Chapter 23
The brothers were panting and doing their best to not show their pain as the archangels continued to torture them trying to break them and get the spell from one of them. Lucifer tried to use Dean's hurt to trick Sam into giving in, but was finding it didn't work.
Michael used his angel blade on Sam, sliced thin trails along his skin, going deep enough to make the blood bead up, making Sam cringe with the torture but he didn't say a word, only stared at him with hateful, defiant eyes. Michael looked to Dean who was trying to keep Sam in his sight and wondered how the brothers came to be so strong. How did this bond work between them?
"We need to take their eyes out," Michael announced to Lucifer who paused in mid thrust of his angel blade.
"Why is that?" Lucifer asked letting go of Dean's shirt to let him fall over.
"They will be weaker if they can't see each other."
"You might have a point there." Lucifer grabbed Dean up again as Michael reached for Sam.
Just as Lucifer and Michael started to drive their angel blades into Sam and Dean's eyes, Jack suddenly appeared behind the brothers and roared his rage as he pushed out a wave of powerful sonic energy sending the archangels tumbling backwards away from them like tumble weeds. Neither of the archangels could get to their feet as they lay there stunned and no sure what had happened.
The angels standing around the scene were thrown to the ground and Bobby, Charlie and the others quickly disarmed them, holding guns with angel killing bullets or blades on them. Mary started for her sons wanting to see how serious their injuries were and to cut their ties. She could see the blood covering their clothes and the bruises on their faces and sucked in a hard breath.
In the blink of an eye, Jack was in front of Michael and jerked him up so he could slash the angel blade across his throat and allow his grace to pour out. He drew in a long breath and absorbed the grace into his body feeling the sudden surge of power course through his veins. Before Lucifer could recover, Jack had him up and prepared to do the same thing.
"Jack, son, what are you doing?" Lucifer groaned as he tried to push Jack away. "I'm your father..."
"I know what you are and what you did," Jack growled in a harsh voice. "You deserve everything you get. You don't deserve my mercy or to be my father." He sliced his throat and waited as his grace spilled out and took it in too. He stepped back and raised his hands to the heavens as he tilted his head back allowing the new graces to combine in his body making him even more powerful.
Mary had pulled a knife and cut her son's bonds before grabbing a bandana and pressing it to Dean's wounds since they were bleeding worse than Sam's. She tried to look Sam over while tending to Dean. They all looked at Jack with shock and surprise when suddenly his body started glowing and his wings started to unfold from his back to stretch out, until they were fully extended. They were a rich cream and golden color and seemed to radiate with power. The wings were like pearls as the sun reflected off of them casting multi colors around him. The power was building inside of Jack as he threw back his head and cried out.
"Close your eyes!" Dean cried out knowing what was coming. All the ones around him threw their arms up to shield their eyes from the brilliant flash of light that was coming from Jack.
Jack's body began shine a whitish blue, so bright that it was blinding to those around him that were human. His eyes turned a deep golden brown and danced with angel grace. A sudden surge of energy was emitted from Jack and it swept over everyone and continued outward through the land.
Dean tried to blink the black spots from his eyes as he tried to see. He pushed his Mom's hand away when the pain was suddenly gone from his shoulder and his battered body. It felt like the air was filled with a burst of static electricity as the hairs on his neck stood up and his entire body tingled with it.
"Sammy?" Dean called out to him as he tried to find his brother. "Are you healed?"
"Jack?" Sam questioned as he wiped his face and looked where Jack had been standing. "They're gone."
"What?" Dean asked and looked around. All three were gone along with the angels that had been there.
"What the hell?" Bobby growled out when he saw the other angels had vanished too. "What just happened?"
"Look!" Charlie exclaimed pointing to the sky.
Everyone turned to look up into the hazy sky to see hundreds of streaks of what looked like fire balls moving away from the earth and into the sky.
"What is it?" Mary asked reaching for her sons to lay a hand on each of their arms.
"Angels," Dean said.
"They're leaving," Sam added in surprise.
"Just like before," Dean added. "When the angels fell from Heaven it looked like that but in the opposite direction."
"I'll be damned, did we just win?" Bobby asked in disbelief not able to take his eyes off the skies. He allowed himself to smile as people around him cheered their victory.
"Jack?" Mary questioned when he appeared before them and looked their way.
"Hey man, are you okay?" Sam asked cautiously not sure whether to approach him or not since he still had a powerful glow around him.
"I am fine. I am better than fine. I have taken Michael and Lucifer to a place and locked them away where they can't hurt anyone again," he said proudly.
"What about the angels?" Dean asked.
"The release of my powers broke the hold Michael had on them and they are going back to Heaven. I will be sure they understand they are to help the humans and not hurt them. They will need to be guided in their task and I will pick leaders that know it is understood there will be no more war in this world."
"Way to go kid," Dean praised him pulling him into a hug. He could feel a tingling in his body from touching Jack and wondered just how powerful he was now.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Mary asked going to him and cupping his face and holding it to really look at him. The glow was fading now, but she could still feel a tingle under her hands.
"Yes. Bobby if you will gather everyone and have them head to a town about sixty miles south of here, you can began to rebuild your world," he told him. "It has not been demolished by the angels and you can stay there. You can spread the word, the war is over."
Everyone headed back to the bus and climbed on. Dean and Sam waited with Jack looking at each other over his head. He seemed happy and contend and they wondered how safe he was after taking in the grace of two archangels like that. They watched as Jack raised his hands to the heavens causing clouds to begin to form and roll together getting darker until a storm started brewing. Rain began to fall from the skies across the land.
"Get on the bus," Dean urged Sam as the first large drops started to hit him. "Jack c'mon you'll be soaked."
"I'm not coming yet," he said smiling in satisfaction. "I have started the rebirth of the land; soon it will be as it was before, lush and beautiful. Just like in the memories I saw in Charlie's mind," he explained looking to Charlie and smiling. "I wanted to make it as she once saw it. I need to go to Heaven, but I will join you at the town and we will go home."
Before anyone could say anything, Jack disappeared again leaving everyone whispering among themselves about the young man who stopped the war all by himself.
"Did you get healed when the bomb went off?" Dean asked Sam now that everything was calming down.
"Yeah, it was sort of like when Castiel would do it. At least that's what it felt like. It was like being washed with a mild electrical charge," Sam told him.
"Do you think Jack can get us home now?" Mary asked them.
"I'm thinking he can do what he wants right now," Sam replied staring out the window as the rain continued to fall.
"Yeah, for now, let's just not make him mad," Dean cautioned them, not sure he was comfortable with the immense power Jack had absorbed. He was still a child in his eyes and still learning how to use and control his powers so he wouldn't hurt anyone.
They didn't talk anymore as the driver made his way toward the town Jack spoke of. It took them nearly two hours of slow driving and clearing a path for the bus in a couple of places before finally reaching the town.
Jack was right, somehow the town hadn't been leveled by the war and most of the buildings were still standing. They could see houses all around the town that looked livable and an excitement seemed to build in the bus. Most of the humans had lost everything in the war and to now have a place where they could actually settle down was unbelievable.
The rain was still falling but no one cared as they filed off the bus to look around. They turned their faces to the skies and let the warm drops wash over them. It was like they were being reborn into a new world without wars and violence.
"We need to check the place out for people or monsters. Just because the angels aren't a threat anymore doesn't mean we can let our guard down," Bobby announced as they gathered around him. "Now don't go alone, team up in pairs or threes and start at this end of town and go through the buildings. Find something to mark the front once you're done so we don't duplicate the work."
"You heard Bobby, let's do this," one of the guys said.
"Stan, why don't you and Dave head to the emergency camp and get the others so we can get everyone together," Bobby told the driver.
"On it," Stan said heading back to the bus with Dave close behind him.
"If you need to spend the night before heading back do it. Better safe than sorry."
"Right." They got on the bus and headed back out of the town to get the others.
"C'mon Sammy, let's see if we can find the power station and see about maybe getting some power going," Dean suggested as the others teamed up to check the buildings.
"Okay, Mom why don't you stay here with Bobby and Charlie?" Sam said.
"Hey, I'm going with you guys," Charlie insisted daring either to stop her.
"You guys go on. I'll help Bobby," Mary laughed seeing the standoff.
"Well let's go then," Dean caved, turning to head down the street knowing the power plant would be on the outskirts of town somewhere. They followed the power lines thinking that would lead them in the right direction. They walked down the street with Charlie between them. She linked her arms through their arms and hummed happily to herself just content to be alive and to know humanity had a fighting chance again.
Her world had been saved by a young man who only wanted to do good.
A/N: Jack saved the day and is more powerful than ever. We only have one more chapter and this journey will be over. I hope you have enjoyed it and will check out the new story I will be posting on New Year's Day call A-Z Supernatural Creatures. Thank you for all the support and reviews. You know I like them and if you can please leave me one. NC