Dean looked from Sam to Carly and back again with a raised brow. What the two had said about themselves shocked Dean, but it made sense in a way. Yet, himself being involved was not something he could wrap his mind around.

"How the hell am I involved?" Dean asked.

Sam looked down at his feet before meeting Dean's gaze. "Lucifer told me of the battle to come. A battle between him and his...brother Michael. If he possessed me then Michael would have to possess...you."

The realization of what Sam just said made Dean's stomach fall to the floor. He sat back down on the bed in silence. When he had collected himself, he had another question.

"If that's the case, why is Carly involved? She isn't related to us in any way."

A voice came from the corner of the room. "Because Carly is an anomaly. She was supposed to die in that desolate town, but you brought her back. In doing so, they are both candidates to be Lucifer's vessel."

The three turned to find Castiel leaning up against the wall with crossed arms. If he was here that meant there was news on Lucifer and the state of the world, which was either a good thing or a really, really bad thing.

"So, we're just pawns in their game?" Dean asked with a sigh.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to sit back and let it happen," Castiel said, moving away from the wall. "From what I have gathered, there is a way to shove Lucifer back in his cage. We do that then there will be no fight to be had."

"And how do we do that?" Carly asked.

"The apocalypse has begun, but it isn't a simple switch from sunny to hell on Earth. There are four horsemen who begin to wreak havoc upon this planet. Pestilence, War, Famine, and...Death," Castiel explained.

"Well, that sounds cheery," Dean muttered.

Castiel ignored Dean's comment and continued. "Each of these horsemen has a ring that gives them their powers and life force. Collecting all four rings makes a sort of key that will open a door to the cage and all you have to do is push him into it."

"So, we have to defeat four horsemen, steal their rings, make a key, open a door, and then push Lucifer, the king of Hell, into the door?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, that's what it sounds like to me," Castiel said.

"How the hell are we going to do that?" Dean asked with a shaking head. "We don't even know where they are."

"Well, I have a lead on one. I got this call a few hours ago."

Castiel pulled out his flip phone and fiddled with it for a few moments before finding his messages. When he had, he clicked play and Bobby's voice came through the receiver. "Hey, Castiel. I don't know if you check this often, but I couldn't get through to the boys or Carly, so you were all I had left. Rufus contacted me about his hometown of Riverpass, Colorado being overrun by demons and if that doesn't scream apocalypse then nothing does. If you get this, please let the others know. Thank you."

The beep sounded as the phone went silent, Castiel flipped it closed and shoved it back into his pocket. "It could just be a ton of demons wreaking havoc, but I have a feeling it is something more. To me, it seems like War is behind this."

"So, you want us to go see what's going on and take out the threat?" Carly asked.

"Yes, I want you to go," Castiel said, looking over at Sam. "All three of you."

The three looked toward one another with grimaces. Dean and Carly were fine with one another, but both of them were still pissed at Sam. For what he did and the pain he inflicted. Yet, if this meant stopping the end of the world, they had to at least try.

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I'm going to keep an eye out for the other three and report to you with what I find. Once one of the horsemen is vanquished, Lucifer will know what you all are doing. You must be quick and efficient before he decides to make an appearance. Good luck."

Within the blink of an eye, Castiel was gone. The awkward silence returned as Carly sat on the bed with Dean, Sam standing just inside the doorway. Carly didn't even want to look at Sam, let alone be in the same car as him. Dean wasn't thrilled about it either, but in the end, Sam was his brother and if saving the world protected him from eternal damnation, he was all for it.

Since neither Sam nor Carly wanted to open their mouths, Dean did the honors. "Since it's so late, I suggest we try getting some more sleep, and then we can head to Riverpass in the morning."

"I'm not tired anymore," Carly muttered with a sigh.

Sam nodded. "Neither am I."

"Well, I need my beauty rest, so what are we going to do?" Dean asked, looking toward the both of them.

Sadly, the only answer was to pack up and have Dean sleep in the back while Sam drove and Carly sat beside him in the passenger's seat. Carly really did not want to do that, but they had a mission, and getting this over with as fast as possible would be the best for everyone's sake.

So, the three packed the Impala as Dean went to check out. When he returned, he got into the back as Carly got in the passenger seat. Sam ran off to the bathroom, leaving Dean and Carly in the car. Carly was shaking and Dean noticed.

He leaned forward from the backseat and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

"Will it Dean?" Carly asked, looking back at him. "Because I'm not so sure."

"Yes, you're a strong woman. I think you can handle an awkward conversation with Sam and if you can't, wake me up. I'll switch seats with you," Dean insisted.

"You'd do that for me?" Carly asked.

"I'd do anything for you."

Carly smiled wide as Sam approached the car, pulling the door open. Dean settled into the backseat as Carly turned around in hers. Once Sam was inside, he started up the car as they made their way to Colorado. It would be at least twenty hours before they arrived at their destination and that's if they didn't stop, so Carly got comfortable and sat there in silence.

Sam accepted this silence for a few hours before breaking it. "I'm sorry, Carly."

"Yeah, I bet you are," she muttered.

"I am...I mean it." Sam said, glancing over at Carly before returning his gaze to the road. "This last week or so has made me feel so much guilt I could barely get out of bed. I've detoxed myself of the demon blood. The urges are there, but not as constant or strong as they once were."

"How do I know you aren't just lying?" Carly asked.

"Why would I lie?"
"I don't know, Sam. You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Half the time I have no idea if you're speaking the truth or lying directly to my face," Carly spat.

"Are you ever going to trust me again?" Sam asked.

"You want the truth?" Carly said as she saw Sam nod from the corner of her eye. "I don't know. You broke something within me, Sam. I trusted you more than anyone else and you shattered that trust into a million little pieces. I'll stay by your side to stop the apocalypse, but when this is done...I never want to see you again."

Her words cut Sam deeper than any knife ever could. "We can figure this out."

"I don't know if we can. I have been beaten down my entire life, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. With you, I thought I had finally found someone I could feel comfortable with without the worry of them hurting me, but I was wrong." Carly said, looking out the window. "So very wrong."

"You can be comfortable with me," Sam said.

Carly continued to look out the window with a shaking head. "Sam, trust is like a crumpled piece of paper. Once it is crushed into a ball, you can try to return it to what it once was but no matter how hard you try it will never be exactly the same. At some point, I may learn to be comfortable with you again, but it will never be the same."

"I never meant to hurt you," Sam muttered.

"I know."

The awkward silence returned to the car as Carly was done talking and Sam had no clue what to say next, so he focused on the road as Carly decided to get some rest. She turned her body to the side so she faced the window, keeping her back to Sam. She laid there for quite some time before sleep took hold.

When she awoke a few hours later, she found herself in the backseat rather than the passenger. She sat up with confusion, finding Sam and Dean nowhere in sight. She rubbed her eyes and pulled herself out of the car.

She stepped out onto the cement and slammed the door behind her. As she did, Dean appeared with coffees in hand. He smiled as he handed one of the coffees to Carly.

"Thanks," she muttered, putting the cup to her lips. "Were you the one to move me into the backseat?"

Dean shrugged while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah about two hours ago we stopped for a bathroom break and I noticed you were sleeping uncomfortably against the window, so when Sam went in to use the restroom, I slowly opened the door, scooped you up, and laid you in the backseat as I was wide awake and I wanted you to be comfortable."

"Well, my back thanks you."

"Well, your back is welcome."

"How far are we from town?" Carly asked with a small smile.

"Just an hour or two."

"How long have I been asleep?

"Well, I fell asleep before you, but I'd say twelve hours, if not more. Almost dying can take a lot out of you," Dean explained.

"I guess you're right."

Sam returned to the car as the three got inside, Carly in the back with the brothers in the front. The entire last chunk of the journey was in utter silence. Dean tried to break the silence, but neither Sam nor Carly wanted to talk, so he went back to staring out the window.

When they got on the outskirts of town, Sam parked the car, so they could get out and grab weapons. Dean took the demon blade as Sam and Carly took basic blades and guns. Once they were all armed, they headed further into town by walking down the main street.

It didn't take long for it to be clearly obvious something was wrong. Windows were boarded up or shattered with other visible damage inside and out. An entire couch was in the middle of the street tipped onto its side. The three of them looked toward one another when a scream rang out.

They turned back toward the road and ran in the direction of the scream. They found a woman cornered by three men with knives. When the men saw Carly, Sam, and Dean they turned their attention on them, taking a few steps forward. As they were distracted, the girl made a run for it across the street.

Anger flared up in the three's eyes as they lunged forward. Sam, Dean, and Carly each took on one. Dean slashed at the demon before him before embedding the blade in its chest and when it fell to the ground limply, a look of confusion appeared on his face. Sam and Carly did the same with basic blades and the demons fell to the ground lifeless, which was impossible.

"I think something's wrong here," Dean said, looking toward the other two. "I stabbed him and no light shown through his eyes when I did."

"Yeah, we just killed ours with normal blades, which should've only put a scratch on them," Carly admitted.

The three were all so confused as they heard the clicking of a gun. Each of them put their hands into the air, dropping their weapons as they turned around. Two women stood behind them and the three recognized them instantly.

Dean's eyes went wide. "Joe? Ellen?"

"Hello, Boys."