Part 21 – Sam

The paint was peeling from the walls already upon the first blare of the siren, like the world of Silent Hill was hungry for them, burning away to that horrific shell of itself eagerly. Sam knew things were getting worse if the town was changing again so soon. It was also all the distraction Aaron needed in order to run.

"Cas, grab him!" Dean called as Aaron sprinted for the door, but Castiel was easily pushed aside, still not quite at full strength, obviously spooked by the arrival of the Otherworld yet again, and winded from having come to Dean's aid before.

Aaron was long gone in moments and Sam knew it would be foolish to follow him.

Of course that didn't stop Dean from starting at a dead run. He might have chased Aaron right out into the black abyss if Sam hadn't grabbed a handful of Dean's T-shirt from behind and tugged him back.

"Dean, don't be stupid. We don't know what's out there. And you're not all patched up yet."

"It's good enough, Sam, let go! Aaron might be in cahoots with Lilith and going out to lead those creatures right to us!" Dean tried to pull forward as if he meant to rush on ahead anyway, but without much effort, so that Sam guessed Dean was merely expressing his need to do something, not that he would actually run off half-cocked.

Dean was far from an idiot or the impulsive type, despite popular opinion. Usually it was Sam making those kinds of mistakes.

"I hate when this place gets bloody," Charlie shivered in response to the change in scenery, her blonde hair making her more or less visible even in the dark and red of the Otherworld.

"Hey, Cas…you okay over there?" Dean pulled away from Sam and went over to check on the angel who definitely looked worse for the wear.

Castiel pulled himself together as best he could when he turned to face Dean, but it was obvious he was far more troubled then he had yet been, and very tired. "The message I…found. That is the key. I assumed something…terrible had become of Aaron's sister as soon as I first read it, and…I expect a similar tragedy befell Charlotte at least once."

"Huh?" the girl blinked at them obliviously.

"What do you mean?" Sam pressed. Castiel had not yet told them what the message he found had said.

The four of them gathered a little closer, keeping the flashlight Castiel had been using to help tend to Dean's shoulder muted between them. Sam also kept a sharp eye on Charlie, because their track record with others in this town had not been anywhere near good.

Looking about as anxious and concerned as he yet had in Sam's opinion, Castiel retold the message he had read when he first awoke in the hospital.

All those who wander here lonely

Allowed kin to die in their stead

Blame will be passed on accordingly

And the guilty will soon meet their end

After Castiel finished speaking, Sam was pretty sure he was going to throw up now.

It all made so much sense. Dean cheated death the first time because their dad had traded himself to demons to make sure Dean wouldn't die. Sam came back for the same reason, because Dean made a deal and went to Hell for him. They were both alive because kin—family—had died in their place. It made the truth of that Pyramid Head creature being some representation of Dean even worse, because it reminded Sam that he was the reason Dean went to Hell in the first place, so, really, it was his fault that creature existed, not Dean's.

"So…you guys are trying to say that everyone in this town had some loved one die for them? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard," Charlie dismissed the whole thing with a wave of her brightly polished nails, "Only child, I said, remember? And my stupid parents are living their suburban middle-class boring lives as we speak. I don't fit your profile, boys, so why am I stuck here?"

Castiel looked rather put out that Charlie was shooting down his theory, which otherwise seemed perfectly sound. "Perhaps you are…simply unaware of the sacrifice," he suggested.

"That doesn't make sense either," Dean said, "We know. Aaron knows. And Jonah sure as Hell knew what his drinking caused. Why would Charlie be the only one who doesn't?" he asked the obvious question.

No one said anything, but Sam shared a look with Dean and Castiel that clearly agreed Charlie might be lying. They would have to watch her more closely from now on.

"What does the riddle tell us for sure?" Sam said, "Maybe there's a clue in there about where Lilith and the seal are located."

"The what?"

The three of them ignored Charlie for now. They were way beyond caring if the locals actually knew what was going on. "Blame will be passed on accordingly. So…where is blame passed the most?" Sam thought aloud, "The Jailhouse? Maybe more the courthouse…"

Charlie snorted. "School," she said, totally serious, "Can't think of any place with harsher judgments than there."

Sam had an initial dislike for Charlie that was not entirely the girl's fault. After spotting his first nurse and being reminded of Jessica, the last thing Sam had wanted was to stumble upon some young blonde girl who looked just like her. But she did make a good point.

"If Lilith is using a child host again it would make a lot of sense for her to set up shop in a school."

"Yes," agreed Castiel, "And there is a lot of background with the school tied to the past incidents of Silent Hill. It would make sense the seal might be there. We need to move quickly. We cannot afford to wait for the Otherworld to pass again."

Sam could tell that Castiel seemed especially worried. The last few times they had exited the Otherworld had gotten progressively worse for them all, and it would be really bad if they got separated again.

"We better keep an eye out for more nurses and anything else," Sam said, "But we're running out of time here. We should get to the school as quickly as we can. Do you know how to get there?" he looked to Charlie.

She was doing a pretty impressive job of just going with the flow and having at least the appearance of calm. "I'm not really a local, but…I think I can get us there. Been a few years though."

"Good enough for me," said Dean, "And if anyone spots Aaron along the way…shoot the bastard. He's been playing us long enough. He has to have something more to do with this place."

"But the evidence says he lost someone too," Sam interjected, "We—"

"No. The evidence says that like the rest of us," Dean didn't bother excluding Charlie, "He has to be the reason a loved one died. Now maybe in our cases it wasn't something we wanted to happen, but with Aaron I'm wondering if he wasn't a little more active in the process. Gotta be something sinister to the whole thing, his sister gone, this locket saying 'Yours Forever'." Dean shivered as he clutched the silver locket in his hand.

Sam had to agree that the whole thing was pretty damn creepy.

"Let's move," Dean said, loading up his recovered shotgun and handing his Beretta to Charlie, "You know how to use that, honey?"

The petite blonde shot Dean a look then checked the clip and flipped off the safety like a pro. "What kind of a world do you think we live in, sugar. I'm good," she said

That didn't make Sam feel anymore trustworthy of Charlie, even if she did have Jess's same blue eyes and softly curving smirk, but they really were running out of time now. They wouldn't survive much longer if they didn't find Lilith before the Otherworld cut out again.

And judging by how pale Castiel looked, and how shuddery Dean was, no doubt still shaken by Pyramid Head and thoughts of Hell, they might not last much longer in the Otherworld either.

tbc...

A/N: And then there was a long hiatus. Sorry, folks, but I am soon to return with the next part. Promise.

Crim