Oh where, Oh where has your big brother gone?

Disclaimer: as per chapter 1

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CHAPTER 15

Decebal broke into laughter as he watched Sam sitting so dejectedly at the table staring at the riddles. Turning to stare at John the demon laughed even harder, 'so John tell me did I do you justice with your cameo appearance?' He mocked the man.

'Stop this now Decebal.' John whispered unable to wrench his gaze from the macabre sight on the screen, his heart not just broken, it was shattered as he watched his youngest son struggle through the maze and what was real and what was illusion. 'Let him be Decebal haven't you had your fun yet?'

'Fun? Yet? Oh, my dear, dear John I have only started having fun with Samuel. He should never have tried to take me on; he needs to be taught to respect those better than him.'

'Sam is one of the most respectful young men I have ever known, you don't deserve his respect.' John spat out as he started to rouse himself out of his reverie; his sons need him.

'You Sir are a fool.' Decebal hissed leaning over he gripped John's broken arm and twisted it cruelly. John let out an involuntary scream as the broken bones ground against each other, blackness started to encroach on his vision, blurring out everything including the screen.

Dean struggled against his restraints as he watched his father start to black out when the Master Demon turned on him, the demon's eyes now dark red with anger focused on Dean's horror stricken face. Lifting his hand in the air, Decebal made Dean float until his feet dangled above the floor, the chain attached to his arms taut and straining against the movement made his arms wrench back until all of the ligaments and tendons threatened to snap. 'What am I going to do with you Winchesters? I mean I torture you, I threaten you and hurt you more than just physically, and yet you still struggle to fight me. You're pathetic!' With a wave of his fingers, he slammed Dean backwards against the wall and with a small sense of satisfaction; he watched the hapless young man slump unconscious against the wall.

'Such little stamina.' Decebal sighed mockingly, 'I think it is time to up the ante.'

Movement on the screen made the demon pause and stare in shock as Sam stood up and went to pick up one of the jugs, pouring the clear cool uncontaminated water into a glass and then he took the dome off the middle plate exposing the simple meal of cold meats, cheese and bread, with gusto he ate the meal and downed all of the water in the jug. Sighing with relief Sam let himself feel slightly more confident as he started to make his way down the newly lit path.

'Too easy Decebal, it was a child's riddle.' Sam said in a loud clear voice, the food, and drink giving him a spurt of energy replacing that he had lost during his latest ordeal. The path suddenly took a sharp turn and seemed to be taking Sam back the way he came, slowing his pace down he tried to make out the darkness ahead for any signs of danger or of repetition of other hold-ups.

Decebal cursed as he strode out of the room, forgetting about John and Dean. Sam was getting too close too soon; he would have to change the rules of the game.

John slowly lifted his head and blinked a few times to clear his vision, Decebal was gone that was evident, so were the guards; with his heart pounding against his chest John pulled himself up to sit against the wall his fear for Dean mounting by the second when he saw his eldest lying facedown against the far wall. A lump formed in John's throat as he tried to see if Dean was still breathing. 'Dean?' His own voice sounding strained to his ears, 'Dean talk to me.'

'Mmph, Dad?' Dean mumbled as he coughed up a large ball of phlegm, rolling his eyes upward he focused on his Dad's face. 'Dad you okay?'

'Yeah arm's busted but other than that ... what about you?'

'Yeah better now I got that ball outta my mouth.' Dean coughed again and ran his tongue over his dry and cracked lips. 'What happened?'

'Not sure, Decebal left while we were both...'

'Ah what about Sammy?'

'Can't quite make out the screen from here, what about you son? Can you see anything?'

'Yeah hang on.' Dean twisted his body painfully around until he could slide up the wall and sit without toppling over. 'Fuck!' Dean spat out as his broken ribs moved with his wriggling. 'Ah Sam, Sam's on the move again he must have worked out the riddles.'

'That's it Sam,' John laughed bitterly, 'he was always good at the word games wasn't he.'

'Yeah that's true Dad,' Dean grinned and then winced as he tried to swallow, 'I would give anything for a glass of water.'

'Can you get up Dean?'

'Not sure,' Dean said as he pushed himself up the wall until he tried to stand leaning back heavily. The floor came up to meet him as he pitched forward the dizziness taking a grip on his determination and winning out.

'Dean!' His father yelled but his son was past the point of hearing him, instead all Dean could hear was the pounding of his blood in his ears and a rising screeching sound. Holding his breath he tucked his knees up and under himself as he tried to push up until he was upright again, the room swirled around him forcing him to shut his eyes and let his head fall backwards until it rested against the wall. He knelt there for a few moments until he had another go at opening his eyes and staying upright all at the same time.

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Sam moved cautiously down the path as each bend seemed to make the walkway narrower and increasingly steep. Pausing to take a deep breath and rest for a few minutes Sam stared around him, the walls were identical no matter where the trail took him, each bend seemed placed at regular intervals, and the path always lit as he approached a new segment. Almost as if it was growing with every stride he made further in the maze.

'You're losing it Sam.' He muttered as he pushed his hand through his long hair and launched himself from the wall to start the journey again. A large hand gripped Sam's shoulder spinning him around and knocking him off balance. 'What the?' Sam tripped and tried to stop himself from falling to the ground. Rolling his eyes up he saw a large human-like demon standing over him, fiery orbs instead of eyes bore into his own, the acrid breath stunk of sulphur, and the jaw was elongated and filled with jaws dripping with an acidic saliva.

'Dude you need to learn oral hygiene.' Sam said as he scrambled backwards in a crab-like motion, the large clawed hand reached down and gripped his shoulders in a death-grip eliciting a sharp hiss from Sam, as he found himself being lifted upward until his feet dangled no longer touching the ground. The creature threw him down the pathway as though Sam weighed no more than a sack of feathers; he crashed into the wall with a bone jarring thud. Dazed Sam huddled there as he tried to regain some feeling in his body. A scraping sound behind him made Sam lift his head and stare as the creature came towards him dragging its claws along the walls either side of it leaving a trail of deep scratches ripped into the rock wall.

Sam took a deep shuddering breath and drew himself up to his full height, though the demon still towered over him by at least five inches. He watched his attacker carefully as it launched itself at him. Moving clumsily and awkwardly it thundered towards Sam who easily ducked and rolled away safely. Standing again he dropped into a fighting stance and swept the creature's legs out from under it. Getting to his feet Sam backed away keeping his gaze fixed on the prone monster. Abruptly, and without warning it sat up and spat at Sam hitting him in the chest with a ball of acidic phlegm.

Sam screamed as the ball hit him immediately searing his skin, splitting and blistering the fragile flesh. Stumbling backwards Sam bit down on the pain and broke into a run, his hand clasped to his upper chest protecting the acid burn.

The creature roared behind him but didn't seem intent on following his berserker rush as Sam ran until his breath cut out and he fell to his knees. Tears ran freely down his face as he gasped for each torturous gulp of air 'Dad, Dean, I am so sorry.' Sam wept; he could feel the sticky acid like substance burning deeper into his body, through flesh and muscle.

'Forgive me.' He whispered unable to stand upright he sank down until he sat with his knees tucked up to his chest and his head rested on the wall. His breathing slowed and rattled in his lungs as his left one started to fill with vile fluid.

'Tsk, tsk, giving up already Samuel?' Decebal mocked him, squatting down in front of Sam and twisted his fingers in his victim's long hair, wrenching hard he forced Sam's head up and back pulling on the burn making him scream in agony, his body bucking uncontrollably.

'Get off me.' Sam managed to get out amidst his screams, 'let me go and fight me without cheating.'

'Now where would the fun be in that?' Decebal moved until his face hovered a fraction higher than Sam's, 'I just wanted to tell you that time is running out for Dean and John, they are not doing so well Sammy Boy. The hourglass is emptying very quickly, what will you do?' With an evil glint in his eyes the Master Demon gripped Sam's chin immobilising his head, bending down he gave him a hard kiss on the mouth crushing against his lips and forcing his foul tongue into Sam's mouth. Choking and coughing Sam fought to get away from the vice-like grip but Decebal tightened his grip until his claws drew blood on his jaw.

Slowly running his tongue up Sam's cheek Decebal laughed at the look of sheer horror on the young man's face, he kissed him brutally again before letting go and pushing Sam down on the floor. 'I would suggest that you get going Samuel I would hate for you to carry the guilt of knowingly causing the deaths of your last remaining family members.'

Before Sam could retort, Decebal was gone leaving him alone in the maze once again, spitting out the taste of the demon's tongue in his mouth Sam vomited and then weakly wiped his mouth before hauling himself up and lurching down the pathway once again. The only image in his head was one of the photo of Sam, Dean, and their Dad when they were kids, when they were happy.

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'Sammy.' John wept openly, his arm no longer hurt as the numbness set in a long time ago, he watched his son struggling to stay alive and move through each of the traps, he couldn't wrench his gaze away from the screen, although macabre to watch it was the only way he could monitor the progress Sam made through the maze of nothing but sadistic traps.

Dean moaned and opened bleary eyes to look at his Dad and then at the screen, his breath catching when he saw the injuries Sam recently sustained. Especially the large circular burn on his chest, the multitude of cuts and bruises covering his upper body and the long welts crisscrossing his back. How did that happen? 'Dad ... Dad what's happening? Sam he's...'

'Every trap has been an attack on him.' John answered his voice monotoned and quiet unable to take his eyes off the screen he didn't even look at Dean, didn't see the look of pain and horror etched over the handsome face. 'He has endured so much Dean, so much and yet he still keeps going.' John hiccuped as his weeping turned into sobs, 'and I can't do a thing to help him, not a fucking thing.'

'Dad! Dad snap out of it.' Dean yelled his anger rising fuelled by his father's apparent impotent behaviour, where was the warrior Dean idolised as a child? 'Dad suck it up and snap out of it.'

'Dean?' John blinked and finally pulled his gaze away from that cursed TV screen.

'Geeze Dad get a grip.' Dean spat out, 'we're going to get out of here.'

'I should never have let this happen, I should never have involved you boys in the hunt.'

'Fuck Dad, that's ancient history, you did, we have, and that's all there is to it.' Dean yelled forgetting his own injuries he pushed himself up the wall until he stood and staggered over to where his father huddled on the filthy mattress. 'We owe it to Sam to get out of here and free him Dad; we have to keep it together.'

'You're right Son,' John shook his head and took a shuddering breath, 'I don't understand what came over me.'

'We have to get going Dad.'

TBC