Hey Mr. cage-man, let me get a fresh breath
Cherry bomb, head strong, I could fake my own death
Hey Mr. fate-man, shuffle me a ninth life
I've been wrong, go long
Throwing me a sharp right
Hey Mr. safe-man, hustle me an okay
I could slide, take a dive, take it for the home team
Hey Mr. postman, slip me one more green note
I've been low, hit the floor
Looking just to make broke
It's not a picture-perfect life
Not what I had in mind
Let me write my own line
….
I've got this place that I've filled with empty space
I'm trying not to face what I've done
My hopeless opus
I'm in this race and I'm hoping just to place
I'm trying not to face what's become of me
My hopeless opus
Imagine Dragons – Hopeless Opus
After just about a week of being on the road, I realized that was one more week until Dean's time was up. I didn't know how to process any of it. The only thing I did was try to stay strong, not allowing myself to cry in front of him. I did plenty of that when I was on my own.
No matter what he wanted, it seemed as though both Sam and I were on board with giving it to him. Which is exactly what led to Sam sitting outside in the car while Dean and I stayed in the room. I felt bad for him, but the times Dean and I were left alone were the only times I could forget what was looming over our heads.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Dean walk over to the window, giving Sam a thumbs up.
"Okay. Let's close these, huh?" I walked over, shutting the sheer blinds. "Sam doesn't need to see anything."
"True." Dean smiled, pulling me close to him, staring down into my eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I said, forcing a smile on my face. Dean raised an eyebrow, knowing I was bullshitting.
I quickly reached up, pulling his shirt off before kissing him. Dean wrapped his arms around me, running his hands underneath my shirt, moving away for a moment to pull it off. He ran his hands up my back, unclasping my bra, sliding it off. I smiled up at him, taking his hand, pulling him over to the bed, pushing him down on it. He watched me as I unbuttoned his jeans, pulling them down before taking off my own. I crawled on top of him, straddling his hips, kissing him deeply, licking his bottom lip.
"I love you." I murmured against his lips.
"I know." Dean smirked, gently pushed me onto my back as he hovered over me. I wrapped my arm around his neck, letting out a moan as I felt him slip into me. He slowly kissed down my neck, rocking back and forth.
I was so lost in the moment that I didn't hear anything else going on. A bomb could've dropped outside and I wouldn't have had a clue.
IMPALA – NIGHT
For about the millionth time since we'd left the motel, Sam let out a disgusted huff, moving around in the back of the bar, hitting his knees into the back of the seat. I knew he was completely grossed out, and I didn't really blame him. Through he knew was going on in there.
"Sam, really?" I asked, looking back at him.
"Let me see your knife."
"What for?" Dean asked.
"So I can gouge my eyes out." He muttered, leaning up on the back of the seat. I chuckled, shaking my head.
"It was a beautiful, natural act, Sam."
"Yeah, well, it's a part of you two I never wanted to see."
"Knock next time." I said.
"I did!"
"Oh."
"Hey, I appreciate you giving us a little quality time." Dean said.
"Yeah, no problem." Sam nodded, leaning back.
"Really? Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something."
"No, not at all. You deserve to have a little fun."
"Well, I am in violent agreement with you there." Dean smiled, glancing over at me. I smiled back, quickly look out the window, letting all traces of that smile fall off my face in an instant. "So, what's Bobby got?"
"Not much." Sam shrugged. "A crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Could be demonic omens-"
"Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem"
"Yeah, but it's our only lead."
"Any freaky deaths?"
"Nothing Bobby could find. Not yet, anyway."
"It's weird, man. I mean, the night the devil's gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"
"Seventeen." I mumbled, glancing over at him.
"You'd think it would be Apocalypse Now, but it's been five days and bubkis. What are the demons waiting for?"
"I don't know."
"It's driving me crazy. I tell you, if it's gonna be war, I wish it would just start already." Dean sighed. I shook my head sightly, swallowing hard as I went back to looking out the window.
"I don't know, man." Sam muttered, catching my reaction. "Be careful what you wish for."
NEBRASKA – DAY
After another long drive, we finally made it to the farm Bobby had told us about. The moment I got out of the car, all I could hear were loud sounds of a bugs chirping everywhere. Dean followed behind, taking another bite out of the huge burger he insisted on having this morning.
"Hear those cicadas?" Sam asked.
"That can't be a good sign." Dean muttered around a mouthful of burger.
"No, it can't."
"So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?" Bobby asked, walking up to us from his car a few feet away.
"Well, I sold my soul. Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol." Dean shrugged, seeing the sad look on my face before I could cover it up.
"So, Bobby, what do you think? We got a biblical plague here or what?" Sam asked.
"Well, let's find out. Looks like the swarm's ground zero." Bobby said.
Dean went over to the door, banging on it. "Candygram!"
There was no answer, only the sounds of cicadas chirping louder. I looked around, an uncomfortable feeling coming over me as we stood out in the open.
"Hold this?" Dean asked, holding his burger out to me. I nodded, taking it from him as he proceeded to pick the lock, opening the door. As soon as he did that, a horrible smell escaped, hitting us in the face.
"God, that's awful." I muttered, covering my nose with my sleeve.
"That so can't be a good sign." Dean said, entering the barn. Sam quickly trailed behind him, his gun at the ready, leaving Bobby and I to pull up the rear.
We made our way through the house, stopping at a door where the sounds of faint screaming could he heard on the other side. Dean kicked the door open and immediately the source of the smell hit us like a ton of bricks. I peered inside, seeing a TV playing in front of a small family who was sitting on the couch – appearing to have been dead for several days.
"Oh, my god." Sam muttered, looking up at Bobby. "What the hell happened here?
"I don't know."
"Check for sulfur." Dean said, looking up at the sound of a noise outside. He nodded to it, signaling that he was going to check it out. I put the burger down on the end table, following him outside.
Just as Dean stepped around the corner of the house, the butt of a shotgun flew out, knocking him to the ground. I instantly pulled up my gun, training it on the man and woman who stood there.
"Who the hell are you?" I snapped, hearing footsteps behind me.
"Isaac? Tamara?" Bobby called, walking over, placing a hand on my arm, telling me to lower my gun. If Bobby trusted them, then I guess I did, too.
"Bobby." The woman muttered. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same."
"Hey, Bobby." The man smiled.
"Hello. Bleeding here." Dean called from the ground.
"Oh, my god." I breathed, dropping to my knees next to Dean, using my shirt to wipe the blood from the small cut in his forehead. "Are you okay, baby?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." Dean sighed, sitting upright. I glanced up, seeing Tamera and Isaac raising an eyebrow at Dean.
"Come on." I said, helping him to his feet, shooting a glare at the couple.
After we'd called an ambulance to come collect the family, we headed back over to Isaac and Tamera's place, hanging out there until we got the corners report, which Dean was attempting to get now.
"Jenny! That is a beautiful name." He told the girl on the phone, throwing me a wink. "That's my sister's name, actually."
"Honey? Where's the Palo Santo?" Isaac asked.
"Well, where'd you leave it?" Tamera replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know, dear. That's why I'm asking."
"Palo Santo?" Sam asked.
"It's holy wood, from Peru. It's toxic to demons like holy water. Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them." She explained, digging around in a bag.
"Wouldn't that hurt the person they're possessing?" I asked, leaning against the wall. Tamera stopped what she was doing, glancing back at me with a strange look.
"Sends it back to hell either way."
With that reply, I felt a little more uncomfortable in their presence than before, glancing back into the room to see Dean still flirting with that girl over the phone.
"Thank you, dear." Isaac muttered, taking the large, pointed stake from Tamera's hands.
"You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me."
"So, how long you two been married?" Sam asked.
"Eight years this past June." Tamera smiled proudly.
Isaac nodded. "The family that slays together..."
"You know, Dean and Tori have almost been together that long." Sam said, smiling over at me.
"Really?" Tamera asked, looking over at me.
"Yeah." I nodded, sniffling as I thought about how we'd never even get the chance to be together past eight years.
"That's sweet."
"So, how'd you get started?" Sam asked. An awkward silence fell over us as Tamera and Isaac glanced at each other, clearly not wanting to bring up that memory. "I, uh, you know...I'm sorry. It's not- that's none of my business."
"No, no. It's- it's alright."
"Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an...appletini." Dean said, looking over at me, making a face when he said appletini. Without even realizing, I felt myself smiling. "Yeah. Call you."
"Well, do you have a hot date with Miss Appletini or not?" I grinned, walking over to him as he hung up
"No." He sighed, pretending to look disappointed. "Get this – that whole family's cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up."
"But there was a fully stocked kitchen in the next room." I said.
"What is this, a demon attack?" Sam asked.
"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty." Bobby shrugged.
"Well, what now?" Dean asked. "What should we do?"
"Well, we're not gonna do anything." Isaac said, seeing the questioning looks on our faces. "You guys seem nice enough, but, this ain't Scooby-Doo, and we don't play well with others."
"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together." Sam suggested.
"No offense, but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the devil's gate get opened in the first place."
"No offense?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Isaac. Like you've never made a mistake." Tamara muttered.
"Oh yeah, yeah." He scoffed. "Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though."
"Alright. That's enough." Dean said, standing to his feet. I kept a hand on his arm, making sure he didn't do anything stupid.
"Look, there are couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us – on all of us."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" I asked, stepping around in front of Dean.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"What are you gonna do?" Dean asked, holding a protective arm out in front of me.
"Guys, this isn't helping." Sam said quietly.
"Okay. That's quite enough for now." Tamara said, pulling Isaac out of the room.
STORE – DAY
After hearing some news that a woman brutally murdered another for a pair of shoes this morning, we figured something was up and headed over to the store to check it out. Sam and I stood outside, watching a few police taking forensic evidence from the murder scene.
"So, hey, how are you feeling?" Sam asked, glancing down at me.
I looked up at him, letting out a sigh. "How do you think?"
"Shouldn't you tell Dean-"
"Tell him what, Sam?" I asked, turning to face him. "That I'm upset he's gonna leave us in a year and there's not a damn thing I can do about it?"
Sam glanced down to the ground and I pushed past him into the store, making sure there were no tears spilling down my cheeks as I made my way over to Dean, who had his hand on the shoulder of a young blonde.
"What happened outside makes you realize how fragile life really is. You got to make every second count." Dean said, looking into her blue eyes. I folded my arms behind him, clearing my throat. He glanced back at me, turning to the girl again. "Excuse me a minute, would you?"
"Sure." She nodded, leaving.
"Having fun?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. I'm comforting the bereaved. What are you doing?"
"Working. Dead body, possible demon attack – that kind of stuff."
"Babe, I'm sorry. It's just, I don't have much time left, and-" He paused, coughing theatrically. "Got to make every second count."
I watched him for a moment, swallowing hard as I tried to stomp down the frustration building up inside of me. "I can't believe you."
"Apology accepted." He grinned, coughing again.
"It's not funny, Dean." I said, folding my arms. "And I didn't apologize."
Just then, I heard the bell on the top of the door jingle, turning to see Bobby enter in his suit, his hair slicked back. Sam trailed behind him, shooting a small smile my way.
"Whoa." Dean whistled, smiling. "Looking spiffy, Bobby. What were you, a G-man?"
"Attorney for the D.A.'s office. I just spoke to the suspect."
"So, what do you think? Is she possessed or what?" Sam asked.
"Don't think so. There's none of the usual signs – no blackouts, no loss of control. Totally lucid. Just, she really wanted those shoes. Spilled a glass of holy water on her just to be sure. Nothing."
"Maybe she's just some random whack job." Dean shrugged.
"If it had been an isolated incident, maybe. But first the family, now this? I believe in a lot of things. Coincidence ain't one of them. Did you kids find anything around here?"
"Nope. Nothing." I replied.
"Well, maybe something." Dean nodded to a security camera mounted on the ceiling, looking over at me with a grin. "See? I'm working."
In the security footage, we didn't find anything that stood out too much, other than a red-haired man that walked up to the blonde woman moments before she murdered the brunette. After that, for the rest of the day we were walking around town with a picture of the man, trying to see if anyone knew him.
We'd found out that he always drinks at this one bar in town, which is where we were now waiting inside Bobby's car.
"What time is it?" Bobby asked from the backseat, yawning.
"Seven past midnight." Dean replied, glancing down at his watch. I let out a small sigh, leaning against Dean's side. I hadn't been feeling very well, and I wasn't sure if it was from nerves, or something else.
"You sure this is the right place?"
"No. But I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guy's stupid mug, and supposedly, he drinks at this...stupid bar."
Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the window, startling the three of us. I grabbed onto Dean's jacket, staring out of the window with wide eyes to see Sam standing there, a grin on his face as he slid back into the car.
"That's not funny!"
"Yeah." Sam chuckled. "So, John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."
"The night the devil's gate opened?"
"Yeah."
"So you think he's possessed?"
"Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?"
"Those demons that got out at the gate – they're gonna do all kinds of things we haven't seen." Bobby said.
"You mean the demons we let out." Sam muttered.
"Guys." Dean called, pointing across the parking lot to the red-haired man from the security footage as he walked towards the bar.
"Shit." I muttered, holding my stomach as I turned.
"What?" Bobby asked, looking at me in confusion.
"It's her demon-sense." Dean said.
"Demon-sense? That's what you're calling it?" Bobby asked incredulously, looking over at me.
"Hey, I didn't come up with it." I said, holding my hands up.
"That's what we're calling it." Dean interjected. "And if it's on, then we know what that means. Showtime."
"Wait." I said, grabbing Dean's jacket to stop him as he moved to get out of the car.
"What?"
"What'd I just say? We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure." Bobby said.
"Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?"
"We're no good dead! And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is."
"Hey, Bobby? I don't think that's an option." Sam muttered.
"Why not?" Bobby snapped. Sam nodded over to another car, where Isaac and Tamara were getting out, heading into the bar. "Dammit!"
Bobby and Dean ran ahead of Sam and I, rushing over to the bar doors, trying to push them open, but they wouldn't budge. From the inside of the bar, I heard Tamara start screaming. Bobby ran back to his car, yelling at us to get out of the way as he got inside. The three of us moved over quickly as he started the car, sending it flying through the doors of the bar.
Tamara's frantic screams for Isaac continued as we ran inside. The boys started throwing holy water, flinging it out the crowd of demons. I fought through the sick feeling in my stomach, grabbing Tamara, trying to pull her away from Isaac, who laid dead on the floor.
"Tamara, we have to go!" I said, pushing her over to the car and into the backseat.
"Dean, come on!" Sam called. I looked up from Tamara, seeing Dean fighting with the red-haired man.
"Dean!" I shouted, still trying to keep Tamara inside the car. Dean got the demon over to the trunk of the car, opening it just as he ran out of holy water, shoving the demon into the trunk before diving into the front seat.
"Go, go!"
ISAAC AND TAMARA'S HOUSE – NIGHT
The whole drive back to the house, Tamara did nothing but demand to be taken back to the bar to try and get Isaac. It took both Sam and I in the backseat to hold her down. Once we got back, Dean and Bobby brought the demon inside, tying him to a chair in the middle of the room underneath a devil's trap on the ceiling.
"We're going back, now!" Tamara shouted, heading for the door again. I understood her pain, but if she went back there, she would die, too.
Sam quickly moved in front of the door, blocking her way. "Just hold on a second!"
"I left my husband bloody on the floor!"
"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back."
"Fine. Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar."
"I'll go with her." Dean said.
"Like hell you are." I snapped, walking over to him.
"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam exclaimed.
"So what? I'm dead already!" Dean said, throwing his arms out. I shook my head, looking away from him as he glanced over at me.
"How you gonna kill 'em? Can't shoot 'em. You can't stab 'em. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!"
"I don't care!" Tamara shouted.
"We don't even know how many of them there are!"
"Yeah, we do. There's seven." Bobby muttered, entering the room. "Do you have any idea who we're up against?"
"Who?" I asked, looking up at him.
"The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh."
"What's in the box?!" Dean grinned, looking around the room, his eyes stopping on me as he raised his eyebrows. "Brad Pitt? Se7en? No?"
"Binsfeld's Classification of Demons." Bobby said, holding up a book. "In fifteen-eighty-nine, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins – not just as human vices but as actual devils."
"The family – they were touched by Sloth." Sam muttered. "And the shopper..."
"Envy." I finished.
"Yup. The customer we got in the next room." Bobby nodded. "I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony."
"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops!" Tamara exclaimed. "I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!"
"We already did it your way. You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened! These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, Dark Ages. We've never faced anything close to this. So we are gonna take a breath..." Bobby paused, raising the volume of his voice. "And figure out what our next move is!"
Tamara stared at him for a moment, their eyes locked as they stared at each other in silence.
"I'm sorry for you loss." Bobby muttered quietly. Tears sprung to Tamara's eyes, and she turned and left the room without another word.
"I can't imagine what she's going through." Sam sighed, glancing over at me as I stared at Dean. His eyes widened for a moment, almost as if he'd just put two and two together.
"So you know who I am, huh?" Envy asked from the next room.
Bobby let out a huff, turning and walking over in front of him. "We do. We're not impressed."
"Why are you here?" Sam asked. "What are you after?"
The demon didn't respond, just staring up at him.
"He asked you a question." Dean said. "What do you want?"
The demon chucked darkly, shaking his head. Dean opened a flask of holy water, throwing some of it at him. He groaned out in pain as his skin sizzled.
"We already have...what we want." He panted.
"What's that?"
"We're out. We're free. Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am legion, for we are many." He laughed. "So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun."
"Fun?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Fun. See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides...on their outside."
"I'm gonna put you down like a dog." Tamara spat, walking into the room.
"Please. You really think you're better than me?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust. And Tamara. All that wrath. It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it? It's so much easier to drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago."
Tamara flew forward, smacking him hard in the face. I quickly ran over, pulling her back. "He's not worth it."
"And you are?" He asked, shaking his head. "And you call us sins. We're not sins, man. We are natural human instinct. And you can repress and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny, greedy, hungry, violent animals. And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals, too. The others – they're coming for me."
"Maybe. But they're not gonna find you...'cause you'll be in hell." Dean said, much to the demon's shock. "Someone send this clown packing."
"My pleasure." Tamara muttered, reading from book in her hands. ""
The four of us left the room, hearing the demon scream out in pain as she dragged out the exorcism as slow as possible.
"I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them." Bobby grumbled.
"What does that mean?" Sam asked.
"I think maybe this joker's right. They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy."
"You guys...why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills?" Dean said, glancing over at me. "I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time."
"You want us to leave you here for dead?" I asked, walking in front of him.
"Tori, I'm already dead."
"I swear to God, Dean, if I heard you say that one more time-"
"There's six of them. We're out-manned, we're outgunned. We'll be dead by dawn."
"Then we'll die together." I shrugged. "But we're not going down without a fight."
One last scream echoed through the other room, followed by the sound of a book slamming shut and Tamara walking back out. "Demon's out of the guy."
"And the guy?"
"He didn't make it." She said coldly.
"Shit." I sighed, rubbing my temples. Dean pulled me to him, placing a kiss on my forehead.
A little while later, everything was still pretty quiet. We were all just waiting, sitting around trying to prepare ourselves for what was to come. Sam was across the room, filling up a few flasks with more holy water while Dean sat on the floor in front of me, loading a shotgun as I placed a few candles behind him in a row.
"I wish you didn't do this." Dean said, looking up at me.
"Yeah, well, there are a lot of things I wish you didn't do." I mumbled, kneeling in front of him. He shook his head, pulling in a deep breath. "Dean, you had to know I wouldn't leave you."
"Yeah."
"If something's gonna happen...I just-" I sighed. Dean leaned in, stopping me as he placed a kiss on my lips. "I love you."
"Me too." Dean smiled. I glanced up at Sam, seeing him smiling down at us. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker just as I felt a twinge of nausea hit my stomach. An old radio over on a table in the room turned on, playing a scratchy version of We Shall Not Be Moved.
"Here we go." Dean stood, cocking the shotgun. I followed him, standing to my feet.
"Tamara! Tamara! Help me! Please!" A man shouted outside. I looked through the window, seeing Isaac staggering towards the house. "Tamara! I got away, but I'm hurt bad! I need help!"
"It's not him." I said, looking over at her. "It's a demon."
"Baby!" Isaac called, banging on the door. "Why won't you let me in? You left me behind back there. How could you do that? We swore...at that lake in Michigan. Remember? We swore we would never leave each other!"
"How did he know that?" Tamara sobbed, glancing back to us.
"Steady, Tamara. Steady." Bobby muttered.
"You just gonna leave me out here? You just gonna let me die?! I guess that's what you do, dear! Like that night those things came to our house – came for our daughter! You just let her die, too." He said. I glanced over at Dean, sharing a wide-eyed look with him.
"You son of a bitch!" Tamara screamed, pushing the door open, breaking the salt line.
"Tamara, no!" Bobby yelled. Tamara tackled Isaac down the steps, raising the Palo Santo stake above him.
"You're not Isaac!" She shouted, plunging the stake in his chest. He let out a scream, dying.
In the chaos of six more demons pouring into the house, we were split up and I had no idea where Sam or Dean were. Just as I was about to try and find them, a large, baling man walked into the room Bobby and I were in, stalking us with a confident smile on his face until he stopped short, looking around confused.
"Devil's trap." I said.
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son." Bobby muttered, picking up the book to read off the exorcism.
On my way out of the room, I grabbed a flask of holy water and one of the other shotguns Dean loaded. I walked through the kitchen, constantly looking over my shoulder as I made my way through another hallway, hearing Dean's voice in a room down there.
"I'm not gonna hurt you – not yet. Not unless you want me to." A woman cooed.
I peered around the corner, my mouth dropping open when I saw Dean locked in an embrace with the waitress from the bar, kissing her. Just as I was about to enter the room, I felt a hand grab my shoulder, spinning me around.
"Hi, there." The woman smiled, throwing me across the hallway into another room, the gun flying out of my hand as I went. "The ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants, and I want you."
"Greed, huh?"
"You should know." She grinned, stalking towards me. I glanced over at the gun, trying to make a move for it when she grabbed the back of my hair, lifting my head up as she bent down. "I mean, you. You little, innocent thing. Full of greed."
"Wh-" I cried out in pain as she grabbed me by the throat, pushing me up against the wall.
"Willing to let a good man die to save the one she loves out of her own selfishness. You'd do anything to save him. Anything, to anyone. Don't try to deny it. You're guilty of many sins. Wraith. Envy. Lust."
I clawed at her arm as she gripped my neck tighter, digging her nails into my skin. Remembering the flask, I quickly grabbed it out of my pocket, throwing water in her face.
She fell back, crying out in pain as her skin sizzled. I coughed a few times, reaching for the gun as she regained her balance, grabbing my ankle. I stretched my arm out as far as it could go, my fingertips grazing the barrel. I dug my nails into the hardwood floor, pulling myself forward just a few more inches with all the strength I had, grabbing the gun.
As soon as I had it in my hands, I turned around, shooting the demon, sending her flying backwards. I quickly got to my feet just as Dean ran out of the bathroom, looking over at the marks on my neck with wide eyes. I walked past him, pushing the gun to his hands before standing over the demon as she panted, staring up at me.
"Go ahead, kill me you selfish bitch."
"Go to hell." I spat. "Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica..."
We weren't able to save everyone. But we saved three people. Even though I was sad about the rest, it was three people who didn't have to live in hell on earth anymore. I stood back, watching Sam and Dean pour salt and kerosene inside the shallow pit of bodies of the ones who didn't make it.
A few yards away, Tamara stood in front of Isaac's burning body, having a moment of quiet. I couldn't help but watch her, trying not to think about how much she was suffering. And how I'd be feeling the same way all too soon.
"Think she's gonna be alright?" Sam asked, waking over to my side.
"No." I shook my head, looking up at him with sad eyes. Dean stood a few feet away, staring over at me for a moment before looking to the ground. "Definitely not."
"Well, you look like hell warmed over." Dean muttered, looking up at Bobby as he made his way over to us from the house.
"You try exorcising all night and see how you feel."
"How are they?" I asked.
"Well, they'll make it. Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still..."
"That's more than you can say for these poor bastards." Dean sighed, looking back down into the pit.
"Bobby, that knife – what kind of blade can kill a demon?" Sam asked, making me think back to what he had told us last night about some mysterious blonde girl with a knife that could kill demons. I probably wouldn't have believed him if it weren't for the very apparent stab wounds in each victim, though.
"Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing."
"I'm just gonna ask it again – who was that masked chick? Actually, the more troubling question would be, how come a girl can fight better than you?" Dean asked, looking up at his brother.
"Three demons, Dean. At once."
"Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal." Dean said, slapping Sam on the shoulder.
"Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you."
"What's that?"
"If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?"
"You're right. That is troubling." Dean nodded, lighting a match, throwing it into the pit.
"Definitely not something I want to think about." I muttered, running a hand over the marks on my throat.
A few minutes later, Tamara came back over, a sad look in her eyes. "See you guys around."
"The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful." Bobby told her.
"You too." She nodded, getting in her car, driving off.
"Keep your eyes peeled for omens." Bobby said, looking back to us. "I'll do the same."
"You got it." Dean nodded.
"Wait, Bobby. We can win this war, right?" Sam asked, a hopeful look in his eyes. An uncomfortable silence feel over us as Bobby stared, a worried look in his eyes.
"Catch you on the next one." He said, turning and getting into his car. I swallowed hard, wrapping my arms around myself.
"So, where to?" Dean asked.
"Uh, I don't know. I was thinking Louisiana maybe." Sam replied.
"Little early for Mardi Gras, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Listen, I was talking to Tamara, and she mentioned this hoodoo priestess outside of Shreveport that might be able to help us out. You know, with your- with your demon deal."
"Nah." Dean shrugged, shaking his head.
"Nah? What does that mean, nah?"
"Sam, no hoodoo spell's gonna break this deal, alright? It's a goose chase."
"Yeah, but we don't know that, Dean-"
"Yes, we do. Forget it. She can't help."
"Dean, maybe- maybe we can just go see her?" I asked. "See what she says?"
"We're not going, and that's that." Dean said, glancing over at me. "What about Reno, huh?"
Sam grabbed Dean's sleeve as he tried to walk away, turning him back around. "You know what? I've had it. I've been bending over backwards trying to be nice to you, and...I don't care anymore."
"That didn't last long."
"Yeah, well, you know what? I've been busting my ass trying to keep you alive, Dean, and you act like you couldn't care less. What, you got some kind of death wish or something?"
"No, it's not like that."
"Then what's it like, Dean?" Sam asked. "Please, tell me."
"We trap the crossroads demon, trick it, try to welch our way out of the deal in any way? You die. Okay? You die, and Tori goes to hell. Those are the terms. There's no way out of it. If you try to find a way, so help me god, I'm gonna stop you."
"Wait, Tori?" Sam asked, a stunned look on his face. "Why would Tori go to hell?"
"Because I made a deal before Dean."
"What?!" Sam exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"I had five years in exchange for bringing you back."
"But you're not going anymore-"
"Because Dean made his deal." I finished, looking down as my eyes started to well up. "I should be the one going."
"No, you shouldn't." Dean said, staring at me with hard eyes.
"How could the two of you be so stupid?" Sam asked, shaking his head.
"Gee, thanks a lot, Sam."
"You're a hypocrite, Dean. How did you feel when Dad sold his soul for you? 'Cause I was there. I remember. You were twisted, and broken." Sam said, looking over at me. "You were there, you saw him. And now the both of you go and do the same thing. To me, to each other. What you did was selfish."
"Sam, that's a little harsh don't you think?" I asked.
"You're not upset that you're gonna have to live without him?" Sam asked, shutting me up right away with that.
"You know what? It was selfish." Dean nodded. "But I'm okay with that."
"I'm not." Sam said. "She's not."
"Tough. After everything I've done for this family, I think I'm entitled.." Dean said, pulling in a deep breath. "Truth is, I'm tired. I don't know, it's like there's a- a light at the end of the tunnel."
"It's hellfire, Dean."
"Whatever. You're alive-" Dean said to Sam, glancing over at me. "You're safe. I feel good, for the first time in a long time. I got a year to live, I'd like to make the most of it. So what do you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?"
"You're unbelievable." Sam sighed, glancing over at me as Dean went over to the Impala, opening the door.
"Very true." Dean smiled, getting into the driver seat.
"There's gotta be a way out of this." Sam said, glancing down at me. "We have to find it."
"Yeah."
As much as I didn't want to allow myself to admit it...it was true. I knew it deep down. For once in my life I could say that a demon was right. About one thing, at least.
I'd do anything to save him.
Hello s3! Thanks for ripping my heart out, always.
The story's summary is a little meh, so I'll probably be changing that soon. I just wanted to throw something together to get this story started because I'm super excited to write this, as it is one of my favorite seasons. I mean, Mystery Spot came out of it, so who wouldn't love it? Also, I tried to do a little extra something-something up at the beginning of the chapter *wink, wink* so let me know your thoughts about that!
As always, thanks for reading and supporting this story! I hope you like it!
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