Protect Her ~ supernatural / sam winchester

Fifteen

Sam felt a weight lift from his chest at the noise. The banging bounced off the walls, traveling down the hallway to where he stood, fighting off demons with his brother and their angel at his side. He turned to Dean as a voice echoed, "Crowley!" Their eyes met for a second, just long enough for Sam to get the message. Go get her.

He ran as fast as he could down the corridor, mowing down any demon that stood in his path-- and there were many. Along with struggling against demons, his journey was slowed by the fact that he needed to open every door he came across. Perhaps that was why the pounding and shouting had stopped by the time he reached the end of the hall. Sam could only hope she had not been stopped by someone. One lone, rusty metal door stood in front of him. When the handle did not budge, he threw his body against it. If anyone was inside the room, they did not give any signs. Using his weight as a battering ram, Sam refused to give up.

"I'm here, Dani," he hissed under his breath. His shoulder began to ache.

Finally, with a creak and a crash, the door swung open. And there she was, curled up in a small ball against the wall farthest from the door, staring up at him with big, tired brown eyes.

"Dani!" he gasped. She did not respond, simply gaping at him as if she could not believe what she was seeing. He was astonished at the picture that greeted him, as well.

The girl he knew as strong, fearless, and indestructible now had hollowed cheeks and empty eyes. Her hair was tangled and matted, her clothing torn and dirtied. While he was not the perfect picture of health and safety at the moment, either, having fought off many demons, she looked as if every ounce of her soul had been taken out and put in a blender, then stomped on in front of her very eyes.

Her face was dirtied, bloodied, and bruised, several long gashes ran across her cheeks which were bound to scar if not properly tended too. Her once blue jeans were now tie-dyed purple with blood, nearly torn to shreds. Her wrists were rubbed raw, flesh a multitude of colors from bruises both new and old. The shirt she wore hung loosely on her thin shoulders, exposing her too-prominent collar bone. One large hole in the fabric exposed a wound that had to be infected. Her cheeks were devoid of color, her eyes lifeless while she was still alive. Her small chest rose quickly with shallow breaths.

Sam felt a strong urge to vomit. Dani did, as well. Here she was, a monster, tortured and beaten, staring up at the man she thought she loved and would never see again.

Sam slowly crept over to where she sat, crouching to her level. She recoiled as he approached. Hurt flashed across his face.

"Dani," he sighed. Again, no response. He brought his hand up to touch her face, but she reacted as if he were holding fire. Her entire body shook when she jumped.

"W-what's wrong?" he asked, voice shaking. "It's-it's me. Sam?" Oh, please, Sam begged. Please let her remember me.

Dani visibly swallowed before whispering, "I know."

"Can you get up?" he asked softly after a pause. She merely shook her head, eyes drifting to her knee. He offered a hand, which she eyed skeptically. The whole while he wondered what had happened to her and why she no longer seemed to trust him.

Finally, she took Sam's hand and leaned on him. He led her slowly out of the room, calculating a route to get to Cas without putting them in danger. Luckily, noises of fighting and struggle could no longer be heard.

The pair walked painstakingly slowly due to Dani's injuries. Sam stopped for a moment, looking down at her. She stared back at him, face unreadable. He sucked in a breath and said, "Hold on," before sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. She made a small squeak but otherwise did not protest; they both knew they would move faster this way.