"Dean! Dean!!"
Sam's cries traveled down the cave's dark corridors, his voice giving chase where his body could not. Sam used the wall to pull himself along as he furiously tried to keep up with his older brother. His tattered right arm burned nearly as hot as his injured knee as both limbs tried their best to propel the determined man forward.
Sam carefully stepped over the bloodied carcass of the bendith. The next instant Sam found himself sharing the floor with the corpse, his defective knee once again pointing out the downfalls of gravity.
Sam sat forward, grimacing in disgust as he pulled his hands out of the warm pool of blood that spread across the cave floor. Sam gave a shudder of revulsion as he wiped his sticky palms on his pants. Judging from the warm squishy sensation that surrounded his hind quarters, it was a safe bet the jeans were already ruined.
Sam's gun and flashlight had fallen clear of the gory mess, and he quickly retrieved them before hauling himself back onto his feet. A quick check to his backside revealed the seat of his dark jeans had become even darker from the soaked-in blood of the bendith.
"Perfect. Just freakin' perfect." Sam muttered. He shoved the gun and light under his armpits as he gingerly picked the wet fabric away from his butt. He supposed there was one upside to Dean taking off like he did. Having his sardonic sibling witnessing Sam soaking his ass in fresh bendith marinade would've been the final indignity.
Sam finally realized he had no chance in hell catching up with Dean, given his head start and healthy two legs. He forced himself to stop and take a moment to tend to his arm. Using his pocketknife, he cut a strip of cloth from his shirt, which he proceeded to wrap tightly around his forearm. Sam flexed his hand a few times, relieved that the crimbil's deep bite had done no tendon or muscle damage. He wanted his hands to be in full working order when he wrung his impulsive brother's neck.
Sam continued further into the cave, shaking his head as his anger resurfaced. How could Dean just take off like that? Injured and in the dark, both literally and figuratively, about what lie ahead, Dean's actions were completely foolish and irresponsible…and exactly what Sam would've done if their situations were reversed.
Sam's anger intensified with the realization that the person he was really upset with was himself. It all came back to the fact that everything was his fault. His ill-fated trip down the broken stair back at the Eagan cabin had started it all, effectively knocking his knee and himself out of commission. It was if he'd left his common sense at the foot of those stairs, as every decision from then on seemed like the wrong one. Not listening to his gut and going to Jenna when she called for help, insisting the injured pair finish the hunt when a very healthy and capable Caleb was only hours away, and finally, letting Dean go by himself to rescue the missing children. Well, not like he had much choice on that one, given the sorry state of his right knee….which of course led back to him blundering onto the broken stair.
A shot rang out from somewhere up ahead, pulling Sam out of his state of self pity and plunging him into a deep vat of fear. Sam stopped short, his heart in his throat.
Sam yelled out his brother's name just as another shot rang out. Frantic, Sam reached for his cell phone, already knowing there was no way in hell to get a signal this far away from town, let alone deep inside a cave. Sam cursed angrily as the dreaded words mocked him from the little screen. No signal.
Yeah, and no chance of saving your brother if you stand around feeling sorry for yourself, Sam thought to himself as he pushed himself onward.
But the faster Sam tried to move, the more the infernal cave worked to slow him down. While the ceiling had risen enough for Sam to stand upright, the walls had steadily begun to close in on him. That in itself wouldn't have been that big a deal, had it not been for the large rocks and tiny pebbles that littered the ground.
Two more clumsy hops brought Sam to where he could brace himself against both sides of the cave walls, allowing for a somewhat smoother pace. He'd finally worked up a decent momentum, even managing to vault over some of the larger piles, when the tiniest noise reached Sam's ears.
Sam immediately flattened himself against the wall, pointing his flashlight and weapon back the way he'd came. After a few long seconds of silence the rustling began again and grew steadily louder. Whatever was making the noise was coming fast. Allowing for the crimbils' diminutive height, Sam aimed his gun low and prepared to fire.
"Oh crap." Sam covered his head just as a large cluster of bats streamed through the narrow corridor, their bony bodies whacking and scraping Sam's arms and shoulders. He dropped as low as possible and waited for the swarm to pass, hoping he wasn't about to be bitten for the second time that night.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sam cautiously peeked his head out only to duck as two more fliers followed after their creepy buddies. Sam shuddered. Bats suck.
Having survived his Goonies moment, Sam took a shaky breath and smoothed down his hair. He couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. He'd faced demons, werewolves, practically every evil creature that the world could spit at him. But send a tiny two foot rat with wings his way and the mighty Sam Winchester cowers like a scared child.
He was still chuckling to himself when something large slammed into his back, sending him crashing face first onto the rocky ground. The fall jarred the unseen creature's grip on Sam's shoulders, and it hissed as it tumbled forward off of his back.
Sam didn't waste time gawking at the creature's hideous appearance; confirming that it was a crimbil was enough for him. Sam grabbed a rock and hurled it at the snarling creature, hitting it square in the chest. The crimbil fell to the ground, hugging itself as it gasped for air.
Sam desperately searched for his gun. Reaching around blindly, his left hand came upon his flashlight. He flicked the light on just as the recovered crimbil leapt forward, a large rock in it's hand. Sam had no time to execute a block as the crimbil slammed the rock down on Sam's head hard enough for the hunter to see stars.
"Aaah!" Sam dropped his head down to his arm and gave it a good shake. Blinking hard, he looked up just as the crimbil was about to deliver another crushing blow. Sam rolled to his side and narrowly missed what could've been a fatal blow. He thrust his flashlight forward and knocked it hard against the crimbil's knee as it reared back for another try. The heavy rock fell from it's hands as the crimbil crumpled to the ground in agony. The stocky being cried out in a deep voice as it writhed in pain.
Sam pushed himself onto his elbows, ignoring the searing pain in his right arm as he searched frantically for his gun. A grin flashed across his face as his light found the missing weapon. Using his left leg to push himself forward, Sam scrambled towards the gun that lay several feet away.
A rock the size of a golf ball flew in front of Sam's face, pulling him up short of his goal. Another sailed across his back, missing Sam by nearly a foot. Sam looked at the crimbil in amazement as it reached for more ammo. The little guy couldn't throw for shit! But Sam wasn't about to give it the opportunity to improve on it's pitching stats. He refocused on retrieving his gun, which lay just out of reach.
Sam pushed forward with both legs, the pain and frustration and rage exploding from his lungs in a loud yell. Sam wrapped his fingers around the gun just as a third rock, roughly the size of a softball, whizzed by, missing Sam by inches.
"Three strikes, you're out." Sam twisted to the side and pulled the trigger, watching in grim satisfaction as the crimbil fell forward, dead before the rock rolled out of it's hand.
Sam rolled onto his back and took a deep breath. "Man, I hate those little bastards."
After taking a few moments to calm down, Sam sat up and probed his latest wound. A small lump was already forming near the top of his head, but at least there was no blood. Continuing his inspection, Sam shined the light down on his right arm. The makeshift bandage was saturated with blood, the torn tissue below throbbing from his latest adventure. Sam didn't even bother checking on his knee. Lord knows how the damn thing was even still attached.
Sam got to his feet, wobbling a bit as the cave tilted below his feet. "Don't you start that crap now." Sam threatened himself, not willing to let the dizziness in. Sam stared straight ahead as the world leveled out. He was just about to take his first step when the faint sound of a child's cry floated in from the corridor in front of him.
Sam's eyes widened, and he held his breath, straining to hear. Other voices joined the first, their sobs gaining in volume and intensity.
"Oh my God." Sam breathed, feeling the first glimmer of hope he'd had in days. Cupping his hand around his mouth, Sam yelled for all he was worth. "Jenna!!"
The cries continued, leaving Sam unsure if they'd even heard his voice. He screamed the other two children's names. The cries seemed to lessen slightly, but were still tinged with fear.
Sam looked back the way he came, his mind sailing back to the dead body of the bendith. With the supernatural creature dead, whatever hold it was said to have had over children must have died along with it. Sam could only imagine the terror they must be feeling, waking from a trance all alone in some dark, dank cave.
Sam dropped his hand. Where the hell was was Dean?
Leaning forward, Sam put his hand back and screamed his brother's name, praying to hear Dean's annoyed voice telling him to put a sock in it, to hold his horses, hell, he'd even take a, "Shut up, already!". But the only sounds he heard were the continuous cries of the kidnapped children.
Sam sighed, frustrated and scared by Dean's silence. What if Dean had veered off in the wrong direction? Just because the cave had been straight forward thus far didn't mean it didn't branch off into several tunnels up ahead. If that was the case, he might never find Dean, or the children. Sam refused to consider the other possibility…that Dean's injuries or more crimbil had gotten the better of him and he was…
Sam shook off the thought. No way. Dean was an amazingly skilled and resourceful hunter, second only to their father. There was no way those overgrown toads could take him out. And his injuries didn't seem that bad. Right?
Sam pushed his fears away and squared his shoulders. Focusing on the children's weeping, Sam followed the voices down the corridor.
The voices and the passageway grew with every step, as did the clutter beneath Sam's feet. The bones of some poor animal littered the floor as he rounded a sharp turn. Another group of bats, or perhaps the same one, flew by his head as he entered a fairly long straightaway, putting a momentary pause in his trek. Hoping that was the last inhuman thing that would pass his way, Sam pressed on.
His injuries were starting to get the better of him. Sam couldn't deny that fact any longer. His left leg burned from the exertion of doing double duty while his right staunchly refused to have any weight put on it. Blood dribbled from the gashes in his arm and trickled off his fingertips, leaving a bright red trail on the grey stone. The pounding in his skull was manageable, but nonetheless extremely irritating.
Sam leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat from his brow. If he didn't find the kids soon, he'd end up crawling his way through the tunnels.
Sam lifted his head away from the cool rock and cocked it to the side. Wait, when had the children stopped crying? He'd been so wrapped up in keeping his failing body moving he'd never even noticed the eerie hush that had befallen the cave. Oh God, what if something had happened to them? And where the hell was Dean?!
Sam cried out each child's name, adding Dean's name at the end. More concerned than ever, Sam moved forward, the flashlight stretched out as far as his long arm would allow. He'd just hopped around a corner when Dean's voice, unbelievably close, made him jump.
"Sam, would you shut the hell up already? You're scaring the kids!"
Sam's eyes opened nearly as wide as the grin that slowly spread across his face. "Dean?"
Sam pulled himself forward a few more steps as the still unseen Dean answered him.
"Yeah, Sam, we're here." Dean's voice was weary, but Sam could still detect a smile in his voice. "All of us. Now stay put, we're almost to you."
"Yeah, right." Sam muttered. Feeling as if he could climb a mountain, Sam broke into a sloppy half run, half hop. He'd nearly reached a sharp bend in the cave when his foot skidded on a patch of loose gravel. Sam fell in a heap just as a very ragged, but very much alive Dean rounded the bend with three small children surrounding him.
"Ow." Sam winced as he pushed himself up on scraped palms. He cursed, still unaware of the four pairs of curious eyes that stared down at him.
Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Watch the language, Sammy, or I'm gonna have to wash your mouth out with soap."
Sam's head snapped up, grinning goofily. "Dean." His brow scrunched with concern once he noticed Dean's hand resting heavily on the shoulder of a cute little brown haired girl. "You ok?"
Dean nodded his head wearily. "Kids make great walking sticks. I highly recommend getting one."
Sam turned serious. "These are really the kids? You're sure?"
Dean nodded, ruffling the hair of the brown haired girl, who stiffened at his touch. He pulled his hand away and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, I've, uh, I've got a way with kids, you know."
Sam rolled his eyes and looked at the girl. "You must be Becky."
The little girl nodded her head shyly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Sam smiled reassuredly. "Don't worry. We're going to take you home now."
Sam looked to Dean's right where a small girl with long blonde hair regarded him with her bright blue eyes. Sam smiled, feeling his own eyes well up. Willing his voice not to crack, he asked gently, "Jenna? Are you ok?"
Jenna nodded, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. Glancing up at Dean, she moved a few steps closer to Sam. Sam shifted his sprawled out body to a more graceful position, sitting on his butt with his legs straight out.
Jenna looked Sam up and down, tilted her head to the side and asked, "Where's your hat?"
Even Dean had to grin as Sam gave a hearty laugh. He bent his left leg and casually rested his elbow on it. "Tell you what. You be a brave girl and keep the tears away, and the hat's yours."
Jenna folded her arms. "I don't cry. Crying's for babies." she said indignantly, drawing another laugh from the hunters.
"I've been telling him that for years." Dean deadpanned.
Even Dean's snarky remarks couldn't put a damper on Sam's emotions. The bendith was dead, and more importantly, Dean and the kids were safe and sound. Sam grinned up at Dean, who hid a smile behind his hand and shook his head.
A small blonde boy toddled over and looked straight into Sam's face. "Hello."
"Hello back." Sam grinned. "You must be Stevie."
Stevie scowled, looking back at his big sister with disdain. "My name is Steve. She calls me Stevie, but my name is Steve. I keep telling her to stop calling me Stevie, but she won't quit it."
Sam nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya, buddy." Sam said, looking up at his own sibling.
Dean moved his wrist down to where Becky was holding the flashlight. "You wanna wrap this up, Sammy? It's past your bedtime."
Sam's grin refused to budge. Not even the dreaded nickname could dampen his mood. Sam looked into Stevie's…Steve's big doe eyes and said, "Whadda you say, Steve? Time to blow this pop stand?"
Steve didn't answer. He continued to stare at Sam, who smiled disarmingly at the boy. "What is it, Steve?"
Steve reached a chubby hand forward and poked at Sam's cheek. "You have a hole in your face."
Sam threw back his head and laughed, his dimples growing as his laughter filled the cave. Dean looked down at his baby brother and finally let his own laughter out, punctuating the act with an uncomfortable, "Ow.", and rubbing a hand ruefully across his middle.
Sam got himself under control and nodded, a few giggles still escaping. "You're right, buddy, I do." He handed his flashlight over to Steve, who took the large blue instrument with glee, immediately shining the light all around the cave.
Sam looked over at Dean and held up an arm. Dean took the hint and walked over to the trio, Becky firmly at his hip. Dean helped Sam to his feet, Jenna and Steve assisting as best they could.
Dean steadied the wobbly man. "You ok, Sammy?"
Sam looked down at the three children. "Couldn't be better."
Dean grinned and gave Sam's shoulder a hearty squeeze. He reached up and ruffled Sam's unruly hair.
"Come on, Sammy. Time to go home."
snsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsn
We hope you enjoyed this "very special" episode of Supernatural. lol...just kidding. Heaven help me, I'm a sucker for a bit of brotherly mush.
Anyhow, I'm hoping to tie up the loose ends in one final chapter, which will be posted, um, soon. I hope.