Just a preface, any words in bold italics are Dean's thoughts. For the purpose of my story, Michael can hear Dean's thoughts and vice versa.
CHAPTER TWO
Michael was thrilled. Hell, he was friggin' ecstatic. He had gotten everything he wanted. Lucifer, for the second time, was dead and everyone knows you can never have too much of a good thing.
On top of that, the ever-taunting fact that he couldn't manage to travel to this new, untouched, pure world, was now behind him.
He was here.
Dean Winchester was surprisingly quiet after Michael took control. There was a brief moment of curse words and threats but then, there was silence and a feeling of renounced surrender.
A heart-breaking, defeated silence that echoed through his bones.
But, Michael did what he had to do. He had this vessel, his sword, and there was no one left to stop him.
Not even Sam Winchester.
In all honesty, Sam Winchester was like a nat in the back of his head, constantly buzzing and reminding him that he will see the man again and that he will do whatever it takes to free his brother from Michael's grasp.
Let him try, Michael thought smugly before he blinked.
His first stop was to get out of the whiskey, sweat, and self-loathing soaked flannel he was wearing. He knew if he was going to accomplish what he needed to, no one would take him seriously in his current clothes. He changed into something more fitting for this world's New God.
Michael walked out of the department store wearing a suit and tie, a long gray coat, and an ascot cap. Sure, he didn't have any money to purchase the clothes, but the now dead store cashier wasn't going to say anything about it.
Truth be told, Michael wasn't exactly sure where to start. He knew he had messed up on his Earth. He had crossed the line to where instead of just pledging their loyalty out of fear, he went to far and made those pathetic humans rebel against him. He didn't want the entire population fighting him.
He wouldn't make that mistake again.
No, he had to find a balance. He needed them to fear him completely without giving them a sliver of hope that they could overrule him. Sure, there'd be some hunters that would try to stop him but, he planned to keep the general public frozen in fear or in complete adoration of him.
But where to start?
Michael took in his surroundings, heading down the street with his hands in his pockets as he breathed in deeply. He relished the smell of the crisp autumn air, void of rotting corpses and gravel. He had to admit, he knew nothing about this Earth. He was so used to death and destruction that even the sight of a full grown, fall-colored tree was disorienting. The sound of people laughing, the act of walking a dog down the sidewalk, the rumble of a car's engine. These were all things Michael had almost forgotten about. The one good thing though, was that he had Dean's memories to give him some information.
They were hard to shift through. Dean Winchester had lived a busy life to say the least. Most of his memories were clouded with guilt, loss, and dread. Images of Castiel, Sam, and others overwhelmed his mind that Michael could swear, there were more with them then without.
Michael figured the first thing he had to do was get the word out, let everyone know he was here. He needed the humans to start talking. He also knew he needed to get as far from the bunker and Sam Winchester as soon as possible.
Now, what was the best way to let everyone know he was here?
Michael's eyes roamed the street. He hadn't even noticed he had meandered outside of the city limits to a quieter part of town. He was just starting to think he needed to turn around when his eyes caught sight of a sign.
"Hope United Methodist Church."
Michael hated to say it, but damn, what would be a better place to come out at then a church?
….
"Castiel, what can I do?"
Cas looked up. He hadn't even realized he had zoned out and was just staring at the book-filled walls of the bunker's library until Jack's voice penetrated his thoughts. "What do you mean?" He asked, straightening in the chair he had been slouched in.
Jack took a seat next to Cas, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "Well, Sam is letting everyone know what happened. And you are…" He trailed off, his brows tightening before continuing. "I just feel like I should be doing something. Anything. I can go out and look for Dean myself."
Cas's eyes widened. "Absolutely not. Jack, Michael is too dangerous and without your powers-"
"I'm useless." Jack finished for him, standing up as his face twisted in self-hatred. "I should never have trusted Lucifer. I'm so stupid!" He scolded himself, his fists clenching as he paced the library. He already failed at stopping his father. Now, because of his blind devotion to someone who hadn't proved to earn the title of his father, Dean was in trouble. "We're gonna make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. Right? But we can get better," Dean's words echoed in Jack's mind as Castiel stood.
Cas approached him, realizing his mistake. "Jack, that is not what I was going to say. You relied on your powers before. Trust me, I know what it's like to feel useless." Jack watched as Castiel's eyes glazed over for a moment, a distant memory replaying itself before he shook his head, banishing the thought. "Let's go talk to Sam, maybe he will have a plan."
Jack nodded hesitantly, wanting nothing more than to believe what Castiel was saying.
…..
Mary's heart broke.
No. This wasn't possible. There's no way, no way¸ Dean let Michael possess him. Why would he do that? That doesn't make sense.
Mary didn't even know she had been speaking out loud until Sam put his hands on her shoulders. "Mom."
She stopped, mouth clamping shut, eyes brimming with tears. "What happened?"
So, Sam told her. He told her what Castiel had told him, he recounted what happened at the church, and what happened after. With each passing word, he saw more and more devastation slowly creep into Mary's features. "Now, I'm just trying to let everyone know what's going on. I don't want anyone to come across Michael and think it's Dean. The less blood that ends up on Dean's hands the better. I know from experience, even if you aren't the one in control, the memories will haunt you forever." He said with certainty, Kevin Tran's scorched eye sockets flashing across his vision.
"That's what we have to hope for." Mary said quietly, taking a deep breath as the worried mother drifted away to be replaced by the hardened hunter. "Let's just hope Michael will be more merciful over here then he was over on his Earth."
…..
Michael threw open the doors. The church was small, quaint, with only a small gathering area and then the chapel. He ascended the stairs, stripping of his jacket before walking over to the line of coat racks.
He didn't even want to know what the odds were that the church was actually in session, he was just thankful he was lucky enough that it was.
"Good morning, we're glad to have you here. You're new?"
Michael glanced at the person currently trying to hand him a program. "You could say that." He answered, taking the yellow paper.
"Well, I hope you become inspired." The older woman stated as she gave him a warm smile, adjusting her bright yellow cardigan she was wearing over a blue-polka-dotted dress.
He smiled. "That makes two of us." He stated, knowing full well that this woman was not going to be glad he came.
He walked in and grabbed a seat towards the back, figuring he might as well see what kind of belief these people were peddling before he jumped in. After about an hour, the service ended.
Before anyone got a chance to leave, Michael waved his hand towards the exit, the wooden doors slamming shut with enough force to crack the wood surrounding it. Panicked gasps came from the few people standing close enough to see the mysterious act.
Michael walked down the middle aisle, his left hand grazing the rows of pews that he walked past.
He heard exclamations coming from behind him as scorch marks were left behind from his fingertips.
"Who are you?" The woman from earlier spoke softly from her position closet to the pulpit, clutching a wooden cross in her shaking hands.
Michael turned around to face the awe-struck congregation. "I'm the Archangel, Michael."
Gasps of wonder and shock echoed across the room before someone stood up, a man in his early thirties, his wife clutching his arm in warning. "Why should we believe you?" He asked. "You just expect us to-"
Any other retort the man had was cut off by his neck snapping, his head turning a complete 180 degrees.
What was before wonder now changed to terror as people bolted for the doors. The man's wife screamed, falling to the ground to stroke his cheek as tears fell down her face.
"Any one else?" Michael asked, his voice booming, the sound reverberating off the walls as lightening crackled in the air.
The woman with the polka-dotted dress cleared her throat, causing the Archangel to turn to see her kneeling before him, the cross still firmly clutched in her quivering hands. The rest of the congregation followed suit, soft cries of fear a simple background noise to Michael.
"I am here to save you all," he began, moving to walk down the aisle. As he walked, people cowered away from his boots, trying to get as far away from the angel before them as possible. "Your Earth, it's so untouched. I plan to fix that. But before I can do that, I have to get everyone on the same page and the best way to do that…"
He paused before stopping next to a man, body shaking in fear as he kept his forehead pressed to the ground. Michael smirked, took a step forward, and stomped.
The man's skull shattering cut off any and all noise in the small church as the congregation froze. "Unfortunately, I have to kill all of you. It's the only way to let people know I mean business."
Michael.
The Archangel's brows shot up in delighted surprise as Dean Winchester's growled warning interrupted him. He speaks! What can I do for you, Dean?, he thought, knowing full well Dean could hear his thoughts just like he could hear his.
You don't need to kill these people.
Michael scoffed to himself as he approached a couple pressed against the wall before his palms found their foreheads.
Michael! Stop!
He didn't care. Let Dean Winchester yell at him. He had expected some sort of communication earlier seeming as though Michael made a point to make sure Dean would watch everything he planned on doing. Since he couldn't physically kill him, he figured he might as well kill his spirit.
So, Michael continued. Some people tried to run away, others attempted to fight back, while others just waited, tears falling freely down their cheeks, mouths moving while silent prayers flowed from their lips as the archangel made his way through every last person.
That is, except two.
Dean Winchester had gone silent once more. When Michael got to the last two people left in the church, a thought came to him. How is anyone supposed to know that he was the one behind this act? There was only one option.
"I'm going to let one of you live." He declared, his eyes shifting between an African American woman in her mid-twenties to an older Caucasian gentleman with hair beginning to turn gray on the sides. And I'm going to let you pick which one lives, he thought, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
No, neither.
Michael rolled his eyes at Dean's stubbornness. I'm going to make this really simple, he explained as the two people exchanged shocked expressions, You either pick one, or I kill them both.
He was meant with defiant silence, figuring Michael was bluffing.
Much to Dean's dismay, he wasn't.
When the sounds of screaming and bones cracking finally stopped, Michael wiped his hands clear of blood off on the man's dress shirt. You know, you could've prevented one person's death here, Dean. I think we'll just have to play that little game again.
Michael smirked with pride when he felt Dean's utter despair flow through him.
Although it hadn't been his plan to kill everyone, Michael figured there'd be more churches, more people to slaughter, and more chances to torture Dean Winchester.
The Archangel walked out of the room, the door swinging and snagging on a blue polka-dotted dress.
…
TBC
Thanks to everyone for reading, favoriting, following and reviewing. I wasn't anticipating much of a response to the first chapter. I hope you all continue to review, it's what motivates me to try to update sooner. So, feel free to yell at me in the reviews. This chapter just gave a small preview of the decisions Dean is going to have to make. Thanks for reading.
