Sam's eyes popped open as the dream released its stranglehold on him. The images from his nightmare slowly faded as he struggled to remember what he'd seen. All that he could still clearly see were the piercing blue eyes of a raven-haired woman as she stared chillingly into his soul. He looked over to Dean's bed, where he lay dead to the world. He envied Dean's ability to sleep soundly through the night. Sam never knew what awaited him when he closed his eyes. Would he actually get some well deserved rest, or would visions and nightmares plague his sleep? Luckily tonight's episode was the latter. Nightmares he could deal with; visions were a whole other mess.
Sam got out of bed and stretched hissore muscles. Knowing he had at least three hours before he could wake Dean, he grabbed his Dad's journal and sat in the living room, turning on the lamp next to the couch.
Dean stirred as the light tried pushing its way past his tightly shut eyes. His internal clock told him it was still the middle of the night. Flopping his arm across his eyes, he mumbled, "Go back to sleep, Sam." But the light continued to worm its way past his defenses, and Dean's irritation grew as he felt any hope of falling back asleep slipping away. Dean turned over onto his stomach, and buried his face into the pillow. While his eyes found the darkness they were seeking, his ears became aware of nearby movement. Now completely awake, Dean flipped over onto his back and cracked open his eyelids, wincing as the brightness slammed into his sensitive eyes. Dean's hand flopped towards the offensive lamp, but it sat just out of his reach.
"Tell me, Lawyer Boy, what is the statute of limitations for the murder of a sibling?" his voice dripped with animosity. Dean's sullenness faded as a heavy silence filled the room. Dean sat up and scanned the room for his brother. Dean began to feel concerned as he found he was alone in the bedroom. "Sam?" he called out.
Dean wiped the sweat from his brow and blew out a long breath. Why was it so hot? Getting out of bed, he once again yelled for Sam as he made his way to the door. He opened the door, only to have it yanked from his hand and slam shut. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Okaay." he said slowly. "Sam, if you're messing with me, I swear I will kick your scrawny ass." His voice wavered slightly as he tried to mask his uneasiness. Dean turned the doorknob, already knowing it would be locked. Rearing back, he aimed a few solid kicks at the door, but it stood firm. Dean put his face right up to the door and shouted, "SAM!"
He was rewarded with a faint, "Dean! What's going on?"
"Sam! The damn door's stuck! I think there's..." his voice trailed off as he watched his shadow start to shrink as the light in the room began to glow brighter. Turning around, he held up a hand to shield his eyes as he made his way towards the bedside lamp. Just before he reached it he heard a large crack, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Sam watched the band of light reach out from beneath the door towards him, and then vanish. The sound of broken glass that followed sent his worry into full-blown panic. "Dean!" he screamed. But the cottage remained eerily silent. Glancing around, Sam weighed his options. There was no way he was breaking through that door; he was just as effectively locked out as he was locked in earlier in the main house.
Before he could plan his next move, Sam felt an icy hand painfully grip his arm. Wrenching his arm free, he spun around and gasped. He only had time to register a pair of dark eyes peering out from beneath a shock of black hair before he was thrown backwards. The dull ache from earlier reawakened with a vengeance as his head smacked against the wall. A woman's scream hurt his ears as Sam fell to his hands and knees. He managed to get halfway to his feet when the frigid hand grabbed him by the throat, pulling him the rest of the way up. As Sam's eyes focused he felt his gaze drawn to the captivating eyes of his assailant. The swirling flecks of blue amidst the black made him feel dizzy. Another scream shook him out of his trance, and Sam brought his arms down on the apparition's, effectively breaking her hold.
Defenseless, Sam scrambled into the living room, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. Suddenly the emaciated old woman appeared before him, her gaunt features twisted into an enraged scowl. Before he could react she backhanded him hard across the face. Sam fell to the ground, stunned. Rapidly the woman descended upon him, and placed her hands on his cheeks. Sam cried out in agony; his face felt like it was on fire.
As Sam struggled to free himself, he felt his eyes being pulled towards hers. The small blue speckles disappeared into the sea of black, and Sam felt himself become paralyzed by the intense power of her gaze. Lightheaded, Sam felt consciousness slipping away.
A heavy crash filled the room, followed by a deafening peal of thunder. The specter shrieked furiously, but did not release her grip. Sam's heart leapt as he saw Dean come up behind the woman. Dean brought the shotgun down towards his brother's attacker, only to have her bat it out of his hands. Letting go of Sam, she whirled around faster than Dean's eyes could grasp. Tilting her head upwards she gave one final bloodcurdling yell before vanishing into thin air.
