A/N Hello all! I apologize for long this chapter is, it got away from me a little bit. Thanks so much to those who have been reviewing! :) :)
Chapter Six
Maddie's tears, and Sam's blood, had both slowed to a trickle by the time Dean appeared abruptly at the top of the hill, blending almost seamlessly in with the shadows. Sam breathed a sigh of relief but Dean's face was shifting from worry to alarm.
"What's happening?" he demanded urgently, picking up his pace. Maddie shook her head, wiping at her puffy and swollen eyes with the sleeve of her shirt as she sat up straighter. Dean's eyes widened almost comically at the new blood that was covering both her and Sam and he shoved his way in-between them, crouching low.
"What the hell?" Dean snagged the duffle, dragging it over as he pressed two fingers to the underside of Sam's wrist.
"Dean, it looks worse than it is. The bleedings pretty much stopped again," Sam was quick to try and defuse the situation but Dean flashed a look that could have killed before shifting through the first-aid kit for more gauze.
"Was it bleeding before I left?" Dean asked gruffly as he shifted Sam's arm to the side.
"I don't know, maybe," Sam lied easily and Dean narrowed his eyes at him before shaking his head. The hurt that flashed across his face was almost worse and Sam reached out, latching onto Dean's arm. Dean continued to work, blotting at the gauze and trying to determine if Sam indeed was finished bleeding for the moment. Finally, he sat back, a calmer expression on his face than a minute ago.
"You suck, you know that. I come back and find Maddie acting like you had—and you weren't moving…" he trailed off cursing but his actions were more tender than not as he brushed Sam's sweat-soaked hair back from his face.
Sorry felt inadequate, but it was all that Sam had to offer and Dean seemed somewhat pacified, his eyes losing some of the panic that seemed so permanently entrenched. Not for the first time, and surely not for the last, Sam wanted to hate his father for everything that he had forced on them.
"Did you find anything?" he asked as Dean moved over to Maddie, checking her wounds over once again. Dean looked up from where he was palpating her ankle and heaved a sigh.
"We're about a half a mile from the trail and I think if I located us where we are right, another five to the car. I just…we can't trust anybody else we might meet and we sure as hell didn't bring enough holy water to test everybody."
Sam blew out a breath. "More cross country hiking?"
Dean set Maddie's foot aside, his face twisting up in a grimace. "No, no, I'm done playing this bitch's game. If we can hit the trailhead then we are going to make better time."
"Dean—"
"Don't 'Dean' me! We can't keep this up, you've got a freaking hole in your side, no way you should have to be climbing around mountains, or—or wading through rivers. None of it. I didn't give up my soul so that you could up and die and because of some psycho demon!"
Sam paused, biting at his lower lip as he took in the slump of his brother's shoulders and reached over, clasping his arm. "Then leave me and Maddie behind. Go on ahead, catch her. Trap her and show her what it really means to go up against a hunter, against a Winchester. She probably is waiting at the bridge anyway, it's really the only tactical ideal here."
Dean hesitated, his eyes darting back and forth as he went through various scenarios and Sam leaned back, watching. Maddie stayed quiet, wiping occasionally at her still running eyes.
"One way or the other, you're still going to have to hike out of here," Dean said slowly. "And I'd feel better if I had you close at hand. When we get closer to the bridge we'll play our hand." he shrugged and Sam nodded.
"So more cross country hiking?" he asked, forcing a smile onto his face. Dean made a soft snort as he began to repack their bags, his face still lined with troubles. "Hey," Sam sat up a little straighter. "At least we can cut a path through the forest. It might be quicker that way, anyway. Forget all those switchbacks."
"Right, cause the switchbacks are there just so you can enjoy the scenery. No practically purpose whatsoever."
Sam snorted a laugh and leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes. He really wasn't feeling well…Taking a moment, Sam began to stuff it all down, locking all the weakness in a box deep enough that he couldn't get to it, not yet, not till everyone was safe.
"I'm going to help Sam up, Maddie, then I'll grab you, okay?" Sam opened his eyes at Dean's words just time to see Maddie give him a watery nod.
"You ready, dude?" Dean bent down next to Sam, grabbing his left arm and bracing it under the elbow. Sam returned the grip, and together they slowly levered him to his feet. Sam panted through the motions, his fingers turning white against Dean's as he swayed.
"Woah, easy does it. Easy." Dean tightened his hold and took a step closer, bracing for another fall as Sam's face rapidly turned from pasty white to grey. "C'mon, don't pass out on me now, man. I kinda based all our plans off of the fact that you weren't going to do this to me."
"I'm fine," Sam ground out quietly, giving himself a moment to adjust as he gripped Dean's arm hard enough that it had to be painful. The nausea that had reared its ugly head with the movement simmered back down as everything stabilized around him and slowly released Dean. "I'm good. Go help Maddie."
He gestured loosely for Dean to move away, but Dean only tightened his grip. "Let's get you to the bottom of the hill first," he countered, shifting his grip from Sam's elbow to tuck his arm around his waist. "Cause, I'm gonna be brutally honest, if I don't I'll probably be hearing 'help, I've fallen and I can't get up!' from you, grandpa, so let's just…let's just get you to a place where you aren't going to tear yourself up if you do fall."
Sam snorted, throwing an entirely unamused look in Dean's direction. Dean grinned, before tossing an 'I'll be right back" over his shoulder towards Maddie.
They started the climb up the rest of the hill, Sam's shifting to gather a handful of his brother's jacket to keep himself steady.
"By the way," Dean lightly jabbed a finger into Sam's chest, breaking his mind away from the pain. "You have to swear to tell me if you start leaking again, okay? You feel like you're gonna pass out, tell me. You need to sneeze—"
"Tell you?" Sam hazard a guess, panting lightly.
"Damn right."
They reached the top of the hill that had been the downfall of Sam earlier and Dean twisted his fingers into Sam's shirt, preparing for the decent and the opportunity to keep him from going too fast.
As it was, the slope was steep enough that it was almost impossible to stop the gain of momentum.
"Hey, hey, hey, easy does it," Dean snapped, trying to keep his own boots from slipping out in the loose dirt. Sam gave a low grunt in response as he tried simply to keep his feet moving and himself upright. They took the last few steps at something far too close to a full-out run and it felt him pale, shaky and feeling a little like he might pass out again. A cold sweat had broken out across his face and neck and even as Dean's finger's clenched painfully around him, he listed uncertainly to the side.
"Maybe…do you want to sit down again?" Dean asked as he shifted his grip, leaning Sam against a nearby tree and slipping on hand underneath his torn shirt and pressing it against he pressed against the gauze checking for more bleeding. "I won't even make fun of you."
"Yeah, you will," Sam protested breathlessly, swallowing against a roll of nausea before shaking his head. "No, I've just got to keep going. If I sit down, I'm not getting back up." His fingers clenched and unclenched reflexively around Dean's arm before letting go and pushing off from the tree. Dean lurched forward, an arm outstretched but Sam only latched onto a nearby tree, using it to balance himself.
"Go, get Maddie. I'm good." He shot Dean a soft and knowing look as he shook his head in frustration.
"Your anything but that," he said quietly and under his breath.
Sam couldn't exactly contend with that. "Just…just point me in the right direction, okay?" It took Dean a long moment but he finally pointed right.
"I don't know why I'm bothering. You're only going to make it, like, ten feet before I catch up with you."
Dean did the trip up and down the hill in record speed and Sam could hear him lightly teasing Maddie, trying to make her smile, trying to make everything better. That was what Dean did, after all.
Dean nudged Sam's shoulder with his own, offering the appendage as a cane of sorts and Sam slowly twisted upright from his hunched over position, crawling his hand up Dean's shoulder and gripping tight.
#
Glancing behind him for what felt like the umpteenth time, all Dean could see was the top of Sam's bowed head as he labored onwards. The past hour had not been easy for him, Dean knew that, but he just. kept. going.
Pride wared with concern until Dean settled on anger. It seemed as good as of emotion as any and it fueled him better than most. Once he laid his hands on that demon, he was going to rip her limb from limb before sending her back to hell. If he didn't distrust Ruby so much, he might even call her up and ask for the use of her knife, but she was a whole different basket case that he wasn't sure about.
Right now the priority was getting Sam and Maddie to the hospital.
Then it was hunting time.
Dean smirked as he shifted Maddie in his arms. All the crying earlier had worn her out and she lay still, her head pressed against his chest as she blinked lethargically. She was never going to be the same again, but she would live to tell the tale, Dean would make sure of that. They just had to get through the next 24 hours.
Sam let out a sharp gasp and Dean turned his head again, slowing his steps as Sam's grip on his shoulder faltered. Pausing, he waited for Sam to breathe through the pain before they started up again.
Dean hated it. He hated that they were pushing through brush and debris like some wild animal. Growling under his breath, he guided Sam around and out of the way of a fallen tree, attempting to take the smoothest path possible.
The path was just out of eyesight to their left and the thought gnawed at him ever deeper with each little sound of pain that Sam made. He knew that this stupid hike through the woods wasn't bugging Sam near as much, that even though it left him breathless and in pain and sick to his stomach that he preferred it to actually being on the trail, but damnit. This wasn't right.
"This is an even worse idea than when Buttercup threw herself face-first off the hill after Weasely. And that was just plain idiotic." Dean snorted, his fingers curling reflexively around Maddie. He was itching for his gun as well, but he couldn't carry it and Maddie at the same time. This whole situation was buggin' him.
"What?" Sam lifted his head, his brow creased in confusion as he tried to follow Dean's train of thought.
"This! Everything!" Dean shrugged emphatically, before shifting to block Maddie as he shoved his way past the prickly branches of a nearby bush. "What are the odds that Emma—the demon—is actually going to be on the path? Huh? It would get us back to the car in double time."
"We don't know that, this is safer," Sam protested, his fingers tightening around Dean's shoulder. "What happens if you are brushing past Mr. Rogers and he stabs you? We really don't need you down as well, Dean. Better to play it safe."
"How busy are these trails really, though? It's not exactly prime hiking season and it's getting close to evening. People hike in the morning, not at night."
"I don't…I just don't feel like it's a good idea," Sam continued to protest and Dean pulled a face at the nearby rock.
"But I don't like the idea of dragging you through all crapfest. We aren't exactly the Kratt brothers here."
"The who?"
"The Kratt brothers? Zoboomafoo?"
A long moment later Sam huffed a laugh. "Dean, we've seen more weird animals than those brothers ever have. But if it makes you feel better, after this we could start a tv show, showcasing demons and vamps to kids."
"See, you are starting to sport nonsense." Dean pretended that he didn't hear the long-suffering sigh before Sam inched closer to him, a physical reminder that he was still alive and actually, well, maybe not okay but doing alright.
That was when they turned the corner and Sam finally did stop with a low moan of disappear. A rocky drop-off confronted them and Dean made a face. He remembered this part from the trail that overlooked it, the part of the trail that eased people down nicely, offering a lovely switchback to ease their pathway.
Sam dropped his head onto Dean's shoulder with a weary groan that tore at Dean's heartstrings.
"I'll leave it up to you, buddy," Dean said, glancing over his shoulder as he eyes the steep drop off with numerous rocks and fallen trees. If Sam fell here then he would more than likely bash his head open.
Sam just groaned again. "Neither. I pick that we find a third option."
Dean snorted. "Yeah, unless you found any lamps with genies in them, don't think that's much of a choice. But…Imma just going to throw this out there. You can see this gully from almost any point on the path. Not exactly a lot of trees to provide cover." He waited a moment, but Sam knew when he was beaten.
"Trail it is, then. You do realize that with our luck, we probably are going to come across the demon," Sam panted just loud enough for Dean to hear as he backed up a step, letting Dean have enough room to turn around.
"Yeah, well, the quicker I can send her packin' on a one-way trip." Dean awkwardly shuffled around, taking point again and starting them back the way that they had come. This time aiming them up and off to the left and back towards the path.
Dean wasn't even mad.
"Do you really think the demon might be waiting for us up there?" he asked casually as dug his boots into the loose dirt, finding traction for the uphill climb.
"Maybe. What we'd do." Sam choked on the words, coughing the last ones out and taking in a large gulp of air.
"No, we would just go straight to the bridge," Dean countered gently. "Too many places for us to be out here in the wild, but I'd bet a pretty penny that we are better hunters than the demon is. I mean, there have been lots of flaws in her plan. She didn't make sure Maddie was dead didn't leave you tied up properly. Her little fantasy has holes. I'd narrow down the location to a point that we would be forced to go through. It's been stuck doing whatever it is demon's do down in hell and dreaming up this crazy fantasy, not actually hunting."
"True," Sam sounded more breathless than before, the word weak, and Dean shut his mouth, waiting until they reached the top before speaking again.
"All the same, we have to get ourselves to the bridge. Or around it, but that river—"
"Way too fast," Sam agreed.
"Shut up and save your breath, I'm just thinking out loud," Dean tossed over his shoulder, "So the river's a no go. I mean, I might be able too—"
"—No—"
"Alright, that's a hard no from Sam for the river." Dean hadn't honestly thought that it would be worth it, the river that they had crossed through earlier was nothing compared to the monster that it would feed, but it had been worth a try.
"I guess we could just stake it out, see if there even is someone there guarding it. She can't stay there forever and it's just us against her."
"Don't have a lot of supplies," Sam reminded him and Dean made a face.
"Spoilsport,' he grunted under his breath and instead concentrated on the climb up and onto the trail as Sam let go of his shoulder, clinging to a branch instead. Once he was up, Dean paused, glancing around for signs of anyone else, demon or otherwise.
"Okay, we're good," he said softly, his senses on full alert and the hair on the back of his neck tingling. "Think you can…?" he trailed off, jerking his head at the ledge that led off the trail.
"Yeah," Sam said with a confidence that Dean, personally, didn't think that either of them shared.
With a grunt of his own and one last glance around him, Dean went down onto his knees and leaned over enough to offer his shoulder once again as a brace. Sam made a face that said that he wasn't happy at all with the situation but grabbed hold, using it to inch his way up.
"Wow, you weigh a lot," Dean said in a strained voice as he fought the pull of gravity and Sam's body weight. Maddie's hand come up, gripping tight to his shirt with a petrified look on her face as Dean gave her a look straight down the hillside He probably could have put her down, but…to be honest, his arms had kind of locked up and it would take a long minute to work free the kinks. He may have been well conditioned, but this was a little ridiculous.
Sam rolled more than climbed over the top and lay on the ground, his whole body trembling. His skin was paler than the last time that Dean had gotten a decent look at him, gaining an almost translucent look.
"How's your temperature holding up? High? Low? Bitchy?" Dean asked, glancing around them once more. Sam rolled over, easing himself onto his knees. He had to stop there, his fist clenching and unclenching as he worked out through the pain.
"I've been hiking through the woods, what do you expect? 'm hot," Sam mumbled once had enough air and Dean raised an eyebrow, decidedly unimpressed. He did let Sam cling to him as he once more rose to his feet, aiding Sam up at the same time.
"How about your pulse? Take your pulse and tell me," he demanded, casting his eyes about once more. He felt so much more exposed out there and the need for his gun was making his fingers twitchy. Sam made a face and Dean shot him a hard glare. "Just do it, dude. Don't bitch about it."
Sam pressed his fingers to his neck, pausing quickly to wipe away some of the sweat there, before silently counting. Dean waited for the outcome, judging other vital signs from appearance alone. Sam was breathing too fast and he was sweating like he was getting a grade out of it.
"Well?" Dean asked and Sam pulled another classic-Sam-Winchester-is-concentrating-so-would-you-shut-up-Dean face.
Dean rolled his eyes.
"It's a little fast," Sam admitted, dropping his arm and pressing it back against his side with a little pained sound. Dean shook his head in exasperation, not expecting anything different but still frustrated.
They moved up the path and it didn't take long for Dean to feel that the choice to readjourn with the trail was the right on. Sam had straightened behind him, letting go of his shoulder and supporting his own weight and his breathing was coming in a little less harsh, his steps smoother without the constant fight against the uneven and often troublesome ground.
It also made Dean dread the time that they would, once again, be forced off the path.
The lengthy switchbacks seemed to go on and on, winding them down the steep incline with little or no problems. It was until they were rounding the last bend that they saw the middle-aged man sitting in the shade near a tree.
It was the first soul that they had seen since they had set foot on the mountain that morning and Dean stiffened, his heart jackhammering against his ribs. Sam swore under his breath, straightening up further and tucking his coat quickly around his blood-stained shirt.
The man raised his head, looking up from the trail mix that he was going through. Dean didn't take his eyes off of him, backing up a step.
"Evening," he said as calmly, giving him the best glare that he could manage. The man nodded back, his eyes growing increasingly wide as he took in their ragged appearance.
"Christo," Sam spat with little regard to social interaction from next to him and Dean's fingers once again twitched around his grip on Maddie as he watched the man intently.
He blinked, but merely looked confused and his eyes remained a clear blue. "Sorry, what?"
"Nothing," Dean said hastily, sharing a relieved glance with Sam. "Nothing. Uh," he glanced down at Maddie and raised his eyebrows, jerking them towards the man but Maddie shook her head urgently, her fingers snaking into further into Dean's shirt. He was going to have permeant wrinkles from how tight she kept holdin' on.
"I trust you," she implored, her eyes wide and Dean glanced over at Sam, who was nodded and Dean heaved a sigh.
"It would be safer," he tried but Maddie only kept shaking her head and Sam edged closer.
"Unless it's not. It could come back for her, Dean. Use her against us or kill her out of spite. That puts a target on him as well."
"EXCUSE ME?!" the man ahead of them had gotten to his feet, his trail mix tumbling to the ground. Dean turned to face him, putting on his most patient face.
"Does this look like any of your business? So you can stick your nose out of it and go back to picking out your freaking M&M's!" He turned back to Sam and smiled at the look of mortification on his brother's face. At least that one thing hadn't changed.
The man's eyes followed them as they passed, his eyes straying a little too long on Sam's bloodied clothing until Dean swung back around.
"What, never seen siblings our hiking together? Move along, there isn't anything to see here." The man jutted out his chin but Dean straightened to his full height, glaring down at the smaller man and he backed down again, his eyes jumping back to the ground. "That's right. Now continue up to the top and I really, really, hope that I don't see you again. Everything's fine here."
Sam made an apologetic noise but Dean marched ahead, his back ramrod straight. Sam inched up next to him a moment later.
"You could have been a little nicer," he remarked dryly but Dean only shrugged.
"All's fair in love and war."
"But he didn't know anything. You've got to give him credit, he didn't freak out overseeing us looking like some sort of wild gang hopped up on drugs." Sam smiled briefly and Dean shook his head.
"I think we were more freaked out than he was. I swear my heart was about to start beating out of my chest when we rounded that corner and he was just right there. I thought for sure that we were screwed."
Sam smiled, laughing shortly before all the humor left his face. "We need to get off the trail again."
"Yeah, off the trail," Dean agreed immediately with only a moment of complaint from his brain. "I feel naked out here." He paused, gnawing at his lower lip before turning to look at Sam and whatever was in his face had Sam's eyes softening into that doe look of love and fondness that he sometimes got, the one that meant he was about to start gushing about their feelings. All the same, Dean bit the bullet.
"You gonna be okay? And don't wax on, monosyllabic answers work great."
That look on Sam's face wasn't going away and he smiled down at the ground momentarily before answering. "Don't worry about me, dude, let's just try and stay away from the demon as long as possible."
"Yeah, 'don't worry'. I'm gonna worry cause you are the one watching my back and if you decide to randomly fall over then it's me whos screwed over in this deal."
"Right," Sam was still smiling and Dean shook his head, pushing his way down the path and towards the end of the switchbacks. The trail here was level with the ground and they simply walked right off, disappearing into the foliage as if they had never even been there in the first place.
It felt like far too soon to Dean that Sam's hand found his shoulder again, bracing himself as they maneuvered around fallen foliage and low hanging branches. And then it was back to the strained breathing and grunts of pain.
There was a reason that the trail was designed the way that it was, and it wasn't to make hikers work more.
He was so going to knife the demon when he got ahold of her, she wasn't going to stand a chance.
#
Darkness had been steadily creeping across the sky, faint stars peeking out overhead when Dean declared that they had, probably, about a mile, maybe a mile and half, left to reach the bridge depending on how they navigated the mountainside.
"Emma's probably already there," Sam said in a hoarse whisper but Dean only shrugged, his shoulder shifting in Sam's white-knuckled grip.
"We've got to get you to a hospital, man," Dean said lowly, his concern almost thick enough to touch. He had been growing more agitated the last hour and Sam could sense his growing restlessness.
"I'm not even sure I need a hospital, just a bed and rest," Sam tried, desperate to cut a little bit of the weight Dean was carrying away.
"I'm gonna need it then, cause I'm gonna have an aneurism before this over."
Sam would have laughed if he hadn't been busy warding off the intense pain that was threatening to take his breath away. Dean froze, turning in an attempt to see Sam's face but Sam had his forehead pressed against his outstretched arm in an attempt to muffle the soft whimper.
"You good?"
"Yeah," Sam pressed himself back upright, taking another step forward that Dean matched easily.
"Well don't feel offended that I'll believe you once I have a medical professional who actually gets a paycheck tells me that," Dean skirted them a clump of trees, shifting a sleeping Maddie in his arms with a pained grunt of his own.
"I kept tellin' you. I just need drugs and rest." Sam sighed, his eyes growing distant for a moment. "That sounds like total bliss right now."
Dean shifted a little closer as Sam stumbled, trying to take more of his weight but there was only so much he could do and Sam could read the lines in his face that said that it irked him to no end. An owl hooted softly in the distance and Sam jumped. The motion sent a hot wave of pain coursing through his side and he doubled over.
"Damnit," Dean swore under his breath and made to put Maddie down but Sam shook his head.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine," he repeated in a low mumble and Dean hesitantly straightened, his eyes dark with concern.
"I swear if I hear that phrase come out of your pie-hole one more time, I'm gonna smack you," Dean growled, but slowly started forward and Sam felt himself flush. Dean was practically moving at a crawl to accommodate him, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't. He was about at the end of his endurance and they both knew it.
The thought irked him like nothing else and that more than anything had kept him on his feet and moving.
A twig snapped somewhere close by and Sam froze, feeling Dean do the same.
"Might just be a deer…" Dean muttered and Sam nodded.
"Still means that I wouldn't mind having Ruby's knife," he returned, his voice dropping lower. They held their breaths, waiting several long moments. Nothing appeared but Sam couldn't shake the dark chill that was creeping up his spine.
He squinted into the trees, trying to see through both the increasing dimness and his lack of focus. Dean was a rock under his hand, not moving as he gathered intel. The hairs stood up on the nape of his neck and Sam fought the urge to inch closer to Dean.
As quickly as the moment had come it vanished and the darkness that had descended upon them lifted, leaving only the warmth and calm of the clearing. An owl hooted softly somewhere and Sam let all the air out of his lungs in a rush. "What's she playing at?" he mumbled, shifting on his suddenly shaking legs. His calfs were starting to cramp and every step threatened to be his last.
"I don't know," Dean said. "She's the one holding all the cards here, but I don't like it, Sammy. I don't like it all."
"She might be…might be just…" Sam trailed off, hunching over with one hand on his knee and the other curling into the meat of Dean's shoulder. He panted roughly the pain, trying hard not to buckle under its pressure.
"You gonna upchuck or anything, cause, you know, the demon is probably lurking. Though, to be fair, it might scare her away."
Sam shot Dean a look that told him exactly where he could stick his words before his face crumpled and he let go of Dean, running a hand through his hair and clenching a handful at the roots as he tried to slow his breathing and get everything back under control.
"Slow it down and just take slow breathes," Dean said softly, casting a nervous glance around the forest before nudging Sam's shoulder lightly with his arm. Sam cast him a much more apologetic look this time before straightening a little.
"Do you think she was just checking in on us?" Dean asked and Sam nodded, attempting to focus on the clear distraction that Dean was providing instead of the pain in his gut or the weakness in his legs and the desire to lay down and never get up again.
"Uh, yeah. Might just have been looking. Don't know—" he trailed off and Dean nodded.
"Yeah, we don't even know if she saw us. She could have just been passing through the area, trying to get a location on us. Hey! If she is, you know what that means?"
"She's away from the bridge." Sam leaned his head back, his eyes cinching close. This might be their only chance…
The sudden wave of hopelessness and despair that flooded through his system and sent tears pricking at his eyes took him by surprise. The bridge was still at least a mile away. At least. And he was going to have to force his legs not only to carry him that far, but also go at a speed that wasn't more than a shuffle, not if they had any real hope of getting out there.
The odds had never seemed more impossible than they did right then.
"Whadda say, should we try and make a break for it?" Dean asked and Sam clenched his eyes shut tighter, willing with all that he had to keep the exhaustion and tears at bay.
"Yeah, okay," he finally got out and felt Dean tense under his hand.
"Sam…" he said almost gently and Sam shook his head in frustration, willing it all away.
"Dean, no, let's just go. This may be our only chance," he ground out, looking away from and down at the ground just in case Dean looked over his shoulder. Dean was silent for a long moment, long enough for Sam to risk a glance at him, but he was staring ahead, his jaw working as he thought.
Sam bowed his head, blinking away the last of the wetness from his eyes. He was better than this, he was. So was Dean. Their dad would have just kept on marching, nothing got in the way of the hunt.
"Yeah, okay," Dean finally said and they once again started off, pushing hesitantly through brush and briar but it seemed as if someone had attached two dead hellhounds to Sam's burden, their weight dragging him down until he thought that it might topple him.
Not that hellhounds weren't a fugitive weight in his day to day life or anything, Sam thought darkly. Wasn't like they were hanging over their heads, just waiting for the year to end.
Sam forced himself to pick up his feet at the thought, his fingers tightening in Dean's jacket as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. Which it probably was, but Dean had always been his support. Now it was his turn, his turn to fix the problem because, for the first time in his life, Dean wasn't looking for a solution.
"Woah, slow down there Speedy Gonzalez before you fall flat on your face!"
No, they had to keep moving so that he could leave this damn forest behind so that they could kill the demon and put all this nonsense behind.
"Seriously, man, stop," Dean's low whisper was harsh in the dark and Sam stumbled to a standstill next to him, his fingers clenching and unclenching in his jacket as his chest heaved and his legs trembled. The air felt unusually warm and he rode out the accompanying dizziness.
"We can keep going," Sam croaked out but Dean was already shaking his head.
"Yeah, no. I mean, you are doing an awfully good imitation of the big bad wolf back there with all your huffing and puffing but the only thing that you're gonna blowdown is yourself."
They stood there at a stalemate, the light of the faint moon just starting to shine down through the trees and illuminate the shadows around them.
It was Dean who broke the silence first. "C'mon, let's just sit down for a moment, take a breather. I don't think Emma is near is right now, but even if she was, moving might not be the best idea," Dean paused, shifting a sleeping Maddie against his chest before he went in for the kill. "Besides, my arms are about to fall off, dude."
Sam opened his mouth, tried to think of a valid response to everything that his brother had said, to even just think through the thick fog that was waring against everything he did and closed his mouth again. Dean seemed to know that he had won and began to gently ease out of Sam's grasp so that he could set Maddie down.
The loss of contact and support sent Sam stumbling back, vertigo back with a vengeance now that there was nothing to ground him. Sam was suddenly hit by the urgent need to sit down. Maybe Dean had been right to take a moment to just…
"I'…I'm gonna sit down," Sam muttered, throwing out both hands in an attempt to find something to hold him upright as his knees reached their giving point and simply refused to hold his weight any longer.
"What, no, Sam, hold up a freaking second, let me help—" Dean's panicked voice swirled around him and then he was hitting the ground hard on his tailbone and tipping over onto his side. His arm dug painfully into his wound and agony shot up through the tender nerves.
Sam felt his throat working on a scream as he reared back, attempting to take the pressure off his side, and then strong fingers were digging into his arm and pulling back up into a seated position.
The pain cut through the fog better than anything else had and Dean's face wavered into view enough so that Sam could make out his features without having to squint. Dean's hand came up, bracing his shoulder and kneading it gently.
"Hey, Sammy, you're alright. Just breathe for a minute, put your head down, c'mon work with me here."
Sam's head was pressed down towards his knees and a moment later a bottle of water was thrust into his line of vision. Sam stared at it and Dean moved it closer, shaking it lightly. Sam took the hint, reaching out for it.
The water was disgustingly warm, but it felt like heaven to Sam and he took another large gulp. Dean let him drink his fill and then silently took it back, capping it absently as he looked Sam over.
Sam ducked his gaze, staring at the ground as he leaned further into Dean's support. "Maybe you were right," he mumbled tiredly and Dean blew out a laugh.
"I keep telling you that I always am."
"Just this once you were right. Most of the time not so much," Sam corrected himself. His legs were still throbbing as blood continued to pump through them but they weren't moving so that was something. His eyes threatened to dip lower and Sam pried them open again.
"Dean, you should get out of here, go get some more weapons."
"What? You're mumbling, dude."
Sam grunted, but dutifully repeated himself and felt the moment that Dean understood because he stiffened.
"No way, that demon is wandering around. I'm not leaving you unprotected for her to just happen across and slit your throat."
Sam paused, heaving a breathe, and then sighed. In about a minute Dean was going to be one his own anyway, not much he could say to debate with him. "Fair enough, but Imma…I gotta—"
"Yeah, try and get rest. I'll stand guard," Dean insisted, and then Sam was being shifted and lowered back towards the ground. The new position did not agree with his body and Sam arched back, gasping out a strange sound.
"Alright, alright, careful now, we'll just…" Dean's hands moved to his shoulder and waist and in one swift movement, Sam was rolled onto his non-injured side. The motion made everything spin and Sam ducked his head closer to his chest, panting through the sensation.
Something warm floated down, covering him, and then his head was lifted as what felt like the duffle was shoved underneath. Dean's hand lingered against his forehead and Sam heard a muttered curse and then Sam felt the breeze as Dean rose from his crouched position.
Flinging his hand out, Sam managed to latch onto his ankle, instantly stilling his steps.
"Dean…"
"Yup," Dean instantly was kneeling next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. Sam's brain worked on the response but Dean seemed to know what it meant before he did.
"Yeah, I get it. We're good."
Sam nodded once and let the tension leave his body and followed it down to the darkness that quickly overwhelmed him.