Chapter 25

"Bryce?" Dean called into the damp night.

"Come on buddy, where are you?" Dean asked gently.

The oldest Winchester heard sobbing coming from the shower house in the middle of the campground as he wandered in search of the child. Without a word, he moved swiftly to the building and stuck his head through the door, hearing the crying from the furthest shower down, Dean walked to it and gently pushed the door open.

"Bryce?" Dean asked, seeing the young boy huddled on the bench.

"Go away." Bryce whimpered.

"Bryce, I'm sorry that I yelled." Dean said softly.

"Then why did you do it?" The boy sniffed.

"I...uh...I know that I shouldn't have, but it just happened." Dean replied.

"But why didn't you stop it from happening?"

"Because I couldn't." Dean replied, still keeping his voice soft and calm.

Bryce whimpered and kept his head hidden in his lap, not meeting Dean's eyes.

"Bryce, I know I should've stopped myself from yelling, but I was worried about Sam."

"You said that there wasn't anything wrong with him." Bryce stated.

"There wasn't, he had a bad dream, that's all, but I was still worried. Just like I was worried about you when I came to find you."

"You were?" Bryce questioned.

"You bet I was."

"Is that why you came to find me?"

"Yeah, that and I felt bad for yelling."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I told you that."

"Oh yeah." Bryce sniffed quietly.

"Bryce, I'm sorry." Dean repeated.

"You already said that." Bryce smirked.

"Oh yeah." Dean returned, repeating the child's words.

Bryce giggled a bit and Dean beamed, proud of his ability to cheer the camper up.

"C'mon, let's get back to the cabin. Sam's worried about you too." Dean spoke softly, using care to be sure he didn't offend the child any further.

"Kay." Bryce replied quietly and slid from the bench and onto the cement floor in front of Dean and the oldest Winchester took the boy by the hand to lead him out of the shower house and back toward the cabin.

"Oh, wait, we've got to go check on Ben." Dean replied.

"Why? Is he sick?" Bryce asked curiously.

"Not that I know of." Dean answered and crossed the wet grass to the director's cabin on the other side of a line of trees.

Before they had reached the trees there was a series of terrified shouts that echoed from the cabin. Dean started running, pulling Bryce behind him and leapt the three steps to the front porch. Bryce clambered up behind the oldest Winchester.

"Ben?" Dean called anxiously through the door, but got no answer. Without a word Dean tossed himself against the door and it flew open, Dean tumbling in to land in a heap on the floor.

Bryce walked quickly in behind him and looked around the dark office, his eyes resting on the door leading into the rest of the cabin. The small boy brushed gently past Dean and made his way into the back part of the cabin. A closed door at the side of the sitting room watched him and Bryce hurried to it and pushed it open, Dean following behind him.

"Ben!" Dean exclaimed when he saw the camp director laying in a heap, sheets twisted and blood-spattered.

The oldest brother hurried to the sleeping man's side and dropped next to him while Bryce dropped on the other side and reached a small hand across to wipe away some of the blood from the director's arm.

"What happened to him?" Bryce asked, sounding frightened.

"I don't really know. Ben? Ben wake up." Dean replied, shaking the man's shoulder, but getting no response.

"You said we wouldn't hurt him!" Olivia snapped.

"It's a dream, Olivia, none of it's real." William returned.

"But William, look at him, he's dead!" Olivia sobbed, turning to face the still director.

"He's not dead."

"But he's not breathing!"

"He's not dead!"

"But!"

Ben drew a sharp breath and slowly opened his eyes, coughing the water from his lungs and watching as flames shot from the ground and surrounded him in a ring of fire, keeping him from getting a clear look at the river and therefore from recalling what had happened thirty years ago. He was more concerned for his safety than conjuring up such a horrific memory. The camp director yelped as the fire licked at him and he threw his arms over his face to block it out.

"You're alive!" Olivia squealed with joy.

"Told ya so!" William snapped.

Olivia glared at the boy hotly, her eyes scolding.

"Take us out, you could kill him next time!" Olivia pleaded.

"Do you want to find your dumb doll and leave or not?"

"Lola is not dumb William, you are!" Olivia hissed.

"What you say is what you are!" William growled back in a very childlike manner.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not! And if we have to hurt Ben to find Lola and leave, I'm not going anywhere!" Olivia returned.

"You're just as stupid as your dumb doll!" William stated harshly.

"Lola isn't dumb! And I'm not stupid!" Olivia screamed and the dream scape erupted in chaos. The sky opened up to spit hail the size of baseballs at them and the river boiled threateningly. A sharp bolt of blue lightening flashed above them followed by a rumble of thunder so deafening that all three of them had to cover their ears.

"You don't even know what happened that night!" William shouted above the ruckus.

"Well neither do you!" Olivia yelled, ignoring the disorder around her.

"I know more than you ever will!"

"Then why don't you tell me?"

"Because, why should I when Ben knows it too? Ben saw everything, even if he doesn't remember!" William screamed.

"Why don't you ask Ben where your stupid Lola is? He knows!" William continued.

Suddenly the dream scape calmed and Olivia turned hopefully to where Ben was still trapped behind the wall of fire.

"You do?" She asked softly and the fire died out.

"No, I don't." Ben said.

"Liar! You were there! You saw everything!" William screeched and the sky darkened again. The river started pelting them with large rocks, but none of the rubble even got close to striking William or Olivia, it was all directed at Ben.

"What am I supposed to have seen?" Ben begged, yelping as a rock hit him in the shoulder.

"You saw him push Olivia through the fence!" William shouted.

"But, William, I didn't get pushed, I fell! And so did you!" Olivia corrected.

"You didn't fall! Kenneth pushed you, I tried to help you when I fell!"

"Kenneth? But he wasn't even around us that night." Olivia spoke, clearly confused.

"Yes he was. He saw you and wanted to play a nasty trick. He was just gonna push you down and take Lola and hide her on you. He didn't mean to kill you, but he did. And Ben saw! He knew!" William yelled.

"How did he know?" Olivia asked, tears falling on her cheeks, and rain falling from the sky at the same time.

"Kenneth told him! He told him to watch!" William replied and the dream scape shifted and swirled around them as William grabbed tightly onto Ben's arm.

xxxxxxx

"Hey Ben, wanna see Olivia cry?"

"No." A five year old Ben replied, staring up into the sharp blue eyes of the boy in front of him.

"Why not? It'll be funny."

"Will not!"

"You big baby, I'm just gonna hide that dumb doll she carries around with her everywhere."

"Why?"

"Because I can." The boy returned.

"Kenneth, no! I'll tell my daddy on you!" Ben threatened.

"Don't be stupid! If you tell your daddy, I'll beat you up."

Ben's eyes wavered as he digested the threat. He watched the blue eyes in front of him closely.

"But..." Ben started to object, but was knocked back by a punch to the face. Tears welled in the fallen boy's eyes and a choked whimper escaped his throat before Kenneth slapped a hand over Ben's mouth.

"Shut up. Don't be such a baby, I barely even touched you."

More tears slipped from Ben's eyes. The boy shook Ben with as much strength as the nine year old could muster up. Ben whimpered again.

"Stop crying! My daddy says only babies cry." Kenneth replied hotly.

"But..."

"He also taught me how to do this." Kenneth spoke and shoved Ben hard into the tree behind him. The young boy's body went rigid and he screamed in pain as he hit the tree trunk. Shortly after, Kenneth lashed out and kicked Ben in the leg and the boy screamed again.

"Kenneth! What are you doing to him! Stop it!" Came a desperate voice in the darkness.

Ben watched as Olivia stepped from the shadows, a doll clutched against her chest.

xxxxxxxx

From next to the stunned camp director the little girl let out a squeak of excitement.

"Lola!" She cried and tried to rush forward, but was stopped by an unseen barrier between the silently playing scene and the actual dream scape. William had a hopeful glimmer in his eyes as he watched.

"William, why can't I get her?" Olivia asked curiously, looking longingly at the doll the girl behind the barrier was holding as she prattled on silently, her voice temporarily unheard by the three spectators.

"Because, she's just a dream." William stated.

"But she's right there!" Olivia objected, pointing.

"Your watching what happened that night, it's not as real as this is, so you can't touch anything behind that wall." William explained, calming his voice a little.

"But watching this is going to show me what happened to Lola?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, just watch."

xxxxxxxxx

Kenneth stepped forward and backed Olivia up against the fence before reaching out and yanking Lola from her. Ben cowered against the tree, watching the two kids arguing.

"Give her back, Kenneth!" Olivia snapped desperately, reaching for the doll held loosely in the other boy's hand. He lifted the doll above his head so Olivia, who was shorter than Kenneth couldn't reach her prized possession.

"No." Kenneth hissed through a smirk.

"Give the doll back to her!" Came another voice from further down the trail.

The three children turned to face the words and saw William trekking toward them, a look of anger on his face.

"Or what?" Kenneth barked.

"Or I'll go get Victor!" William replied.

Ben's head shot up at the mention of his father and he looked hopefully beyond Kenneth and Olivia to where William stood, watching.

While Kenneth was occupied with taunting William, the boy's arm dropped to his side, Lola hanging limply between his fingers. Olivia wasn't paying attention, and didn't see the doll lower, but Ben did. The five year old cautiously got to his feet and crept up behind Kenneth, his heart pounding and his hands shaking. In a swift lunge, the young child grabbed for Lola, but his hand missed the target, grasping only a bunch of the dolls dress, and his hand struck Kenneth's, who quickly turned on Ben and grabbed for him. Ben cringed as the larger boy's hand encircled his arm and gripped down hard.

"What are you doing Bennie?" Kenneth teased, using a name that only Ben's father called him.

"I uh...I..." Ben stammered.

"He was trying to help me!" Olivia returned, and tried to pry Lola free from Kenneth's tightly closed hand at the same time as she tried to free Ben.

William stepped in and grabbed Kenneth's hand in an attempt to release the crying five year old and the four of them seemed locked in some weird, comedic play fight until a scream ripped from Olivia's throat when Ben saw Kenneth shove her hard against the fence, the section crumbling under the force exerted on the falling child. Kenneth's eyes went wide and the grip he had on Ben loosened as he turned.

"Olivia!" William screamed and tried to lunge after her, but stumbled against Kenneth in the process, sending both himself and the camp bully tumbling over the river bank. Ben was violently jerked forward, but the hold on his arm vanished, leaving him on his hands and knees, watching the three children plunge to their deaths.

Almost as soon as he saw William and Olivia hit the water he screamed, stood up and turned away.

"Dad! Dad where are you?!" Ben shouted as he tore across the campgrounds in search of his father.