Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, readers! Thanks so much for stickin' with the story. Get ready for some action in this one. : )
Ben still had the gun and struggled to level it at Sam, who was still fairly shocked that Ben had avoided the blade.
"Dammit!" Ben gasped, reaching towards his ear tentatively, "What the fuck?"
Sam glanced downwards towards Dean, who was lifting himself back into a standing position. Ben had backed into one of the rows, distancing himself from the Winchester brothers, but keeping his gun trained in their direction.
Well, that didn't work, Sam thought regretfully, holding his free hand up in supplication and feeling a little ridiculous for his failed attack.
Chapter 14: The Fight
Throwing a nervous glance towards Sam, Dean shook his head slightly, indicating that they were better off not attacking Ben at the moment. He wanted Ben to move closer to them before he made his move. He didn't think he could get to him before Ben was able to shoot him. It would be close if he tried. Very close.
To Dean's dismay, Ben's look of fury settled on Sam, clearly outraged that Sam had just managed to hack off his left ear. He raised the gun and pointed it at Sam's chest, his finger wrapped tightly around the trigger.
"Whoa," Dean spoke, bringing Ben's attention, and the gun, back in his direction, "You can't shoot him. You need him. Lilith would be pissed." Dean used Ben's obvious devotion to Lilith against Ben, hoping it would be enough to prevent him from shooting Sam in revenge.
Ben let out a hissing breath as he dipped his head, attempting to harness his rage.
"You don't wanna kill Sam. He's the one she wants." Although Dean had not been present for any of Sam's previous torture, he understood that he was not an important part of the puzzle. When Riley had offered him an out at the cemetery, he came to understand that he was more or less expendable. This whole ordeal was about Sam. And from what he'd seen upon entering the theatre in the middle of some whacky witch spell, he could conclude that whatever they were after, Dean didn't have it.
As his eyebrows arched down in disappointment, Ben barred his teeth for a moment, revealing fangs. It was apparent that he had decided to shoot Dean instead because his fury was not satisfied without killing someone. Dean grimaced and willed himself not to close his eyes like a coward as he braced himself for the end.
Dean heard Sam yell "NO!" before the report of the gun went off.
Feeling nothing, Dean looked around, bewildered. Three more reports echoed within the theatre, yet Dean still felt no pain. He jerked his head around to find that Beth was holding the gun that Dean had left near the chairs for Sam, still pointing it where Ben had stood. Her face suggested that she was barely aware that she had done anything.
Ben stumbled backwards and had to grasp one of the theatre chair armrests to prevent falling to the floor completely.
Sam wasted no time in rushing Ben, machete at the ready. As Sam swung it towards his head, Ben blocked the blow, then rammed Sam's arm into the back of the seat. Sam called out in pain and was unable to keep his grasp on the machete. It flew out of his hand into the next row of chairs.
Feeling Dean leaning towards them, Sam concentrated on the gun in Ben's hand. He grasped Ben's wrist with both of his hands and slammed it into the ground as hard as he could. Ben again grunted and the third time his hand hit the floor, he finally released his hold on the gun.
"The machete!" Sam yelled.
Dean took the hint and pulled back from the fight to enter the next row and recover the blade. Just as he bent low to get it, another gunshot echoed within the theatre.
"SAM!?" Dean was instantly terrified that Sam had been shot, but when he stood up to see what had happened, he was extremely disappointed to see that two more vampires had entered the theatre. Upon seeing them, Dean again fell to the floor, somehow feeling ridiculously like a cartoon character, popping into view, then disappearing again.
"Sammy, there's two more!" Dean yelled, wanting Sam to be aware of the newcomers.
As the two new vampires ran into the theatre, Dean shifted himself and wedged his body under the next chair. He bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out in pain as the movement made his bruised ribs feel as if they were on fire. He went under two chairs before he was free of them. Risking a glance over the chairs, he saw that the two vampires had passed the row in which Sam and Ben's fight was taking place, clearly expecting to discover Dean in the next one. Dean couldn't help but smirk as both vampires went from vicious to puzzled faces in less than a second when they saw that Dean was not in the aisle they had seen him duck into. They looked around alarmingly before continuing cautiously towards the front of the theatre.
Sam wasn't exactly winning his fight with Ben, but he wasn't losing either. The fight was more like a series of body slamming as both men tried to ram the other into the nearest chair with as much force as possible. Since Ben was obviously stronger, Sam wasn't able to inflict as much pain on him as he'd have liked to.
Dean waited until he could see the first vampire's gun before he acted. He propelled himself forward, kicking the hand holding the gun and spinning back around to sweep the machete through the air, with the sort of instinct any hunter would kill for. He was satisfied with the sickening sloshing sound of the blade slicing through flesh and knew he had successfully decapitated the vampire.
The second vampire was taken off guard for a moment and Dean immediately took advantage of it. He swung the machete at the vampire, who blocked it with the automatic weapon and wrenched Dean's arm away from him. Dean twisted the blade upward and sideways, making it impossible for the vampire to hold onto his gun. Both weapons flew onto the stage as if they were part of some abstract play. Dean scoffed, subconsciously amused by the fact that his machete and the nameless vampire's gun were both out of reach.
Dean used a moment to shout towards Sam, fulfilling his need to know that Sam was still fighting, "Sam?"
To Dean's great relief, Sam answered almost instantly, "FUCK!"
Well, that pretty much sums it up, Dean thought with little enthusiasm. He was glad to hear Sam speak at all, but had wanted a more encouraging answer than that.
He inwardly sighed as he lunged towards the remaining beast.
An ugly sneer took over Ben's face as he grabbed Sam's neck with his left hand, causing Sam to gasp in surprise and pain. The pressure on his windpipe was so intense that he found himself unable to even cough. Ben then shoved his forearm upwards, into Sam's stomach, flinging him into the row of chairs again.
Sam tried to cry out in physical anguish as he felt the muscles in his back spasm from the collision, but Ben's hold on his throat made it impossible for any noise to escape him. Ben wasted no time in using his strength to shove Sam's body downwards, immediately gaining the straddling position. It only took a moment for him to see and retrieve the gun while keeping his left hand clamped on Sam's neck. Sam was struggling with all he had, trying to push Ben's arm and body away, but the vampire was too strong. Once Ben had the gun, he flashed it in front of Sam's face, enjoying the look of fear that it instantly caused.
As Ben allowed Sam to see that he had gained the gun, Sam's breath caught in his chest. He watched the gun fearfully, but was still preoccupied by the fact that his air supply was being disrupted by Ben's hand. Ben finally drew his hand away and Sam's body convulsed as he coughed briefly. Air! However, his relief was fleeting. To Sam's dismay, Ben bought the gun downward and shoved it into the junction between Sam's jaw and neck, "Stop moving."
Sam felt as if there were no choice but to obey as he opened his fists and pressed the backs of his hands to the carpet, "Okay—okay." He choked the words out, still suffering from Ben's assault on his neck.
Ben leaned in, making Sam believe that his life was about to end, power or not, "You cut off my fucking ear!" Ben's anger was evident as he pressed the gun harder into Sam's skin.
Sam couldn't help but feel as if he'd failed in not severing Ben's head to begin with. Ben shifted his weight and used Sam's shirt to pull him off of the floor. Sam flailed an arm towards Ben, but Ben swatted it away with ease and pressed the gun to Sam's temple. Sam ceased all movement immediately.
Ben grinned in satisfaction, "Dean!"
Dean had somehow managed to get the upperhand with remaining vampire and was currently drawing back to throw a vicious blow into his face, but Ben's voice pulled him away. As he glanced towards the noise, he was terrified to see that Ben had his gun pressed to Sam's temple. The vampire he'd been fighting, whom Sam recognized as Max, wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation. Max kicked a stunned Dean in the stomach, causing Dean unimaginable pain as he collapsed onto his back. He gasped and sputtered, longing to see Sam and make sure that he was okay.
Dean didn't have to bring himself to his feet because Max was already there, yanking him up by his bicep. His eyes immediately searched for Sam.
"Max, go get her," Ben ordered, "Why the fuck isn't she here?"
Max offered a slight shrug as he shoved Dean into the front part of the stage. Again, Dean's ribs protested in pain, but he was able to keep his feet.
"Don't," Dean raised one hand up in front of him as he placed the other on the stage to keep his balance, "Don't hurt him."
As if to mock Dean, Ben drew the gun back and used it to clock Sam on the back of the head. Sam grunted in surprise and started to stagger to the side, but Ben grabbed him by the shirt again and shoved him into the main aisle, "Get over there, asshole."
Sam struggled not to fall as his unsteady legs stumbled down the slanted aisle. Ben followed about five feet behind him, gun trained at his head. As Sam reached the front of the theatre, Dean grasped his shoulder, "Are you okay?"
Sam, who was much more worried about Dean, nodded, "Are you? You look like hell."
Dean was still looking over Sam with concern in his eyes, "Yeah, had a tussle with our favorite vampire."
Sam glanced at Ben apprehensively, willing himself not to stare at the gun, then turned back towards Dean, "Riley?"
"Yeah."
After giving Dean a quick once over, Sam glanced around the theatre, desperately trying to think of a way to escape before Lilith entered the room. The very thought of her threatened to cloud his mind with panic, as he feared that he would be tied to the hated chair and once again tortured by her efforts to gain his power. As he glanced towards the chair, he saw that Beth was lying face-down in the floor.
Sam instinctively started towards her, but the shot of a gun stopped him as Ben fired a warning shot that missed Sam by less than a foot and entered the wood of the theatre stage instead.
Jumping at the sound of the shot, Sam instantly raised his hands and turned back towards Ben, "I just wanna see if she's alright."
"Don't move," Ben said through clenched teeth, "I know there's a gun over there. She fuckin' shot me with it!"
Feeling slight pressure on his right arm, Sam looked down to see that Dean was pulling him back towards him, as if he didn't want Sam to be more that a few feet away from him.
Ben moved forward, careful to keep the gun aimed at the brothers as he neared the front row of chairs and made his way to Beth. Sam knew there was going to be a moment when they could jump him if they timed it perfectly. He glanced at Dean to see if Dean was up for it, then flicked his eyes towards the machete on the stage. It would be a stretch, but Sam was fairly certain he could jump far enough to reach it. The fact that he was 6'4" would certainly help. Sometimes he felt self-conscious about his height—usually when Dean was teasing him about it—but sometimes it paid to be unusual.
Dean nodded, the plan formed within their minds. As Ben rounded the front row of chairs, Dean stepped slightly in front of Sam, pushing him behind him so that they had essentially switched positions. To Ben, it would seem as if Dean were merely being protective—and Dean had to admit he did feel better being between the psychotic vampire and his little brother.
Ben kept his eyes trained on the brothers until he reached Beth. To Dean's distress, there was an area of the carpet that had become a darker red than the rest as Beth's blood seeped into it. It appeared as if she'd been shot somewhere in the stomach. Dean brought his adrenaline to focus, forcing himself to ignore the ach in his ribs and head. He loaded his weight, trying not to change his demeanor and tip Ben off.
As Ben bent down to retrieve Dean's gun from Beth's limp hand, Dean sprung forward, using every muscle he could utilize to produce speed. Ben had only glanced away from Dean for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took to startle him. Ben leaned back slightly and fired the gun, missing the side of Dean's stomach by inches. Dean collided with him before he could get another shot off.
They crashed to the ground on the other side of Beth's limp body. Once they hit, Dean reached for the gun as Ben was attempting to get it between their bodies so he could shoot Dean. Dean found Ben's gun hand and grabbed it with both of his, knowing that all he had to do was avoid getting shot until Sam reached them with the machete.
Ben struggled to point the gun at Dean's head. To Dean's dismay, he was managing it slowly. Dean tried to push it away, but it was now pointed only an inch to the right side of his head and was beginning to shake with the effort that both men were expelling to shove it in opposite directions.
As soon as Sam sensed Dean's movement, he turned and launched himself forward and upward, grasping wildly for the machete. On the first attempt his hand slapped it, but he was unable to grasp it, as the blade was the part nearest to him. As his hand slid back, it pulled the machete two inches closer, making it possible for Sam to grasp it easily on his second try. He tossed it up, flipping the handle towards him and caught it easily as he approached Dean and Ben.
Ben pulled the trigger, even though the gun wasn't quite pointed at Dean's head yet. The shot seemed to explode within Dean's ear, which instantly began to ring. "Sammy!" He called, wondering what the hell was taking him so long.
Dean's cry for help made Ben aware that he had entirely neglected the younger brother, and he suddenly wondered why Sam hadn't joined his brother's fight. He turned his head back towards Sam. The last thing Ben ever saw was the glint of steel reflecting off of the bloody blade that had already been used to kill two of his comrades. Ben's face was full of utter shock as his head fell to the floor. His body was motionless for a brief moment before it lurched forward, towards Dean.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Reviews are extremely appreciated and I answer them all!!