Oh where, Oh where has your big brother gone?
Disclaimer: as per the first chapter, nothing changes much anyway!
CHAPTER 29
Dean turned and stared at Decebal, his heart felt shattered into too many pieces to put back together. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally; he was so tired of butting heads with the demon, constantly watching for tricks or more mind games.
He just wanted it to finish.
'So Dean my boy what's it to be?'
'Where's the fucking phone.' Dean grumbled, his entire being crumbling in front of Decebal as he finally surrendered, the fight was over, and he lost.
The Master demon handed him the phone silently watching as the young human stared at it for a moment before hitting dial. His father's mobile number already programmed into it.
'Hey Dad.' Dean said his voice cracking with unshed tears.
'Dean? Is that you son?' John asked in disbelief.
'I ah I love you Dad you know that don't you.'
'Dean what is it?'
'I just want to say goodbye.' Dean's voice shook as he failed to hold back his tears. 'Tell Sammy I love him too Dad.'
'What's going on Dean?'
'I ah have to go Dad, just ... don't bother looking for me anymore Dad, I – I have a new life and – and don't need you or Sam anymore.' Dean finished in a rush hanging up on his father before John could say anything else.
'Well done, what a performance.' Decebal gushed clapping his hands, but the look on Dean's face stopped him from saying anything else.
They stood staring at each other in silence, Dean unblinkingly stared at the demon pure hate, and rage filled his face and burned brightly in his eyes. Decebal stepped back and for a brief fleeting moment, he regretted his decision. But then he shook his massive shoulders and smiled down at his prisoner. Dean was his, body and soul, now he just had to convince the boy of it.
Sam tossed restlessly in his bed, moaning softly as his dream changed, sliding into a vision of horror and terror rather the peaceful scene he had started with.
In his nightmare he found himself trapped on the edge of a cliff, the chasm below went too far to see, almost bottomless, on the other side; he could see Dean. Chained, whipped and beaten and imprisoned in a metal cage, too far away to reach or to save.
Behind Sam large rabid dog like creatures surged towards him, drool dripping from their massive jaws as the scented his blood and fear. John called to him, screaming for help as he dangled over the edge of the cliff opposite him. Blood streamed down his arms from his fingers torn to ribbons from trying to hold onto the rocks.
Jessica hovered in front of him, softly calling to him. All he had to do was to step over the edge and he would be with her forever. His head ached, and his eyes watered and blurred making it harder to see his family, he hesitated not knowing what to do. Why wasn't there someone to tell him what to do to fix it all?
His moans grew louder as the nightmare tightened its grip, until the room filled with a heart-wrenching scream. John and Gloria came running into the room and went straight to Sam's side. He writhed on the bed, the sheets twisted around his emaciated body, sweat shone on his clammy skin, he cried out again screaming Dean's name repeatedly and reaching out a hand to somewhere or someone only Sam could see.
'Sammy come on Son wake up for me.' John said gripping Sam's hand tightly, 'wake up Son.'
'John is he ... do you want me to get the doctor?' Gloria asked concern written across her face.
'No – no Sam has suffered from nightmares for a long time now; I'm not sure exactly how it started but he does pull out of it.' John answered but didn't take his eyes from his youngest son, privately wishing that Dean was here to help calm Sam down.
Sam's eyes snapped open and he started pulling at the gauze pads covering them, he felt like they were smothering him.
'Calm down Sam.' Gloria said using her best 'professional nurse' tone of voice that somehow made patients settle down and do as they are told. 'I'll take the pads off but you have to calm down first.'
Sam nodded breathlessly, his fingers still twitched but he kept his hands away from his face. 'Please help me, take them off.' He whispered.
'Okay Sam close your eyes while I take them off.' She said as she eased the tape up enough to get a grip on it, 'keep em shut while I remove the pads.'
Sam sat silently barely breathing as he waited for the nurse to finish her impromptu task.
'I am just going to get the doctor to give you a check and look at your eyes, I'll be very happy if you can keep your beautiful eyes closed until I come back.'
'I – I'll try,' Sam sighed, 'Dad you still here?'
'Yeah I am Sammy.' John said his voice filled with relief, 'I'm right here.'
'Dean's in trouble Dad.' Sam whispered when he heard the door hiss shut behind Gloria.
'You had a vision?'
'I'm not sure it was more like a nightmare but ... Dean was beaten up and held in a cage on one side of a big chasm or something, you were hanging over the edge and I had to choose which one to help. Then Jessica appeared wanting me to go to her, coz I couldn't stop things from happening. Dad, Dean he, he looked so bad bruised and cutup, I couldn't reach either one of you.' Sam's words tumbled over each other as though if he paused he wouldn't be able to finish telling his father what he saw.
'Sam, we're gonna find Dean and we are going to kill Decebal I promise you that.' John said his voice low, almost a growl.
'So Sam, Gloria tells me that you wanted your eye pads off.' The doctor said as he strode into the room closely followed by the nurse and a group of student doctors.
'I have a bit of an entourage today but if you want them to go just say the word.'
'Nah Doc it's fine,' Sam said, 'so can I leave em off?'
'When you're ready slowly open your eyes and tell me what you see,' he said motioning for someone to turn the lights off, using the overhead light instead.
Sam opened his eyes and blinked, his hands trembling as he clutched the sheets, 'I can see you Doc, Dad, you're still blurry but it's better than before.'
The doctor shone his small flashlight in Sam's eyes checking the progress of his surgical repairs. 'Looking very good Sam, how you feeling?'
'Got a headache but it's not so bad, things a still a bit blurry.'
'Well for now I am going to set up an eye exam proper for you, you'll need to wear prescription glasses for a while until your vision rights itself but I don't foresee any long-term problems.' The Doctor smiled and squeezed Sam's shoulder, 'you're doing great Sam keep this up and you can go home in a couple of days.'
'I can get outta here?' Sam squinted up at the man, a look of hope and fear mixed into a mask of confusion.
'I don't see why not, the only other thing is that we want you to put a little more weight on before we seriously let you out of our sight.'
'But I'm okay honest.'
'Sam, the nurses have been monitoring your food intake, now I will talk to your other doctors but ... the best way to get healthy is to regain your strength, to do that you need to up your energy intake, which means young man more food.'
'I thought you were an eye doctor.'
'I am and I am also an ordinary doctor who can see when someone is very underweight especially after such a long hospital stay.'
'Okay, okay I'll try and eat more.' Sam held his hands up in mock surrender.
'Good, I'll be in to see you tomorrow.' The older man smiled at his patient and then looked up at John, 'could I have a quick word with you John?'
'Yeah sure, I'll be right back Sammy.'
'It's Sam.' Sam mumbled feeling irritable, he slid back down in the bed and closed his eyes, feigning sleep.
John stared down at his son for a few more moments, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead before following the doctor and his students out, Gloria finished straightening up around the bed, and picked up the soiled gauze pads to throw away, 'I know you're awake Sam, but it's okay if you want to play possum so I'll just say what I want to and then I'll leave you to it. You're a very lucky young man Sam Mitchell, your sight is improving all the time, you could have easily been completely blind, and sulking doesn't become you. All you have to do is eat a bit more and put some meat on those bones.' She sighed and shook her head as she walked towards the door, 'okay well that's my two cents worth take it as you find it.'
Sam stayed still, with his eyes closed when he heard the door hiss shut. He could feel the tears starting to form and scrubbed at his sore eyes to stop them. 'Fuck.' He whispered.
'Such language Sammy boy.' Dean's voice came through the speaker tinnily.
'Dean?' Sam's eyes snapped open and he tried to focus on the tiny camera.
'So geek boy needs glasses huh?'
'Yeah right laugh it up.'
'Sam you really alright? I mean I heard the doc tell you to start gaining weight ... so what's up?'
'I – I ah hell Dean you know what I'm like I eat when I'm hungry.' Sam muttered, 'what about you Dean? What's going on?'
'I – I, I'm ... coping.' Dean floundered for the words, he so desperately wanted to tell Sam everything; but given his younger brother's precarious health he had to hold back. For Sam's sake, it had to be for Sam's sake so he wouldn't fall apart.
'Dean, please talk to me, tell me anything, it doesn't matter just talk to me.'
'Sam I ... fuck Sam I hate this, I want to be there with Dad for you, I want to be hunting the bastards not living with them.' Dean paled as he heard himself say those last three words, 'shit I have to go he's coming.'
'Dean I – I'm going home wherever that is in two days.'
'I know Sam, we'll work something out I promise. Be back as soon as I can.'
Sam laid back and closed his eyes; he was so tired of everything. Of being in pain, of being forcibly separated from Dean, of being the hunted and not being the hunter, he was so sick of it all.
Dean flicked the microphone off just as Decebal breezed into the room, 'I thought that you were going to give me time with Sam, not interrupt every five minutes.' He snapped.
Decebal snarled and slapped Dean across the face with such a force he sent the young man spiralling backwards against the far wall; a stream of blood spurted from his split lips.
'What the?' Dean struggled to get up, pressing a hand against his stinging cheek. Decebal appeared directly in front of Dean and grabbed him by the hair, cruelly pulling him upwards and then he slammed his fist into his stomach. Knocking the wind from Dean's lungs, following through by tossing his hapless victim across the room smashing him into the console.
'You dare to try to deceive me?' Decebal growled, 'I gave you a chance Dean Winchester and you blew it.'
'What the fuck are you talking about?' Dean rasped trying to catch his breath.
'I know of your secret conversations with your brother.' Decebal hissed as he held his hand out and lifted Dean with just a flick of his fingers, 'tell me why I shouldn't crush you here and now.'
'Coz then I will win and you'll lose.' Dean said as he fought the invisible hand squeezing his throat, 'and you hate to lose.'
'How would you win I hold your life in my hands.'
'Because if I die then you wouldn't own me and you wouldn't have a way to get to Sam and my Dad.'
'Hmm how insightful however, that doesn't stop me from dealing out my punishment for your indiscretion.'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Oh if I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise would it.'
'Leave Sam alone.'
'Now who said anything about Sam?' Decebal waved his hand and slammed Dean against another wall, 'oh I must admit this is fun, perhaps your little deception is just what I need to vent my anger on.'
'Glad I could be of service ... want me to talk to Sam again just so you can work yourself into another good and juicy rage, I mean hell you haven't bruised my right side yet.'
Decebal growled and launched himself at Dean, suddenly stopping himself a hand's width from his target a slow cold smile forming on his demonic features. 'No I have something else in mind.'
Dean swallowed and stared at his captor in horror, his gaze flickered briefly to the monitor still showing Sam asleep in his hospital bed, their father dozing in the chair next to him, a half-eaten meal on the trolley; then he turned his attention back to Decebal. Two creatures materialised either side of Dean, this time they had reptilian features, with long fanged jaws, and slitted eyes. Their muscular tall bodies covered in shiny green and grey scales, and their feet and hands had claws instead of toes and fingers.
'Take him.' Decebal snarled, as they gripped Dean's arms digging their razor sharp claws into his flesh. But then the Master demon stopped and turned staring at the monitor for a few minutes, 'perhaps I shall have some fresh meat sooner than I had thought.'
'Leave him alone you bastard.' Dean screamed struggling futilely against the new guards.
'Take him to the play room I have some plans to make.' Decebal waved them away not taking his gaze from the monitor.
'Leave him the fuck alone.' Dean screamed again while they dragged him out of the room.
Decebal watched Sam start to thrash as another nightmare assailed his mind and thoughts, the demon's smile widened as he thought of a new game to play.
'Oh where, oh where has your little brother gone?' He started to chant in a singsong voice, 'where has he gone dear one?'
TBC
