Chapter 8:
Orange flames ignited and circled around a priest. His eyes were closed as he prayed with a gold cross dangling from his hand. He knelt on the wooden floor of his office as rolls of parchment gently rolled back and forth on his desk. As his eyes slowly opened, he knew that he was no longer alone.
"It's time, father. Are you ready?"
"We are."
"Then, let's go. We need to move now before they attack."
"How will we get there? Helena is so far away."
"We will take you."
"We?" The priest looked up at the angel standing before him. "What do you mean we?"
Angels dressed in black appeared behind the arch angel, Michael. Their white wings spread out around them before folding over their shoulders. Their white eyes flashed with intensity. They were ready.
"It's time, father." Michael nodded to the angels, who vanished a moment later. "Time to end this," and he helped the priest up to his feet.
"Time. Time is forgotten for today might be the end of all." The angel nodded. "Are you going to fight?"
"I brought the others, didn't I? Are you ready?"
"Let's get my people and go." He walked out of the office, followed by the angel.
A scream echoed throughout the underground chamber, where Helena and her group hid out. A guard was stationed outside a room as Dean hurried over to him. They wrestled with each other before John and Sam grabbed hold of Dean, forcing him back.
"Helena is hurting her! You have to let me into that room."
"No. I'm sorry," the guard replied.
"You heard her scream! You have to let me in! Now!"
"Dean!" He looked at his father. "You shouldn't go in there."
"Dad's right, Dean."
"No, he's not, Sam." Dean looked at his father. "He's not, and I am getting in that room." He tried to push past the guard, who again pushed him away. "Damn you!" He moved to attack the guard, but his brother and father grabbed a hold of him again. "Let me go!"
Helena emerged from the room. She appeared drained. Her white eyes settled on Dean, and a ghost of a smile touched her face. "Dean, you can't come in. I'm sorry. Besides, Kyle needs to rest now."
"Why? So you can torture her later?" He was still held by his father and brother.
"I am not torturing her. I am trying to help her."
"Help her? Right. That's why she screamed like she was being murdered."
"And she was by that demon. I need her to remember that night, and I can't afford for her to get distracted especially by you."
"And why's that?"
"You know why, Dean." She walked away.
"You two can let go of me now." He stared at his brother and father. "Dad, this isn't right."
"I know, but if we are going to win this war, this has to happen. I'm sorry, Dean," but Dean stormed away in response.
Ronan rubbed his forehead as Scar shot him a look. They stood on the outskirts of the town, watching people scatter into their homes. Turning to look behind them, they saw dozens of people with shiny, black orbs for eyes await the signal.
"What is it?"
"Helena is interrogating Kyle again. She's looking for it."
"Did she find it?"
"No. Not yet, but she is very close."
"We better move then. We can't afford for her to get it." Scar gestured for Ronan to step into the town first. "You first."
"Are you sure it is safe to enter?"
"Why don't you ask her?" Ronan looked up to see Beth waiting for them in the town. "She got through, and now we can." He shoved Ronan over the border into the town.
"Thanks." Ronan shot him a look before moving toward Beth.
"Don't thank me yet." Scar motioned for the other demons to enter the town. "Kill everyone you find." He waited until he was the last one to enter the town. "If you think you can stop me, I suggest you try, but you will fail, Michael."
"We will try and win, Scar." He watched Scar turn around to face him. "This will be our final battleground."
"And the ground rules?"
"Spare those inside the town."
"I don't think so."
"Then, you will suffer before you are sent back to hell."
"I don't see any army with you, angel. Do you dare fight me alone?"
"My army is approaching, and I suggest that you get ready."
"And when will this army come?"
"Within the hour, and if I wanted to, I would kill you now to end all of this."
"But you know that this war has been coming for a long time now, which is why you will allow it to happen."
"Not unless you take more innocent lives. Spare those inside the town until sunset."
"Then, spill their blood and yours."
"And yours as well."
"Deal."
"Deal," Michael replied.
Ryan walked toward Helena's room. He looked over his shoulder to see two guards following behind him. Shaking his head, he approached the room and knocked on the wooden door.
Opening the door, Helena allowed Ryan into the room. She gestured for the two guards to wait outside. Closing the door, she turned to look at Ryan, who stood a few feet away from her.
"I want to fight," Ryan said. "I won't betray you, Helena. I won't."
"If you die, you go to hell. You know that."
"I do."
"And if they promise that you won't…"
"It's a lie. I don't want them to destroy this world. They can say whatever they want, but you saved me. I am in your debt not theirs."
"Are you ready to save this world?"
"I am." Helena stared at him. "I am, Helena."
"Okay. Then, don't worry about the fight. You have another purpose to serve." A ghost of a smile touched her face.
A silver bullet bounced up in the air and then down into the palm of a hand. The silver flashed against the luminescent lights overhead. The small object was then lost in the fist of John Winchester.
Walking into the room, Sam found his father stretched out on his bed. He watched his father open his hand to see the bullet on his palm. He recognized the bullet. "That's the Colt's bullet."
"That it is." He sat up on the bed. "Where's Dean?"
"I don't know. You had the bullet the whole time?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me or Dean?"
"Because I made a promise to Onyx that I wouldn't until I was here."
"You know you hardly knew Onyx, but you act as if he was some kind of long lost friend."
"He was in a way." He noticed the look on Sam's face. "He watched over this family for some time before taking human form. We owe him."
"Was he our guardian angel?"
"Yes and no, and we need the Colt. Otherwise, this bullet here is useless."
"But you don't think that they would be foolish enough to bring the Colt here, do you?" Sam walked over to his father.
"Scar might want us so badly that he might have the Colt with him."
"How do we find out?"
"We wait till the fight, and then we find out. In the meantime, you should go find your brother." Sam looked away. "What?"
"I was wondering if any of us would make it past this fight." John stood up from the bed and walked over to his son. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you or Dean."
"Don't worry, Sam. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Dean. We're right here, and we will survive this."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Yeah, I do." He surprised Sam with a hug, but the expression on his face said something else. "I do." He looked down at the bullet still in his hand. "Now, go find your brother." He walked away from Sam.
"Okay." Sam slowly left the room with one last look back at his father.
"What do you mean that we can't kill these people?"
"I told you, Ronan. We can't touch these people until sunset. Just keep them in the town hall building. That's it."
"That's it? That's it, Scar because an angel asked you to? And you call me weak?" Scar grabbed Ronan by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"I made you. Don't forget that, and you will do exactly as I say." His grip tightened on Ronan's throat. "Or I will rip you from this human and kill you." He dropped Ronan to the ground. "You understand me?" Ronan nodded as he rubbed his throat.
"Sir, we found the entrance to the underground base, where Helena is." Scar looked at the young man standing before him with black eyes. "Take six with you, and find Kyle. Kill whoever crosses your path, and drag her up here. Ronan has some… Unfinished business with her." Scar looked down at Ronan, who stared back at him.
"Understood." The man hurried off.
"This time, make sure you kill her." Scar walked away from Ronan.
Sam found Dean near Kyle's room. He shook his head before catching up to him. He gently laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, who then turned to look at him. "What are you doing, Dean?"
"I'm going to get into that room with or without your help, Sam."
"Dean, you know you can't go in there."
"Sam, you know that this is wrong and that Helena is hurting her. I just want to make sure that she is okay. That's it."
"Alright. Let's try to get into that room."
"Thank you."
Approaching Kyle's room, the guard saw the Winchesters and shook his head. He was about to make a comment when they grabbed him and pushed him away from the door. The guard tried to stop Dean, who opened the door. Dean then walked into the room, and the guard turned to glare at Sam, who continued to hold him up against the wall.
"Kyle?" The room was dark. Dean turned on a light. "Kyle?"
"Dean?" She was resting on a cot nearby. "You shouldn't be in here."
"I wanted to make sure that you were okay." He stood beside the cot. "Are you okay?"
"I guess. My head hurts a bit. Other than that, I'm alright." She sat up on the cot and looked at him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I was just worried about you."
"She's helping me remember."
"Remember? Is that why you screamed like you were being murdered?" Kyle looked away. "Why is it so important for you to remember?"
"Because it can change the tide of this war." She looked at him. "I have to relive that night. When I died and came back, something happened. I just can't remember what." She rubbed the scar on her chest. "I can still feel the knife." Dean took her hand in his.
Suddenly, Sam entered the room, holding his head. He fell to the ground as visions of demons killing Helena's men bombarded his mind. He struggled to concentrate as Dean hurried to his side. "They're here, Dean. They're coming. They're coming for Kyle."
