First Solo Flight
Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I'm still sad because I still don't own them. Seriously, how cool would it be to be involved in such an awesome show?
A/N: This chapter has a little twist; it has a little turn. I hope you like it!
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John stood in the bedroom doorway, watching Sam sleeping fitfully. Exhausted and emotionally spent, Sam had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor feeling safe in his father's embrace. Somehow a couple of hours later, John managed to lead him to his bed, though his best rest had probably happened on the floor. He took a sip of coffee, aggravated that he'd not heard from Aidan or Christopher and even more annoyed that neither one was answering their phone. He didn't know if that meant things were going well or –
His thoughts were interrupted by Sam's moaning and sudden thrashing. He quickly put the coffee cup on the bookshelf next to the door and rushed to his son's side. Sam suffered from vivid nightmares when he was very young and, until about a year ago, John thought he had outgrown them. He knew Sam often woke up from bad dreams; he'd hear the boys talking in the middle of the night or early morning. Sometimes he'd hear Sam cry out in his sleep, but because he and Dean shared a room, the older brother was always there before John. He suspected that even if Dean was in a room down the hall, he would get to Sam's room first.
He knew he made a lot of mistakes as a father, but he was proud of the relationship between his sons. He tried not to think about the pressure he'd put on Dean to be Sam's protector; Dean always seemed to do it so willingly.
"Sammy." John said gently as he sat down on the edge of his son's bed. "Wake up, Sammy."
He held Sam's arms as the boy lashed out. "Sammy!"
Sam opened his eyes, but John wasn't sure he was completely awake yet. He held his arms gently and a moment later Sam looked at him. "Dad?"
"Yeah, I'm here. You were dreaming."
Sam sat up. John noticed the bandage that covered his hand was wet with blood.
"You opened up that cut." he said gently, pulling the hand toward him. "We'll need to clean it up."
"Dad –"
John looked at him.
"Something's wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"With Dean. Something is wrong."
"Sammy, it was just a dream."
Sam shook his head. "No, it wasn't. It didn't feel like just a dream."
"Sammy –"
"Can we go to Milton?"
"What?"
"Can we go to Milton? Please, Dad?"
Sam knew the same pleading tone and expression that would turn Dean into mush would have no affect on his father, but he felt very strongly about going to Milton. He somehow knew that he and his father needed to be there.
John looked at his son. He saw the fear and desperation in his eyes and suddenly wanted to do anything he could to make Sam feel secure again.
"Sam, by the time we get there Dean and Aidan will probably be almost back here –"
"They won't be, Dad. I know they won't be. Something's wrong."
John sighed. He had the same feeling, though he'd tried to ignore it.
"All right, Sammy." he said quietly. "But first we need to take care of that hand."
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Dean opened his eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd awakened in this prison and he knew that he was tied to the cot on which he lay. He also knew there were at least two other men in the same room. He didn't know where they were being held, but he knew that being there was a part of the plan.
He knew the town of Milton was basically being held hostage by these demons. Over ten young men had disappeared in the last few weeks and it would continue until the next full moon. By the time Aidan figured that out, they only had a few days to destroy them. As the next cycle of the moon began, the demons would go back into a sort of hibernation only to reemerge in a few years to start it all over gain.
Dean didn't have to hear the story twice before he was ready to help. All of the men were about his age and they all had basically the same physical characteristics. It only made sense to use him as bait and Dean was a willing participant. He remembered it took quite a bit of convincing to get his father on board and, of course, John had wanted to be a part of it.
But Dean knew that if John came along, they would have no choice but to tell Sam about the plan and he didn't want his little brother to know what he was willing to do. Sam was a good hunter, he had the skills and he was tough enough to do it, but there was something about him… he'd already started talking about wanting something else out of life than what the hunt had to offer. Dean didn't like to hear it, didn't like to think about it, but he knew that he would probably lose Sam to that other life that he wanted. In the meantime, he would do anything he could to keep Sam safe and that included keeping him away from this job.
Dean struggled against the chains that held him, knowing he couldn't break free. He tried before and hadn't been able to find a way out. He knew Aidan and Christopher would be there soon, but he'd wanted to be able to do a little reconnaissance on his own before they got there.
He heard something from the opposite side of the room. He couldn't see very well; the room was dark except for a small light in the corner. Dean strained to see, but it was almost on him before it came into view. Even though he knew it would do no good, he struggled against his bonds. Being eaten by these demons was definitely not a part of the plan.
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John pulled out of the driveway and dialed Aidan's cell phone number. When the call went straight to voice mail, he knew the phone was turned off. Annoyed, he left a message telling Aidan that he and Sam were on their way to Milton.
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"How many times do you think John has called?" Aidan asked as they approached the farm.
"You want my professional opinion?" Christopher joked.
"What? You got a read on John and he's a day's drive away –"
"No, not a full out read, but I can sense his anger. You got something of his in this heap?"
"It's not a heap." Aidan protested. "And I don't know; I might have something of his. Why?"
"Because I can sense him. He's too far away for that so there must be something in the truck amplifying it."
"Damn it, Christopher! We had a whole bunch of Dean's stuff in the room you could have used to amplify –"
The psychic slipped a hand into his leather jacket and pulled out a small knife.
"What's that?"
"I got it from the kid's bag."
"You're really pissing me off, man. Can you get a read on him or –"
Christopher nodded.
"And before, when you said we were too far away –"
"Just drive, okay? I can use this to lead us right to the kid." Christopher looked out of the side window. He didn't think they were going to make it in time.
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As Dean was taken away from the cot, he could see he and the others weren't being held in a room, but in the back of a barn. He felt like he was floating between the two shadows that were leading him somewhere else. He couldn't move his arms or legs, but he could move his head enough to look around.
He could see the sun starting to rise in the distance as they left the barn and went to what he assumed was a cellar. They went down the stairs, Dean still feeling like he was floating. He could see bodies hanging from the ceiling by their hands; they appeared to be dead. He tried to look at his captors, but all he could see were dark shadows.
The next thing Dean knew, he as strung up like the bodies around him. He struggled, but it did no good. "You are freakin' kidding me." he muttered.
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"He moved."
Aidan looked at Christopher as they got out of the truck. "What?"
"He's been moved from the barn." Christopher rubbed the knife he'd taken from Dean's bag. They were close enough now that he didn't need it, but touching it helped his nervousness.
"Where is he?" Aidan asked as he opened the weapons box in the bed of the truck.
"Underground." Christopher glanced around. "He's underground."
"Buried or like in a cellar?"
"I don't know yet."
Aidan looked at him. "What?"
"Where ever he is, he's not doing well."
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"Dad." Sam began suddenly. "How far away are we?"
"Still a long way, Sam. I'm going as fast as I can."
"It's not going to be fast enough."
John glanced at him. "What?"
"We're not going to get there in time."
"Sam, what are you talking about?"
"I – I don't know. I just, I just feel it. I told you something was wrong –"
"Sammy –"
"I can't explain it, Dad. I just – I just know."
"What do you know, Sammy? Tell me."
Sam looked at him. "Dean is in trouble."
John gripped the wheel tighter. "What kind of trouble?"
"I don't know, Dad. I just know he's in trouble."
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"I thought you said they'd be dormant." Aidan whispered harshly as Christopher led them to where he could sense Dean.
"There's something else here."
"What do you mean? Something else? What?"
"Just what kind of research did you and John do? Do you have any idea what you're dealing with?"
"We thought they were like the necros. Everything we found – there was no reason to think –"
"John isn't that sloppy." Christopher said. "These things have servants. The demons that do the eating are dormant. At least until tonight when they'll feed again. But their servants take care of the bodies; protect them during the day."
"The thing back at the motel –"
"Servant." Christopher clarified.
"You didn't give John all the information you had, did you? If you'd told him more, he might have found out –"
"I gave him everything I had." Aidan protested. "But maybe I just didn't find enough before I went to him. People have been dying, man. It's been going on for years and it will continue unless we stop it."
"Yeah? And you goody goodies face that kind of thing every day. You take the time to do the research so that you don't get each other killed. You're using the man's son as bait and you didn't take the time to do the proper research? And you intentionally led him down the wrong road?"
Aidan ran a shaking hand through his hair. Christopher looked at him, realization and shock coming to him at the same time.
"And you're supposed to be his friend." the psychic whispered.
"I am his friend. I would never knowingly hurt him or his sons –"
"You're not after the demons themselves, are you? You're after the servants." Christopher grabbed his shoulder. "The servants killed your parents, didn't they?"
Aidan tried to pull away, but Christopher wouldn't let him go.
"Didn't they?" he demanded.
Aidan looked at him, his eyes big and filled with tears. "What?"
Christopher was confused. The images he was getting from Aidan were confusing and coming at him too fast. He let go of the other man and backed away. A moment later he was pacing. "You didn't know. You didn't know what killed your parents – what brought you here?"
"What are you talking about? What killed my parents? John investigated, but there wasn't enough information – why do you think I know anything? I wasn't even home when it happened!"
Christopher looked away, toward something that Aidan couldn't see.
"We have to get to Dean - something is happening."
Aidan was shaking. "Christopher –"
"You said you didn't need John on your ass for the rest of your life. If you really mean that, you'll get it together and come with me now. I don't like being put in these situations, situations were I might get killed, but I'm here now. I'm not like the rest of you freaks who seem to get off on this kind of thing. But I don't need John Winchester on my ass either; so you'd better get your shit together and help me rescue his son." Christopher softened for a moment. "Once Dean and the others are safe, I'll help you figure out what got you here."
TBC
