I'm back! So, I was going to work on this chapter while I was on my two week vacation. I realized as I started that some of the keys on my laptop are sticking, making it nearly impossible to work on, so I waited until I was back at work and during breaks and slow times this week I managed to get the next chapter completed! Yay! Once again, thanks to everyone for sticking with me on this even though the updates are coming slowly. Thanks for your kind words you send me...they are what keep me going! So...I shall let you read!
Cindy
That relief was short lived, however, when the door opened and Daniel stumbled out, his arm wrapped around a barely conscious Dean. Daniel met John's gaze and John knew in that moment that everything had just gone to hell.
John rammed on the brakes, shoved the truck into park and jumped from the vehicle before Caleb could even comprehend what was happening. John rushed to his sons, his eyes moving over the both of them looking for any obvious injuries.
"What the hell happened!?" John cried as he put his hand to Dean's face. He looked over at Daniel, his gaze demanding an immediate answer.
"I…I don't know, Dad. I got back to the room and the door was wide open. I went in and he was just…Dean was lying on the floor out cold!" Daniel responded, his voice shaking as he appeared to be almost in tears.
John gasped as he let go of Dean and ran toward the motel room. He just reached the door when Daniel's voice called out to him.
"He's not there, Dad. I…I looked, but he's not there. Sammy's gone," Daniel cried brokenly. "Someone took him…hurt Dean and took Sammy. I'm so sorry, Dad…I'm so sorry I wasn't here to stop them!" Tears did make their way down Daniel's cheeks this time as he gazed imploringly at his father.
John shook his head then stepped into the room, the man making his own search before returning to his sons. Daniel and Caleb had Dean sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala, his head hung low as his hand gingerly rubbed the back of his head. John pushed past the two concerned hunters and knelt before his middle son.
"Dean," John said softly as he once again placed his hand on Dean's face. "What happened?"
Dean slowly lifted his head and blinked several times at his father before recognition finally dawned on him. "I…I don't know. I was in the bathroom and when I came out…he…Sammy wasn't in bed. I saw a reflection in the picture of someone behind me, but…but before I could turn around someone hit me. I never saw them and then I wake up with Danny dragging me out of the room," he answered groggily. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he lurched to his feet which turned out to be a bad idea as his legs gave way beneath him and three sets of hands grabbed at him to keep him from hitting the asphalt.
"Dean! Stay down, boy! You got a hell of a lump on your head!" Caleb shouted as he helped to once again situate Dean on the car seat.
"Sammy…have to check on Sammy," Dean cried weakly as he fought the hands that held him.
John sighed as he lifted Dean's face and met his gaze. "He's gone, Dean. He isn't in the room," he said softly.
"Wh-what? But…oh God…they took him! I let them take him!" Dean cried despairingly.
"No, Dean…I don't think so," John said.
Dean's eyes widened as he stared at his father. "What do you mean? I left him alone to take a shower and now he's gone! This is my fault! What if they've hurt him?"
"Dean…there is no sign of a struggle in that room. I think…I think it was Sam who knocked you out. I think he left on his own," John explained.
"What?" Daniel asked as he stared with astonishment at his father. "Why would Sammy knock Dean out?"
"He wouldn't…at least not of his own free will, but…" John started, his voice trailing off as he saw the disbelief in his son's eyes.
"What do you mean, Dad?" Daniel asked.
"I found a spell book at the mansion. I think that the spirit did something to Sam when it had him. I think that it can control him somehow," John finally said.
"Son of a bitch! He's probably on his way or already at that frickin' mansion!" Dean exclaimed as he once again tried to stand. He growled when the other hunters kept him firmly in place. "Damn it…let me go!"
"Just take a few minutes to get your bearings, Dean," John said calmly.
"We don't have a few minutes, Dad! We have to get to Sammy before that freak does something to him!" Dean cried.
"We will, but you aren't going to do your brother any good if you're falling over. You need to stay at the motel while we…"
"Like hell I'm gonna sit here! He's my brother…my responsibility and he went missing on my watch! I ain't staying here…I don't care what you say!"
"Dean…"
"No, Dad! I'm going!"
John sighed and shook his head. It was at times like this that he almost regretted putting so much responsibility onto his elder sons to take care of their baby brother. It was also times like this that made him overflow with pride. He met Dean's eyes and smiled. "Fine…but you will stay by one of our sides at all times…"
"Dad…I'm not a kid!"
"No, you aren't, but you are concussed and I'm not going there to have to rescue two of my sons! Take it or stay here!"
"Fine," Dean mumbled.
"Fine. Now let's get inside and figure this thing out…"
"Dad, we need to go now. Sammy could already be there," Daniel protested.
"We can't go in blind. We don't even know what's holding that bastard here," John said in response.
"I do…I know what's holding him," Daniel replied.
"What? Did you find something at the grandson's house?" Caleb asked.
"Yeah…I found Samuel Worthington's journal. According to it, the magician is buried in the walls somewhere in the basement," Daniel answered.
"So…what are we waiting for? Let's go torch this sucker and get Sam away from that friggin' house!" Dean exclaimed as he pushed to his feet, the young man steadier on his feet than he had been a few minutes prior.
John glanced from one son to the other then nodded. "Get any weapons from the room. We'll look over the spellbook and journal on the drive there. We'll take the Impala," he said as he moved toward the motel room.
Ten minutes later and the hunters were on the road, barreling toward the mansion where they knew their youngest member had gone. Caleb studied the journal and after a few minutes he looked up and over at John. "I think I may know how this all happened," he said.
"What do you mean?" John asked with a quick glance to his friend.
"In his journal, Samuel Worthington wrote that before the magician died he swore he heard him whisper something. It's possible, or probable I should say that if the magician was going to cast a spell to live for eternity and whatever else it was he wanted, that he probably cast a spell before he died to assure that the soul of his captive would find another body to inhabit. I'm not 100% sure about this, but it seems likely. Once Sam was close to the mansion, like when he came here with his friends, something in his soul was awakened…something the magician put there," he explained.
"So, could whatever this was force us to take all of the turns we took and then make the Impala die right in front of that house?" Daniel asked skeptically.
Caleb turned to look over the seat at his younger friend. "It's possible I guess…if the magician was as strong of a spell caster as it appears. He could have even forced a part of his own soul into Samuel."
"This is so screwed up! We need to get to Sam and we need to get to him now!" Dean cried.
"We will, Dean. We'll get your brother and we'll send the magician to hell where he belongs," John said with all the conviction he could muster. Inside though, his stomach was churning at the implications. If in fact a part of the magician was inside of Sam, what would happen to him once the magician was sent to hell? Would anything happen to him or would he even notice? John sucked in deep breath and slowly let it out. He couldn't allow himself to think of anything else right now except finding his son and sending the son of a bitch who was trying to hurt him back where he belonged.
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Sam stared blankly up at the dark house, a sense of unease and fear building in his stomach as his feet moved him involuntarily toward it. His mind was his, but his body was being controlled by something he didn't understand. He could feel this something pushing at his brain, making him move forward even though all he wanted to do was turn and run the other way…run back to the motel where he knew his brother lay unconscious. "Dean," Sam whispered as tears pooled in his eyes. He had hurt his brother, but he couldn't comprehend why. He didn't understand why he did what he did or why he left Dean unprotected and came to the place of his nightmares. He couldn't possibly know that he was being controlled even though he could feel that his body wasn't his own at the moment. He tried as hard as he could to fight whatever held him, but he couldn't stop himself from climbing the sagging steps up to the porch, nor could he stop himself as he slipped silently into the house and disappeared into the darkness within.
Once inside, the door slammed shut behind him and suddenly, Sam was freed from the invisible hold that had forced him to come to this place. He immediately turned and tried frantically to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He spun back around when he heard a faint whisper, but he couldn't see anyone through the muted light that penetrated the filthy windows.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Sam called out to the shadows.
"You have come back to me, Samuel. You are mine and now I will take what is mine and be reborn," a voice whispered from the shadows.
"I am not yours! I belong to my family and you made me hurt my brother! I know you did!"
"But you are mine, Samuel. You are in a borrowed body, but your soul belongs to me."
"No!" Sam screamed, his eyes narrowed in anger as he searched the entryway before him. Suddenly, the shadows began to move, to seemingly flow toward him and Sam backed away, looking for a way out, but all the while knowing that in his weakened state he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight. Suddenly, the shadow as upon him, enveloping him in its darkness as it flowed over him. Sam could feel the cold tendrils of the shadow spirit touching the bare skin of his arms then his neck as it moved higher. He shivered as the shadow seemed to caress him and in the back of his mind he remembered this feeling from the first time the spirit had taken him. He could feel the coldness as tendrils slithered their way under his tee shirt and up his naked back and chest. He tried to fight it off, to break free from its evil hold, but he was no match for the spirit as it finally covered him until only the shadow itself could be seen. The shadow moved slowly toward the staircase now, taking the young man with it and all the while the same word was whispered over and over again.
"Mine..."
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The Impala came to a screeching halt at the curb in front of the mansion and all four hunters piled out of the car with a single intent in all of their minds…get Sam out and kill the spirit who had taken him. Daniel stayed close to Dean as they made their way to the house. John reached the door first and pushed his way inside the house. Once all four hunters were inside, John turned to the others and spoke.
"Daniel, Dean…find your brother. Caleb and I will search the basement for the magician's bones."
"Yes, sir," Daniel said as he took hold of his slightly swaying younger brother's arm.
Dean brushed his brother's hand away and gave the older man a biting glare. "I'm fine," he hissed as he moved further into the entryway.
"Boys, we have a job to do. You stay together and you find your brother and get him out of here," John snapped.
"Yes, sir," both brothers replied.
"Where do we start?" Dean asked softly as he green eyes squinted through the dim interior. As if in answer to his question, a scream suddenly reached their ears and all four men swung their eyes to the top of the staircase.
"Sammy!" Daniel shouted as he broke for the stairs, Dean right on his heels.
"Get your brother! Caleb and I will find this son of a bitch!" John screamed. He and Caleb ran down the hall that led off the entryway, frantically searching for the way to the basement while Daniel and Dean tore up the stairs as if their very lives depended on it. They ramped up their speed as another pain filled scream filled the air.
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Sam awoke confused and dazed, unable to determine where he was or how he'd gotten there. He was certain of one thing though…he was no longer in the motel room and he was completely alone. Wherever he was it was dark…and cold. The surface he was lying on was hard and rough and as he made a move to sit up he became painfully aware that he wouldn't be going anywhere. He realized with sudden fear that he was stretched out spread eagle, each wrist and ankle tightly secured to a corner of what he now realized was a large table. He grunted as he tried to pull a hand free, but all he got for his efforts was a sharp pain down his arm. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he made one other discovery. To his utter horror, he realized that he was naked. Shame and fear washed over him and he fought more frantically to free himself. Several exhausting minutes later he slumped back to the table feeling defeated and incompetent. His wrists and ankles were bloodied and achy from the injuries his struggles had caused and a deeper, more intense pain radiated from one arm. He realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that the cast that had been on his broken arm was gone and that his struggles had in all likelihood done more damage.
"Damn it!" Sam hissed. He tensed when he heard a soft whisper, his hazel eyes immediately searching the shadows. He drew in a quick breath when he saw a dark shape emerge from the corner and move toward him.
"Shhh, Samuel. Do not fret…all of this will be over soon," the dark form said as it reached for him. Sam gasped as it touched its hand to his bare stomach then slowly moved it up over his chest, its cold fingers ghosting over the bite mark left there all those years ago. The dark form seemed to cock its head and suddenly soft light filled the space as candles came to life around the room. With the light, Sam was now able to see the dark form more clearly. He couldn't see a face, but he could make out a hood that seemed to flow down into a long cape. Sam let out his breath when the form suddenly pulled away from him and moved to another smaller table that sat against the wall under a dark curtained window. Sam's eyes widened when he realized what was on the table. There were small vials filled with unknown liquids, black candles and piles of what appeared to be dried plants. Most disturbing however was the long bladed knife that lay beside the plants. The dark form picked up two of the small vials and the knife then glided back to the table where Sam was now desperately struggling to break free. The spirit placed the items it had brought onto the table near Sam's side then rested its cold hand upon his chest. Sam's struggles immediately halted as he found himself unable to move.
"It is time, Samuel," the spirit whispered as it picked up one of the vials. It removed the stopper and slowly began to pour the contents over Sam, beginning at his head and moving down until it emptied the vial over his stomach. It set the vial down then picked up the other and removed its stopper. After repeating the process of emptying the vial over Sam, the spirit placed both hands on him and spread the liquids over him. Sam shuddered as the spirit worked its way down his body, but gave a sigh of relief when it stopped just below his navel. His fear amped up when the spirit lifted the knife and began to softly chant. He watched helplessly as the spirit lowered the knife to a point just below his throat, its chanting drowned out by Sam's scream as it began to cut.
Well, would you look at that! Another cliffy! Why do I keep doing that? Maybe it's because...I'm evil! Hahahahahaha! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will try as hard as I can to get the next one out as soon as possible. The beginning of the month is fast approaching and then I won't have any free time at work until the second half of next month...maybe I'll be able to work on it between now and the 1st. Fingers crossed! Take care all!
Cindy
