Seven Devils

Chapter 5 / Country roads

"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

— Book of Revelation 20:10

Marlene instantly pushed against the door to shut it into the demon's muzzle, but the creature had managed to slide a leg through. She3 wasn't strong enough to hold against it, and soon the door flew open again, and Marley backed as far away from the door as possible.

The demon hovered in the entrance, taking a languid look around the small motel room while Marlene was glaring daggers at it, her entire body shaking from fear. The dusts she had made were in the bag — she could run towards it and get them if she was quick, but...

"Hi," the demon greeted. It was a woman, from what Marlene could tell, in her middle twenties, wearing a leather jacket. She looked very petite, too petite to possess such strength. But then again, she wasn't human, "Sorry for the whole tough act. May I plead my case before you try and fail to kill me? Okay, great."

Marley stepped further back when the girl walked inside the room and closed the door. One more nail in the coffin.

"I'm Ruby," the demon introduced herself, "And you must be Marlene?"

"What do you want?"

Ruby's face was contorted with annoyance, "Jesus, why do people always think I have some malicious agenda?"

"You're a demon," Marlene deadpanned.

"Stereotypes are racist," Ruby's eyes fell on the leftover nachos on the table. She popped one into her mouth, the crunch slicing through in the heavy silence, "I'm here to help you."

"How did you find me?"

"Oh, sorry, were you trying to be discreet?" the demon mocked haughtily, "I've been following you since Delaware. You really should've stuck with cash, Marley."

"Don't call me — "

"Look, Lilith is after you and she won't stop until she gets what she wants. And what she wants is to set Lucifer free and deliver you to him on a silver platter, apple in mouth."

"And you don't want that to happen?" Marley asked sceptically, eyes narrowed.

"As a matter of fact, I don't."

She moved a little closer to the bag that was sitting just on the corner of the bed. "And why is that?"

"Because I'm happy with the current state of things. I like stability, you know? Plus, you're not the only one the psycho bitch is after," she dipped another nacho chip in the guacamole and ate it.

Marlene halted, brows twitching together, "Why would she be after you?"

"Oh, well," Ruby drawled nonchalantly, "There's the little matter of my fraternising with the Winchesters. Don't look so shocked, Marley, the boys are quite popular. In fact," she lowered her voice, lips stretching into a smirk, "I can just bet that you're looking for them."

Marlene let out a measured breath, willing her heart to stop beating like she was in the middle of a freaking Olympian marathon. She needed to be collected, calculative — the bag was almost within her reach, just a little more stalling...

"And I can help you find them," Ruby said, her black eyes wide and burning with passion, "You and Sam together? Hell will quake before your power. None of them stand a chance."

Marlene hit the footboard of the bed, "So that's it then," she all but whispered, voice shaking, "you want Lilith dead too?"

"Yes," Ruby replied, "She can't break the last seal if she's dead."

"Is it even possible?" Marlene turned to face the demon, one of her hands deftly slipping behind into the beg, "To kill her?"

"It is. I taught Sam how to do it, and soon he'll be strong enough to take her on," Marley fumbled around in the bag until she felt the sleek surface of a plastic pouch, "I could teach you, too."

She fisted it, hand trembling. There was a good chance it wouldn't work, but the only other option was the poorly sanctified water, so the odds weren't really in her favour in any case. Ruby was swanning around the room, all swagger and misplaced confidence. She had Sam Winchester wrapped around her little finger and thought that she could do the same with Marlene, the demonic Mother Theresa.

Stereotypes my ass.

"You said you could help me find them," Marley managed to say, squeezing the plastic pouch in her palm, "You know where they are?"

"I mean I could easily find out. I'm sure Sam's missed me."

Ah, Marlene mentally gagged.

"Great," she said in a cheerful voice, the slight tremble in it betraying her panic, "T-that's great. Well...if Sam trusts you, I don't see why I can't."

Because I'm not an idiot, she thought to herself. And he called himself a hunter? God, men were so easily manipulated, wether it be by women, demons or one in the same. Especially one in the same.

Ruby smiled, "Oh, Marley, if everyone was as agreeable as you," she intoned sweetly, "They'd be shitty liars."

The demon launched herself forward, caging Marlene at the footboard of the bed before she could dart away. Ruby's mutilated face was so close to hers, Marley had to turn her head to the side just to avoid looking at it.

It was then that she felt something sharp pointing at her stomach.

"I really hoped we could be friends," Ruby whispered, her mouth curled into a smile that was awfully reminiscent of a snarl, "Would've been nice to have another girl around. Way too much testosterone," she jerked her chin towards Marley's hand, "This is not cool. I'm just trying to help you, okay? Lilith's grunts are out there, waiting to get their hands on you. I'm sure you've seen them, their true faces. Like you now see mine. Do you think I enjoyed it when they turned me into this? When they tortured me?" Ruby seethed, "Lilith will pay for it. They all will," she pushed the blade a little further, making Marlene whimper, "So, drop it, Marley. Drop it or I swear I'll stick this blade right into your heart before you can even think of using whatever girl scout gewgaw you got there."

"Al-alright," Marlene stuttered in a broken whisper, feeling the powdery substance spill into her palm, "Alright, just..." slowly, she relaxed her hand...then shot it up to her face and blew the green powder right into Ruby's ugly mug, whispering the short incantation.

Marley hadn't known what effect the concoction would have, but boy did it not disappoint. The demon recoiled with a shriek, steam coming off her skin where red, angry ulcers began to bloom. The blade fell out of her hands, and Marlene was able to escape.

How?...Frozen with shock, she only came to her senses when Ruby raised her black eyes at her. They screamed bloody murder. "W-what did you do?"

Marley stumbled back towards the door, "I'm s-sorry, I..." she grabbed her bag from the bed, snatched the laptop from the table and stormed out of the motel room.

"Oh, no, you don't..." Marley heard Ruby growl.

She ran faster. The car's headlights flashed in the distance when she unlocked it, the demon's laboured breathing pressing her to quicken her pace. Finally reaching the Toyota, Marley hauled the door open with a panicked glance at Ruby and jumped into the driver's seat.

"Come on, come on..." she quickly locked the doors and was about to start the car when the freaking keys fell from her trembling hands. "Fuck!" Marley yelled. She shot a look at Ruby — Ruby she crossing the parking lot, having almost regained her strength.

Marlene reached down for the keys and fumbled with them before finally sticking the right one into the ignition switch. The demon was in full sprint now, and with a single look at her pissed off face, Marley slammed on the gas, leaving Ruby behind, in a cloud of dust.

𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐

The I-90 highway stretched for miles, disappearing into the starless abyss of the twilight. Only an occasional street lamp lit the road, the asphalt dark after the pouring rain that had now turned into a slight drizzle. The earthy smell of petrichor was still hanging in the crisp air, refreshing against the quiet night.

A red car was stopped in the middle of the deserted road, droplets of rain glimmering like magic dust as the fell down, caught in the headlights. And next to the car stood a girl.

She was the only thing disturbing the nocturne idyll.

"Castiel!" Marlene yelled for what seemed like a hundredth time. She was pacing circles around her car, head jerked towards the sky, "Castiel! For Christ's sake, why do you angels never show up when I actually need you? Ever thought about changing your provider? Or do you just enjoy the element of surprise?"

Marley's Yale sweater was completely soaked through, and the cool night air was doing little to keep her warm. The humidity made her hair a frizzy mess, some strands so wet they hung down her shoulders like icicles. Damn, she should've packed a coat. Oh, wait, they were all back in her apartment. In freaking New-Haven.

Cold, helpless and exhausted, Marlene leaned against the hood of her car and sighed, "Look, I had the crappiest day today. And yeah, I know I've been saying it about every day lately, but this one is the runner-up. I...I don't know what I'm doing. God, I'm so out of my depth here, aren't I? By the way, is it okay for me to say "God" like that? He must be just Dad to you. Huh, it's funny," she let out a humourless chuckle, "Gabriel told me that fathers usually suck. Does your father suck? Shit, isn't this blasphemous? Am I going to Hell for this? Oh wait, no, I'm not. Cause I'm going straight to the great unknown," Marley sang out in her best Disney princess voice, "The curse and all, you know? You probably do. All of you winged menaces do. But you're not a menace, are you? Cause if you are, that's a very bad thing I've just told you — " her desperate self-destructive Shakespearean monologue was cut short by the rustle of wings.

Marlene whipped around and saw Castiel looking very mysterious under the street lights. He just stood there, unmoving and unspeaking, rain drizzling down his trench coat — good thing they weren't in a park, or pigeons would definitely crap all over him.

"Glad you picked up," she spoke first to break the tension. But the angel appeared even more grim than the last time she'd seen him, "So did you talk to them? Talk to Sam Winchester?" Marley pressed, "Because I...I think he's in danger, Castiel. There's a demon — "

"I know what you are." Castiel cut her off. His blue eyes bore no trace of kindness as he said it, voice cold and unwavering. He looked uncomfortable.

Marley felt herself flinch. "Yeah?" she breathed, looking much calmer than she actually felt. He wouldn't hurt her, would he? "And what is it?"

"You are an abomination." The way Castiel said it wasn't malicious or accusatory. He was completely emotionless, simply stating a fact, "Your existence in unnatural. Unholy."

Marlene's brows shot up. She huffed out a surprised laugh, "Wow, okay. Is that why you answered my call? Just to, what, get it off your chest?" Panic was slowly crawling up her back, its claws making Marley's hair stand on end, "Or are you here to finish what your friends have started? Because I'm sure it can wait until the world is not on the brink of the Armageddon."

Castiel's shoulders slacked. "You must return home, Marlene. This fight is not yours to fight," he told her impassively, but there was a shadow of hesitation cast over his face.

"Does Sam Winchester know?" Castiel stayed silent, looking askance, "Does he know?"

"He knows what needs to be done."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Castiel was about to answer, but something else snatched his attention. He tilted his head slightly up, face contemplative as though he was receiving a message. A single moment passed before the angel sent Marlene a foreboding look and...disappeared.

Marley blinked."Are you kidding me?" she whispered, staring at the now empty spot under the street lamp.

Now what?

𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐

Des Moines, Iowa

There were exactly 35 men by the name of Robert Singer in the United States. 10 of them had died in the past twenty years, 2 were in prison, seven hadn't yet reached the majority, and three were 75 or older. Which left 13 perfectly suitable phone numbers and addresses that could just belong to the man Dean Winchester had told her to contact.

Marlene was sitting in a small diner, a plate of half-eaten waffles with extra whipped cream and the laptop in front of her. With a martyred sigh, she dialled yet another number only to drone the same opening line. Marley had felt very excited about it the first few times. Now, though, she was becoming increasingly discouraged. And bored.

"Hi, is this Robert Singer?" she was doodling a random sigil in her notebook, "Oh, great! Um, Dean Winchester said you could help me — you don't know him? Alright. Well, thanks, have a — " the man hung up. Marlene pursed her lips in annoyance and crossed the number out, "Douchebag," she muttered and sent a piled forkful of waffles into her mouth.

Before her lay a list of 13 contacts, twelve of which Marley had successfully discarded. She had put a question mark next to the ninth, though — the phone number was out of service, which was better than a hard 'no' in the best case and a poem of sweet cuss words in the worst. No, Robert Singer from Palo Alto did not know any Dean Winchester.

But Marlene had no other leads and nowhere to go, so the mysterious phone number and a possibly nonexistent address sparked a little hope in her. That maybe all of this wasn't for nothing and she would finally meet the infamous Winchesters, warn them about Lilith and smack the younger one on the head for being so stupid. Marley hadn't been in the game for long, but even she knew how foolish it was to trust a demon. But there was something else she couldn't stop thinking about. Ruby'd said that she "taught" Sam how to kill Lilith. Marley was pretty sure there wasn't a crash-course on killing demons, so what had she meant by that?

She'd meant to ask Castiel about it, but their conversation hadn't exactly gone as planned. It had left her in a very curious mood, though. Since there was very little to do on the road other than overthink, Marley had spent an entire ride to Des Moines — an absolutely random destination (she had literally pointed to it on the map, eyes closed) — replaying the exchange in her head. The shift in Castiel's entire demeanour had been impossible not to notice. When Marlene first met the angel, he had seemed eager, involved, preoccupied. The previous day, though, he had just looked...resigned. A a feeling Marlene was all too familiar with.

"He knows what needs to be done", was Castiel's ominous reply when she'd asked him about Sam. Maybe Marley was paranoid, but that didn't sound all that reassuring. As in, at all.

"Anythin' else, sweetheart?" a waitress asked, taking her empty plate away; the waffles had been completely obliterated.

"Thank you. Just a check, please."

"...The body found near West River, New-Haven, belongs to a Yale University student, Theresa Armitage, 25 years of age..."

Marlene's head snapped up to the TV and her entire body went numb at what she saw. And what she saw was Tessa smiling at her from the screen in the same photo used in the obituary.

"Initially ruled as suicide by the police, new details have emerged that suggest the possibility of foul play. According to the New Haven Police Department, signs of struggle were found in the apartment that the victim, Theresa Armitage, shared with her friend, Marlene Ter-Gabrielyan, a fellow student."

Marley almost dropped her beg when her graduation photo popped up on the screen. She was smiling at the camera, showing off the hard-earned Bachlor's diploma, her dark hair streaked with blonde highlights.

"Marlene Ter-Gabrielyan has been reported missing two days ago by a mutual friend, Maddock Roman," Maddock's beardless face appeared on the TV, a picture of an older man appearing next to it, "Nephew of a businessman and politician Richard Roman, head of the Roman Enterprises..."

"Maddock, you idiot," Marley muttered. She began hurriedly collecting all her stuff, eyes still glued to the news.

"Marlene was last spotted at a gas station in Waterloo, Iowa a day ago, wearing a red sweater, blue jeans and a Yale baseball cap..." A pixilated picture from the CCTV cameras was shown, her figure circled with red. It then morphed into the previous graduation photo. "If you have any information regarding the case or Marlene Ter-Gabrielyan and her whereabouts, please contact the New Haven Police Department at..."

Marlene threw a ten dollar bill on the table and met the eyes of the waitress. Apparently, she, too, had been watching the news report. The woman looked at the TV, then back at Marley, frozen in confusion.

"Thank for your service," Marlene blurted out and rushed out of the diner. She could feel people's curious stares on her, whispers buzzing at the tables.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whispered frantically, face hot as she spilled out of the diner and into the empty parking lot. That was bad. Really, really bad. How long had she been on the news? Fucking Maddock. Why did he need to be such a good friend all the time? God, it was scorching hot.

Marley took out a toy water gun from her bag. She had bought it at a gas station, having had a sudden bout of enlightenment, and had filled the plastic weapon with holy water. She had figured it would be much easier to use that way. Though it might've looked like she was going to a ten-year-old's pool party.

Clutching the gun in her right hand, Marlene swept the parking lot with shrewd eyes, noticing two new arrivals: a blue sedan and a black Chevy truck that was so dirty it looked crusty and grey. She never trusted people driving dirty trucks, a sentiment that was developing right in that very moment.

The driver's window was rolled down, and Marlene stepped a little closer to try and catch his reflection in the wing mirror...

"Shit," she cussed, noticing the black of his eyes. Thankfully, the demon hadn't noticed her yet, and Marlene started walking to her own car — fast — constantly looking back at the black Chevy. Was that a coincidence? Or had they been on her trail this entire time?

"Miss — "

Marley raised the gun and pulled the trigger a dozen times before realising that it wasn't a demon. A very wet-faced waitress from the diner was standing before her.

Marley flinched from embarrassment, "I'm so sorry..."

"T-that's okay," the woman blinked away the water and handed something to Marlene. It was her notebook, "You left this at the table. Thought you'd need it."

"Wow, thank you...Again, I'm so sorry for — "

The waitress shrugged it off with a smile, "That's alright. It was kind of refreshing, really, what with all the heat."

Marley laughed and put the notepad back in the bag, "Thank you so much for taking the trouble."

"It's nothin'."

She reached to open the door of the car —

"What do we have here, huh?"

The demon Marlene'd spotted in the Chevy truck, a lanky redneck, was closing in on her with a friend by his side, a bulky bearded man in a leather vest, a full sistine chapel tattooed on his bare arms. Struck by panic, Marley glanced at her car and then at Allison. She couldn't just leave her here, "You need to run," she told her. But the waitress's face was impassive, not betraying an ounce of fear.

"Don't really see what the whole racket's 'bout," the lanky one sneered looking at Marlene. She shrunk under their malicious, leering stares, cornered like a wounded animal. It took her a moment to remember that she had a weapon.

The bearded demon guffawed when Marley pointed the water gun at them, "Watcha gonna do now, girl? Play Marco Polo?"

"Marco!" the lanky one yelled out with, cackling.

"Polo my ass," his friend grinned, his beady eyes darting to the waitress, "What's with you, dollface? Not enjoyin' our company?"

When he strolled up to Allison, Marlene clutched the gun tighter, aiming it at the demon's face. "Get away from her." she warned.

"Watch your mouth," the lanky demon barked, "We can't kill you but there's plenty other ways to have fun, ain't it true, Merle?"

"You're here for me. Let her go and I'll come with you."

"Oh, you'll come with us alright," he drawled with a smug smile, "She ain't gonna live long to see it, though."

The one in the leather vest sneered at Allison, pinning her to the car, "Nothin' to say, huh?"

The waitress' face was completely blank as she stared at the demon. Was she in shock? Marley's hand holding the gun began to tremble. She couldn't allow anyone else to die because of her.

"Allison — " she began but was cut off by a sudden burst of light. Quick to react, Marlene shielded her eyes until it was gone and...

The demon's lifeless body fell to the ground, two gaping holes in place of his eyes. The second demon gaped at his friend in shock, then glared at Alisson, preparing to attack. But before he could make another move, Marlene raised her gun and pulled the trigger, showering him with holy water.

The demon screamed out in pain, but was quickly relieved of it by a single touch of Alisson's hand on his face. He landed on the ground with a dull thud.

Marley gawked at Alisson the waitress, speechless. Eyes wide from shock, she looked at the two bodies with the same gaping holes on their faces. They were most certainly dead. Was she supposed to say thank you or?...

"Safe travels, Marlene," Alisson droned, "And remember, God is always watching," her eyes glimmered a bright blue. And then she disappeared with a rustle of wings.

𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐

Who was that angel? Why had that angel not killed her on sight? Why had that angel let her go? Just when Marlene was starting to believe they were entirely untrustworthy, one of them comes and... saves her life? Why would she do that?

She had seen two men die right in before her eyes. Yes, they were demons, but before that...before, they had a life. A family, maybe, a routine job they hated, an old lady and a bottle of beer waiting for them at home.

The waitress had burned their eyes out with a single touch of her hand. Marlene knew angels were powerful — they were angels — but had never let herself wonder exactly how far that power went. She'd never thought of angels as creatures prone to violence. But Marley also supposed that everything she knew about angels no longer applied.

Perhaps, they didn't even see it as violence. Alisson's face showed no emotion when she killed those demons. It was what she had to do. A simple task. An order, perhaps. Is that how they viewed the Apocalypse? As something necessary? "Nothing personal, folks, just gonna end the world real quick".

Talk about Devine retribution.

Marlene decided to turn on the radio — her brain was getting tired of thinking, and that was coming from a Yale graduate student with a 4.0 GPA. No, she would never shut up about that.

The Vampire's Weekend's "Oxford Comma" helped Marley get her mind off of things. She rolled down the window to let some fresh air in — the conditioner had died back in Illinois, and Marlene had been suffering from the unbearable heat ever since.

The drive to Sioux Falls was the shortest she'd taken so far, and fours hours later Marley was driving past the welcome sign. She was feeling a little nervous — whatever she'd find there would either be a dead end or something Marlene wasn't quite prepared for. The suspense was kind of daunting.

Robert Singer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota's mysterious abode was a pain to find. She had to ask for directions every couple of minutes, and none of them were really helpful. Only one man in the area seemed to know what he was talking about. "Bobby's a bit of a hermit," he'd said, "Lives a bit off the beaten track, ya know? 'S got an auto repair shop, hard to miss."

It was a little past noon when Marlene arrived at the "SINGER SALVAGE YARD", driving under the big sign. The place was true to its name: it was a junk yard, filled with dozens of cars in varying states of condition, some piled upon each other like the world's worst sandwich. Marley couldn't really decide if it was abandoned or not — this Robert Singer could just be a herder like her father.

She parked her car in the clearing and walked towards the front of the blue, two-storey house. It was a bit ramshackle, windows boarded, paint peeling off the wood. But there was a nice-looking car parked right outside of it, and a loaded truck next to it.

Marlene walked up to the door and brought her hand to the shabby wood, her heart doing pirouettes with anxiety. After a minute's hesitation, she mustered the courage and finally knocked three times. That was a good amount of knocks. To alert the residents to her presence and yet not to seem bothersome. She didn't want another Robert Singer cussing her to the ends of the world.

Marlene heard voices behind the door, shuffling. It sounded like they was arguing. And then the door opened.

She could just bet the man standing in the threshold wasn't Bobby Singer. First of all, he looked too hot to have a name like that. Second, Marley recognised his perfectly chiselled features. The only thing missing was a mugshot sign.

"Hello, Dean," Marlene greeted, not without sarcasm. The older Winchester just stared at her, mouth slightly agape, looking a little stumped. He was probably trying to place her and failing miserably at it. She cracked a weary smile, "You could've just called me back."

And so they meet...

Hey guys! What do you think about the story so far? Any theories or ideas? I'd love to hear what you think!