Thanks for the reviews.
Medusa
Chapter nine
Sam glanced over at Dean hoping he hadn't noticed that he was having trouble getting a good breath. He wondered if his lungs were already slowly turning into stone, it sure felt that way. He knew they were already doing everything possible to track the creature and destroy her but he also knew if Dean found out he was now a victim of the curse he might flip out and get careless and he didn't want that. He was scared, he didn't want to die, but more important he didn't want his brother to die because of him.
"You ready?" Dean asked as he handed Sam a machete.
"Yeah." Sam took the machete and followed Dean into the quarry.
They stayed together as they explored more caves then sealed them off the best they could once they were sure the creature wasn't in them. It could take days but sooner or later Dean was convinced they'd find her; it was only a matter of time. After hours of searching Sam was exhausted, he wiped the sweat from his brow as he sat down to rest on a rock formation outside the latest cave they had sealed.
"Getting a little rusty there Sam?" Dean smiled as he glanced at his brother but his smile quickly dropped when Sam started coughing and had a hard time catching his breath. "What's going on with you Sam?" Dean asked as he patted his brother on his back. "You okay?" He asked when Sam finally stopped coughing.
Sam nodded.
"Yeah….guess I must have inhaled some dust from the rocks."
"You sounded like you were having some kind of asthma attack."
"I'm fine Dean." Sam could see the uncertainty in Dean's eyes. "I am, I'm fine. You ready to get back to work?" Sam stood up determined not to let Dean know how bad he really felt. Why worry him, there was nothing he could do for him other then destroying the creature and they were already trying to do that.
"Why don't we take a little break." Dean was ready to head back into the caves but he could tell Sam wasn't quite himself and decided that taking a break for a few minutes wasn't going to make much difference.
Sam was glad for the short reprieve and sat back down on the rock. He was just beginning to wonder if he should tell Dean that he had looked into the creature's eyes and was beginning to feel the affects when he saw that his brother's attention was focused on something on the other side of the quarry.
Dean suddenly grabbed his machete and started down the steep rocks.
"Sam, over there!" Dean used his machete to point at something moving on the opposite side.
At first Sam didn't see anything but then he saw the back of the creature slipping into a crevice on the other side. He stood up a little too quickly and immediately regretted it when he couldn't catch his breath.
Dean was already at the base of the rocks and was running across the ground toward the other side of the quarry.
"Wait! Dean wait!" Sam cried out but his voice was barely a whisper. The thought that his brother needed help was the only thing that kept him moving. He slid down the rocks then tried to catch up to Dean. His lungs felt like they were going to explode from lack of oxygen and his feet felt like he was running through wet cement but he couldn't rest, he had to get to his brother. He watched as Dean reached the other side and started to climb up the rocks toward the crevice the creature had crawled into.
"Damn it Sam hurry up!" Dean called over his shoulder when he saw Sam was still far behind. "What the hell's keeping you?"
"Dean wait!" Sam shouted again, he knew he wouldn't be able to back up his brother, not the way he was feeling. He kept picturing Dean getting injured or worse because he couldn't keep up. He knew he should have told Dean right away that he had looked into the creature's eyes, and now because he hadn't his brother might get hurt.
But if Dean heard Sam he didn't pay any attention. He was already at the front of the crevice shining a flashlight into it while he tried to look inside with his mirror. Suddenly without warning a volley of arrows came flying out of the cave. Dean managed to dive behind some rocks but not before he took an arrow to his upper arm. He winced in pain as he tried to push himself back into the rocks hoping the creature hadn't seen where he was hiding. But she had and she now was slowly made her way toward him, her bow out in front of her as she reached for another arrow.
TBC
