Chapter 9
The smell of blood in the air was what tipped Angela off that something was wrong. She smelled it the moment they landed, not at all put out by Lord Shiva's helping hand. She wasn't going to quibble with a free ride and transportation by a god was a lot better than one by an angel and she had yet to experience what it was like for an Avian though Dean cornered the market on that one and she had flight envy. At the moment though the scent of blood was in the air and she wasn't the only one that sensed it. All five dogs could and they were waiting for their cue from their alpha.
Haley was first to go and Angela picked up the sense of urgency. She wasn't a dog but her vampire instincts, which were a major step above animalistic, picked up on it and followed with a low growl in her throat. That was the signal for the dogs to follow and they carried through with Cerebus and Lilah taking the lead followed by Xander and then Moira and Zeppelin. It was like an alpha leading the pack on the hunt as they followed her and she followed Haley and the scent.
If there was one thing that Angela could do, that was the ability to tell if blood was blood and more recently she could tell you if it was demon or human. She started expanding on it a little but in private since she still felt disgusted that it attracted her nose like evil ass shit she could detect like nothing not to mention total and utter bullshit that Dean was a master of. She never got over the damage to her psyche of being made to feel like a monster because it was something that saved her life and that she had to take in order to escape from that hell hole she had been imprisoned in. That didn't matter now since the scent of blood was the urgency.
Angela kept Haley in her sights but paused to make sure that they weren't in immediate danger. Animal instinct or not, she was still a hunter and given the trouble they had been in lately, she wasn't going to let it walk in… unless it was one of those foolish plans. She paused long enough to take stock and continued following Haley, putting an extra burst of speed into her legs and caught up with her and leaping up onto the porch after growling out instructions to the dogs. She caught Haley and held her with a silent warning but Haley ignored her and barged in.
Angela followed Haley through the house, her nose wrinkling at the coppery scent. It was very strong and there was a lot of it. It was enough to make normal humans sick from the smell. It was a fresh kill and had her wary but she was also in shock when she followed Haley into the main room. It was enough to make the most vile of persons to try and miserably fail from hurling. She gulped as she looked at the sight.
There was blood everywhere, enough to look like a massacre or and angel smiting. There were three bodies in plain sight covered in blood and they looked like they might have been eviscerated by a hellhound. A closer look told Angela that they might have been tortured first before they were killed and her nose twitched as she gave a signal to hold the pups in line. Cerebus and Lilah were going around the back. She pulled out her pistol just in case and moved in front of Haley to clear the area.
A moan caught her attention the moment she entered where the dining area was. She pivoted and pointed the gun and her eyes flared the moment she caught on who it was and Haley voiced out, "Oh God. Aaron!"
Angela held her gun up while Haley ran to check on Aaron. She let her other senses reach out since her sense of smell was being overwhelmed by the coppery smell of blood. She didn't know if whatever it was that attacked this place was there still. She moved to check the rest of that floor. God, I'm glad that I hung around cops and Special Forces.
A creak caught her attention and she pivoted and ended up pointing her gun at Dean who raised his hands up and said, "Easy, Angie."
Angela raised her brow even though her expression was firm. She lowered her weapon but didn't relax completely. She peered to see that Sam was behind his brother and asked, "The twins? Bobby?"
"Outside," Sam gestured towards the door while trying not to make a face at the stench. He kneeled when Moira came up to him and pawed his leg with something in her mouth. "What's that girl?"
Angela lowered her weapon slightly and looked only with her eyes. She then looked at Dean and gestured with her head towards Haley, "You should help her."
Dean nodded and lowered his hands after standing there with his arms raised and feeling like an idiot. He frowned slightly and felt for his gun before going to where Haley was with her bodyguard. He kneeled to take a look, "You okay Hale?"
"I'm fine but Aaron's not," Haley replied pointing at a nasty gash on the Nephilim's abdomen and a shallow wound on the neck and others that were probably hidden since there was blood everywhere, not to mention the bruises. "I don't' even know where to begin and…" Her lip wobbled a little.
Dean reached over and patted her gently on the shoulder. He looked at the guy and noted that he looked really young. He reminded him of Sam when he first picked him up from Stanford. He looked as young as Jo and it sent a pang in his heart. He closed his eyes briefly and opened them before reaching forward only to be surprised when Aaron's eyes shot open and he gasped. "Easy kid," Dean reached out and touched Aarons shoulder to keep him steady.
Aaron mumbled something that had Dean look at Haley. Haley shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what Aaron said but at that moment the Nephilim started moving and it wasn't to try and help them. Rather he saw them as a threat and struggled against them as they tried to keep him from bleeding out. Haley pleaded, "Aaron, please. Stop."
Aaron stopped and focused on her voice. He looked at her and Dean as he tried to process what was going on. He blinked at them and looked at them before saying something in the language he had said when he was struggling earlier.
Dean rolled his eyes when he kept repeating it. "Probably the pain. Hale… stay with him while I look for something for something to patch him up with at the car. You guys really left us in the dirt." He gave a slight grin for reassurance before patting her shoulder again and heading towards where the car was. He passed by Sam and Angela in the hall and said, "Hale's bodyguard is still alive. I'm gonna grab the kit."
"Okay," Sam replied with a slight look.
Dean glanced at Angela and continued towards the car but not before he said, "Um… kid is saying something and I think it's Enochian and…"
"Thanks, Dean," Angela replied with a slight smile before looking around the house.
Dean said nothing else but looked at Sam before heading out. Sam watched his brother leave before turning back to Angela. She had kneeled to greet Zeppelin who brought something to her. She took it and rubbed his head to indicate that he did well. She stood up studying it frowning. Sam noticed she hadn't relinquished her hold on her gun. "Still thinking whatever did this is here?"
"Not discounting it," Angela admitted as she studied what Zeppelin brought her. "This is…" She made a face."
Sam noticed and nodded, "Yeah." He glanced at the main room. "I can understand."
"Understand what?" Angela looked up at Sam with a puzzled expression.
"The… the blood thing. Why you're stubborn with it," Sam replied. He played with what Moira handed to him. He cleared his throat and added in an almost whisper, "And the smell."
Angela blinked once she realized what Sam was trying to say. Her lip twitched in a near smile, "Yeah. This much blood… bad memories… both hell and topside." She shifted on her feet while listening to what else was going on. "The smell is… strong."
"Yeah." Sam could agree with that. If he was gagging at the smell of blood, he could only imagine how it felt to her and the dogs. "Are you gonna… are you gonna be okay?"
Angela looked around the room. There was something peculiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. It was a scent but it was hard to tell because of the coppery smell. She looked at Sam and found the look of concern etched on his face. She was continually touched by how much he cared about her wellbeing even if it was something that was not a big deal. "I will be," she replied, "Once I rip the head off that bitch Lenya."
"You think it was her?" Sam was pleased that she was okay and it was normal for her to say things like that. He wouldn't mind if she did rip Lenya's head off any way since he wanted to do the same but that was because she tormented Angela.
"She's after the Ashvins and she knows I'm looking for the vision." She looked at nothing in particular and put one of her hands on her hip. "Is it worth it?" She looked at Sam with the question she had asked herself ever since she came up with this idea.
Sam thought about the question for a moment. He knew that she debated the wisdom of it from the whole forcing the twins to grow up faster than normal to the consequences of the whole thing. He didn't blame her really for thinking that. It was what she did and why he liked her as much as he did. He then replied, "You're doing what you think is right and… they may be young but the twins know what they are doing and agree with it."
"But these people died because of the vision."
"Because they chose to look after it. I mean that's what I am assuming from what Shiva said," Sam countered trying not to be too uncomfortable trying to share his thoughts on what was going on. He knew she wouldn't make fun of him but he was a bit self-conscious in conveying his thoughts since Dean wasn't very receptive of everything they had learned so far on this job. "And I am assuming they knew the risks. Aaron did when he was Haley's bodyguard." He gave a slight shrug hoping that his meaning was clear.
Angela nodded. She heard what Sam was saying and it was essentially what she told herself when she asked the question. "I know." She sighed and looked at what was in her hand and noticed what Sam was holding. "What do you have there?"
Sam looked at what was in his hand and handed it over. "Moira handed it to me. Could you not do that?"
Angela looked up from her examination. She had taken what Sam had given her and was examining it but while holding her gun. It was an old habit and born out of the need to stay alert especially when she was in war zones. "Do what?"
Sam pointed at her gun hand. "I really was nervous handing it to you. You looked ready to shoot something with it on your hip."
"I am always ready to shoot something," Angela teased as she checked to make sure that she wasn't really aiming at anyone. "I hunt things." She teased him by waving her gun slightly in an almost careless fashion.
"Um…" Sam tried not to flinch at what she was doing but her waving a gun like that was nerve wracking. He could see that her finger was on the trigger and she could easily fire it. He knew she was playing with him since she was giving that teasing grin that was appealing which was why he didn't try to grab the gun like he would if someone was off their rocker and he had the advantage. His eyes widened when she actually pointed it at him and her expression changed. But he was quick to drop when she called him by name and fired.
There was a screech behind him and he turned to see the familiar inky eyes of a demon and its face contorted into the ugliest thing ever. It looked like those Asian masks he had seen in books. He moved just as Moira and Zeppelin actually leaped like a perfect show dog couple over his body and barreled into the demon snarling and snapping their jaws. It was only the beginning.
Another demon came in from behind Angela and tried to grab her. Her gun clattered to the ground but she stood her ground and gave a hard elbow and turned to give a few hard punches to the body and face. By that time more demons had come in and decided to take a swing at Sam and her. She growled and grinned as she countered with a block and struck. Hand to hand was always fun for her even though she didn't like to admit it and she liked giving the demons an ass kicking.
Sam was right there throwing punches with her. It was automatic for him to lift up her jacket and grab her chakram. He could have easily grabbed her knife but it was closer. And it wasn't like there was anyone else that could use it. It was effective at hurting demons since it had the power to and actually kill them. So he improvised its use like a knife and swung at the demons until one jumped on his back. The weight was god as suddenly as it appeared followed by a dull thud. He looked over and saw Angela with her arm outstretched. "Nice hit."
"Thanks."
They managed to chase the demons out or rather they ran away and Angela and they gave chase. They tumbled out of the house to find Lenya raise her hand and yank the shotgun out of Bobby's hand. The other demons were gone except for the one from the Roadhouse. With a swipe, Lenya sent Bobby skidding along the dirt ground until the chair tipped over sideways.
That sparked a reaction from the pups and Zeppelin and Moira charged with Xander following. Moira and Xander were swept aside but Zeppelin got through and charged for Lenya only to be suspended and grabbed by the throat. Before Lenya got to do something horrible, she was thrown to the side releasing the pup as she flew.
The distraction was enough time to allow Angela, Sam, and Dean to help out. Angela took up a defensive posture with her knife in her hand. She narrowed her eyes at Lenya who was getting to her feet and the demon from the Roadhouse that was just standing there. She tensed up and was ready to spring. It came in handy when the demons from inside the house suddenly appeared and started attacking.
It was like before but Angela wasn't going to budge since she was between the demons and the twins. She managed to push back to help Bobby up with a little help from the twins but it seemed like there were a lot more demons than the last time. Angela managed to kill one when she heard a grunt and turned to see Sam being ganged up on and Dean looked like he was going to end up in a dog pile. The puppies had been kicked aside and their parents were going full on hunter dogs. The next thing she knew she was hit from behind and she hit the dirt and thought she heard someone calling out to her as she fell to the ground.
Angela rolled to try and gain an advantage but it was too much. She barely managed to defend herself and get to a standing position. It didn't help that the nits kept on coming but she did dish it back out. It wasn't enough though and she got a nasty hit from behind when she heard the twins call out and saw they were in trouble. She took a risk and threw her knife to save them from a demon but it left her open and she got a nasty crack and fell. The last thing she heard was shouts and grunts.
"You really need to think about good things when they're offered to you."
Angela opened her eyes and found herself staring at the night sky. She grimaced since she looked up and saw the last face that she would want to see. "Fuck you Crowley."
"Only if you were the one to do it," Crowley crooned at her.
Angela shot a glare that would have made a person pee in their pants and then some. She got to her feet and looked around. She didn't see anybody out there. "Sam? Dean? Bobby?"
"They aren't here, love," Crowley offered more out of boredom.
Angela ignored the demon and looked around. She had to find out… She ran and tripped over something. She turned to find that she had tripped over Bobby and he let it be known that she did by hollering, "Watch where yer going!"
Looking around, she found Bobby still on the ground and helped him up. "Sorry Bobby."
Bobby groused a little bit as she righted him in his chair like it was nothing. "Don't worry about it." He looked around. "Angie, what the hell happened?"
"What happened was the sweetheart here got herself overwhelmed by rakshasa," Crowley entered looking bored at the whole situation. "Bunch of little minions and they pretty much overwhelmed the Hardy Boys and the mutts…"
At that moment a low growl emerged and Cerebus appeared indicating he was ready to pounce. He was surrounded by three smaller dogs, two of which looked like him and they looked ready to rip him apart. The smaller one really wanted to rip him apart. Crowley looked at Angela, "Can you not have them look at me like that."
"I kind of like it," Angela replied as she gave a low growl in her throat. It had the dogs stand down but it didn't stop their growling. She smiled sweetly at Crowley and added, "That's the best I can do."
Crowley narrowed his eyes and continued, "Anyway, my bet is the little bitch princess took the Hardy Boys…"
"She took them and with the rakshasa," Aaron said as he came out of the house. He was holding his side and looking worse for the wear but he was on his feet. "Took them all."
Angela reached out to catch Aaron to steady him. "Because of the twins. The vision right?"
Aaron nodded, "How they knew… I don't know. Wouldn't tell them though." He grinned a little at that since he was pleased that he thwarted the demons. He wasn't too happy that it caused the death of his family. "Mom and my grandparents wouldn't tell either."
"Maybe you should have. It isn't worth it," Angela said quietly as she looked around. It was then she spotted Lilah. She hadn't moved like the others since she was sporting an injured paw and she bent to examine it. There was a nasty gash on the leg and it was deep but Lilah gave soft woofing sounds saying that she was good to still fight.
"Don't you be going on one of those trips now," Bobby warned. "We all thought it the best idea though that idjit Paul could have done better."
Angela made a slight face at that. She looked around but didn't see any sign of the twins. That meant that they were taken too. She shook her head slightly at that as Crowley said, "It wouldn't have mattered anyway. What the little brat wants she usually does what she can to get it. So point being you were doomed from the start sweetheart since you decided to play babysitter."
Angela stood up and looked at Crowley, "And I supposed what you tried to sell me would have worked better?"
"Of course it would have… if you'd stop with the insane inhibitions," Crowley spat back. "You are supposed to be a protector and you don't protect. You don't even use what's in your arsenal." He turned to walk away but turned back and pointed, "And don't go using that it doesn't matter who's stronger crap. It's overrated."
Angela didn't say anything but let the demon walk off. She looked at what was left. The smell of blood was on the air still and she could smell the demons. And the twins were gone. She heaved a sigh and squatted but ended up just falling to the ground and sat there. She knew what she had to do but… "I really should have thought this through Bobby," she said.
"And ya did," the grizzled hunter replied as he wheeled himself as best as he could over towards her. "It went sideways and when has it not? Right now we got the boys and Haley missing and the twins. Now you know what's going to happen."
"She could use the twins to find it. It won't be as accurate but they can find the general location and…" Angela started at the ground. Absently she started petting Lilah when the dog came and nuzzled her in the shoulder. "I know I am going after them. No way I'm going to let that bitch do anything to the twins. And to Sam." She looked away and stared at the landscape. "I just don't know if I can find them. So much… blood in the air."
Aaron blinked as he watched Angela seem to slump in defeat. Maybe it was time to tell her what the real reason was that his family was killed. He moved gingerly towards her and said, "The demon won't be able to find it. Even with the twins."
Angela turned to look up at the Nephilim while Bobby asked, "What do you mean?"
Aaron took a breath. At least his body was healing though it was going to be rough. He explained, "The vision is not where they are heading. The reason because is… it's here."
Angela blinked as she heard it. She studied Aaron as it computed that they were sitting on top of the vision itself. At that point Crowley came back from his muttering and had overheard the conversation and said, "You have it?"
Aaron narrowed his eyes at Crowley, "Back off demon."
"I'm only here for the sweetheart."
Before it could be turned into an argument, Angela jumped to her feet and spoke firmly, "Enough." She glared at Crowley and he held his hands up in surrender. She then looked at Aaron and asked, "What do you mean that it's here?"
Aaron knew that he was going to have to explain what he meant. He didn't want to in front of the demon but given that Angela seemed to not trust it but tolerated it and she would take care of it if he tried something. Sighing he replied, "It's something I more or less have to show you."
"Show and tell? Bloody brilliant," Crowley muttered.
Angela shot the demon a look and then glanced at Bobby. They didn't really have a choice and if they had it… She knew that bargaining was going to meet with resistance and protests on all sides. Well, Lenya wouldn't give a damn since she would end up getting her way for the most part. She looked at Aaron and nodded, "All right."
Aaron took a breath and started walking back to the house and towards the back. The others followed with Angela helping Bobby along and the dogs flanking and keeping an eye out. She hadn't failed to notice that the puppies were whimpering a little from separation anxiety. They really were pretty young to be imprinted and this was going to drive them crazy. She gave a low rumble in her throat to soothe them and their mother stayed with them while she followed Aaron as he let them towards a building that was unmistakably a barn. Her suspicions started to increase a little.
Crowley was the first to notice and of course say something, "You wanted to show us a barn? Nice."
Aaron glared at the demon and stood next to a stall. He looked at Angela and said, "There is a reason why they couldn't find it." He gave a slight whistle.
"What are doing? The mutts are right here?" Crowley gestured at the dogs which were in various states of growling.
That was brushed off when a whooshing sound was heard. Angela turned towards Aaron and he gestured slightly with his head. She blinked as what he whistled for came into view. All she thought was, Well that makes sense.
A/N: And it seems like trouble is at the place where the vision is and... is that Aaron? WTH? Keep watching for more of Vision of the Horse Lords...
