By morning, as promised, they were back on the road.

Adam was settled, as content as he could be, while Michael took control headed them off on their way. They were both silent, but Adam was glad to note that the hollow feeling had disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place. And, oh, how Adam would have loved to be naive, to pretend he didn't know why he had felt so hollow the day before, why he had felt so empty and more detached than usual. How he would have loved to pretend he had no idea why he suddenly felt whole again, as if part of him had been ripped away for just that brief amount of time, those few hours in a day when Michael had been away.

The demon hated himself, almost, for even considering the possibility. But he refused to think about it, he refused to press on it - last thing he wanted was for Michael to get any kinds of ideas, for him to start thinking that the demon was dependent on him, which obviously wasn't the case. Maybe he had just been bored, or annoyed at having to do most of the work by himself. But whatever the hell it was, it was over now, and Adam, for one, didn't want to waste his time on that particular bit of the past. This was the time to focus, now. Find Lucifer.

That was their main goal.

And, it would be running a bit smoother, if they could actually track him. He must have warded himself, or something. His energy wasn't usually this hard to pick out, and being stuck with him in the Cage for so long, Adam had grown quite accustomed to it. So this made absolutely no sense, unless he really had warded himself, tucked himself away, hidden - but while it made sense that he would be hiding from Michael, why would he ward himself against demons?

"Believe it or not, not even all demons like the Devil," Michael considered tentatively, biting their lip thoughtfully as they continued on. Adam mulled over that for a moment, squinting slightly. It wasn't like he knew much about the whole angel-demon-Devil thing, himself, anyway. The most he knew was what Lucifer and Michael told him; And both stories were reliable, on Adam's end. "Some of them might have grown accustomed to him being gone - and maybe even taken up control themselves. With Luci back, I can't imagine they're feeling too secure."

And beyond that, Heaven's just a given, Adam noted with a frown. Like, that's obvious enough… But if we can't track him, how are we supposed to find him? We can't exactly file a missing persons report for Beelzebub, you know what I'm saying? At this, Michael huffed out a half-laugh, half-sigh, shaking their head a little bit.

"Why do you say the things you say?"

Because I'm fucking hilarious, asshole.

They were silent for a while, aside from their thoughts mixing - their own questions and concerns for Lucifer mingling together - was he even okay? Was he on Earth? He couldn't be in Hell, but would he have gone to Heaven? He was alive, wasn't he? Had he been hurt? Hunted?

The worst one, quite possibly, was the idea that Heaven had caught up to him. They both treaded carefully around that one, dodged and ducked and flat-out refused to prod. Even the idea, the simplest thought, gave them both enough pause to temporarily shut off their thoughts and just walk. After a while, Michael even ended up spreading his wings out, stretching them carefully and pushing them up into the air before continuing on, just to gain some speed.

Adam glanced around, frowning a little. They weren't flying that high - barely even inches above the ground, swerving around humans - but it quickly became clear to him that none of them could see them. They must be invisible, or some shit - otherwise, the demon knew, clearly, they would be staring, "ooh"ing and "ahh"ing over the sight. Testily, he reached out to touch a human as they passed - but Michael quickly retracted their arm before they could make contact, which ended up in a two-minute internal scolding from the archangel while the demon just snickered.

What could he say? A demon would be a demon. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't a little fun to fuck with unsuspecting humans; Even if he was saving his wrath for Sam and Dean, a few harmless pranks would do him some good, let loose some of that energy buzzing around inside of him. Besides, they were annoying - but, of course, Michael reminded him, they needed to focus. No time for playing games - and those humans hadn't done anything to either of them. Internally, Adam just rolled his eyes, while Michael gave a sigh and continued on. They were going to have some disagreements, of course, but the demon wasn't to keen on being told who he could fuck with and who he couldn't. That kind of irked him.

After a while, though, they began to notice the numbers steadily dwindling.

Fewer humans, fewer stores. Adam insisted on stopping every now and again for a shower somewhere - preferably a nice-looking hotel (of course, having no money, Adam kinda-sorta-maybe ended up kicking the door off its hinges) - and a change of clothes. So, naturally, he was the first one to notice the stores changing into gas stations, gas stations changing into old, rickety sheds and carports, and then an abandoned street.

"There's some kind of town up ahead," Michael commented as they landed, focusing on a sign at the side of the road - the first thing other than speed limits and traffic lights. It was a welcome sign, but the words were faded beyond recognition, and Adam didn't take the time to decipher it. Michael seemed more worried about his wings - they had been dropping a little, every so often, as if the oversized feather-dusters were giving in on him at random moments for whatever reason. Adam was almost concerned - not that he'd admit that - but he decided to focus his attention ahead instead. A town - while the idea of interacting with people again wasn't exactly pleasant, there was a good chance that this town would have a hotel, and he needed a shower.

Michael folded his wings back, quite obviously miffed about something, and started walking. Adam only held out for about a minute or so - but, the point is that he tried. Sighing, the demon made his way forward again, taking half control once more. "Alright, what's the deal, halo?" He asked, putting as much irritation into the words as he could. I mean, of course he was irritated - but he was also concerned. But he didn't want to acknowledge that.

"Wings," Michael explained absently, chewing on the inside of their cheek with a very small frown written across their face now. Adam squinted slightly, as Michael continued, "I don't know. It's probably because I'm not at full power, I guess? I think I'm wasting more and more juice by flying, so I think I'm gonna… walk…" Michael slowed a little, not quite stopping, but he seemed hesitant to go further. "... Something doesn't feel right."

Adam opened their mouth, ready to respond, but paused. He felt it too - or, rather, sensed it. Frowning now, the demon snapped their mouth shut and looked up, toward the sky - just for a split second, but that one glimpse was all they needed. An orange streak of light - seemingly coming from nowhere - shot into the sky and down again. And it was immediately followed by another, and another. It reminded Adam of the thing that had almost hit him before.

"What thing?" Michael demanded, his tone a little strange now - fiery, almost, in a way Adam didn't really recognize from him. There was also a certain flare rising up in their chest, coming from him. A cold, yet burning sensation, like anger, but warmer. Adam narrowed their eyes, but he shook the thought off, simply bringing up the memory for the archangel to look through while he continued to stare at the sky, scrutinizing every streak from the sky that he could focus on.

It was a vague recollection, the energy he was sensing from them, but he almost knew where they were coming from. It was right there, on the tip of his tongue - what they were, and what they were doing. And, pressing further, everything suddenly unraveled; They both realized it, at the same time. The Cage opening made a little more sense; The emptiness of Hell; The souls gone, demons retreated; Somehow, some way, the gates of Hell had been opened.

"Souls," Michael gasped out, and Adam just gaped at the sky, somewhat mesmerized by the streaks flying overhead. "I don't understand- but- how?"

"That's the big question, isn't it?" Adam questioned numbly, still just staring in shock. They were moving again - which one was moving them was beyond him, but they were moving - and Adam almost reached up, as if he could touch the souls streaking through the sky. They looked so dark, so tainted - Adam almost shuddered. It reminded him of when his own soul had been twisted, darkened beyond recognition or repair… "You think… Luce?"

Michael hesitated, head tilted upwards as they walked. He was less fascinated than Adam, much more concerned - kind of leveling out Adam's awe with uncertainty. "Let's say that Luci does have that kind of power…" The archangel finally spoke, sounding uneasy. "But, if that's the case, then- why? What would he have to gain from this?"

"Chaos," Adam mumbled, quirking an eyebrow, and Michael inhaled slowly, holding his breath. Truthfully, the demon wasn't sure what the archangel was expecting to get when they found Lucifer. He seemed a little high on morals now, for whatever reason - but this was the Devil they were talking about. Did Michael really expect him not to be causing some kind of trouble? Some kind of life-shattering, Earth-stopping event just because he could? Just for the fun of it? "Since when does Lucifer ever have a reason to do the things he does?" The demon added, though he didn't need to; Michael was thinking the same thing now. "He's Satan. He does…"

"... what he wants," Michael mumbled, and Adam could practically feel their heart dropping to their stomach from his end. The demon sighed, resisting the urge to roll their eyes, and fell completely silent after that, lost in thought as he watched the sky. Honestly, the closer they got, the weirder it became. Part of him wondered what it was like, flying about up there-

Zap.

With a shriek, Adam jumped backwards. First of all - that had hurt, like an electrifying shock through his entire body. Michael seemed unharmed, but definitely worried; A burst of concerned questions echoed through his mind and, while uncomfortably warmed by it, Adam did his best to shut the archangel out for a second, staring ahead in complete confusion. That was something he hadn't felt before. He felt like he was on fire from the outside - just burning. And it took a while for that feeling to fade.

"Are you okay?" Michael demanded, sounding breathless - Adam realized he had been holding their breath without meaning to, not that it made much of a difference to either of them - but that anger-but-warmer feeling was back, pounding in their chest from Michael's end even harder than before. "Does it still hurt?"

"Barely," Adam finally responded, brushing the front of his suit off with a very faint frown. "Don't know what the Hell that was, but…" The demon shook his head, still a little irked - and, to be honest, a little hesitant to continue after that. Michael seemed even more reluctant, but Adam stifled his internal concerns quickly. "Seriously, halo, I'm good. Nothing worse than what your brother ever did," he snapped, quieting the archangel rather quickly.

And, sighing, he took a deep breath in and started to move them forward again - only to jerk back, with less of a shriek and more of a hiss, when it happened yet again. This time, though, the air in front of them rippled; Adam went still, and Michael's concern quickly shifted into confusion as they both leaned back at once.

"Oh, you gotta be shitting me," Adam finally spoke, pissed, while Michael carefully raised a hand and pressed it forward. The demon snarled - audibly - the second they made contact, but the burning feeling was easier to handle with Michael in control of the movement. To his credit, the archangel pulled back the second he made the sound - but not before he caused another ripple.

"Salt line," Michael said decisively, bemused. Adam wrinkled his nose, confused, and Michael clarified, "it repels demons, ghosts… Common thing with hunters." He ignored Adam's unspoken ew, stepping back a little and looking up and down, then side to side, as if trying to figure out how far the salt line spread. Adam just stared ahead, frowning. Part of him took immense offense to this whole salt line thing, especially considering it was keeping them from where they needed to go, but he didn't say anything else after that.

"There's gotta be a way around it," the archangel mumbled, reaching out again testily, prodding the air. Once more, it rippled, as Michael pressed their hand against a seemingly flat, invisible surface. Somewhat of a forcefield, Adam noticed, growing increasingly pissed off. "Must be hunters nearby," Michael added, almost casually, but judging by the uncertainty churning in his chest now, he knew he was treading on thin ice. Thin. Fucking. Ice.

"That's it, let's j-"

Adam paused, head twitching, and turned slightly. Footsteps - distinct, quiet, but enough for him to be able to pick up on. Michael must have heard it, too - and they both definitely heard the soft click of a gun, because both of them stiffened the second the sound reached their ears.

Their nose twitched, and a stream of curses escaped Michael - internally - before they were abruptly pulled down. The archangel ducked them just in time, just as a gunshot rang out. Whatever it was - Adam smelled salt as it flew over their heads, which made him recoil a little more on instinct - shot straight past them, through the invisible barrier, and Michael let out a quiet, relieved-sounding sigh. You okay?

I'm about to rip a hunter's throat out, Adam vowed internally, hands practically shaking with rage as he pushed them to stand again, Michael's warnings be damned. We just got assaulted. With salt. I'm fucking chopping heads. Drop the invisibility, or whatever, I wanna do this face to f-

His thoughts cut to a complete stop as he turned. Hell, everything seemed to stop. Everything froze. Even the fury fizzled away, quicker than it ever had before, leaving absolutely nothing behind. Really, no, he felt numb - aside from the first few seconds, where his heart stopped with one last, violent, breathtaking jerk, and then everything was still.

Adam twitched once, visibly, before straightening and backing away, eyes focused on the man he was facing. The blonde-haired, green-eyed, angry-faced man who suddenly jerked back - implying that Michael had actually listened to him, and they were visible to the human eye once more - as if he was looking straight at a ghost. And then the man was backing away, too, mouth opening but no sound coming out.

"Dean Winchester…" That was Michael speaking, voice surprisingly unsteady, echoing all of the uncertainty radiating from him at the moment - which seemed to be the only emotion driving either of them right then, because Adam still couldn't seem to make himself feel a damn thing… Even as the archangel spoke his brother's name, there was nothing, and it was somehow more unnerving than the rage he usually felt - the rage he should be feeling.

Dean set his jaw, green eyes flaring up slightly with anger once more, but there was also an intense uncertainty in his expression, one that echoed Michael's, and yet stronger, tainted with… fear. "The one and only," he responded, unwaveringly, but the way he was white-knuckling his shotgun was enough to let Adam know that he certainly wasn't feeling as brave as he was trying to act right then.

There it was. A small spark of fury. Indignation, really. Adam's eyes sharpened, as they stepped back again - Michael's doing now, as if he was trying to distance the two of them - but the demon didn't care. He didn't move, anyway - he felt frozen where he stood, regardless. Paralyzed. But, somehow, he found the strength to speak, finishing Michael's sentence with a much colder, sharper edge to the words than the archangel had intended. "We meet again…"