Chapter Thirty-Five
Leah watched as Dean flew through the air, the sound of her scream deadened by the piece of cloth enshrouding her mouth. With a sickening thud his stalwart body slammed against the wall and slid motionlessly to the floor, bizarrely reminiscent of a child's toy that has been carelessly tossed aside. Leah's heart constricted in her chest and her body instinctively strained against the straps in an attempt to reach him.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a nacreous glow beside the bed that seemed to wrinkle and coruscate and though she hated to, Leah dragged her gaze away from Dean. She found herself looking at the spectral image of David Manning. His incandescent eyes fastened on her horror-stricken face and he shared a sardonic smile before wafting across the room in pursuit of his quarry.
Standing over Dean, his translucent face conveyed the magnitude of his disappointment as he realized the hunter wasn't moving. His head whipped around, and in a flash he was alongside the bed. "That wasn't much fun. Either he's weak or I don't know my own strength." he lamented. "No matter, there are other ways to make him suffer."
As Manning's image dissipated, Leah stared at Dean's inert form, willing him to move. Then a hint of hope rose up as an elevating thought pushed it's way through her despair. Sam! Surely Sam was there, too! However the seconds ticked away and tall, steadfast Sam failed to appear in the doorway.
Leah wasn't sure what to make of that. Was he lying hurt in some other part of the house? Or...or once Dean had figured out where she was, had he gone there by himself? Deep down, she knew what the answer had to be. If Sam was there and safe, he would have shown up by now, and if he'd been injured David would have eagerly indulged in the pleasure of telling her that neither Winchester would be coming to the rescue.
Dean was there alone.
His body had hit that wall with an extraordinary amount of force and he'd landed at an odd angle, as if something had broken. What if it had? What if she was the only one who could help Dean and she wasn't able to get to him? The thought drained away all of the self-restraint she'd managed to muster since learning of David's spiritual existence and Leah once again began to work savagely at her bindings.
During her flurry of activity, she failed to notice Nigel enter the room and make his way toward the bed. He was watching her thrash wildly about as he crept cautiously closer, an odd look on his face. When he reached her side, he captured her arm within his large trembling hand and held on until she stilled.
The contact snapped Leah back to reality and she labored to reign in the chaotic whirlwind that blustered within her. Once she calmed down, the glazed look of hysteria was replaced with one of stark desperation. She HAD to know that Dean was okay. With a silent plea for help, she stared up at the blond haired man who held not only her fate, but Dean's as well, in the palm of his shaky hand.
Nigel's face was a blank mask and Leah was certain the answer to her prayers was not going to come in the guise of this man. He wasn't going to do anything for her and Dean because he was too damn weak; too scared to stand up to the ghost of his deranged cousin! His hands lunged toward her and for a split second Leah thought he was going to hit her, but then they slid beneath her head and untied the kerchief.
Stunned, Leah quickly uttered her thanks. "You're doing the right thing, Nigel. Now untie me. But hurry! We have to hurry!" The words gushed out as time was precious. She had no idea where David was or when he would make a return appearance. "We'll grab Dean and get out of here. I promise Dean and I will get rid of David for you."
He ran his fingers over the strap on her wrist and started to unbuckle it, but then his head dipped and slowly shook from side to side as his hand fell away.
No! Leah's mind screamed. Don't you stop! When she spoke, her voice was low and discordant. "Nigel. Nigel, you listen to me. You can do this. You can."
His head continued to bobble back and forth. "He'll kill me." Watery blue eyes lifted. "Sorry, I can't help you." He walked over and squatted beside Dean.
"Nigel! Is he okay? Please, you have to at least tell me that." she pleaded.
He grabbed Dean's wrist and searched for a pulse, then quickly ran his hands over Dean's arms and legs, feeling for broken bones. A quick check of his head revealed a large knot at the back. He turned to her and gave an affirmative reply. "I think so. He has a bump on his head, though."
"Okay." she breathed out, but the solace was short-lived. Nigel had scooped Dean up and set him on the chair. He moved to the door and picked up a length of heavy rope that she assumed he'd placed there earlier.
It was time to start talking. Fast. She had to convince him that she and Dean were his way out of this mess. "Nigel, you don't really want to be a part of this. Dean has a shotgun in the trunk of his car. It's got rock salt and that'll stop David. You hear me? It'll stop him for now and then there's a way to get rid of him for good. So he can't hurt you or anyone else. But you have to help us so we can help you."
Nigel wavered, trying to decide if he should believe her or not. "Rock salt?" he questioned.
"Yes! It disperses spirits. Come and untie me. We'll get the gun. Together we can put an end to this. To David." Leah tried to sound reassuring, but she'd reached the point where all she wanted to do was get her hands on the miserable little recreant and give him a sound beating. She knew he was scared, she understood and sympathized because she was, too, but there comes a time when every person had to step up and this was his.
He paused, rope in hand, as he contemplated her words, then glanced nervously at the open doorway. The action was ludicrous considering they were dealing with an apparition that hardly needed to use a door! Leah was about to deliver more words of encouragement to try and speed him along into agreement, when Nigel let the rope fall to the floor and started towards her. She held her breath as he approached, wishing she could feel relieved, but relief would only come when she and Dean were out of that house and David's bones were salted and burned. What she could do, and did, was offer up an inaudible prayer and urge the young man on.
"That's it! That's it, Nigel, but you have to hurry before..."
Not again! Leah felt it, the bitter chill that surrounded her body, but the shivers that had her trembling weren't solely caused by the metaphysical presence that had commandeered the room. She began to shake from the raw emotions that waged a war within her as she lay there helplessly watching the shadowy form engulf their only means of escape.
The evil entity had no patience when it came to his inept cousin's desire to aide Leah. Once again governing the young man's body, David walked over to the wall and slammed Nigel's head against it so hard Leah thought for sure his skull would crack in half. Blood gushed from a wide cut in the skin at the hairline above his left temple, and the blond locks that fell over the wound were rapidly turning red.
"Worthless loser!" David screamed. "You can't do anything right! You never could, Nigel!"
His glacial gaze flickered toward Dean. Immediately guessing his intentions, Leah screamed out. "NO! Don't you touch him!"
Manning stormed over to the unconscious hunter's body and, grabbing a handful of his jacket, yanked him up off the chair and dragged him toward the bed. "Yes! Oh yes. Change in plans, Leah. This will be much better!" he raved as he swiped at the blood oozing down the side of his flushed face.
His hold on Dean suddenly went slack and Nigel's body dropped to the floor, while at the very same instant Dean's eyes flew open and landed directly on Leah. His booted foot shot out, kicking at the blond man's leaden form before stalking closer, a smile playing about his lips. He clenched his hands into fists and flexed his arms, laughing triumphantly at his new status. "I was wrong. We can get what we want, if we're smart enough." He patted Dean's chest. "Now this is more like my old one. With this body, we're gonna have a real good time, sweetheart."
David's voice coming out of Dean's mouth caused bumps to rise along the flesh on Leah's arms. Her breathing grew rapid as he sat on the edge of the bed and stretched his right hand out toward her. Leah tried to get through to Dean, to wake him so he could fight David. "Dean! Dean, I need you! Wake up, Dean! Don't let him do this!"
Beautiful green eyes, eyes that normally revealed a combination of warmth and admiration when cast upon her, had a cold, harsh glint to them as his fingers clamped around her throat and began to squeeze, slowly blocking her flow of air. As Leah struggled to breathe, she tried to tell herself that this wasn't Dean, but as her supply of oxygen was pinched off, her mind was having a very difficult time separating man from spirit.
Dean's handsome face twisted into a dark mask of fury as he loomed over her. "Dean can't help you, Leah. You've been a very bad girl, trying to convince Nigel to turn against me. Me! His own cousin." He paused, seemingly fascinated by her reddening face and gasps for air. "I'm going to have to make you pay for that. Or should I say Dean will."
He waited until her eyes fluttered and started to roll back before relinquishing his hold, then simply sat with an unexpected patience and watched as she gasped for air, her chest heaving and lurching as she desperately sought to fill her hungry, burning lungs.
Several minutes passed before her breathing returned to a somewhat regulated pace and then David spoke again. "You know, I'd planned to kill you both when I was done, but I had the strangest thought while I watching you fight to survive. I think I may just let your boyfriend live. Imagine him surviving and having to go through each and every day reliving your death, knowing he was the one that killed you with his very own hands."
As he contemplated the idea, his head cocked slightly to the side while his eyebrows lifted and the corners of his mouth dipped downward, an action that made Leah shudder as it was something she'd seen Dean do so many times. "Yeah, I like that idea. Doesn't that make you feel better, Leah? Knowing that even though you'll be dead, he'll get to continue on and live a long and miserable life?"
As she tried to swallow, the pain in her throat made Leah realize how easy it would be for David to make that threat a reality. Straining to get out each word, she said, "Dean'll send you to hell!" Those words, however, belied the unshakable fear that was trying hard to conquer her.
He nodded. "Maybe so, but after killing you, he's sure to join me there eventually." David stood up and tugged off Dean's leather jacket. "I'm gonna lock Nigel up before we get started. I just don't think the boy can be trusted anymore. In fact, I may even have Dean kill him, too." He walked over to the chair and tossed the coat onto it, then looked back at Leah. "What do you think?"
What did she think? She thought he was one of the most vile, loathsome creatures she'd ever faced. She thought it was a real shame he was already dead because she'd enjoy nothing more than killing him!
"You're sick!" her ragged voice quavered.
David laughed. "I'm only getting started, darling."
He squatted down and nudged Nigel, but there was no response. "Like I said, worthless." Grabbing the back of his shirt, Manning dragged him toward the door. "Maybe by the time I get back, Dean'll be conscious and he can watch us. It'll be sort of like a threesome - but with a twist."
As he disappeared down the stairs, pulling his cousin roughly along behind him, Leah drew in a shaky breath, sickened by the thought of what was to come. And the demented bastard was going to make Dean do it! With Nigel locked up, it left only one option. Dean would have to be strong enough to force Manning out of his body so he could free her. Then one of them could make a run for the car and that shot gun.
That was the plan and it had to work. Because if it didn't, well, Leah didn't want to think about what would happen then.
Sam flipped his phone closed, annoyed with the poor connection. He'd been trying to get a hold of Dean for the past half hour with no luck and when he finally did get through, he could barely make out what his brother was saying.
"What the hell is going on with these phones?" he grumbled.
Tossing it on top of one of the small stacks of magazines that covered Amy's coffee table, Sam reached for his laptop. "I'm not positive, but I thought I heard Dean say the name Manning. He probably wants me to check the guy out. See what he's been up to and if it's possible he's involved."
He and Dean were working off the same idea, Sam thought. Previous hunts. When they'd gotten back to the apartment he'd sent Amy into Leah's room to look for her journal, which thankfully, she was able to find. He was still working on it, but so far the few leads he'd been able to dig up turned out to be dead ends.
Blake, who had been pacing back and forth behind the couch, stopped and rested his hands on the back of it, curiously eyeing the computer as Sam typed in the name. "Manning? Who's that?"
"David Manning." Sam said, glancing at him over his shoulder. "That's the guy that Leah tried to perform an exorcism on last year."
Blake nodded. "Okay, yeah, I remember her saying something about that. We were talking about our first hunts. It was an incubus, right?"
"Yeah." Sam quickly relayed the story as a list of sites popped up on the screen. "Leah worked with the guy. She and Dean had a bad feeling about him right off and while we were on a hunt, Leah figured out he was possessed. We got rid of the demon but Dean had some problems with Manning afterwards. Makes sense that Dean would want me to check him out."
Too restless to stay in one spot for long, Blake went to sit on the recliner. "Problems huh? Let me guess, Dean threatened him. Seems to be what your brother does best." he said sarcastically. Seeing Sam's eyes shoot up, he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Sorry, Sam. Look, I know the guy's your brother but come on. He's got a helluva temper and is a bit reckless at times."
Jumping to his brother's defense, Sam said, "Dean is not reckless."
Blake barked out a short laugh. "Please! He was following me, did you know that? Used me as a punching bag cause he thought I was the one trailing Leah. Meanwhile, someone grabs her and while we're here trying to work together to figure this out, he takes off on his own. Now you can't find either one of them. You don't consider that even a little reckless, Sam?"
Sam's eyes narrowed and his lips tightened as the frustration and anger that were lying just below the surface flared up within him. He'd had more than enough of Blake's badmouthing his brother. The guy didn't know Dean, didn't know how much he loved Leah and how hard a time he was having dealing with her disappearance. Dean was doing what he needed to do to get through this, so who the hell was Blake to judge him on that? "Watch your mouth when it comes to my brother. Dean is out there doing everything he can to find Leah, okay? Hell, he just gave us a good lead with Manning so if you..."
"Sam!" Amy's voice startled the men as she walked into the room. "I just spoke to my dad. He and my mother will be here in about an hour or so."
She situated herself next to Sam on the couch and laid her hand upon his leg. It was all there, flowing out of him and into her. Anguish. Fear. And irritation. That last emotion was clearly aimed at Blake. She'd only caught the tail end of their conversation, but it was obvious that something was wrong. In all honesty, it only took looking at Sam's face to know he was not happy with the other hunter. Well, they already had alot to deal with so the last thing she was going to allow these men to do was argue. They were going to work together and stay focused on one thing and one thing only, finding her sister.
"There's no problem here, right?" Her eyebrows lifted quizzically as she put him on the spot.
The men glared at each other, neither choosing to speak. With a sigh, Amy tried to lead them into a productive conversation. "What was that you were saying when I came in? You said a name, what was it?" she asked. "I think I recognized it. Is that who you think has Leah?"
"Manning. David Manning. He's the guy that was after Leah last year, the one possessed by the incubus." Sam explained for a second time. "The connection was really bad, but it sounded like Dean said his name so I'm gonna check him out, just in case. I mean, I know that was a long time ago, but it is possible he'd go after Leah again."
Shaking her head, Amy said, "No, it's not, Sam. It's not possible. David Manning can't have Leah. He's dead."
Okay, that put a new spin on things. The men exchanged worried looks, then Blake leaned forward and asked, "Dead, Amy? Are you sure? How? When?"
"Uhm, okay. Wait, let me think." Closing her eyes, she rubbed at her temples as she tried to remember the specifics. A moment later, her eyes flew open as the story came back to her. "Got it. It was a car crash. Leah showed me a newspaper article she'd found and it explained that David Manning was killed in a car accident here in town. It wasn't that long ago, maybe six months."
A feeling of dread filled her as she voiced a question that would probably seem dumb to the hunters, but she needed an answer. After all, even though she knew what Sam did, she herself was no expert and she wasn't exactly sure if a ghost could, or would, kidnap someone. "His spirit, it could haunt her, right, but he couldn't have taken her somewhere, could he? I mean, you don't really think David Manning's ghost has my sister?" Her eyes danced back and forth between the men. "Do you?"
The two were silent as they processed the new information, then both spoke at once. "Yes!"
TBC