ohsam | THE FLEDGLING - Chapter 3/6 (Reply)

Title: THE FLEDGLING

Author: Leigh Ann Wallace
Rating: NC-17
Genre/pairing: Gen
Characters: Sam & Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, John Winchester
Word count: 1887
Summary: Young boys have been disappearing and Sam is the latest victim. Will Dean find him before it’s too late?
Spoilers: (if applicable) No spoilers. Pre-series
Warnings: (if applicable) Child Endangerment, Some Language
Disclaimer: Pretty clear I don't own anything to do with Supernatural. Written out of love and passionate obsession.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The door opened silently, thanks to the WD-40 Jerry had slathered over the hinges. He eased into the room, closing the door carefully behind him, then stood still, waiting for his eyes to adapt to the near-total darkness.

He could hear the breathing of the two boys on the other side of the room, see their dark shadows against the paler walls of the room. It looked like Mitch's wildcat had finally fallen asleep - he was slumped against his friend, head sunk down onto his chest.

He didn't have much time, knew he shouldn't be doing this at all - knew it - but he just couldn't let the kid go without a little payback for the slashed arm - just a few slaps, a kick or two. Something to remind him of Jerry in his new, and probably short, life.

Eyes gleaming with malice, he slid across the room toward the boys.

But - Jerry hadn't reckoned on the sharp ears of the youngest Winchester.

Nerves strung tight, Sam waited.

Not yet. Not - yet.

At last, feeling the whisper of hot breath on his cheek, Sam grabbed the bucket from the floor beside him and smashed it into the intruder's face.

Stunned, Jerry fell on top of Joey and the youngster woke up screaming, thrashing to get out from under the man. With a howl, Sam plunged on top of them both, smashing the bucket down on Jerry's head again, the man's cry of anger and pain mingling with the crunch of broken bone.

When the man was still, Sam pulled Joey out from under him. Blue eyes wide with horror, Joey stared at Jerry's prone body. "Is he dead?"

"Don't know," Sam said tersely. "Don't care." He ran his hands over Jerry, looking for a weapon, but there was nothing, not even a cell phone. "Damn it!"

They ran for the door, flung it open and ran right into Ma Jenner. "What the –" The old woman grabbed Sam by the arm, sank long nails into his flesh. "Mitch! Jerry!"

"Let me go, you bitch!" Sam tried to pull away, gasping as she dug her nails in deeper, drawing blood, Joey pulling at him from the other side.

Feeling her grip start to loosen, the woman swung at him, fist connecting solidly with his head, startling a cry out of him. Vision blurring with the force of the blow, Sam gritted his teeth, doubled his fist and punched her hard in the stomach, sending her to the floor, gasping for air.

"Come on, come on!" Joey groaned, pulling at him. They started for the elevator at the end of the hall. Before they reached it, a door opened just beyond it. Not waiting to see who came through, they whirled and ran back toward the other end of the hall, and the door leading to the stairs.

As the two boys went through the exit, an angry roar filled the hall. Sam looked back to see Mitch bending over his mother. The big man raised his head and stared at him, face red with rage and Sam blanched and ran into the stairwell, slamming the door shut behind him.

Joey was running up the stairs, already almost up to the next floor. "Joey, come back!"

Joey didn't stop. If anything, he ran faster.

"Joe!" Head pounding from the Ma Jenner's blow, Sam ran after his friend, caught him two floors up. "Joe, we gotta go down -"

The stairwell door slammed open below. "Wildcat!" Mitch's voice boomed.

Trembling, Sam and Joey looked down the stairs and saw the big man gazing up at them. The three stared at each other for a long moment, then Mitch's mouth stretched wide in a wolfish grin, and the boys broke, sprinting up the last two flights of stairs.

The sound of Mitch pounding up the stairs after them filling Sam's ears, he followed Joey through the door to the roof and slammed it shut, looking around desperately for something to block it. Grabbing a small piece of wood off the ground, he jammed it under the bottom of the heavy door. "Please hold, please hold, please hold!"

Mitch threw himself against the other side of the door and Sam threw himself backward, landing on his butt. Joey hauled him to his feet and the boys stared at the door, eyes wide with fear. Another thud, and then another.

The door held.

"Wildcat!" Mitch shouted . "You open this door, now! I have to break it down, Ma's gonna be mighty upset!"

Neither of them answered and Mitch threw himself against the door again. "Wildcat!"

"Look for a fire escape," Sam said urgently to Joey. "We've got to get off this roof before he gets through!"

They separated, running to different sides of the roof. When Sam looked over the side, he saw that they were about ten floors up on a red-brick building in the middle of a warehouse district. It was past dawn, but there was no traffic on the street, and no pedestrians. The building next door was too far of a jump, and he couldn't see a fire escape.

Sam ran a shaking hand through his hair. More than anything he wanted to see the Impala cruising down the street. More than anything, he wanted his brother's arms around him.

More than anything, he wanted a freaking gun!

Even this far from the rooftop door, he could hear Mitch still throwing himself against it, could hear his raging curses. His blood ran cold at the thought of what would happen if - when - the man made it through the door. He knew Mitch wouldn't kill them, but he wasn't sure he wouldn't prefer that to what the man and his mother had in mind.

And if the old woman were angry enough about him hitting her, she might give him to her son. She might - he would - a wave of nausea rolled over him and he ruthlessly cut off that line of thought. Don't think about that now. Think about how to save your stupid ass!

"Sam, here!" Joey waved from the other side of the roof. As Sam ran to him, his friend pointed excitedly over the edge. "Look!"

A fire escape ladder, leading almost all the way down to the street! Sam's breath blew out in a gasp of relief.

Then there was a dull boom as the beleaguered rooftop door finally gave way and the boys spun around to see Mitch explode out onto the rooftop.

The big man spotted the boys just as they went over the edge of the roof. Swearing, he ran over to the side and looked over. They were already ten feet down and moving fast.

He pulled his cell phone out, dialed. "Ma, they're going down the front of the building. Send Jerry out there . . . What? . . . I don't care if his fucking head falls off, tell that asshole to get out there before someone sees them!"

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Sam's foot slipped on the rain damp ladder and he fell against it, gasping, not daring to look down. Joey, following closely, almost stepped on him. "Come on, move it, Jesus, go!"

"Sorry," Sam croaked. "Sorry." He found his footing, started down again.

"Oh shit! Hurry, he's coming!" Joey groaned and Sam looked up to see that Mitch had come over the edge of the roof after them.

They went faster, Sam trying not to think about the open space beneath them, what they'd look like if they fell, what it would feel like slamming into the pavement – his foot slipped again and he clutched the ladder frantically, the thought of the empty space yawning below him freezing his limbs.

"Go, go!" Joey screamed frantically.

Cursing himself for a coward, Sam forced himself to move - not fast enough, God, not nearly fast enough.

"Hey!" A shout from above and both boys looked up to see Mitch grinning down at them. He pointed past them and they looked down to see Jerry scowling up at them.

"You sure you want to go down there?" Mitch shouted jocularly. "Jerry looks pretty pissed!"

Sam looked at Joey. "We can make it past him, he's just one guy!" he said desperately.

Joey's eyes widened. "No, Sam, wait!"

Jerry was climbing up.

"No!" Sam stared around frantically. No one on the street, no windows close enough to get to. Mitch coming down, Jerry climbing up and - he saw now - Ma Jenner standing on the sidewalk staring up at them. "No!"

Wait.

A drainpipe, about three feet away from the ladder. And, maybe ten feet down, just a few feet on the other side of the drainpipe, a window ledge.

If they were careful, they could reach the pipe. If they were lucky, it would hold their weight long enough for them to get to the ledge. And if they were really lucky, someone would see them up here and call the cops.

They had to risk it. Sam reached over and grabbed the drainpipe, feeling his way carefully, tensing at the slight creak in the pipe as it took his weight.

"Wait till I get to the ledge, Joey!" he gasped. "It won't hold us both!"

Joey looked up, paled. Mitch was just a few feet above them. "Hurry!"

Sam started to slide down the drainpipe, ignoring the scraping and tearing of his hands as they slide down the rough metal. He was just a few feet away from the ledge now.

Joey screamed. Sam's head jerked up at the cry. Mitch had Joey by the hair, the boy struggling to get away.

"Damn you!" Sam shouted. "Let him go, you bastard!"

Joey flailed at Mitch with one hand, clung to the ladder with the other. Mitch cursed, trying to get hold of something more than the boy's hair, grabbing for his sweatshirt, his shoulder, anything to strengthen his grip.

Sam stretched out, reaching for the ladder to climb back up and help his friend, but the pipe was shuddering beneath his weight, starting to pull away from the wall.

With a wild cry, Joey at last pulled away from Mitch, leaving a large hank of his blond hair in the man's fist and leapt for the drainpipe.

Sam felt his friend's weight hit the pipe, felt it groan under his hands, knew it was going to go. No time, no time! Gotta jump, jump for the ledge, jump!

Screaming inside his head, no breath left, Sam jumped for the ledge, brain gibbering with fear at the empty air beneath him. Hard impact, tearing fingernails as he hit the ledge and scrabbled for purchase, sick feeling in his stomach as he started to sway backward, managed to crouch and save himself.

"Joey, jump!" he cried out, knowing it was too late, too goddamned late.

"Sam!"

Fluttering on the ledge, Sam looked up to see the pipe pulling away from the wall - Joey still clinging to it, blue eyes stretched wide in terror - Mitch reaching out desperately to pull him back to the ladder.

He missed.

With a scream of tortured metal, the drainpipe tore away from the wall, and the pipe and Joey fell to the street below.