Chapter 38: Strength in Crisis

Dean opened his eyes and looked around. He had no idea where he was. The room was poorly lit and he recognized the smell the second it hit his nose. Sulfur. He tried to move and it was then that he realized his hands were tied above his head. His shoulder was throbbing badly and though his arm was still in the brace, it didn't help this time. His wrists were aching from the rope that tied them, and he was hanging so that his feet barely touched the ground. There was no way to relieve the pressure. The nerve damage he had developed now in his left arm was sending sharp pain after sharp pain through it from the suspension. His hand was shaking from the pain and he tried to clench his fist to make it stop. It did no good though; he opened his hand instantly as it only seemed to make the pain worse. He didn't remember how he got here; the last thing he remembered was talking to Sam and telling him he was okay. They had all pulled into the motel parking lot and then everything had gone black. Dean struggled with the rope and tried hard to pull out of it, but his arm and shoulder hurt too bad and he was too weak from the last beating he had suffered through.

"Sam!" Dean yelled. His throat was dry and it barely came out above a whisper. He started to panic as he thought of where his brother could be. He froze and was about to try again before he heard the door open and light filtered in. He seemed to be in a warehouse of some kind. The demon walked towards him and Dean swallowed hard and looked it confidently in the eyes.

"Dean Winchester" the demon chuckled, "How lucky I am to stumble across you of all people."

"How'd I get here?" Dean demanded.

"It was quite easy actually, you're dad practically handed you and your precious baby brother over to me" the demon mocked. Dean spat on the demon's face and eyed him angrily.

"He would never do that" Dean said through clenched teeth.

"Come on Dean, everyone knows John Winchester could care less about his sons" he said as he wiped the spit off his cheek. Dean clenched his jaw and swallowed hard as he tried to show his fearlessness.

"Where's my brother?" Dean demanded.

"He's…" the demon started as he got closer to Dean's face "Dead."

"Shut up!" Dean snapped as he pulled against the ropes, "He's not."

"I slit his throat right in front of your father's eyes and he watched, I could swear I even saw him smile as I did."

"You bastard" Dean swore his eyes full of hate as he stared at the creature.

"It's a shame your legacy is gonna end here Dean, I was routing for you kiddo" the demon began.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean snapped.

"I could see it Dean, you were gonna be a far better hunter then even the great John Winchester. Maybe even the best. Too bad it's all over now."

"You don't have any idea what you're talking about" Dean started, "My dad's the best hunter there is. He's gonna tear you apart."

"Nice try" the demon said as he punched Dean in the face, causing his head to jerk to the side, "But I'm not scared of him." Dean turned back towards him,

"You should be" he remarked.

"Your own father despises you Dean, why do you defend him?" he questioned. "You do realize he doesn't care if you live or die right?"

"He does" Dean started, "He may hate me and my brother but he would NEVER let us die."

"I don't think you mean that" the demon stated.

"I do" Dean answered.

"I'd bet you'd kill him if you got the chance" the demon taunted. That struck a nerve in Dean and he for a minute entertained the idea. He pushed it away instantly. He may hate him but he would never kill him. He wouldn't ever forgive himself for that, no matter how much John deserved it. He was still his father.

"No I wouldn't" Dean replied confidently.

"You're lying" the demon said angrily. Dean didn't answer as he stared the demon down. "How could you be so loyal to a man like John Winchester?"

"Cause like it or not he's family" Dean stated. The demon smiled and Dean instantly felt uneasy.

"So that's what this all boils down to, family" he said. "I bet you'd do just about anything for your family wouldn't you Dean?" Dean faltered for a moment and the demon caught it.

"That's it, Dean Winchester's weakness" the demon laughed.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Dean asked angrily. He was tired of the demon's questions, his arm was aching bad and his wrists were burning from the rope.

"I want you to break" the demon answered simply. "You killed my brother, you're dad killed my mother, and now you're gonna suffer for that."

"Oh please, you scum don't have family" Dean laughed. The demon grabbed him around the throat and stared into his eyes.

"We do actually, and now I'm gonna take everything away from you. Family is so important to you… now you're gonna be the one to kill them."

"Let… me… go" Dean choked. Suddenly the demon turned into its smoke form and made its way into Dean. Everything went dark for a moment and moment later Dean snapped the ropes easily. His body no longer ached, he felt strong. And burning inside him was the desire to kill. He had never felt so powerful, and for the first time in his life, he didn't feel helpless.

Gosh this chapter was hard to write! Please review! I got some good ideas! If you guys have any suggestions lemme know!