Oh my goodness - thank you so much for the kind reviews! And all the faves/follows are super encouraging! I'm glad y'all are enjoying the story! Things might be a little slow this chapter, but things are about to pick up. And Foggy, Karen, Claire and other characters will be back later in the story. Everyone's got a big part to play in coming chapters! But for now, back to the boys -
Azirale had overstepped. They knew it. Their relationship with Matt had turned into this tenuous, complicated set of unspoken rules and allowances. Which wasn't exactly how a possession was supposed to work, but they were both getting something out of it. Matt was getting to live, for one, and even if he denied it, Az knew he enjoyed the whole super-strength aspect. And Az was...Az was getting a new perspective on life. They were getting to feel things in a way they hadn't for a long, long time.
For instance - right now.
Matt said he wouldn't let the Winchesters hurt them. And Az believed him. They trusted him - this human.
Of course, the moment before now Az had been feeling absolutely nothing positive towards Matt at all. The callous way he joked about hell had ignited something dark and furious in Az, and the demon felt sad, and betrayed, and enraged, and the wild mash of all those unfamiliar emotions that had been burned out of them erupted in a storm. They pushed into Matt's mind, ignoring the alarm and fear surging out from Matt, and gave him a glimpse into their memory.
After the moment was over and Matt was dry-heaving on the roof, Az felt something else -trepidation. They had been having fun, mostly, up to this point. They had been enjoying this new situation, despite the unorthodoxy of it, even arguing with Matt and having to share a vessel. It was something different after ages of dismal monotony.
They didn't regret overstepping, but they knew they had just changed things.
Matt had been beginning to trust them, but after this...if he exorcized Az, Matt would die, but his soul would still go to heaven. So really, there wasn't as much of an ultimatum as Azirale had made it out to be. Besides, there were other things they could do to Az without having to kill Matt. These were the Winchesters - who knew what they were capable of.
But instead Matt had promised protection.
Az was curious about what was going on in Matt's head, but he wasn't about to go digging around right now.
Instead, they moved together with Matt towards danger, towards the Winchesters, and gave him a few pointers before retreating and handing the reigns to Daredevil.
They leapt across the street and landed on a shorter building on the corner. The thrum of the 1967 engine echoed from the street, and underneath that they could pick up snatches of the brothers' conversation inside the car.
"This guy is a smartass," Dean was saying.
"You were the one that called him Batman," Sam answered.
"Yeah - but Gotham Market? I thought this guy was supposed to be dark and scary - he's just a nerd."
"A nerd that's killed five people in the past three days."
Az didn't know what they were talking about - they guessed it had something to do with the smug smile Matt wore when they heard the buzzing neon sign a moment before. The Winchesters were right about one thing - Matt was definitely a nerd. And a smartass. Hopefully the rest of their information was that accurate, or they would be taking a lot of risk for nothing.
Azirale left the specifics of making a dramatic appearance to Matt - once again, nerd. Plus, Az still hadn't worked out the science of knowing where light was and wasn't, where other people's lines of sight led, or how to dramatically appear out of nowhere when, right now, they could sense every object and movement on the block. They hadn't been possessing Matt's body for long, but already it was difficult to remember how normal humans perceived the world.
But Matt had this down to a science, it seemed, as he clambered down the side of the building, darted across an alley and hopped a fence into a lot filled with freight containers. The Winchesters' car was humming loudly just on the other side of the lot - they had parked facing the cross street, right next to the fenced-in lot. Matt skulked through the maze of containers before finally hopping up onto a tower of the boxes and crouched there, orienting himself towards the sound of the old engine and making sure he was lined up with the windshield. Then he just crouched there like some sort of gargoyle, waiting for the Winchesters to see him.
It didn't take long.
"Hey - look. That's our guy." Sam spoke up from inside the car.
Matt immediately stood and hopped down behind the containers, vanishing from sight.
"Damn it. Let's go," Dean answered. The engine died, two doors slammed, and then footsteps were walking their way.
"Remember - be careful. These guys are dangerous." Az said in Matt's mind.
"So am I," Matt replied.
Az couldn't contest that. But the Winchesters were dangerous in ways Matt wasn't even aware existed. But Az just stayed quiet - they could handle this. Matt might be a drama queen who put way too much thought in making dramatic entries, but he was smart. And he was going to protect them.
Sam and Dean's heartbeats and footsteps were drawing closer, the scent of leather, guns, and washed-out bloodstains cutting through the scent of the river and exhaust. They could feel the air currents slipping and bending through the maze of freight cars, the pressure and sound reverberating off the sides of the metal containers, carrying the noises and smells of the Winchesters to Matt and telling him exactly where they were. That they were armed. And they could sense that dangerous energy emanating from the taller one - Sam - he still had that demon-killing knife. He wasn't holding it, but it was somewhere on him.
Matt made his way towards the Winchesters, arriving at a corner right before the brothers turned and slipping into the corridor behind them. Azirale's unease grew with every step closer to the brothers, but they just retreated into Matt and let Daredevil take over. They didn't want to give off any demonic vibes or tells that would alert the Winchesters.
"I thought we were going to help each other out," Matt said, breaking the quiet of the night.
The Winchesters spun around and trained their guns on Daredevil, heart rates jumping slightly before settling back to normal. They weren't scared. They were prepared.
"It seems a little counterproductive to be pointing guns at me," Matt said smoothly. He wasn't scared either.
"Man, I hate this superhero crap," Dean muttered in a familiar mantra, then lowered his firearm. "Cute, by the way - Gotham Market." Dean jerked his head towards the tall building across the street. Matt smirked.
"What's with the theatrics? Can't talk to us like a normal person?"
"I have an identity to protect. I'm not the most popular person in this city," Matt answered.
"Yeah - that tends to happen when you go around murdering people."
"That man was a rapist, and a potential murderer," Matt answered.
"And the others?" Dean demanded.
"Bouvois," Matt answered, "She had them under a spell, sent them after me. She killed them, not me."
Sam and Dean tilted their heads slightly towards one another - passing a look. Something even Matt's super senses couldn't detect.
"What do you know about her?" Dean asked.
Matt told them. About Evangeline, and Evelyn, about the increased activity in pretty much all the crime spheres of the city, about the missing people, the warehouses, the demons. He left out a few details, but the message was clear - Bouvois was up to no good.
"What about you - what do you two know?"
Sam and Dean passed another look before speaking - Az had to resist the urge to sigh and roll their eyes.
"Not a lot. Pretty much everything you've told us," Sam responded. His voice sounded honest, but his heart was lying. He knew more than he was saying.
Az felt Matt grit his teeth. Anger. They were getting better at reading Matt's emotions, even if they couldn't quite feel them yet. They had been hustled for information - the Winchesters weren't going to tell them anything.
"What about this guy - you seen anyone that looked like this running around?"
Dean held up a phone to Matt's face. Matt directed his eyes towards the phone - Az could feel the energy and heat coming from the device, and make out the shape of it in Dean's hand, but that was all they were getting. Obviously they were being shown a picture, but of what was anyone's guess.
"Is this your blind possessed guy you mentioned earlier?" Matt asked after staring in the direction of the screen for a moment.
"Yeah," Dean answered, "Matt Murdock. Seen him around? At one of these warehouses, or whatever?"
Matt shook his head, "No. Why? What's so special about him?"
"A lot, according to his friends. They think he can control the demon possessing him. I'm not sure how much of that is true, but we told them we'd find him. And that we'd look into this witch business."
"I'll keep an eye out for him. You sure you don't know anything about Bouvois?" Daredevil asked.
Dean shrugged, the leather jacket rustling with the movement, "Sorry pal. You know everything we know."
Lying.
Matt reached out and grabbed Dean's arm, gripping a little harder than necessary. Sam's gun was back in the air, pointed at Daredevil.
Careful, Az said.
"Why don't I believe you?" Matt asked, voice tense.
Dean shook Matt off, and Sam relaxed.
"I'm just trying to keep my city safe," Matt said, tone softer. Reconciliatory.
"Then back off and let the experts handle it, okay? I don't think demons are going to intimidated by a grown man playing dress-up and doing a floor routine."
"We know what we're doing," Sam added, apologetically, then handed Matt a slip of paper, "You see Matt, or find anything else, or need help with a demon - call us."
And then they were leaving, walking back the way they came still holding all their information, and taking all of Matt's. And Azirale's.
"Bastards," Az said, but Matt shook his head.
"Yeah, but we can still use them. Shh."
They stood very still and just...stood. And listened.
Sam and Dean were getting in the car, revving the engine.
"...information sounded legit. We should check it out."
"But if Evangeline wants to be Queen of Hell, why is she in New York buying up warehouses and investing in drug rings?"
"Don't know, but I have an idea how we can find out."
"You want to check out the warehouse?"
"You know that's right," Dean answered, pulling away from the curb.
Matt focused his senses, blocking out other stimuli and extending his hearing, following the brothers' voices as they drove away.
"12th is closest. But Daredevil said it was warded with some sort of magic."
"God. I can't believe you just said that."
"What?"
"Daredevil."
"That's his name!"
"Whatever. So it's warded with magic. We'll find a way in."
Matt let them go, allowing his other senses to flood in and bring him back to the lot behind Gotham Market, back to the river and exhaust and freight containers and Az.
"You think they can really get in?" Matt asked.
"Yeah. They're smart, they know how to use magic - plus they're a stubborn pair of bastards. They'll find a way to bypass her wards. Though I'm not sure how well they'll fare once they get in, whatever's in there."
"Then we follow them."
The warehouse was old, white walls streaked with black stains and grime. The only windows were high above the sidewalk, and clouded with dirt and cobwebs. Still, Sam climbed the rickety, creaking fire escape and peeked inside while Dean kept watch.
It was late at night in a shady part of Hell's Kitchen - even if they were spotted, no one would look at them twice. But if a demon came along...hopefully they would pass for normal, uninteresting miscreants, but Dean doubted it. There was a strong sense of unease in the air, a feeling of foreboding that made Dean want to bolt as soon as possible. Whenever he looked at the warehouse, or his eyes strayed to the windows, the feeling got immensely stronger. His instincts and gut feeling screamed at him to get out of there, to look away.
He knew it was the spell Bouvois had put on the warehouse to keep humans away, but mind over matter didn't seem to be working in this instance. He was getting antsy when Sam finally clambered down from the fire escape.
"I can't see anything inside. It's too dark, but it looks empty."
"Horns said the warehouse he checked out seemed empty, too, then a hoard of demons strolled out the front door. It has to be some sort of spell, to trick people."
"Pretty strong magic," Sam said, sniffing and letting his eyes rove over the warehouse.
"Tell me about it. Its giving me the creeps."
"Let's go around back and try to find a way in."
The back alley running next to the building was even shadier than the front - trash and what looked like the remains from a junkies' camp littering the concrete, the only light dim and flickering. There was a backdoor - but when Dean tried it, it wouldn't budge.
"Hey," Sam hissed, "Check this out."
Dean followed the beam of the flashlight and saw a series of symbols painted on the wall of the warehouse. He ran his fingers over the spray paint, racking his memory.
"I've seen these before - glyphs for protection."
"Guess I missed those the first time."
A voice came from behind them, and Dean spun around - gun cocked and ready before his eyes even registered who had snuck up on them.
When he did register the figure, he let out a loud sigh and rolled his eyes.
"Again, are the theatrics really necessary?"
Daredevil was leaning against the opposite wall of the alley, arms and ankles crossed as if he was just relaxing after a nice afternoon stroll. He even had a satisfied little smirk on his face. The image was ruined by the red and black armor and disconcerting mask, though. And the sketchy, trash-ridden alleyway.
"When did you get here?" Sam asked.
"I've been here a while. So what are these glyphs?"
Dean turned his back to the costumed crusader and studied the symbols again.
"It's none of your business, is what. We told you, we have this handled. So why don't you just -"
Suddenly Daredevil hissed, shushing Dean. When he turned around to give the superhero a taste of his mind, the dude was holding up his hand in the universal symbol for "wait," and his head was cocked to the side like he was listening.
"What is it?" Sam whispered.
"Demons - on the roof. Three of them."
"How do you…" Dean began, but suddenly Daredevil surged forward and shoved them both against the wall with surprising strength, then put a finger to his lips.
They waited for a moment in tense silence, entirely too close for Dean's comfort. For a long minute there was nothing, but gradually Dean became aware of voices drifting down from the roof. Damn, the man was right. Someone was up there. So they waited.
Finally, Daredevil relaxed and backed away from the wall, cocking his head for a moment before nodding.
"They're gone."
"Good. Now you can go, too."
"Dean, maybe he can help us out," Sam said, in that way he did. When he spoke in that voice, Dean knew the argument had already been won. Usually he would drag it out, but he was feeling uneasy and ready to get out of there tonight. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, Daredevil seemed to be able to handle himself. And if he could sense demons from a distance - well, it was nice to have an alarm system. Since they didn't have Cas.
"Fine. Whatever, to hell with it. Let's get this over with."
He snatched a can of spray paint from his duffle and began marking out the symbols and glyphs painted on the wall.
Daredevil suddenly jerked a little bit, and Sam noticed.
"What is it?"
"I just...I felt that. Before I couldn't get anything from inside - it's still muffled, but -"
"You can sense what's inside the building?"
"Not very well," Daredevil answered.
"Damn superheroes," Dean muttered, then tried the door again.
This time, it opened. Before them yawned darkness.
Dean could briefly make out the faint outline of walls and floor for a few feet past the doorframe, then everything melded together into shadows. A cloud of cold air rolled out of the darkness with a moaning sigh, a frigid breath that chilled him to the bone.
"Something's not right," Daredevil said, taking a slight step back.
"No shit. What'd you expect? Just leave this to us, I'm sure there's an old lady somewhere that needs help crossing the street."
"Dean," Sam reprimanded.
Daredevil's lip twitched upwards, and Dean got the impression the man wanted to curse. Instead, he clenched his hands into fists and strode towards the door.
"Alright then," Dean replied, and walked in. Daredevil was right behind him, his footsteps so light they were hardly detectable. And behind him, Sammy covering their backs. Dean was glad of that, because as much as he wouldn't admit it to Horns, walking into the inky darkness of the hallway was the last thing he wanted to do. Something was definitely off. More so than usual when dealing with witches and demons. This was something darker, something powerful, something big.
He let out a slow, deep, breath, then steeled himself and took the next step.
Too late to turn back now.