it's that time again. thank you all so much for the great reviews, i'm glad everyone's enjoying the story. :)

AFTERGLOW

Chapter 9

Sam ran up the stairs when he heard Kerri call his name, the air around him growing colder as he reached the open door of the attic. He was spurred on by the sound of a shotgun blast, his heart rate increasing with each step he took. The young hunter took the last two steps in one stride, his breath catching in his throat at the scene that greeted him. Kerri was standing in the middle of the large attic, struggling to keep her footing as a wind began to grow, the house creaking and moaning from the onslaught. She was so preoccupied by the gale, though, that she didn't see the entity coming up behind her.

Sam had never seen a spirit quite like it. Arthur looked emaciated, as though he hadn't eaten in well over a month. The ghost was also more animalistic than any the youngest Winchester had ever encountered. It was crawling along the rotting floorboards of the old attic, stalking its prey like a cat in tall grass. Its eyes were bloodshot and hungry, its mouth hanging open, jaw obviously broken. Its skin was grey and papery, like dried out vegetation, its hair nothing more that wisps of smoke hovering around its head. It was grotesque.

Sam pulled his eyes away from the spirit, raising the shotgun and firing before it had the chance to steal someone else he cared about.

"You scared the freaking hell out of me." Kerri gasped, turning toward him moments after the spirit vanished.

"You're welcome. I think he's gone, did you find anything?"

"No, you?" Kerri asked, and Sam's heart immediately sank. He could feel each moment as it drifted away, every second passing another second closer to losing Dean forever. He needed his brother back, needed Dean by his side, but doubts and what ifs were slowly starting to creep into Sam's mind.

"We still have the whole house to search, Sam." Kerri spoke again, though Sam wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure, herself or him. "What the—?"

Sam turned at the question, his eyes following Kerri's line of sight. He could see something shinning near the hole in the wall Kerri had made with her shotgun. He moved toward the redhead, his senses on high alert as she approached the wall. He wasn't an idiot, he knew the ghost's M.O now and he also knew Kerri fit it just as much as Dean, maybe more so.

She was the epitome of left behind. Everyone had forgotten about her, pushed her aside, let her fall off into a nearly forgotten memory. She could be lost and never missed— hell she'd been in the hospital for an entire week before he and Dean even found out she was hurt. And that time didn't even count the three days she spent alone in her home, injured and abandoned. She was the perfect bait for the spirit. No, Sam told himself, Kerri Harrison was not bait. He refused to put her in the line of fire again, refused to let her face danger without protection. He needed to save her, Evelyn's words drifting back to him as he watched Kerri.

'I couldn't save them.'

Sam knew he was tied to Evelyn somehow, he could feel it. He didn't know what was going on, not just yet, but he knew not to ignore it, not to play it off as a tired mind. Something was happening, a subtle shift shaking all of them. Evelyn couldn't save 'them' and Sam vowed he wouldn't fall to the same fate. He didn't know who Evelyn's 'them' were, but he knew who he needed to save— Dean and Kerri.

In all the commotion that had become their lives, Sam had let himself be blinded. John was dead, gone forever, and Sam knew he had to focus on the here and now. Both Kerri and Dean were spiraling, mere shadows of who they had once been— and Sam needed to save them, to bring them back. All his life he'd been saved by others, both physically and emotionally, but he wasn't a child any longer. He was strong, stronger than most, and he knew he was different. The Yellow Eyed Demon had done something, changed him somehow, and he knew it was more than just his psychic abilities. Something was happening to him, changing inside him, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. All he knew was that now, finally, he had the power to save the people he loved.

"What?" Sam asked, staying close behind her, his eyes peeled for Arthur.

"Oh god."

Kerri's strangled gasp brought Sam's full attention to the hole in the wall, and the small silver chain shining in the dull light of the flashlight. "Oh god."

Sam took in the body of the girl, his heart beating hard in his chest as all the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place. He knew where the victims were, and he knew how each and every one of them had died. They'd all been abducted, sealed inside the walls of the old house, and left alone to die of dehydration. It was a torture he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy, and it was a torture his big brother was currently enduring.

Sam searched the attic for something, anything to break through the walls, even though Kerri was already pulling the boards down by hand. He knew her tactic would take time, and it was time Dean didn't have. The body could survive three days without water, and his brother was slowly nearing the seventy two hour mark. Sam nearly cried out in relief when he found an old sledgehammer, wasting no time taking out the wall nearest him. The spirit already knew they were there and Sam knew now was the time for action. Between the two of them it took fifteen agonizing minutes to tear out the walls of the attic— and while they'd found a total of seven bodies, Dean was nowhere in sight.

"Come on, he's gotta be in one of the rooms, the basement's all cement." Sam called over his shoulder, Kerri's voice calling back to him from a few paces away.

"Sumner's gotta be here, too."

"I know," Sam breathed, slamming the sledgehammer into the first wall he could find. He knew all too well Sumner was in the house, he'd just watched it nearly take Kerri to god knows where. "Dean first, bones later, just keep your eyes open."

Sam swung again, his muscles burning from the effort. But he didn't stop, and he wasn't going to until he found his brother. Dean was close, Sam knew it, but he still felt miles away from the older man. No matter what he did Sam still couldn't find his brother. It was like trying to run up a mud slicked slope, and Sam could feel hopelessness creeping into his soul.

"Here, just break it open enough for me to climb in. We don't have time to break every body out."

"Ker, you sure?" Sam asked, knowing what Kerri was suggesting. She fit the ghost's M.O and was about to walk right into its favorite hiding place. Kerri hadn't seen the spirit creeping up behind her, hadn't realized how close she was to becoming another victim.

Kerri just nodded, taking a deep breath before climbing into the wall. Sam stayed by her for a few moments, making sure Sumner wasn't waiting for her on the other side, but her all clear signal had him breathing a sigh of relief. He walked a few feet down the hall, swinging the sledgehammer several times until he was certain the hole created was big enough for Kerri to climb through.

They continued on like that for a short time, both occupied in their tasks— Sam breaking through the wall, Kerri searching inside. The brunette wished he could trade places with Kerri, wished it was him and not her forced to climb into a small space literally crammed with decaying bodies. He had the overwhelming urge to protect her, to shield her from the horrors of the supernatural world. He knew it was futile, knew she'd long ago learned what was really hidden in the dark, but that didn't stop his protective streak.

Kerri was normal to him, was safety, home and family. After all, Valley was the only 'home' he'd ever known. The Harrisons were a reprieve, a bit of light in the overwhelming darkness of his life— they were untouchable. Or at least, they had been. But time destroys, time steals, time breaks, and time hadn't spared Kerri and her family. The large house he'd once believed imagined, the place he had dreamed about had transformed into a crumbling building. The old front porch now sagged, shingles falling off the roof daily, the old wood siding showing signs of termites. It was vanishing into the past, disappearing beneath the march of time, and it wasn't fair. Sam needed it back, needed normal, and if he couldn't save Tom, Evelyn or Valley, he was sure as hell gonna save Kerri.

Sam pulled back the hammer again, hesitating when a cold breeze began to fill the second floor hall. Arthur Sumner was coming back, and Sam bet he was gonna be pissed. Sam eyed the last gap he'd created, letting out a breath when he saw Kerri climb back through.

"Something's coming," she whispered, Sam's body tensing as he swung the hammer again.

"I know, keep going." Sam grunted, swinging the hammer once more before moving down the wall. He could feel the energy growing around them and he knew they only had a few moments until Sumner rose again.

Sam wasn't far off, the spirit of Arthur Sumner appearing feet behind Kerri, the redhead once again oblivious to the attack. Sam wasted no time, pulling the shotgun from his belt and firing, his dark eyes scanning the room around him.

"Sam?"

"Just keep checking." Sam spun, firing the shotgun when Sumner tried to materialize again. They were getting close, Sam could feel it, but he also knew they were running out of time. Sam continued to scan the space, the cold wind filling the room, ominous creaks and moans floating through the heavy air. He needed to get this over with before the place came crashing down on top of them.

Sam caught something out of the corner of his eye, firing just as the very faint image of Sumner managed to materialize. The spirit was getting tired. "Ker?" Sam looked around the room, suddenly realizing Kerri was nowhere in sight. 'No, no, no.' "Ker?"

"I'm alright." Kerri's muffled voice answered, though he still had no idea where she was.

"Where are you?"

"In the wall, I figured I'd just keep looking."

"Anything?" Sam asked, leaning his head against the wall, his tired eyes closed as he prayed.

"No."

Sam sighed, his aching body slumping as adrenaline left him. "Alright, stand still a minute." Sam tucked the shotgun back into his belt, taking the hammer to the wall once more, hoping Kerri wasn't standing directly in front of him. He swung the hammer a few more times, breaking a hole big enough for him to climb through.

He leaned into the wall, dust and debris raining down on him from the crumbling house, the scene that greeted him nearly making him sick. Bodies, there were bodies everywhere, and Kerri was climbing over them like the last survivor of a great war. Sam reached into the space, taking his friend by the arm as she tripped and stumbled over the corpses. "Come on, this is the last room up here, he's gotta be downstairs."

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Kerri followed Sam down the stairs, shotgun in hand, waiting for attack. Something had gotten Sam on edge, well something more than a lost brother, pissed spirit and broken house. She knew now wasn't the time for questions, though, and so she filed this one away with the thousand others she needed to ask the younger man.

"There's the kitchen and the two front rooms." Sam began, turning to Kerri after he made sure the coast was clear. "They've gotta be here."

"Alright, the kitchen looks like it's all cement, too. How about I take one room and you the other."

"No." Sam shouted, grabbing Kerri's arm as she turned. "No, no splitting up."

"Sam—."

"No, Kerri. We stick together, we get Dean, and then we get the hell out of here."

"What about Sumner?"

"Salt and burn the house."

"The whole place?"

"Just down here, we know he's not upstairs. Look, Ker, we're out of time. We do this my way."

"Alright." Kerri answered, sorrow filled eyes scanning the young hunter. Yes she knew he was a hunter, it wasn't a secret, but until that moment, she'd never really seen him as such. He'd always been Sam to her, the gawky little kid Evelyn followed around. He'd never been a grown man before, never been a hunter— but now there was no denying what he had become.

The pair made their way to the front parlor, Sam wasting no time breaking through the old walls. They'd only been working for a few minutes when a cold wind began to fill the room.

"Don't stop, Kerri. Whatever happens, don't stop looking."

Kerri just nodded, climbing into the wall as Sam made his way around the room. She had to duck and weave several times as the upper floors began to crumbed into the ground level, the hammering obviously doing nothing but damage to the aging structure. They needed this to end and now.

"Come on, Dean." Kerri breathed, stumbling over the body of a woman in a poodle skirt. Kerri cursed as she fell into what looked like the flu to an old chimney, her hand sliding across the old brick as the flashlight slid from her grasp.

"Freaking house, I can't wait to burn it the hell down." Kerri mumbled, reaching down for her flashlight. The sight that greeted her next had her blood running cold. There, illuminated by the dim light of the flashlight was a very familiar boot.

"Oh no, no, no." Kerri whispered, sliding past the chimney and kneeling in front of her long time friend. "Oh god, Dean, no please." Kerri could feel tears running down her face as she reached for the older hunter's pulse, praying to god she'd find something.

His skin was cool to the touch, his lips swollen and cracked. He was leaning against the old chimney, his hands held painfully behind him, face turned down to the ground. She couldn't tell if he was breathing, but after a few tense moments, she managed to find his pulse.

"Oh thank god. Dean?" she ventured, placing her hand on the side of his face, gently pulling him up from his slumped position. "Come on, Dean." She asked again, but his eyes still refused to open.

"Sam!" Kerri called, hoping the brunette could hear here. "Sam! I found him."

After a few seconds, a flashlight appeared in the hole she'd climbed through. "Is he?"

"He's alive, but he's in bad shape, Sam. We gotta get him to the hospital."

"Alright, I'll break a space closer to you."

"No, Sam, he's right underneath one of the support beams. It looks like one more blow's gonna send it crashing down."

"Alright, here," Sam answered, tossing Kerri his lock pick. "I'm gonna take care of Sumner, be ready to get him out of there when I say go."

"Ok, be careful, Sam."

"You too."

Kerri turned her attention back to Dean, leaning around him as she began working on the handcuffs. The space was small and she was forced to nearly sit on the other hunter as she worked, and his lack of complain or snide comment only served to make matters worse. She wanted him back, wanted Dean with her, safe and whole. She couldn't survive losing him, that much she knew, and she'd be damned if he was gonna get taken out by a spirit. No, if Dean Winchester was gonna go down, it was gonna be in a blaze of glory.

She could feel his breath warming her neck as she worked, his head resting against her right shoulder. After a few tense moments, his hands broke free.

"Hmmm." Dean moaned as Kerri pulled his arms in front of him, the change in position sending shots of pain through his dehydrated body.

"Dean?"

Confused green eyes slid open, Dean taking in the scene around him as if he'd just awoken to an alien land.

"Hey, over here." Kerri answered softly, gently turning his head so their eyes met.

"Wh?"

"Don't talk, Dean. Just relax, Sam and I've got you. You're gonna be ok."

Dean's jade eyes were glassy and unfocused, his arms hanging limply at his side even though Kerri could tell he was trying to move them. She began searching his body for other injuries. He had a large knot on his head from where the spirit had attacked and his muscles were rigid and spastic due to lack of water. He was standing on the edge, and he was about to fall into the darkness.

Kerri pulled a bottle of water from her pocket, pouring a bit on her hand and running her fingers over Dean's parched lips. He lurched toward her like she had some kind of prize, struggling to get his body to listen to him as he searched out the water. "Easy, Dean, just a little bit."

"Please." Dean choked out, and Kerri could feel her heart break. She filled the small cap with more water, tilting it toward Dean's lips as he drank greedily. She knew too much would send him into shock, but he needed something in his system.

Kerri sat down beside Dean their shoulder's touching, waiting for Sam. She ran her hand through his short hair, whispering softly to him, telling him everything would be alright. He relaxed into her embrace, his head resting against her shoulder, legs still stretched out in front of him. His right leg looked like it was in the middle of some kind of spasm, and the more Kerri tried to sooth and stop it, the more agitated Dean became.

"Dean, stop."

"No, it's all—. It's all—."

"Ssshh." Kerri smoothed, running a hand up and down his arm, finally realizing what Dean was doing. He was tapping against the wall, or at least he was trying to. From the state of his body Kerri assumed he hadn't been able to actually hit the wall in quite some time, but it was the only thing he could do to comfort himself, to keep himself from going crazy, and Kerri wasn't about to stop him.

Kerri felt herself falling to the darkness Dean had been a prisoner to for over two days. She knew about everything in the world, had seen and remembered every bit of research any hunter had ever found, and yet she still couldn't save the one person that mattered. Dean wasn't supposed to be broken, he was supposed to be a hero, to be her hero— but fate and time didn't seem to hold Dean in the same light Kerri did.

The dark wanted to take him away, the evils of the world gnawing at their heels with each step they took. Kerri could feel them all slipping, vanishing in the void, losing to emptiness. Their enemies didn't care about their love for each other, didn't care about their pasts together or what the future could hold. No, all the darkness did was destroy, and Kerri was afraid she was losing the only light she had left, even while he sat by her side.