The Preacher
Disclaimer: Don't own them, more's the pity.
Once again I would like to thank sjd for lending me her ears when I needed to have a rant and for looking over this for me.
Thank you to all of you who have put this story on alert and a special thank you to those of you who have dropped me a review, I love hearing from you.
This is the penultimate chapter, hope you enjoy.
Chapter Eleven
Sam and Bobby reached the bottom of the stairs at precisely the same time and giving each other a quick glance both men pounded up, Bobby pulling Sam back just as the younger man was about to burst into the room.
"Wait here till I see what's goin on." Bobby whispered before taking a calming breath and walking through the doorway, his eyes widening at the scene before him.
Dean was out of bed and stood, his body propped upright against the wall by the window, the bandage on his hand all but completely unravelled, aiming a gun held in still raw fingers directed toward Kelvin.
"Dean, what's goin on?" Bobby carefully questioned.
Dean moved the gun a little to the side so that he had both Bobby and Kelvin covered.
Bobby tried again. "Dean, what's wrong?"
"He's a damn liar." Dean growled before turning fury filled eyes on Bobby "And maybe you are too."
"What the hell you talkin about boy, and stop waving that damn thing around." Bobby ordered.
"I only came to say goodbye and to wish him well, I have no idea what's eatin at him, he just went crazy." Kelvin spoke, turning his head to look at Bobby.
"I saw him." Dean's voice was low and deadly.
"Saw who. What the hell are you talkin about Dean?" Bobby repeated as he fought to keep his voice even.
"Sam, you asshole, or the thing that used to be Sam." The gun trembled slightly as Dean spoke his brother's name, the memories of his trial resurfacing, the familiar face taunting him, the enormous clenched fist which usually fought at his side slamming into his face, Sam turning his back on him, his face full of hatred and contempt.
"Dean." Bobby inched forward only to freeze as Dean inched his finger back, the telltale click telling him that Dean had taken the safety off and was ready to fire.
Outside, on the landing, Sam listened in horror as his brother threatened to pull the trigger and even though Dean was still not on top of his game Sam knew he wouldn't miss, Dean had the most accurate shot of anyone he'd ever known and decided there was only one thing for it, he was going to have to show himself, after all, Dean knew he was around, he may as well come clean and hopefully put this thing to rest once and for all.
"Now, I'm gonna walk outta here and you two are gonna let me, if either of you tries to stop me you better believe I'll use this." Dean waved the gun from side to side as he inched forward, his breathing ragged as even that small step left him breathless.
"Dean you can hardly stand, where're you gonna go?" Bobby's worried voice asked.
"I'm gonna find out what he did to you and then I'm gonna see if it can be reversed."
"Son, no one did anything to either of us." Bobby nodded his head toward the hunter standing beside him.
"The Bobby I know would never do this."
"Do what, what am I s'posed to have done Dean?"
"You kn…" Dean's words died on his lips as a figure appeared in the doorway, a smile curving its mouth and icy blue eyes boring into him.
Taking an involuntary step backwards Dean found himself pressed against the wall.
"Dean." Sam whispered just that one word.
"You sonuvabitch, you took my brother."
"Dean it's me, he didn't take me."
"Tell me where he is or I end your miserable ass right here, right now." Dean levelled his gun on the newcomer.
"Dean look at me, it's me."
"You're not my brother."
"I know what he did to you, what I did to you, but you have to believe me Dean, I would never have hurt you if I'd known what I was doin, he screwed with my head just like he's done with you, if you concentrate, think really hard back to the time before we first saw him, the preacher will lose his power over you, please Dean, please try." Sam begged.
For a moment the room was silent, no one of the four hunters moved or spoke, the only sound was the ticking of the clock, then Dean shook his head, his eyes cold "Ain't gonna work asshat, now move." Dean indicated Sam move to stand beside Bobby and Kelvin.
Silence once again descended on the room as the three men facing the still weak young hunter on the other side of the room tried to come up with a plan which would convince Dean that Sam was who he said he was and that none of them wanted to do anything other than try to help him.
"Y'see, I know it's one of you, or maybe it's all three of you." Dean mused aloud before continuing "Those first couple of days after you brought me here, when you thought I was out of it, and I admit, I was pretty much most of the time but someone, one of you" Dean nodded to each one in turn "tried to make sure I'd remain that way but I gotta say, I still haven't figured out exactly why you didn't just finish me off, hell you had plenty of opportunity, I mean, I was hardly able to fight back now was I."
"Dean please." Sam began but got no further as the room was suddenly filled with loud, roaring laughter.
"Oh Dean, you are such a delight, you really are, you have so many issues that you were a dream come true for me, I knew I'd finally be able to get out of those damn woods, I knew they'd come looking for you and lo and behold, there they were, saving you from the clutches of death with minutes to spare. I have to say, it was very exciting but sadly all for nothing." Kelvin swept his hand around the room sending the three hunters careening backwards until each was held by invisible restraints against the wall.
"Kelvin?" Bobby gasped.
"Not anymore" the preacher's voice rang out loud and clear. "He's still in here, but he won't be making an appearance any time soon, I mean, why would I give up this body when it can lead me directly into the heart of the hunting world, where I will find all manner of misguided souls to steer onto the righteous path, much like you Dean" 'Kelvin' sauntered over to Dean, stopping a hairs breadth in front of him.
"You can't be here." Bobby spoke as if to himself.
"And yet I am." The preacher continued to stare into Dean's eyes as he spoke.
"You should've been destroyed by the spell."
"Bobby, Bobby, Bobby you underestimate me, I knew the minute you had me cornered what you were planning to do and I of course acted accordingly, protecting myself from your witchcraft with a little magic of my own, magic I managed to glean from a so called hunter who had the misfortune to pass through my woods a couple of years ago. Of course, it was a use one time only spell but that will not matter now that I am free." The preacher/Kelvin smiled "Back to the matter at hand Dean, you and I have some unfinished business."
Dean groaned as one by one his healing injuries resurfaced, slowly the healing process reversed itself, his broken hand began to swell, the plaster cast encasing it slowly cracking under the pressure, the welts on his back reopened, blood seeped from the open wounds, the cuts and bruises on his face intensified in both colour and severity, his ribs screamed at him as two loud cracks resounded around the room as they re-cracked and finally the air was slowly squeezed out of his lungs as he relived the punishment meted out to him by the preachers court.
Sam shouted his brother's name as he watched his sibling, still pinned to the wall by an unseen force as his body sagged even whilst he struggled to remain conscious.
"Let him go, I'm gonna kill you." Sam screamed.
"You couldn't manage it last time so what makes you think you'll do any better now." Still the preacher didn't turn to face the frantic young hunter; instead he kept his gaze firmly locked on the object of his torture.
"Oh no Dean, oh no you don't, you will not escape the experience of passing from this world and on into the next by slipping into unconsciousness, no, I want you to feel it all, every last agonized beat of your heart as the breath is slowly sucked from your lungs." The preacher/Kelvin reached forward to lay a hand on Dean's forehead, the hunter's skin sizzling under the touch as his eyes sprang open and his head lifted from its forward drooped position to lie flat against the wall behind him, his breath now coming in laboured gasps.
Despite the agony searing through every part of his body Dean was at last able to see the other two occupants of the room for who they really were and if he'd had the strength would have cried at the relief of seeing his brother standing opposite him, the look in his eyes every inch the Sammy he knew and then there was Bobby, the gruff exterior of the man belying the soft centre Dean knew existed within the man who had become a father figure to him and Sammy.
"Dean" Sam caught his brother's attention "You're gonna be fine Dean, just breathe slowly, he's playin with your mind, it's not real."
"I hate to tell you this Dean but your brother is deluded, but you already know that don't you, you can feel your chest getting tighter and tighter, it's getting harder and harder to breathe, your eyes are misting over and you want nothing more than to close your eyes and leave all the nasty pain behind, you're ready to give up." The preacher's eyes bored into his captive. "Am I right or am I right?"
"No! Dean, don't you dare give up, you fight this, you hear me. Dean, look at me." Sam's voice was strong and steady as he issued the order even whilst inside the terror that the preacher was right ate away at him.
"Now don't you go running off anywhere young man" the preacher chuckled as he turned to face Sam and Bobby, both still held by an invisible force against the opposite wall "You and I have a little unfinished business do we not?" The preacher quirked an eyebrow as he came to a standstill in front of Sam. "Because I am a generous and god fearing man I am willing to forgive you, I will allow you to change your mind and come with me, join me in the fight against all that is bad with this world. You readily accepted my offer before this, this specimen" the preacher levelled a look of disgust towards Bobby "interrupted what would undoubtedly have become a partnership made in heaven. So, what do you say Sam?"
Sam's eyes narrowed as he listened to the preacher's offer, his ears hardly able to believe the words tumbling from the thin lips of a possessed Kelvin. Diverting his gaze from the figure standing before him Sam looked across the room, noticed how Dean's body struggled to pull in air, how his lips were once again tinged with blue, how the cuts and bruises stood out against the pallor of his skin and felt the anger rise within him at the unjustness of it all, that once again his brother was taking the brunt of a hunt gone bad. Bringing his eyes back to the preacher Sam almost spat "Go to hell you crazy fucking freak, how can you even think that I would choose you over my brother." Sam's eyes blazed with fury.
The preacher/Kelvin's face contorted in fury, his body trembled with barely concealed rage at the answer he'd received from the young hunter he'd chosen to be his student, the one he wanted to train to be his right hand man.
"You stupid, stupid child, you would forego everything I can offer you to stay here with these imbeciles."
"No contest." Sam shot back.
"That is not acceptable, you do not wish to come with me but I can promise you, you will have nothing, you will have forfeited what I could offer you for nothing, I intend to remove your brother from your life." The preacher/Kelvin lowered his head, mumbled words falling from his lips as the wall behind Dean began to glow.
Turning his attention from Sam and back towards the object of his hatred the preacher, hand raised to administer the final blow jumped back in shock as the glass of the window shattered, it's tiny shards scattering and flying though the air as the sound of a blast filled the room.
With the preacher's concentration broken Sam, Bobby and Dean were released from the restraints holding them against the wall. Bobby, caught unawares fell to the floor, Dean's exhausted body slid down the wall and Sam quickly found his feet, glanced around the room and then ran as fast as he could out of the door and down the stairs, the sound of his footsteps fading as Bobby stared at the empty space beside him, wondering what the hell the kid was thinking.
The preacher quickly regained his composure and renewed the hold he had on the two remaining hunters, both Bobby and Dean being dragged upright only to be pinned immobile once again.
"Did you see how fast he ran Dean, the brother you thought cared something for you didn't hesitate to run, to save himself, to leave you to your fate." The preacher goaded.
Unable to draw in enough air to answer Dean remained silent as he struggled to fight the ever increasing black spots dancing on the edge of his vision but inside a confusion of thoughts swirled and collided with each other, 'where had Sammy gone, had he really left to save himself, had he left Bobby to die, had he left him to die, why did he run, no, Sam wouldn't do that, Sam had a plan, that had to be it, Sam was planning something, but Sam was mad at him, Sam said he'd leave, said he'd never come back, no Sam didn't mean it, he was just mad, maybe he did mean it, maybe he had gone, maybe he'd carried out his threat…' Dean's thoughts were cut off by the sudden re-appearance of his brother, he watched through half closed lids and blurry vision as Sam strode into the room, stopped directly in front of Bobby and then spun, raised his arm and sprinkled some grey powder over the preacher's head, the whole time reciting barely audible Latin words.
Shock registered on the face of the preacher as he turned from his prey to find himself face to face with the boy he had set his sights on educating to his own high standards and didn't have enough time to act before the sensation of being torn inch by inch from the body of the hunter he'd taken as his new shell, the excrutiating agony something he'd never experienced before, even in the many countless years he'd presided over the woods, and was unable to halt the terrified scream which began as a low growl in the back of his throat from erupting as with a final pull the hunter's body slid bonelessly to the floor leaving his transparent, shimmering form exposed to the onslaught of his one time hoped for protégé's brutal actions.
Knowing that his end was near the preacher made one last attempt to take one of the hunters with him and as is the way with cowards, he chose the one least able to defend himself, he managed to shimmer his way towards Dean and reached one spindly hand towards the near to death young man, lowered it until it rested over his struggling heart, a malicious smile curving his lips as he relished the thought of the pain and devastation the loss would cause the two men who had brought about his demise but the smile wavered as he noticed the hunters blue tinged lips moving, as the gasped Latin words seeped into the air and invaded his fading form. With one last guttural scream the preacher exploded into a cascade of gritty black particles, the only remains being a tiny pile dust on the carpet which disappeared as a strong gust of wind blew through the room before once again everything became still.
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For a moment nobody moved, the silence in the room deafening until a low moan from the man sprawled on the floor jolted Sam and Bobby into action. Bobby knelt beside Kelvin before easing the confused man up and off the floor, sitting him in the chair beside the bed.
"Bobby?" Kelvin raised weary eyes, the pounding inside his skull causing him to squint "What happened? What'm I doing here? How'd I get here? God I'm tired."
"Just rest for now, I'll explain everything later." Bobby patted the man sympathetically on the shoulder.
"I was possessed? Oh god, I didn't hurt anyone did I?" Kelvin rubbed his head as he recalled all that had happened.
"I c a n d o i t."
Bobby's eyes settled on the two young hunters a short distance away. Sam was trying to help his brother up but Dean was having none of it, weakly batting the younger mans hands away and insisting in stuttered gasps that he was okay, that he'd be alright in a couple of minutes and would be able to get himself to his feet, his belief that now the preacher was gone his injuries would heal themselves coming across loud and clear and as far as Dean's breathing was concerned Bobby had to admit that it sounded a lot better than it had a short time ago, also noting that Dean's lips had lost some of the blue tinge but other than that, as far as he could see, Dean was still a mess.
"Dean" Bobby fell to his knees beside Sam in front of Dean "Stop bein a stubborn ass and let us help you."
"B e o k a y i n s e c." Dean insisted.
"No Dean, you won't, you need help, you look like you've gone ten rounds with a steam roller, your hand's broken, the fingers on your other hand look like they've bin fed through a mincer, your stitches've popped, your runnin a fever and I'm bettin yer ribs'er screamin blue murder so suck it up and let yer brother an me help yer." Bobby levelled a gaze on the slumped young man.
"Bobby…" Sam began, but Bobby didn't let him finish.
"An as for you thinking that now the preacher's gone you're just simply gonna heal, well, why the hell would you think your luck's gonna change now boy." Bobby paused to let his words sink in before continuing "Now Sam an me're gonna get you up off this floor an put you on that bed an then we're gonna take a look at the damage an we're gonna fix it an you are gonna let us. Is that clear?"
Dean remained silent and lowered his eyes, choosing to reply with a tiny inclination of his head.
Sam and Bobby took up position whilst Dean braced himself for the move knowing that it was gonna hurt but nothing prepared him for the onslaught of indescribable agony that tore through his body as soon as Sam and Bobby exerted pressure in order to lift him.
"Stop, stop, please just stop." Dean's breath hitched as the plea fell from his lips.
"We gotta do this Dean." Sam steeled himself to continue with the move even as his brother fought and lost the battle not to cry out in pain.
Dean fought to remain conscious, unable to understand why it hurt so damn much when he knew Bobby and Sam were being mindful to avoid wherever possible touching any obvious injuries, but the fire flaring throughout his body seemed to react violently to any kind of touch anywhere, no matter how tender, it was as though the skin were being slowly stripped away leaving raw nerve endings exposed, he began to heave, the bitter bile rising to sting the back of his throat before filling his mouth causing a gag reflex which in turn left his broken ribs screaming for respite.
Dean's last conscious thought was that he was gonna choke to death, he'd survived everything the preacher had thrown his way, his brother was safe, Bobby was safe and now he was gonna die and then, unable to fight any longer he gave himself to the dark, cold void, the frantic shouts of his brother fading to distant echoes until he knew no more.
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T.B.C.
Thanks for reading.