Title: When it rains, it pours.
Author: Disasteriffic Kaz
Info: A derelict mountain-top hotel, a blood-thirsty beast and a supernatural monsoon; what could possibly go wrong? Hurt!Sam hurt!Dean some comfort/awesome!Winchesters all around. Post 6x15 "The French Mistake"
Do please Review once you've read. :D Every comment and vote of support helps keep me writing. Not to mention if I've pooched anything, someone can always tell me. :P
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The basement was silent except for his footsteps as he strode slowly out into a wide open space. There were several halls leading off the far wall. He played the light along the floor and narrowed his eyes, kneeling to get a closer look. The layer of dust on the floor had been disturbed before he'd arrived. He couldn't tell if they were footprints or something else but it meant there was something other than a ghost operating in the hotel. "Crap." He pulled out his cell and dialed Sam to warn him as he followed the prints further in; hoping to find some sign of what they were hunting.
The phone rang and rang. With each ring, warning bells sounded in his head. Sam's voicemail picked up and Dean stuffed his phone in his pocket with a curse. "You better have forgot to turn the damn ringer on, Sammy." Dean grumbled and retraced his steps at a run. He had a bad feeling and couldn't shake it as he ran up the stairs, skipping a step at a time in search of his brother. "Sam!"
CHAPTER 3
Sam crept along the second floor hall and peered in each room as he passed. There was little furniture to speak of; the occasional bed frame, dresser or chair but most of the rooms had been emptied. He had the EMF meter in his pocket and periodically would hear it whine lightly but never enough to make him worry. There was certainly some sort of supernatural activity in the hotel but as yet it had not manifested. Still, he kept the rock-salt loaded shotgun handy. It may have been late morning but ghosts didn't always wait until dark to cause trouble.
He passed another open elevator shaft and leaned in, shining his light down and then up. The car was at the top of the shaft. Sam could see the bottom of it up there and quickly took his head out of the shaft. Dean would kill him if he got his head taken off by an elevator. The thought made him smirk. The meter in his pocket whined again and this time it was loud enough he took it out. The needle climbed to the right as a cold spot went through him and then died again.
Sam looked back and forth down the hall as the meter went silent. "Someone up here with me, huh?" He tread softly to the end of the hall and found a stairwell. The door had been knocked off its hinges and lay in the hall. Sam walked across it and headed up. He decided to see if he could reach the roof and have a look from above. He stuck his head out at each floor seeing more of the same; dimly lit halls, ivy crawling over everything and the occasional whine from the EMF but little else. He climbed to the top and found the door to the roof stubbornly closed. It took him three tries to shoulder it open and when he did he had to push through a screen of ivy to get out.
The rain had yet to let up. The cloud cover he had seen coming down the mountain behind the hotel had reached it. It hung over the roof like a cold mist. Sam felt drenched through in moments. Each breath felt like breathing water vapor and set him coughing. He ended up covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve to give himself some relief as he walked to the edge of the roof and peered over the side. Visibility had dropped to almost nothing with the cloud hanging around him. He could just see the dark shape of the Impala below.
"Well this idea sucked." Sam grumbled and went back to the ivy covered door blinking water from his eyes as he fought through the ivy to get back into the stairwell. He leaned against the stairwell wall and closed his eyes, coughing up phlegm and rubbing cold water from his hair and face while he did his best to ignore the fever making him shiver and his bones ache. "Pull it together, Sam." He told himself and started down the stairs. He wished the elevators were working; he'd have enjoyed not having to trudge back down six flights.
Sam dug his phone out of his pocket to call Dean and rolled his eyes. "Fantastic." There was no signal. "Next time we're bringing the walkie talkies."
He went more quickly down the stairs, stopping at each landing to catch his breath against the congestion in his chest. A sudden rumble from somewhere below vibrated the railing under his hand. As quickly as it started as it started, it stopped leaving an ominous silence in its wake.
"Dean?" Sam yelled and started to run down the stairs. He had a bad feeling. "Dean!" He reached the second floor and slid out into the hall. He ran, the beam of his light bouncing off the walls and floor as he went. The EMF meter in his pocket whined to life. He ignored it in a rush to find his brother. "Dean!" Sam burst out onto the balcony overlooking the lobby and slid to a stop, staring. A pillar had toppled over with its base resting on the bottom of the stairs and the greenery covered reception desk had been thrown across the open space to lean up against it. Near the stairs, a leather jacket clad arm stuck out from under the barrel of the pillar.
"Dean!" Sam scrambled down the stairs and climbed over the pillar. He dropped to his knees, put his face on the floor and shined the light underneath. "Dean, answer me! Dean?" He wrapped a hand around his brother's wrist, feeling for a pulse and gasped in relief when he found it. "Come on, man. Talk to me." Sam set his light and gun down and wrapped his arms around the pillar, trying to shift it. He groaned with the strain and ended up leaning over it coughing as it failed to move. "Dammit." Sam dropped back to the floor and wrapped a hand around Dean's bicep.
"Dean, you need to wake up now, man." Sam's voice was laced with worry. He had no way to call for help and he wasn't willing to leave Dean trapped to drive back down the mountain to get some. "Dean." He said more loudly, voice sharp. A soft moan from under the pillow drove a sliver of hope into him and he pressed his face to the floor in an effort to see his brother's face. "That's it, Dean. Wake up now."
"Dude." Dean's voice came softly and lightly slurred from under the rubble. "Crushin' my arm."
Sam laughed with relief and loosened his grip. "You ok?"
"I dunno." Dean opened his eyes and frowned. He was lying on his face and something heavy was pressing on his back, making it difficult to breathe but he didn't feel anything broken. "Think I'm ok." He had a vague memory of looking for Sam and then something had knocked him over.
"Ok, just…stay still." Sam squeezed his arm and stood again surveying the pillar. "You move at all?"
Dean squirmed and cursed. "Shit. No." He could move his left arm and his head but that was all. His right arm and lower body were effectively pinned. "What the hell landed on me?"
"Uh." Sam scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Pillar, the desk and some of the ceiling maybe. You got lucky."
"Yeah I feel lucky." Dean growled and tried to worm his way out toward Sam's flashlight with no luck. His head hurt and he could feel something, probably blood, moving in an irritating trail down the right side of his neck; tickling and itching as it went. "Anytime you wanna get me out of here."
"Working on it." Sam assured him. He needed something to act as a lever if he was going to get Dean free. "Be right back." He ran down the hall with Dean shouting after him and looked in each room as he passed. He stopped when he found a bed frame. "Nice." Sam kicked the metal frame apart and pulled one of the long beams with him as he went back to the lobby.
"Sam!" Dean yelled.
"Right here. Stay calm." Sam knelt by his arm and clasped his hand briefly. "I'm gonna get you out. Soon as you can, crawl toward me when I lift it." He heard Dean's muttered assent and planted one end of the metal bar under the pillar. "Ready?"
"Just get me outta here!" Dean wasn't particularly claustrophobic but being pinned was making him reconsider. He wanted out fast.
Sam planted his feet and pushed. He groaned with the effort and then had to fight against the cough or lose his grip. The beam shifted and creaked as the end lifted. He locked his knees and pushed harder to give Dean enough room.
Dean felt the weight on his back begin to lift and took his first deep breath. "Little more, Sam!" He used his left arm to pull himself and grunted, trying to push with his legs as Sam gave him another inch to work with. "Almost!"
Sam's arms strained with the effort of holding up the pillar, his chest burned and he was starting to become light headed with the effort. Still, he pushed harder and gave Dean a little more room. If he could have talked without dissolving into coughs he would have urged Dean to hurry but he knew he was moments away from a coughing fit that would put him on the floor. He could feel it. He glanced down and saw Dean's head emerge; his other arm come free as Dean pulled himself slowly from under the beam.
Dean looked up at Sam and scrambled harder to get clear. His brother's face was red with strain, his body trembling with it and eyes closed tight in concentration. He pushed with half numb legs and rolled to get clear. "Ok! Sam, let it go now."
Sam let the pillar drop back with a thump and bent double, finally letting loose the cough that had stolen his breath fighting it. He dropped to his knees with his eyes streaming and wheezed in a few breaths once the coughing passed.
"Sammy?" Dean rubbed feeling back into his right arm and got to his knees. He dropped a hand to the back of Sam's neck. "Shit. How long have you had that?" He asked, feeling the fever warm skin. Sam only shook his head, still gasping for air and coughing. "Ok. We're going."
Sam shook his head again and leaned back. "M'okay." He panted in a few breaths. "Gimme…a sec."
Dean scowled but sat back. He put a hand up to his head and came away red. "Awesome." Sam turned, eyes widening and grabbed Dean's face, turning it so he could see. "Hey, hands off." Dean said, irritated and swatted him away. "I got it." He pulled his bag out from under the pillar and dug out a cloth. "Stay put." Dean got unsteadily to his feet and went to the entrance. He stepped out far enough to let the cloth get wet with the rain and used it to wipe his face off. He hissed as he found the cut and cleaned it too before he went back to Sam.
"I'm ok." Sam worked to get his breathing under control and got one foot under him. He tried to stand and instead turned to lean against the fallen pillar. "How bad is it?" He looked up at his brother.
"Just a scratch." Dean rolled his eyes but turned his head so Sam could see the cut.
Sam nodded. "Yeah, it's ok." He rubbed a hand over his face and smiled ruefully. "What I get for landing on my ass in a ditch last night."
Dean chuckled and then swayed again. He nodded in thanks when Sam clamped a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "You find anything?"
"Some EMF readings upstairs." Sam hastily pulled out his Kleenex and blew his nose again. "That's about it."
"Got tracks of something or someone in the basement." Dean gave his head a little shake, happy when the floor stayed where it should.
"We need walkie-talkies." Sam informed him. "I couldn't get any signal on my phone."
"Huh." Dean scowled. "I got a signal in the basement. Called yours and got voicemail."
"What sort of tracks?" Sam coughed, trying to clear his voice suddenly gone hoarse. "Dammit."
"Couldn't tell." Dean handed Sam's discarded bag up to him and then his shotgun. "I didn't get to search the basement before I came looking for you. You up for it?"
Sam nodded, shouldering his bag. "I'm good. Nothing some Nyquil and a hot shower won't fix."
Dean studied him for a moment and nodded. "Fine. Let's go." He stretched and groaned. "Gonna have the impression of that damn pillar on my back for a week."
Sam searched around the floor and found the map he'd left behind; a little the worse for wear but still useable. He folded it back up and followed Dean around the wreckage and to the basement stairs.
"Watch yourself." Dean warned as he led the way down. "The vines'll try and catch your feet."
Sam kept a firm hold on the rail as they descended. "This crap is everywhere." He snaked a hand out and grabbed Dean's shoulder again as he stumbled, foot caught in the vines.
"I'm about ready to just set fire to the place and call it done." Dean grumbled and reached the bottom with Sam on his heels. He pointed his flashlight at the floor. "There. See them?"
"Yeah." Sam went past him to crouch and look more closely at the prints in the dust. "Can't tell what they are."
Dean went ahead of him when Sam stood. "You watch my back." He leveled the gun and light into the nearest hall where they tracks trailed off into darkness. He heard the map wrinkling behind him.
"There's a spa or something down this way I think." Sam turned the map again, trying to find it. "Some sort of all natural thing. Wait." He put the map near his face, narrowing his eyes trying to read it. "Maybe it's a hot spring."
"Don't care." Dean shrugged. "Unless whatever's munching on people is in there." He turned a corner and glanced back as Sam had another sneezing fit. "So, not sneaking up on it then." Dean chuckled.
Sam gave him a dirty look and put the map away. "Pretty sure we've made enough noise already it already knows we're here, if it's here. Maybe it's not."
Dean snorted as they reached a set of double doors and pushed one open. "Holy crap." He breathed as he went inside and shined his light around. "No wonder that ivy crap is down here too." The doors opened onto a man-made cave with smooth floors half hidden under the creeping ivy. Dwarf trees lined the walls and we're long dead with no one to care for them. Their leafless branches reached up to the roof and cast shifting shadows on the walls from their lights. The sound of running water filled the long room and Sam went forward, looking out and down where steps led away.
"Wow. There's a stream running right through here." Sam followed it with his light. It burbled up out of the back wall of the chamber to run in a half circle through the room and then vanish into a dark hole in the opposite wall. "There's a small river near the hotel. It's on the maps for the area." He looked back at Dean. "How loaded do you have to be to redirect a river through your hotel?"
Dean chuckled. "Pretty damn loaded." He searched the floor and nodded. "Whole lot of those prints in here." It put him on edge. "Looks like whatever it is, it likes to hang out down here."
"Can't blame it." Sam smiled. "It's kind of cool." He snorted a laugh. "In a 'I'm so rich I pay money to stay in a hotel with an indoor cave' kind of way." He scuffed his foot through some of the dead leaves and branches at the edge of the stream and knelt for a closer look. "Dean. Claw marks."
Dean came over and frowned. "So crazy sharp teeth and claws." He looked around the chamber again and now picked out every dark crevasse where something could be hiding. There were far too many for his liking.
"These are recent." Sam ran his fingers over the marks. There were dozens criss-crossing each other up and down the edge of the stream.
Both men jerked to their feet and turned as something burst through the doors in an explosion of wood. A dark shape flew into the cavern in a blur. They had little time to react as it slammed into Dean, knocking him into Sam and both were thrown backward into the stream.
Dean gasped as he hit the water. It was cold and deeper than it looked. The current was surprisingly strong and pulled him toward the hole in the wall. "Sam!"
"Here!" Sam slapped a hand into his brother's arm and grabbed hold, trying to reach the edge but the rock was slippery and he reared back as red eyes blinked at him from inches away. "Shit!" Their flashlights were gone and there was little to see. Sam grunted in pain as something hit the back of his head. He slipped under the water and realized they had been pulled into the hole by the stream.
"Sam!" Dean felt Sam's hand loosen on his arm and fumbled frantically to catch hold of him as they were pulled along in the pitch black. The chill in the water sapped the strength from him but he caught hold of Sam's jacket and dug his fingers into the material. "Sammy?"
Sam saw stars as the water churned them along. He blinked several times and found the stream had carried them through the base of the hotel and outside. He felt Dean's hand on his jacket; the rain falling gently on his face and then the stream fell, dumping them over a small waterfall into the river. He swallowed a mouthful of water and felt Dean's hand torn from its hold.
"Sam!" Dean shouted as they were pulled apart and then he was taken under the water. He fought for the surface and bobbed up in time to see a rock coming at him. Dean kicked hard and managed to glance off it with his shoulder. The run off from the mountain had turned the little river into white-water rapids. He saw Sam's head ahead of him before it went under water and came up again. He groaned in sympathy as he saw his brother slam into a boulder and roll away. He swam with the current, trying to reach Sam. Dean looked over to the bank of the river and startled to see something large and dark pacing them. Red eyes peered through the rain at them. A few moments later it stopped and watched as Dean and Sam were pulled away toward another waterfall.
Dean braced himself for the fall and could only watch as Sam went bonelessly over first. Dean spun on the drop, the water turning him until he wasn't sure which way was up. He crashed into the water at the bottom and sunk into the cold and the dark.
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To Be Continued…