A Change, Chapter 2
-2-
Six months later found Sam under the streetlight again, checking up on Dean. He could see Dean and Ben sitting outside at a picnic table. Ben was apparently pointing out the constellations to Dean, who seemed to be content to let him, even though he had learned them long ago. Watching Ben point to different locations in the sky, Sam ran his hand over his mouth, scraggly beard scraping his palm. Believing that everything was peaceful and quiet, Sam faded back into the shadows again.
For two years, Sam went where he found hunts, doing his best to avoid both Cicero, South Dakota, fearing he might be recognized and only having one close call. Even with his somewhat altered appearance, he never quite felt comfortable in any one place. Two years, three months, and seventeen days after checking in on Dean, he came uncomfortably close to running into him after a hunt.
He was in the ass end of nowhere, Washington hunting an ajatar. The damn thing had somehow managed to bite him, and now he felt like ass. Making a quick job of burning the corpse, Sam climbed in his truck and made his way back to the motel, vowing to clean up all the goo later. However, by the time he pulled into the lot, he was shivering, clammy, and seeing double, both from blood loss and the bite. He was so determined to make it into the room that he almost missed it.
Light headed or not, Sam froze and developed an acute case of tunnel vision when he saw a very familiar car parked in front of room 5. Swaying just a little, he cautiously made his way over to the car, sucking in a breath when he could see the initials carved into the dash. His heart started pounding, and all he thought was that Dean could not be here, he was not supposed to be here. He should be in Cicero, with Lisa and Ben. Quickly and quietly, he started to stagger towards his room, fumbling for the key in his pocket. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he stumbled into the wall, blood slowly dripping down his arm and from his fingertips.
He continued to put one foot in front of the other, using the wall for support, and had almost made it when he heard the door to room 5 open, and a smattering of conversation spilled out into the night. Oh fuck, that sounded like Bobby. Finally making it to the door, Sam stuck the key into the lock and turned, stumbling into the room without an ounce of grace. He quickly shut the door and leaned against it, listening to the muffled voices and footsteps outside. Letting out a breath that he did not know he was holding, he stepped towards the small table and a duffel bag. Gingerly sitting down on the rickety chair, he rummaged through the duffel, withdrawing everything he would need from its’ contents.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled his jacket off and examined the bite that the ajatar had left on his forearm. What he could see of the edges was an angry red, and it was starting to swell. First, he needed to stop the bleeding. Picking up a few things from the table, along with a bottle of whiskey, he stood and walked to the bathroom. Setting the first aid kit, a knife, and a lighter on the sink, he opened the bottle of liquor and drank a liberal mouthful before holding his arm over the sink and pouring some over his wound. He let out a soft grunt at the burn, waiting until the stinging stopped before picking up the knife and lighter. Flicking the lighter open, he held the blade over the flame until he judged it was hot enough. Bracing himself, he pressed the blade to the bite, cauterizing the punctures. Lights exploded behind his eyes and he involuntarily groaned.
The smell nearly made him gag, but the wave of memories that accompanied it was worse. Forcing the memory of burning hair and skin back, Sam finished was he was doing and bandaged his arm up. Knowing he was in for a rough night, he popped a couple of painkillers and an antibiotic to be safe. The bite of an ajatar usually carried an illness with it, and he would feel like crap for a day or so, but it would not kill him. He settled himself into one of the beds and closed his eyes just for a few minutes.