"C'mon, man. You gotta be okay." Dean's eyes opened to slits, and Sam was pretty sure that when their eyes met, recognition flashed in them momentarily before Dean fell unconscious again. That second meant the world to Sam, but in an instant it had passed and the old man found his voice,

"Dean will never make it to the hospital."

Sam's eyes never left Dean, but he responded hotly, "He'll be fine!" Sam wished he could hear that reassurance come from his brother, even if it was bull most of the time.

"No, I mean they'll have intercepted the call. They won't let him get there. "

Sam looked at the old man, then. "What do you mean?"

"Did you not see the way he walked onto the road, dazed? He has seen them. Our lives are worthless, now."

"What are we supposed to do, then?"

"I know of a place we can hold up, but it's only a matter of time before they find us."

Sam hesitated. His every instinct screamed to take Dean in. I mean, he'd just hit him with the freakin' car, for Pete's sake! But if this old coot was correct, and at least a little less crazy than he sounded, he would be putting Dean in further danger by taking him to the hospital.

"We have to hurry! They'll be here any minute!"

Just then a woman's scream rung out from the woods, and Cora came crashing out of the trees, her pale green shirt ripped to tatters. She ran onto the road, and Sam had to grab her by her arms to stop her careen down the road, and he had to shake her into lucidity as her eyes darted franticly and sporadically. Once her breathing had evened out a little she staggered out,

"There's something in the woods! There's something out there…!"

"What's out there? What happened?"

Cora threw up her hands, panting, and her chest heaved with more than exertion as she shrilled in terror, "Things!"

The old man's eyes widened, the girl's terror contagious, "I told you! We have to go! NOW!" He then started running for the car, but Sam stopped him saying,

"You have to help me with Dean." Sam carefully held onto Dean by linking his arms under his armpits, while the shaky old man grabbed Dean's legs above the knees.

"Cora! Get the car door!" Sam shouted at the girl, who was steadily going into shock, looking at Dean's broken form with unseeing, wide eyes. Sam's bellow shook her to her senses and she jerkily walked over to the Impala and opened the door and got into the back seat. They laid Dean flat on his back with his head in Cora's lap. Sam got into the driver's seat, and addressed the quaking old man in the passenger seat,

"Where?"

The drive wasn't long, but it was rough. They followed the main drag a little ways, and then turned off onto a tiny dirt road. It wound up a steep hill, rocks littering the path and jolting the car. Dean awoke and yelled out in pain and grasped his side at the sudden jerk. Cora stroked his face, and cooed softly in his ear, attempting to comfort him. It seemed to help, because as they drove on, Dean's outbursts grew less and less. Finally they came to a small shack. It was barely visible amongst the trees.

Inside there was nothing but the floor to lay Dean on, so Sam gathered their coats and packs to act as padding, pillows and blankets.

While Sam attempted to gauge Dean's injuries in the dark, the old man introduced himself to Cora as Angus, or rather the preferred "Gus" McPherson. Sam overheard Gus flirting with the girl.

"Hey! Gus! I need a light. Grab the flashlight out of that duffel." Sam imagined he heard Dean's voice in his head say something about Gus being old enough to be Cora's grandfather. But Dean didn't speak—because Sam had hit him with the car! Sam shook himself. Keep it together, Winchester.

Gus had come from behind and held up the flashlight so the beam fell directly on Dean.

"You okay, kid?" Gus asked, looking at Sam's shell shocked expression.

Sam swallowed, collecting himself. "Me? Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Uhhh…" Dean groaned, moving his arm to cover his eyes against the invading light.

"Hey!" Sam brightened. "How you doing?"

"Just peachy."

Sam would have chuckled, but under the circumstances he couldn't make light of Dean's situation seeing as he had been the one to cause it.

"Where does it hurt?"

Dean looked up at his brother with squinting eyes, the look imparting, where do you think?

"Where doesn't it?" Dean supplied unhelpfully.

"C'mon, Dean. Help me out here. These aren't exactly prime care facilities." He was trying to keep Dean alert and focused, but no response was forthcoming, and Dean's eyes fluttered closed and his body stilled.