I'm gonna be straight up and say this is a tough one. Poor Sam. I love you, and yet I do such terrible things to you...
Many thanks to KToon, AlxM, and whatnosheep for your reviews! I haven't thought about what will happen to Tim and Reggie yet, but they certainly deserve something nasty after this chapter. And don't worry about me, whatnosheep, I'm sweet as can be. It's my imagination that's sadistic as hell!
Warnings: Implied sexual assault, nothing graphic, no descriptions (it'll be okay, I swear!).
When he woke of his own volition, he was no longer moving. Acute and diffuse pain made itself known over his entire body. Opening his eyes, he was still shrouded in darkness. His limited tactile exploration told him the tarp was still under him and a blanket covered the crate. Faint sounds filtered in and he concentrated on making sense of them. He heard the rustle of fabric and the sound of a beer bottle opening. Lindsey's fearful voice evaporated his haze instantly.
"Don't do this, please, please, anything but this."
"You should be thankful, bitch. We saved you from that monster." Tim's voice was razor-sharp and threatening.
"He wouldn't do anything to hurt me! You don't have to, either! I'll do whatever you want!"
"Whatever we want, huh? Well, this is what we want. I said take all of it off."
Blood drained from Sam's face as he realized what was happening. "Leave h—" was all he got out before the collar kicked in, making him shudder against the wire cage.
"Looks like the beast is finally awake!" Footsteps padded across the carpet and the blanket was yanked off, momentarily blinding Sam. Blinking away the light, he focused his eyes and felt his body freeze as he saw what was happening. Tim was standing over Sam's cage, beer in hand. On one of the beds, Reggie was laid out on his side, his hand propping up his head. Reggie's eyes were fixed on Lindsey, who was sitting on the opposite bed in her bra and jeans, her shirt thrown to the side. Tim crouched down to be eye level with Sam. His pupils were dilated and his breath reeked of alcohol. "What's the matter, Sammy, don't wanna share your girlfriend?"
Anger surged through Sam and he inhaled to give Tim a verbal lashing. Before he could even get a sound out, Tim pulled the remote from his pocket and smashed down the button, engulfing Sam in a seizure of misery. Tim laughed and kicked Sam's cage as the trapped hunter greedily sucked in air, trying to soothe his screaming nerves.
"Look at you, you're pathetic. How do you think you're gonna protect her when you can't even defend yourself? Fucking worthless." With that, Tim threw the blanket back over the crate. Tim stepped toward the bed and Lindsey whimpered. "C'mon pretty girl, we'll be nice if you don't make a fuss. I bet you'll even enjoy it…"
The sound of a zipper opening was all Sam needed to plunge himself into the deepest pit of self-hate he knew. The bed began to creak rhythmically and each one of Lindsey's muffled screams was a blade to his heart. He wept violently, tears streaming down his face. He tried to beg for them to stop, ignoring the writhing pain of the electricity running rampant through his body. He didn't even care when the repeated shocks caused him to lose control of his bodily functions. Profound desolation swallowed him and he wanted nothing more than to be one with oblivion. Eventually the screams and whimpers stopped and Lindsey's soft sobs joined Sam's. Lindsey's quieted down quickly, exhaustion probably taking her away from her living nightmare. But guilt and electricity denied Sam the release and his tears continued unabated, mixing with the now room temperature urine pooling by his cheek.
Tim sighed angrily and rattled the cage. "Shut the fuck up, freak. You trip the end of the world and one girl is what's got you sniveling? Ughhhh… Reggie, you got anything to knock him out? I'd like to actually fucking sleep…"
"Sure do, boss," came Reggie's sighing reply.
"In fact, give him a lot. Don't want him causing any problems tomorrow while we're out." The other bed squeaked and Reggie rustled through their things. A few minutes later, the blanket was pulled off and something sharp jabbed Sam in the neck before his eyes could recover. Warmth bumbled through his veins and he registered, too late, that he'd been drugged. He struggled against the rising tide but was helpless to stop the surge from hitting his brain and he drifted away into darkness.
Freezing cold roused him from his drug-assisted slumber and he screamed at the sudden insult. He tried to flee the icy water raining down on his completely exposed body but his still-cuffed hands and feet gave him no traction. He ducked his head to shield his face and opened his eyes. Looking up, Reggie stood guard, watching the young man with uninterested disdain.
"Can't have you covered in your own mess. Wouldn't make very attractive bait, now would it? Wash up so we can get going."
Sam looked down and used the wall to leverage himself up. He saw Lindsey's blonde hair coiled around the drain and grief tore through him again. Leaning against the wall and suppressing a sob, he calmed himself by breathing through his nose. He did as Reggie commanded, swallowed his embarrassment, and stepped out of the shower. The hunter threw some threadbare sweatpants and a thin t-shirt at Sam. "I'm gonna unlock these so you can get dressed, but if you even think about doing anything, Lindsey—"
"I won't," Sam half-promised, half-plead.
"Good." Reggie unlocked the cuffs, Sam quickly shimmied the clothes on, and allowed his restraints to be secured again. The shock collar was returned to its rightful place and Sam wilted under its light weight.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Sam saw the room was immaculate. No sign that any of the cruelty of the night before had occurred there. Reggie ushered him out the door and into the backseat of the Silverado. The sky was faint blue with tints of pink but Sam couldn't tell if it was dawn or dusk. How long had he been knocked out? He'd figure that out shortly, he supposed. As soon as his seatbelt was clipped in and the door closed, he turned his head to Lindsey and mouthed 'I'm sorry,' tears filling his eyes.
She smiled softly and shook her head. Sam's forehead creased in confusion.
'Later' she mouthed and Sam had to accept that as good enough because Tim turned to look at them as Reggie pulled out of the motel.
"While you were having a nice snooze, we were out doing all the work. We're still not quite sure what we're dealing with, but that's why you're going to be so useful. We're leaning towards wendigo or something similar. People out hunting deer and the like went missing, only to be found with their chests ripped open and a bunch of internal organs missing, but we can't tell if the missing guts are from scavenging animals. There are mountain lions round these parts. Most of the bodies were found east of the Davis Creek State Wildlife Management Area so I'm guessing the thing lives in the chalk mines not too far away from there. Here's the plan. We're gonna leave you and Lindsey out there as a lure. It's up to you to get her out, Sam. If she makes it, we won't go after her. If not, problem solved." He shrugged but Sam thrashed in the seat to signal his rejection. "Fine, we'll give her a fighting chance by handicapping you." He held up his gun and Sam gulped but nodded his head.
"Sam—" His stern look quieted her and they both looked back to Tim.
"Monster nabs you, we track it via your implant, figure out what it is, then kill it. Simple."
"When is this going to happen?" Lindsey asked.
"In about three minutes." Tim smiled and turned back around.
Lindsey looked at Sam in terror and he tried to comfort her but he knew it was futile. The silence nibbled away at their psyches until Reggie pulled off the road. A sign for 'Happy Jack Chalk Mine Association' went by and dread infiltrated Sam. This was not going to be pretty for him. But at least he could maybe save Lindsey. That would be worth anything he suffered.
The faded Chevy turned onto a dirt road and dove deeper into the growing darkness. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop at Tim's hushed "here." Reggie pulled the key from the ignition and got out, going over to Lindsey's side. Tim came to Sam's side and opened the door with a wide grin. "Ready? It's dinner time. Gimmie your feet." He obediently swung his legs out. As Tim removed his ankle cuffs, Sam once again breathed through his nose to steady himself.
Tim pulled Sam up and they joined Lindsey and Reggie in their march towards a dense copse of trees. After a few minutes of trekking through the forest, they came to a clearing with a large wooden post in the middle. Tim motioned with his Glock for Sam and Lindsey to go to the center. Reggie switched her cuffs from front to back and made her slide her arms over the post and sit on the ground. Sam was forced to stand on the other side with thick rope looping his cuffed hands through a hole in the post. Reggie spent enough time tying knots that Sam was certain he couldn't escape. Reggie unclipped the shock collar and then spit in Sam's face.
Tim surveyed his accomplice's work and nodded in approval. "Alight, Sammy, ready to be useful?" Sam flicked an uncertain glance up at his captor before returning his gaze to the ground. "Good doggy." Sam heard the safety click off and he braced himself not a second too soon. The bang of the gun hit at the same time all-consuming pain exploded from his right knee. Sam howled in reaction and Tim couldn't help but laugh. "See ya on the flip side!" he said cheerily before sauntering off with Reggie.
Tears filled Lindsey's eyes as she felt and heard Sam twisting with agony. He was slumped against the pole but the way he was tied offered little relief. She couldn't free herself from her position until Sam was untied from the post. Her standing would only force him to put more weight on his battered legs. Left with no other options, she looked up at his trembling back and called out his name and murmured soothing words. Eventually he calmed and responded.
"Lindsey, I can't believe what happened to you. I would do anything to stop that from—"
"Sam," she cut him off quickly. "They didn't do anything. Well, yeah, they made me take off my shirt, but it was all to mess with you. They told me if I didn't scream and pretend like they were… hurting me, they'd cut your fingers off one by one! So I played along and did what they wanted. They barely even touched me, I promise."
Sam heaved an overwhelmed sigh of gratitude. "Thank God. I just couldn't bear… I couldn't…"
"I know, I know. It's okay. Now focus. How are we gonna get out of this?" Sam pulled on his bindings but they didn't budge. "From what I can see, the knots are really complicated and pretty tight. I'm not sure how to help."
Looking around them, he wracked his brain for an escape plan. The sun was setting and there were no artificial light sources to provide additional illumination. He hoped the moon would be bright enough to guide their way should they manage to get off the damn post. Their way. Who was he kidding? One hip was shattered and his knee on the other leg was pretty much obliterated. He wouldn't be going anywhere. But Lindsey didn't need to know that.
"I'll try to get the knots loose. See if you can find anything on the ground to pick the lock on the cuffs. If I get the rope undone, you can get off the post. If you get the cuffs off, you can untie me. Otherwise, we might have to wait til the thing gets here and hope it can do something useful."
"You mean take you so I can escape," Lindsey growled angrily.
Sam smiled to himself. "If you wanna simplify it, yes."
She huffed in frustration. "Fine. Guess I'll just have to save you then." She began feeling around the base of the post for anything sturdy enough to attempt the lock. Sam focused on feeling the curves of the rope, though the handcuffs restricted his flexibility. He knew in his gut there was no getting out of this, but he continued fighting for Lindsey.
The sun had long since sunk below the horizon and the cloudless sky darkened to reveal thousands of twinkling stars. Pausing in his mostly fruitless efforts, Sam let his head fall back and he took in the sight, thinking back to all the times he and Dean — agh, Dean! Goddam, he missed his brother. He'd been wishing for Dean to come bursting through the door at some point and save him, but he had to constantly remind himself that Dean thought they were better off apart. Hell, even if Dean did know, maybe he was hoping that someone else would take Sam out and he wouldn't have to worry about fulfilling their father's last order.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sam flinched despite the fact that she was whispering.
"It is. We forget about it all the time, that we're just one little world spinning around an average star in an average galaxy…"
"Man, you can really be a downer!" she teased half-heartedly. "Sam—"
"Lindsey. Look, it's okay. I'll figure something out. But you need to keep yourself safe. If you get out of here, head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Find someone named Bobby Singer. He owns a salvage yard. He's a hunter and he'll teach you what you need to know to protect yourself. If he asks why, just tell him I sent you, okay?"
"We're getting out of here together," she said firmly.
"Say you'll do it, please."
"I'll do it," she conceded.
"That's all I needed to he—"
Sam's response was cut off by a shrill, high-pitched wail that made them both freeze. It was long and keening, like the cry of a dying animal mixed with a fox in heat overlaid with the desperate screams of Hell bound souls.
"S-Sam?" she breathed. "What the hell is that?"
"I don't know," he whispered back, trying his hardest to see anything in the darkness between the trees. The cry faded away before sounding again much closer, this time causing goosebumps to spring up on the humans' skin. The piercing sound clawed into their brains and they both felt as though their eardrums had burst. The screech got louder and louder, pressing in on them, driving them to the point of insanity until it unexpectedly stopped and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Which was instantly followed by a shocked yelp from Sam as something punctured his ribcage.
"Sam?!" Lindsey cried out, terrified by the dreadful noise and his startled exclamation.
"Something just stabbed me," he panted and looked down, "but I don't see anything." Blood was blossoming on the cheap t-shirt, a black stain in the faint starlight. Awkwardly wiggling, he felt a sharp object lodged between two ribs. Looking up, he strained his eyes but the darkness was too complete.
Distracted as he was with his newest injury, Lindsey heard it first. "Do you hear that?"
Sam closed his eyes and concentrated. Filtering out the normal sounds of the forest, he scanned every minute detail for something out of place. The noise was barely audible, it was like the sound of two cheap tissues sliding against each other. And honestly, he may have dismissed it as wind in the leaves if not for the unusual sound accompanying it. The intermittent crackling was familiar, as if someone were popping their knuckles. Closing in on the direction of the eerie snaps, Sam caught faint light and movement in his peripheral vision. Turning and squinting, he quickly recoiled as he saw a pair of burning red orbs getting ever larger as the entity approached.
"Sam?" Lindsey begged but Sam shushed her.
Sam felt something slither around his mind and he heard a hissing, angry voice whisper 'Hunter.'
"I-I think it's after me. If you can, you run and don't look back!"
Sam felt his pulse jump from breakneck to heart attack as the creature drifted into the clearing and landed on the ground with a sickening grinding noise. It was humanoid and tall, taller than him. Translucent, leathery grey skin stretched over bones, jagged angles protruding everywhere. In some places, bright white bone gleamed in the low light. It was obvious the being had no flesh, only bones wrapped in a thin membrane that looked ready to rip with every step it took towards him. Large, talon-like feet stalked along the ground, closing the space between them quickly. A bow made of bones and sinew was strapped to its back, though the quiver looked empty. It held a spiked club in its other hand, pieces of flesh still hanging to the gnarled edges. The figure swung the bow around and grabbed the air behind it, appearing to load an arrow onto the bow.
From fifteen feet away, it released its invisible arrow and this time Sam screamed as it pierced his stomach. Lindsey was yelling for him now but all he could recognize were the blazing red eyes growing larger and the disconcerting notion that emptiness was seeping out from his arrow wounds. Glancing down, the skin around the punctures was turning grey and leathery. The slide of desiccated skin over bone was disturbingly loud now. He snapped his head up to stare into the creature's smoldering red eyes. A series of crunching pops were the only other thing he noticed before he was sent flying sideways. Collecting his dwindling strength, he saw the creature had struck both him and the post, splintering it with its brawn. Within seconds it was standing over him, club held high over its head.
"Lindsey, run!" was all Sam could shout before the monster brought the weapon crashing down on his ribcage.
Lindsey managed to pull herself up off the remaining stump of the post and turned to see what was happening. She struggled to hold back her vomit as she spun and ran, absolutely sure that she would have nightmares for the rest of her life about a living skeleton dragging Sam's limp, broken body into the shadows. And yet she knew she had to count herself lucky, because his hellish ordeal had only just begun.
Ahhhh Sam! :'(
Cookies from Jess if you can figure out what the creature is!