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 10 – This side of Madness

Sam jerked on the table, tears falling from his eyes as the current flowed through his body causing him pain. A voice echoed in the room. "You know you can't fight me much longer Sammy boy…you've given it a good try. Even your brother wouldn't blame you if you gave in."

Sam blinked as the distorted face of his torturer appeared in front of him. He flinched as he saw Wendell's eyes change from black to a fire red. In their depths Sam swore he saw the fires of hell staring back at him. "NO! Go away…won't let you hurt…DEAN!"

Sam felt the sting of a needle in his hand and moaned. "No more, please…I'll be good Dad; just don't let him get me!" Sam watched as Wendell's face was replaced by his father.

"Stop your crying Sam! You know you deserve this…you killed your mother."

"No, Dad, I didn't…how could I?" Sam struggled, trying to escape the hate he saw in his father's eyes.

"I knew you were no good from the beginning, but I protected you. I made Dean take care of you because you were too weak to take care of yourself. You've always been the weak one in our family. You couldn't even kill the demon when you had your chance. Was it because you wanted to save him?"

"NO! He killed Mom, he killed Jess…I'd never save him…I had to save you Dad, please why are you saying this?" Sam could feel his world spiraling out of control. Part of him was trying to tell him that this wasn't happening, but he was having trouble hearing that small voice of reason.

"You couldn't kill the demon Sam! You know that you belong to him and you want to join him…well go ahead then, join him!"

"NO…not my father…a trick…won't give in" Sam's body continued to convulse on the table as Wendell continued to use the combination of pain and drugs to break him down. Suddenly Wendell looked up and sneered. "Oh no you don't… you little brats, I can see what you are trying to do and it won't work!"

Wendell turned the current off and patted Sam on the shoulder. "Looks like we need to take a quick break Sam. You just relax…I'll be back as soon as I take care of some pesky kids. They are trying to perform a banishing ritual again…how many times do I have to tell them, they aren't strong enough!"

Sam didn't hear anything Wendell was saying as he continued to fight the images that kept playing through his mind. The pain in his body was now dulled compared to the pain that the memories were causing….he gasped as Jess appeared above him, her eyes angry as she stared down at him. "Why Sam? Why did you kill me?"

"I didn't…I couldn't" Sam choked out, his voice a mere whisper.

"You knew, you saw what would happen, but you chose your brother over me. You can't have him Sam…I'm going to take him from you!"

"NO! Jess please!" Sam's eyes filled with tears as he saw the figure of Jessica change to his brother. "Sammy help me!" Dean cried as he struggled. Sam screamed "NO! DEAN…Please don't leave me!" But Dean just shook his head sadly as he looked down at his little brother. "I have to go Sam; you're no longer my brother. You chose to save the demon, you belong with him."

"Dean please" Sam whispered, as he felt himself shatter.

"Good bye Sam!" Dean said softly as he burst into flames and burned in front of Sam's eyes. Just like the children had burned. Sam screamed and continued to scream until there was nothing left. He sought the darkness, the last place he could hide from what was happening to him. There was only one thing left to him now and that was to disappear…the demon couldn't reach him there, no one could. Sam moved closer to the darkness of his own mind, willing himself to close himself off from the outside world, the pain, the fear.

"Sam, you can't go there." A small boy appeared in front of Sam, blocking his escape.

"Get out of my way…I won't let him take me…It's the only way."

"Sam listen to us!" The boy was joined by a half dozen other children. They surrounded Sam preventing him for moving.

"Why are you doing this…I can't stop him by myself. If I go back, I'll give in…he'll win" Sam felt the tears of shame rolling down his cheeks as he admitted his defeat.

"No he won't Sam. You will be ok if you can hold on until the drugs are out of your system. What you are thinking. Seeing…none of it is real."

"But you are? How do I know you're not another trick to get to me?" Sam wanted to believe, needed to believe he could get back.

"You don't know I guess, but we are here to help you Sam. We have been fighting this demon for decades now and we are getting tired. We've been able to hold him here, but eventually he will break free and find someone else to do his dirty work." Nathan spoke quietly, reaching out to touch Sam gently on the arm.

"You are the key Sam…you can hold him long enough for your brother to banish him. We can help you, we can help you focus your energy to hold him inside, prevent him from escaping."

"Why me? I mean you all obviously have great powers…why couldn't you banish him. You've held him here…I don't even have control of my powers yet." Sam shook his head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to be creeping in on him.

"No Sam, you don't understand, we never had time for our abilities to develop naturally. The demon forced them to show early thinking that they would be easy to control, but he couldn't figure out how to increase our powers."

"So, how have you been able to hold him here?" Sam shook his head as he watched the fear enter the child's face.

"Peggy came up with the plan. You see some of us were beginning to give in and in time, our powers would have grown as we did. She knew that we couldn't fight him as long as he could control our earthly bodies."

"So Peggy set the fire that killed you all, including Wendell?" Sam guessed, shivering at the lengths that the children had to go to and amazed that they had the strength to carry through with the plan.

"Yes, but Wendell wasn't killed in the fire. He had hidden in the sewer beneath this basement, hiding until everyone cleared out and the building was closed. Then he returned. But he didn't count on us being here." The child looked older than his years, his innocence taken from him long before Sam was even aware that demons existed.

"You trapped his earthly body in the building, preventing him from escaping and because the demon was bound to Wendell, he also couldn't escape. But why didn't Wendell die of starvation?" Sam wondered out loud

"Sam, when the demon leaves Wendell, his body will die. The demon is the only thing that keeps him walking. The man that was Wendell no longer exists and is as trapped as the rest of us. We've tried to banish the demon many times, but each time he manages to escape us. He can manifest for short periods outside of Wendell's body, which makes it impossible to finish the rite. Each time, he returns, he becomes stronger. He has been able to control some of us for longer periods of time…I'm afraid if we don't finish this soon, he'll get what he wanted…he'll make us kill for him."

Sam shook his head. "I told you I can't control my powers, I can't force the demon to remain inside Wendell."

"You're right Sam…but you can hold him in your body…he thinks he has you. We don't know why, but Susie saw you in a vision…you were able to hold the demon while your brother finished the banishing rite. So you see Sam, you have to do this…you are the only one who can get rid of the demon and set us free."

Sam shivered at the thought of being possessed. He had already fought this type of battle before and luckily he had won. In his weakened condition, he wasn't sure he could do it. But then he looked at the faces of the children and saw the hope that shone from their eyes. He knew he had to try for them and to prove to himself that he could still shape his own destiny.

"Ok, I'll try" Sam said quietly.

TBC

Raven524: Daring plan, but will Dean go along with it? The big show down is coming up quickly; let's just hope that Sam and Dean can save the day (LOL). Once again, thanks for all the reviews, I am able to see them even though the site is still not sending out email alerts yet. Please keep them coming!