Super Scorned by the Hill

Dean alternated between watching the road and eyeing the flyer in Sam's lap. "You really don't think it's fishy that this thing just happened to turn up on our door?"
Sam shrugged. "Every room in the motel got one. Conspiracy nuts love to spread their message. Besides, at least some of the story is true. I was able to confirm nearly every death and disappearance listed here. And that town has a history of mysterious tragedies going back to the early eighteenth century. Something grim is going on in Silent Hill."
"Yeah, yeah, I already agreed we'd check it out. I just hate Maine."
"What's wrong with Maine?"
"Don't you know your King? Everything bad happens in Maine."
"I don't believe that's true." Cas had been quiet for so long that Dean had almost forgotten he was in the car. "Bad things happen in most locations on a semi-regular basis."
"Not being literal, Cas." In the rear-view mirror he caught the subtle quirk of the former angel's lips. "But you already knew that."
"I am learning."
---
Amon shot up in bed, mouth open in a silent scream. Andi was there in an instant, wrapping the blanket around him so he could hug him safely.
"Take it easy, you're safe, I've got you."
As soon as Amon was calm enough to recognize his surroundings he grabbed the brochure he had left on the nightstand and waved it insistently at Andi.
"Silent Hill again? I don't get why you want to visit a place you keep having nightmares about." Amon could only shrug helplessly. He didn't have an explanation. He couldn't even remember what happened in his dreams. He only knew that he was supposed to go to that town, and he wouldn't sleep peacefully until he did. He looked pleadingly at Andi, who sighed.
"Alright. I'll find a map in the morning and figure out a way for us to get there. Now try to get some more sleep. I'll be right here beside you."
---
There was no money left to travel with. What little they had Andi had spent on the motel room, hoping Amon would sleep better in a real bed. They were in a seedy neighborhood. The people were wary, defensive; stealing here would be risky. He didn't mind risk, but he had a better way.
He put on his one nice outfit, tucking his braid into the shirt - long hair didn't look very professional. Carrying a briefcase he had swiped a few months back, he made his way through the narrow side streets, looking lost and nervous. He made an ideal target. In an alley just a few blocks from the motel he was jumped. Two young punks threw him to the ground and demanded he hand over his wallet. Stuttering fearfully, he told them it was in the briefcase and opened it; to reveal a pair of wicked-looking daggers.
Before the thugs could react he was on them, stabbing one in the leg so he couldn't run and pressing a blade to the other's throat.
"You're going to give me everything you have, or your bodies are going to turn up in a dumpster. Maybe several dumpsters." Frightened, they emptied their pockets and handed over a gold earring and a pair of expensive - probably stolen - watches. He let them go, stashed what he'd taken in the briefcase, and returned to the motel.
Later that day he and Amon boarded a train bound for Maine.
---
Silent Hill looked like any ordinary tourist destination, and the Winchesters wondered if they were wasting their time. Dean stopped at the first motel he spotted, Jack's Inn, and got them a room. There were only two beds, but Cas had a problem with sleeping alone, and so far Sam had graciously avoided mocking Dean for sharing. Cas was family, and right now they were both willing to give him what he needed, however awkward it might be.
Once they were checked in Sam and Cas took the car and headed for the public records office to dig into the town's past. Dean opted to check out the nearest bar and chat with the locals.
A fog was rolling in.
---
The train didn't stop in Silent Hill, so Andi and Amon had to walk from the station. There was a fog so thick that they couldn't see the town until they were right on the outskirts. It was a dreary place; many of the shops were boarded up, and the streets were deserted.
"Now what?" Andi asked. Amon shrugged. He had no idea what they were supposed to do next. He didn't know what they were doing there at all, only that it was necessary for them to come. Andi sighed and gestured down the street. "I'm starved. Let's start with something to eat. There's gotta be some place around here still open."
They ventured further into the town.

Dean couldn't figure it out. From outside he had heard voices in the bar, and yet he had walked in to find it deserted. He could have sworn he'd seen vague shapes too, through the smoky glass windows; but when he turned to look out those same windows they had been covered over with old newspapers. Scrawled across them was the message 'There was a hole here. It's gone now.'
Sam was right. There was something freaky going on in that town.
There was a rifle behind the bar. Something told him he was going to need it, and he'd been hunting long enough to trust his gut. He hesitated before leaving with it, though. He told himself he was being ridiculous. There were people out on the streets, and walking out there with a gun - a stolen gun, no less - was a good way to get himself arrested. The bar was obviously closed, and what he'd seen and heard were just his mind playing tricks on him. He told himself all this, then tightened his grip on the gun and stepped outside.
The streets were silent and deserted. He could almost believe he was the only living person around. The fog must have driven everyone inside. He was making his way back toward the motel when a scream split the air.
He raced toward the sound and found monsters.
There were three of them, resembling oversized Dobermans but with spiked ridges on their backs and three whips each in place of tails. Their feet were scaly talons. When they moved they seemed to be made of smoke, and he was reminded of hellhounds. They had cornered a young man against a wall. He was holding a pair of daggers, but couldn't hope to fight off all three beasts; and he looked too scared to try. Fear had paralyzed him. One of the hounds lifted its head to the sky and let out the scream Dean had heard. An answering scream came from somewhere else in the town.
One beast lunged forward. Dean fired a shot, but it passed right through the creature's body. In that smoky state only their heads and their vicious claws seemed corporeal. The target dropped and rolled to avoid the blow, but couldn't get far because of the others.
The hound Dean had fired at turned to charge at him, and for a moment it was as if time had been turned back and he was once again waiting for it to drag him to Hell. But this time he wasn't going down so easy. He leapt on top of a mailbox and over the beast's back as it passed him. It skidded to a stop to turn around, and in that brief moment when it was still and corporeal he put a bullet in its brain.
The remaining two monsters let out their terrible scream, and this time the answering cry was closer. The other man seemed to have found his courage, however, and one scream was cut off by a dagger slitting the hound's throat.
Only one remained.
It was smart, moving constantly so it couldn't be harmed. But the stranger was smart too. He nodded at Dean, a signal to be ready. Then he shouted to get their enemy's attention. It ran at him, and he ran at it. At the last moment he dropped to slide beneath it, and surprise brought it to a halt.
Dean fired even as the other man was dropping, and his bullet found its mark before the creature had even finished solidifying. It fell dead.
They were only two blocks from the motel. Dean motioned up the road. "Up here, we can get off the street." The stranger eyed him suspiciously, as if Dean hadn't just saved his life.
"Why the hell would I go with you?"
"Because those things were calling the rest of their pack, and we probably don't have much time."
The other man wasn't happy about it, but he nodded tersely and waved at a narrow alley. A second man emerged, carrying a duffel bag, and both followed Dean back to his room.
"Sam? Cas?" Dean called out to them the moment he reached the parking lot, but there was no sign of the car and the room was empty. The latch, which had been working fine when they checked in, was now busted, and the door swung open uselessly. The room itself looked like it hadn't been used in years.
"What the fuck? We were just here twenty minutes ago, and it didn't look like this."
"Who's we? Who the hell are you?"
"The name's Dean Winchester. I'm here with my brother Sam and our... friend, Cas. We heard there was some messed up shit in this town, but this..." He whistled. This was far more than they had ever expected.
The other man's companion nudged him, and he muttered angrily "I'm Andi and this is Amon." Dean took a moment to size them up.
Andi was at least ten years younger than him, a full foot shorter, and small-built, though he obviously worked hard to build up muscle. Every inch of skin apart from his face was covered. His blond hair was in a braid down to his ass, which should have looked feminine but on him brought to mind those warriors who never cut their hair until defeated. He scowled as if holding Dean personally responsible for what was going on.
Amon was several inches taller, dark-skinned, and slender enough that Dean could snap him in half if he wanted. He was wearing a sweater and an ankle-length skirt; Dean really wanted to make a smart-ass comment, but this was no time to piss off potential allies. He offered his hand, but neither of them took it. He cleared his throat self-consciously and offered his most winning smile.
"So... Wanna fight monsters together?"
Andi scoffed. "You can do whatever you want. We're getting out of here."
"Where's your car?"
"We walked in, we'll walk out."
"What are you, an idiot?" Andi looked furious, but Dean didn't give him a chance to respond. "There's more of those things out there, and you can't outrun them on foot. Listen, my brother and Cas have our car, and some pretty sweet weapons. Stick with me 'til I find them and we'll give you a ride out of town."
Andi really hated the idea of joining up with a stranger, but he had to admit it made more sense than trying to get out alone. "Fine. If nothing else, your gun could come in handy. But the second you stop being useful - or if you let anything happen to Amon - you're on your own." He strode fearlessly out of the motel room, Amon close behind. Dean watched them go.
"Friendly little tourist town, my ass."

Dean tried his cell while they walked, but couldn't get a signal. "Of course I don't have service. Sam always gets service. Piece of shit phone." He gestured up the road. "They were headed around to the other side of the lake, but they can't have gotten too far before this place went to hell. They're probably already on their way back."
The road took them to the outskirts of town. Several times they heard things in the fog, or saw movement from the corners of their eyes, but nothing attacked. Andi was just thinking they should walk out after all when he nearly stepped off the edge of a cliff.
The road was gone, as was everything around it. The fog made it impossible to tell how deep the crevice was, but when Andi kicked a rock over the edge they couldn't hear it hit the bottom.
"So much for meeting them on the road. What's your next bright idea?"
Dean was staring over the edge incredulously. "No telling how wide this sucker is, and they know better than to abandon my car. They're stuck on the other side, so that's where we've got to get." There was a sign by the side of the road for the nearby Silent Hill Historical Society, and it advertised boat tours. "I guess we're crossing the lake."
There was a sailboat tied up at the boat launch. That's where they found their first body. It had been wrapped up in the mainsail - and that was one package they were not interested in opening - but one hand hung loose, and the sail was covered in blood. The bloodstain was still spreading; whatever happened, they had just missed it.
The other boat was a cabin cruiser, which would have been perfect if it wasn't lying on its side, half-submerged, with a massive hole in the hull. There was an emergency kit on the side of the cabin, and Andi leapt aboard to grab it. They were about to give up and leave when something new emerged from the fog.
It resembled a human, in a vague sense that only made it more horrifying. It's head was merely a faceless lump of misshapen flesh. It shambled along on two legs, but its arms seemed to be contained in a straitjacket of its own skin. It twitched wildly as if trying to break free.
It was disturbing, but hardly scary compared to the things Dean had seen. He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Are we supposed to be afraid of that?" He sighed and rolled his eyes before raising the rifle, making a show of lining up his shot to put the pathetic creature out of its misery.
Then it spit fire at him.
That's what it felt like, at least. His arm and shoulder were burning in agony. He immediately dunked them in the lake, but the acid spit had already eaten through three layers of cloth to leave burns the size of quarters on his skin. Now the thing charged, and it was so much faster than it appeared. It was on him before he could get the rifle in position to shoot, so instead he slammed the butt into the side of its head. It reared back, prepared to spit again, but Andi speared its shoulders with his daggers and flipped it into the water.
Dean prodded gingerly at his acid burns. "Ok, more dangerous than it looked."
"Than they look," Andi corrected. Three more had appeared on the shore. The human trio backed away to the very end of the dock, where they found a rowboat they hadn't noticed before.
"Beggars can't be choosers," Dean muttered, and they climbed in and cast off.
It was a wide boat, meant for two rowers. Dean waved an oar at Andi. "You want to give me a hand here?"
"No." He was gazing into the water uneasily, as if expecting something to rise up and attack them. Given what they'd seen so far, maybe he was wise to be paranoid. Amon took the second oar instead, a little unsure but quickly learning to match Dean's rhythm. He nodded and smiled when Dean thanked him.
"So do you speak at all, or what?"
"No." Andi answered for him.
"Well how come?"
Amon dropped his oar and made a series of odd gestures. It looked nothing like any sign language Dean had ever seen; it was more like very complicated charades. Andi shook his head. "I'm not going to say that." Amon kept repeating the motions until he gave in. "When he was a kid he saw his family die. Now he's..." He trailed off, and Amon insistently repeated one gesture. "He says now he's broken, but he's not." He glared at Dean, daring him to argue, but Dean wasn't about to say anything about it.
He thought if he ever got the chance, when Andi wasn't listening, he might tell Amon how he hadn't spoken for a year after his mom died.
He tried to change the subject. "What brought you guys to this hellhole, anyway?"
"Enough with the small talk. Just get us across."
Dean glanced at Amon. "He always this friendly?" Amon nodded solemnly, and Dean sighed. He was stuck with a mute and an ass for company. They couldn't find Sam and Cas soon enough.
Andi was now going through the emergency kit. Apart from first aid supplies, it held a flare gun and a flashlight. He put it all in his duffel bag, but reconsidered and tossed Dean some ointment and gauze.
Dean shook his head. "I'm fine. This is nothing." His burns were actually getting more painful with each stroke of his oar, but he wasn't about to admit it. He'd dealt with much worse.
Andi didn't really care how Dean felt about it. "You're an idiot. You're in pain, meaning you're distracted and not as good in a fight. And if we run into something that actually has a brain, your arm might as well be labelled 'Strike Here to Cause Crippling Agony'. Deal with it."
He took over rowing just long enough for Dean to awkwardly wrap his arm one-handed. The moment Dean was done Andi shoved the oar at him, straight into his ribs, and fled to the very front of the boat. Dean was not impressed.
"Dude, we're in a boat, on a lake, in the middle of a monster-infested town. Are you actually trying to pick a fight here?"
"I'm not trying to do anything. I just want to get to shore."
"Well what's your problem? Is it the lake, are you afraid of the water?"
The moment the word 'afraid' passed his lips Amon stiffened, and he realized he was saying the worst possible thing. Andi whirled to face him, fire in his eyes; for a moment Dean thought they actually glowed.
"I am not afraid of anything! I'm pissed off because I'm stuck in this tiny piece-of-crap boat with a guy I don't know and have no reason at all to trust! So do you think maybe you could shut up and just row the damn boat?!"
"Hey, you-" Dean's angry rebuttal was cut off by Amon grabbing his arm and pointing to the side. They were passing near a small island in the middle of the lake, and their argument was drawing attention. Children - or things that looked like children - lined the shore. Chains hung from their wrists. Some were walking right into the lake, trying to reach the boat, but most were so still they hardly seemed to be living. It was one of the creepiest sights Dean had witnessed in all his years of hunting.
Amon sternly pointed at the child-things, his own ears, then Dean and Andi. Dean nodded. "Ok, I get it. We keep drawing attention, we'll have the far shore covered in those things too. No more fighting."
"Fine," Andi muttered, and turned away again. The rest of the trip was passed in total silence.

They came ashore near the remains of a once grand hotel that had been gutted by fire and collapsed in on itself. Andi strode out onto the road in front of the building, peering through the fog in all directions.
"Now what? Do you actually have any idea where your friends are? And even if we find them, what if all the roads out of town have collapsed? Do you have any plan at all?" He was trying to keep his voice down, but he was clearly pissed off and taking it out on Dean.
"Look, I offered to work with you so we could all get out of here. Would you rather I abandoned you back there? Maybe I don't have a plan, but I'm trying to keep us all alive, so maybe you could show a little gratitude." Andi was about to say something when Amon put a finger to his lips, and to Dean's surprise Andi actually shut up. Amon pointed to Dean and then clasped his hands in front of his chest. "What does that mean?"
"He thinks you're a good man," Andi reluctantly translated. Amon signed something else. "And he's reminding me that his judgment is sometimes better than mine. Ok. I'm being a dick, and maybe you don't deserve it."
It was surprising that he would admit that much, but Dean couldn't help but push him; it was his nature. "Now, what do we say after we've been an ass to the guy helping us?"
Andi spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm so-"
And then a car hit him.
Sam leapt out of the driver's side and ran to check on him. "I'm so, so sorry. Are you alright? The headlights died, and I didn't see you in the fog." Andi was banged up but not hurt too badly; fortunately Sam had been driving slowly.
"Hey, Sammy!"
"Dean?"
Andi looked between the two men. "Seriously? This is who we've been looking for? So we crossed the lake to find these people so they could hit me with their car. That's just great." The Winchesters ignored him.
"What happened to your arm?"
"It's nothing. What happened to your face?" Half of Sam's face was a mottled bruise, and there was blood on his lips.
"There was this... thing outside the records office, I don't even know how to describe it. It knocked us around a bit before we killed it." He turned his attention to Dean's companions. "Who's this?"
"Andi and Amon. They're stuck here too - I guess you saw the road is out. This is my brother Sam, and that's Cas." Cas was just getting out of the car. He had fared better than Sam, but he had a cut over one eye that was still bleeding.
Amon bowed politely, though he was staring intently at Cas. His expression was unreadable. Andi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, nice to meet you, whatever. We're wasting time. We need to check the other roads out of town." Sam glanced at Dean, who just shook his head; the accepted Winchester signal for 'he's an ass, just go with it'. Just as they were getting into the car an air-raid siren cut through the silence, and the world changed.
The fog drifted away, and the world it revealed was a nightmare come to life. The trees had become twisted metal sculptures, with meathooks hanging from their branches and fire burning at their cores. Bodies were hung on some of the hooks. The sky was pitch black with a distant red glow, and the lake appeared to be blood. Large sections of the road crumbled away into a seemingly bottomless pit, leaving behind a latticework of hooks and chains. Distant screams rose from that pit. Silent Hill had become a waking nightmare.
"What the hell?" Dean summed up the group's feelings quite well. He stared longingly at his baby, but there wasn't enough road left to drive anywhere. Instead he grabbed their bags from the backseat and opened the trunk to load up on weapons. He still had his rifle, but he also grabbed a pistol and machete and passed the same to Sam. Cas had his angel blade and took a sawn-off shotgun. Andi had his daggers and Dean wasn't about to trust him with a gun, but he offered Amon his pick of weapons. Reluctantly, he chose a short spear and a hammer normally used for pounding stakes. Thus armed, they were prepared to set off on foot when a familiar scream cut through the air.
Sam was about to run after it, but Dean caught his arm. "That's not a human."
"You know what it was?"
"A dog," Andi said tersely, while at the same time Dean said "Hellhounds."
"Hellhounds scream now?"
"Yeah."
Before Sam could respond, one was on him. He swung his machete through its smoky body twice before realizing only its head was solid. His blade and Dean's met in the center of its skull, chopping the top clean off. But they weren't safe yet; it was only the first of a pack of nearly a dozen that appeared around them, leaping out of thin air mere feet from their prey. Andi launched himself at the nearest in a blind rage and managed to strike it down, but there were simply too many to fight.
"Inside!" Dean called, running for the hotel entrance. Strangely, the building actually appeared more intact now than it had in the fog. The fire damage was gone, leaving it rundown and abandoned but secure. As the last person slipped inside they slammed the doors shut between them and the hounds.
It was dark as night inside, but Andi still had his flashlight and the Winchesters pulled two more out of their bags. Smoke curled in the beams of light though there didn't seem to be a source. The walls were coated in blood, and paintings depicted scenes of horror and brutality. Cas found one that bore an image of Hell, and a figure who looked remarkably like Dean flaying victims alive. He flipped it around before anyone else could see it. Dean jumped and cursed when he spotted some of the strange children from the island in the gift shop, but these appeared to simply be dolls; though why someone would make dolls of something so creepy he had no idea. He tried the land-line at the reception desk without much hope, and was surprised to find it working; but rather than a dial tone he heard an odd growl, followed by an automated voice.
"This number only exists in your imagination. Please hang up, and don't call back."
"Hey Sam, the phones are... out. Think you can work your magic and get a signal?"
Sam shook his head. "I already tried every number I know. the only one I got through to was Crowley's."
"And he's locked up in our dungeon, so not exactly taking calls right now. That figures." Amon gave him an odd look, and he remembered that the dungeon was one of those things you shouldn't really talk about in front of strangers.
Andi found a partially-burned hotel map at the base of the stairs and headed straight for the corridor, calling Amon to his side.
Dean called after him. "Where are you going?"
"Food," Andi replied, as if it should be obvious. Following him, they found both a restaurant and a cafe, though the restaurant's doorway was completely blocked by barbed wire. More wire blocked off the corridor in either direction. Inside the cafe they found a makeshift morgue. Each table held a corpse, with a tablecloth for a shroud. Andi barely glanced at them, heading straight for the kitchen. As soon as he entered they heard a woman scream.
Inside the kitchen they found a young woman on her knees, with one of Andi's daggers at her throat. "Please, I want to help you," she insisted. Dean glared at Andi, warning him with a look not to do anything stupid, but didn't ask him to let her go.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Dana. I am - was - a member of the Order, the religious group that runs Silent Hill. It's a cult really. I tried to leave, but I'm as stuck here as you are. I know how to get out, though. I can tell you."
Andi pressed his blade a little closer, enough for her to feel it without drawing blood. "What do you know?"
"You have to find your Innocences."
Andi snorted. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"They're monsters, one for each of you. Every creature in Silent Hill is born from the minds of those trapped here, from your memories and fears, but the Innocences will be powerful and unique. When you find and kill your Innocence you - and only you - will be free to go."
Cas tilted his head in that way that always reminded Dean of a puppy. "What is the purpose of this?"
She shrugged, as much as she could with Andi holding her still. "I don't know. The darkness here was first born from Alessa, a powerful child who had everything stolen but her hate. She's gone now, but Silent Hill has grown beyond what she made it. It has a life of its own now, and a purpose beyond human understanding. I don't know why it calls certain people to it or why they must fight these monsters, but I know that until you do it won't ever let you escape."
Amon had been searching the cabinets, opening every box and bag and putting the few items that actually looked edible into his bag. He had been listening though, and he stopped to sign something to Andi.
"Do you have one of these monsters too?"
She didn't seem as afraid of Andi and his blade anymore. Now she just looked sad. "I don't know. I was born here, I wasn't called. There don't seem to be any monsters born from my mind. And the city doesn't like the Order much. There may not be a way out for me. At least not alone. But I can help you, be your guide, and maybe if I get you out alive I'll be allowed out too."
Sam looked at his brother. "We need someone who knows what's going on."
Cas gave his self-conscious little smile. "I can't guide you anymore."
Dean didn't want to trust her, but they didn't have much choice. He nodded at Andi, who reluctantly released her. "Ok, we'll give you a chance. How do we find these Innocences?"
"You'll be drawn to them. They'll be waiting in a part of this world built just for you, and as long as you keep moving you'll be led there whether you realize it or not. There are places where the power of Silent Hill is strongest. We should look there first." She peered cautiously out into the cafe before leaving the kitchen. "One more thing; beware the executioner."
Dean glanced at the others, who looked just as confused as him. "Executioner. Is that a person or a monster?"
"Neither. Both humans and monsters can be killed. An executioner lives forever."
"So what is it?"
"If you believe you deserve to be punished - or desire to see someone else punished - Silent Hill will grant you an executioner, manifested from your guilt. You can't kill it, only flee before it. I don't know what it will look like, butwhen you see it, you'll know." She had reached the cafe door. She listened for a moment to ensure nothing lurked outside, then opened it; and a battle-axe plunged downward, splitting the top of the doorframe in two and burying itself in her skull.
The monster shook her off its weapon and stepped over her corpse, into their view. It was smaller than they might have expected, perhaps Amon's height, and had a slim, feminine figure, yet it had swung the heavy axe with ease. When it walked it let the weapon drag behind it, scraping across the floor and creating a sound like nails on a chalkboard. It wasn't the noise that made them cringe, however. The creature was nude, and every inch of its skin had been burnt away. What tissue remained was crispy and black. Its face and even the front of its skull had been sliced cleanly away, but the lower jaw was left intact. Even Sam and Dean, with all their years of hunting, had never seen anything so horrifying.
"Is that-" Cas began.
Dean nodded. "I think so. Speak of the devil."
It began moving toward them, slowly but confidently, as if to say 'I don't need to run, you'll be mine soon enough'. Andi pointed back into the kitchen. "There was another door," he said quietly. In silent agreement they moved slowly back into the kitchen; the moment the door was shut they all ran.
The second door led back into the hallway, on the other side of the wire barrier so they couldn't head for the exit. They quickly checked the halls and found no way out.
"Upstairs," Sam called, and as they raced to the second floor they heard the door open behind them and that awful scraping drawing closer. On the next floor more barbed wire blocked off the main staircase. They tried going down the hall, but when they turned the corner they found it blocked too; by criss-crossing chains holding meathooks, and on those hooks a corpse that looked extraordinarily like Dean.
It took all his will not to react. Cas stared at his feet, Sam looked like he might be sick, and Amon struggled to breathe and signed something so fast that even Andi couldn't follow, but Dean did nothing. Andi approached the body warily and checked a gap in the chains.
"We should all fit through here." He climbed through himself. "Amon. Amon, it's ok. Pass me the bag." He did so, and followed Andi through. The other men found it a tight squeeze, but they were all on the other side by the time the executioner came into view. It knew they were there despite not having eyes to see them, but it lacked the dexterity to climb through as they had. After a few long seconds it raised its axe and cleaved the hanging body in two; then it walked away. As the scraping of its weapon faded into the distance the world shifted again. The chains dissolved, leaving the body in a heap on the floor. The blood on the walls turned to ash and dust, and the hallway behind them began to crumble as the fire damage reappeared. They ran for the main staircase, and by the time they reached the lobby most of the second floor was gone.
"So much for our guide," Andi muttered.
"Hey," Sam snapped, "how about showing some respect? She tried to help us."
"And now she's dead, so what use does she have for respect?"
Dean stepped in to try and keep the peace. "Let's just focus on keeping ourselves alive, ok?" He waited until both men nodded, though Andi did so grudgingly. His attitude was getting to be a real problem. "So we've each got a monster that's our ticket out of this place. I say we make a deal right now. We stick together and watch each other's backs until all five monsters are taken out, and then we get out of here together. What do you say?" Andi hesitated. "Hey, I know you can handle youself, but Amon would be safer with all of us." That did it. Andi may not want to accept help, but he would put aside his desires to do whatever was best for Amon. That was something Dean could understand.
"Ok. But there's rules. First, you look out for Amon. He's brave, a hell of a lot braver than you think, but he's not a fighter so you keep him safe. And second, you don't touch me, ever, but especially not my skin. I'm not messing around, it's for your own safety. You keep to these rules and I'll have your back."
Dean answered for all of them. "It's a deal."