Stubborn Survival: Gleason's Revenge
By: Coffeemaniac
Set between 2006-2007. John Winchester has been dead a few months. It's been eight weeks since Sam was kidnapped by Mark Foster and Richard Gleason
Rated M for violence, torture, mentions of child abuse, and mentions of child sexual abuse. The violence and torture are fairly graphic, the other things are not.
Reviews are welcome and encouraged.
This is the end of the story. Thank you to all who stayed with me throughout. Thank you to all who read and reviewed, followed or clicked "favorite". The writing should be reward of its own but it's the readers who make the effort truly worthwhile.
Part 13
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Wednesday-Day Nine
Audrey Mitchell knocked on the motel door. Dean let her in. Sam sat up, the most movement Dean had seen from him in several hours. With sunken eyes, hair messed and sticking up, and a complexion that rivaled some corpses he'd seen, Dean started wishing he'd forced his brother to go to the hospital.
Bobby showed up in time for Dean to introduce Audrey to Sam.
"She's a scryer," Dean said. "She's a friend of Bobby's."
Audrey held her hand out. Sam stood up slowly and shook it. Then he pushed the bangs away from his face and excused himself to the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Dean whispered to Audrey.
"Don't tell him what you're here for until you're ready to start. That's some kind of trigger."
"It's all right, Dean. Bobby filled me in."
Dean felt bad about having Bobby turn around and come all the way back to Pennsylvania but with Sam in trouble, he couldn't worry about a little time and gas.
"She's got an idea about this, don't you, Audrey?" Bobby said. He brushed a hand over Audrey's shoulder as he passed her.
"I do. But, it's kind of a good news, bad news situation," she said. She glanced at Bobby who smiled and nodded for her to continue. "I think the spell on your brother will wear off on its own. I want to talk to him, try some triggers to see but, I think it will."
"Why? Why is it different than what she did to me?"
"She wanted you to go away forever. She needed you to be gone and to never remember your brother."
"Yeah," Dean said. "That's right."
"With Sam, I think AJ used a form of black magic that employs hypnosis. But, her goal was only to break him down. Bobby said she wanted to possess Sam, to destroy him. She wouldn't want the spell to be permanent because it would always be the spell that controlled him."
The bathroom door clicked open and Sam returned. His hair was slicked back with water and some color had returned to his face. He lurched more than walked into the room.
"Sit down before you fall down, boy," Bobby said.
Sam obeyed. Sam would fight their father at every turn but he tended to listen to Bobby's orders.
Audrey knelt in front of Sam and took one of his hands. She pulled the crystal necklace from under her shirt. Sam recoiled from her but Dean guessed he was surprised by her proximity, not repelled by her.
"I'm going to help you. Dean and Bobby are going to be right here the whole time. But, what happens next is between us."
Sam's eyes narrowed but he didn't look away or pull back his hand and Dean knew that Audrey was using magic of her own.
"Count backwards with me, Sam," Audrey said. "100, 99, 98…"
Sam's voice joined hers in a slow cadence. He looked away from her for a moment, just a moment and Dean swallowed against the fear in his brother's eyes. Then Sam's gaze drew back towards Audrey and they counted to 68 before Sam's shoulders slumped and his eyes lost focus.
"AJ was a witch," Audrey said. "She planted thoughts and fears in you."
Sam nodded hesitantly but he wasn't looking at Audrey or at anything. He reminded Dean of someone who is blind and never quite lifts their head to look around.
"The things she told you. They can't hurt you. You're safe now."
Sam kept nodding, slowly and carefully.
"There's nothing to fear. Say it."
"There's…there's a monster outside."
"No, Sam, there isn't. She lied to you. There's nothing to fear."
Sam stood up abruptly. He pushed Audrey out of the way, knocking her over. He only made it a couple of steps before he stopped. He looked towards Dean who had rushed to his side and was blocking the exit. Then he looked towards Bobby who was standing near the bed, also poised and ready to step in.
"What's going on?" Sam said.
Bobby reached out a hand and pulled Audrey off the floor. She straightened her clothes and fluffed at her hair as she stood.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I pushed too fast."
"Dean," Sam said. "What is going on?"
"A little hypnosis to undo…you know what, it doesn't matter," Dean said.
"I want to try something else," Audrey said.
"Why don't you and Dean go outside and discuss it? I'll keep Sam company," Bobby said.
"If I'm the 'it' then let's everybody talk about," Sam said.
"That's not a good idea," Dean said. "Trust me."
Dean watched his brother mull that over. Reluctantly, Sam nodded. Dean wondered if it was part of AJ's programming that made him give in so easily.
"This is the person who helped you, isn't it? You said she couldn't help me."
"Well, it's looking like I was right so…just hang out a minute, okay?"
Sam tossed up his hands, surrendering but not looking happy about it. Bobby patted him on the shoulder.
Dean walked outside. Cold darkness hung over the parking lot. A single orange light illuminated a small patch of sidewalk several feet away. He waited until he heard the door snick closed before he spoke to Audrey.
"What happened?"
"I was hoping to take away some of the power behind AJ's spell. I had hoped that under hypnosis he'd be open to a different suggestion but as you saw, he wasn't ready."
"Look, if it's going to work, Bobby and I can protect you."
"That tumble was nothing, Dean, I'm not afraid to try again. But, Sam panicked. I think we need to take a softer approach."
"You haven't seen him when the pain hits but he can't keep going through that."
"I'm doing more than hypnotizing your brother. I'm using my abilities to see into him and into what was done to him. I'm telling you that he'll heal but it's going to take time."
"There's no such thing as an irreversible spell. You just have to find the right ingredients and incantation."
"You're right. I can try some things. Maybe hit on the right combination and erase all the damage that the witch put in place. But, Sam will pay the price for trial and error because AJ set this up with trip wires. When he fights the programming, he gets punished. You've seen it."
"You don't know Sam. He's tougher than you think. He can take it."
"But, why does he need to be? Let me hypnotize him, give him some suggestions that will help him stay calm and wait it out."
"For how long? A week? A month? Years?"
"It won't be years. A few weeks at most and I'll be surprised if it holds that long. And it'll be getting better all the time."
Dean rubbed his chin and looked towards the cloud covered sky. Rain hovered there just waiting to start falling again.
"How do you know?"
"Because this is what I do, Dean. I can see so deeply inside him. The impressions are dark and damaging. She capitalized on a terrible childhood ordeal. She threatened him with the same torture he just survived a few weeks ago. She tapped into his doubts about himself. She didn't leave him any secrets or any place to hide. But, despite all that, I see light around his edges. I can feel some gray creeping into the deep black that she left behind. I'm not wrong, Dean. If you give him some time, he will heal on his own."
Dean didn't like it. He wanted a cast or a splint or antibiotics. He wanted a cure, not a waiting game. But, he knew Audrey wasn't lying and if Bobby recommended her then she probably wasn't wrong.
Sunday-Day 13
Sam sank his good hand into the pocket of his jeans and turned his face into the cold breeze coming through the parking lot. The air smelled like rain. He shivered, turning his shoulders in to preserve some warmth.
He flinched when a door several feet away burst open spitting out two young boys. The children wore baseball gloves. One of them, the smaller one, ran away from the first then turned around and yelled something that Sam couldn't hear. A moment later the taller of the two threw a baseball ball in a solid line and the other boy caught it. Sam watched them playing catch and wondered how many times he and Dean had done the same thing when they were young. He wondered when they stopped.
The room door behind him opened and Dean stood there wearing his worn jeans and a threadbare t-shirt. Sam made a mental note that they needed to stop and replace some of their clothes.
Dean clutched a duffle in his hand as he nudged by Sam to head towards the trunk of the Impala. The two of them had spent several days in the small motel room and they were ready for some new scenery.
Sam went inside and picked up his bag. He took one last look around the room to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything then walked back out. He dropped his bag in the trunk.
Dean slipped behind the steering wheel without speaking. Sam took the passenger seat where he spent most of his time.
"Remember when Dad took us to that Red Sox game?" Dean said and Sam noticed he was watching the two boys play catch.
"Yeah. We were down behind home plate. Someone gave him tickets, didn't they?"
"He'd gotten rid of a poltergeist and that's how the parents thanked him."
"We ate all kinds of crap, remember? And the Red Sox won."
"Dad was in a great mood."
Sam nodded. He remembered the smell of popcorn, the sound of people yelling and the thwack when one of the players hit the ball. It had been amazing.
Dean pulled out of the parking lot. He drove towards the I-90 entrance. He didn't speak again until he merged on to the interstate.
"So, how are you feeling?" Dean said.
"I'm fine," Sam said.
"You can tell me if you're not," Dean said.
"No, really, I'm better."
It was mostly true. He knew, decisively, that the monster that AJ threatened him with didn't exist. He felt a little stupid that he ever believed her.
His fear that any of the Gleason clan was still alive and coming to get him had dissipated.
Fear still hung around the edges. Anxiety thrummed through him but it didn't seem as bad as the day before or the day before that. He had nearly doubled over from one of the phantom attacks that morning. But, he hadn't. It was bad but not as bad.
Audrey Mitchell gave him some post-hypnotic suggestions that seemed to be helping. Sam preferred to think of them that way rather than as some kind of counter-spell.
"You can talk to me about what happened when you were a kid too, you know," Dean said.
Sam exhaled softly. He glanced at his brother then back out the windshield.
"There is nothing in me that wants to talk about that," he said.
"But, if you do…"
"If I do," Sam said.
Sam reached out and turned on the radio. A Bob Seger ballad started and he leaned back letting the sound relax him. Dean laughed and Sam looked at him.
"I think Bobby's got something going with Audrey," Dean said.
Sam chuckled. "He was kind of touchy with her."
"Touchy? He was on her like tape."
Dean laughed again and Sam joined him, feeling more of his anxiety slip away. As the tires met the main road, he rubbed his eyes. The haze of the sun trying to break through the last thin layer of clouds created a glare. It probably didn't help that he'd been indoors for several days too.
He glanced in the side view mirror then in the rearview.
"Did you bring enough gas?" Sam said.
Dean nodded. "Plenty."
"And the place is deserted, right?"
"The Feds came in and cleared it out. Found two more missing kids plus Griff hiding on the property."
"Won't there be cops guarding the place?"
"Maybe. From what I could get from the locals, the evidence has been collected and all the photos are taken. Everyone who could be arrested was taken. There aren't any relatives left so right now the house and grounds are state property until they can sell it."
When Sam fell silent, Dean turned the radio up louder and drove towards Cayuga. Neither of them spoke much on the way. He drove to the Gleason property. As they circled it, they discovered a security fence had been erected around the perimeter. Dean guessed the Feds probably hired a couple of rent-a-cops to patrol it but he didn't think they'd have much trouble breaking in after dark.
Dean drove to a diner outside of town. They didn't want to risk a helpful witness describing the Impala or either of them to the Cayuga police. As they walked by the picture window near the entrance, Dean nodded at a "Missing" poster for Sheriff Carlisle that was posted there.
"Awkward," Dean said to Sam who nodded.
They ate a leisurely lunch then spent some time at a pool hall while Dean sank balls for practice. Dean wanted to hustle some money but Sam thought it would draw too much attention to them.
When Sam started to feel closed in, anxiety pressing up from inside him, they retreated back to the car. It took a while for him to get over it and he was reminded that AJ's spell was fading but not gone. Dean sat with him silently, letting him manage the fear on his own but Sam felt his worry hanging over him.
Evening finally came with its darkness and Dean drove back to the Gleason estate. He parked a block away. They took the gas cans from the trunk and carried them up the hill. Trees lined the narrow street. No houses or cars filled the space. The Gleason's had somehow ensured their privacy.
They walked to the back of the property. Dean used bolt cutters to snap the lock on the narrow gate. They used a nearby tree to climb up to the stone barrier that surrounded the estate. Sam struggled with climbing because of his broken arm but he managed to get himself high enough to get across the stone and on to the ground. Dean handed off the gas cans to Sam then climbed over too.
When Sam saw the barn sitting like a sleeping monster, he stopped. His breath caught and he wasn't sure he could move.
"We don't have to do this. They'll probably demo it anyway."
"I have to," Sam said.
He steeled his resolve and forced his legs to work. He walked up to the doors. The wooden beam lay over the latch. He pushed it off. The doors squeaked open on rusty hinges.
Sam stood at the threshold and took in the gutted center. The chains and pulley were gone. The hook at the ceiling was gone. The old bucket was gone. When the FBI took the evidence, they had taken everything.
Sam shook his head. "It's just a barn now."
"That's all it ever was. Just a barn. Just a building," Dean said. "Evil people but just a building."
Sam walked to the far wall. He set one can of gas on the ground. He spun the cap and with a heave of exertion he splashed the rotting wood.
Dean followed his example using the leftover straw and debris for fuel.
When all four cans had been exhausted, Dean moved to the door. Sam joined him. Dean took a glass bottle out of his jacket. Gasoline sloshed inside it. A strip of soaked cloth stuck out of the mouth.
With one last look at his brother, Sam lit a match. He set the cloth on fire, took the bottle from Dean and threw it against the wall. Dean grabbed his arm and they started running to the far end of the property. The whoosh of heat and the smell of burning gas swept over them. When they reached the wall where they had jumped inside the property, they both stopped to look.
The barn was fully engulfed. The dry wood of the structure lit and crackled like kindling. The night sky turned bright with great flames shooting into the air. The sound was like moaning mixed with popping as the old barn collapsed in on itself.
Sam gripped Dean's shoulder when a flash of pain lit his gut. He closed his eyes for just a moment, breathing through it. Dean put his hand against Sam's back in support. The sharp jab passed and Sam took in some gulping breaths. He coughed from the smoke reaching them.
"Time to go," Dean said.
Sam agreed. Dean boosted Sam to the top of the stone fence then followed. They ignored the tree and jumped to the ground. After leaving through the open gate they made their way back to the Impala.
Once they settled into the car and were driving towards the interstate, Sam let out a breath he'd been holding. He thought about the destruction and felt a wave of satisfaction. He wondered if they could return in a while and burn the house. He didn't speak that out loud.
"Where are we going?" He said.
"Where do you want to go?"
"I don't want to stop. Let's just get out of New York and Pennsylvania. How about Florida or Texas or New Mexico?"
Dean nodded. "We can do that."
Sam looked at his brother. "Thanks," he said. "You know, for all of it." Internally he ticked things off: saving me, burning down the barn, killing AJ.
"Yeah, okay, turn on the radio. I'm not up for a group hug," Dean said. He rubbed his eyebrow and didn't look at Sam.
Sam chuckled. He turned on the radio and stared at the road as it wound in front of them. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he could breathe.
A/N: Thank you again for reading. Just a side note but Irv Franklin is the hunter who was killed by Abaddon's possessed soldiers in Season 9. He was in one episode but there is mention made that he had worked with Bobby in the past.