Chapter 15

Morning came and went before Sam finally felt the need to get up and use the bathroom. He looked at the clock, a little shocked that he had slept so long, but then again, he deserved it. He called down for room service again and headed into the bathroom to shower before his food arrived.

Sam had just stepped from the bathroom towel drying his hair when he heard the knock. Still being cautious, he checked to see that it was room service before opening the door and letting them push the cart into his room.

"Do you have laundry service?" Sam asked before the waiter could leave.

"We do. Is there something I can take to be laundry sir?" he asked.

"Yes," Sam nodded going to his duffle to get his dirty clothes.

"If you will put them in here, sir," he offered holding out a plastic bag for the clothes. He had taken a pen and put the room number on the bag for Sam. "I will have these cleaned and brought back up to you asap sir."

"Thanks," Sam replied not used to being called sir. He could tell this man wasn't a demon and just figured it was a quirk of the place. The guests had to be treated well for them to keep their business. He turned to the cart as the waiter left wanting to fuel his body. Each bite was delicious, and he savored it.

Once he was done and dressed in some lightweight sweats and tee shirt, Sam pulled his laptop out to do some research. He started looking at anything he could find on possession and how to stop a demon from doing it. He read numerous articles, some fake and some helpful until several hours later, he finally ran across a tattoo called an anti-possession tattoo. He studied it closely before enlarging it and taking photos with his cell. Sam made sure it was clear and useable. He continued his search and found several sigils that would also be useful.

He found a phone book in the drawer of the nightstand and looked up tattoo parlors to see if there were any nearby. Before he did anything else, he was going to protect himself from being possessed ever again. He wrote down a couple of places and went to change into jeans before putting on his boots and grabbing his jacket. He called down to have his room cleaned and headed out the door to find the elevators.

Sam looked around at all the people hurrying off to somewhere as he made his way down the street. He was feeling self-conscious at being around so many people at one time since he had been cut off from everything during the time that he was held captive. He glanced at the paper in his hand again and noted where he was before moving to the corner and crossing the street. He could see the sign for the place he wanted on the next block down.

A bell jingled overhead as Sam pushed it open and stepped into the small store front. The walls were covered with pictures of tattoos of all shapes, sizes, and kinds. A middle-aged man stepped from behind a curtained off section of the place and up to the counter. He had long hair pulled back into a pony tail and had tattoos on his muscular arms.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'd like to get a couple of tattoos," Sam said cautiously. He had googled the business to find the one that had the best ratings and reviews and this guy was at the top of the list.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, do I need one?"

"If you can come back in an hour, I can probably fit you in if the tats aren't complicated," he said after looking in an appointment book laying on the counter.

"This is what I want," Sam said pulling up the photos on his cell to show the guy.

He studied them for a moment before giving Sam a harder look like he was sizing him up or he knew something he wasn't saying. "Shouldn't be a problem, come back at three and I'll get them done. Can I get your name?"

"Sam, Sam Campbell," he replied, only hesitating for a moment with a last name. "Can you recommend a good place to eat around here?"

"Sure, sub shop down the street has some kick ass subs. So, Sam, see you in an hour," he replied scribbling his name on the page.

"Thanks, can I bring you anything back?"

"Sure, a number eight all the way. No drink got my own. Now if you'll excuse me," he answered before stepping back behind the curtain.

Sam caught a glimpse of someone in a chair with their shirt off and figured he was a customer. He headed back out and wandered down the street to find the sub shop. Since he had an hour to kill, he decided to get some food outside of the hotel. He found the place and stepped in, happy it wasn't too crowded and made his way to the order counter. After giving the menu a quick once over, he decided to have a turkey on wheat with spinach, tomato, Gouda cheese, and oil and vinegar dressing. It came with a drink and bag of chips that he picked out as he waited for his order.

Sam took a seat toward the back of the place where he could see the front door. He picked up a newspaper from the table beside him and started reading it as he munched on the sub. The guy was right it was very good. He read the articles as he kept an eye on the time, not wanting to be late for his appointment. When he was done, Sam went back to order a number eight to go for the tattoo parlor owner.

spn

"I see you're back," the guy commented when Sam stepped back into the parlor.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, some people think they want a tattoo until it comes right down to doing it and chicken out," he shrugged.

"Here's your sub, and I'm not chickening out. I want the tattoos," Sam stated firmly. He had never had one before and wasn't sure how painful it would be, but he had enough injuries over the years of hunting that he didn't think it would be a problem.

"It's your skin, step back into my office," he shrugged taking the sub and holding the curtain open.

Sam entered the room and saw two chairs sitting side by side and an array of colored inks beside the tattoo gun. He swallowed hard and took off his jacket and shirts.

"I want this one put here on my chest just above my heart," he instructed, holding his cell showing the anti-possession one.

"Let me sketch it out. How big do you want it?"

"I guess maybe three inches in diameter. Can you show me when you're done?"

"No problem, name's Nate by the way and thanks for the sub, I'll take it off your bill."

"Don't bother, think of it as a tip Nate," Sam said. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Pretty much all my life. This was my Dad's shop and he left it to me."

"From what I see, you do good work," Sam said. He looked around the walls at all the photos while Nate drew out the picture on a thin sheet of paper while taking bites of his sub. Sam had never had any desire to get a tattoo and wasn't sure what to expect.

"So, how does this look?" Nate asked laying to paper above his heart where Sam could see.

"It has to be exact, no short cuts or changes. It's got to be a perfect match to the photo," Sam instructed him. He looked at the drawing and compared it to the photos he had taken.

"Only one other person has come to me for a tattoo like this and he said the same thing," Nate noted. "I can look it up, but wanna tell me why it's so special?"

Sam looked down at his clenched hands for a moment wondering if he should tell him the truth or not. He didn't know him, but some other hunter had trusted him to do the tattoo.

"Why don't you think about it while I work on it?" Nate asked. "Do you know anything about getting a tattoo?"

"Not really," Sam admits.

"Well, most people think it's painful, but it's more of an irritation or annoying poking. I'm going to clean your skin and dampen this so I can position it on the spot you want. You'll have to hold still while it transfers to your skin and then I'll fill it in. You want it in black, correct?"

"Yes, nothing else would really look right."

"Okay the easy part," he said. He pressed the paper to Sam's skin and smoothed it out being careful not to smudge it.

Sam felt the coldness on his skin and willed himself to remain still. He took slow even breaths and watched as Nate prepared the ink and gun to start.

"Do you want some music to listen to? It helps calm some people,"

"Sure," Sam agreed.

Nate reached over and flipped on the radio letting soft rock music fill the room. He checked the paper and carefully and peeled it off leaving the drawn tattoo exposed. "Do you need to use the restroom before I get started?"

"Yeah, might be a good idea," Sam nodded looking around.

"Through that door over there," Nate told him as he slipped on latex gloves to get ready. He pulled some sterile gauze from a pack and waited on Sam to return.

spn

The restroom was small but at least it was clean, Sam thought as turned on the light and closed the door. He looked at his chest in the mirror and studied the tattoo for any discrepancies but thought it looked right. His eyes drifted up to the face staring back at him and didn't recognize the person. He couldn't believe how much he had changed in the short period of time he had been held hostage. He had trimmed his beard and was glad he decided to keep it. He pushed a strand of hair from his face before turning to use the commode and ready himself for this experience. Once he had washed his hands and wiped his face, he went back out and sat down.

"Are you ready to begin?" Nate asked. "No second thoughts?"

"I'm ready," Sam nodded as he took a couple of slow breaths and stared at the hand drawn tats on the wall ahead of him. He felt Nate touching him and heard the humming of the gun and then the tiny prick of the needle as he started. The pain wasn't bad like he said, and Sam relaxed a little more. The more Nate worked Sam realized what it felt like.

He was taken back to his younger years as a kid and being left at Bobby's while his Dad went on a hunt. He had found a cat in the stacked cars that had kittens and he played with them. They were frightened of him at first and hissed and dug their claws in, but when they finally settled down, they began to knead his arm with their paws, digging their sharp, little claws in. They never broke the skin, but he had marks on his arm afterwards. The pressure was a little harder, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Nate worked quickly and efficiently, being sure to copy the tattoo exactly like Sam wanted. He wiped the small beads of blood from his chest as he went and checked on Sam to be sure he was okay. He had not even flinched when he started and was staring at the wall ahead with a faraway look in his eyes. Nate was sure he was someplace else and didn't want to disturb him, so he kept quiet.

"Now where do you want these other two?" Nate asked as he smeared a thin layer of ointment over the tattoo and covered it with a pad he taped down.

Sam didn't answer for a moment until he realized the humming had stopped and looked at his chest. "Sorry, didn't hear you," he apologized.

"The other two symbols, where do you want them?"

"On my right bicep, one above the other," Sam answered using his left hand to show him. "This one on top."

Nate wiped the area down first and didn't bother with a making a copy since the symbols were simple.

"I'd say about an inch or so tall," Sam told him as Nate laid his cell on his chest where he could see the photo better.

"Got it, shouldn't take me much longer, you doing okay?"

"Yeah, like you said an annoying pricking, nothing I can't handle."

"Good, then let's get started on these." Nate had repositioned his chair and moved to the side of Sam. He measured his bicep with his eyes and picked the spot to start the first one. He started the gun again and dipped it into the ink and moved to Sam's arm. He made quick work of the two symbols curious to know what they meant but wasn't sure Sam would tell him if he asked.

"I'll give you a paper on how to take care of them and what to expect. My number is on there if you have any problems or questions after you leave."

"Thanks."

"Main thing is to be gentle with them. Keep them clean and use the lotion sparely applied every day until they are healed. It'll take about two to three weeks since these aren't large or colored. Whatever you do don't pick at or scratch them."

"Good to know."

"I'm almost done here, and you'll be ready to go," Nate said as he wiped the blood away and looked at the screen of the cell one more time before adding the finishing touches to the tattoo. He cut off the gun and smeared ointment before putting a pad on his arm and taping it down. Nate stripped off the gloves before getting up and going to a cabinet behind him. "I'm going to give you a sample Aquaphor Healing Ointment that you should use 2-3 days before switching to something like Lubriderm. You don't need much, just a thin coating. These are the instructions for care of the tats. Like I said if you have any questions you can call me."

"Thanks a bunch, how much do I owe you?" Sam asked accepting the papers and small tube of ointment.

"Since you had three done, I'll give you a little discount, call it a hundred bucks even."

"Alright," Sam agreed pulling money from his pocket and counting it out. "You wanted to know what the one on my chest is for…It's an anti-possession tattoo."

Nate paused in taking his money and looked at him to see if he was joking. He saw the seriousness in Sam's eyes and saw he wasn't. "Think you can send me that photo?" Nate asked.

"Be happy to," Sam replied looking at the phone number on the wall and sending the tat to Nate's cell. "Take care," Sam said as he walked out the door.

"You too Sam," Nate replied as he pulled the photo up on his phone and looked at it again.

Sam was pleased with his progress so far. He was now protected from being possessed again by a demon and had a little extra insurance with the other smaller tats on his arm. One step at a time, he thought.

One step at a time.

A/N: Sam is taking precautions and starting to move forward. What next? He will be seeing his family in a couple more chapters, but it won't be what you expect. Thank you for taking the journey with me. Reviews would really make my day. NC