Chapter Seven:

Benny, Crowley, and Dean had made it further along and were now surrounded by vegetation. The trees blocked most of the sunlight and made everything look dark and wild. Crowley was hacking at some underbrush with a long knife, making a poor attempt to clear a path for them while Benny had Dean's own Demon blade pointed at him for extra security.

Impossible to notice for most, Benny's sharp vampire senses picked up on a slight, familiar scent wafting through the air. He recognized it from the cliffside – The Man in Black. Benny looked nervously over his shoulder.

"Boss, I think we have a problem."

"What now?" growled Crowley, cutting through some of the low-hanging branches that were in his way.

"The Man in Black is on our tail again. Damn, I hope Sam's okay."

"It's his own fault if he's not. I'll leave it to you then to do what he couldn't. Finish him. Your way."

"My way?"

"Are you a vampire or not? Drink him dry!"

Benny grimaced and saw the same distasteful expression pass over their captive's face. "Man," Dean said, "I know your kind can't help it, but that's sick. If I got turned, I'd rather die than drain some poor bastard."

"The only neck you ought to worry about is your own," said Crowley harshly. "Considering you're all tied up at the moment and en route to Hell."

"Reminds me," said Benny. "I better check the ropes again before you take off with him. He's a slippery one."

"Fine," said Crowley, and he went back to clearing a path for them while Benny retied Dean's hands. He had once again been just shy of getting the rope off.

"I can't free you," said Benny quietly in Dean's ear. "I got a debt to pay Crowley. But I want to tell ya, my kind can help it if we try. Crowley doesn't know, but I've been strictly on animal blood for three years now."

Dean looked at Benny and found that he believed him. He wondered if, in a different life, he and Benny could have been friends.

Crowley finished clearing the path and took Dean by the upper arm. He dragged him along through the brush.

"Catch up with us after it's done," Crowley ordered Benny.

"Aye," said Benny, but he didn't look pleased about it, and watched rather forlornly as Crowley pulled Dean away.

Benny turned towards the wafting scent of The Man in a Black. He was close now, within a hundred yards, but the dense foliage and trees would make him hard to see. Benny decided to get a better vantage point and climbed to the lower branches of a sturdy tree.

He watched and waited until The Man in Black came into view. His eyes were alert and searching, but he didn't see Benny hidden among the branches. Suddenly Benny felt a wave of remorse.

He was a monster, but he had never felt the pull to be monstrous.

He sighed and vigorously shook the branches nearest him. The rustling sound gave him away immediately, as was intended. The Man in Black looked at him and pulled out his sword.

Benny dropped down to the ground, cat-like and nimble. "I could have taken you by surprise," he said.

"So why didn't you?" The Man asked.

Benny shrugged. "Didn't seem fair."

"No offense, but I've never known vampires to care very much about fairness."

"They don't. But that's them, not me, brother." Benny paused thoughtfully. "Did you kill Sam? The giant?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Before we fought, he told me of his quest to avenge his mother. I didn't want to be the one to stand between him and achieving that goal."

Benny nodded. "I appreciate that. He's a good man, and a friend to me."

The Man nodded back. "So, what happens now?"

Benny looked down at Dean's blade in his hand. "We fight," he said. "Not as monsters or masters, though. As men. I won't use either of these," he said, pointing from his fangs to the blade, "if you don't use that," he gestured to The Man's sword.

"Lay down our weapons and try to kill each other like civilized people? Alright then," The Man agreed. He dropped his sword to the side, and Benny likewise tossed Dean's Demon blade to the ground. The two men began to circle each other, arms up and ready, prepared to defend or attack.

Benny was the first to make a move, reaching out in an attempt to grab him into a stranglehold, but The Man skirted his grasp with a quick side-step. Before Benny could regain his bearings all the way, The Man went for a kick to Benny's knee, which the vampire was just able to dodge as well.

They circled again.

"You're very spry."

"Thank you."

Benny made as if to leap left, but then swerved in midair to catch The Man to his right. He'd gotten hold of his arm and wrenched it backward, but The Man managed to spin out of his grip and used the remaining momentum to kick out once again. This time his heavy boot connected with Benny's kneecap. He groaned and went down. The Man was on him in an instant, wrestling him all the way to the ground and pinning him there.

"Buy me a drink first, huh?"

The Man grinned slightly. "In your dreams," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe with a deep red liquid in it. "I do apologize if this counts as a weapon."

Benny sighed. "Deadman's blood?"

"Just enough to keep you off my tail," he replied.

Benny made one last valiant effort to turn the tables, but The Man was ready for the attempt. He quickly poked the syringe into the skin of Benny's forearm. He pushed the plunger down just as Benny gained leverage to flip him. Benny let out a groan before collapsing heavily on top of The Man.

The Man grunted as he pushed Benny's unconscious body off of him. He retrieved his sword and the Demon blade from off the ground, then hurried through the path that had been cleared before him. He was set on his goal and knew that he was close now. He could not be stopped.