Ch 9
"Levi! Shoot it! Shoot it!" River screamed at the bearded, middle aged man. He stood stock still, flare gun hanging loosely by his side and he murmured silently. The Senkia had been harder to track then they had hoped, a three day case had quickly grown into nearly a week.
Senkia's almost always go after their own blood line, ripping and tearing and killing until nothing remains. They were born from a victim murdered in a fit of passion during a full moon. Finding the suspected Senkia's identity had been the easiest step, Mr. Henry Ash had been murdered in an apparent robbery gone wrong the previous full moon. His dental records matched the bite marks found in the victims remains; a fact the medical examiner had apparently glossed over, somehow attempting to blame the deaths on attacks from rabid animals. Seven people were dead, more surely to follow tonight if they were unable to find the monster. The murdered man turned thing had two possible targets left. His cousins across town or his wife and three small children. The decision to stay and watch the young family was made, River and Levi hoping they didn't leave the others to a gruesome death.
Now here she was, frantically screaming at her pacifist friend as the alabaster skinned thing lurched towards him. The Senkia had been unable to break into it's former home thanks to the warding she and Levi had placed and turned it's anger and hunger on the hunter and healer. Its claw like fingers were inches from Levi's throat and yet he continued to pray. "Son of a bitch," River muttered angrily as she picked up her speed. She ran shoulder first into the former Mr. Ash and tackled him to the ground line backer style. The man's pale face was shrunken, the skin peeling with decay, it hissed and snapped it's blackened teeth. River punched it in the temple and fished out a bottle of lighter fluid from her jacket. She half jumped, half stumbled back while squirting the fluid on the monster as it shrieked. Levi prayed a final verse and the thing erupted into flames, screaming in a high pitched wail until the fire consumed it.
"What the ever living fuck, Levi!" River screamed. "What the hell was that? Why didn't you just shot the damn thing?"
"River, I prayed to make sure that poor man's soul would be granted entry to heaven and the monster within would be banished. The immolation spell I used was far more effective then your flare gun." He gathered his straw hat from the ground where it had fallen. "Also, I believe you should have checked in with Dean over an hour ago. He's probably worried."
"Yeah, I'll get right on that Levi. Let's just get the hell out of here so I can take you home," River grumbled. After burying Mr. Ash's remains, the hunter and her healer friend headed back to Hanover. "Hey, hot stuff, how the Rugaru go?" she finally called Dean sometime around 2:00 am.
"Not great. Travis is dead. Can't say he didn't deserve but…" Dean's voice trailed off, "We got a case in Canonsberg we're headed to. Meet you there in two days? Ya know unless you're too busy.."
"Geez your pissy tonight," River said sarcastically, "Canonsberg sounds great. Maybe we could even get our own room?"
Dean sighed loudly and River could hear the distinct sound of a bottle clanking against the phone as he took a long swallow, "Yeah, maybe…sure. I guess we'll see what we can get when we get there."
"Uhm, ok. Yeah, don't sound too excited about getting laid or anything….I'm excited," she smiled, waiting for a laugh, a huff, anything that gave a sign that Dean was actually listening. "Ok then. See you in a couple of days. Love you."
"Yeah. See you in a couple of days." Dean hung up and River grasped the phone to her chest. The brief phone calls she and Dean had shared over the last seven days had ended with him becoming more and more irritable. She closed her eyes and tried to relax enough to sleep on Levi's small, uncomfortable couch. River finally drifted off to sleep only to be awoken by her ringing phone close to dawn. She fumbled in the dark to answer it with sleep numbed fingers, " Mmmm," was the only sound she was able to vocalize.
"River? Sweetheart, you ok?" Bobby's worried voice echoed over the phone.
"Uhhh…fu-Bobby. Jesus, how come no one sleeps anymore?" River muttered as she sat up and stretched. "What's up, Papa Bear?"
"Hey, girl I gotta case I need you to check out," his gruff voice softened, "Saginaw, Michigan. Demonic omens up the wazoo. I'm worried it might be one of the seal things the angel warned you and Dean about."
River groaned in annoyance, " Michigan, Bobby? Come on, I told Dean I'd meet him and Sam up in Canonsberg; it's like four hours from Levi's. Saginaw is two states in the wrong direction."
"I know that, the boys can deal with the case in Canonsberg. I need you to go to Michigan, just check it out, please?"
River relented and took the info Bobby had gathered. Earthquakes, bloody hail storms and an sudden increase in missing persons and violent crimes. All apparently centered in a 10 mile radius. She gathered her supplies and left Levi's small, warm home with out waking the healer. She waited to call Dean until she passed Akron.
"Hey, Princess. We just passed Pittsburg," Dean sounded like he was in a much better mood, a mood that was about to be ruined.
"Oh yeah, that's great you guys are making great time," River took a deep breath, steeling herself for the shitstorm that was coming her way, "I uh, I just passed Akron." She laughed nervously.
"I'm sorry, the years of guns and loud music seem to be fucking with my hearing cause it sounded like you said you were driving past Akron, as in Ohio."
"Yeah, yep, mmhmm, that would be the one," she cleared her throat, "Bobby called me with a case. Demonic omens, maybe a seal. Asked me to check it out, he even said 'please'. So how could I refuse?" Dean spent the next five minutes yelling into the phone how she could have refused, Sam's voice trying to break through his brothers expletive raced rant only to be shot down.
"The fuck is your problem anyways, River? You run off to Levi to work some Senkia job and now Michigan for demons?" Dean demanded.
She had remained quiet through Dean's yelling, letting him vent his anger and frustration over the phone and feeling sorry that Sam would have to deal with his sour mood in the car. "I don't have a problem, Dean. In case you've forgotten I have a fucking job to do!" she yelled back, "Now I know you may have forgotten this because I spent a good chunk of our time together pregnant but I am a fucking hunter. I go where the case is, just like you and Sam." She heard Dean's humorless laugh.
"Is that so? Well, you go then. Me and Sammy are gonna go gank a vampire chompin' on tourists and enjoy Oktoberfest. You call me when you wanna meet up, sweetheart." Dean disconnected the phone and tossed it onto the seat between him and his younger brother.
"Wow, Dean," Sam stared at his brother and shook his head, "Why are you giving her such a hard time? There's a lot of shit going down in case you haven't noticed, kind of an all hands on deck situation. Riv's a hunter and she used to work alone before you two…" he made a motion with his hands and shrugged.
"Before what? Started fucking? I knocked her up? What?" Dean griped the steering wheel, angry at what exactly he wasn't sure. "She's…I want…Fuck, I don't know what I want," he muttered.
Hundreds of miles away and driving in the opposite direction, River muttered "Balls," angrily to herself and tossed her own phone on the empty seat besides her.
River arrived in Saginaw before sundown and immediately began following up on Bobby's hastily gathered intel. "The fuck are you gonna do if it is demons?" she muttered to herself for the third time. She took another sip of her coffee and cursed the slow wifi, how the hell did Sam always get a perfect connection anyways? Witchcraft? Mutant powers?
"Watcha' drinkin' ?" Gabriel appeared at the table across from her.
"Black coffee," she answered, not looking up from the computer screen, "Here." She pushed a cup towards the blonde man, "Don't know what it is. Just asked for the sweetest thing on the menu and added chocolate sauce." Gabe made an approving click of his tongue and took a sip.
"Mmmm, Sugar Cookie, you order a damn fine coffee," he took another long slurp and eyed the barista. He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled.
River rolled her eyes at his antics, "Do me a favor, fuck the waitress later. Is there something about to go down in this town or am I waisting my fucking time?" He pulled his eyes away from the girl behind the counter and looked back at the surly red head.
He closed his eyes for a moment, "Yeah there's a seal here and some wannabe big wig demon, Flaga, she needs a big blood sacrifice of course. No angels here, besides me, I mean." He smirked.
"Can't you just go lay some angelic smackdown on the bitch, then?" River asked quietly.
"Nope, sure can't lemon drop. Had my fill of this BS back home. I'm gonna go make friends with the barista, unless you wanna come home with me?" Gabriel raised one eyebrow lasciviously.
She shook her head and packed up her laptop, "Make good choices, Gabe." River walked out of the coffee shop and into the overcast morning. The sky was a dark gray color and threatened rain or thunder storms. She sat in her stolen car for a moment, weighing her options. Leave town, let the seal fall and innocent people be maimed and murdered, meet up with the Winchesters, hope that sex and booze would put Dean in a tolerable mood, drive around and maybe run into the demon and probably die while trying to trap and exorcise it or summon Castiel and hope he didn't smite her out of principle.
"The angel it is," she muttered to herself. She found a small New Age shop on the main street and was able to buy the ingredients needed for the summoning spell. "Blessed be," the hippie behind the counter smiled handing River her bag of spell ingredients. Next stop was finding a private place to summon Castiel, remembering his rather dramatic first entrance. She settled on a abandoned building and carried in her supplies for the spell. "Fuck, I'm gonna die. He's gonna turn me into a pillar of salt," River took a deep breath, considered calling Dean to check in and let him know she might be getting her eyes burned out of her head in a few moments.
Meanwhile Dean and Sam, well mostly Dean, were making friends with a couple bar maids at Oktoberfest and at a loss of what kind of monster they were hunting. The first victim had been bitten and it's blood drained, yet the normal vampiric marks, two large rows of teeth punctures were missing. In it's place were two small holes on the neck. The next victim had apparently been ripped apart by a rabid wolf. "What the hell, Sammy? First vic some sort of vampire with only two fangs and the second a werewolf that doesn't touch the heart?" Dean mused, they had just left the medical examiners and still wore their Fed suits, "Maybe some sort of psycho, goth wannabe?" He watched the blonde behind the bar pouring his beers. "Maybe not our kind of case, but who cares ? It's Oktoberfest, beers, brats and bar wenches."
Sam watched his brother, "Pretty sure women don't like the whole bar wench thing and what about River. You on a free weekend pass or something?"
Dean smirked, "What ever happens at Oktoberfest stays at Oktoberfest, Sammy. And she's busy working remember?" The blonde bar wench brought Dean's mug of beer.
"What can I get you, Agent?" the blonde asked Sam.
"Oh he doesn't drink, he's a Christian Scientist. Doesn't even take aspirin. Real drag during stakeouts." Dean cut in.
Sam smiled and rolled his eyes; the waitress laughed, "You're funny."
"I'm a lot more than that," Dean pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, "I'd love to show you. What time you off?" The waitress wrote her number on a napkin and walked away from their table.
"River's gonna-" Sam began.
"What happens at Oktoberfest stays at Oktoberfest, Sam."
River laid a salt circle around her altar and kneeled in front of it, "Here do I Light the first lamp of the spirit. May it's light reach out across the barriers from this world to the next. Here do I humbly summon the angel Castiel." She lit the first candle and waited. "Here do I light the second lamp of the spirit. May it's light reach out and guide you to my presence. Here do I humbly summon the angel Castiel."
"Why have you summoned me, River? Where is Dean?" the trench coated angel appeared before her. She let out a startled breath and blew the candles out.
"Dean…Dean's working a case in Pennsylvania with his brother," she stood and brushed her jeans off, "I uhh, I…think there's a seal here. There's a demon named, Flaga, she needs a blood sacrifice or something."
"And how did you come by this information?" Castiel asked staring at her with steel blue eyes.
Her eyes drifted above and behind him, "Bobby, the old guy in the hat, he keeps an eye on freaky shit. This towns had a run of nasty omens, sent me to check it out…you seem tense, twitchy."
He slowly turned towards her and she took an involuntary step back, "You can see my wings. What else can you see?"
"You have a light…a faint glow under your skin. Blue, like your eyes," she took another shaky breath.
He smiled, "I command two garrisons of angels. Their only duty at the moment is to find the seals and stop them from being broken. And here you are one small, insignificant human has found one for us. Thank you." He disappeared a moment later in a flutter of wings.
River ran her fingers through her hair and tried to calm her ragged heart beat. She left the building and climbed back into her stolen car. The sky outside had grown darker, bright flashes of lightening streaking back and fourth. She headed out of town and was crossing the bridge over the Shiawassee River when the sky opened up in a swirling vortex of white clouds. A giant, blindingly bright bolt of lightening seared out of the sky and struck a stone building on the waters edge. The cars on the bridge came to a skidding halt, people climbing awestruck out of their vehicles to stare at the giant scorched crater that had been created by the flash of lightening. River turned her music up and carefully guided her car around those that had stopped on the bridge.
She drove most of the night, afraid to see what the angels had had to do in order to save the seal. She finally checked the Saginaw news and found that the great stone building that had been obliterated was a museum housing Native American artifacts. The buildings destruction was being blamed on a combination of a main line gas break and a freak lightening strike. Thirty two people were confirmed dead and nothing remained of the priceless Native American collection. "Hey hot stuff, Sammy said you went native and started wearing lederhosen," River stopped at a truck stop the next morning to check in.
Dean watched as the blonde bar tender walked away, glancing over her shoulder once and smiling. "Yeah, just call me Frtiz," he said climbing into the front seat of his black car. Sam watched his older brother as he absently rubbed the dark love bite on his neck. "How'd your case go?"
"I…I'm still not sure. What was I supposed to do on my own anyways? I don't have anything that can a kill a demon," she sighed. "You want to come pick me up? I'll rent us a room for a few days of R and R before we pick up a new case?"
"Yeah, princess. Sound good," he hung up the phone and glanced at his brother. Sam stared at him with his classic bitchface, jaw set and eyes narrowed.
"Have a good night, Dean?" Sam asked. "Sleep well?"
Dean started the car and remained silent, an uneasy feeling of guilt settling in his stomach. "I don't need your shit, Sammy. We ain't married and she doesn't have to find out about this. "