Heart of a Hunter

34. Into the Abyss

Sam's POV:

The world felt like it had shattered around me, the pieces spinning out of control as I stood there, staring at Blair. She was still there—still Blair—but something was fundamentally different. That darkness, the power she had tried so hard to avoid, had surged through her, taking root in a way I couldn't fully understand. And in that moment, I realized how powerless I was. I couldn't protect her from this.

Her eyes had stopped glowing, but there was something new in them—something deeper, darker, like she was holding onto a piece of that other version of herself. She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling with the effort to stay in control. But I could see it—the struggle. She was fighting a battle inside herself, one that I couldn't fight for her.

I stepped forward, my heart still racing, my mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened. "Blair," I said, my voice low and filled with worry. "What... what just happened? Are you okay?"

She didn't answer right away. She just stood there, staring at her hands like they belonged to someone else. Finally, she looked up at me, and the pain in her eyes hit me like a punch to the gut.

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't know what I am anymore."

The weight of those words crushed me. This wasn't just about the Arcani or the seal or the prophecy. This was about her. About what she was becoming. And I didn't know how to help her. How could I, when I didn't even understand what was happening inside her?

I reached out, taking her hands in mine. They were cold, almost unnaturally so, and it sent a chill down my spine. "You're still Blair," I said firmly, hoping that if I said it enough times, she'd believe it too. "Whatever's happening, we'll figure it out. Together."

She shook her head, pulling her hands away from mine. The distance between us felt like it was growing, like a chasm was opening up that I couldn't cross. "You don't understand, Sam. There's something inside me now. Something dark. I can feel it... changing me."

I felt a lump in my throat, and my chest tightened with the helplessness that gnawed at me. "No," I said, my voice more forceful than I intended. "You're still you. That darkness, whatever it is, doesn't define you. We'll find a way to stop it."

Blair met my eyes, her expression filled with sadness. "What if we can't? What if I can't control it?"

The fear in her voice made my heart ache. She wasn't just afraid of what was inside her—she was afraid of losing herself entirely. And I could see it now, clearer than ever before. She was terrified of becoming something she couldn't come back from.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady, even though my mind was racing with a thousand worst-case scenarios. "Then we'll figure out how to fight it. We've faced worse, Blair. We've faced demons, angels, the literal apocalypse. We can face this too."

But even as I said the words, I could hear how hollow they sounded. This wasn't just another monster we could gank or another curse we could break. This was inside her. Part of her. And if she couldn't fight it... I wasn't sure what would happen next.

Blair looked away, her eyes scanning the darkness around us, like she was trying to find something solid to hold onto. "You don't get it," she said quietly. "That other version of me... she's not wrong. This power, this darkness—it's been inside me all along. I've felt it, Sam. And now that it's awake, I don't know if I can put it back."

I took a step closer, refusing to let her pull away from me. "You're not alone in this. Whatever's inside you, we'll figure out how to control it. You don't have to do this by yourself."

Her eyes flicked back to mine, and for a second, I saw the Blair I knew—the one I'd fallen in love with, the one who'd fought beside me and trusted me through everything. But it was fleeting. The darkness was still there, hovering just beneath the surface, waiting for its chance to take over.

"I love you," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion. "But I'm scared, Sam. I'm scared of what I'm becoming."

I felt my chest tighten, and I reached out, pulling her into my arms. She felt fragile, like she might shatter if I held her too tightly, but I couldn't let her go. "I love you too," I whispered into her hair, my voice thick with emotion. "And I'm not letting you go through this alone. We'll figure it out, Blair. I promise."

She buried her face in my chest, and for a moment, it felt like everything might be okay. Like maybe we could fight this, just like we'd fought everything else that had been thrown at us. But the fear in my gut told me otherwise. This wasn't a fight we could win with guns or salt or spells. This was a battle inside Blair, and I didn't know how to save her from it.

A sharp sound broke through the quiet—a distant snap of a branch—and I immediately pulled away from Blair, my senses going into overdrive. I scanned the darkness, my hand reaching instinctively for the gun at my side.

"Dean?" I called out, but there was no response.

Blair tensed beside me, her eyes wide with fear. "What was that?"

"I don't know," I muttered, pulling her behind me as I moved toward the source of the noise.

I stepped forward, my eyes straining to see through the shadows. The motel parking lot was still empty, the trees looming dark and silent around us. But that feeling—the one that had been nagging at me all night—was back. We weren't alone. Something was out there, watching us.

"Stay close," I whispered to Blair, my heart pounding in my chest.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness. My breath caught in my throat as I saw who it was.

Dean.

But something was wrong. His expression was off—too calm, too blank. And his eyes—his eyes were wrong. They were glowing with an eerie, golden light.

My blood ran cold.

Blair gasped beside me, her hand clutching my arm. "Sam... that's not Dean."

I swallowed hard, my mind racing as I tried to process what I was seeing. "What the hell?"

The figure that looked like Dean smiled—a slow, unsettling smile that sent a wave of dread crashing over me.

"Hello, Sam," he said, his voice smooth and familiar, but laced with something darker. "I think it's time we had a little chat."

It wasn't Dean. It was something else. Something wearing his face. And I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what it was.

The Arcani had found us. And they'd come for Blair.