Supernatural: The Isoldati Files
Chapter 14: The Key to the Hell Gate
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
Sam was having a nightmare as he felt the danger that was about to come to pass. The image of the yellow-eyed demon haunted him as he had the Orikoto lantern in his hands. It was too late until he woke up in his room shaking from fear. He got up out of bed as he ran into the main hall of Yashamaru's safe house. He saw the lantern still standing as it was burning brightly with such power. Still, it was safe here as the safe houses that the Shinigami often frequent have been known to be demon-proof so far, but Sam was starting to worry about what would happen next. By the time he returned to his room, he saw his cellphone go off as he picked it up in order to answer it. To his shock, the one that was calling it was still on his tail as he couldn't shake it, no matter what he was trying to do.
"Who is this?" he asked.
"We have your brother," said a familiar voice over the phone.
"What?!" That last remark shook Sam to the core. "Where have you taken him, Meg?!"
"I don't have to tell you if I don't want to because I want the lantern that you have."
"You can't have it!"
"Hey, my boss demands that you fork it over or else your big brother dies!"
"Dean..."
"No, Sam! Don't do it!" he yelled over the phone.
"Make your decision," said Meg over the phone. "I'll be waiting in a warehouse in Zama."
Sam heard the phone turn off as he was standing on pins and needles. He had never expected Dean to be abducted by Meg as he still had to think about the lantern that was one of the keys to opening Hell. Still, he couldn't afford to lose Dean, no matter what the danger within as he was facing a tough decision at hand. To his shock, he heard Miss Mik enter into his room as she wasn't too happy with what was going on in the long run. He didn't have time to talk with her right now, but she refused to budge as she was also concerned with Dean's abduction just like he was.
"You heard my phone conversation, didn't you?" he said.
"I had a feeling that Meg would stoop to such a low like this," said Miss Mik gravely.
"She wants the Orikoto lantern in exchange for Dean's life. I can't bear to fork it over just like that."
"We have no choice in the matter but to give it to her in order to save your brother."
"But, Miss Mik..."
"Your brother's the only family you've got right now since your father went missing. Besides, neither one of you can function alone at a time like this."
"I can't fork over the Orikoto lantern, no matter what I try to do."
"I've known your father for a long time, Sam Winchester, and if he finds out that you've left your brother to the wolves, he'll be lashing out at you on the spot. Your brother's life is far more important than some relic right now."
"That 'relic' can open up the gates of hell if it fell to the wrong hands."
"Sam, I know that you don't want to surrender the lantern, but your brother's life is in danger right now. So, would you be willing to save him in the end?"
It was a wrenching decision for Sam as he had no other choice but to surrender the lantern to Meg, who had Dean hostage. Still, he had to bring over the lantern as Dean's life was hanging in the balance right now. With Miss Mik also worried for what would happen next, she decided to come along with Sam as she was most likely to be dealing with the demon that worked for Azazel. When they entered into the main hall of Yashamaru's safe house, they were staring at the lantern as it had officially became a barganing tool for Dean's life. Still, Sam had to fork over the lantern in order to save his older brother as he even had no other choice but to do so in the process.
"Well, what is your decision?" asked Miss Mik sternly. "Are you going to surrender the Orikoto lantern or are you gonna let Dean suffer at the whim of that demon?"
"I'm surrendering the lantern so that Dean will live," answered Sam.
"I know that you don't feel like forking it over, but there's no choice in the matter..., unless..."
Miss Mik discovered a mechanism in the lantern as it required a drop of blood in order to prevent it from unlocking the gates of Hell. Still, she had an ace up her sleeve as she took a pin out of her hair and pricked her finger into it. Blood slowly emerged from her finger as she provided a few drops of it into the lantern. She was willing to beat Azazel at his own game as she would turn the tables on him and his demon cohorts right in the middle of things. Even Sam was aware of the lantern's power as he saw it burning brightly. It was something that he had never expected to see before as the lantern was about to become more than just a double-edged sword in the making. All he had to do is to put his faith and trust into Miss Mik's strategy, no matter what the danger.
###
Dean was strapped in a chair as he was held in a warehouse in Zama. It was cold inside as he was freezing to the bone. It was also hell for him as he was being guarded by a different demon this time, for it was a man that looked like a pop idol. The demon himself was also a common sadist who loved the sight of his victims suffering as he pulled out a knife from his holster. He always had a knack for torturing his victims as he even wanted to do the same with Dean as well, but he would soon get in trouble from Meg if he wasn't careful. Still, he didn't like to be told what to do as he wanted to gut at his victim so readily.
"I take it that you like playing with knives, don't you?" said Dean.
"Don't make your gaffs on me," said the demon. "I'm only itching to play with knives 'cause I'm gonna gut you like an animal."
"You're after that lantern, aren't you?"
"The boss is after that lantern because it is one of the key components to opening the gates of Hell. The other one is that gun you've been talking about...; you know..., the Colt?"
Dean gasped in shock as he was struggling to get free. "Your master's one hell of a guy, isn't he? I bet that he doesn't give you any paid vacations in this job."
"Keep your mouth shut! I know all about you, Dean Winchester, and I also know about your baby brother, too! It's kind of ironic, but my boss gave him a gift before he torched your mama."
"What kind of gift?! Answer me!"
"It's a gift that's permanent, that's all I know."
Dean was seething with anger as he was struggling to get free from his bonds. He wanted to get at every demon at Azazel's disposal as he was trying to get free from the ropes that bound his hands and feet. Still, he was under the whim of the demon that captured him as he was about to endure yet another bout of torture in this abandoned warehouse. He wanted to see Sam again, but he had to get past that annoying demon first. The words that the demon had told him rang harshly in his mind as he wanted to talk to Sam about it the moment he gets free, but it would be hard for his brother to accept the truth of it all first. By the time he was ready to get loose, he was being pushed by a telekinetic force as he saw his captor lift the chair with his mind. He didn't want Dean to get free just yet as he was lifting the chair around while crashing it to the walls of the warehouse.
"You like that, don't you, bitch?" said the demon as he continued to throw the chair around with Dean in it. "I bet that you don't approve of the boss man's agenda because of what he did to your mama and your little brother's girlfriend."
"You shut up!" he yelled. "I already know all about it because I was there!"
"The boss man didn't like the fact that your brother was about to marry his whore the moment he got out of Stanford, but he took care of that real quick when he killed that little bitch."
"Oh, you're gonna get your ass kicked! Let me tell you about the boss man! He made our lives a living hell when he took our mom away! He probably did the same thing with the rest of the children he visited!"
"I hate to break it to you, but your brother and that geisha were really meant to be under the orders of the boss man himself. The only mistakes that they made were getting it on with their 'significant others' and talking about marrying them, so the the boss man torched them in different locations. Your brother and that girl were chosen by the boss man because they were visited by him years ago, for they would get it on and bear future offspring in his large army."
"Leave Sam out of this! He's not a puppet in your so-called boss man's army and neither is Mito! That girl doesn't deserve to be involved in this petty little chess game!"
"Don't you ever talk about the boss man like that!" The demon drew out his knife as he walked forward and slashed into Dean's back. "The boss man's gonna unleash hell on earth with the lantern, but if that fails, there's always the Colt!"
The demon continued to slash into Dean's back as he felt the pain coming at him like needles. Blood seeped from his wounds as he couldn't take any more torture. He later felt another volley of slashing into his skin as he was trying hard not to scream from the pain, for he was taught by his father not to give into such weakness in such trifling times. By the time the demon was about to slash into Dean even further, he heard the door open as he saw Meg enter into the warehouse with a look of disgust on her face.
"Nicodemus!" she yelled. "That's enough out of you!"
"What's going on here, Meg?" he asked. "I was having fun until you showed up."
"We're suppose to keep Dean alive, remember?"
"But he shoved you out of a building! Isn't it a justified move after all?"
"Our master would be displeased if he sees our hostage dead."
"The boss man is poised to see anyone dead if they don't approve of him."
"Damn it, Nicodemus! If Dean is dead, then the deal would be useless. Besides, we can toy with Sam as much as we want."
"Who give a rat's ass about that worm and his whore?!" He kicks the chair with Dean in it as it hits another wall. "They've been the boss man's favorites and that pisses me off! I should be the commander of his army, not that petty hunter and his concubine! I have the skills to make anyone scream for mercy until they die! I'll be the leader of the army, not him! Sam Winchester will breathe his last breath for air because I'm gonna choke the life out of him!"
"You leave him out of it, you son-of-a-bitch!" yelled Dean.
Nicodemus continued his onslaught against Dean as he lifted the chair up with his mind and crashed it into several more walls. Meg watched in disgust as she wasn't too happy with the sadistic demon who was torturing Dean with such malice. Still, she had to force him to cease and desist his dangerous activities for a few minutes as she made him drop the chair with Dean tied up in it. The fall made his whole body ache as he was in constant pain. It was too much to bear for him as he wanted to scream for mercy, but he didn't want to act like a pansy while being captured by the demons in Azazel's employ. It wasn't long until he saw Nicodemus stand in front of him as he had his knife in his hands. He was dreading yet another bout of torture from his captor as he felt his senses go on high alert. He was feeling the pinch of the upcoming torture in his gut as he felt his heart hammering from sheer panic from within. He wanted to break free as he also wanted to make sure that Sam was okay, for the yellow-eyed demon was ready to raise hell and nothing was going to stand in the way...
###
Sam and Miss Mik were at a station as they made it towards Zama. When they got there, they had the lantern with them as they were ready to make a trade in order to secure Dean's release. Sam was extremely worried about his older brother as he didn't have any other choice in the matter. The trade for the lantern was crucial as it was also a risky one to take when both Sam and Miss Mik were about to go towards the destination that they needed to go to. Neither one didn't want to do this, but they had no choice as Dean's life was in extreme danger right now. When Sam and Miss Mik were at the warehouse, they were about to expect some dangerous company as the presence of demons have overpowered the air.
"I've seen this before," said Sam.
"This warehouse hasn't been used in years since the economy went tits-up back in the day," said Miss Mik. "It's also an old place that no one else frequents because of the presence of evil that lurks around all over."
"It's Meg, isn't it?"
"It's not only that blond tramp, but someone else is with her."
"Who is it, anyway? You feel as if you know this person, don't you?"
"I've known him for a long time, alright. That person in question is named Nicodemus. He's a demon that is trying to fit into the ranks of the monster that killed your mother and girlfriend, but he also has a jealous streak about him."
"So, we're dealing with someone that has envy on the brain."
"It's not just envy that fuels Nicodemus. He also gets his kicks by torturing his victims even against the orders of his handlers. He's a dangerous demon that can't be ignored, so I suggest that you watch your back on this mission."
Sam was now on high alert as he wanted to save Dean from such a psychopath that kept him prisoner in that old warehouse. With the lantern in his hands, he was ready to make the unwanted trade as he walked towards the front door of the old warehouse. His visions of that place made him cringe as he was dreading the arrival of the yellow-eyed demon, but there was an ace in the hole that was about to be activated at any time at the hands of Miss Mik. Still, he was worried to the core as he finally knocked on the door of the old warehouse. When he saw it open up, he was aware of the danger inside as he had the lantern in his hands with Miss Mik behind him.
"Stay on your guard, Sam," she told him cautiously.
"I know that Meg is here," he said.
"So is Nicodemus; we can't afford to fail on this one, so we have to be careful on this one."
Without warning, Sam and Miss Mik heard the door close behind them as they were trapped in the old warehouse with the lantern at their disposal. To their surprise, they saw Meg and Nicodemus appear as they had Dean as a hostage. Sam had never seen his brother like that as he wanted to get him out of harm's way first, for he couldn't let his captors have their way in the end. He had to surrender the lantern as he had to in order to secure Dean's release on the spot.
"Well, well; if it isn't Sam Winchester and the old lady," said Meg.
"I take it that you have Dean with you," said Miss Mik.
"First, you have to hand over the lantern."
"Not until you let go of Dean and then I'll give you the lantern," said Sam.
"It's a deal because I like to do business with you. Too bad that you make a lousy negotiator, though."
"Get to the point, Meg-"
"No, you get to the point, Sam Winchester," said Nicodemus. "I've heard all about you and I'm not too happy that the boss man picked you over us demons."
"You're Nicodemus, aren't you? I'm not here to pick a fight with anyone right now because I'm about to give you the lantern right now in order to trade for my brother."
"Fine, then..."
And so, Sam walked towards Meg and Nicodemus as he gave them the Orikoto lantern as promised. Still, he didn't like the "fair trade" as he only did it to save Dean's life. By the time he saw his older brother being forked over to him, he noticed that he was all banged up and cut as he had many wounds on his back and bruises all over his body. Even though the deal was made to save Dean from danger, Sam had a gut feeling that something was wrong as he sensed it all over. In the end, he didn't trust Meg or Nicodemus as they had their plans of their own this time.
"You finally did good, Sammy boy," said Meg as she had the lantern in her hands.
"You got your lantern, Meg, now let us go," answered Sam.
"Who says that we're gonna let you go?" said Nicodemus as he had his knife poised to kill. "I've been waiting to gut up like a helpless animal, Sam Winchester."
"We had a deal, Nicodemus," said Miss Mik sternly. "You and your slutty companion have the lantern as promised, now let us go free."
"No! The deal for the lantern may have been legit, but my motives are also like that!"
"You have a jealous streak and you know it, Nicodemus. I suggest that you release us or else your master would gut your ass like a fish."
Without hesitation, Nicodemus was ready to strike as he had his knife in his hand. He was burning for such a desire to kill Sam on the spot as he ran towards him and pinned him down. He wanted to kill him as he had his knife to his throat while he had him on the floor. Dean and Miss Mik ran in to help Sam, but they were pinned against the wall by Meg as she wanted to watch Nicodemus do his work without any distractions. With the lantern in her hand, she found something that was etched in the floor as she noticed that it was a demonic mark that was noted to help guide it towards the opening of the Hell gate. The incantation in latin was more than enough to activate the lantern as she put it into the proper etching into the floor.
"Well, it's time to raise some hell," she said with a smile on her face.
The lantern burned brightly as it opened up a gateway in the floor. The depths of hell had burned from below as the stench of rotten flesh had brimmed the entire warehouse. The demons that appeared in a plume of smoke were coming out by the bunches as they were about to possess any certain bystander at any time, for the time of raising hell was ready to begin. Still, there was a certain ace in the hole as the lantern was about to lock the gate down once again. It was then when Miss Mik saw the effects of the mechanism turn the lantern into a vacuum as it sucked all the demons that came out of the Hell gate back inside as it was locked back up once again. There was disappointment in Meg's eyes as she noted the lantern to be a failure until she discovered the mechanism that was on the side in which she discovered the blood that was put into it.
"You did this, didn't you?!" she cried as she was staring at Miss Mik.
"I knew that you would renege on your deal the moment you had that lantern in your hands," she answered. "Do you think that I can give you the lantern in order to unlock the Hell gate without any regard of having it fail on you?"
"You keep your mouth shut, old lady, because I'm gonna kill you and those loathsome Winchesters!"
"What do you intend to do, Meg, keep us pinned when your petty little cohort threatens to kill one of them? You demons have no honor or sympathy because of the way you were made."
"SHUT UP!"
Meg released Dean from her grip as she used her frustrations on Miss Mik. Anger boiled from within her meatsuit as she wanted to do away with the old lady completely. It wasn't long until Dean ran towards Nicodemus as he yanked him off of Sam. He wanted a little payback as he kicked the knife out of the demon's hand. Still, Nicodemus had the upper hand as he still wanted to kill off Sam until he saw him get up on his feet. It wasn't long until Dean punched the demon in the jaw as he was reeling from that blow when he fell to the floor. The fight between Dean and Nicodemus continued to rage until one of them was about to deal a killer blow. Dean was starting to tire from both blood loss and exhaustion as he was about to meet his end. Just as it was about to come to pass, he saw a crate move up as it fell directly on Nicodemus' head when he fell to the floor. The fight may have been won, but he was still reeling from his injuries as he saw Sam still standing with blood coming out of his nose. He was thankful that his younger brother saved his life as his abilities saved him the second time in this battle, for they were something of a godsend since that hunt back in Michigan months ago.
"Are you alright?" asked Sam as he was panting from exhaustion.
"You sure got the drop on him, Sammy," answered Dean.
"We have to help Miss Mik before Meg kills her."
"Meg has gone too far this time!"
And so, Sam helped Dean up to his feet as they were about to save Miss Mik's life. Meg was exuberant in her pinning of the old lady as she was about to tear her apart with her demonic powers. Just as she was about to do so, she saw something crash through as it was none other than Tsenoh coming down to save the day. Meg was no match for a Shinigami as she grabbed the unconscious Nicodemus and fled the warehouse without a trace. With the battle over, the lantern was secure once again as Tsenoh picked it up when she saw Miss Mik free from Meg's hold. Still, it was a battle that was briefly won by the powers of good as everyone left the warehouse with bruises and cuts on their bodies.
"I take it that your stalker didn't play fair," said Tsenoh as she was carting Miss Mik away to a bench.
"All demons never play fair," she answered.
"It's ironic that you used some of your blood to cause the lantern to become a vacuum in the end."
"I told you that I had an ace up my sleeve."
"Come on, let's get the hell out of here," said Dean as he was being carted by Sam.
"Don't try to talk," he said. "As soon as we get back to Yashamaru's safe house, the better we rest up for a while."
"Don't forget, Sam and Dean Winchester, that Azazel and his minions are still out there," said Tsenoh. "We cannot afford to lose any more time on our hands right now, but first, all of you need to be resting up after what you've been through."
There was a point there as everyone was on their way back to Sagamihara, where Yashamaru's safe house was kept. Still, there was also the notion of Azazel being at large as he was planning his army to commandeer them to raise hell on earth. Anyway, the upcoming battle was put on hold for a while as the warriors in it had to recover from their bruises and injuries for the time being...
###
Dean was in his own room at Yashamaru's safe house as he was newly cleaned and bandaged up from where Nicodemus cut at him. He couldn't shake the fact that Sam was thoroughly being sought by Azazel due to his special abilities as he would stop at nothing to protect his younger brother from further harm. Still, he had to find out more about Sam's purpose in becoming part of Azazel's sick chess game as he wanted to watch over him in the end. Getting up, he got on a robe over his nightclothes as he left his room in order to find the one that Sam was staying in. By the time he found Sam's room, he entered into it as he found him still asleep from such exhaustion. He couldn't let anything else happen to his younger brother as he would even die for him if that time ever came to him sooner or later.
"Hey, Sammy, wake up," he said.
"Dean, it's two in the morning," said Sam as he woke up and yawned.
"I couldn't shake the fact that those bastards have been tagging you for some reason. I wonder if Dad even knows about what happened to you at the time Mom was killed years ago..."
"All he ever knew was to put that yellow-eyed scumbag in his place after what happened to Mom. Besides, if I really were tagged for something, all those demons who see me are most likely to take me out in the end."
"There was something else that Nicodemus told me about when he was spouting some crap about you and Mito getting it on just to be breeding machines for that yellow-eyed demon's upcoming army."
"Dean, Mito and I are just friends, that's all."
"You're more than just friends because both you and her have been selected to become baby machines for that sicko's demented chess game."
"I'm still young, Dean. I have all that energy in the world, but I just can't involve Mito into this because she'll end up dead like her boyfriend along with Jessica. I can't have that being thrown in front of me right now because it's not something that I can do right now. All I'm doing now is to get revenge against the bastard who killed Mom and Jessica, that's all."
Sam couldn't stand the fact that he would soon be a part of Azazel's chess game as he also feared for Mito's safety as well. Even though she and Caitlyn were on a hunting assignment, they were safe for the time being as Sam was happy to see it that way. Laying back down, he was starting to fall back asleep as he couldn't stay awake much longer. When Dean left the room, he was on his way to his own as he saw Tsenoh standing in his way. She was concerned about the ongoing battle between good and evil as she viewed the Winchesters to be the ones that can do away with Azazel once and for all. It would only be a matter of time before the real battle commenced, but right now, everyone had to rest up in order to recover in time to fight on another hunt sooner or later.
"I take it that you were listening in on us," said Dean.
"You were talking about Azazel, weren't you?" said Tsenoh.
"The yellow-eyed demon's not someone that you can invite to a kid's birthday party, you know."
"Dean Winchester, you're not the only one who wants to see Azazel dead."
"Let me guess, you fought the bastard and lost, didn't you?"
"Nearly twenty-three years ago, I followed Azazel to Kyoto because of a tip that he would be seeing Mito in her cradle back at the old okiya. When I got there, I was too late when the place burned. It was also a sign that Mito and Seto's mother was killed the same way as your mother. I tried to stop him from going to Kansas, but I was stopped by one of the Espadas that showed promise to the monster that walks among the living today."
"Hey, you may have failed, but that doesn't stop me or my family from taking out the yellow-eyed bastard altogether. There's still a chance after all, but I'm banking on the Colt just to take him out in the end."
Dean made his point clear as he wanted to find out more about the Colt in order to terminate Azazel once and for all. Still, he was worried for Sam as he would stop at nothing to watch over his younger brother in the end. Time was at the essence as it was also a tool just to make sure that the recovery would be worth it in order to return to the hunt sooner or later...
###
Sam woke up as he was still in his room where he was sleeping on the futon. It had been a harrowing night as he averted a crisis with the help of Miss Mik in the end. He may have put a dent on Azazel's dastardly plans, but he had to watch his back in the presence of demons as he would also end up going up against the very evil in the end. Getting up, he was still in his nightclothes as he went into one of the halls where he entered into the tea room. To his surprise, he saw Miss Mik sitting at a table as she was drinking green tea and eating cookies. Still, she was a great help as she had her proverbial ace in the hole to put a dent in Azazel's evil plans, for the ongoing battle would never end until the monster had been put to justice in the eyes of those who fought for the righteous.
"Good morning," said Miss Mik. "I trust that you slept better since helped to avert a disaster in the end."
"But you did it all," said Sam as he sat down at the table.
"Not true; your vision was more than enough to get your brother out of danger while I activated the lantern that became a vacuum instead of a key to Hell."
"Miss Mik..., yesterday, I kind of used my powers just to stop Nicodemus from killing Dean, but I kind of overdid it."
"You had a bit of a nosebleed, but you'll be fine."
"I have a bad feeling about what's going to happen next. I can't shake it, but-" Sam hears Miss Mik's cellphone as he saw her pick it up. "I wonder who's calling you all of a sudden..."
"Hello?" Miss Mik was aware of who was on the other end of the line. "Is that you, John?"
"It's been a while, Kyung-Hae," he said over the phone. "Right now, I've been doing some research about the Colt and on how it can be used to kill the yellow-eyed demon."
"We've did the same thing, John. Besides, your sons have matured as hunters, but there would be a time when the demon would be out there going after them in the end."
"I'm already aware of that because I'm gonna find that yellow-eyed bastard who took Mary away from me if it's the last thing I'll ever do."
"Do your sons know about your whereabouts?"
"No, but they'll find me the moment they get back to familiar territory."
With that, Miss Mik heard the phone call end as she became aware of what John was about to do next. Still, she had faith in the Winchesters whether it was for good or bad in the end as they were also those who would be willing to hunt various types of scary stuff in the end, but for now, they had to recover from what nearly happened to them as they would soon return to the hunt once again...
To be continued...