Hey guys, glad you're still with me on this. We're on chapter 8 now and quickly approaching the climax.
Chapter 8
Heidi was used to phone calls in the dead of night. She was used to shady people knocking at her doors at all hours, getting her out of bed and demanding her help. It had been happening for twenty-five years, since the night a stranger had stumbled into her small clinic, bleeding from wounds that seemed to have been made by some bloodthirsty monster. Which, Heidi was to find out later that night, they had been. From there to becoming the hunters' go-to physician, the one who patched them up and asked no questions – because, she really did not want to know – it seemed a normal, expected step.
That night, Heidi was curled up with her collection of 90's paranormal series and her bottle of wine, trying not to think how, if things had been different twenty-five years back, if she had not had the veil pulled so ruthlessly from her eyes, she would be spending her night somewhere else. In a comfortable house, with a husband by her side and children sleeping in the other room. Those that associated themselves with hunters rarely were allowed the luxuries of families. What man could she trust to understand her side business and tolerate the occasional house call in the middle of the night?
When the call came, Heidi almost wondered if she should not ignore it. Damned Hunters, she thought. Let them fend for themselves for once. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Find someone else to pester at all hours? Most didn't even pay for her services and she had to make sure she was well stocked out of her own pocket. Medical supplies were expensive and some of the things she was getting could draw unwanted attention. Maybe, she told herself, maybe it was time to retire. Send a clear message that she was no longer reliable. No longer useful.
But the protection sigils drawn against her door, the spells and prayers the Hunters traded with her, always making sure she was safe, paying her back in the only way they could, kept her in place. One of them could be dying right now. Maybe even one she knew – although no one she would call a friend, Hunters did not make good friends. She could not just turn her back on these people. They were fighting in the shadows, unknown by anyone, keeping the rest of the world safe. And Heidi was doing her part.
"What's the emergency?"
The voice at the end was hesitant and a little anxious, as if he was not really sure of what he was doing. A novice.
"This is…erm…this is Vilho Tahtinen's adopted son…"
"Elias?"
She had heard him, of course. She did not exactly live in a cave. The Apostles of Shadow were big in Finland, you could not switch on a radio station without stumbling over one of their songs. Heidi had always considered Elias somewhat of an anomaly. Deeply embroiled in the Hunting world and yet definitely not a part of it. Capable of leading a normal life. Not anymore, Heidi thought, otherwise he would not have been calling her.
"Is Vilho alright?" she asked cautiously.
"As far as I know, he's fine. But…I need your help. It's about two guys in a…in a sort of a coma, I suppose. I need you to keep their bodies alive until we can bring them back."
Who's we? Heidi nearly asked, but then she reminded herself about her policy of demanding no explanations. Still, there was something even she could not ignore.
"What do you mean back? Back from where?"
"Tuonela," Elias answered steadily. "It's a long story."
Heidi glanced at the nearly empty bottle of wine. Yeah, she definitely should have heeded that little voice that had told her not to answer the phone that night.
xxxXXXxxxx
Dean pulled Sam aside as soon as he could. He sensed that Sam had a million questions about the place they were in and what was happening there, but Dean had other things on his mind just then. He eyed Sam critically. His brother looked all right, if a little winded, but Dean could sense he knew things were not going exactly smoothly for them
"Piru has our souls," Dean told him. "At least I think it's Piru."
Sam nodded quickly.
"That's what I thought. Are you all right?"
Dean shrugged.
"Oh, you know. Shooting hiidet always gets my blood pumping. What about you? How did you stumble over Mielikki?"
Sam shrugged.
"Good luck?" he tried half-heartedly.
Dean stared Sam down. By now, he knew his brother enough to figure out when Sam was avoiding a question and he had a pretty good idea as to why.
"You hurt?"
Sam avoided his eyes and Dean had to keep himself from grinning. Bingo!
"Some hiidet knocked me out. But we've got bigger problems anyway."
Dean decided to let it slide for now. After all, Sam was standing on his own. Of course, Sam had once covered some considerable distance with a bullet in him, so that did not really say much about his well-being.
"Mielikki told me something interesting," Sam said changing the subject. "About…well, about Elias."
Dean sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Yeah, Pekka broke the news to me. I gotta say, that's a little awkward."
Sam shook his head.
"What are we gonna do about it, Dean?"
Pretend it never happened, Dean thought. But, then again, that never worked for the two of them, so why would it work on anyone else?
"What do you want to do?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged.
"Part of me thinks Elias has a right to know. The other part tells me he's better off not knowing."
Dean clapped Sam on the shoulders.
"Listen to that other part. That's your smart side."
Sam grimaced.
"Dean, there might be others who know. Don't you think Elias would rather hear it from us?"
"I think he would rather not hear it at all, Sam. His family history's already messed up as it is. Add Mielikki to the mix…"
"He's technically a half-god, Dean," Sam pointed out patiently.
Dean waved that aside.
"Well, some of his fanbase already think he's a full-fledged god so I'd say this actually demotes him."
"What if some crazy hunter out there finds out?" Sam insisted. "Or the British Men of Letters? Hell, we've had Ketch looking into things. Elias should take precautions."
Dean rolled his eyes.
"Sam, the man stands on a stage lots of times in front of thousands of people. Unless you want to suggest he plays the keyboard dressed in medieval armor – I'd say there aren't a lot of precautions he can take."
Sam leaned against the wall.
"So…say nothing? Is that what you want?"
Dean hesitated. Secrets always came back to bite you. He had learned that the hard way and he already thought he was a bad influence on most people he met.
"Let's just focus on getting out of here," he said at length. "Which means breaking free of whatever enchantment Piru has on us."
Sam was about to say something else. Pekka's arrival kept him quiet.
"I've been looking all over for you," he said. "There's something I have to show you. Come on."
He left without waiting to see if they were going to follow him. Sam looked at Dean who shrugged his shoulders.
"Let's go see what the dead guy has to say," Dean muttered.
He followed Pekka, Sam falling into step beside him.
xxxXXXxxxx
Heidi looked down at the two young men hooked up to IVs and monitors and wondered not for the very first time what made people choose such a life. She had no idea who they were. Elias had told her they were brothers and referred to them as Sam and Dean, but Heidi had no idea if those were their real names, and she did not see much point in asking. She had seen some of their scars as she had looked them over, and she knew they should have been dead many times. In such cases, why keep doing it? Why keep coming back for more? The question depressed her in spite of herself. She had to remind herself more than once of her vow to stay detached and removed from this mess.
"Will they be all right?" Elias asked.
They're unconscious and not responding in any way and you just told me they did this to get to the realm of the dead which may or may not exist. Which part of this sounds all right to you? Heidi bit back the sarcastic retort. Now was not the time for it.
"I can keep them alive, yes. What they drank just took them under. I don't know for how long, though – or whether I can even wake them up without help."
"You just do what you can," Elias told her.
"Why?" Heidi could not stop herself from asking. "What are they to you?"
"They're friends," Elias answered flatly. "And they've saved the world. More than once."
Heidi had been right. It had been better not to ask.
"I'll do my best to keep them alive," she repeated. "But, in the meantime, you should figure out how to bring them back."
Elias nodded.
"I have some ideas – but I have to go."
Heidi could sense his hesitation and she could not blame him. After all, he did not know her, did he?
"They're in good hands," she promised. "You just do what you need to do."
After Elias left, Heidi promised to herself this job would be her last. She could not keep doing this. She was getting too involved.
xxxXXXxxxx
Sam and Dean followed Pekka down a long winding stair leading underground beneath the fortress. Mielikki was not with them.
"She's busy with plans of her own," Pekka said when Sam brought her up. "In the meanwhile, I need your help."
He led them down a long corridor to a small room and stepped aside for them to enter. He then pushed the door closed. They heard the unmistakable sound of a key turning in the lock.
"What the hell?" Dean muttered, rushing to the door and trying to open it.
The door would not move. Dean banged against it, shouting.
"Hey! Pekka, what's your game?"
He heard the other's hesitation from beyond the door.
"Sorry, Dean," Pekka said and he did sound regretful. "I could use a man like you around here. But the fact remains that others have uses for you too and they take priority."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked. "Who are you working for? Lempo?"
Pekka snorted.
"Most definitely not. Lempo had me killed."
"Well, it's obviously not Mielikki," Sam said. "I thought it was."
"No, see Mielikki got me killed. She's not as responsible as Lempo who ordered the hit, but I don't really have much faith in her abilities right now. She's in over her head. You all are."
"So you've decided to what?" Dean prompted. "You were trying to trick me from the start. Which side are you on?"
"No one, Dean's," Pekka answered. "The dead are on no one's side but their own. However, I will admit to a temporary and mutually beneficial alliance with Piru."
Dean swore.
"You're making a huge mistake, man."
"Piru will be here soon. I'll try to persuade him not to hurt you more than necessary. I'm not doing this because I like it, Dean. Lempo needs to be stopped."
"And we're gonna stop him," Sam tried to assure Pekka. "But you've got to let us out."
But Pekka was already moving away. Dean banged his hand against the door one last time, more to find an outlet for his anger than anything else.
"Great," he muttered. "Just great. Piru probably had this planned all along."
Sam said nothing. He remembered now that the first to mention Tuonela to him had been Piru. He wondered uneasily if, by deciding to come here, Sam had not been playing into his hands from the get go.
xxxXXXxxxx
Several hours passed. Sam and Dean were sitting next to each other in the small cell, their shoulders touching. They had not said much since Pekka's revelation.
"You couldn't have known, you know," Sam told Dean at one point. "When you met Pekka. You couldn't have known he was not to be trusted."
Dean gave a self-deprecating snort.
"Never trust dead people, Sam. That's a cardinal rule of hunting, you know."
Sam leaned his head against the wall. He wished he had something to help him tell how much time had passed since Pekka had locked them in. The feeling of being locked up in a small cell was unnerving. It brought too many memories he did not want to think about.
"Maybe we can strike a deal with him," he said. "With Piru, I mean."
Dean rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, cause that went so well the last time. Sam, he has all the cards. I mean, he has our friggin souls. What do we have?"
Footsteps sounded outside and the door opened. Sam and Dean sprang up, tense and alert. Piru walked in. Pekka was there, too, but he stopped in the threshold, refusing to look at the brothers. Dean scoffed.
"Fancy meeting you here."
Piru smirked.
"Dean, you're still the same as ever. You haven't changed one bit. Still the same irreverent, in your face attitude. Never learn, do you?"
"What's to learn?" Dean challenged.
"Give us back control of our souls," Sam urged. "And maybe we'll be willing to talk."
Piru tilted his head.
"You know, considering you are the people who tried to imprison me, then nearly got me killed, however indirectly, you make a lot of demands. Sorry, boys, game over. Your souls are mine. And this time, Dean, you don't have a Rubik's cube to throw at me."
"I might have other things to throw at you, though," Dean insisted. "Just come closer, then we'll see who wins."
Piru rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
"Boys, boys, boys," he said almost regretfully. "I don't think you've quite grasped the gravity of your situation – or the futility of trying to defy me. I'm the last person you can defy right now. I think a lesson is in order, don't you, Sam? Dean?"
His hands clenched into fists. Sam suddenly gasped, feeling a searing pain in his chest. He tried to draw a deep breath, but found out he couldn't. He fell to his knees, head bent. Besides him, he heard Dean's groan of pain. He tried to lift his head to check on his brother, but the ache in his chest was now all consuming. Dimly, he felt Piru standing above them.
"I own your souls, boys," he said coldly. "It means I can do whatever I want with them. I can give you pain the likes of which you've never heard before, and yes, I do know the kind of pain you've experienced, so that should be saying something. You try to defy me again, try to deny that I'm the one in charge right now and believe me your stints in hell are going to feel like a kindergarten party compared to what I'll have in store for you. So don't test me. Do as I say and I might – I just might release you when all this is over."
Well, well, things are looking pretty grim for the brothers right now. Tune in next Sunday for chapter 9 :)