Oh where, Oh where has your big brother gone?

Disclaimer: as per the first chapter, nothing changes much anyway!

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CHAPTER 24

Dean glared at Decebal as he fought in vain to try to stop him from replacing the ball-gag, he turned his head reluctantly as Sam stumbled and almost fell, and his plaintive cries broke Dean's heart. All he wanted to do was to scream to Sam to run, to run, and get out as fast as he could. But instead, he was silenced and his brother blind.

Decebal smiled as he watched Sam flounder about sightless and now seemingly alone with no one to direct him, or to protect him.

Sam dropped to his knees and felt around the floor, get a grip Samuel, something has happened to Dean you are not a weakling get up and get moving. Sam shook his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep shuddering breath, and then he gradually stood up, uncurling himself until he stood his full height. Exhaling he stretched his neck and snapped his shoulders back, and forced himself to listen carefully for any sound whatsoever.

Finally, he heard Dean's muffled breathes just to his right, scratching against the bricks as Dean moved and tried to signal Sam. Then he smelt the strong odour of sulphur, Decebal was either in the room he was just here.

Taking a determined step to his right Sam forced himself to stay calm and follow the sound of Dean's breathing.

Decebal watched with renewed interest as the blinded young man started to rebel again, he was certainly impressed with the boy's tenacity; most people would have given up and fallen into a blathering heap by now. Instead, Sam rallied and started to search for his brother again. He turned his stare to Dean who was also watching Sam's tortuously slow progress, wide-eyed and hopeful. The demon's stomach twisted in anger and jealousy, even deprived of sight and sound the brothers still managed to find each other; the bond between them was sickening.

He lifted his hand to send Sam reeling backwards but stopped himself suddenly changing his mind; the movement caught Dean's attention and he tore his gaze from Sam to watch Decebal concern written across his face as he saw him lift his hand and aim it at Sam.

Amused at this show of brotherly love and sickened at the same time Decebal wanted nothing better than to kill Sam and John and take Dean for himself; for eternity.

No, he decided to do what he intended on doing, he waved his hand and kicked up a strong wind in the room preventing Sam from moving any further. When it eased, Dean stared even wider at Sam and just in front of him. Before Decebal disappeared during the windstorm he placed dangerous traps in front of Sam, the blind young man could do nothing but walk unknowingly into them.

Large shards of sharp glass their jagged edges pointed towards Sam gleamed in the dull light. Beyond them lay a circle of barbed wire surrounding Sam completely; the final trap sickened Dean to his stomach. Sharpened metal spikes ringed the wire, they had just appeared from out of the rock floor. If Sam managed to get past the glass and wire there was no possible way, he could avoid the spikes.

Frantically he tried to work the gag loose to warn Sam, when he heard a pain-filled cry. Looking down he saw the large piece of glass protruding from Sam's foot, rubbing his face against the rough bricks and rocks, scraping more of his skin than anything off his cheek Dean finally managed to snap the leather strap and shake the ball loose from his mouth. Gasping for air, he tried twice before he could force his voice out, 'Sam stop don't go any further.'

'Dean?'

'Decebal has you trapped, please Sam stop where you are.'

'Dean where are you?'

'Still hanging around ... Decebal gagged me I couldn't guide you.'

'I – I could hear your breathing.' Sam admitted turning his head towards the direction Dean's voice came from.

'Okay, now Sam we have to concentrate and focus, he has you ringed by broken glass...'

'No shit.' Sam ground out as he finished prying the shard from his foot, he could feel the blood seeping from the wound.

'Next is a ring of barbed wire but it's the last...'

'...what is it Dean?'

'Spikes you are surrounded by very sharp spikes, if you take a step in any direction and fall you will go face down onto them.'

'Ah okay, so we're good then?' Sam tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.

'Yeah piece of cake Sammy.'

'Hey Dude it's Sam okay, not Sammy.'

'Whatever Sammmmy.' Dean quipped hating to bait his brother when he was so vulnerable but he needed Sam to be at his most perceptive and calm, well as much as he could be.

'Where do I go from here Deana?' Sam shot back.

Dean stared around for a moment gauging the extent of the vile trappings before he spoke again. 'Okay Sam ... listen to me carefully I need you to take one step backwards, now one of my strides not one of your freakishly long ones.'

'Dude.' Sam sighed as he moved backwards carefully, 'okay next.'

'Next ah okay, next move to your left about half a stride ... great okay this is gonna be the hard part, I need you to shuffle your feet.'

'Shuffle?'

'Yeah Dude, no picking your feet up, just push them to your left again, use your feet to feel for anything sharp.'

'Oh wonderful Dean.' Sam started to move painstakingly through the maze of danger, he felt the sharp sting from the glass as his feet glided past them, and then he felt nothing but clear floor. Releasing his breath, he was holding without realising it; Sam turned his face back to Dean's direction. 'Dean you still with me?'

'Yeah, okay now this is gonna be the tricky part, the barbed wire.'

'Dude I don't know if I can.'

'Yeah you can Sammy, now focus you are going to have to crawl forward from where you are now.'

'Crawl forward but that takes me away from you.'

'Only for a moment, do it Sammy.'

'Fine Deana,' Sam snapped as he dropped to his knees and crawled straight ahead groping with his hands as he moved cautiously, letting out a small yelp when his fingers came into contact with the razor sharp wire.

'Sam this is the hard bit and well it is gonna hurt.'

'Gee Dean ya think.'

'I need you to crawl under the wire.'

'You what?'

'The wire is looped around you but not fixed down so it can be lifted...'

'...and how am I supposed to do that?'

'The best way would be to get onto your back, use your feet to push you and try to hold the wire up with your hands as you go.'

'You sure that there is no other way?'

'Sam.'

'Okay going.' Sam laid down on his back and took a shuddering breath as he positioned himself and then held it as he slid under the wire, wincing as the barbs sliced through the palms of his hands.

Dean watched his brother's progress in silence, holding his own breath as tears started to fall, all he could see was Sam's blood running down his arms and splashing his torso. After what seemed like forever; Sam's head emerged from the wire and then he managed to free the rest of himself, his arms and hands a bloody mess of welts, some long and shallow others looked deep and in need of stitching.

Sam let out a sob and cradled his injured hands to his chest, 'I can't do this Dean.' He cried ignoring the tears of pain and frustration as they ran down his cheeks.

'Yes you can Sam, you only have one more obstacle to get past, and then you're free.'

'But I will never be free will I Dean?'

'And what does that mean?'

'I'm blind Dean; I'm a liability to you and Dad now.'

'Don't you talk like that Sam, you hear me, there will be a cure for you blindness I'm sure of it.'

'Glad you are.'

'Samuel Winchester you are not going to give up.' Dean yelled in his best impersonation of their father, 'now get moving.'

'You don't get to order me about Dean.'

'Do it, stop whining like a girl, and do it.'

'Do what Dean?'

'The spikes are set in place so you are going to have to weave your way through them.' Dean said as he tried to work out an escape route for Sam that was the safest. 'Can you stand up?'

Sam nodded and slowly stood; swaying slightly Dean caught his breath as he watched his sibling try to right himself without falling. As soon as he was steady, Dean exhaled and started to instruct him through the last obstacle.

'Take a half-step straight ahead ... okay take another one to your right don't lift your foot up too high that's it. Okay one slightly longer step straight ahead, whoa stop Sam back up a fraction okay now straighten up a bit, that's it.' Dean tried to keep his voice as calm as possible but it was becoming increasingly harder, 'there is a spike directly in front of your left foot so I need you to shuffle to your right just a fraction ... yep that's it okay Sam we're nearly there, keep going straight yep that's it, okay stop can you nudge the spike with your right foot? Yep that's it you need to avoid that so take a step to your left, that's it now straighten up and keep going without moving sideways. Ahh!'

'Dean?'

'Keep moving Sammy.' Dean ground out as his body bucked with another jolt of electricity. 'Ah, I ah one more step that's...'

'Dean?' Sam yelled as the panic started to rise, 'Dean?'

'Oh dear what a shame seems like your big brother is a little charged at the moment.' Decebal's voice boomed in the room, spinning around Sam tried to pinpoint where it was coming from but it seemed to come from everywhere.

'Where are you?' Sam bellowed, 'show yourself you coward.'

'Sam.' Dean's weak whisper broke through Sam's panic, 'it's okay.'

'Dean what happened?'

'He ahh noooo!' Dean screamed as another charge of electricity coursed through the metal cuffs and flashed through him, making his muscles contort and buckle.

'Dean!' Sam cried out stumbling forward he tripped on the last spike and felt himself falling forward unable to stop himself. His scream filled the room as the spike pierced his side as his weight forced him down onto it.

'Sammy.' Dean cried as he watched his brother slump unconscious impaled on the metal bar; a dark pool of blood formed under him.

'No! Sammy you can't do this Decebal please don't do this to him.'

'What will you give for his life Dean?' Decebal materialised in front of Dean blocking his view of Sam.

'What do you want?'

'It is simple I will make sure that young Sam will not die if you agree to stay with me of your own free will.'

TBC