Coma
Chapter Twelve
Disclaimer: This is getting old. -Sigh-. Right… I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. I also own nothing of any real value, so please don't sue! Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from a different fandom, I definitely don't own
Warning(s): Some violence (as if you couldn't guess); some swearing; lots of blood and possibly some 'icky' bits (don't say I haven't warned you!)
Once again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed this fic so far. Thanks also to those who have this story on Story Alerts or their Favourites list. And, too, thanks to anyone who has read but hasn't actually reviewed or anything. –Sends hugs to all of you.– Oh, yes, and about the suggestion of Sam being in the parallel world as well – it is a good one (I thought about it as well). However, I don't think it would work. Sorry. Please be patient, and you'll get brotherly moments eventually
Author's Note: This chapter is going to be in a slightly different way to the previous chapters. I hope that this won't be too difficult for people – but I think that it would work better this way, considering what's happening here
Brief recap of previous chapter: Sam fought the tentacled demon in its dream forest, and seemed to have won a minor victory, even though he hasn't been able to do any serious harm to it. Sam was woken up by Jody, who quickly realised that Sam had regained her memories. Sam told her to stay in the apartment and see what she could find out while he went to the airport to pick up Missouri.
Meanwhile, in the parallel world, Dean went to investigate the sound he and Amber had heard, with Amber tagging along. It seemed to be a vampire, and although Dean attempted to protect himself and Amber with a line of salt, the vampire batted him away as if he were merely a fly and went after Amber…
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Before Amber could react, could even make any kind of sound, she found herself held in an iron-like grip. She struggled, but it was ineffective. She couldn't see what had happened to Dean – the vampire's body blocked him from view.
Vampire… Not man.
The vampire started snuffling around Amber's face – specifically, her lower cheeks and neck. His actions were similar to those of a cat's, but there was nothing cute or remotely harmless about this vile creature.
A soft mewl escaped the vampire's lips, and Amber tensed. She felt the monster's lips on her neck – as if in a kiss – but knew instinctively that it was something much darker. The woman struggled, but the vampire's hold on her remained strong. He licked the soft skin of her throat, and Amber braced herself, waiting for the pain.
Something sharp punctured her throat, and a wave of dizziness spread through her body as she felt her lifeblood drawn out through the wound.
But something else was being pulled out as well…
Amber jerked, and then immediately began struggling in the vampire's arms. She didn't know what was going on, but she was aware that something vitally important was being drawn out of her. There was no way that she could tell what it was – but she couldn't lose it. She was trying to tear herself free of the vampire, unheeding that tearing her throat away would probably open up a major vein or artery. Death would be preferable…
Something sharp pierced the back of her neck through her hair, and Amber screamed. She was losing the fight. Her knees began to buckle as her ears rang with the screams of the despaired and tortured.
FLASH. Finding out that her sister had been killed in a car accident.
FLASH. Sharp pain piercing through her shoulder.
FLASH. Standing by, helpless to do anything but watch, as a group of older boys bullied her friend.
FLASH. Arguing – with her sister, with her boyfriend, with her friends.
FLASH. The last conversation she ever had with her sister – more of an argument – despair as she realised that Melissa had gone to her grave thinking her sister was made at her.
FLASH. Rejection…
FLASH. Pale eyes watching out of a white face; arms outstretched imploringly.
Abruptly, the myriad of images slowed and stopped as Amber felt herself torn from the vampire's arms. Her vision almost went black as vicious pain lanced through her neck – but that was nothing compared to the pain caused by the images that had flashed through her mind. All of the bad memories she had experienced rolled into one terrifying mixture…
The next thing Amber knew, she was being shaken, and a voice was calling her name demandingly: "Amber? Amber!"
Amber opened her mouth to reply, but a wave of nausea rocked her body, and she retched violently over the floor.
Even that couldn't get rid of the stench of corruption, though…
For a moment, Amber heard footsteps moving away from her, and she almost cried. She felt so lost, and there was still the feeling of having lost something vital.
A few moments later, though, Amber felt something cool pressed to her lips. It was tipped slightly, and Amber felt something cold and wet drip into her parched mouth. For a moment, she just enjoyed the taste – then, finally, she forced her eyes open.
Dean was crouched in front of her, holding the glass that was against Amber's mouth. He was watching her closely, his eyes narrowed. His face was set in the familiar emotionless mask, but something akin to concern glinted in his eyes for just a moment. The vampire was nowhere to be seen.
Amber closed her eyes again for a moment. "I really hope you're watching where you put yourself…" she whispered, her voice slightly muffled because of the glass.
Instead of answering, Dean tipped the glass again, and Amber parted her lips slightly to allow the water to enter her mouth.
Once the contents of the glass were drained, Dean set it to one side. Then, moving gently, he took Amber's chin, and turned it slightly to one side, before probing at the wound on her neck. Even though he was trying to be gentle, Amber couldn't help wincing, and attempted to pull away.
"Don't… I need to see how it is."
"It hurts." Amber did her best to stay still, though. There was an acrid taste in her mouth from where she'd thrown up, and she felt dizzy and light-headed. How much blood have I lost?
"I know. But I need to do this." Dean probed at the wound a moment longer, and then stood up, shaking his head slightly. "We need to get that cleaned and bandaged. You need to rest as well."
"What about the vampire?" Amber asked fuzzily.
"It's gone." Dean offered a hand to Amber.
Amber took Dean's hand, a little hesitantly, and slowly stood up. She put her other hand up to the back of her neck, and found that there was nothing damp there. No soreness. That doesn't make sense… I definitely felt something pierce the back of my neck. As Dean began steering her towards the door of the room, Amber paused. "Wait."
"What is it?" Dean eyed her a moment.
Amber pulled her hand free of Dean's, and stumbled over to the glass lying on the floor. She found herself falling to her knees, and with a little effort, managed to avoid falling on the shards. She reached to take one of the larger pieces, and used her other hand to smear some of the blood from her wound onto the glass, being as careful with the sharp edges as possible with her hands shaking.
"What are you doing?"
Amber didn't need to look up to know that Dean was standing over her. She let the glass drop as if in slow motion from her nerveless fingers. "Do you want to have to tell people that I got my neck bitten?" She held a hand up to her neck to cover the wound – but, truth to tell, it wasn't just the blood loss that was bothering her. It was the loss of something else that seemed to be much more important.
"Yeah, I'm sure they'd believe that your neck got slashed by some flying glass," Dean muttered. He then gave a sigh, and reached to help Amber up again. "Maybe I should take you to the hospital."
"I'm fine." Amber kept her hand pressed against her neck, and was pretty certain the bleeding was slowing down. Or maybe it was simply wishful thinking. "Besides… Surely you know some first aid?"
Dean didn't look so convinced. However, he started leading Amber to the door again. He held an arm around her shoulders, supporting the woman as they headed out of the room and up the stairs. "How are you feeling?" he asked, even as he glanced around as though looking for something.
"Weak, dizzy… You know, par for the course with blood loss." Amber didn't exactly mean to sound that sarcastic – but something was wrong with her. As well as that, this Dean was a completely different person to her boyfriend. He looks like he's suspicious of everything… Almost a caged animal.
"So… Not only are ghosts real, vampires are as well? Great. Just great."
Dean turned his head to look at her. "What did you just say?"
"That vampires are real as well as ghosts." Amber shook her head slightly. "Boy… My life is really getting fucked-up."
"Yeah… I know the feeling." Dean helped Amber into the bathroom, and pushed her carefully down onto the toilet seat before he started rifling through the medicine cabinet. "What makes you think ghosts are real?"
"My sister…" Amber closed her eyes for a moment, feeling drained. She was beginning to get a headache. "After Melissa died, her spirit – ghost, whatever – came to me. I guess I went a little… crazy after what happened. I held onto her in a way; wouldn't let her move on." She sighed a little. "I never told anyone about this before… Not even my boyfriend." She kept her fingers pressed to the wound on her neck, although she was pretty certain it was closing over.
Dean turned round from the cabinet, holding a cotton pad, tape, and a packet of antiseptic wipes. "So… you believe that I'm from a different world?" He crouched down in front of Amber, and carefully removed her hand from her neck. "Sorry… This is going to sting a bit." He took out one of the antiseptic wipes, and carefully started wiping at the bite wound, resting his other hand on the sink in order to keep his balance.
Amber winced, trying to shrink back a little. "Oww…" She gritted her teeth a moment, and then spoke, trying to take her mind off the pain. "You look like him, and you even act a bit like him. But… you're different. These sorts of things – that vampire – you accepted it as commonplace." She hesitated a moment, then, "I guess I'm not going to see him again."
"I'm sure you will." Dean dropped the wipe into the bin, and then pressed the cotton pad over Amber's wound. With his other hand, he reached for Amber's, and put her hand against the pad. "Hold this here." When Amber was doing so, he tore off a few pieces of tape, and used them to stick the pad down. "There you go." He straightened up again.
"Thanks." Amber slowly stood up, hanging onto the sink for support. "So… When are you going back to your own world?" She wasn't trying to sound harsh – she simply wanted her boyfriend back, and for things to go back to normal.
"That's what I'm trying to work out."
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The vampire crouched down before its mistress, mewling pathetically, looking up at her, silently begging for its life.
Meg crossed her arms over her chest, and stared down at the creature, tapping her foot against the stone floor and frowning. "You failed me." Of course, by failing her, the creature had also failed her master – and no being in their right mind would want to do that. "I told you to make sure and get them alone."
The vampire trembled. Weeks of torture and black magic had twisted its mind, causing it to become little more than a mindless animal.
I hate using creatures like this… But I suppose they have their uses.
"Go." Meg waved a hand dismissively. "I'll let you live… this time. The next time you fail me, I won't be so lenient."
The vampire scrambled to its feet and darted off before Meg changed her mind. The demon stared after the creature for a moment, and then turned her attention to the window, fingering the vial of black elixir that hung around her neck.
Meg wasn't too unhappy with the way things had turned out, though. There had been two people who Meg had sent the vampire after with the elixir mixed into its saliva. In one of them, the corruption had only worked halfway. Meg would have to wait for a while to see if the elixir worked.
However… The elixir had worked on the other person.
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Sam could barely keep his eyes open as he drove along the motorway. He had got a cup of coffee from one of the fast food places, but the caffeine wasn't helping too much. Sam's body apparently didn't think it had got enough sleep, and if he wasn't careful, he would end up falling asleep while driving.
I'd pull over and have a nap… But I promised Missouri that I'd pick her up. Besides, the demon's likely not defeated. If I fall asleep, I could easily fall under its spell again.
It wasn't too far to the airport now. Sam made serious effort to keep his eyes open and on the road. He didn't want to crash – especially not in a situation like this one, where his brother was in a coma. And what if I slipped into a coma as well? That wouldn't help things at all.
But Sam was aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to go without sleep for long. His best bet would be to prepare for it, and make sure he was as well-defended as he could be, which meant doing as much research as possible. I need to look into possible other cases with this demon.
While keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Sam drank some more coffee. He almost missed the turning for the airport, but looked up in time, and quickly wrenched the car to the side. His manoeuvre earned him honks from several horns, but Sam ignored them all as he continued down the road and eventually pulled into the parking lot of the airport. He got out of the Impala, with his cup of coffee, and slammed the door shut behind him before locking the car.
Sam strode purposefully through the double doors into the main building. Well, as purposefully as he could while feeling like he was about to fall asleep on his feet.
He drained the rest of his coffee, and then tossed the polystyrene cup into the nearest rubbish bin before making his way to the arrival gates. As he passed the waiting area, though, he paused, and turned to a young, red-haired woman who was sitting on one of the chairs.
The photo of Melissa Williams that had been online – along with the article detailing her death – had been in black and white. But the likeness to the young woman sitting nervously on the edge of a chair was unmistakeable. Missouri told me that, if I was going to contact her at all, it had to be sooner. Sam took a deep breath, and then walked over to the woman until he stood directly in front of her. "Amber Williams?"
The woman lifted her head and looked up at Sam out of eyes that could have been blue or green. "Um…" she said, a little hesitantly. There were dark circles under her eyes, and there was an almost wild look to her. There was a holdall on the floor in front of her.
"I'm Sam Winchester. We talked on the phone." What's she doing here? he wondered. She shouldn't even be here. There was no way she could have known I was planning to come up here.
"Yeah, I know…" Amber nodded. She glanced upwards, almost as if looking up at another person – but there was nobody there. "I just… thought I should come here. I was gonna give you a call."
"Um, right…"
"Aren't you going to help the girl with her bag, Sam?" a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.
Sam turned round, and, unable to help himself, smiled in absolute relief to see the psychic there. "Missouri… I'm so glad to see you." He started to introduce Amber, but then remembered that Missouri would already know who she was. She probably guessed that Amber would come here… He was definitely going through a lot right now. Not only that, but Sam really needed to rest.
"Sweetie, it's going to be all right." Missouri patted Sam gently on the arm, and then held out her suitcase. "Here. Big strong man like you – I'm sure you won't have any difficulty carrying this and the other bag."
"Sure." Sam heaved a sigh, and reached to take the suitcase. He turned back round to face Amber, and paused, as he thought he glimpsed someone standing behind her. He blinked, and it was gone – but he couldn't say that he hadn't seen anything. Sam didn't mention it, though, and bent to pick up the holdall as well. "Are you coming?"
Amber put her head on one side, as though she was listening to something, and then nodded and stood up. "Yeah… That information you asked for? It's in there." She nodded vaguely towards the holdall.
"All right." Sam started walking with the bags, heading towards the doors of the airport. He heard Missouri and Amber following him, and couldn't help wondering.
Have I done the right thing here, getting Amber to come to the place where her sister died?
Well, there wasn't much else Sam could do right now. He'd just have to find out what he could, and hope for the best.
At least Missouri's here… I'll have to ask her if she knows any way of helping me out with the Vereor demon.
Sam didn't see Missouri draw closer to Amber, and neither did he hear the soft words the psychic whispered to the other woman.
"You're going to have to let her go at some point."