Haunted Retreat

[mugenginga]

Dean didn't react to that. Sam managed to pull off the start of that lie because it wasn't a lie. His kid brother did seem to prefer the books to the hunting. The books to the family... he frowned a bit as that thought crossed his mind. Marcus looked towards the older brother and gave a polite smile. He had decided who the looser canon was, if not the greater threat. He looked towards the door he had come out of and gave a wider smile.

"You say you came here on the investigation of history, then? Did you not hear the other rumors?" Marcus' eyes seemed almost to sparkle as he turned back towards the brothers and held his left hand to his mouth. He leaned forward a bit, "I have it on quite good authority this place is rather haunted. I trust neither of you fear the undead?"

"If you think its haunted, what are you doing here?" Dean stated.

"Ah, what a good question from the bright young man," Marcus chuckled as he spoke, "I have, how do you say... a certain "knack" for this sort of thing you see. I must admit I've always had an affinity."

[Jilak]

Well, that confirmed it, then. While Sam wasn't still entirely sure on trusting Marcus, he believed him about the haunting. Old castle, restless spirits... it seemed too real to Sam. On the other hand, though, Marcus mentioned having a "knack" for this sort of thing. Perhaps... perhaps he was a hunter? It was a stretch, and Sam knew it was more because he WANTED to be able to trust him than anything, but even so, he couldn't break cover. No normal FBI agent would take Marcus at face value, Samuel surmised, so he had to respond carefully, in keeping with their covers.

"Haunted? As in, ghosts? You can't tell me you actually believe in that stuff, man." Sam responded with a small chuckle. In truth, it was pretty easy to stay in character. After all, this was the reaction he and Dean got whenever they told anyone what their real jobs were. Though, those times were far and few between.

"And what do you mean 'knack'? Like in The Shining?"

[mugenginga]

"I think he's just trying to make us jump at shadows, Smith," Dean said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. The man had dodged Dean's accusation, and Sam had followed up with the only logical continuation, "Probably still thinks there is a monster under his bed, too."

Marcus chuckled more loudly this time. He took a few steps to the side. The way these two were jumping at shadows could only mean they suspected an issue with the place. He wasn't quite sure what the two young men before him meant by FBI, his presence had been sealed for quite some time within the palace, but it seemed they were involved in some sort of law enforcement.

"I suppose you would say I am a 'believer', would not you? Very well, it is not as if I need your approval for my belief. I do, however, believe I may be able to convince "ye of little faith". There are things of historical value within the dungeons of this castle. Would you two be willing to do me the honor of accompanying me? Surely you logical folk fear not the things that live in the basement?"

[Jilak]

Sam wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that for a moment. Their cover required him to give off an air of 'ghosts? Preposterous!' and all, but at the same time, he knew there was probably something nasty in that basement. And the demons hadn't been kind enough to toss the Colt in with them, OR a rock salt shotgun. If they DID run into anything, they were kinda screwed, and Sam knew it. Not to mention, this Marcus guy seemed to know a lot more than he was telling. But at the same time, the sooner he and Dean exorcised whatever the hell was in that basement, the sooner th--

And that's when realization hit Sam. They'd been tossed to this place without any items but the clothes on their backs. That meant no dad's book. That meant no Latin. And Sam hadn't exactly felt it necessary to MEMORIZE the thing, as he foolishly believed he and Dean would always have access to it when they needed it. And even so, if it was demons they were dealing with, Sam wouldn't have time to sketch out a Devil's Trap. Going down there they'd be unprotected, and in harm's way. But even so...

Samuel tossed an apologetic look towards Dean before responding.

"'course not. Lead the way."

[mugenginga]

Of course, Dean had decided right when Sam gave him the look would be the perfect time to run right over him. The result was both brothers talking at once. Marcus had to raise an eyebrow at the display. He'd seen that young prince and his... oooooh. Marcus smirked at himself and chuckled in response to the two comments.

"Didn't you hear us? FBI. We're not stupid enough to follow someone into a basement where he could attack us."

Marcus spoke after his chuckle, "Of course, of course. Excuse me for my rude behavior. However, I fear the ghosts you refuse to acknowledge will not remain in the basement. Perhaps I am quite full of it, but do you wish to take such a risk? I believe you asked my reason for being here, I suppose it would only be civil to clarify. I am here to release these poor souls from their suffering, you see. I can not guarantee your safety throughout."

[Jilak]

Sam paused for a moment. He had to admit, Dean DID make a good point. Even ignoring the haunting, Marcus wasn't exactly the most trustworthy person in the world right now. He very likely had ulterior motives and could very likely attack them in the deep, dark basement. This thought occurred to Sam seconds before Marcus responded.

Normally, Sam would assume that 'release these poor souls from their suffering' was synonymous with hunter, but this Marcus guy still... still creeped him out. And he and Dean had run into situations where someone possessed seemed so... human, that it was very misleading. Case in point being when yellow eyes had possessed John. That facade had continued well until they reached their hiding spot. And that's when shit had hit the fan.

Even so, though, here they were, the Winchester brothers. Trapped in this odd place with the closest building being a creepy castle inhabited by a creepy fellow. It wasn't like they could just go outside and find someone better, could they?

"Why don't you... give my partner and I a second to talk about it, Mr. Spellman?" Sam questioned, ready to pull Dean aside for a short conversation.

[mugenginga]

"It would be entirely my pleasure," Marcus stated.

It would be Sam finding himself yanked aside rather than the other way around. Dean gave a very fake friendly glance towards Marcus before speaking in a low tone. Marcus turned his back to the two brothers and seemed to occupy himself with a spot on the floor. What neither of the brothers could see for their angle was the very slight movements of his hands. It lasted all of five seconds.

"We need to get out of here, Sammy," Dean was rather blunt, but kept a low tone, "At best, he's some kind of demon. At worst, he's a psychotic human. The man even knows we're suspicious of him!"

[Jilak]

"You're right, Dean." Sam responded, perhaps posing a bit less of a fuss than Dean had expected. There was no hesitation, no indication that he was lying, Sam could really only respond with that. Because, yes, Dean was right.

"But c'mon, man. Where else are we gonna go? We've been wandering around this place for hours, and this definitely-haunted castle's the only rest we're gonna get. And I mean, yeah, it's dangerous. Dad's not here, we've got no Colt, no rock salt shotgun, but... we're not gonna be any help to anyone dead." Sam continued. He noted the irony in his statement. But honestly, they were between a rock and a hard place here. It was either trust Marcus, and get stabbed in the back/possessed/killed by a spirit, or go outside and die of starvation/exhaustion.

[mugenginga]

"I'm liking our chances better out there then with Mr. Oogie Boogie over there," Dean stated, pointing a finger towards Marcus. Sam had said they were gonna discuss things, a pointed finger meant nothing. He didn't seem to notice Marcus wasn't facing them.

Marcus held out both his palms just in front of his chest before lowering his hands and letting out an exaggeratted sigh. He leaned against the wall and looked at the two brothers. Quite honestly, he didn't mind too much if they wandered off. His intentions remained the same as long as they stayed in the castle. He was bored easily once he obtained what he wanted, but he was rather unrelenting when someone kept something from him.

In any case, there was something not exactly physical swirling around both Sam and Dean at the moment. It wasn't creating any direct interference, but it was reaching towards the surface of both brother's minds. The surface pretty much involved what they were discussing, but other details. Marcus was smiling a bit more than he had been before. Well, he could certainly work with that...

[Jilak]

Sam was about to respond to Dean, when he felt... something. Something that didn't feel right swirling around he and Dean. This had come not too long after Marcus' exaggerated sigh, which only made Sam all the more suspicious. He didn't exactly have proof, but at this point, he supposed there was no more point in trying to uphold the cover. Sam was almost certain it was Marcus. And that was bad. That was really, really, bad. Because that either meant Marcus was antagonistic or he was very, very, nosy. Either way, Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder, pulling him as he himself took a couple of steps back.

"What is it, what's going on? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sam questioned, voice rising. He didn't like this, this situation. He'd put more hopes on Marcus' innocence than he normally would, and maybe that was because he wasn't sure if his father was alive or not. And admittedly, that made him a bit more careless than he would've normally been. But now, he didn't have time to think about that. Now, he and Dean were potentially in danger.

[mugenginga]

Dean reacted with surprise as Sam grabbed his arm and pretty much dragged the older Winchester several feet back. He saw where Sam's stare was positioned. This was easily the most annoying part of the guy's senses. He knew crap he couldn't be aware of. Marcus chuckled some more as Sam yelled at him, and that lead to Dean standing in front of Sam. Well, did that just make a good day flipping fantastic?

"Oh dear, you caught me," Marcus stated, "Do not you boys think you could have been more up front? I mean, you simply had to inform me you were looking for your father. Why, if you'd just played along I think you would have found a pleasant little surprise!"

The man looked down at his fingernails and gave a wide smile, "You see, now I'm just going to have to kill him. This is what happens when you don't play nice."

"You son of a bitch!

Dean really always had been the reckless one. He tore his arm loose from Sam and ran at Marcus. Really, the guy looked as if he intended on tackling the silver-haired man. Marcus looked up and smiled ever so politely at the charge. In a flash his form became somewhat tranparent, and before Dean could recover he had run right through the apparation and into the wall he'd intended on slamming Marcus into.

There wasn't much time for a reaction, altuough it was probable Sam had shouted something by this point. Marcus solidified again, but his form had shifted in the few seconds he hadn't been solid. His weight had dropped enough that his formerly tailored clothes seemed to hang off him. His ears had developed burned like points, as if someone had pulled at them for years, and his hair was now bordering on white. He grabbed Dean by the back and spun him around. The phantom wind that had begun to swirl around Marcus pushed up against Dean, and what looked like god damn skeleton hands melted out of the wall and grabbed Dean's wrists and ankles, holding him to the wall like a set of macabre shackles.

"Psyche," Marcus smiled, leaning close to Dean as he tried to pull free. He held up a skeletal hand towards Sam, "I'll kill him here and now if you interfere."

"Let me go, you asshole!" Dean shouted.

[Jilak]

Sam hadn't had much time to respond between Dean running at Marcus and Dean getting pinned to a wall. He'd only had enough time to, really, give out a weak shout of Dean's name. There was no way to stop him, and then... and then Marcus had the two at his mercy. Just like that the situation had changed for the worse. Sam was prepared to rush after his brother when Marcus laid out the younger Winchester's options. Try to save Dean and get him killed on the spot, or just... stand there. Sam stopped cold. There was nothing he could do, no way to help Dean... so he had to reason with Marcus.

"Look, Marcus, I know we lied to you, and that... that was wrong of us. But we didn't know if we could trust you. You could've been a demon, for all we knew, you could've been POSSESSED. We assure you, though, we came here with no intentions of harming you. Just... just let him go, and we can talk, okay?" Sam requested, making small hand gestures as he went.

[mugenginga]

Marcus straightened up from where his now skeletal hands had been about to grab Dean by the chin. He looked at Sam with an almost confused expression. Was this boy quite serious? Marcus let out a rather dark laugh as Dean tried to jerk his hands free of his skeletal shackles. They gripped tighter as a response.

"Sammy, get the hell out of here! Don't try to reason with the guy!" Dean shouted. He seemed to be on a slippery slope down to panic.

"Oh, that does sound interesting," Marcus said with glee. He sounded like a child with a favorite toy at the moment, "I think I can consent to that little arrangement. Why don't you leave your brother to me, 'Sammy'. I can be quite satisfied with one, after all."

If Sam had carried any doubt about what the "man" before him had done with the spirits, it was clear now. To know that Dean was his brother... that was in addition to the claims about their father. The claims Marcus had already made clear were lies with his "psych" comment. He glanced at Dean for a moment and the hands from the wall gripped tighter. He looked at Sam, reveling in whatever emotional turmoil the younger Winchester brother might now be in.

[Jilak]

Sam couldn't run. Even if he'd been mentally prepared to leave his brother behind, which he hadn't, he couldn't run. For many reasons, really. He and Dean were safer together. He knew that, it was obvious. Even if staying was the least safe thing Samuel could do, he and Dean were stronger together. Furthermore, if he left Dean, who KNEW what Marcus would do? He seemed to be the type that would torture a captive. He'd kill Dean, Sam assumed. Just... slowly. Very, very, slowly. And he couldn't leave his older brother to die, even if he didn't seem to have any other options. There were always other options.

And of course, after Marcus pressed Sam's Berserk Button, the younger Winchester almost certainly couldn't leave. No one called him Sammy but Dean or John. A fact which Samuel was quick to point out.

"Only he can call me Sammy." Samuel stated, glaring. As negotiating was no longer an option, he went with his only other option. Idle threats.

"Look, Marcus, don't do this, man. Just let him go. Just two days ago we took out a demon with a piece of chalk and some Latin. We've taken on a Wendigo, and killed things you couldn't even dream about. Don't make me have to do the same to you. Just let my brother go!"

[mugenginga]

"Duly noted," Marcus stated to Sam's threats. He looked towards Dean again, his face still facing Sam. He smiled, "Well then, let's see what you can do. I admit I haven't had all that much experience with demons, but I dare say my experiences with the dead may prove useful on that front."

Marcus turned away from Sam and grabbed Dean's chin with his right hand. Dean jerked his head away, and Marcus had a pleased grimace at what sounded like a bone snap. He pulled back his limp hand and shook it to the side... if the bone had been snapped before, he now had full control of it.

"Well, I am waiting. I warn you, I do not appreciate boredom. Shall I up the ante, then?"

Marcus raised his left hand, and Sam would feel some kind of negative aura. A metallic clanking sound could be heard behind Sam. Dean shouted out for him to watch out. If Sam turned, he'd realize a suit of armor had animated itself and was now blocking Sam's retreat from that direction. The axe in its empty hands was rather badly rusted, it didn't seem it would serve the greatest weapon. Still, animated suit of armor, and by a ghost no less.