Parallel » Sam Winchester

»11

Sam's heart was pounding and a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he flew up the staircase he had descended only moments ago. His feet carried him past other people's apartments, inhabitants of which were painfully unaware of the young man running frantically through their hallways, stopping only once he reached a door at the end.

Hazel's door was closed, and Sam leaned up against it, pressing his ear to the cool panel. Nothing, not even a small whimper could be heard from the other side. "Hazel?" He called, knocking loudly on the door, using his other had to rattle the doorknob.

No reply.

Sam could feel panic begin to rise in his chest, and was about to dial Dean when he heard it.

A muffled, horrified sob. But it wasn't coming from Hazel's place.

Instead, it seemed to be from an apartment two doors away, which Sam had passed in his hurry to get to Hazel. Now, he noticed the door had been left ajar, giving the entire floor a peek of the darkened apartment inside.

Sam swallowed hard, taking a tentative step towards the entrance. "Hello?" He called, tapping the doorway with the back of his hand, "Hazel?"

Sticking his head into the opening in the door, he gazed around. The lights were all out, and Sam blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the lack of lighting.

"Hazel," he spoke once more, stepping inside. As he made his way through the apartment, he observed his surroundings. They layout was the exact same as Hazel's, but rather than her grey and white walls adorned with records, this apartment's walls seemed to be painted a spring green, or possibly yellow, with a few framed photographs hung up on them. Some were different landscapes, such as beaches and rolling hills, while others were shots of people he didn't recognize. Squinting, he could make out a picture of a family with the same light blonde hair and wide smiles, standing on a bridge somewhere. His eyes traveled to the next set of photos, which featured the same family, doing an array of different activities, from kayaking to hiking.

Once he had finished looking, Sam made his way to the kitchen, keeping his footsteps light.

As he stepped over a broken glass in the kitchen, cursing himself for not bringing a flashlight or weapon of some sort, he heard it.

A sound that made his blood run cold, coming from one of the back rooms.

The same horrified cry he had heard on his way out.

Without thinking about what could be lurking in the darkness of the apartment, Sam called out.

"Hazel! Hazel, where are you?"

"Sam!" A female voice cried, and he was quick to follow it, peering around the corner and into what looked like a small bedroom.

He began to search for a light switch, running his hands along the walls.

When he located it, he flipped it on and shielded his eyes against the sudden flood of light.

::

The first thing he saw once his eyes adjusted was Hazel, standing in a far corner and looking terrified. Her hair was messy and her face had gone pale.

"Hazel wha-" he began, stepping towards her.

"Sylvie," the girl croaked in a barely audible voice, a trembling finger pointed at the wall behind him.

As if on cue, a droplet of a warm substance landed on Sam's cheek. He brushed it away with his fingertips, and brought them in front of his face. Something red and sticky coated his hand, and Sam's eyes widened.

Swiveling around, he spotted what Hazel had been so terrified by, and nearly choked.

The body of a blonde woman was strung up on the ceiling, face frozen and contorted into an expression of pain. A long, snakelike cut ran across her throat and dripped with her blood. Her body was adorned with various other stab wounds and what appeared to be burn marks.

It couldn't be.

A strong sense of deja vú washed over Sam, and he tore his gaze away to look at Hazel. Tears cascaded down her beautiful face, and his heart would have ached if he had given it the time. However, knowing what was about to happen, Sam quickly grabbed Hazel, determined to get her out of there.

"We've gotta go, now!" He cried as the two fled from the apartment, down the stairs and to the lobby. Once there, he ran to the front desk. "Call the fire department, hurry!" Sam commanded, one hand leading Hazel and the other digging through his pockets for his phone.

Frantically, Sam dialed a number he knew he should have called the moment he heard Hazel's scream, and waited anxiously as the phone rang.

One ring. Two. Three.

"Hello?" A groggy voice asked on the other end.

"Dean, it's happening again,"

----

A bit of a short chapter this time, but I really hope you guys liked it!

How about that twist??!

I think out of all the scenes I've drafted and written for Parallel, this one has been the toughest. I wanted to continue Sam and Hazel's budding relationship so badly, but I need to get all of this tragedy out of the way first :(

Hopefully in the next few chapters, Samzel will have a few more cute moments because my heart is actually aching for them!

In the meantime, I wanna know what you guys think is going to happen now that Hazel has seen this awful event, so let me know in the comments! :)

And as always, a tremendous thank you to all my beautiful readers, those that have been here since the beginning, and those who are just now discovering this book, for your support and love, your endearing comments and all the votes. You're the best in the world!

All my love,

-lex