" Life asked Death, 'Why do people love me more than you?' Death said, 'Because you're the beautiful lie, and I'm the painful truth.'" - Unknown

• • •

Dean burst into the hotel room, whipping his head around. Noah sat straight up, reaching for his pistol beside the bed as he turned with a startled look in his eye. He observed the pure panic written all over Dean's face as Delta seemed to ready herself in case she needed to jump on something, a conditioned response from years of hunting.

Noah stared at Dean for a moment, reading his expression. Dean ran a hand back through his hair, panicking. He and Sam had only left to grab a bite to eat and bring it back to the room while they slept for the night... What had happened?

"What?" Noah asked him cautiously. "Sam disappeared," Dean panted, "At the diner, God, there was blood everywhere." Dean raked his hands through his hair, sighing.

"Woah, Dean, slow down," Noah raised a hand to motion for him to calm down, "Start from the beginning."

• • •

Sam gasped, opening his eyes. He looked around as he sat up, his surroundings were completely unfamiliar. He felt that he was sitting on a piece of wood and as his gaze moved across everything it could find, it seemed that he was in an abandoned town.

He sat back on his hands for a moment as he processed it. One minute he was standing in the diner, ready to order food for the three of them, and the next... it all went black. He could swear he heard screams right before he blacked out but he wasn't sure.

He slowly stood up, eyes sifting through everything in his proximity. His jacket was covered in dirt and damp, like it had been left outside in a storm and then to dry for an hour. He looked at all of the buildings, it looked like an old gold town from the wild west. And it looked like nobody had touched it in years.

He thought to Noah and Dean, he could feel his head pounding as he patted his pockets. Back ones were empty but then he remembered that his phone was in the front of his jacket. He pulled it up but it made a quiet metallic screeching noise as it found no available signal.

All of the wood was dark brown with rot as a windmill creaked, spinning from the light gust that blew through the air. Sam felt helpless as he stood in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, no one around him, and no clue where he was, or when or how he got there.

• • •

"This is it," Bobby stretched the map out over the hood of the car, "All demonic signs and omens over the past month." Noah stared at it, nothing was on the map. Delta pawed at his leg, she was sensing that something was wrong.

"Are you joking?" Dean deadpanned, "There's nothing here." Nearly twelve hours had passed since Sam had disappeared, and the only thing any of them could come up with was the yellow-eyed-demon.

"Exactly," Bobby nodded. "Come on, there's gotta be something, I mean, what about the normal low-level stuff? Exorcisms and all that jazz?" Noah furrowed his eyebrows. A strong gust of wind blew past the group, making their shirts and jackets flap like flags in the wind as it ruffled Delta's fur.

"That's what I'm telling you, there's nothing, it's completely quiet," Bobby explained. "Well then how are we supposed to look for Sam? What, do we just close our eyes and point?" Dean sassed, before sighing. He couldn't think about anything other than finding his brother at the moment, and Noah was on a similar page.

Before Noah could say anything, Dean's phone rang. He answered, putting it on speaker, "Ash, what've you got?"

"Okay, listen, it's a bit negatory on Sam," Ash warned them. "Oh come on man, you've gotta give us something, I mean we're looking at a 3,000 mile haystack here," Noah crossed his arms.

"Listen," Ash started intensely, "I did find something."

"Well, what?" Dean and Noah asked in unison. "I can't talk over this line, Dean," Ash stated mysteriously.

"Come on, I don't have time for this," Dean expressed. "Make time, okay? Cause this..." Ash paused for a moment, "What's up? What's going on?" he casually stated, probably to someone in the Roadhouse, "Not only does this almost definetely help you find your brother, this is.." Ash sighed, "It's huge."

"So get here, now," Ash demanded, before hanging up the phone. Noah and Dean looked at one another, they were nervous to find out what that meant.

"I guess we're going to the Roadhouse," Dean sighed, "Come on."

Bobby and Dean rushed into the Impala, and Noah hurried Delta into the passenger side of the Jeep. He didn't have time to get her back in her crate. The three started their engines and hurried in the direction of the Harvelle Roadhouse.

• • •

"So we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the apocolypse?" Jake barked, pacing. Sam had found four other people, all his age, and all psychics. He knew Andy and Ava from past hunts, but Lily and Jake, he had never met. In the time he had spoken to them, he had explained the current situation as best he could.

"When you put it like that-" Sam was cut off. "And we've been picked?" Jake questioned. "Yes," Sam nodded. "Why us?" Jake pressed.

"I'm not sure, okay? But look, I just know-" Sam was cut off again, this time by Ava.

"Sam, I'm sorry, psychics and spoon-bending is one thing, but demons?" She spoke in a disbelieving tone.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy-" Once again, the youngest Winchester was interrupted. "it doesn't just sound it," Jake rolled his eyes.

"I don't really care what you think, okay?" Sam snapped, "If we're all gathered here together then that means it's starting, and that we've got-"

Jake stepped down the steps, "The only thing I've got to do is stay away from wackjobs, okay? I've heard enough, I'm better off on my own," he turned to the other three, "FYI, so are you."

"Jake, hold on," Sam tried to stop the soldier as he walked away but Jake ignored him and continued walking, "Jake!"

As he ran off, Sam went right behind him. Sam stepped up to where he'd thought he'd seen him go and saw the form of a little girl standing in the doorway, advancing on a cornered Jake, who stood with his back to a chalkboard with the writings 'I will not kill' written over and over.

Sam grabbed an iron firepoker from just inside the door and swung it through the girl's form, making her dissolve into black, demonic smoke, which floated out the door and past the other three people that gasped as they watched it disapear.

Sam turned back to Jake, "Just so you know, that was a demon."

Sam led Jake out, "And that thing? I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think it was an achiri, a demon that presents itself as a little girl, still doesn't tell us where we are."

He looked at the shocked group before him, all of them still processing the new ifnromation that they had learned. He looked to Andy, "Andy, you with me, or what?"

Andy held up a hand, "Give me a minute, I'm still working through 'Demons are real.'"

Sam's eye caught something and he stepped over, shortly followed by the other psychics. He looked at it, a large metal bell with a tree engraved into it. "I've seen that bell before, I think I know where we are now."

He turned back to the group, "Cold Oak, South Dakota, the town's so haunted, every single resident fled."

"Swell, good to know we're somewhere so historical," Ava spoke sarcastically. "Why in the world would that demon or whatever put us here?" Lily questioned.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Sam answered. Lily played with her necklace, seemingly a nervous tic, "You know what? It doesn't matter, clearly, the only sane thing to do here is to get the hell out of Dodge," she turned, ready to walk away.

"Wait, hold on, Lily, the only way out is through miles of woods," Sam stalled her.

"Beats hanging out with Demons," She reasoned. "Lily, we don't know what's going on yet, I mean, we don't even know how many of 'em are out there right now," Sam attempted to diffuse.

"Yeah, he's right, we should-" Jake went to agree but Lily cut him off.

"Don't say 'we'! I am not a part of 'we'!" she kept a firm grip on her necklace as she raised her voice, "I have nothing in common with any of you!"

"Okay, look, look, I know," Sam went to try to calm her down again, but she cut him off once again.

"You don't know anything," she snapped, "I to-" she cut herself off, staring into the distance for a moment as her emotions flooded and overwhelmed her, "I accidentally touched my girlfriend."

Her psychic power is that when she touches people, they die...

Sam's face fell, then melded into an expresion of understanding as his mind immediately went to Jessica. He knew what it felt like, not only for your significant other to die, but to know that you are the cause of it. He knew that pain in her voice so intimately that it made him want to start crying, but his eyes remained dry. He was all out of tears.

The silence hung in the air for a moment as the other psychics processed this fact. And then Sam broke said silence, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever," Lily grit out between her teeth, "I feel like I'm in a nightmare and it just keeps getting worse and worse."

Sam met her eyes, "I've lost people, too, I have a brother out there right now and... he could be dead for all I know," Sam swallowed thickly. He and Lily stared at one another for a moment.

"We're all in bad shape, but I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together," Sam persuaded. "Fine," Lily numbly agreed.

Sam nodded, before gathering the others and marching towards another of the building, iron firepoker still in hand, "We're looking for iron, silver, salt, any kind of weapon," Sam explained.

"Salt is a weapon?" Jake raised an eyebrow. "It's a brave, new world," Sam stated, walking up the stairs of house and walking through the door, Jake right behind him. "Well hopefully there's food in your world because I'm freaking starving," Andy said as he entered the door, Ava right behind him.

Lily stalled in the doorway, fiddling with her necklace, before she quietly turned around and ran.

• • •

The Impala's engine purred as Dean turned down the road he would take to turn into the Roadhouse, Noah right behind him. However, the sight they were met with was much more gruesome than they expected.

The building was in ruins, barely there walls and beams still standing as they smoldered and smoke, charred bodies and weapons literring the ground inside, covered in ash and fallen wood from the ceiling. "What the hell?" Noah stated as his eyes cast over it. He and Dean both pulled to a fast stop, all three men immediately jumping out of their vehicles as Delta jumped right behind Noah.

Noah felt his heart fall into his stomach as he stared at the sight before him. The still smoldering ashes nearly made him sick to his stomach. Dean glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, reminding himself to make sure Noah was okay later as they stepped forward, towards the building.

Bobby stepped in first, raising a hand to his mouth, "My God." Noah and Dean stepped right behind him, and Noah felt pain spreading through his abdomen. His nausea wasn't helpng.

They stepped through the broken and burned pieces of wood, "You see Ellen?" Dean asked.

"No, no Ash, either," Bobby shook his head after a moment. Dean's gaze suddenly dropped onto something. An arm. He focused closer on the watch...

Dean crouched, inspecting the watch before clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth, "Oh, Ash, Dammit!"

Noah raised a hand to his mouth, and Bobby and Dean's eyes shot straight to him as he rushed out of the building's remains, and bent over with his hands on his knees. They quickly realized why as he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground.

Dean stepped closer as Noah panted for breath, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You okay, man?"

"Yeah," Noah reached for his bandanna, wiping his mouth, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Dean's eyes then caught the red amidst the vomit. Blood. "You really don't look fine," Dean shared a look with Bobby as Noah stood upright again. He turned back to Noah, "Alright, enough is enough, you have been going into coughing fits and coughing into that damn bandanna of yours for months now, you wanna tell us what the hell is going on?"

"Shut up, Dean," Noah chuckled, stepping towards where the cars were parked. "No, Noah, I'm not gonna shut up! I've kept my mouth shut up until now but dammit, I'm worried about you! Just tell me the truth!" Dean raised his voice.

Noah stepped up, getting into Dean's face. His eyes were sharp, cutting daggers into Dean as they held firm gazes. "Drop it, Winchester, before I drop you," he threatened, his lip curling into an intimidating snarl. He was way beyond pissed.

Dean stared at him for a moment, before deciding that they would have this argument later, once they found Sam, "Alright, fine," he resigned with a sigh, crossing his arms.

Noah gave him a short nod before walking back to his Jeep.

• • •

Sam entered one of the rooms of the house and immediately spotted a small trunk. He walked over, crouching next to it and opened it, sifting through the items. He found a hunting knife, which was the only useful item before closing it and latching it back into place. He turned around, seeing Ava holding her temples. He grew concerned, "Hey, you alright?"

She winced before nodding, "Yeah, I'm just, I don't know, a little dizzy."

"A-are you sure it's not some kind of-" She cut him off. "What, some kind of freaky vision thing?" she asked sarcastically, "No, more like I'd kill for a sandwich, I haven't eaten since... well, who knows."

Sam nodded. "No, it's- Don't worry, I'm fine," she assured, "Except for every single thing that's happening."

Sam chuckled as she smiled. "You guys! I found something!" Andy called from the other side of the house.

Sam, Ava, and Jake all walked to meet Andy in the kitchen. He held up two huge bags, "Salt."

"That's great, Andy, now we all can s-" Sam cut himself off as he noticed that Lily wasn't there, his smile melted off of his face as his eyes shined with worry, "Where's Lily?"

Two thumps sounded from outside. "Lily?" Ava called out. "Lily?!" Sam barked, his voice was much louder as he was used to shouting for his brother in large and open spaces, the volume of his voice made several of the others flinch.

More sounds came from outside, this time the sound of wood creaking and breaking. They all rushed outside onto the porch and Andy spotted her first. Lily was hung by a noose from the old windmill. As they group reached the end of the porch and were given a clear view of the girl's corpse, they all felt slightly sick to their stomachs.

"Oh my God," Ava gasped, she raised a hand to her mouth, "Okay, that's-that's officially just- Sam, she's dead! She's dead! You said we were chosen for a reason, that is not chosen, that's... killed! Okay, you know what, we need to get out of here," as she went to walk away, Sam stopped her.

"I second that emotion," Andy stated. "Not sure that's an option," Jake pointed out. "What?" Ava asked. "Lily was trying to leave, the demon's not gonna let us get away that easy, we've gotta gear up for the next attack," Sam explained.

"Gear up?" Ava inquired. "Yeah," Sam nodded. "Okay, well I'm not a soldier, I can't do that!" Ava exclaimed.

"Look, if you wanna stay alive, you're gonna have to," Sam stated firmly. Ava was shaking with tears in her eyes.

Sam looked back to Lily, staring at her for a moment, before turning back to the others, "Let's go."

Ava marched into the house. "I'll get her down," Jake stated. The three men walked over towards the door before Sam sighed, "I was just thinking about how much Dean or Noah would help right now, I'd give my arm for a working phone."

"You know, you may not need one," Andy realized, "I, uh, I mean I've never tried it long distance before, but do you have anything of Dean's on you? Like, something he touched?"

Sam searched his pockets, before remembering a receipt from a few nights ago that was stuffed into his jacket pocket, "Uh... I got a receipt, will that work?"

Andy took it from his hands, "Yeah."

• • •

"What the hell did Ash know?" Dean sighed. Noah stood at the Jeep, taking a swig of water, which he used to rinse his mouth out, while Dean and Bobby stood next to the Impala. "We don't even know where Ellen is or if she's even alive, we have no clue what Ash was gonna tell us, now how the hell are we gonna find Sam?!" Dean exclaimed.

"We'll find him," Bobby reassured. Suddenly, Dean clamped his eyes shut as a pounding errupted in his head, he put his hand to his forehead as pain flooded over his entire brain. "Dean?" Bobby asked as Dean grunted, causing Noah to look over.

Dean shook it off after a moment, but it came flooding irght back, hitting him even harder this time. He briefly saw a bell but the pain quickly went away, and with it went the image.

"What was that?" Bobby questioned as Dean shook it off. "I don't know, headache?" Dean proposed.

"You get headaches like that a lot?" Bobby inquired, now concerned. "No," Dean swallowed, shaking his head, "No, it must be the stress."

Dean sighed, putting his head in his hands, "I could have swore I saw something."

"What do you mean, like-like a vision?" Noah questioned. "Like what Sam gets?" Bobby added. "What? No," Dean quickly denied.

"I'm just saying," Noah held his hands up defensively, taking another sip of water. "Come on, I'm not some psychic," Dean gave them a look.

Then he clamped his eyes shut again as the pain came back. Dean keeled over in pain, collapsing where the Impala was the only support he had. "Dean!" Bobby and Noah exclaimed together as they each ran to his side and helped support his body.

Dean continued to grunt and groan as the pain strengthened, and pounded in his head. Suddenly images of the bell flooded him again, and then... there was Sam. Sam. He saw Sam.

The pain stopped and once more, the imagery vanished with it as Dean panted or breath. "Dean, are you with me?" Bobby checked.

Dean continued to pant for breath, before looking back up to them, "Yeah, I think so, I saw Sam, I saw him, Bobby."

"It was a vision," Noah nodded. "Yeah," Dean gulped, finally regaining his breathing patern and the ability to stand, "I don't know how, but-but yeah."

He leaned on the Impala, "Whew, that was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."

"What else did you see, Dean? Any kind of landmark that might tell us where he is?" Noah pressed. "Uh, there was a bell," Dean answered.

"What kind of bell?" Noah pushed. "Um, like a big, a big bell with some engraving on it," Dean explained. "Engraving?" Bobby inquired. "Yeah," Dean nodded. "Was it a tree? Like, like an oak tree?" Bobby narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, exactly," Dean blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. Bobby's face fell into realization, "I know where Sam is."

• • •

Sam sat in the corner of the room. They had laid salt lines in every window and doorway, and he had since broken the news to Ava that her fiancée didn't make it. Andy had fallen asleep on the table, as Jake guarded the door. Sam felt himself dozing off, and he kept blinking and shaking himself to stay awake.

However, one of these times, when he looked back to the door, his eyes met bright yellow ones. Sam jumped, yelping, "Jake! Behind you!" Jake didn't react.

The Yellow-eyed-demon smirked at him,"Howdy, Sam." Right as Sam reached for the iron firepoker, he realized, "I'm dreaming."

It stepped into the room, "What do you say, you and I take a little walk?"

It stared at Sam with it's lizard-like eyes, and Sam wanted nothing more than to kill it in that very moment, after everything it had done to his family, everything it had cost them. And as fear dissolved into anger, he agreed.

"You're awfully quiet, Sam, you're not mad at me, are you?" It quipped as it and Sam stepped down the stairs of the house, onto the grass. "I'm gonna tear you to shreds, I swear," Sam seethed. It only chuckled.

"When you wake up, tiger, you give it your best shot," it taunted. "Where's my brother?" Sam asked. "Quit worrying about Dean, or Noah for that matter, I'd worry more about yourself," it stated.

"What? You gonna kill me?" Sam questioned, before standing still and holding his arms out as if to say 'Go ahead.'

It turned back to him, "I'm trying to help you, that's why we're talking, you're the one I'm rooting for."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked. "Welcome to the Miss Ameirca Pageant," it sarcastically spoke, "Why do you think you're here? This is a competition, only one of you crazy kids is gonna make it out of here alive."

"I thought we were supposed to be-" Sam was cut off as he grit his teeth together. "Soldiers in a coming war? That's true, you are, but here's the thing, I don't need soldiers," it stepped around him, circling him, "I need soldier, I just need the one."

"Why?" Was Sam's only question.

"Well I couldn't just come out and say that, could I, Sam? I had to let everyone think they had a fighting chance, but what I need... is a leader," it explained.

"To lead who?" Sam cocked his head.

"Oh, I've already got my army, or I will soon anyway," it smirked. "You son of a bitch," Sam fumed. "Honestly, I'm surprised you hadn't guessed, I mean, why do you think so many children flamed out already? Max Miller, and Andy's brother, what's his name? They weren't strong enough, I'm looking for the best and brightest of your generation," it continued.

"My generation?" Sam squinted his eyes at the demon. "Well, there's other generations, but let's just worry about yours," it stepped closer to him, "That's why I'm here, Sam, I wanna give you the inside track, you're tough, you're smart, you're well-trained, thanks to your daddy, Sam..."

Sam leveled his line of sight as he clenched his jaw, "Sammy... you're my favorite," it whispered.

"You ruined my life, you killed everyone I love," Sam spit out, venom on his tongue. "The cost of doing business, I'm afraid, I mean, sweet little Jessica... she just had to die, you were all set to marry that little blonde thing, become a tax lawyer, with two kids, a beer gut, and a little McMansion in the suburbs, I needed you sharp, on the road, honing your skills... your gifts," it explained.

"What about my mom?" Sam questioned. "That was bad luck," it titled it's head.

"Bad luck?" Sam raised an eyebrow, keeping his teeth clenched together as his jaw ramined tense. "She walked in on us, wrong place, wrong time," it elaborated.

"What does that mean?" Sam inquired. "It wasn't about her, it was about you, it's always been about you, " it stared at him.

What?" Sam grit out. Now he felt as though he shouldered more guilt than he already did from Jessica's death, now he was to blame for his mother's death, and consequently, his father's.

It didn't answer, only holding his gaze steady. The anger within Sam brewed like boiling tar, bubbling and ready to spill over at any second, but he kept a lid on it.

"Well..." it began, licking it's vessel's lip, "Okay, you caught me in a charitable mood, I'll show you."

It snapped it's fingers and suddenly they were in Sam's nursery. The demon stood over his crib, "Look familiar? It should."

Baby Sam was teary and ready to start crying as he stared up at the stranger form his crib. Sam was ready to rush at the demon, but it pulled him back, "Relax, Sam, this is just a high-def instant replay, enjoy the show."

That's when Mary walked in, sleepy, "John, is he hungry?"

"Mom," Sam stared at her, terrifed for what was to come. "Shh," the demon whispered at baby Sam. Mary raised an eyebrow, "Okay." She turned back around, walking away.

"Wait, Mom," Sam tried to call after her, "Mom!" She didn't react, and kept walking, "What did I just tell you, Sam? She can't hear you," it told him again, sounding annoyed, "This isn't real."

The demon dragged a blade of some sort through it's wrist, allowing its blood to dribble down into baby Sam's mouth. "What the hell are you doing to me?" Sam questioned.

"Better than mother's milk," was it's response. "Does this mean I have..." Sam paused, his breath hitching, "Demon blood in me?"

It only chuckled. Sam grit his teeth together, before shouting, "Answer me!"

Mary ran back into the room, and met it's eyes. "It's you," she stated, staring at it. "She knew you," Sam raised his voice in shock.

She tried to rush, either at it or to get Sam, but it pinned her to the wall. "No!" Sam called out.

It dragged her form off the floor, slowly pinning her to the ceiling. "No!" Sam continued to call out.

"I don't think you wanna see the rest of this," it chuckled as Mary screamed, waving it's hand.

Sam bolted up, "Sam, wake up," Jake's voice sounded. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he caugth his breath.

"Ava's missing," Jake stated.

• • •

Sam and Jake marched out of their safe house, "I'll take the barn and the hotel, you take the houses."

"Alright," Sam agreed, "Meet me back here in ten minutes, okay?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah okay," before slowly backing away and turning around. Sam marched towards one of the other buildings as fog built in the humid air, it had just finished raining and his boots squelched in the mud as he walked.

• • •

As Sam was searching, he heard a loud scream. Ava.

He turned, running in the direction of the noise, and straight into a house to his right. He dashed into the house and as he caught his momentum on the door frame, his eyes caught that of a bloodied Andy. His body was mutilated, there was blood everywhere.

He looked up, seeing tears running down a terrified Av's cheeks, "Sam! I just found him like this."

"What happened?" Sam asked, shellshocked. "I don't know," she croaked out. "How'd that thing get in?" Sam jumped into action, walking around to search the windows and doorways for salt lines.

Sam saw that the line on the window was in tact, and he turned back to her, "Where were you?"

"I just went to get some water from the well, I was only gone, maybe like, two minutes," She wiped a few of the tears that were dripping from her chin.

"You shouldn't have gone outside," Sam stepped closer to her, "Ava, we have to stay in here."

Sam's eye caught on another window and he saw a direct drag through one of the lines, and he pointed to it, "Who did that?"

"I don't know, maybe Andy-" Sam cut her off, "Andy wouldn't do that, Ava, that line wasn't broken when I left."

She looked away, not answering him. "Ava," he clenched his jaw.

"What? You don't think that I-" Sam stopped her gaslighting, "I'll tell you what I think, five months, you're the only one with all that time you can't account for, and that headache you got? Right when the demon got Lily."

"What are you trying to say?" She spat at him, venom in her throat and dripping on her tongue.

"What happened to you?" Sam questioned. "Nothing!" She exclaimed. They stared at one another for a moment, as her lip quivered as her eyes shelled over with tears.

She then dropped the act, sighing and chuckling, "Had you going, though, didn't I?"

Sam didn't find it funny, narrowing his eyes at her as his anger built. "Yeah," she rolled her eyes, wiping her tear tracks away, "I have been here a while, and not alone either, people just keep showing up, children, like us."

Sam clenched his jaw. "Batches of three or four at a time," She continued. "You killed them? All of them?" Sam pressed.

"I'm the underdefeated heavyweight champ," She smirked. "Oh my God," Sam grit his teeth, shaking his head. It was taking all of his self-control not to lunge at her.

"I don't think God has much to do with this, Sam," she stated sarcastically. "How could you?" Sam questioned.

"I had no choice," Sh epursed her lips, "It's me or them, after a while it was easy, it was even kind of fun, I just stopped fighting it."

"Fighting what?" Sam's nostrils flared. "Who we are, Sam, if you'd just quit your hand-wringing and opened up, you have no idea what you can do, the learning curve is so fast, it's crazy, the switches that just flip in your brain," She laughed.

"I can't believe I started out just having dreams, do you know what I can do now?" She asked.

"Control demons," Sam snarled. "Ah," She nodded, "You are quick on the draw." She placed her hands on her temples, and black smoke invaded through the break in the salt line. "I'm sorry, Sam, but it's over."

Sam readied the firepoker in his hand, but right then, Jake came up behind Ava and snapped her neck. And just as her heart stopped, the smoke dissipated. Sam and Jake stared at one another for a moment. The shock doing it's best to wear off. Sam and Jake's adrenaline was still pumping. Their gazes held.

• • •

The Impala pulled to a slow stop as Noah parked the Jeep right behind them. The trio stepped out, and Delta jumped behind Noah through the window. A huge brush of forest was ahead of them too dense to drive through.

"Looks like the rest of the way's on foot," Bobby stated. Noah stepped to the back of the Jeep, grabbing the salt guns, and shells, the holy water, and Delta's tactical vest. He put it on her, switching the blue lights on.

He looked over and saw that Bobby and Dena had equipped themselves. He crouched next to Delta, "Lead us to where you smell sulphur, girl."

She started sniffing before she started walking into the woods and leading them towards the town. The three men followed shortly behind the german shepherd as she sniffed the ground and followed a trail.

• • •

Dean, Bobby, and Noah, led by Delta, sprinted into the clearing as the oods opened up into a town. "Sam!" Dean shouted. They turned a corner, and slowed as they saw Sam. Noah felt like falling to his knees and thanking whoever would listen. But he kept walking.

"Sam?" Dean called out. "Dean!" Sam exclaimed, a smile coming to his face in pure relief.

But in a moment that none of them had expected, Jake picked up the dropped hunting knife, and ran at Sam. "Sam, behind you!" Noah yelled as they picked their pace back up.

But Jake was too fast. He plunged the knife into Sam's back, severing his spinal cord. Sam grit his teeth and threw his head back in pain before, groaning out.

"No!" Dean and Noah both cried out as they sprinted with every last ounce of strength they had towards the man. Jake pulled the knife from Sam's body, turning around and running at full speed. Sam dropped to his knees, exhaling sharply. As his weight wavered, Dean and Noah dropped beside him.

Bobby and a growling, barking Delta continued to run after Jake as Dean grabbed onto Sam's jacket, holding him upright. "Sam," Dean tried.

Dean had to allow Sam's weight to fall onto his shoulder as he went limp, "Whoa, Sam, Sam."

"Sam, hey!" Noah called out louder, he could see it but... he refused to believe it in that moment. His mind was running in every direction it could be, he felt like screaming.

"Come here, let me look at you," Dean said, pulling his brother back to him, and putting his hand to his wound. When he pulled his hand away, it was soaked in blood. Dean stared at it with wide eyes, before pulling back to look at Sam, "Hey, look, look at me, it's not even that bad, it's not even that bad, alright?"

Dean swallowed as he used every last bit of his strength to support his baby brother's dead weight. Sam's mouth was gaped open, his eyes were numb, he was completely numb.

"Sammy?" Dean inquired, shaking his brother by his jacket, "Sam!"

"Hey, listen to me, we're gonna patch you up, okay? You'll be good as new," Dean stated. Sam's head fell forward limply.

"I'm gonna take care of you, I'm gonna take care of you, I got you," Dean grabbed Sam's jaw, "That's my job, right? Watch after my pain-in-the-ass little brother," Dean started to see it more as his denial fell, "Sam? Sam, Sam?!"

Noah released a violent sob, his face turned downwards as he couldn't bare to look at Sam.. not like that. Tears streamed down his face, soaking the collar of his jacket. He felt like curling into a ball and just... dying, right then and there. He wanted to give up. He could feel his soul ripping j to pieces. That feeling of losing someone you love is the most painful feeling on Earth, and this is the fourth time he has felt this pain.

It never gets easier. You don't build a tolerance, you don't get used to being hit like that. It always picks you up, and throws you down, and shatters you like a pane of glass. It always made Noah want to give up. And nothing would change that. Because that wasn't fixable. you can't change it because there is no way to go back and not love them, or not let them get hurt. And it will tear your heart into pieces.

And Noah knows the feeling so well that he almost has instinct to know when something will end in that heartbreak. But there is also no way to prepare yourself for that, you are never ready to lose somebody you love, no matter how much you think you are.

And that's when Noah realized that this was the first time he had ever admitted to himself that he was in love with Sam. He's said he was falling before, but he'd never said he was in love with him. And it only made another sob wrench through his body as it hurt all the more.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled again, shaking his brother. He stared into Sam's closed eyes before the realization fell over his face as he could feel his heart being crushed, it was his job to protect Sam, and he had failed, Sam was... "No, no, no, no," he pulled Sam down, holding him, "Oh God."

He clutched his brother's hair, ignoring the shaking and sobbing man beside him, who curled into a ball with his head in his knees, and Dean let all of his emotions collide, as he rocked his brother's limp body back and forth, the way he used to do, to comfort Sam when he had a nightmare.

And in that exact moment, nothng mattered more than the fact that his brother was in this world and smiling not five minutes ago, and now... he was gone. And Dean clutched at Sam's too-long hair that he used to tease him for, and his khaki jacket that was a hand-me-down, and he yelled, "Sam!"

His voice echoed into the night like a cry for help with no one to answer it. And the only noise that remained in the night air after that point where the screams, cries, and sobs of two mourning men as they held onto the body of their loved one.

• • •

Author's Note: Shit, I'm sorry about this one. It hurts me to write. But.. bright side, we are approaching the finale for Act 1. Only two more chapters, at absolute most.