Chapter Seven
Dean turned away from the now angel-less room. "Okay, how do we find Lillith? I mean, Bobby used that ritual a year ago, but I doubt she'll be that stupid the second time around."
"He's right," said Eve. She turned to Sam. "We have to find her."
"We?" said Sam. "What do you mean, we?"
"You have the ability of empathy," said Eve. "You can sense things."
"I can?" asked Sam.
"We both can," said Eve. "You've sensed things before; the poltergeist at our old house—you could still sense it. I can teach you how to do that."
"When?" asked Sam.
"Now," said Eve. "But first you'll need…"
Sam nodded in understanding. "A boost." Sam pulled a flask from his pocket, and Dean rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. Sam drained the whole flask, putting it back in his pocket. "Alright. What do I do?"
"Come here," said Eve. "And no comments from you," she shot at Dean. She sat in the middle of the living room, patting the hardwood in front of her and crossing her legs. Sam walked over in front of her, crossing his legs as he sat on the floor facing her. Eve held her hands out. "Give me your hands." Sam looked at her hands and then looked at her. Eve rolled her eyes. "I promise I don't have cooties."
Sam rolled his eyes as he clasped her hands with his. "You really are Dean's sister."
"Ha-ha," said Eve. She locked hands with Sam in between them. "Close your eyes and clear your mind." She watched Sam closed his eyes, frowning slightly. She closed her own eyes, leading Sam in some deep breaths. "Alright, now reach out with your mind. Try to connect with mine, and I'll help you reach Lillith."
Eve let her mind escape its natural boundaries, breaking down the external walls and reaching into the room. She didn't go all the way to Sam, though. She'd never be able to help him find Lillith if he couldn't do this. She waited for a full minute before opening her mouth.
"Concentrate, Sam," she told him. "You can do it."
"How?" asked Sam.
"Let the mental barriers fall and reach out towards me," said Eve.
Sam huffed out a deep breath in annoyance. "That doesn't make sense."
"Okay, let's try this: imagine you're in a box," said Eve. She heard Dean snicker from her left. "Not helping, Dean."
Dean cleared his throat. "Sorry."
"Okay, you got that image?" asked Eve.
"Yeah," said Sam.
"Now, imagine the cardboard flexing out from you, growing weaker and weaker," Eve coached. "You can feel yourself contained in that small space, and you're fighting to get out. The box suddenly rips at the seams, bursting open and falling away from you, and now you're free."
Eve felt a force collide with her own energy, and her hands squeezed Sam's hands. Sam's hands squeezed hers at the same time, and she knew he had felt it, too. Eve allowed Sam's mind to get acquainted to the new situation. She knew what it felt like the first time: no barriers or obstacles as her mind flooded the world around her. It felt like flying.
Sam took several deep breaths. "Oh, my God…"
"I know," said Eve. "It's amazing, isn't it?"
"Is this what it feels like every time?" asked Sam.
"No, you get used to it," said Eve. "Just breathe." She gave Sam another minute. "I'm gonna anchor you to me now so we can find Lillith, okay?"
"Need me to do anything?" asked Sam.
"Yeah," said Eve. "Don't move." She gripped Sam's hands tighter as her mind surged forward. She enveloped Sam's energy, clamping down on it to fuse the two of them together. She felt Sam jump slightly. "Sorry."
"Jeez, warn a guy next time," said Sam.
"Ready?" asked Eve.
Sam fidgeted in her hands. "Probably not."
"Too bad," said Eve.
Eve took to the psychic currents, leaving the house and into the atmosphere. She felt Sam's mind race as he was dragged along for the ride. They soared through the clouds, feeling the wind whip past. Yet at the same time, they could still feel the hard floor of the living room they were sitting on.
"Glad I'm the psychic boy," said Sam suddenly.
"Why's that?" asked Eve.
"Because Dean would be freaking out at this point," said Sam. He and Eve laughed.
"About what?" asked Dean.
"Nothing," Sam and Eve both said.
Eve had her and Sam basically circling over the United States, searching for a certain presence.
I've felt it before, I just— Eve thought.
"You have?" asked Sam.
Eve perked her head to the side. "Should've known you'd be able to hear me."
"Hear you?" asked Sam, confused.
"Yeah, I didn't say that, I thought it," said Eve.
"Oh," said Sam.
Eve suddenly picked up on that presence. Sam cringed in her hands as he felt it also.
"Is that her?" asked Sam.
"Yes, it is," said Eve. She clamped onto Lillith's essence, searching for her. The essence pulled her down to the middle of the country.
A growling voice filled her head. "Blood…River of blood…"
Eve crashed back down into the living room. She had done it so many times that the transition from free-flowing energy force to earthbound human was easy and smooth. But she had forgotten that she had Sam along with her.
As she opened her eyes, she saw Sam jolt and fall back onto the floor, wincing.
"Sam!" Eve called, rushing over to help him sit back up. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," said Sam, breathing heavily. "Just don't do that again."
Eve winced in sympathy. "Sorry."
"It's okay," said Sam. "What the hell did that mean, 'river of blood'?"
"I think I saw a reference to that in Revelations," said Eve, getting up and grabbing a Bible off of Bobby's shelves. She flipped through until she found the verse. "I was right. Check this out: 'A river of blue that touches north and south shall run red.'"
"What the hell does that mean?" asked Dean.
"It means that one of the seals is a river turning to blood," said Eve.
"Which river?" asked Dean. "I mean, there's, like, two hundred in the U.S. alone."
Sam looked at Eve. "Didn't we seem to be headed for the middle of the country?"
"Yeah…" said Eve, thinking. "A river that touches north and south…A river that touches the north side of the country and the south side, right in the middle…"
"The Mississippi?" asked Sam.
"It's gotta be," said Eve.
"Yeah, but the Missisippi runs all the way down the country," said Sam. "Where is she?"
"She'll probably do it where the Mississippi starts out," said Dean. "So it'll turn the whole thing to blood."
Sam grabbed a book of maps from the shelf, flipping through it. "I think I found it."
"Let's go," said Dean, rushing for the Impala with the other three close behind. They piled into the car, Dean at the wheel. "Where we headed?"
"Minnesota," answered Sam, looking at the map. "Lake Itasca. That's where the Mississippi flows from. It's in Northern Minnesota."
