Chapter 6
Sam jerked awake and quickly looked around at his surroundings assessing for any danger as he clambered to his feet. He rolled his shoulders, adjusted the backpack, and looked up and down the tunnel or passageway for any signs of life. He pulled out a flashlight and shone it both ways trying to find the arrows that he had shot in here. He frowned when he didn't see them and thought it strange that he ended up somewhere away from the opening.
Knowing he had to choose which way to go, Sam pulled a can of spray paint from his pocket and shook it hard before spraying a white line down the wall and then an arrow pointing right. He replaced the can in his pocket and headed down the passageway, trying to be quiet as he listened for any sounds that might be his brother.
It seemed to Sam that he had walked forever, marking each turn he made. He scanned the next long passageway with his light and something reflective caught his eye halfway down. Sam increased his pace, hoping it was what he thought it might be and when he got nearer saw it was his arrows embedded deeply into the wall with the rope still attached. He reached up and touched the rope and found it felt slimy and damp. Sam grimaced and wiped his hand up and down the leg of his jeans. He looked at the opposite wall and walked closer to where the rope stuck out. He cautiously raised his hand to touch the wall but thought better and pulled his machete out to use instead. The tip of the machete hit a solid wall and did not penetrate it.
Now that he knew where the opening should be, Sam took the paint out and sprayed a line on either side of the ropes to mark it for later use. He pulled the small pack from his backpack that contained all the ingredients for the spell to open the door on this side and hopefully allow them to get home. He found a niche large enough to hide the pack and left it there. His foot hit something laying against the wall and looked down at it, shining the light on it and saw something white. He reached to pick it up and quickly dropped it when he saw it was a bone and looked human. This was not a good thing.
"Dean," Sam mumbled when he saw the marker on the floor pointing down the tunnel. He knew Dean would leave signs of where he went and smiled with relief. "I knew I could count on you."
More motivated than ever, Sam hurried down the passage, letting his light sweep ahead of him until he came to a fork. He looked for another sign and found one showing Dean went left. Sam painted an arrow on the wall for extra precautions so he could find his way back to where the opening was. He continued to follow the signs Dean had left, adding his own signs too as he went, wondering how far ahead Dean could be. Sam paid close attention as he went to be sure he wasn't going in a circle or backtracking.
Feeling exhaustion taking over, Sam knew he was going to have to stop for a short spell or pass out. He found a small crevice that was about nine feet deep to use. He eased into the opening and slid down the wall to the dirt ground and let out a soft sigh. He slipped the pack off his shoulders and used it for a pillow as he tried to make his body relax enough to sleep. He set an alarm in his head to wake himself in a few hours and took some deep breaths and let them out slowly. Sam finally dozed but he kept an ear trained for any foreign sounds.
spn
Sam woke with a snort and groan as he tried to figure out where he was. Everything came racing back to him and he got up and stretched before picking the pack up and shouldering it. He wasn't sure how long he slept but he felt some better and hoped he would find Dean soon. He listened closely for any sounds before easing from the crevice to continue down the passageway. He felt uneasy that he hadn't seen any signs of whatever lived in these tunnels but was glad too. Maybe he could find Dean and the teenagers and get out of here before the monster realized they were there and avoid contact with it.
Another fork had Sam stopping and looking both ways and scanning the ground for any marker from Dean. He froze when a sound to the right caught his attention and turned off his light as he crept slowly down the tunnel trying to stay in the shadows. He had gone about two hundred feet and saw an opening on the left. Cautiously, Sam eased to it and stuck his head around enough to see what was making the sounds.
On the ground was a young guy, probably one of the teenagers that went missing, Sam thought, and leaning over him was a creature dressed in a ratty, black, flowing hooded robe. It was hunched over, and it seemed to be pulling something from the boy as tentacles of wispy white clouds rose from the boy's mouth and seemed to be going into the creature's mouth. The boy convulsed and jerked as he tried to gurgle words, but nothing he said could be understood. The boy's body went limp, and the life went out of his eyes as he breathed his last.
Sam knew he couldn't help him or stay in this place and walked slowly backwards a few steps before turning and hurrying back the way he came. He kept glancing over his shoulder to be sure he wasn't being followed and when he was far enough away, turned his light back on and continued to search for his brother. A cold chill ran down his spine as something nagged at his mind. There was some memory out of his reach that he couldn't grasp and couldn't understand why he felt so deeply frightened.
After picking up Dean's trail again, Sam felt an urgency to find him and increased his pace, making him pant and gasp for air as sweat dripped down his face. He would pause long enough to check small openings only to find empty chambers with no passages from them. Sam had been walking for a long time and saw what looked like a flash of movement up ahead of him as something or someone ducked into an opening.
After turning off his light, he silently and cautiously tried to follow whoever was ahead of him when suddenly he was attacked and thrown to the ground. Sam fought back landing a strong blow making someone grunt and cuss. Sam knew that voice and stopping fighting as he gazed up from the ground at his brother who had his arm back ready to deliver another blow.
"Dean?" Sam gasped in relief and surprise.
"Sammy?" Dean questioned as he pulled the punch and looked closer to the man lying on the ground. "What the hell? How are you even here?" He fisted Sam's jacket, pulled him off the floor, and gave him a crushing hug for a brief moment, making Sam slightly dizzy. Dean steadied Sam as he looked him over for any injury. "It's okay kids, I know him, this is my dumb ass brother."
Sam looked around when three figures emerged from deeper in the room and huddled together as they looked at the brothers. The girls were clinging to the guy, and all looked shell shocked.
"No time to talk, we need to get out of here," Sam insisted giving Dean a knowing look that he knew more than he was saying, since he didn't want to say anything in front of the kids. He pulled the pack off and opened it to give Dean his handgun and a knife.
"What do you think we've been trying to do, dude. We've been looking for the opening and can't find it," said Dean in a sarcastic voice. "Nice," he commented taking his handgun and checking the load. He stored it in the waistband of his jeans and dropped the knife into his pocket.
"I've marked the way back to the opening. You would never have found it. It's a one-way doorway. Whoever created it made it so things can only pass in one direction at a time. I've got…."
"You can explain the logistics later, if you know the way, then let's go," Dean interrupted Sam knowing he would talk more than needed and they needed to get out of this place. He still couldn't figure out how Sam found him or what he was even doing here. They had not talked since he left for college, though Dean did visit the campus twice to check on him. Sam seemed to be doing okay and seemed to have made friends, so Dean left him alone and didn't make his presence known.
"Can I speak to you over here?" Sam asked Dean motioning for him to step away from the kids.
"What?"
"There's something in here with us but I don't know what it is. We need to be extremely careful getting back to the opening."
"Okay, you can tell me more later. We'll probably have to stop to let the kids rest partway."
"Follow me," Sam instructed brushing his clothes off and heading for the opening to the chamber. Sam stopped long enough to check the passageway and listen for any sounds before stepping out and hurrying back the way he came.
"Follow Sammy and stay quiet," Dean cautioned the kids as he gave them a gently push to get them going. "I'll be right behind you." Dean picked the shotgun back up and covered their back as Sam made his way toward the location he had marked with the arrows and rope.
spn
They had been walking for a long time and Dean could see the kids were struggling to stay on their feet. They stumbled and were gasping for breaths. He moved pass them and grabbed Sam's arm to stop him and talk to him.
"Look, the kids are exhausted. We're going to have to stop and let them rest," Dean whispered to Sam. They didn't talk loudly because the sound seemed to travel in this place.
"Yeah, okay," Sam mumbled wiping the sweat from his forehead and looking back at the wavering kids. "Let's find someplace to rest." Sam moved slower now sweeping his light back and forth looking for any opening that might give them a place to hunker down for a few hours and rest. It took him longer than expected, but he finally saw a crack in the rocks and motioned for them to wait. He slipped off his pack and eased into the opening to see if it was big enough for all of them and was happy that it was. "This looks like a good place. Go on in." He handed the guy his flashlight and let the kids go in first and waited for Dean to follow.
"Go ahead Sammy, I'll be right behind you," Dean insisted in his commanding voice.
Sam looked at him for a moment before picking up his pack and slipping in after the kids. The chamber was about ten feet high and forty feet deep with random boulders scattered around. The kids had moved to the back of the chamber and were huddled together sitting on the ground.
"Here, share this and here's a power bar each," Sam offered opening his pack and taking out a bottle of water and power bars.
"Thanks," the guy said in a shaky voice. He opened the water and let the girls drink first and took a sip. They started eating the bars without another word.
"Here," Sam told Dean holding out water and a bar. "Is anyone hurt?"
Dean took the offered items and made himself comfortable near the opening so he could watch it.
"No, just some scrapes and bruises."
"Good." Sam moved to the opposite wall away from Dean and sat down. He sighed softly as he took a bottle of water and power bar out to eat. He didn't really feel hungry but knew it wouldn't hurt and might give them a boost of energy. He kept his eyes diverted, but could feel Dean's eyes on him, examining and curious. They had not spoken in nearly three years now and Sam wasn't sure what to say to him. It felt awkward and uncomfortable to him as he kept glancing out of the corner of his eyes at his brother.
It wasn't long before the kids finished the water and power bars and lapsed into an uneasy sleep. Dean had been watching them and when he saw them close their eyes and their breathing evened out, he quietly got up and moved closer to Sam. He had some questions that needed answering and was going to see what Sam had to say about their situation.
Sam sat up straighter and stiffened when he saw Dean approach him through half closed eyes. He knew he couldn't fake being asleep because Dean would know better. He kept his gazed lowered to the ground and waited to see what Dean was going to do. He sat down near Sam but not close enough to touch him. Sam clenched his hands into fists for a moment and then let them relax in his lap.
"What aren't you telling me?" Dean whispered, giving Sam a no-nonsense stare as he waited for him to answer. When he didn't reply after a moment, Dean continued. "Stop giving me the silent treatment and talk to me. I need to know what is out there and don't tell me there's nothing to worry about, I know differently. I caught a glimpse of something, but I didn't get a good enough look to tell what it was."
"I don't know," Sam mumbled just loud enough for Dean to hear. He glanced at the kids to be sure they were asleep and couldn't hear them talking. "I saw it kill the other kid that was with them. The thing seemed to be draining the life out of him. I've never seen anything like that."
"Yeah, I figured he didn't make it when one of the girls said she heard him screaming and he never came back. What did it look like?"
"It was tall and had clawed hands. It was dressed in a black, ragged, robe with a hood and had long stringy, dirty hair. My best guess would be some species of witch maybe. I'm not really sure, but it seems familiar for some reason."
"I hate witches," Dean spat in disgust. He thought about the description Sam gave and a ratty motel room in a one-horse town suddenly came to mind. Their Dad had left them alone to take a hunt and he was three days late getting back. Dean was climbing the walls and had to get out of their room, if only for a couple of hours. When he came back, there was someone in the room with Sammy. He had the shotgun but froze and couldn't pull the trigger. Their Dad broke into the room and shot the robed figure as it jumped through the window.
"Dean?" Sam asked cautiously when he saw the glazed look in his eyes as he frowned like he was remembering something.
"I'm fine," Dean grumbled as he shook his head to clear it. "Okay, so, tell me how you knew I was here? I didn't tell anyone where I was going."
Sam darted his eyes away and looked at a spot on the far wall as he tried to come up with an answer for Dean. He didn't think he would understand if he told him about his dreams and gut feelings.
"You're not stalking me are you, Sammy?" Dean asked, trying to lighten the mood. He could tell Sam was in one of his bitchy, quiet moods. He would get like this at times growing up and it took Dean days, if not weeks to get him out of it. "We used to be able to talk to each other, has that changed?"
"I thought you felt the same way as Dad," Sam whispered looking at his hands that were fisted again. "You've not tried to contact me in all this time."
"That's 'cause I was letting you have your space, dude. You're the one who decided to leave. And you never bothered to pick up the phone to call me either," Dean accused him.
"I was only going to college. I wasn't going to shut you and Dad out of my life just because I wanted something better for myself. I'm not like you Dean. I wasn't born a natural hunter. I had to work three times as hard and still that wasn't enough for Dad. I was never good enough for him…" Sam let his sentence trail off as he fought the tears that filled his eyes and blinked them away.
Dean didn't say anything for a moment as he let those words sink in. Maybe Sam was right, he lost count of the number of times he had to stand between their Dad and Sam because they butted heads all the time. He was able to keep them from coming to blows all but a couple of times. And it only happened then because he had been out getting food or running down a lead and left Sam alone with their father.
"What Dad said is all on him Sammy. I never agreed with him and told him that after you left. He tried to take his frustrations out on me, but I shut him down fast. We worked together for a couple of years, and then went our separate ways. Dad is still chasing his need for revenge. I wasn't shutting you out, bro. That was not my intentions."
"Seriously?" Sam asked glancing up at Dean to see a look of hurt in his eyes and concern on his face. He closed the space between them and wrapped Dean in a strong hug, feeling Dean return it. He let go after a moment and leaned back against the rocks.
"Yeah, you're my little brother and always will be. It's my job to look out for you, even if you don't see me."
"What do you mean by that?" Sam questioned with a frown.
"Nothing, forget it," Dean told him with a huff. "How far is this opening of yours?"
"I don't know. It's hard to tell time in here, did you notice that?"
"Yeah, and none of us have really been hungry or thirsty since getting here either."
"Did you see the human bones scattered randomly around?"
"Yeah, that wasn't comforting at all. So, what's the plan? How do we get out of here?"
"I have to reverse the opening with a spell where it will pull us out of here. Mackie is on the other side and has the spell ready to close the opening once we go through it."
"How did you learn all this?"
"I stole the book the kids used from the cops," Sam sheepishly said looking down at the ground with a small smile on his face.
"That's my boy," Dean teased smacking him on the leg. "Did you find any way to kill this thing in that book?"
"Not from what I read. It didn't mention the creature at all, but I only studied the pages pertaining to the opening."
"Why don't you get some rest and I'll keep watch."
"Only if you wake me in a couple of hours so you can rest too."
"Deal, now do what I say, get some sleep."
Sam nodded and sighed softly as he shifted around to partly lay on his pack and close his eyes. He felt better now that they had talked a little and cleared the air between them. At least he knew Dean's feelings toward him now and it wasn't what he thought. He hadn't lost all his family after all.
A/N: The brothers have found each other and now need to find the way out. Will the monster find them first? Thanks for coming along for the ride. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC
