Chapter 36: Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

Note: Here's the epilogue, guys.

"Dean..."

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I'll... I mean, I know I won't survive this. So, I guess-"

"Nope."

"Nope? The hell does that mean?"

"It means nope. No. Nein."

"Dean, you know-"

"I know, Sammy. Don't mean we gotta talk about it."

"So, what? We just get this done and that's it? No goodbyes and stuff?"

"I don't wanna hear your 'I'm prepared to die' speech, alright? We've done this way more times than I prefer. We're gonna do this, together. Period."

Dean then raises the volume of the radio in the Impala to drown out Sam's protests. After a while, Sam stops trying. Dean's humming turns into loud, obnoxious singing.

"My friends are gonna be there too. I'm on the highway to hell. On the highway to hell. Highway to hell. I'm on the highway to hell. Come on, Sammy. Sing with me."

Sam shoots him an annoyed glare and keeps his mouth shut. Dean coaxes him by glancing every once in a while.

"...Nobody's gonna slow me down. Like a wheel, gonna spin it..."

Despite the cheap attempt at humour by his brother, Sam can't help but smile a little at the irony of the song choice.

"Your turn, Sammy," Dean says jokingly as he punches him in the arm.

Sam laughs as he belts out the verse, "Hey satan, payin' my dues. Playin' in a rockin' band. Hey mumma, look at me. I'm on the way to the promised land."

Dean heartily laughs at that and they both belt out the last few lines of the chorus. This, Dean can do. This is what they're familiar with. He can joke around and sing through their last moments together. But he can't possibly sit there as he drives and listen to Sam spout shit like how he's grateful to Dean for everything he has ever done for his kid brother or how he wants Dean to live a happy life with or without him. Because if he has to listen to Sam say that, he would turn this car around and drive back to the bunkers. He will let Abaddon kill every last person on Earth before she gets to Sam. And that's not what a righteous man should do.

Dean takes a brief look at Sam. The corners of his lips are still twisted in a small smile as he taps a rhythm on his thigh with his fingers. He is probably immersing himself in the familiar comfort of AC/DC. John used to play this cassette at night to keep himself awake as he drove for hours without stopping for a break. Sam used to sleep in the back seat, too tired to be bothered by the loud music. Tears well in Dean's eyes and he quickly averts his gaze to the road. They've done this at least twice before but it's just so goddamn hard to let go. After all, his entire life has revolved around watching out for Sam. It's unfair that the younger hunter has to be the one to sacrifice himself. Dean hates himself for not being able to replace Sam in this task.

He hears a groan from the back seat and takes a fleeting look at the rear-view mirror. Crowley begins to stir as the drugs wear off and he regains consciousness. Sam opens the small, front pocket of his duffel bag and removes a container that holds the syringes. He picks one with blue liquid in it and effectively plunges it on Crowley's thigh. Crowley emits a high-pitched noise before settling down again.

"How is he the same asshole that once ruled Hell?" Sam asks.

"Your blood did that. You should donate some for medicinal purposes. Maybe you could cure cancer and shit like that."

Sam smacks upside his head and says,"Jerk."

"You don't hit the driver, bitch."

It has been 4 years since the angels packed their wings and left Earth for good. But things that go bump in the night still do take up space on Earth. Abaddon who remained unobstructive for some time, had built an entire army of demons to make a paradise out of Earth. The hunters aren't idiots. They know she wasn't going to stay out for long. But they didn't expect her to crawl out of the pits of hell one day and go on a killing rampage just to attract their attention. She kills for the thrill of it; to establish her authority. But the most pressing concern for the residents of hell is the Winchesters since they have shown once, that they hold the lock to the gates of hell. Dean knew that she wanted to get to Sam so he kept Sam hidden in the bunkers for a few months. She couldn't get to him even if she tried. And that's when she began attacking the ones closest to the Winchesters. She did what Crowley had done before; she went after the ones that the Winchesters saved. After killing 12 of them, she went after Garth. And lastly, Kevin. Dean fought so hard but he was rendered helpless when she pinned him to the wall and made him watch as she sliced Kevin's throat. Kevin Tran died a hero because until the very end of her series of tortures, he did not disclose information about Sam.

Instead he spat on her face as she held him against the wall and said, "I'm not afraid of you."

And that's when she cut his throat with her nails and left him gurgling in his own blood. Dean screamed and screamed until he lost his voice but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't move. By the time she was gone, Dean felt nothing but violent, unrestrained anger. He carried Kevin and placed him in his Impala and drove to the bunkers. Sam opened the door to find a bloodied, bruised Dean, cradling the body of the prophet.

He looked the older hunter dead in his eyes and said with fury, "I'm gonna end her."

Dean didn't protest. Didn't fight back. Didn't say any one of those, 'Let's find a way to kill her without killing you' bullshit.

"We're gonna take that bitch down," he said with clenched teeth.

And that's how they ended up tracking down Crowley. He was one step away from being cured. If he were still alive, it would make things a whole lot easier because Abaddon is smart enough to keep her demon slaves away from the hunters. After an entire week of extensive research and barely enough sleep to live, they found him in Florida State Hospital. He had lost his mind and didn't recognise the Winchesters. He murmurs nonsensical things and screams for no apparent reason. He doesn't make eye contact with anyone or attempt to communicate. He was locked up in the psych ward for being harmful to himself –apparently, he gets violent and slams his head against the nearest surface until he loses consciousness. It took the Winchesters six hours of planning before they broke in and kidnapped him. And now, the Impala is parked in front of the old, abandoned church as Dean looks over at Sam.

"This is it, huh?"

Sam smiles and throws his arms around Dean. He squeezes him tightly as he feels Dean wrap his arms around him and sigh shakily.

"It's for the best," he replies as he pulls away.

Dean gets out and drags Crowley into the church while Sam carries their bags in. Dean then ties Crowley to a chair while Sam paints the Devil's trap as a precaution. When Sam walks towards the confession room, Dean pats him in the back for one last time and offers the demon knife before shutting the door behind him and locking Sam and Crowley in. He then stands outside and guards the door with an angel blade in hand, ready to smite anything that dares approach the church.

He mutters to himself, "Now we wait."

Abaddon doesn't disappoint. She shows up 6 hours later. Dean knew she was coming when the wind got stronger and sent chills down his spine. He noticed how the sky was occupied by dark, lenticular clouds which are only found around mountain ranges. They are nowhere close to a mountain which indicates whatever that influenced the weather wasn't natural. It got easier to predict, moments before her arrival. The fuse box exploded and released sparks. The radio in the Impala turned on and produced static noises, which naturally pissed Dean off even more because she may be the Devil's spawn for all he cares but no one messes with his Baby.

Abaddon should have learnt her lesson the first time around though. Because when she makes an appearance, Dean doesn't waste time. He lights up the trail of holy oil and watches as the hem of her jeans –or more accurately, the jeans of the poor woman she is possessing- catch on fire. While she's distracted, he throws a Molotov cocktail at her -he learnt from a friend- and watches with a smirk as the body she's wearing, bursts into flames and she exits as black smoke. She'll be back, he knows. And he might not be able to keep her at bay the next time. But as of now, he bought Sam some time to finish the final trial.

When she returns, she's more than mildly annoyed. Before he can even grab another Molotov cocktail, she hurls him at the Impala. The force of his body hitting the driver's side door caused a dent. She moves towards the church door. There's still half an hour on the clock before the exorcism. And Dean still has the angel blade tucked away in the back of his pants.

He pulls it out, stands shakily and says, "We ain't done, bitch!"

The wooden doors break open as Abaddon flings him across. He falls hard on his back. She walks in and slams her right leg on the floor. It cracks open beneath her feet and the Devil's Trap is broken.

"Run, Crowley," Abaddon hisses.

However, Crowley just looks up at Sam with glassy eyes and offers his neck willingly. Sam immediately begins reciting the exorcism chant and cuts his palm with the knife that Dean gave him earlier.

Dean shouts, "SAM, NOW!"

The older hunter then stands up and swings his fist against Abaddon's face in a futile attempt to hold her back. She grabs the hand that is holding the angel blade and twists it in his direction. With a forceful thrust, the blade stabs Dean in the abdomen. She twists the knife to plunge it in deeper.

"DEAN!" Sam yells.

As he drops to his knees, Dean says, "Keep going."

With all he could muster, he pulls out the blade and stabs Abaddon in her leg. She lets out an ear-piercing shriek. Maybe the demon knife can't do much damage but the angel blade definitely slows her down. She extracts the blade from where it sticks out and throws it across the room. She then repeatedly slams her fist on Dean's face. When it looks like the fight in him flickers out, she holds his right leg and with one violent twist, breaks his leg. This has rendered Dean immobile as she drags her wounded leg to reach to Sam.

Dean looks up from where he's lying to see Sam smile down at him reassuringly as he puts his cut palm against Crowley's mouth, letting the blood drip into him directly. Abaddon screams in horror as Sam finishes with the Enochian spell. An invisible force field forms around Sam and Crowley that knocks Abaddon out. But it doesn't end there. She looks like she is being sucked into a vortex. Dean watches as she disappears into thin air and turns around to find Sam.

"Sam?"

Sam is on the floor, near Crowley's chair with one hand reached out towards Dean. But his eyes are half-open and unblinking and he looks like... like he's not breathing.

Dean says as his voice tremors, "Sammy. Please, God. No."

He has a broken leg, a bashed-in face and a deep stab wound in his abdomen. But somehow, the worst pain that he feels is in his chest. He can't breathe; it feels like his ribcage is about to break. He closes his eyes as it hurts to blink and lets out an excruciating scream as he sobs. He knows it's not too long before his end but he can't find it in him to care. He wants to move closer to Sam. Wants to reach out and grab his hand that was obviously reaching out towards Dean before he took his last breath. Cradle Sam's body in his arms and weep for his little brother who always has to be the one to save the world. Why can't life ever be easy for Sam? But he can't move. He tries to crawl towards Sam but a searing pain shoots in his abdomen and he finds himself vomiting blood on the floor. He curls to his side and cries as he stares at the younger hunter. He thinks back to his promise.

As long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you.

He failed to keep that promise, to protect his brother.

He whispers,"I'm sorry, Sammy. I'm so sorry."

He clutches one hand against his stomach where he's bleeding profusely and tries to reach out with his other hand. Although he knows that his fist is closing around nothing but air, he feels something warm in the palm of his outreached hand. There is light around him. He freaks out because the gates of Hell should be locked down for good. He did not let his brother -that he practically raised since the kid was in his diapers- die for nothing. He turns around on his back and tries to find the blade to fight this evil bastard off only to realise that the angel blade is at the other end of the room. He could hardly breathe without choking on his own blood; the taste of copper is so familiar in his mouth. He spits out the blood and feels something grip his hand firmly. He gives up. This is the moment Dean Winchester gives up.

He doesn't care anymore. His brother is dead and he is about to die. They should have shut the gates of Hell by now. The world should be a safer place. There is nothing left to do, nothing to live for and he doesn't have it in him to keep fighting. So, he just lays there and gives it permission to end his existence. Except the pain subsides to a low hum under his skin at the touch. He turns around to meet this blinding light and he wonders what on earth is this creature. Did they unleash something else as they put the demons in a lockdown? And then he hears it. A loud, screeching static noise. Somehow this feels familiar too. Like pain and grief and disappointment, this feels very familiar to Dean. But unlike others, this noise is comforting. He is tempted to shut his eyes as it hurts to look at the light and close his ears to stop the ringing noise in his head but he can't move. He's glad he can't. Because he might have missed the words if he did. He laughs a little only to gurgle his own blood and choke on it. He coughs his lungs out but settles on his back with a smile on his face and closes his eyes. He can let go. He knows Sam is safe. Everything is going to be okay. Now that he hears it loud and clear, he can finally rest. He takes one last shallow breath as his life seeps out of him.

The last words that Dean Winchester ever hears are from an old friend.

"Hello, Dean."

Note: If written stories can have background music, if I can choose a song to play for closing credits of this story, (for some odd reason, I can't post the link here), I will play Carry On My Wayward Son- Lullaby with Vocals by PlasticPeacePerson.

You can copy paste this in Youtube and find the song. It's awesome, you should definitely listen to that version of the song.

Thank you for reading, guys. I'll miss all of you. :(