Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: Crappy humour? Well, I think it's crappy. But hey, there's no swearing… I think…

Author's Note: Sorry there was no post last night, but life called. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed so far. You make my day!

Chapter 4: Waking to the Unknown

Sam woke slowly to a pounding head and hushed voices. He couldn't open his eyes; they felt too heavy at that particular moment. But he could hear. As he moved further from unconsciousness, he could make out what those voices were saying.

"That head wound looks nasty."

"Is he okay?"

"Does he look okay, Johnson?"

"They wouldn't have hurt him too badly, they'll want him to fight."

This last one made him want to laugh. Too badly? His pounding head suggested… actually it suggested the man was right. He was right, it wasn't too bad. And while his arm stung as well, where the machete had cut it, he was mostly alive and well.

"He's been out for a while. Is he dead?"

Someone close by answered. "He's not dead. Do you think he'd be in here if he was dead? Besides, he's got a pulse."

"You sure?"

This time Sam answered. "Yes, he's sure," he answered, opening his eyes. They met bars, and beyond that, what looked like a disused barn. On the other side were cages, filled with occupants. Hard, nasty-looking occupants. In the rough centre was a raised cage, bigger than any on the sides.

He sat up, wincing and putting a hand to his head. He looked around, and found three sets of eyes staring at him. He looked over them, and found yet more bars. He realized they were in cages similar to those over the other side.

"Where are we?" he asked the guy who had defended his pulse. He was in the same cell as Sam, leaning against the back wall.

The man shrugged. "No idea. I was in a van the whole way. No windows. And they blindfolded me from the van into here."

"So no one has any idea?" he asked, looking around. There were no windows in here either, but it had to be a barn. Or used to be a barn. Now, it was different. Changed for a reason he didn't feel well enough to figure out.

The man was shaking his head. "No idea. We're only an hour or so out of Cromwell though. I'm guessing out on one of the farms."

Sam nodded, standing and shaking his head against vertigo. He could feel blood caked on the back of his head, but it was only a little bit. Nothing life threatening. He didn't even have a concussion, which was definitely good news.

"How long was I out?" he asked, moving around the cage, looking for any weakness.

The guy shrugged – the other two had moved into their own corners of their cage, losing interest at seeing he was okay. Now that he was standing, Sam could see there were six cells on this side, converted into cages from old stalls. There were just as many on the other side, but they each had one man in them. Sam gave them a quick glance as he ran his hands over the bars, testing it now and then for weakness.

"They brought you in about three hours ago, I'm guessing. There's no way out of here, but the door. And that's only when they open it and drag you out."

Sam gave him a look. "No harm in looking. I know a few things."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly sure you want out of here anyway. They'll catch you easy."

"I'll be fine," Sam answered absently.

The guy smirked. "Not against these things, you won't be."

"Trust me," Sam countered, moving onto the back wall. It looked like simple wood, but he could tell it had been reinforced by bricks on the other side. "I've faced worse than vampires."

The guy's jaw dropped, and he got to his feet. "You know they're vampires? You've faced worse? Who the hell are you?"

The hunter grinned. "Sam Connors," he answered, thinking back on the alias he and Dean were using for Cromwell.

The guy held out his hand for Sam to shake. "Blake McMillan," he introduced.

Sam dropped the guy's hand and looked around, sighing with frustration. Blake was right, there was no way out.

"So, how long have you been here?" Sam asked, taking a seat. He was only paying half attention to his cellmate. He needed to get out of here. Four, five hours away meant Dean would be getting worried. And that made Sam worried. After the past week, who knew what Dean could believe of him.

"Only the one day," was the answer. "But people will be getting worried."

Sam gave a short laugh. "I know exactly what you mean." Then he remembered. "You're the cop who disappeared, right?"

Blake nodded suspiciously. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Sam shrugged. "It's my job," he answered covertly. He looked around, avoiding the man's curious gaze. "Do you know what they want?"

"What they want?" Blake repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you know why they took us. There has to be a reason, there always is, even for things like vampires."

"Things like vampires?"

Sam scowled at the man's repetition. "Yes, like vampires. Look, it's a long story. But do you know why they took us?"

Blake shrugged. "I've only been here the one night. But others are saying that these… things, these vampires, they make us fight."

"Make us fight?" Sam asked, taking his turn to repeat. "What do you mean?"

Blake shrugged. "Word is, they make us fight. Fight them, and fight them."

Sam looked across to where Blake had nodded at the men in the cages on the other side of the barn. "Who are they?"

Blake scowled. "Convicts."

Realization dawned on Sam. "The escaped convicts, from the prison. No wonder those men were drained. The vampires got them out."

Blake nodded, once again suspicious. "Yeah, that's them. I couldn't believe it when I recognised a couple of them. Anyway, we fight them."

Sam snorted. "Fight? I doubt it. More like we get slaughtered by them." Although he had seemed to manage just fine against five of them. Then again, he doubted they had expected someone with hunter abilities. Next time they would know what to expect, they wouldn't be surprised.

Blake shrugged. "Don't know. I know it's only one-on-one. But word is we don't get weapons. And I've heard that no one has ever defeated a vampire."

One-on-one? Well, that opened new possibilities. Sam was pretty sure he could defeat one, by himself.

A bang interrupted their conversation, but Sam had already stood, sensing that taint, almost like it was on the air, like he was smelling it, the moment before the noise ruined the quiet. At least now he knew he wasn't going crazy or spiralling into the darkness the demon had warned of. That taint had been the vampires the whole time.

Blake soon followed him to a stand, and they made their way to the front of the cage. Sam made it there in time to see three figures come up from a hole in the ground. A trap door. It had to be daytime. What had that vampire said? He was still stiff from getting caught in the daylight the last time. So obviously it didn't kill them. He wondered what else was true and what wasn't.

The last figure through closed the trap door behind him, and then pointed in Sam's direction. He recognised the vampire as one of the ones who had grabbed him. But he had no idea who the other two were.

He and Blake shared a look. The cop had no idea what was going on either. But the three were walking over towards them.

Blake took a step back as the vampires approached, but Sam couldn't blame him. The lead vampire was smirking, and it made him look nasty. Still, he kept his ground, and waited for them to come to him.

The leader was male, and his other companion was female. They were pale-faced, her's accentuated by bright make-up. She had blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. The leader carried himself with an air of arrogance and confidence that was completely visible in his grey eyes.

"So, this is him, then?" the leader asked, stopping two feet from the front of the cage. Sam could have reached out and touched him if he had felt like it.

"This is the one," the second male said with a sneer. "He put up a good fight. Best so far. Howl's nursing a very sore head at the moment."

Sam grinned crookedly as the leader turned his full attention onto him. But the vampire was frowning.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Most of us are shocked that you fought back at all. Do you even realize what we are?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know what you are."

The leader cocked an eyebrow. "What are we, then?"

Sam grinned. "Idiots."

The vampire who had taken Sam growled, stepping in and hitting a baton against the bars. Sam barely even blinked, though he couldn't help but take a good look at the bared, pointy teeth.

"So, you know what we are," the leader said. "Who are you, though?"

Sam stood up straighter. "Ivana."

"Ivana?" the leader asked with a suspicious glare.

Sam nodded, keeping his face perfectly straight. "Ivana Suckyablood."

There was a bare moment of silence. Blake got it first, letting everyone know something was wrong when he couldn't cover a burst of laughter properly. The female's eyes widened next, and she gaped. The male's grip on his baton tightened, and the leader growled. The male began stalking towards the door in the cell.

"Zane!" the leader barked, making the male stop. "Let it be. He'll get what he deserves soon enough."

The male, Zane, looked between Sam and his leader. "Why not now?" he asked defiantly.

"Because, then taking him was a waste of time. We can earn a lot of money from him."

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "Money? So you bet on your little fights. Who's dumb enough to bet on a human against you lot?"

This time Zane laughed. "We don't bet on that. We bet on how long someone's going to last before they're chow," he said as he replaced himself next to his leader.

Sam nodded. "Now that makes more sense."

The leader gave him a curious look. "We tell you you're doomed, and you want to make sense of it? Who are you?" he asked again.

Again, Sam kept a straight face. "Dray Cula," he answered. Anger clouded the leader's face.

"Please, Marco, let me at him," Zane begged. Sam gave the vampire a grin, and the leader, Marco, held up a hand.

"Who are you?" Marco asked again, slowly, dangerously.

This time Sam let a grin go. "Van Helsing?" he offered.

Finally the leader snarled. "Fine!" he snapped. "Zane, he's on tonight. Last. Make it happen. Maria, let's go."

The two left, leaving Zane alone with the captive humans. Sam didn't move, but stared confidently at the vampire. Even as the vampire stepped closer to him, until only the bars separated them.

"You're going to pay," Zane whispered furiously. Sam leant closer, grinning infuriatingly.

"Bring it on," he whispered back.

Zane gave a growl and turned, leaving via the trap door. He left a silent barn. Sam blushed as he realized everyone had been listening in as he spoke with the vampires.

As he turned, Blake whistled. "I can't decide whether that was brave or stupid," he told Sam as the hunter sat back down. "Why didn't you just tell them?"

Sam rubbed his face with his hand. "I have no idea," he answered truthfully. But the adrenaline was dying down, giving way to let the guilt pile back in. And that felt terrible.

So, I tried to make it a little funny, but I think I just made it a little crappy. Oh well. Please stick in there, it will get better, I swear.

Ummmmmm… oh yeah. Bye!