Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun!
End of Innocence
Chapter 2 – Visions of Days Gone By
Sam closed his eyes again. "Well at least we know who Nick is…wake me when we get there Dean."
Dean flexed his tired muscles as he looked over at his sleeping brother. He could tell that Sam's sleep was far from peaceful. His brother continued to moan and toss as if still trying to escape the images from the latest vision. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to see a child burn. Dean swallowed as he began to remember another fire…one that took his own mother. Even though he knew she died in the fire, he at least hadn't seen it.
As Sam began to moan again, Dean reached over and tried to reassure his little brother. "It's ok Sam, we'll figure this out. " They should be in the small Ohio town within the next hour. He decided that they would get a motel and he would let Nick know that they would talk in the morning…both he and Sam needed to get some rest.
Sam heard his brother's voice, but once again he was locked in his own mind, unable to break free of what he knew was coming.
Sam looked around as he found himself in the same building as before. He looked where he had seen the small girl burn, but there was no sign of fire or of the little girl. Sam began to walk down the hall; he paused at one door and slowly opened it.
The room contained a number of small beds. But other than the beds, there were no other personal possessions to hint at who had been here. Sam couldn't shake the depressing atmosphere. He turned to leave the room when he felt someone watching him.
Turning quickly, Sam saw the small figure of a child sitting on a bed at the end of the row. It was a young boy, maybe 4 or 5 years old. Sam walked quietly towards the child. "Heh there!" Sam said gently.
The young boy looked up, the fear and despair in the depths of his eyes was almost painful to see. "Your not suppose to be here…he'll get mad" the small boy whispered looking around in fear.
"Who, who will get mad?" Sam asked trying to calm the frightened child.
Suddenly the boy looked at Sam, in place of fear the child's eyes were filled with anger. "You put me here Daddy, why?" Sam felt himself lifted into the air as the child moved to the center of the room. Before Sam could react he watched in horror as once again the room was filled with flames. "It doesn't matter Daddy, it's too late now…you can't save me anymore."
Sam dropped to the floor and struggled to his feet, once again the smoke threatening to choke him. He moved towards the child. This time he would save him…but the child once again looked at Sam, the fear back in his eyes. "Go, you have to get out before he finds you!"
"No, come with me…I can help you!"
"No one can help me now." The broken voice of the child carried through the smoke and as before, Sam had to watch as the child was consumed by the flames.
"STOP!" Sam yelled as he jerked up right in the seat. Once again he was clawing at the door, trying to open it and escape.
Dean slammed on the brakes as he saw the door open, but the car was still in motion as he saw his brother's body roll out the door and onto the highway. "SAMMY!"
Dean jumped from the car as soon as it came to a stop and ran back towards the back of the car. His heart stopped as he saw the unmoving body of his brother lying on the side of the road. "Oh God, Sammy!" Dean raced and kneeling beside his brother, gently rolled him over. The side of Sam's face was raw where he had hit the pavement. His arms and hands weren't in much better shape. He looked like he had gone 10 rounds with a meat grinder and lost.
"Sammy? Can you hear me?" Dean continued to check Sam, but luckily other than the sever road burn; his brother appeared to be in one piece. A few moments later, he saw his brother's eyes begin to open.
Sam could feel the pain in his body as he came to. He blinked and looked at Dean in confusion. "Where? What?" Sam swallowed as he tried to figure out why he was sitting on the side of the road.
"Jeez Sam, are you trying to age me before my time!" Dean watched as Sam continued to blink.
"No…ah…Dean?" Sam was confused as he tried to put his jumbled thoughts in order. But the vision that had hit him in the car came back in full force. The pain lanced through his skull as he once again saw the terrified face of the small boy before he burst into flames.
"Oh God, not again! Dean!" Sam rolled from his brother's arms as he began to hold his stomach. For the second time that day, Dean supported his brother as the painful spasms continued to course through his brother's body.
"You had another vision didn't you? Don't worry Sammy; we're going to figure this out. Can you stand?" Dean watched as Sam sat back against him, his breathing erratic as he tried to get himself under control again.
"Sam, was it the same girl? What happened?" Dean asked quietly, he hated the fear he saw in his brother's eyes.
"No, it was another child…a small boy…Dean he was only 5 years old and he burned! I don't know if I can take this much longer Dean…it was horrible!" Sam could feel the tears as they coursed down his bruised cheeks. He was crying for the child that he now knew had died. Both children were dead. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but he did.
"Dean why am I having these dreams? They're already dead…I can't help them anymore!" Sam sobbed.
"I don't know Sam, but I'm sure going to find out. Now let me help you into the car. We are almost to Gaithesburg. We'll find a hotel and I'll fix you up before we talk to Nick. Maybe he can shed some light on this." Dean helped his brother stand and couldn't help but notice that Sam was leaning on him heavier than before. The exhaustion was rolling off his brother in waves.
Dean placed Sam back in the passenger seat and reached over to hook the seat belt. When Sam raised his eyebrow at Dean, he remarked. "Just to make sure you don't take another unscheduled exit on me Sammy…I swear, if you don't stop jumping from the car, I'm going to have to get you a car seat and strap you in!" Dean watched and sure enough the familiar eye roll was accompanied by the expected snort from his brother.
A short time later, Dean had registered them and gotten Sammy into the local motel. He had placed a call to Nick, who agreed to meet them there. He offered to bring something for dinner and Dean agreed. He didn't want to leave Sam alone until they could figure out why his visions had decided to start coming more frequently.
"Ok Sammy, just sit there for a moment. I'm going to grab the first aid kit and see if we can't get you cleaned up before company arrives." Dean looked and scowled when Sam didn't respond. His brother was just sitting and staring into space.
Sam jumped when he felt the soft cloth on his sore face. "Ow!"
"Glad to hear someone is still in there…seriously Sam, are you ok?" Dean watched as Sam swallowed and focused his eyes on his brother.
"I don't know Dean…the visions are getting worse and there is nothing I can do to help these kids…Dean they were just kids! You should have seen their eyes, what could have done that to them?" Sam kept seeing their faces, even when he was awake; their fear had become a part of him.
Dean continued to clean his brother's wounds as he tried to calm his brother. "I don't know Sam; I just wonder if there isn't something we can still do for them though?"
"What do you mean?" Sam winced again as Dean began to work on his hands.
"I mean, they are already dead and Nick helps ghosts move on…seems to me that maybe these kids are trapped and may need someone to help them." Dean handed Sam a glass of water and some pain pills.
"So you're saying we may have multiple spirits that need to be salted and burned? Dean, if my vision is accurate, they've already been burned…there won't be any bones." Sam groaned as he moved to stretch out on the bed. He was suddenly too tired to worry about it anymore. All he wanted to do was sleep.
Dean patted Sam on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it now Sam, you just get some rest. I'll wake you when Nick gets here with dinner…" Dean smiled as he noticed that his brother never heard him…he was already fast asleep.
TBC
Raven524: Ok, we're moving on here…hope you all enjoy this chapter! Remember to just push the little button!