Chapter 7

Angela recognized what the girl or rather thing was. Great and she didn't have anything iron or salt for that matter; nothing but a wooden staff made by her own hand and covered with her blood. She had three people that were more vulnerable than she was that she had to protect and get to Sam and she was within sight of a town that seemed very familiar. It seemed that Azazel had one up on her in the game and she didn't like it.

JoAnne looked at the little girl that wasn't a little girl as it hissed at them and then at Angela who was engaged in a stare down. She struggled to get up and nearly slipped on David and Al's shoulders.

"Stay down," Angela replied as she stepped forward. "It's an Acheri. Nasty little bugger." She stared at the Acheri as it hissed. As soon as it attacked, Angela swung her staff and cuffed it aside. She knew it wouldn't do much but it was a start.

The Acheri recovered and hissed at Angela before striking again. It was pure reaction as Angela made a swiping motion with her hand. Without touching the Acheri, it was sent flying hard into a tree. When it got back to its feet, it looked at Angela with a strange look. It was like it didn't know what to make of her.

Angela stared back. She could see the hell mutt glaring and growling at the demon. If she wanted, she could give the word to attack. She continued to stare at the Acheri and it stared back at her. The stare off would have been amusing if it hadn't been a demon that she was staring down. The Acheri twitched a little in confusion and Angela frowned as she cocked her head to inspect the demon.

Something was off about the demon. Acheri acted on their own unless… Angela looked at the demon and asked, "What do you want?" She advanced.

The Acheri backed away and it hissed. Suddenly it went calm and looked ready to attack again. It extended his claws and attacked again. Angela was ready and swung her staff. She missed and the Acheri jumped on top of her. At least she had the staff to keep the claws away from her but the added weight added to the dull throb she felt from the healing bites. She gritted her teeth and stared at the hissing face in front of her. Angela stared at the face above her as she struggled with the Acheri. She gave a low growl as her teeth elongated and said, "Back off." With and extra push, she flung the Acheri off and stood up straight. "Stay back."

The Acheri backed away still hissing. It wanted to attack and made lunging movements. Angela made similar movements and repeated, "Stay back."

The Acheri hissed in response when suddenly it stopped and looked. Angela followed the direction it was looking at and saw that it was looking at the town. Glancing back at the Acheri, she watched as it hissed and then it disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Angela watched as it started flying towards the town. Something was calling it.

"Angie what was that?"

Angela didn't look at JoAnne or the others. "An Acheri. It's a demon that takes the form of little girls." She then started walking again towards the town.


The forest was quiet but not the eerie quiet as it had been for the past couple of hours. Angela walked forward towards an outcropping and gazed upon the town. She was a fair distance away but it appeared close. She frowned at the town trying to remember where she had seen it before. She glanced back at the others who were sitting and resting and then turned back to look.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Angela turned to find Azazel standing close by. She didn't jump in fright but she glanced at the others and wondered why they weren't reacting to the demon's presence. Then it occurred to her that this wasn't real. She ventured, "This is a dream isn't it?"

"Smart as is beautiful," Azazel replied spreading his arms wide. "You make the best queen ever in this game. So… how's the search for Sammy?"

Angela raised her brow while giving a wry expression. "Why bother to ask? Don't you already know how it's going? After all you are the grand master of this game." She crossed her arms mostly to hide the extent of her injuries on her arm.

Azazel watched Angela's movements with amusement. She was good and that he didn't doubt. He was surprised that she was able to cover more than half the distance to the town but then again he could owe it to other things. "By Jove you're right. I am the grand master of this game. I know that you turned my prize pooch into a lap dog and the two knights I sent after you would never turn against you or Sammy and Dean and the kid is willing to follow you to get out of here. Oh and the little Acheri. Now that was a piece of work."

Angela started pacing in a circular fashion. Looking at nothing in particular but keeping an eye on the demon she replied, "I would say it is more cruel having one here. These people would hesitate to kill something in the form of a child but it's not after them. It was after me."

"Now what gave you that idea my pretty?" Azazel smiled as he put a hand on Angela's arm and effectively stopped her from moving. He rubbed her arm with his thumb in a slow and seductive way. He knew it would annoy her but she wouldn't do anything.

Angela stiffened at the demon's touch but didn't make a move. The only thing preventing her from lashing out was the fact that Azazel had Sam and she would be damned if she did anything to hurt him. "I am not your pretty Azazel."

"Ah yes. You belong to someone else," Azazel moved his hand to tap the area where her tattoo was. "And yet you have a role to play with my kids. Now how about we go somewhere that will give you more incentive to play as well as understand what I am trying to do?"

Before Angela could say anything she was standing in the middle of a town. She was standing in front of a bunch of people in front of a bell. One of them was a familiar face. "Sam." She started forward but was held back by Azazel.

"Easy there my pretty. They can't see you and certainly not Sammy. Think of it as a high definition illusion but you are seeing what is going on." Azazel gave a slight laugh.

Angela stopped struggling and resigned to watch the conversation. Demons, at least the powerful ones, were good at doing that. She watched as Sam looked at the bell. "I've seen that bell before."

Angela looked at the bell. She ignored the conversation for the moment and focused on the bell. There was an engraving on it. It was a tree but not just any old tree. It was an oak tree. The memory came back in a flash. It was when the whole town was being evacuated. She helped and she could remember the fear and the screaming and the mayhem that happened. There were people running and jumping into their wagons. The chaos had been so great that people were leaving behind things or were haphazardly throwing stuff into their wagons.

It all made sense now. It was part of the reason why the cell phones didn't work. The desolate look of the town itself along with the Acheri… She turned to look at Azazel and said just as Sam did, "Cold Oak, South Dakota."

Azazel could help but laugh in amusement at how synchronized their responses were. She probably didn't realize that she had spoken at the same time Sammy boy did yet it was like watching siblings talk. He couldn't fault her ability to figure things out at all since he knew she had been here before. He was a little disappointed that she hadn't figured it out sooner. Well she still was learning. The force she used to repel the Acheri was a statement to that. "I see you remember."

"It makes sense. Drop the psychic kids in a town that became so haunted that the living fled in terror, completely abandoning it…"

"Where it became my playground," Azazel finished. "So what do you think? I mean it's not exactly the way I planned it since a substantial group of my kids disappeared off the radar in no small part to you. My lost kid…"

"Stayed lost well you did find her but she has something working for her," Angela replied as she adopted a similar posture as Azazel. It was a joking sarcastic posture that she adopted at times when she was thoroughly annoyed or just wanted to be difficult on purpose.

"Ah yes the old woman. I see you've improved on some levels though I am sorry about that business with the slayers."

"Save your sympathy Azazel. Now why did you bring me here?"

"Right down to business. It's one of the reasons why I like you," Azazel replied. He emphasized his point by pointing at Angela. "If you really want to know, stick around and watch the show."

Angela turned around to find a blonde girl talking to Sam. She looked clearly distressed at everything that was happening. When she mentioned that she accidentally touched and killed her girlfriend, Angela felt sympathy. The poor girl literally destroyed everything she touched and she could sympathize even though she didn't have that ability. As a whole, Angela felt for every single one of Azazel's kids.

At least Sam was trying to be reassuring. It looked like he may have heard a part or all of what she sent beforehand. He led the way through the town stating that they needed to find anything made of iron or silver and to find salt. There was some skepticism about the usefulness of salt. As Sam said it, Angela thought, It's a brave new world. She frowned though when the girl named Lily stopped and decided to make a break for it. She started following the girl leaving behind the others. As soon as she reached the edge of town, she was stopped by an invisible force. She turned to look at Azazel.

"Can't have you leave now. You gotta watch."

Angela growled slightly and turned back. She kept glancing at the way the Lily girl left. She wandered back to the building the others went into. She watched from the outside as they looked around for supplies. She gave a slight smile as she watched Andy looking around. The kid was virtually harmless and granted that she wasn't impressed by his dependency on weed, she liked him and hoped that she could get him out.

It was then she heard the giggling. It was a little girl's giggle and it was a warning sign that the Acheri was near. She raced through the town in the direction of the giggling. As she rounded the corner, she saw the demon with the girl Lily. She watched as the demon strung up the girl. She barely acknowledged that the others came out to see the same sight as she turned towards Azazel, "What is this?"

Azazel just laughed at her. If she hadn't figured it out by now, then that was on her but he got the feeling that she had some idea. She just wanted to hear it straight out. "See why you have to find Sam before something happens?"

Angela was going to say something when she found herself back at the outcropping with Azazel. She looked at the town and back at the demon. "So this is what you have planned then. A test for their abilities?"

"Call it a battle royal. I am looking for the best one out of them all," Azazel replied. It didn't matter if the queen knew almost everything. She still had to make it to the king and she still had one challenge left to play. "But I'll let you in on something. I am rooting for Sam. I have been since day one. I always knew that there was something special with that kid. Now you still have a game to play. The queen must make it to the king and I'm rooting for ya."

"You would root for a turtle if you thought it could do whatever you wanted. You used me to get you free," Angela replied while keeping a firm grip on her temper. So the demon wanted to pit the psychics against each other in order to find the best and he had his eye on Sam. The very idea was one that had her blood boil but the fact that Azazel wanted something of hers… It was like Cal all over again and Azazel was the one that took Mary too.

"And I have big plans for you too. Don't worry my pretty. All will be revealed in due time. Just remember that your main rule is to find Sam."

Angela opened her eyes to find that it was late in the afternoon. She looked to find the others stirring and her hell mutt patrolling. David was actually awake and watching out for everyone while he was lounging against a tree. She rubbed her face to clear the sleep from her eyes and looked in the direction of the town.

"You okay?"

It was David that sat next to her. He let his legs dangle over the edge just like her legs. Angela didn't look at him but stared over at the town. "Not really Barcalow."

"You're worried about your friends."

"I made a promise Barcalow but it's not about that anymore. Not for some time," Angela replied as she felt in her pockets. It was her luck that she found some of that jerky stuff she bought from time to time and took a bite.

David paused for a moment to think about what to say. He didn't know her or her friends very well and maybe one experience didn't give him any right to say anything but he felt that sounded right to do so. "When Parsons tied us up, they were worried about you."

"They shouldn't. I'm not worth it Barcalow." As soon Angela said those words, she knew that if she had said them in front of the boys, they would let her have it. Sam had said she was worth it and Dean showed more than told her how much he appreciated having her around. She stood up and stuffed the last bit of jerky in her mouth. "I think we'll have to separate on this Barcalow."

"Why is that?" David stood up. "Jo and I chose to be here to help you. She would kick my ass if you manage to get me to drag her away from this."

"I know Barcalow. The demon wants me… not you. I have to get to Sam and the others in that town before something bad happens."

"Then you'll need back up. Jo and I can help."

Angela gave a small and grateful smile. "You and Jo are new at this. Even after a few centuries I still manage to get a few scratches that take a while to heal." She showed her bad arm for emphasis.

David shrugged his shoulders. It was his choice and JoAnne's they made it and they were going to stick by it. He gave a smirk and said, "That werewolf case was no picnic either. Thing gave me a nice scratch before Jo took it out. So we're sticking with you. We're your knights."

At that moment JoAnne came up and handed Angela her staff. She had overheard the conversation and was proud of David for saying his thoughts. They echoed hers too. She said, "Damn straight."

Angela couldn't argue with them. She turned to the kid and asked, "Hey Al, are you still willing to hang around for a little while longer?"

Al gave a nod as he stood up, "Yeah. The way I see it, I'm a few steps closer to getting back home."

It was decided. Angela gave a nod and started on the path that would lead them to town. It was reliving the past heading back to Cold Oak but then again with her life she had been reliving it. Focusing she concentrated on the nagging feeling and followed it. She picked up her pace now that she knew what was at stake. She would have to tell her little party some time what was so important.

At the moment she had to worry about the Acheri which was still out there. It had already killed one of the psychics and who knows how many it would get before she got there. She had every confidence though that Sam would do his best to keep them all safe. No matter how scared he might be, he was just as focused as his brother when it came to the thing that they did best. She would do her best and Barcalow was right. She had her knights to help too and, if she cared to mention it, a hell mutt. She would play Azazel's game but beat him at it. She increased her pace to a jog and since they were heading downhill, she seemed to go faster.


Sam didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not. The demon wasn't going to let any of them leave. Lily was dead and he didn't know if Andy's message ever reached Dean or not. With everything going on there was a real possibility that his brother was dead and he hoped that it wasn't so. Angela was a different story.

He was sure that it had been her that talked to him earlier. It was in her voice and it spoke in the manner she would. It was short and to the point and pretty much gave the order for him to stick together with the other psychics. It did occur to him that the demon may be messing with him and trying to give him false hope.

I will find you Sam.

That line. Deep down he knew that it was no work of a demon. No one had that much determination when there was work needing to be done. Deep down he knew that the voice in his mind was hers. How she managed to do it, he wasn't sure but he suspected that it had to do with her ability that she could use to make people do whatever she wanted. It was similar to Andy's but it was not. Sam had a thought and went to find Andy.

The plan was to gear up to fight the demon and that meant finding weapons with iron and silver and laying down salt lines. Andy had found bags of salt and was laying down lines. Talking to him would be a lot better than the conversation he had with Ava and him telling her that her fiancé didn't make it. He found Andy looking around for any other weapons to use. "Hey Andy?"

"Oh Sam. Um I didn't find anything else. You know maybe one of these other buildings has salt." Andy started babbling a little. Everything that had happened was a lot to take in and not to mention that he managed to send something long distance to Sam's brother Dean. That reminded him. He needed to talk to the woman again.

Sam raised his hands to indicate that Andy was to calm down. "It's alright Andy. I just came to ask you something."

"Oh. Okay. So what do you want to know?"

Sam knew that there was no easy way to ask what he wanted to know. Hell with everything that happened today was not easy to digest or explain. He began, "Andy, I am curious… did you happen to…?"

Andy knew what Sam was talking about right away. So her message did get through. How much to tell Sam was something he had to think about since some of the conversation wasn't exactly the kind of thing you shared. He filled in, "Hear a voice? Sounded female and rather exotic like she was not from around here and a little pushy at times? Yeah. Is that your friend?"

Sam didn't know if he wanted to jump for joy at discovering that he was not going crazy or what. The description that Andy gave was exactly how Angela's voice sounded though the exotic description had him puzzled and yet the pushiness was her. She was only pushy when it was urgent. He replied, "Yeah that was Angie."

"You know she was really pushy. She kept saying to stick together and that she was on her way."

"I got the same thing too."

"Is she a psychic like us?"

Sam had been deep in thought when Andy asked his question. It took him a moment to process what Andy had been asking and he replied, "Angie? No. She's…" Now it was the difficult part. How much should he tell about her? People tended to react differently when they learned that she was half human and one of her parents was related to one of the creatures that he hunted and supposedly didn't exist. He glanced at Andy to see if he could take it. "She's… not your average person."

"Is she a demon?"

Sam was quick to respond, "What? No!" Though she may say that she might as well be. He still didn't get why she went through self-deprecation and thought that she shouldn't be treated like a human but he didn't see her in a bad light and neither did Dean. "She's…?"

"What? A vampire?" Andy asked the question as a joke since he was thinking that she was something that Sam would rather keep quiet. However when Sam didn't really say anything and looked a little guilty over it, Andy realized that it may not be a joke after all. "You're kidding me? A vampire?"

"Half uh actually but don't worry she doesn't do the whole blood sucking thing," Sam replied. He realized that it was hardly reassuring that he was friends with someone who was half vampire and she didn't drink blood. Well unless she suffered severe blood loss.

"That's very reassuring," Andy replied. He had talked in his mind with a vampire. He didn't know if that was a cool thing or a freaky thing. Well Sam did say that it was a brave new world when Jake questioned the validity of using salt against a demon and she sounded more concerned about their welfare than anything else. "So is she hot?"

"What?" Sam frowned at the question.

"Never mind, just a thought. Trying to get a face with the voice but yeah she talked to me but I think she was trying to reach you. I was the only one who responded so she talked to me." Andy changed the subject after babbling for a few moments.

"What you guys talk about?"

"Well not movies or anything and she didn't bite when I asked her out but she was concerned about you. You two…?"

Sam gave a slight smile. "No nothing like that. We're just friends and it's her way. She cares more about people but did she say that she was with Dean?"

Andy wasn't so sure about Sam's answer. Sam may say they were friends but the way he said it. It left something to think about. He wouldn't ask though and replied, "No. I don't think she's with your brother. She mentioned something about woods but she was talking kind of fast. Like she didn't know how long she had or something."

It was probably the first time she tried it, Sam thought. Still if she was nearby then she might be able to handle the Acheri if it showed up. Hell she might even be of some help if she made it before the next attack. "So she's probably on her own out there."

"In the woods?"

"Probably but what does the demon want with her?" Sam asked the question more to himself. The only conclusion he had was because it was no big secret that she was after the demon. It seemed like there were people and things that knew that and would either try to stop her or get out of her way. Maybe the demon wanted payback. It was a sobering thought but that didn't dispel the faith he had in her abilities. "Thanks Andy."

Andy watched as Sam went about his business in finding more stuff to guard against the demon. He had faith in Sam and that he would be able to help them get out and he envied his ability to stay calm. This thing though with his friend, Andy wasn't sure if it bothered Sam or not. He went about his business looking for more salt or iron or silver.


A/N: Interesting turn with the Acheri and Azazel pays a visit to Angie like he does with Sam. And Andy tells Sam what they talked about. So what happens next? Stay tuned for next time on All Hell Breaks Loose...