Chapter 25
A few days passed, and Dean slowly grew stronger. His cuts were scabbed over and weren't quite as painful, as they had once been. He wasn't one hundred percent; but, he was familiar with working while injured. As he sat on the side of his bed, he once again went through the events of his abduction.
"He could have killed me; but, he didn't." Dean said to Sam.
Sam sat on a chair, with his laptop on the table next to him. "You're sure nothing scared him off?"
"I'm positive. I didn't hear anything that would have made him stop. A phone didn't ring. No one else came into the room. Nothing. He just cut me up and then put his knife away." Dean frustratingly stated. The past couple days, Dean and Sam had been reviewing the events surrounding Dean's abduction and torture. They were looking for anything that might explain who had taken Dan and why Dean had been taken. Thus far, they had come up with nothing and the lack of answers was unnerving Dean.
"Ok, so he never mentioned Asaph. He never asked you where the seer was." Sam stated. "He never questioned you at all?" Sam asked. He too was growing discouraged by the lack of information regarding his brother's abduction.
"Nothing." Dean vehemently answered and shook his head. "He called me by my name and said that he was told to send me regards from hell. And when he finished cutting me up, he just put his knife away and didn't say a thing." Dean looked over Sam's shoulder and replayed the events in his mind. There had to be something he missed. There had to be a reason why he had been treated the way that he had been. But, whatever that reason was, it was doing a good job of eluding Dean.
"None of the cuts mean anything. They don't create any shape or symbol. So, I don't see any symbolic reason for the cuts." Sam stated. He had helped clean Dean's injuries the other day and while doing so, he had purposefully been looking to see if any of them looked like a symbol or could be connected together to create some symbol or pattern. However, the cuts seemed to be just cuts, with no symbolic meaning behind them.
"They just hurt like hell." Dean stated. His eyes narrowed, as a thought came to him. Slowly, Dean stood up and carefully took of his shirt. Every movement pulled on the cuts. No matter what Dean did, it caused the scabs to pull on some cuts. With his shirt off, Dean looked at the injuries to his chest and arms.
Sam remained seated in the chair and watched his brother. He wondered what was going through his brother's mind. Sam could see that the cuts were showing signs of healing. But, Sam could also see that some tension was put on the scabs, when his brother moved.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Dean tentatively moved his arms a bit and took a slow, deep breath. "He knew where to cut." Dean concluded. "He knew right where to cut me, so I couldn't move without irritating some cuts. He wanted to make certain that these things hurt, even after he made them. He knew precisely where to cut the skin and what angle to cut at." Looking at Sam, Dean went on. 'Either he's some mad surgeon out to practice his knife skills, or he's a demon. He's got experience doing this sort of thing." As he saw Sam dwelling on what Dean had said, Dean gently put his shirt back on and sat back down on the bed.
A couple minutes later, Sam replied, "Ok, let's say it is a demon. Was he after you specifically or is he after Asaph? If he had you strapped down, why not force you to tell him where Asaph is? Why grab you and let you live?" Dean's conclusion about it being a demon made sense, except for the fact that Dean had lived and the demon never asked about the seer. Sam wasn't sure what to think and based on the expression on his brother's face, Sam knew that Dean was feeling the same way.
/SN/
It was Friday and Aiden and Vahe were making plans for the weekend. Both felt certain that the Winchesters would be at the Faire again and were making plans for the brothers. Since Dean had gotten a good look at the face of the man Aiden had possessed, he decided to get into a new body. After disposing of the old body, Aiden returned to the hotel and found Vahe waiting for him.
"Ready for tomorrow?' Aiden asked.
"Yep. Once we identify the seer, I got the drugs right here, which will kill him." Vahe said, as he patted a bag, which lay on the bed next to him. What Vahe didn't mention was that he had also grabbed some meds, which he planned on using on Sam. Vahe knew that he would only have one chance to get to Sam and that chance would probably come before they identified the seer. Vahe was willing to risk taking care of Sam, before completing their assigned job of killing the seer. Vahe was so confident that his plan would work and knew how satisfied he would be for being the one to kill Sam that he was willing to pay whatever repercussions came for not getting the seer. For Vahe, all that mattered now was getting his hands on Sam and getting the chance to let Sam know how disappointed Vahe was with Sam's decision to not lead the demon army. And with his plan, Vahe knew that he would get his chance. He had no desire to kill Sam right away. Instead, Vahe planned on torturing Sam first, before he let Sam die. And by the time Vahe finished torturing Sam; Sam would be more than ready to die. In fact, Vahe was fairly certain, that halfway through the torture, Sam would be pleading for his death.
Chapter 26
Saturday arrived and the Winchesters were back at the Faire. Sam knew that Dean was still in some pain, from the cuts. But at the same time, Sam knew that there was no way that Dean was going to let Sam come to the Faire on his own to protect Asaph. As before, Sam was dressed in Renaissance attire and would remain close to Asaph. Whereas last weekend Dean had arrived ahead of Asaph and Sam at various locations, this weekend Dean traveled with Asaph and Sam from place to place. Dean did keep some distance from Sam and Asaph; but, Dean was never out of sight from Sam. Sam had successfully convinced Dean to not go off on his own and also got his brother to agree to stay within sight of Sam and Asaph. Sam had already come close to losing Dean once during this case and Sam had no desire to risk losing his brother again.
/SN/
Before arriving at the Faire, Aiden and Vahe had discussed their plans. Vahe still possessed the same person he had possessed last week. Since Sam might have noticed Vahe last weekend, Aiden suggested that Vahe follow Dean this weekend, while Aiden tailed Sam. Initially, Vahe disagreed with that plan; but, not wanting to tip Aiden off about his secret plans for Sam, Vahe finally agreed with Aiden.
When the demons arrived at the Faire, they quickly walked around, until they spotted the Winchester brothers. Aiden noticed that Sam was wearing the same costume, which he had worn the previous weekend. Aiden wondered why Sam would still be wearing the costume. Aiden had not been allowed to question Dean about the seer; but now, Aiden was wondering if they might have no choice but interrogate one of the Winchesters for information. Aiden and Vahe had been trying for several months to identify the seer and had not had any success. Aiden knew that his superiors were getting upset that the seer was still ruining their plans.
From where he stood, Aiden was able to watch Sam and Dean. Aiden smiled, as he noticed that Dean seemed to limit his movements and caught Dean grimace a couple times. Aiden had much experience using a knife and it was obvious, to him, that Dean was still suffering from the wounds he had endured. As Aiden watched the brothers, he tried to determine which of the Winchester brothers would be more prone to relinquish information about the seer. Aiden knew that neither brother would willingly reveal who the seer was; but with a little persuasion, Aiden was certain that he would be able to get what he needed.
From where he stood, Vahe was able to observe both Dean and Sam. Aiden had made it clear that Vahe was to follow Dean; but, Vahe had his own agenda and felt that time was running out for him to complete it. Vahe was able to see Aiden and knew that for appearance's sake, he needed to look as though Dean was the only one he was watching. Vahe looked around and then decided to walk to the other side of a nearby tree. From his new location, Vahe was out of Aiden's line of sight; but, Vahe was still able to see the Winchester brothers. Vahe could feel his anticipation building. Today was the day he grabbed Sam. Vahe knew that Aiden was under pressure, from his superiors, to kill the seer. And although Vahe no longer cared about the seer, he knew that Aiden could still hinder Vahe's ability to get to Sam. For now, Vahe would play along with Aiden's plan. But tonight, as the Faire closed for the day, Vahe planned on getting Sam.
/SN/
As Saturday wore on, Dean grew more tired. He hadn't totally recovered from his abduction and torture. The day's weather was warm and Dean was sweating some. The sweat caused Dean's clothes to stick to his skin and rub against his numerous scabbed cuts. Dean knew that he needed to remain focused and could not allow his growing discomfort to distract him. However, as the day progressed, Dean was having a harder time ignoring his soreness.
Sam was on the look-out for anything unusual. A couple times, he thought he had spotted the man, who had caught his attention last weekend. However, either Sam was mistaken or the man changed his position so Sam couldn't get a good look at him. While looking for any threat to Asaph, Sam was also looking for any threats to his brother. Throughout the day, Sam had been looking over at Dean and had noticed more signs of pain, appearing on Dean's face. Dean tended to be very stoic and the average person wouldn't realize that Dean was suffering. But, Sam knew his brother and knew what to look for. As a result, Sam hoped that nothing adverse happened today and that they could quickly get back to the hotel, where Dean could rest.
/SN/
The day was coming to an end for the Faire. Throughout the day, Aiden had been looking for some signs of who the seer might be. However, thus far, Aiden didn't have a clue. It appeared as though the brothers were staying close to a musician; but, Aiden had only heard the guy sing old Elizabethan songs. Was the seer actually one of the people who appeared to be listening to the musician? Were the brothers simply following the musician, in order to draw attention away from the seer? Instead of coming up with any answers, Aiden was only coming up with more question.
In the past, Aiden would have made a decision on his own and would have freely changed his plans, without consulting any one. However, since he was on probation for his earlier failure, Aiden knew that he needed to consult with his superior. Before dumping the body, of the man he had possessed while torturing Dean, Aiden had drained some blood from the body. After casting a quick glance at Vahe and confirming that Vahe was watching Dean, Aiden ducked behind one of the nearby stands. Pulling out a goblet, which was covered with symbols, Aiden poured the blood into it and called upon his superior.
Minutes later, Aiden stepped out from behind the stand and re-joined the crowd. He had gotten his answer. He had been told to grab one of the Winchesters and to do whatever he needed to do, in order to learn the identity of the seer.
Chapter 27
Vahe had seen Aiden step behind a stand. Now was his chance to grab Sam. Vahe knew that once he nabbed Sam, that he would be on his own and that, given a chance, Aiden might even try to stop him. Mentally, Vahe had run through several different ways to get to Sam. As Vahe watched Sam, he tried to figure out which plan would be the most effective. Since Dean was keeping an eye on Sam, Vahe knew that he would only be able to get Sam, if Dean was distracted. As luck would have it, Vahe watched as two women approached Dean and asked him to take their picture for them. Vahe quickly took advantage of the situation and walked towards Sam.
Vahe had prepared two syringes, before arriving at the Faire. One syringe, which Aiden was aware of, was for the seer. The other syringe, which Aiden had no knowledge of, was for Sam. Pulling out the syringe for Sam, Vahe hide it up his sleeve. As he neared Sam, Vahe glanced over in Dean's direction ad confirmed that Dean was still distracted. Coming up behind Sam, Vahe stabbed the syringe into the back of Sam's thigh and threw an arm around Sam, as though he was Sam's buddy and was giving him a hug.
"Nighty, night Sam." Vahe whispered into Sam's ear. Fortunately, they were close to some stands, and Vahe was able to steer Sam towards them. As the drug kicked in, Vahe got a stronger hold of Sam and half carried Sam behind the stands. Vahe didn't know how long Dean would be distracted and knew he needed to act quickly.
/SN/
Aiden was ecstatic to hear that he could grab a Winchester, in order to locate the seer. Aiden knew exactly which Winchester he was going to grab. Aiden had already planned on killing Dean and now, he had a perfectly good reason to grab Dean again. But how to go about doing that? Sam and Dean had been keeping within sight of each other the entire day. Aiden needed some way to distract Dean and lure Dean away from Sam. As Aiden stood there thinking, two young women walked by. An idea came to mind and Aiden decided to go with it.
Stepping behind a stand, Aiden left the body he had been possessing and moved into the body of one of the young woman. After a quick chat with her friend, Aiden went up to Dean and asked him to take a picture. After Dean took the picture, Aiden told his female companion to go on without her friend. After being left alone with Dean, Aiden walked up to him.
"Uh. I… uh… don't normally do this." Aiden stammered. "Can we… uh… go somewhere to talk?" Aiden gave Dean a look, which he hoped conveyed more than what he had said. Dean went to look over his shoulder towards Sam; but, Aiden quickly lifted his hand to Dean's head and redirected his attention back to Aiden.
"Sure." Dean replied, with a small smile on his face. "How about right behind that stand?" Dean asked, as he indicated going behind the fortune teller's stand.
"I'd like that." Aiden replied with a smile of his own.
/SN/
Since the Faire was closing in just a few minutes, Vahe knew exactly where he could take Sam and have some privacy. One of the benefits of having spent so many weeks following the Faire was that Vahe knew the Faire's routine and knew what employees did as the Faire closed for the day.
Draping one of Sam's arms around his shoulder, Vahe made it appear as though he was just helping out a friend. It helped that Vahe had seen a cup which was filled a quarter of the way with beer and had poured the beer over Sam. If any one got too close, they would think that Sam had had one too many. As Vahe headed towards his goal, he nonchalantly looked around. Not only was he checking to see if any of the visitors or employees were paying too much attention to him and Sam; but, he was also on the look out for Dean or Aiden. At the moment, Vahe didn't know who he was more worried about being caught by, Dean or Aiden.
Vahe knew where some of the meat was cooked and smoked. He knew of a large barrel shaped smoker, which was kept not far from the King's theater. In the past, Vahe had used that same smoker to help dispose of some bodies. Previously, Vahe had put the bodies on the fire side of the smoker. This time, Vahe planned on first putting Sam on the smoker side.
Currently, the drug kept Sam from being the ideal victim of torture, since he would be blissfully unaware of what was being done to him. And, Vahe wanted Sam to be aware of what was being done. Vahe wanted Sam to suffer and wanted Sam to beg for mercy. As Vahe and Sam neared the smoker, Vahe saw that no one else was around. Dropping Sam to the ground, Vahe opened the smoker's lid and saw that all the meat had already been removed. Taking out a couple racks, Vahe made room in the smoker for Sam's body. Closing the lid, the demon turned back to Sam. Spotting some rope, which was normally used for the meat, Vahe cut a few pieces and bound Sam's wrists and ankles. With that accomplished, Vahe opened the smoker and lifted Sam up and into in. Not wanting to take a chance of Sam waking up and escaping, Vahe tied Sam's bound wrists to a rack inside the smoker. Although Vahe had poured some beer on Sam, it wasn't enough to catch fire or cause any harm to Sam. With Sam tied and unconscious, Vahe closed the smoker's lid and stepped over to the side of the smoker. There, Vahe found a vent and opened it. The vent would allow more smoke to come out and would help to limit how much smoke accumulated in the smoker. Vahe wanted Sam to suffer; but, didn't want carbon monoxide to kill him, before Vahe could thoroughly torture Sam. Vahe had only put enough medication, in the syringe, to knock Sam out for a few minutes. So, Vahe knew that it wouldn't take long for the drug to begin to wear off and for Sam to awaken.
/SN/
Dean had been tired; but, the recent woman's interest had caught Dean's attention. Even injured, Dean could still get the ladies. Invitingly, Dean took the woman's hand and led the way behind the fortune teller's stand.
/SN/
Aiden smiled, as he let Dean lead the way. Once again, Aiden was going to get a chance to torment Dean, except this time, the demon ultimately planned on ending Dean's life. Aiden would keep Dean alive long enough for Dean to reveal the seer's location and then Aiden would kill him.
