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The Cavern of Death

Chapter seven

Somehow Dean managed to break his fall and looked under his arm down at his brother giving him a relieved smile. He watched as Sam shut his eyes for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it Dean be careful!" Sam shouted back up at his brother.

Dean once more began climbing and finally made it to the ledge. He sat on it for a few seconds catching his breath. He then checked out the situation and when he was sure he knew how he was going to do it he climbed back down.

"Well?" Sam said relieved to have his brother back on the ground next to him.

"I think it will work. I'm going to have to be quick but…If I can grab the rope once they lower the person to the bottom, there should be enough tension on the rope that I should be able to grab it and flip myself up through that hole before they know what is happening."

"I still don't like it, there are three of them and they have guns. I think I should go up there with you."

"Sam you've lost a lot of blood, there's no way you'll make it up there. Besides I'll need you down here. After I take care of those yahoos I'll need you to get these guys up that rope as fast as they can."

"What about the guy inside that thing? They said it sometimes keeps them alive for a couple of days. If you get out in the next few days we got to go back for him, he might still be alive."

"Once we get these guys out of here and once we get a few weapons we'll go back and see if we can help him."

"I just wonder how they stay alive in that thing. It must somehow feed them oxygen then when it gets hungry…."

"It absorbs them." Dean finished his sentence.

Two days later

They kept checking on the creature and the man inside of it every couple of hours. On the second day the man had stopped struggling to free himself and seemed to have passed out. They could tell he was still alive because they could see his chest move as he breathed but his breaths were becoming shallower as the creature began to quickly absorb the man's body. They both knew it would be too late to help him even if they managed to somehow get out today. Sam turned away from the sight and looked at Dean.

"Dean we got to get out of here. That thing is going to come looking for its next meal once it's done with him."

"I know, but there's no way out of here until those jerks come back and we got to be ready when they do."

They went back to the main cave and Dean once more climbed up to the ledge.

"You know you could sit up there for days before they show up…and maybe they won't show up at all." Sam yelled up to his brother. It had occurred to him that maybe the men had been caught or had left town, in which case they were doomed. No one knew where they were and if the men were captured and didn't tell the cops where they were...there would be no way out.

One of the men walked over to Sam.

"They usually show up every three days or so, if not to lower someone down here, then to at least throw some food down to us."

Sam knew if they just opened the hole and threw food down it would be of no help. They needed the rope lowered and a body at the end of it to create tension on the rope in order for Dean to go through with his plan.

There was nothing they could do but wait. Dean paced the ledge, he knew he had to be ready in case the men returned but he didn't like leaving Sam below. He kept walking over to the edge and looking down to check on his brother. He knew if that thing came back the men would try to get it to take Sam in order to save themselves and he didn't know how he'd be able to stop them.

The following morning

Dean had spent a restless night on the ledge. He could see Sam sitting by himself below, his arms wrapped tight around himself against the cold from the cave. He swallowed hard, all he wanted was to bring his brother up to him but there was no way. Sam was weak from the blood loss and any exertion might cause him to pass out. He could only pray that the men would return and return soon. And then his prayers were answered as he heard the men pushing the rock away from the opening. He slid back into the shadows out of sight and waited to see if they were going to lower another person into the cave. His heart started pounding when he saw a body slowly being lowered; he knew he'd only get one chance. He waited till the body reached the bottom then jumped for the rope.

TBC