Are you already as excited as I am? Only two weeks left! :D Till then, happy reading with the next chapter!

Chapter 10

Dean already knew that their life sucked. But come on, how much bad luck can someone have?

He was sick of stumbling over rocks every few seconds, of all the dust swirling around and making it hard to breath. Sick of running into some freaking obstacle almost each time they came round a corner. Sick of hearing his little brother gasp and hiss next to him without being able to ease his pain. He just wanted out.

The weight on his shoulder increased and he glanced at Sam, who seemed to have taken walking better than standing. Okay, time for a break. He lowered Sam to the ground before his legs could crumple beneath him. Deans knee gave a painful jolt in the process and he decided to join his brother for just a second. He had to take a look at the map anyway to find a possible detour.

Sams eyes were already closed again, head and back resting on the cave wall. Dean pinched him, afraid that he'd already slipped into unconsciousness. But his little brother just waved his hand, mumbling something that sounded a lot like „jerk". Grinning, Dean allowed him this little rest and drew his attention back to the map.

He screwed up his eyes, looking cosely. No, that wasn't possible! Looking up and down the tunnel, he remembered the large cavern they'd passed only a minute ago. The last one before reaching the exit if he'd kept track of their path just right. Which was blocked now. Their only way out! Damn!

He cursed loudly, startling Sam whose sleepy eyes opened, a puzzled look on his face. It could only be about a hundred meter behind the cave-in to reach the end of the tunnel, to step out under the open sky. They were so close and yet so far. He slammed his fist into the wall. They were so screwed!

„Dean, what -?" His brothers voice wasn't more than a croak, but Deans attention was on him instantly. Sam fell into a coughing fit, whimpering in between as his whole broken body shook with tremors. It broke Deans heart to see his little brother like this. He felt totally helpless. He spoke soothing words of comfort, but they couldn't take away the pain, wouldn't help him save Sam. But it was his responsibility, he couldn't just give up now and condemn them to their deaths. He had to fight till the end - for his brother.

The coughing stopped and Sams weakened body slumped against Dean. He was still trembling slightly, but this time from the cold, even though his skin was hot to the touch. A chilly breeze blew down on them. Dean tightened his jacket he'd given Sam earlier around him to keep him warm, tucking it in neatly. It wasn't much, but better than nothi-

His hands suddenly paused when his mind caught up with his surroundings. A breeze... There hadn't been one in the cave system the entire time. He turned around, eyes peering at the blockage in front of them. If there was a breeze, there had to be an opening somewhere. His hopes flared up again. A smile crossed his lips and he squeezed Sams hand tightly.

„Sam, just hang on a little longer. I'm going to get us out." Dean tried to raise, but Sam didn't let go of his hand, weakly tugging on it.

„Where... 'ou goin'?" It was only a whisper, but he still didn't miss the underlying fear in it. Sams eyes were opened, following his brothers every movement. He sounded a lot like 5 years old at that moment, back when he'd woken up from a nightmare, clutching at Dean like his life depended on it.

„Not far, Sammy. If there's a breeze in here, there must be a hole in the blockage ahead. I'll try to dig one big enough for me and your gigantic frame to get through."

Sam frowned. „No.. detour?"

„No, it's the only way out. The exit must be right behind it."

„But... you're hurt..." Sams eyes settled on Deans messed up knee, concern reflecting in them.

„Don't worry, it's not that bad. I'm alright. We'll be out in no time. Trust me!"

He ruffled Sams hair, who closed his eyes to the touch, mumbling: „... always trust you..."

Dean smiled. „That's my boy!" He stood up then and turned around to face the pile of rocks ahead.

It didn't take him long to find the right spot. One of the wooden beams had canted, was propped against the wall now. Rocks were scattered all around it, but if you looked closely, most of the collapsed ceiling here was still supported by it. He took a deep breath and started to clear away the rocks below the beam. There should be enough room for them to crawl through once he'd finished. He just prayed that he wouldn't kick loose any rocks that were crucial for the whole structure to hold.

Dean set to work at once, digging through dirt and grit, lifting and carrying heavy rocks, huffing and puffing all the time. Soon his hands were sore and grazed, but he kept going nevertheless. His knee screamed with pain every time he bent down, but he just bit his lips and carried on. He had to stop shortly a few times to wait till his head stopped spinning. Sweat dripped off his forehead and he lost track of time, only concentrating on his task ahead.

He couldn't suppress a yelp of delight when the last bit of rubble rained down to open a hole big enough to finally escape their dark prison. He sighed and turned around, surprised to see Sam staring back at him, sleepily but awake. He'd been afraid that his brother would have already blacked out, since he couldn't keep him awake with lame stories of their life anymore while working on their escape route. But Sam gave him the thumbs up, smiling at him. Tough kid he was!

Hopefully he was tough enough for what they had to face now. The hole was barely wide enough for one person and you had to crawl in order to get to the other side. He didn't dare to dig any deeper, he already pushed their luck enough on this. He wasn't particularly keen on this either, it would be a bitch for his messed up knee. But it would be even worse for Sam with his wounded leg and broken arm. And Dean wouldn't be able to help him much at all.

Sam was already trying to push himself up when Dean reached his side – though not with much success yet.

„Sammy, stop!" He gently laid one hand on Sams shoulder. „Just wait another minute, I'll get our stuff first."

Dean picked up their gear and grabbed their flashlight which to his dismay appeared to be much fainter than an hour ago. It was definitely time to get the hell out of here. Then he helped Sam up, both swaying dangerously but thankfully staying on their feet.

„Ready?"

Sam nodded and they stumbled more than walked to the hole. A chilly breeze blew over them, promising fresh air and an open sky.

„I'll go first, than I'll be able to light the way for you." Dean let Sam slip to the ground carefully, shouldered their duffle, took a deep breath and and started to crawl. He cried out when his knee hit a sharp stone, black dots dancing in front of him for a moment when he fought against the onslaught of nausea. When his stomach had settled again, he continued, careful to put as little strain as possible on his damaged knee. He reached the end of the hole, exhaling when he could stretch out his legs again.

Dean turned around, looking back at Sam who was chalk-white and biting his bottom lip. He knew Sam hated such confined spaces. But he didn't have a choice here.

„Okay Sammy, your turn!"

Sam swallowed and started moving. It had already been hard enough to squeeze through the hole on all fours, but Sam was handicapped and had only three limbs left to do the work. His broken arm was hanging limply in the sling and he was dragging his wounded leg behind himself, obviously too weak to move it at all. It was slow and Dean cringed at every moan escaping Sam, but he kept encouraging him, holding out his hand to help Sam on the last few feet.

His brother literally fell out of the hole and into Deans arms, panting heavily, a few tears glistening on his dirt-covered face. Dean brushed them away, not caring about the chick-flick he caused by it.

„You're alright, you did good Sammy!"

They sat on the ground for another minute, resting and recovering. Dean waited till Sams breathing had evened out a bit before heaving him onto his feet again.

„Come on, we're almost out. Can you see the light over there?"

There was indeed a light at the end of the tunnel, faint but there. Dean carried most of Sams weight by now, puffing with each step they took. Even though his own legs felt wobbly and all his muscles screamed, he could literally feel the adrenaline coursing through his body, giving him the strentgh he needed. When they came closer, they could see that it was the moonlight glistening on the wet rock and grass. It was night by now and looked like it had rained when they'd been inside the caves. The peaceful scenery that opened up in front of them when they stepped outside almost seemed surreal after all their struggles and the darkness within the last few hours.

TBC

Finally outside! Who knew it would take that long? (Not me!) :) Have a nice week everybody!