Chapter 16

Over two months had passed since Dean Winchester went missing. Sam and Castiel left the salvage yard to hunt and search for anyone that might know how to open a portal to the realm that Dean was trapped in. They had driven from one state to the next visiting shamans, hoodoo and voodoo priests, witches, psychics, and anyone else who might be useful, but didn't have any luck. Sam was not giving up, but his spirits were low, and he wasn't taking care of himself.

"Sam, are you sure we should take this case?" Castiel questioned with concern. They had not stopped hunting since leaving the salvage yard and he could tell Sam was taking unnecessary risks that he shouldn't be doing. He knew if Dean were here, it would be a different story.

"Why not? There's nothing else we can do. I haven't found anyone else to help us with finding Dean," Sam grunted in a sour tone and with a deep frown. "I'm not giving up on Dean because I know he wouldn't give up on me. If you don't want to be here, then get the hell away from me!" he snapped hotly.

"You need to rest Sam. You haven't taken a break since we left Bobby's. You hardly sleep, eat, or take care of yourself."

"I'm fine," Sam spat as he pressed harder on the gas and sent the Impala surging down the highway. He clenched his jaw and pressed his lips into a thin line. He was finding it harder to control the rage that was inside of him and took it out on anyone that was around him. It had been building from the growing fear that Dean may already be dead, anger that he was unable to enact revenge on whoever harmed him, the hopeless/ helpless feelings of not being able to do anything useful, and the guilt of blaming himself for not being there to back Dean up when he had been attacked and kidnapped.

Castiel's body was pressed back into the seat, and he fell silent not wanting to antagonize Sam further. He had called Bobby several times expressing his concerns to him. Bobby told Castiel he would contact Sam and try to talk some sense into the fool idjit.

The scenery flew by in a blur and Sam's mind was preoccupied with his brother and not on the traffic. He jerked the wheel of the Impala to the right when a loud blast from the truck beside them pulled Sam back to the present. He had let the car drift into the other lane and almost wrecked.

"Why don't you pull off the highway and let me take over?" Castiel told him. "You need to take a break."

"Yeah," Sam sighed wiping a hand down his face. "I guess you're right. I need gas anyway." Sam checked the road signs and saw a truck stop a few miles away and signaled to change lanes to exit the interstate. He was running on caffeine and no-doze pills that he covertly took when Castiel wasn't watching. His body was rebelling from the treatment Sam was giving it.

Sam stopped at a pump and got out to fill the tank, but Castiel took the credit card and told him to he would do it. He stepped aside and shuffled to the front doors, pausing when he entered as he looked for the restrooms. Once he spotted the sign, Sam headed that way to use it before getting something to drink and a snack. After relieving himself, Sam stepped to the sink and washed his hands before splashing chilly water on his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and didn't recognize the person staring back at him. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes hanging his head low for a moment before pushing from the sink, wiping his face, and heading out to the main part of the truck stop.

Nothing in the cooler section seemed appealing to Sam since he had lost his appetite when Dean disappeared. He barely ate, and drank more hard liquor than he should, to try and ease his pain. Castiel would nag him until he ate a little to appease him. He stopped counting the times that Castiel had to put him in bed because he passed out from drinking or couldn't stand up to get there. Sam was ashamed of himself, but never brought it up and continued to overindulge with the booze.

Finally choosing a bottle of water and Gatorade, Sam turned to the snack aisle and glanced at it. His eyes landed on a package of peanut M&Ms and Sam felt like the breath had been punched out of him for a moment, as he stared at Dean's favorite candy. He gasped softly as he sucked in a mouth of air and trembled uncontrollably for a moment. He couldn't stop himself from picking up the yellow package, along with a granola bar and banana and headed to the cashier.

The bright sunlight hurt his bloodshot eyes and he shielded them so he could look for the Impala. When he spotted it at the far end of the parking spaces, Sam walked down the sidewalk toward the car and got in on the passenger side. He slumped down in the seat as Castiel backed up and pulled from the parking lot to get back on the highway. He merged into the traffic and found a spot he liked. They were still several hours from their destination and would be arriving early in the evening.

It wasn't long before Sam's head was nodding up and down as he tried to stay awake. He finally lost his battle and he fell into the abyss. Castiel pushed his body to the side so his head was resting against the side window. He looked at the young hunter and could see the weariness on his face and dark circles under his eyes.

He frequently offered to assist Sam in putting him to sleep but he declined adamantly, not wanting to be out that long. Sam would always just sleep a couple of hours before waking and getting up to use his laptop to search for anything to help Dean. The yellow package of candy caught Castiel's attention, and he slipped it out of Sam's grasp to see what it was. He sighed softly knowing why he had it and put it back.

spn

Castiel pulled into the town limits of Columbus, Nebraska and reached over to wake Sam. He was happy he had slept the rest of the way there, although he could tell it wasn't a peaceful one or long enough.

"We're here Sam," Castiel called to him as he touched his arm making Sam jump and almost punch him as he instantly woke.

"What? Are we here?" Sam asked, clearing his throat and sitting up in the seat. He coughed several times and blinked rapidly to clear his vision and look around.

"Yes, what do you want to do first?" he questioned the hunter.

"We need to see the bodies at the morgue," Sam replied. "But we should go by the local cops first and let them know we're in the area and working the case."

"Alright. I will find the office and we can go introduce ourselves."

"We're FBI again and this time Cas, let me do all the talking. Last time you almost gave us away," Sam instructed the angel. Castiel had yet to learn how to lie well enough to fool the cops. Everyone thought he was odd and goofy.

"As you wish Sam," Castiel replied feeling embarrassed. He was trying to learn to be a hunter or at least protect Sam until Dean got back. He had to heal him numerous times after hunts so Sam wouldn't have to be hospitalized and questions asked, they couldn't answer. He tried to talk to Sam about being too reckless on hunts and taking unnecessary risks, but Sam brushed him off and wouldn't listen to him.

"We need to stop somewhere so I can change clothes," Sam told him.

"There's a gas station up ahead that should be useable."

"Sure, fine. It won't take me long." Sam grabbed the keys before getting out after Castiel parked and went to the trunk to get his suit bag. He headed inside and came out later dressed in a suit. "Okay, let's go," Sam told him as he dropped into the passenger seat.

"Alright," Castiel replied pulling from the lot back onto the road. "I asked a customer where the police department was located and we're not that far away. Do you know what we might be hunting?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say a nest of vampires."

"Do we need to call for help?"

"Not until we see how many we're dealing with. We probably can clean the nest out ourselves."

Castiel didn't reply as he glanced sideways at Sam for a moment seeing the steely, dark look on his face. He had lost his compassion and gentleness during the last two months, and it was replaced with a hardness and toughness that was more Dean's style. He followed the directions given to him and fifteen minutes later pulled into the police parking lot.

"Remember what I said, let me do the talking," Sam told Castiel when he got out of the car and buttoned his jacket. He headed for the front door with Castiel trailing along behind him.

The captain was not happy to see them, but since they were not getting anywhere with the killings, agreed to let them investigate also. They got copies of the police reports and got ready to leave. The captain insisted that Sam contact him with any additional information that might lead to the killers and then gave them directions to the morgue at the hospital.

Sam loosened his tie as they entered the back entrance of the hospital looking for the morgue. They followed the signs and stepped through double glass doors into a temperature-controlled room that was bright, shiny, and had the smell of disinfections and death. After speaking to the coroner, he pulled out four rolling beds with sheet draped bodies lying on them.

Sam grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped them on before moving to the first body and pulling the sheet back to look at the first victim. It was a young male that had had his throat viciously ripped out. His body was pale, and Sam noticed a couple of bites on the underside of his arms. The next body was a female in her thirties that had slashes on her arms so her blood could be drained. Without looking at the other bodies, Sam knew they were hunting vampires. He looked at the other two bodies finding similar marks and some other injuries to them.

Sam and Castiel got copies of the autopsy reports and headed out to find a motel and go over what they had. Sam hoped to pinpoint where the vampires' nest was so they could scope it out and ambush them. He didn't want to see any more innocent lives lost to the monsters.

A/N: Sam is not handling Dean's disappearance very well and Castiel is doing what he can to help him. He won't give up trying to find a way to help Dean. Thank you to any guests who have left reviews. I do like reviews/comments. NC

To Mary Leal: I found it easier to write a complete story before starting to post it so I don't have to rush to get the next chapter written and posted. I have a folder of stories to post to stay ahead so I can take time off when I need to. I have written two stories at one time and sometimes it was hard to keep them separated. This way is a lot easier. NC