Carly sat there in silence, taking in what he just said. She could not wrap her mind around it. She shook her head with confusion.
"You want us to open the cage?" Carly asked.
Death raised a brow. "Is it that much of a surprise?"
"Well, the other horseman put up a good fight before we had to remove their finger to get their ring." Carly said, meeting his gaze. "Why are you giving up yours so easily?"
"Lucifer has a leash around my neck and I'm bound to him. Some unseemly little spell. He has me where he wants, when he wants. He made me his weapon. Hurricanes, floods, raising the dead. I'm more powerful than you can process, and I'm enslaved to a bratty child having a tantrum. You take my ring and throw him back in, that leash snaps," Death explained.
"But won't taking your ring...kill you?" Carly asked.
Death laughed aloud at her question. "Oh no. I cannot be killed, My Dear Child."
"But the others turned to dust when we took their ring," Carly pointed out.
"Yes, but they aren't dead. They are just in a limbo of sorts. I am not as they are. I am a being far more powerful and once my bindings are broken, I am free to return to how I was. That is why I want you to throw him back into the cage. When Lucifer returns to hell, I am free," Death admitted.
"If you are so powerful, why don't you just break the spell yourself?" Carly asked.
"Sadly, it is not that simple. If it were, I wouldn't be here in this dingy cafe talking to you," Death said.
"May I ask why you specifically wanted to talk to me?" Carly asked.
"Because I know you've consumed demon blood recently and even then you're of sane mind," Death said, leaning forward in his chair. "I want you to say yes to Lucifer."
"Because I drank demon blood and didn't go insane like Sam did?" Carly questioned.
"You are both vessels for Lucifer as Dean and Adam are for Michael." He began, noticing the look on Carly's face before continuing. "Yes, I know of Adam. I also know you haven't told Sam and Dean about this other vessel since you found out last night in your nightmare."
Carly's eyes went wide. "How did you…"
"Know?" Death finished, Carly nodding slowly. "I am bound to Lucifer and I can sense what he does. I think you should go to that address and say yes to him. Sneak away, so your friends can throw him back in the pit before things get even more ugly."
"How am I supposed to sneak away without them noticing?" Carly asked.
"I can help with that." Death said, placing a small pouch on the table. "This is a mixture of herbs I learned from a witch I knew a long time ago. If you get caught leaving, blow this into the other person's face and they will fall unconscious, giving you enough time to escape."
"But then I'll go into the pit with Lucifer to be tortured for all time," Carly pointed out.
"I can pull you out. I have many abilities and I can pull souls from Hell that I believe are in the wrong place. I will take you to Heaven and no angel can deny me entry as I am, if not more, powerful than God," Death said.
"You're as powerful as God?" Carly asked with surprise.
"Yes I am. I am as old as God. Maybe older. Neither of us can remember anymore. Life, death, chicken, egg. Regardless - at the end, I'll reap him too," Death admitted.
"God? You'll reap God?" Carly asked.
"Oh, yes. God will die, too, Carly. Nothing lasts forever. Go to Lucifer and I promise I will bring you to Heaven. If you want to save them…" Death began, Carly gazing behind her at Dean, Sam, and Castiel across the street. "You have to."
"If I do this, they come out unscathed, right?" Carly questioned.
"I cannot promise Lucifer will not hurt them, but with the key to his cage, your friends have a fighting chance. Yet, you must hurry. If Michael learns of this plan, he will look for Adam and then a battle may happen whether you want it to or not. You must leave tonight," Death said.
"Tonight? Lucifer said he would be there in three days."
"The sooner you go to him, the sooner this ends. The world will be back to normality and the evil Lucifer causes will vanish, saving innocent lives across the planet. If you do this, you may be possessed by the devil, but you'll die a hero."
"More like a martyr," Carly muttered.
"It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr. You will be making a sacrifice to save the world. Isn't that worth dying for?"
Carly sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them, she took the bag from the table and shoved it into her pocket. "I'll say goodbye and leave when they fall asleep."
"You're making the right decision, Carly."
"I'm not so sure."
Death slid the ring off his finger and dropped it in Carly's hand. As it touched her palm, he vanished from his seat. Carly held the cool ring tight in her grasp as she got up from the table and headed out of the cafe to find the others in the same spot waiting for her.
Sam was the first to ask. "Did he put up a fight?"
"No, he actually gave me the ring of his own accord," Carly said, tossing the ring over to Castiel who caught it in his hand.
"He just gave it to you? No strings attached?" Dean asked.
"He is bound to Lucifer by a spell and wants it broken. When Lucifer is thrown back into the cage, Death will be free once more. He may be a horseman but he is not fond of Lucifer in the slightest," Carly explained.
Dean nodded as Castiel grabbed the other rings from his pocket. He opened his palm and laid the four rings upon it. As he did, they flew together as if they were magnets. Once attached, a red glow emanated from the four rings as if they melted into one; the key was made.
With that, the group headed back to the motel room. Now that they had the key, they had to figure out their next move. Once there, Sam and Castiel headed inside, Carly grabbing Dean's hand to pull him back. He was confused, but allowed her to pull him aside.
"What is it?" Dean asked, looking down at her hand before meeting her gaze.
"You know what." Carly said with a sigh. "We need to tell them about the last piece to throwing Lucifer in the pit."
"Not yet."
Carly raised a brow. "What do you mean not yet?"
"I mean I think we should wait just a little while longer."
"You can't hide this from them. They should know, especially Sam," Carly insisted.
"I'll tell them tomorrow. Let's just give them one last night before freaking them out. Can you do that?" Dean suggested.
Carly nodded slowly, knowing she'd be long gone by then. At least if he waited, Sam wouldn't try to do what she planned to do before she could. The pair headed inside, so the group could plan their next move. Now that they had the key, they just had to figure out where Lucifer would be, so they could use it.
Once they had that detail, the group would go to him. Dean would hold the key while the others distracted Lucifer. When he wasn't looking, Dean would open the door to his cage and as a group they would push him into the pit; no battle taking place.
In theory, if things went as they wanted, it would go smoothly, but things never went their way. When they found out who Lucifer would be possessing when this plan commenced that would make them hesitate. Yet, there wasn't much that could be done. This is all they had and it was what they were going with.
After getting some food in their systems, well aside from Castiel, the group tried to get some sleep. Castiel did not need sleep, so he went to meet with some of his contacts to see if any of them knew the whereabouts of Lucifer. Meanwhile, Sam slept in one bed while Dean and Carly shared the other.
The two cuddled and yet Carly felt almost suffocated by it. Not because she didn't like the feeling of his arms around her, but the fact she knew what she planned to do would hurt him and she hated that. They had just truly connected and now she was going to leave that all behind.
Yet, she wasn't surprised by this in the slightest. Her entire life had been filled with tragedy after tragedy. Those around her leaving, dying, or worse. She was used to love failing her as shown with what happened with Sam. She didn't want to hurt any of them, but she had no other choice.
After she knew the two were fast asleep, she slid out of Dean's arms. As quietly as she could she switched into a clean pair of clothes, putting the address of the apartment in her phone, and quickly writing a note that she left on the small table in the corner of the room. She knew it wouldn't make up for what she was doing, but she had to say goodbye.
With one last look around the room, she headed out into the parking lot. She knew how to hotwire a car, so she just had to choose which one. There were many choices in the dingy lot, but in the end she chose a light blue Volkswagen Bug that sat in the far back corner.
When she tried the door, it was thankfully unlocked. She got inside and began to hotwire the car. Just as the engine came to life she heard footsteps approaching. Carly quickly pulled the pouch from her pocket and poured the contents into her hand. She rose to her feet, putting the hand behind her back as Dean appeared a few feet in front of her.
"What are you doing?" Dean asked.
"I was really hoping you wouldn't wake up. This would've been so much easier if you hadn't," Carly muttered.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Carly took a step forward, placing a hand on Dean's cheek. Their gaze met as she sighed. "I love you Dean, which is why I'm so sorry."
Carly put her hand in front of her mouth, opening her fist to reveal the contents on her palm. Before Dean could react, she blew the herbs into his face. When it made contact, he stumbled backward while blinking rapidly. He gasped before he fell backward, slamming into the cement as he went unconscious.
Carly looked down at him and muttered. "I hope you can forgive me."
She wiped her dust-covered hand on her pants and got back into the car. She slammed the door and backed out of the spot. With that, she headed out of the parking lot and onto the main road, the motel becoming smaller the farther she drove.
When it was completely out of sight, Carly sighed and white-knuckled the steering wheel. A tear landed on her hand as she quickly swiped it away. This was it; this was the end.