April 22nd - April 28th, 2006
We pulled up to an abandoned house, Sam and Dean were hunting for a creature called a Rawhead. A Rawhead is essentially a boogeyman. They usually live in basements or dark underground places and prey upon children. Sam and Dean figured out that the creature was the reason that kids in the town had been going missing. According to their research, it takes a powerful electric shock to kill it.
Sam and Dean got out of the car and walked around to the back. They opened the trunk and started going through it. I got out and walked around to the back with them.
"Oh, no. You're staying in the car with the doors locked. That thing isn't taking you too," Dean said, holding two Tasers in his hands.
"What do you got those amped up to?" Sam asked.
"A hundred thousand volts," Dean said.
"Damn," Sam said.
"Yeah, I want this Rawhead extra friggin' crispy. And remember, you only get one shot with these things. So, make it count," Dean said and handed Sam one of the Tasers.
"Get in the car and lock it, we will be back," Sam said, and then they both ran off to the house.
A few minutes later, Sam came running out of the house with a boy and a girl a few years younger than me. I unlocked the car, and Sam opened the back to let the kids in.
"Where's Dean?" I asked, concerned.
"You stay here with them; I'm going back in for him," Sam said and ran back to the house.
The children had scratches on their faces and arms, and they were dirty. I grabbed a shirt out of my bag and poured some water on it.
"Here, let me clean you up a little," I said, and they nodded.
I started cleaning up their cuts when Sam came running out, carrying Dean across his shoulders. I jumped out and ran over to him.
"What happened?!" I yelled.
"He got electrocuted, we have to get him to a hospital," Sam said, worried.
I ran over and opened the passenger door, Sam laid Dean down inside the car, then he ran over and got into the car. Sam drove as fast as he could to the closest hospital.
Sam carried Dean across his shoulders through the parking lot, and some people came running out of the hospital with a gurney and took Dean inside. The kids and I followed after Sam. He explained who the kids were, and the hospital got in contact with the police who showed up shortly after.
Sam was talking to the police when a woman called to him from the front desk. "Sir, I'm so sorry to ask. There doesn't seem to be any insurance on file."
Sam turned to her and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "Right. Uh, okay."
He handed the card to her, and she glanced down at it. "Okay, Mr. Burkowitz," she said.
Sam turned back to the police officers.
"Look, we can finish this up later," one of the police officers said.
Sam shook his head. "No, no, it's okay. We were just taking a shortcut through the neighborhood. And, um, the windows were rolled down, we heard some screaming when we drove past the house, and we stopped. Ran in."
The officer was writing the information down. "And you found the kids in the basement?"
"Yeah." Sam nodded.
"Well, thank god you did," the officer said.
I saw the doctor walk out of the room that Dean was in, and I pointed him out to Sam.
Sam turned to the officers. "Excuse me."
They nodded. "Sure. Thanks for your help."
Sam and I quickly walked over to the doctor.
"Hey, Doc. Is he...?" Sam asked.
"He's resting." The doctor nodded.
"And?" Sam asked.
The doctor sighed. "The electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. His heart... it's damaged."
"How damaged?" Sam asked.
The doctor looked at us, sympathetically. "We've done all we can. We can try and keep him comfortable at this point. But I'd give him a couple weeks, at most, maybe a month."
I felt tears come to my eyes.
"No, no. There's— There's... gotta be something you can do, some kind of treatment," Sam said, holding back tears.
The doctor shook his head. "We can't work miracles. I really am sorry."
Sam nodded and then put his hand on my shoulder, leading me into Dean's room.
Dean was watching TV in his bed. He was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. He looked awful.
"Have you ever actually watched daytime TV? It's terrible," Dean said, weakly.
Sam shook his head and exhaled sharply. "I talked to your doctor."
"That fabric softener teddy bear. Oh... I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down," Dean joked.
"Dean," Sam said.
Dean turned the TV off and looked up at us. "Yeah... all right, well, looks like you're gonna leave town without me."
"What are you talking about? We're not gonna leave you here." Sam shook his head.
Dean looked at Sam with a serious expression. "Hey, you better take care of that car. Or, I swear, I'll haunt your ass."
"I don't think that's funny," Sam said, fighting back the tears.
"Oh, come on, it's a little funny." Dean smirked.
We just stared at Dean for a while and then I hid my face in Sam's arm, I couldn't believe this was happening. I started crying. Sam brought me into a hug and rubbed my back, trying to comfort me even though he was upset too.
"Look, guys, what can I say... it's a dangerous gig. I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story," Dean said.
"Don't talk like that, all right? We still have options," Sam said, still holding me.
"What options? Yeah, burial or cremation. And I know it's not easy... but I'm gonna die... and you can't stop it," Dean said.
"Watch me," Sam said, letting go of me and walking out of the room.
I turned and walked over to Dean with my head down.
Dean grabbed my hand. "Listen to me." I looked up at him, he had tears in his eyes. "You and Sam have to take care of each other."
"Stop," I said, my lip quivering.
"I know this is hard kiddo, but these things just happen," Dean said.
"No, you have to keep your promise," I said, fighting back the tears.
Dean looked defeated.
"What if we can't find Dad and Sam leaves again? I will be all alone. I need you, Dean." Tears streamed down my face.
Dean pulled me into a hug. "Sam won't do that. I can promise you that." He kissed me on the forehead.
"I love you," I said, kissing him on his cheek and standing up.
"I love you too," Dean said sadly.
We stared at each other for a moment, and then I ran off to find Sam, who was waiting for me outside of the room.
Sam drove us back to the motel we had been staying in, and when we got there, I curled up in Dean's bed, Sam opened his laptop and started researching, we were both silent.
The next couple of days were the same, Sam didn't want to go see Dean because he just wanted to devote his time to researching how to save him. All I could think about was Dean, and if he was okay. I just laid in bed the whole time and would only eat when Sam made me.
Sam sat down on the bed and sighed. Then he made a phone call. He choked back tears. "Hey, Dad. It's Sam. Uh... you probably won't even get this, but, uh... it's Dean. He's sick, and uh... the doctors say there's nothing they can do. Um... but, uh, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, 'cause I'm uh... gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. All right... just wanted you to know." He hung up, tossed his phone on the bed, and just sat there silently.
Then there was a knock on the door, and we both looked up. Sam got up and opened the door, Dean was leaning against the door jam, looking terrible.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked, surprised, happy, and confused, all at once.
"Dean?!" I shouted as I got up and ran into him with a hug.
Dean hugged me back. "I checked myself out."
"What, are you crazy?" Sam asked.
Dean walked into the room and leaned on the dresser. "Well, I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot."
Sam huffed a laugh and shut the door. "You know, this whole 'I laugh in the face of death' thing? It's crap. I can see right through it."
"Yeah, whatever, dude. Have you guys even slept? You look worse than me," Dean said and sat down in a chair.
"I've been scouring the Internet for the last three days. Calling every contact in Dad's journal," Sam said and sat down on his bed.
I walked back to Dean's bed and sat down too.
"For what?" Dean asked.
"For a way to help you. One of Dad's friends, Joshua, he called me back. Told me about a guy in Nebraska... a specialist," Sam explained.
"You're not gonna let me die in peace, are you?" Dean asked.
Sam shook his head. "I'm not gonna let you die, period... we're going."
Sam drove us down a long, bumpy gravel road toward a large white circus tent set up in a field. People made their way toward the tent across the muddy ground, many were using walkers or being helped by others. Sam got out and ran around to help Dean, who had opened his door and looked around. I got out and saw a sign next to the tent that read, The Church of Roy LeGrange. Faith Healer. Witness the Miracle. Dean grunted and pulled himself out of the car.
Sam tried to help. "I got ya."
Dean pushed Sam away. "I got it." He gave Sam an angry look. "Man, you are a lying bastard. Thought you said we were going to see a doctor."
"I believe I said a specialist. Look, Dean, this guy's supposed to be the real deal," Sam said, trying to convince Dean.
Dean slammed the door. "I can't believe you brought me here to see some guy who heals people out of a tent."
We started walking toward the tent, and an elderly woman with an umbrella passed by. "Reverend LeGrange is a great man."
"Yeah, that's nice," Dean responded, sarcastically.
We walked past a man yelling at a police officer, "I have a right to protest! This man is a fraud! And he's milking all these people out of their hard-earned money!"
"Sir, this is a place of worship. Let's go. Move it," the officer said, pushing him along.
"I take it he's not part of the flock," Dean said.
"But when people see something they can't explain, there's controversy," Sam said.
"I mean, come on, Sam... a faith healer?" Dean said.
"Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean," Sam said.
"You know what I've got faith in? Reality... knowing what's really going on," Dean said.
"How can you be a skeptic? With the things we see every day?" Sam asked.
"Exactly. We see them, we know they're real," Dean said.
"But if you know evil's out there, how can you not believe good's out there, too?" Sam asked.
"Because I've seen what evil does to good people," Dean said and stopped walking.
A young blonde woman overheard and turned around. "Maybe God works in mysterious ways."
Dean smiled. "Maybe he does. I think you just turned me around on the subject."
The woman smiled back. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Dean held out his hand. "I'm Dean. This is Sam and Maddison."
The girl shook his hand. "Layla. So, if you're not a believer, then why are you here?"
"Well, apparently, my brother here believes enough for the both of us," Dean said.
An older woman approached and put her arm around Layla. "Come on, Layla. It's about to start."
We smiled at the women and then they walked into the tent.
"Well, I bet you she can work in some mysterious ways," Dean joked.
I groaned and rolled my eyes.
Dean looked at me. "What?" He smirked.
"Nothing." I laughed.
We entered the tent. It was full of people sitting or finding seats. A small stage was at the front.
Dean looked around and then spotted something in the corner of the tent. "Yeah, peace, love, and trust all over." He scoffed.
I looked up and saw a security camera set in place in the corner.
Dean walked forward to take a seat, but Sam put his arm around Dean and pushed him toward the front.
"Come on," Sam urged.
"Don't! What are you doing? Let's sit here," Dean grumbled, trying to pull away from Sam.
"We're sitting up front," Sam said.
"What? Why?" Dean asked, annoyed.
Sam moved Dean up the aisle. "Come on."
"Oh, come on, Sam," Dean groaned and hunched over a little.
"You all right?" Sam asked, pushing Dean up.
"This is ridiculous," Dean said, slapping Sam's hand away. "I'm good, dude, get off me."
Sam let go and pointed to three empty seats closer to the front, behind Layla and the older woman. "Perfect."
"Yeah, perfect," Dean said sarcastically.
Sam put his hand on my back, wanting me to sit first and then spoke to Dean. "You take the aisle."
I started to walk, but then I was tugged back by my jacket. "She's sitting next to me. You're too handsy today," Dean said and waved Sam off.
Sam sighed. We all sat down, and shortly after, a blind man wearing sunglasses, who I assumed was Reverend Roy LeGrange, was helped onto the stage by a woman.
Roy gestured to the woman who helped him onto the stage. "Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?"
The crowd collectively said, "No."
"Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act... but I say to you, God is watching," Roy said.
The crowd murmured, "Yes, he is."
"God rewards the good, and he punishes the corrupt," Roy said.
The crowd all nodded, cheered, and murmured.
I leaned over to Dean and whispered, "This is creeping me out."
"Me too," he whispered back.
We both laughed quietly, and Sam glared at us slightly.
"It is the Lord who does the healing here friends. The Lord, who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts," Roy said.
The crowd murmured.
Dean leaned over and whispered, "Yeah, and into their wallets."
"You think so, young man?" Roy asked.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
"Sorry," Dean said.
"No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears," Roy said.
The crowd laughed.
"What's your name, son?" Roy asked.
Dean cleared his throat. "Dean."
"Dean." Roy nodded to himself. "I want... I want you to come up here with me."
Everyone in the crowd clapped except for Layla and the older woman. Sue Ann moved to the center of the stage and smiled at Dean.
Dean shook his head. "No, it's okay."
Sam reached around me and lightly smacked Dean's arm. "What are you doing?!" he whisper-shouted.
"You've come here to be healed, haven't ya?" Roy asked.
Dean hesitated. "Well, yeah, but uh..."
The crowd started clapping and making encouraging noises.
"Maybe you should just pick someone else," Dean said.
Sam looked at Dean like he was insane. The crowd clapped loudly.
"Oh, no. I didn't pick you, Dean, the Lord did," Roy said.
The crowd got more excited, and then someone yelled, "That's right! Yeah! Come on!"
I grabbed Dean's hand and nodded to encourage him to get up. He looked at me, sighed, then reluctantly rose, and moved toward the stage, slowly. Sue Ann moved to assist Dean on stage, and then he stood next to Roy.
"You ready?" Roy asked.
Dean leaned over to Roy. "Look, no disrespect, but uh, I'm not exactly a believer."
Roy smiled. "You will be, son. You will be."
"Pray with me, friends," Roy said to the crowd.
I looked around as people in the crowd lifted their arms up and joined hands with each other. Roy raised his hands in the air, then placed one, first on Dean's shoulder, then on the side of his head.
"All right now. All right now," Roy said.
Dean's eyes started to glaze over, and his knees began to weaken. He slowly sank to his knees while Roy kept his hand on his head.
"All right, now," Roy said.
Dean wobbled, his eyes rolled back, and then he dropped to the stage floor.
Sam and I jumped up. "Dean!" We ran to him.
The crowd clapped excitedly.
Sam grabbed the front of Dean's hoodie. "Say something!"
Dean's eyes burst open, and he gasped. He blinked groggily and stared passed Roy but didn't say anything.
"Hallelujah!" someone yelled in the crowd.
We drove to the nearest hospital to make sure Dean was okay, he just kept assuring us that he felt fine. He did look a lot better, but something felt strange about the whole thing. Maybe I felt that way just because I felt uncomfortable being there, but something felt off. Dean was sitting on a bed in the hospital.
"So, you really feel okay?" Sam asked, smiling brightly.
Dean looked unhappy. "I feel fine, Sam."
The doctor came into the room. "Well, according to all your tests, there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was. Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble, but, still, it's strange it does happen."
"What do you mean, strange?" Dean asked.
"Well, about an hour ago, a young guy like you, twenty-seven, athletic. Out of nowhere... heart attack," she explained.
Dean looked at her, shocked. "Thanks, Doc."
The doctor turned to leave. "No problem."
"That's odd," Dean said to Sam.
"Maybe it's a coincidence. People's hearts give out all the time, man." Sam shrugged.
Dean shook his head. "No, they don't."
"Sam, I'm happy he's okay now too, but you have to admit that it seems a little weird," I said.
"I'm not going to worry about that, Dean's fine, and that's all that matters," Sam said.
"You can't just ignore the fact that something is off about that place just because we got what we wanted," I said.
"There is nothing to ignore, Maddi, that man is saving people, not killing them," Sam said.
"Come on, Sam, you're a logical person. If you weren't so caught up in Dean being better, you would question it too. I mean, really? A guy about Dean's age dies of exactly what he was cured of on the same day? That doesn't seem strange to you?" I asked.
"Look, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved his life and move on?" Sam asked.
"We've looked into less." I crossed my arms.
"Maddison..." Sam said, frustrated.
"Sam, stop. She's right. I can't shake this feeling, either," Dean chimed in.
"What feeling?" Sam asked.
"When I was healed, I just... I felt wrong. I felt cold. And for a second... I saw someone. This, uh, this old man. And I'm telling you, Sam, it was a spirit," Dean explained.
"But if there was something there, Dean, I think I would've seen it, too. I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately," Sam said.
"Well, excuse me, psychic wonder. But you're just gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I've been hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this," Dean said.
Sam sighed. "Yeah, all right. So, what do you wanna do?"
"I want you to go check out the heart attack guy. I'm gonna visit the reverend," Dean said.
"I'm going with Dean," I said, and we all parted ways.
We went back to see the reverend, and when we arrived, Roy and Sue Ann invited us into their house to talk. We walked to their living room, and we all sat down. Sue Ann brought us glasses of water.
"So, how are you feeling?" Sue Ann asked.
"I feel great. Just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened," Dean said.
Sue Ann smiled. "A miracle is what happened. Well, miracles come so often around Roy."
"When did they start? The miracles?" Dean asked.
"Woke up one morning, stone blind. Doctors figured out I had cancer. Told me I had maybe a month. So, uh, we prayed for a miracle. I was weak, but I told Sue Ann, 'You just keep right on praying.' I went into a coma. Doctors said I wouldn't wake up, but I did. And the cancer was gone." Roy took off his sunglasses, his eyes were white. "If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I'd ever had it."
"And suddenly, you could heal people?" Dean asked.
Roy put his sunglasses back on. "I discovered it afterward, yes. God's blessed me in many ways."
"And his flock just swelled overnight. And this is just the beginning." Sue Ann smiled.
"Can I ask you one last question?" Dean asked.
Roy nodded. "Of course you can."
"Why? Why me? out of all the sick people, why save me?" Dean asked.
"Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart, and you just... stood out from all the rest," Roy explained.
"What did you see in my heart?" Dean asked.
"A young man with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isn't finished." Roy smiled.
Dean nodded and smiled weakly. "Well, thank you, again." He stood up.
Roy stood up and offered his hand. "Oh, no. Don't thank me, it was God's work."
Dean shook his hand, and Sue Ann walked us to the front door. She waved goodbye, and then we walked down the stairs.
"Dean, hey," Layla said, walking up to us.
"Hey." Dean smiled.
"How you feeling?" she asked.
"I feel good. Cured, I guess. What are you doin' here?" Dean asked.
"You know, my mom, she wanted to talk to the reverend." Layla gestured to her mother.
Sue Ann walked out of the house. "Layla?"
"Yes, I'm here again." Layla smiled.
"Well, I'm sorry, but Roy is resting. He won't be seeing anyone else right now," Sue Ann said, dismissively.
Layla's mother stepped forward. "Sue Ann, please. This is our sixth time... he's got to see us."
"Roy is well aware of Layla's situation. And he very much wants to help just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs. Rourke." Sue Ann smiled and walked back into the house.
Mrs. Rourke turned around and stared at Dean for a moment. "Why are you still even here? You got what you wanted."
"Mom. Stop," Layla said.
She turned to Layla. "No, Layla, this is too much. We've been to every single service. If Roy would stop choosing these strangers over you. Strangers who don't even believe. I just can't pray any harder."
"Layla, what's wrong?" Dean asked.
Layla hesitated. "I have this thing—"
Mrs. Rourke cut in. "It's a brain tumor. It's inoperable. In six months, the doctors say—"
Layla put a hand on her mother's shoulder to stop her.
"I'm sorry," Dean said, sadly.
Layla smiled and nodded. "It's okay."
Mrs. Rourke stared at Layla. "No. It isn't." She turned her attention to Dean. "Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?" Then she walked away.
Layla took a deep, shaky breath and then followed her mother down the stairs.
Dean watched them walk away for a few moments. I put my hand on his arm, causing him to turn his attention to me. He had a sad expression on his face.
"Come on, let's go." Dean put his hand on my back, and we walked down the stairs back to the Impala.
Dean and I walked into our motel room. He tossed his keys on the bed, and we took off our jackets. Sam was sitting at the table using his laptop, looking disappointed.
"What'd you find out?" Dean asked.
"I'm sorry," Sam said softly.
Dean walked up to him. "Sorry about what?"
"Marshall Hall... died at 4:17," Sam said with sad eyes.
Dean sighed and shook his head. "The exact time I was healed."
Sam nodded. "Yeah. So, I put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and I cross-checked them with the local obits. Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom, LeGrange was healing at the time."
"Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" Dean asked.
Sam nodded. "Somehow... LeGrange... he's trading a life for another."
Dean sat down. "Wait, wait, wait. So, Marshall Hall died to save me?"
I walked over and sat on a sofa chair in the corner of the room.
Sam shook his head sadly. "Dean... the guy probably would've died anyway. And someone else would've been healed."
Dean angrily stood up. "You never should've brought me here."
Sam looked down. "Dean, I was just trying to save your life."
"But, Sam, some guy is dead now because of me," Dean said, angrily.
Sam shook his head, upset. "I didn't know." He sighed. "The thing I don't understand is, how is Roy doing it? How's he trading a life for a life?"
Dean shook his head. "Oh, he's not doing it... something else is doing it for him."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"The old man I saw on stage... I didn't wanna believe it, but deep down, I knew..." Dean explained.
"You knew what? What are you talking about?" Sam asked.
"There's only one thing that can give and take life like that," Dean said.
Sam looked confused.
Dean leaned on the table. "We're dealing with a reaper."
After that, we started researching, Dean searched through Dad's journal. Sam printed out some useful articles for me to read, and he searched on his laptop.
Sam broke the silence. "You really think it's The Grim Reaper? Like, angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?"
Dean shook his head. "No, no, not, The Reaper... a reaper. There's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by a hundred different names, it's possible that there's more than one of them.
"But you said you saw a dude in a suit," Sam said.
Dean put down what he was reading. "What, you think he shoulda been working the whole black robe thing? You said it yourself that the clock stopped, right? Reapers stop time. And you can only see 'em when they're coming at you, which is why I could see it, and you couldn't."
Sam shrugged. "Maybe."
Dean shook his head. "There's nothing else it could be, Sam. The question is, how is Roy controlling the damn thing?"
"That cross," Sam said, still searching on his computer.
"What?" Dean asked.
"There was this cross, I noticed it in the church, and I knew I had seen it before." Sam pulled a deck of cards out of his bag. He searched through them until he found what he wanted and handed one to Dean. "Here."
Dean leaned in to take the card. "A Tarot?"
"It makes sense. A tarot dates back to the early Christian era, right, when some priests were still using magic. And a few of them veered into the dark stuff. Necromancy and how to push death away, how to cause it," Sam explained.
"So, Roy's using black magic to bind the reaper?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged. "If he is, he's riding the whirlwind. It's like putting a dog leash on a great white."
Dean got up and placed his cup in the sink, and then leaned against the counter. "Okay, then we stop Roy."
"How?" Sam asked.
"You know how," Dean responded, seriously.
"Wait, what the hell are you talking about? We can't kill Roy." Sam shook his head.
Dean shrugged. "Sam, the guys playing God... he's deciding who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book."
"No. We're not going to kill a human being Dean. We do that we're no better than he is," Sam said.
"Okay, we can't kill Roy, we can't kill death. Any bright ideas, college boy?" Dean asked, frustrated.
Sam shook his head. "Okay. Uh... if Roy's using some kind of black spell on the reaper, we gotta... figure out what it is. And how to break it."
We got in the car and drove back to the church tent. The car bounced down the badly graveled and potholed road again, we passed a sign that read, 'Service Today.' Dean parked the car, and we all got out.
"If Roy's using a spell, there might be a spell book," Sam said.
"See if you can find it." Dean looked down at his watch. "Hurry up too, the service starts in fifteen minutes. I'll try to stall Roy." He pointed to me. "You're with me."
I nodded and followed behind.
A man walked by us, holding out a leaflet. "Roy LeGrange is a fraud. He's no healer."
Dean took the leaflet. "Amen, brother."
"You keep up the good work," Sam encouraged.
"Thank you" The man nodded and kept walking.
Sam ran off to Roy's house, and I followed Dean into the tent. We were slowly walking up the aisle when Dean's phone rang a few minutes later.
Dean answered, "What have you got?" (...) "What, the guy in the parking lot?" (...) He hung up the phone, looking worried.
I tugged on his sleeve. "What's wrong?"
"That guy in the parking is next if we don't stop this thing," Dean informed me.
Then Roy spoke, "Layla. Layla Rourke. Come up here, child."
The crowd burst into applause. Layla stood up, completely stunned, and hugged her mother.
Dean sighed. "Oh, man."
Layla walked passed us, and Dean grasped her arm. "Layla, listen to me. You can't go up there."
Layla looked confused. "Why not? We've waited for months."
Dean shook his head. "You can't let Roy heal you."
Layla sighed. "I don't understand, Roy healed you, didn't he? Why can't you let him try?"
"'Cause if you do, something bad is going to happen. I can't explain. I just need you to believe me." Dean tried to convince her.
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Sue Ann held her hand out. "Layla."
"Please," Dean pleaded.
Layla stared at Sue Ann's hand, then turned back and looked at her mother, who was wringing her hands nervously. Her mother nodded at her.
Layla looked at Dean and shook her head. "I'm sorry." She walked away.
"Layla. Layla!" Dean called out.
Sue Ann put her arm around Layla and brought her on stage. "Dear child!"
The crowd continued to clap happily.
Roy took Layla's hand. "I knew the Lord would finally pick you. I knew it was just a matter of time."
Dean was frustrated, and we moved back near Mrs. Rourke. She was crying and covering her face with her hands.
Roy smiled at the crowd. "Pray with me, friends." He placed his hand on Layla's head.
Dean grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the tent. "Fire! Hurry, tent's on fire!" he yelled.
Everyone in the crowd started to rise and leave the tent, panicked. Layla opened her eyes and looked at the crowd.
Mrs. Rourke walked toward the stage. "No! No, please. Please don't stop. Reverend, please, please! Please don't stop, please!" she pleaded.
Roy removed his hand from Layla's head. "Friends, if you'd all just leave the tent in an orderly fashion... and we'll, uh, and we'll figure out what's going on out there, and we'll come back."
Dean and I watched as heartbreak spread across Layla's face.
He pulled out his phone and called Sam. "I did it. I stopped Roy."
I could hear shouting on the other end, but I couldn't tell what was happening.
"Then who the hell is...?!" Dean yelled into the phone.
I heard whispering within the tent, but I didn't know where it was coming from because everyone had left except for Dean and me. At least that's what I had thought until I turned and saw Sue Ann, facing into a corner of the tent whispering something.
"Dean!" I pointed to her.
Dean hung up the phone. "Sue Ann." He ran to her and spun her around.
"Help! Help me!" she shouted.
Dean backed away and waved for me to leave the tent. I turned to go, but the hood of my jacket was snagged back, I looked up to see a police officer staring down at me. A second one ran in and grabbed Dean. They dragged us out of the tent, and Sue Ann followed behind. She walked around in front of us, and the police officer let me go, I quickly adjusted my jacket, so it was no longer choking me.
"I just don't understand. After everything we've done for you. After Roy healed you. I'm just very, very disappointed, Dean." Sue Ann shook her head.
Dean just stared and didn't say anything.
"You can let him go. I'm not gonna press charges. The Lord will deal with him as he sees fit," Sue Ann said to the police officers and walked away.
The police officer shoved Dean. "We catch you 'round here again, son, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?"
Dean nodded. "Yes sir, fear of God. Got it."
The police officer gave him one last push and then walked away.
"You all right?" Dean asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Dean turned and nearly ran into Layla. "Layla?"
"Why would you do that, Dean? It could have been my only chance," Layla said, angrily.
Dean shook his head. "He's not a healer."
"He healed you," Layla said.
Dean sighed. "I know it doesn't seem fair, and I wish I could explain. But Roy is not the answer, I'm sorry."
Layla shook her head sadly. "Goodbye, Dean." She walked away and then turned back quickly. "I wish you luck. I really do."
"Same to you," Dean's voice cracked.
Layla walked away with her head down.
"You deserve it a lot more than me," Dean said under his breath, staring after her.
He turned to walk back to the Impala, and I followed. As we walked, we passed by Roy, talking to Mrs. Rourke. "Private session tonight, no interruptions. I give you my word, I'll heal your daughter."
Mrs. Rourke took Roy's hand in hers. "Thank you, Reverend. God bless you."
Back at the motel, we sat and talked about what had just happened and how we were going to stop Sue Ann from doing it again.
"So, Roy really believes?" Sam asked.
Dean nodded. "I don't think he has any idea what his wife's doing."
"Well, I found this." Sam held out a little black book. "Hidden in their library. It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a reaper."
Dean took the book. "Must be a hell of a spell." He started flipping through it.
"Yeah. You gotta build a black alter with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood... to cross a line like that, a preacher's wife. Black magic. Murder. Evil." Sam shook his head.
Dean nodded. "Desperate. Her husband was dying. She didn't have anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy."
"Cheating death, literally." Sam scoffed.
"Yeah, but Roy's alive, so why is she still using the spell?" Dean asked.
Sam nodded. "Right. To force the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral."
"May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work." Dean shook his head.
"We gotta break that binding spell, Dean," Sam said.
Dean looked at a picture of a cross. "You know Sue Ann had a Coptic cross like this. When she dropped it, the reaper backed off."
"So, you think we gotta find the cross or destroy the altar?" Sam asked.
Dean shrugged. "Maybe both. Whatever we do, we better do it soon. Roy's healing Layla tonight."
We waited until dark and drove back to the church to avoid getting caught. Dean parked in the church tent parking lot. There were two cars parked in front of Roy's house, which wasn't a good sign.
"That's Layla's car. She's already here." Sam pointed out.
Dean nodded sadly. "Yeah."
"Dean..." Sam said softly.
Dean sighed. "You know if Roy woulda picked Layla instead of me, she'd be healed right now."
"Dean don't." Sam shook his head.
Dean continued, "And if she's not healed tonight, she's gonna die in a coupla months."
Sam nodded. "What's happening to her is horrible. But what are you gonna do? Let somebody else die to save her? You said it yourself, Dean, you can't play God."
Dean sat for a moment without speaking and then got out of the car. Sam and I followed. We approached the tent and looked inside, Roy was talking to a small group, including Layla and her mother. Sue Ann was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Sue Ann?" Dean asked.
"House?" Sam suggested.
We walked toward the house, but then Dean pushed Sam and me toward it as he walked off. "Go find Sue Ann, I'll catch up."
Sam shook his head. "What are you gonna—"
"Hey!" Dean called out.
I looked over and spotted the two police officers from earlier.
"You gonna put that fear of God in me?" Dean asked.
Sam and I hid in the bushes along the side of the house, and the police officers chased after Dean. As soon as they were gone, Sam and I ran up the stairs and looked in the windows of the house. There was nothing but darkness.
We walked around the porch, but there was no light coming from within the house anywhere. I looked down and saw light shining through cracks of a door on the ground.
"Maybe she's down there," I said, pointing out the door.
"Come on." Sam nodded for me to follow him.
We walked back to the stairs and around the side of the house to the basement entrance. Sam opened the door, and we slipped inside, closing the door behind us.
The basement was lit with candles, and when we reached the bottom of the steps, we could see a candlelit altar, littered with parts of dead animals, blood, horns, pretty much anything gory and disgusting. We stepped closer and saw a picture of Dean with a bloody X drawn on his face in the middle of the altar.
I gasped. "Sam, we need to hurry..."
Sue Ann walked up behind us. "I gave your brother life, and I can take it away."
Sam flipped over the table, and everything on it shattered and fell to the floor. Sue Ann ran, and Sam chased her, but she quickly closed the basement door and locked us in. Sam ran up and pushed against the door but couldn't get it open.
"Can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. And your brother is wicked, and he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It is God's will," Sue Ann said.
"You're delusional, lady!" I yelled.
Sam ran around the room, looking for something to use to break through the door.
"Goodbye," Sue Ann said.
Sam pulled a block of wood off the wall and smashed the glass out of a small window. "I can't fit. I need you to unlock the door."
I nodded, and he helped me climb through the window. I ran around to the basement door and pulled out a metal pipe that was lodged through the door handles. I opened the doors, and Sam ran out.
We ran for the parking lot, all the lights started going out, except for one. Sam ran for it, in the hopes that Sue Ann would be nearby. I chased after him, and sure enough, he was right. Sue Ann was holding up her cross, reciting something. Sam grabbed the cross and threw it on the ground, it broke, and blood seeped out of it.
Sue Ann fell to her knees beside the broken cross and blood. "My god, what have you done!"
"He's not your god." Sam scoffed.
Sue Ann looked up and gasped. She rose to her feet and turned to run, but suddenly stopped. Sue Ann slowly dropped to her knees, and her eyes glazed over, white. She slowly started losing colors from her face and began convulsing. Then fell to the ground, dead.
Sam grabbed my shoulder, and I turned my attention away from what had just happened. He waved for me to go with him, and we ran through the parking lot, looking for Dean. We could see him approaching the Impala, so we ran to him.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head. "Hell of a week."
Sam nodded. "Yeah..." He sighed. "All right, come on. We should get going."
Dean sat on the end of one of the beds, staring at the floor.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Dean looked at me and shook his head. "Nothing."
"What is it?" Sam asked gently.
"We did the right thing here, didn't we?" Dean asked, looking at Sam and me.
Sam nodded. "Of course, we did."
Dean put his head down. "It doesn't feel like it."
Then there was a knock on the door.
"I got it," Sam said and opened the door.
Layla was standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Layla. Come on in," Sam said.
"Hey." Layla smiled.
She entered, and Dean quickly stood up. "Hey, how did you know we were here?"
Layla smiled. "Sam... called. He said you... wanted to say goodbye?"
Dean glanced at Sam.
"I'm gonna... grab a soda." Sam smiled and then walked out.
I followed him, closing the door behind me.
"You know, Dean is always going to feel like we didn't do enough," I said, sadly.
Sam nodded. "Give him time. He will be okay."
"Yeah, but Layla's a good person... why do bad things always happen to good people?" I asked.
We approached a vending machine.
"That's something I've wondered for a long time," Sam said, pressing buttons on the machine. "You want anything?"
"Uh, yeah... peach tea." I sighed and leaned against the wall.
Sam handed me my drink. "Look, I know it's tough, but you can't think about it too much. You'll drive yourself crazy."
I shrugged. "I guess. You're probably right."
We walked slowly back to the room, trying to give Dean and Layla some time, but we passed Layla on the way back and said goodbye. When we entered the room, Dean was packing his things.
He looked up and sighed. "Maddi, I wasn't going to say anything, but I keep thinking about it."
"What?" I asked, confused, and sat on the bed.
"Look, Sam told me that while I was in the hospital, you barely ate or got out of bed," Dean said, sitting on the other bed, across from me.
"Yeah?" I shrugged. "I was worried about you, and I missed you."
"I made a promise to you, but I need you to make a promise to me," Dean said, very seriously.
"Okay?" I nodded.
"If something ever happens and I don't get a choice, you have to promise to be strong and take care of yourself," Dean said.
I rolled my eyes and smirked. "Dean. Come on. I was just—"
Dean shook his head. "Maddison, I'm serious. Sam, Dad, and I may not be around to protect you forever. No matter how much we want to be. Anything could happen to us. So, promise."
I just stared at him, and he raised an eyebrow.
I nodded. "Okay, I promise."