Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters and am not making any money on this…I'm still just having fun!
Home Sweet House
Chapter 15 – Dark Presence
Dean looked over at Sam, trying to hide the worry from his voice as he noticed the fine sheen of sweat on Sam's brow. God, he looked awful, Dean thought as he sat on the sofa next to Sam. As if reading his brother's mind Sam waived off the hand that Dean placed on his forehead, trying to gauge the fever.
"Dude…I'm ok…let's just concentrate on trying to get out of here…you can hover over me later!" Sam was feeling worse by the minute, but he sensed that they did not have much time to figure out what was going on.
"Nick, can you ask your friend Cedrick if he knows why they are trapped in the house?" Sam asked as he tried to get more comfortable.
"Cedrick doesn't know, but he will check to see if any of the others have an answer for us." Nick watched as Cedrick left to find the other spirits who were trapped in the house.
"Well, if the house is possessed, we may be screwed…I didn't pack anything that will allow us to purify this freakin' house" Dean said as he walked over to get an old quilt to wrap around his shivering brother. He didn't like how quickly the fever seemed to be taking over, that probably meant that one or more of Sam's wounds was getting infected. He needed to get him out of here, but until then, he would just have to make do with what he had on hand.
Sam didn't protest when Dean wrapped the old quilt around him. He was deep in thought, trying to put the pieces together. "I bet that Drake had something to do with this" Sam mumbled to himself
"Who is Drake?" Nick asked
Sam looked up startled…he hadn't realized that he had been thinking out loud. "He was the cleric that was hired by the town to deal with Marie. Back then, when people exhibited special abilities…they were thought to be bewitched or possessed. My guess is that Marie showed her abilities to the wrong people and eventually paid for it when Drake tried to drive the demon from her."
"So what happened to Drake?" Nick asked
"I'm not sure, he just disappeared one day…I couldn't find anything on Drake before he came here…so I'm not sure what his history is…but I'm beginning to think that Marie was not the evil that I sensed in this house." Sam groaned as the pain in his body was getting worse.
"Sammy…you gotta rest, why don't you lie down for a little bit while. Nick can watch your back while I take a quick look around the house to see if I can find out anything on this Drake person."
"No Dean…there is no time…I feel like we are running out of time…I feel…" Sam would have fallen if Dean hadn't been there to catch him as he fell unconscious. Dean tired to make Sam more comfortable on thesofa as he tried to figure out the best way to get them out of this mess. Dean trusted Sam's feelings even if Sam didn't…if Sam felt like time was running out…then that meant Dean had to do something fast.
"Nick, I'm going to take a quick look around…can you watch Sammy for me?" Dean reached into the bag and pulled out the shotgun for Nick and a smaller gun for himself.
"Sure Dean…just be careful…Sam would never forgive himself if something happened to you." Dean looked at Nick for a moment, wondering at the strange choice of words and then shrugging began heading deeper into the house. He only hoped he could find something to help them.
An hour later, Dean had found himself in a large bedroom upstairs. From the looks of the room, he was betting it had belonged to the cleric Drake. The room was sparsely furnished and contained a wall of old books. Sammy would love this thought Dean as he started to scan the books. He was just about ready to give up when a book lying on a desk caught his attention. Picking the book up, Dean was intrigued by the contents. It was some type of journal and from the looks of it the author appeared to be Drake.
Dean grabbed the book and turned to leave the room, but as he headed for the door, it slammed shut. Dean went over to the door and tried to open it, but it remained closed. He was trapped! Dean started to bang on the door…hoping that Nick would hear him. After a few moments, Dean gave up and sat on the corner of the large bed. "Damn it!" Dean said as he glared at the room. "Who ever you are…I'm going to kill you before this day is over…count on it!"
Dean knew that if he didn't return, Sam or Nick would come looking for him. Once again, Dean felt the frustration of not being able to protect his little brother…at this rate; Sam wouldn't need him around anymore. He couldn't protect him from the affects of his powers and now it appeared that he couldn't protect him from this damn house.
As Dean began to pace the room, looking for anything that he could use to escape, he felt a coolness enter the room. Looking up, he saw a single white globe floating near the ceiling. "Cedrick…by any chance is that you?" Dean felt ridiculous talking to a white ball of light…but at this point, he would do anything to get back to Sam. The spirit came closer to Dean and stopped as if waiting for something. Dean was puzzled at first, but then it dawned on him what the spirit wanted.
"You want to join with me again…so we can communicate?" Dean could have sworn the ball of light nodded yes. "Man, I must be going crazy…ok, do what you have to…I have to get back to Sam."
Dean felt a brief moment of pain as the spirit jumped into his body. As he fell onto the bed, Dean felt himself lose consciousness. Once again he was surrounded by fog. "Cedrick…where are you?" Dean searched, trying to see the figure from before.
"I am here Dean…I don't have much time. We can only join host bodies on the night of All Hallows Eve. Once dawn appears, we will once again not be visible to you, nor will we be able to communicate with you."
"Can you get me out of this room?" Dean asked
"Yes, there is a hidden passage…you must hurry…you're brother is in grave danger!"
Cedrick showed Dean what he needed to know to access the secret passageway. "Follow me, I will lead you!"
Dean moaned as he came to…while he appreciated the help that Cedrick was giving him…he couldn't get used to sharing space with the spirit. He felt weak, but knew that he had to get moving. Grabbing the book, Dean went to the secret wall panel and pushing the molding, opened the doorway. Cedrick entered the passage, followed closely by Dean. "Hang on Sammy…I'm coming!" Dean thought as he plunged into the darkness, lit only by his spirit guide.
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Sam groaned and opened his eyes. His body ached and his head felt like it was filled with cotton balls. He tried to sit up, but the effort was almost too much for him. He felt an arm around his shoulders, helping him to sit up. "Nick…where is Dean?" Sam asked as he tried to focus on his surroundings.
"I'm not sure Sam…but I'm getting worried. I sent Cedrick to find him…he has been gone for over an hour now" Nick handed Sam a bottle of water as he stepped back.
Sam thought he was seeing things when he noticed the globes of light that floated around Nick. "Ah…Nick? Do we have company or am I seeing things?"
"No Sam, you aren't seeing things. Cedrick told all of the spirits to come to me and wait here until he returned with your brother. They are frightened and I'm not sure why."
"Do any of them know why they are trapped here? Have they heard of Drake?" Sam rubbed his forehead trying to clear his thoughts.
"No, they just know that something bad is going to happen since the sacrifice was not made tonight...but there may be one who can answer our questions…I just can't get her to talk to me" Nick nodded in the direction of a lone orb floating away from the others.
"Who is it?" Sam asked, but already he knew the answer.
"It's the spirit of Marie…she is still trapped here. You destroyed her corporeal body, but her spirit is trapped like all the others. She is afraid and feels guilty about her role in all the other's deaths. I tried to tell her it wasn't her fault…but, well she said she would only talk to you."
"Me? How?" Sam asked as he looked at the glowing light that was responsible in large part for his current condition. He shuddered as he remembered the torture she had inflicted on his body.
"She can enter your body and communicate…but Sam, there is a danger…she may be able to control you once she has made the connection…I'm not sure that you can trust her completely…remember, she sees you as the way to free her!"
Sam looked at Nick and the other spirits. He had to do something or they would all die here. He felt it in his bones that if he didn't do something soon…they would all be trapped…living in this house for an eternity. He knew that Dean would not approve…in fact, he was sure that Dean would be pissed at him. But Dean would do the same. Looking at the spirit of Marie Sam nodded "Go ahead Marie; I will let you join with me so that we can talk. I will help you and everyone else escape from here if I can."
Before Nick could protest further, the spirit of Marie leapt into Sam's body. Sam screamed in pain and clutching his head, fell to the floor unconscious.
TBC
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Raven524: Thanks to those who have reviewed the story so far…keep them coming! The more reviews...the more I write! So remember to R&R!