The Effects of Vertigo Ch. 26
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Previously: "Just get your ass inside now kid." Caleb retorted as he pushed Sam towards the door. He didn't have time for all the questions the youngest Winchester was known for asking. Once they were safely inside, he grasped Sam by the arm and spun him around. "Where the hell is Bobby and the rest of your family?"
Grasping the side of his head in one hand, Sam stared at Caleb intently as he tried to figure out what had the hunter so upset. He knew Caleb was saying something to him, but his head was spinning so much that he just couldn't concentrate on trying to figure out what the hunter was imparting.
"Damn it Sam, stop looking at me like I have two heads or something. I need you to tell me where everyone is." Caleb growled as he grasped Sam by the shoulder and gently shook him. "Answer me boy."
"Caleb, I…" Sam groaned out, just before the bile rushed up his throat and he forcefully vomited at the man's feet.
Stunned by the incident, Caleb didn't hear the back door slamming or the sound of two feet swiftly approaching his location.
"You sonuvabitch, what the hell did you do?" Dean sneered, not giving Caleb the chance to explain as his fist shot forward and connected with the hunter's jaw causing the man to release his hold on Sam and stagger on his feet.
"Damn it Dean, what the hell was that for?" Caleb queried as he placed his right palm on his severely aching jaw.
"Touch my brother again and I'll kick your ass." Dean said with a feral look in his eyes that promised retribution.
"I'd like to see you try." Caleb immediately responded, taking a fighting stance. He didn't know why Dean was so freaking mad at him, but damned if he was going to just stand there and let Dean treat him that way.
"Alright you two, that's enough with the male testosterone." Bobby interrupted as he placed himself between Caleb and the protective Winchester. "Dean, I'll deal with Caleb, you go take care of your brother."
"De'n." Sam groaned at nearly the same time Bobby had finished talking, his knees beginning to buckle beneath him.
"SAMMY," Dean gasped as he caught his brother beneath the arms and gently lowered him to the floor away from the puddle of puke. Guiding his brother into a prone position on the floor, he grasped a pillow from Bobby's couch and placed it gently under Sam's head, before walking over to the small closet to grasp a blanket to cover him up with. Ignoring Bobby and Caleb as they talked, he passed them by and walked into the kitchen to get Sam's meds.
"Damn it Bobby, I didn't do anything to Sam. There was absolutely no reason for Dean to react the way he did just now." Caleb groused as he placed in his arms in front of him in a defensive manner. "All I did was ask Sam were everybody was and he damn near upchucked all over my feet."
"I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt the boy Caleb, but apparently there's something you don't know about Sammy." Bobby stated as he placed a calming hand on Caleb's shoulder. "Sammy's deaf Caleb, he can't hear."
"He's wh-what?" Caleb gasped incredulously, shocked at the astounding revelation. Surely Bobby didn't just say what he thought he said.
"You heard me right, ya idjit. Sammy's deaf. He lost his hearing a few weeks ago." Bobby replied with a sigh.
"But, I didn't know, John never said anything to me." Caleb stuttered as he looked sorrowfully at the young man on the floor. "I wouldn't have been so abrupt with the kid if I had known.
"It's okay, Dean will understand that once he calms down some." Bobby replied knowing the hunter was feeling guilty now.
"But what made the kid so sick Bobby? I mean, all I did was grab him by the arm and make him come inside the house."
"He's got Meniere's Disease and it causes him to get bouts of vertigo if he moves too….wait a minute, what do you mean you 'made' him come inside the house?" Bobby questioned, needing to know the sudden reason for Caleb's visit.
"Oh shit Bobby, I nearly forgot with everything that's happened. I've got a damn Pontianak on my tail." Caleb answered, scrubbing a hand across his still stinging jaw. "I need your help."
"That's just frigging great." Dean swore, overhearing what Caleb had said as he returned to the living room with Sam's medication and kneeled beside his brother. "How much time have we got before the fugly thing arrives?" The last thing they needed to deal with right now was a supernatural creature, especially with Sam not feeling up to par.
"I don't know, it could be here now for all I know." Caleb answered nervously. "I'm sorry Dean. If I had known about Sammy, I wouldn't have come here."
"Yeah, well it's too late for that now, isn't it?" Dean muttered as more of a statement than a question before tuning to Bobby.. "What the hell am I supposed to do now? If I give Sammy the injection for his dizziness, it will knock him out and leave him defenseless."
"Crap." Bobby uttered as he ran the fingers of his left hand through his hair after removing the ever present ball cap. "You better just give him the nausea medication for now. Caleb, go check the wards and salt lines in the kitchen while I check the ones out here." Bobby ordered to make sure Dean could give Sam his suppository medication in privacy.
"Yeah, okay." Caleb replied, a little perplexed as to why Bobby wanted him to do so. He knew how obsessive Bobby was about his keeping protective measures in place. There was no way he'd falter in keeping his house protected, especially with the Winchester boys there.
Waiting for the men to start checking the wards, Dean quickly undid Sam's jeans and pulled them down so he could administer the suppository. His self conscious baby brother would be mortified if Caleb returned to witness the event. "There ya go Tiger." Dean soothed after replacing Sam's jeans, even though he knew Sammy couldn't hear him. At least the medication would alleviate the nausea for now.
"Dean, wha's happening, why was Caleb so…so upset?" Sam asked breathlessly as he tried to focus on his brother's face while remaining in a prone position on the floor. As long as he kept relatively still, the vertigo subsided a little.
Grasping the notepad from his pocket, Dean debated on whether or not to tell Sam the truth. The kid was already stressed enough as it was, but he needed to know the truth. If he started lying to Sam now, he would lose his brother's trust and he wasn't about to chance that. Sam had lost so much already that he didn't need to start wondering whether his brother was lying to him or not about things. Quickly jotting down a few words, he handed the small notepad over to his brother to read.
Looks like Caleb's got a Pontianak hot on his trail. He seems to think the damn thing could arrive here any minute now.
Searching through his memory after having read the note a couple of times because of hazy vision, Sam hissed upon recalling the information he could remember about the supernatural creature. According to folklore, a Pontianak was supposedly a woman who died in childbirth and then became undead. Upon arising from death, she would seek revenge for her death by terrorizing surrounding villages and its' population. Recalling more information, he knew that a Pontianak usually took the form of a beautiful lady and would announce its presence through a baby's ear piercing cry.
"Dean, this thing is dangerous, once it latches on to somebody, it won't stop until it kills them" Sam Informed his brother, concentrating on his words to make sure he spoke them clearly. "We have to help Caleb."
Try not to worry Sam. Bobby and Caleb are taking care of things now. It will be okay. Dean wrote and then handed the note to his brother, hoping to relieve some of his sibling's stress before it could cause a worse attack than what he was already suffering from.
"But Dean, you don't understand. That thing is vicious. It kills it's victims by digging into their stomachs with its sharp fingernails and devouring their organs. It's the only way it can survive. It's even been known to rip out a male's sex organs in some instances with its bare hands." Sam voiced as clearly as possible, while trying to push himself up from the floor.
"Whoa, take it easy Sam." Dean voiced, reaching out to steady his brother as he began to wobble. Helping Sam to stand, he eased his baby brother over to the sofa so that Sam could sit down.
"M'okay Dean, just give me a minute to get it together." Sam told his brother upon seeing the concerned look in Dean's eyes. He had to pull himself together if he was going to help them with the Pontianak.
Returning to the living room, Caleb glanced at the brothers before walking over to the door where Bobby was peaking out through the window. "You see anything?" he asked inquisitively.
"No, but that doesn't mean she's not out there." Bobby answered in reply. "You better go grab a few of those silver daggers I keep in the knife case and arm the boys. The only way to get rid of this creature is to stab her in the back of the neck with a silver tipped blade. It will make her revert back to human form so she can be killed.
"You've got it Bobby." Caleb responded as he walked into the small study where Bobby kept his knives. Grasping the key to the knife case from Bobby's desk drawer, he quickly unlocked the cabinet and removed four of the silver bladed knives. Returning to the living room, he handed one to Bobby before walking over to the boys to give them theirs.
Kneeling in front of Sam, he gave him a somber smile before placing a hand on the younger hunter's knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. Turning his attention to Dean, he handed over two of the knives and then explained the need for them. "Bobby said the only way to kill this thing is to stab it in the back of the neck with a silver blade so it can revert to its' human form. I brought Sammy one too, just in case."
"Thanks Caleb." Dean voiced as he took the knives. He knew he should probably apologize to the hunter for his reaction earlier, but he just wasn't ready to do so yet.
"You're welcome Ace." Caleb replied. He knew Dean was struggling with what happened earlier, but decided not to push the subject. Strolling over towards another window, he peaked outside himself to scan the yard.
Pulling the tablet from his pocket after Caleb walked away, Dean quickly wrote a note explaining things to Sam about the knives and the only way they would be able to kill the Pontianak. He had just given the piece of paper to Sam when he heard an ear piercing wail coming from outside.
"Sonuvabitch." Dean moaned in pain as he raised his hands to cover his ears. The bitch had arrived.
TBC