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The crack of thunder caused Sam to jump. He'd seen the flash of light preceding it, but it freaked him out nonetheless. It was partially because of the fact that he knew he was not alone in the woods. Goosebumps rose on his arms and he had a strange tingling feeling coursing through his body. Sam felt as though he'd gone far enough into the dense brush, so he planted himself behind a bush to set himself up. Black dogs could be slain with silver, and boy did he pack a lot of it. Just incase the thing got the jump on him, Sam hung a silver crucifix around his neck. If it decided to go for his jugular, it'd get a mouthful of silver with it.

Sam reached around and unzipped his pack to retrieve his gun that was filled with silver bullets, and a sheathed silver knife. He put the knife into his back pocket and held his gun at the ready. Using his hunter's instincts, Sam surreptitiously investigated his surroundings. Not seeing anything with his naked eye, he closed his eyes to listen. The sounds of crickets filled the night air with their song, the rumbling thunder in the distance and the light patter of rain on the canopy was all that could be heard.

Snap. Sam hunched down, keeping his head below the level of the shrub he was behind and his hand steadying the gun. Trying his hardest to keep his breathing in check, he listened once again for the sound that had triggered his senses. He was on high alert. Sam discerned with sudden morbid humor that the hunter was becoming the hunted.

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"Do you see 'em?" Dean set the pace for his father, which was practically a sprint.

His father panted behind him. "How the hell am I going to see him if we're weaving through trees like a couple of mad men?"

Dean reluctantly slowed his speed to that of a slower, power walk. God… He could be anywhere by now. Why did I wait so long to go after him? Why didn't I grab him before he even left? If anything happens to him… "Dad?" Dean noticed there was no sound of crunching leaves signaling his father was behind him. He turned and his father was standing still, his eyes downcast on a small object partially covered in leaves. "Dad, what's that?" His father stooped down to grasp the item in his hand and then turned it to face Dean. It was Sam's cell phone. "Is that-?"

"Oh, he's here alright…"

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Sam looked in his pack once again to find the extra bullets just incase. It was practically pitch black besides the faint moonlight filtering through the tall trees. He reached into the pocket of Bobby's jacket to use his cell to show some light so he could see easier. There was nothing in the pockets but lint and some loose change. Damn it. Must have dropped it… Another twig snapped, closer to Sam than before.

Adrenaline soared through his veins as he blindly felt for the extra cartridge of bullets when lightening flashed again, illuminating a shadowy figure in his peripheral vision. Sam threw his arm out and shot into the night. It sounded in unison with the thunder. Rain began to shower down in sheets of grey. His visibility was cut in half, and it wasn't that great to begin with. What was worse was that the pounding of the raindrops left him deaf to the sounds of the intruding monster.

Sam wiped his drenched bangs from his face and blinked through the water invading his eyes. A deep, growling came from about five feet away. As if on cue, the lightening struck casting the black dog in it's light. It charged forward, knocking Sam into the bush he was using as cover. It had one of Sam's arms pinned down with the crushing weight of it's paw. The sheer size was astonishing. Up close, it's grotesque features did seem dog-like… but only just. The skin was patched in tufts of black fur and it's exposed skin was bone white. The elongated mouth was pulled up on the sides in a snarl. It's bright, glowing red eyes mirrored Sam's own horrified face right back to him. There was no pupil, just blood red. The thing snapped it's jaws inches from Sam's face. He put free hand to good use and kept it's vicious teeth at bay. For one splitting moment, Sam wished he had never come on his own.

His fear was replaced by determination. Dean's face came invaded his mind. He could almost hear his voice telling him, "Don't give up, Sammy. Don't you get yourself killed!". Sam could feel newfound strength radiating from his brother's imagined words. Even if his father never found out about any of this, Sam knew he had to kill it. Not only for his and Dean's approval, but for himself as well.

With all his might, Sam shoved his hand into the neck of the beast, cutting it's air supply off. It made a slight whimper and ran to the side, leaving Sam for the moment. The rain had let up a bit, so he could now see his situation. His arm lie limp in the mud, most likely numbed from the cold and possibly broken. Sam's legs were fine but his head hurt. He concluded he must have hit it when the creature pounced on him. He could have a concussion but with the gravity of the hunt, his senses were still sharp.

Sam quickly recovered and scooted in the mud until his back was against the rough bark of a tree. With his back covered, he could now focus on a narrower area of attack. What Sam had first assumed to be a huge storm passed almost as soon as it began. The rain was no more than a light sprinkle and the thunder had lessened. His eyes, which were now used to the darkness, spotted an unnatural red light in the shrubs to his left side. He realized not a moment too soon that the light was from the eyes of the black dog. Sam gripped his gun tight in his usable hand and aimed.

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By the time the second gunshot rang out, Dean was beyond frantic. He was running in circles like a chicken with his head cut off. "Sammy!" He called into the night. Dean's flashlight bobbed up and down with each step he took.

"Dean, wait a second."

"What?" His father shushed him so Dean trained his ears to listen for anything out of the ordinary. It was far away, but it was there. A muffled scream echoed its way through the trees to Dean and there was no mistaking who it was coming from. Dean knew it was his little brother. He could make out the anguish in his tone as he called out. "SAMMY!"

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Sharp fangs tore through the tender flesh of his stomach once more and again he cried out in pain. Sam desperately clutched at the saturated soil, scrambling for purchase when his fingers brushed across knife that had fallen out of his back pocket when he fell the second time. Unfortunately the gunshot only grazed the beast and it got a hold of Sam before he could get another shot off.

"Sammy?" He heard his name being called over the heavy snarls above him. Dean. The creature snapped it's neck up and made a move to chase after who he presumed was Dean. Sam couldn't let it get him.

"Hey!" It turned it's attention back to Sam who had used the creature's distraction to grip the knife in his hand. Before he could make any move to harm the beast, it's razor sharp teeth clamped forward. Sam could smell the rancid odor of rotting flesh coming from it's mouth. With one swift motion, Sam jammed the blade into the black dog's neck. Blackish blood spilled down onto him as he listened to the sizzle of the silver coming into contact with the dog's body. It let out a horrendous howl of pain followed by two gunshots. It would not go down that easily. It stumbled off of Sam and went into the direction that Sam had heard the shots. "NO!" With every ounce of energy he could muster, Sam threw himself onto the back of the creature. He glanced upward to see the horrified eyes of his father a mere few feet away, Dean was shoved behind him.

The beast bucked and shook, trying to toss Sam. It was no use. Sam repeatedly dug the knife into it's back until it went down. It squirmed and moaned as it took it's final breaths. Sam was not cold hearted by any means, so he lifted one gigantic paw and gave the black dog one solid stab to the heart. No more sound came from it. Sam looked back to see his father standing stock still, Dean was now at his side. Their faces plastered with a mix of shock, worry, and pride. Even his father carried the prideful stare, but Sam was not able to enjoy it for long. His breathing became labored as the adrenaline exited his body and he slumped to the ground beside the creature he had just killed.

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"Sam!" His mind reacted before his body could. Sam had just passed out right after seeming perfectly fine not but a moment ago.

"Dean, I'm going to grab Sam and bring him back to the Impala. Burn the body."

Dean took a second to respond to his father. "No, Dad. I'll take him." He insisted. He needed to make sure Sam was going to be fine.

"That's an order, son!" His father was already at Sam's side, scooping him up into his arms and making his way East to where the car was parked.

He stood for a second, looking back and forth between his father and the ugly son of a bitch sprawled out on the muddy ground. He let out a sigh and got to work. Quickly salting the body and dousing it in gasoline, Dean flicked a match onto the carcass and set it ablaze. The rain was once again picking up, so he knew the fire wouldn't get out of control. He let it burn as he ran ahead to catch up with his family.

They weren't too deep in the woods, so it only took a few minutes to get back to the car. He made it there just before his father.

"Open the back and grab some blankets!" His dad called when he was almost to the Impala. Dean yanked open the back seat then ran around to the trunk to grab a thick wool blanket for Sam. It was freezing outside and the rain wasn't helping anything except the possible hypothermia Sam could have.

Once his father approached the car, Dean made his way to the back door on the other side so he could help pull Sam in. He laid his limp head on his leg and swaddled him in the blanket. His dad slammed the door shut. Once he was sure Sam was secured in the back, his dad rushed to the nearest hospital. Every town they stayed in, his dad always made sure to map out the nearest hospitals and clinics. He was pretty sure the closest hospital to these woods was St. Catherine's.

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About ten minutes later, the Impala came to a screeching halt in front of the hospital. His dad honked the horn impatiently when two orderlies rushed the vehicle. Dean stroked Sam's chilled face, whispering calming words to his little brother. He couldn't hear what his father was saying to the nurses until suddenly the door was pulled open and hands were carrying his brother away from him. Dean spun around and got out his own door to see them strapping Sam onto a board and wheeling him through the automatic doors. He chased after them, his father hot on his tail.

"Sir? I'm sorry but you can't go back there. It's for hospital personnel only." An older woman in a nurse uniform spoke to his father.

"That's my son back there." He explained.

"Like I said… You can't go back there. Please go sit in the waiting area with the rest of the families. You won't get any special treatment by harassing the staff." Her grating voice was getting on Dean's last nerve. If she weren't a woman he'd sock her in her smug face.

Dean was the first to walk away; worried he might make an exception and punch the bitch. His father made a stop at the front desk to fill out some paperwork. It seemed as though they were in the hospital far too much lately… He let his mind wander until he remembered his earlier conversation with Bobby. Shit! I gotta call Bobby.

He caught his father's eye and held up his phone to let him know he would be out of the room for a minute and waited for his dad to nod. For it being so early in the morning, he was surprised at how crowded it was. He checked his watch to see that it was a little after five. He stepped back outside and breathed in the fresh rainwater scent. It was cleansing and helped him clear his mind. The weight of the phone in his hand reminded him again to call Bobby.

"Where the hell are you, boy? Sam's not picking up his phone and neither have you two bozos. I'm at the motel now." Bobby had answered on the first ring and never even gave Dean the time of day.

"Hello to you too, Bobby…" Dean sucked in a deep breath of air and let it out in a whoosh. "Bobby, Sam's in the hospital. St. Catherine's… He-he killed it, Bobby. He killed the black dog by himself! I don't know how injured he is because they won't let us see him yet…"

Dean could hear Bobby silently swear. "I'll be there in a few."

He was about to hang up, when Dean remembered something… something very important. "Bobby!"

"What now ya idjit?"

Dean hesitated for a moment. "Bring me Sam's duffle."

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Please review… Please! Haha. I really hope y'all liked this chapter because I loved writing it. This story is coming to a close soon, so stay tuned!