Part four of four. Takes place after Sanity and Visions and Nightmares, and Once Bitten.
Rated M for language and violence.
Summary: When a creature can look like anyone, who can you trust? Massachusetts residents find themselves the victims of a doppelganger attack. Will the boys be able to sort through its tricks and lies to find the truth? Or will they be its next victims?
Disclaimer: I do not own Sam, Dean, Bobby, Missouri, Jo, or anything Supernatural related, but the story and other characters are mine. Enjoy!!
Keep me posted on what you would like to see in upcoming chapters!!
"So where should we start, Sammy? Should I have you kill the others? Should I bring you and your brother back to my place and begin teaching you how to use your powers? What do you think?" the demon taunted.
Before Sam had the chance to get a word out, the shifter broke in, still looking like Dean.
"Uh, wait a sec there chief. You can't take Dean. You promised him to me, remember? You just wanted his soul. His body is mine. I kept my end of the bargain, so take his soul and leave the rest for me."
"Right, about that… I lied," the demon smirked, then raised its hand and made a crushing motion. The shifter crumpled dead to the floor in seconds. "After all, how could he lead my army if he is nothing more than a spirit himself? No, I need him as the hunter he is. In one piece."
"Then why were you tearing him to shreds?" Sam barked back.
"Oh, that was nothing. He'll survive. Just a little pain to remind him who he's dealing with and to keep him on his toes. Now where was I before that rude interruption…? Ah yes, what to do from here…" The demon paced back and forth between the two brothers for a few seconds contemplating. "Of course, I could just play with you all here and no one would hear you scream." It smiled sadistically.
It strode over to Bobby and ran a sharp claw down his upper right arm, leaving a four inch long slice. Bobby hissed, but otherwise ignored the pain.
"Oh yes, this could be loads of fun I think." It circled around him and came upon Jo who shrank back as far as she could into her chair. The demon played with a few strands of her hair. "There, there Jo… Dean, I mean I, wouldn't hurt you, now would I?" It brushed its fingers down her cheek.
"You're not Dean," she growled out menacingly.
"That's right, I'm not." The demon back handed her harshly, snapping her head to the left. She screamed at the initial pain but quickly closed her mouth, refusing to give it the satisfaction.
"Hey!" Sam shouted indignantly.
"Sammy Boy, thou doth protest too much, methinks." A gag appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Sam's mouth tightly, effectively silencing him.
He grunted his displeasure but was powerless to do anything else.
"What the hell do you…!" Bobby began but soon found himself in a similar situation. Jo kept her mouth glued shut, hoping that would keep the demon from being able to do the same to her.
"I wouldn't want to gag you, my dear," the demon cooed. "I'd rather hear you beg."
"Not gonna happen," she hissed out, keeping her teeth together.
"Not even to keep your boyfriend here alive?" the demon asked, swiftly moving to Dean's side who remained unconscious.
"Don't you touch him!" Jo shouted furiously.
"Start begging then." She glared resolutely back, keeping her mouth firmly closed. Sam and Bobby watched wide-eyed and silent, wondering what the demon was going to do.
The demon smirked, pleased that she was putting up a fight. He reached towards Dean and placed his index fingers on Dean's temples and lifted his head so it was tilted slightly backwards. To everyone's horror, red light emanated from his finger tips and entered Dean's skull, electrocuting him. His body seized and began to shake uncontrollably as the volts invaded his weak body.
Dean's eyelids fluttered open momentarily before being squeezed shut against the pain. His jaw locked tightly and his body felt as though it were on fire.
"Okay! Stop! Please!" Jo pleaded.
"I think I'm going to need more than that."
"I'm begging you! Please, stop it!"
"That's better. You see? That wasn't so hard now was it?" He released Dean's head which fell back onto his chest as he lost consciousness once again. Every now and then, his body would spasm painfully. "Deano probably remembers that feeling from when he was in my care before in the institution."
Bobby and Sam protested fiercely but their words were muffled by the gags. Tears were streaming down Jo's cheeks.
"I'm so sorry, Dean," she whispered for his ears alone but the demon heard her anyway.
"As you should be. If you weren't so much like Dean here, he wouldn't have had to go through that." She dropped her eyes to the ground and gave up trying to stem the flow from her eyes.
"Well, one of you is neutered now… Might as well continue. I'm on a roll!" He waved his hand and the gag in Bobby's mouth disappeared. "So, Bobby, is it? Let's hear you beg for mercy."
"You sick, twisted bastard…" Bobby growled, pulling hard at his binds.
"Oh goodie… another chance to play…" He reached for Dean again. "Can't risk permanently destroying that wonderful brain of his." Instead of reaching for Dean's head, he closed a strong hand around his throat and began to squeeze, cutting off his oxygen.
Though still unconscious, Dean's body began to struggle to breathe. He gasped and tried to suck in air, his mouth gaping like a fish out of water.
"Let him be!" Bobby yelled.
"Let me hear you beg, and I'll let him go."
When Dean's struggles began to diminish, Bobby relented. "Alright, damn it! PLEASE let him be!"
"What was that?" the demon asked, pretending to be hard of hearing.
Before Bobby had a chance to plead in just, someone else interrupted.
"Stop it! That's not nice!" a small voice scolded from the bottom of the stairs. Everyone's eyes, including the demons, snapped over to Emily who stood, hands on hips, glaring at the demon fearlessly.
In his good humor, the demon released Dean who reflexively began to gulp down as much air as his lungs could handle. "Well, well, well… Welcome back my dear. To what do I owe this very unexpected pleasure?"
Emily closed her eyes and stood perfectly still. Her eyes seemed to be shaking under their lids. The demon cocked his head at her curiously.
In a flash of brilliant light, the demon screamed and disappeared. Everyone else in the room who had closed their eyes to protect them from the brightness tentatively reopened them to find their adversary gone.
"What on God's green Earth…" Bobby stammered out, glancing around him for an answer.
"We'll have time for questions later, Bobby. We've gotta go," Jo interrupted.
Emily swayed slightly looking fragile and limp, then opened her eyes and made a beeline for Dean.
"Dean? Are you okay?" She hugged him close, but he remained unresponsive.
"Hun, could you help us out here and find something sharp to cut these binds with before that thing comes back?" Bobby inquired.
"It won't be coming back," she whispered. At first, she was very reluctant to leave Dean's side, but then she decided that the best way to help him was to get everyone free.
She gave Dean a gentle kiss on the cheek and then took off to find a sharp object. It didn't take long, seeing as they were in a basement. She found a box knife in a set of tool draws against the back wall and ran back to her new friends.
"Over here, darlin'," Bobby coaxed. She quickly went to her side and cut him free first. "You're a lifesaver, doll." He took the knife from her and cut Sam free. The moment his hands were loose, he pulled the gag from his mouth.
"Dean!?" he cried out. The moment Bobby released his legs from the chair, he tore off to his brother's side. He knelt down next to Dean but was afraid to touch him for fear that he would cause his brother even more pain.
"Dean? Open your eyes, Dean. Come on man…" Sam encouraged. Dean didn't even flinch. He hung against his binds limply, waiting for once to be rescued himself, instead of always being someone's knight. He had finally surrendered, his superhero status shattered. Bobby made quick work of Jo's binds and handed her the knife to cut Mr. Kilner free. Then he headed to Sam's side.
"Sam, we've gotta get outta here. Let me get 'im," Bobby suggested, moving towards Dean. He quickly lifted Dean's head somewhat and checked his pulse, making sure Dean wasn't in dire condition. It took a few seconds for Bobby to find it, but to his relief, he felt the soft but entirely too fast beating beneath his calloused fingers. He grabbed the knife from Jo when Kilner was loose and began to cut away Dean's bonds. "Get those cuffs off if you can," he ordered Sam.
Sam nodded and glanced around for some sort of thin stick he could use to pick the lock but didn't find anything. Then his eyes landed on Emily. She had small berets in her hair.
"Hey, Emily… could I borrow one of those clips in your hair for a second?" he asked gently, making sure he didn't startle her. She nodded and took one out to hand to him.
As Sam began working on the cuffs, Emily walked in front of Dean and ran her small fingers down his slightly stubbly cheek. "Dean? Please wake up. It's not bedtime yet," she whispered.
To her delight, Dean finally began to stir.
"Uh, Sam?" Bobby's voice broke through Sam's concentration. He realized Dean was beginning to move slightly.
"Dean!" Sam jumped up from his kneeling position and strode quickly around in front of Dean, allowing Jo to take over the lock-picking. "Hey, man… that's it. Open your eyes, bro. Let me know you're still in there."
Dean's eyes slowly fluttered open, clearly taking a lot of effort.
"There you are… keep fighting, Dean," Sam coaxed. To everyone's relief, Dean finally got his eyes to stay open for longer than a second. He glanced at everyone around him in utter confusion.
"Where's…"
"It's gone for now, Dean. But we've gotta get out of here now. Can you move?" Sam responded.
Jo rose from behind Dean having released all the cuffs.
"Yeah, I think so Sammy." With Sam under one arm and Bobby under the other, they all stood together and carefully eased Dean to his feet. He groaned and swayed with the height difference.
They gave him a few seconds to right himself before bodily dragging him from the basement. Jo led the way, holding Emily's hand. Mr. Kilner brought up the rear, having no idea what else to do with himself after everything that had happened.
TBC
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