Chapter Two – Agliophobia
Disclaimer: I have no rights to anything from the Supernatural universe, its inhabitants or the Impala. All belongs to Kripke.
ooooOOOOoooo
Dean came to consciousness slowly. He was seated on a chilly stone floor, back against the wall, arms suspended perpendicular via manacles and chains. His head ached and he was missing his jacket. Dean twitched as memory flooded his mind; where was Sam? He'd heard him call out right before he himself had been hit. Dean scanned the room looking for his brother. No one else was chained to a wall or lying on the floor. So where was Sam? The room itself wasn't brightly illuminated. There was a single fuel lantern on the floor across from him that threw shadows everywhere. The room seemed to be about 15 feet by 25 feet. He thought he could make out vents in the walls near the ceiling but it was too dark to be sure. The wall opposite the door had three heavy-looking blocks of stone jutting from the wall by about an inch. Each stone block was about 4 foot by 3 foot. What was this place? Where the hell was he? Where the hell was Sam? His mouth tightened with the fear that his brother might already be dead. NO! Deep inside he believed he'd know if Sammy was gone. There would be a hole, hollow and deep. Nah, his brother had escaped capture and was going to rescue his big brother soon. Dean needed to believe that Sam was safe. It kept his fears at bay.
Dean's inspecting gaze circled the room again. One of the shadows moved independent of the flame. A tall figure, wrapped in tattered cloth, stood and wavered towards him. The lantern was behind it so Dean couldn't make out the features of the face. It shuffled to a halt about a foot away from him and cocked its head to one side. It moved so fast that Dean didn't see the striking blow. All he knew was the pain blossoming in his side. His ribs ached from the impact. The pain flared again and again until Dean could scarcely draw a breath. His vision narrowed until all he saw was the thing's silvery eyes.
The pain stopped. The figure stepped back and looked at him appraisingly. It gave a shudder and pulled its shoulders back. Dean glared back, narrowing his hazel eyes. He saw a cadaverous humanoid creature with pallid skin. Its eyes glowed even though the flame was behind it. Dean looked again, not sure of what he thought he saw. Sure enough, it had no mouth. How the hell did this thing eat? He didn't think he wanted to know. Its skin clung like a wet bed sheet, the bones of its skull pushing to escape the prison of its skin. A rank smell reached Dean and he had to fight not to gag.
As Dean's pain began to subside, the thing edged closer. Dean steeled himself against more strikes to his buffeted ribcage. The unexpected shock when the thing hit him in the shin instead made him jump. That's it! Dean was pissed! He tried to struggle to his feet but the chains wouldn't let him climb higher than to his knees. No matter. He grabbed the chains with his hands for support and began lashing out with one foot. The creature was knocked back when his one of his kicks connected. Dean's breath came out in short pants; he still could not draw a full breath. His lip curled and he used the anger inside to burn off the pain. Damn it! Where was Sam? If he hadn't been captured, then he should be looking for Dean. A surge of fear welled up in Dean again. Sam couldn't be dead. He refused to allow that thought a foothold in his mind.
The cauchemar reveled in the emotions rolling off of its prey. It had been feeding off of young people, drunkards, and those who were hopeless. Their flavor had been very limited and anemic. Its harvesting had been disappointing. This one. . .It shuddered with relish. He too exuded fear and despair, but, oh. . . his hatred. That was going to be a fine meal. And this was just the start. It wasn't sure what the connection was between the two men, but it knew things would become more intense. Soon it would be strengthened as it had not been for so many years.
The creature backed away from Dean. He crouched down in anticipation of its next attack. If he could just get a bit of time, maybe he could work the chains out of the wall. One felt a bit loose. The mortar was crumbing and crumbs crunched under his feet. He continued to watch the thing slide back and forth, watching him. It seemed to be taking deep breaths, its chest kept expanding, and he could sense satisfaction from it somehow. Looking at him as it paced, it seemed to come to a decision. It turned its back on him and walked to the far end of the room where it rested its hands against the wall. It stood motionless for a long time. Dean was puzzled. Why the hell was it ignoring him? Was it a golem and recharging? Did it have a master that it was waiting for? No, his instincts said this thing had captured him for its own purposes. Suddenly, it arched its back in ecstasy. This was euphoria! His kind's tales about dreamers were true.
"No! No! Jess!" A muted wail of despair from Dean's brother reverberated from behind the wall.
ooooOOOOoooo
A/N: Hope this chapter had continued to whet your appetite. I will add new chapter soon. Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Thanks for reading.