"They're here." Though quiet, Sam's words seemed to echo in the vast space. A drop of sweat ran into Dean's eye, and he took a moment to shrug off his jacket. Tossing it next to his duffle bag, he resisted the urge to pour the holy water over his head to cool himself off. His posture tense, Dean's green eyes veered around wildly before settling on his brother.
"Where?" he whispered.
"I don't know. But can't you feel it?" Sam whispered back.
"All I can feel is this damn heat." Dean said a little louder. "Whoever heard of a ghost making a room warmer? They're supposed to suck energy out of the air, not bring it in! Stupid moron can't even get that right!"
Dean was taunting the apparitions, trying to goad them out of hiding. It was a tactic their father had used many times, the result usually being one of the Winchesters tossed face first into a wall.
Sam held his breath. If something didn't happen soon, the anticipation would kill him before the demon could. Why couldn't things happen like they did in the movies? The two heroes enter the haunted home, the big bad spirit comes out to play, and the heroes win in the end. Of course, then there would also have to be a beautiful young girl to distract one of the heroes with her ample hunting assets. No, Sam thought. A little waiting he could handle. One could only deal with a girl crazy Dean for so long.
Dean's nerves were just as on edge as his younger brother's. "This is crap. Maybe we should just start the exorcism."
"She's not here yet. Don't we need to wait until she becomes corporeal?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, and just when will that be?" Dean fired back sharply.
"I don't know, Dean. You're the so-called expert on this crap." Sam's temper began to get as hot as the room.
Dean rose out of his tense posture and took a few steps towards Sam. They were so intent on their arguing that neither noticed the lights on the wall sconces were beginning to glow brighter. Just as Sam was finishing telling Dean exactly where to shove it, the light bulbs exploded with a loud pop! Before the tiny glass shards hit the ground the brothers were pushed away from each other, as if a large hand had slapped them across their chests.
Sam pushed himself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the dull ache that rippled through his already tender ribs. He found himself further down into the corridor while Dean lay propped up on his elbows near the staircase. Gathering up his gear, he called over to Dean.
"I'm good." Dean answered as he got to his feet. Bending down he picked up the holy water, only to have it pulled from his hand. "What…?"
Before he could react, Dean was pushed hard from behind into the banister. The wooden railing hit him in the upper abdomen as the air left his lungs in a painful grunt. The wind knocked out of him, Dean fell to the ground in a heap. He lay still, focusing on taking small breaths, the hot air burning as he tried to breathe normally.
"Dean!" Sam shouted as he scrambled to his feet. The broken glass crunched beneath his sneakers as Sam raced forward. He had almost reached the end of the hallway when he was slammed back into the wall. His brother's safety still his only concern, Sam half crawled, half ran the last few feet towards Dean. He had just put his hand on Dean's arm when he was pushed away by the invisible force.
Sam slowly got to his feet and realized that he had an unwelcome assist in the task. Sam felt himself being dragged up the wall, his shoulder narrowly missing the broken light fixture on his left. He struggled in vain to free himself as his feet left the ground. Sam kicked his legs wildly. His ascent stopped momentarily as his heel smashed through the wall. His right leg stuck fast in the drywall, Sam used his other limbs to try and grab hold. He managed to get his other leg and right arm through the wall as the pressure on his upper body intensified. He was already a good ten feet up. Sam looked up at the vaulted ceiling that stood at least thirty feet above him and screamed, "Dean!"
Dean watched in horror as his brother hung on the wall like a backwards mountain climber. Dean was at a loss. How do you fight something you can't see? He knew he had to do something fast. A fall from the ceiling onto the second floor would break Sam's legs. A fall onto the first floor would make Dean an only child.
"Sammy!" Dean croaked as Sam began to rise further up towards the ceiling, his arm and legs being pulled through the wall. It was obvious that Monica had lost control of the demon again, though whether for good or just temporarily he did not know.
"Hold on, Sam!" he yelled, ignoring the absurdity of the words. He could almost hear his brother's mocking thoughts at that statement. Good idea, Dean. I'll just hang out here. You take your time.
Dean ran over to where the journal was splayed open on the floor. Quickly flipping through the pages he found the ritual they had chosen to perform. As he began to recite the opening prayer he tried not to notice as Sam rose another five feet.
Sam closed his eyes as he heard the Latin words being spoken below him. His limbs had broken free and now hung limply against the wall as he rose higher and higher. Another few seconds and he would reach the top of the mansion. What would happen then? Would he be dropped like a playhouse sandbag or did the demon have a worse fate in store? Sam tried to push away thoughts of his beloved girlfriend pinned on their apartment ceiling, the blood dripping from her stomach as the fire began to consume her.
The thought of dying before getting the chance to avenge his girlfriend's death reignited Sam's resolve, and Sam continued his struggles, reciting as much of the prayer as he could remember. As the two Winchester's words filled the room, Sam's ascent began to slow. Sam felt the pressure against his chest leave as suddenly as it had come, and with a yell Sam fell to the ground twenty feet below.
Sam's terrified yell snapped Dean's head up out of the text he was halfway through. Dean watched helpless as Sam plummeted towards the ground.
Amazingly, Sam hadn't lost consciousness, although judging from the pained look in his hazel eyes, Dean was willing to bet that he wished he had. Laying a hand on his brother's arm, he hunched over to get a better look into Sam's face. "Sam, are you ok?"
Sam swallowed a few times before giving a pained, "Maybe."
"Don't move." A horrible thought entered Dean's mind. "Wait, can you move?"
Sam meticulously moved his limbs one by one in answer. Dean breathed a sigh of relief when he saw all seemed to be in working order. "Come on, Sam. We've got to get you out of here."
Sam let out a pained cry as he began to sit up. "I think I broke some ribs."
Dean nodded sympathetically. He knew what that felt like all too well. "Sam, you fell thirty feet. You're lucky that's all you broke."
With Dean's help, Sam was able to get to his feet. He bit his lip as he began to put pressure on his left leg. "I think I sprained my ankle."
Looking at the two flights of stairs in front of him, Dean inwardly groaned. This was not going to be easy. But he had to get Sam out of there before anything else happened. "Come on, Sam. The demon could come back any second."
Sam wrenched his arm free and leaned against the wall for support. "I'm not going anywhere. We need to finish this"
"And I will…once you're back in the car."
"I'm not leaving you here alone with this thing! The only way you're getting me out of here is to carry me out, and there's no way your short ass can carry me down two flights of stairs. We're doing this together, and we're doing this right now. And don't try to pull some macho big brother crap about how you can do this alone. I'm staying. End of discussion."
Dean bit back a laugh. It wasn't often that Sam stood up to him. "Well, look who grew a pair."
Sam rewarded him with half a smile. "Yeah, but I think I broke them in the fall."
Dean laughed at that. "Come on, kid. Let's get you downstairs."
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I was having technical issues. Also, sorry for the awkward ending, but if I kept going the chapter would have been way too long for my liking. There are only a few chapters left…two, maybe three. Thanks for sticking with me so far!
