Thank you Sammy's Missing Shoe, AlxM, KToon, whatnosheep, cubelixa1, and ToxicTenshi for your reviews! They make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.
I have a lil chapter for you here, not a lot of action but it sets the stage. Hoping to have another one up tonight or tomorrow. I'm excited about it and think you will all enjoy it! Thing is, I'm supposed to be rewriting a manuscript of my research due to my boss Monday but these plot bunnies just won't leave me alone!
"Bait for what?" Sam asked, fear washing through him.
Tim shrugged. "Not sure yet. But something's eatin' people up in Nebraska so I thought we'd go check it out. Use you as living bait, track down the creature. Easy! Well, for us at least."
Sam shook his head as much as his tortured muscles would allow. "Don't do this, please."
Tim sighed disapprovingly. "Come on, we've been over this. Begging will get you nowhere. But, I'll be generous with you here. I acknowledge that all pets need to be trained. I mean, you're practically feral. So we'll start from the beginning. If you're bad, you get hurt. If you're good, you get a treat." He raised his hands and wiggled a granola bar in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.
Sam just stared at him, aghast at the proposal. His stomach rumbled at the sight of food though, and he tried to remember when he had last eaten. He'd grabbed a quick bite before he left Garber, which was probably only twelve hours ago, give or take a few depending on how long he was asleep or unconscious. He puffed up his aching chest in defiance and spat out a venomous "Fuck you!"
Tim stepped forward and slapped him. He shook his head as he motioned to Reggie. "I wasn't gonna do this if you behaved, but if you're going to be like that, you leave me with no choice." He pulled something out of the bag Reggie supplied and smiled as he held it up to Sam's face. It took Sam a few seconds to recognize the band of textured fabric and the black box attached to it: a shock collar. Tim settled the collar around Sam's neck and moved back, satisfied with the fearful expression on Sam's bruised face. "Wanna talk back again, dog?" Sam stayed silent and Tim smirked in triumph.
Reggie stepped forward, holding a scalpel and a small metallic square in his hand.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Sam asked quietly.
Tim's finger spasmed over the button on the shock collar controller but he relented. "You will only speak when it is required of you, dog. But since you asked so nicely... Reggie, wanna fill him in?"
The other hunter walked behind Sam and began cutting off his shirt with a razor. "This is a tracking device. I am going to implant it in your shoulder. Necessary for both our next hunt and to make sure you don't stray too far."
"Please don't do this to him," Lindsey plead, speaking up for the first time. "He's done what you asked, don't do this!"
Tim's lip twitched with irritation. He stormed over to her. "Did I fucking ask you?!" He slapped her hard, his hand leaving a brightening red spot on her cheek. "Not another word from you either!" He turned back to Reggie. "Do it so we can get going."
Reggie nodded and sprayed Sam's shoulder with rubbing alcohol. Without warning, he pushed the scalpel into Sam's shoulder, in a place he knew would be just out of reach. Sam screamed as the sharp blade sliced through skin and connective tissue, but he was relieved when he sensed his muscle was intact. He felt Reggie push the 2"x2" object under his skin, the sharp edges tearing at him. A few quick stitches and Sam had been chipped, as if he were any other disobedient animal prone to running away.
After Reggie placed a gauze bandage, the two hunters began packing up the basement. Both men left for the vehicle and Lindsey pounced on the opportunity to check on Sam.
"Sam, how are you doing?" She frowned when he didn't respond. "Sam?" she asked louder.
"Hmmph?" he responded weakly, his head still hanging down on his chest.
"Sam, talk to me. How are you doing?"
He winced at her tone, his exhausted mind unable to reconcile her concerned voice with Lilith's previous depravity. "I'm hanging in there," he said bitterly, but he couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto his face.
"Very funny. But, really? What happened earlier? You scared the hell out of me. I tried to get you off the stupid hook and you just started freaking out. I thought you were going to hyperventilate… You started screaming when I touched you…"
Sam gulped, suddenly becoming consciously aware of the unnerving burning tremor slinking around his body. "The blood… I… It gives me withdrawal, and uh, because the addiction is kind of supernatural, the withdrawal is kind of supernatural… Very powerful hallucinations are a particular problem. I thought you were the demon that killed my brother…"
Lindsey sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry, Sam. Withdrawal is a bitch, no matter what the drug is. How are you feeling now?"
"Everything hurts, but that doesn't matter. We need to figure out how to get you free."
"Both of us free," she corrected.
Sam shook his head. "That's not going to happen and we both know it. But I think I can get you out. I'll make their life as difficult as possible until they let you go."
"No! They'll just hurt you more. I can't live with that."
"I can't live with you being stuck here. Please, Lindsey, let me do this for you." She shook her head but he kept going. "It'll make this so much easier for me if I know you're safe. Just give me this, please. Let me help someone," he begged.
The glistening of his eyes was met with her tearful ones. She nodded and choked out an "okay."
"Good, good," he murmured with relief. "I'll try to help whenever I can, but you may have to make a break for it. And if you do get out, don't you dare come back for me. Don't even tell anyone about me. I'm not worth the risk to you. If you go back to Garber, always keep an eye peeled."
A slow clap startled both captives and they turned to the storm door to see the two hunters. Tim looked like he was doing his best to suppress a giggle, Reggie just looked annoyed. "My, Sam, you really do care about her, don't you?" Sam looked to the floor, cursing himself for not noticing their presence. "How about this: let's make a deal. If you comply whole heartedly from here to Nebraska and do your part as monster bait, we'll give her the chance to escape."
Lindsey inhaled sharply and started to say "no" but Sam gave her a scathing look before returning his eyes to Tim. "Deal."
Tim grinned maliciously. "Great. Alright then, let's get you packed up."
Reggie stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Sam's waist. Sam's hips pressed into the hunter's shoulders as he lifted Sam's weight, eliciting a cry of pain from the young hunter. Tim stepped onto the crate and unhooked Sam's cuffs and let Sam's body drape over Reggie. Tim beckoned for Lindsey to follow them out.
Lances of agony speared through Sam as Reggie's wide gait moved him from one prison to another. The bright glare of midday sun made Sam's eyes burn and he shut them tight. As such, he didn't see that the open trunk of the Silverado had been rearranged to make room for a large crate. Sam was deposited on the bumper with no care taken for his shattered hip.
"In you go," Reggie muttered, pushing Sam towards something. He opened his eyes and froze when he saw the cage. Reggie lifted his cuffed arms and directed them into the wire crate.
"No!" Sam murmured, pushing back like an unruly cat refusing to go into its carrying case for a visit to the vet.
Before he was even aware of what was happening, his body seized as electricity coursed through him. The shock probably only lasted a few seconds but it felt like eternity as he waited for the agonizing tension constricting his body to ease. He collapsed in towards the crate, half his body inside.
"C'mon, freak, we wanna get to Scotia in time for happy hour." Tim held up the remote again. "Or do you want Lindsey to get a taste of this?" Sam weakly shook his head and climbed into the crate. Reggie closed the door and secured it with a padlock. "Get comfy. It's gonna be about seven hours."
"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" Sam asked timidly.
Tim smirked and looked down. "That's what the tarp is for." He didn't even wait for Sam's horrified reaction before closing the trunk door and plunging Sam into darkness.
Panic infiltrated him like dense smoke and he struggled to breathe. He awkwardly felt around the crate the best he could, though his movement was still hindered by the cuffs around his wrists and ankles. The space was big enough for him to lay on his side if he scrunched his knees up to his chest. Settling on that position, he laid on his right hip facing the trunk door. The car started up and every bump jarred his shoulders and hips. He made the mistake of crying out after a particularly large pothole and was rewarded with a shock. Knowing the hunters couldn't have heard him, he spoke at a normal volume and again the wretched device showered him with pain. The bastards had set it to respond to any noise he made, effectively rendering him mute. He suppressed a sob and let his tears fall silently as he cursed his existence.
It didn't take long for the incessant pain, mind-numbing darkness, and withdrawal to conspire and birth hallucinations with which to antagonize him further. It started as the sensation of something, and then somethings, crawling over his body, their tiny needle-sharp feet poking a thousand itty bitty holes in his shivering skin. The miniscule creatures coalesced into something slimy and tentacled, its curious limbs taking special interest in exploring the features and holes of his face. The slippery form morphed to hands holding his shoulders down, whispering voices telling him he was weak and useless. One voice slowly became louder, its familiar, dominating boom rising about the others as the hands slid around his throat.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance, boy. I should have let you burn in that goddam house. I should have known you were tainted, but I loved Mary too much to let her precious baby die. If only I knew what you would become! You insult the memory of your beautiful mother! When I found out that fetid blood was coursing through your veins, I should have put you down like the diseased beast that you are before your infection could spread to Dean. But I was stupid, I let you live, and we all paid the price for your corruption! I hate you, Sam. You were never a son to me, you were never what Dean has always been. My only wish is that when Dean joins us in Heaven and you're burning in Hell where you belong, the angels will have the generosity to wipe you from our minds. You've been nothing but a burden, a scourge, a wicked stain on this family. Think of how much better everything would be if you had never been born…"
The hateful monologue continued and the grasp around his throat tightened until Sam could no longer breathe, and his choked, silent sobs wracked his abused body until it could take no more. Unconsciousness swept over him and for once he didn't fear the nightmares he knew awaited him, for they were more forgiving than his cursed reality.