A/N:
Wow, what a bumpy ride this story was, right?
We're close to the finale of part 1 ^^
I dearly hope you enjoyed it, and it wasn't too slow …
I've been writing on this chapter for … well … 4 weeks now? That sucks so bad.
I actually thought about deleting this story at all … because … I couldn't WRITE. I knew where I wanna go, but I kinda couldn't get myself to get a single word written that wasn't crap.
Anyway: The spell to open purgatory is the one from the show – THANK YOU to those who developed it in the first place, so it made it into the show & therefore I am able to use it.
Chapter 36 ~ Riding The Storm Out 1.0
(Title by REO Speedwagon)
The Leviathans were hot on his tail.
Even when he wasn't able to see them anywhere behind him, he knew.
Hopefully, ALL OF THEM had decided to trail along and that none of them had decided to stay back, keeping watch on the bunker.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
"They're gone.", John stated as he walked into the map's room. "The cameras don't show any activities since two hours."
Dean perked up from the table's map, his gaze bitter.
"Mean's it's our turn.", Dean pursed his lips and straightened up. "Let's get the show on the road."
Every one of the hunters perked up and looked over at Dean.
Though it hadn't been a command, they gathered their bags and started to move towards the garage.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Sam had changed the blood-transfusion a few miles back, already feeling the slight push and pull in his chest.
He cast a brief look at the passenger's seat, where the tablet was peeking out from the duffel.
At least that didn't fit his Vision, so he prayed – due seeing that the Leviathans had been invading the bunker – that they had averted it in general.
He adjusted the wheel of the transfusion, so it would drop faster, since it felt as if the Leviathans were catching up on him.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Dean sat behind the steering-wheel of his Baby, flooring the gas-pedal, eight cars following him closely.
Cans with gas were stored in the small room between the front and the backseat, as they had close to 2000 miles to go. Plan was, that they wouldn't only make three stops to refill the tanks and take a short break.
Plan was, that they'd reach the coordinates centered in Maine within 27 hours.
Though, Dean assumed, they wouldn't make it that fast, since all of them were supposed to stay on side-roads.
It seemed as if they weren't followed – not at all. Which – itself – made Dean uneasy.
He had awaited, that not all of them had taken off to follow Sam.
Anyway, he had to focus. They needed to get to their destination – hopefully without obstacles blocking their way.
As soon as they trespassed Iowa's borders, they split up. For security reasons.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Back at the bunker … 13 hours and 33 minutes later …
Yells, cries and frantic shouts echoed through the corridors.
Blood and black goo splattered all over the walls and floor.
Dead men and women littered the floors.
Cesar, Jesse and Thomas stemmed their bodies against the kitchen's door to hold it shut in case It'd intended to get to them.
"Damn it!", Cesar cursed, "We need to block the fucking door!"
A hand full of other hunters were with them, searching frantically to find something – anything – with which they could possibly block the door and hinder the creature on coming inside.
"How the hell did it even get in?", Jesse panted.
"Doesn't matter right now." Cesar shared a brief worried look with Jesse, carrying an unsaid message. I love you. And however, this will end, we'll go down together – wherever it may mean.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Sam had the last pint of blood going now, the empty ones discharged at the bottom of the passenger's side.
The push and pull had increased slowly, and was now pushing and pulling at his insides intensely. What was actually a good thing – and a bad one.
Sam's been worse, but he's also been better.
He was sweating furiously, his hands were shaking with the effort of holding onto the steering-wheel, staying on the road with the car, and flooring the gas-pedal at the same time.
He hadn't imagined that it would get this hard to stay focused on something usually easy-going and intuitive like driving.
On top of his miserable condition, he felt his predators come closer with every push and pull sucking and shoving at his very soul.
It felt weird knowing – FEELING – them – sensing everything and everyone. Like a radar showing where and who was out there.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
648 miles apart from Maine, Dean gave Baby her last refill. He also cast a tracking-spell to locate Sam's current position, using a map of the US, before he was on the road again.
Idaho, 42.9874, -110.6053.
Dean couldn't – for the love of it – stop thinking about Sam. Not for one second.
He was worrying. He was scared. Afraid even, that Sam was probably feeling downright miserable by now, and that he'd probably was sporting a fever already.
He couldn't stop imagining, how Sam was clinging to the steering-wheel, fighting to keep the car on the road, fighting to not pass out, fighting to stay attentive enough to not get caught by his unfriendly followers.
Oh god. – He so hoped, they hadn't caught up on Sam yet. He prayed. – That, they'd be fast enough to end this, before they'd get a hold of Sam.
Because, even if Sam did his supernova-thing, the Leviathans would probably be immune to it. Since they didn't have a soul or something . Purgatory-different.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
There was the distant feel of a faint sting behind his eyes. A strong sensation of him moving through water.
Sam groaned. He squeezed his eyes shut and pried them open again.
Blood.
Blood everywhere. And black goo. Painting the bunker's walls and floors.
People are screaming. Crying for help in agony.
The room tilts on him. Everything turns, twists and shoves until the image before his eyes flickers and shifts, and then he sees Dean.
Driving the Impala.
It feels weird. – Because it looks like Sam's riding shotgun, but he knows he's not with Dean, nor even close to him. But he's somehow there, and he stares out of the windshield and then back at Dean, and when he casts his look back at the road before him, there's a girl.
Maybe twelve years old. Blonde. Ocean-blue eyes. Wearing a nice pink dress, which makes her actually look like a sweet doll.
Dean jumps into the breaks and …
Sam tries to memorize the surrounding, the woods. There's a withered mile-marker, which burns a picture of itself into the back of Sam's eyes.
… the road's gone as the scenery changes …
… Dean's running. Staggering. Keeps running. He stumbles, falls and gets up again. Prickly Undergrowth tears scratches into his palms.
"You can run, but you can't hide!", someone calls after him. It sounds like a child. A girl. THE GIRL.
And Sam knows – in an Instant – it's Asmodeus.
… and suddenly his Vision ended in white hot pain and Sam's catapulted back into Castiel's pimpmobile, behind the steering-wheel.
But it felt off. Like he was not where he was supposed to be.
His head ached. His chest hurt. The position he was in wasn't like anything comfortable either. He felt tilted sidewards, hanging there. The seatbelt digging into the side of his neck.
And the push and pull was there again. In a soothing rhythm, and though reeling him up. Forcing his attention back to the present.
Sam gasped and his eyes flew open. The windshield was broken. There was a tree cleaving half of the car's hood in its middle.
He cursed. Blinked. Tried to focus. Tried to recall what he was doing in a car. Where he had been heading.
It took him precious minutes to clear his head, and remember what had happened and why he felt like a buddle of pure energy and though miserable and weak.
Sam needed to get out of there. He needed to go – run.
Dean and the others sure weren't at their destination yet, and he had sworn to himself, that he'd keep going until they were about to get the spell done. So, there wouldn't be a chance for those big-mouths to thwart it.
Dean.
He needed to warn him. Needed to let him know that he was in danger. That Asmodeus was coming and that he was after Dean.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Dean felt a tickle at the back of his mind. Pulling at his senses; at his chest.
First he couldn't put his finger on what was happening, but then he remembered, and with that …
… he knows. All of a sudden, he knows. Things.
That Asmodeus is out there, that he looks like a girl. He knows, that he'll be stopping Dean, and that he'll hunt him.
Something tells him to not stay on the road as he passes a withered mile-marker a few hundred yards later.
Something yells at him to get off of the road, and to not turn right – for what reasons ever.
Dean doesn't question it.
. He thinks that this something could be Sam – who yells at him to not take the turn to his right which'll come up in a couple of yards. Instead, he takes another unpaved side-road to his left.
As soon as he does that, the pull in his chest drains away and the tickling stops.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Sam slung the duffel with the tablet and the remaining blood-bottles over his shoulder. He checked on the injection-pens at the inside of his parka and forced himself to move.
He wanted to run. But his legs wouldn't obey him, and so he ended up fast-going, pathing a way through the woods and undergrowth.
Sam stopped at some point, and pulled an empty syringe from the duffel, and filled it with blood from one of the two remaining bottles.
"There we go. – Let's get this party started." Sam panted, sweat dripping from his chin, as he positioned the syringe with shaky hands to the vein of his right inner arm.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Dean was back on track with his Baby, flooring the gas-pedal since his little excursion through the woods had cost him precious time. – Time he didn't have.
Sam's warning had saved his ass once again.
Dean was skittish since Sam reaching out to him. Because it meant he's had a Vision. Because it meant, Sam had used his abilities to warn him; had probably weakened himself in the process.
"Damn it.", he cursed under his breath.
He knew, it may could get hairy, but he had not dared to think– for once – that things wouldn't go down as planned.
Dean tried to force himself to not think of Sam and the possible danger he was in. He tried to not think about Leviathans threatening his love's precious life.
Dean Winchester failed.
The walkie talkie, which rested on the passenger's seat, cracked a hacked sound and draw Dean's attention.
Meant, at least one of the other car's was close by.
Meant, they were circling down on their destinations.
Dean sighed a breath of relief.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Garth's car broke down about forty miles from where he was supposed to go. Now he made his way cross-country, back pack in his snout, aiming for where he was supposed to be in one hour.
Which he would never reach in time.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Ellen was the first one to reach her coordinates – way earlier than all the others would.
She started to set up a bowl and ingredients for the ritual, walkie talkie close by, having a watchful eye on it.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Bobby had to walk about one mile towards his coordinates, as his lent car from the bunker wouldn't be able to take on the unpathed road, littered with pot-holes and muddy ground.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
John gave a shit about the car he drove.
That bitch had to make it to the coordinates without giving a shit about obstacles. It had to. Or else, John Winchester would kick it in the ass and blow it up right where it had died down. – IF IT DARED.
Of course, the Pick Up didn't.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Sam chose to take the easy way and followed a deer's path.
He was dragging himself along, hand wrapped tight around the duffel's sling, not letting go of it; never letting go.
"There ain't no me. If there ain't no you.", Sam told himself, as another wave of power rolled off of him and came crashing back, tearing at his insides violently.
Somewhere along the way he's lost his boots. – Well, he had pulled them off, to be precise, as he felt like burning alive, in hopes, the cool ground would do him a favor.
It partially did.
But not for long.
The path eventually disembogued into a clearing.
When Sam stepped out of the woods and into the clearing, his gaze glued to the white building in its middle.
Sam swallowed hard, as he took it in intently, remembering seeing it before – when he's been a kid … when he's been with Asmodeus.
The white church, on the clearing.
When the woods surrounding it had been smoldering. When everything had been covered in white and grey ash …
"No …", Sam gasped and sucked in a deep breath through his nose as another wave of power came crashing back at him – more intense than the ones before.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Night was falling, when Garth reached the coordinates he should've been at two hours ago. The walkie talkie in his back pack alive since about five miles.
John had everything sat up and was already in contact with Ellen and Bobby, when Garth joined them on their channel.
The only one missing was Dean, as the rest of their teams were already set up and in position as they were supposed to guard the places, where the rituals had to be done.
"No signs of Dean yet.", Gordon informed the rest of the A-Team aka Suicide Squad over their channel.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Sam had settled in the church, before the wooden altar.
He thought it was fitting, as he was going to pull a nice god-like stunt, in a couple of minutes. – As soon as he'd inject the last syringe of demon-blood and as soon as the Leviathans (already gathering outside the church) would come to get the tablet – and therefore him.
The tablet.
Sam grinned down at it mischievously, as he held it in his shaky hands.
No one – ever again – would get their hands on that piece.
For a moment, he thought about making a scene about it and wait for the Leviathans coming through that door. – Just so to see their stupid faces when it was destroyed in front of their noses.
But Sam was smarter than that.
So, he lifted the piece of stone high above his head and smashed it forcefully to the ground, watching it break and splitter into millions of shards; bursting like a ripe melon.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Meanwhile at the bunker …
Cries and screams had died away.
There was absolute silence.
Someone could've heard a pin hit the ground.
The hunters in the kitchen were wary, as their gazes were glued to the barricaded door, ready to go for it as soon as THAT THING was deciding to break through it.
They would go down fighting.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Dean made it to his coordinates at last.
Gordon helped him with setting up everything before returning to where he was originally supposed to hide away and watch out.
"Ready.", Dean spoke into his walkie talkie.
The others copied that and sat the ingredients before them on fire.
John was the first one to add Castiel's grace to it.
Bobby was the second.
Then Garth. Ellen.
And as soon as Dean added the gleaming mist to the fire, wind picked up. Wind, which turned into a storm moments later, sweeping towards the center of the circle their coordinates were building.
The earth beneath them quaked and erupted.
The walkie talkies cracked and John's voice was heard over the loud sounds of wind: "Ianua magna Purgatorii, clausa est ob nos,…lumine eius ab oculis nostris retento"
Followed by Bobby: "Sed nunc stamus ad limen huius ianuae magnae et demisse, fideliter, …"
"… perhonorifice, paramus aperire eam", Ellen yelled.
There were interferences when it was Garth's turn, though, he came through clear enough: "Creaturae terrificae, quarum ungulae et dentes, ..."
Dean ducked away, as tiny branches and debris whirred past and against him. "… nunquam tetigerunt carnem humanam. Aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum, nunc, ianua magna aperta tandem!"
The storm died away nearly in an instant as soon as Dean had said the last word, and picked up again moments later.
The ground quaked harder, until white-orange rifts were appearing where it was cracking open.
Roots broke through the surface. First slim and fragile, growing thick and robust as they made their way towards the circle's center.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Back at the bunker, at the very same moment …
Loud alarms went off, accompanied by red flashing lights in the corridors and main-rooms. Their equipment's buttons flashed green, yellow, white and red, along with shrill beeping noises.
Jesse and Cesar shared concerned looks.
"You think that's a good sign?", Jesse asked warily.
Cesar sucked in a sharp breath. "Depends I guess …"
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Change of scene to where the white church on the clearing is … OUTSIDE
Leviathans had gathered around the clean white – nearly untouchable looking – consecrated building. – waiting.
Sounds of breaking wood and narrowing engines filled the air. Treetops were shaking and bending to their sides, like waves parting when hitting huge solid rocks.
And soon, there were three vehicles appearing, surrounded by huge creatures. Creatures that were as tall as the trees themselves. Black and covered in slick black moisture, which dripped from their fur. Giant mouths showed translucent, pointed fangs.
Sharp white claws were digging into the soil beneath their paws, as they emerged and eventually stopped, letting the neatly clean, metallic-black SUVs pass.
The crowd parted as soon as the cars got to a hold, and the back-door of the second car opened.
A man in a nice black suit, white shirt and tie stepped out.
He tugged on his sleeves and adjusted his suit-vest. Then he looked into the side-view-mirror and checked on his hairdo, before he emerged the building.
It was a nice sunny day – actually.
The birds were chirping.
Wild animals were doing what wild animals were supposed to do … being wild (I guess).
Until dark-grey and black smoke appeared above the tree-tops, like giant worms.
The sound of launching rockets cut through the scenery, when white giant balls like comets were flashing across the sky and striking close to the church.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Strong roots and tendrils were aiming for the same destination as they ripped through muddy soil and undergrowth.
The ground beneath the hunters feet was still shaking violently, making it hard for them to hold their stance.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Back to the white church on the clearing … STILL OUTSIDE
The earth started to quake. The ground tore open where slender roots appeared. They changed into grown-ups rapidly, white-orange light pulsating through their veins like heart-beats, as they aimed straight for Purgatory's creatures.
Tendrils crawled up on their legs, wound around them like ivy growing over walls and trees – mercilessly.
Muffled yells and furious snarls filled the air.
The giant creatures tore at the roots, claiming them with less effort.
Black wormy smoke whirred around the captured beings, and soon, Angels appeared around the clearing, closing in on the scene presented to them.
Soon, Purgatory's creatures were overgrown with those roots, and their screams died away slowly. Black goo was oozing from the gaps between the "plant's roots", and not long after, the pulsating white-orange enlightened veins lost their gleam, as the ground calmed down slowly.
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Change of scene … INSIDE the church …
Sam was barely aware of his surroundings anymore, as the power kept building up, coming back at him in short vengeful intervals.
He was rocking forth and back where he sat, surrounded by the tablet's shards, as he tried to focus and hold out a bit longer.
The heavy, black oak-doors burst open.
Angels and Demons – side by side – came dashing through.
Sam opened his eyes. Black as the darkest night. White gleaming tendrils pulsating in the rhythm of his heart-beat.
And that was, when he let go. When he no longer tried to hold back.
The church's walls shuddered and squeaked and made all kind of threatening sounds, as the wave of pure power washed over and through them.
Black smoke and white-blue mist – separated from their hosts – got blown away like dust in the wind.
Meatsuits and vessels dropped lifelessly to the ground, when Sam slumped back against the altar.
Sam couldn't tell how long he leaned there, as he was too occupied with fighting exhaustion and tiredness. He sucked in raged breaths, shaky hands rested in his lap.
Until heavy footfalls tore him out from his trance-like state.
He blinked. Still too out of it to be able to get his vision to focus properly, nor his mind to work out what was happening.
"Well done, Samuel." A tall man walked through the door.
Worn-out jeans. Grey shirt. An even grey-er button-down.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
A nasty smirk on his face.
"I told Asmodeus you'll get there …", he said mockingly and looked around for a moment, before he stepped over the bodies and approached Sam. "He wouldn't believe me though."
"Fuck off.", Sam murmured. "The tablet's gone. – There's nothin' left for you."
The man chuckled, tilted his head to the side as he squad down in front of Sam. "It's not the Purgatory-tablet I want, Sam." He made a duck-face, then rolled with his eyes.
"What do you want?" Sam shifted, tried to get into a defensive position, but failed.
"It's right here. – And you led the way. You brought me here. And you brought yourself here." He shrugged, then reached behind his back.
"Dou you remember? – When we hid the tablet here? When we … you know …" he told him after a beat of silence and wiggled with his eye-brows. "… did the spell to hide it? Lock it up? Right under our feet?" He knocked at the tiles beside his boots.
Sam tried to think.
His mind was blank.
He couldn't remember a damn thing. Though … there was SOMETHING. SOMETHING he couldn't catch. A thought. Or a memory …
The man made an annoyed sound. "Now, you're disappointing me, kid." He pulled an Athame from his back and showed it to Sam. "I promise. – I'll only take a little, and I'll send you on your merry way as soon as we're done here."
Sam frowned at him. If he had enough strength left, his muscles would've tensed up. If he could muster enough energy, he'd try to fight him.
"Lucifer …", Sam breathed and his eyes narrowed at the man before him. "You're Lucifer."
"Bingo!" He chuckled and grinned. "There you go." He smacked his lips. "And now … let's have a little painting-session."
~*Apple Pie & Bacon*~
Dean straightened up and looked around, as soon as the roots had stopped to grow and the ground had stilled.
Hunters came from the bushes, their weapons drawn, taking in their surroundings warily.
"Did it work?", Gordon spoke up, but kept his voice low, when he addressed Dean with a questioning look.
"I don't know …" Dean nudged the bowl with the tip of his boot. "Pretty much looked like it …"