SuperWhoLock: When the Shadows Rage

Episode 1: Tin Men part 2

Little footpaths snaked throughout the underbrush in what felt like totally random patterns. Sam chose the left-hand path and tromped into the woods, his brother close behind.

The path wound through a clump of pine trees, then broke out into the open, going right along a cliff edge. Sam stepped to the edge and glanced down. A smooth, sheer granite face went straight down to the water, already close to fifty feet below them. The island curved out in front of them, and in the rock face, he could see a couple of caves close to the water.

"Think it could live in one of those?" Dean asked.

"It would depend on how deep they go. The entrances of those caves would be flooded during gale season here in a couple of months, and frozen over in the winter."

"But if it hibernates that whole time, it wouldn't matter, right?"

"Probably not."

They kept moving, searching for more signs of the monster.

Eventually the path curved away from the cliff edge and headed inland again. As they walked, Sam realized that, beyond their footsteps, the island was quiet. Unusually, unnaturally quiet. He couldn't hear any animal or insect life. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. There was definitely something weird about this island.

"Hey, Sam." Dean pointed up at a set of gouges on a tree trunk.

Sam stepped closer. The gouges were at his eye level. "No blood. Maybe it's just a big bear."

"It'd have to be a freak of nature like you."

Sam swiped at him. Dean ducked and bobbed back up with a huge grin on his face.

"There's definitely something weird going on. The island is dead. I haven't heard any sounds besides us the entire hike."

Dean frowned. "That ain't right."

"I know. It's creepy."

A loud snap sounded out.

Sam pulled the shotgun into his shoulder and turned, sweeping the barrel along the edge of the woods. He felt Dean bump into him as he did the same. For a moment, they stood back to back, quiet and watchful.

Sam's heart hammered, and he swung the shotgun up into the trees, praying he wouldn't see the wendigo's skeletal face grinning down at him.

Dean swore. "Come out, come out, little monster! We're waiting to play."

No more twigs snapped, and no branches rustled from wind made by a speeding wendigo. Sam started to relax a little. "I think—"

Something wound around his ankle and yanked. Sam yelped, and his finger tightened on the trigger as he lost his balance. The shotgun thundered. Rock salt pelted his arm and side as he landed on his back. He hissed in a breath, flopped onto his stomach, trying to kick free of whatever it was that had his ankle.

It dragged him over the uneven ground. Sam winced as a rock dug into his side. He could hear Dean yelling at him, but couldn't make out the words, not with his ears ringing from the shotgun going off next to his face.

Sam flung his arm out, latched hold of a small pine tree.

Needles and bark dug into his palm, but he jerked to a halt, his arm feeling like it would wrench from his socket. The thing jerked at his ankle, tearing his hand free.

Dean jumped over him, drawing his machete. The blade flashed, and Sam heard a sharp clang.

He tucked his head to his chest, trying to see what Dean was striking at.

A black tentacle—no, a cable—lay in a stiff line on the ground, one end wrapped around Sam's leg, the other disappearing into the jumble of boulders about twenty feet away.

Dean struck at the cable again. A spark jumped from the cable to the machete blade, and Dean dropped it, swearing.

The cable slackened around Sam's ankle.

Sam huffed out a breath and sat up, staring at it. It was as thick as his thumb, coated in black rubber. He could see the interior where Dean had hacked at it, several metal wires twisted together, a couple of them cut through by the machete.

"You okay?" Dean asked, voice harsh.

Sam nodded and kicked the cable away from him. He pulled up his pant leg. The jeans were ripped about an inch above the hem, and a swollen purple bruise wrapped around his leg. He accepted Dean's hand up and tested his weight on the foot. "Hurts like heck, but I can walk."

"Good. I'm gonna go see what that thing is." Dean headed for the boulders and followed the cable around them.

Sam picked up his shotgun, wincing at the sting in his arm.

He pushed his shredded hoodie sleeve back. A few of the larger pieces had gotten through his clothes, peppering his arm with dots of blood. He pulled the sleeve back into place, pushed away the memories that went along with the sight of rock salt stuck in his skin.

"Sam!" Dean bellowed.

Sam looked up. His brother was out of sight.

"Sammy!"

Sam ran for the boulders, ratcheting another round into the shotgun barrel. When he rounded them, he could see Dean pinned to the side of the largest rock, cables wrapped around his torso and neck. He was kicking, trying to reach something on the ground that was just out of range.

"Kill it!" he yelled at Sam.

Sam raised the shotgun and fired. Rock salt pinged off the thing, and lights flickered. Sam stared at it in shock. It was a metal skull, the eyes plated with some kind of glass, cables snaking from the severed neck.

"What the—" he muttered.

Dean's swearing choked off. Sam didn't even look. He dropped the useless gun, grabbed a fist-sized rock, and smashed it into the skull. The eyes flickered. Sam glanced at his brother. Dean's eyes were wide, his knuckles white as he clawed at the cable choking him.

Sam slammed the rock into the skull again.

Cold metal fingers closed around his neck, pulling him into the air. Sam squirmed around and found himself facing a giant metal man, taller than he was and missing its head.

"Let go of him!" Sam yelled at it.

The cables slackened, and Dean dropped to his hands and knees, coughing. Two more metal monsters walked around the rocks, their joints creaking, their footfalls heavy even on ground padded by dead pine needles and moss.

Dean staggered to his feet, grabbing his machete from where it had fallen to the ground. "I'm gonna kill you, you sons of—"

One of the monsters twisted the machete from his grip. Dean's threat changed to a snarl as both monsters grabbed his arms, pulling him around the boulders.

The cables from the metal skull snaked into the giant monster's torso, pulling the head back up. It settled into place, the neck fitting seamlessly with the shoulders, a few wires exposed in imitation of a human throat. The eyes flickered, and it looked straight at Sam. "You will be upgraded."

 "Upgraded? What's that mean?"

The monster lowered him to the ground, still keeping its hand around his neck, and pushed him forward. "Walk."

Sam obeyed, his stomach sinking. He couldn't hear Dean swearing any more. As he stepped around the boulders, Sam slowly moved his hand toward his jacket pocket. The flare gun had been soaked, but maybe it would work enough for him to get free, to rescue Dean.

The monster seized his wrist in a crushing grip. Sam growled, half from pain, half from frustration. It suddenly swung him around and shoved him right at one of the rock faces.