Tick Tock

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

Author Note

Here's chapter two.

I find writing this story is a good way of channelling all the bad stuff in my life at the moment. It makes me so thankful to have this outlet for my emotions or I think I would actually just lose my mind!

Anyway enjoy!

Overall Summary

Dean is gone and time is running out because someone is playing a game with Sam and Castiel, someone wants them to lose but the price of losing is Dean's life. They have to find the clues and win. The clock is ticking… can you hear it? Because Dean certainly can…

Chapter Summary

Sam makes a discovery…

Overall Romance

Castiel/Dean Winchester, possibly Sam Winchester/OFC

Chapter Romance

None yet but it's slowly coming…

Chapter One

Discovery

Sam blamed himself.

How the hell could he not have noticed?

Hours must have passed since Dean had closed the old book he had been reading with a slam and informed Sam that he was going to head into the town to get them some much needed food so they could eat before they passed out through hunger. Sam had muttered a reply, ignoring his brother the same way he often ignored Dean when he was reading and that had been the last he had thought about it until now. When his stomach had rumbled so loudly that it had dragged him away from studying to realise that not only was he starving but that Dean hadn't arrived back at the motel room yet.

He could easily have blamed it on being tired or he could place the blame on the fact that he was researching like mad trying to stop another person from being killed but what it came down to was simple.

Dean had been missing for hours and Sam had failed to notice that he was even gone.

The thought made Sam feel sick inside. Dean would have noticed almost straight away if it had been the other way round.

Running his hand through his hair, Sam tired desperately to ignore the feeling of dread that was settling in the pit of his stomach. There had to be an explanation as to where Dean was, there always was. All Sam had to do was remain calm and figure out what it was.

Perhaps Dean had met a girl on his way back to the room and he had decided that since Sam was so wrapped up in research he would take the opportunity to let off a little steam and to get laid. It wouldn't have been the first time that Dean had done that. Sam didn't mind, at least it meant that Dean would be in a good mood for the next few days which was never a bad thing.

Sam got to his feet and strolled across the room to where his mobile was left on the bedside table charging. He unplugged it, swiping his hand across the screen and frowning when he realised that he had no miscalls or messages from anyone. Normally if Dean had struck it lucky then he would send Sam a gloating message letting him know where he was and not to wait up for him. Dean would never simply disappear for hours on end without informing Sam on where he was going.

He sighed, biting down on his lower lip before he went into his contacts and scrolled through then until he reached his brother's number. He stared at it for a moment before he hit the connect button and brought the phone to his ear, waiting impatiently for Dean to pick up. He began pacing restlessly when the phone continued to ring before it suddenly went through to Dean's voice mail telling him to leave him a message. Sam waited until he heard the beep before he spoke.

"So yeah it's me just checking in. You left hours ago to get food and you haven't been back and I'm starving. Is everything ok Dean? Call me as soon as you get this message. I mean it, a phone call not a text" he threatened before he disconnected the call and lowered him self onto the bed he had claimed as his own when they had first arrived. He sighed again, staring at his blank phone as he silently willed it to ring. It remained silent.

He tried to think about the situation logically the same as he would do with any case but it was impossible. All he could focus on was the thought in his head that something was seriously wrong that Dean, wherever he was, needed him badly.

Shaking his head he dialled Dean's number again, this time not leaving a message when the option was given to him.

There was no way in hell that Dean would ignore two calls from Sam, one maybe but never two and never when they were made so close together. Dean would assume that something was wrong and that Sam needed him and he would stop whatever he was doing to answer him and make sure that he was okay. For Dean not to answer would mean two things, either Dean had somehow lost the phone or he couldn't physically answer it because he was unconscious or too injured to pick it up.

Dean left at two and it was now nearly eight at night.

Sam wasn't going to wait around anymore.

He surged to his feet, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and forced his arms through the sleeves, his eyes looking around him to see what he needed. He packed his favourite gun and knife making sure that he hid them both from plain sight and grabbed the key to the room before he was out of the door, adrenaline pumping through his body making him forget in an instance about how hungry and tired he was. All that mattered was finding Dean.

The main town was about a fifteen minute walk away from the motel, a glance towards the place where Dean had parked the impala earlier confirmed that he has taken it with him when he left. Dean would never leave his baby behind which meant that Dean hadn't returned to their hotel.

Without realising it Sam began picking up his pace until he abandoned the pretence of walking to run instead, arms pumping at his side as he focused on finding his brother's car. Wherever the impala was, Dean should be close to it. At least Sam was hoping that was the case.

It didn't take Sam long to find it, parked just down the street from the diner they had ate their breakfast at that morning. He glanced through the window as he passed but there was no sign of Dean in there at all.. Sam came to a stop by the car, reaching out and running his hand over the roof before he reached down and tried the driver's door.

It was locked.

Sam walked round the back stopping as he saw two large pizza boxes and some bottles of beers lying abandoned at the back of the car. He stopped and stared at them for a moment before he swallowed, reaching down and ripping the receipt off the top.

Two large meat feast pizzas for E. Winston

Winston had been the surname they had given the witnesses during the hunt they were currently on which meant that the pizza on the road was Dean's.

Sam breathed in sharply, his heart pounding against his rib cage as though it was trying to break through as he continued to kneel on the floor and stare down at them as though they could somehow provide him answers as to where Dean was. A suddenly glint to the side of him caught his eyes and he turned towards it, realising with a frown that it was coming from beneath the car. He reached under, moving his hand about until he placed it over something cold and sharp. He pulled it out and glanced down at it, his eyes widening when he realised he held Dean's set of keys for the impala.

He stared at them before he forced him self back to his feet and headed towards the front of the car, his eyes searching around him to see whether there was any clue as to what happened here.

A piece of folded paper with his name on it had been stuffed under the window wiper.

Reaching out Sam picked it up and slowly unfolded it, his eyes widening as he read the words.

Sam,

If you're reading this note then you've finally realised that your brother is missing and have come looking for him, Shame on you though for taking so long to realise that he was gone. Dean would have known straight away if it had been the other way around but then again we both know that Dean has always been the better brother hasn't he?

I was quite impressed by how big a fight he put up against me, even with all the drugs I injected into him I wasn't sure if it was going to be enough. I might have dosed him a bit too high but I couldn't risk him getting away from me could I? You know, no one even noticed anything was going on. Isn't it simply amazing how humans just don't see anything which is happening in front of them? All of this could have been avoided if just one of them had reacted and come to Dean assistance or perhaps if you had noticed earlier that your brother was gone. Who knows what clues have been blown away or destroyed while you sat around reading?

I pity your brother. He tries so hard with you every day and yet it is never good enough for you is it. There's always something he's done wrong which you have to comment about. It's like all the good stuff is just forgotten.

I guess some people are just impossible to please.

So this is what we're going to do Sam Winchester.

We're going to play a little game with each other.

A simple game at that, I will send individuals to you with a note telling you what to do. You follow those instructions and your reward will be Dean. I shall tell you where I have stashed him and your beloved big brother will be returned to you. Injured perhaps but alive and that is after all, all that matters isn't it?

If you fail in following the instructions I have set then I shall personally kill Dean and send you his corpse and that's something I don't particularly want to do Sam because I'm strangely fond of your brother. I find him intriguing.

In case you haven't realised yet I've been watching the pair of your for a while and yet neither of you had any idea that all this time you were being followed. Whatever would your Daddy say if he knew?

You can call in your feathery friend to assist you, in fact I insist on it. I would quite like to see what his reaction is to all of this. I know how… precious… Dean is to him.

The first instruction will be delivered to you on Main Street, make sure you're outside the diner at nine AM tomorrow morning.

That's where the game begins you see Sam and that's when the countdown on Dean's life begins.

So you see Sam I am generous, At least I'm giving you the chance to win Dean back instead of killing him straight away.

I'm sure if anyone can do this then it's you but just remember one slip up and your big brother is gone from this world forever and this time no one will be there to bring him back.

Tick Tock Sam, your time is running out

Sam crumpled the letter up in his hand, his breathing erratic as he stared unseeingly into the distance.

What the hell was happening?

Author Note

Thanks for reading