[Note: Props to the creators of SN…obviously not mine or I'd be getting paid for this]

-----Chapter 14----

Sam felt a wave of fear wash over him as he saw what was behind them. Ella was on her knees just inside of the doorway. Her head bowed and her hands clenched over her stomach. The shotgun was lying in the dirt next to her. Tears were falling from beneath the curtain of her hair and turned the dirt floor into mud. Behind her stood Death his hand inches from touching her head.

"You know what I love about empaths?" Death said a large gaping grin on his face. Sam and Dean didn't respond just kept their handguns sighted on the horseman. They were both trying to decide what to do next. Shooting Death would probably have little effect, but they didn't have a lot of options. "No guesses? Well, empaths are even more fun than psychics. You don't even have to touch an empath to make them suffer. Kill someone near them and its better than torture. Send a Horseman especially Death, and well they are all but useless. Haven't had this much fun since the Dark Ages!" He chuckled heartily, which caused the things under his skins to move. There was something viscerally disturbing about watching something slither just below skin. The Winchesters had seen a lot of disturbing things, but Death was inching up there to the top.

Dean said, "I hear they have good dewormer at the vet, might help with that problem you've got."

Death gave him a grin. "I heard you were the funny one- always good for a laugh- especially when you were downstairs." He emphasized the last part as he gave the older Winchester a grin. "But as much as I'm enjoying your company, I'm afraid Lou's got his panties in a wad about you. He was very emphatic that Dean Winchester had to die."

"What can I say, I'm just good with panties," Dean said as he shared a look with Sam. Years of hunting together had giving them an unspoken language.

Death walked around Ella. "Stay there, my pretty. I'll be back to play soon enough."

As Death moved away from Ella, the Winchester's opened fire. It quickly became apparent that the bullets weren't going to stop him. He opened the dark maw of his mouth and let out a bone-chilling laugh. "Really, boys, you can't kill death." Dean and Sam backed away.

"Get out of here, Sammy."

Sam gave his brother a look that said 'not happening.' Death reached out for Dean as his gun clicked on empty. A loud blast ripped through the church. Ella was kneeling on the floor the shotgun aimed straight at the horseman. Her face was pale and tear stained but her expression was one of cool determination. Death turned to look at his back where the shotgun had done damage. From the wound, rotted flesh and worms fell to the ground. He looked up his face grinning. "Well, you are a real spitfire aren't you? Didn't think you had it in you."

Ella's distraction bought Dean enough time to pick up a board lying on the ground and swing it at Death's head. The wood had rotted with age and shattered as it slammed full force against the face of the horseman. Death just grinned at Dean splinters of the board sticking in the side of his face. "Now, now, you can't fight death." He chuckled again and almost grasped Dean around the neck, but Dean dodged him and backed away.

Sam moved to help his brother as Death followed him around the room. Dean stayed just out of death's reach. When Sam made to grab Death, hands reached up out of the ground to grab him. "Tisk, tisk, Sammy. Can't have you grabbing death. Lou wants you alive." Sam kicked at the hands as they became bodies. He shot a couple in the head, which stopped them, but more and more seemed to be rising up out of the floor.

Dean had circuited the entirety of the room. He moved by Ella who offered him the shotgun as she stood to her feet clumsily. Backing away from Death and out the door into the sunlight, Dean and Ella kept their focus on the Horseman. Death followed them out the door of the church.

"This is not working," Ella said through gritted teeth as Dean fired the shotgun. Death jerked, but he didn't go down. Sam struggled to escape the zombies who were crawling up out the floor of the church as he tried to get to his brother and Ella. He wanted to know where Tessa was now. Ella felt the truck at her back as she struggled to breath past the icy fingers of death that clutched at her. Suddenly, Death flicked his hand and she went flying towards him. His hand clenched around the bottom of her face as he embraced her and turned her to face Dean. As soon as her skin came in contact with Death's, a scream ripped out of her lungs and died in almost the same breath. She had never been in such agony before. It was like the breath had been sucked from her lungs and a crushing weight had fallen on her at the same time. "Dean, my patience is at an end. I'll trade this one for you."

Dean glanced behind Death as Sam fought his way out of the church. Sam would never reach her in time occupied by the newly undead. Dean didn't really want to die, but it wasn't who he was to let someone else die when he could save them. Besides he'd couldn't go back to Astrid and tell her he let the girl die.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Death held Ella and smiled his gaping smile. But before he could answer in the space of a blink, Castiel and Astrid were standing right beside Death. Crazy bitch took one look at Death killing her friend and slugged him as hard as she could with her uninjured left hand. Castiel caught Ella and pulled her clear. Astrid turned to Dean and yelled, "Ax!" Dean looked down in the truck bed to see a wooden handle poking out from beneath an old tarp. He grabbed it and jerked it free. It was an old ax though dulled was still sharp enough to do damage. His heart was pumping a staccato beat in his chest. Sam rushed through the door of the church shooting a zombie, which fell to the ground. Astrid shoved Death backwards as he recovered from her punch. He tripped on the zombie's body landing flat on his back. Dean rushed to them time suddenly moving again. He kicked Death's arm out and brought the ax down on Death's arm with a sickening crunch. A second swing severed it completely.

Unlike War and Famine, Death did not disappear immediately. It was Sam's look that made him swing his eyes over. Death had slid his other hand up Astrid's pant leg and grabbed her calf. For a split second, he thought that they had won the battle only to lose something in the process. Then, the crazy girl laughed and said, "O death where is thy sting? I'm alive, guess my God's here after all. You should probably go now." Her grin was like a thousand megawatts as Death vanished. "Well that was anticlimactic. I didn't actually think he would just leave."

"What are you?" Dean said in disbelief. The ax was hanging loosely from his hands.

Her grin dimmed slightly. "What do you mean what am I? You're confusing me again." Her expression changed as she remembered why she'd come here in the first place. "Ella!?!" She turned to find Castiel kneeling beside Ella's body as Sam tried to give her CPR. "Ella…" she said as tears filled her eyes. She grabbed Dean's arm reflexively as she swayed. "Please, God, not Ella."

-

Smoke rose to the sky as the body burned. The smell of burning human flesh was repugnant. The whole town was rife with the smell as the townspeople salted and burned the bodies. This town would probably never bury another body after the events of the last couple of days. Astrid stood, eyes wet with tears, as she watched the body burn. The smoke kept blowing in her face and she blinked her eyes sending a tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away. She saw Sam and Dean talking with Bobby. They were going to get her car and Dean's Impala. She had to go to the hospital and get her arm checked out and make sure the bones had been set properly. For some reason that seemed entirely irrelevant. She walked towards the group of men using her good arm to wipe at the soot on her face. Though this had been a victory, it seemed such a waste to see so many had died by the hands of the zombies. It was hard to find the blessing in all this, but her faith told her something good would come out of all this bad.

"Hey, you want a water," a voice called from her right. She turned to see a miracle trudging towards her with a couple of bottled waters in her hand. Ella had stopped breathing and Astrid had been sure that God was about to pluck the girl up to him. However, no sooner than the words of her prayer had escaped her lips, Ella sat up coughing and sputtering and blushing as bright as strawberry when she realized what Sam had been doing. She had a bruise in the shape of fingers along her jaw but she seemed none the worse for wear.

Astrid took the bottle from the girl, but looked at her in askance as she realized she'd never get it open by herself. Ella chuckled and took the bottle back opening it. Astrid grabbed it, took a sip, and continued towards the hunters. "Did they find any more survivors?"

Bobby shook his head negatively. "Not after that house out on Sipes Road."

Astrid nodded sadly. Ella gave her a side hug. "I don't think any of these people will ever be the same."

Dean said, "Come on. I'm ready to get my baby."

"You know, Dean, this relationship you have with your car is extremely unhealthy," Astrid said teasingly as she punched his arm.

"Jealous?"

"Of your car? Pft…hardly."

"You know you want me."

"Want to strangle you? Yeah," Astrid said with a grin as they all walked towards the truck. Dean opened the driver's door and Astrid slid towards the middle.

"I'd like to see you try."

"I took on zombies. I think I can take you, Dean…You know I don't even know your last name."

"Winchester."

"Somehow that seems appropriate."

"What's yours?"

"I'm not supposed to tell strange men. And you definitely qualify as strange."

Sam and Ella watched them as they walked to the passenger side.

"Are they flirting? Or just both such smartasses it looks that way?" Ella asked mischievously to Sam as he opened the door.

"Good question. With Dean, it's probably both," Sam replied as Ella slid into the truck.

"What are you two talking about?" Astrid said as Ella squeezed in close.

"Nothing," Ella said unconvincingly.

Astrid narrowed her eyes at Ella and Sam. "I don't know if like this sneaky friendship you two have. I get the feeling I've just become the butt of a joke."

"They're just jealous of our awesomeness," Dean said as he put the truck into gear.

"You know you might just be tolerable after all," Astrid said with a half grin.

----Please, Review----

[A/N: Three rewrites later and here is the final chapter of the Death arc (and I still think it may suck). This isn't the end of the story as my muse has obliged to give me some additional 'episodes.' So stay tuned.]