Chapter 11

Austin managed to get back to the ranch but it was later than the original chore called for. By the time he got back, he had to unload and sort the feed for the animals. There was no sign of Old Mad Johnson anywhere on the place. He did a quick sweep to make sure nothing had happened to him since he noticed that more of the townsfolk were getting at each other's throats and beating the crap out of each other. Finding no one, he went to work. It would do no good if he got fired at this point.

He started shoveling the feed and began mixing it. He knew that each horse required a different feed. It was not difficult since he did help out once at another place that had horses. It was actually a pleasant experience and he didn't mind the smell of the animals at all. He was carrying a bucket to the boss' favorite stallion when he heard a noise. He put the bucket down and went to check it out.

"You are a curious case but you are unique."

Austin turned to see a familiar sight. He was never one to have any qualms about unexpected visits. In fact most of his kind would consider it an honor albeit a little bit on the wondering if they were insane side. He replied, "What can I say? I'm what they call the orphan pureblood. A few quirks are expected."

Isis looked at Austin with a tolerant smile. She walked up to one of the horses and began petting it. To anyone who happened to wander in she was a dark haired woman wearing a summer dress and heels. She smiled at Austin.

Austin went back to work. "So there must be some reason you are here milady. Having trouble reaching your favorite?"

Isis continued to pet the horse. She smiled when it gave a little hum. She looked at Austin and replied, "There is always a reason for me to traverse this plain. I know that there is trouble in this town."

"Good. Then you can stop it before it becomes a mini Armageddon."

"No I can't. The rules prevent me from interfering."

Austin stopped what he was doing to look at the goddess. "You've interfered before."

Isis gave a gentle yet sad smile. "An exception but as a goddess I can give blessing and protection. To interfere in the mortal realm is a giant risk in terms of the balance of things."

Austin remembered this lesson. It sounded stupid but it made sense. The gods and goddesses were powerful beings and existed in a separate realm. Some gods had pockets of this world sanctioned off and they were considered sanctuaries for those needing it. When they did decide to mingle with mortals, they assumed human form and their powers were tightly restricted. They were still powerful but not at full strength. He sighed, "So why have you come to talk to me?"

"You've made contact with the youngest brother."

"I would call it a coincidence since he happened to be walking by when Mr. Shotgun decide to go postal. I had him made as a hunter the moment he took the guy down and he confirmed it more or less when I questioned him. What's the big deal?"

"Surely you are aware that a plan is afoot set in motion by the demon Azazel?"

Austin tried but couldn't resist the eye roll. She always answered his question with a question, a signal that it was something serious. "Who doesn't that isn't affiliated with the Centurion? I was sent to check out a rumor of a lost psychic kid. Low and behold I meet one who is also supposed to end this current game."

Isis nodded. To the mortals and her children, it was annoying when she answered their queries in the form of a question. Her reasoning for it was for them to figure out the focus behind it before she got down to the details. In a way it was also a test of worthiness and to make sure they were loyal to the old ways. She replied, "True young Sam is one marked by the demon as well as the girl who lives here."

"Great so we've got a town going postal and two psychics. Just my kind of case." Austin finished feeding the last horse and went to put his bucket away. "And what does this have to do with anything?"

Here was the moment that Isis was waiting for. Now she could tell him just a little and point him in the direction he would be needed. "A great deal. Such is the nature of these games. The youngest brother will need your help eventually. You know the nature of the hierarchies of the races. It has already been figured out but he is prepared. He will show his hand when ready."

Austin leaned on the hay rake he had picked up. Most of his kind and others within the Centurion were familiar with classification within the different races of creatures that existed. He knew this as well. Still that didn't justify any reason for him to go off the beaten path he had been ordered to unless it was that serious. He wasn't an idiot and he knew it was serious. "So I am to wait and watch?"

"Yes and move when you see an opening. I know you care for her but just remember that she does things her own way."

Austin didn't say anything as the goddess finished petting the horse and then walked out of the barn and disappeared. He knew exactly who she was talking about. Once again a divine order was given and this time he was to be backup. Not exactly something her wanted to do; play second fiddle to a human and a cursed one at best but this was the way how things were. He wasn't going to argue. He would do what he came to do and offer any help he could.

Angela was sitting on the ground in front of a fire and breathing in the familiar smells of herbs used for cleansing and other rituals. Across from her was an old man who appeared after Lenya had left and offered a hand up. That was after saying that she fought well but she needed practice. Angela never said a word but followed the old man's lead until he stopped at a fire pit. It was then she asked if he was the old man in the hills.

He told her that he was and went to work with his herbs. Angela sat patiently until he was finished. Glancing at her watch though, she realized that she was going to be late in meeting up with Sam and she had the problem with Dean to fix. Looking up she noticed that the old man was looking at her and decided to cut to the chase. She asked, "Is it a demon?"

"You ask a question to which you already know the answer."

Angela was caught on that one. She suspected a demon and the old man's response confirmed it. Now it was a matter to see if she was right in the kind of demon. She replied, "Yes but I need to know if it is the one I suspect, a rage demon."

"Emotions are strong. They are being used to turn friend against friend."

"Okay so that confirms it," Angela muttered to herself. She really had no idea what the purpose of this was. She decided to ask, "Why am I out here if I know the answers?"

"Good question," the old man replied. He made swirling motions through the smoke and chanted something in a language that Angela couldn't understand. She knew quite a few languages but when it came to specific dialects, she could be in the dark unless she tried to draw a comparison. That usually worked. The old man continued his muttering and then said, "Secrets lie within and have the power to destroy."

"I get that. Apkallu warned me as such," Angela replied. "I may have damaged a relationship that was fragile to begin with."

The old man looked at Angela in that uncomfortable look that she seemed to find herself under quite frequently. She had seen looks like that before as if people thought she was crazy for saying the things she said. Maybe she was but it was how she saw the world at large. He then said, "Yet one is strong though it doesn't seem that way."

"Excuse me?"

"A deep one it is," the old man replied. He then gave a slight frown. "Yet not seen in its entirety. Too soon but on the right path."

Angela gave a tolerant smile, "I've been getting that a lot lately. I'm not one to believe in destiny. I find it to be annoying and full of crap."

"A path that is laid before is not always set. But some things are meant to be. You just have to see it." The old man then waved his hands and the smoke changed colors.

Angela wrinkled her nose as she smelled the herbs. She could pick out several and as her mind named them in their actual biological name, she realized what was going on. She started to say something, "What…"

"You need to see clearly."

Angela felt her head get foggy with the familiar sensation. She watched as the old man began to chant and her eyes grew heavy. They closed and she slumped over in a deep sleep.

Angela found herself back in town on the same street with the clichéd tumbleweeds blowing through. She was standing in front of the store that she had been in earlier and she was staring at the building. As she did in her dream, she walked in the store and found it was night time but it was not in the store. It was in some building but Angela couldn't tell where.

Outside she saw scrub brush and other plants native to the area indicating that she was somewhere out in the hills. Inside she saw Natalia backing away in fear. She was facing a demon and Natalia seemed to know her. She was calling her by name. Angela strained to hear it and thought she caught the name Claire. However, it was clear the girl was possessed by a demon. The inky black eyes told the story.

The demon was then accompanied by the one she saw at the station. He was wearing a suit like a hotshot city lawyer and he was holding up his hand with his ring. He was twirling the band slightly and grinning. There were a couple of townspeople there starting to get angry and did she see… What was he doing here?

There was no time as Angela saw that a fight was eminent. She pulled out her blade and launched herself forward at the rage demon. She thought she caught his name… Ramos…

Sam decided not to wait anymore and asked the old woman if she knew where Angela went. The old woman looked at him before telling him something about wandering the hills. It was Natalia that clarified the direction of Old Mad Johnson's land. The old man was a well respected member of the tribe and knew things and he wanted to see her. Sam could only guess that it was one of those things that Angela would have a vague idea about and would have done it to humor the old woman.

He started walking towards the main road that would lead out of town. He walked since he didn't have the keys to the Impala and he had no idea where Dean was since he wasn't answering his cell. Sam was worried about his brother and the fact that he was not himself and that some of the irrational anger that he had been spewing sounded rational even to him but he knew that it was mired in whatever the demon had been working over on his brother.

"Sam!"

Sam turned to see Dean jogging towards him. Judging from his brother's appearance, Dean looked like he had been chasing a monster or had been chased. Sam still wasn't sure that his brother was all right so he treaded carefully but he couldn't help the initial question, "Dean, where have you been?"

Dean gave a stern look that was mingled with surprise at the question. He had told Sam that he was checking out a few things. Did the kid forget that already? He replied, "I told you Sam. I was checking out a few things."

Sam knew exactly what Dean was talking about and sensed that now wasn't the best of times to start an argument over it but there were a few things that had to be cleared up. He started walking in the direction that he was heading, making sure that Dean was keeping up with him. They couldn't discuss it too openly and he wanted to put some distance between him and the Natalia girl and her grandmother. Something in his gut told him that it was the best. He replied, "Right. Dean, can we talk about that later? Right now we need to focus on the case."

"This is the case Sam," Dean replied in his insistent tone. He followed Sam not sure of where his little brother was going but he was going along with it if only to make sure that nothing happened to him and he needed to tell his brother what he had found out.

"Which is the case Dean?" Sam posed the question as calmly as he could. He could tell his brother was agitated and it was probably over some bit of truth that had been spun out of proportion by the demon. "The last time I checked we were looking into the going postal murders."

That managed to catch Dean's focus. At least he remembered that as much. The other stuff just seemed to fall into his lap like a major coincidence. It cleared up for a moment but he wasn't going to let this go. He had to tell Sam and then take care of the problem. That was his job. He replied, "And I like having people I know I can count on to watch my back."

Sam knew where this was going and had to cut Dean off now. He replied, "Yeah and that's going to happen. Dean the case comes first. Listen."

Dean growled slightly. He thought that Sam was already too much under the influence of things and it never occurred to him that it was he who was getting so mixed up. "Fine do your emo talk Samantha."

Sam tried not to roll his eyes as he said, "Look Bobby called to offer us a case."

"We're already on one bitch."

"Fine, jerk. Anyway when I mentioned the details, Bobby was confused." Sam paused to see if anything was starting to ring a bell in Dean's mind. Usually his brother was quick to spot when they had been had in something serious like this.

"And?" Dean shrugged his shoulders. As far as he was concerned Bobby was just calling to check up on them.

Sam realized that he was going to have to spell everything out. Whatever happened to Dean had messed him up enough that he wasn't connecting the dots like he should. "Dean, Bobby called to send us on this case. Who were you talking to before we pulled in?"

"It was Bobby, stupid yeti."

Great now he's elaborating on the name calling. Sam sighed trying to reign in the temptation to yell at his brother. He replied, "It wasn't Bobby."

"What do you mean? Of course it was Bobby." Dean looked at his brother as if he had gone totally insane. It wouldn't be the first since it usually was Sam that came up with the crazy ideas and theories like that that. "Bobby called and gave us a case. You were there Sam."

"Dean, I think someone was using Bobby's voice to get us to come here."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Dean then held up his hand, "Don't answer that Sam. It's a job so you know what the sonofabitch is that we're ganking?"

Sam paused a moment. He was going to mention Angela's theory but at Dean's current state that probably wasn't a good idea. Still Dean had to be made aware of what was going on. He chose his words carefully, "There's the possibility that a demon is causing all of this."

Dean looked at Sam with his 'you are crazy' look and replied, "A demon? Come on Sam, they lie and manipulate but a town going postal?"

"It's a rage demon," Sam revealed. This was getting harder to explain and avoid mentioning Angela's name.

Dean replied, "There's no such thing. A demon is a demon."

"I know it sounds crazy but there is such a thing a demon hierarchy. Yeah there are some more powerful ones but it looks like there are kinds that specialize and I think this one knows how to make people pissed off." Sam stopped to take a look at his brother.

Dean sighed. The kid probably found something that was as obscure as angels being real… which was a load of crap in the first place. There was no such thing as specialty demons in the sense he was talking about. "Sam there's no such thing. You've probably found that out from a book in the children's section."

"Dean, I'm being serious. It explains why you've been acting more of a jerk than usual." Sam hated being blunt but in this case he felt that it was necessary.

"What are you talking about? I'm my usual charming self. You're the one that is being the bitch."

Sam couldn't believe where this conversation was going. It was clear that whatever the demon did to Dean, his brother was so far gone that the only way to break his brother free was to kill the demon. Maybe that was the way to go. He made a slight face while trying to rein in the annoyance that he was feeling, "I'm not kidding Dean. Look it was Angie that figured it out. She spotted the demon at the police station."

"Oh so it was Angie that figured it out," Dean replied in a sarcastic tone. "Sam, has it occurred to you that maybe this was a set up on her part? Ever since we left Grant she has not had her mind on the job and has been keeping things from us."

"Yeah and we've not mentioned a few things either. Dean let's focus on the case. Whatever the demon did to you is screwing with your focus," Sam replied trying to get his brother back on track. "Now I was just looking for her because she was following a lead."

Dean let out a snort. "Probably trying to lure you into a trap," he muttered under his breath. Still the focus had to be the case and he was going to keep at it even though this whole thing he found out about Angela was driving him crazy. He then said, "Alright. It would probably be best if we split up. You have any idea where the harpy went?"

Sam tried not to roll his eyes at Dean's persistent use of that insult. He mentally told himself that it was the demon's influence and not really Dean. He also had the feeling that he should not mention where exactly he was going. So he became deliberately vague and prayed that Dean wouldn't pick up on it like he usually did. "Somewhere in the hills. She was looking for one of those old guys who knows a few things."

"Oh so we're chasing after a crazy person then," Dean replied. "Alright, any general direction?"

Sam was surprised that Dean hadn't been able to pick up on his vagueness at all. Usually Dean was like a pit bull if he held something back that could be serious. That further confirmed that something was not all right. The best thing to do would be to keep Dean out of trouble until this case was put to bed. He replied, "Not really. Dean, how about you check around town and then head back to the motel. I'll look out here. You okay with that?"

Dean looked around. He could see people giving each other dirty looks and minding their own business. It wouldn't hurt even though he was uncomfortable about Sam being on his own out here. "I don't know Sam. I don't like this. If it is a demon as you and the harpy think, then we could be walking into a trap."

"What choice do we have Dean? Whatever is making the people go postal, we need to stop it."

"A good point but Sam, be careful out there."

"It'll be fine Dean," Sam replied.

"Probably in a snowball's chance but alright," Dean took a final look before checking he had his gun stashed away in its usual spot under his jacket. He turned to walk in the opposite direction his brother was taking. He would indulge Sam's point for now. In the end though he was going to do what it takes to make sure that nothing happened to his brother.

Sam watched as his brother walked away feeling concerned. He was going to have to keep an eye on Dean once he and Angela got back. He started back in the direction of the ranch that Natalia girl mentioned. It was going to be a long hike judging from the trail.

Sam continued on doggedly until he reached a point where he was sure that he was lost. Well not entirely lost since he could see the lights starting to go on in the town. He had no idea how far Angela could have gone and he wasn't even sure he was on the old man's land now. He sat on a rock and tried to remember the directions Natalia gave him. Suddenly he heard a screech that sounded close. Turning he saw an eagle looking at him and it screeched again.

Sam had no idea why the bird was even there. Wild things didn't just come up to people like that. He slowly stood up so as not to goad the thing into attacking him. A look at the claws told him that as much. When he was standing up completely, the eagle gave a screech and flapped its wings. It took off and started in a direction where it landed on a rock up a hill. Sam could barely make out the shadowy outline of the bird before it swooped back down to where it originally was and screeched at him.

Okay, so I am guessing I am supposed to follow it. Sam gave a slight roll of his eyes thinking that maybe he was the one that was going crazy. He took a tentative step forward towards the eagle. It seemed to give a nod of approval before screeching again and flying in the direction that it had taken previously. Sam tentatively followed.

The dusk of night was beginning to settle on the hills when the eagle landed on a rock that was reflecting the light of a campfire against it. Sam heaved a sigh of relief and tried calling Dean to say that he found her but only got the voicemail. Frowning he left a message telling his brother to call him as he walked towards the campfire.

As he got closer, it was as if the eagle just disappeared after giving a final screech. Sam frowned as he advanced, his hand on his gun since it was better to be safe than sorry. He rounded the corner to find Angela alone and completely knocked out. The first thought was that whoever she had been meeting lured her there to get her out of the way but as he got closer, he picked up the distinct smells of herbs that were burning in the flames.

His head started to feel heavy but he gave a hard shake and bent over to try and wake Angela. He knew he was risking probably getting his ass kicked but this was serious. He started giving her a hard shake on her shoulder. Suddenly her eyes opened and she asked, "Where is Dean?"

A/N: Oh looks like things are starting to take a turn. Sam knows Dean isn't himself and maybe he's seeing things. What will happen next? Find out next time on Darkened Rage...