And we laid Siege to Hell
Author's Note: This short story is about Dean being saved from Hell by Castiel. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, sadly.
Ash and a gust of hot air touched Castiel's cheek with raw intensity. He shielded his eyes against the oppressive heat that almost brought tears to his eyes and seemed to burn through to his soul. Soot and sweat darkened the skin around his cheekbones and on his forehead.
He hated this place. It was disgusting. Dark. And hot. The moist air made it hard to breathe. Castiel could hear the screams of those captured for eternity, of those doomed and lost. Of the tortured. And of the torturing. This place was full of pain and despair.
For an instance he considered running. He felt as if being repelled by the other pole of a magnet. He knew what they did to angels down here. Every inch of his body craved for leaving this place, but he knew it was necessary to stay. He was needed here.
Around him, the battle continued fiercely, blood was staining the ground. He could see angels being torn to shreds by hordes of demons, overwhelmed by the brute force of a seemingly endless number of evil spirits. He could hear their desperate screams as their wings were torn out of their backs as well as the joyful cries of the demons submerging their bodies with waves of bloodthirsty black smoke.
It was a familiar face glancing back at him before being swallowed by the darkness. Castiel turned his head. It had been one of his brothers. An angel he knew so well. And now he was gone. He lost his life for this futile siege. Hell was a barrier. A pit filled with demons that had nothing more to lose for they had already lost everything. And the angels were supposed to penetrate to the very core.
And what for? To save a human soul before the First Seal could break. It was vital, but it was also in vain.
As far as his eyes could see the sulfur ground was covered with fighting. Bloodstained feathers were spinning in the stirring air like millions of crimson snowflakes falling down to Hell.
He didn't notice the lane that suddenly opened by chance until he heard the General of their Garrison scream: "Kyriel, this is your chance! Go!!"
Castiel turned his head around. Kyriel was standing right next to him. Her eyes were focused and determined. She had a blade in her hands and it was covered with demon blood.
"Take care" he whispered to her, but she was already gone. She was a good soldier, just like himself, and she had been waiting for this order. He could feel the gust of air her wings blew at him as she shot forward, her eyes fixed on her destination in the depths of Hell.
She would succeed, Castiel knew. She was the strongest warrior of the Garrsion and she would be able to save the target soul from perdition. They would be allowed to leave this place once and for all.
He watched her golden hair whirl as she turned and hit the demon attacking her with force. Her blade cut through the oppressive smoke and pushed her enemies back, but some silent call drew the demons' attention to her. They had realized how close to the target she had already come.
"Kyriel!" Castiel yelled and rushed forward. She needed help, otherwise…
The demons got hold of her. She fought back but they wrestled her to the ground. Castiel could hear her screams. He turned his face around to look for the general. He needed to know that the angel destined to save the target was gone.
A sudden gush of warm liquid hit his back. He knew instantly it was Kyriel's blood but he did not dare to turn around to witness what they were doing to her.
The General was looking back at him. Their eyes met directly. He nodded.
Castiel swallowed. And nodded back, his heart stopping for a beat. He was a good soldier, so he obeyed.
The demons were leering over Kyriel's remains. It had been a long time since they had last felled such a powerful angel. They didn't pay him any attention. So he took his chance.
With Kyriel's determination he flapped his wings and rushed ahead, past the fighting angels and demons, along the lane that led to the core.
Some demons turned around and started to chase him. Castiel could feel them right behind him. A sudden fear shot through his chest. He didn't want to end like Kyriel. But he knew he would. This mission was suicide. They had overwhelmed Kyriel who was so many times stronger than him. They would get hold of him and he would die as well. But that was his destiny. It was his duty.
A pain at his left wing drew his attention away from the fear in his heart. The demons had reached him. One had managed to catch one of the feathers and torn it out. Castiel bit his lips. He continued. He simply had to. He could feel the demons' hands reaching out to him, they wanted to get hold of him and drag him down to the ground.
Castiel closed his eyes for a second and rushed on with all the force he had. The lane to the core was just ahead. Just a few seconds more… Just a few…
A demon got hold of his wings again, and a second one. They gripped the feathers and Castiel tumbled down. He tossed them away as far as he could and let himself drop into the core.
And suddenly the target was right in front of him. A human. The first real human he had ever seen. And he was so small, much smaller than Castiel had imagined. The human looked up at him, his eyes broken. His movements were stiff and slow.
Castiel didn't waste a second. With probably too much force he grabbed the human and ascended like a diver in the sea running out of air. The demons were only inches behind them, if they got him now, they would both die.
Castiel closed his eyes and tried to rise faster until his eyes started to tear.
They broke through the surface like fish gasping for air, leaving all the demons, all the darkness and all the pain behind them.
Castiel felt peace returning to his soul. He was sitting on the ground opposite the human he had saved. The sweat and soot on his skin had become dry. He was feeling exhausted but the thought of all his brothers and sisters who lost their lives today made his heart ache more than anything.
In the end, he had been the one to save the target from Hell, even though he had not been destined to do it. Still, he hadn't failed.
The human moved slightly. He looked terrifying. His face was swollen with bruises, his eyes were bloodshot and dull. He opened his mouth but his words were too weak for Castiel to understand.
"You don't have to be scared anymore" the angel said quietly. "You are safe now. It's over."
The human was trembling. He made another attempt to speak. "Who are you…"
"I'm an angel" Castiel replied softly. "I won't harm you. You will be brought back to life."
The human looked at him for a while until he let his head drop to his chest and then to the ground. "Thank you." His voice was muffled to the soil. "Thank… you, thank you, thank you, thank you… thank…"
Castiel stared back at the human who was sitting in front of him in this awkward position and letting his tears moisten the soil to his cheek. He was looking so miserable, so desperate and pitiful.
For a moment the angel hesitated, but then he reached out his hand and stroke gently through the human's damp hair. "You are welcome."
