May 27th - May 31st, 2009

Bobby had been having a really hard time coming to terms with not being able to walk again. Most days, he sat in a bathrobe and baseball cap and stared out of the window.

Sam and I watched him from his hospital room door, feeling bad that we didn't know how to help him.

Dean walked up with a large envelope in his hand. "It's been like three days now."

Sam sighed and nodded.

"We got to cheer him up. Maybe I'll give him a back rub," Dean said.

Sam shook his head. "Dean..."

Dean shrugged. "Well, what then?"

"Look..." Sam sighed. "We might have to wrap our heads around the idea that Bobby might not just bounce back this time." He paused and looked down at Dean's hand. "What's in the envelope?"

"Went to radiology," Dean said and pulled out x-rays. "Got some glamour shots." He turned them so we could see it was his chest, which showed Enochian writing carved all over his ribs. "Let's just say the doctors are baffled."

"Holy crap," Sam and I said in unison.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, well, Cass carved you guys one, too."

Ring! Ring!

Sam answered his phone, "Hello?" (...) "Castiel?"

Dean's eyes widened, and he looked down at me. "Speak of the devil."

"Uh, St. Martin's Hospital," Sam said. (...) "Why?" (...) "What are you—" (...) "Cass?" He hung up, looking confused.

A moment later, Cass walked up to us.

"Cell phone, Cass? Really?" Dean asked, "Since when do angels need to reach out and touch someone?"

"You're hidden from angels now... all angels," Cass said, "I won't be able to simply—"

"Enough foreplay," Bobby grumbled.

We all looked over at him.

"Get over here and lay your damn hands on," Bobby said, but no one moved. He looked over his shoulder to see what the holdup was. "Get healing. Now."

Cass shook his head. "I can't."

Bobby turned his chair to face Cass with a scowl. "Say again?"

Cass walked up to Bobby. "I'm cut off from Heaven and much of Heaven's power. Certain things I can do. Certain things I can't."

"You're telling me you lost your mojo just in time to get me stuck in this trap the rest of my life?" Bobby growled.

"I'm sorry," Cass said honestly.

"Shove it up your ass," Bobby said and abruptly turned back to the window.

Dean looked at Sam and me. "At least he's talking now."

Sam and I nodded.

"I heard that," Bobby snapped.

I looked up at Dean and cringed like we had been caught or something.

Cass walked back over to us. "I don't have much time. We need to talk."

Dean nodded. "Okay."

"Your plan to kill Lucifer," Cass said.

"Yeah. You want to help?" Dean asked.

Cass shook his head. "No. It's foolish. It can't be done."

"Oh." Dean scoffed. "Thanks for the support."

"But I believe I have the solution. There is someone besides Michael strong enough to take on Lucifer. Strong enough to stop the apocalypse," Cass said.

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"The one who resurrected me and put you on that airplane. The one who began everything. God," Cass said.

Sam, Dean, and I looked at each other and then back at Cass skeptically.

"I'm gonna find God," Cass said.

Dean closed the door. "God?"

"Yes," Cass said.

"God?" Dean asked.

"Yes!" Cass shouted. "He isn't in Heaven. He has to be somewhere."

"Try New Mexico. I hear he's on a tortilla," Dean said.

Cass shook his head. "No, he's not on any flatbread."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Listen, chuckles, even if there is a god, he is either dead— And that's the generous theory—"

"He is out there, Dean," Cass said.

"Or he's up and kicking and doesn't give a rat's ass about any of us," Dean said.

Cass glared at him.

Dean shrugged. "I mean, look around you, man. The world is in the toilet. We are literally at the end of days here, and he's off somewhere drinking booze out of a coconut. All right?"

Cass shook his head. "Enough. This is not a theological issue. It's strategic. With God's help, we can win."

"It's a pipe dream, Cass," Dean said.

Cass stepped closer to Dean. "I killed two angels this week... my brothers. I'm hunted. I rebelled. And I did it, all of it, for you, and you failed. You and your brother destroyed the world..."

Sam looked down ashamed.

"And I lost everything for nothing. So keep your opinions to yourself," Cass said.

"You didn't drop in just to tear us a new hole. What is it you want?" Bobby asked.

"I did come for something. An amulet," Cass said.

Bobby turned to face us. "An amulet? What kind?"

"Very rare. Very powerful," Cass said, "It burns hot in God's presence. It'll help me find him."

"A God EMF?" Sam asked.

Cass nodded.

Bobby shrugged. "Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I got nothing like that."

Cass nodded. "I know. You don't." He looked at Dean and dropped his gaze to his necklace.

"What? This?" Dean asked, grabbing the necklace Sam had given him for Christmas when they were kids.

Cass nodded. "May I borrow it?"

Dean furrowed his brow. "No."

"Dean..." Cass put his hand out. "Give it to me."

Dean was silent for a moment, thinking about it, then he sighed and removed it from his neck. "All right, I guess." He held it out, but as Cass put his hand up to take it, he pulled it back slightly. "Don't lose it."

Cass nodded and then took it.

"Great. Now I feel naked," Dean said.

"I'll be in touch," Cass said.

Dean nodded and then glanced at Sam and me, and as he did, Cass disappeared.

"When you find God, tell him to send legs!" Bobby yelled.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Bobby answered his phone, "Hello?" (...) "I can't hear you." (...) His eyes widened. "Where are you?" (...) "Colora— Colorado?" (...) "River Pass, Colorado?" (...) "Rufus? You there?" (...) "Ruf— Rufus?" He jumped and then looked over at us, worry all over his face.


On our way into River Pass, Dean pulled the car over in front of a bridge, and we stepped out. We walked up to the edge of the destroyed bridge and looked passed it to see a river below.

It was going to be difficult to get ourselves across safely. There was no way we were getting the Impala to the other side.

Dean groaned and kicked a rock over the edge. "This is the only road in or out."

Sam pulled out his phone and held it up. "No signal."

Dean nodded. "Rufus was right. Demons got this place locked down."

Sam shrugged. "Looks like we're hiking in."

Dean sighed. "And the hits just keep on coming."

We walked over to the Impala and started pulling out everything we would need for our trip. We walked around the bridge and down to the river. Luckily, it wasn't too wide, so we decided to just cross it.

Dean stepped in first and turned back. "Maddi, you go next. I want you in between us. It's pretty strong."

I nodded and stepped in. It was freezing. Plus, I was already having a hard time standing even though I was still partially on solid ground.

"You good?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I think so," I said, desperately wanting to be able to do this on my own.

Then I took another step, and I was fully standing in the water. I was seriously struggling to stay standing, let alone take another step.

"You sure?" Dean asked and put his hand out to me.

I reached my hand out to his and took another step toward him, my muscles were already on fire, and then my foot landed on an unstable rock. I slipped, but Dean stepped forward and grabbed my arm before I fell in the water and got rushed away.

"All right. All right. I got you," Dean said and held me steady.

"You keep going, I'll take her," Sam said and put his hand out to me.

I grabbed his hand, and he helped me back onto the steady ground. Dean watched for a second and then continued to the other side.

Sam knelt in front of me. "Hop on."

I sighed and climbed on. "I'm sorry."

Sam stood up. "Why are you, sorry?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I just feel like I can be a burden sometimes."

He stepped into the water and easily walked through it. "Maddi, you are not a burden. Stop."

We reached the other side, and I slid down off of his back, safely on land.

Dean held out a shotgun. "Here, take this. I don't know what we are up against. Since you've shown me you can shoot, we could use your help."

I took it, a little stunned that he was actually ready to let me be responsible enough to watch their backs.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a sheathed knife. It was the one Dad had given me. "And this. I know you asked me to hold onto it, but I think you should take it back."

I nodded and took it. "Thanks."

Dean nodded. "Just be careful." He turned toward the town. "Come on."

Eventually, we strolled into the town. It was completely torn apart like a war had blown through recently. Cars were broken into and had bullet holes in the doors. Windows on the buildings were shattered, and the town was just empty.

Every car we passed was broken and empty, but the further into the town we got, we heard a radio playing, Spirit in the Sky. We walked up to the car that was blasting the music, the engine was running. With our guns drawn, Sam opened the car door, revealing no one inside. He reached in and turned the engine off, causing the town to fall completely silent.

We continued walking. I looked up and spotted a banner hanging from a large building in the center of town. It said, Welcoming Folks to the 75th Anniversary of River Pass, Colorado's Pioneer Days. We walked by a perfectly untouched, gleaming red, classic Mustang. Dean stopped for a minute to admire it and then whistled at it before walking away.

Then we found a silver minivan in the middle of the road. It had its front windshield smashed in, there was a baby stroller next to the door and a ton of blood leading away from the van. We scanned the area, but there was no sign of life or even any bodies. Then a gun cocked behind us.

Dean whipped around, holding his shotgun up. Sam and I turned and saw a familiar face standing behind us, and Dean lowered his shotgun.

"Ellen?" I asked.

Ellen nodded. "Hello, kids."

Dean glanced over at us, and Ellen lowered her gun. "Ellen, what the heck's going on here?"

Ellen walked up and splashed holy water on Dean's face and then quickly raised her gun again.

Dean nodded. "We're us."

Ellen lowered her gun and walked in between us, and the three of us followed her into a church. There was a devil's trap drawn on the floor and a line of salt across the threshold.

Ellen turned back to us. "Real glad to see you, kids." She hugged me and then Dean, but she pulled back and slapped him across the face. "The can of whoop-ass I ought to open on you."

Dean grabbed his face. "Ow!"

"You can't pick up a phone? What are you? Allergic to giving me peace of mind? Every now and then, I hear from Maddi, but..." She shook her head. "I got to find out that you three are alive from Rufus?" Ellen asked us angrily.

"Sorry, Ellen," Dean said.

"Yeah, you better be. You better put me on speed dial, kid," Ellen said.

Dean nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

There was a long pause, and then Ellen hugged Sam before turning and leading us further inside. Dean glanced back and shrugged at Sam and me. Then we followed her down a set of stairs.

"What's going on, Ellen?" Dean asked.

"More than I can handle alone," Ellen said.

"How many demons are there?" Sam asked.

"Pretty much the whole town, minus the dead people and these guys." Ellen stopped at a closed-door and then turned to us. "So, this is it, right? End times?"

Sam, Dean, and I looked at each other and then back at Ellen.

Ellen shrugged. "It's got to be."

Sam nodded. "Seems like it."

Ellen turned to the door and knocked. "It's me."

Someone opened a peephole, and then the door opened, and there was Nate, standing right in front of me. It was him, but he was a lot different than the last time I saw him. He was older and a lot taller, and I instantly felt myself blush when we made eye contact.

"Maddison?" He smiled down at me, then he walked up and pulled me into a hug. "You should've called."

"I— I'm sorry," I said, taken aback by his hug.

He held me in the hug for slightly longer than I expected, and then Dean cleared his throat and clasped his hand down on Nate's shoulder. "Wow, kid. You really shot up."

Nate pulled away from me and laughed awkwardly. "Oh, yeah..."

Dean nodded and smiled at him, but also glared at the same time. Then he patted Nate on the arm, and he walked past him.

Sam smiled. "Nice to see you, Nate."

Nate nodded and looked like he was holding back irritation. "Yeah, you too, Sam."

He closed the door, and we all turned to the crowd of people sitting around a table. One of the women was pregnant and clutching her belly, looking terrified. There was also a pastor sitting in the corner of the room, holding a bible, and praying.

"This is Sam, Dean, and Maddison." Ellen gestured to us. "They're hunters. Here to help."

A man walked up and put his hand out to shake Dean's. "Austin... you guys hip to this whole demon thing?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

"My wife's eyes turned black," a man with glasses spoke up, "She came at me with a brick. Kind of makes you embrace the paranormal."

Dean turned to Ellen. "All right, catch us up."

Ellen shrugged. "I doubt I know much more than you. Rufus called. Said he was in town investigating omens. All of a sudden, the whole town was possessed. Me, Jo, and Nate were nearby—"

"You're hunting with them?" Dean asked.

Ellen nodded. "Yeah, for a while now. We got here, and the place— Well, the place was like you see it. Couldn't find Rufus, then Jo got separated from us. I was out looking when I found you."

Dean shook his head. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

"Either way, these people cannot just sit here," Sam said, "We got to get them out now."

Ellen shook her head. "No, it's not that easy. I've been trying. We already made a run for it once."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

Ellen sighed. "There used to be twenty of us."

I looked out into the room and excluding Nate and Ellen. There were about ten left.

Dean nodded. "Well, there's five of us now—"

Ellen shook her head. "You don't know what it's like out there. Demons are everywhere. We won't be able to cover everybody."

"What if we get everyone guns?" Sam asked.

"What, are you gonna arm up baby bump over here?" Dean asked, gesturing to the pregnant woman.

Sam shrugged. "More salt we can fire at once, more demons we can keep away."

Dean glanced at him. "There's a sporting goods store we passed on Main on the way in. I bet they got guns."

Sam and Dean dropped their bags on the floor.

Sam turned to Ellen, Nate, and me. "All right. You three stay. We'll go."

Ellen shook her head. "What about—"

Sam nodded. "If Jo and Rufus are out there, we'll bring them back."

Dean looked down at me. "No arguing?"

"What?" I asked. "Oh, no." I shrugged. "I figure you're just going to say no anyway."

Dean nodded. "Mm-hmm..." He side-eyed Nate, and then he and Sam walked out.

Ellen walked away and made her rounds, checking on the remaining survivors.

Nate turned to me. "So, I think your brother hates me."

"Dean?" I laughed and shook my head. "No, he doesn't hate you. He's just a little... protective."

Nate nodded and laughed.

"So... uh. You look different," I said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, it's been almost three years since we last saw each other." Nate smirked.

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." I shook my head, thinking about that for a second. "I can't believe it's been that long."

He nodded. "Yeah, me either. I wish it wasn't."

My heart skipped a beat for a second, and I giggled awkwardly. I don't know why I was struggling to talk to him. I spoke to him on the phone all of the time, but actually being right next to him was making me act like a total dork. It was just throwing me off.

"So, why didn't you call me?" Nate asked, looking hurt. "I haven't heard from you in like two weeks, then everything hit the fan and honestly... I was worried you were dead."

I shook my head. "I don't know. It's been kind of hectic for a while. I wanted to call, but I feel like I always complain to you about something. I didn't want to bother you with anything like that... I'm sorry."

Nate furrowed his brow. "You never bother me. I like hearing from you."

I smiled up at him, feeling like butterflies were in my stomach.

He smiled back. "Still got those dimples." He smirked. "There's something different about you, though."

I blushed and felt a little nervous. "What?"

"You used to roll your eyes at me whenever I spoke, but now you blush." He smirked.

I hit him in the chest. "Stop, no I don't."

He laughed. "Ah, there she is."


A little while later, Sam and Dean came back with a bunch of guns and ammo. So, the five of us went around and started teaching everyone how to load them and hold them properly.

After a while, Nate and I stayed back and let Sam, Dean, and Ellen teach. Some people were acting strangely about kids teaching them like we didn't really know what we were talking about.

The man with the glasses was struggling more than the others. "Okay, all right."

Ellen ran over to help him. "Roger, hang on a second..."

Roger fumbled and dropped a shotgun shell. "Sorry."

Sam demonstrated how to load a shotgun for the pregnant woman and her husband. "Then snap it in."

Dean set the butt of a rifle down on a table next to a younger man named Austin. "You know your way around a gun at all?"

Austin took the rifle and expertly disassembled it.

Dean nodded. "Hmm. Where'd you serve?"

"Fallujah. Two tours. Got back a little over a year ago. Takes one to know one. Where'd you serve?" Austin asked.

"Hell," Dean said.

Austin chuckled and shook his head. "No, seriously."

Dean nodded. "Seriously. Hell."

Sam walked away, sat in a corner, and watched from a distance. Something looked wrong, though, like he was upset.

"I'll be right back," I said to Nate and then walked over to Sam and sat down by him. "You okay?"

Sam sighed and shook his head. "This whole thing is just... awful."

Dean walked over and joined us. "Hey. What's wrong?"

Sam looked down. "It's just... at the store. Those demons were possessing teenagers. I mean, I had to slit some kid's throat."

"Come on, Sam, you had to," Dean said.

Sam nodded. "I know. I just— It used to be like—" He paused. "I just wish I could save people like I used to."

"What, you mean when you were all hopped up on demon blood?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "I didn't say that."

Ellen walked up to us. "I'll be back."

The three of us looked up at her.

"Where you going?" Dean asked.

Ellen shook her head. "I can't sit here on my ass. My daughter's out there somewhere. I'm not back in half an hour. Go."

"I'm going with you, Mom," Nate said as he walked up next to her.

She shook her head. "No, you're not. I'm not losing you too." She turned to Sam and Dean. "Get these people out of here."

The three of us stood up as she started to walk away.

"No, wait. I'll go with you," Sam said.

Ellen stopped and waited for him to join her.

Dean shook his head. "Whoa, hold on. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Sam nodded, and then he and Dean walked just outside of the door and spoke to each other for a minute or so. Then Sam slammed Dean into the wall.

"If you actually think I—" Sam shouted and then cut himself off.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Sam walked back into the room and left with Ellen.

I walked out to Dean, "You good or...?"

Dean glared in the direction that Sam had gone. "Yeah, we're good."


While Sam and Ellen were gone, Dean paced in front of the main door. The pregnant woman and her husband held each other while they sat at a table, and the pastor sat in the corner, continuing to pray.

"What happened out there anyway?" Nate asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know. Dean didn't really say."

Nate nodded and then thought for a second. "So, how are you and Sam?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, it's kind of weird right now." I looked back at him. "But he's my brother... ya know?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Me and Jo can drive each other crazy, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter."

I nodded. "Exactly."

Someone pounded on the door, and Dean looked through the peephole. He moved the door block and then opened it, and Ellen walked in. I stood up and walked over when I realized Sam wasn't with her.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked.

Ellen shook her head and sat down.

The pregnant woman gasped. "They took him? Demons took him? Oh my god. What if they're in here? The demons?"

"Could they get in?" the pastor asked.

Dean shook his head. "No." He grabbed a shotgun and walked to the door, "Everybody sit tight. I got to—" He paused and put his head down and then walked back to the table. "Okay, we need to get a plan together. Tell me everything."


Ellen, Nate, Dean, and I sat around a table to figure out what we should do next.

"One of them's in Jo. We got to get it out without hurting her." Ellen chuckled. "It called me a bitch."

"Bruise a little easy, don't you think?" Dean asked.

Ellen shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. It called me a black-eyed bitch."

I furrowed my brow.

"What kind of demons are these?" she asked. "Holy water and salt roll right off. My daughter may be an idiot, but she's not stupid. She wears an anti-possession charm. It's all kind of weird, right?"

"The whole thing's off," Dean said.

"What's your instinct?" Ellen asked.

"My instinct?" Dean asked. "My instinct is to call Bobby and ask for help. Or Sam."

Ellen shrugged. "Well, tough. We don't have them, but we do have the four of us. So let's figure it out."

Dean nodded. "All right."

Ellen smiled.

"Do you know why Rufus came to town? Was there a specific omen?" Dean asked.

Ellen shrugged. "He said something about water. That's all I know."

"Padré..." Dean turned to the pastor. "You know what she's talking about... the water?"

"The river. Ran polluted all of a sudden," the pastor said.

"When?" Dean asked.

"Last Wednesday. And the demon thing started up the next day," Austin said.

"Anything else?" Dean asked. "Anything."

Austin shrugged. "Maybe, but it's pretty random."

Dean nodded. "Good. Random's good."

"Shooting star... does that count?" Austin asked.

Dean and I gave each other a look.

"Real big. Same night. Wednesday," Austin said.

Dean nodded. "That definitely counts." He stood up and walked over to a bookshelf, bringing a Bible back with him.

"So, uh, you think that all this comes from outer space?" Austin asked.

Dean shook his head. "This isn't X-Files, pal." He flipped through the Bible and read aloud, "'And there fell a great star from Heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell upon the river, and the name of the star was Wormwood. And many men died.'"

"Revelation 8:10," the pastor said and looked scared. "Are you saying that this is about the apocalypse?"

Dean nodded. "You could say. And these specific omens, they're prelude to what?"

"The Four Horsemen," the pastor said.

"And which one rides the red horse?" Dean asked.

I thought about this for a moment and answered before the pastor did. "War."

"That cherry Mustang parked on Main," Dean said, looking at me.

The pastor shook his head. "You can't think that a car—"

Dean shrugged. "It's the way I'd roll. I mean, think about it. It all makes sense. If War is a dude and he's here, maybe he's messing with our heads."

Ellen nodded. "Turning us on each other."

"You said Jo called you a black-eyed bitch. They think we're demons. We think they're demons," Dean said.

I shrugged. "So, what if they're no demons at all?"

Dean nodded. "And we're all just killing each other."

The pastor shook his head. "Wait, just back up. It's the apocalypse?"

Dean nodded. "Sorry, Padré."

The pastor just stood there, blinking an abnormal amount.

"So now you're saying that there are no demons and War is a guy," Austin said, doubtfully.

Dean shrugged. "You believed crazy before."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Open up! It's Roger!"

Austin walked over and checked the peephole and then let Roger in.

"I saw them, the demons. They know we're trying to leave. They said they're gonna pick us off one by one," Roger said out of breath.

"When did he leave?" I whispered to Nate, but he shrugged back and shook his head.

Dean shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait. What?"

Austin stood up. "I thought you said there were no demons."

Dean turned to Austin. "There's not." He turned back to Roger. "Where did you go?"

"I thought someone should go out and see what's going on!" Roger shouted.

"Where did you see the demons, and what did they say exactly?" Dean asked.

"We just sit here, we're going to be dead," Austin said.

"No, we're not!" Dean shouted.

"They're gonna kill us unless we kill them first," Roger said.

Dean put his hands up. "Hold on. Hold on."

Austin shook his head. "No, man, we got people to protect. All right, the able-bodied are gonna go hunt some demons." He picked up a shotgun and handed it to the pregnant woman's husband.

Dean stepped in front of Austin. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow your roll. This is not a demon thing."

Roger looked directly at Dean, twisted a ring on his finger, and then pointed at the four of us. "Look at their eyes! They're demons!"

They all looked at us, the pregnant woman gasped, and the pastor raised a shotgun.

"Go, go!" Dean yelled and shoved us toward the door.

A shot was fired and exploded through the door as we ran by.

"Move!" Dean shouted from behind us.


We followed Ellen to the last place she had seen Sam. As we approached one of the several broken-down houses, Rufus peered out of a window that was now just a hole in the wall. Dean nodded at Ellen, and then she and Nate walked around back, hoping to confront Jo inside. I followed Dean around to the side of the house and up the porch.

As Rufus looked the opposite direction, Dean grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him out of the house. He slammed him to the ground and then pulled him up and slammed him into the wall as Rufus struggled to fight back.

"Listen to me." Dean shook him. "I'm not a demon. Think, Rufus. All those omens."

"You go to Hell," Rufus growled.

He kicked Dean between the legs, then he punched him in the face. Rufus then lunged for the gun that had been knocked out of his hand, but Dean grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall again.

"Rufus!" Dean shouted. "The polluted water, the shooting star, the red Mustang... it's War. I'm telling you, it's War."

"You're damn right it is." Rufus punched Dean again and lunged for his gun, but Dean tackled him, pinning Rufus beneath him.

"The Horseman!" I shouted.

"Horseman?" Rufus asked.

Dean nodded. "Yes. He's turning us against each other. You're hallucinating."

Rufus stared up at Dean, now starting to calm down. "The Horseman? War?"

"Yes." Dean nodded.

"Did you two figure this out all by yourselves?" Rufus asked.

Dean stood up and pulled Rufus up, this time letting him brush himself off. Then the three of us walked into the house, and Ellen turned, pointing a shotgun directly at Rufus.

Dean put his hand out and stepped in front of Rufus. "Whoa, whoa!"

"We all on the same page?" Ellen asked.

Dean and Rufus looked at each other and nodded, and Ellen lowered her gun. Behind Ellen and next to Nate sat Jo.

Dean nodded. "Hi, Jo."

She stood up. "Hey."

Dean nodded. "Okay, we got to find War before everybody in this town kills each—"

Suddenly, there were gunshots outside, and we all ducked.

"Damn it!" Dean shouted, "Where's Sam?!"

"Upstairs," Rufus said.

Dean and I hurried up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, we opened the only door on the second floor, and inside, Sam was tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

Sam looked up at us, relieved. "It's not demons—"

"It's War," the three of us said in unison.

"I just can't figure out how he's doing it," Dean said and stepped forward to cut Sam free.

"The ring," Sam said as he pulled himself free.

"The ring?" Dean asked, and then realization hit him. "The ring..."

I nodded. "Oh yeah. He twisted it right before everyone started hallucinating."

Sam nodded. "Right."

"We got to move. Come on," Dean said and ran out of the room.


The three of us ran back to the church, to hopefully find War. A fight had broken out between the church survivors and everyone who had been staying with Jo and Rufus. Jo, Rufus, Ellen, and Nate were trying their best to get people to stop killing each other.

Right as we were a few doors down from the church, we saw War heading out and making his way toward his Mustang. The three of us quickly followed after, and when he had his back turned, Dean ran up and put him in a chokehold. Sam drew the demon blade from his jacket.

War laughed. "Whoa. Okay. That's a sweet little knife. But come on. You can't kill War, kiddos."

"Oh, we know," Dean said.

Sam slammed War's hand against the Mustang and cut his finger off, causing the ring to clink down onto the pavement.

As soon as the ring hit the ground, both War and his Mustang disappeared. Dean leaned down and picked up the ring, and suddenly everything felt different. The tension in the air had vanished along with War.

We walked back to everyone and found people who had been previously trying to kill one another, crying on the streets in each other's arms. Sam and Dean stopped to talk to Jo, Ellen, and Rufus, but I walked past them to talk to Nate.

He smiled at me. "So, is it gonna be another three years before I see you again?"

I looked down at my feet. "Hopefully not." I smiled up at him.

He smiled and pulled me into a hug. "It was good seeing you, dimples."

I hugged him back and then pulled away. As I looked up into his crystal blue eyes, I felt myself blush. "It was good seeing you too."

We just smiled at each other for a moment, and I felt my heart race a little.

"Maddi!" Dean shouted, causing me to jump and look over my shoulder. "Let's go!"

Nate laughed. "You should go... before Dean puts a hole in me."

I laughed. "Yeah." I punched his arm. "You could always text or call me, too, ya know," I said and then ran off to join Sam and Dean.


Sam, Dean, and I sat at a picnic table just outside of town.

"So, pit stop at Mount Doom?" Dean asked as he held up War's ring.

Sam was silent for a moment and then sighed. "Dean—"

Dean shook his head. "Sam, let's not."

"No, listen," Sam said, "This is important. I know you don't trust me."

Dean looked away.

"Just, now I realized something. I don't trust me either," Sam said.

Dean and I furrowed our brows at him.

"From the minute I saw that blood, only thought in my head—" Sam shook his head. "And I tell myself it's for the right reasons, my intentions are good, and it, it feels true, ya know? But I think, underneath..." He sighed. "I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means I know how messed up I am. Thing is, the problem's not the demon blood, not really. I mean, I, what I did, I can't blame the blood or Ruby or... anything. The problem's me. How far I'll go," he said, tears starting to form. "There's something in me that... scares the hell out of me, Dean. In the last couple of days, I caught another glimpse..."

Dean shook his head. "So, what are you saying?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm in no shape to be hunting. I need to step back, 'cause I'm dangerous, and I want you both safe. Maybe it's best we just... go our separate ways."

Dean thought for a second and then nodded. "Well, I think you're right."

I looked down, trying to fight back the tears. I didn't want to split apart, no matter what. Even when it doesn't feel like it, we are stronger together.

"I was expecting a fight," Sam said.

Dean sighed. "The truth is I spend more time worrying about you than about doing the job right. And I just, I can't afford that, ya know? Not now."

Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"I know you are, Sam," Dean said.

Sam stood up and turned.

"Hey, do you, uh, wanna take the Impala?" Dean asked.

Sam looked surprised and then shook his head. "It's okay." He started walking and then turned back. "Take care of yourselves."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, you too, Sammy."

Sam continued walking and pulled his bag out of the Impala before walking off toward someone in a truck.

"Dean..." I sighed. "Do you really think it'll be better this way?"

Dean nodded sadly. "Yeah, I do. With everything going on..." He shook his head. "I can't worry about him too."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Then, I don't think I should be with you either."

Dean turned to me. "What?"

"You worry about me all the time." I shook my head. "Everything that's going on and you being at the core of it... you need to stay sharp and focused."

Dean thought for a second with tears in his own eyes. "Where would you even go?"

"Ellen," I said.

Dean looked down and then pulled me into a hug. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

I shook my head. "No, but it's what you need... to stay safe."

He held onto me for a little longer and then let go. I stood up and started walking toward the Impala with tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Maddi?" Dean called.

I turned and looked back.

"Keep your phone on you. I'm going to call you every day!" Dean shouted.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose a little?" I asked.

Dean shook his head. "It'll give me peace of mind. Just humor me, please?"

I nodded and started walking again.

"I love you!" Dean yelled.

"I love you too!" I shouted back.

I reached into the Impala and pulled out my bag. I started walking on the road back toward the town and pulled out my phone.

I dialed Nate's number, and he answered immediately. "That was quick." He laughed.

"Are you guys still around?" I sniffled.

"Yeah? What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked, now sounding worried.

"Is that Maddi? What's going on?" Ellen asked in the background.

"Can you just come get me?" I asked.


A couple minutes later, a car pulled up next to me as I walked. I turned to see Jo, Ellen, and Nate, all staring at me.

Ellen hopped out. "What's going on?"

I shook my head and broke down in tears.

She pulled me into a hug. "Oh, sweetie."