Reversed Big Bang Challenge fic: "Enter Sandman" 2/2

[dean_hugs_sammy]

Art Title: Hiding the Well
Prompt Number: S1081
Artist: uh_tiramisu
Art post here: http://uh-tiramisu.livejournal.com/4290.html

Fic Title: Enter Sandman
Author: dean_hugs_sammy
Fandom/Genre: SPN, Hurt/Comfort, Adventure
Pairing(s): Gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~10.000
Warnings: Hurt!Dean, Hurt!Sam.

Summary: A call from one of their dad's old acquaintances leads the Winchester brothers to Egypt, where they take on a sand monster in the Sahara desert. Set in Season 1 after "The Benders".





Chapter 2“So, that’s a new one.” Dean said when they were once again seated underneath the lone palm trees, trying to figure out how to deal with the sand monster. “What do we call it? ‘Sand monster’ is just so random, that could mean anything. It did look like one of those freaky worms from Star Wars - although this one had those fangs. What the hell was that thing anyway? One of Dracula’s guard dogs? Hey, we should totally name it vamp-worm-pion! Or maybe vamp-pion-worm?”

“Can we please just focus on how to kill it?” Sam asked with a sigh and washed a hand down his sweaty face.

Despite having cooled down a bit in the shade, he was still not feeling too well and the damn headache wouldn’t leave him alone. Sam also felt bad for what had happened to their guide. They should have been more careful - they should have reacted faster when the sand monster had shown up. Now, another human life had ended, and Sam couldn’t help but blame himself for it.

“We couldn’t have done anything,” Dean then said, as if he’d read Sam’s mind; “but we can end this now, make sure no one else dies because of that freaky space slug.”

“You think regular bullets are going to work?” Sam asked, turning tired eyes towards his brother.

“I hope so,” Dean answered with a thoughtful look on his face; “but if it’s anything like Dracula though, bullets won’t do it any harm. Maybe we need to put a stake through its heart and decapitate it.”

“Even if that made any sense, Dean, with a creature this size you’d probably need to stab it with a palm tree before it had any effect.” Sam said and ignored the face Dean pulled at his remark.

Sam really hoped bullets would do the trick. Aside from the rifles, the only other type of weapons they’d brought along for the trip were knives. Somehow Sam doubted that knives would be very effective against a creature as big as this one if the bullets didn’t work, and they didn’t know how else to kill it. They had found nothing even remotely close to the large worm in Dad’s journal, and now they were miles away from an internet connection - let alone a computer.

“Maybe we can use the camel as bait.” Dean suggested, eyeing the pack animal that was currently tied to one of the palm trees.

“For the millionth time, Dean - it’s a dromedary!” Sam said with a roll of his eyes. “Besides, if we use it as bait and the sand monster kills it, we will have to carry our bags through the desert, all the way back to town. And who knows, it might come in handy if we need to get out of here in a hurry.”

“You mean riding that thing?” Dean asked and looked at Sam as if he thought his little brother had gone crazy. “No thanks, I prefer to ride the four-wheeled kind - not the four-legged kind.”

“You’d probably change your mind if our lives depended on it.” Sam said.

“Whatever man.” Dean responded.

It was quite impressive that the dromedary had survived the run-in with the sand monster anyway. Fortunately, the big worm had only wanted the guide and had left the dromedary completely unharmed. Hell, aside from the big hole in the ground and the trails from the massive body, the sand monster hadn’t left much havoc in its wake. Even the gear was still intact.

“How are you doing anyway?” Dean asked. “You well enough to do this? ‘Cause we could go back to town, regroup and come back out here when you’re feeling better.”

“No, I’m good,” Sam said, squirming a little under Dean’s scrutinizing look; “let’s just get this over with - before anyone else gets killed.”

The brothers came up with a plan for how they were going to get rid of the sand monster. Since the creature had appeared when the guide had shot the rifle, Sam was convinced the vibrations from the bullets’ impact with the sand were what had attracted it. Therefore, they’d decided to use the rifles to lure the beast out of its hiding - although from a safe distance. They took position on top of one of the sandbanks, belly-down with their rifles to their shoulders in true sniper style.

“You ready?” Dean asked while looking down the sight of his rifle.

“Yeah.” Sam replied, mimicking his big brother’s posture, with a finger hovering over the trigger.

“Alright, let’s do this.” Dean said and then fired off a couple of shots - aiming for and hitting the sandy ground where the sand monster had first appeared and had attacked the guide.

A drop of sweat trickled down Sam’s temple as he and Dean waited for the sand monster to reappear. Sam’s pulse was racing, adrenaline pumping in his veins as it always did when they hunted things. Waiting for a monster as big as this one was extra nerve-wracking though - especially since they didn’t know for sure how to kill it.

Dean fired off another round of shots into the sand, quickly reloaded his rifle and took aim once more. When still nothing happened after waiting for several more minutes, Sam started questioning his theory about the vibrations in the ground. But that was before the earth suddenly started shaking once again.

“Here it comes.” Dean said and Sam nodded his head, swallowing nervously and added a little pressure to the trigger - ready to fire.

The vamp-pion-worm (or whatever Dean had called it) shot out of the sand like a projectile. Even before all of its massive body had fully appeared, the Winchester brothers were firing. Sam knew that even if he and Dean hadn’t been excellent shots, it would still have been pretty easy to hit their target. However, instead of penetrating the sand monster’s skin as they were supposed to do, the bullets ricocheted off the surface without doing any harm to the big creature at all.



“The hell…?” Dean said; “Sam?”

“It’s not working,” Sam confirmed; “maybe you were right about that stake through the heart after all.”

The sand monster suddenly turned ninety degrees and headed straight for them. Sam wondered if the worm could not only feel the vibrations in the sand, but somehow also sense him and Dean - maybe even smell them. They fired off a few more shots but when nothing seemed to hurt the creature, it was time to get away.

“Sammy, run!” Dean shouted and gave Sam a shove, before the two of them started running through the sand.

Running in a desert was a difficult thing to do though; Sam felt like they were running half as fast as they usually did, while using twice the effort. He gasped as the monster suddenly plowed through the sandy hill they were running down. A cascade of sand rained over them. The force of it made both brothers trip, and they rolled the rest of the way down the steep hill. Sam’s head swam when he finally stopped rolling, and he then heard his brother shout out as the worm caught up with them. Forcing his disorientation away, Sam jumped back on his feet. Dean was on his back in the sand, rolling back and forth in an attempt to avoid the giant stinger the worm kept aiming for his head.

“Dean!” Sam shouted and ran towards his brother - only to fly back as one of the creature’s big claws swept him away.

With a groan, Sam hit the sandy ground once more. The wind was knocked out of him, but he ignored it and rolled back on his feet. He had to rescue Dean. Sam’s eyes widened in horror as the monster closed one of its claws around Dean’s chest and lifted him into the air. It raised Dean above its mouth as if to swallow him, and Sam reacted promptly. Having noticed that the sand monster’s skin was different on the now exposed underside from the rest of it, Sam aimed his rifle at it and fired. The bullet whistled through the air and hit its target dead-on; it bore through the worm’s belly and the big creature shrieked. Seeing the effect it had on the sand monster, Sam quickly fired off another couple of shots. The monster let go of Dean, and Sam watched his brother fall through the air and land on the sandy ground.

“Dean!” Sam gasped, rushed towards his big brother and slid down on his knees next to Dean’s unmoving body.

Sam grabbed Dean’s shoulders and rolled Dean onto his back. He winced as he saw a bleeding cut on the right side of Dean’s forehead, but was relieved that his brother otherwise seemed okay.

“Dean, come on.” Sam said, urgently shaking him.

Dean moaned softly and his eyelashes fluttered slightly. It was a good sign since it meant that Dean was starting to regain conscious.

“That’s it, that’s it,” Sam said encouragingly; “we need to get away before …”

But that was all Sam managed to say before a sharp pain shot through his upper arm. He looked down and gasped for breath as he noticed the big stinger poking out of his arm. Just as fast as the stinger had penetrated his arm though, it pulled back out. At first, Sam felt like his arm was on fire, but it soon turned completely numb, and vertigo washed over him. Sam didn’t even realize he’d gone down before he felt the sand underneath his cheek. The world had tilted before his eyes and he was now blinking sluggishly at his big brother who still hadn’t opened his eyes.

“D-Dea…” Sam gasped, lips barely moving as he struggled to talk.

He cried out as something bore into the back of his left calf, and Sam desperately clenched the fabric of Dean’s cloak - unconsciously seeking comfort in his brother. Sam was then suddenly torn away from Dean, and dragged backwards through the sand. Even though he was practically choking on the sand that found its way into his mouth, nose, eyes and ears - Sam kept his eyes locked on Dean’s form until seeing was no longer an option.



The ground was still shaking slightly when Dean blinked his eyes back open. The brightness of the sun was hurting his aching head, and as he slowly moved into a sitting position, Dean felt his ribs protesting against the movement. It was when he became aware of the sandy surroundings that Dean suddenly remembered where he was and what had happened. Looking from side to side, he expected to see the frigging vamp-pion-worm going at him again, but there was nothing to see. No big worm, no claws, no stinger, no nothing. Even worse though, Dean realized with a hammering heart that Sam was nowhere to be found either.

“Sam?” Dean called, and put a protective arm over his chest, as he got vertical with a groan. “Sammy?”

Wiping away the trickle of blood from his forehead, Dean almost stumbled over the abandoned rifle in the sand. When he bent down to pick it up, Dean noticed a trail of dragging marks on the sandy ground, and he frowned. It didn’t take him more than a second to put two-and-two together, and a mix of anxiety and anger bubbled to the surface.

“You son of a bitch!” Dean bellowed and started running along the trail as fast as his aching ribs allowed. “If you’ve done anything to Sam, I swear to God…”

Dean noticed a strange combination of crimson and a greenish color in the sand. He clenched his jaw, not doubting for a second that the red was blood and most likely belonged to his little brother - which meant that Sam was hurt… or worse. But Dean wondered what the green color was. He then remembered that Sam had fired some shots at the sand monster, and the creature had somehow reacted to it. So maybe it was hurt too?

Dean reached the top of the sandbank - just in time to see the vamp-pion-worm drag Sam into a big hole in the ground.

“No!” Dean shouted in horror and started running down the sandy hill while pulling the rifle off his shoulder in the process.

“You get back here!” Dean shouted and fired off bullet after bullet into the sand. “Give him back right now, you bastard, or I swear I’ll rip you apart!”

Fortunately, the bullets had the right effect. Even before Dean had reached the place where he’d seen the worm disappear with his brother, the creature reappeared from the ground. It was still dragging Sam along with it, and Dean could see that one of the monster’s fangs had pierced through Sam’s leg. Oh, he was so gonna kill this thing!

“Now where did Sam get you…?” Dean mumbled, pointing the rifle at the big bug.

It was when the sand monster discarded Sam like a piece of garbage and instead raised itself above Dean that he noticed the greenish liquid that oozed out of its underside. He realized then, as Sam must have realized too, the worm’s belly was different from the rest of it. Dean pulled the trigger of the rifle but instead of shooting off a bullet, the rifle merely clicked.

“Shit…” Dean said, rejected the rifle and pulled out his knife - and just in time too.

The vamp-pion-worm’s pointed fangs headed straight for him, but since Sam had managed to injure it, the creature’s movements weren’t as fast as previously. Dean easily ducked and rolled. He then stabbed the monster’s belly as deep as he could, then dragged the knife in and slid as wide and deep as possible, before getting out of the way. A flood of green liquid gushed out, and the enormous beast let out a long, high-pitched shriek. The green goo continued to flow out of its guts for several minutes, and the vamp-pion-worm swayed a bit from side to side before finally collapsing to the ground.

And that was the last bit of attention Dean gave the sand monster as he rushed to his brother’s side. Sam hadn’t moved an inch from where the worm had dropped him. Dean was afraid of the condition he would find Sam in. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened to their guide.

“Sam!” Dean shouted, kneeled down in the sand and cradled Sam’s head. “Geez, kid.”

Sam’s face was bloody and scratched. Sand was clogging his nostrils and mouth, and Dean quickly worked on removing as much as possible. How Sam had even managed to avoid suffocating was beyond Dean - the sand seemed to be frigging everywhere. Sam’s left arm was covered in blood, and Dean discovered that it came from a big, nasty-looking puncture wound in his brother’s upper arm. One of Sam’s legs (the one the monster had pierced with a fang) was a bloody mess as well, and Dean was really worried about the amount of blood the kid had lost. Sam was as pale as his now absent Bedouin head-scarf. He looked feverish and sweaty - although Sam’s entire body shook as if he was cold.

“It got you, didn’t it? With the stinger?” Dean asked softly, gently putting a hand on Sam’s forehead and brushing his brother’s bangs back.

If that was the case, then Sam had probably been injected with some sort of venom. Dean swallowed nervously. A regular scorpion sting could be lethal. Who knew if the vamp-pion-worm’s venom was deadly as well?

Dean removed his own head-covering and ripped it in two, before tying one piece around the wound on Sam’s arm. He used the other piece to make a tourniquet around Sam’s leg in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“You’re gonna be okay, Sammy.” Dean promised. He clenched his teeth and ignored the pain in his ribs as he hoisted Sam up into a fireman’s carry.

Luckily it wasn’t too far to where they’d left the camel - tied to a palm tree and looking at Dean like it hadn’t even realized they’d been gone.

“Stupid long-faced giraffe.” Dean mumbled, although he was secretly relieved to see it again since he needed to get Sam some medical treatment as fast as possible.

Dean put Sam down carefully. He then quickly dug out their first-aid kit and his waterskin from one of the bags, before he hurried back to his brother. Dean unscrewed the lid of the waterskin, placed a hand underneath Sam’s neck and lifted Sam’s head a bit. Placing the waterskin at Sam’s lips, Dean carefully poured some water into Sam’s mouth. Aside from making sure that Sam stayed hydrated, Dean also hoped to remove some of the sand in the process. Sam suddenly made a gurgling sound in his throat - then started coughing up sandy water.

“That’s it, Sammy, get it out.” Dean said and gently turned Sam onto his side to make sure Sam didn’t choke.

“D’n.” Sam gasped between coughs and sputtering.

“Right here, little brother, right here,” Dean said and rubbed a hand back and forth between Sam’s shoulder blades in a comforting gesture; “you’re alright.”

“Cold…” Sam muttered, shaking like a leaf; “s-so c-cold.”

“No Sam, you’re burning up.” Dean said with concern and rolled Sam onto his back again. “Haven’t I told you not to go play with monsters on your own?”

Sam didn’t answer. He seemed to be pretty much out of it - eyes still clenched shut and pain lines visible around the edges. He gasped and hissed when Dean removed the piece of cloth from his leg to examine the wound. Dean desperately hoped the vamp-pion-worm’s fangs didn’t contain venom as well its stinger. One envenomed bite was more than enough to cope with. The leg wound required a great deal of stitches though, which Dean would have been capable of doing, if time wasn’t of the essence. Instead, he quickly cleaned the wound and wrapped gauze around it before taking a look at Sam’s arm. Dean winced as he saw the swollen wound. Sam whimpered as Dean probed the heated edges of it, and Dean gently shushed him. He cleaned the wound as thoroughly as possible - then broke an instant cold pack, wrapped it in a piece of cloth and put it on the wound.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Dean said when his kid brother nearly leaped off the ground when the pack touched his arm. He gently pushed Sam back down, and then wrapped Sam’s arm in gauze as well.

When Dean looked at his brother’s face again, Sam’s eyes had opened. However, Sam’s eye movements were random, and breathing seemed to be becoming more and more difficult for him. They were running out of time.

“We’re gonna get you back to town and get you some help in no time.” Dean told his brother with a confidence he didn’t feel, and helped Sam swallow down a couple of Tylenols.

Dean quickly packed their things and attached them to the camel, before he carefully half-dragged, half-carried Sam to the waiting animal. Having watched how the guide had handled it, Dean managed (although through a lot of swearing and cursing) to get the oversized reindeer to kneel down. Getting Sam seated on it though, proved to be a little more difficult. Sam was like a ragdoll - he had no control over his own body anymore. He was barely conscious either, let alone coherent enough to understand what Dean was saying. Dean knew that Sam wouldn’t be able to hold on to the camel and stay seated on his own, so Dean situated himself behind Sam and pulled Sam’s back against his chest. He then pressed his thighs against both sides of Sam’s hips and wrapped his arms around his brother’s midsection before grabbing the reins of the camel.

“I know it’s not the car, but it’ll have to do for now.” Dean said to his trembling brother, and then addressed the smelly beast they were seated on. “Come on, you big gazelle. Giddy up!”

He tugged on the reins a couple of times, made a clicking noise with his tongue and bore his heels into the animal’s flanks. Even though it wasn’t like riding a horse, Dean’s actions still had the right effect and the camel rose. Dean hadn’t expected its back legs to move first though, and he and Sam almost tumbled off before the front legs raised as well - settling them into an even keel. Sam’s head lolled against Dean’s neck. His shaggy hair tickled Dean’s chin as Sam let out a pained whimper. Dean held Sam tighter, determined to get his brother safely back to Giza and get him the help he so desperately needed right now.

“I guess you were right about that camel after all, huh Sammy? That it would come in handy?” Dean said, then a smile tugged at his lips. “I know, I know… It’s a dromedary.”



Getting Sam back to Giza turned out to be a nightmare. Dean had an idea of where the town was located, but the desert was enormous and most of the landscape looked the same. There were several times where Dean feared they were lost, but then finally with relief he saw pyramids (and some of the other old crap) Sam had lectured him about when they’d first entered the desert. Even though he hadn’t been paying much attention at the time, Dean had still looked every time Sam had pointed at something. And if there was one thing Dean had learned while growing up with John Winchester, it was to pay attention to details - and to memorize them. So Dean soon used the historical landmarks as indicators to find their way back, and was happy every time another familiar item showed up.

It was still hot in the desert, but not for much longer. It wouldn’t be long before the sun set in the horizon, and then it would only be a matter of time before the temperature dropped. Dean unconsciously pulled Sam closer, making his kid brother mutter something unintelligible in the process. Sam seemed to be getting weaker and weaker every mile of sand they left behind - his breathing getting shallower and wheezy. At one point, Sam even started convulsing for a few terrifying seconds, and Dean’s heart took longer than he’d admit to return to a more normal pace after that experience.



The town of Giza had finally shown up - and several hours later, Dean was situated in a plastic chair next to Sam’s hospital bed, watching his brother sleep. The doctors had barely managed to save Sam’s life, and Dean was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he’d almost lost his little brother. Sam’s shinbone was broken. He had a white cast on his leg, which had been elevated on a couple of pillows on the hospital bed. The wound that the stinger had caused on Sam’s upper arm had been stitched up and bandaged - and would probably require a sling for a while, once Sam was back on his feet. A mask strapped around Sam’s head was providing his kid brother with oxygen, and Dean watched how it fogged with every breath Sam puffed out.

It was a miracle Sam had responded to the treatment at all. Since Dean hadn’t been able to share more details about the sting other than the fact that it came from a scorpion stinger, the doctors had been forced to experiment a bit with the antivenom dosages. Luckily, their treatment of Sam had proved to be a success, and he was now resting up in the ICU section of the hospital. Dean knew that Sam was not completely out of the woods yet and that his brother had to stay at the hospital for a little while, but Dean counted it as a win nevertheless.

“Sammy?” Dean asked, noticing the flutter of Sam’s eyelids and the way his fingers twitched; “you waking up?”

Sam moaned softly and slowly blinked his eyes open, and Dean was immediately hovering above him.

“Hey there, sleepy head,” Dean teased, good-naturedly; “about time you decided to wake up. Do you know how boring you are when you sleep?”

“D’n,” Sam croaked out - voice slightly muffled by the oxygen mask; “wha-?”

“You’re at the hospital, Sam; in frigging Egypt.” Dean explained.

Sam frowned, and tired and confused eyes settled on Dean. As Sam reached for the oxygen mask, Dean gently grabbed his wrist and pulled the hand back down.

“The… the sand monster?” Sam asked and Dean nodded.

“Dead,” he said; “thanks to your awesome big brother. And guess what? I even used that goddamned camel to get us back to town.”

Sam smiled softly and blinked slowly a couple of times, before he mumbled something than Dean couldn’t catch.

“What was that?” Dean asked and leaned closer.

“Not a camel.” Sam repeated.

“You’re right,” Dean said and gently brushed a lock of hair out of Sam’s eyes; “it’s a dromedary.”



“Thanks again for your help, kid.” Irv Franklin said as they were about to part ways at the airport. “Sorry about the damages though.”

The older hunter nodded towards Sam’s leg, but Sam just shrugged it off.

“Comes with the job.” He said, adjusting the sling on his arm a little bit. “You sure you don’t want a lift?”

“No, that’s alright.” Franklin said. “Hey, is your brother okay? We barely landed before he ran off.”

Sam failed to hide a grin. Dean had handled the flight back to America even worse than he’d handled the trip to Egypt, which Sam assumed had something to do with the thunderstorm the plane had passed through on their way home. Dean had leaped out of his seat the very second the plane was back on solid ground, and had been the first one to exit the plane too. When all other passengers had left though, Dean had returned to help Sam out of the plane, mumbling something about having needed some fresh air. As soon as he had guided Sam to a chair inside the airport, Dean had disappeared in a hurry after offering a brief ‘goodbye’ to Franklin.

“He’s just eager to see his car again,” Sam explained with a smile; “he’s bringing it to the front, so I don’t have to walk too far.”

“I do remember him being very fond on that car.” Irv recalled, then shrugged his shoulders and shook Sam’s hand as he said goodbye.

After Franklin had left, Sam didn’t have to wait for long before Dean returned. Sam noticed that Dean had regained a little color in his cheeks again after the plane ride, but Dean was still in a bad mood. That mood soon changed though when Dean slid behind the wheel of his car and gently caressed the dashboard in front of him. He grinned widely at Sam, and Sam shook his head.

“What?” Dean grinned. “A man can’t be happy to be reunited with his baby?”

“Do whatever you want; I’m too tired to make any comments.” Sam yawned and leaned back against the leather seat.

Even though there wasn’t much room for his broken leg, Sam couldn’t deny how comfortable the seats were. It always took Sam some time apart from the Impala to realize how much he cared for it, but he would never admit that to Dean. His brother was obnoxious enough as it was when it came to that car.

Sam felt something soft and warm land on his lap, and he cracked an eye open to discover that Dean had thrown him a blanket. Dean didn’t offer any explanation. His big brother just looked at Sam - never needing to explain himself when he performed these small acts of affection. Without a word, Dean cranked the engine and turned on the radio before singing along on well-known song.

Sam smiled sleepily and closed his eyes again. It felt good to be back in familiar surroundings - in the safety of the Impala and by his brother’s side.

THE END