Sam had slept all the way to South Dakota. Dean had thrown a blanket over him.
"He still sleeping?" Bobby asked as he pulled into his junk yard.
Dean looked in the back seat. "Looks like it. Should we wake him up?"
That was a good question. "We don't want to spook him. Maybe we should wait."
They both got out of the car and shut the doors. Sam woke up when he heard the creaking. He sat up and got out of the car.
Dean gasped when he saw him. It had been dark in the cemetery. He had been mostly looking at Sam's face anyway. But, now in the light of day as his gaze swept down Sam's shirtless torso, he was shocked. There were burn marks and whip scars and knife marks. Was that a brand? What did those bastards do to him? He had to find out what happened to his brother.
"You won't talk, but will you write?"
Sam nodded.
When they got inside, Dean had a better idea. He fired up the computer. Sam could type faster than he could write and it would be a lot easier to read.
"Why won't you talk?" Dean asked.
So my tongue won't be cut out, Sam typed.
Who is going to cut out your tongue?
Sam just shrugged his shoulders. It would be his new master, but he didn't know who that was yet. They would come for him eventually, though.
Dean was confused. Sam thought someone would cut out his tongue, but he didn't know who? "Why would your tongue be cut out?" Maybe that would provide some enlightenment.
I'm a slave. Slaves aren't allowed to talk.
"A demon slave?"
I'm not sure. They took me over from the others.
"The yellow eyed demon is dead. I think the others got possessed, so they'll be dead soon if they're not already. You can talk now," Dean assured Sam.
Once a slave, always a slave.
"You've been emancipated," Bobby jumped in.
Sam wondered if that was possible. The demon had told him that slaves were always sold, passed on, or recaptured if they escaped. But, maybe Bobby was right.
Dean could see the uncertainty on Sam's face.
"Sammy, you can't possibly be a slave, because you don't have a master."
A new master will come for me.
"Who told you that?"
The demon. He said that every master is worse than the last. Sam shuddered when he thought about it.
"Sam, nobody's coming for you. And if they do, I'll stop them," Dean said.
Almost against his will, Sam typed, You didn't stop them last time.
Dean just stared at the screen. Like he didn't feel guilty enough. Not only hadn't he kept Sam from being taken, he hadn't even looked for him. Demons must have fooled him with a shapeshifter.
Sam looked up and saw Dean's face. He didn't mean to hurt his feelings. He didn't blame him. He just couldn't assume that Dean could save him all the time like used to. Sorry. I didn't mean it.
"It's OK. It's true. But, I won't let it happen again. I promise."
Sam nodded.
"So, will you speak?" Dean asked.
Sam figured it really wouldn't matter that much if his tongue was cut out if he didn't use it anyway. It would hurt, but he was used to pain. "OK," he rasped out. It felt weird to speak. He hadn't for so long.
"You must be hungry," Bobby said.
Sam nodded.
"What do you want to eat?"
He hadn't had anything but food that was about to spoil, or burnt stuff. Basically stuff that would have been thrown out anyway, in a long time. Certainly nobody had asked his opinion on the matter. "Chicken?"
"OK," Bobby said. He wasn't sure if he had any, but he would go to the store if he had to. He looked in the freezer, gratified to find that wouldn't be necessary. He stuck it in the microwave to defrost it and left Sam and Dean alone in the other room.
SSS
The demons had scattered all over the place. They had lost their general, so to speak. Azazel had always played everything close to his breast and nobody knew his plans. They were now all out for themselves.
One of the demons didn't like the body he was in. It had no tongue. He couldn't speak. It was stupid. He smoked out of it in search of another.
Jason lay panting on the ground, wondering what had happened. Someone had to pay for all that had happened to him. He couldn't make those demons pay. He couldn't even admit to himself that demons existed. That left the slave. He had heard the demons call him Sammy.
SSS
After they had eaten, Sam lay down on the couch for more sleep. The events of the last few months had really taken their toll on him.
Dean looked at his torso again and felt so much rage. "What do you think they did to him, Bobby?" Dean asked.
They hadn't spoken much during supper. Sam had been inhaling food and Dean and Bobby had been trying not to stare at him and making him uncomfortable.
"Tortured him," Bobby whispered. He hated the thought of someone doing that to Sam.
Sam started moaning in his sleep. He was dreaming that they were drowning him again. He was trying to swim, but his hands were attached to his waist. He couldn't breathe. His head popped over the water and he took a deep breath just to be pushed down again. He was struggling to get back up again when he heard the demon yelling at him. "You OK, Sammy?" The demon was laughing. "Sammy," he taunted.
"Sammy," Dean was shaking him awake.
Sam jerked upright. "You OK, Sammy?" Dean asked.
Sam shuddered. Had the demon possessed Dean? He skittered back on the couch away from him. Maybe his new master was here. He hoped they didn't know that he had spoken earlier.