Author's note: I changed Marley Whitman's name to Theodora (Theo) Whitman. Also Scream, Aim, Fire has a bit of a rewrite and is on Ao3. I encourage peeps to check it out!
Chapter Thirteen: Congregation of the Damned
The hunters of New York City thought themselves smart with all their little tricks. Once a day hunters blessed both the Hudson and East Rivers, devil's traps lined the subway tunnels and there were EMF meters wired all over the city. They thought that the city was safe, but they were wrong. While most demons were repelled from the holy water and the devil's traps, higher-level demons weren't bothered. Deals could still be made; Wall street was able to run unhindered. Demons were willing to let the humans think they had a win, that they were safe. It was all part of Lucifer's plan. Lay low, until Lucifer rose, then we would put them in their place. Now that Lucifer had a vessel and the four horsemen of the apocalypse, it was about to be time to unleash what hell could really be.
"Sorry, I'm late, you know how I hate it here," The Grand Inquisitor of Hell grumbled, his eyes were completely white, hiding both the iris and pupil.
"Brother, I would think you'd be more grateful to be alive again," Morgana scolded, her eyes flickering to match.
"Morgana, I'm surprised to see you up here, you dislike earth more than I."
"Alastair, when Lucifer calls on you, it is rude not to answer," Morgana scoffed. "Besides, hell on earth is something I've been dying to see."
"Except you haven't died."
"Yes, I chose to learn from Lilith and your mistakes. While it's pathetic that humans got the better of both of you, I didn't feel like being another statistic."
"Watch your tongue, Morgana. I'm still stronger than you."
"Be that as it may, we have work to do. Lucifer has called, the word of god has been found along with that prophet."
"Really?" Alastair grinned. "Well, let's have some fun."
A car horn honking in the distance distracted others on the street, which is how both demons vanished without notice. While the hunters of New York City did a good job protecting the city against lower-level demons, they were completely unprotected from the legions of hell that were immune to their measly protection.
The Bennett's, Whitman's, Harvelle's, Natasha, Missouri, and Bobby Singer had gathered in Bobby's study. Natasha was still shaken by her recent vision. The knowledge that a prophet was walking amongst the world once more. It was a heady thing, something that she wasn't expecting especially now.
"Well, it all has to be connected, yeah?" Bellamy sighed. "The angels, demons, resurrections, and now a bloody prophet."
"The word of god is in New York City," Natasha groaned, rubbing her temples. "The prophet will be called to it like a moth to the flame. They will need to seek it out. Both angels and demons will know, they'll be hunted down. We have to help."
"With the Winchesters in New Orleans, guess we're up," Theo smiled. "I love New York City."
"Not alone," Bobby disagreed. "All hands on deck."
"Bobby," Charles sighed. "Until we know what we're dealing with, it doesn't make sense to all go. My family and I will go, collect the prophet and come straight back."
"While we're gone, you might want to get the Winchesters on the horn," Meredith noted. "Time to circle the wagons, y'all."
"Your family ain't exactly subtle," Bobby replied. "Fiona, you and your siblings shadow them, provide backup if necessary."
"Done," Fiona said.
Everyone moved at once, either going to pack up or going back to researching. Natasha slumped onto the couch, seeming to take a moment to regroup. Missouri kept a careful eye on her as she moved closer to Bobby.
"Something doesn't feel right," Missouri whispered.
"I know," Bobby sighed.
Within a half hour, the Whitman's were once again packed up.
"We're taking a flight," Bellamy stated. "That way we can scope things out before you get here."
"Good plan," Charles said. "We'll be there within the day. Give or take."
"Going to drive straight through?" Fiona wondered. "It'll take nearly a day to get there."
"It ain't our first rodeo, sweetheart," Meredith smiled. "We'll make do."
The Bennett siblings exchanged glances before shrugging.
"Phones on, check in every few hours," Bobby ordered. "I'll get the Winchesters caught up."
The mood in Layfette cemetery was jubilant. Every witch in New Orleans was present as people danced and celebrated. The Covenant was in the center of everything, using their magic freely just because they could. Their magic was now tied to the earth and not their soul. Something that they had never dreamed of. Hailey Winchester stood off to the side taking things in. She had never seen a coven of witches this large. They weren't hiding in the shadows; they were out and free and powerful. It was a hard thing to wrap her brain around. Most other covens operated in secrecy, killing any normal person who knew their secret. Instead, in New Orleans, the Witches moved freely, practicing in the open. Tourists just thought they were performers, putting on a show. It was something that blew Hailey's mind, how quickly people's minds filled in whatever believable lie they could.
"Sup, hunter."
Hailey turned to look at the young girl who spoke. She was small for her age, maybe sixteen years old at the most. She had deep blue eyes which seemed all the brighter with her darker complexion.
"Hailey."
"Greta," The girl supplied. "You seem in awe."
"I don't know any other witches who are as blatant as your coven."
"We have nothing to fear."
Hailey raised her eyebrow, clearly saying that she didn't believe a word.
Greta smiled in return and said, "My mémé had a saying, 'A witch ought to never be frightened, even in the darkest hour, because she should be sure in her soul that the most terrifying thing is her.'"
"That's deep."
"We're strongest as a coven. Even stronger with your cousins now."
"I've never seen them so happy," Hailey mused. "It's like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders."
"I think this will be beneficial for all of us," Greta replied. "The ancestors are excited. We all have hope again."
Hailey locked eyes with Greta, noting that while the girl was younger than her, she seemed so much older than her years. Maybe it was a result of her ancestors whispering in her ear. It wasn't something that Hailey could easily imagine. Normally ghosts were something that needed to be dealt with, not allowed to interact with the living. Here in New Orleans ghosts were treated as guides, people to listen to.
One thing Hailey knew deep in her bones was that hope was a fleeting feeling. Gone almost the instant it came. Hunters couldn't afford to deal in hope. While it certainly looked like things that the stars were aligning in their favor, Winchesters knew how quickly luck could change. Hailey happened to glance across the cemetery to where her father was standing, on the phone. His expression was tight. A clear indication that something else had happened. Before either Greta or Hailey could continue their conversation, Hailey's phone buzzed, notifying the aforementioned of a new text message. Fishing the phone out of her pocket, she saw that it was Darren.
Darren: Something's going down in NYC. We need support ASAP. Bennett's are here too.
Hailey: Be there soon.
Darren: Rendezvous at Bobby's in 72 hours.
"Duty calls?" Greta guessed.
"It always does," Hailey sighed.
It was only forty-eight hours ago when the biggest worry on Kevin Tran's mind was getting fives on all of his AP tests. The more he got, the more likely it would be that he wouldn't have to worry about general education requirements by the time he got to college. Colleges were getting more competitive by the day and Kevin needed to do all he could to differentiate himself from his peers. Of course, he may have thrown that out into the universe with too few strings attached.
One minute he's studying for AP European History, and the next he was struck by lightning. Of course, Kevin knew logically that that couldn't have possibly been the case. This whole thing was probably one bad caffeine and Adderall trip. His friends had warned him that he was playing a little too fast and loose with the performance-enhancing study aides, but they would be too if they had his mom breathing down his neck!
The fact remained that one minute his focus was on the looming test, the next he had the urge to go to New York City. He was born and raised in Neighbor, Michigan. No one he knew had been to the city, it wasn't as if it could possibly be a day trip. However, every cell in his body was screaming at him to get to New York, and try as he might he couldn't ignore it. He stole his neighbor's car and drove straight through the night. Apparently, it takes a little over seventeen hours to get from Michigan to New York City. As Kevin found out the hard way, barely even stopping for piss breaks and to refuel the car.
Of course, if and when Kevin came to his senses, he'd be horrified with his first foray into criminal activity, or at least he hoped. Now though, his body was leading the way. It was like Kevin had been split in half and the rational side was locked away, while this new side apparently knew that it needed to go to the penthouse of Trump Tower.
Kevin felt as if he was no longer in control of his body, as he entered Trump Tower and went into the elevator. It was like he had been there before, his feet moving effortlessly through the penthouse, to the safe and then opening it and retrieving a rock? A rock with writing on it.
"Where do you think you're going with that?" A cultured English voice barked.
Kevin whirled around, clutching the rock to his chest. The voice that came out of him was not his own, "This is my birthright."
"Prophet." The man scoffed. "Wonderful."
The man's eyes were red covering both the white of the eye as well as the pupil. The only rational thing Kevin could do was scream.
"Guess, you didn't get the memo, Crowley." A new voice said. "New York City is demon free."
"Oh, Whitman, if you believe that you're stupider then you look," Crowley laughed.
"Kid, duck."
Kevin immediately hit the floor as the man Crowley called Whitman aimed and fired at the demon. The demon took the hit to the shoulder stumbling back a pace.
"You shot me?" Crowley demanded, sounding offended.
The moment Kevin heard the gunshot was the moment that he was back in control of his body. Kevin scrambled gracelessly to his feet and ran under the new arrival's arm and into the hallway, cradling the rock to his chest. He noticed a thick line of salt on the ground, which was strange but he didn't pause to dwell on it.
"Whoa, hold on, kid," A different man ordered.
Instead of listening to the order, Kevin threw an arm out knocking the next guy off his feet as he scrambled away and into the arms of another person. One who was laughing.
"Way to get knocked down by a civilian, Alex," The new voice laughed.
"Shut up, Darren," Alex growled.
"Stop!" Kevin pleaded. "Leave me alone!"
"Who the hell are you?" The one called Alex asked.
"I'm K-Kevin Tran. I'm in advanced placement. Please don't kill me."
"Just calm down, kid," The one holding him soothed. "No one here wants to hurt you."
To prove his point Darren released the prophet, stepping back with his hands outstretched in a see-I'm-harmless gesture. Alex moved to take the stone, but Kevin stepped to the side, avoiding his hand.
"I don't know why, but I'm not letting this go," Kevin stated.
Both Alex and Darren exchanged glances seemingly at a loss.
"Boys," The man who shot the demon ordered. "Let's go."
"He's not giving it up," The younger of the two told the older.
"We'll deal with it later," The man said. "All of you, let's go. The salt won't hold the demons off for long."
The three men quickly fell into step and made it halfway down the hall before the ringleader seemed to realize that Kevin had yet to move.
"Listen, kid, I bet you're new to this whole thing but we're the good guys. You stay here and the demons will tear you apart. I mean that literally. Come with us. If you don't want to stay after that you're free to go."
Seeing no other option, Kevin followed after the three men. Kevin was having a hard time wrapping his mind around all this. In fact, this whole day had been perplexing. He had a death grip on this weird rock, there were demons, and he had seen someone get shot. The men walked quickly out of the building and immediately headed into the subway system.
"The subways are the safest place in the city," The eldest man stated. "They're lined with Devil's traps, if a demon enters one it can't get out."
"This is crazy," Kevin gaped.
"Crazy is our business, son," The man grinned. "The names Charles. These are my boys: Alex and Darren."
The two men standing slightly behind Charles waved. Now that his life wasn't in immediate danger, he could see the family resemblance.
"It's a lot to take in at once," Charles soothed.
"I should be getting home," Kevin mumbled.
"Afraid that ain't much of an option," Charles sighed. "You got demons on your tail. You'll lead them straight back to your home. That's not something you want to do."
Once again Kevin followed after the Whitman's as they stepped onto one of the subway lines and rode it a few stops. When the train stopped near Grand Central, they all got off. Kevin was nearly startled out of his skin when two women fell into step with them.
"Crowley's back," Charles said to the older woman.
"We should get off this island, then," The woman sighed. "Bennett's are a few yards back. Maybe they can fly back with the prophet, let us lead the demon's on a merry chase."
"Works for me," Charles stated.
He stopped walking, which made the others stop walking. Before Kevin could ask about what was going on, and who all these people were, Charles let out a shrill whistle. Three more people approached; eyes wary.
"Kevin meet Bellamy, Fiona, and Rowan Bennett," Charles introduced. "They're friends. They'll keep you safe."
"Okay," Kevin mumbled, overwhelmed.
"Fly back to Bobby's, keep your eyes open," Charles ordered. "Demons know that there is a prophet in play."
"You got it," Bellamy said.
Within forty-eight hours Kevin Tran's life had changed dramatically. He'd stolen a car, gone to New York City, seen someone get shot, and then traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota with people who claim to be the only ones to keep him safe. His mother had to have gotten home from her business trip by now, he hoped that she wasn't too worried about him.
Sitting on the couch in a room surrounded by books. There were people all over the place. The Bennett's that he had traveled with, the Whitman's who had pulled up only an hour ago, two black women: Natasha Colson and Missouri Moseley, and then two white women Jo and Ellen Harvelle. It was a blur of names and Kevin honestly was having trouble keeping track of who was who. With the exception of Bobby, the man whose house this was. The moment Kevin walked up to Bobby's porch steps the man had pounced on all four of them, handing them a flask.
"It's Holy Water," Bellamy explained after taking a swig. "Demons can't drink it."
"Most demons," Rowan corrected.
"Thanks, Ro," Bellamy rolled his eyes. "The demons who are unaffected by holy water aren't anything you have to worry about. If one's gunning for you, you'll be dead way before you can be protected."
"Comforting," Kevin whispered, taking a sip of the water, it tasted like normal water.
Once they had passed that test, they had to grasp a silver knife, apparently, some supernatural entities couldn't stand silver. Then they had been invited into the house. It seemed like a normal house, with a layer of dust and books seemingly littering every flat surface.
"You'll be safe here," Bobby Singer said. "The whole grounds are protected. You think I can take a look at that stone."
Kevin took it out of his messenger bag, where it had been a comforting weight. When he grabbed it to hand it over, the rock didn't want to leave his grasp.
Bobby sensed Kevin's hesitation and shrugged, "You can keep it, kid."
"Meredith, you said you gave the demon's the run around?" Bobby questioned.
"They're currently looking for our prophet friend in California," Meredith said. "That should buy us some time, at least. We may have to let the New York City hunters know that their security measures are failing."
The door to the house flew open which startled Kevin so much that he nearly fell off the couch. Standing in the doorway was a small woman, her chestnut brown hair was piled on top of her head. She was wearing an AC/DC shirt underneath a flannel shirt and jeans.
"Hailey Winchester!" Bobby scolded. "There a reason you're slamming doors in my house?"
"Sorry, Bobby, I gotta pee."
It seemed despite himself, Bobby smiled shaking his head as the youngest Winchester darted up the stairs. The rest of the Winchesters came into the house a few moments later.
"I told her not to drink that big gulp," Dean shook his head. "Stubborn brat."
"A stubborn Winchester?" Bobby scoffed. "A rarity."
"They don't have to drink Holy Water?" Kevin asked.
"It's in the pipes," Bobby said. "The house is lined with salt and iron; demons can't pass through. It's fine. Frowned upon, but Winchester's don't like rules much."
"It's in the family crest," Aiden laughed.
Kevin was realizing that he was wading into a world he knew nothing about. To all these people it seemed like it was just another day in the life. Meanwhile Kevin's own was falling apart. The things we once held dear and thought were important were fleeting. It was humbling. Terrifying.
"It's okay," Aiden whispered.
The tallest Winchester had closed the distance between himself and the prophet. The kid turned to look at him, questioningly.
"I know it's a lot to take in at once," Aiden explained. "We're all here to help."
"Is it always like this?"
"No," Aiden sighed. "We didn't even know that prophets were a thing until you."
"I'm the first?"
"The first one we're aware of outside of the Bible, yeah. If it makes you feel any better a lot of this stuff is new to us."
"Will demons know who I am? Is my mom in danger?"
"Probably not but we can get hunters to keep an eye on her. She's probably worried."
"Worried and pissed, this isn't really star college applicant behavior."
"I got into Stanford while being dragged all over the place, I'm sure you'll be okay. If anything it'll be a hell of an admissions essay."
Kevin let out a surprised laugh, feeling relaxed for the first time in days.
"I'm Aiden, by the way. Those are my brothers Sam and Dean and my parents, John and Mary."
"So you guys do this for a living?"
"More or less," Aiden shrugged. "Most people who get into the life had something happen to them, a brush with the supernatural after that nothing goes back to normal."
"Once you know what's really out there," Hailey explained, having come back downstairs, "it's really difficult to pretend you don't."
"This is insane," Kevin whispered.
Hailey smiled then but it was not a nice smile, it was more a baring of teeth than a grin, "Sweetheart, you don't know the half of it."
"Hay," Aiden scolded. "No need to traumatize the kid."
It was at that moment that John Winchester did what he did best, take control of the situation. He walked to the middle of the room, glancing at everyone assembled before taking a deep breath.
"So we have a prophet, complete with word of god," John began. "Demons know he exists; he is also a minor runaway."
"Demons think he's in California," Bobby said. "Hunters are going to check in on the mother. We can keep his disappearance on the down low."
"Well that's good," John mused.
"He also won't let go of the rock," Alex stated.
"It's a tablet," Darren corrected.
"Either way, smart-ass, he's not letting it go."
"You can't read it anyway," Kevin said.
If the others in the room took note of the prophet's tone, they chose to ignore it.
"Can you?" John asked.
"Kind of?" Kevin replied. "Not easily, it kind of hurts. Like reading through someone else's glasses. It talks about Lucifer's fall from grace, the creation of demons, and purgatory."
Before anyone could comment the lights began to flicker. A wind picked up and multiple lamps broke.
"What's going on, Bobby?" John asked.
Five people, dressed in suits with glowing blue eyes appeared in the threshold of Bobby's study. Everyone jumped back.
"Step away from the prophet!" One shouted
"Hold on one second, lady," John began.
The woman spared the Winchester patriarch a look before looking past him and looking toward Kevin.
"Sole keeper of the word on earth, come with us."
"I beg your pardon?"
The woman, who was obviously the leader took a step forward, looking to go toward Kevin when a bright white light engulfed the room. When the light faded the group was gone.
John looked around in confusion before seeing his daughter crouching on the ground. Her hand was bleeding, a sloppily drawn sigil was in front of her.
"What on earth?" John demanded.
"Angel banishing sigil," Hailey explained. "We can't trust the angels. The fact that they found Kevin isn't ideal."
"It must be when he tried to read the tablet," Aiden guessed. "Since he traveled from New York City to here without them knowing."
"We need to move, that may have banished the angels to the outfield but it won't keep them down for long."
