The Preacher
Disclaimer: Don't own them, more's the pity.
Once again I would like to thank sjd for lending me her ears when I needed to have a rant and for looking over this for me.
I'm a little unsure of this chapter and have read and re-read it until I think it'll drive me crazy so I'm going to post it anyway and hope that you like it.
Chapter Nine
"Bobby Singer I presume." The preacher's calm voice belied the fury etched across his features.
Bobby took an involuntary step backwards, silently cursing at the spirits timing before pulling himself together and firing back.
"You presume right, now if you'll kindly move your ass I'm takin this boy outta here and back to where he belongs."
"I think not Mr Singer, or can I call you Bobby? The boy stays with me."
"Not gonna happen, you know damn well he would never have stood by and watched what happened to his brother if you hadn't screwed with his head." Bobby stooped to help up a still trembling and totally disorientated Sam from his knees.
"Bobby?" The almost inaudible voice of the youngest Winchester drew Bobby's attention from the preacher.
"S'okay Sam, gonna get you outta here and back home." Bobby reassured before turning back and glaring at the preacher.
"Where's Dean?" Sam's tremulous voice asked.
"We'll talk later Sam, for now we have to concentrate on gettin outta these woods." Bobby's voice took on a firm, no nonsense tone.
"Your brother is dead Sam, you remember" the preacher cut in, moving to stand directly in front of the young hunter, bending to bring his face level with Sam's "you were the one who decided how Dean's sentence was to be carried out and insisted it be done so without delay. Come Sam, come with me and we will speak, we will plan for your future as my protégé." The preacher encouraged.
"Dean's dead? Dean's dead………No, no he can't be, he can't be, where is he, where's my brother." Sam advanced on the preacher, refusing to believe that Dean was gone even as the images continued to flash through his mind of his brother's tortured final hours.
Whilst the preachers attention was focussed solely on Sam Bobby inched forward until he was close enough to the young man to grasp a hold of his arm and drag him out of the shelter of the gateway and into the open where to his amazement any escape route he may have hoped would be available was blocked as the preacher's followers formed an unbroken circle around the two hunters and their leader.
"There is no way out unless I decide to let you go." The preacher turned cold eyes on Bobby.
"Ya think" Bobby spat back before bringing two fingers to his mouth and letting out an ear shattering whistle.
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As soon as the unmistakeable high pitched signal from Bobby reached his ears Kelvin took off at a run, making his way around the border of the 'courtroom', spilling drops of the potion from the flasks as he ran until finally he was at the place he'd arranged to meet Bobby, his eyes scanning in every direction looking for the hunter. Being unable to locate the man, and unable to ignore the foreboding thoughts filling his mind he scampered to the nearest tree and stealthily climbed it's thick trunk, using the lower branches as a foothold, until he was high enough to be able to see clearly that Bobby had indeed found Sam but was now in a world of trouble as the crowd around the two hunters slowly and menacingly inched forward.
Practically falling from the tree Kelvin reached into his duffle and extracted the last flask of the trapping potion and ran, covering the area Bobby was going to cover once he'd gotten Sam and Dean out but as that was clearly not going to happen now, Kelvin decided that he had nothing to lose by doing it himself and then he would return to the point he and Bobby had started from earlier and would recite the ritual, a portable, battery operated loud speaker carrying his words through the air to their intended target and then, Kelvin prayed, he, Bobby and the two Winchester boys would be able to end this once and for all.
Breath hitching from the run Kelvin arrived back at the starting point and pulled the loud speaker out of Bobby's duffle, which had been hidden under an outcropping of rock covered by thick green moss and readied himself to begin.
Looking for something to stand on in order that his words have the best effect Kelvin decided that once again he would climb the tree and speak the ritual from there, knowing that the higher up he was the quicker and louder his words would be.
Pulling the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and straightening it, Kelvin took a deep breath before placing the loud speaker to his lips and began reading.
As the words filtered through the air the crowd surrounding Bobby and Sam began to disperse as each one of them jerked as they searched for the source of their torture, many fell to their knees, hands plastered over ears as the damning words invaded the air, panic and the instinct for survival overtaking any former instruction they had been issued.
Kelvin raised his eyes as he finished the ritual, astonished at the sight before him, even though he'd witnessed it many times before, as clouds of black smoke burst out of the mouths, ears and any available orifice of the preachers assembled flock, swirled and dived before dispersing, leaving the ground littered with some still and some writhing bodies. Those that were still standing wavered in and out of sight before simply vanishing all together until only the preacher and Bobby and Sam Winchester were left standing.
Kelvin practically threw himself from his elevated position and, grabbing the small bag of powder that would finally destroy the preacher and the hideous creature, ran full pelt towards the two hunters.
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"NO! You will pay for this. The preacher surveyed the remains of his followers "You will suffer for this; I will see you torn limb from limb in payment for your actions this day." The preacher's hostile gaze fixed on the strong, defiant form of Bobby and the slowly recovering form of Sam.
"I don't think so." Bobby spat back as he acknowledged the running figure of Kelvin approaching.
Seeing Bobby's nod the preacher turned his head just in time to see Kelvin stop a few feet behind him.
"And who is this specimen? Is this what you are relying on to save you? My friends, you are doomed." The preacher's face took on a confident, self satisfied and defiant smirk which soon transformed into full, hearty bellows of breath hitching laughter.
"Enjoy it while you can you evil sonovabitch." Bobby growled.
"It is you who are evil" the preacher hissed as he recovered his composure "prepare to meet thy maker." He clapped three times and raising his head muttered unintelligible words to the clouds before returning his gaze to the two men in front of him but speaking to all three hunters. "Soon you will be no more."
Silence fell on the small group as they waited with baited breath for something to happen, both Bobby and Kelvin as confident as they could be that the preachers summoning of what they were certain was the creature would not arrive, it still being trapped and awaiting them to end it's existence. Sam, who was only now beginning to think clearly could concentrate on only one thing, finding his brother and praying that it wasn't too late, that Dean would still be alive, he knew that he would forever damn himself for what had happened today just as he did for his brother going to hell for him, he cursed as he recalled the harsh words he'd spat at Dean just a few short days ago as he'd attempted to make him understand that his little brother was now all grown up and could take care of himself. Sam realised that he'd known all along that Dean wouldn't change, no, not wouldn't, couldn't, would always put himself last, after all, that was the way he'd been raised and now this bastard, Sam levelled fury filled eyes on the preacher, had used it against him.
"Bobby…" Sam began but was prevented from continuing by the older man shaking his head and pointing to the preacher who had taken a couple of steps away from them and was turning in a circle, his eyes cast upwards and a worried frown lining his face.
"What's goin on?" Sam questioned "We have to go get Dean."
"Ya think I don't know that." Bobby barked, his face softening as he saw the devastation reflected in the hazel eyes. "We havta finish this first." Bobby continued even whilst wanting nothing more than to tear the place apart looking for Dean's body.
The preacher's movements became more frantic as his call remained unanswered.
"Time to say goodbye." Bobby walked and stood in front of the preacher before nodding in Kelvin's direction.
Kelvin, acknowledged the signal and pulled the small pouch out of his pocket, aware of the preacher's unwavering gaze, and pulled the string until it fell away. He paused, looked at the two men standing just inches away and shook a tiny amount of powder onto the ground.
For a few seconds nothing happened and then the preacher screamed "You cannot do this, I forbid it, ." Even before he'd finished speaking the ground shook, a strong wind blew through the woods, rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees and high pitched screams could be heard from every direction before the wind abated, silence reigned and the preacher struggled to break free of the black willowy figures clawing at him as he was dragged into the heart of a suddenly appearing raging inferno, seconds later, the three hunters were at last alone, the preacher having been swallowed by the ball of fire.
For a few seconds the three hunters stood in shocked silence, unable to believe that the preachers reign of terror was at an end, that he could no longer cause harm to anyone or anything and was probably, if the figures surrounding him before he disappeared were what each of them thought they were, being dragged into the depths of hell where, if there really was any justice, he would spend eternity paying for the pain and misery he'd caused so many innocent people over the years.
Kelvin was the first to break the silence. "Guy's, we should get goin."
Bobby, a frown lining his face as he replayed the preacher's final moments, as he saw the smirk on the spirits face even as he was dragged screaming into the heart of the inferno turned to speak but before he could voice any words Sam cut in "We're not, or I'm not goin anywhere until I've found Dean. He's gonna need help and I'm not leavin."
The two older hunters shared a look before Bobby placed a hand on each of Sam's shoulders and, burying his unease that the preacher had yet another trick up his sleeve, that he was somehow stronger than the potion used, forced the young man to look at him "Sam, d'you rem… Do you know where Dean was taken? Bobby had been about to remind Sam that his brother was dead but changed direction at the last minute, instead deciding it best to help Sam in his search, besides Bobby thought, there was no way in hell he was gonna leave that boys body here, no he wanted to find the kid, get him outta these damn woods and take him home where he would be given a burial befitting a damn fine hunter and one of the most decent young men Bobby had ever met.
Bobby blinked rapidly to quell the tears gathering in his eyes and nodded to Sam to lead the way.
Sam turned full circle as he searched his mind, the image of his brother's blood smeared, bruised and torn body dancing before his eyes.
"Take it easy Sam; just think about where they could've taken him." Bobby encouraged.
"I don't know, oh god Bobby, I don't know." Sam's eyes filled as the frustration of being unable to remember where Dean had been taken intensified.
"Bobby, Sam." Kelvin began "This place is free of demons, spirits and anything else that shouldn't be here so, how bout we split up, search this area first and see what we come up with, maybe it'll give us a clue…
"That's it…" Sam excitedly faced Bobby and Kelvin. "Miriam said she'd been taken to a place, a place where she was left to die, all entrances, exits and windows bricked up, that's it, that's where we'll find Dean."
"Woah there Sam, who's Miriam?" Bobby placed a restraining hand on Sam's chest to stop the younger man from sprinting away.
"Miriam was the preacher's daughter, he had her tried and executed. Look, I'll tell you the whole story later, after we get Dean back and away from here." Sam shrugged Bobby's hand away and jogged toward the tunnel he'd used earlier, the reassuring sound of Bobby and Kelvin close behind him.
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Although in a state of deep unconsciousness Dean was far from at any kind of peace. His body fought to draw in what little air remained in his tomb and his mind refused to let him simply shut down. The images of his family before their world was torn apart by the YED's attack all those years ago continued to play out behind closed lids, the slide show moving ever onward to the time after his mom's death, a time when his dad was riddled with grief and a baby Sammy would scream for the gentle loving warmth of his mom. He relived his first meeting with Bobby and Pastor Jim, the 'holidays' he and Sammy had had with one or the other of the two as his dad disappeared for weeks at a time, he and Sammy training, hour after hour, day after day, a new school every few weeks, hunting with dad, Sammy leaving, dad dying, Sammy dying, being torn apart by hellhounds, begging and screaming in agony and terror as demon after demon lined up to inflict whatever torture their twisted minds could come up with in the name of entertainment, but nothing hurt him as much as the memories of his brother's disgusted, hate filled face leaning close and damning him for his actions over the years, twisting every decision he'd made, turning everything on it's head and accusing him of controlling and ruining his life. The blows Sammy had landed on him being the final turn of the knife, the thing that broke him, knocked the fight out of his body and left him welcoming the hoped for peace of his impending death.
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Sam thrust a clenched fist into the solid stone wall in frustration, not even blinking as the skin split and blood gushed from a collection of cuts and grazes "How many more fucking tunnels can there be in this godforsaken place" he ranted, his nerves frayed and his desperation getting the better of him.
"We just have to remain calm Sam." Bobby placated although he too was becoming increasingly frantic at the seemingly never ending web of passageways they'd encountered and still they'd found no sign of Dean.
"Bobby, Sam." Came the distant voice of Kelvin "I think I found something." Kelvin began scraping at the still wet cement like filling holding the rough bricks together.
Bobby and Sam skidded to a halt just behind the bent figure of the hunter who had proved invaluable on this hunt, the distinct shape of a circle recently bricked up clearly visible.
"This has to be it." Sam stated.
"This is gonna take forever to get through." Kelvin looked up from where he continued to stoop, his knife hardly making a dent in the almost dry, rough adhesive.
"Maybe not if we use this." Bobby appeared from behind a small outcropping carrying a huge, obviously handmade, crude solid wooden mallet and hefting it to shoulder height swung his arms down until it slammed into the rough stone wall. Large chunks of rock crumbled at the impact encouraging the three hunters to continue, each taking a turn until at last, after what seemed like hours, days, but was in fact only just over an hour a tiny peephole appeared.
Sam jumped forward and pressed his eye to the small opening but was unable to make out anything, the interior being too dark but what did filter out was the smell, the unmistakeable, stomach churning aroma of death, decaying bodies left to rot. "I can't see anything, it's too dark, we have to keep goin." Sam grabbed the mallet and all weariness disappearing swung it hard and fast until the tiny peephole became large enough for him to crawl through.
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Dean was not to be granted his wish so easily, no sooner had the images of the tragedies that had shaped his life ended they were replaced by the happy times, the times he, his brother, his dad and his mom had shared, times which were filled with laughter and joy. He saw his four year old self playing with his baby brother before mom would come and whisk them both upstairs for a bath, Dean holding his Sammy gently as mom watched, a proud smile gracing her face, Dean kissing his little brother goodnight, mom tucking him in and reading him a story, telling him angels were watching over him, tossing a ball around with dad, dad swinging him up into his arms and hugging him tight telling him, showing him that he loved him.
After mom had passed, long after, he saw himself and Sammy playing, he smiled as he pushed his little brother on the swings, taught him to ride a bike, taught him how to balance that same bike without the training wheels, as they played hide and seek, Sammy's delighted shrieks as his big brother pretended to have no clue where he was hiding only to pounce when the younger boy least expected it, nursing Sammy through chicken pox, flu, pneumonia, measles and countless injuries he'd sustained during hunts, encouraging his little brother to ask a girl on a date, being there for him when she said no or when she didn't want to see him again, taking the kid out for a pizza and his first beer, teaching him to drive, the rare camping holidays the three Winchesters had taken, even though both he and Sammy hated camping they loved these times because it meant they were a family, an almost normal family and no one else in the world existed but them for the few days they spent under canvas, their days spent climbing trees or playing ball or fishing.
A small sad smile crept across the features of the outwardly oblivious hunter as the happy times continued to invade his memories, as he sank deeper and deeper into the abyss of darkness, as his breathing became ever more shallow, as his body prepared to slip into eternal sleep.
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"Oh god" Sam gagged as he covered his mouth and nose with his t-shirt, the smell of rotting flesh almost overpowering him.
"Sam, you okay?" Bobby's worried voice filtered through the Sam sized hole in the wall.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good, flashlight, I need a flashlight."
Within seconds a flashlight appeared, its beam shining its light directly onto the youngest Winchester's face causing black spots to dance before his vision for a few seconds as his eyes were assaulted by the sudden glow.
Sam held the flashlight in front of him, directing its beam around the room, the first three walls and corners revealing the badly decayed remains of at least half a dozen poor unfortunates who had obviously fallen foul of the preacher and his twisted idea of justice. His heart in his mouth Sam turned to examine the final wall, almost afraid to begin the final stage of his search of this particular room in case he didn't find his brother, that thought uppermost in his mind and filling him with dread he pulled in a huge, deep breath and shone the beam forward, painstakingly moving it to the side inch by inch, the sound of his heartbeat thudding as still he came up empty and then, propped against the wall in the final corner he needed to check Sam's eyes landed on what appeared to be a mound of rags. Moving closer Sam's eyes widened in shock on seeing that it wasn't a mound of rags at all, but his brother.
"I got him Bobby, I found him." Sam called to the two waiting men. The sound of more rocks tumbling as the hole was made bigger fading into the background as Sam's whole focus was on Dean.
"How is he Sam?" Came the breathless question from Bobby.
Sam fell to his knees slowly moving the flashlight, allowing the beam to travel from Dean's unmoving feet, up his blood soaked body until it finally came to rest on his face.
Reaching a hand forward in readiness to feel for a pulse Sam watched with horror as his brother's blue tinged lips parted, a tiny puff of air expelled as a single tear traced a path down his dirt streaked face.
"No Dean, not now, not now I've found you." Sam begged as he pressed shaking, desperate fingers to his brothers neck, his words turning to sobs at the absence of the tell tale thrum of a pulse.
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T.B.C.
Thanks for reading.