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The Innkeeper

Chapter five

Sam drove to the house and parked the Impala down the road in a small clearing to avoid it being damaged by the fire. He opened the trunk and took out a bag of salt, a cross, a lantern, and a container of gasoline. He then walked up to the house and stood outside looking at it. Everything in him told him to turn and run but he fought back the feeling. He took a deep breath and entered the building. Once inside he quickly went from room to room and removed as much of the family's personal items as he could. He took the items outside and put them in a small shed where he hoped they'd be safe, the house and furniture could be replaced. He hated the idea of having to destroy a family home, but losing the house was better then losing their lives. He reentered the house and began pouring the salt and gasoline through out.

The hospital

Dean felt someone shaking him; still sleeping he reached out and pushed them away.

"Come on Sam, let me alone." He mumbled.

"Dean wake up."

"Damn it Sammy go back to sleep."

"Dean."

"What?" Dean said irritated at being woken up. He opened his eyes and was startled to see Marge, a doctor, and a nurse standing by his bed. He immediately looked over at Sam's bed, and seeing it empty feared the worse.

"Sam!" His heart was pounding as he sat up quickly and regretted it as his injured side protested. "Where's my brother!"

"That's what we want to know." The doctor said. "He was gone when the nurse came to check on you two earlier."

"Gone! What do mean gone!"

Marge reached out and took Dean's hand trying to calm him.

"He must have just walked out during the night." The nurse said.

"Well he's over twenty one, there's nothing we can do." The doctor looked down at Dean. "When you see him tell him we need him to fill out some paperwork saying he released himself from the hospital without our knowledge. He needs to sign a release of obligation form." The doctor and nurse then left.

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Marge asked.

Dean shook his head.

"I…I don't know. He was upset earlier but…" Dean suddenly sat upright in bed as he remembered their conversation. "He said something about that he couldn't do this anymore….I thought he meant he couldn't do the hunting anymore….but…." He looked at her worried.

"Oh God Dean, you don't think he meant…" She interrupted him knowing what he was thinking.

"Suicide? I don't think Sam would do something like that… He knows I'd kick his ass for even thinking that way." Dean started to get out of bed. "I got to find him."

"Dean you really shouldn't be up. I'll go look for him."

"No Marge, he's my brother, I got to find him." Dean started to get dressed. It was then he realized his car key was missing. "Damn the little geek took my car, he could be anywhere!"

"Dean you're starting to bleed again." She looked down and could see blood starting to leak through his bandage.

"I'm okay." He looked at her his eyes filled with worry as he remembered his conversation with Sam. "We got to find him Marge, before he does something stupid."

Marge suddenly shut her eyes as a feeling came over her.

"I know where he is!"

"Where?"

"He went back to the house."

"After what happened!... Why would he go back there, he'll get himself killed!"

"We must hurry before it's too late."

The house

After every room in the house had been salted and sprinkled with gasoline Sam knew what he had to do. He had to get the spirit to show itself or burning the house would be of no use. The spirit needed to be present in order for it to be destroyed.

"Okay you son of a bitch where are you?" He held the small oil filled lantern high and held the cross in front of him, that way if the spirit attacked him again the lantern would fall and start the house on fire. He knew there was a very good chance he might not be walking away from this one.

Marge's car

"Why the hell would he go back there alone? You just wait till I get a hold of him; I'm going to beat some sense into that boy." Dean shifted uneasily in his seat wishing he had his car. Marge's old station wagon was way too slow. He needed to find Sam and he needed to find him fast. Sensing his worry Marge's dog, that was lying in the back seat, hung his head over the seat and whimpered. Dean liked dogs and normally would have reached up and scratched him but his mind was only on finding his brother before it was too late.

"He wants to destroy the spirit…I think mostly because of what it made him do." She glanced over at him. "He almost killed you Dean and he would have if the chanting hadn't stopped him. Sam is a deeply troubled boy and he's tearing himself apart inside because of what happened."

"That thing will kill him! There's no way he can fight it alone, he knows that. Damn it! Why didn't he wait till I could help him?"

She gave Dean a small smile.

"Because you're his big brother and he loves you. He doesn't say it and doesn't always show it but he does you know. And that's why he wants to destroy this thing because it made him hurt you."

Dean swallowed the lump in his throat. He loved Sam also, but of course he never told him, he was never one for sharing his feelings. But his eyes filled up as he thought that now it might be too late.

"We got to hurry Marge!"

The house

"Come on you bastard show yourself!" Sam shouted as he turned slowly around in a circle. And then he smelled it, a horrible sickening smell. He swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat. "Is that the best you can do?" He shouted. "Come on show yourself!"

A blow to the back of his legs brought him to his knees. The cross flew out of his hand and the lantern fell to his side igniting the gasoline.

TBC