Chapter Six

Hugh carried Sam out of the house, followed by John Clark and Alex Fosterbeck (the men who had held Dean) and down to the waiting SUV, Charlie behind the wheel. John climbed into the back seat and Hugh passed the unconscious boy to him. Closing the door, Hugh leaned into the front passenger window.

"Take him to the house but don't do anything until I get there."

With a nod, Charlie put the car in gear and drove off. Hugh had a stop to make before heading to the Drexler house.

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Alice was a wreck. Pacing frantically in her living room, she was wracked with guilt and fear over the events that she knew were taking place at that very moment, events she'd neglected to stop. Sure, she had warned the older brother to take Sam away, and she'd seen them take off toward their home right after, but she'd also seen Hugh off in the shadows of the nearby trees, watching them. The other men must have already been at the boys' home, waiting for them. How could she not have told them? Or gone to the police? Or taken the boys with her? Because you're weak, she cursed herself. Because deep down she dared to think Hugh's twisted plan might work. Did that mean she was finally starting to believe the story?

Deep down she had to admit a part of her did believe it. It made sense. All the boys taken were Tommy's age. All ended up…just like Tommy. Was Hattie just searching for her baby boy? And would she really believe Sam Winchester was him? She glanced over at the picture on her mantle from the 4th of July picnic eight years before. The one of her and the Drexler family with a few other friends. She walked closer to it and picked it up, looking at it and letting the tears fall. Will you ever find peace, Hattie? She quietly asked herself. Will you ever stop? Is this boy…

She suddenly heard a sound at the front door. She put the picture back and quietly made her way toward the door, listening but mostly hearing her own heart thumping in her ears. She didn't hear anything else, so she cautiously moved closer. As she glanced toward the floor, she could see the shadow of movement under the door. Someone was there. She backed away and began moving as quietly as she could toward the back door. She heard another sound, and glancing back, she no longer saw the shadow. Moving back toward the foyer, she peeked out of the small window in the door and saw the mailman climbing back into his truck. She let out a breath and a relieved chuckle, then opened the door to retrieve the mail. As she reached toward the box next to the door, a large hand grabbed hold of her arm and she cried out.

"Hello Alice," said Hugh, his voice resonating in that deep, menacing way that had always unnerved her.

Alice looked up into his eyes, abject terror paralyzing her voice. As he pushed her inside and shut the door, a desperate scream could be heard.

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"Dean. Dean, son wake up."

Dean felt like his ears were plugged full of cotton. Scratch that. Spiked cotton that was piercing out into every direction and penetrating straight through his head in a most agonizing way. Wait, was he on the floor? He took a minute to feel around with his torso. Yep, definitely on the floor. But what is that shaking?

"Dean!"

Dean knew that voice. Dad. He struggled to open his eyes and after a moment the blur faded into clear and he saw his Dad leaning over him, worry lines more pronounced than ever. Dad, thank God. Wait, did I say that out loud? Let's try that again.

"Dad."

"You with me?"

"Gimme me a minute," Dean said, as he slowly, painfully and with his dad's help made his way to a sitting position. "What happened…"

Sammy.

"Sammy! Dad, they took Sam!" He moved a little too quickly on that one and felt himself teetering, almost tossing his proverbial cookies but swallowed them back down as John held him firm and managed to guide him up and over to the sofa, placing an icepack on his son's head.

"Take it easy. We'll get him back. Now tell me exactly what happened."

"They were here, in the house, waiting for us. God, Dad, I screwed up. Sam wanted to do something to help and you know how he gets and I figured the twerp was gonna go with or without me. I should've hogged tied him, kept him here, then they wouldn't have gotten in…" Dean teared up at the thought that his brother's ability to manipulate him may just have gotten him killed.

"Slow down, Dean. You're not gonna do your brother any good by falling apart now. Besides, by the looks of it I doubt anything would have kept them from getting in here and taking Sam. I know you. You never would have let them take him without a fight and it looks like it took two hits to take you down," John said, wincing at the bump clearly visible on his son's head.

"But they did take me down. And now they've got Sammy."

"Did you see who it was?"

"No. We ran in, I locked the door, Sam ran to get the shotgun in the kitchen, then I heard him cry out. That's when I got hit from behind. Couldn't really see straight after that, except that they drugged him. Dammit, Dad, they freakin' chloroformed the kid!"

"How many were there?"

"I think at least three. Felt like two were holding me and there was the one who had Sammy. Then they hit me again and that's it."

"How's your head?"

"Feels like Metallica's playing live at the Forum in it, but I'll be alright. We gotta get to the Drexler house. That has to be where they're taking him."

"I thought of that, but you said that according to the story no one can get in, right?"

"Yeah, Sam said it's thought to be magically sealed or something. Doesn't matter, we gotta get in there."

"I know. But we need more information, anything that can help us prepare. Is there anyone you can think of that can corroborate the legend, fill in some of the details, one of the townspeople, maybe?"

"At this point I'm thinking the whole damn town's in on it. I mean they did this in broad daylight, for crap's sake! I don't…" Rubbing his eyes and trying to close out the amp-turned up to11 drum solo pounding away in his head, it suddenly hit him. "I know someone." Pain be damned, Dean worked his way to his feet and made for the door, tilting ever so slightly but quickly recovering, John right on his heels.

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Hugh pulled up to the Drexler house and found the SUV waiting, Charlie, John and Alex standing next to it. Hugh walked up to the vehicle, opened the back door, pulled the still unconscious Sam into his arms and carried him toward the house.

"You really think this is gonna work?" called out Alex.

Hugh didn't respond, didn't turn around, didn't stop. Just continued on toward the front porch. He honestly didn't know what would happen when he reached the front door. No one ever knew what exactly happened when the previous boys were snatched. But he figured they all got taken inside the house somehow and if the first idea didn't work, then he'd try another. And another and another until Sam Winchester ended up in that house and that damn spook stopped taking their kids once and for all.

Climbing the steps, he started to kneel down to place Sam in front of the door when he heard it creak open. He glanced up and into the foyer, took a small glance back over his shoulder at the men who had now back upped several feet, their mouths agog, then turned back to the open doorway. He picked Sam up and carried him inside.

From the driveway, the men looked at each other, stunned. No one had seen that door so much as budge in the past six years and they had just watched it open like it was nothing. John started to make his way toward the house but Alex grabbed his sleeve with a clear "Are you insane?" look.

Just then the door opened again and Hugh walked out, stone faced and stalwart. He walked down the steps, the door shutting solidly on its own behind him, and made his way to the car.

"Hugh?" Charlie asked, hoping Hugh would fill them in on what he had seen but not daring to ask.

"It's done," was all he said before getting in his car and driving away.

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John and Dean pulled up to Alice's house and Dean, still a bit unsteady, ran as quick as he could manage to the front door. Prepared to kick it in and get the answers he was sure Alice had – after all, she had given them that frantic warning for a reason – he instead found the door already ajar. He waited for his father to join him before pushing the door open slowly. What they found was a disaster area. Broken lamps, overturned chairs, picture frames knocked over. As they made their way further into the house, they soon spotted Alice, unconscious on the floor and bleeding from the head.

They knelt down beside her, John feeling for a pulse.

"She's alive," he said, gently lifting to turn her over.

"Definitely looks like our guys' M.O." Dean said, gently touching his own lump.

John lifted her onto the couch just as she let out a pained moan and began to come around.

"Alice?" Dean asked as gently as he could, still determined to make her give them what they needed to find Sam.

Her eyes slowly opened and she flinched a moment before recognizing the two men. "Oh, it's you."

"Alice, where have they taken my son?" John asked. Boy, and I thought I didn't mince words, Dean thought.

"How did you find me?"

"Your bakery flyers are up all around town," Dean answered. "I recognized your face. Of course, we'd have been here a lot sooner if you'd bothered to stick around long enough to introduce yourself this morning in the midst of your massively freaked-out fit."

"I'm so sorry. I had to do something. I knew it wasn't enough but I had to try…" she suddenly scrunched up her eyes in pain. "I'm so sorry…"

"Where have they taken Sam?" Dean demanded.

"To Hattie. They've taken him to Hattie."

"Why?" John asked. "The other boy that's missing…do they think they can trade Sam for him?"

"You don't understand…"

"Then make us understand!" Dean cried, grabbing her shoulders. John put a hand on his wrist to tell him to back off.

"Hugh and the others believe that once Hattie has Sam, she'll stop taking other boys. She'll finally be at peace, reunited with her son."

"Why?" John asked again, trying desperately to fit the pieces together but not seeing the whole picture yet. "Why do they think Sam is the one to do that?"

Alice just closed her eyes and pointed to the mantle.

"Dean…" John nodded, telling Dean to go to the mantle. Dean went over and looked back, seeing Alice nod. He picked up the photo on the end, his eyes going wide at what he was seeing.

He guessed the boy in the photo was Tommy Drexler.

And the kid was a dead ringer for Sam.