Chapter 28
Minutes passed and Vahe listened for some sign of Sam waking up. Checking his watch, Vahe knew that the drug was wearing off and decided to begin the torture. Walking over to the fire end of the smoker, Vahe added some wood to the fire. The demon wasn't really interested in making smoke; but, he was interested in creating heat, which would be directed into Sam's section of the smoker.
Throwing a few logs onto the fire, Vahe stepped back and watched the flames. Like a lover's caress, the finger-like flames felt along the newly added logs. The fire slowly moved along the logs and enticingly curled around their edges. The flames continued to dance around the logs and invitingly touched the dry wood. While the fire moved along the logs, it began to generate more and more heat, as its passion grew. Quickly, the logs became caught up in the flames' passion and were soon engulfed by the fire. Vahe smiled as he watched the logs become overwhelmed by the fire.
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Sam wasn't sure what the first thing was that he noticed. He had a headache and smelled smoke. Sam coughed and felt his headache explode. Opening his eyes, he noticed blackness. Sam realized that his wrists were bound and were tied above his head. Lifting his head up some, Sam noticed a hole nearby that allowed some light in. Coughing some more, Sam knew that he was surrounded by smoke. After a couple attempts, he realized that he could not easily free his wrists. Sam then attempted to move his legs; but, met resistance. He had been positioned in a curled up position, within something that did not allow him to stretch his legs. In fact, due to the cramped space, Sam was only able to move his legs about an inch either way. Sam wasn't sure what he was being held in. What he did know was that he was surrounded by smoke and an ever increasing heat. Sam could feel himself sweating and felt as though he was being suffocated. The heat was getting oppressive and unbearable.
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Vahe could hear Sam trying to move around within the smoker. A smile appeared on the demon's face as the first part of his plan was in action. Vahe didn't have too many parts in his plan, since he wasn't sure how soon Aiden might find him and try to stop him. Vahe figured he had about ten minutes to torture Sam, before Aiden became too curious and went looking for Vahe. With a mental countdown going on in his head, Vahe got ready for the next part of his plan.
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Still leading the woman by the hand, Dean sat down on a bench, which was behind the fortune teller's stand, and indicated for the woman to join him. Once she did so, Dean looked her in the eyes and scooted closer to her.
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Aiden kept an enticing smile on his face. He knew that he would soon have his chance to knock Dean out. Once Dean was unconscious, Aiden would find Vahe and get the drugs from him. Since Vahe had loyally worked for Aiden for so long, Aiden decided that he would allow the other demon to join in torturing Dean. Once Dean was sedated and the Faire's crowds and employees had left for the day, Aiden and Vahe would take Dean back to the motel and question him there.
In the past, Aiden and Vahe had killed other people at the Faire; but since they would first get to torture Dean, Aiden decided that it would be best to remove Dean from the Faire. After all, the last time Dean had gone missing, Sam had looked for his brother at the Faire. And since Aiden was no longer required to let Dean live, the demon decided that it was best to take Dean to a place that his brother would never think to look.
Following Dean's example, Aiden sat down on the bench. His smile grew as he saw how easy Dean was making this. Dean's guard was down and he was making it clear that he had only one thought on his mind. Aiden would play along for a bit longer. Since Sam and Dean had been keeping an eye on each other, Aiden didn't want to act too quickly and get caught attacking Dean. Instead, Aiden decided that he would play this little charade a bit longer, in order to see if Sam might try to interrupt Dean spending time with a woman. If Sam did not make an appearance within the next couple minutes, then Aiden would make his move.
Aiden noticed that Dean let go of his hand and was moving closer to Aiden on the bench. Aiden watched as Dean temporarily broke eye contact with Aiden and looked around, as though Dean was ensuring that no one could see what the two of them were doing. Aiden wondered if Dean was worried about getting caught by an employee, a visitor, or Sam. As long as Sam wasn't the one who saw them, Aiden didn't care. He knew how to take care of Dean and the only one who served a real threat to Aiden's plan was Sam. As long as Sam didn't make an appearance and gave Dean some privacy, then Aiden didn't really care who saw the demon-possessed woman with Dean.
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Dean had picked this spot on purpose. It was one of the few areas at the Faire that had privacy from prying eyes. The fortune teller's stand happened to be near some trees and several bushes. Although it was early fall, the bushes still had their leaves on them and gave the bench privacy. Dean had noticed the spot, during his first weekend at the Faire. It was a nice, quiet, secluded spot, which permitted Dean to accomplish what he planned on doing. From Asaph, Dean had learned that the fortune teller had chosen to place her stand, next to this area, due to the privacy that could be found nearby. In order to make the spot more comfortable, the fortune teller had placed an outdoor rug on the ground and put a nice, hand-made bench on top of the carpet. When the temperature got too hot in the stand, the fortune teller would take her clients outside and seat them on the bench, before telling them their future. And now that the Faire was closing for the day, Dean knew that the fortune teller would not be returning to this secluded spot and knew that he would be left alone.
Placing one hand on the back of the bench, Dean leaned towards the woman, who sat next to him.
Bringing his mouth close to her ear, Dean whispered…
Chapter 29
Bringing his mouth close to her ear, Dean whispered, "Christo." Dean watched as the woman's eyes turned to black. Reaching behind the bench's back support, Dean grabbed a bottle of holy water, which he had taped to the back. Grabbing the bottle, Dean quickly pulled it free of the tape. Getting up from the bench and stepping away from the seated woman, Dean threw some of the holy water onto her.
Dean watched as steam came off the woman's body, where the holy water had come in contact with it. Dean also listened as the woman hissed painfully. Dean smiled, as his hunch was confirmed.
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Aiden was shocked by Dean's sudden change in behavior. The demon was not prepared for the hated word to be said and was even less prepared for the holy water. What had tipped Dean off to the woman being possessed? How had Aiden's plan failed?
Turning hate-filled eyes towards Dean, Aiden stared at the accursed hunter. Reeling in his emotions, Aiden quickly tried to find a way to turn the tables on Dean. Lunging at Dean, Aiden came in contact with an invisible wall. Landing on the ground, Aiden looked up and tried to identify what had stopped him.
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Dean watched as an array of emotions quickly played out on the demon's face, before the face turned neutral. The hunter almost laughed as the demon made a futile attempt to physically attack him. There was a reason why Dean had chosen to come to the bench, which was near the fortune teller's stand. Dean had hoped that he would get an opportunity to trap a demon. With his hopes high, Dean had strategically hidden several demon traps throughout the Faire.
Late Friday night, Dean and Sam had sneaked into the Faire and had placed the traps. Since neither brother knew where a demon might show up, they had spent several hours preparing various traps. The brothers had ensured that the traps weren't out in the open and that the traps could easily be accessed. One of those traps was hidden under the rug, which the bench was resting on. Initially, the brothers had been uncertain as to what they might need at the Faire. However, Friday morning, Asaph had had a vision and had instructed the Winchesters that the demon, who had tortured Dean, would be back at the Faire.
Now, Dean was happy to see that Asaph's vision had come to fruition and that Dean would get a chance to send the demon back to hell. Dean would have preferred to do a little torturing himself to the demon; but, Dean knew that the woman, who was possessed, would also feel the torture and Dean had no desire to cause her any pain.
Dean was tempted to ask the demon, why Dean had not been killed. He was also tempted to question the demon about whether or not the demon was after the seer. But, Dean planned on sending the demon back to hell and didn't want to take a chance of giving the demon any hints about anything. Dean especially didn't want to mention the seer or the existence of the seer, since he didn't want to confirm any suspicions that the demon might have about there being a seer. Dean knew that the less that was said about the seer, the safer it would be for the seer. Pulling a book out of his coat pocket, Dean began to read the exorcism. Dean assumed that the woman hadn't been possessed long and felt confident that the sooner the demon was removed, the better the chances were for the woman to survive. Within moments, the woman let out a scream, as a cloud of black smoke came billowing out of her mouth.
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Aiden fumed, as he realized that he was unable to reach Dean. He watched as Dean pulled out a book and began to read. Aiden's mind went blank. He could think of nothing to say to Dean, which might stop Dean from performing the exorcism. Aiden was terrified of what Dean was doing. Correction… Aiden was terrified of where he was going. He had failed again and knew that there was going to be a painful price to pay. Until now, Aiden had never been frozen by fear. Normally, Aiden was the one causing fear in others, demons and humans. But, for the first time, Aiden was experiencing true fear. As a soldier he knew that a price must be paid when orders are not fulfilled. But, in hell, there were no words to describe how painfully awful that price was. As the exorcism's final words were said, Aiden stood up and prepared himself for what was to come. He knew he had been defeated; but, he was not going to reward Dean by showing any signs of defeat.
The scream that came from the woman's mouth was not from Aiden. No, that scream came from the woman, who felt as though she was being torn apart, and was her way of expressing the pain she felt as the demon was ripped out of her. The black cloud, which came from the woman's mouth, was Aiden. That cloud was his spirit being forcefully removed from a person and being sent back to hell.
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Asaph looked around and was stunned to not see either of the Winchesters near him. He was so accustomed to having at least one of them nearby, that he felt totally vulnerable on his own. He had forewarned the hunters of the demon making a reappearance at the Faire. The seer knew that the hunters had taken certain precautions and had prepared themselves for an encounter with the demon. Had something gone wrong?
Asaph had seen Dean walking away with a woman. On the other hand, Asaph had not seen what had happened to Sam. The seer had finished a song and turned to see that Sam was no longer standing close to him. While performing his song, Asaph had had another vision about the upcoming war and had been caught up with incorporating the recent information into his song. As a result, he had been unaware of what was taking place around him.
Asaph glanced around and tried to determine his next course of action. Spotting the fortune teller's stand, Asaph recalled hearing the brothers mention that they would place a demon trap behind it. Hoping that that was where the brothers had gone to, the seer headed in that direction.
Before heading behind the fortune teller's stand, Asaph looked behind him and confirmed that no one was paying any attention to him. Quietly, Asaph walked behind the stand and arrived in time to hear the woman scream and see the black cloud come out of her mouth. After the woman fell to the ground, Asaph watched as Dean went over to her and checked on her condition. Asaph glanced around and saw no signs of Sam.
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Sensing some one behind him, Dean looked over his shoulder and saw Asaph standing near the fortune teller's stand. With his finger still on the woman's neck, Dean confirmed that she was alive.
"What are you doing here?' Dean asked Asaph. "Where's Sam? How come you're not with him?" Dean asked, as he realized that his brother was not with the seer.
Chapter 30
"I thought he was with you." Asaph replied.
Dean bit the inside of his cheek, as he debated where his brother was. "You see anything unusual? Anything odd?"
"No." Asaph felt bad that his vision might have kept him from seeing something important. He knew that the Winchesters were responsible for protecting him. But, the seer had grown fond of them and hoped that his lack of awareness didn't keep Dean from finding out where Sam had gone.
Looking down at the woman, who had been possessed, Dean debated what his next step would be. "Come here," Dean said, as he waved Asaph over to the woman. "Help her, while I look for Sam." Dean regretted not questioning the demon, before he exorcized it. Dean had assumed that the demon had been working on his own; but now, Dean was beginning to wonder if the demon had an accomplice. The eldest hunter wasn't keen on leaving the seer by himself. But at the moment, he didn't feel like he had any other option. When Dean had been abducted, he had been tortured and he did not want his brother to suffer a similar fate or worse.
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Stepping up to the section of the smoker, which held Sam, Vahe addressed his captive. "You know, you could have had anything you wanted. Countless demons were ready to follow your every command. But instead, you betrayed them. You were given a gift and threw it away." Vahe paused, before continuing. "I believed in you. I saw what type of potential you had and was all ready to follow your orders. But, no! You decided to follow that dumb brother of yours and fight the demons. Hell, you even used the very powers you were given by a demon against other demons. You're a traitor. Deep down inside, you know you belong on our side. Why do you deny the truth?" Vahe's voice grew more heated as he spoke. "You had you're chance to be successful. Now, you have to pay the price for being a failure."
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Sam listened to what was being said. Who was talking to him like this? Sam felt certain that it was a demon; but, was shocked by how berating the demon spoke to him. Demons tended to taunt their captives or tell them things that caused them more grief. But, this demon seemed to be scolding Sam. He felt more like he was being corrected for making a mistake and was surprised by what he was hearing. Why would a demon care about how Sam decided to use his powers? Sure, he understood that a demon wouldn't want Sam to use his powers to send demons back to hell. But, this current rant seemed to be more than that. This demon sounded truly upset with how Sam had decided to lead his life and seemed disappointed with Sam's decisions.
Sam coughed some more, as the smoke continued to reach into his lungs and made breathing more difficult. It wasn't just the smoke and the ranting that were making Sam uncomfortable. The heat was getting more and more intense and unbearable. Sam knew that his body was sweating, in an attempt to cool him. But, the heat was so strong that it turned the sweat to steam, before his clothes had a chance to get saturated with sweat. Sam futilely tried to move and burned his exposed skin, when it came in contact with some hot metal. An intense coughing spell hit Sam, as his lungs tried to keep the smoke from building up within them. Sam could feel himself struggling to breathe. It was as though he was drowning. Except it wasn't water that was suffocating him, it was smoke and heat that were overpowering him.
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Vahe looked at his watch and knew that if Sam remained in the smoke much longer, that Sam would die. Although Vahe didn't want Sam to die just yet, the demon didn't want to open the smoker's lid too early. He wanted Sam to weaken a bit more, before he lifted the lid. Recently, Sam may not have been using his powers; but, Vahe didn't want to risk Sam suddenly changing his mind on employing his powers. No, Vahe could wait a couple more minutes, to ensure that the heat and smoke sufficiently weakened Sam.
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As Dean stepped out from behind the fortune teller's stand, he paused for a moment to think of where to go next. Dean doubted that Sam had been taken to the barn. There were too many people in the parking lot, near the barn, who could have witnessed anything unusual. So, Dean quickly ruled out that location. Sam wouldn't have willingly gone far. Even if Sam had spotted something, Dean knew that Sam would have first confirmed that Dean could keep an eye on Asaph. Dean looked at the visitors exiting the Faire and looked for any one who appeared to be suspicious. Not seeing anything or any one unusual, Dean reviewed what had occurred at the other Faires. The hunter recalled how people had died and where their bodies had been found. Dean remembered that Asaph had told the brothers that he had found the dead bodies and had placed talismans on the bodies, in order to make a spell, which would temporarily hide the bodies, take effect.
Dean assumed that since he had been tortured, that whoever had Sam might feel the need to also torture the young hunter. Dean saw Asaph helping the woman to walk and directed a question towards the seer. "The bodies that were burned, any idea on how they were burned?'
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Asaph stopped in his tracks, as he thought about Dean's question. For a moment, he was uncertain about what Dean was referring to. Realizing that the hunter was referring to the burned bodies which Asaph had hid in the past, the seer took a moment to think about where the bodies had been found. "I found them at different places." Asaph shook his head, as he failed to see any explanation for where he had found the bodies.
"Wait." A thought suddenly occurred to Asaph and he realized how the bodies might have been burned. "I found them close to where the big smoker was always kept."
Asaph paused, as he tried to recall whether or not he had found all the burned bodies near the smoker. "Yeah. All the charred bodies were close to where the smoker was kept." Asaph nodded his head, as he clearly remembered a similarity between all the burnt bodies.
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Dean recalled where he and Sam had seen the large smoker, during their initial investigation of the Faire.