Chapter 3
Dean swirled the last of the beer around in the bottle before sighing heavily and drinking it. He had spent several hours nursing two beers, played a couple games of pool with some cocky college guys, and won enough money to pay for their food while they were there. It was getting late, and he was ready to call it a night and go see what Sam had found.
Voices from the bar drew his attention and he looked that way wondering what was happening. He wandered toward them to listen in.
"Hey, what happened?" Dean asked a guy standing with the others.
"There's a boy missing," he told Dean. "The cops are searching around the home and are getting a search party together at first light to check the woods and surrounding area.
"Do you know who it is?"
"It's Joshua and Sarah's son, Andy. They think someone came in his bedroom window and took him."
Dean couldn't help but gasp in surprise because he had seen the boy earlier. Who could have taken him, he wondered.
"Where are they meeting in the morning? My brother and I will help with the search."
"At the Ramsey's home."
"Alright, thanks." Dean headed out of the bar and into the parking lot. He walked toward the car not noticing a shadow that stepped forward and raised his hand to blow across his palm. Dean felt the puff of wind blow in his face and raised his hand to wipe what felt like bits of sand from it. He snorted and coughed hard, leaning to the side to spit mucus out. He wiped his jacket sleeve across his face trying to dislodge the foreign matter. After looking around trying to see where that odd puff of wind came from, he got in the car since he didn't see anything and headed back to the motel anxious to tell Sam the news.
"Sammy," Dean called as he opened the motel door and stepped inside. "There's been…" he started and looked around not seeing his brother. "Sammy?" He walked to the middle of the room and looked around, searching for him. He checked the bathroom and frowned, not seeing him anywhere. He started to head back out to find him when the door opened, and Sam walked into the room.
"Hey," Sam greeted him. "I went to get something to drink," he offered holding up a Gatorade.
"I hope you found something. That kid Andy we saw earlier is missing."
"What actions are they taking to find him?"
"They're going to start a search in the woods at first light. The cops are searching around the home and neighborhood tonight but don't want everyone wandering around in the woods tonight getting lost or hurt."
"We should help," Sam said.
"Yeah, I thought the same thing; did you find anything?"
"I think so," Sam replied going to his laptop. "I think what's doing this to those kids is a form of a boogeyman."
"You're kidding, right?" Dean scoffed with a harsh laugh. "That's not real, it's just talk."
"No, I'm not. Some form of the boogeyman has been around since the 1500s. There are stories from all over the world that depict the boogeyman. Stories are told to naughty children if they don't behave the boogeyman will come for them. It can invade dreams and manipulate them, causing nightmares for the person. Thus, the kids having night terrors."
"That does sound like what we're looking for. We might as well get some sleep so we can be up early to join the search party," Dean sighed heavily.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. There's not much we can do tonight," Sam agreed, not happy about it.
Dean headed to the bathroom and did his thing before going to his bed and turning it down. He stripped down to his briefs and T-shirt before crawling between the sheets and settling. He rolled his shoulders and took some deep breaths to relax as he let his mind wander and was pulled into the dream world.
Sam took his turn in the bathroom and by the time he came out saw his brother was asleep. He went to his bed and pulled back the covers before toeing off his boots and removing his clothes down to his briefs and T-shirt. He settled on the mattress and lay there listening to his brother's nasal breathing. His mind was still processing all that he had read, and he had to work hard on shutting it down so he could drift off to sleep.
spn
The feel of cold steel under his naked body roused Dean from his sleep. He opened his eyes and tried to move his arms, but found they were bound out by his side. He jerked his head around and saw he was in a chamber and recognized it immediately.
"Hello Dean," a familiar male voice whispered to him.
Dean sucked in a sharp breath as he jerked his head to the side to see his tormentor from Hell, Alistair. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head no, this wasn't real, it couldn't be. He had been rescued from Hell.
"So nice of you to join me again," Alastair cooed to him. "I've missed our little sessions we had together. They were so much fun." He picked up a thin sharp blade and ran it over Dean's chest leaving a trail of beaded blood in its wake.
Dean couldn't breathe as he gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw so he wouldn't cry out. 'Wake up!' he silently screamed as the searing pain came again when the blade ran down his naked body. He could feel the skin being peeled away and couldn't help the cries of pain that slipped from his lips. By the time Alastair moved to the lower part of his body, Dean was screaming in agony and pain as every nerve in his body was sending jolts of intense pain to his brain. He couldn't think, couldn't pull himself out of this nightmare.
A dark figure danced around in the shadows enjoying the show and feeding off the fear that was coming off Dean. He had picked a very good victim that would give him so much power it was almost overwhelming.
A screaming voice could be heard from far away as it began to penetrate Dean's mind as his face was suddenly slapped to the side several times. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move; it was like he was paralyzed and was dying. A fleeting shadow crossed his sight but he couldn't hold on to it before it was gone.
"Dean! Dean!" Sam kept yelling as he tried to get his brother to respond to him. He had been woken by Dean's screams and tried to wake him to no avail. He shook him, slapped him, pinched him, but nothing would break Dean out of the dreamworld he was in. Not knowing what else to do, Sam balled his fist and placed it on Dean's sternum and rubbed it hard back and forth hoping to get a reaction.
Dean sat up in bed and tried to pull the needed air into his lungs, coughing and wheezing hard. He couldn't get his breath at first and started to panic until Sam got in his face and started talking to him trying to calm him and get him to breathe.
"It's okay bro, you've got to calm down," Sam urged grabbing his shoulders and shaking him to get his attention. "It wasn't real, it was a dream. You're okay. We're in a motel in Monroe. Slow, even breaths, Dean. You can do this," Sam continued to speak calmly to him. He cupped his cheek and stared into Dean's frightened eyes to be sure he was listening to him.
Dean tried to do what Sam was asking but was finding it hard to pull the air into his lungs. He couldn't get his body to cooperate as he grabbed Sam's arm to anchor himself to this world. Images of his nightmare flashed through his mind, and he closed his eyes trying not to see them.
He used his free hand to pull his shirt up and see if there were any gashes on his torso. Dean coughed and gagged struggling to draw the air into his lungs. He could feel his heart pounding so hard that he thought it might explode. Sam's words and touch brought him back and helped him gain control again.
"That's it bro, easy does it," Sam praised him when he saw Dean's chest finally move up and down. He could feel him trembling under his hands and massaged his neck trying to get the stiffness and tension from his body. "You're doing great, just relax." He let Dean's head fall to his shoulder and held him there checking his pulse to feel Dean's heartbeat begin to slow. Sam didn't know what happened to Dean but knew it was the worst nightmare he had seen him have.
"I'm okay," Dean finally whispered in a hoarse voice. He pushed away from Sam and moved to lean back against the headboard. He wiped his face of the sweat and tears as he continued to draw in shaky breaths.
"What happened Dean? And don't say nothing. That was a hell of a nightmare. You can't tell me any different."
"You're right," Dean mumbled looking down at his clenched hands.
"Here, sip a little water," Sam offered holding a bottle of water out to Dean.
Dean took the water and brought it to his lips with a shaky hand. He coughed lightly and sipped a little more before finally stopping.
"It was a nightmare," he told Sam in a coarse voice. "I was back in Hell…" he looked away not able to say anymore. "But there was something else with me…"
"Damn," Sam mumbled as he quickly racked his brain and gathered his thoughts. "Dean, did anything strange happen while you were out last night?"
"Like what?" Dean questioned as he got comfortable against the headboard of his bed.
"I don't know did anyone run into you or showed an interest in you? Gave you a drink?"
"No."
"Could someone have drugged you?"
"No, I only had two beers and a shot of Jack. They didn't leave my sight."
"Was there anything at all, anything that was odd?"
"Well, when I came out of the bar and was heading to the car there was this funny breeze that came up. Blew some sand or dirt in my face. I could feel the grit on my cheeks and around my mouth. It felt like I got a face of sand."
"Sand, that sounds familiar," Sam repeated before getting up and going to his laptop. He pulled up the articles on the boogeyman and found what he was looking for. "That was black sand from the boogeyman. It causes a person to have horrible nightmares. I think if I hadn't been here you would have died."
"Sonovabitch," Dean hissed not happy to have been doped by the boogeyman. "I want this monster dead," he growled out thorough gritted teeth.
"Me too," Sam agreed. "I think the effects of the black sand will be gone by tomorrow night. It wears off quicker on adults than kids."
"Yeah, but I don't know if I'll be sleeping anymore even if it is early morning." Dean stared off into space as he let what happened to him sink in.
"Want me to sit with you?" Sam offered. He moved to sit by his brother on the bed without him replying. He grabbed a pillow from his bed and got comfortable as Dean picked up the remote to turn on the television. He found something for them to watch and settled down beside Sam feeling comfort with his close presence. The last of the nightmare began to fade away, but still tried to cling to his mind.
Dean used Sam as an anchor for himself to keep the nightmares at bay. He pictured a box and shoved the images into it and locked it tight before pushing the box deep into the recesses of his mind.
A/N: Now Dean has been affected and the race is on to find the boogeyman and stop it. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC
