Discovering Vampires (Supernatural, General Series, #28)
Title: Discovering Vampires
Author/Artist: my_sam_dean
Pairing: Sam, Luther, Dean, Bobby, John
Fandom: Supernatural
Theme: 28 - bite
Disclaimer: I own nothing Supernatural.
"Vampires?" Dean asked in disbelief. "You never even mentioned them."
"I thought Elkins and his kind had wiped them out. I've never hunted one myself, but I've spoken to a few people who have dealt with them and walked away relatively unharmed."
"Relatively?" Sam's voice cracked.
"They were enough alive to tell me what happened. The physical scars will heal. The emotional ones, well, we all have those."
Both boys stared at him. Nervously, he continued, "The only way to kill them is beheading. Dead man's blood will slow them down but it's effects are only temporary and unpredictable. It all has to do with the amount of blood, how long the person had been dead and the health of the vampire infected. You still have those machetes?"
"Yeah. Need one?" Dean reached into his trunk and came out with a huge, shiny blade.
"I've got it covered," John replied as he opened his toy box, the hidden weapon compartment in his newly acquired truck.
Sam piped in, "What's the plan?"
"We go in and save the humans. We kill the vampires. We meet up back at the vehicles."
"You have a way of making it sound so simple," Dean smirked. "Ready to kill some ugly vamps, Sammy?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," he shrugged and grabbed a knife of his own. "It's not often we get to hunt something that we thought didn't exist. Think we'll hunt Bigfoot next or Nessie?"
Quickly, Dean replied, "Bigfoot. There's no way I'm flying over an ocean."
***
What was already a shaky plan unraveled almost as soon as they made it into the nest. They had their machetes drawn and were ready for action.
John was the first to draw. He got two monsters in quick succession. Dean plowed his blade through another one. Still with the element of surprise, Sam killed his first vamp.
Bent over a couple that were asleep, John drew his bloody blade. An errant vamp stumbled his way into the room and shouted a warning. The way the previously sleeping vamp's eyes popped open was almost comical. John didn't have time to jump back before he was grabbed by the collar and thrown across the room.
"Dad!" Dean cried as John hit the floor. He'd intended to run to him but was attacked from behind, stumbled and fell.
With them both down, Sam was way outnumbered. In a moment they had all the Winchesters surrounded and Sam restrained..
"I'll take this one," The leader named Luther indicated the youngest Winchester whose eyes were frantically darting to see his dad and brother.
"NO!" Dean screamed. He sliced the head off a vamp that came closer to him.
"That's it!" Luther yelled and everyone stopped moving. He had Sam in a stranglehold. "I have no beef with the two of you. Either you relinquish your weapons and leave quietly or you can stay as our next meal. If you don't drop the weapons, I'll snap his neck."
Dean dropped his weapon, as did John, when the vampire threatened Sam's life. They could only watch as Luther dragged the youngest Winchester away, through the bodies of his comrades and his mate, Kate. He never turned around, walking backwards all the way, as if he had eyes in the back of his head or a sixth sense.
Initially, Sam had fought Luther when he'd been grabbed. As Luther's hold grew tighter and tighter, Sam's air supply had been greatly reduced. He had spots dancing in front of his eyes and couldn't form a coherent thought long enough to plan his escape.
***
"We'll get him back," John promised.
"I can't believe we're leaving him here."
"Just to get some reinforcements. A few more people in the rescue party will increase our odds."
Tormented, Dean asked, "Odds of what?"
"Surviving. Getting Sam."
In the silence of the car, neither of them moved to turn on the radio. John was on his cell phone before they got in the door to the motel, putting out word that they needed help. Dean sat on his bed and picked Sam's sweatshirt up from the floor. He held it to his face. Breathing in the scent of Sam, Dean felt like the worst brother in the world. Even if it was a tactical mistake, he wanted to go rushing in, guns blazing and save Sam. Gunshots wouldn't kill the damn things but should slow them down a little.
***
Sam's eyes drifted open. He was in complete darkness. With his hands, he mapped out the shape of what he was trapped in. He didn't panic. The bumps of the road told him that they were traveling at a pretty good clip and had him bound in the trunk. There was nothing else in there, nothing he could use to try to get out. His head hurt from his earlier treatment and he decided to just let his eyes close. He wouldn't be any good at escaping if he was exhausted when they got to wherever their destination was.
***
The group of hunters assisting John and Dean burned up the roadways getting to them. They armed up, made a plan of attack and took off to the nest.
Slowly, Dean opened the door, not wanting it to creak. He peered through the dim light but the dust filtering through the air made it hard to see. John, Ellen, Bobby and Caleb made their entrance and were rooted to the spot with fear. The bodies of the slain vampires were still there. All the others, including Sam, were gone.
"From the remnants of their fire, I'd say they left about the time you called us," Bobby told John.
"Where do we look next?" Dean was not accepting failure and barred anyone else from thinking that Sam was a lost cause. "How do we track these damn things?"
"That's what we need to find out, boy," Bobby put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "We're getting Sam back. Just need to do some research to learn about the enemy first. I brought some of my books. We can pair up so one person reads while the other drives if we can track them. Let's get some sleep and start bright and early."
John hadn't said a word. When they entered the run-down building and Sam wasn't there, all of his energy seeped into the ground. He was grateful that Bobby took charge of the situation and had a plan.
***
The abandoned home wasn't small. Luther drug Sam in through the front door, tied him up and left him locked in a bedroom with a couple other people the group was keeping for their blood supply.
"I'm Sam," his voice was shaky. "Can anyone tell me what they've been doing?"
One robust lady looked his way. "I don't even know how long I've been here. They drink my blood, take whatever pleasure they want from my body and then leave me alone. Sometimes we get fed. I don't think Dawn is going to make it." She indicated the slight, pale girl that was lying on the floor. "My name's Cheryl. This is Evan." She pointed to the only other person in the room. "He doesn't speak. They cut his tongue out because he talked too much. That's all I have to say."
Sam knew that Cheryl wasn't about to risk any more words. She'd passed along as much useful information as possible. No use getting caught and punished just over some chit-chat.
Dawn looked fragile and just barely alive. Bruises marred her milky skin and there was clotted blood in her long hair from a head injury. Only the small movement of her chest with each shallow breath assured him that she wasn't dead--yet.
Looking all around, Sam took in his surroundings. There were hooks and chains on the walls, so this wasn't just someplace they decided to squat for awhile. This was another nest, ready to hold the prisoners. His heart sank as he realized just how hopeless his situation was. None of the others were in any shape to make a run for it. He was on his own, trapped by creatures he knew next to nothing about.
***
Luther mourned the loss of his mate, Kate. He'd taken Sam to punish the hunters and exact revenge. He hadn't as much as looked at Sam since they arrived at Nest 2. He had taken up drinking liquor and getting loud.
Bo, who simply hated Sam for the part of society he represented, was the one to bring them some food. Each person got a bowl of beans, a slice of bread and a paper cup of water.
"Ding, Ding goes the dinner bell!" Bo announced annoyingly as he entered the room. He placed a bowl near each person. When he reached Sam, he cut all the bindings except the one around his hands.
"What about her?" Sam pointed Dawn.
"What?"
"She can't feed herself and we can't help her with our hands bound."
"Looks like we have us another talker," Bo laughed cruelly. "Ask Evan what we do to talkers. That small gal? You're right, she's not going to make it. It would just be a waste of food." He tromped over and picked the skinny lady up. "We'll just finish her off while you have your meal. Enjoy!"
Sam was speechless, which was probably good for keeping his tongue. He'd meant they should be able to help Dawn, not to put her out of her misery.
"She's been here longer then me. It's a blessing that she won't suffer anymore," Cheryl said quietly to bowl. She couldn't look at Sam. "Guess they'll bring in someone new when we start to wear down. You've taken Dawn place on the menu."
There it was in black and white. It was difficult to ignore the cold truth when they heard the vamps hurting Dawn down the hall. She screamed a couple times before it was just raucous laughter and eating.
No longer hungry, Sam pushed his bowl away.
There was no way to tell what time it was or if it was a whole other day. Lost in thoughts and boredom, Sam's mind just checked out. There was no escape plan to make because they couldn't get away. Either he could try to stay alive long enough for help to come or he could starve himself to death. He didn't see any other option.
***
Luther released Sam as violently as he had grabbed him. He licked the blood from his lips as Sam's head spun from the quick movement.
"Get back with the rest of them," Luther growled. "I have no use for you at the moment."
Stumbling, Sam made his way out of the room. While one of the vampires was bringing him back to what Sam thought of as a cell, Sam happened to brush against Bo, who was heading the other direction.
"Little shit," Bo shoved him against the wall. "I should--"
"Bo!" The other one yelled as he pushed him out of the way and took a hold of Sam again. "You know Luther doesn't like it when you mess with his food!"
"I'll get you," Bo growled in Sam's ear before he stepped away.
Sam was still disoriented and had to concentrate on his feet to keep him upright. The dead man behind him kept a hand around his arm and was the only way Sam made it to the room. Even his eyesight was fuzzy after Luther had fed.
"What did he do to you?" Cheryl whispered when she could no longer hear the departing footsteps.
"Fed a little much," Sam tried to smile at her but it was a grimace.
"He's gonna kill you at this rate," she mumbled as she pressed a dirty cloth to the new wound on his neck.
He knew that was the point. He was never going to get out of there alive. Whether he died from blood loss or Luther flat out murdered him in anger, it didn't much matter. It was all the same in the end.
Cheryl moved back to her usual place when Sam held the patch of material on his own. Neither of them could chance getting caught talking. Plus, Evan looked terrified every time Sam or Cheryl opened their mouths. He was just waiting to relieve his nightmare of when he was mutilated.
Time had worn Sam down. At first he had fought, but that spark died quickly when it was drained out of him drop by drop. He no longer had any hope. He just wanted it to be over with.
***
"What do you mean you don't have any leads?" Dean yelled. "All those folks you talked to and not a one of them had any idea?"
"Watch your tone, boy," John warned.
"They're keeping feelers out for anything that looks suspicious. All we can do is read up on the vampires until we get a call." Bobby sighed as he sat down at the table laden with texts. "I know you're frustrated but running off on a wild goose chase isn't going to help when someone calls us with a concrete clue and we're halfway across the country. The nest was here. They won't be able to hide for long and they can't get far before they need to take cover. The sunlight might only be strong enough to give them a sunburn, but they don't like discomfort any more than we do."
Dean hung his head. He knew Bobby was right. He had so much pent up energy bursting to get out on the hunt for Sam and had ended up venting it the wrong way. "I'm--"
"Don't worry about it. Finding anything interesting in that book?"
"Just that garlic and crucifixes don't work against them."
Bobby gave him a small smile. "At least that's something."
***
The tall man's eyes drifted closed as Luther broke his skin. For some reason, Sam's lashes reminded him of Kate. The longing that had settled in his gut seemed lighter when Sam was around. He missed seeing the anger and spirit in Sam. He knew he had to be broken or he would never have allowed Luther to feed as he had. Still, something about him made Luther want to keep his company longer each day.
The rest of the nest was getting restless and that meant tempers were short. Luther knew that taking the current prisoners was risky and shouldn't be done. Letting Sam die and finding another human didn't sound at all appealing. Was there something else he could do to keep him?
After Sam had departed, Luther heard a loud ruckus. Sated from the warmth creeping through his body, he slowly moved to the door and went to investigate.
In the main room he found Sam pinned on the floor with Bo straddling him. He was screaming and hitting Sam repeatedly.
Luther roared, "He's mine!" as he threw himself against Bo, knocking him to the ground. He saw red. When he was finally aware of his surroundings again, his whole 'family' was staring at him and Bo was a bloody heap on the ground. In his fury, he'd ripped Bo's head from his body and killed him. "Get him out of here!" he ordered and everyone jumped to obey.
When they were gone, he assessed the guy still on the floor. He hadn't moved from where he'd lain beneath Bo. Not understanding the emotions he was feeling and still not wanting Sam out of his sight, he picked Sam up and laid him on his bed. Luther sat on the edge with his head in his hands, wondering when the struggle of being undead had gotten so out of control.
***
"I got a call!" Caleb rushed into the room without knocking. Dean sat up on the bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. John stood in the kitchenette drinking some coffee. "Bobby's looking it up now and making a few calls to other hunters that should be in the area. Get packed. We'll leave as soon as he has it mapped out."
Dean flew from under the covers and started stuffing their belongings into bags without rhyme or reason. John momentarily froze as the words took awhile to seep in. Then, he was moving as quick as possible as he demanded Caleb tell him all the details.
"I've got it!" Bobby waved his map in the air. "I'll get the others road ready." Just as quickly as he had arrived, his head disappeared from the doorway and they heard him enter the room next door.
"Do you think this lead is for real?" Dean almost dreaded asking his Dad the question.
"I don't know, Dean. I hope it is and we have enough manpower to get Sam out of there."
"Oh, we're getting him out," Dean's voice was full of determination. He whispered to himself, "I won't leave without him."
***
Sam struggled awake and thought he still had to be dreaming. When had the floor gotten so soft? Was that a blanket draped over him?
There was no other sound in the room but he sensed someone else. He had to search to find Luther sitting in the shadows. His eyes were trained on Sam.
"You've woke," Luther stood. "You were out a long while."
Not sure if an answer was expected or not, Sam kept silent.
"Bo won't be of concern anymore."
Sam was glad to hear it but still confused.
"I never intended to share you." Luther paused as if trying to find a way to word his next sentence correctly. "I've grown used to you."
He was unsure if that was something he should be glad about or not. He was left to wonder when Luther left the room, leaving him secured to the bed.
***
"Are you sure this is the right spot?" Dean couldn't help but ask as they turned to search the area again.
"This is where he told us to go. Whether he passed the correct information to me, I don't know." Bobby was trying to keep his patience and having a difficult time.
"Quit being a backseat driver," John grumbled as he hunched over the steering wheel.
Gritting his teeth, Dean sank back into the seat and refrained from saying anything else.
***
Sam thought he heard familiar footfalls but was sure that it was just wishful thinking again. He stayed curled up as much as he could and laid there. A slight scraping at the door caught his full attention. He was staring at it when all hell broke loose in the rest of the house. Luther was yelling, others were screaming.
The door swung open and Sam almost choked with surprise as Dean rushed to the bed and started cutting through the ropes.
"I've got you, Sammy." He looked at Sam's face and saw how utterly defeated he felt. "We've got to hurry. The others will take care of the nest themselves."
Struggling to his feet, Sam asked, "Others?"
"Hunters. I'll explain when we're in the car. We need to move."
Not wasting energy on nodding, Sam followed Dean as quickly as he could. Dean drug him along with an arm around his waist. Sam almost shouted when another man slung his arm around him to get him walking quicker.
"That's Abe," was Dean's short explanation.
Sam couldn't remember ever hearing about an Abe. But, Dean seemed to trust him and that was good enough for Sam.
The sunlight was blinding after being inside for so long. He squinted his eyes tight as they adjusted. When he saw the Impala, he couldn't help but sob. All those days he'd dreamed of rescue and not dared wish for it. Just the hope was enough to crush him.
"Cheryl," Sam pointed back to the house when Dean had him sitting down. "Evan."
"They're looking for other survivors," Abe assured him. "We were almost clear of the vamps when I came to help you. Sweeping for others was next in the plan."
Tipping his head back, Sam didn't even feel his head hit the back of the seat before a snore passed through his lips.
"Think he'll be okay?" Dean whispered.
Abe put a hand on his shoulder. "He has plenty of time to get there. With a brother like you, he should make it."
Dean stared at Sam's frail body and hoped it was true.
***
"He won't eat?" John asked when Dean returned with a frown on his face.
"Says he's not hungry. He only had a couple of bites."
"His stomach probably shrunk. I'm sure they didn't give him any Thanksgiving dinners when he was gone. He could be numb to hunger pains."
Dean put the dish back in the fridge before he slumped down at the peeling table in a cheap extended stay motel.
"Patience isn't your strong point but it's of utmost importance that you don't raise your voice or get irritated with Sam."
"I'd never do that."
"Just checking."
"I just wish he was more angry. That would be an improvement."
"Takes energy to be mad, Dean. I'm sure he'll get there."
***
"He wanted to keep me," Sam spoke of his confinement for the first time when Dean sat him as usual at mealtime.
"Who?"
"Luther. He said I was his. When another vamp tried to get at me, Luther got me back. I don't know what he did to Bo."
"Probably nothing more than what he deserved. They're all gone, Sam."
"We don't know that they're all gone. We thought they didn't exist before." He dared look his brother in the eye.
"The ones that hurt you and got your scent are," Dean spoke slowly so the words could sink in. "That's good enough for me."
Sam quickly broke the gaze.
Dean's heart cracked as he realized how skittish Sam was. He knew it would be a long road ahead but they had more friends than ever to help them.
Author/Artist: my_sam_dean
Pairing: Sam, Luther, Dean, Bobby, John
Fandom: Supernatural
Theme: 28 - bite
Disclaimer: I own nothing Supernatural.
"Vampires?" Dean asked in disbelief. "You never even mentioned them."
"I thought Elkins and his kind had wiped them out. I've never hunted one myself, but I've spoken to a few people who have dealt with them and walked away relatively unharmed."
"Relatively?" Sam's voice cracked.
"They were enough alive to tell me what happened. The physical scars will heal. The emotional ones, well, we all have those."
Both boys stared at him. Nervously, he continued, "The only way to kill them is beheading. Dead man's blood will slow them down but it's effects are only temporary and unpredictable. It all has to do with the amount of blood, how long the person had been dead and the health of the vampire infected. You still have those machetes?"
"Yeah. Need one?" Dean reached into his trunk and came out with a huge, shiny blade.
"I've got it covered," John replied as he opened his toy box, the hidden weapon compartment in his newly acquired truck.
Sam piped in, "What's the plan?"
"We go in and save the humans. We kill the vampires. We meet up back at the vehicles."
"You have a way of making it sound so simple," Dean smirked. "Ready to kill some ugly vamps, Sammy?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," he shrugged and grabbed a knife of his own. "It's not often we get to hunt something that we thought didn't exist. Think we'll hunt Bigfoot next or Nessie?"
Quickly, Dean replied, "Bigfoot. There's no way I'm flying over an ocean."
***
What was already a shaky plan unraveled almost as soon as they made it into the nest. They had their machetes drawn and were ready for action.
John was the first to draw. He got two monsters in quick succession. Dean plowed his blade through another one. Still with the element of surprise, Sam killed his first vamp.
Bent over a couple that were asleep, John drew his bloody blade. An errant vamp stumbled his way into the room and shouted a warning. The way the previously sleeping vamp's eyes popped open was almost comical. John didn't have time to jump back before he was grabbed by the collar and thrown across the room.
"Dad!" Dean cried as John hit the floor. He'd intended to run to him but was attacked from behind, stumbled and fell.
With them both down, Sam was way outnumbered. In a moment they had all the Winchesters surrounded and Sam restrained..
"I'll take this one," The leader named Luther indicated the youngest Winchester whose eyes were frantically darting to see his dad and brother.
"NO!" Dean screamed. He sliced the head off a vamp that came closer to him.
"That's it!" Luther yelled and everyone stopped moving. He had Sam in a stranglehold. "I have no beef with the two of you. Either you relinquish your weapons and leave quietly or you can stay as our next meal. If you don't drop the weapons, I'll snap his neck."
Dean dropped his weapon, as did John, when the vampire threatened Sam's life. They could only watch as Luther dragged the youngest Winchester away, through the bodies of his comrades and his mate, Kate. He never turned around, walking backwards all the way, as if he had eyes in the back of his head or a sixth sense.
Initially, Sam had fought Luther when he'd been grabbed. As Luther's hold grew tighter and tighter, Sam's air supply had been greatly reduced. He had spots dancing in front of his eyes and couldn't form a coherent thought long enough to plan his escape.
***
"We'll get him back," John promised.
"I can't believe we're leaving him here."
"Just to get some reinforcements. A few more people in the rescue party will increase our odds."
Tormented, Dean asked, "Odds of what?"
"Surviving. Getting Sam."
In the silence of the car, neither of them moved to turn on the radio. John was on his cell phone before they got in the door to the motel, putting out word that they needed help. Dean sat on his bed and picked Sam's sweatshirt up from the floor. He held it to his face. Breathing in the scent of Sam, Dean felt like the worst brother in the world. Even if it was a tactical mistake, he wanted to go rushing in, guns blazing and save Sam. Gunshots wouldn't kill the damn things but should slow them down a little.
***
Sam's eyes drifted open. He was in complete darkness. With his hands, he mapped out the shape of what he was trapped in. He didn't panic. The bumps of the road told him that they were traveling at a pretty good clip and had him bound in the trunk. There was nothing else in there, nothing he could use to try to get out. His head hurt from his earlier treatment and he decided to just let his eyes close. He wouldn't be any good at escaping if he was exhausted when they got to wherever their destination was.
***
The group of hunters assisting John and Dean burned up the roadways getting to them. They armed up, made a plan of attack and took off to the nest.
Slowly, Dean opened the door, not wanting it to creak. He peered through the dim light but the dust filtering through the air made it hard to see. John, Ellen, Bobby and Caleb made their entrance and were rooted to the spot with fear. The bodies of the slain vampires were still there. All the others, including Sam, were gone.
"From the remnants of their fire, I'd say they left about the time you called us," Bobby told John.
"Where do we look next?" Dean was not accepting failure and barred anyone else from thinking that Sam was a lost cause. "How do we track these damn things?"
"That's what we need to find out, boy," Bobby put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "We're getting Sam back. Just need to do some research to learn about the enemy first. I brought some of my books. We can pair up so one person reads while the other drives if we can track them. Let's get some sleep and start bright and early."
John hadn't said a word. When they entered the run-down building and Sam wasn't there, all of his energy seeped into the ground. He was grateful that Bobby took charge of the situation and had a plan.
***
The abandoned home wasn't small. Luther drug Sam in through the front door, tied him up and left him locked in a bedroom with a couple other people the group was keeping for their blood supply.
"I'm Sam," his voice was shaky. "Can anyone tell me what they've been doing?"
One robust lady looked his way. "I don't even know how long I've been here. They drink my blood, take whatever pleasure they want from my body and then leave me alone. Sometimes we get fed. I don't think Dawn is going to make it." She indicated the slight, pale girl that was lying on the floor. "My name's Cheryl. This is Evan." She pointed to the only other person in the room. "He doesn't speak. They cut his tongue out because he talked too much. That's all I have to say."
Sam knew that Cheryl wasn't about to risk any more words. She'd passed along as much useful information as possible. No use getting caught and punished just over some chit-chat.
Dawn looked fragile and just barely alive. Bruises marred her milky skin and there was clotted blood in her long hair from a head injury. Only the small movement of her chest with each shallow breath assured him that she wasn't dead--yet.
Looking all around, Sam took in his surroundings. There were hooks and chains on the walls, so this wasn't just someplace they decided to squat for awhile. This was another nest, ready to hold the prisoners. His heart sank as he realized just how hopeless his situation was. None of the others were in any shape to make a run for it. He was on his own, trapped by creatures he knew next to nothing about.
***
Luther mourned the loss of his mate, Kate. He'd taken Sam to punish the hunters and exact revenge. He hadn't as much as looked at Sam since they arrived at Nest 2. He had taken up drinking liquor and getting loud.
Bo, who simply hated Sam for the part of society he represented, was the one to bring them some food. Each person got a bowl of beans, a slice of bread and a paper cup of water.
"Ding, Ding goes the dinner bell!" Bo announced annoyingly as he entered the room. He placed a bowl near each person. When he reached Sam, he cut all the bindings except the one around his hands.
"What about her?" Sam pointed Dawn.
"What?"
"She can't feed herself and we can't help her with our hands bound."
"Looks like we have us another talker," Bo laughed cruelly. "Ask Evan what we do to talkers. That small gal? You're right, she's not going to make it. It would just be a waste of food." He tromped over and picked the skinny lady up. "We'll just finish her off while you have your meal. Enjoy!"
Sam was speechless, which was probably good for keeping his tongue. He'd meant they should be able to help Dawn, not to put her out of her misery.
"She's been here longer then me. It's a blessing that she won't suffer anymore," Cheryl said quietly to bowl. She couldn't look at Sam. "Guess they'll bring in someone new when we start to wear down. You've taken Dawn place on the menu."
There it was in black and white. It was difficult to ignore the cold truth when they heard the vamps hurting Dawn down the hall. She screamed a couple times before it was just raucous laughter and eating.
No longer hungry, Sam pushed his bowl away.
There was no way to tell what time it was or if it was a whole other day. Lost in thoughts and boredom, Sam's mind just checked out. There was no escape plan to make because they couldn't get away. Either he could try to stay alive long enough for help to come or he could starve himself to death. He didn't see any other option.
***
Luther released Sam as violently as he had grabbed him. He licked the blood from his lips as Sam's head spun from the quick movement.
"Get back with the rest of them," Luther growled. "I have no use for you at the moment."
Stumbling, Sam made his way out of the room. While one of the vampires was bringing him back to what Sam thought of as a cell, Sam happened to brush against Bo, who was heading the other direction.
"Little shit," Bo shoved him against the wall. "I should--"
"Bo!" The other one yelled as he pushed him out of the way and took a hold of Sam again. "You know Luther doesn't like it when you mess with his food!"
"I'll get you," Bo growled in Sam's ear before he stepped away.
Sam was still disoriented and had to concentrate on his feet to keep him upright. The dead man behind him kept a hand around his arm and was the only way Sam made it to the room. Even his eyesight was fuzzy after Luther had fed.
"What did he do to you?" Cheryl whispered when she could no longer hear the departing footsteps.
"Fed a little much," Sam tried to smile at her but it was a grimace.
"He's gonna kill you at this rate," she mumbled as she pressed a dirty cloth to the new wound on his neck.
He knew that was the point. He was never going to get out of there alive. Whether he died from blood loss or Luther flat out murdered him in anger, it didn't much matter. It was all the same in the end.
Cheryl moved back to her usual place when Sam held the patch of material on his own. Neither of them could chance getting caught talking. Plus, Evan looked terrified every time Sam or Cheryl opened their mouths. He was just waiting to relieve his nightmare of when he was mutilated.
Time had worn Sam down. At first he had fought, but that spark died quickly when it was drained out of him drop by drop. He no longer had any hope. He just wanted it to be over with.
***
"What do you mean you don't have any leads?" Dean yelled. "All those folks you talked to and not a one of them had any idea?"
"Watch your tone, boy," John warned.
"They're keeping feelers out for anything that looks suspicious. All we can do is read up on the vampires until we get a call." Bobby sighed as he sat down at the table laden with texts. "I know you're frustrated but running off on a wild goose chase isn't going to help when someone calls us with a concrete clue and we're halfway across the country. The nest was here. They won't be able to hide for long and they can't get far before they need to take cover. The sunlight might only be strong enough to give them a sunburn, but they don't like discomfort any more than we do."
Dean hung his head. He knew Bobby was right. He had so much pent up energy bursting to get out on the hunt for Sam and had ended up venting it the wrong way. "I'm--"
"Don't worry about it. Finding anything interesting in that book?"
"Just that garlic and crucifixes don't work against them."
Bobby gave him a small smile. "At least that's something."
***
The tall man's eyes drifted closed as Luther broke his skin. For some reason, Sam's lashes reminded him of Kate. The longing that had settled in his gut seemed lighter when Sam was around. He missed seeing the anger and spirit in Sam. He knew he had to be broken or he would never have allowed Luther to feed as he had. Still, something about him made Luther want to keep his company longer each day.
The rest of the nest was getting restless and that meant tempers were short. Luther knew that taking the current prisoners was risky and shouldn't be done. Letting Sam die and finding another human didn't sound at all appealing. Was there something else he could do to keep him?
After Sam had departed, Luther heard a loud ruckus. Sated from the warmth creeping through his body, he slowly moved to the door and went to investigate.
In the main room he found Sam pinned on the floor with Bo straddling him. He was screaming and hitting Sam repeatedly.
Luther roared, "He's mine!" as he threw himself against Bo, knocking him to the ground. He saw red. When he was finally aware of his surroundings again, his whole 'family' was staring at him and Bo was a bloody heap on the ground. In his fury, he'd ripped Bo's head from his body and killed him. "Get him out of here!" he ordered and everyone jumped to obey.
When they were gone, he assessed the guy still on the floor. He hadn't moved from where he'd lain beneath Bo. Not understanding the emotions he was feeling and still not wanting Sam out of his sight, he picked Sam up and laid him on his bed. Luther sat on the edge with his head in his hands, wondering when the struggle of being undead had gotten so out of control.
***
"I got a call!" Caleb rushed into the room without knocking. Dean sat up on the bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. John stood in the kitchenette drinking some coffee. "Bobby's looking it up now and making a few calls to other hunters that should be in the area. Get packed. We'll leave as soon as he has it mapped out."
Dean flew from under the covers and started stuffing their belongings into bags without rhyme or reason. John momentarily froze as the words took awhile to seep in. Then, he was moving as quick as possible as he demanded Caleb tell him all the details.
"I've got it!" Bobby waved his map in the air. "I'll get the others road ready." Just as quickly as he had arrived, his head disappeared from the doorway and they heard him enter the room next door.
"Do you think this lead is for real?" Dean almost dreaded asking his Dad the question.
"I don't know, Dean. I hope it is and we have enough manpower to get Sam out of there."
"Oh, we're getting him out," Dean's voice was full of determination. He whispered to himself, "I won't leave without him."
***
Sam struggled awake and thought he still had to be dreaming. When had the floor gotten so soft? Was that a blanket draped over him?
There was no other sound in the room but he sensed someone else. He had to search to find Luther sitting in the shadows. His eyes were trained on Sam.
"You've woke," Luther stood. "You were out a long while."
Not sure if an answer was expected or not, Sam kept silent.
"Bo won't be of concern anymore."
Sam was glad to hear it but still confused.
"I never intended to share you." Luther paused as if trying to find a way to word his next sentence correctly. "I've grown used to you."
He was unsure if that was something he should be glad about or not. He was left to wonder when Luther left the room, leaving him secured to the bed.
***
"Are you sure this is the right spot?" Dean couldn't help but ask as they turned to search the area again.
"This is where he told us to go. Whether he passed the correct information to me, I don't know." Bobby was trying to keep his patience and having a difficult time.
"Quit being a backseat driver," John grumbled as he hunched over the steering wheel.
Gritting his teeth, Dean sank back into the seat and refrained from saying anything else.
***
Sam thought he heard familiar footfalls but was sure that it was just wishful thinking again. He stayed curled up as much as he could and laid there. A slight scraping at the door caught his full attention. He was staring at it when all hell broke loose in the rest of the house. Luther was yelling, others were screaming.
The door swung open and Sam almost choked with surprise as Dean rushed to the bed and started cutting through the ropes.
"I've got you, Sammy." He looked at Sam's face and saw how utterly defeated he felt. "We've got to hurry. The others will take care of the nest themselves."
Struggling to his feet, Sam asked, "Others?"
"Hunters. I'll explain when we're in the car. We need to move."
Not wasting energy on nodding, Sam followed Dean as quickly as he could. Dean drug him along with an arm around his waist. Sam almost shouted when another man slung his arm around him to get him walking quicker.
"That's Abe," was Dean's short explanation.
Sam couldn't remember ever hearing about an Abe. But, Dean seemed to trust him and that was good enough for Sam.
The sunlight was blinding after being inside for so long. He squinted his eyes tight as they adjusted. When he saw the Impala, he couldn't help but sob. All those days he'd dreamed of rescue and not dared wish for it. Just the hope was enough to crush him.
"Cheryl," Sam pointed back to the house when Dean had him sitting down. "Evan."
"They're looking for other survivors," Abe assured him. "We were almost clear of the vamps when I came to help you. Sweeping for others was next in the plan."
Tipping his head back, Sam didn't even feel his head hit the back of the seat before a snore passed through his lips.
"Think he'll be okay?" Dean whispered.
Abe put a hand on his shoulder. "He has plenty of time to get there. With a brother like you, he should make it."
Dean stared at Sam's frail body and hoped it was true.
***
"He won't eat?" John asked when Dean returned with a frown on his face.
"Says he's not hungry. He only had a couple of bites."
"His stomach probably shrunk. I'm sure they didn't give him any Thanksgiving dinners when he was gone. He could be numb to hunger pains."
Dean put the dish back in the fridge before he slumped down at the peeling table in a cheap extended stay motel.
"Patience isn't your strong point but it's of utmost importance that you don't raise your voice or get irritated with Sam."
"I'd never do that."
"Just checking."
"I just wish he was more angry. That would be an improvement."
"Takes energy to be mad, Dean. I'm sure he'll get there."
***
"He wanted to keep me," Sam spoke of his confinement for the first time when Dean sat him as usual at mealtime.
"Who?"
"Luther. He said I was his. When another vamp tried to get at me, Luther got me back. I don't know what he did to Bo."
"Probably nothing more than what he deserved. They're all gone, Sam."
"We don't know that they're all gone. We thought they didn't exist before." He dared look his brother in the eye.
"The ones that hurt you and got your scent are," Dean spoke slowly so the words could sink in. "That's good enough for me."
Sam quickly broke the gaze.
Dean's heart cracked as he realized how skittish Sam was. He knew it would be a long road ahead but they had more friends than ever to help them.