Thanks for all that has read and reveiwed. The second chapter is dedicated to all of you.
Chapter 2
The stranger on the phone said, "You hear me Sam?"
"Dean? Where's Dean?" Everyone stopped working and came over to where Sam stood. Sam listened. Now the guy was talking away from the phone, not to Sam. "Don't be stupid! Stay on the floor!"
Another man spoke in the background, his words unclear. The one with the phone said, "He get's up, punch him! You want to loose some teeth Dean?"
He was with two men. One had hit him. Sam couldn't get his mind around the situation. Reality suddenly seemed as slippery as a nightmare.
"Sam," said Bryan gently, when he saw the change in the young hunter's face. Near the house Brad laid down the hammar and walked over to the others.
"That's better Dean. Good boy."
Sam couldn't draw a breathe. A great weight pressed on his lungs. He tried to speak, but couldn't find his voice, didn't know what to say. Here in the bright sun, he felt like he was being buried alive again, just like he'd been a few months back when Alanya's brother Lothos, another demon, had done just that.
"We have your brother," said the guy on the phone.
"Why?" Sam heard himself ask.
"Why do you think asshole?"
Sam didn't know why. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to reason through to an answer because every possible answer would be a horror. He didn't know what to say.
"I'm planting flowers," he said.
"What's wrong with you Sam?"
"Nothing...I...haven't done anything to you. Who are you?"
"Are you high or something?"
"I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't done anything to you. Please." said Sam.
"So, we have your brother. You get him back when we get what we want." Sam knew it wasn't a joke.
"Sam give me the phone." said Bryan but he didn't hear him.
"You've made a mistake." said Sam.
"You hear what I said! Give me what I want Sam."
"Man, you aren't listening. I haven't done anything!" said Sam frantically.
"We know," said the guy.
"I don't know what you want." replied Sam.
"We know," said the man.
Brimming with fear and confusion, Sam had no room for anger. Compelled to clarify, perhaps more for himself than for the caller, he said, "What do you want?"
"You've got until midnight Wednesday. We'll be in touch about the details. Sam was sweating. "This is nuts! I don't know what you want!" he said.
"You will." The strangers voice was hard, implacable. In a movie, death might sound like this.
"PLEASE!" yelled Sam.
"You want to hear Dean scream again?" asked the caller.
"No! Don't!" replied Sam fearfully.
"Do you love him? Do you love your brother Sam?"
"Yes," said Sam.
"Really love him?" asked the caller. "How much?"
"YES! He's everything to me," said Sam. How peculiar that he could be sweating, yet feel so cold, he thought.
"If he's everything to you Sam, then you'll find a way."
"What do you want," cried Sam. "I don't know what you want. If you'd just tell me, I'll do it, but I don't know if you don't tell me."
"If you go to the cops, we'll cut his fingers off one by one, and cauterize them as we go. We'll cut out his tongue and gouge out his eyes. Then we'll leave him alone to die, as fast or as slow as he wants."
"Sam give me the damn phone!" yelled Bryan.
The stranger spoke without menace in a matter of fact tone, as if he was not making a threat, but explaining the details of a story. Sam could not speak, because suddenly it seemed he might so easily, unwittingly say the wrong thing and ensure Dean's death sooner, rather than later.
The kidnapper said, "Just so you know we're serious..." After a silence, Sam asked, "What?"
"See the guy headed into the woods?" Sam turned and saw him, the man walking his dog. The sunny day had a porcelain glaze, rifle fire shattered the stillness and the dogwalker went down, shot in the head. Instinct had Tony and Bryan whirling around, guns drawn.
"Tell the two cops to drop their guns," said the kidnapper.
"What?" asked Sam.
"Tell them now!"
"Tony, Bryan," said Sam. "Drop you're guns."
"Uh uh," said Tony. "No way!"
"You better convince them Sam!" yelled the kidnapper. "I mean it!"
"Please! Tony Bryan, they've got Dean and they can see us. They're watching us. Please drop your guns!" cried Sam.
Tony and Bryan looked back at Sam and saw the fear on his face, then they saw the dead man in the woods, and finally did as they were told. They dropped their guns and waited, looking around, trying to find out where the kidnappers were.
"Midnight Wednesday Sam," said the man on the phone. "We're not playing around. Do as your told."
"But I don't know what you want!" said Sam for the millionth time, but the phone went dead. Sam fell to the ground, the strength going out of his legs.