Okay, finals are done so I have time to write again!

Chapter 11

With great effort, Dean opened his eyes. He felt weak, and the constant pain in his head refused to leave; instead it intensified as light assaulted him, forcing his green eyes to wince against the onslaught. It was cold, and he felt his body shiver against the hard surface where he lay. A rank, musty smell permeated the air around him. He turned his head and attempted to bring his hand up to shield his eyes, but his limbs felt heavy and he didn't seem to have the strength to raise his arm. He began to hear the voices again ― two, distinct voices in his head.

"He is awake."

"Good, we haven't much time left."

"If only that woman had done what she promised she'd do, we wouldn't be here like this."

"He may be a better choice after all."

"He's weak."

"Yes, but he has faced this sort of evil before. He's fearless. He can do this."

"You have given him both doses of the muti. It isn't working."

"I have made more."

"How?"

"I have used the remains of the woman. Her death now has purpose. I performed the purification ritual on her bones. It will not be as strong as the other muti, but it will serve to strengthen the boy for battle. If we administer it ourselves, we can increase the outcome."

"That is forbidden."

"No. It is forbidden for us to fight the umthakati. It is not forbidden to lend our strength to our chosen warrior."

Dean frowned as he listened to the voices, his confusion and concern growing as they spoke of a battle. Where am I? Where's Sam? As soon as he formed the questions in his mind, he heard a voice answer him.

"I told you, you needn't be concerned for your brother. He is fine, as long as he stays away and allows you to fulfill your task."

"Task?" What the fuck? Dean's confusion turned to anger. He wanted answers, but knew he was in no position to demand anything. His voice was weak, even to his own ears, but still he attempted to summon his bravado and face this situation like a Winchester. He managed to bring his arm up enough to block the light slightly.

"Will you get that damned light out of my eyes so I can see who you are?"

"We are the light."

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

Sam didn't have time to worry about Kendall's fate. He motioned for Bobby to follow him and the pair quickly made their way through the garden and out to the parking area where the Impala waited. Sam opened the passenger side door and sat down, quickly opening his laptop and booting it up. While he waited for a wireless source, he looked up at Bobby, his eyes imploring the older man to give him some hope.

"Bobby, please tell me you know something about the Zulu. If I can't get a wi-fi connection out here, I'll have to go find one. I can't leave Dean here. I won't leave him."

The hunter looked at Sam and then shook his head apologetically, his eyes cast downwards. "Well kiddo, I don't know much, just what little I've read or heard through the grapevine."

"Anything Bobby," Sam said as he frowned at his laptop. "Have you ever heard of a ta – oh, shit, what did they call it? A tagati?"

"Tagati? If I recall, it's either a spell or some kind of evil spirit."

"Aren't they all?" Sam let out a short mirthless laugh and leaned his head back against the top of the Impala's bench seat. He was feeling defeated by his lack of information and his fear of what could be happening to his brother. "I need to know how to kill it, damn it! They said they were preparing Dean to fight it and destroy it."

"Who said?" Bobby looked at Sam quizzically as he realized he hadn't heard all the details yet. The younger man closed his eyes for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts and remember every detail of his encounter with the strange entity. He couldn't risk leaving anything out, because Bobby could very well know how to take the spirit out, given the right information. Sam looked up at the older man again and cleared his throat.

"Uh, it was the voice, you know, that evil spirit that chased us out of the castle."

Bobby frowned and looked back at the castle. "So, just where is Dean?'

"I don't know. They took him. They're probably somewhere in the castle. He wasn't in any shape to be going anywhere, Bobby. This is so fucked up," Sam voice was choked with emotion as the memory of the evening's events hit him full force. He was scared and angry as he recounted the details for his friend.

"First, Dean drinks some cursed whiskey, the jerk! He thought by drinking it he could get to the bottom of this little murder mystery. Then, Judith gives him something― something called muti. Only at the time I thought it was Tylenol or Advil or something. That's what she said it was. Dean got really sick after that. I can't believe I didn't stop him." Sam's unshed tears were threatening to spill as he looked up at Bobby. The older man winced inwardly at the pain he saw in the young hunter's eyes.

"Look, Sam. Since when can you stop Dean Winchester from doing anything? Once that brother of yours sets his mind to something ― he's just like your dad, stubborn as a mule," Bobby squeezed Sam's shoulder. "But let's not take the guilt trip. We've got to figure this out right now. Tell me again, what did the woman give Dean?"

"It's called muti, whatever the hell that is. It can't be good, not the way he reacted. The uh, spirit told me Dean got sick because he drank the tainted alcohol first. He said he would have died without the muti. Is any of this ringing a bell with you, Bobby?" Sam turned his attention back to the laptop, growing more frustrated with each failed attempt to find a wireless signal.

"I know it's a form of witchcraft, Sam; pretty powerful stuff, actually. It's still practiced in South Africa. They call the Zulu sorcerers umthakati, that must be who has Dean."

"Wait ― wait, I remember that, I'm not sure why. I had a vision earlier. I think that's who, or what, Dean has to fight." Sam slammed his laptop shut. "God! I'm not getting any wireless out here. How are we supposed to stop this?"

Bobby rubbed his forehead and frowned. "I know I've heard about this before, Sam. I just ― I can't remember details."

Sam suddenly looked up at Bobby, his eyes alight. He exited the Impala, his long legs taking him back towards the castle. He talked over his shoulder as Bobby attempted to keep up.

"I do remember something. In my vision Dean was holding a journal. Kendall mentioned a journal. If we find it, we may be able to stop the spell and get Dean out of there."

"That's great, Sam. But how are we supposed to get back in there?"

-----

The air around Dean felt electric. The lights around him, what he could only describe as energy, had splintered into hundreds of tendrils that were moving around him, creating small electrical charges with each point of contact they made with Dean's bare torso. Okay, this is seriously freakin' me out, here. What's up with the electroshock therapy? The young hunter couldn't suppress a small cry as the charges began to intensify and become more painful. Welts began to form as the tendrils lashed at him.

"Do not be concerned. We are administering the muti. You should begin to feel stronger."

"Don't be concerned? This fuckin' hurts!"

"It is necessary."

"Oh come on! Why don't you guys just go shock the hell out of whatever it is you want me to fight? I thought I was supposed to be the good guy here; you know, the hero? News flash: good guy is in freakin' pain!"

"Perhaps it is too much."

"No, he has to receive all of the muti at full force."

"But what good will he be to us, if it kills him?"

"Yeah! What he said!" Dean winced as the shocks assaulted him. He was all too familiar with the damage that electricity could inflict on the human body. That made it all the more frightening for him. He could feel his heartbeat begin to skip, and then race as the shocks took their toll on his system. Blackness slowly encroached on his peripheral vision and he no longer felt or heard anything. The tendrils of bright light faded to black as Dean's body stilled beneath their frenzied dance.