Chapter 14

"Bobby help me, we need to get him to the car." Dean motioned enraged with his friend for doing this to Sam. He considered Castiel family and couldn't understand why he would do this to Sam.

"What did Castiel do to him?"

"I don't know, come on let's get him back to your place. Maybe he'll be awake by then."

Asteria stopped her car in front of Oree's cabin and got out looking around for her niece. She heard Ellie yipping and hurried around to the side of the cabin to find Oree unconscious on the ground.

"Oree child, wake up." she called to her checking her for injury. "Ellie what happened?"

Ellie looked at Asteria and relayed images to her of Oree's pain and the collapse. She whined again and moved to lick her face hoping to rouse her.

A soft moan escaped Oree's lips as she opened her eyes looking around.

"Auntie?' she questioned trying to figure out why she was on the ground.

"Do you know what happened child? I felt your agony and knew something was wrong." she told her helping her sit up.

"I need my phone." she said letting Asteria help her up and guide her toward the cabin.

"Here use mine." she offered as Oree sat on the steps to the porch.

Oree accepted the phone and quickly dialed Dean's number. It ran and went to voice mail. She hung up and dialed Sam's number waiting for it to be answered. When it went to voice mail, she tried Bobby's cell.

"Crap! No one is answering Auntie, I need to go, something's happened. I'm pretty sure it's bad." she rambled, getting up and making her way inside.

"You go pack, I'll make arrangements for you."

"Thanks Auntie, I need to take Ellie with me, not sure why, but it's important."

"Alright dear, that shouldn't be a problem."

Oree headed for her bedroom to pack her bag and check her potion bag to be sure she had plenty of stock.

"How's he doing?" Dean asked Bobby who was keeping an eye on Sam.

"He's breathing, but not showing any signs of coming to."

"Dammit why did Cas do that?"

"To slow us down, he knew you would take care of Sam before coming after him. I guess you could say that was his Hail Mary move."

"You think he'll be alright?"

"I don't know son."

"I think I've got everything." Oree told her aunt as she brushed her hair and pulled it back into a quick pony tail.

"I've got a friend who'll fly you to Sioux Falls and there's a rental waiting for you. Come on I'll take you to the airfield."

"Thanks Auntie."

"Something is coming, I can feel it, there's a shift in the planes, I'll call the Elders together and see what help we can be. Promise me you'll be careful Oree."

"You know I will." she said finding her cell and speed dialing Dean again.

Dean looked at his phone and pressed answer.

"How bad is he?" she asked not mincing words and getting to the point.

"I don't know. He's unconscious, how did you know something was wrong?"

"Anytime either of you are hurt, I know it. Our bond's stronger than you think. I'm on my way to Sioux Falls, I should be there in a couple of hours."

"Hours?"

"Yes, private plane and I'll get a rental at the airport. Tell him I'm coming." she replied.

"Listen, we'll be at Bobby's before you get here, I'll have Bobby come and get you, save getting a rental. Be careful." Dean said hanging up.

"Your sister I assume." Bobby stated. "And where am I going to be picking her up at?"

"Yeah, she's on her way, private plane. I'll stay with Sam and if you could go to the airport and get her?"

"I can do that, maybe she can help."

"Me too Bobby, me too." Dean whispered as he tried to concentrate on driving faster. He wanted to get to Bobby's and get Sam some place safe.

Sam ran down an alley trying to figure out where he was and why he was running in the first place. Nothing made sense to him, he just knew he had to keep moving, there was somewhere he had to get to. He heard the police siren behind him and ducked into an entryway out of sight. He pushed on the door and slipped inside, quickly shutting it behind him.

"Sorry we're not open." a female voice called to him from behind a bar.

"If I can just sit here for a minute please." Sam asked finding a seat at the bar to catch his breath.

The woman looked out the window as a police car drove by with its lights flashing. Sam ducked slightly and pulled himself as small as he could. The woman reached under the bar to a small club as she eyed Sam carefully.

"Could I get a water?" he requested rubbing a hand down his face.

"Sure, but then you have to leave." she said drawing water in a glass and setting it next to him. "What's your name?"

Sam looked at her frowning as he bunched his eyebrows together looking at her in confusion.

"I-I don't know." he finally got out as he picked up the glass with a shaky hand.

"What'd you mean you don't know. You got any id on you?"

Sam looked through his pockets and pulled out a small knife, a lock pick kit and a book of matches from a hotel called Night Owl and a few dollars. He had nothing that would tell him who he was and this confused him even more. Was he some kind of criminal running from the cops?

"Can I use your computer?" he asked pointing to one sitting behind her on the counter.

"Sure, I guess." she said moving it within his reach.

Sam began to type on the keyboard pulling up a search engine and searching to see if the motel did exist and the location.

"Here look, Night Owl Motel, it's a couple of towns over, maybe I can find something out there. Thanks for your help." he said starting to get up to only fall to his knees and then on the floor as the room around him turned dark.

"Hey, hey are you ok?" she called running around the bar to kneel beside him.

Sam had a flash of memory run through his head of two men, one a model type, the other a gruffly, older man. He heard the name Sam and the older called the younger Dean. Blinking rapidly, Sam opened his eyes to stare into the concerned eyes of the female bartender.

"Sam, I think my name is Sam." he got out as he tried to pull himself to a sitting position. The woman helped him up and kept a grip on his arm as he tried to steady himself.

"What just happened?"

"I saw two men, I think I know them. Look, thanks for the help, but I gotta go." he said getting ready to leave.

"Wait, how you going to get there?"

"I'll figure something out."

"I have a car, I could take you, kind of want to see how this plays out." she smiled to him.

"No, really, I can find another way."

"Let me get my keys." she insisted.

"Thanks." he conceded giving her a half-smile glad she was willing to help. "I don't even know your name."

"It's Max." she told him.

They went out the back to an older Ford that had seen better days. Sam paused looking around carefully. His spider senses were off the chart, someone was watching him. Movement caught his attention from across the alley and he could have sworn he saw himself staring back at him, but a more cold, ruthless looking him. He shook off the sense of dread and turned to her with concern.

"Get in the car and drive." he ordered her opening the door to the passenger side and getting in.

She obeyed him and started the car pulling down the alley to the end. She turned right and headed out-of-town toward the address that Sam had found.

"Child, please be careful, you don't know what has happened." Asteria told Oree as she pulled her bags from the car and placed a leash on Ellie.

"Oh Auntie, you know I will, Sam's my brother and if I can help him, I have to."

"I know dear, I know. Go help your brothers, but you watch out for yourself too."

"I will Auntie, thank you for everything."

"I wish I could do more, we will give you all the help we can from here."

"Love you, I'll call when I know something."

"Love you to dear."

"Let's put him in the panic room." Bobby said as he helped Dean get Sam out of the car.

Dean set Sam over his shoulder in a fireman's hold and made his way in the house and down the stairs to the panic room. Bobby pulled the cot over toward the center of the room pulling the blanket down so Dean could lay him on it.

Dean stooped and gently laid his large baby brother's body on the cot being sure he was centered on it. Bobby fanned the blanket over him as Dean pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down heavily.

"Here." Bobby said holding out a glass with amber liquid in it.

Dean accepted the glass and swirled the liquid around in it several times before bringing it to his lips. He sipped the liquid feeling it burn all the way down his throat to his stomach. He felt the warmth slowly expand out through the rest of his body as he finished the glass.

"I'm goin' to the airport to pick yer sister up, you going to be ok?"

Dean paused for a moment before looking back at Sam and sighed. "I don't really know."

Max pulled into the Night Owl Motel and parked. She looked around at the not so impressive place that was showing more signs of wear than she would be comfortable with.

"Where do we start?"

"Corner room in the back nearest the exit." Sam spouted automatically.

"Seriously, who are you?"

"I wish I knew." he said getting out and heading for the room. He looked around making sure no one was watching before asking, "Do you have a credit card or something similar?"

"Yes, why?" she asked slipping a slim wallet from her pocket and handing him a card.

Sam slipped the card between the lock and door frame jiggling it until it opened. He handed her back the card and opened the door so they could go inside. One wall was plastered with maps, news clippings, articles printed from online and post-it notes.

"Are you some type spy?" she asked looking at all the things on the wall and on the table.

"I don't know." Sam said looking at the clippings, as one caught his attention about the death of a Dr. Helen Visyak. Something was familiar about the name and the woman in the picture.

"Are you sure your name is Sam?" she asked slowly picking up some licenses and credit cards with different names on them. She looked around when he didn't answer. "Sam?"

Sam was laying across the bed trembling as another vision raced through his head. He saw a salvage yard, a sign for Sioux Falls and a run down two-story house. The next thing he realized Max was shaking him trying to wake him up.

"You're going to have to quit doing that." she cried as he sat up. "You're really scaring me."

"Sorry." he said rubbing his head as a headache tried to rear its ugly head. "I know where I need to go."

"Are you sure? You know you can always come back to the bar."

"Do you smell whiskey?" he asked sniffing and looking around.

"No, do you?"

"Yeah and Old Spice, I don't know but I need to go to Sioux Falls."

"Well guess I'm going too, so how did you get here?"

"Guess I drove." he said picking up a set of keys.

They walked out of the room and into the parking lot.

"So which one is yours?" she asked looking around at the cars.

"That one." he said confidently walking toward a black Impala. He unlocked the door when a gun shot whizzed by his head. "Get in!" he yelled at her as he cranked the car and peeled out of the parking lot. Looking in the rear view mirror he saw himself step out from behind the motel. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to wrap his mind around what he just saw. How could there be two of him? Did he have a twin, an evil twin?

"Sam can you hear me man? You need to hang on, Oree's on her way..." Dean said taking a pen light and shining it in his eyes. "You got to come back to us."

Sam slammed on the brakes as a bright light blinded him.

"Did you see that? It was dark and now it's light?" he asked getting out of the car and looking around.

"No it wasn't, are you sure you're alright?" she asked getting out too.

"Max, get back in the car." he said slowly sensing danger nearby. Some instinct told him to check the trunk of the Impala and opened it pulling the fake bottom up and gazed at the weapons cache. "Wow." he said pulling a gun and checking its load. "Stay here."

The forest was overgrown and dense as he made his way deeper into the trees. He knew someone was in here with him as he scanned the underbrush. Before he knew what happened, he was thrown to the ground by himself.

"Who are you?" he gasped looking up at himself, but not himself.

"Sam, Sam, you see I'm you, but a better you. Man, are you really that pathetic? I don't have the emotions or inhibitions that hinder me like poor pathetic you. You could think of me like when you were without a soul. But you see we both can't be here, one of us has to go." he said waving a gun around.

Sam stumbled to his feet and ran through the trees dodging back and forth. He slid down a bank and hid against the brush and mud.

"Sammy you can't run from me, I know your every move, there's no where you can hide from me."

Sam pulled his jacket off and draped it over a rock making it appear like he was hiding there and slipped away so he could get behind him. Soulless Sam paused looking over the landscape and spotted the brown jacket hiding behind a rock. He aimed carefully wanting to take him out quickly. He fired three shots and walked boldly toward the jacket.

With one shot, Sam took him down. He walked closer to the prone body with his gun still trained on him.

"You're making a big mistake, you think I'm bad," he coughed as blood trickled down his chin. "Wait 'til you meet the other one. He's the really bad one." He died and his energy was absorbed by Sam.

Max got out of the car as Sam walked back out of the woods. He looked at her closely before talking.

"I know who I am now and I remember you." he said quietly looking at her face and remembering the bar and shooting her in cold blood to get to the demon holding her hostage. She was an innocent and he had killed her with no regret.

"Sam, you should of stopped looking and come back with me." Max said sadly as blood began to bleed through her shirt. She looked down to the blood and began to shimmer and fade away leaving him standing alone on the deserted highway.

He knew now he needed to get to Bobby's, that's where the other part of him was. The only way out of this dream world was to face his demons and hope for the best.