Adam's Revenge •~Supernatural~•

16. Pulse

•<DEAN>•

Baby rumbled down the highway; her constant and familiar growl were the only comfort I found in light of our current predicament. Rain pummeled the windshield, finally fulfilling the promise of the storm we'd seen signs of earlier. I brought my gaze up to the rearview mirror as I kept my hands firmly on the wheel. The sight that welcomed me brought my heart stutter in my chest. I clutched the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned a stark white.

Sammy was not doing good.

He was slumped in the back seat; his large frame awkwardly bent so that he could fit. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the car door. The dried blood that once coated his face was gone, replaced by bruises that hurt to look at. The bruises around his neck only seemed to become darker and darker the longer Sam stayed in his stupor. As of the last time I peeked into the rearview mirror he'd been somewhat awake, but now his eyes were firmly closed.

"How's he doing, Marie?" I asked, trying to not let slip the panic I knew resided in my voice. Marie was in the back seat as well, keeping an eye on Sam. When I said this, she gave me a look before reaching up and putting two fingers against Sam's neck, checking for a pulse. My own pulse hammered in my veins as I waited for an answer. Finally, Marie dropped her hand and gave me a reassuring smile that still held a trace of worry.

"There's a pulse, Dean. It's slow and steady too. I don't know what happened to him, but I think he's just sleeping now."

That would have been reassuring in its own right, but with Sam, things were never that cut and dry or that easy. It was twice now that his pulse had been checked within the last three hours. I swear this kid was gonna be the death of me...again.

Back at the abandoned house he seemed fine; he was fully recovered from what ever hallucinations had been flaying his mind. It wasn't until after we bid Garth a safe and shifter-free farewell and were making our way back to the Impala when it all hit the fan. No sooner had Sam lain a hand on the passenger door handle than he suddenly collapsed to the ground. I ran to his side with Marie right on my tail and found that he was on the edge of unconsciousness. After failing to wake him completely, we quickly lost any hope that we were going to get his help in getting him in the car. Painfully and awkwardly, we maneuvered him so that he was somewhat situated comfortably within the backseat. We decided our next plan of action would be to find a secure place to hunker down and figure out what the hell was going on.

"How far is the motel?" Marie asked.

"Not far," I answered, readjusting myself in the seat. While we'd only been in the car for an hour, driving nonstop with my brother constantly teetering between being slightly cognizant and being completely wiped out made it feel like ten.

I knew it would be a bad idea to go back to our old no-tell motel with the threat of Adam on our ass, so Marie and I came up with the idea to change venues. The motel in question was one we passed heading towards the outskirts of town to Garth's aid. Not to mention, a decent place to wash up wouldn't be half bad either. I could feel the blood and grime from my tussle with the shapeshifter drying against my skin and my t-shirt; chafing in areas I didn't even know could chafe.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I started in my seat when I heard a groan emanating from Sam's direction. I quickly took control of the wheel again as my heart hammered with an odd mixture of both relief and anxiety.