The four of them carried Jack into the war room, setting him in a chair. "What do we do?" Dean turned to Grace, desperation in his eyes. "Come on, you've got to have some sort of magic. What do we do?"
"I, umm…" Grace closed her eyes, summoning all of the power she could to encase Jack in a bubble. "Give me a minute, I can try to make one of those smoothies Mrs. Butters would make, that might slow this down -"
"Get me outside," Jack grimaced, doubling over in pain. "Get me outside, get back here, in the basement, and I'll run as far as I can."
"You were so close." Billie sighed, leaning her scythe against a table so she could crouch down to look at Jack. "We were so close, and now this is doomed because of all of you. Hmm." She straightened up, snapping her fingers to vanish Jack. "Don't worry about him. I've sent him to the one place that might be able to contain that kind of a weapon. The Empty will spread out the shock wave, but if it survives, it won't be happy. It's strong, and it hates me for waking it up. As long as I'm here, it can't reach me, not unless I summon it."
"What do you want?" Sam asked. "What are you here for? Did you come to watch the show?"
"You took something from me, and I need it back. Chuck's book. If you want Jack back, you'll give me the book. Hand it over and I might think about not destroying every one of you." It took Sam a minute to retrieve the book, coming back to throw it on the table in front of her. Billie flipped through it, raising an eyebrow when she got to the end. "Well, since you ruined the last one, it looks like we've got a new ending."
Snapping her fingers again, she brought Jack back, Grace running to keep him from falling over. Billie was too fast, stepping between them as Jack crumpled to the ground. "He's a kid, and he's hurt -"
"He's still useful. You can't have him just yet."
Dean lunged at her, lashing out with her own scythe. He grazed her shoulder, the wound glowing silver as Billie threw him across the room and disappeared, trying to keep pressure on the wound. Everyone ran for Jack, Dean getting up slowly and joining them.
Grace sat up in a sleepy haze, realizing that Dean had never come to bed. She yawned, reaching for her glasses and wrapping herself in a robe before she snuck into the hall. The lights were still on in the library, one glowing lamp spilling golden light into the hall. "Hey. Couldn't sleep either?" Sam must have just walked in.
She stood in the shadows, listening in as they talked. "Nah. Gracie's asleep, but I… I couldn't even think about it. Sam, I'm sorry. It was like I smelled Chuck's blood in the water and nothing else mattered anymore. Not you, not Gracie, not Cas. We were so close. I couldn't snap out of it."
"You snapped me out of worse." There was a clink of glass, Grace assuming one of them had poured a drink.
Dean sighed, saying, "Well whatever Chuck did to Amara, he's more powerful than ever. Billie hates us, Michael's not returning our prayers - we have no heavy hitters on our side. Maybe that demon - witch? That thing Grace has been working with, but I don't think she's that powerful. Not enough to take on Billie."
"How's she doing, by the way?"
"Gracie? She's fine. She'll be fine. She knows I didn't - I shouldn't have done any of that. She knows how bent on killing Chuck I was."
Michael. He's still out there somewhere. For a quick second, Grace thought about calling on him herself, but she banished the idea almost immediately. Sure, he would have been a heavy hitter. But they had no idea how he would react, or if he'd betray them. They were better off with people they knew and trusted, even if they weren't always predictable. With a yawn, Grace went back to bed, thinking that Dean would come back when he was ready.
Dean shook her shoulder, gently waking her up to say that they needed to check on Charlie. "Her girlfriend vanished into thin air. She's just gone. No demon deal, no hex bags, no sulfur smell. Nothing."
"What? How? No signs of anything?"
"Nope, just disappeared right in front of her eyes."
Grace sat up in bed, realizing that he hadn't changed from the night before. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll come with."
The entire bunker piled into the Impala. Dean insisted on driving, though he'd hardly slept. Sam sat in the passenger seat, checking out the best route to get them to Charlie's. Grace and Cas sat in the back seat, trying to research what could have made someone vanish into thin air, right in front of a witness. Jack was sandwiched between them, a book on his lap. He fell asleep half an hour into the drive, Grace and Cas exchanging a concerned look. He was still recovering, and they would be keeping an eye on him while Sam and Dean went to talk to Charlie.
While they were waiting for the boys, Grace got a call from Bobby. He was out on a hunt with another one of the Apocalypse World hunters when he'd disappeared. There was nothing near them. Bobby had been driving, and he turned to say something to his hunting partner, only to find the passenger seat empty.
Sam and Dean jogged out of the building, Sam saying something about getting to Eileen's house before anything happened to her. Grace pulled Dean aside as Sam and the others got back into the car. "Bobby's friend Greg just disappeared. It fits the pattern."
"I know. He called Sam too." Dean glanced into the car, where Sam was frantically texting Eileen.
"Dean, I'm not supposed to be here. I was supposed to die years ago when you and your dad saved me from those vamps. And a hundred times after that. It's only a matter of time before she takes me too."
"I'm not going to let that happen," he promised, giving her a kiss before fishing his keys out of his pocket. "Let's go."
Night fell and they were still driving, Sam trying to keep Eileen talking as they drove. As the others kept researching in the back seat, the brothers exchanged a glance, Dean speeding up.
Sam was already halfway out of the car by the time they parked, running to see Eileen's things scattered in front of her own car. They were too late. "Sammy -"
"No. If I think of that, I'll lose my mind. I can't…" Sam shook his head, staring at what was left. She had unlocked her car and was about to get in, about to go somewhere public, when she disappeared.
Dean reached out for Grace's hand, content that he could hold onto her and know that she was still there. "I'm not letting go of you, don't worry," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.
Sam swallowed the lump in his throat, turning back to the others. "Right. Uh, we need to get everyone to safety and put up every last bit of warding we can." The tears in his eyes reflected in the streetlights. "Everyone who crossed over from the Apocalypse World." He bent to pick up Eileen's keys, looking back to the others.
"I've still got her blade in the trunk. I'm going to kill Death," Dean determined. "Gracie, go with Sam and help keep everyone safe." She turned to look at him, but he stopped her before she could object. "You're the most powerful witch on the planet right now. If anyone can help with that warding, it's you." Grace nodded, knowing that he was right. She pulled him into a kiss, telling him to be careful. Dean smiled, promising that he'd meet them as soon as he was done.
Cas and Dean hopped back into the Impala, taking off for the bunker and Death's Library. Meanwhile Sam started up Eileen's car, intent on driving to keep himself occupied. Grace took the passenger seat, fishing a map out of the glove compartment. "Where are we going?" Jack asked as they took off for the highway.
"Somewhere safe and somewhere central. Somewhere Billie wouldn't think to look."
As Sam drove, Grace called everyone she could think of, telling the Apocalypse World hunters to meet them somewhere safe. She tried to get ahold of as many people as possible to spread the word - Bobby, Garth, Jody, Donna, anyone and everyone. Eventually they stopped for gas, Sam telling Jack he could drive. "I need to work on finding spells and go through the archives. Grace needs her sleep, she's gonna be busy as soon as we get there."
Grace nodded, telling Jack that she was going to sleep in the back seat. "You'll be fine. The boys taught you well."
The three of them made it safely to a hideout Donna had found for them, an empty grain silo in the middle of nowhere. As Sam caught up with Donna, Jack and Grace went inside to help set up the warding.
Nearly two dozen people had come in already, setting up cots and camp stoves, trying to carve out a space for their families. Some of them were sitting together and waiting, unsure of why they were there but knowing there was danger lurking outside. Others were still setting up, rolling out sleeping bags and trying to make themselves comfortable. A few were busy painting sigils on the walls. Bobby waived her over and Jack went to grab a paint brush. "Hey, kid. You and Sam are in charge here. I told them we got orders from you two and they came running."
"Thanks. How are you doing?"
"Ah, fine," Bobby shrugged. "We've seen worse."
Grace smiled to herself, remembering that Bobby - this Bobby - had been in the Apocalypse World. This wasn't the Uncle Bobby she had grown up with. He had seen worse, the purges of every settlement they set up, thanks to Michael and his army. "Yeah." She took a deep breath, looking around the silo. "Dean and Cas should be here as soon as they - they went to try to kill Death. If it works, they'll be here. If not, we'll know. I should get to work."
She began to follow Jack around, powering up the sigils as he painted them. Sam made his way into the silo with Donna, getting ready to power up the last of the warding. Everyone naturally gathered around him as he read the final spell, each sigil glowing and lighting up the room. "Now we wait," Sam announced, everyone heading back to their spots. He, Bobby, Jack, Grace, and Donna all stood together, checking their phones to see how far away Jody and a few other hunters were.
"No!" Charlie yelled, everyone turning to see a little girl vanish into thin air. "Sam, what happened?"
"We were supposed to be safe here!"
"What did that spell do?"
The chaotic chatter and screaming took over the silo, everyone looking for an explanation.
"No…" One by one, people began to dissolve. First a few of the other Apocalypse World hunters, then Charlie, Donna, and finally Bobby. Grace instinctively reached out for Sam, nearly crushing his hand in fear. As everyone faded from existence, she remained there, holding on to him so she could hold onto reality.
Jack, Grace and Sam suddenly found themselves standing in the silo alone. The three of them looked around in horror, realizing that there was no one else left. "It's not Billie, is it? This… it's meant to stop a reaper, it's meant to stop Death. This is bigger than her. It's gotta be Chuck, or the Empty found a way in. Sam?"
"Yeah. Billie shouldn't be able to get us in here. It's… yeah." They stumbled outside, trying to take in what had happened. There was another car idling next to theirs, one that had clearly just gotten there. The engine was still running, but no one sat inside.
Grace numbly went to turn the car off, pocketing the keys in case they needed them. Her phone buzzed as she walked back, Grace relieved to see that it was Cas. "Cas, they're all gone. It's just Sam, Jack, and me. They all disappeared. Cas? Cas?"
It seemed like he had pocket-dialed her. She could tell that he was walking somewhere, Dean's muffled voice in the background. " - because I was angry, and I needed something to kill, and that's all I know how to do. I should call Gracie and tell her goodbye, tell her I love her one more time. She deserves to know what's happening. Sammy too. And Jack. It was Chuck all along. Everybody's gonna die, Cas, everybody. I can't stop it. She's gonna get through that door. We're gonna die, and then she'll kill everyone else." The call cut out, leaving Grace even more worried.
Turning to Sam, she simply told him, "They're alive, but I don't know how long they have. I want to call them, but it sounds like…" She shook her head, Sam giving her a hug as Jack wandered back over. "What do we do now?"
