"Sorry but, can I see who?"<br/><br/>Sam felt something lurch inside of him. He'd been so sure .. at least, he thought he had. He blinked again, and shook his head. There was definitely something wrong.<em>Bad pills?</em>he thought.<em>Shit. What the fuck have I gotten into now?</em>He looked up as the woman spoke again, trying to focus on her words, but his eyes were drawn to the smiling figure above her. "He still cares about you." he said, before he managed to bring her words enough into focus that he could reply.<br/><br/>"Sleep." he gave a small laugh, then winced as something in the pit of his stomach twisted and lurched, drawing a sharp exhalation of breath and a grimace. "Shit, that's not good. Sleep. No, no sleep. Can't sleep. They won't let me. Too .. too many voices." The words seemed to spill out of him, and he realised he was babbling.<em>Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me.</em>His thoughts felt slow, sluggish, and they seemed to echo in his head. Something twisted in his stomach again, and he felt sweat break out on his brow. "Hot. So hot. Too hot."<br/><br/>He half stumbled as he rose, grabbing his few possessions and swinging a battered looking pack onto his shoulder as he headed for the door. His stomach felt like it was trying to bring up everything he had ever eaten, and his body felt like he was standing next to a roaring fireplace. He'd done that once. Long, long time ago. He shook his head again, trying to clear it as he got outside, heading across the street and into a still dark alleyway.<br/><br/>He half fell into the smaller alleyway that branched off, his foot twisting as something slid out from under him. He bounced off the wall, falling heavily with a gasp. He felt his body curling up as he knelt on the cold ground, pressing his forehead into it. He tried to stiffle the scream that wanted to tear itself out of him, and only managed to mute it to a pained moan instead.<br/><br/>He felt something seize him and smash him hard into the ground, shattering him into pieces. He raised his head from the ground. Silence. His hand gingerly came up to his head. The pain was gone. He blinked and looked around. The shades were still there, staring at him, same as they always were. The air felt .. charged though. Like a thunderstorm just out of sight.<br/><br/>From the darkness came sounds. Faint. Rattling. Scrabbling.<br/><br/>Movement about two feet in front of his head drew his gaze. The ground was rippling, like it was water and not solid earth. From it, rising like Excaliber from the lake, came a body. Head. Shoulders. Torso.<br/><br/>Sam collapsed backwards, pushing himself away crablike as the figure rose into sight. His eyes darted left and right as more rose into view. His movement halted as something hit his back, and he froze almost unwilling to look and see what it was. The ring of silent figures began to move towards him. Five. Eight. A dozen. He lost count as they ringed him around. He realised that he could feel something pulsing within each of them, the faint echo of who and what they were. They felt ... expectant. No. That wasn't it. He raised himself to his feet, fingers brushing cold stone, and looked around him.<br/><br/>He knew then what they were waiting for. Instructions. His instructions.<br/><br/>He found himself sitting back on the ground, back against the cold stone. Looking upwards he could see the spire of a church of some kind. The figures around him still stood, silent and waiting. He looked around at them, and raised his hands to press the palms against his eyes.<br/><br/>"Oh, fuck me!"