Chapter Two: Supernatural Superserious
Sam watched trees whip past the vehicle as John drove the black '67 Chevy Impala as deep into the forest as he could. His father grimaced every time a tree branch or bush came into contact with the car's roof or sides, no doubt scratching the paint all to hell.
Dean sat up front beside his father, eyes gazing eagerly at the slowly-setting sun.
This was the first time his little brother was coming along on a real hunt- no more Salt n' Burns for Sammy- and Dean was excited to show him the most exciting part of their job.
Sam was a bundle of nerves. He had only helped Dean and their father out on cases with ghosts and a group of baobhan sith were a big jump from pesky spirits.
He really, really wanted to impress his Dad, show him he was as good a hunter as Dean.
I can do this, Sam thought, I will do this. Just follow Dad's instructions and it'll be okay.
Sam wanted John to praise him so badly. He wanted to see the same pride that shone in John's eyes for Dean, to shine for him, just once.
He saw his father darting glances at him from the rearview mirror.
Don't mess this up, Sam thought, don't you dare let him down.
John had already told the boys the plan before they had left. Dean was going to be the decoy, since John was too old and Sam was too young to play the part.
John and Sam were to walk alongside Dean, out of sight of the young hunter but at the ready for when the baobhan sith swooped in.
All three Winchesters had guns loaded with iron rounds.
The plan was simple yet sweet and Sam knew he could do it. All he had to do was make sure his timing was right and not shoot too soon.
The car lurched to a stop and John killed the engine. He didn't speak but used hand signals to get the boys' attention.
Sam swallowed and tightened his grip on his pistol. His palms were sweaty and his heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute.
Dean gave his brother a comforting smile as they exited the car. John nodded to his boys and motioned to his eldest to take the lead.
Once Dean was about two dozen feet away from them, Sam and John followed. The boy's father put a finger to his lips, illustrating the need to be silent. Sam nodded and took in his surroundings- trees, bushes, the crunch of leaf litter underfoot, the scurry of nocturnal animals- intent on helping his brother and father kill the baobhan sith.
Soon Sam was out of sight of John and Dean. He could hear his brother though, the almost imperceptible sound of Dean's breathing and light footsteps.
W
Sam didn't know how long they'd been walking- it seemed like hours- and it was just his luck to forget his watch back at the motel.
He kept switching the gun from hand to hand as it grew heavier and heavier. A chilly breeze wound its way through the trees and Sam shivered a little, zipping up his jacket in an attempt to stave off the rapidly cooling night air.
As Sam walked he began to grow tired- his eyelids began to droop and he stumbled over easily avoidable obstacles more than once- but he just shook his head and continued moving forward, keeping alert for sounds of his brother or father or the baobhan sith.
Sam started when he heard the call of a night bird that sounded all too human. He stopped walking and leaned against the scratchy trunk of a pine tree, listening.
He could have sworn he'd heard the sound of soft, female laughter.
Sam pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes as the whip-poor-will called out again and he felt himself relax a little bit.
C'mon Sam, focus! The boy scolded himself. Dad and Dean need you!
Pushing himself away from the tree, Sam continued on his trek.
Sam jumped up suddenly when he heard the unmistakable crack of a firearm going off somewhere to his right.
"Dean!" Sam shouted, completely forgetting his father's order of silence.
Sam took off running in the direction of the gunshot, heart pounding in his chest. Dean was in trouble and he wasn't there to help him.
The boy skidded to a halt as he entered a small clearing. His eyes widened at the sight of two lovely-looking young women advancing on his brother. Dean's face was contorted in anger and pain. Sam saw he was holding one arm to his chest, the blood coating his sleeve was black in the moonlight.
The women were tall and curvy, both wearing long green dresses, their blond tresses lifting from their shoulders unnaturally in the breeze.
"Dean! Look out!" Sam shouted as a third woman jumped at Dean from behind.
Dean's gaze snapped to his little brother standing on the edge of the clearing. He didn't even hear the third baobhan sith until it was too late.
The vampiric creature grabbed his neck from behind and shoved him forward, onto his knees. Dean brought his free hand around and grabbed a handful of the monster's hair, pulling her away from him. The creature's sisters hissed and Dean watched as their nails elongated into deadly daggers.
Sam had to do something. He couldn't just stand there like a statue and watch his brother get killed. He leveled his gun at the closest creature and fired.
The sound and kickback from the pistol sent Sam stumbling back to land on his butt. He watched as the baobhan sith all looked up momentarily, one of them turning her gaze on him, before turning back to their intended target, Dean.
The baobhan sith moved across the glade with incredible speed. She hissed menacingly as she approached the youngest Winchester now scrambling to stand.
"Sam! Run!" Sam heard Dean shout out and gasped as three more baobhan sith slipped out of the shadows of the forest to surround Dean.
"Stay away from him!" Sam warned, trying to keep an eye on the five monsters attacking his brother and the one now focused on him.
The baobhan sith chuckled and extended her claws, staring at Sam hungrily.
The monster leaped forward and Sam went crashing into a tree, the gun slipping from his grasp.
"No," Sam groaned as the baobhan sith raised a hand menacingly.
Sam scrabbled at the ground, his fingers closing around a baseball-sized rock.
"NO!" Sam shouted as the creature swung downwards, bringing the stone up to crash into her daintily-featured face.
The monster screeched and Sam screamed as its claws raked his flesh.
The last thing Sam saw before blacking out was a large figure step out beside the injured baobhan sith and a flash of white light as a gun went off.
W
The first thing Sam saw when he woke up was a large, blazing orange fire. Thick smoke swirled up between the trees to obscure the sky. A burly figure stood in front of the pyre and Sam knew it was his father.
The boy realized he was sitting up, his back propped against the same tree he'd been slammed into by the baobhan sith. Sam tried to move but sank back with a groan, his abdomen searing with pain.
Looking down he saw his t-shirt was shredded and damp with blood. Lifting the ruined cloth, Sam gulped at the sight of three horizontal lines crossing his belly.
"They're just flesh wounds, you'll live," John's rough voice made Sam jump.
Flesh wounds, Sam thought dazedly.
He gulped, not meeting his father's eyes, "Is Dean… Is he okay?"
"No, he's not okay, Sam. He almost died," John growled and Sam lowered his head in shame.
"Now that you're awake you can help me," John said, "Get up."
Bracing himself against the tree trunk, Sam inched into a standing position. His head swam and his father appeared to have a corona of shimmering light surrounding him.
"Are the baobhan sith dead?" Sam asked, still refusing to meet John's gaze.
"Yes," Sam's father answered brusquely.
No thanks to you, Sam filled in the blank left by his father.
Sam took a cautious step forward and the ground tilted beneath him. He grabbed the tree trunk and gulped; afraid he was going to puke.
All Sam wanted to do was sit back down until the ground stopped moving but one look from John squelched that idea quickly.
"We have to carry your brother back to the car," John told his youngest son. The fire had died down somewhat and now Sam could see red-hot coals sending up wispy white smoke.
John indicated a bundled figure lying on the wet grass. Dean's face was pale and his eyes were closed- if Sam didn't know any better he'd think his brother was dead- with their father's jacket wrapped tightly around his prone body.
Sam hesitated, not sure what he was supposed to do until his Dad grabbed Dean beneath the armpits and hoisted him up.
"Get his legs," John grumbled, grunting with exertion.
Sam hurried over despite the nausea rolling around in his stomach and grabbed his brother's ankles.
John began walking backwards- he didn't trust Sam to do it- and slowly moved away from the clearing, the fire the least of his concerns.
W
Sam wished they could take a break but he didn't dare ask. His arms ached with fatigue and the sweat coursing down his chest stung the wounds on his belly.
Mercifully, the Impala appeared, gleaming black and welcoming. Sam breathed a sigh of relief.
He helped his father arrange Dean into a comfortable position on the backseat. Sam sat up front but wouldn't look at John, knowing he'd only see disappointment in his eyes.
The drive out of the woods was deathly quiet, broken only by the sound of the three Winchesters' breathing.
"Are we taking Dean to a hospital?" Sam asked quietly. He wondered if his Dad thought Dean's injuries were serious enough for so drastic a measure. Normally John stayed away from Emergency Rooms unless one of them was gushing blood.
"I'm going to drive him up to Jim's," John told Sam.
The boy nodded. Pastor Jim Murphy would take good care of Dean and would save them the trouble of explaining his injuries to a doctor.
"Are we stopping at the motel first?" Sam asked.
"We? No Sam, you're staying here," John muttered.
"But-" Sam began but John turned to his youngest.
"I can't deal with you right now. I am dropping you off at the motel and heading to Jim's by myself!" John snapped, causing Sam to flinch.
"What about Dean?" Sam asked, worried about his brother.
"He'll survive without you," John said nastily.
Sam's shoulders hunched. He'd screwed up the hunt and now his Dad was pissed at him. But he had tried to do the right thing! He had tried to defend Dean from the baobhan sith but there had just been too many of them.
John slid the Impala into the parking lot of the motel, stopping just in front of their room and shoved the keys at Sam.
Sam didn't even ask his Dad how long he would be. He thought maybe it was best he was alone anyway.
He was sure he was going to be in for the lecture of his life when John returned.
Sam's father didn't even bother to wait until his son was safely inside; Sam had barely closed the car door before John was tearing out of the parking lot.
Sam stared after his family for a moment, feeling acutely lonely and miserable. His Dad was furious at him, as he should be, but Sam wished he could go back and do things right, not be the big fuck up John thought he was.
Sam sighed sadly and unlocked the room door. He stepped inside and peeled his clothes off even as he headed to the bathroom for a much needed shower.
Sam just stood in the stream of hot water and let it course over his body. The heat stung the cuts on his belly but he could see that his Dad was right- they were not very deep at all and he doubted if they would even leave scars.
Sam knew it could have been much worse. He could have ended up like the baobhan sith's first victims- sliced to ribbons and drained of blood- or like Dean, who had remained unconscious throughout the trek back to the car and the drive to the motel.
I got off lucky, Sam told himself as he pulled on a clean t-shirt and pair of boxer shorts, really lucky for my first hunt.
Sam grimaced. Sure, he hadn't been cut down by any monster tonight but he still had to deal with his father's wrath when he returned home. And Sam wasn't stupid; he knew that when John came back there would be hell to pay.
Author's Note:
1. Edited by BerserkerHellHound
2. Thanks to LeighAnnWallace, SPN Mum, and Alex Megan for Reviewing.
3. Thanks to for planB, samgirl19, KhakiGrrl, tayba9330, NAVILLUS, Leahelisabeth, slader91, MrSharky997, Souless666, VSava67, Cdw43, Jeanny, AMPGrl88, fledgelingfeathers, jayfeather63, SPN Mum, demon in training, DualKitsune, b9, twohisglory2002, ESurnaturel, Navybrat56, and Alex Megan for Alerting and Favouriting.
4. Please review guys and gals! I love 'em!