Chapter 7

Dr. Matthews had advised them the go home and get some rest. Dean wouldn't be waking up until much later that night and they would keep him under observation till morning.

So little did they know.

Roman and Seth left the hospital. Ice and snow covered everything and it would only get worse during the night. They contemplated taking the car back to the hotel but the worsening weather made them decide against it. So they decided to take a taxi.

They were making their way through the parking lot, towards the exit when Roman slowed down his pace and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Seth came closer.

Roman was frowning, his eyes half angry, half surprised and his fists were clenched tightly.

"Hey… what's the matter?" he asked again, touching him in his shoulder.

"Something… something's wrong… I have a funny taste in my mouth"

"Like what?"

"Like…" he looked at Seth but before he could say anything more he doubled over in pain.

Seth could not stop his fall on the snowy ground. Roman was holding his neck, gasping for air.

"Roman" Seth yelled and knelt beside him, trying to figure out what was happening. He tried to pry his hands away from his neck, but the grip was too tight. Suddenly, the Samoan gasped for air loudly but Rollins figured it wasn't from the pain but from the relief, since whatever that was, it had stopped as fast as it had began.

That left the two friends on the ground, one on his knees and one on his back, panting.

"What… was that?"

"I don't know. Suddenly, I had a fowl taste in my mouth, like blood and rotting flesh. Then I felt someone chocking me… I couldn't breathe… then it stopped. I felt a sharp pain on the side of my neck"

"And?"

"And nothing. It stopped.

"Let me see" Seth leaned closer and helping him in his feet took a look closer.

"See anything?"

He took out his cell phone and used the flashlight app th see better.

"There is a small hole on your neck…" he touched it lightly."Feel that?"

"It sort of hurts, but only a little"

"No…"Seth breathed out in surprise.

"What?"

"It's fading… the hole… it's gone… it was right here and now it is gone…"

"What?"

"I swear!" he looked as his friend in shock. "What is going on man?"

Roman touched the skin on his neck but felt no pain.

"We can't go on like this" Seth added exasperated.

"I still feel bad… still have the taste in my mouth but…"

His friend looked at him worried.

"I feel helpless, terrified and hopeless" he shivered then froze, as a cold thought stuck in his brain.

Dean.

And started running back towards the hospital with Seth in tow.

"Roman… wait…"

Seth tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. Roman never did in cases such as these and Seth was getting nervous about what his friend was going to do.

Such was their hurry, they didn't notice a tall man glaring at them from the other side of the lobby, half hidden behind a column. When the two men entered the elevator, the unknown man left without looking back.

The lady at the front desk starred at him and wondered how strange this man was. She couldn't figure out what was bothering her about him. It was when the doors closed behind him she realized what it was.

The man made no sound as he moved.

'Silent as a grave' she thought and shivering, returned to her work, without ever noticing the two friends sneak past her.

. . .

Naturally the door was locked. Like in all psychiatric wards, the patients were not allowed to walk free; they were dangerous to others and to themselves.

Not that Dean could exit or even walk for that matter; his body was still paralyzed from the injection.

But the silence was deafening. So deafening in fact that it played tricks on him. His ears were buzzing and it was so strange because he knew there was no real source for the low frequency noise he was experiencing.

The encounter with the man a few minutes ago had left him with questions, a more bruised neck, a painful throat, wide eyes and an open mouth that tasted like death.

But none of these mattered now. What that man had done to him didn't matter; the bruises didn't matter.

Because the buzzing was slowly getting louder and it was changing; it was pulsating along with the lights all around him that switched on and off with every pulse. And with every beat, Dean could sense the room changing around him, becoming darker and smaller. The smell had turned drastically as well and he identified it as rotting flesh and warm blood. He didn't understand how he knew but he was very familiar with it and how dangerous it was.

He was alarmed and alert but very afraid. His eyes could barely blink at the ceiling while his tear stained face could not move a muscle.

Then the sound changed again, slowly, from pulsating to the familiar bubbling, gurgling sound. Only this time it sounded like someone was drowning in boiling thick liquid. Dean felt his breathing getting faster and his throat getting parched from thirst. He tried to close his eyes but to no avail.

Still those walls were closing in, almost crushing him.

And as he was looking hopelessly up, the ceiling started to burn; no singes but whole waves of flames scorching the material swiftly, melting it like a napalm bomb.

The heat emanating was choking him and he thought for a moment that maybe his skin was melting too or at least it was blistering.

It was at this moment that he truly wished for death.

But among the noise of the flames and the searing pain, he heard a voice coming from behind him; from the headboard.

"No death for you…"

An old female voice spoke with spite in his ears while the same gurgling sounds kept coming from among the uttered words.

Dean felt her presence next to his head, just inches out of sight.

All he could do was slightly move a cheek muscle when he felt bony fingers with sharp nails touching the skin of his forehead. The rough fingers caressed his cheek and went up again to his forehead but he still couldn't see her.

Then the nails dug deep in his skin, tearing the flesh all the way to his brain.

"No death for you" she repeated. "You will pay for all you're done. There will be no mercy for you… ever…"

And if he could scream, he would have.

A long time ago.

. . .

The halls were empty at that time, as it was expected and preferable. It was always better not to have crowds and audiences for those kinds of things. They needed to be silent, discreet and fast.

Visiting hours were over and the hospital tended to follow that rule, especially in the psychiatric ward.

Seth tried keeping up with Roman but he looked so terrified and determined, so he followed him to the sub level.

The lights had been dimmed in the hallways, giving them a more sinister feeling than they ought to have.

And it was by pure luck that no one spotted them on their way to Dean's room. As soon as they reached it, Seth stayed a little behind, looking out for any nurses or security guards, while Roman approached the door.

He peaked inside from the reinforced small glass opening.

Of course the curtain that divided the two beds had been drawn again, making it impossible for him to see Dean. He was completely blocked from view. He was about to try the door handle when Seth got his attention.

"Hey" he was barely audible when he motioned to Roman that someone was coming and asked silently what to do. Roman pointed at his wrist, signaling for more time.

'What are you doing man?' he thought but they were here now. They had gotten this far already and he trusted Roman… with his life.

Seth looked back and peaked again. A male nurse was coming towards them, holding stack of papers, bed sheets and towels. From his waist hang a magnetic key card.

From behind him, Seth could hear his friend trying in vain to open the door to the room. He had to do something and buy them more time. He peaked back towards the hallway and was about to launch himself to the nurse, tackle him and immobilize him.

He was quickly weighing his options, trying to decide which hold to apply, when he heard a cell phone ring. Both friends froze and looked at each other in panic.

It was none of their phones.

"Shit" he heard the nurse curse under his breath. His hands were already full of stuff that made it impossible for him to reach his phone that was deep in his pocket. The nurse tried to stack all the things on one hand, his left one and attempted to pull it out of his right one. Unfortunately, the phone was in his left pocket and as he was trying to juggle all of this and reach across his torso, the fabric of his pants stretched and the key card fell on the floor. And he would have noticed it had it not been for him losing his balance and dumping all the items he was holding on the floor. Towels, bed sheets and papers spread across the tiles. The nurse cursed loudly and started picking them up, while finally answering his damned phone.

Seth could not hear his conversation nor believe his luck. He just squatted and waited, never taking his eyes off the key card that had slipped a few feet away from him. He motioned to Roman to be quiet.

Maybe the nurse would forget.

And sure enough, he did. Or rather he had never even noticed it was missing. He picked up the things, jumbled papers and bundles of the now dirty pieces of fabric and made his way back to where he had come from, still talking on the phone.

Seth waited till the doors closed behind him and sprinted in the hallway, grabbing the card from behind a flower pot and ran back to Roman.

"Use this"

Roman used the key card and the door unlocked with a hollow sound. They entered hastily and closed the door behind them. Then they had their first deep breath in a while; just trying to put their heartbeat under control. But abruptly the Samoan, stopped and looked around.

"What is that smell?" Roman asked.

"I don't smell anything. What is it?"

"Really? It smells like burnt plastic… it's so strong"

Both realized that only he could smell whatever that was; like before, Roman was the only one who could feel anything related to Dean.

They didn't draw the curtain. Instead they walked around and hid behind it, away from the door's view.

Dean still lay there. His eyes were opened wide, frantically looking around.

"Why is he awake? Didn't the doctor give him a sedative?"

Roman came close and leaned over the bed.

"Hey, it's me… Roman" he whispered but all Dean could do was stare at him. "Don't be afraid. We're here to help you"

And for just one moment, one frozen second in time, Dean's eyes changed. They weren't panicked, they weren't empty. They were begging him; they were looking straight into his eyes, his soul and they were asking him…

For what?

Roman's heart melted and he knelt beside him.

"What's wrong? Tell me… I'm here for you... I came back for you…" and caressed his head.

Dean looked at him, still unable to speak but with tears streaming down his face.

He was begging.

"What do you want us to do? Please…"

Seth approached.

"Someone is coming… we have to hide"

Roman hid under the bed, curled as best as he could near the head, while Seth hid into a closet. It was a too small closet for the doors to close completely with him in it but he prayed that whoever was coming, wouldn't turn on the lights.

And so they hid, stood still and held their breaths.

Dr. Matthews entered the room and walked towards Dean. He stood at the foot of the bed and looked at him. And Dean looked back with anger and hatred.

"You hate me, don't you?" The doctor asked not really expecting an answer. "I did what I had to… it's all your fault… and his…"

He walked to the side of the bed, making Roman inch a little further away. He was so close to the doctor's feet and he was not liking what he was hearing. He was ready to jump at him and break those damned legs.

Dr. Matthews leaned over and whispered to Dean.

"He's coming for you tonight… and you're going to wish for death… but he's not going to give it to you. She has prohibited it. Your life is hers for the taking. Goodbye… guardian."

With those words, he left, leaving the friends in the room stunned. Hesitantly, they exited from their hideouts and approached the bed.

"He knows!" Seth tried to keep his voice low.

"We have to get him out of here. I don't know who he is or what he wants, but we can't leave Dean in this place."

Seth agreed despite his logic telling him that in the eyes of the law, this would be kidnapping. They had seen too many strange things and even stranger men in the past to let rationality reign. They didn't have time. Once again things were escalating quickly and they had to make fast decisions based in instinct alone.

"How do we do that? We can't simply walk out of here with Dean"

"What if I carry him down to the garage and then outside? There must be a way out of there."

"I'll move the car near the garage exit. It's late. Maybe no one will see you getting out from there."

Roman agreed. It was a sloppy plan, one where everything could go wrong, but the doctor's words left them no choice. Whoever was coming, wanted to hurt Dean.

He approached him and whispered ever so gently.

"I'm going to get you out of here… no one's going to hurt you again"

Dean didn't seem to register what he was hearing. He kept looking at Roman, eyes begging him. The Samoan noticed that his breathing had become faster.

"Calm down. I'm going to carry you but you're going to have to be quiet"

Seth left the room and Roman followed him with Dean in his arms. They were surprised at how he wasn't reacting to his touch. Whatever he had been given, it wasn't a sedative. Seth had a vague idea what it was. A paralytic agent; and they had to hurry out of there. There was no way of telling how Dean would react should it start to wear off. They couldn't afford another episode.

They made it to the stairs.

There they split up. Seth gave the key to Roman; maybe he would need it to access the employee's garage.

"Roman… be careful. Go as fast as you can. We don't know how long Dean is going to stay quiet. You go down to the garage and then up towards the exit. I'll be waiting for you there."

He looked at Dean who had not taken his eyes off the Samoan. He started to climb while Roman made his way down. A sign on the wall showed him the employee's garage was two more floors down. With every flight of stairs Roman took, he had to pause a little to listen for anybody that might be coming his way. With Dean in his arms, he couldn't afford to go too fast. He might be injured but he was still full grown man of more than 200 pounds and there was so much distance he could cover before losing his breath.

A few minutes later, they reached the garage level. Roman's legs were shaking, he was sweating and out of breath. He stood behind the door, trying to calm his nerves. He looked at Dean. He too was breathing fast, as if they had run down the stairs together. Never had he taken his eyes off of him though and Roman noticed Dean's hand clasping his shirt tightly, hanging on.

But while before his eyes were begging for something, now they were looking at him in disbelief and pain.

"We're almost there… almost" he panted. He adjusted Dean in his arms, trying to lessen his shaking, straining muscles. He was about to open the door when he felt Dean tense and swiftly turning his eyes towards the door. Roman quickly caught on and whispered.

"Someone's coming"

He looked around in panic. There was no place he could hide. The door opened towards the garage and it was a matter of seconds before they would be seen.

"Here goes nothing"

He held Dean tighter and positioned himself directly in front of the door. He could hear footsteps coming from the other side, the distinct sound of men's moccasins against the concrete. The door had no window, so they couldn't see who or how many were coming.

They saw the door move and Roman felt Dean tense more.

He didn't wait any longer. The door had opened a few inches when the tall man launched himself shoulder first, ramming it against it and hitting whoever was coming on the other side straight in the face. Roman heard a man hit the ground and nothing else. Reluctantly he peaked behind the door and saw none other than Dr. Matthews lying on the dirty concrete, a huge bruise on his forehead. And for some reason, he felt such satisfaction it had been him.

"Bye doc" he smirked and stepping over, he kept walking.

Thankfully the garage was empty from any other people but still Roman kept walking along the wall, taking partial cover behind cars and columns. Once in a while he looked down and with each glance he could see the effects of the injection slowly wearing off. He noticed first the muscles on his face twitching and his teeth gritting. They had to get away before Dean found his voice and started screaming.

He was half way out when he felt him pushing away. He didn't have too much strength yet, just enough to squirm and begin shaking.

"Hold on… we're almost there"

He tightened his grip around him. He made his way to the last level of the garage and hid behind a wide column. Dean was shaking and twitching with more force. His eyes were closed tightly trying to get his body under control and build a wall around his mind. But he was failing miserably. Roman leaned against the wall, hiding from some cars entering the garage.

Dean's shaking was becoming increasingly bad. They had to keep quiet. They were near the exit and there were some people there. For some time, it seemed like there would be no way out, not without being seen. He looked at Dean; eyes still closed but thankfully he was not pushing him away. He was cowering in fear, like a scared animal, recoiling against its cage. Roman knew how dangerous this could be. He wrapped his arms tighter and brought his lips close to Dean's face. So close, he could smell him…

"Shhh… it's ok… don't be afraid… it's going to be alright" he kept repeating in a gentle, soothing voice.

And to his surprise, he felt Dean's muscles relax and his frown recede. Still he kept his eyes closed and Roman thought it was probably for the best.

A few seconds passed and he dared a peak. The bad weather and the late hour gave them an advantage. He decided to make a run for it. He only hoped Seth was somewhere near waiting for them in the car. He leaned once more and whispered.

"Keep your eyes closed and hold on. We're getting out of here"

He wanted to smile when he felt Dean's hand once more clasp his shirt once again. Taking a deep breath, he turned around the column and started running up the concrete ramp. His arms and legs were so tired and painful, his breathing became louder with every step.

He was half way up the ramp when he heard someone yell just a few feet behind him.

"Hey you… stop it right there!"

With a quick glance, Roman saw a security guard running towards him. He didn't have a gun but he had nightstick firmly gripped in his large, thick hand. Roman picked up his pace, now audibly grunting as the weight in his arms seemed to grow heavier.

He reached the top and took one quick sweep around. He couldn't afford to lose time; the guard was almost upon them. Seth was nowhere to be seen. Arbitrarily he decided to go left, away from too many lights. He kept Dean close to his chest to shelter him from the freezing cold. He was wearing his jacket but Dean was in a thin hospital gown; and he could feel his body temperature drop by the second. He needed to find Seth and the car; his strength wouldn't last much longer and neither would Dean.

He slowed down, not able to run any more. Adrenaline had given him a boost of energy and he had lost the security guard.

"Where are you Seth?" he looked around. "Fuck… come on!"

Suddenly he felt Dean's body stiffen and he opened his eyes in fear and disgust. Roman looked down and saw Dean looking straight into his eyes.

"He's here" he breathed ominously.

A cold voice with a thick accent came from somewhere behind him, from within the deep shadows, startling him.

"Hello"

He couldn't see who it was but that accent was very familiar. He turned towards the source but it took a few moments to discern the frame of a man approaching them. As the man came closer and closer, Roman's instincts made him back step.

Finally, the man came into the light with a huge smile across his face and long wild hair over his eyes.

"Drew?" he asked not understanding what's going on. "Drew McIntyre? What are you doing here?"

The crazed look in his eyes was not something that could be faked; nor was the creepy malicious smile. His tongue licked his lips and took another step forward.

"That" he pointed at Dean "is mine"

The calmness of his voice and the coldness with which he had uttered the word 'that', made Roman take another step back, tightening his arms around his precious cargo.

Drew reached out his hand, palm up, his smile becoming a dangerous smirk.

"No" he mumbled and took another step.

"Hand it over or you die" Drew lowered his hand and all smirk vanished from his face. He squared his shoulders and flexed his muscles, ready to attack.

There was nothing in between them save a few feet of snow. But just as Drew was about to launch himself forth, a loud squeak came from behind Roman, making him turn quickly.

"Get in!" Seth screamed from inside the car and opened the passenger's door. Roman was fast in throwing Dean inside the car but before he could get in, Drew grabbed him from behind the neck and spun him around. However, the Samoan was quick. He head-butted Drew's nose, lying him flat on his back and as the pain and before the dizziness could set in, he managed to get in the car, holding his head.

"What the hell man! Who was that?" Seth asked, looking back to check on his friend.

"Drew McIntyre" he wheezed out and the car finally made it out of the hospital and into the snowy, heavy night.

. . .

Whatever you do, don't ever play my game
Too many years being the king of pain
You gotta lose it all if you wanna take control
Sell yourself to save your soul

Rescue me from the demons in my mind
Rescue me from the lovers in my life
Rescue me from the demons in my mind
Rescue me, rescue me, rescue me
Rescue me

Whatever you do, don't ever lose your faith
The devil's quick to love, lust and pain
Better to say yes to never know, oh, oh
Sell yourself to save your soul

Rescue me from the demons in my mind
Rescue me from the lovers in my life
Rescue me from the demons in my mind
Rescue me, rescue me, rescue me
Rescue me

Sell yourself to save your soul

Rescue me from the demons in my mind
Rescue me from the lovers in my life
Rescue me from the demons in my mind
Rescue me, rescue me, rescue me

-30 Seconds To Mars: Rescue Me-