Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun!
Broken
Chapter 7 – The Long Drop
Nick was down on the ground, with Dean on top of him. He tried to block the savage blows, but soon the world went dark and Nick lay on the ground bleeding. Dean calmly got up and continued to walk towards the car. He slowly got into the driver's seat and drove off into the night. The only sound in the car was the ringing of a cell phone.
Sam gripped the steering wheel as he pushed harder on the accelerator. He had been driving for over 5 hours and he was past exhausted. Missouri had fallen asleep shortly after they had left. He knew that she was angry because he had refused to call his father. The truth was, he was afraid to see his father right now. Just the few moments that he had spoken to him before, the fear and shame were overpowering. He couldn't risk having a flash back…not until he had found Dean.
Suddenly the quiet in the car was broken by the shrill ringing of Sam's cell phone. Grabbing his phone, Sam prayed that his brother would be on the other end. "Dean!"
"I'm sorry Sam…I tried to stop it, but the bastard was too strong. He moved so quickly…"
"Nick? Tell me exactly what happened." Sam listened as Nick recounted their encounter with Aaron's spirit.
"I came to in the back of the bar just about an hour ago Sam, I tried to find Dean…but all I could find was his car. There was no sign of him…it was almost like he disappeared from the face of the earth."
Sam could hear the frustration in Nick's voice. "Don't worry Nick; I'm almost there…where are you?"
Nick gave Sam directions to the hotel. He had returned, hoping he could find a clue to Dean's whereabouts in the material they had found. "I'm heading over to county records right now…with luck I can be in an out before they open." Nick said quietly, he knew that he had failed Sam and Dean.
"Fine, I'll meet you at the hotel. Nick, it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could to stop it. Sometimes things just happen. I should be there in about an hour." Sam hung up the phone. He heard Missouri moving in the seat beside him.
"Now are you ready to call your Daddy Sam?" Missouri groaned as her old bones protested the cramped conditions she had been forced to sleep in.
"Missouri…what can he do? I don't even know where he is…by the time he got here, this could be over."
"Boy, stop it! I know that you think for some reason you have failed your father because you couldn't stand the torture that demon did to you. I saw what he did Sam…no one, and I mean no one could have withstood what you did. You did what you had to to survive…had you not, then your father and brother would have been disappointed in you." Missouri shook her head at the stubbornness of this family.
"Look Missouri…what if I…you know…lose it in front of Dad? It's bad enough that Dean and you know…I need some time Missouri." Sam hated the pleading note that had crept into his voice.
"Samuel Winchester, that is precisely why you need to get your father on the way over here. You haven't thought this through boy. What if Joshua and Dean are both hurt…how are you and Nick going to help them and take care of the spirit? 'Cause these old bones are not going to do you no good. If you don't want to talk to him, then at least let me call him."
Sam shook his head, Missouri was right. They would probably need the extra help on this one. The thought of Dean being injured was enough for him to relent. "Ok, you can call him." Sam said quietly, once again feeling like he was out of control. He was giving in yet again.
Missouri sighed as she watched the dejected slump of the boy's shoulders. She could feel his distress, but right now she had to get him some help. She used Sam's cell phone to place the call, tapping her fingers as she waited impatiently for John to answer. A moment later she heard John's voice on the other end of the phone.
"Sam…what's wrong?" John's voice said full of concern.
"It's Missouri John, Sam is driving and needs to concentrate…you know he has my poor old Betsy doing over 90 miles an hour and on a country road…we can't afford to have him distracted. I don't want my Betsy injured because you two decide to have an argument."
"Missouri, what are you babbling about?"
"Watch your tone John or you'll regret it."
John took a deep breath. Sometimes dealing with Missouri was more painful than getting rid of a poltergeist. "Missouri, what happened?"
Missouri quickly filled John in on what had happened. "So, you need to get you rear end in gear…your boys need you here like yesterday."
Missouri heard a pause and smiled when she heard John reply. "Actually, I'm only about 2 hours away from Warrenville. I started almost as soon as I hung up with Dean, but then you knew that didn't you?" John could almost see the sly smile on the woman's face.
"Missouri, let me talk to Sam for a moment…I promise, I won't get him mad…we wouldn't want Betsy to get injured."
Missouri handed the phone to Sam. She noticed the slight tremble to his hand as he put the phone to his ear. She just hoped that Sam could hold it together for a while longer.
"Hey Dad." Sam said quietly
"I won't ask why you are on the road; I'd do the same thing if I were you. But I don't want you to do anything until I get there. I should be there in about 2 hours. Sam did you hear me?" John could hear a slight hitch in his son's breathing and heard Missouri in the background trying to sooth his son. "Sammy, it's ok son…we'll deal with this later. Right now I need you to focus…you need to help me find Dean. Can you do that?"
"Yes Sir" Sam replied in a choked voice. The voice of the demon almost drowning out his father's. "You're useless, your father and brother don't need you Sam, just give in."
John heard a gasp and the sound of squealing tires…then the line went dead. "SAMMY!" John yelled, but the only reply he received was static.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Dean groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in the bottom of what appeared to be a deep well. He could see the sky, but it looked like it was more than 15 feet to the top. A sudden pain in his arm and shoulder made him moan. He realized that he was lying on his arm and that his arm normally didn't bend that way.
Dean rolled and grimaced at the bone that was sticking out of his forearm. "Just great!" Dean said out loud. He reached into his pocket with his good hand and pulled out his flashlight. As he played the light around the bottom of the well, he noticed the large number of skulls and bones that littered the ground around him. Suddenly he heard a soft groan at the far end of the well. Shining the light, he gasped as he saw the form of their friend laying face down on the ground.
"Joshua…hey, man…are you ok?" Dean crawled over and slowly turned his friend over. He heard Joshua gasp and immediately began to check the man for injuries. As Dean moved his hand down Joshua's chest, he felt Joshua grab his wrist. "Don't bother…I think the bastard cracked a couple of them."
Joshua shook his head, wondering if he was dreaming. "Dean? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Would you believe I came here to rescue your ass?" Dean helped Joshua sit up against the wall.
"Looks like we're doing about as good as usual huh?" Joshua noticed Dean's arm and realized that they needed do something to keep it from getting infected.
"Yeah…but Nick isn't here which means, we have a guy on the outside." Dean sat beside Joshua, cradling his broken arm against his chest.
"Who's Nick and where is Sam?" Joshua asked.
"Sam is resting up at Missouri's…he was injured on our last hunt. Nick is a hunter that we met last Halloween. He's pretty good at helping spirits move on…he's got abilities similar to Sam."
"Sorry to hear about Sam, but is this Nick any good?"
"Well he helped Sam and out more than once. He'll get us help Joshua…don't worry."
"I hope he does it soon. I don't look forward to another conversation with our host. If he follows pattern, he'll show up here just after dark. I'm guessing he decided that I wasn't his Daddy so he went after you Dean."
"Actually, I kinda got in the way of his intended victim. Any idea on how you got here?" Dean asked, trying to remember.
"Naw, last thing I remember was leaving the bar…then I woke up here with a busted up ankle"
Dean stood and examined the walls of the well. A plan was forming in his mind, but with both of them being injured, it would be difficult. "Joshua, do you think that you could stand long enough with me on your shoulders? I might be able to climb the last couple of feet out of here."
"Dean, you have a broken arm…how are you going to climb?" Joshua stood and looked up considering the young man's plan.
"The hole narrows near the top; maybe I can wedge by back against the side and use my legs. It's either that or wait for Aaron to show up. But I'm thinking we need to figure out a way to get out of here before that happens." Dean pulled his belt off and began making a sling to hold his broken arm.
"Ok, Dean…you're right, I certainly don't want to have another meeting with Aaron…the last meeting left me with broken ribs."
It took some doing, but Dean finally found himself balancing on Joshua's shoulders. He could hear the grunts of pain coming from the man under him and knew that Joshua wouldn't be able to hold him much longer. Dean reached up and grabbed a root that was hanging down to steady them. "Ok Joshua, as soon as I pull my legs up, get out of the way…just in case."
Dean hung from the root and swung his legs up, using his back and legs to keep him wedged in the hole. Dean was only about 6 feet from the top of the hole, but it felt like a mile as he slowly made his way up the sides of the well. "You're doing great Dean; just move slowly…you're almost there!" Joshua called from below. But Dean didn't answer as he continued to pull himself up. He reached up and grabbed hold of the edge of the hole, his hands searching to find something to grab on to.
Holding onto the edge of the hole, Dean tried to turn his body so that he could dig his toes into the soft earth. The pain in his arm was excruciating as it rubbed against the side of the well, but he refused to give in to the pain. Pulling himself up, his head finally cleared the hole. Dean reached for another hand hold to pull himself out, smiling grimly as he realized that he was almost out.
Suddenly his hand slipped. Dean tried to grab with his bad arm and screamed as the pain knifed through him. Before he could stop, he felt himself falling through space. There was a brief moment of pain and then nothing as he fell unconscious.
TBC
Raven524: When are our boys going to learn to never split up…all they do is get into trouble! Will Sam and John be able to find Dean and Joshua in time…or will they be Aaron's next victim. Thanks to all of you who are reading this story…and to my reviewers…a special virtual cookie to each of you for being so supportive!
