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As the night overtook the sky Jack heard Sam groan as he once again came out of an unconscious state.

Jack immediately put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey man, it's okay."

"Jack?"

"Yeah Sam." Jack cringed when he heard Sam wheeze for air. As the dusk had turned to night Sam's breathing had become more and more labored. Jack had a frightening inkling that tonight he would lose his best friend.

"Jack…I don't think…I'm gonna make it." Sam's breathing became more labored as he fought to say what he needed to say.

Jack felt tears fill his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He knew he had to be strong for Sam; his best friend. However, hearing Sam sound so defeated caused Jack to be overcome with a wave of sorrow.

Jack took a deep breath to try his hardest to suppress the sobs threatening to overtake him. "Sam, don't you talk like that. You are gonna make it. You have to make it."

Tears began cascading down Sam's cheeks. "Jack…hurts…don…know…much longer…can…take."

"Sam I know it hurts but you have to keep fighting. Sam you are my best friend and I can't lose you. Sam think about Anna and your brother and your dad. You can't leave them and you can't leave me."

"I'll try…but promise me…if I don't make it…tell Anna that…I have liked her…since…first saw her…and tell my dad…love him…and tell…my bro'er…that…I love him…and he has…meant…evry'thin…to me."

"I promise Sam, I promise." Jack looked Sam in the eyes and saw the pain and sorrow that had overtaken his friend. Jack squeezed Sam's hand and watched as Sam once again slipped into unconsciousness. Jack could not stop the flood of tears that cascading from his eyes or the sobs that racked his body.

Jack sat next to his dieing friend and said a prayer. "Please, this was just supposed to be an easy cross-country practice. Not the day my best friend died in the woods because of a stupid dog. Please don't take him. Let him live. Let him have a chance to see his family again. Let him and Anna have a chance to start a relationship. Please don't take my best friend. Please."

Anna continued running as fast as she could down the lesser traveled trail until finally the moonlight illuminated the main trail her and her friends had been on mere hours before. Anna could not help but shed tears of relief when she reached the path. She began picking up her pace as she ran down the main trail until she heard a noise that made her blood run cold. Twigs snapping.

Anna wanted to scream. She also wanted her mom and her bed. She wanted Jack and Sam to be with her. She wanted Sam to be okay. She wanted to go back to several hours before and run in a different location. She wanted this night from hell to be over. However, what she wanted didn't matter right now. All that mattered was getting help.

Anna will never be sure if it was stupidity, adrenaline, a deep concern for Sam's well-being, or pure courage that had her continue on despite the fear of the dog, but she did. Anna began to run faster than she had ever run before. She couldn't even tell she was tired anymore. She just kept running.

Then up ahead she saw a light. It looked like a flashlight! Anna immediately stopped and screamed "HELP!!!"

The three hunters and Pete immediately froze when they heard the scream for help coming from a little ways in front of them. Dean and the others immediately began running towards the voice. Pete recognized Anna immediately and ran to her. Anna melted in his open arms as exhaustion overtook her tiny frame. Pete sat down on the ground holding the sobbing Anna.

Dean approached her and in a soothing voice said, "Anna, it's me Dean. Sam's brother. Where is he? Where is Jack? What happened? You have to tell us."

Anna took a deep breath and wiped at the tears still streaming down her face. "We were running and were getting ready to turn around when Sam heard something. He went to check it out then came running at us yelling at us to run. A huge black dog was chasing him. We ran into the forest off of the path and just kept running. Then we encountered this huge slope and were going to run around it when the dog attacked. It jumped at me but Sam pushed me out of the way and him and the dog went tumbling down the slope."

Dean John and Caleb exchanged a look while all the color drained out of Pete's face. Coach Pete Jones thought he was going to be sick as he heard Anna's story.

"Sam saved my life." Anna looked at Dean with tears glistening in her eyes and she continued. "The dog ran away and Jack and I went to check on Sam." Anna could not prevent the fresh wave of tears as she thought about how injured Sam was.

Seeing Anna's reaction, Dean knew his little brother; his Sammy was in bad shape. "Anna is Sam okay."

"No," Anna sobbed. "He needs help."

John saw Dean slump to the ground. He himself felt like he had just been kicked in the gut. The words he said to Sam just the night before kept replaying in his head. I am ashamed to have you as a son sometimes. Why can't you be more like Dean. I am ashamed to have you as a son sometimes. I am ashamed to have you as a son sometimes. John was never ever ashamed of Sam. He was just so angry the night before and the words just came up. John felt like he was going to be sick. He had to find Sammy. He had to make things right.

"Ok. Caleb I need you to head out of the woods and bring the paramedics here to this path. Anna, I need you to take us to Sam and Jack. Pete and Anna stay close to Dean and I. That dog is still out here."

Caleb turned and began running down the path while the remaining four began the trek back to Sam.

Pete had an arm wrapped around Anna. How did this happen? How did a simple practice get so messed up. "Anna, what exactly happened to Sam?"

Anna was hoping they would not ask. "Look we just really need to get to Sam."

Dean turned and looked at Anna. "No, Anna you have to tell us. What is wrong with my baby brother."

Anna felt her heart break as she looked at Dean and John Winchester. They were the picture of broken men. "He has a wound on his head that eventually stopped bleeding. But…he was…he has…he…a branch speared h-h-him in the s-s-side. And his l-l-leg is broken really b-b-bad."

"Oh my god," Dean gasped.

Seeing John and Dean, Anna suddenly felt the adrenaline kick in again. She began to run down the path and soon John, Dean, and Pete were following in hot pursuit. All four desperately wanting to get Sam Winchester out of the forest alive.

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