A/N: I have more tricks! There are still some unresolved issues left to address. I know the last chapter lacked a lot of adventure, but I needed to tell the story of what had happened to ease any feelings of confusion. Hope this chapter will make up for it though! Enjoy!

A huge thanks to those who are still reading this, even though my update times are so whacked up which I apologize for. It looks like my "I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker" went flying out the window, but school takes over my life and I seem to lose any time in the day because it all goes by too fast to get anything done. Hopefully this chapter will be up to your expectations though!

Chapter 8

Approaching the clearing, Dean saw the flames from the fire swaying easily under the soft breeze that whispered around them. Two figures sat near the glow, one without aid, and the other with it. From this distance, one couldn't be certain if Gray was awake or unconscious, but the answer would soon be revealed.

Dean's footfalls faltered and he stumbled slightly over an invisible raise in the ground. Strong hands from Sam and Ron on either of his sides kept him from pitching forward. He sighed helplessly and forced all of his strength to the surface so that he was semi-standing on his own, yet still depending on support. An impatient exhale from Sam made Dean smile a bit, knowing that his stubbornness was serving him well.

They drew closer to the fireside and Tyler's head turned to face them, blue eyes widened at the sight of Dean leaning on his younger brother. He moved to get up, but Dean shook his head in the negative.

"Don't bother. I'm okay." Dean's voice sounded tired, but still determined to not show weakness.

Tyler did nothing, but nod and he turned his attention back to Gray's still face. A face that Dean could now see reflected the state of unconsciousness. Eyes closed, face relaxed, breathing even, the steady rise and fall of his chest proving that the heart still beat behind his ribs, yet there was something different. It wasn't something that Dean could pin point exactly, but it was different. Something about Gray didn't seem to be quite right. It could've been the fact that he was unconscious, but for some reason, Dean wasn't convinced.

As the trio continued to approach the two men on the ground, the fire's light embraced them warmly and sent eerie, orange patterns flitting faintly across their faces. A soft fog had started to drift in from off of the water and it now ghosted through the forest clearing and twirled gracefully around those who were present. With the fog came a wind that howled softly through the trees and caused the topmost branches to creak and groan under the new pressure.

"How is he?" Ron questioned, his voice filled with concern as he cast his eyes to his unconscious friend.

"I don't know. He doesn't seem to be any better, but he isn't any worse." Tyler answered.

Dean cautiously pushed himself away from his little brother and slowly lowered himself to sit next to Tyler, who watched with concerned eyes. Dean felt another presence hovering next to him and he turned to see Sam watching him through stony eyes that held nothing, but concern.

"Sammy, I'm fine." Dean replied, slightly impatiently. Sam didn't speak, he only watched until a snapping branch pulled his attention the other way.

The forest swayed darkly, waltzing in the night while the breeze played through the leaves to rustle them and pull the weaker ones from the branches. Get rid of the weak and only the strong survive. Dean's mind drifted, but did not lose focus.

"Right, the strong." Dean murmured quietly, not knowing where the words had come from.

"What?" Tyler's voice questioned him.

"Nothing."

Dean watched Sam walk slowly toward the trees, eyes searching the dark for any signs of threat. He made a move to get up and join the younger man, but the world tilted around him and a hand on his shoulder stopped him from rising any further. He turned to face the hand and saw Tyler's shadowy face in the firelight. From the ground came a pained moan and Dean turned his attention to the unconscious Gray, who's face twisted and contorted as though he were in pain, or terrified.

An uneasy feeling came to fall upon him and he turned his attention to Sam, who stood not four feet from the tree line. Dean wanted to get up and go to him, felt like he should, he felt intimidated, afraid for Sam and his throat knotted anxiously. The wind died and deep silence once again settled over them and felt like a weight pressing downward, driving the weak into the ground and leaving only the strong.

"Sammy." Dean replied, his voice caught in his throat, unable to escape his mouth in anything, but a silent whisper.

Then chaos came to fall. Dean watched in stunned silence as Sam fell to his knees, a pained grimace invading the young man's face. Dean bolted to his feet, despite the hand on his shoulder and stumbled to his little brother. The sounds of the world drowned out to a dull beat in his ears and he ran, falling to his knees next to his ailing brother. He placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and the sounds came rushing back at him. Sam whimpered as pain drove deep into his skull and Dean was powerless to make it go away.

Tyler's voice yelled to him in the background and Dean turned to face the man who was holding a convulsing Gray beneath a panicked grip. Ron's mouth worked, yet no sound escaped. The forest breathed in rapid succession; each breath escaped with a groan that shook the ground. The trees screamed under an unseen wind, yet the air was still. Sam called out and pitched forward, and stopped himself with his hands as he breathed through the pain that coursed through him.

"Sammy?" Dean asked, his voice felt shaky in his throat as he watched his brother suffer. Sam turned his head to Dean, face etched with pain, and tears glistened in his frightened eyes.

"What the hell?" Came a surprised and confused shout from Ron.

Then it came, loud and long and full of pain. A mourning cry electrified the air and Dean's skin rippled as the sound scattered through his nerves. Sam groaned and Dean felt helpless. Tyler yelled and Ron cursed. The wind began again and Dean passed hurried, wide eyes around Whooper woods as it moaned at him.

"Dean, he's still here." Sam forced through grinding teeth.

"I know that, Sammy." Dean stated seriously.

The moaning woods fell silent; the trees stopped creaking and Gray fell still under Tyler's hold. Sam continued to whimper, and Dean rested a steady hand on the man's shoulder. The youngest Winchester's face went blank, all signs of pain vanished and he stared, transfixed on the forest. Dean's face grew confused as he stared into the woods as well.

The trees still breathed. In and out, in and out, then nothing. A piercing scream blasted through the night, Sam went rigid and joined in the pained song. Dean grabbed onto his baby brother as he yelled and a thin line of blood began to trickle from the younger's nose.

Tyler called out in surprise as Gray once again began to seize under his hands. The scream continued and a dark shadow drifted from the forest. It passed dead, green eyes over Dean and Sam and then focused attention on the dancing flames and the three men around it. Sam went slack in Dean's grasp and his face fell deathly still. The blood trail stood out starkly against the pale skin. Dean felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one fluttering rapidly beneath his fingertips. He gently lowered his unconscious brother to the ground and got to his feet to pursue the Whooper.

The creature of the night turned on Dean and an invisible force tossed him back. A tree snapped under his weight and jabbed him hard in the back. He cried out as his body went temporarily numb from the shock. Pain fired to every nerve ending and his breath came in difficult gasps that rattled in his lungs with a constant, steady ache. Dots danced in front of his eyes, but he blinked them away and struggled to his feet when the feeling returned to his body.

The Whooper was still heading toward the fire, but Dean saw with some relief that all three men were safely inside the circle.

"Bastard! You're supposed to be gone." Dean mumbled to himself. Sam had burned the bones and that should've banished the spirit. Why hadn't it?

He stood on weak legs, pain danced up and down his back while a strong, steady throb beat annoyingly in his head. He drew in a deep, shaky breath to compose himself and watched to see what the Whooper's next move would be. The thing stopped and watched the protective circle through sick, green eyes. It ceased screaming and the forest shuddered into silence.

Dean watched the unmoving spirit, trying to determine what its next move would be, but no matter how hard he tried to decipher it, he couldn't. From nowhere, a strong gust of wind swept through the trees and tore at Dean's hair and clothes. The wind bypassed him and made its way toward the fire where it screamed wildly with the sound of the Whooper. The moon vanished behind dark clouds and the fire died under the gusting, plunging the forest into the deepest black. The Whooper screamed, and Dean heard anguished cries coming from the area that the fire had once been in. He stumbled his way through the dark until he passed through a patch of cold that froze his breath in his lungs. He gagged as he struggled to breathe and he felt a cold hand grab tightly onto his lower arm to hold him back.

He shook his arm wildly and tried to free himself, but he couldn't, he was held in place. Movement was not an option. He heard a colourful curse rip from Ron's throat and it echoed behind the Whooper's scream. A surprised shout came from the dark and Dean thought it belonged to Tyler. Soon to follow was a terrifying, haunting cry of a man in pain. It came from everywhere and reverberated in Dean's mind.

All at once the forest fell silent and the moonlight began to shine through the foggy clouds to bathe the clearing in an eerie light that bounced off of the water and crept slowly around the area until it was bathed in a pale green.

Green? The moon shouldn't be green. Dean's thoughts were confused as he cast eyes to the dead fire. His breath hitched when he saw that the circle was nowhere in sight. The Whooper was gone and only the green light remained, it danced sickly over the three men heaped by the burnt out coals. Dean cast an apprehensive glance back to where Sam still lay and made his way quickly to his friends.

He dropped next to Tyler and Gray and felt each neck for a pulse, both had pulses that fluttered beneath his touch and he felt a sensation of relief wash over him. Next his gaze wandered to where Ron lay, his face in shadows turned away from Dean's sights. He scrabbled over the ground to stop next to the other man and reached to the neck.

Tyler groaned and Dean turned to see him sitting up, and much to his surprise, Gray was sitting as well, blinking heavily through leaden eyes, a confused expression painted across his stony features.

"Gray?" Tyler asked timidly.

"What happened?" The man in question answered.

"Don't quite know, you've been out of it for a while. Ron flagged down an ambulance for you. It should be here in a little while." Tyler spoke.

"I don't need no damn ambulance. I'm fine."

"Like hell you are. Look, it's too late anyway, it's already on its way."

Gray's eyes switched to Dean, who was crouching not two feet from Ron. The eldest Winchester locked hazel eyes onto Gray's stern face.

"Look out!" Gray yelled suddenly, pointing behind Dean.

The brother made to turn, but didn't get far before a tight grip encircled the back of his neck and began to choke off his air. He lost balance, and fell back into the waiting arms of a maliciously smiling Ron.