Sam and Dean looked toward one another before returning their gaze to Joe and Ellen. Both of them were wearing identical sunglasses, their guns trained on the three. Ellen nodded to Jo who then nodded in return.
She lowered her gun as Ellen kept hers raised. Jo reached into her bag and pulled a corked bottle from within. She undid the top and threw the water, hitting Dean straight in the face. He wiped at his eyes as she did the same to Sam and Carly.
When none of them had a reaction to the holy water, Ellen lowered her gun with a smile. "Just had to make sure. No hard feelings?"
"Yeah, just peachy." Dean said, drying his face with his shirt. "May I ask why you threw holy water at us?"
"Just look at your reflection in the store window behind you," Jo muttered.
Sam, Dean, and Carly turned around to face the window. When they looked back at their reflection, it looked the same as it always had, well, aside from their eyes. Their eyes were as black as coal. The three turned back toward Ellen and Jo with confusion.
"How is this possible? We have anti-possession tattoos," Sam said.
"We had the same confusion at first," Jo said.
Ellen and Jo lowered their sunglasses to reveal the same demonic eyes. They put their glasses back in place with a sigh.
"We came here because Bobby wanted us to check out the situation in case you didn't receive his call." Ellen explained. "There were demons everywhere or … so we thought. After we took down a few, we realized they weren't dying as demons should, and those we did kill, would call us the demons...the freaks."
"We noticed our eyes in a broken mirror in one of the homes, but we had our tattoos intact and holy water had no effect on us. So, we knew we were not possessed, but yet our eyes made it seem that way. We started wearing sunglasses so when people saw us their first instinct wasn't to try and kill us," Jo explained.
"Why is this happening?" Carly asked.
"We don't know. We've been laying low and if anyone tries to attack us, we knock them unconscious rather than trying to kill them since I don't think anyone in this town is actually a demon. They don't react to holy water and ones we have killed don't die like a demon should," Ellen said.
"War…" Dean muttered.
"War?" Ellen and Jo asked at the same time.
Carly, Sam, and Dean looked toward one another and decided they should explain why they were really there. Since Carly understood it the best, she decided to explain. "Castiel sent us here because he believed the horsemen War was tormenting this town. We came to defeat him. If we do that, we can get his ring, which is part of the key that will put Lucifer back in his cage."
Silence filled the air as the two tried to understand what Carly had just said. Ellen and Jo looked toward one another with confusion and worry. Yet, after a few moments, Ellen shrugged.
"Honestly, with how weird this whole situation is I'm not even remotely surprised," Ellen muttered.
"So, what's the game plan?" Dean asked.
Ellen sighed, pointing across the street to a building with boarded-up windows. "First we get off the street and somewhere semi-safe. Then we can figure out how to deal with this horseman you believe is causing this whole mess and end his sorry ass before things get worse."
The three began walking forward as Jo and Ellen took the back. It was clearly obvious why they did this by where their gaze was lingering. They wanted Sam at the front in case he decided to turn on them. Sam gritted his teeth with a sad look in his eyes. Carly noticed this and felt bad for him, even if it was only a little.
They made it to the building as Dean opened the door, going up a set of thin long steps. The others followed suit until they were all in a trashed apartment above a run-down store. Then it was time to figure who this horseman was and how the hell they were going to get him alone.
Ellen, Jo, and Sam began to plan their next move. Dean went to join them when he found Carly sitting off to the side on a couch covered in dust. Instead of joining the others, he came to sit beside her, causing her to meet his gaze when his weight shifted the cushions.
Ellen looked back at them with a small smile. "I think love is blooming."
Sam and Jo looked back at Dean and Carly as Dean grabbed her hands in his, squeezing them. Jo smiled while Sam felt anger. She was happy Dean had found someone while Sam wanted to throat punch Dean for even touching Carly. Yet, he had no power here as Carly had broken up with him.
"I don't know about that," Sam said, shaking his head. "Just because he's comforting her doesn't mean there is love forming between the two."
"It's not just that. You can tell by the way the two act around one another that there is something there that neither wants to admit. They are beginning to care about one another and it's scaring them both," Ellen muttered.
Their gazes lingered on the two for a second longer before returning to planning their next move as Sam tried to get over the anger in his gut. While they planned, Dean and Carly were still on the couch.
"What's wrong?" Dean asked.
Carly met his gaze with a sigh. "I don't know. I just have this bad feeling in my stomach. Like something terrible is about to happen. Like I can't even breathe."
"Are you having another panic attack?" Dean asked.
"No, nothing like that," Carly said, looking down at her feet. "Just a general pit in my stomach. Not just dealing with the horseman of War, but the situation as a whole. If we fail, the world ends in hellfire."
"Don't think like that," Dean said, grabbing her hands in his. "Just think about what will happen when we succeed. We'll have defeated Lucifer himself and the bragging rights we'll have afterward."
Carly quietly laughed. "That's true. I … I just don't know if I'll make it to see that glorious victory."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, worry lining his voice.
"Earlier when we were fighting those "demons" and I killed one with my knife, there was still blood on my blade. I caught myself staring down at it with a want. I wanted to lick the blade clean, Dean," she said, meeting his worried gaze. "I now know they were merely human, but I didn't know that when we were fighting them. I wanted to give in and since Marie brought me back that want has been an itch at the back of my mind. It didn't come to the surface until I thought I was in the presence of a demon. What if I lose control and…"
Dean cut her off. "Don't talk like that. Don't think of the what-ifs. Just focus on the fact you held back."
"What if next time I don't hold back?" Carly asked.
"Then I will be there to stop you. I will be there every step of the way to make sure you don't tap into that side of yourself. You want to be good and I'll do my best to make that happen," Dean said.
"You're a good man, Dean Winchester." Carly smiled.
"I know."
The two laughed aloud as Ellen got their attention to come over to join them. They nodded and got off the couch together to join the others. Ellen and Jo smiled and Sam looked as if he were sucking on a lemon. Carly noticed this look and did her best to ignore it as she turned her attention to Ellen and Jo.
"So, we've come up with a plan that may just work," Jo admitted.
"If this horseman of War is in town causing this, he would want to be close to the action. Watching people attack one another, enjoying the chaos and pain. Our best bet is to find the biggest group of people fighting and he should be there watching from the sidelines. When that happens, you just need to get him alone and you'll be able to get his ring," Ellen explained.
"And how are we going to do that?" Dean asked.
Ellen looked toward Carly. "She has to pretend she wants to be taken to Lucifer so she can be his vessel."
"How did you know about that?" Carly asked.
"I told them," Sam admitted.
"Why?" Carly asked, gritting her teeth.
"They deserved to know why we were doing this," Sam said.
"It's okay Carly, we don't see you any differently. We know the good in you outweighs the bad." Ellen reassured her as she continued with the plan. "If you go to him and say you want to give yourself over, he will be thrilled to leave this town and take you to Lucifer. That will separate him from the others and then you just have to stop him from leaving."
"Doesn't this seem a little dangerous? I mean if this backfires and we're not fast enough, he may actually take Carly. Shouldn't we have a plan that doesn't involve that possibility?" Dean worried.
"It's fine. I'll do it." Carly said with a nod. "If this gets us closer to defeating Lucifer, I'm all for it."
Dean was unsure but reluctantly agreed to go along with the plan. They all got their weapons ready and headed out onto the street, searching for the biggest group. That's when they found them on the other side of town in an all-out brawl.
The group stayed at a distance, trying to figure out where War could be. There was so much fighting and carnage that it was hard to see anything else, but Carly spotted a man standing at the back. The fighting happened all around him and he just smiled.
"There he is," Carly said, pointing into the crowd.
The others followed her gaze and agreed, Ellen speaking for them. "Alright, you go straight for War. Jo and I will go into the crowd to distract some of the idiots fighting. Sam and Dean will stay back and follow after you and War to get his ring. Sound good?"
Everyone nodded before getting into position. Carly, Ellen, and Jo approached the crowd as they fought their way through. Carly found an opening and snuck between the sweaty bodies until she was only a few feet from War, his laugh echoing through the crowd.
"You're War I presume," Carly said, yelling above the crowd.
The man turned toward Carly with confusion as no one knew who he truly was, but once he realized who had spoken his smile reappeared. "It's nice to finally meet you, Carly."
"Can we talk somewhere a little more private?" Carly yelled.
"Anything for you."
War smiled again before stepping forward, grabbing Carly's hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and gave her fingers a kiss, which felt like fire against her skin. War pulled back but continued to grasp Carly's hand, so he could pull her out of the crowd and down one of the desolate roads, a 1966 Mustang on the left-hand side.
They approached the vintage car as War leaned up against its hood, crossing his arms as he turned back toward Carly. "Now what is it you wanted to discuss?"
"I know you're causing everyone to believe they're demons and I want you to stop," Carly said.
War laughed aloud. "Oh, and why would I do that?"
"If you do, I'll let you take me to Lucifer."
The words made War's smile expand tenfold. If he brought Carly to Lucifer, he would become a favorite of his and that's something War had dreamed of. So, he accepted without hesitation.
"I think that can be arranged," War said, snapping his fingers.
As the sound echoed throughout the air, the yelling stopped and everything went quiet. Carly hoped that was because they stopped fighting, not because he killed them all. She wanted to check, but War grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the passenger side of the car. He opened her door and helped her inside. He walked back around the car to the driver's side and as he was about to get in, Sam and Dean arrived.
Without warning, Sam grabbed War's shoulder and flipped him around, placing a knife to his throat. Dean stood beside him pointing his blade at him just the same. War saw the two and sighed in annoyance.
"I should've known you two would be in the area," War muttered.
Sam leaned in close. "Give us your ring and we'll be on our merry way."
"My ring is my power. I will not be giving it to you," War insisted.
"I guess we'll just have to take it by force then," Dean said.
Dean grabbed War's hand and tried to pry the ring off, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if the ring were glued to his finger. Dean tried again, but with the same result.
War laughed aloud. "My ring is a part of me, Dean Winchester. You cannot just pull it off like it's nothing."
Sam, Dean, and Carly looked toward one another with a nod. Carly got out of her seat and walked around the car. Sam kept a knife to War's throat as Carly held War's hand down. Once secure, Dean took out his blade and with one fell swoop he sliced the ring finger clean off.
War screamed aloud as Dean picked up the finger, sliding the ring off and putting it in his pocket. Sam and Carly let go of War as he slid onto the ground, gasping for air. They watched as his body began to turn to dust before their very eyes.
His gaze met theirs. "You can't beat him."
"Watch us."