ST15 Deadly Strike

Sam crawled out of bed early to find Aunt B up and breakfast almost ready. Not normally a breakfast eater he wanted only to get back to the clinic, but he didn't want to hurt the older woman's feelings so he sat and ate. Sitting down he realized he was hunger after all, doing justice to a stack of pancakes and some scrambled eggs and bacon. Content for the moment he sipped a cup of coffee and listened to Aunt B ramble on about everything and yet nothing in particular. It was a strange feeling for the young hunter. The warm cozy kitchen, the kindly woman and a view of abundant flowers through the kitchen window gave him comfort and a feeling of belonging. Something he rarely felt these days. Wildly decorated uncomfortable motel rooms left him wanting more, for the moment he'd found that and damn it felt good.

Aunt B laughed at his offer to help do the dishes. Pushing him out the door she handed him a fresh cup of coffee and a butterfly kiss on his cheek. Sam was in a good mood. Even thoughts of what the day would hold couldn't erase the smile.

The clinic was quiet when he knocked on the door at 7:30. Stephen shook his head – resigned to the fact that Sam and Dean were practically inseparable. Yet inwardly impressed that the two brothers were so close and cared so deeply for each other. Yet in typical sibling fashion they fought like cats and dogs.

Nodding he sent the young hunter down the hall to Dean's room, cautioning him to be quiet because his brother was still asleep.

Sam stood at the door watching the machines bleep, click and chirp in time with his brother heartbeat. He just needed to reassure himself that Dean was ok. It pained him knowing his brother was hurting. Knowing Dean had put himself in harms way to save him sent the ache deeper. It amazed him that the little Pixie had done the same for Dean.

Sam had done a little research. It just wasn't in the Pixies nature to be kind and helpful. They were selfish, arrogant, naughty and fun-loving. No where did it say anything about self-sacrifice. It just wasn't part of their make-up. So why had Buttercup and Periwinkle gone to his rescue. What had the little pixie seen in his brother?

Sam knew what lay behind the façade his brother showed the world. The hunter rarely displayed his softer side. Dean had been hurt too many times. He was usually brash, arrogant, a joker and bull headed, but there was a different side rarely seen by the outside world. Sam saw it on rare occasions. Once in a while it would peek out from behind the walls especially when a child was involved. For some reason he had let his guard down and Buttercup had crept in.

Now Buttercup was grievously injured and Dean was blaming himself. Sam prayed the pixie would recover, but the odds were against her. Taking a deep breath he whispered, "Love you big brother."

Heading out the door he caught the doctor's eyes, "Catch," he whispered throwing something Stephen's way saying, "I parked his car outside his room, if he wakes up all grumpy and restless open the blinds. It's his pacifier."

Amusement lit the doctor's eyes and he shook his head. They were a strange pair

oooOOOooo

Sam glanced at the woman beside him. Melisandra sat behind the wheel of the truck brooding in silence. Six barrels of Benzene sat in the bed prepped and ready to spray on the murky yellow sulphur pool. The driver had been late citing bad traffic.

The two deputies she had stationed at the pool had reported all was quiet, but Sam couldn't relax – not yet. Nylan had been possessed by a demon and had gotten away during the attack. They needed to find him, needed to exorcise the beast and send it back to hell.

His father's journal sat in his pack on the floor at his feet. In his hand he held a bottle of holy water. In his pocket the scripture that would hopefully exorcise the demon. He was ready, they were ready – he hoped.

The Sheriff had cornered him in her office about what she'd seen in Nylan's eyes. Reluctantly he told her about the Demon. At first he saw the disbelief, but in the end she had no choice but to believe him. Her reaction had been almost comical, but Sam didn't dare laugh. For the next ten minutes she had ranted and raved stomped and swore. He hadn't seen it, but he'd heard the crash of a coffee cup against the wall. After that, she had calmed down enough to ask questions.

She was as ready as Sam could make her. He only hoped he was prepared. Facing a demon without Dean scared him, but it had to be done. He had no knowledge of the demon except that it had taken possession of a human and was manipulating a fractured gateway.

oooOOOooo

As big as the creature was it moved with deathly silence through the trees hunting for them. Three faces were imprinted on its mind; one of them was the key. Voices in the distance caught its attention. Hunger for revenge drove the monstrous creature now.

A tall blonde haired deputy yawned widely and rubbed his knuckles against his tired eyes. The deputies had grown lax. Having spent the last eight hours guarding the yellow sludge they were tired and hungry and badly in need of a large mug of strong hot coffee. All was quiet; they had begun to wonder what they were guarding.

Unprepared for the attack they didn't even have time to scream. The demon scorpion leaped from the cover of the trees smashing both men to the ground. A huge claw reached down and grabbed the blonde by the shoulder. With a roar of hatred the creature tossed the deputy high into the air. The blonde landed hard and skidded through the dirt and grass coming to an abrupt halt as his body wrapped around a small granite boulder. He didn't get up. A trickle of blood seeped from a deep gash in the back of his head.

The second deputy had managed to scramble to his feet and pull the 45 from his holster. Bringing the weapon up he fired several shots. Only one managed to crack the muddy surface. His eyes widened in fear as the metal pinged off the hard exoskeleton. Back-pedalling he continued to fire until the magazine was empty. Reaching for another he slammed it home and fired again.

The demon scorpion snarled in rage and spun to face his attacker. The crack in his shell nothing more than an itch he couldn't scratch. Springing forward he closed the distance to the enemy in one huge stride. Slamming into the deputy his hard body sent the man rolling backward and. Flipping his tail angrily he sent the venomous tip stabbing downward.

Stunned by the impact the deputy was slow to move. Screaming he rolled right hoping to avoid the blow. The stinger struck him a glancing blow across the side of his neck, slicing through the skin. He started to scream but the numbing venom was quickly absorbed into his system. His body went numb. He couldn't scream or cry out, he could only watch in horror as the creature prepared to strike again.

In the distance the sound of a rumbling engine broke through the trees. It saved the deputies life. A demon claw grabbed the deputy by the arm and tossed him into the trees. With a quiet growl deep in his throat the demon scorpion disappeared into the trees. Chomping in anticipation it moved silently through the trees. They were here he could feel it.

oooOOOooo