37. Risen

Dean's heart pounded and his mind raced. What did she mean that they had 'taken care' of his dad? That mischievous smirk that reminded Dean so much of himself was playing on Kelly's face.

He knew now was his chance to destroy the Wrights, once and for all. His fingers clawed at the lighter, trying to pry it apart. He finally managed it, only to find that it was dry. Kelly smirked.

"Son of a bitch," Dean whispered. He grabbed the two shoeboxes and ran upstairs and out of the house. Darkness had descended and he couldn't see a thing. He took a deep breath and let his eyes adjust. He could just make out the gleam of moonlight on the smooth surface of the Impala. He ran towards it, throwing open his door and searching the glove compartment for another lighter in vain. "Fuck!" He slammed the door and ran to the barn. He reached the large open door and stepped through it only to meet deafening silence.

"Sam? Dad?" he called out, eyes struggling to make anything out. "Eric?!"

"No need to yell," Eric said smoothly. Dean spun around to face him, still clutching the boxes tightly under his arm. Eric glanced at them.

"Where are they?" Dean asked, trying to hide the fear in his voice. He saw Eric gesture towards the other end of the large barn. Dean ran blindly forward, almost knocking into farm equipment as he made his way across the expanse. Suddenly, Dean tripped. He looked down to see what had made him stumble.

It was his father -- unconscious on the floor. Dean's fingers found John's neck and felt the strong pulse. An instant of relief flared inside of him that was quickly quashed by the fact that he still didn't know where his brother was.

"Sam?" Dean called again. "Sam!" He knew the panic in his voice was audible now but he didn't care.

Eric cleared his throat. "Look up," he told Dean. Dean squinted up through the darkness. He could see the outline of a figure suspended in midair. He watched as his brother was raised slowly and then suddenly dropped with a sickening thud. Dean ran over to his brother who lay crumpled on the floor.

"Sam! Sammy!" Dean whispered. Sam's eyes were open just a crack, exposing the white. His breathing was ragged but he seemed unaware of his surroundings. "Sam!" Dean shouted now. Sam moaned quietly.

"What the fuck did you do to him?!" Dean snarled at Eric. Kelly materialized beside her brother, her smirk still in place. They slowly made their way over to the Winchester brothers. Kelly lit the overhead lamps with a flick of her hand. Dean shut his eyes against the sudden brightness but quickly opened them again, glaring up at the Wrights.

Kelly knelt down beside Dean and reached out a hand towards Sam. Her finger caressed his cheek. "Stay the fuck away from him!" Dean growled, grabbing his brother up in his arms and carrying him over to where his father lay. He set Sam down carefully and began to frantically search his father's pockets.

"Come on, come on," he whispered under his breath, fingers groping for a lighter. Finally his hand closed around the warm metal of his father's lighter. He yanked it from his father's jeans pocket and lit it, ripping the top off the shoebox that contained the hair and pulling it all out of the plastic bag.

Eric strode over and knocked the lighter from Dean's hand. It fell to the ground, quickly igniting the straw that was strewn across the dirty barn floor. The flames began to lick their way towards the Winchesters. Dean ripped his jacket off and smothered the fire quickly.

Dean scrambled over to the lighter but Eric's foot connected with his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He clutched at his side but determinedly continued toward the lighter, now only a few feet away. His fingers curled around it but before he could flick it on again he felt himself rise into the air. In his shock, it slipped out of his hand.

"You son of a bitch! Put me down!" he yelled.

"Not until you promise to play nice," Kelly said simply. "Because trying to destroy us doesn't seem like playing nicely."

"You hurt my family. Don't expect to exist much longer. I swear to God --"

"Oh, save it." Eric said with a lazy flick of his finger, sending Dean crashing into the barn wall. Dean grimaced in pain, his mind racing. He had to destroy the Wrights but right now he was powerless. He watch as Kelly raised her arms, slowly sending John and Sam into the air as well. They dangled lifelessly before Dean. He reached his arms out, desperate to reach them but he couldn't. He slammed his eyes shut and focused with all his might. He pictured himself moving against Eric's power and reaching his family. He felt his body move away from the wall slightly only to be slammed back against.

"You guys haven't been dead long enough to be pulling off these tricks. Who's helping you?" Dean asked as he continued to struggle against the invisible force that held him in place.

"We're just fast learners," Kelly said nonchalantly from behind her brother. Eric smirked and nodded. Dean managed to get a few inches away from the wall but was quickly pushed back against it.

"Our game, our rules," Kelly sang out. "Sweetie, don't be stupid. Just stop struggling, you're gonna tire yourself out."

"Yeah. Come on, Dean." Eric said with mock disappointment. "You should know by now that you can't really stop us. I mean, hell, you killed us and that didn't work. We've come back stronger and more lethal -- phoenixes rising from the ashes."

"Yeah, beautiful metaphor, don't mind if I gag," Dean growled. "Look, do whatever you want to me. Just leave my family alone."

"Christ, you're such a cliché!" Kelly said in disbelief. "The tortured soul begging to be punished in exchange for the safety of the ones he loves? That's a tired script."

"It's not a script," Dean shouted, once again struggling to propel himself forward and reach his father and brother. He managed to push ahead and move a few more inches from the wall but he was slammed back again. The pressure that held him tight to the wall increased until it was practically crushing him. He could barely breathe.

"Please," he choked out.

"Ah, Dean. Begging doesn't become you," Eric said, a smirk identical to Kelly's playing on his face.

The pressure disappeared and he slid down the wall, twenty feet until he crashed to the ground. He looked up to where his father and brother slowly rotated in the air. Sam stirred, slowly coming to.

"D-Dean? Dad?" he said weakly.

"Sammy, it's gonna be okay!" Dean called up to his brother.

"Please, Dean. Don't give your brother such empty promises. They're just comforting lies. It's pathetic," Kelly said with a disapproving shake of her head.

"Don't listen to them, Sammy. I swear, I'll get us out of this," Dean said. Sam nodded slowly.

"Oh, right. Because you've done such a bang-up job so far," Kelly said with a dry laugh. "Come on. You're helpless. Thanks to you, we can throw you all around like rag dolls. You know, being dead has its perks."

Kelly turned to face one of the small windows at the back of the barn, her eyes fixed on it intensely. The glass suddenly cracked and shards came flying towards them all. She stopped them short -- letting them revolve slowly, the light from the lamps hitting them and making them gleam.

"Do you remember that fascinating dream of yours, Dean?" she asked quietly.

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Yet another cliffy. I'm evil, I know. But I promise the next chapter won't be another Dun Dun Dun ending. Well, much love to everyone who leaves reviews/comments! You guys make my day!

2 Weeks of camp down, 1 to go. Wish me luck! Apparently, I can sing operatic literature. Something I didn't really know I could do until this week. I hit an F# which is kinda high for an alto/mezzo-soprano singer. *is all proud* haha. Anyway, I'll try to have more chapters soon. I should have at least a little time to write over the weekend. So don't forget about this story! I will have more soonish. lol. Once camp stops I'll be able to update more frequently again. Well... peace, love & all that jazz.

~aep