Chapter 13 - Houses of the Holy
Addison and Sam enter the small bedroom in the mental hospital. A couple of weeks had passed since the hunt in Milwaukee. And while they were still worried about being caught, there were still monsters that needed to be hunted. Addison had taken the opportunity and cut her hair to where it now fell below her ears. The woman, Gloria, was sitting on her bed and reading a bible. "Good morning. You're not the usual guy." she greets.
"No, just filling in." Sam lies. He motions to Addison. "She's new here and I'm showing her the ropes. So, how you feeling today, Gloria?"
"I've never felt better."
"Any disturbances lately," Addison asks.
Gloria smiles. "You mean, am I stark raving cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?"
Addison winces. "Well, I didn't mean that exactly—"
"That's all right. I know what people must think."
"What do you think," Sam asks.
"I think what I saw was real."
Sam sits down at the small table across the room. "I'd like to know what you saw."
"It was all over the news. I stabbed a man in the heart."
"Why did you do it," Addison asks.
"Because it was God's will."
"So, God talked to you?"
Gloria chuckles. "I get the sense God's a little busy for house calls. No, He - He sent someone."
"Who?"
"An angel. It came to me in this beautiful, white light. And it filled me with this feeling. It's hard to describe."
Sam nods. "And this angel..."
"Spoke God's word."
"So, the angel told you to kill someone," Addison disbelievingly asks.
"I know, it sounds strange. But what I did was very important. I helped Him smite an evil man. I was chosen for redemption."
"This man you stabbed," Sam begins. "Did the angel give you his name?"
"No. He just told me to wait for the sign, and the very next day I saw it. Right beside the man's doorway. And I knew."
"Why him?"
"I just know what the angel told me - that this man was guilty to his deepest foundations. And that was good enough for me."
Addison and Sam walk into the motel room to see Dean lying on the vibrating bed and listening to music on his phone. His eyes are closed. His head was moving in beat with the music. She rolls her eyes and walks over to him. "Dean," Addison says. He doesn't hear her, so she whacks him on the foot. "Dean!"
"Hey," Dean replies, taking the headphones out. Addison takes a seat on the other bed, placing her bag next to her. "You've gotta try this. I mean, there really is magic in the Magic Fingers."
"Dean...you're enjoying that way too much. It's kind of making me uncomfortable," Sam comments and Addison laughs.
"What am I supposed to do? You two got me on lockdown here, I'm bored out of my skull."
"I think you're forgetting about being a bank robber on the eleven o'clock news, Dean. So you walking into a government facility is a big no, no," Addison tells him as Sam walks into the bathroom.
"Hmm," Dean replies and sits up when the bed stops. "Aw, damn it. That was my last quarter. You got any quarters?"
"Let me look," Addison answers and grabs her bag, as Sam walks out of the bathroom.
"So, did you two get in to see that crazy hooker," Dean asks him.
"Yeah - Gloria Sytnik. And I'm not so sure she's crazy," Sam replies, taking a seat next to Addison.
"She seriously believes she was touched by an angel?"
"Yeah. Blinding light, feelings of spiritual ecstasy, the works. I mean, she's living in a locked ward and she's totally at peace."
"Oh yeah, you're right. Sounds completely sane. What about the dude she stabbed?"
"Uh, Carl Gulley. Said she killed him 'cause he was evil."
"Was he?"
"I don't think so," Addison comments and Dean looks at her. "I couldn't find anything on him and he didn't have a criminal record. He worked at the campus library, had lots of friends, was a churchgoer. You know, a regular guy."
"So, then Gloria's just your standard-issue wacko. I mean, she wouldn't be the first nut job in history to kill in the name of religion, know what I mean?"
"No, but she's the second in town to murder because an angel told them to. Little bit odd, don't you think," Sam replies.
"Well, odd, yes. Supernatural, maybe. But angels? I don't think so."
"Why not," Addison asks him.
"Cause there's no such thing, Ads," Dean counters and she rolls her eyes.
"There's way more lore about angels than there is anything else."
"Yeah, and you know what, there's a ton of lore on unicorns, too. In fact, I hear that they ride on silver moonbeams and they shoot rainbows outta their ass."
"Wait," Sam says, interrupting the argument. "There's no such thing as unicorns?"
"That's cute. I'm just saying, there's some legends that you file under 'bullshit.'"
"And you have angels on that list," Addison asks him.
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because I've never seen one. And I believe in what I can see."
"Dean, we've all seen things that most people can't even dream about-"
"Exactly, with our own eyes, Addison. That's hard proof, okay? But in all this time, I have never seen anything that looks like an angel. And don't you think that if they existed, that we would have crossed paths or at least know someone that crossed paths with them? No. This is a demon or a spirit. They find people a few fries short of a Happy Meal and they trick them into killing these randoms."
"Maybe..."
"Can we just - I'm going stir crazy. Hey, let's go by Gloria's apartment, huh?"
"We were just there - nothing. No sulfur, no EMF," Sam tells him.
"You didn't see any fluffy, white wing feathers?"
"But Gloria did say the angel gave her a sign. Right beside Carl Gulley's doorway."
"Could be something at his house. It's worth checking out," Dean replies and stands up.
They pull up to Carl Gulley's house and Addison pulls her coat closer when the cold winter air hits her as they walk up to the doorway. "Oh, hey. I think I found it." Dean points to a plastic angel sitting on the porch. "That's a sign from up above. Well I think I've learned a valuable lesson. Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Year's or you might get filleted by a hooker from God. Ha!"
"Some people are just busy, Dean, and can't find the time until to take down those decorations until March," Addison comments.
"You know, Gloria said the guy was guilty to his deepest foundations," Sam says, as they walk to the back of the house.
"You think she literally meant the foundation," Dean asks. Addison shrugs. He pulls open the cellar door and the three of them walk down the stairs. Addison looks around the dark cellar and makes her way towards an area that wasn't being searched.
"Hey," Sam calls out. Addison and Dean walk over to him.
"What is that," Addison asks as Sam pulls something out of the wall.
"It's a fingernail," Sam answers and Dean grabs two shovels. Addison stands back and lets them dig until they find a skeleton. "So much for the innocent, churchgoing librarian."
"Yeah, well, whatever spoke to Gloria about this knew what it was talking about. I'll give you that," Dean comments.
Addison waits until Dean closes the bathroom door and pulls her wallet out of her bag. She takes out a quarter and places it into the magic fingers coin slot. The bed starts vibrating and she lets out a moan as Dean exits the bathroom. "You had a quarter."
"Uh huh," Addison replies.
Dean crawls onto the bed next to her. "You have more quarters, right?"
"Uh huh." A silence falls over them and Addison slowly starts to fall asleep.
The bed stops vibrating when the door opens and Sam walks into the room. "Did you bring quarters," Dean asks him.
"You two are like those lab rats that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies," Sam retorts. Addison reluctantly sits up, reaching over the side of the bed to grab her bag.
"Massage beds help relieve stress and have a variety of medical uses," Addison counters, yawning, sitting cross-legged on the bed as Dean sits up. "Besides we have news."
"Me too."
"All right, you go first," Dean tells him.
"Three students have disappeared off the college campus this year. All of them were last seen at the library."
"Same library where Carl Gulley worked," Addison asks Sam and he nods.
"Sick bastard," Dean comments.
"So, Gloria's angel-" Sam starts.
"Angel?"
"Okay, whatever this thing is-"
"Well, whatever it is, it struck again."
"What?"
"We were listening to the police radio earlier. This guy, Zach Smitt, went up to a stranger's door last night and stabbed a man in the heart," Addison replies.
"And then I'm guessing he went to the police and confessed," Sam asks.
"Yep. Roma Downey made him do it. Now, I," Dean starts out and Addison clears her throat. "Okay, fine. We got the victim's address."
Dean helps Addison enter the victim's house through the window before following after her. Addison and Dean search the house, while Sam had made his way over to the computer. They walk back into the room that Sam was in and he looks up from the computer. "Find anything?"
"Well, Frank liked his catalogue shopping that's about all we got," Dean answers, dropping a few catalogues on the table. "You?"
"Not much here. Except he's got this one locked file on his computer that I...hold on," Sam presses a few buttons and grins when the file unlocks. "Not anymore. God..."
"What?"
"All these e-mails. Dozens, to this lady named Jennifer...this lady who's thirteen years old."
"Ewe," Addison comments and Dean nods in agreement. "That's just...ewe!"
"Looks like they met in a chat room. These e-mails are pretty personal, guys. Look at that. Setting up a time and place to meet."
"Lovely."
"They were supposed to meet today."
"Huh. I guess if you're gonna stab someone...good timing. I don't know, this is weird. I mean, sure, some spirits are out for vengeance, but this one's almost like a do-gooder. Like a-"
"Avenging angel," Sam asks. Addison looks at Dean. "Well, how else do you explain it, Dean? Three guys, not connected to each other, all stabbed through the heart? At least two were world-class pervs and I bet if you dug deep enough on the other guy-"
"Hey."
"What?"
Dean picks up a flyer from the desk. "You said Carl Gully was a churchgoer, right?"
"Yeah...why?" Addison asks him.
"What was the name of his church?"
"Our Lady of the Angels."
"Of course that'd be the name," Dean comments and shows Addison and Sam the flyer. "Looks like Frank went to the same church."
"So, you're interested in joining the Parish," Father Reynolds asks them as they stand in Our Lady of the Angels church. It was a large cathedral church in downtown Providence, not far from where either of the victims lived.
"Yeah, we just don't feel right unless we hit church every Sunday," Dean answers and Addison exchanges a look with Sam.
"Where did you say you lived before?"
"Premont, Texas."
"Really? That's a nice town. St. Theresa's Parish, you must know the priest there."
"Sure, yeah. That's, uh, Father O'Malley."
"I know a Father Shaughnessy."
"Shaughnessy, exactly. What did I say?"
"We're just happy to be here, Father," Addison tells him.
"And we're happy to have you. We could use some young blood around here," Father Reynolds replies.
"Mm. Hey, listen, I've gotta ask you - no offense, but the neighborhood," Dean asks.
Father Reynolds sighs. "It's gone to seed a little, there's no denying that. But that's why what the church does here is so important. Like I always say, you can expect a miracle, but in the meantime, you work your butt off."
"Yeah, we heard about the murders."
"Yes. The victims were parishioners of mine, I've known them for years."
"And the killers said that an angel made them do that," Sam asks Father Reynolds.
"Yes, misguided souls. To think that God's messenger would appear and incite people to murder. It's tragic."
"So, you don't believe in those angel yarns, huh," Dean asks.
"Oh, no. I absolutely believe. It kind of goes with the job description."
"That painting, Father, that's Michael, right," Addison asks, motioning to the painting.
"That's right. The Archangel Michael with the flaming sword - the fight of demons, holy force against evil."
"And angels, they're not like what everyone thinks? Vigilant, right?"
"I like to think of them as more loving than wrathful. But, yes, a lot of Scripture paints angels as God's warriors. 'An angel of the Lord appeared to them. The glory of the Lord shone down upon them, and they were terrified,'" Father Reynolds quotes. Dean and Sam stare in confusion. "Luke 2:9."
"Well, thank you for talking with us, Father," Addison tells him as they make their way outside the church.
"It's my pleasure. I hope to see you again," Father Reynolds replies.
Dean notices the altar on the steps. "Hey, Father, what's all that for?"
"Oh, that's for Father Gregory. He was a priest here."
"Was?"
"He passed away right on these steps. He's interred in the church crypt."
"When did this happen?"
"Two months ago. He was shot for his car keys."
"I'm sorry," Sam states.
"Yes. Me, too. He was a good friend. I didn't even have time to administer his Last Rites. But like I said, it's a tough neighborhood. Ever since he died, I've been praying my heart out."
"For what?"
"For deliverance from the violence and the bloodshed around here. We could just a little divine intervention, I suppose."
"Well, Padre, thanks. We'll see you again," Dean says and Father Reynolds nods, before walking back inside. Dean picks up a picture and shows it to them. "Now it's all starting to make sense. Devoted priest dies a violent death - that's vengeful spirit material, right there. And he knew all the other stiffs because they all went to church here. In fact, I'm willing to bet because he was their priest, he knew things about them that nobody else knew."
"Then again, Father Reynolds started praying for God's help about two months ago, right? Right about the time all this started happening," Sam states and Addison lets out a sigh.
"Oh, come on man. What's your deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"Look, I'll admit, I'm a bit of a skeptic. But since when are you all Mr. 700 Club? Seriously from the get go, both of you have been willing to buy this angel crap. What's next? You're both gonna start paying everyday?"
"There's nothing wrong with praying everyday, Dean," Addison counters and he looks at her. "I do it everyday." Dean looks at Sam and he nods in agreement.
"The things you learn about people. Huh. Come on, let's go check out Father Gregory's grave," Dean replies and walks into the church. The three of them are silent as they make their way to the crypt. As Dean enters another room, one of the statues in the underground room begins to shake. Addison and Sam turn as a blinding white light glows in front of them.
"Sam, Ads, come on, get the lead out..." Dean walks back into the other room and sees them lying on the floor. "Sam! Addison!" Dean shakes them awake and Addison lets out a groan, sitting up as Sam does the same. "Hey! You two okay?"
"I'm fine," Addison replies and Sam nods, Dean helping them up.
They walk into the next room and Dean turns to them. "You both saw it, didn't you? Didn't you?"
"Yeah. Dean, I saw an angel," Sam tells him and Dean takes out a flask, holding it out to Sam. "I don't wanna drink." Dean turns to her and Addison shakes her head, causing him to shrug and take a drink.
"So...what makes you think you saw an angel?"
"This feeling washed over me and it was warm, peaceful...with a bright light," Addison answers.
"Okay, Ecstasy kids. Maybe I'll get you both some glowsticks and nice Dr. Seuss hats, huh?"
"Dean, we're serious. It spoke to us, it knew who we were," Sam tells him.
"It's just a spirit. And it's not the first one to be able to read people's minds. Let me guess, you were personally chosen to smite some sinner. You've just gotta wait for some divine Bat Signal, is that it?"
"That's about it," Addison replies.
"Great. I don't suppose either of you asked what this alleged bad guy did."
"Actually, I did, Dean. And the angel told me he hasn't done anything. Yet. But he will," Sam explains to Dean.
"Oh, this is just...I don't believe this."
"Dean, the angel hasn't been wrong yet! Someone's gonna do something awful and we can stop it!"
"You know, you're supposed to be bad too, Sam. Maybe I should just stop you right now."
"You know what, Dean, I don't understand! Why can't you even consider the possibility?"
"What, that this is an angel?"
"Yes! Maybe we're hunting an angel here and we should stop! Maybe this is God's will!"
"Okay, all right. You know what? I get it. You've both got faith. Hey, good for you. I'm sure it makes things easier. I'll tell you who else had faith like that - Mom. She used to tell when she'd tuck me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me."
"You never told me that."
"What's to tell? She was wrong. There was nothing protecting her. There's no higher power, there's no God. There's just chaos and violence and random, unpredictable evil that comes out of nowhere. It rips you to shreds. So, you want me to believe in this stuff? I'm gonna need to see some hard proof. Either of you got any," Dean asks them. Addison lets out a sigh, looking away. "Well, I do - proof that we're dealing with a spirit."
Dean leads them over to some graves and she frowns, looking at one grave. "Is that..." Addison starts to ask before he interrupts her.
"Wormwood - a plant associated with the dead, specifically the ones that are not at rest. I don't see it growing anywhere else, except over the murdered priest's marker. It's him."
"Maybe," Sam states.
"Maybe?"
"Dean, I don't know what to think."
"Okay. You want some more proof. I'll give you more proof."
"How?"
"We'll summon Gregory's spirit."
"Seriously," Addison asks Dean and he nods. "You want to do a séance here, in the church?"
"If Father Gregory's spirit is around, the séance will bring him right to us. If it's him, then we'll put him to rest."
"Yeah, but if it's angel, then nothing will happen."
"Exactly. That's one of the perks of the job, Addison. We don't have to operate on faith. We can know for sure. Don't you wanna know for sure?"
The three of them walk out of the local grocery store, after having brought different materials needed for the séance. "Dude, all right. I'll admit, we've gone pretty ghetto with spell work before, but this takes the cake. I mean, a Spongebob placemat instead of an altar cloth," Sam asks.
"We'll just put it Spongebob side down," Dean counters and Addison shakes her head in disbelief, stopping when she sees a bright light glowing around a man standing across the street.
"That's it," Addison says.
"What?"
"That's the sign," Sam answers.
"Where?"
"Across the street, behind that guy," Addison tells him and starts walking across the street with Sam, but Dean stops them.
"Wait a minute!"
"What are you doing? Let me go," Sam demands.
"You're not gonna go kill somebody because a ghost told you to. Are either of you insane?"
"Dean, we're not insane. We're not gonna kill him, we're just gonna stop him."
"Define 'stop,' huh? What are you gonna do," Dean asks as the man gets into his car.
"Dean, that man is going to hurt someone and you know it," Addison tells him and Dean stares at her for a moment.
"All right, come on," Dean replies and gets into the Impala as Addison and Sam try to get into the Impala, except the doors are locked.
"Dean, unlock the doors."
"You two aren't killing anyone. I've got this guy, you go do the séance," Dean says and Addison lets out a sigh as he drives away.
Addison and Sam are in the church crypt, sitting up the séance. Sam lights the candles and she takes a deep breath, reading the Latin from John's journal, sprinkling a powder one a candle that makes it spark. The door opens and Father Reynolds walks into the room. "What are the two of you doing? What is this?"
"Uh, Father, please. We can explain. Um..." Sam tells him, standing up. He looks at Addison, who had a guilty look on her face. He turns back to Father Reynolds. "Actually, maybe we can't. This is a séance."
"A séance? Young man, you are in the House of God."
"The séance is based on very early Christian rites," Addison weakly defends, standing up.
Father Reynolds grabs their arms. "Enough! You're both coming with me."
"Father, please, just wait..." Sam starts as a bright light fills the room and Addison lets out a disappointed sigh.
"Oh my God. Is that...is that an angel?"
"No, it's not. It's just Father Gregory," Sam answers as the light fades and they see Father Gregory standing there.
"Thomas?"
"I've come in answer to your prayers," Father Gregory says and turns to Addison and Sam. "Sam, Addison, I thought I sent you on your path. You should hurry."
"Father, I'm sorry, but you're not an angel," Addison softy tells him.
"Of course I am."
"No. You're a man. You're a spirit. And you need to rest," Sam tells Father Gregory.
"I was a man. But now, I'm an angel. I was on the steps of the church and I felt that bullet piece right through me. But there was no pain. And suddenly, I could see...everything. Father Reynolds, I saw you, praying and crying here. I came to help you."
"Help me how," Father Reynolds asks.
"With cleaning up the city."
"Those murders - that was because of you?"
"I received the word of God. He spoke to me, told me to smite the wicked. I'm carrying out His will."
"You're driving innocent people to kill."
"Those innocent people are being offered redemption," Father Gregory counters and looks at Addison and Sam. "Some people need redemption. Don't they?"
"How can you call this redemption?"
"You can't understand it now. But the rules of man and the rules of God are two very different things."
"But those people - they're locked up," Addison softly argues.
"No, they're happy. They've found peace, beaten their demons. And I've given them the keys to heaven."
"No, no," Father Reynolds says. "This is vengeance. It's wrong. Thomas, this goes against everything you believe. You're misguided."
"Father...no, I'm not misguided."
"You are not an angel, Thomas. Men can not be angels."
"But - but I don't understand. You prayed for me to come."
"I prayed for God's help, not this. What you're doing is not God's will. Thou shalt not kill. That's the word of God."
"Let us help you," Sam softly tells Father Gregory.
"No."
"It's time to rest, Thomas, to be at peace. Please...let me give you Last Rites," Father Reynolds begs and Father Gregory finally nods. "O, holy hosts above, I call upon thee as a servant of Christ to sanctify our actions this day, fulfillment of the will of God."
Father Reynolds does a cross across his chest and they watch as Father Gregory starts to flicker. "Father Reynolds?"
"Rest. I call upon the Archangel Raphael, mast of the air, to make open the way. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit now descend, that this being might be awakened to the world beyond," Father Reynolds finishes and the bright light appears, surrounding Father Gregory. The light disappears and Addison blinks no longer seeing Father Gregory kneeling on the floor.
Addison sits up from the motel bed she was lying on when Dean walks into the room. "How was your day," Dean asks them and she shrugs but Sam lets out a sigh.
"You were right. It wasn't an angel, it was Gregory," Sam tells him and Dean takes a swig from a flask before handing it to Sam, who also takes a swig. "I don't know, I just...I wanted to believe so badly. It's so damn hard to do this...what we do. All alone, you know? There's so much evil out in the world, Dean, I feel like I could drown in it. And when I think about my destiny, when I think about how I could end up..."
"Yeah, well, don't worry about that, all right? We're watching out for you."
"Yeah, I know you guys are. But you're just two people. And I needed to think that there was something else watching, too, you know? Some...higher power, some greater good. And then maybe..."
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe I could be saved. But, uh...you know, I just clouded my judgment and you're right. I mean, we've gotta go with what we know, with what's right there in front of our own two eyes."
"Yeah, well, it's funny you say that."
"Why?"
"Gregory's spirit gave you two some pretty good information. The guy in the car was bad news. I barely got there in time."
"What happened?"
"He's dead."
"You didn't..." Addison starts to ask.
Dean shakes his head. "No. But I'll tell you one thing...they way he died, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I never would've believe it. I mean...I don't know what to call it."
"What'd you see?"
"Maybe...God's will," Dean answers after a moment and the three of them sit in silence.