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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CHAPTER 4 A Haunting They Will Go

'What the?' Dean mumbled and tried to move, his aching body protested loudly, making him wince with each tiny movement. 'Sammy?' he called out suddenly filled with fear when he couldn't see him. 'Sammy dude where are you?'

The silence unnerved him even more, forcing his body into action Dean pushed himself up and onto his feet, swaying for a few minutes he waited until the world stopped spinning around him before he took his first step. He cradled his broken arm close to his chest trying to keep it as immobile as possible he took very slow cautious steps his fear beating in time with his rapid heartbeats made him feel nauseous and dizzy but he kept moving, had to find Sam.

The splint on his arm made him stop and stare down at it stupidly for a few seconds, 'Sammy.' He finally whispered it his fingers trailing along it, 'damn why can't I remember?'

Stumbling he kept moving this time with more urgency, 'Sammy!' he bellowed rushing out into the daylight, he hissed and shielded his eyes with his good hand, the midday sun burnt brightly in the cloudless sky. 'Sammy where are you dude?'

Lurching towards the impala Dean shook his head he could've sworn he heard laughing but no one else was there. Skidding to a stop Dean stared at the macabre sight in front of him, his mouth dropped open and his voice disappeared as he tried to reconcile in his mind what his eyes showed him. 'Sammy?'

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Tracey sipped her coffee and stared out of the diner window watching and waiting, her head thrummed with a headache she could not get rid of, her eyes burnt from crying and her heart felt stretched to its limits, thumping harder than normally possible against her chest.

'Tracey girl what have you got yourself into?' A familiar soothing voice came at her from behind.

'You didn't tell me it would be this hard.' Tracey sniffed before her tears fell and she sobbed into the comforting embrace of the other woman.

'Hush child now tell me what it is.'

'You know that I went to Stull cemetery with Rory and some friends.' Tracey started shyly sniffing back a new round of tears.

'And you know what I told you about that missy.' Came the sharp retort. 'How is young Rory?'

'He'll be fine, the cast is making him cranky, but he'll be fine. Christian and Deni aren't talking to us anymore though.'

'Those two are bad news girl, an' they're getting theirs now ... so tell me what's got you so riled up now.'

'These visions I have, they're getting worse.'

'Worse how honey?'

'I can feel them, their pain, their fears, as well as see it all happen. Oh Goddess help me I think I'm losing my mind.'

'Hush Child, you surely aren't but it is interesting.'

'Interesting how?' Tracey sniffed wiping her nose delicately on a tissue, she felt as though she had caught every cold in the county and them some more.

'Tell me exactly what you saw in the most recent vision ... which was I take it was last night?'

'Uhhuh, umm okay the last few visions have been about the same guys.' Tracey started when she caught the look on the face of the other woman she stopped and waited to see if there was another question.

'Keep goin' girl aint gonna know whatcha need till ya tell me.'

'Two young men, brothers I think ... one's name is Sam ... his, his eyes are white now, sightless he is in so much pain and his fear ... then I saw his brother lying on the ground broken, hurt and unconscious ... but – but it was the evil I could feel surrounding them, I felt like I was choking.' Tracey stopped talking and stared at the look of horror on her companions face. 'Missouri what is it?'

'These boys ... the other's name is Dean.'

'Oh yes that's right ... Missouri how do you know them?'

'I have known Sam and Dean since they were babes in their daddy's arms.' Missouri said with a small smile on her face, 'such beautiful boys.'

'Missouri?'

'Sorry honey, now you go on and finish telling me what you saw.'

Tracey took a deep breath and went over each vision as much as she could remember of the sequence of events. Finishing with them hurt and alone in a seemingly rundown and deserted house. 'Missouri who is after these brothers and why am I the one seeing it all?'

'Afore I answer that, tell me girl did anything else happen when you went to the cemetery?'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, did any of you disturb any of the graves? Anything now I'm not pointing fingers nothing like that I just need to know if anything was amiss that night?'

'Oh okay, umm like I said Christian and Deni came back first they were ... they were covered in blood and scared of something, and then Rory he just landed on the car and broke his arm. Missouri now I think of it, Christian and Deni never said what happened or why they were covered in blood.' Tracey said thoughtfully, pulling that night to pieces in her mind, 'then when we were leaving...'

'What hon?'

'It's gonna sound stupid.'

'Tracey Fey Dionne do not ever let me hear you say that again, nothing is stupid.' Missouri chided Tracey. The young woman was as close to a student of Missouri's as she would allow. Granddaughter to her old friend Nadia Dionne, raised to follow the Goddess and trained in all aspects of herbal and esoteric therapies as well as her own powerful psychic abilities all in all, they made her a very special young woman. Missouri's smile widened slightly when she realised that the girl sitting opposite from her was a female version of Sam in so many ways, it was no wonder then that her visions involved him.

'Missouri are you alright?' Tracey asked touching the older woman gently on the arm, 'you look unwell.'

'Oh shush don't you be worryin' bout me, so what happened when you left the cemetery.'

'I could have sworn I saw ... a pair of eyes and I heard a cruel laugh, it felt so evil Missouri.'

'Okay now, first up we're gonna have another cup of coffee and then we'll see if we can get about locating those Winchester brothers.' Missouri patted Tracey's hand reassuringly and winked at her, 'we might have to do some scrying.'

'That's okay, Nana said that I could use her crystal its pretty powerful.'

'She's a good woman your Gran, tell her to not be such a stranger and come in from time to time.'

'Oh Missouri you know what she's like, more than two cars on the road at any one time constitutes traffic for Nana.'

'So true girl, so true.'

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Dean shook himself out of his shock and hurried as fast as his tortured body could take him, 'oh god Sammy, you okay in there?'

'Dean?' Sam's voice came out hoarse and filled with terror, not just fear but pure terror.

'It's okay Sammy, I'm gonna get you outta there.'

'What happened Dean?'

'Dunno Sammy but it ends right now.' Dean declared, 'Sammy I need you to do something for me.'

'What?' Sam asked stumbling towards the direction of Dean's voice he grazed his arm on the razor barbed-wire surrounding him. A cry of pain slipped out before he could stop it, lifting his hands instinctively to protect himself Sam touched the wire recoiling as the sharp blades of wire sliced through his skin like it was butter.

'Stop moving Sam please can you ... can you sit down for me just go straight down where you are?'

'Dean?'

'Just sink down to sit where you are, Sammy ... they ... they have you trapped in a wire cage, it is made up of razor barbed-wire, it only just covers your height Sam, if you sit down then at least you won't accidentally hit the wire again.'

Sam hesitated for a second and then slowly sat down trying to minimise his movements.

'That's it Sammy, just until I can get you out of there.'

'Dean, I can hear them ... the mist is back.' Sam cried out jumping as the cold touch brushed past him, the wire bit into his back, making him squirm even more.

'Sammy please sit still.' Dean begged him, watching wide-eyed at the cuts and nicks covering Sam's upper body.

'Dean they're in here with me.' Sam whispered swatting at his unseen attackers.

'Sammy they're playing with you, just stay still and they'll stop but you need to sit still.'

Sam stilled himself as much as he could but a fine tremor kept coursing through his muscles, making them twitch involuntarily, squeezing his eyes shut he tried to concentrate on his brother, keeping his face fixed in his mind, his laugh and general mannerisms. Slowly, his breathing calmed down and finally remained completely still.

Dean heaved a sigh of relief and then went to find something, anything that could help him remove that cage from around Sam. They would have had to have gotten the wire from somewhere. An agonised scream froze Dean and then he ran as fast as he possibly could back to where he left Sam.

'No one ignores us.' The voices taunted the brothers.

'Dean!' Sam cried out stumbling down the road, his blood dripping freely from numerous cuts larger and deeper than any of those caused by the wire.

'Sam, stay where you are I'm coming to you.' Dean called to him, limping heavily he swallowed down on his own pain and joined his brother just as rain fell heavily, making the dirt road into a muddy mire. 'It's okay Sammy I've got you.' He said placing his good hand on Sam's arm. 'We're getting outta here.'

'Dean, I can feel them, they're not going to let us go.' Sam whispered dejectedly, 'doesn't matter where.'

'Well for now I will settle for a warm fire and a roof over our heads.' Dean quipped leading Sam back to the house they settled in originally.

'Dean your arm?'

'Thanks for the splint, it's okay Sammy I promise.'

'You're in pain, I – I can hear it in your voice.'

'Yeah well perhaps you need to tune in your ears a little more coz I'm fine.' Dean settled Sam down on a chair and then hurried to build a new fire in the fireplace and then went to inspect Sam's new injuries. 'Damn it Sammy they sliced you up pretty good.'

'Dean ... I don't understand, I remember finding you and setting your arm ... I remember falling asleep and then nothing until I woke up, outside in that freaking wire cage. Ow.'

'Sorry dude, some of these are pretty deep but most are only surface cuts that sting like hell.' Dean shot Sam a look of sympathy when he saw the changes with Sam's eyes, 'dude your eyes...'

'What Dean?'

'Can you see anything?'

'Just shadows, nothing much different, only I can see distinct shapes in the shadows.'

'The white is starting to disappear dude.'

'What do you mean?'

'Just that I can see umm cracks in the white.' Dean tried to think of the best way to describe the changes, 'like something white and hard got stuck to your eyes, now there's tiny little cracks like they are trying to disappear or break up.'

'Oh okay that kind of explains the pain in my eyes then huh?' Sam gave Dean a lopsided grin, 'I thought it was the sun.'

'Perhaps it was.'

'Whatcha mean?'

'Well until that impromptu rain storm it was bright sunshine out there, you were in a place where there was no shade nothing.'

'So you think that whatever caused this, the light and or heat from the sun might be?'

'I dunno dude, it's all freaking weird if you ask me.' Dean sighed, 'that's as good as I could do with only one hand.'

'Thanks Dean.' Sam said smothering a yawn, 'man I'm tired.'

'Can you stay awake a while longer? They seem to prefer to attack when we're asleep.' Dean said, 'how bout I rustle up something for us to eat?'

'Dean?'

'Hey not going anywhere Sammy, we're joined at the hip for the duration.'

'Eww does that mean the bathroom too?' Sam chuckled softly.

'Nice Sammy, after all I do for you ... so nice.' Dean shot back his relief resonating in his voice.

'Dean ... we ah ... Dean.' Sam cried out sliding off the chair he crashed to his knees holding his head in his hands as another pain assailed him followed by another series of bright lights and scenes played out in the vision.

'Talk to me Sammy,' Dean encouraged him, holding his brother close to his chest, Dean rode out the vision with Sam.

Finally, after long drawn-out minutes Sam shuddered and laid still against Dean, relishing in the warmth and strength.

'Sammy?'

'Those kids ... the ones I saw in the first vision?'

'Yeah I remember ... what about them?'

'Something's wrong Dean ... they're in danger.'

'Damn it, where?'

'Here.' Sam said turning his sightless eyes to his older brother. 'They're coming here and don't know what they are in for.'

'Did you get any names?'

'No, only one a girl called Tracey.' Sam winced as he tried to sit up, blood dripped unheeded from his nose. 'Dean I ... ah it hurts.'

'What Sammy? What hurts?'

'My, my eyes.' Sam cried out scrubbing at them with his long fingers, 'burning, they're burning.'

'Sammy, Sam stop that.' Dean tried to stop Sam from gouging out his own eyes when pain from his arm flared, 'damn it not now.' He muttered through gritted teeth.

Before he could react he felt Sam stiffen and then slide away from him, looking around in horror he found his brother lying unconsciously on the floor next to him, blood still seeped from his nose and the smaller nicks from the wire. Expecting him to be hot from a developing fever, Dean placed his hand on Sam's brow and frowned. Sam felt cold and clammy. 'What the fuck is going on here?' Dean whispered angrily.

'Sammy, come on dude wake up, I can't drag you back to bed.'

Sam moaned but remained completely out of it, as Dean sank to his knees next to him and drew his hand over his face. 'I dunno what else I can do Sammy, I can't leave you here alone and I can't protect us like this.'

Slowly, he stood up and went to tend to their fire when he felt the chill pass through his bones again. Swinging around he sprayed the salt as he moved. Covering everything in range with the fine white grains. He heard an audible pain filled moan and the chill left. 'Gotcha Casper.' Dean chuckled as his knees gave way and he toppled sideways to lie next to Sam on the floor. Once again both of the brothers lay unconscious and defenseless in the 'haunted' house.

TBC