A/N1 - Okay, thanks to Twinchy for suggesting putting in dividers when I switch perspectives - hope it works out okay! (and thanks for the help too!)
A/N2 - The demon is 100% invention and is AU as he isn't and never has been, human.
Kelly looked up from the book she was reading when she noticed Dean move his head towards her.
"Where am I?" he croaked through paper dry lips. She brought him a glass of water, this time with a straw.
"Here, take a few sips and don't try to talk yet". Dean did as he was told, relishing the cool, soothing water running over his tongue but gagging slightly as he tried to swallow.
"Okay, don't overdo it – you can have some more in a minute." She took the glass away and his head sank back to the soft pillow as he slipped back into a deep sleep.
A little later, Kelly heard Dean stirring. He seemed agitated and his voice was little more than a rasping whisper as he called out. Kelly leaned in to try to hear what he was saying.
"Tell Sammy…" Dean's tortured voice trailed off into a coughing fit, which hurt his side so much, he nearly passed out again. But he had to stay awake so he could warn Sam. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on breathing and calming himself down. The pain from his wound was intense and he felt nauseous and weak.
Turning desperate eyes to the woman hovering over him, he whispered.
"Please, I need my cell phone."
Kelly got up and went through the pockets of his jacket and jeans but didn't find the phone.
"It's not here Dean – I found your wallet before so I could find out your name, but there's no sign of a cell phone. Maybe it's in the barn. I'll get Earl to look for it in the morning."
"No! That's too late!" Dean was feebly struggling to get out of the bed, but Kelly gently pushed his shoulders back against the pillows.
"Dean, you can't be moving around like this. You'll start your wound bleeding again. Okay, look if it's that important to you, I'll send Earl out to look for it now, but he won't be best pleased with you. It's freezing out there!"
She went out onto the landing and called down the stairs.
"Earl, sorry about this but could you please take a look in the barn for a cell phone?"
Dean was vaguely aware of a door closing somewhere downstairs. Then, maybe 5 minutes later, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and was desperately relieved to see his cell phone, looking like a small toy in Earl's giant hand. Earl handed it over.
"Guess this flashlight is yours too?" He held up Sam's flashlight and Dean's heart sank. The demon already had his brother.
"There's another car out there now too" Earl murmured to Kelly as he turned to leave.
"Wait – Earl! You didn't see anything unusual out there?" Dean looked to Earl, hoping for some kind of news.
"You mean apart from the car? No." He lumbered off, mumbling a gruff "yes" to Kelly's request for coffee.
"Thanks Earl." She called after him.
"Don't mind him! He's got a heart of gold really. Just doesn't like strangers much and today has been pretty strange what with finding you in the barn and now this second car. That must be something to do with you too, right?" Getting no response, Kelly glanced at Dean but realised he wasn't listening. In fact he was deep in thought. He had a pretty good idea he knew what the demon was that had taken Sam – and also what it wanted. He needed more information though and the only way he could get it was with Sam's laptop. That must be in the abandoned car outside – Sam must have stolen it.
Dean looked up at Kelly.
"That other car belongs to my brother Sam – he's in trouble and I really need a favour."
* * *
Sam was tied to a chair, hands and feet bound with thick ropes. He didn't really know how long he'd been out, but he could taste blood in his mouth from where he had bitten his tongue, and knew there must be drying scabs all over his face and scalp. A couple of deeper lacerations were oozing slightly and he could feel the chill of the blood on his skin as it cooled in the freezing air. He whole head ached and throbbed all over – on the inside as well as the outside. He opened one eye – the other was glued shut with congealed blood he guessed – but he could see little in the intense gloom. Apart from the chair he was tied to, all he could make out was a small wood burning stove, which was lit. The door on the front of it was very slightly ajar – and that was the only illumination in the room. The glow didn't reach the corners of the room however, which were in deep shadow.
Sam heard a light chuckling noise from behind him. He strained his head sideways but couldn't see anything.
"Hello Sam. So good to meet you at last."
"Wish I could say the same thing." Sam's head was thumped sideways and he saw stars briefly.
"Oh, humour! I thought your brother was the one with the smart mouth? Emphasis on the word was!" More laughter. Sam said nothing, though his heart was now hammering violently in his chest.
"Oh, well now, aren't we the stoic one?" A blur at his side, and suddenly the creature was looming over him. He couldn't really make out the features very well in the dark, but clearly this was no human. Too tall for a start, and there seemed to be something almost lizard-like about its face.
"You know, considering the Winchester reputation, killing him was almost too easy! I just slid the knife in nice and deep and left him to bleed to death. You should have seen all the blood! Oh but of course! You did see it, didn't you Sammy? You're a special child after all. Very special indeed."
Sam tried to rid his mind of the image of Dean, lying in a pool of his own blood. He's not dead, he's not dead. He repeated it like a mantra, trying to convince himself it was true.
"If he's dead, where is his body? It wasn't in the barn." The eye that had been blood-crusted shut, finally broke open and Sam stared defiantly at the creature. He had worked out it was probably a demon of some sort.
"That's because he crawled out of the barn, on his hands and knees like a pathetic, wounded animal, and made it to the trees before he died. In agony by the way."
"He's not dead!" Sam spat out "you're lying!"
The demon chuckled again. "Oh, but I assure you he is, little Sammy! No one is coming to rescue you this time – they're all gone! Everyone who ever cared about you – all dead. Poor Sammy, all alone in the world. What will you do now? Keep fighting the good fight on your own? Of course you would need to get away from me first, and that could be tricky as I am in no rush to let you go!" He ran a razor sharp talon down the length of Sam's cheek, drawing fresh blood to join the dried streaks already there. Sam flinched and tried to pull away from him, but the ropes held him fast.
"What do you want with me?"
"Oh, there's plenty of time to get to that. But wait! Where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself!" The demon clutched its chest in mock horror at its social gaffe.
"I am Jarveld – of the Hell Jarvelds that is!" He cackled at his own wit. Sam stayed silent. He was wracking his brains trying to work out if he had ever heard of this demon, but he came up blank. He was also fighting the idea that Dean really was dead. Though this Jarveld sounded very convincing. Still Demons were known to lie. He held on to a glimmer of hope that his brother was still alive, albeit wounded. Either way, he would have to find his own way out of this particular situation. Not that things looked all that promising just now. The ropes were too thick and tightly tied for him to work them loose.
"Now where was I? Oh yes. You're all alone Sammy. Has it occurred to you that you could go back to school now? You only took on this hunting job to help your brother and find your father. But they're both gone now. There's nothing to stop you making a new life for yourself. You could get a good job, meet a nice girl. Well another nice girl anyway!" Jarveld chuckled.
Rage boiled up inside Sam and he strained against the ropes. He wanted nothing more than to ram his fist down this demon's throat to shut him up. Jarveld seemed to know every button to push and every word that came out of his mouth tore at feelings Sam had struggled to bury. It was like he was deliberately picking open old wounds. He couldn't even put his hands over his ears to make it stop. So he was surprised when suddenly it did stop. There was silence and Jarveld seemed to have disappeared. Sam again tried to look behind him but still couldn't make anything out. He was left sitting there, in the freezing cold, unable to move and alone with his thoughts, which were turning increasingly dark.
* * *
Kelly had gone with Earl to get the laptop, and between them they picked up the two duffel bags they found there too, and brought everything up to Dean. Then Kelly helped him sit upright against the freshly plumped pillows. The pain of moving made his eyes swim but he soon had the laptop open and was doing his best to find out more about the demon – in particular, how to track it and how to kill it – he had guessed correctly and already knew what it wanted. Though he had a thin tee-shirt on, he started shivering and Kelly helped him put on an overshirt from his duffel bag – wrinkling her nose at the smell, she offered to do some laundry.
"Not that I generally go around offering to do laundry for strangers, you understand, but this bag is stinking the room out."
"Really? I hadn't noticed" Dean barely looked up from the screen. Clean laundry was the least of his concerns but he might as well keep Kelly occupied in the hopes she wouldn't start asking too many awkward questions.
"Oh hey, Kelly, could you leave me some jeans. I need to get dressed. And by the way, who undressed me?" He smirked until he heard her reply.
"Actually, that was Earl." When she saw his face she laughed, adding "okay, just kidding, it was both of us."
"Oh, I feel so much better now." He went back to his research, but in no time his eyelids were beginning to droop. By the time Kelly came back, he had slumped sideways and was snoring lightly. The laptop was teetering on the edge of the bed so Kelly picked it up and put it on the side table. She eased Dean back onto the pillows as best she could and switched off the light. She was heading towards the door when she stopped and went back for the laptop. It was still switched on. She pulled the door, 'til it was just slightly ajar.
She took the laptop downstairs and sat with it at a big wooden table in the kitchen. There was no password on the screensaver so when she hit the keypad the screen re-opened at the web site Dean had been viewing. Earl wandered in and poured them both mugs of black coffee. Sitting down at the table, he asked Kelly what she was looking at.
"Earl, you wouldn't believe it if I told you! Here, take a look for yourself." She turned the laptop screen towards him and noticed his eyes widening as he read the screen.
"What the hell is this guy looking at this stuff for?" From the dark look on Earl's face, Kelly had an idea he aimed to find out.