Sam trudged along, holding onto door frames for support every time Dean would pull away to check all the doors and windows they came across.
He'd never quite understood the true meaning of "death warmed over" until now. His fever raged. One minute he was shivering, icy chills racking his body, the next moment he was burning up. While the nausea had mercifully gone away, it had been replaced by vicious cramping in his lower stomach. Each contraction left his legs rubbery, forcing him to lean even more on Dean for support. The dizziness had gone from waves to an endless ocean, always there and unrelenting. He'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to walk where the ground wasn't constantly shifting beneath him. His entire chest was raging. It took every ounce of will power not to reach up and rip the skin right off. Knowing that the lightening bolts ripping through his chest were the tattoo's defense mechanism didn't make them any less painful. Every time he thought they couldn't hurt any worse, they managed to find another level of torment.
The exhaustion was all encompassing. The urge to sink to the floor and just go away was overwhelming. Ironically, the excruciating pains wracking his body were the only things keeping him awake.
But there was no way in hell he was going to allow himself to be possessed. Not after all the damage he'd done the last time.
He could feel another chest pain coming on just as his lower belly cramped viciously. Sam cried out, his entire body in agony. He couldn't even draw a breath.
Basement.
Sam gasped as the invisible hand gripping his abdomen let go, and the pain in his chest began to fade.
Basement.
"What?" Dean asked.
Sam was confused. Had he said something?
Basement.
He must have.
"Basement."
"What are you talking about?"
Basement.
Sam had no idea. He could clearly hear the word in his head. Basement. Every instinct was telling him to get to the basement.
Sam was having a hard time catching his breath, but he spoke around his gasps. "Basement. We have to go. Basement."
Dean was confused. "What are you talking about? Why? Wait, is the... are you getting this from the demon?"
Sam shut his eyes as an image flashed across his brain. In the basement, on the far wall were sigils. Symbols that were blocking help, namely Castiel, from arriving.
Knowledge was flooding Sam's mind. This whole thing had indeed been a trap. The demon had slipped in through that disgusting slime, and was now entwined with Sam. It was trapped.
It was also terrified. It couldn't escape, but yet it couldn't fully possess Sam.
Then came the big reveal.
It was dying. The tattoo and even Sam's own body were fighting it as if it were a virus. It's only chance of survival was taking over Sam. Every ounce if energy it had left was laser focused on possessing Sam. The monster pain ripping through his chest reaffirmed that fact.
Sam didn't know if he was meant to see the sigils in the basement, didn't know if it was a trap or just a unplanned slip of information. But it was all they had at the moment.
He didn't have the strength to tell Dean everything he knew. Nor did he have the time. The demon wasn't the only one circling the drain. The heart that had been beating out of control earlier had done a 180. The pauses between each beat were frighteningly long. There was a heaviness in his chest that also seemed to affect his breathing. He just couldn't seem to pull in enough oxygen.
Sam did his best to look Dean in the eye. He took a big breath and managed to get out three words even as his vision dimmed. "Basement. Trust me."
Dean looked back with appraising eyes. Sam gasped as a new pain hit, this one in his heart. "Ah! Dean. My heart."
He felt as if he were sinking, all his blood seemed to rush out of his body, taking his little remaining strength with it. His eyes fell shut and he held on to consciousness with every fiber of his being.
Dean cursed. He grabbed Sam even tighter and practically dragged him towards the basement door.
The door was unlocked. A break. Finally! Dean set Sam down. He unshouldered his duffle and suited up. Holy water, demon knife and gun, all at the ready. They were almost certainly walking into a trap, but what choice did they have? Muttering an apology to his brother he pulled Sam up into a fireman's carry.
He cautiously made his way down the dark stairs, Sam draped over his shoulders. The heat pouring off Sam was scary, but even more frightening was the quiet. He could feel Sam's muscles clench weakly as he endured another painful assault but all Sam could muster was a barely audible whimper.
Dean gave Sam a slight jostle as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Hey. We're here." Walking over to the nearest wall he set Sam down. Sam started to slump forward, barely conscious. Dean shook him again, saying his name over and over. Holding his shoulder with one hand, Dean lightly slapped Sam's cheek.
Sam recoiled, finally cracking open an eye.
"Wha...?"
"Sam! Focus! Tell me what to do."
Sam muttered something. Dean strained forward but couldn't quite make it out. Sam licked his lips and managed an exhausted, "Sorry."
Dean felt a lump go into his throat. "Sam. Sam, sorry for what? Sam, don't you dare."
Sam moaned, then screwed his face up tight as he laid his hand over his heart. He pulled in on himself and let out a strangled cry. Dean watched in horror as Sam's hand fell to the side and his body went limp.
Dean grabbed Sam, desperately searching for a pulse. Somehow, amazingly, it was still there. The tattoo was nearly gone, but Dean noticed with curiosity, the black tendrils had also changed. There were less of them, and the ones that remained were mostly still, a few making halfhearted leaps towards the tattoo.
Was the demon weakening, too? If so, he may still have a chance to save Sam.
Dean grabbed a flashlight and began swinging the beam across the wall. Sam, or more likely the demon, had wanted them down here. He had to find out why.
The basement was huge. The task was daunting with Sam getting closer to death with every second that passed. After what seemed like an eternity his beam came across something on the wall. Further scrolling revealed familiar looking symbols in bright red … paint? Blood? Didn't matter.
Dean raced back up the staircase to where he'd left Sam's duffle bag. Of course what he needed was going to be in the bag he couldn't bring down with him. Finding the tool he needed Dean ran back down, yelling for Sam to hold on just a little longer as he ran back to the markings. He heaved the sledgehammer over his shoulder and slammed it over and over into the concrete wall, aiming for the same spot as he strove to break the sigil. Finally a loud crack sounded and a chunk of wall containing part of a symbol crashed down.
Dean was out of breath but mentally sent up a desperate prayer to Castiel, joining in with his voice when could draw in enough air.
Still no Castiel.
Dean cursed his stupidity. Picking up the flashlight and the sledgehammer he ran the perimeter of the wall until he found another sigil. Of course there'd be more than one. A place this big would need at least four, one on each wall. But were there any outside? Dean pushed the possibility away. There couldn't be. If there were and he was stuck inside... There just couldn't be.
"Positive thoughts here, Winchester." Dean said outloud to himself as he busted through the second sigil. "Two left and then you'll call Cas and Sam'll be right as rain."
The third sigil was broken with four swings of the sledgehammer. Dean back towards the staircase to find the final one.
He'd nearly reached the foot of the stairs when he skidded to a halt in shock His flashlight had landed on Sam who was back in an upright position, seated against the wall. Bright red blood was slowly spreading across his shirt. Dean felt his own stomach turn as he took in the strips of skin hanging from Sam's chest, the blood still oozing around them. Sam's right hand rested right below his chest and Dean could see the blood and bits of skin under his fingernails.
Dean moved the flashlight up to Sam's face. His heart sank as he looked at his brother's eyes.
They were completely black.