"Sam..."
He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling while he rested on the bed. Sam wouldn't go to that voice again; he simply wouldn't because he knew what would happen. Why did he fall asleep? What was this man's agenda? Tracking after him in his dreams now that he found his dream world. Sitting up, the hunter grabbed off the floor a white t-shirt and pulled it on, slipping on a pair of moccasin slippers before shuffling out of the bedroom and to the main door, exiting and beginning to walk away from the house. A normal house that couldn't be his, but normal persons.
Try and get me now.
Hands going into his sweat pant pockets he ventured on the path to the road and turning left to stroll along the asphalt void of cars.
He allowed Sam to walk down the road for a while, letting the young man think he was free. Truth was he had taken a very special interest in Sam. Yes, he was chosen but aside from all that Sam was genuinely intriguing. And after all if the man showed interest in the woman he had helped raise should he not also show interest in the man?
Sam hadn't fallen for the same trick a second time. Smart boy, he must have thought that that was a necessary link to allow him to enter into his dreams. Silly boy. The road kept on going and Sam kept on walking. Seemed like the take a walk type. He appeared next him, walking with him and tried not to smile when Sam nearly jumped out of his skin. "Do you always dream about the open road?" he queried casually with his hands neatly folded behind him, taking in the perfect star scattered blue of the night sky unveiled above them.
Tightening his jaw, and flexing his fists in his pant pockets he tried to calm down. Why was it that demons always had the insistence to pop in at random and scare the holy Hera out of everyone? "No, but then again I don't dream about Von dead. So now with this current predicament I have come to the conclusion all too soon that this is all your doing and you are creating this dream world. Even the parts that shift," Sam replied, continuing to walk.
Just keep walking, just keep walking...and maybe he'll go away...yeah right.
The man nodded at Sam's presumptions, keeping up to the tall hunter's stride easily. He inwardly hummed with glee, young Samuel had a fiery spirit, a wrath worthy of a God, and just like a human to do so he was trying to keep it all inside. "I will take credit for the restraints," he confessed calmly. "The shift however from homestead to fortress I had no part in, and yes I know you didn't either, you hardly seem like the type to be dreaming about castles and medieval times."
His sharp hazel eyes fell on Sam then, "Before you get too far into wondering if I'm lying allow me to explain at least in part about what happened." He looked up to the sky again thoughtfully. "We fell into Von's dream, you see I'm very attached to her and being so influences things in a certain way. Her connection to me and in that moment my connection to you over powered your dream and we entered hers, not quite fully, it was more like the surround sound experience before you woke up." He gestured his hand in an explanatory manner, not in the least bothered by the expression that was beginning to appear on Sam's face.
"I never thought something like that could happen, it was a fault on my part," he apologized. "I suppose though that brings even more questions to your mind. Why was Von dreaming about that time period, why the smoke in the distance and smell of blood on the wind?" he carried on seeing that Sam was indeed beginning to have thoughts following that trail. "I could show you more if you wish, it won't give you the full experience though until Von is sleeping, they're her mem-her dreams after all," the demon smiled inwardly at his slip up. It hadn't been intentional but perhaps it would prove to work in his benefit.
"You were going to say memories. What do you mean? Von's not that old, Hell, she's one year older than me. She couldn't have possibly been in that age of time," Sam shot down, starting to slow down and then finally stop in his steps.
Could she?
He didn't know her that well, and the questions about her kept piling up. Even more so since last night and meeting this demon. What was his name anyways? Why should Sam believe a single word he said? Again, demons lied and they twisted words...but then again some could tell the truth, but that was always twisted too, a lot of the time the truth was spoken to mess with the victim better. "No thank you, because it'd all be a lie anyways."
Looking down both ends of the road, he wondered where each way led. One led back to the house and past that what was there? What lay ahead in the direction he was already going? Could he control this dream? Closing his eyes he thought of a place, and upon opening them it didn't appear so. Still the road. Still with the demon. So he did the one other thing that would hopefully get him off this open road and into another setting...run.
The man watched Sam run and huffed with a roll of his eyes. Did the boy honestly think he could escape that easily? Sam certainly had stamina, and that stubborn streak the Winchester's were known for. The stories about him being the smart one were apparently over exaggerated though. The bitch Ruby probably had a part to play in that.
"I don't know where you think you're going Sam, you'll always wind up at the beginning," he snapped his fingers and the road started to crumble and fall away, dropping off into a cliff then that as well broke away until the concrete of the road scattered like dust revealing packed dirt while a field rose up to meet it, violently merging together before the world settled again.
He stood next to Sam who was now lying on his stomach in the field where the road ended. There was a slow rosy sunrise poking above the horizon and the soft chirp of birds could be heard in the trees. "I would help you up but I don't think you would appreciate it," the man commented, "I'm offended by the way, what reason would I have to lie to you, what could I possibly have to gain from it, I'm here to help you and Von realize your potential, lying won't aid the cause."
He knelt down closer to Sam, staring deep into his blue-green eyes. It was a shame Sam declined his offer; perhaps sometime in the future he would change his mind. "Are you sure you won't reconsider, Von is a very interesting...person," he smiled congenially at the hunter, "I promise I won't tell her if you say yes."
Regaining his breathing from landing on the ground from whatever the son of a bitch did, the wind knocked out of him, he rolled over and inhaled sharply, grunting as he stood up and brushed himself off. "My answer was final. Need a playback, I'm sure it'll jog your short term memory," he snapped. He'd gained some sense of Dean in his brother's last year at living. It had come a great deal in handy and Ruby had helped fuel it whenever she needed to get him determined and set. "Piss off."
Now which way to go now? Sam felt that there should be signs from Alice in Wonderland around there somewhere. East to Queast, South to Snud, or just plain Nowhere. If one had four doors, the Queast across from Snud, the nowhere across from the door entered...one could choose the Snud, end up coming out the door of Queast. Take the Queast end up coming out the door of Snud. Take the Nowhere end up coming back through the door entered. Take the door entered and get out of that mess. But where did the door entered lead to?
Was this dream, this toy of a Bio-dome, like Wonderland? Completely Mad and full of chaos that one could easily alter the way of reality and way of sense to nonsense? Now Sam was confused, but he had a slight idea of where he was going with this train of thought.
"No need to get angry, I suppose it's all very well in the end anyway, she'd be very upset if she had to share that with you," the man watched the hunter and sighed. "You know, you can keep on running like a hamster in one of those plastic ball things, really only managing to get no where, or you could enjoy this for what it is, a valuable learning experience, an eye opener."
He directed Sam's gaze to a part of the field that was covered in wild flowers, a woman clad in a sheer white dress, wavy hair shimmering like copper gossamer in the warm light of the rising sun was singing softly with the birds while she collected the odd flower here and there. "Or you could spend some time with her; I assure you she is very much alive this time, no tricks or gimmicks."
Sam was like some kind of predator that had finally seen the prey at the watering hole when it was mentioned by one of the others he hunted with. Sam stared at the woman, who was she? Young, innocent. Tearing his eyes away he met the demon smiling. The hunger he had when he had gone long without some of the taste to get by, to help him had risen. It shouldn't have risen; he made sure that was taken care of this morning.
That was when it hit him on who the demon was talking about. The woman was Von. She was alive...no finding out she was really dead, just simply there. Was she? She couldn't be asleep and there; no he was asleep and shouldn't have been asleep. "She may be alive, and there might not be any tricks up your sleeve on her part, but my part...there most definitely is a gimmick," Sam said, his voice coming out strangled.
The hunger had risen inside him by this guy and it was for Von. He went on last night about how he'd yearn for a taste, want to know, hunger for it, and he was showing how badly it would be. Clenching his fists, he turned his head away and closed his eyes. He didn't really hunger for Von's blood, it was all a trick, a seed planted into his brain and being that would make it appear that he truly did. "Wake up, wake up, wake up," he whispered to himself, a false wish and hope.
The man looked at his 'comrade' sympathetically, "There's no waking up from this Sam, Von will still be there when you open your eyes and so will all those feelings and questions," he sighed apologetically.
A small smile settled on his face as he watched her kneeling down with her curved white knife, gathering up the flowers and singing in an ancient tongue. She was beautiful and perfect. "Would it make you feel better to know that she wants it too, that she wants you, she's too afraid to admit it but the day she was able to taste your blood has never left her mind, not out of guilt but because she liked it," he folded his arms behind him a contemplative expression on his face.
A startled gasp escaped the woman and she stood slowly, eyes trained on her finger, a delicate bead of blood glistening on it, quivering and running down her finger to collect and drop softly to the earth. She had been somewhat careless and a thorn had pricked her finger. Another droplet was slowly building and she watched it with quiet fascination as the drop fell and hit the soil, the moisture being soaked up quickly by the surrounding plant life.
The gentle morning breeze carried the sweet scent to them and the man breathed it in, humming softly to himself and eyeing Sam knowingly. "If you don't go to her Sam and claim her, take her, then someone else will and you'll lose her forever." He hated having to push Sam this way but he had to see how badly he needed this. If he couldn't allow himself in real life, perhaps he could allow himself the freedom to experiment in the dream world.
A growl. He glared at the demon and stalked towards Von, stopping mere inches from her and dropped to his knees. "Does it hurt?" he asked her form.
Don't touch her, occupy my mind, don't think about that wasted blood in the soil. Talk to her...even though this isn't really Von.
"Let me help you wrap that up," he said, turning to look at the demon and giving a hard expression. He'd fight, he wouldn't give in. Damn it he'd fight that hunger that had volcano-ed to the surface. Taking his shirt off, he touched her hand, gripping it tightly, pausing. Sam could feel her veins pumping blood to that finger, pushing the crimson to the wound, her beating heart in her wrist.
Von is Von, she's not Ruby.
Sam had startled the red head, but she smiled when she saw who it was. One part registered him and yet the other remained quite innocent. "A little," she held her hand up and let the blood pucker to the top. "I should have been paying attention," she laughed in embarrassment.
She blushed when Sam took off his shirt and quickly turned away. The slightest expression of pain crossed her face when he squeezed her hand tightly. Blood ran down along her palm and she cautiously looked at Sam who appeared deep in thought. "You can if you want," her dark green eyes met his blue-green ones. "I trust you," her other hand went up to his face to lightly touch his cheek, "I'm yours."
To do or do not? If he didn't then surely something else would, or wouldn't. If he did, he would and something else wouldn't but that would ruin his sanity. Shit, she even said she was his...repeating what he said to her in the library.
"Because you are mine..."
Swallowing and licking his lips, he watched the line of blood spread. He had caused it, invoked it to come out more and more with his grip. It excited him. Bringing her hand towards him, he met the line down on her palm, eyes shifting to her own and waiting, not moving his tongue out to capture it.
To do or not do?
"Do," came a voice and he followed the order, careless as to whom it came from.
His mouth opened, tongue meeting the blood and licking it up her palm, up her finger and over the wound, closing his mouth around it he growled throatily, sucking on it, feeling more blood rush up as he pressed his fingers in more and his teeth at the opening. Realizing what he was doing, the taste amazing on his lips and taste buds, he quickly released and reeled back, scrambling on his hands backwards and kicking off with the heels of his feet. "Don't trust me Von. Don't. Please don't," he said, the image of her gone and all that was left was an empty patch of dirt and the demon coming around to stare down at him. "I hate you."
"Sticks and stones, boy," the man stood next to him, admiring a curious cluster of flowers that had sprouted from where Von's blood had spilled. "She will trust you Sam, even if it kills her, she'll only be able to give you everything she is and nothing less," his sympathetic hazel eyes gazed down at Sam. "Her heart is her only fault, which is why she guards it so closely," he crouched down and plucked the delicate flower from the earth, bringing it to his nose to smell its perfume. "So be careful hunter, your touch alone can crush her soul," he smothered several of the small white petals between his thumb and index finger, their delicate flesh tearing open to smudge his fingers with bright sticky red, it gave off the scent of Von's blood.
Sam stood, glaring at the man, ignoring what he was saying, he needed to get out of this dream, he needed to wake up. He couldn't believe what was being said, it was just a dream, just a figment of his twisted imagination. Walking away, he needed to walk away, had to walk away. Not making it far, he fell to the ground and started to heave, the taste lingering in his mouth. It was wrong to drink blood from friends, from people one liked or cared about.
What makes that different from drinking blood from Ruby? he thought.
Ruby was a helping him, she was a demon...was that honestly any better? No, but he could live with it, he needed it to get stronger, to find Lilith and kill her. No one else's blood had to be consumed, but this guy was making it sound and appear like all blood had to be, not just one specific type. Lie.
"You misunderstand my intent completely Samuel, I'm not impressed, you're supposed to be the smart one," the man shook his head and was standing over the hunter again. "I think its best that you take a rest, besides where can you possibly run to in here," he looked around and the field was gone, the sky overcast dank grey and bleak. Murmurs and the clanking of chains seemed louder in the confined space. A scream ripped through the ceiling and they were back in the field again.
The man sat next to Sam, watching the sun kiss the tops of the trees. "Instead of trying to run, to push away from me and remain ignorant you should be asking me those questions I know you have in your head, because I know you want to know Sam, you're only being stubborn because of your preconceived prejudices. You honestly still think you have a right to ride on that high horse of yours after the things you've done?"
The man sighed, "You have a thirst for knowledge Sam that I have never seen before so to go on playing like you want nothing to do with me, one who is willing to provide you with knowledge, especially knowledge that may help your cause, seems a tad transparent to me, you'd have better luck trying to convince me you were a horse."
