to see if Garth or the Wendigo were anywhere in sight. He desperately wanted to check on his little brother. The ghosts ominous words playing on repeat in his head, but with Garth doing it solo with the Wendigo, he had to watch the scrawny hunters back as best he could. Shaking his head and any lingering worries about his brother away for now, Dean took the flame thrower out of Sam's duffle and went back to the cave entrance and made the sound that would signal Garth that he could lure the Wendigo back into the cave.
Long, silent minutes past when Dean heard approaching heavy foot steps that dragged as then moved, indicating that the monster was carrying something heavy.
Dean moved back into the shadows when it came even closer then entered the cave, carrying yet another lost camper or hacker over it's shoulder, Dean could hear him moaning so he knew he was alive for now. As Dean moved to follow the Wendigo, Garth came through the entrance, looking a little worse for ware but upright and moving. They cast a glance at each other and followed the Wendigo to where the other victim had been hanging, they both knew once he realised its dinner was no longer where he left it, it would show its displeasure by taking it out on innocent people, so they had to move fast.
After some complicated hand gestures from Garth that Dean couldn't understand and then a single finger salute from Dean, both hunters took up a side each of the Wendigo and took aim, remembering to not aim it at the other hunter or the other victim. Once they both had a clear shot and the creature had put its dinner down, flames erupted and the Wendigo screeched and screamed as it twisted and turned around to escape from the charring heat and to see what was hurting it and to angrily take revenge.
As it turned around, Dean took aim again and fired the flames once again and Garth copied him and fired his flame thrower at it as well, but he took a wrong step and suddenly fell backwards, still with his finger on the trigger. The flames caught Dean on the arm and his highly flammable, cheep flannel was alight in seconds, the heat and pain shot through his arm, thinking quickly he threw his flame thrower down, took a few steps back narrowly avoiding the still screeching Wendigo, and ripped his shirt off as quickly as he could trying to avoid any further burns.
Dean looked down at his arm as Garth checked the now quiet monster and came quickly over to Dean to inspect the injury. "Sorry Dean, my foot got caught on something, I lost my balance. Let me see the burn" Garth carefully held Deans arm and looked at the red and blistered burn that went from his wrist to his elbow. The area smelled of burn hair and flesh. It was a least third degree burns, thankfully, it hadn't gone very deep or Dean would be going into shock right about now but it could definitely do with some .
"It's fine Garth, it doesn't hurt that bad...ow" Dean objected as Garth held onto his arm as he tried to pull away.
"Hey, I need to wash it with some water to cool it down, put some burn cream on it and wrap a protective bandage around it. No objections ya idjit! You'll be of no help to Sam if you don't take care of yourself" he said as he grabbed the first aid kit from his bag and a bottle of water, he poured the water slowly over the burn, instantly soothe the hot ache that had been getting progressively worse, then as gently as he could Garth applied the burn cream and then wrapped the whole area in a white bandage from wrist to jest below his elbow. Dean put his opposite hand on it once Garth was done, the ache was a dull throb now, his swallowed down the pain and focused on his much more injured brother.
"Thanks... We should get back to Sam. How much longer do we have to wait for your buddy?" Dean asked, skipping over the thanks and getting straight back to business. "I don't know how long Sam can hold out, he's struggling as it is..."
"Well, we still have about... Thirty six hours to go..." Garth said the last part with a grimace on his face, waiting for the explosion that didn't come.
"Ok... Umm... We better get back to him then, it's going to be a long thirty six hours... Hey ah Garth?" Dean asked hesitantly.
"Yeah?" Garth replied, a bit taken aback by the change in tone.
"I know you said you couldn't... but I just don't know if... Umm, can you just give me some idea of what Sam did to get me out of purgatory, you said he was the one who... We have thirty six hours... What if... He doesn't make it" Dean hated to even contemplate loosing Sam or that he would give up, especially with all the distance, lies and secrets between them.
"Dean... It's not my place... But look let me just tell you, I was against it... But... Sam said it was the least he could do to get you out..." Garth watched the older siblings face.
"I don't... that made no sense to me... I don't understand what you just said!, what do you mean when you said you were against it... Did you even try to stop him?" Dean said frustrated.
"Yes of course I did, Yeah I tried to talk him out of doing it... He was adamant that he had to do it"
"Okay, so whats so bad about it that he.., or your for that matter can't tell me?" Dean asked, worry, dread and more worry flowing over him.
"I can't... He didn't drink any demon blood or anything like that..." Garth hadn't taken his eyes of Deans face. "He... Just... Let's just say he had to prove himself... It's not my place to say any more... I'm sorry Dean but you'll have to ask Sam" Garth knew that Dean could be extremely persuasive but he also remembered Sam's more aggressive techniques of persuasion... Guilt and sorrow. Garth just could not say no to those sad puppy dog eyes and hunched shoulders.
"Look, I'm sure he'll tell you now, I mean... once you talk to him and set everything straight... He's holding onto to a lot of guilt man... for pretty much everything" Dean and Garth shared a grave look and the older brother nodded his head, making an unspoken agreement to fix their problems! he then picked up his flame thrower and his duffle bag and started walking back towards Sam. Shaking his head with a smile Garth picked up other of the gear bags and started following the other hunter.
The distance was exactly the same but each step he took felt like it took two ticks of the clock instead of one. The agonising pit that had started in his stomach when George's ghost had told him to get back to Sam, was getting louder and more persistent. Charging forward with renewed determination, Dean stalked to the collapsed part of the cave, back to Sam and to try to fix their fractured relationship.
Tbc.
