[Takes place in "Devil's Trap", which picks up where "Salvation" left off.]
Previously:
"You boys really screwed up this time," Meg says, voice clear. Dean's eyes instantly narrow, and anger seeps into his voice.
"Where is he?"
"You're never going to see your father again."
Dean hangs up, and looks at Sam. "They've got Dad."
"Meg? What'd she say?"
"I just told you, Sammy." Dean's clearly upset, which is rare for him to show. "Okay. Okay."
Dean takes the Colt and tucks it into the back of his jeans, then grabs his duffle bag.
"What are you doing, Dean?"
"We got to go. Wake Oliver up now."
"Why?" Sam is confused about the sudden orders coming from Dean's mouth.
"Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right. It knows we got the Colt. It's got Dad - it's probably coming for us next," Dean explains, pulling on his jacket. Sam chuckles, though it doesn't sound very happy.
"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come."
"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready, okay? Don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving... Now!"
Dean grabs his car keys and notices Ollie staring at the older two from the bed, almost completely still with the exception of the slight rise and fall of his chest. Either they woke him up arguing a few minutes ago, or he never actually fell asleep. Dean guesses the second one.
"Get your shoes and jacket on, kid. Time to ditch this place," he says, to Sam's surprise before he walks out the door. Ollie sighs and pushes himself into a sitting position, sucking in a pained breath as his ribs shift. He grins at Sam.
"Whatcha staring at, Sam? Let's go!"
The Impala is speeding down the road and takes a turn sideways at a pretty sharp angle, which causes the teen in the back seat to be forced against his seatbelt in a painful way as well as make his stomach twist painfully.
"I'm telling you, Dean, we could have taken him," Sam insists for the fourth time in twenty minutes. Dean shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the road.
"What we need is a plan. Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we just gotta figure out where. They're gonna wanna trade him for the gun." Dean repeats. Sam shakes his head and Oliver sighs, knowing that this conversation was going in circles, as well as what Sam was going to suggest. "What?"
"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade? Dad, he might be..." Sam trails off.
"Don't!"
"Can I take my seatbelt off? It's really pressing on my ribs..." Oliver asks softly.
"No! You'll get hurt if we get in a crash!" Dean snaps, making Ollie lower his head and look out the window.
"...Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing. We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job."
"Screw the job, Sam!"
"Dean, I'm just trying to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going."
"Quit talking about him like he's dead already! Listen to me, everything stops until we get him back, you understand me? Everything."
Sam pauses to think. "So how do we find him?"
"Maybe we go to Lincoln. Start at the warehouse where he was taken," Dean suggests, then Ollie mutters "That's unlikely" under his breath, which makes him receive a glare from Dean.
"Come on, Dean, you really think these demons are going to leave a trail?"
This causes Dean to pause before he sighs. "You're right. We need help."
Ollie doesn't mention that if he tries hard enough he can probably locate John and the demon that took him, but...it isn't the right time.
The Impala drives off through the night.
-Bobby's Place-
The Impala drives onto a junkyard that all three boys are familiar with, which surprised Sam and Dean when they saw Ollie grinning as they drove in.
"Ollie, you know where we are?" Sam asks. And to their surprise, Ollie nods.
"Of course I do! Bobby's place! He's helped me with a few hunts and I've helped him a few times too," Oliver says happily. Dean takes notice of how airy and breathy the teen's voice sounded. Most likely because of his broken ribs. Dean parks the car and the three get out, shutting the doors and walking to the house. Dean opens the door, letting the younger two walk in first. Time for them to see Bobby.
Inside, there are books stacked everywhere. It's untidy and cluttered with papers on every wall. Bobby picks up two round silver flasks with crosses on them and hands one to Dean. Sam is sitting at a cluttered desk reading a very large book. Oliver is sitting in a chair with a different book in his hands.
"Here you go," Bobby says as Dean looks at the flask.
"What is this, holy water?"
"That one is." He holds up the other flask. "This is whiskey."
He takes a swig of whiskey and hands it to Dean, who also drinks. Oliver stares at the two before asking "Can I have some?" in a bored voice. Dean glares at him.
"No, no you cannot. This is whiskey, and you're far too young to be drinking," he says. Sam looks up at the conversation. Ollie just sighs.
"Dean, we've run out pain killers in our first aid kit, and I'm not taking any from Bobby. Just let me have a small swig, please. My ribs hurt."
Sighing, Dean tosses the flask to Oliver, only for the teen to catch it and frown.
"It's empty."
"Yep. You're not drinking while you're still six years underage."
Sam shakes his head and looks back down at his book as Dean turns back to Bobby.
"Bobby, thanks. Thanks for everything. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure we should come."
"Nonsense. Your Daddy needs help."
"Well, yeah, but last time we saw you, I mean, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot. Cocked the shotgun and everything."
"Kept bitchin' 'bout him too, last time I was here," Ollie mutters under his breath.
"Yeah, well, what can I say? John just has that effect on people."
"Yeah, I guess he does," Dean agrees, half smiling.
"None of that matters now. All that matters is that you get him back."
"Bobby, this book... I've never seen anything like it," Sam says, piping up. Bobby walks over and sits on the corner of the desk.
"Key of Solomon? It's the real deal, alright."
"And these, uh, these protective circles. They really work?"
"Hell, yeah. You get a demon in - they're trapped. Powerless. It's like a Satanic roach motel."
Sam chuckles in response to that and Oliver rolls his eyes. If anything, the circles were annoying to deal with in his case. Sure, the demon trapping is helpful, but the circle itself is a pain in the ass. Dean walks over to Sam and Bobby.
"Man, he knows his stuff."
"I'll tell you something else, too. This is some serious crap you boys stepped in."
"Oh, yeah? How's that?" Sam looks interested.
"Normal year, I hear of, say, three demonic possessions. Maybe four tops."
"Yeah?"
"This year I hear of 27 so far. You get what I'm saying? More and more demons are walking among us - a lot more."
"You've only heard of 27 possessions? Try closer to 37. I took down ten more than just the two I told you about. They're becoming a lot more common to track down this year," Ollie admits. Sam looks between Bobby and Oliver.
"Do you know why?"
"No, but I know it's something big. The storm's coming, and you boys, your Daddy - you are smack in the middle of it."
The dog starts barking outside, and Ollie looks towards the window.
"Rumsfeld." As Bobby goes over to the window the dog stops barking with a whine. Bobby speaks more to himself than the others. "What is it?"
He looks out the window and sees the chain hanging broken and the dog nowhere in sight.
"Something's wrong."
At that moment Meg kicks in the door and saunters in. Dean slips the holy water flask out of his pocket, and Ollie gets himself ready to launch toward the demon.
"No more crap, okay?" Meg demands. Dean comes at her, unscrewing the flask, but Meg hits him and sends him flying into a stack of books, knocking him out.
Sam steps in front of Bobby, placing himself between Bobby and Meg. Ollie tenses up, glaring at the demon.
"I want the Colt, Sam, the real Colt, right now," she demands. Sam and Bobby are slowly moving across the room and Meg follows them. Ollie stands up, not moving yet.
"We don't have it on us. We buried it," Sam says. Let's eyes narrow.
"Didn't I say "no more crap"? I swear - after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed. First Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you two chuckleheads and your fake brother. Lackluster, men. I mean, did you really think I wouldn't find you?"
Dean steps behind her. "Actually, we were counting on it."
Meg turns to look at him. Dean stares at her and then looks up at the ceiling. Meg also looks up and sees a large protective symbol etched there. Dean grins. "Gotcha."
Several minutes later, Meg is tied to a chair in the middle of the floor. Dean, Sam, and Ollie are watching her.
"You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask," Meg says teasingly. Oliver growls at her, walking closer.
"Like that would have actually happened. You would be beaten everyone's asses and run like the bitch you are unless you were in the process of getting laid. Even then you would have slit our throats," he snarls, crossing his arms. Dean shoots him an impressed look as Bobby comes in with a very large canister of salt.
"I salted the door and windows. If there are any demons out there - they ain't getting in."
Dean nods and stands up, moving around Bobby and Sam to stand in front of Meg. "Where's our father, Meg?"
"You didn't ask very nice."
"Where's our father, bitch?"
"Jeez. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't." She smiles cruelly. Dean lunges at her, putting his hands on the chair arms.
"You think this is a frigging game? Where is he?! What did you do to him?" he shouts.
"He died screaming. I killed him myself."
Ollie mutters something under his breath while Dean just looks at Meg with hate, then hits her across the face.
"That's kind of a turn on, you hitting a girl."
"You're no girl," Dean hisses out. Bobby stands up and moves into the next room.
"Dean."
Dean follows and Sam moves up to him.
"You okay?"
"She's lying. He's not dead," he hisses out.
"Dean, you got to be careful with her. Don't hurt her," Bobby warns. Dean looks at him, confused.
"Why?"
"Because she really is a girl, that's why."
Now it's Sam that's confused. "What are you talking about?"
"She's possessed. That's a human possessed by a demon. Can't you tell?"
"Are you trying to tell me there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there?" Dean hisses out.
Bobby just nods. Dean looks at Meg, who is staring back at him, Oliver glaring at her from just outside the circle.
"That's actually good news."
The two older brothers are searching through books and journals for an exorcism ritual, Bobby and Oliver watching from the side.
"Are you gonna read me a story?" Meg asks in a fake innocent tone. Dean smiles
"Something like that. Hit it, Sam."
"Regna terrae, cantate deo, psallite domino..." San begins and continues handing in Latin. Oliver tenses up but watches carefully.
"An exorcism? Are you serious?" Meg asks, rolling her eyes at Dean.
"Oh we're going for it, baby - head spinning, projectile vomiting, the whole nine yards," he says sarcastically.
"...tribuite virtutem deo."
Meg flinches in pain. Sam looks at Dean, Ollie still staring intensely at Meg, eyes narrowed. Meg looks over her shoulder at Sam.
"I'm going to kill you," she hisses to Sam before turning to Dean. "I'm gonna rip the bones from your body." She finally looks over to Oliver. "I'll rip your eyes from your sockets and use your blood for finger painting."
"No, you're gonna burn in hell. Unless you tell us where our Dad is." Dean snarks at Meg. She just smiles at him. "Well, at least you'll get a nice tan." He glances up at Sam, who continues the exorcism.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incuriso infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, onmis congregatio et secta diabolica..."
Meg continues shaking and is obviously in pain while Sam reads the exorcism ritual. She finally gasps in pain and Sam stops.
"He begged for his life with tears in his eyes. He begged to see his sons one last time. That's when I slit his throat," she gasps out.
Sam starts reading again and Dean leans down to her. Ollie sniffles, wiping at his nose with his sleeve as his glare directed at Meg intensifies.
"Ergo..."
"For your sake, I hope you're lying. Cause if it's true, I swear to God, I will march into hell myself and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God!" Dean growls.
"Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae. Hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei. Contremisce et effuge. Invocato a nobis sancto et terribile nomine. Quem inferi tremunt..." Sam continues as a wind starts to blow through the room.
Meg starts to show signs of being in pain again, and Ollie grimaces like he has a headache.
"Where is he?" Dean questions again.
"You just won't take "dead" for an answer, will you?"
"Where is he?!" Dean shouts.
"Dead!"
"That is a fuckin lie!" Oliver shouts while Dean starts yelling in an exasperated way.
"No, he's not! He's not dead! He can't be!" He noticed Sam looking at him, concerned. "What are you looking at? Keep reading."
"Ab insidis diaboli, libera nos, domine. Ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias, libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos. Ut inimicos sanctae ecclesiae humiliare digneris, to rogamus audi..."
"He will be!" Meh shouts, gritting her teeth. Dean pauses.
"Wait! What?!"
"He's not dead! But he will be after what we do to him."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't."
"You actually are telling the truth," Oliver mutters.
"Sam!"
"A building! Okay? A building in Jefferson City," Meg spits out, trying to prioritize her own survival.
"Missouri? Where, where? An address!"
"I don't know," Meg says honestly.
"And the demon, the one we're looking for- where is it?" Sam asks.
"I don't know! I swear! That's everything. That's all I know."
"Meg, if you know where Azazel is, you had better tell us now," Oliver growls, stepping closer to the edge of the circle.
"I swear to you, I don't know where he is! I really don't know!"
Dean looks at Sam. "Finish it."
"What? I told you the truth!" Meg exclaims in disbelief, looking around wildly.
"I don't care."
"You son of a bitch, you promised!"
"I lied!! Sam?" Sam doesn't read, making Dean look up at him. "Sam! Read!" he says, walking over to him.
"Maybe we can still use her. Find out where the demon is," Sam whispers to Dean.
"She doesn't know."
"She lied."
"She told the truth," Ollie hisses, keeping just outside the circle and walking around Meg.
"Sam, there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there. We've got to help her."
Bobby walks up to them, shaking his head. "You're gonna kill her."
"What?" Dean looks over at him.
"You said she fell from a building. That girl's body is broken. The only thing keeping her alive is that demon inside. You exorcise it, that girl is going to die."
"Listen to me, all of you, we are not gonna leave her like that!"
"She is a human being!"
"And we're gonna put her out of her misery. Sam, finish it."
Sam looks at Dean and Bobby, not sure what's the right thing to do. He looks over at Meg and Oliver.
"Finish it."
"Do it, Sam."
Sam takes a breath and keeps going. "Dominicos sanctae ecclesiae, terogamus audi nos, terribilis deus do sanctuario suo deus israhel. Ipse tribuite virtutem et fortitudinem plebi suae, benedictus deus, gloria patri..."
Meg throws her head back and screams, Oliver bending over and holding the sides of his head. The demon leaves through Meg's mouth in a black cloud and spreads out in the protective circle in the ceiling before disappearing.
Meg leans forward and blood starts to drip from her mouth. The men stand there looking at her, not really sure it's over, while Ollie crouches down to look at her, shaking.
Meg slowly lifts her head.
"She's still alive. Bobby, call 911. Get some water and blankets."
Bobby rushes off. Oliver helps Sam and Dean untie Meg.
"Thank you..." she whispers.
"Shh, shh. Just take it easy, alright?" Sam mutters.
"Come on. Let's get her down."
They lift Meg from the chair. There is the sound of bones crunching and Meg screams in pain. They lower her to the floor.
"Sorry, sorry. I got you. I got you. It's okay. It's okay," Sam apologizes. Ollie carefully pushes Sam out of the way and kneels down next to Meg. Holding his left hand out over her forehead, he starts to softly chant in Latin, and his hand starts glowing.
"You'll be okay, don't worry," he mutters after he finishes the incantation, wiping under his nose again.
"A year," Meg strains.
"What?"
"It's been a year..."
"Shh, just take it easy," Sam says, glancing at his brothers.
"I've been awake for some of it. I couldn't move my own body. The things I did, it's a nightmare..." Meg whispers.
"Was it telling us the truth about our Dad?" Dean asks, making Oliver shoot him a glare and Sam to elbow him.
"Dean!"
"We need to know."
"Yes. But it wants... you to know... that... they want you to come for him..."
"If Dad's still alive, none of that matters."
Bobby returns with a blanket and a glass of water. He hands the glass to Dean while he and Sam cover her. Oliver recites the incantation again, causing Bobby to glance over at him. Dean holds Meg's head up so she can drink.
"Where is the demon we're looking for?" Sam questions gently.
"Not there. Other ones. Awful ones."
"Where are they keeping our Dad?"
"By the river. Sunrise..."
" "Sunrise". What does that mean? What does that mean?"
Oliver sighs and carefully slides Meg's eyelids shut. She was gone, he hadn't done enough to save her. Looking up to say something to Sam and Dean, Bobby spots his eye and the trail of blood coming from the teenager's nose.
Not thinking twice, he grabs a pistol from a nearby table and points it at Ollie, causing him to freeze. Sam and Dean notice Ollie tense up and go to ask why, but Bobby speaks first.
"I don't know what the hell you are, but get out of the kid before I shoot you both," he orders. Sam and Dean whip to face Bobby while Ollie cowers behind Sam, eyes wide.
"Bobby, it's me! I promise!"
"Bobby, put the gun down, now!" Dean shouts, standing up and standing between the gun and his brothers.
"Dean, that ain't Oliver! He's possessed!"
"Damnit Bobby, it is Ollie! It's part of his powers! Put the gun down and he'll explain to you!"
Bobby looks cautious but does, in fact, put the gun back down on the table. Sam and Oliver stand up slowly, and Dean sends Ollie a pointed glare. The teen cautiously steps in front of Sam and Dean, staring at Bobby.
"Bobby, I swear to you it's still me. If my eye is black like a demon's, it's because of the exorcism, it messed with me. It's part of my powers. Remember how I would predict how hunts would go? It was my powers, I had visions. I get my powers from a demon, they're in my blood. Please don't try to kill me..."
Bobby sighs and nods, looking at how scared the teen was. "Fine, I believe ya. Just, try not to use them here, 'kay?"
Ollie nods excitedly, relieved that he wouldn't be killed by one of his father figures. "Okay!"
Bobby then looks at Sam and Dean. "You better hurry up and beat it. Before the paramedics get here."
"What are you gonna tell them?"
"You think you guys invented lying to the cops? I'll figure something out." Bobby hands the Key of Solomon book to Sam. "Here take this. You might need it."
"Thanks," Sam says, taking the book.
"Thanks... for everything. Be careful, alright?"
"You just go find your Dad. And when you do, you bring him around, would you? I won't even try to shoot him this time."
Dean and Sam walk out the door but before Ollie could follow them, Bobby stops him.
"Here, take this," Bobby says as he hands Oliver a brand new bottle of Ibuprofen. Ollie looks at him in surprise before grinning.
"Thanks, Bobby. For not shooting me and for the pain killers."
"Don't worry about it, kid. Now go, before your brothers leave without ya. And take care of yourselves, got it?"
Ollie nods before jogging out of the house to get into the impala, not doubting that Dean would leave without him.
-Jefferson City, Missouri-
The Impala is parked by some train tracks. Sam is looking through the Key of Solomon book on the roof of the car, spinning a marker in his hand. Dean is at the back of the car, loading up guns and putting them into his duffel bag. Oliver is lying across the backseat, staring at the roof of the Impala. Dean is very solemn and Sam looks over at him, concerned.
"You've been quiet," Sam states. Dean shrugs nonchalantly.
"Just getting ready."
"He's gonna be fine, Dean."
Dean doesn't answer and Sam flips to another page of the book. He sees a symbol and picks up the book to walk to the open trunk lid. He rubs off the dirt and starts to draw on the lid.
"Dude, what are you drawing on my car!?" Dean exclaims.
"It's called a Devil's trap. Demons can't get through it or inside it."
"So?"
Sam moves around to the other side of the trunk. "It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox."
"So?"
"So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get Dad."
"What are you talking about? We're bringing the Colt with us." Dean seems set on this idea. Sam sighs and shakes his head.
"We can't, Dean. We've only got three bullets left. We can't just use them on any demon, we've got to use them on the demon."
"No, we have to save Dad, Sam, okay? We're gonna need all the help we can get."
"Dean, you know how pissed Dad would be if we used all the bullets? Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring the gun."
"I don't care, Sam. I don't care what Dad wants, okay? And since when do you care what Dad wants?"
"We want to kill this demon. You used to want that, too. Hell, I mean, you're the one who came and got me at school!" Dean scoff as Sam says this. "You're the one who dragged me back into this, Dean. I'm just trying to finish it!"
"Well, you and Dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that? You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing. But you know what? I'm gonna be the one to bury you. You're selfish, you know that? You don't care about anything but revenge."
"That's not true, Dean. I want Dad back. But they are expecting us to bring this gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all, maybe one of us will live. That Colt is our only leverage and you know it, Dean. We can not bring that gun. We can't."
"Fine."
"I'm serious, Dean."
"I said fine, Sam."
Dean takes the Colt out of his jacket pocket and holds it up to show Sam before putting it in the trunk. Ollie watches from inside of the Impala before getting out and walking to where Sam and Dean are and crosses his arms.
"So, are you two done bickering like six-year-olds?"
Dean and Sam are walking by the river. Oliver had decided to walk in the town to see if he could find somewhere that sells painkillers. They step up beside some trees and Dean stops.
"Hey, hey. Think I know what Meg meant by Sunrise." Dean says, pointing at something. Sam looks over and sees an apartment building with a sign out front that says "Sunrise Apartments".
"Son of a bitch. That's pretty smart. I mean, if these demons can possess people they can possess almost anybody inside," the elder Winchester brother says.
"Yeah, and make anybody attack us."
"And so we can't kill them - a building full of human shields."
"They probably know exactly what we look like, too. And they could look like anybody."
"Yeah, this sucks out loud."
"Tell me about it. Alright, so, how the hell are we going to get in?"
Dean looks over at the building for a minute and thinks. "Pull the fire alarm, get out all the civilians."
"Okay, but then the city responds in, what, seven minutes?"
"Seven minutes exactly."
(Inside Apartment Building)
(With Sam)
Sam walks in the front door and goes to a fire alarm on the wall. Just as he's about to pull it a man comes walking down the hallway. Sam moves to the stairs like he's going up them, but when the man leaves through the front door he quickly goes and pulls the alarm. After doing so, Sam quickly leaves the building.
(With Dean)
People are leaving and firemen are coming in. Dean comes up to one of the firemen, acting worried.
"Hey, what's happening? Is it a fire?" he asks. The fireman looks at him.
"We're figuring that out right now, sir. Just stay back," he responds, moving Dean away.
"Well, I've got a Yorkie upstairs and he pees when he's nervous..." Dean lies easily.
"Sir, you have to stay back."
Sam moves behind them to the fire truck. He finds a compartment and picks the lock before grabbing the things he needs.
(back inside the building)
Dean and Sam come down the hallway dressed in full fireman gear - helmets, breathing apparatus, etc. Dean is using his EMF to check the doors of the apartments.
"I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up," he says in an offhand way. Sam looks at him.
"You never told me that.'
The EMF starts reading high outside a door. The brothers look at each other and nod. They start banging on the door.
"This is the fire department. We need you to evacuate," Dean calls, his acting convincing.
The door unlocks and the boys shove it open. A demon wearing a woman as a meat-suit is thrown backward as Dean and Sam come through. The brothers spray the two demons - man and woman - with water from their tanks and it burns them - holy water. Dean punches the man and shoves him into a closet.
"Come on!"
Sam grabs the woman off the table and shoves her in as well. Dean leans against the door and it lurches as the demons inside try to get out.
"Hurry up!" Dean calls to Sam.
The younger nods and grabs a canister of salt from the duffel bag and runs a line around the closet door. As soon as he finishes it the pounding stops. The boys take off the fireman gear and move to the bedroom door. They slowly open it and see John on the bed. Dean goes over to his father.
"Dad?" he asks cautiously. He leans down and listens for a moment. "He's still breathing," he declared. Sam looks relieved, and Dean starts shaking John. "Dad, wake up. Dad!"
Dean takes out a knife and is about to cut the restraints around John's wrists when Sam speaks.
"Wait! Wait."
"What?"
"He could be possessed for all we know!"
"What, are you nuts?" Dean actually looked offended that Sam had suggested that their father could be possessed.
"Dean, we got to be sure." Sam takes a flask of holy water out of the duffel bag and sprinkles it on John. It has no effect. No burning or steaming. Instead, John moans and starts to come around.
"Sam? Why are you splashing water on me?" John questions groggily. Dean speaks instead of Sam.
"Dad, are you okay?"
"They've been drugging me. Where's the Colt?"
"Don't worry, Dad, it's safe. So is Oliver," Sam says as Dean cuts their father free.
"Good boys. Good boys..." John mumbles.
-Several minutes later-
Dean and Sam are carrying John out of the bedroom. The front door suddenly bursts open and a man and fireman come in.
"Go! Go!" Sam shouts.
"Back! Back!" Dean yells at the same time.
They go back into the bedroom and close the door locking it. An axe suddenly comes through the door and the brothers look at each other, both silently saying one word. "Crap."
Sam runs a line of salt at the bedroom door. Dean and John are already out on the fire escape.
"Sam, let's go!" Dean calls.
Sam tosses him the duffel bag and goes through the window out onto the fire escape. He runs salt along the window sill. Dean helps John down onto the street and Sam moves ahead of them.
Sam is suddenly attacked by the man who was with Meg in Lincoln. He pins Sam down on the street and starts beating him to death. Dean puts John down and goes to his brother's aid.
"Sam!" Dean shouts. He runs over and kicks the man in the face, but it has no effect. Dean is suddenly thrown onto a parked car, shattering the windshield, and the man goes back to beating Sam.
Suddenly there is a gunshot and the man gets a bullet through the head. He falls off of Sam, dead.
Dean is standing with the Colt. He puts it away and comes over to his brother.
"Sam! Sam, come on! Come on!"
Dean gets Sam onto his feet and they look at the dead man. The demon is dead and so is the man it was possessing.
"Come on. We got to get out of here."
They go over to John and pick him up, leaving the area in a hurry. Oliver meets them by the Impala, panting as he had run there. He takes one look at the other three and shakes his head, wheezing as he climbs into the backseat.
-Cabin-
The Impala is parked outside a cabin in the woods. Inside Sam is pouring salt along the window sill. Oliver is leaning on a wall. Sam's face is a mess - bruised, bloody, and swollen.
Dean comes into the room.
"How is he?" Sam asks, talking about John.
"He just needed a little rest, that's all. How are you?,
"I'll survive." He turns to Dean. "Hey, you don't think we were followed here, do you?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, we couldn't have found a more out-of-the-way place to hole up."
"If we were followed by anything I would have sensed it and it's ass would be back in Hell this point," Oliver pipes up, glancing at his brothers.
Sam nods. "Yeah. Hey, uh... Dean, you, um... you saved my life back there."
"So, I guess you're glad I brought the gun, huh?"
"Man, I'm trying to thank you here."
"You're welcome."
"You two are awkward as fuck when you try to apologize," Oliver says. He looks at Sam. "Sam, come here for a minute."
Sam walks across the room and to Oliver and the teen pushes himself off the wall. He puts his hand on Sam's arm for a moment and mutters something in Latin. A few seconds later, Sam's face is healed. He looks surprised and Ollie gives his older brother a smile.
"Glad that worked, I wasn't sure it would."
Dean interrupts them. "Hey, Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there."
"You didn't have a choice, Dean."
"Yeah, I know, that's not what bothers me."
Sam seems confused. "Then what does?"
"Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn't hesitate, I didn't even flinch. For you or Dad or Ollie, the things I'm willing to do or kill, it's just, uh ... it scares me sometimes."
Sam just looks at him, not knowing what to say. Ollie does the same but mutters "protective instinct". John comes into the room.
"It shouldn't. You did good," he claims, looking at Dean. The eldest Winchester son seems confused.
"You're not mad?"
"For what?"
"Using a bullet."
"Mad? I'm proud of you. You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you - you watch out for this family. You always have," John says. Dean knows something isn't right, and Oliver tenses, obviously sensing something is wrong as well.
"Thanks..." Dean says hesitantly.
The wind suddenly picks up outside the cabin and the lights start to flicker. They all go over to the window.
"It found us. It's here," John announces. Oliver glances at Dean, who's looking at the youngest. Oliver glances at John and shakes his head to Dean, signalling to him that something is really wrong.
"The demon?" Sam asks. John nods.
"Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door," he orders.
"I already did it."
"Well, check it, okay?"
"Okay..." his voice sounds hesitant but he leaves the room to go check the salt lines.
"Dean, you got the gun?" John asks.
"Yeah."
"Give it to me."
Dean takes the Colt out of his jeans and begins speaking. "Dad, Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation. It disappeared."
"This is me. I won't miss. Now, the gun, hurry."
Dean hesitates and looks down at the gun. Oliver is starting to feel more and more on edge.
"Son, please."
Dean starts to back up a few steps to where Ollie is standing.
"Give me the gun. What are you doing, Dean?"
"He'd be furious," Dean states. John seems confused. Or rather, whatever was pretending to be John was confused.
"What?"
"That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me, he'd tear me a new one."
John just looks at him as Dean raises the gun, pointing it at him and cocking it.
"You're not my Dad."
"Dean, it's me."
"I know my Dad better than anyone. And you ain't him," Dean growls.
"What the hell's gotten into you?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Stay back."
Sam comes into the room and is shocked to see Dean pointing the gun at John and Oliver ready to pounce.
"Dean? Ollie? What the hell's going on?"
"Your brother's lost his mind," John says. Dean narrows his eyes.
"He's not Dad."
Sam is looking between the three. "What?"
"I think he's possessed. I think he's been possessed since we rescued him." Dean is visibly getting upset.
"Don't listen to him, Sammy!" John demands.
"Dean, how do you know?"
Dean's fighting back tears at this point, but Oliver is still silent. "He's...he's different."
"You know, we don't have time for this. Sam, you wanna kill this demon, you've gotta trust me."
Sam looks back and forth between his father and brothers. Dean glances at him while Oliver's eyes stayed trained on John and whatever's possessed him, but doesn't say anything else to convince him.
"Sam?"
Sam looks back and forth.
"No. No." Sam moves over to stand by his brothers' sides.
John looks at them. "Fine. You're all so sure, go ahead. Kill me." He looks down and waits.
Dean holds the gun on him, but can't pull the trigger.
"I thought so."
He looks back up and his eyes are yellow.
Sam lunges and so does Oliver, but they're thrown against the wall, pinned there. So is Dean, and he drops the Colt. John picks it up.
"What a pain in the ass this thing's been," Azazel says with John's voice.
"It's you, isn't it? We've been looking for you for a long time." Sam struggles against the hold of the demon magic holding him on the wall.
"Well, you found me."
"But the holy water?"
"It doesn't work on demons of his classification. He's stronger than the normal ones we see," Oliver grits out, glaring murderously at the demon possessing his father figure. The demon laughs.
"The kid's right. You think something like that works on something like me?"
Sam tries to fight the force that has him pinned to the wall, but fails. "I'm gonna kill you!" he shouts. Azazel grins.
"Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact," he puts the gun down on a table, "here. Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy."
Sam looks at the gun, but nothing happens. Oliver wants to make it float to Sam but can't control that aspect of his powers well enough yet.
"Well, this is fun." Azazel walks to the window next to Dean. "I could've killed you a hundred times today, but this..." He sighs almost mockingly. "This is worth the wait."
Dean struggles, but is still pinned to the wall. "John" looks over at him.
"Your Dad - he's in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat suit. He says "hi", by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood."
"Let him go, or I swear to God -" Dean starts, but Azazel cuts him off.
"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice." He goes over to Dean. "You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter."
"Who, Meg?"
Azazel continues as if he didn't hear Dean. "The one in the alley? That was my boy. You understand."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"What? You're the only one that can have a family? You destroyed my children, corrupted my grandson. How would you feel if I killed your family?" He smiles at Dean. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still, two wrongs don't make a right."
"You son of a bitch."
"Leave them the fuck alone!" Oliver shouts, still not trying to struggle against the hold Azazel has on him. Sam speaks.
"I wanna know why. Why'd you do it?"
Azazel turns to Sam. "You mean why did I kill Mommy and pretty, little Jess?"
"Yeah."
He turns back to Dean. "You know, I never told you this, but Sam was going to ask her to marry him." He backs up toward Sam. "Been shopping for rings and everything. But you want to know why? Because they got in the way."
"In the way of what?"
"My plans for you, Sammy. You... and all the children like you. Little Oliver, too."
"Listen, you mind just getting this over with, huh? Cause I really can't stand the monologuing," Dean growls.
Azazel goes to him. "Funny, but that's all part of your M.O., isn't it? Masks all that nasty pain, masks the truth."
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
"You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is they don't need you. Not like you need them. Sam - he's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you. And Oliver? John accepted him quicker than he should have, and without even knowing his heritage."
"The fuck do you mean?"
"Azazel, shut your fucking mouth or I'm sending you to the darkest bit of purgatory myself!" Oliver shouts. Azazel just sends him a smile.
"Oliver here, is my grandson. You're brothers with someone that's quarter demon, someone related to me. The one that killed people important to you," he says calmly. Oliver seems ready to snap, and the two Winchester brothers look over to the youngest. He's staring determinedly at Azazel but he speaks anyways, voice full of rage and hatred.
"Sorry I didn't tell you guys, it isn't really a conversation opener. But I promise you, I'm on your side. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not related to him. I swear I'll either kill him or die trying," the teen growls out, shaking as he restrains himself from injury by trying to get out of the hold.
Dean just smiles at him, believing him just by how much emotion he's showing and Azazel looks at Dean. He steps back and puts his head down. When he looks back up Dean suddenly yells in pain.
"Dean! No!"
Dean starts to bleed heavily from his chest. Sam starts to struggle against the force pinning him. Oliver tenses further and his right eye goes completely black.
"Dad! Dad, don't you let it kill me!" Dean shouts.
Azazel looks at him again and smiles. Dean starts screaming in pain.
"Dean!! No!!"
The blood is flowing out of Dean. Sam struggles as hard as he can to break free. Blood is running out of Dean's mouth.
"Dad, please..." he whispers before passing out. Sam shouts Dean's name and suddenly Oliver is rushing at Azazel, as if the hold doesn't apply to him anymore. He shoves the demon back and begins yelling in a language lost to time. Oliver also starts to bleed, his nose gushing blood and purple marks appearing on his neck. Suddenly Azazel goes rigid.
"Stop," John whispers. Sam is suddenly released from the force and Oliver pauses in his attack on Azazel. "Stop it."
Sam dives and grabs the gun off the table. John turns to him, eyes yellow once again, and Sam aims the gun at him.
"You kill me, you kill Daddy."
"I know."
Sam fires the gun, shooting John in the leg. He falls down and so does Dean. Sam gets up and goes to his brother.
"Dean? Dean, hey? Oh God, you've lost a lot of blood."
"Where's Dad?" Dean asks shakily. Oliver walks over to the two.
"He's right here. He's right here, Dean."
"Go check on him."
"Dean."
"Go check on him."
Sam gets up and goes over to check on John. He is lying motionless on the floor. Oliver watches them, shaking as he crouched next to Dean.
"Dad? Dad?"
John suddenly looks up "Sammy! It's still alive. It's inside me, I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son!" Sam aims the gun at John. "Do it now!"
"Sam, don't you do it. Don't you do it!" Dean exclaims, while Oliver is silent, torn between the two options.
"You've gotta hurry! I can't hold onto it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me! Son, I'm begging you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!"
"Sam, no."
"You do this! Sammy!! Sam..."
The demon suddenly leaves John in a black cloud from his mouth. Oliver lunges at the smoke and shouts something in that odd language again. Instead of injuring the demon, Oliver is swiftly flung across the room and slammed into a wall before being slammed into the ground, loud cracks sounding through the air as his body makes contact with both surfaces. Azazel disappears through the floor.
John looks at Sam accusingly, but Sam doesn't notice. Instead, he and Dean are staring at Oliver with concern as blood starts pooling beneath him, but the teen slowly pushes himself up and stares at the other three with half-lidded eyes.
-In the Impala-
Sam is driving with John by his side. Dean is in the back seat behind Sam while Oliver is in the back seat behind John. John gasps in pain, Dean is just slumped in the back seat, and Oliver is barely holding onto consciousness as he's slumped against the door.
"Look, just hold on, alright. The hospital's only ten minutes away," Sam says, concern clear in his voice. John speaks.
"I'm surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn't you kill it? I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this? Killing this demon comes first - before me, before everything."
Sam looks in the rear view mirror at Dean, then at Oliver.
"No, sir. Not before everything. Look, we've still got the Colt. We still have the one bullet left. We just have to start over, alright? I mean, we already found the demon..."
An eighteen wheeler suddenly slams into the passenger side of the Impala at full speed, driving it sideways in front of it.
The driver of the semi is sitting behind the wheel. His eyes are black.
Dean, Sam, Oliver, and John are all unconscious in the car - blood all over them.
[Hey everyone! It's been a while, huh? Sorry about that! My friend, the one who writes this, has been focusing on school while I've been focusing on my mental health. Life has also recently gone to shit for me, so I'm trying my best. Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one was! Anyway, see y'all soon. Please interact, I like reading your comments/reviews, even if I don't respond. Ciao!]