ROAD UNTRAVELLED

Dedication: To all of my regular readers, you guys rock and to Carikube, you inspire me.

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Disclaimer: Sigh I thought I managed to gain ownership of Supernatural and the cast and crew but then I woke up and realised that I was only dreaming.

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Author's note 1: I have been doing some research for something else and came across something interesting that got me thinking about why Erik Kripke chose Lawrence Kansas. Then I stumbled across a possible explanation which as per usual got my wicked imagination working over time.

Author's Note 2: If you want to find out anything about Stull Cemetery, Google has heaps of links, also Wikipedia has some interesting stuff.

Author's Note 3: Promise no Supernatural Characters will be permanently maimed or killed in the course of this story, they will all recover I promise.

CHAPTER 3 Ring A Ring of Roses, We All Fall Down:

Dean paced the veranda of the motel; inside he could hear Sam mumbling incoherently in his sleep. He clutched the cell phone tighter and cursed again when it went to voice mail. 'Damn it Dad pick up this is important ... Demon important.' Dean added instead of telling him about Sam, maybe using the demon as bait would be enough to draw their father out.

'Dean!' Sam's scream brought Dean back to the present, running into the room he found Sam sitting on the floor between the beds, blood trickled down from a small cut on his temple and from his nose with yet another nose bleed. 'Dean!'

'I'm right here Sammy, it's okay.' Dean said soothingly helping his brother back onto his bed, 'what happened?' he asked while he checked the cut on Sam's temple.

'Ow! Dean ... not sure dream I think.' Sam winced and tried to swat Dean's prying hands away.

'Dude you have blood all over ya,' Dean said ignoring Sam's hand, 'you cut your head when he fell from the bed and your nose is bleeding again dude.'

'Dean?'

'Yeah Sam?'

'I-I can I think I can see dark shades.' Sam said softly turning his sightless eyes to Dean's direction, 'it's like two shades of white but in patches.'

'Your sight might be slowly coming back Sammy,' Dean mused not wanting to get too excited just yet, 'do you have a headache?'

'Only where I hit my head,' Sam said tentatively touching his temple, 'I don't remember hitting it.'

'What was your dream about?'

'We ah, we were hunting in a cemetery and, and I remember running towards you being chased ... falling and hitting my head on a headstone. When I woke up I was on the floor.'

'Okay so you hit your head in your dream and it is now bleeding?' Dean shook his head he had never felt out of his depth with Sammy like he does now. 'Damn Sammy ... the mists were the mists in the dream?'

'Not the mists as such but it looked like an incorporeal ghost. Casper was the mist.'

'Okay they're manipulating your dreams.'

'Dean?'

'Yeah Sammy?'

'I can hear ... something else in the room with us now.'

'You can hear what Sammy?'

'Like a rustling whispering sound, like umm wind rushing through trees or something.' Sam shrugged and then cocked his head to one side listening intently. 'Dean there's at least two of them in here.'

'Fuck ... we're getting outta here now Sam.' Dean declared as he wrapped his arm around Sam's waist and helped him to his feet, 'I'll get you out to the car and then come back for our stuff.'

'Dean...'

'Just hang on to me Sam, whatever you do don't let go.' Dean guided them through the room just as furniture started to shake and move seemingly of their own accord. 'Come on Sammy.'

The wind picked up until it howled around the room, now Dean could see the small tufts of malevolent mists floating around the ceiling of the room darting in and out like some sort of ghostly dance.

'Dean I can hear them.' Sam called above the wind; his knees starting to buckle under the onslaught his strength waning. 'They're calling me.'

'No Sam, not gonna happen Casper is not having you.' Dean declared as they managed to reach the impala relatively intact, as soon as they left the room the winds stopped and the mists were gone. 'Sam can you hear them?'

'No, no not now they're gone.' Sam whispered.

'Okay we're getting out of here.' Dean declared helping Sam into the car before running around to the driver's side.

'Dean we can't keep running from motel to motel they're following us.'

'Yeah I know, we need to find somewhere where we can hole up for a while and work out ... damn why didn't I think of this earlier?'

'Dean what is it?'

'There's a tourist style ghost town about five miles out of town, I saw a brochure for it in the motel office, and the manager said it was closed until the summer when he saw me looking at it.'

'A ghost town?'

'Where else to hide from Casper?' Dean said with a smirk, 'hang on Sammy won't be long and you can rest again.'

'Calm down Dean please, I don't want you to have a stroke while you're driving.'

'What? Don't tell me you're listening to my heartbeat again? Man you're so freaking me out lately.'

'Sorry Dean ... still while I can hear so good it might be an advantage.'

'Exactly how?'

'Well I can hear danger coming.'

'Oh hang on I have it.' Dean announced as an idea hit him.

'Yeah what?' Sam asked with some trepidation not sure, if he wanted to know the answer or not.

'Well I can take you to a bar and you can listen out for any chicks that might make a comment about me. You know so I know who to go for.'

'You are incorrigible Dean.'

'Hey no swearing in the baby's presence.'

'Dean ... ahh ... we nearly there?' Sam gasped out pulling off his sunglasses he rubbed his eyes, 'damn.'

'What is it Sammy?' Dean asked now hearing his own heartbeat as the panic rose another notch.

'My, my ahh, my eyes hurt.' Sam gasped out wiping the tears leaking from his eyes. 'The bright light ... burns.'

'Okay Sam hang on we're there.' Dean said as he skidded on the dirt road and sped into the deserted town. As the dust settled down around them, Dean took a quick look around. The town looked like it was straight from a spaghetti-western movie, with a dirt road diving the town in half, lined with timber buildings of various shapes and sizes. Once filled with businesses, like the general store, a jail-house, a hotel, and so on all the way down the street, houses and smaller dwellings behind them and at the end stood an impressive looking barn and blacksmith's forge. 'So Sammy ready for the wild west?'

'Very funny Dean.' Sam ground out still holding his hands over his eyes, 'I can't hear anything else except the wind and your breathing.'

'Well that's something then, okay let's get you into one of the houses, there's one just down the road from here, it'll be easier to protect than one of the bigger businesses.'

'Okay.'

'Sammy you still with me?'

'Yeah ... just got a killer headache.'

Dean drove slowly around the buildings pulling up in front of a rather innocuous looking house, 'stay here and I'll make sure that it's okay.' Dean said opening his door, 'keep the doors locked I have the keys.'

'Yes mom.' Sam sighed, 'just hurry.'

An hour later Dean had Sam settled on an old mattress and covered with a travelling rug from the car and their jackets. He had a small fire burning in the fireplace and managed to find some food lurking in their bags for their dinner. At least they should have a good night's sleep and then work out their next game plan tomorrow.

Dean sat by the fire watching Sam sleep, it was one of his favourite pastimes even as a child when he couldn't sleep he would watch Sam. A sudden chill filled the cabin making Dean shiver uncontrollably, he glanced over at Sam and noticed that his brother was still in a deep sleep; actually for Sam it was a little too deep.

'Sammy?' he whispered his breath coming out in small tufts of condensed air. 'What the fuck?' Sam felt so cold to the touch if he wasn't breathing Dean would swear that his brother had died in his sleep.

A book sailed through the air slamming into the side of Dean's head, dazing him, before he could react another book hit him in the middle of his back. Swearing Dean twisted to move to get the rock salt loaded rifle when he felt a hard blow to his back sending him facedown on the floor.

A maniacal laughter filled the air as unseen assailants pummelled Dean, who could only curl into a ball and try to protect his more vulnerable parts. Without any time to react or to check on Sam Dean felt himself rising into the air before being thrown hard against the wall. He could feel his arm snap as he landed on it awkwardly. Panting heavily he tried desperately to keep unconsciousness at bay not wanting to leave Sam unprotected, blinking the blood out of his eyes Dean tried to crawl over to Sam's bed when invisible hands caught him, the cold touch sucked the last of the warmth and strength remaining in him. Finally, the unseen assailant dropped Dean to the floor, discarded like a broken toy.

'Dean?' Sam called out as he pulled himself out of the too deep sleep, his body and head felt so heavy, his muscles ached and pain spiked in his brain with every movement. 'Dean?' he called again his voice still thick with sleepiness. 'Where are you Dean?' Panic rose up through his long body as he listened intently; trying to hear Dean's familiar footsteps and even heart beat but this time there was nothing... except for a soft mewling coming from the other side of the room. 'Dean?' Sam whispered standing up he took a tentative step forward shuffling his feet in the unknown territory. An overturned chair blocked his path, his knee slamming into the corner of the wooden seat. Cursing under his breath Sam pushed the fallen furniture aside and took another hesitant step. 'Dean come on dude answer me.' he called out holding his hand out to steady himself and to feel anything that may be blocking his path again he shuffled his feet across the dirty floor, sliding rather than stepping he made his laborious way across the room.

'Dean?' He called out again; panic now taking over his thoughts. 'Don't do this man it's not funny.'

His toe hit something solid but soft at the sametime, dropping to his knees Sam pushed his hands out on the floor around him feeling for something that ... 'Dean?' Sam breathed when he touched the fabric of Dean's shirt. His long fingers followed the cloth to where he felt Dean's body. 'Oh God Dean?'

Swallowing the rising bile, Sam carefully ran his fingers over Dean checking for injuries, his breath hitching as he felt the numerous cuts and lumps littered over his brother and then as he ran his fingers down Dean's right arm he could feel the break. 'At least it was a clean break but damn it's gonna be a bitch to set.' Sam said conversationally to his still unconscious sibling. 'Fuck Dean what happened?'

Sitting back on his haunches a little Sam wrapped his long arms around himself and tried to stop the shivers coursing through his body. He listened intently but couldn't hear anything except Dean's ragged breath and slow but steady heartbeat. 'What do we do now Dean?' Sam whispered, 'what do we do now?'

'S-Sammy?' Dean moaned 'gotta help Sammy.'

'I'm right here Dean.'

'Gotta help Sammy, he – he needs me.' Dean persisted pulling himself up he cradled his broken arm to his chest and swaying drunkenly tried to combat the vertigo, he spoke to himself, as though he didn't realise that Sam was right next to him.

'Dean? Hey Dude I'm right here.'

'No, no it's a trick.' Dean cried out blindly swinging at the direction of the voice, 'leave him alone.'

The punch caught Sam's chin sending him flying backwards; even when injured Dean packed a massive punch. 'Dean?' Sam cried out nursing his jaw with one hand the other he reached out and tried to feel his brother's solid body again. 'Please Dean don't do this.'

'Sammy?' Dean whispered blinking furiously as his blurred vision finally started to correct itself; he could vaguely make out the upturned furniture and broken objects littering the place. A death trap for a blind person. 'Sammy you alright?'

'Dean? Please Dean it's me it's Sam.'

'Hey, hey I know who you are, you okay?'

'Dean? You're not gonna hit me again?' Sam asked cautiously jumping when Dean caught hold of his flailing hand and held it tightly.

'No, no I'm not gonna hit you again Dude.' Dean said softly.

'What happened Dean?'

'Umm not sure on the facts but something attacked me, you were more than asleep like a sleeping death I couldn't wake you.' Dean stopped and took a few deep breathes as a new wave of pain flooded through him.

'Dean you okay?' Sam demanded when he stopped talking so suddenly.

'Yeah, yeah I ah can't tell ya what attacked coz it was invisible. Ah fuck my arm's broken.'

'Dean we have to get outta here.' Sam said suddenly a chill passing through him, 'now.'

'Dude I – ah don't...'

'Dean?' Sam cried out the panic exploding in his head, 'Dean answer me dude.' Choking back a sob, he felt around until he felt the still body of his older brother. 'No Dean please,' he whispered letting his fingers move upwards over the leg, abdomen, chest, neck until they rested on Dean's chin. Carefully Sam slid his fingers over his brother's face and closed eyes. 'Oh God Dean please.'

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Tracey sat up gasping, the heaviness in her chest made it hard to breathe, staring around her wildly she forced herself to calm down. She was in her own bed, the early morning sun filtered through the curtains bathing the room in a soft golden light.

'Damn it,' she breathed it was a vision; she could still hear the fear in those four words, 'oh God Dean please.' Scrambling from the tangle of sheets Tracey wrapped her robe tightly around her and went to the window, drawing the curtains she let the warmth of dawn's sun penetrate the coldness left from the night. 'Oh Goddess please protect those boys until I can find them.' She whispered her prayer fervently, repeating it exactly three times, 'blessed be.' She finished and then with a heavy heart she turned to go to the bathroom and a hot shower.

Gazing at her pale reflection in the mirror Tracey couldn't believe it was her reflection staring back at her. Large dark circles ringed her eyes, like smudges of soot, her cheeks tight across her high cheekbones looked sunken, and then she looked at her colourless and cracked lips. She looked a wreck. 'No!' she moaned when she saw the droplets of blood forming on her upper lip, another nosebleed. Staggering to the shower stall, she turned the water on as hard and as hot as she could possibly have it. Letting her robe and gown drop to the floor Tracey stepped in under the harsh spray of hot water and let it wash away the grime and dirt she felt after her vision. The tears mingled with the water and went unheeded as she lost herself in the comfort from the water. Closing her eyes she saw the face of the young man named Sam, with his white sightless eyes and then her focus shifted and she saw the broken body of his brother, the evil surrounding them was palpable. Throbbing and expanding around them, a wall of pure inescapable malevolence. Finishing her shower Tracey stumbled out of the cubicle and reached the toilet just as she started to vomit. Purging the pain and fear along with the remnants of her last meal, the last tremor of the retches passed through her contracted stomach muscles and she finally relaxed.

Weakly she managed to put her robe back on and make it back to her bed. Sitting down she waited for the dizziness to pass before she picked up her phone and rang a familiar number, this was beyond her abilities, and she needed help. The brothers need help and she had no way of finding them, all she knew was that their names are Sam and Dean and they were in danger.

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Swallowing down hard on the rising sobs and terror Sam straightened his shoulders and forced himself into action. He felt along Dean's body until he touched on the broken arm, his deft fingers moved around enabling Sam to gauge the break and where to hold, and then after two attempts managed to realign the bones, using whatever he could find within reach. Sitting back he ran his hands over his handiwork and smiled slightly, even blind he could set a bone and splint it. The rest of Dean's injuries were less obvious and harder to treat without being able to see them. Crawling around the cabin carefully reaching out with his hands as he moved Sam managed to drag a cushion and the blanket back to Dean, after a little awkward manoeuvring he was able to get his still unconscious brother into the a seemingly more comfortable position, at least he could cover him and keep him warm. As he settled in next to Dean, Sam finally let his emotions out to play.

Overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and absolute terror tumbled up and out, hot tears ran down his face, his fingers twisted into the blanket covering Dean held little comfort for him. Blind and unable to help his severely injured sibling filled Sam with guilt and new self-recriminations. He had never felt so useless in his life and it twisted in his gut like a knife. 'Don't leave me please Dean, don't leave me.' He wept openly not caring anymore.

Exhausted Sam curled up on his side next to Dean, his arm draped over his brother's chest; he let himself relax into sleep, unable to stay awake or conscious any longer.

A cold wind pushed through the cabin, making the two young men both shiver in their pain induced slumbers. A laugh rumbled along the wind, cruel, and malicious it built up volume and intensity as the one laughing enjoyed the outcome of its little script so far. The play so far surpassed its expectations. The grand finale still a long way off with only the first two acts half way through. But it had patience and it had front row seats, what could be better?

TBC