Dean clutched the angel blade as he and Sam marched through the empty corridors, looking around for the young woman. They had a pretty good idea where she was heading, and Dean looked less than pleased.
"What the hell is she thinking?" Dean asked his brother.
Sam raised an eyebrow. He wasn't happy with how Alicia was currently behaving, but it was almost amusing seeing how Dean reacted when his wife was behaving exactly as Dean would behave if their positions were reversed. But trying to explain that to Dean…well, it'd be easier to prove the existence of Bigfoot. "Look, let's just deal with this so we can get out of here."
"Yeah, and then the two of us are gonna have a nice, long talk," Dean threatened. The two brothers turned the corner and saw !Alicia at the elevators, looking frustrated as she stood there, tapping her foot impatiently as they approached her.
!Alicia glanced over and saw Dean's expression, and she sighed. "Look, if you're just here to bitch and moan, save it." She glanced at the elevator buttons and squirmed a little. "Could one of you press the down button?"
"You're the freakin' ghost, Allie," Dean said sarcastically. "Why don't you just float through the damn floor and ceiling?" !Alicia scowled at him
Sam rolled his eyes and pressed the button. "Can you knock it off?" he asked. "Let's just get this over with, okay?" The trio stood waiting, Sam awkwardly standing between the couple as they looked away from each other, pouting. After a few moments, there was a ding, and the elevator doors opened. The trio got on, and Sam pressed the right floor button. The doors closed, and the elevator made its way down.
"Look," !Alicia said after a few moments, "you can be mad at me later."
"Oh, we're past mad, Allie," Dean said. "You do realize how stupid this is, right?"
"Oh, like you wouldn't do the exact same thing," !Alicia snarked, annoyed.
"I'm not the one with a demonic bounty on my head," Dean retorted. !Alicia rolled her eyes. "You know, maybe you don't realize this, but we're trying to keep your ass safe."
"What about doing what we do, no matter what?" !Alicia countered. "You know, 'saving people, hunting things, the family business.' And even before I was part of this family, I was taught you don't let anything stop you from saving people."
"And just who are we trying to save?" Dean asked, "'This spirit you wanna stop isn't killing or hurting anyone."
"Yet," !Alicia countered. "I mean, maybe it's trying to get someone's attention, I don't know. Besides, do we really wanna leave this thing to escalate?"
"You know, that's actually a good point," Sam spoke up.
Dean gave his brother a hard glare as the doors opened on the correct floor. "Really?" He stepped off and headed down the hallway toward the chaplain's office. Sam and !Alicia glanced at each other before following. The trio reached the chaplain's door, and Dean tried the knob.
"Locked," the hunter grumbled as he tucked the angel blade into his waistband and reached inside his pocket, pulling out his lockpicking set; he started picking the lock.
"Look, we don't need to all wait out here," !Alicia said after a few moments, "and since we're kinda in a hurry, I'll get a headstart inside." She easily walked through the door, leaving the brothers on the other side. Dean simply grumbled and continued picking the lock. After a minute, the lock clicked, and Dean stuffed everything back in his pocket before opening the door. The brothers hurried in, and Sam flipped the overhead lightswitch, and saw !Alicia staring at the bookshelves, her eyes darting around.
"Okay," Dean said, "let's just spread out and hurry up, okay?"
"Don't bother," !Alicia replied, staring at the bookshelf. "I think I found what we're looking for." The brothers came over, looking at the bookshelf. !Alicia pointed to an unassuming hardback book on the third shelf near the middle, titled "Jewish Magic and Mysticism". "Why would a man of God need a book on mysticism and magic?"
Sam easily reached up and grabbed the book, opening it and flipping through the pages. "Spells, rituals," he said, reading. He stopped after a few moments. "A dybbuk."
"A what?" Dean asked.
"It's, uh, a type of evil spirit in Jewish culture," Sam explained, reading. "It can possess a person's body, like a demon, but it's believed it can't move on because of past sins and were forced to possess the body of someone else. It's thought to only inhabit sick people, which explains why it's in the hospital."
"So, are we dealing with one or many?" Dean asked.
"I only ran across one," !Alicia answered, "but it doesn't mean it's the only one." She looked at Sam. "Anything on how to get rid of 'em?"
"Uh," Sam replied, looking, "different methods include playing the harp like David did for Samuel, who was believed to be tormented by a dybbuk. Other methods call for the ashes of a red heifer, the roots of certain herbs to be burned under the victim, incantations in the name of King Solomon, reading from Psalms, or wearing herbal amulets."
"Well, that sounds like a bunch of crap," Dean replied, snorting.
"I thought you were open-minded, agents." The hunters quickly whirled around and saw Bernard standing in the doorway. The gentle expression he had on his face had been replaced with a cold look as he glared at the brothers. Dean glanced at !Alicia, but it was obvious the chaplain wasn't able to see or hear her. "May I ask what you're doing breaking into my office?"
"Uh…," Dean said cautiously.
"He's not a demon," !Alicia spoke up as she stared at the chaplain.
"Who are you?" Bernard demanded. When neither brother responded, the chaplain brandished a small revolver, pointing it right at the brothers. Dean and Sam immediately put their hands up.
"Whoa, whoa, easy there," Sam said. "There's no need for this to get ugly."
"Yeah, and what does a chaplain need a gun for?" Dean added. "Aren't you supposed to love people?"
"You can love people without trusting them," Bernard answered. "Now, tell me who you are." He looked between them and saw the book in Sam's hands. "You're not really agents, are you?" Dean and Sam glanced at each other.
"No, we're not," Sam explained.
"Then now would be a good time for confession," Bernard replied.
"Allie," Dean muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "do something."
!Alicia thrust her hands out, intending to blast the chaplain enough to knock the gun from his hands, but nothing happened. She tried it again, but nothing. She looked at the brothers, shaking her head. "Sorry," she said apologetically.
Dean sighed, trying not to appear frustrated. "Look," he said to the chaplain, racking his brain as he tried not to appear nervous at the gun pointed at him and Sam, "this is gonna sound crazy, but we are here to look into these exorcisms and what's behind them."
"Who are you with?" Bernard asked.
"Ourselves," Dean replied. "We…go after things like this." Bernard raised an eyebrow. "Look, it's the truth, I swear All we wanna do is find out what this thing is and get rid of it, and we're kinda in a hurry, so we'd really appreciate any help you can give us."
Bernard glanced between the brothers, then he put his gun away. "I believe you," he said, feeling around in his pocket.
"You do?" Sam asked, confused.
Bernard nodded. "Unfortunately," he said as he pulled out a delicate gold chain with a gold bottle pendant attached to it, "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you—or let you leave here." The brothers glanced at each other, confused, but Bernard closed his eyes. "Veni ad me, ad hoc devinctus animus." The air beside him shimmered for a few moments before a woman appeared flickered into view next to the chaplain. She looked to be in her twenties, brown-haired and green-eyed, but pale in appearance, dressed in an old-fashioned nurse's outfit. She had bruises on her neck in the shape of two handprints
"What the—?" Sam asked. He glanced between the ghost woman and Bernard. "What the hell—"
"Age igitur," Bernard said. The ghost woman lunged at the brothers, but !Alicia suddenly sprang from her spot and tackled the woman. The two spirits fell to the floor, wrestling with each other. While the brothers could clearly see both spirits fighting, Bernard could only see the ghost woman; he stared, confused. Dean took advantage of the distraction and lunged at the chaplain. The necklace was knocked from the chaplain's grip as the men fell to the floor and started wrestling and reaching for the jewelry.
Sam quickly jumped into the fray, and the three men grappled with each other as !Alicia fought with the ghost woman. The ghost grabbed !Alicia around the throat and began squeezing, but !Alicia quickly brought her hands up, grabbing the ghost's hair and shoulder. As soon as she touched the woman's shoulder, she was a flash of light and a series of rapid images. Both spirits were thrown back from each other, as if a blast had gone off between them.
!Alicia slammed into one of the bookshelves, while the ghost woman slammed into the far wall. For a while, the two just stayed where they'd fallen, looking almost stunned. !Alicia shook her head, then looked at the ghost woman in shock as new information flooded her mind. "Nicole?" The ghost woman stiffened and looked at !Alicia, her expression faltering. !Alicia cautiously got up and walked over to the other woman, and she gently held a hand out to her. !Nicole looked a little hesitant, but she took the offered hand, and !Alicia pulled her to her feet. "Is it true?" !Nicole slowly nodded, looking down, almost ashamed. "Don't worry. You stay here, I'll take care of it."
!Alicia turned her head toward the melee of the three guys still wrestling on the floor. Anger built up in the young woman's expression changed to a hard glare. She thrust a hand out, and Bernard was suddenly flung across the room. He slammed into the top of the desk, objects scattering as he fell to the floor on the other side. The brothers, panting hard, looked over as !Alicia flickered out of view, then reappeared beside the chaplain. They watched as she grabbed the man's collar and hoisted him off the ground, slamming him hard on the desk.
"What's going on?" Bernard asked frantically, flailing and trying to get up, but !Alicia held him down. He looked over and saw !Nicole on the far side of the office, and his eyes widened in fear as he looked at the brothers. "What are you doing?"
"We're not doing anything," Sam said as he and Dean got to their feet. !Alicia's body shimmered slightly, and Bernard looked shocked as she suddenly became visible to him.
"She's not the only ghost here," !Alicia said.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"That's my wife," Dean replied. "Remember the one who wasn't feeling well?"
Bernard looked confused. "She died?"
"Not quite, you son of a bitch" !Alicia growled. "Why?"
"Allie," Dean said firmly but gently as the two hunters slowly approached, "talk to us."
"I think the chaplain should do the talking," !Alicia replied, keeping her focus on Bernard.
"I have nothing to say," Bernard replied quickly. !Alicia stared at the chaplain, and her eyes glowed a faint purple. Dean and Sam glanced at each other, a little surprised and concerned. The chaplain's eyes widened in fright. "Okay, okay." He took a shaky breath. "It was thirty years ago, and I had just been assigned to this hospital out of seminary. I enjoyed my work, administering last rites to some patients, providing comfort to others, even becoming good friends with many of the staff, including a young nurse named Nicole Ellis." Dean and Sam briefly glanced at !Nicole as she stayed put, staring at the group harmlessly. "She would often bring me a cup of coffee and something from the lunchroom if I was working late."
"Sounds like you had a good life," Sam said.
"What changed?" Dean asked.
"I wanted to do more," Bernard answered.
"So, you messed with dark magic?" Sam asked.
"It wasn't intentional," Bernard explained. "I was in a bookstore, looking for some reading material, and I saw that book." He nodded at the book on the floor. "I started reading it, more for curiosity's sake, and I'll admit I was…intrigued, so I purchased it. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed that I brought the book to my office, and one evening Nicole came in with my coffee and snack. She caught me reading the book."
"Let me guess," Dean replied, "she freaked."
"She accused me of devil worshiping," Bernard said, "said I was betraying God and told me she was going to report me to the administration. I knew that would end my career, so I grabbed her arm, and she started shouting." His countenance faltered as his eyes filled with tears. "I didn't even think. I just…put my hands around her neck. She tried fighting me, but I wouldn't let go…I just wanted her to stop screaming so I could explain things to her. Next thing I remember, she was sprawled out on the floor. As I pulled my hands away, I knew she was dead." He shook his head as the tears spilled from his eyes. "I started panicking, then I remembered reading about the dybbuk. I performed a spell, using her necklace to bind her spirit."
"This necklace?" Sam asked as he picked up the jewelry from the floor nearby. Bernard nodded. "What did you do with her body?"
"I sneaked it to the mortuary without being seen," Bernard replied. "Filled out a report for her to be cremated immediately, which she was."
"And no one looked into why she suddenly disappeared?" Sam asked.
Bernard shook his head. "I told everyone she wanted to go into acting and moved out to Los Angeles. They believed me."
"Yeah, because a man of God would never lie," Dean snarked. "So, what, you controlled her spirit for thirty years?"
Bernard nodded. "I'd order her to possess patients, then I would get rid of the 'evil spirit'." He shrugged. "Word spread, and I was quickly promoted to a permanent position. There was even talk of nominating me for sainthood—which I kept rejecting."
"Yeah," !Alicia replied sarcastically. "Kinda hard to have healing hands when they're covered in blood."
"You think I didn't know that?" Bernard asked. "I've gone to confession every single day for thirty years. I keep seeing her body on the floor, her dead eyes staring back at me, haunting me in my nightmares. I've had to live with what I've done."
"At least you got to live," !Alicia replied, "while you've tormented and used the spirit of the innocent girl you murdered for your own selfish gain for thirty years." She pulled the chaplain to his feet and slammed him against the bookshelf again. "Maybe it's time you truly know her suffering." Bernard's eyes widened as she wrapped her hands around the man's throat and began squeezing; the chaplain flailed and tried to get away, but !Alicia held him tight.
"Allie, no!" Dean shouted as he and Sam hurried over. They reflexively tried to grab her and pull her away, but their hands just kept passing through her arms.
"Alicia, stop it!" Sam protested as Bernard's face reddened.
"He's gotta pay," !Alicia said. "He murdered her!"
"And he will," Sam replied, "but you can't kill him."
"Because that makes me no better than him?" !Alicia scoffed. "Sorry, Sam, that's not good enough."
"Allie, that's enough!" Dean's voice reverberated loudly as he suddenly stepped between the chaplain and the spirit, facing his wife. Her arms were going through his neck, and he was being blasted with cold, but he stood firmly, his expression hard, his jaw set. !Alicia stopped in her tracks as her eyes met her husband's. She had seen that look on his face before, but it was never this intense. Even as a spirit, she could feel his eyes burning through her. "Stand down." The young woman's eyes widened as she slowly lowered her hands. "Look, he'll pay for what he did, but not like this, you understand me?" !Alicia nodded, and Dean turned to the chaplain. "Is the necklace the only thing you have of hers?" Bernard nodded, and Dean looked at Sam. "Okay, so we just gotta destroy it, and our ghost should be on her merry way." !Alicia looked at !Nicole, who appeared worried. She flickered out of sight, then quickly reappeared next to the anxious woman, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll need to burn it," Sam said. "You got your lighter?" Dean nodded, and Sam looked at Bernard. "You have any oil or anything?"
"That oil lamp has some," Bernard said, pointing to the antique lamp on top of the bookshelf. Sam reached up and easily grabbed it, unscrewing the reservoir on the bottom. He glanced in and saw it was halfway filled; the familiar pungent odor quickly let him know he was dealing with kerosene. Dean grabbed a large, ornate chalice from the other bookshelf, setting it on the desk. Sam dropped the necklace into the chalice, then poured a small amount of kerosene over it. Dean pulled his lighter out and flicked it, touching the flame to the oil-covered jewelry. The oil quickly ignited, the flame engulfing the necklace. Everyone watched as the necklace began glowing after a while, then the chain started melting, then turned their attention to !Nicole.
The ghost woman started glowing, but unlike past ghosts, !Nicole actually appeared relieved. She turned her head to !Alicia, smiling. "Thank you," she said in a soft voice.
!Alicia simply smiled back and nodded, keeping her hand on the woman's shoulder, even as her spirit burned up, disappearing. She looked over at the three men, and her smile disappeared as her eyes landed on Bernard. "So, what are we gonna do with him? Sure we can't send him to the afterlife right now?"
"You don't have to," Bernard said. "I'll turn myself in." The three hunters looked surprised. "Look, this is the first time I've been honest with anyone since I killed her—and it was like a weight was lifted off me."
"Well, they do say confession is good for the soul," Dean replied. The overhead lights in the office suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness for a few moments before coming back on. "What the hell was that?"
"The generator must have kicked in," Bernard explained, "but that doesn't make sense. There's no bad weather." The three hunters glanced at each other, concerned.
"You think they're here?" Sam asked.
"Probably," Dean answered. "Let's go." The trio headed for the door.
"Wait," !Alicia said, stopping and looking back at the chaplain, "what about him? He won't be safe here if they get in."
Dean glanced at Sam, who shrugged, then the hunter looked back at Bernard. "You're coming with us." The chaplain looked confused, but the expressions on their faces convinced him it would be best to do what Dean said. He quickly crossed the room and joined the three as they hurried from the room and down the hall.
"Where are we going?" Bernard asked. "Who's 'they'? What's going on?"
"Demons," Sam replied, causing Bernard to look a little surprised. "Yeah, they're real, and they're coming for her." He nodded at !Alicia as they reached the elevators. Dean smashed the up button, and the doors immediately opened; the four of them got up, and the doors closed.
"What did she do?" Bernard asked as the elevator moved up.
"'She' is right here," !Alicia spat annoyed, "and 'she' didn't do a damn thing, okay?"
Bernard's expression changed as he understood—partially—why she was frustrated. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. !Alicia didn't say anything, but she glanced at him briefly. "So, if demons are coming, how will your room be safer than my office?" The elevator stopped on their floor, and the four got out, heading down the hall.
"We have salt barriers," Dean explained, "and warding sigils. They'll keep the demons out. And if any manage to get past them," he removed the angel blade from his waistband, "this'll gank 'em nicely."
Bernard glanced at the weapon, and his eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks; the others stopped as well. "Where did you get that?"
"You know what this is?" Sam asked, surprised.
Bernard nodded. "I've only seen pictures of it in literature," he explained, "but I know an angel blade when I see it." He glanced between the hunters in awe. "You have an angel with you?" The three hunters glanced at each other, surprised.
"Well, he's actually in my room right now," !Alicia corrected, "keeping my body safe until my spirit can get back in, but, yeah." A loud howl echoed through the corridor, causing the four to freeze.
"That can't be good," Dean said, gripping the weapon tighter. Another howl reverberated, only this time it sounded a lot closer. The four looked down the corridor as they saw something coming around the corner, and their eyes widened when they saw what it was.
It looked like a stocky pit bull, only ten times bigger and more demonic in appearance. Its eyes glowed blood red, and its inky black fur appeared to radiate a dark aura of energy. It stood in the hallway, facing the four. Its gaze fell on !Alicia, then it curled its lips back, growling loudly as it revealed rows of long, razor-sharp teeth.
"You guys seeing this?" !Alicia asked.
"Oh, yeah," Dean replied.
"What is that thing?" Bernard asked, terrified. He couldn't see the creature himself, but he could definitely hear it—and the expressions on the hunters' faces were more than enough to convince him he should be scared.
The creature's gaze fell on !Alicia, then it curled its lips back, growling loudly as it revealed rows of long, razor-sharp teeth.
"Hellhound," !Alicia said grimly.
(End of Chapter 9)