Warning: The following scene is Dean in hell. There is some torture involved. If you don't want to read the torture scene skip to the end of this chapter for a recap; this is an important part of the plot and will affect Dean's relationships with the world around him.
Flashback
He slumped down, his head hanging low. His voice was too tired to scream, the pain too overwhelming and yet he could never escape it. Never fade away or pass out or die. It was this, forever. Alistair paced around him, smirking as he ran the damned razor across his soul. Slicing, cutting, peeling.
Today's flavor of the day was getting flayed. His soul peeled away in long, even, strips. He could feel the phantom sensation of blood; hot as it ran across him in imaginary rivers. The hooks that tore into his hands and feet tugged oddly, the chains rattling painfully every time he twitched. Suddenly Alistair dug the razor in deeper and Dean found within himself the strength to scream again. Pain. Blind hot white pain bloomed across his soul as he screamed. Alistair just laughed, whispering into his ear; pulling from his soul all the horrors that he was afraid of. All the nightmares he'd fought at a man, real and imagined. His mother's death. His father's death. Sammy, laying in his arms bloody and still and dead. Anna vanishing behind the crumbling walls of the devil's gate. And on and on and on and on.
Somewhere behind him he heard screams. Which wasn't all the different from the usual, except these screams seemed shorter. More abrupt. Filled with fear rather than pain. Alistair froze, the blade of the razor digging deeply into Dean's body. A horrible smirk spread across his face.
"Ah. The half blooded bitch strikes again. But today, mmm. Her blood smells just, so, lovely." Alistair examines Dean carefully. A wide smile grew on his face. Apprehension filled Dean, sending adrenaline to rush through his phantom body. He knew it was just his soul, but it felt like a body, with blood and skin and bones to hurt. Alistair spoke in his customary soft tone, the pleasant mannerisms a stark contrast to the vicious bastard he actually was.
"Yes, hmm. What to do..." He smirked at Dean.
"I think I must go now. Don't go anywhere Dean. I have someone else to see." Pulling the blade out from under his skin, the demon left abruptly. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved that the pain had ended, or terrified of what fresh torment the delay would bring him.
Recap: Dean is being tortured in hell by Alistair when a commotion breaks out in another area of hell. Alistair makes references to a halfblood (guess who) striking again and how her blood smells good. He leaves Dean to go deal with the problem.