CHAPTER 8

When Castiel opened his eyes, the very first thing he noticed was the water steadily trickling down from a pipe overhead. He studied the pipe for a moment, his gaze drifting down to the boiler it was connected to before focusing on the large puddle nearby. The room he found himself in was small and dark, a single flickering light high above did little to illuminate his surroundings. The fight with the Djin flashed in the back of his mind as he felt the damp air trailing across one of the many cuts on his face. He had no idea where he was or what exactly had happened, one second he was fighting off a group of Djin and the next he was on the factory floor unable to move. Slumped against the cold concrete wall behind him, Castiel tried to straighten out but quickly realized something was wrong. Though he was able to move, it had taken almost everything he had to simply sit up. Something was weighing him down and he felt trapped inside the vessel he'd come to know so well.

"Ive been around for centuries and I've never come across someone, or rather something quite like you." Castiel struggled to look up, his eyes catching those of a Djin as it casually made its way over towards him. The tall man smiled as he knelt down to his level. "You're not human and you're not a demon." The Djin started, studying him carefully. "You're no creature I've ever encountered before, so tell me, what exactly are you?"

There was a moment of silence as Castiel tried to muster the strength he needed to move just an inch or two. What was meant as a punch for the Djin who'd jumped him earlier in the factory, was merely a flick of the wrist that made his hand slide from his lap to the floor. "What did you do to me?" He asked through clenched teeth, struggling against the crushing weight that was keeping him on the floor "Why can't I move?" The Djin let out a chuckle as it reached down to grab Castiel's hand from the floor, turning it over for the angel to see. When his eyes focused on the welt that wrapped around his wrist, the moment he'd fallen victim to the creature suddenly came into sharp focus. He'd been fighting off the Djin to give Sam the chance to get Jodi out of the factory; one of them blocked a punch and grabbed hold of his wrist. The second it got its hand on him, it introduced the first dose of toxin into his system. It was enough to slow him down. He hit the floor moments later when a second hand wrapped around his throat.

"You should have been dead before you hit the floor." The Djin continued, letting Castiel's hand fall back into his lap. "All we did was slow you down, so what are you?" It demanded.

"An angel, I'm an angel." He finally replied, trying to buy himself as much time as he could.

"An angel?" The Djin replied with a chuckle. "What's an angel doing hanging around with a pair hunters?"

"They're my friends." Castiel replied bluntly. "You took one them, we came here to find him when you attacked us and..."

"Who, him?" The Djin interrupted, pointing over towards the left.

Castiel forced himself to glance over and felt his breath catch in the back of his throat when he realized he'd been sitting only a few feet away from Dean. The other man was lying comatose on the floor, the side of his shirt and jacket covered with blood that had soaked through his clothes. Various cuts and bruises marked his face and hands. "Why did you shoot him? If your plan was to poison him so you can feed off him, he's no good to you dead."

The Djin smiled as it caught the angel's eyes. "A bullet seemed to be the only way to slow him down." It started, reaching over to place a hand on the unconscious man's outstretched arm. "The dose just barely slowed him down, so I had to get his heart beating faster to help spread the toxin, it's amazing what the human body responds to, pain and fear trigger all kinds of reactions." The Djin paused for a moment as Castiel's eyes narrowed. "Had I known he'd be such a satisfying meal, I would have been more careful with this one. I can read his thoughts and look into his memories, I can walk around in his head... keep him busy while I twist whatever nightmares I find to get the most out of his emotions."

"Leave him alone." Castiel hissed, swallowing hard as he once again tried in vain to get up.

"A soul as tormented as his is worth savoring." The Djin explained, releasing its grip on the hunter's arm and leaving behind a red welt. "With all the anger, angst, guilt and regret he's harbouring deep inside, I could feed off him for weeks." It continued, turning its attention back to the angel. "You on the other hand, well I can't even get into your head."

Castiel felt his back hit the cement wall behind him as the Djin kneeling in front of him, reached out to wrap a hand around his throat. Though his mind was racing, screaming at him to do something, to fight back, his body refused to move a muscle. The toxin coursing through his veins had taken hold of his human vessel.

"You're no good to me if I can't get what I need from you." The Djin went on, a sinister smile creeping up from the corner of his lips. "So let's see what it takes to kill an angel."

Castiel's heart began to race as the Djin's hand around his throat started heating up. He swallowed hard, his eyes closing as the Djin's began to glow. He could feel another dose of the creature's toxin being introduced into his system and though he did his best to try and fight off the effects, there was nothing he could do. It was a feeling unlike anything he'd ever felt before, his vessel was fading faster than he could heal it from within. When the Djin's free hand wrapped around the pulse point on his wrist, he knew it was only a matter of time before his grace would be affected as well. His mind was in a fog, his heart was pounding like a hammer and he soon found himself struggling to breath. Just as everything started fading away, the grip around his throat loosened. His eyes opened as the Djin suddenly pulled away, putting both hands on the floor behind him to catch his balance. He was short of breath and the look of surprise on his face was hard to miss. "Looks like killing an angel is gonna take much more than you've got." Castiel said, his voice quiet and weak.

"We'll just have to see how long you last when the others get their hands on you." The Djin was quick to reply, pulling himself back up to his feet.

"You mean if they get their hands on me." Castiel corrected, the faintest trace of a smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"I might not be strong enough to kill an angel on my own, but I'm not alone and I know that you're weaker than you were before I put my hands on you. I can feel it." The Djin paused for a moment as he watched Castiel struggle to move once again. "We may not be able to feed off you, but we can and we will kill you. With enough poison, you won't be able to breathe anymore, every single muscle in your body is going to seize, even your heart is going to stop beating. You hunters really kicked a hornet's nest poking around here and you know what they say about strength in numbers."

"You monsters have no idea what you're up against. "Castiel cut in as he caught the Djin's eyes. "The other hunters, they're not going to leave without us."

"They'll be joining you soon enough." The Djin snapped. "And we'll be real careful this time because if these other hunters are as tormented and twisted as this one is inside." It said, gesturing to Dean. "Well now that's a meal worth savouring for weeks, if not months." He paused and turned as another Djin stood in the doorway.

"We've got company." She said simply before disappearing from their sight.

"Make even the slightest of sound, and I will make you watch me slit his throat." The creature growled, its eyes narrowing on the angel slumped against the wall on the floor. "I may not be able to see into your mind but I see it plain as day on your face, this one means something to you."

Castiel watched as the Djin walk away, joining the other three that he knew of. Sam was no doubt back in the building by now, and there was no way to warn him of the Djin that were headed his way. He was the only one left and he had no idea what he was walking into, none of them had been prepared for a group of what was believed to be, solitary creatures. The angel turned his attention back to Dean as the echo of the Djin's footsteps faded down the corridor. They were running out of time. Dean's eyes were shut and his skin looked pale, his forehead was drenched in sweat. The gunshot wound and the loss of blood had weakened him even before the Djin had started feeding off his energy. As if that weren't enough, there had also been the fall from the platform overlooking the factory floor. Broken bones, a concussions, dislocated shoulder... there was no way for the angel to tell what shape the hunter was actually in.

"Dean." Castiel called out softly, knowing his friend was very much awake, trapped somewhere deep in his subconscious. The other man had reached out to him already, and that gave the angel some hope that he'd be able to reach back. "Dean." He called out again, watching as the other man twitched slightly at the sharpness in his voice. "Listen to me Dean." He went on, his stern voice drawing another hint of acknowledgment from the otherwise comatose man lying on the floor. "The Djin's been walking around in there with you. Wherever you are and whatever messed up version of your life you're living right now... it's right there with you, manipulating reality to get the most of you." Castiel paused for a moment as the thought of what Dean might be up against flashed in the back of his mind. If the Djin was indeed twisting the other man's thoughts and memories to keep him busy while it slowly fed off his emotions and negative energy, the possibilities were endless. Dean had more than enough turmoil buried deep in his soul to feed off of for months, if he didn't die of the gunshot wound first. "You need to find it and kill it." The angel continued, struggling to move closer to the other man. "It's probably walking around as someone you know, someone it knows you wouldn't be able to kill." Castiel went on. "Maybe your brother or even me."

Sam moved quickly and quietly down the long tunnel, examining each and every room he came across. His flashlight in one hand and the silver blade laced with the blood of a victim in the other, he moved steadily along searching for any sign of the Djin, Dean or Cas. So far all he was coming across were small maintenance rooms with trash strewn about. He paused in his steps and then ducked into one of the small rooms when he heard shuffling down the hall, followed by whispers. He pressed the flashlight against his back to hide the light and did his best to try and make out what was going on. He knew he was outnumbered, but the more he knew the better chance he would have at taking them down. The discussion was quick, he could make out at least two different voices, that of a man and a woman. Moments later, the whispers were gone and their footsteps faded away.

He stepped back out into the long tunnel, knowing for sure of at least two Djin lurking nearby as he continued to meticulously search every room. He wasn't sure what he would find when he did come across Dean and Castiel, but knew that the pair had to be found and that he wouldn't be leaving without them. Passing another opened door, he froze. His gaze instantly drawn to the set of chains anchored to the floor and a pile of clothes in a corner. Whatever had happened wasn't good and with the number of victims missing and others found dead, he knew some must have met their fates in a room like this one. Pushing the images that suddenly flashed across his mind aside, he quickly moved on to the next room, a similar sight making him wonder if he would find Dean and Castiel before it was too late.

Dean's mind started to race as he watched the men outside gather to hunt him down. Being wanted dead or alive was nothing new, but he didn't have time to deal with this. With the Djin that had jumped him feeding off him, he knew the clock was ticking. "Call them off." He said simply, watching as Jo turned to leave. "The last thing I need right now is a bunch of hunters in here while I try tracking down that damn Djin."

"What you need is their help." Jo was quick to reply, freezing in her steps as the sound of a gun loading caught her attention.

Dean watched as she turned slightly to catch his eyes. "Call your Dad and tell them to back off." He said sternly. "I don't have time to deal with them."

"Dean, put the gun away. Please let us help you, let them..." She silenced as the man in front of her suddenly looked out towards the darkened factory below. "Now what?"

"Cas." Dean replied simply. Though the familiar voice drifting through the night was faint, there was no doubt in his mind that he had in fact heard it.

Jo shook her head. The man in front of her was getting worse with each passing moment and his grip on reality was quickly slipping away. "What?" She asked, watching as his eyes darted from left to right in search of something.

"It's Cas." He repeated, lowering the gun and listening intently. While he knew the life he was in wasn't real, having the Djin alongside him, manipulating the series of events around him to get what it wanted, had never even crossed his mind. He'd fallen victim to Djin before but the effects this one was having on him was unlike anything he'd previously experienced. Though he was trying hard to convince himself that everything was going to be fine, each piece of information he was given was only adding to his doubts.

"Dean, I don't hear anything." Jo went on, her voice pulling the other man's attention away from whatever it was he claimed to be hearing. "There's no one else here but us, that Djin and the other hunters outside, we need..." She trailed off as he caught her eyes, even in the dim light she knew right away that something in him had changed.

Dean felt his heart crawl up into his throat as Castiel's distant words started sinking in. "If Sam's already dead..." He started quietly, tucking the gun away and pulling out his silver blade instead. "Then that makes you the only other person I know."