Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been so busy lately--getting ready for college graduation and settling into my new job. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter Two

Sam Winchester felt decidedly uncomfortable as he stared through the wrought iron gate that into the labyrinth. Something indefinable and threatening seemed to lurk behind the gate--and it wasn't just the pale mist that hung there. It was something else… Something--

"Evil." Bobby sighed wearily and shook his head. "This place is evil."

Sam nodded, convinced. "I think you're right." He frowned as he peered deeper into the maze and mist. "Castiel said the prisoners would be in here somewhere… And honestly?" He sucked in a tight breath through his teeth. "I don't really want to go in."

Bobby looked up at Sam with raised eyebrows, surprise and disapproval written on his craggy face.

Sam sighed. "But I'm going to. I have to." He looked down at his wheelchair-bound friend. "On the other hand, Bobby, you don't have to."

"Like hell I don't." Bobby scowled and reached under his wheelchair for the sawed-off shotgun stashed there.

Sam wasn't sure whether to smile or frown at that. Actually, I think I'll be glad to have some company… He smiled. "Okay. So--" He rubbed his hands together and rolled his shoulders back, trying to psyche himself for what was ahead. "Shall we?"

"Let's," Bobby replied shortly. He laid the shotgun across his lap and pressed a button on the armrest of his chair, propelling himself forward toward the gate. "Gate's open. That's convenient."

"And kind of suspicious," Sam added, walking alongside his companion. He glanced over his shoulder at the mansion, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dean or Castiel or preferably both. Instead, his eyes were assaulted by a glaring flash of lightning. Blinking, disconcerted, Sam turned back to the stone path that led through the gate.

"Ten bucks says that gate slams behind us," Bobby spoke up with a wry smile as the two men crossed the threshold into the labyrinth.

Sam half expected it to do so, but nothing happened. The young hunter held his breath, listening to the low rumble of thunder and the inordinately cheerful chirping of crickets.

"Hmf." Bobby shrugged. "For once, I'm glad I was wrong." He slowed his chair to a halt. "Where do we look first, boy?"

Sam scanned the view before him. The stone path instantly diverged into three separate paths--the outer two bordered by stone walls, the inner by tall green hedges. Mist hung heavy above each branch of the maze. Sam's brain worked frantically as he fought to decide. Finally, he sighed and shrugged. "Looks like we'll just have to try them all and find out."

"Without getting lost?" Bobby raised an eyebrow, then gave a short chuckle. "Never said the life of a hunter wasn't any fun. Look at us. We get to go through a maze--for free."

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose." Sam stepped toward the left branch of the path. "Guess we can try this one first." He hesitated and turned to face the older hunter. "Do you think we should wait for Dean and Cas?"

Bobby considered for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. Probably should. Strength in numbers and all that."

Sam wasn't so sure. Maybe while Dean and Castiel were busy distracting whatever it was that was keeping these prisoners here, he and Bobby could break the people out… "Maybe we should go ahead and look for the people," Sam spoke up before he realized he was speaking.

Bobby narrowed his eyes on the younger man. "Having trouble making up your mind, Sam?"

A sharp, resounding clap of thunder cut off any reply Sam might be forming. His eyes turned instinctively toward the mansion, then narrowed as the lights within the old house flickered and died. "Come on, Dean," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Get out here."

He didn't have to wait long. Castiel and Dean were suddenly there, standing between Sam and Bobby. The angel had a grip on Dean's arm, and the hunter was pale and shivering.

Dean turned to Sam with a forced smile, withdrawing his arm from Castiel's grasp. "Don't fly Angel Air, Sammy. They don't turn the heat on."

"I apologize for your discomfort." The angel wore a look of deep--if somewhat befuddled--contrition. "I suppose humans are not accustomed to flying at such a rate of speed."

"Don't sweat it, Cas," Dean replied, shaking his head. Then he turned back to Sam. "It's Lysander who's doing this, Sam. Our old pal Lysander."

An uncomfortable feeling twisted in Sam's gut. "Lysander…" Unpleasant memories flashed through his mind--Lysander laughing at the Winchesters, Dean gasping for breath and coddling broken ribs, Sam and Dean trapped in a tiny rock room… The young hunter blinked. "This can't be good."

"It's not." Dean shook his head. "This guy is out for revenge. And he's got a nasty creative streak. He wants us to go into the maze, Sammy."

"Then we need to get a move on," Bobby spoke up. "We can't just sit here and talk about it. We've got innocent people to save."

"Bobby, that demon wants us to go in there," Dean pointed out, motioning to the paths of the labyrinth.

"So?" Bobby shrugged, then added dryly, "When has that stopped us before?"

Sam winced. "He has a point, Dean."

"I know, I know." Dean worked his jaw, staring down at the gravel path on which he stood. Then he smiled wryly and met Sam's eyes. "And honestly, I wasn't considering anything else. We have to get those people out of there. I just…" He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I don't like this set-up."

"You are right not to trust Lysander," Castiel put in, stepping closer to the brothers and Bobby. "He is a demon, and I sensed from him unusual amounts of power and evil. And yet…" He tilted his head to one side, a thoughtful look on his face. "You are right. We cannot let his victims die."

"Then why are we standing around talking about it?" Bobby growled. "Let's get going."

"Right." Sam took a deep breath and turned to face the three branching paths. "So… Which way do we go?"

"Sensing anything, Cas?" Dean asked, glancing over his shoulder at the angel.

Castiel shook his head, frowning. "The paths all seem the same."

"Which means they're probably not," Bobby remarked with a sigh.

The four studied the three paths for a few moments. It took all of Sam's self control not to jump when thunder and lightning again shook the sky.

"We're gonna have to split up, aren't we?" Dean spoke up. His voice sounded weary, and Sam glanced sharply at him. "Just like we always have to do… Just like what happens in the movies before somebody gets wiped out," the elder brother continued.

It struck Sam suddenly that Dean didn't want to be alone… that maybe Dean never wanted to be alone. He studied his brother closely, frowning. "Dean, we don't have to split up."

"Well what else do you suggest, genius?" Dean asked shortly.

Sam sighed. "We split up."

Dean nodded, but still didn't seem happy with the inevitable. "So… Who goes where?"

Sam was about to answer when a chilling scream ripped through the darkness of the night.

Dean moved first, toward the central path, toward the sound of the scream. "Someone's in trouble. We gotta move!"

"Dean! Wait!" Castiel moved right behind him, sensing something Sam did not see or feel.

And before Sam knew what to do next, Dean and Cas were gone--and a towering wall of green sprung up where they had been, blocking the path they had taken--and locking them inside it.

Sam blinked, stunned, chilled, as he gazed up at the giant hedge separating him from his brother and their angelic buddy. "Bobby?"

Bobby swore. "Guess I don't have a choice. Looks like I'm stuck with you, kid."

Dean spun around, flinging himself against the prickly, verdant wall. "Sam!" he shouted, ignoring the scratching leaves. "Sam! Can you hear me?"

"He can't hear us, Dean."

Dean turned toward Cas with a sinking heart. "What do you mean? Why can't he hear us?"

"Listen." The angel looked toward the hedge. As Dean obeyed, there was utter silence. "They can't hear us. This is no ordinary hedge."

"Yeah, you're not freakin' kidding, are you?" Dean attempted to bite down his frustration, standing akimbo and grinding his teeth. "It's the size of Mount Saint Helens…" He shook his head. "And it magically blocks communication. Great. What now?" Before Castiel could answer, Dean answered himself. "We have to find whoever it is who's in trouble. Then we find a way out of this freakin' death trap."

"A death trap. Apt words." The angel nodded calmly. "This could be unpleasant."

"Come on." Dean brushed past Castiel, heading further down the hedged path. The wind whistled ominously through the prickly bushes, and in the distance, an owl hooted and thunder growled. A thick, bluish mist draped across the uneven stone path. The toe of Dean's boot caught on a jutting stone, but he managed to keep his footing. "Sensing anything, Cas?" he whispered, not sure why he was whispering now…

"Fear," the angel whispered in reply, imitating Dean's tone and volume perfectly--and perhaps subconsciously. "Someone in fear…"

You sure it's not me? Dean almost replied. "How far ahead?"

"Not far," Cas told him. A frown touched the angel's features. "We are in great danger." He suddenly stopped walking, his frown deepening.

Dean stopped as well, a tingle of fear running through his bones. When angels are scared… Instinctively, he drew his pistol. "Cas? What is it?"

"The fog is clearing," Castiel pointed out, motioning ahead. His eyes were wide. "And something is coming through."

Dean turned to face the path, aiming his gun and his flashlight toward the dissipating fog. He watched as the blue mist slowly broke apart, split down the middle. And something was indeed coming. He could hear its footsteps now. Tap. Tap. Tap. Something wearing shoes? Someone? Finally, a shape was visible, just beyond the flashlight beam, something long and narrow… "Cas?"

"It's afraid," the angel said quietly.

"It?"

"She," Castiel amended. "She." But he was still frowning. "She's afraid of us."

"Should I talk to her? …It?"

"You can try… But… I am unsure of her."

"Unsure," Dean muttered. "Peachy." He cleared his throat. "Hey!" he called toward the slender figure hovering in the darkness. "You don't have to be scared of us! We're here to help you!" He glanced sideways at Cas and muttered, "I think…" Then they waited.

At first, the shadowy figure remained as it was, staying just outside of the light. Then, slowly, it began to move forward again, with a tip, tap, tip, tap. It slipped into the light, revealing itself to be a tall, thin young woman with long, straight dark hair. She was dressed in a pale tank top and ragged jeans, her feet encased in what appeared to be… glass slippers.

Dean blinked. "Hey, lady, we're here to get you out. Was that--was that you screaming awhile ago?" He inched forward, Castiel shadowing his movement.

The girl stood there in the light, her head bowed, long, silky hair covering most of her face, her hands clasped before her. Everything about her was pale, save for that shiny, dark hair.

When they were only a few yards from the girl, Dean stopped walking and extended a hand. "Come on. Stick with us, and we'll--"

All of a sudden, the girl let out a scream--as heart-rending and earsplitting as the one before. She flung back her arms and her head, her back bowing with the force of her emotion. Dean couldn't help but jump back, running into his angel friend as he did so. "Cas, what the--?"

"She is bound," the angel told him quickly, also backing up.

An ominous feeling settled unpleasantly in Dean's stomach. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"She is bound to something dark, something evil," Castiel explained. "To free her will be very dangerous."

He hadn't even asked if not freeing the girl was an option. He knows me, Dean thought, and the idea almost made him smile. Sam would have said the same thing… Sam…

"Dean, we will need holy water," Castiel explained, cutting through Dean's sharp and sudden worry for his brother.

Dean nodded, kneeling on the ground and slipping his pack from his shoulders. "There's some in here." He glanced up at the door, who had stopped screaming and was now also kneeling on the ground, eerily mirroring his motions and staring at him through a curtain of dark hair. He shivered, fumbling through his pack. "What do we have to do?"

"This won't be easy," the angel replied.

A deep rumble vibrated down the stone path. At first Dean thought it was thunder… Then he shook his head, cursing under his breath. "I assume that's the 'something dark, something evil.'"

Castiel nodded. "That's it. And that's the hard part. It's coming."

"Guess we'd better pick a path and take it," Bobby announced, shaking Sam from his stunned reverie.

"Yeah. Yeah. You're right." Sam took a deep breath, letting it out in a thoroughly unsatisfied sigh, and shifted the pack slung across his shoulder. "Left or right?"

"Maybe we should inny-minny-miny-mo," Bobby suggested dryly.

"Let's just go this way," Sam decided, heading toward the left path. "It looks pretty even, and…" His voice trailed off as he glanced back at Bobby, at the wheelchair.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, son. I can make it. You just start walking, and I'll follow you."

"Alright." Sam turned and started back to walking. As soon he was on the left path, he felt a tangible bite in the air, a menacing cold. Bobby was right. This place was evil.

A loud, creaking clang resounded from behind them, and Sam spun around.

The gate was closed, shutting them inside the labyrinth.

"Crap," Bobby muttered. "I knew it."