Guys I have been waiting SO LONG for you guy to read this one. It's a long one. I've been slightly under the weather and fell asleep after class so that's why you're getting it so late lol.
That's enough talk, please enjoy!
~TH~
He hated himself for this. He really did.
Mr. Whiteman had never been anything but good to any of them. There was no reason to doubt his motives. And yet…
Dean opened the door, he felt the push in his head telling him not too, but he had to know. He had to know if Caleb was lying to him. Caleb had never lied to him before, but Mr. Whiteman wasn't evil. He couldn't be. Sure, he was supernatural and he required a bit of blood from his children, but was that really so bad? And it wasn't like he was promising some great prize at the end. His children knew of their eventual downfall. All they had been promised was happiness, and Mr. Whiteman had delivered. Simple as that. Caleb was lying. He'd open the door and find a storage room, not a room full of rotting corpses.
The headache was becoming worse as he pressed down the hallway. There was a door at the end. Dean felt a chill as he placed his hand on the doorknob. His head hurt so bad he almost cried out, but in the end he managed to get the door open.
Light from the hallways poured into it and Dean saw it. Exactly like Caleb had said. Rows upon rows of bodies. Kids really. So thin you could hardly tell they were human. They were mangled, the stench of death mixed with the nearly unbearable headache caused Dean to lose his lunch. The bodies were drained of blood, nothing left like a vampire had snacked on them. But it wasn't a vampire. It was Mr. Whiteman.
"Oh Dean," As if summoned by the thought of him, Whiteman appeared behind him, sadness and regret in his voice. "I wish you hadn't come back here."
"Why?" Dean managed over the ringing in his ears, "Because now I'm going to end up like them?"
"Son, you were always going to end up like them. I never hid that to you. Come now, let's get that headache taken care of."
The pain had become so unbearable that Dean could see nothing but white. The ringing was so loud that the only reason he heard Whiteman at all was because he was speaking inside Dean's head. He had to be led from the room and it wasn't until he was sitting down on the living room couch that Dean felt able to function. His head was still painful, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been.
"You killed all those people." Dean whispered.
The old man sighed, sitting next to the boy. "They sacrificed themselves, Dean. As all of you do. It takes time but it's no secret that loyalty to me will bring eventual death."
"But their bodies… they were… mutilated."
"And I wish you did not have to see that. There is strong psychic warding against it. I should have known that if anyone was going to make it through it was you. You're a fighter, Dean."
The pride in the man's voice, once craved, now made him sick. "How could you- how could you do that?"
"The same way you have always done what is necessary to survive. Even if it does not bring you pleasure."
"I thought- I thought you cared about us-"
"Don't you see? I do Dean. If I did not care for you I would simply take what I needed. But I don't. I allow you to make your own decisions. I keep every one of my promises. I give you happiness until the time comes that your sacrifice becomes the ultimate one. Have I ever hidden that from you?"
The man sounded so concerned, so contemplative. Dean shrugged. "No, I just- seeing them. Caleb was right…"
"Caleb doesn't understand, son. He can't. Only my children can understand why the sacrifice is necessary. Why it is a joy, not a burden."
"I know but-"
"The headache will persist. You were exposed to the room and psychic energy for too long. Go rest, we'll talk more tomorrow."
"No- no I can't. I- I have to leave."
The man sighed, "Dean-"
"No, I-I need to see Caleb."
"You are free to leave, but you will regret it. He has nothing to offer you. A longer life? As a hunter? And your days will be miserable while here it will at least be peaceful."
Dean didn't answer, getting to his feet. He swayed and Whiteman was there to steady him.
"At least stay the night. You are ill."
"Yeah, because of you!"
"I've warned you many times not to enter that hall. You knew it was warded."
He couldn't argue with that. "No. I'm leaving."
"Very well. But you are always welcome to return, Dean."
"Whatever."
"If the sickness gets too much for you to bear, have them bring you here. I can not offer healing and protection unless you are under my roof."
"Not gonna happen."
The man sighed, seeming genuinely sad. "Very well, Dean. But know that when you decide to return home, I will be waiting to receive you."
Dean didn't listen to anything else, stumbling out the door.
~SPN~
"We can't just leave him there!" After returning from the Castle Caleb had been forced to confess his whereabouts. Mac seemed less than happy about it, but didn't reprimand his son. Jim only frowned.
It was John who started the argument about what needed to be done next.
"You know very well we can't force our way in! He's a more powerful psychic than Caleb and I put together! And this never would have happened if you had not sent him away. Really John! Or if you were going to be so pig headed and foolish you could have at least called one of us!"
"I thought he could take care of himself! How was I supposed to know he'd be stupid enough to join a friggin' cult!"
"This is the exact attitude that led to him making that decision!"
"Enough! Both of you!" Jim shouted, causing the Triad's arguing to cease. "We can deal with John's responsibility in all of this at a later time. For now we must focus on Dean. Mackland is right. We can't force our way in. Caleb, are you able to sense anything at all? Any weaknesses?"
"Huh?" Caleb blinked up towards the Triad. While he had been listening and even comprehending what was going on, he had felt something and it had caused his mind to wander. He wondered if it had something to do with his body still not feeling quite right. But there was something in his mind… He pulled at the string again, trying to find out what had happened. A spark of pain ignited in his skull. He grunted, bending over in his chair from the waist and clutching his head.
"Son?" Hands were on him, and he fought his initial urge to fight back. Mac had been concerned and clingy ever since the whole possession thing, After all, Caleb had only awakened this morning and he hadn't gotten any sleep since returning from his talk with Dean. "Caleb, can you hear me?"
"Yeah- yeah just gimme a second."
He let out a hard breath through his nose before straightening. The pounding diminished and finally went away entirely.
"Something happened. I'm not sure exactly what. But the Entetee did something. He exerted a lot of psychic energy to do it too."
"Do you think it has something to do with Dean?" John asked.
"I'm not-" He was interrupted by his phone going off in his pocket. He had half a mind to ignore it but dug it out of his pocket. It was an unknown number. He didn't want to talk, but he decided at the last second to answer. "Hello?"
"Damien?" The voice on the other end breathed.
Caleb stood up, nearly knocking his father down in the process. "Deuce?!"
"Yeah, it-it's me. Wh-where are you?"
"At the motel. Where are you?"
He waved off the older men trying to get answers out of him.
"I-I don't know. I think-" There was a pained gasp and Caleb felt his heart clench. ""M at a payphone. N-not, not far from-" This one was less of a gasp and more of a cry.
"Deuce! Hey Dean, answer me!" He plugged his ear, trying to drown out the questioning Triad to hear what was going on. The only answer was ragged breathing.
Eventually the call was cut off, Dean's time on the call running out. Caleb snapped his phone shut. "We need to go. He's out and he's hurt."
"It could be a trap." Mac offered hesitantly.
Caleb's only answer was a glare as he headed out the door.
Dean had said that he was not far, and Caleb could only assume that he meant from the Entetee's Castle.
They found him less than a block away from the large brick building. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but no jacket and was collapsed against the walls of the phone booth. Thankfully the grocery store it was beside seemed deserted.
Caleb reached the boy first. "Hey, Deuce, can you hear me?" When he got no answer, he began checking the boy over for injuries. Dean's nose was bleeding, but aside from that he seemed okay. Except for the odd shimmering in and out that he was doing like before.
"Get him out of there!" John ordered gruffly.
Caleb gently moved Dean's upper body until only his legs were in the callbox.
"Let me see." Mac pushed beside his son, running a skilled hand over the boy on the ground. "Nothing seems wrong, let's get him back to the hotel so I can better see what we're dealing with."
Caleb bent to pick up his best friend. He was light. Too light. John offered to take him and Caleb couldn't even find the shame in growling at him like a mother bear.
When they got him back to the motel room and situated on the bed, Mac continued with his examination. He frowned as he moved his hand along Dean's arms and legs.
"Dad?"
"Something's not right."
"What's that supposed to mean?"John barked.
"It means… I can't tell what I'm working with. I think he's still under the Entetee's control. That he's being… shielded from me."
"Shimmering." Caleb whispered.
"What's that?"
"It's like… like he's shimmering. One moment he looks fine and the next…" He trailed off, noticing that everyone was looking at him. "You don't see it?"
"No," Jim sighed, "I think it may be because of your gift."
"I think it's safe to say that whatever you felt earlier was attached to Dean. It's the only reason I can find for him to be unconscious." Mac said. "As far as I can tell right now, he's fine. The nosebleed may have been caused by a psychic outburst.
"But I've never caused a reaction like that."
"I seem to remember an equally terrifying incident with young Samuel a few years back." the doctor smiled gently.
"But this is good, right?" John asked, arms crossed. "He's out. He clearly left on his own. He's free."
"No, he's still connected to that thing." Caleb spat.
"How do you know?"
"I can feel him. And I can't get a clear reading on Dean. I know he's there but it's not… right. Something's wrong."
"And if he was free of the psychic's power then we would be able to see him as he really was. Not… shimmering as Caleb put it." Mackland continued.
"But he called us- well - Caleb and he left of his own free will. Isn't that what he had to do?!"
"It's not that simple, John." Jim addressed the Knight. "Whatever led Dean away is a step, but he still holds belief in Whiteman. He may have left but he still feels indebted to the man. He hasn't cut himself off."
"Then why would he leave?"
The doctor ran a final hand over his patient before addressing the worried father. "That's something he will have to answer when he wakes up."
"You don't think it's a trap of some kind, do you? Like he was sent to kill us or something." John echoed Mac's earlier sentiment as he glanced at the Guardian.
"What are you saying?" Caleb growled, feeling a protective surge. Especially now that Dean was here. Mac had been suggesting some form of ambush not what John seemed to be implying.
"What I'm saying, Junior, is that it's my job to protect the Brotherhood, especially the Guardian and the Scholar. And if that happens to be from my own son, then so be it. And we know the Entetee can possess people with much stronger shields than Dean has. "
Caleb took a step forward, "You don't really think-"
"Caleb." His father cut in, "John is right. I hate to admit it, but until we know why he's here-"
"He's here," the youngest member growled. "Because he wanted to come back to us. Because he finally came to his senses and left that place!"
"But we don't know that, son. He's spent weeks with a psychic entity that very well could be influencing in some way. If he could override you, than it is very possible-"
"You didn't hear him on the phone."
"No, but we can't risk the Guardian, or really any of the Triad, when we don't know-"
"Dean isn't the enemy!"
"I'm not saying he is. He's a victim of this mess." The look to John was very pointed. "But until we know for sure what his intentions are, we need to be," He hesitated, glancing at Jim. "On our guard."
Caleb understood their intentions immediately. "You're not tying him down." He would personally fight anyone who tried.
"Son-"
"Like you said. He's a victim. You can't tie him down. You don't know what they did to him in there. You could-"
"Exactly." It was John who cut in. "We don't know what they did to him. And until we do we can't take any chances."
"You can't-"
"The last couple times you've talked to him. Would you say that Dean was in his right mind? He fought you. Called you a liar. Spouted rhetoric that that thing put in his brain! Can you honestly say that there was no influence? That he's our Dean?"
"He's our Dean." Caleb said with confidence that he didn't feel.
"I may not be a psychic, kid, but I can read you clear as day. You don't know anymore than we know. And with the Guardian here we can't afford to take chances."
Jim, who had remained silent up till this point, cleared his throat. "I believe the best course of action would be to wait. Someone can sit up with him at all times, but I don't see that tying him down would accomplish anything."
"But Jim-" The Knight started.
"I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself. Unless he is outright possessed I do not see any reason that one of us could not hold our own against him. And if he is for some reason possessed, then tying him down would do little good anyway."
They all understood the veiled order. The Guardian had spoken and he would have the final say.
"I'll stay up with him first." Caleb spoke up immediately.
"He's my son, I think that-"
"He may be your son but you're also the reason that we're in this mess so I don't think that's a very good idea."
"Don't forget who you're talking to-"
"I'm talking to the man who threw out his own son because of something he didn't even do! Think about it. If he wakes up and sees you standing over him I doubt his reaction is going to be positive! Especially considering the fact that the last time he saw you, you pounded his face in!"
"Both of you stop it!" Mackland shouted. "I'm the doctor here so I will be staying up with him for now. My son will take the other bed so that he is easy to reach in case his special expertise is needed. I suggest that you other two go to the room next door and get some much needed sleep. These walls are paper thin so I believe you will hear me knocking if anything changes."
John opened his mouth but a shake of the head from Jim caused him to shut it. With a disgruntled sound he moved towards the door, slamming it shut behind him. Jim nodded towards the doctor. "Be sure to let us know if there is any news."
"I will, Jim," the doctor promised.
When the pastor had left, Ames moved a chair over to Dean's bedside. Caleb moved to grab the other chair but his father shook his head. "I may have requested you stay in here, but that was more to keep you and John from killing each other. I expect you to get some sleep."
"But Dad-"
"No, son. If you want to be of any help you have to get some sleep. Dean is safe with us now. There's nothing you can do."
"But what if he doesn't wake up?" The thought was whispered quietly. Something that Caleb didn't even want to really consider.
"If he doesn't wake up soon, we may have to take him to the hospital to get a scan. I can't be sure what that monster did to him. If you can't get into his mind then my limited abilities are certainly not going to be of any help. We have to just hope that he wakes on his own and can tell us exactly what is going on. Now rest. I'll wake you up to take watch in a few hours."
Caleb didn't intend to fall asleep but found himself drifting off against his will.
~TH~
Really eager to hear your thoughts on this!
Some of you guys guessed last chapter that Dean would go searching and you were right lol.
So Dean's out now, but the story isn't over. There's still quite a bit actually.
Please let me know what you thought of this one! I gave you a long chapter, it'd be nice if you responded in kind when commenting.
Love you guys!
God bless,
Jamie
