The Beast With No Name
A Supernatural Story by: Silvertayl 57
Authors Note:
I am sorry for the delay in posting this chapter of TBWNN. The last 2 months have been some what tumultuous and sad, due to my dear Mother's hospitalization in late August and then her passing on September 3 I haven't had the time or the inclination to write, but I'm back at it now, so I hope the wait is worth it. I will also be posting chapter 8 the concluding chapter now so you won't have to wait for that one.
The beefed up revised version of the revised version (no that's not a double up) of A Door in Time is now posted on my LiveJournal page: (replace the.'s with a .)
Chapter 7
Ochoco State Forest, Oregon
Sam didn't know what had awakened him, but one thing he did know was his neck was stiff and sore from the odd angle it was at. He'd somehow managed to fall asleep, propped up against the tree, he could feel the rough bark digging into the skin of his back through his cotton shirt and t-shirt, he hadn't meant to fall asleep and now he was sorry he had. He moved his head from side to side trying to ease the kinks in the muscles of his neck and shoulders. It was then he noticed he was alone Dean wasn't beside him as he was when he'd closed his eyes just for a minute or so he'd thought. Sam had his shotgun in his hand and Dean's leather jacket was draped across his chest and shoulder's. Sam inhaled in the scent of the worn old leather mixed with Dean's aftershave the combination a familiar smell that always reminded him of Dean and over the years Sam had come to associate with a feeling of safety, comfort and warmth.
Wondering where Dean had gone off to Sam scanned the dark shapes of the nearby trees, waiting... willing Dean to return to emerge from the darkness, he knew he couldn't have gone far, because Sam could tell Dean's shoulder was worrying him and his legs were causing him a great deal of pain when he attempted to walk even the shortest distance.
Then he heard it, snarling coming from the direction of the trail.
Sam's heart leapt into his throat as the feeling Dean was in desperate trouble hit him like a ton of bricks, he spotted Dean's discarded stick lying close by. Sam pushed himself to his feet using the shotgun and the stick, keeping as much of his weight as he could off his broken ankle. Dean's jacket fell into a heap at Sam's feet as he arose, he stumbled forward with a dragging gait making his way as quickly as possible towards the vicious, angry snarling rapidly growing in intensity and volume.
Before Sam had even emerged fully from the trees he saw his brother. Dean was pinned to the ground the beast sitting on back. It was smaller than the first two but much bigger than the average man. All four of its long clawed feet were pushing into Dean's back. Dean's head was turned to the side, the beasts head was close to Dean's face as it continued to snarl and growl. Moonlight bathed the trail with eerie white light Sam clearly see saliva dripping from pointy teeth onto the side of Dean's face and neck. Dean's shotgun was just out of his reach a yard in front and slightly to the side of his prone body. The beast lifted its head and gave a load howl of what sounded like triumph. Sam dropped the stick and raised his shotgun in both hands aiming at the beast's ugly head now lowered close to Dean's throat. It bared its teeth and before Sam could get off a shot it bit deeply into Dean's neck. Dean emitted a cry of agony that was cut off by the report of Sam's shotgun, the shot accompanied by a prayer his aim was good enough to strike the beast and not his brother.
The beast lifted its mouth away from Dean's neck its teeth dripping with his brothers blood emitting another ear-splitting cry this one filled with hurt and surprise, Sam's shot had hit it in the side of the neck sending out a spurt of blood that splattered down on Dean's now frighteningly motionless back.
The beast's lime-yellow eyes flew to Sam as he fired the second barrel, hitting its jutting forehead a large hole appearing there showing the passage of the bullet another spurt of blood erupted from the hole this time spraying across Dean's head and over the ground in front of him. Time seemed to stand still. The beast remained looking at Sam with confusion. Sam dropped the empty shotgun and pulled his handgun from the back of his waistband, took aim and pumped half a clip into the beasts head, when at last the beast let out a dying huff and slumped down on top of Dean it's body almost obscured Dean from Sam's sight.
For the second time that day Sam moved without realizing he had done so and in a moment he was next to the beast where he knew Dean was buried beneath its vile smelling carcass, shouting, "DEAN, DEAN!" as he pushed frantically at the body trying to roll it away from his brother before its dead weight crushed what life remained out of him.
Fear and determination sent a surge of adrenaline into Sam muscles, giving him the strength of two, he turned his back on the beast and put his back against the side of it bracing his good leg on the ground in front of him and pushed back, after a few agonizingly long seconds he felt the carcass shift away from him; the small movement giving him another burst of energy and adrenaline. He pushed even harder after an exhausting minute or so, that felt to Sam like an eternity the beast finally rolled off Dean's body Sam's momentum kept him moving sending him sprawling onto Dean in place of the beast his back pressed against Dean's.
Hurriedly Sam rolled away to his brother's side breathing heavily from his exertions. Dean was covered in blood his head turned towards Sam, eyes closed and he was so still Sam felt a moment of panic he was too late. His hand shook as laced two fingers to the pulse in his brother's neck holding his own breath as he waited... then he felt it the thrum of Dean's heartbeat beneath his fingertips.
Sam stripped off his shirt in his peripheral vision he saw the water bottle lying a few feet away. Staggering to his feet, his splinted ankle making his steps awkward and slow as he stumbled and limped his way to the water still flowing across the trail, bending slightly scooping up the water bottle on the way, he soaked the shirt in the water, filled the bottle and took them back to Dean still unmoving.
Using the dripping, wet shirt he began to wipe the blood away from the side of Dean's face, the pallor of his skin a worry. Then he ran the wet shirt down his neck and the back of his arms. How much of the blood was Dean's and how much was the beasts? Was the source the blood from Dean? Lifting Dean's ripped ruined and bloody t-shirt Sam saw two puncture wounds from the beasts claws in Dean's upper back and there were two more visible through the rips in Dean's jeans just below the waist the bleeding from all four was minimal. The only other wound that Sam could see was the bite on Dean's neck close to his jugular vein that still oozed dark blood at a steady rate. Sam pressed the shirt now pink with blood against the wound attempting to stem the flow after a minute or so he lifted the shirt away relieved to see the bleeding had slowed considerably.
Wading the shirt into a ball he held it once again to the wound and as gently as he could he rolled Dean onto his back, scanning Dean's chest he couldn't see any evidence that the beast had caused any damage there. A few small spots of blood dotted Dean's t-shirt these it appeared were from the pressure of the beast forcing Dean down against the small sharp rocks at the edge of the trail, Sam lifted the t-shirt and saw small areas of broken skin and some bruising already rising under the skin around them.
With his shirt still pressed to Dean's throat he began to tap Dean's cheek with his free hand, soothing words tumbling one after another out of Sam hoping they would bring him out of unconsciousness and back to him. A minute later Sam was rewarded by a small moan from Dean's lips and a flutter of his long eyelashes.
"That's it Dean open your eyes talk to me come on Dean... please."
Maybe it was the please or the tone that did it or that Dean could never deny his brother as with a sharp intake of breath Dean's eyes flew wide open, shifting from side to side before stilling their movement and focusing on Sam.
Sam wasn't surprised by the first words out of Dean's mouth, "Hey…. Sammy…. you…. alright?"
Sam smiled.
Dean had been conscious for only a matter of seconds and already he was in big brother mode. The words of concern for Sam came out with long pauses in between as Dean seemed to be finding it hard to draw a breath. Probably due to the prolonged pressure of the beast on his lungs.
"You're asking me if I'm alright? Are you alright?"
"I'm good… just a little…. winded is all."
"Not surprised that fugly bastard was sitting on you; think you could manage some water?"
"Sneaky bastard… dropped out of the…tree, where's it at... now?" Dean enquired lifting his head looking around trying to locate the beast.
"It's right beside you, but don't worry its dead."
Assisting Dean into a sitting position Sam held out the water bottle the water inside cloudy and a little brown.
Dean took it tipping it against his dry lips he took some small sips.
Sam Was pleased to see that his breathing was easing back to something resembling normal.
Dean sighed as the water eased his dry, aching throat. "Thought I could smell something foul did you …?"
"Yep sure did, I emptied two shotgun rounds and half a clip into it, could say I kinda wasted it."
"Outstanding, now we gotta… burn it."
"You got a lighter?"
Dean smiled, before saying. "In the pocket of my jacket there's a… Zippo."
After a brief argument that Sam quickly put an end to he went back to their camp to get the remainder of their stuff. As he hobbled back into the trees he could still hear Dean insisting he was quite able to do it and Sam should keep the weight off his ankle.
Sam ignored him and kept going.
After Sam had limped back into the trees and unable to take the reek coming off the beast's body Dean had made a valiant effort to get to his feet and put some distance between himself and the evil smelling ugly-assed thing. However that idea was quickly quashed, his legs were weak, shaky and painful and although he knew they weren't re-broken again, the slightest movement caused excruciating pain leaving him light-headed and on the verge of tipping over into darkness. Taking deep breaths he waited for the pain to settle to an almost tolerable level, he then dragged himself to a tree close by trying to keep Sam's shirt pressed to his neck.
When Sam returned a few minutes later Dean had moved away from the beast's sinking carcass and was sitting with his back against the trunk of a tree, his legs held stiffly out in front of him, Sam's shirt still pressed against the wound in his throat. The twenty meter journey had taken its toll, Dean's face was pale, covered in perspiration, his long dark lashes tee-peed together with sweat fanned out against the dark circles beneath his closed eyes, his body racked by shuddering tremors. The hand pressed to the wound on his neck trembled almost imperceptibly.
The touch of fingertips against his face was gentle as they swept the perspiration from his face. Dean wanted to open his eyes. When did I close them? He needed to reassure Sam with words a look or a smile that said: Everything is gonna' be alright, Sammy. But he couldn't force his eyes open and he would be lucky to stay conscious, so words, a look or a smile reassuring or otherwise was at this point out of the question.
Sam dropped Dean's jacket and his duffle bag down on the ground and went to Dean's side Lowering himself to the ground he gently wiped the perspiration from Dean's face with his fingertips, Dean's eyes remained closed his mouth pinched into a thin line of pain. Sam then laid his hand against Dean's cheek, willing his big brother to open his eyes to tell him or show him with his those eyes or that quirk of his lips: Everything is gonna' be alright, Sammy.
Dean's lashes quivered but his expressive eyes stayed closed.
That small movement sent a bolt of guilt through Sam so strong it almost overwhelmed him with its intensity. His brother's current pain and suffering... it was all because of him. This is all my fault, I should have waited, after almost losing his life only weeks ago, to save me again for the hundredth time in his life, now because of my selfishness Dean is suffering. Of course he would come after me, it's what he does, what he's always done and now look what my stupid, foolish actions have gotten us into now.
Sam spoke his thoughts in a breathless whisper. "I'm sorry Dean this is all my fault."
At those words Dean's lids lifted and Sam saw pain flare in Dean eyes.
It was the quiet whisper that did it.
With a determined effort Dean forced his reluctant eyes open. Guilt was written all over Sam's face, his lips were pressed into a thin line and tears trembled on the edge of his lashes.
Dean knew that look. God knows he'd seen it enough times. But he also knew how to wipe it away.
"Sam..." His voice sounded like someone had sandpapered his vocal cords, "although coming out here alone was one of the dumbest things you've ever done, and you've done some pretty dumb things lately. I mean come on you're supposed to be the smart one. Sam... I don't blame you for this, I'm glad it attacked me and not you, do you hear me, this guilt trip of yours ends right now... So you gonna torch this stinky son of a bitch, or do you want me to drag my aching butt over there and do it?"
Sam looked at Dean's pale, pain filled face and thought not for the first time just how truly amazing his big brother really was, it took something like the situation they were now in, thanks to Sam, to remind him, and Sam wondered how he could ever forget such a thing.
"How do you do that you always know what to say to make me feel better, even though I don't deserve to feel better about this whole situation." Sam gave a weak, watery smile.
"Oh god you're not gonna hug me are you?"
"Yep, while you're all beat to hell and too weak to protest." With that Sam leaned in and put his arms around his brother's shoulders leaning his head into Dean's, giving him a gentle but firm hug. To Sam's amazement Dean didn't try to push him away he actually returned Sam hug, all be it weakly and when Sam pulled away he thought he saw a hint of moisture in Dean's eyes but he couldn't be sure in the low light of the now descending moon.
Dean cleared his throat looking down. "Okay that's enough of the chick flick moments Sammy, get to and burn that sucker, the smell of that thing is making my eyes water."
"Yeah Dean sure it is."
Sam gathered the lighter fluid, Zippo and a dry branch from the ground nearby, soaking the sinking carcass and the end of the branch in lighter fluid he lit the end using the ever reliable Zippo then threw it onto the carcass. The flames took hold quickly, the smell of burning hair and roasting meat filled the air and assailed their nostril's, where they sat side by side their backs pressed against the tree, shoulders touching; the flames throwing flickering light onto their faces and warming their bodies well into the early hours of the morning until it died down and soon after that, to wisps of smoke rising from the pile of glowing ashes was all that remained of the beast with no name.
-TBWNN-
Prineville, Oregon
It was the hundredth time since yesterday evening Tarni rang Sam's cell number, and for the hundredth time the same result it went to voice mail. Not being able to get hold of Sam meant she had spent a restless night. So she had risen early showered and dressed and was on the road before 6 am.
She'd driven to Sam and Dean's motel; perhaps Sam's cell phone was turned off? And that was why she couldn't reach him. She needed to put her mind to rest that Sam had returned from the forest in one piece after taking care of the beast. With luck she would find him and Dean tucked up in their motel beds.
The sun was peeking over the horizon in the east as she turned into the motel parking lot only to discover that the there was no Impala parked outside of room No. 7. she pulled the ranger's truck into the empty spot and seconds later was tapping on the door still hoping that they were there. After five minutes of knocking and still no response she gave up and went back to the car, she would go on to the rangers station pick up a radio and some other essentials then mount her own search party for Sam and most probably Dean, she would be long gone before Doug got in at eight. Tarni had a feeling that if she found Sam she would find Dean. She just hoped that she found them in better shape than the last time she had located them out there. Please God let them be okay.
-TBWNN-
Ochoco State Forest, Oregon
Shortly after the Beast's body was burned and the fire had died away to ashes, Sam felt Dean's head slip sideways to rest heavily upon his shoulder. Sam at first thought that Dean had lost consciousness, and panicked for a few seconds until he realized that Dean had somehow to spite his injuries and blood loss managed to fall asleep. Sometime shortly after that Sam had also fallen asleep, waking just after sunrise. Dean looked uncomfortable lying half propped up against what Sam now thought of as their tree. Sam maneuvered the still sleeping Dean until he was lying flat and tucked Dean's own jacket around him covering as much of him as he could. It had been a cool night and the early morning seemed even cooler.
Hours later and the air had warmed considerably. The sun shining brightly onto the trail and filtering down through the tree branches causing dancing patterns to play across Dean's pale face. Sam glanced at his watch for the fiftieth time, after midday and no sign of a rescue party arriving. How long would it be before Tarni had discovered he hadn't returned to the motel. Looking at Dean's face in the light of day, a knot of worry tightened in Sam's belly, although the bleeding from Dean's throat had stopped he didn't like Dean's color and his breathing was labored and shallow, his lips cracked and dry and Sam could tell from that alone he was dehydrated. Maybe he should wake him and get him to drink some water? He'd been sleeping for a long time and Sam didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
Sam didn't feel so hot himself, his head was pounding and his ankle was pulsating with pain and so swollen he was expecting his boot to split wide open at the seams and his flesh to burst out and splatter onto the ground around his foot in a bloody gory mess.
Someone was shaking his arm, gently but insistently, the shaking was then accompanied by a voice. Although Dean couldn't hear what was being said or asked of him, he groaned saying in a sleep roughened voice. "Five more minutes." And man that hurts, feels like I swallowed razor blades and this bed... feels like I'm sleeping on an ironing board.
The voice became suddenly clear as the arm shaking continued. "No Dean you need to wake up now and drink something."
"I'll have a Jack, neat and leave the bottle." Dean croaked. Talking made his lips sting.
"Sorry dude all I got is muddy water." The voice replied.
"Muddy Waters, good music."
The voice chuckled, and then said. "Come on Dean open your eyes and take some water, you gotta keep your fluids up."
Why do I need fluids? Then it hit him; Sam missing from the motel, seeing the news report, following Sam into the forest, pain in his legs, finding Sam with a broken ankle, passing out, the beast pouncing on him from up above, pinning him to the ground, pain, trying to reach his gun and knife, the beast biting my throat, passing out again, Sam shot it, more pain, Sam burning the carcass and now more pain.
Dean's eyes flew open at the same time he tried to sit up. He fell back with a hiss of pain his head spinning like a child's toy, a spinning top. He closed his eyes again, shutting out the two second flash he'd seen of Sam hovering above him or rather eight Sam's turning around in a kaleidoscopic like pattern.
The hand that had been shaking him, was now rubbing a smoothing pattern up and down the same limb.
When Dean thought it safe he cracked one eye open, this time there was only one Sam and he was looking at him with concern. "Hey Sammy how's the ankle?" he asked, bravely opening the other eye.
"It hurts, but I'm fine, think you can sit up and take some water?"
Dean saw Sam was holding the uncapped water bottle in his other hand; Dean nodded and began to struggle into a sitting position, he felt Sam's arm snake across the back of his shoulders helping him up. Dean was grateful as he didn't think at that moment he could have done it on his own.
After the painful process was complete Dean was leaning back against their tree, his breathing back under control. Sam then handed Dean the bottle. Annoyed that the hand he reached out towards the proffered bottle was shaking. Gasping the bottle he held it to his stinging lips and tipped the cool somewhat gritty water down his parched throat. Once he started he felt like he could drink an ocean dry. Sam's hand wrapped around his own that held the bottle and pulled it gently away, at the same time saying. "Drink slowly in sips."
Dean gave Sam an annoyed look but complied with Sam suggestion, he put his fingertips up to his still stinging lips, and they came away with smears of red across them. "My lips are bleeding."
"That's why you need to drink, you're dehydrated dude."
Dean noted that the shaking in his hands had reduced as he took another sip of water licking his sore lips trying to work some moisture into the bleeding cracks that covered them.
Dean looked over Sam's shoulder down the trail before he asked. "Any sign of Tarni, yet?"
Sam glanced in the same direction. "No not yet, but It shouldn't b-" Sam never finished what he had been going to say unsure if he was seeing things.
Tarni appeared around the bend in the trail on the other side of the flowing water across the trail that had now reduced to a trickle. Sam looked back to Dean smiling. "The cavalry has arrived."
-TBWNN-
It was an hour later when the medevac helicopter arrived; Tarni had radioed and told them of the situation, also telling Sam there was a clearing about half a mile from here that was big enough for the chopper to set down and the paramedics were going to walk in from there.
As the drone of the helicopter got louder, Sam and Dean were again sitting side by side against their tree. Tarni stood on the trail eyes shielded against the sun looking into the distant sky, Sam glanced at Dean's profile he too looked towards the approaching chopper; Sam noticed Dean seemed to have turned an even whiter shade of pale, if that was possible.
"Dean what's wrong?" Sam asked concerned that his brother had taken a turn for the worst only minutes from rescue.
"It's a helicopter?" Dean said as he looked from the approaching chopper to Sam.
"Yeah so?"
"That means I have to... leave the ground... you know and go up in the air."
Sam was so relieved that help had arrived and they were getting out of here Dean's fear of flying had completely slipped his mind.
"Oh right I forgot," Sam brain was working overtime for of a way to alleviate Dean's fears. "I'll be with you all the way, and hey it's not like it's the first time you've been in a helicopter bro."
"Those other two times don't count." Dean said, looking apprehensively at the nearing chopper.
Tarni was talking to the pilot on the radio, guiding him to their location. They could hear the pilot's tinny sounding voice as he spoke to Tarni.
"Why not?" Sam asked puzzled.
Dean swallowed hard, before answering. "Dude, I was half dead and unconscious, I didn't know I was… you know… up there." Dean pointed his index finger skywards.
In his relief at being found, Sam had completely forgotten Dean's fear of flying. Although Dean would never admit that'd what it was. He would always give the reason why he drove everywhere was that travelling by road was safer and planes crash.
Sam always pointed out that the statistics said otherwise and more people were injured or killed in road accidents then planes.
The helicopter was now overhead, the downdraft pulling at their hair and clothes. It hovered above them for a few moments, as again Tarni used the radio to inform the pilot of the location of the clearing where they could safely set down. The chopper moved away in that direction disappearing over their heads.
Twenty minutes later the two paramedics and the pilot walked towards them along the trail carrying collapsible stretchers and portable medical kit, they largely ignored the large pile of ashes on the trail more intent on treating the brothers. One worked on Sam the other on Dean, they started both on IV fluids, examined the wound on Dean's throat and the puncture wounds on his back, before field dressing them and placing Dean on one of the stretchers. The makeshift splints were removed from Sam's ankle his boot cut off and his puffy swollen and inflamed ankle enclosed in a blow up boot before lifting him onto the other stretcher. The pilot and Tarni assisting the paramedics to carry the stretchers the short walk to the helicopter.
After the two stretchers were loaded in there was no room for Tarni. She would have to walk out, telling them she would see them at the hospital later. Standing well back from the chopper's blades she watched as it lifted off and peeled away in the direction of Pioneer hospital. When the chopper was out of sight and she could no longer hear the engine she walked back to the spot where she had found the brother's, stopping to kick at the pile of ashes that were the remains of one of the beasts that for the last fifteen years had terrorized the town and been responsible for thirty nine deaths. The forest was at last safe once again for people to enjoy, thanks to Sam and Dean; she would be forever in their debt.
-TBWNN-
As the medevac chopper lifted off, tipping at a steep angle before straightening and heading away from the forest, Sam glanced at Dean who lay across the noisy chopper from him. His brother's eyes were screwed together, his jaw clenched tightly, his knuckles white from the death grip he had on the metal edge of the stretcher.
It brought back a memory of when he'd found out about Dean's fear of flying. It was about a year ago; they were working a case where a demon was causing plane crashes. When he had suggested that the only way to stop the demon was to board the plane that was the demon's next target Dean had baulked at the idea, confessing that he had a problem with flying.
"Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?" Dean had said to his disbelieving open mouthed brother. When he'd got through to Dean that was their only option they'd boarded the plane. Sam smiled remembering Dean's white knuckled grip on the seats arm rests; just like the grip he now had on the stretchers edge, and then Dean had started humming. Sam recognized the tune.
"Are you humming Metallica?" Sam asked incredulously.
"It calms me down." Dean had answered without a loosening of his grip on the arm rests.
Sam had known how terrified Dean was that day but still between them they had located the demon possessing the co-pilot, completed the exorcism and the plane landed safely with all passengers and crew alive and well, although the co-pilot was a little singed from the holy water they'd thrown on him, but didn't remember a thing about what happened.
Over the noise of the helicopter the familiar strains of the same Metallica song Dean was humming that day reached Sam's ears, Dean was humming that same song again. In that moment Sam knew Dean would rather face ten of those beasts than be where he was now. Sam decided a chick flick moment was called for, even at the risk of Dean never letting him forget it and bringing it up at the worst possible and most embarrassing of times.
Reaching out the hand not tethered to the IV Sam covered Dean's hand with his own, giving it what he hoped was a comforting squeeze; to Sam's amazement Dean let go of the stretcher and turned his hand into Sam's gripping it in an almost bone-crushing grip. Sam looked from their joined hands to Dean's face and noticed Dean's jaw had relaxed slightly and his eyes were no longer screwed up tight and he could have sworn that Dean's cracked, blood stained lips quivered with the beginning of a smile. Sam's felt his own lips own lips lift in kind… despite Dean's still painful grip. Joining in Sam also began to hum they continued to hum for the duration of the flight. Dean relinquished his hold on his brother's hand only when the helicopter touched down on the roof of the hospital.
To Be Continued...
Thanks for reading.
Silvertayl 57
