A/N: Christmas Day Five (It's a clue!)

A/N II: I kind of based Sam and Dean's conversation on an event right after my mom was out of ICU when she had her stroke. We had a long conversation, I knew what she was saying and answered her just fine, but everyone else just heard mumbles and stray words. I figured it would be the same for the boys.

A/N III: A couple of people mentioned my last chapter title, pointing out it's "calling" birds-actually the original song is colly (or collie)-meaning black-birds.

Snowflakes and Icicles

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Outside But Inside and Across the Hall

The room had a strange smell, although Dean wasn't sure if it was actually the room or a side effect of something he'd been given. A muted scream echoed in the room, it sounded like it came from above them. At first it did, the sound continued until it passed the window and dropped, cut off abruptly about a second after it fell beyond his room. Dean looked at his brother, Sam turned and met his eyes, then looked back out the window for a moment. Oh, it's bad, that level of calm is epic bad.

He needed the confirmation, when he'd seen the thing as it swooped through the ward, he'd been sedated, and assumed it was combination of fever and drugs. The creature had missed his room, distracted by a doctor doing rounds, and then disappeared, screams filling the room after it left.

Bobby had run in shortly there after, a bloody axe in his hands. The older hunter had mumbled something about hospital staff being idjits, told him to stay there, then said he was going for Sam. That was the last Dean had seen of anyone. A few moments later they'd slammed the door closed on his room and he'd been trapped, the sedation slowly releasing him from its hold, his body fighting the vent and his hands restrained.

When the door opened his heart had stopped for a moment, knowing something was out there, and he was trapped, his body wounded even if he wasn't restrained. Then Sam had been there and relief flooded his body, sending his heart racing in the opposite direction.

"We can't stay here," Sam said, snapping him out of his reverie.

"What?" Dean watched his brother move from the window back to the bed.

"The window, it's huge and one of those things is outside."

"Will someone see?" His brief spurt of energy was already waning.

"No, it's outside but inside," Sam said, still staring at the window.

"Try again."

"There is a courtyard with a waterfall about four floors down. The building is built around that."

"Right." Dean understood what Sam was talking about. "We need to get out of here."

"Yeah."

The nurse was staring at them. Dean wondered if he was actually speaking or if Sam was interpreting his mumbling correctly. Sometimes he didn't know until his brother wasn't around. Several months before he'd been injured and he and Sam had been talking and it was fine—until Sam had to leave at the end of visiting hours and no one knew what he was saying until Sam came back.

"Some place we can defend, a wall at our backs," Dean continued. Judging by the frown on the nurse's face he was mumbling.

"Yeah, Bobby will find us."

"If he's alive, Sam," Dean said softly. He'd seen what was out there and he was frantic that Bobby hadn't returned.

"I know." Sam was frowning at him.

"Moving me is better than the alternative."

"Is there a room close by without a window? One that has a door?" Sam asked the nurse.

"Sure, room twelve, across the hall."

"Is someone in it?"

"Not anymore," she said, looking sick.

"Can you move the bed?"

"I'm not staying in bed," Dean snapped.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes."

"No."

"There are monsters out there!" the nurse screamed. They both looked at her. "Do something!"

"The guy in the wheelchair and the dying guy in the ICU bed?" Dean said. She made a funny face like she didn't have a clue, but Sam growled. "What?"

"We need to go," Sam said, glancing at the window. "Now."

Without waiting for Dean or the nurse to protest, he rolled to the door and opened it. A moment later he motioned for them to follow. Dean watched as the ceiling started to move, feeling helpless and vulnerable. They moved out into the central area of the ward, he could smell fresh blood, and glanced to his left, then wished he hadn't. There was a pool of blood in the corner. He looked the other way, trying to spot a way out if things got bad. There were two sets of doors, one on his left by the blood the other on his right. Both sets were closed.

"Wait. Get whatever drugs we might need for Dean and anyone else. Our friend is out there and he'll bring survivors here," Sam said with certainty. "Do it!" Sam snapped when she hesitated. Dean rolled his head to look at his brother in surprise.

The tone inspired her to move. Dean heard her moving something, then she was back and the bed was in motion again. A moment later he was in the room. Sam closed the door, Dean heard a lock click in place. Pain was beginning to make itself known, Dean could feel the throb deep in his body. Things weren't good.

"Sammy?"

"Right here," his brother answered.

"Why are they here?"

"Looking for a sacrifice?" Sam said.

"Yeah. What kind, how many?"

"I don't know, I thought it was over on..." Sam trailed off. Dean could see the gears turning.

"What? I know that look, Sam."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I do." Dean sighed. "All too well, we've hit crossing the beams bad."

"I think we've actually passed it," Sam said, squinching at him.

"Oh, awesome."

To Be Continued