Chapter 4

Sam wakes up and looks around. He can't see much except that it's dark. He tries to move his left leg and finds that there's still no feeling. He feels the panic rising up again, but swallows it down. He has bigger things to worry about. For example, he was kidnapped by a demon.

Sam knows there's nothing he can do but wait. He has no weapons and he can't walk. What he wants to know is why the demon didn't just kill him. For what reason could they possibly want him alive? Whatever the reason is, he knows it's not good.

Sam tries to regulate his breathing and for the first time wishes he didn't leave Dean and Castiel. He should have just sucked it up and dealt with it. He should have been a man. If Dean was in his position, he wouldn't have run away like a coward.

There's a screech and then footsteps. He tries to crane his neck, wanting to know who took him.

It's Meg, and Sam isn't as surprised as he should be. Dean and he might have had a tentative truce with Meg during the whole Leviathan thing, but she is still a demon. The question is… just what did she expect to achieve?

"Well, well, well, welcome Moose."

Sam stays silent.

"No snarky remarks? Or is that just your brother's deal?"

Again Sam remains silent.

"Make yourself comfortable. You're going to be here for awhile."

Finally, Sam can't remain quiet any longer. "What do you want with me?"

Meg waves her hand in a gesture of indifference. "A simple ritual, no big deal."

Sam's eyes widen, but he doesn't rise to the bait. He knows that rituals are never simple. More likely than not, it will end in Sam's death. The question is what is Meg trying to make happen? Is Meg trying to bring back someone? Is Meg trying to tether someone?

Sam is not worried about his impending death. He's worried about what his death will cause to happen. He hopes Dean and Castiel find him before it's too late.

Dean is pacing the floor, wondering what is taking Castiel so long. The man is an angel. It should be a cakewalk to find one human man.

A sound of wings brings Dean to attention. "Well?"

Castiel looks troubled, and for a man that very rarely shows emotion, it proves to Dean how serious the situation is.

"You haven't found him yet, have you?"

Castiel imperceptibly shakes his head. "There is a lead, but it's not a good lead."

"What do you mean?"

"On the highway leaving the town, there was a car accident. Spectators saw a car being run off the road by another car. Both cars exploded."

"I can see why it's not a good lead."

Castiel smiles faintly. "It gets worse. A girl had seen a driver with brown, floppy hair crawl out."

"Thank God," Dean breathes.

Castiel continues as if he hadn't been interrupted. "She ran to him, told him that she called 911. She said it seemed as if he couldn't move one of his legs. Suddenly, a fog comes over her mind. She sees everything that's happening, but has no control of her body, as if she was locked away in her mind."

"A demon," Dean says, fear gripping his heart.

Castiel nods. "She sees another female knock the man unconscious and carries him away. She suddenly has control of her body again and she sees black smoke following the unconscious man and female."

Dean nods. "At least we know he's alive."

"For how long though?" Castiel questions.

Dean glares. "Cas, I love you, but right now I need you to be positive. I can't think of the alternative."

Cas nods.

"We know where to start. Cas, take us to where the accident happened."

Castiel grips Dean's shoulders as he closes his eyes. When he opens them, he's standing next to a highway. There are police milling about and Dean fights the urge to punch someone.

He sees an officer looking at him and Cas curiously. He goes to the woman, knowing Castiel will follow. "Hello, the person who was taken from the scene… has there been any more information about him?"

The officer crosses her arms."Do you know him?"

Dean nods. He hates the law as a general principle, but he's desperate. "He's my little brother and the only family I have left."

She seems to soften. "I'm sorry, sir. I know how worried you must be. We don't have any new information yet, though. If you give me your number, I'll let you know if I find anything new."

Dean nods. Demons have Sam and he doubts the police will be any help. Even so, it doesn't hurt, just in case. Dean writes his number before walking away from the officer.

He turns to Castiel. "Any ideas how to find the demons?"

"I can search for them. There's probably some angel proofing, but Sam has run away. The demons probably knew that and might have gotten sloppy with protection if they thought we wouldn't realize he was taken. If they got too cocky, it will help us to locate them."

"Go then. As soon as you know something, come and get me."

Castiel leaves with a sound of wings. Dean realizes he's at the side of a highway with no transportation. He decides to look around. Maybe there's a clue to where Sam is, a clue the police overlooked because it didn't seem important.

Sam does his best to stay awake, but he ends up fading in and out of consciousness. He's not sure how long he's kept in the dank room. There are no windows or a clock. He has no idea if it's been hours or days. The way Sam thinks, the longer he's kept alone, the better. After all, it buys time for Castiel to find him.

Of course, that's when Meg makes her reappearance. She's so smug. Sam can't believe he and Dean ever had a truce with the demon. At least they knew not to wholeheartedly trust her.

She kneels down, and Sam does his best to back away even though there's a pole right behind him. "Moose, Moose, Moose," Meg says in a chiding tone, a tone that Sam despises.

"What?" he can't help but ask.

"It's almost time." Meg smiles and it sends a shiver down Sam's back.

It's almost time means Sam is running out of time. Castiel, please hurry.