Chapter 11

Just past the tree line, a shadow moved. It flitted and swayed amongst the edging darkness that was sliding slowly over the ground. The Winchester brothers turned their eyes to gaze upon it. It vanished, leaving the two men staring at nothing.

"It's here." Dean finalized. He could sense it and he knew that Sam could as well.

A shifty breeze slithered across the faces of the young hunters and slowly they stepped onto the beaten path that sliced through the thickness of the woodlands. It was too quiet. Not even a distant bird screamed to break the taunting silence of the night. The trees were still, even with the breeze that lightly tousled their canopies. The fading sunlight retreated down the road that stretched in front of them as though it were slowly being sucked into the approaching black that accompanied the night, drifting in to quilt them in shadows.

Dean scanned the forest with sharp eyes that could seek out and discover even the slightest abnormality should it be present. He searched the deepest corners of the slowly darkening land and held the iron bar he had at the ready. The demon didn't show. Of course it didn't, it wasn't going to come to them. It was waiting for them to go to it, then it would strike, whether the boys were ready for it or not.

They'd be ready. At least they hoped they would be.

A small gasp whispered its way past Sam's lips and Dean turned at the sudden sound. In the fading light that was nearly extinct, the older man could see a look of blank confusion resting on Sam's features. He stopped, because he knew what was coming. Sure enough, a split second later, Sam's hands flew to his temples and he began rubbing ferociously to push back the intense throbbing that had taken place. The younger brother's knees went weak and he sunk to the ground. Dean followed him and held the young man tightly against him to provide comfort. Sam whimpered through the pain and tears fell against his chalky white cheeks. His whimpering grew to near screaming when the pain threatened to consume him. He clenched his eyes shut tightly and his face drained of colour. Dean watched his brother's battle with concerned eyes because the only escape he could provide Sam with was exactly what he was doing at the present moment.

"Shhh, it's okay Sammy, I'm here. You're safe." Dean murmured into Sam's ear.

The blank, agonized look was still washed ever so gently across the young man's face, and all at once the tension fled his body and Sam slumped into Dean's arms, barely conscious. Dean kept a calm façade and merely ran a gentle hand through Sam's hair, brushing it away from the pale forehead beneath.

"C'mon little brother, naptime's over. We've got some serious demon ass to kick, remember?" Dean questioned, ceasing his previous actions to tap his hand lightly against Sam's cheek.

He was rewarded with a lazy shift in movement from Sam and the young man focused on his older brother's face. Dean smiled gently at him.

"You okay?" Was the question that brushed past Sam's ears.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"What'd you see?" Dean questioned.

"I dunno, it was dark and there were only flashes. But…" Sam replied.

Dean listened further to see if the other was going to speak again. Sam took a shaking breath and his eyes gazed blankly into the surrounding woodlands that were now dark with the young night. Dean watched silently, not masking the concern that he felt. Slowly, Sam pushed himself to stand and began to walk into the left-hand forest. A confused Dean stood.

"Hey, Sammy, where ya goin'?" Dean called, tightening his grasp on the iron pipe he held.

"There's something here." Sam stated and stepped into the trees.

Split seconds later, there was a startled gasp from the younger man's direction and a breathy voice called.

"Dean!"

"Sammy? Sam, are you okay?" Dean asked instantly and crashed through after his brother. He stopped short of running into Sam's back and focused his eyes on the flashlight beam pointed into the trees.

"Oh shit." Dean spoke quietly.

A shape in the trees blocked the light and two grey coloured eyes stared blankly back at them. The still body of Kacey Hunt was tied amongst crisscrossed barbed wire fencing that sliced deep cuts into the pale skin of the helpless human. Sam walked forward to lay his fingertips gently against the man's neck in search of a pulse. His fingers searched wildly and his eyes widened when he turned back to Dean.

"He's still alive." Sam replied sharply.

As if to finalize the point, Kacey took a strangled gasp that was barely loud enough to penetrate the silence surrounding them. The grey eyes blinked very slowly, hardly any movement at all, and the young man licked his bloodied lips.

"Help." Kacey replied quietly.

Sam's hands flew to his head as flashes began coming at him from all directions. Dean stopped and grabbed Sam firmly by either shoulder in an attempt to ground the younger man with the reassurance that he was there, with him, protecting him. Sam shook his head blindly and through stuttering breaths said: "I'll be…fine. J-just get Kacey down…Now!"

Dean gently lowered Sam to the ground before the vision did and turned back to Kacey. At his feet, Sam was moaning in pain as tears gathered in his eyes to fall gently on his cheeks. Dean kept carefully untwisting the wire from Kacey's wrists, throat, and legs. He pulled it away where it crisscrossed over his chest and back. Blood from the cuts covering the young man, stained Dean's hands as he worked, but slowly Kacey was being freed.

Dean's hand slipped on the wire and a sharp barb tore a deep, crimson trail across his palm. He cursed loudly as the wound throbbed, but continued. He finally pulled the last wire away from the man and gently lowered him to the ground next to where Sam was writhing in the agony that was twisting through his skull.

"Sammy?" Dean called softly, after pulling his jacket off and bundling it beneath Kacey's head.

No answer reached his ears. He quickly wrapped his bleeding hand in the material of his tee shirt and hissed at the pain that it sent shuddering through his arm. His vision blurred at the edges and he blinked it away. Past the stained wire, a breath whispered to him and he locked his eyes on it. The demon stood there in the shadows, with a blank, yet dark expression on his face.

Dean grabbed onto the iron pipe and it slid against his battered palm, but didn't drop. Sam yelled out savagely from the ground next to him and Dean quickly turned to see him grimacing under the influence of his headache. Kacey's eyes wandered lazily, failing to remain open for any amount of time. Dean's face was clouded with a mixture of concern and anger, yet determination sat on his lips. He lunged forward, iron in front of him, at the silent demon. The creature yelled out as the iron brushed lightly against his side and Dean rolled to his feet.

The demon fell silent once more and locked an unmoving gaze on Dean's eyes. The young man couldn't move. He struggled against the power and the demon could see the fight flickering across the man's face. He continued to silently stare in Dean's direction and watched the man call out.

Dean's wound cried to him with a pain that was so intense it made him yell. He could feel something washing through his veins and slowly poisoning him. His vision blurred again and bright lights started flashing around him. His knees gave out and he hit the ground, the pipe fell from his grasp and clattered soundlessly against the earth. He pitched forward; his hands barely caught him as he fell flat, the world spinning wildly around him.

The demon kneeled to look into the young man's face, and a dark expression crawled slowly across the pale, pricked eyes of the creature. Dean yelled out as the pain enveloped him and the sight of the demon slowly faded from existence and into a dark grey that soon turned to black as Dean's face slacked.

The demon stood and cast his eyes to where the other brother yelled out in the pain that he was causing. A small shock of pleasure sliced through the demon and a cracked smiled crept sickeningly to his lips. He walked over and kneeled between Kacey and Sam, laying a hand on each. Sam cried out again and Kacey tensed up with a short, pained yelp and then fell still.

This was it, Sam was the final piece and now he had him within his grasps. The other two men were casualties, or they would be soon. Kacey's breath was already starting to slow, and Dean's chest heaved in an attempt to keep him alive.