Chapter 6

So this is the possible second to last chapter, depending on what happens in this chapter. Enjoy.

Previously: "Dean, are you okay son?" John asked although he had already checked Dean's pupils from any sign of concussion.

"I'm fine da-" His son's voice was cut off by a loud roar that seemingly shook the cavern they were in.

Dean's eyes swung to his, both of them coming to the same conclusion.

They were in deep trouble.

Now

After a moment of sharing a fear-filled stare with his eldest John jumped into action.

"Dean, look for weapons, or anything we can burn this thing with. Ranger, cut all these people down." He ordered as he took out his own knife. Wrapping an arm around Sam's waist and pulling Sam closer to him so that they were pretty much chest to chest, reaching up with the other hand and started to saw through the rope that bound Sam's wrists, the task easier because the rope was pulled taut by Sam's limp weight. The rope snapped when it reached its last few threads and Sam fell into him, John quickly stashed the knife away and struggled to get a better grip on Sam, his youngest had definitely grown a lot since he had last seen him, before Sam left he was around the same height as him, and now he would tower over him if he stood up straight, well, and obviously conscious.

"What the hell have they been feeding you in college, son?" He mumbled to the limp body in his arms. Sam wasn't fat, not by a long shot, hell he was actually too skinny, but his long limbs and muscle were the major contribution to Sam's heaviness. He stumbled back under Sam's weight trying to not drop him. Suddenly there were hands grabbing at Sam, taking some of Sam's weight off of him, he tightened his grip instinctively, not wanting anyone to take Sam away from him again, not even for a second.

"Dad? Dad, let me help." He heard Dean's voice and he glanced up over Sam's head, which was resting on his shoulder, to see Dean staring back at him, his wide green eyes pleading with him to let him look after his little brother. He nodded and Dean pulled Sam back to rest against him as they lowered him to the ground, John pulling Sam's legs out so they laying straight out on the ground, while Dean shifted his little brother's upper body so his head was in a comfortable position tucked under his chin.

"You got him?" John asked Dean as he checked Sam's pulse once again.

"Yeah. There are some flare guns over there by the lamp, they'll work right?" Dean nodded to somewhere behind John but his father kept his eyes on Sam.

"Yeah, maybe. You stay here while I go check on the others." John left before Dean could answer, having no doubt that Dean would watch over Sam.

John stood, assessing the situation they were in. The ranger was across the cavern, cutting one of the men down, while another man was doing the same to other man, upon further inspection John could hear the man whispering to the one he was releasing.

"Matty? Matty, c'mon. Wake up." John could tell the man cared deeply for the one still hanging by his wrists, Matty apparently, just by the way the man's voice was quivering in panic and in fear.

"Need a hand?" John voiced and the man swivelled around on his heels, his arms raising slightly, protecting the man behind him, his eyes blazing with an emotion so intense that it made even him, a fierce hunter, realize that the seemingly younger and still unconscious man wasn't to be messed with.

"Brothers."John instantly knew, only because Dean's the same with Sam, willing to protect against things that aren't even a threat in the first place.

"I got it." The man snapped, and John nodded deciding to let the man carry on.

"Hey a little help here!" A female spoke harshly from behind and he turned back to the girl.

"Right, sorry." He made his way over to her, glancing to check on his boys on the way, Dean was now leaning over Sam inspecting his mauled shoulder, whose head was resting in his big brother's lap, while Dean's jacket had been placed under Sam's bare upper body, protecting it from the cold, dirt floor. John smiled knowing Dean had Sam sorted for the time being.

"Are you okay?" He asked the young girl as he reached the girl.

"I'm fine, not a scratch on me apart from a bump on my head thanks to Sam." Her voice was soft, a hint of adoration when she said his son's name, although she winced slightly when John jostled the ropes that bound her wrists as he cut through them.

"Sam? Why? What did he do?" Pride bubbling within him at the fact that Sam had prevented the girl from being hurt, glancing back to his youngest, he realized that Sam had probably defended the girl but got himself hurt in the process.

"The wendigo was about to take a chunk out of me, but Sam distracted it, brought its attention to him instead. It... Oh gosh, his shoulder..." She begin to panic, shaking as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Hey, it's alright. He'll be fine." He reassured, catching her then the rope broke. "Go and sit with him and Dean while I check on the others." He ordered, steadying her before letting her go when he was sure she was okay to walk on her own.

He then went to join the ranger, noticing that the man who was freeing his brother, Matty, when he had left him to free the girl, was now sitting on the ground, his brother, who was now conscious, propped up against him, whispering unintelligible words to his brother. The ranger was kneeling in the middle of two men, checking for their pulses.

"Ranger? Are they...?" The ranger looked up at him and shook his head before he could finish, the sad look on his face confirming the worse. "Dammit!" He cursed under his breath.

"What about him?" The ranger asked, nodding towards a young boy hanging behind where his sons and the girl were sitting.

"Dean." His son's head shot up when he heard his father's voice. "Check on him." He pointed to the boy, who looked about the same age as Sam, Dean turned to look behind him before looking back down to Sam, an indecisive glint in his eyes, and John knew Dean didn't want to leave Sam for a second. Apparently the girl noticed the look as well, and then spoke "I'll do it." Before getting up from Sam's side and approaching the boy. While she was doing that John turned back to the ranger.

"How did you know we were here?" He asked the ranger as the ranger stood.

"I followed you; I found you two just in time to see it taking out your boy. No one else was disappearing in my woods." The ranger replied.

"Good job you did, otherwise we'd all be dead by now." As far as gratitude goes, that statement didn't cover how thankful John was of the ranger's arrival, because if he hadn't the wendigo probably would've killed Sam, and then strung him and Dean up as replacement.

"So how do we kill this thing?" The man asked the eldest Winchester.

"Burn it." He replied simply.

"And how are we going to do that?"

"With these." He went over and picked up the three flare guns, giving the ranger a quick grin while he handed one over to the man and went back to his sons, the ranger picked up the lamp and followed after him.

"The guy's dead." The girl said as she joined him at Sam side, the ranger stood over them ready to shoot if the wendigo decided to come back, the flare gun in one hand and the lamp in the other.

"Dean? Have you checked his head wound?" Dean threw him a confused look before lifting Sam's head, his jeans were strangely warm and he gasped when he realized it was Sam's blood that was soaking through the material. He felt around the back of Sam's head for the wound.

"Oh my god Sammy!" John heard his eldest cry out in anguish and he looked up from Sam's stomach, checking the cuts there, "what Dean?! What's wrong?!" He yelped out in panic. Dean said nothing, just taking one of his hands away from the back on Sam's head and holding it up, it was red, covered in red, Sam's blood. John gulped, swallowing down the vomit that he was sure almost made an appearance.

"Check his skull Dean, how does it feel." The look on Dean's face made John think that he was asking too much from Dean, after all he was asking him to check that his baby brother's skull hadn't been caved in. Dean did what was told anyway, as usual, he only ever went against his father when he thought Sam would be hurt, physically or emotionally, by his father's decisions.

Dean went back to work with a grim look pasted across his face, feeling the wound on Sam's head. After a few seconds, John couldn't wait any longer "well?" he asked impatiently, the look that Dean gave him told him everything. Not good. Really not good.

"It's spongy, the skulls definitely cracked." Dean informed him, his voice laced with fear and worry.

"He'll be fine Dean, we'll get him to a hospital and they'll patch him up, I promise." John reached across and laid a hand on Dean's shoulder, squeezing it gently trying to give comfort and reassurance, he received a slight smile and a small nod, indicating that Dean agreed with him to not accept any thought apart from the one where Sam would heal and get better.

"Okay, we've got to move." John said after a moment, returning back to hunter mode. "Dean, you and.. Uhhh..." He looked pointedly at the girl who was still at Sam's side, not looking like she was moving from there, move from her apparent hero's side, anytime soon.

"Katie." She filled in for him.

"Katie. You and Dean carry Sam. You three will be in the middle, with them." He nodded towards the brothers huddled together on the other side of the cavern.

"Joe and Matt." Katie piped up again.

"What?" Dean asked her, turning from listening intently to his father's order to the girl who was getting too close to Sam for his liking, he knew she meant no harm but he didn't like anyone even coming close to Sam when he wasn't even coherent enough to defend himself.

"Their names. Joe's the older one, and Matt's the younger one." Katie could sense that Dean was tense and uncomfortable in her presence, and didn't understand why, she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Right. They'll follow you, I'll take the lead, and ranger..." John stopped for a second and stood, looking at the ranger, before continuing "you take the back. Be on your guard." He said sternly, leaving no room for objection from anyone.

"Yes sir." John seemed pleased by the ranger's response. John then approached Joe and Matt carefully.

"Joe?" He asked waiting for the older man to level him with his gaze. "We've got to go. Are you okay to get him up?" He pointed to the younger man.

"I've got him!" Joe said harshly, there was something about the older man that put John on edge, he seemed even more protective over his younger brother than Dean was of Sam, and John had thought if that could ever be possible.

"Alright. Just stay in front of the ranger and stay close." He said simply and turned his back from them to give them some privacy, hoping that the older brother would recognise the action and relax enough to realise that they weren't going to hurt his brother.

"Okay come on everyone, we've got to move." He spoke loud enough to catch everyone's attention, watching his son's closely, ready to step in if help was needed, but made sure he stayed back to let Dean deal with Sam. But apparently Katie didn't have the same idea, which turned out to be a huge mistake.

He watched as Dean moved out from underneath Sam, cradling Sam's head while doing so keeping it of the ground. Katie moved forward to help, grasping Sam's uninjured shoulder and pulling it up, she was so engrossed in her task that she didn't notice Dean glaring at her, and boy if looks could kill, but with Sam's weight limply falling onto him, Dean had to concentrate on getting his little brother up safely. Pushing Sam's body up into a sitting position, Dean then planted his hands under Sam's arms and pulled, Katie was just getting in the way and John could tell he was getting irritated, but Dean would never hurt a girl, he knew that for sure. Dean had managed to pull Sam fully up and John realized how much Sam had actually grown, he was taller than Dean, way taller, and he was longer the skinny, lanky teenager that he was when he left for school, Sam was now a tall, broad-shouldered young man. Dean's calm finally ran out when Katie latched onto to Sam, trying to also support Sam's weight.

"Do you mind!?" Dean snarled out as he pulled Sam away from the girl, wrapping an arm around Sam's slim waist on the way.

"What is your problem?! I'm just trying to help!" Katie shouted back, which was another bad move, if she wasn't on Dean's bad side already she was now.

"Well I don't need it, we don't ne-!"

"Dean." Dean's stopped when his father's voice interrupted, it was barely a whisper but Dean heard it clearly.

"Stop it you too, arguing won't help Sam." John spoke sternly, make Dean blush in shame.

"You're right, but I'm carrying Sam, on my own." Dean finished, sending a warning glare across to Katie, who nodded and shied away from the angry guy.

John felt bad for Katie, knowing she was only trying to help "Katie, come here." The girl approached him, a confused look on her face.

"Listen." John whispered for her ears only, "Dean gets a bit over-protective when Sam's hurt, it's best to just stay out of the way, okay?" He explained and Katie nodded in understanding.

"Here, do you know how to use a gun?" He held the extra flare gun out to Katie, knowing a pretty young girl like Katie probably never have even seen a gun, so it was a risk, but keeping her away from Dean and Sam would probably be a benefit to everyone.

"Surprisingly I do." Katie took the flare gun, grinning at John's surprised look. "What just because I'm a girl I can't know how to use a gun?" She winked even though her tone was slightly hurt, and John then started to like the girl, she seemed smart and brave and had a good sense of humour. He winked back at her with a smile, she reminded her a bit of Mary, saddening at the thought, and Mary had always wanted a daughter, what woman didn't? And John could only imagine that if they had had a daughter then she would be similar to this girl.

"Alright everyone, let's go!" John took the lamp off of the ranger and started towards the tunnel that he thought he had brought in through, quickly checking that everyone was following, Dean and Sam were behind him, Katie was in the middle, then Matt and Joe, then the ranger, and John smiled, he wasn't a control freak, but it made him happy when everyone followed his orders.

He wasn't sure if they'd all make it out of this alive, but the son of a bitch was going down, he was sure of that.

Because it had hurt his baby boy.

So this chapter went in a completely different direction then I was intending and turned out a bit boring, I know that and I'm sorry. But all the action has yet to come in the next chapter so bare with me. Please let me know what you all thought of it.

Oh and by the way, I have completely no medical knowledge so if anything I've said is inaccurate please excuse me and just go with it. The next chapter will hopefully come a bit quicker, my parents are going away on holiday on Sunday so I'm free to do as pleased for the next week and a half. Woo! Meaning I'm just going to stay in bed for most of the day and finish this thing. But anyway, I hope you didn't find this chapter a complete waste of energy.