Entangled, chapter 9
I got lazy. I actually posted this on ff.net and supernatural.tv weeks ago, but I figured it wouldn't go here until I finished it. I'm posting the final three chapters right now.
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“Time of death, 4:26.” The doctor snapped off his gloves, offering his best sympathetic glance, one that said he was sorry for the loss, but at the same time, life goes on. Sheila was too overcome to take his gesture well.
“Thanks doc,” Bobby said as the doctor walked out of the room. He watched Sheila, lip quivering, eyes puffing when tears fell from them. The two remaining nurses began their cleanup routine, removing all the tubes and wires from the body, doing so in their systematic fashion.
“You okay?” Bobby asked Sheila. She lowered her head into her hand, and shook it in between sobs. Bobby didn’t think so.
“Nurse, can we have some time alone? You know, to say goodbye.” Bobby had his share of hospital deaths, and he and Sheila needed to talk.
“Of course.” The two nurses left, leaving Sheila and Bobby alone with the fast cooling corpse.
“How…how can he be dead?” Sheila covered her mouth with her hand to hide her sobs, but that didn’t stop them from coming.
“Something happened on the other side. He crossed a line somehow.”
“Somehow? He’s dead. I would say that’s a pretty bad development.”
Bobby understood her upset, but they didn’t have much time. “Sheila, I don’t have time to explain this, but I’ve seen cures for death before. He can get over this.”
Sheila broke into harder cries. “I don’t believe what I’m hearing. Are you actually suggesting he can come back from the dead? I mean he’s…oh Matthew.” She resumed her tearful wail.
Bobby gave her a little time to get it all out. About two seconds. “Look, I understand, the idea comes across as weird. But Matthew is in a unique position and can be saved. I need you to be strong, and help me here.”
“Help you with what?”
“We’ve got to get his body out of here, undetected.”
“Why?”
“He needs to get back to his bedroom, near the doorway.”
Sheila wrangled in her tears, realizing he was serious. “You’re not kidding. You think he might actually come back?”
“There’s a chance, that’s all that matters.”
Sheila calmed herself, walking over to Matthew, touching his clammy hand. She took in a deep breath, bit her lip, and turned to Bobby. “I’ll grab some scrubs and a sheet, you get a gurney.”
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As many times as he’d been knocked out in his life, gone to bed in a unfamiliar place, not to mention waking up on the same day for months and coming back from the dead, the disoriented feeling that often accompanied coming around in a strange place never ceased to bother him.
Sam jerked up, swiping his shaking hand over his face, while he contemplated in his daze where he was this time. He was alone, back in his, er, Matthew’s apartment.
His hands pressed down on the mattress, raising him up to his feet, and he visually scanned the room. “Bobby?” He asked, not getting a response. He took one step into the living room, not finding a sign of anyone. What was going on now? How long would stay here this time? He couldn’t take any more shifts. Where was Jess?
A sigh escaped his lips, and he wandered back into the bedroom. Suddenly that recognizable sharp, stabbing pain to his head emerged as he staggered to the bed, sinking onto the edge of it. He groaned in agony, then the fuzzy picture became clear.
It was a hospital emergency room, an unresponsive man being wheeled in to a ready crew of doctors and nurses, tubes and wires hanging from him. Within a minute his body jolted numerous times as the paddles shocked him. Two figures stood nearby watching in distress, but he couldn’t make out their faces.
“Clear” someone else shouted, but Sam saw their hopes fade the longer the sound of flat line rang. Eventually the machines were turned off, and there was a solemn pause of silence before someone finally spoke. “Time of death…”
Sam came back around, crying out in pain as the room came back into focus. As with all his other visions, it left him frightened, and disconcerted. “No, Matthew!” He took a few steps forward, but was stopped.
“Sam?”
He turned around to see Jess, standing in the far corner. He walked over and grabbed onto her tight, soaking in all that comfort that her mere touch gave him.
“What’s wrong Sam?”
“Everything,” he replied, still hanging on for dear life. He wasn’t sure how much more his nerves could take, but he had to pull it together, for Matthew needed him. If he could find him, maybe he could save him from dying. If he could save Matthew, maybe he could save...He pulled away, looking at Jess’ worried stare, but accepting he had to act fast.
“We have to go.” He noticed Jess not following his lead, and turned to her confused.
“I can’t leave Sam. I’m bound by the portal.”
“I have to find Matthew. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t leave me Sam. I’m scared. I’m afraid it’ll come for me.”
Sam sensed every ounce of her fear just by the terror on her face and it tore into him. He’d left her once before, and the results were horrifying. He wondered if she was this scared before, when yellow eyes appeared, when she hopelessly glided to the ceiling, when she…he wiped that vision of the fire from his mind.
He moved close toward her brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, hoping to calm her frantic state. “I won’t let anything hurt you ever again Jess. We’ll find a way to get you through this doorway.”
She smiled, closing her eyes, taking in the comfort of his touch.
“But-“
Jess’ face fell, and she grasped onto his free hand, hard enough where she sent the message that she wasn’t going to let him go easily. “Sam, you don’t have to save everyone to save yourself.”
“It’s not that.” He let out a weary sigh, not sure how to explain this to her. “Matthew is my key to getting Dean back. I need to save them both.”
“Why Sam? Why can’t you let go, and save yourself?”
“They need me. I can’t leave them behind Jess.”
“Yes, you can.”
Sam focused on her piercing and adamant glare, shaking him to the core in the process. It was the same look Dean that gave him in Indiana, just before the hellhounds came. The memory triggered his already raw emotions, overwhelming him with grief. “He’s suffering, they both are.” Sam felt his knees go weak.
Jess supported his heavy weight with all her might as she led him to the bed. She put her hand to his forehead as he began to shiver. “You’re burning up.”
Chills quickly penetrated his body, and his teeth chattered. “I’m so cold.”
She wrapped a nearby blanket around him, rubbing her flat hand all over his back. “What do you think this means?”
Sam shook his head and clasped the blanket around him tighter.
“I can’t stand to see you suffer like this Sam. I had a chance while possessed by that thing to see what toll this life has taken on you.”
Sam gazed at her earnestly, and felt all his burdens at that one moment crash down on him. His head fell and pressed his lips together, which was difficult considering his teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. “I’m so tired Jess,” he said with shaking voice. “Tired of fighting, tired of seeing everyone I love die. Everyday I look into the mirror and the face on the other side is barely holding it together.”
His head fell to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back harder. She felt his heavy breaths, and gave him a long chance to get it all out. “You do realize that Dean’s death has corrected an imbalance.”
“How?”
“The spiritual world is very touchy. One small rift creates chaos, and sets everything in motion for correction. We’re supposed to be dead too Sam. It’s finally time for us to rest.”
His tearful face looked into hers. “He went to Hell Jess. That isn’t a correction. He doesn’t belong there.”
She wiped away his tears, and gave him an assuring smile. “Everything happens for a reason. There’s a greater plan at work here, one that we shouldn’t fight.”
“What about Matthew? He shouldn’t be lost either.”
“He’ll find his way back.”
Sam tussled with the idea of giving up, of finally surrendering. It wasn’t something he did well, but just one look at her told him everything she was saying was true. He knew it was her speaking too, and not some evil at work. He trusted her, and didn’t want to make the same mistake like the last time he walked away. “So what do we do?”
“We rest Sam. Our souls are weary and need to be strengthened. In a soul sleep, nothing can hurt us, even that creature.”
Sam saw her heavenly, gentle smile and nodded. He felt awful, his strength was gone, as was his urge to fight. “Some rest would be good.”
He took her lead as they fell backward on the bed, positioning themselves for a long rest. Sam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight, for he was never going to let her go again. I feel better already, he thought, easily drifting off to sleep.
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“Crap,” Bobby said, coming in, hovering over the bed, checking out the latest development. Neither Jessica nor Sam would stir. “It’s not like we have enough to worry about.”
“What is it?” Sheila asked, watching Bobby check out Sam and Jess, who looked very peaceful, curled up in bed together.
“My guess is they’re in a soul sleep. If that’s true, only a dead person can wake them from it.”
“Huh, seems like we have a dead person right here.” She looked at the form on the couch, wrapped in a sheet. Getting him out of the hospital was disturbingly easy. It ruined her faith in the medical community.
“Yeah, well we can’t command him to do it. He’s got to be in the right place, and figure it out on his own.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
Bobby looked at the couch. “He’s got to be in the bedroom, and the sheet needs to be off. He’s got to see himself dead, otherwise he won’t know it and will stay away forever.”
“How long could that take?”
“That body’s going to start stinking in a day or two. We don’t have much time.”
Sheila’s comfort level with this plan sank to new lows. Still, it was all they had. She grabbed the feet, while Bobby took the torso. They placed him on the floor in the corner of the bedroom, and the sheet went off.
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"Hello?" Dean couldn’t believe where he was. He wasn’t sure what he crawled into, but this place was weird. White, plain, surrounded by fog. He first questioned whether this was, no, I can’t go from Hell to there.
In the distance, he spotted an average figure. He was frozen in his spot, looking downward, breathing heavily, pretty freaked. He walked up to the young man, who didn’t notice him coming. “Hey man, you alright?”
"I'm a...er...I'm...how can this be?"
"Hey pal, get it together." He looked down where the other man's gaze was, and his eyes shot open in surprise. "Bobby? Sam? Jess?” He saw the corpse in the corner too, one that looked like the young man in front of him, only bluer. “Wait, are you Matthew?"
He didn't answer, eyes still fixed on the body below. "I'm dead?" He noticed Sheila's red and swollen eyes.
“I guess I’m a little too late,” Dean said. His eyes widened when something else occurred to him. “Crap. Sam’s in a soul sleep. Look Matthew, you’re the only one that can wake him up.”
"How can this happen? This was God's plan for me? I haven't saved anyone yet. I was just supposed to die?”
“Matthew, listen to me. There’s still hope. You can go back. Bobby set it all up. Before that happens though, I have to know. The Ekimmu, is that what killed you? Where is it?”
Matthew couldn’t answer, continuing his dazed stare downward.
“We need to make sure that thing isn’t around to go back with you. I know how to fight it, but we got to find it first.”
Matthew's look didn't change as his eyes shifted focus. "Dean? How are you here? Am I in Hell?" He went back to gazing at the body below, unable to break away from the shock.
“You’re fine Matthew. I climbed out of Hell.”
“How? Is that possible?”
“Haven’t you ever read Dante’s Inferno?” It occurred to Dean that he hadn’t either, but Sam told him the plot. That was enough for him.
“So where am I?”
Dean grabbed onto Matthew, shaking him a bit until he got his attention, pulling him close so he could directly get his point across. "Matthew, you've got to come around. We don't have much time. This Ekimmu, it preys on weakness."
Matthew looked like he was slowly coming around, grasping what he was saying. “I can go back?”
“Yes, Matthew, but first you’ve got to-“ Suddenly a huge force brushed by him, and he saw Matthew jerk a little from the impact. Matthew's expression suddenly changed, to one of malevolence.
Dean released his grip on Matthew and stepped back. "Let him go you son of a bitch."
“I’m really impressed Dean. How did you manage to escape the shackles? You of course know the demons won’t rest until they find you.”
“I know that exactly. I don’t plan on being gone long. I’m here to give you what you want.”
“I have a portal at my disposal, one that stretches all the way to Hell. All I need is your brother and his power, and there’s no end as to what I can do. I don’t need the Underworld.”
“Come on, you’ve been waiting for centuries. I’m offering you Hell. That seems like your sort of place.”
“We’d be attached forever. You’re willing to do that?”
“It’s Hell. At least I’ll have some company.”
The creature pondered it for a few seconds, and smiled. “Nah, I like the other plan better. I can use Matthew now to wake up Sam.”
“Over my dead body.” Dean froze, realizing that was a poor choice of words. “Oh to Hell with it.” He rushed forward, and with one giant push knocked Matthew downward. A clear, wavy apparition sped away from Matthew, and stopped, hovering for a second to recover from the blow.
Matthew got up. “Dean?”
The creature sped back toward him, and Dean stepped in front. “Just go Matthew!” He pushed Matthew toward the thick of the fog, and he disappeared. Dean stood firm in his spot, bearing down for a fight, as the figure accelerated toward him. “Come get me you son of a bitch.”
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“Time of death, 4:26.” The doctor snapped off his gloves, offering his best sympathetic glance, one that said he was sorry for the loss, but at the same time, life goes on. Sheila was too overcome to take his gesture well.
“Thanks doc,” Bobby said as the doctor walked out of the room. He watched Sheila, lip quivering, eyes puffing when tears fell from them. The two remaining nurses began their cleanup routine, removing all the tubes and wires from the body, doing so in their systematic fashion.
“You okay?” Bobby asked Sheila. She lowered her head into her hand, and shook it in between sobs. Bobby didn’t think so.
“Nurse, can we have some time alone? You know, to say goodbye.” Bobby had his share of hospital deaths, and he and Sheila needed to talk.
“Of course.” The two nurses left, leaving Sheila and Bobby alone with the fast cooling corpse.
“How…how can he be dead?” Sheila covered her mouth with her hand to hide her sobs, but that didn’t stop them from coming.
“Something happened on the other side. He crossed a line somehow.”
“Somehow? He’s dead. I would say that’s a pretty bad development.”
Bobby understood her upset, but they didn’t have much time. “Sheila, I don’t have time to explain this, but I’ve seen cures for death before. He can get over this.”
Sheila broke into harder cries. “I don’t believe what I’m hearing. Are you actually suggesting he can come back from the dead? I mean he’s…oh Matthew.” She resumed her tearful wail.
Bobby gave her a little time to get it all out. About two seconds. “Look, I understand, the idea comes across as weird. But Matthew is in a unique position and can be saved. I need you to be strong, and help me here.”
“Help you with what?”
“We’ve got to get his body out of here, undetected.”
“Why?”
“He needs to get back to his bedroom, near the doorway.”
Sheila wrangled in her tears, realizing he was serious. “You’re not kidding. You think he might actually come back?”
“There’s a chance, that’s all that matters.”
Sheila calmed herself, walking over to Matthew, touching his clammy hand. She took in a deep breath, bit her lip, and turned to Bobby. “I’ll grab some scrubs and a sheet, you get a gurney.”
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As many times as he’d been knocked out in his life, gone to bed in a unfamiliar place, not to mention waking up on the same day for months and coming back from the dead, the disoriented feeling that often accompanied coming around in a strange place never ceased to bother him.
Sam jerked up, swiping his shaking hand over his face, while he contemplated in his daze where he was this time. He was alone, back in his, er, Matthew’s apartment.
His hands pressed down on the mattress, raising him up to his feet, and he visually scanned the room. “Bobby?” He asked, not getting a response. He took one step into the living room, not finding a sign of anyone. What was going on now? How long would stay here this time? He couldn’t take any more shifts. Where was Jess?
A sigh escaped his lips, and he wandered back into the bedroom. Suddenly that recognizable sharp, stabbing pain to his head emerged as he staggered to the bed, sinking onto the edge of it. He groaned in agony, then the fuzzy picture became clear.
It was a hospital emergency room, an unresponsive man being wheeled in to a ready crew of doctors and nurses, tubes and wires hanging from him. Within a minute his body jolted numerous times as the paddles shocked him. Two figures stood nearby watching in distress, but he couldn’t make out their faces.
“Clear” someone else shouted, but Sam saw their hopes fade the longer the sound of flat line rang. Eventually the machines were turned off, and there was a solemn pause of silence before someone finally spoke. “Time of death…”
Sam came back around, crying out in pain as the room came back into focus. As with all his other visions, it left him frightened, and disconcerted. “No, Matthew!” He took a few steps forward, but was stopped.
“Sam?”
He turned around to see Jess, standing in the far corner. He walked over and grabbed onto her tight, soaking in all that comfort that her mere touch gave him.
“What’s wrong Sam?”
“Everything,” he replied, still hanging on for dear life. He wasn’t sure how much more his nerves could take, but he had to pull it together, for Matthew needed him. If he could find him, maybe he could save him from dying. If he could save Matthew, maybe he could save...He pulled away, looking at Jess’ worried stare, but accepting he had to act fast.
“We have to go.” He noticed Jess not following his lead, and turned to her confused.
“I can’t leave Sam. I’m bound by the portal.”
“I have to find Matthew. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t leave me Sam. I’m scared. I’m afraid it’ll come for me.”
Sam sensed every ounce of her fear just by the terror on her face and it tore into him. He’d left her once before, and the results were horrifying. He wondered if she was this scared before, when yellow eyes appeared, when she hopelessly glided to the ceiling, when she…he wiped that vision of the fire from his mind.
He moved close toward her brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, hoping to calm her frantic state. “I won’t let anything hurt you ever again Jess. We’ll find a way to get you through this doorway.”
She smiled, closing her eyes, taking in the comfort of his touch.
“But-“
Jess’ face fell, and she grasped onto his free hand, hard enough where she sent the message that she wasn’t going to let him go easily. “Sam, you don’t have to save everyone to save yourself.”
“It’s not that.” He let out a weary sigh, not sure how to explain this to her. “Matthew is my key to getting Dean back. I need to save them both.”
“Why Sam? Why can’t you let go, and save yourself?”
“They need me. I can’t leave them behind Jess.”
“Yes, you can.”
Sam focused on her piercing and adamant glare, shaking him to the core in the process. It was the same look Dean that gave him in Indiana, just before the hellhounds came. The memory triggered his already raw emotions, overwhelming him with grief. “He’s suffering, they both are.” Sam felt his knees go weak.
Jess supported his heavy weight with all her might as she led him to the bed. She put her hand to his forehead as he began to shiver. “You’re burning up.”
Chills quickly penetrated his body, and his teeth chattered. “I’m so cold.”
She wrapped a nearby blanket around him, rubbing her flat hand all over his back. “What do you think this means?”
Sam shook his head and clasped the blanket around him tighter.
“I can’t stand to see you suffer like this Sam. I had a chance while possessed by that thing to see what toll this life has taken on you.”
Sam gazed at her earnestly, and felt all his burdens at that one moment crash down on him. His head fell and pressed his lips together, which was difficult considering his teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. “I’m so tired Jess,” he said with shaking voice. “Tired of fighting, tired of seeing everyone I love die. Everyday I look into the mirror and the face on the other side is barely holding it together.”
His head fell to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back harder. She felt his heavy breaths, and gave him a long chance to get it all out. “You do realize that Dean’s death has corrected an imbalance.”
“How?”
“The spiritual world is very touchy. One small rift creates chaos, and sets everything in motion for correction. We’re supposed to be dead too Sam. It’s finally time for us to rest.”
His tearful face looked into hers. “He went to Hell Jess. That isn’t a correction. He doesn’t belong there.”
She wiped away his tears, and gave him an assuring smile. “Everything happens for a reason. There’s a greater plan at work here, one that we shouldn’t fight.”
“What about Matthew? He shouldn’t be lost either.”
“He’ll find his way back.”
Sam tussled with the idea of giving up, of finally surrendering. It wasn’t something he did well, but just one look at her told him everything she was saying was true. He knew it was her speaking too, and not some evil at work. He trusted her, and didn’t want to make the same mistake like the last time he walked away. “So what do we do?”
“We rest Sam. Our souls are weary and need to be strengthened. In a soul sleep, nothing can hurt us, even that creature.”
Sam saw her heavenly, gentle smile and nodded. He felt awful, his strength was gone, as was his urge to fight. “Some rest would be good.”
He took her lead as they fell backward on the bed, positioning themselves for a long rest. Sam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight, for he was never going to let her go again. I feel better already, he thought, easily drifting off to sleep.
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“Crap,” Bobby said, coming in, hovering over the bed, checking out the latest development. Neither Jessica nor Sam would stir. “It’s not like we have enough to worry about.”
“What is it?” Sheila asked, watching Bobby check out Sam and Jess, who looked very peaceful, curled up in bed together.
“My guess is they’re in a soul sleep. If that’s true, only a dead person can wake them from it.”
“Huh, seems like we have a dead person right here.” She looked at the form on the couch, wrapped in a sheet. Getting him out of the hospital was disturbingly easy. It ruined her faith in the medical community.
“Yeah, well we can’t command him to do it. He’s got to be in the right place, and figure it out on his own.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
Bobby looked at the couch. “He’s got to be in the bedroom, and the sheet needs to be off. He’s got to see himself dead, otherwise he won’t know it and will stay away forever.”
“How long could that take?”
“That body’s going to start stinking in a day or two. We don’t have much time.”
Sheila’s comfort level with this plan sank to new lows. Still, it was all they had. She grabbed the feet, while Bobby took the torso. They placed him on the floor in the corner of the bedroom, and the sheet went off.
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"Hello?" Dean couldn’t believe where he was. He wasn’t sure what he crawled into, but this place was weird. White, plain, surrounded by fog. He first questioned whether this was, no, I can’t go from Hell to there.
In the distance, he spotted an average figure. He was frozen in his spot, looking downward, breathing heavily, pretty freaked. He walked up to the young man, who didn’t notice him coming. “Hey man, you alright?”
"I'm a...er...I'm...how can this be?"
"Hey pal, get it together." He looked down where the other man's gaze was, and his eyes shot open in surprise. "Bobby? Sam? Jess?” He saw the corpse in the corner too, one that looked like the young man in front of him, only bluer. “Wait, are you Matthew?"
He didn't answer, eyes still fixed on the body below. "I'm dead?" He noticed Sheila's red and swollen eyes.
“I guess I’m a little too late,” Dean said. His eyes widened when something else occurred to him. “Crap. Sam’s in a soul sleep. Look Matthew, you’re the only one that can wake him up.”
"How can this happen? This was God's plan for me? I haven't saved anyone yet. I was just supposed to die?”
“Matthew, listen to me. There’s still hope. You can go back. Bobby set it all up. Before that happens though, I have to know. The Ekimmu, is that what killed you? Where is it?”
Matthew couldn’t answer, continuing his dazed stare downward.
“We need to make sure that thing isn’t around to go back with you. I know how to fight it, but we got to find it first.”
Matthew's look didn't change as his eyes shifted focus. "Dean? How are you here? Am I in Hell?" He went back to gazing at the body below, unable to break away from the shock.
“You’re fine Matthew. I climbed out of Hell.”
“How? Is that possible?”
“Haven’t you ever read Dante’s Inferno?” It occurred to Dean that he hadn’t either, but Sam told him the plot. That was enough for him.
“So where am I?”
Dean grabbed onto Matthew, shaking him a bit until he got his attention, pulling him close so he could directly get his point across. "Matthew, you've got to come around. We don't have much time. This Ekimmu, it preys on weakness."
Matthew looked like he was slowly coming around, grasping what he was saying. “I can go back?”
“Yes, Matthew, but first you’ve got to-“ Suddenly a huge force brushed by him, and he saw Matthew jerk a little from the impact. Matthew's expression suddenly changed, to one of malevolence.
Dean released his grip on Matthew and stepped back. "Let him go you son of a bitch."
“I’m really impressed Dean. How did you manage to escape the shackles? You of course know the demons won’t rest until they find you.”
“I know that exactly. I don’t plan on being gone long. I’m here to give you what you want.”
“I have a portal at my disposal, one that stretches all the way to Hell. All I need is your brother and his power, and there’s no end as to what I can do. I don’t need the Underworld.”
“Come on, you’ve been waiting for centuries. I’m offering you Hell. That seems like your sort of place.”
“We’d be attached forever. You’re willing to do that?”
“It’s Hell. At least I’ll have some company.”
The creature pondered it for a few seconds, and smiled. “Nah, I like the other plan better. I can use Matthew now to wake up Sam.”
“Over my dead body.” Dean froze, realizing that was a poor choice of words. “Oh to Hell with it.” He rushed forward, and with one giant push knocked Matthew downward. A clear, wavy apparition sped away from Matthew, and stopped, hovering for a second to recover from the blow.
Matthew got up. “Dean?”
The creature sped back toward him, and Dean stepped in front. “Just go Matthew!” He pushed Matthew toward the thick of the fog, and he disappeared. Dean stood firm in his spot, bearing down for a fight, as the figure accelerated toward him. “Come get me you son of a bitch.”