Alternate Life or Real Life?

Disclaimer as per the first chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR

The lights swirled and morphed in his vision as the silent orderlies wheeled him through the winding corridors. He tried to stay awake and to take notice of where they were taking him but it was so hard, his sight blurred and his eyes felt so heavy all he wanted to do was sleep.

His head thumped with a dull but persistent ache, though he worked out if he didn't move his head too quickly the headache actually eased off. The IV pole clanked against the side of the gurney in a strange hypnotizing beat, matching the stride of the orderlies.

'Where are we going?' He asked again, and again he was answered with silence, 'I'm thirsty.' He tried a different tack but he was still ignored. 'Hey I got an itch can you let my hands loose?'

The orderly at the head of the gurney glanced briefly down at the patient and then turned his attention back to where they were heading. They stopped briefly waiting for an electronic lock to hiss open before they went into the small lab.

'Ah Sam nice to see you awake,' the doctor said as he stepped into his line of sight, Sam glared at the doctor and this time stayed silent himself, waiting for the doctor to give him some more information. 'Okay so we have a silent Sam today, that's fine all I need from you is for you to stay completely still.' The doctor gave him a cursory examination while he spoke and then he turned to the orderlies and totally ignored Sam.

'Place him on the chair and make sure to tighten the restraints this time, I don't want a repeat of what happened last time, when I had to sedate him. I need the patient awake for the next phase.'

'Yes doctor.' The taller of the two men nodded his head; his near-shaved head glistened in the bright florescent lighting, then he went to start transferring Sam to the large surgical chair in the centre of the room.

'Hey what's going … what are you doing?' Sam protested, wincing with the weakness he could hear in his own voice.

'Nothing to worry about Sam, it will be easier for me if you are seated for this series of tests.' The doctor said absently patting Sam's arm, 'just relax and it will be all over before you know it.'

'What tests? I thought that you had finished all of the tests.' Sam said, he could feel the familiar feeling panic rising once more. 'Honestly Doc I am feeling a lot better.'

'That's good to hear Sam now relax and let the men do their job.' The doctor said as he injected a syringe of black fluid into the IV bag, turning the clear fluid a dark murky colour.

'What's that?' Sam demanded.

'Just something that will help me see what's going on with you mixed with a slight sedative to keep you comfortable. Sometimes patients feel the dye as it works through your system, so the sedative takes the edge of.'

'Why do you need to use the dye?'

'So many questions Sam, you want to get better don't you?'

'Yeah of course, it's just …'

'Don't worry about it young man, I'll have you back in your room in no time.'

The doctor waited until the tall orderly finished tightening the restraints and then he stood to Sam's right with his back to his patient. All Sam could hear was the clicking of keys on a computer keyboard and switches being flicked and then the doctor turned armed with yet another syringe.

'Thank you Robert, James I will call when the patient is ready to return to the wards.' The doctor dismissed the men and waited for them to leave the room. 'Ah now we're on our own Sam, it's time to get down to the serious business.'

'Why? What are you going to do with that?' Sam asked, he could feel his heart rate rising as he watched the look on the doctor's face change dramatically, desperately he tried to strain against the restraints, but he was still too weak to have any effect on his situation at all.

'Stop struggling Sam you're only going to exhaust yourself and bruise your wrists.' The doctor said his voice devoid of any emotions. 'This is just a slightly strong sedative to calm you down; you are obviously becoming to agitated for the tests to continue.'

'Hey I'm not even getting close to agitated yet Doc, why do I have to have the restraints and more sedatives, I thought that you already put it in the – ah!' Sam winced as the needle pierced his neck. 'Hey Doc what?' Sam tried to keep his focus on the doctor but his vision started to blur and his mind started to fill with a fogginess that was starting to become very familiar to Sam.

The Doctor waited until he was sure the drugs had worked and then he started attaching more wires and patches to Sam's forehead and both sides of his face. Blinking furiously Sam tried to watch exactly what was happening to him but the drugs, filled his system and clouded his mind.

The intense pain came without warning, bursting in his brain like a bolt of lightening, unwittingly Sam cried out and squeezed his eyes shut, confusion filled his thoughts as he tried to lift his hand to his face, why could he move his hands? The vision, bright and vivid exploded sending waves of pain flooding through Sam's already rigid body, making his muscles spasm uncontrollably.

He could see Dean, lying bleeding and unconscious in the side of the road, the Impala a crumpled mess just a meter or so away, music still playing on the cassette player. A dark faceless figure stood over Dean's prone body, a harsh laugh echoed around the accident scene. 'Dean!' Sam screamed hoarsely straining against the restraints as he blindly tried to help his older brother.

'That's it Sam, yes let it all out.' The doctor enthused as he watched the monitors and screens carefully during Sam's vision. His eyes started to shine with excitement as he watched the results come through. It was going better than he had ever dreamed possible.

The telephone beeped startling the doctor, growling he lifted the receiver, 'what?'

'I am sorry to disturb you, it's Grace Doctor we have detected another, they are being brought in as we speak.'

'Another? Male or female?'

'Female I understand doctor, aged twenty-five she is also very powerful.'

'Excellent, this is very good news indeed Grace, I am with Sam now, alert me when she has arrived in the hospital. Oh Grace, is she coming in via ambulance or private car?'

'Ambulance this time Doctor, James is the driver.'

'Very good, thank you Grace,' the doctor hung the phone up and turned to face Sam, who sat so still in the specialized chair. His face, pinched and drawn from the agony of an induced vision, his fingers clutching in spasms, as his body shook with the vision intensifying each moment.

'Dean!' Sam's pain filled scream filled the lab; he could see Dean's body lying face up at the bottom of a ravine, his bare torso covered in long, deep gashes with blood pouring from them. Blood also dripped from his nose, eyes, mouth and ears. His eyes open and fixed, staring sightlessly upwards. The black form, faceless and menacing stood over the corpse, pretending to sob mockingly.

The vision changed and Sam watched as in invisible observer as Dean, suspended by his wrists with iron cuffs, suffered blows and cuts from the shadowed figure, Dean's entire body jerked as another lash struck his bare back, a shuddering hiss as his head slumped forward, the abuse continuing even after life left the body.

Sam's breathing became jagged and shallow as he watched the murder of his brother for a third time, his heart rate dropped dramatically towards the end of the latest vision, the doctor grabbed a large needle and filled it with adrenaline as the monitors stopped beeping and a long, continuous beep sounded instead. Without another thought or bothering with the defibrillator paddles or CPU the doctor pushed the needle into Sam's chest and into his heart.

With a sharp intake of breath, his body bucked as his life force fought to return, the doctor smiled and nodded happily, this was the perfect result for phase two. With brusque efficiency he gave Sam a quick check up to make sure that he was out of any immediate danger, then he turned all of the monitors and equipment off, except for one. He leant closer to Sam's head, moving his mouth closer to his ear, 'Sam I know you can hear me, and I know that you will accept what I am going to tell you about your brother Dean.'

TBC