5.
Sam waited, keeping an eye on Dean's colour, looking for signs of the green pallor in his brother's face to start fading back to a normal kind of pale. Dean was just sat, unblinking, staring in horror straight ahead, obviously trying to take in what Sam had just told him. Sam gave Dean a few more seconds, then stepped in to bring Dean back to the here and now,
"Dean?"
There was no acknowledgement from his brother. Sam frowned, they really didn't have time for this,
"Dean! Snap out of it! If you don't want them to come back for dessert we have to move. Now!"
Almost on cue, Sam heard the sound of sharp claws pattering across hard flooring. A split second later the same awareness exploded out of Dean in fury, fear and a string of curses. He madly scanned the floor,
"Where's my fucking gun?"
Sam looked to where the noises were coming from. Brown rats were appearing out from under one of the two desks which were sited in the centre of the basement area. Quickly the rats placed themselves in a row and hunkered down as if waiting for something. Sam noted with satisfaction that their numbers appeared depleted, but there were still a dozen of the creatures all staring at him.
"Sam. Help me stand up."
Sam side stepped toward Dean, keeping his eyes on the rats as much as he could. He positioned himself on the same side as Dean's injured ankle and reached down, clasping his brother's arm in a firm grip,
"Try to push up with your good leg and keep your weight off the other one. Did you find your gun?"
Dean grunted as he more or less used Sam as a ladder and hauled himself upright, putting his arm around Sam's waist and holding on so he could keep his injured ankle off the floor,
"No. I think it might've fell out the back of my jeans somewhere over by the mattress; you know, when I ran after you, 'cos you were leaving me….here….alone…with them!
"Ok Dean. I get it. It's my fault, but could you wait till we're out of here before you start to sulk? I need you to back away slowly to the bottom of the stairs. Think you can do that with me?"
"Given the alternative, yeah. I think I'll manage reverse hopping…shit."
They both stared as the black rat simply materialised out of thin air and bared his teeth at the brothers from it's position on top of the desk. Dean's hold on Sam tightened,
"That's the leader, King Rat. What the hell is he? How come he just appeared like that?"
Sam didn't answer. Letting go of Dean's arm he held the shotgun in both hands, fixing his aim on King Rat. The black rat's eyes blazed and it hissed.
As one, the brown rats began swiftly moving towards Sam and Dean. Sam immediately switched targets and fired two rapid shots at the line of browns. The room was instantly filled with the shrill squeals and screeching of those rats who were caught in the blast. The smell of burning fur and flesh made Dean's stomach churn and he gypped.
The black rat raised itself up on it's hind legs, screaming and spitting in anger. Once again it urged the remaining brown rats forward and, after a fraction's hesitation, they ran at the brothers,
"Dean! Back to the stairs. Move it!"
Dean tried to hop backwards whilst still using Sam as a support, his movements awkward. Out of frustration he loosened his grip on Sam and tried again to put his injured foot to the floor. The sheer intensity of the lightening bolts of pain flaring up from his ankle caused Dean to cry out and fall to the floor, landing on his hands and knees.
"Dean!"
Seeing Dean fall, the black rat leapt.
It hit the floor once and immediately sprang again, aiming straight for Dean's face,
"Get down!"
Dean threw himself to one side, covering his head. Sam, grasping the shotgun tightly in both hands, turned his body sideways and swung the gun like a baseball bat. He felt the gun barrel connect with the rat's body just before the rat disappeared again.
Still laid on his side on the floor, Dean looked up at his brother with eyebrows raised,
"Ok…That was different!"
Sam turned to confront the remaining browns who were now simply milling around in apparent confusion,
"I don't care if you hop, skip, crawl or butt shuffle Dean, just get yourself up those stairs while I cover you. Anything gets by me, use your holy water. Now go!"
Sam tried to block out the sound of Dean's grunts of pain and quiet cursing as his brother worked to sit himself upright and began shuffling himself backwards to the bottom of the stairs. The brown rats stopped their sniffing and wandering around to watch Dean. Their focus shifting between their target and Sam,
"Balls to this!"
Sam aimed and fired, once again smelling the acrid scent of burnt fur and scorched skin. All that was left of the pack was a single brown. Without another glance at the brothers, the creature turned and ran, scurrying under the central desks and disappearing into the shadows.
Dean's breath hitched as another jolt of pain lanced out from his ankle despite the fact that he was pushing himself backwards using only his good leg. The awkward style of moving put an additional strain on his back, tearing open those wounds which were covered in caked on blood, starting them bleeding afresh. His head was pounding to the extent that he felt sick. The bites and scratches on his hands were made worse as he put most of his weight onto his hands each time he pushed backwards.
As his back jolted against the bottom step he rested for a second, the sweat from his exertions dripping off his nose and forehead. The room seemed to change shape, as if he were viewing it through a fish eye lens. Dean squeezed his eyes closed, shaking his head before opening them again to find Sam squatting down at his side,
"You look like shit."
"Feel like it too. You get them?"
"All except one brown. It's gone into hiding."
"What about King Rat?"
Sam shrugged,
"Let's get you standing, then I can help you up the stairs, ok?"
Dean nodded. Sam stood himself on the bottom step behind Dean, hooking his arms under Dean's he hauled his brother upright, apologising when he heard Dean's sharp moan of pain.
"Just get us outta here Sammy."
Using one hand to grip the stair rail, Dean slung his other arm across the back of Sam's shoulders. Sam for his part put his arm around Dean's waist, providing additional support. Keeping his injured foot and ankle lifted off the floor, Dean braced himself ready to hop as best he could up the stairs.
The brothers had made it two steps up when they both felt a vague ripple of air pass between them. Dean let go of the stair rail, putting his hand in his pocket and beginning to unscrew the lid from the flask which nestled there. Unconsciously both men held their breath, waiting.
Dean gave a slight jerk of his head, directing Sam's gaze to the small landing at the top of the stairway and muttered,
"There."
Sam looked up. The black rat peered back down at them, it's eyes narrowing, it's lips curling back to reveal long yellowed incisors. Sam kept his voice to a low murmur,
"Is it just me, or does Ratatouille look like he's smiling to you?"
Before Dean could answer, the rat flicked it's head to the left and then to the right. As it did, two more black rats materialised on either side of it. The four newcomers looking like clones of the centre rat. Dean sighed,
"Well….at least we know what the sonofabitch was smiling about."
Without taking his eyes of the rats, Sam's grip on Dean's waist tightened,
"How're you doing?"
Dean's gaze also remained fixed on the rats who were now sat, perfectly still, staring at the brothers as though daring them to move. Dean continued to keep his voice low,
"Honestly?"
Dean very cautiously and slowly took his hand out of his pocket, gripping the now open flask of holy water casually in his hand. Breaking eye contact with the rats he turned to look at Sam. At the same time, his other arm still slung across Sam's shoulder, he tapped Sam on the clavicle with one finger,
"Right now I'm feeling….."
He tapped Sam again, using two fingers,
"….really…..really…."
Third tap, three fingers,
"….PISSED OFF!"
As Dean raised his voice, the rats leapt as one.
xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx