I apologize for the long delay (once again) but I'm nearing finals for spring quarter. After that, I'll have free time to devote to this story! As always, your reviews encourage and inspire me.

Chapter 10

"Dean?" Sam continued to call his brother's name as he quickly checked all the adjoining rooms along the long hallway, his stomach clenching tighter with each dead-end. There was no sign of Dean. Breathing hard from a mixture of adrenaline and fear for his brother, Sam could now see his own breath as he exhaled in the frigid air. He realized he was not alone in the castle's dark wing, and he hadn't brought a weapon in his haste to get to his older sibling. Shit! This is sooo not good. There's definitely a presence nearby, and it's not friendly.

On high alert, Sam attempted to pinpoint the source of the haunting. Remembering he had the EMF meter in his pocket, he fished it out and flipped it on. The high-pitched squeal confirmed what he already knew. He turned in a circle, hoping to get a more accurate reading. Something brushed up against him from behind, and Sam felt it literally chill him to his bones. He turned quickly; only to find the hallway empty, save for his own shadow, eerily illuminated by some small sconces lining the corridor walls. He exhaled sharply and a chill ran down his spine. The blood vessels in his head felt like they were constricting as a vise-like headache hit him instantly. He winced against the sudden onslaught and grabbed his head as images flashed in his mind:

Blood. It was splattered against the walls, pooling on the floor. A journal. Dean! Dean was in the middle of the room, holding the journal; blood and bruises covered his bare torso. He was reading something from the journal. It wasn't Latin, but he was directing the words towards some kind of creature. It kept coming at Dean, even as his brother read the words and backed away. The creature attacked. The journal landed with a splash in a pool of blood.

"God, no!!" Sam continued to hold his hands to his head, attempting to lessen the painful pounding against his temples as the vision took its toll. The horrible images elicited near panic in the youngest Winchester as fear lanced through him. Dean! Where are you? Turning once again towards his brother's room, he felt another icy touch on his shoulder, but this time it held him in place against the wall; a deep voice filled his head.

Listen to me. You must leave this place now. Take the innkeeper and leave. Your brother is going to destroy the monster. He is the only one who can now.

Sam stared incredulously at the empty hallway. There was no one there. But something was holding him in place. Still reeling from his vision and his emotions on edge, the young hunter answered the disembodied voice angrily.

"I'm not leaving here without my brother. Where is he?"

He is being prepared for his fight. He will rid this place of the tagati.

Sam didn't understand, and his anger grew with each cryptic answer. He struggled to free himself from the grip, but only succeeded in adding more pain to his lingering headache.

"What's a tagati?" He growled at the voice. "What do you mean he's being prepared? What the hell are you doing to him?"

None of that is important right now. Do as I told you and there will be no more corporeal deaths.

Sam was wide-eyed as he recalled what had happened earlier. "You killed Judith, didn't you?"

It was necessary. She intentionally gave the muti to the boy. She was supposed to be the one to take it. She refused to give him the second dose because he had reacted so badly. It angered the gods. I was ordered to punish her. She had made a deal with the sangoma. She said she would take the pills and rid the castle of the evil ones if we saved her husband from the alcohol poisoning. She lied. So your brother is now the one who will kill the monsters. He did not take well to the muti, however, because he drank the cursed alcohol first. However, had he not taken the muti, he would have died like the others. I fear he may not be strong enough to fulfill this task in time.

Sam recalled Judith bringing the "painkiller" to Dean. He had thought his brother was sick only from the alcohol, but it was the pills. Fuck!

"What is muti?" Sam spat the last word out like it was poison, his fear for Dean rising the more he learned.

It is very powerful. That's all you need to know.

At this answer, Sam was livid, and he struggled harder to get away from the force holding him against the wall.

"You son of a bitch! Let me go!"

You will be released, but you will not be allowed near your brother until he has completed his mission. I have told you to take the innkeeper and leave. Now, do not defy me or you will all suffer the same fate as the woman.

Sam felt the cold air recede and the force against him lighten. He gingerly moved away from the wall, breathing hard. "I'm not leaving here without Dean," he whispered defiantly.

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Bobby entered the large bed and breakfast through a hefty and ornately crafted wooden door. It was dark inside; the only light was from the full moon that shone through the large windows. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he could just make out a figure sitting in the lobby; it was a man, slightly older than himself. The man made no attempt to acknowledge his presence. Bobby called out tenuously.

"Hello?"

The man didn't move. He was staring at the floor. Bobby followed his gaze and saw the gruesome scene covering the area. When Sam had called, he had told him there was a murder, but this – this was enough to make Bobby physically ill. And he was a man who had seen a lot of horrible things.

"My god, what have you Winchesters gotten yourselves into this time?"

---------------

Sam was heading out of his room with his laptop tucked under his arm and a flashlight in his hand when he heard the distinct whine of the front lobby door as it creaked open. He swallowed hard and carefully made his way to the landing that overlooked the large room. He saw Kendall still sitting mutely among Judith's remains, rocking slowly in his chair. Sam couldn't help but feel the man's anguish. He'd been there himself. He would never be able to erase that image of Jessica on the ceiling as she was so brutally taken from him. Shaking himself from the memory, he looked around the dark lobby. He didn't see anyone else, but he was pretty sure Kendall hadn't moved from his vigil. He felt a glimmer of hope that maybe Dean had managed to get away from whoever had him. Sam slowly descended the staircase, watching carefully for any movement in the room. Once again, his own shadow kept him company. At least, I'm not hearing voices now.

"Sam?"

Startled at the sound of a human voice, the youngest Winchester panned the room with the flashlight, attempting to find the source. Finding the room empty, save for Kendall, he pointed it down the side of the banister, near the closet beside the stairwell. Sam gasped as the flashlight's beam landed on a familiar, albeit somewhat annoyed pair of eyes squinting back at him.

"Sam! It's me."

"Bobby? Man you scared the crap outta me. You have no idea how glad I am to see you, though." Sighing with relief, Sam hurried down the remainder of the stairs and filled the gap between the two, switching the light on near the closet. Bobby's face held a concerned, but shell-shocked look as he faced Sam.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on here? It looks like a damn massacre."

"I was hoping you could tell me. I don't know what we're dealing with, but we have to get out of the castle now, or more of the same is going to happen. Then, we have to get to Dean."

"Whoa, there. Where is Dean?"

"I'll explain lat-" Sam stopped in mid-sentence as both he and Bobby felt the cold air descend around them. They looked at each other with wide, fearful eyes.

"We gotta move – now!" Sam yelled and rushed over to grab Kendall by the shoulders, jerking him out of the chair and towards the large door which Bobby was already straining to open.

Sam turned towards the entity and yelled. "We're leaving now! Let us out!"

The door gave away and Bobby, Sam and a reluctant Kendall spilled out into the garden entryway. Just as Sam released the grieving man, Kendall sprang back into the house, the door quickly closing behind him.

"Kendall!"

The only reply was the man's agonizing screams, and Sam could only surmise that the innkeeper had met the same brutal fate as his wife.