Ch 39
"So…they ate each other …to death?" Rivers nose scrunched up under the thin paper medical mask that covered the lower half of her face. She prodded the male victims empty abdominal cavity with a scalpel, looking for anything unnatural that the medical examiner may have missed. So far nothing obvious was sticking out.
The older, portly coroner Dr. Corman nodded . "They still had chunks of un-chewed flesh in their esophagus when they died." River peeled the bloody latex gloves off her hands and removed the mask. She was glad she had had the foresight to pull her long red hair into a professional looking ponytail, keeping it safe from the heaps of mangled flesh that used to be a man and woman laying on the cold metal exam tables. "So Agent Cash, what do you think?"
River smiled thinly at the older man, "Well, Dr. Corman, I think this is officially the grossest thing I've seen all week."
"Honestly, Agent Marley, I have better things to do than pull these stiffs off ice because the Bureau forgot to sign a form," Dr. Corman grumbled at Dean. He and his brother had arrived in St. James a few hours prior. Sam had found the case late the day before while skimming online for potential leads on any of the other Horsemens whereabouts. Another few weeks had passed since the incident in Colorado with War. Dean had called Cas as soon as they got cell service again and the Angel was delightfully unhelpful in providing any information on the ring War had been using to torment the people of River Pass. Dean was starting to get more annoyed at the trench coated Angel and his lack of leads. Everything was starting to feel pointless, hopeless even. There was no lore, no spell, nothing that was giving them even a glimmer of hope that they could stop the Apocalypse.
"Well, Dr. Corman. I apologize again. You know some of these agents aren't worth the suits they come in….Quantico is getting kind of desperate these days," Dean turned the charm on for the old doctor. The older man huffed loudly and went through the same report he had given the red headed FBI agent only a few hours prior.
"And if you see that lady agent, send her my way. I think she's got the hots for me," Dr. Corman laughed slamming the door shut on the morgue locker with the cannibalized remains of the victims. Dean said he would indeed and left the morgue.
"I mean they just kept eating and eating," Dean shivered. "Their stomachs were so full they were tearing."
Sam grimaced, "That's disgusting. So what are dealing with here? Witches? Some sort of curse."
"I don't know. Guess we should hit the books or something," Dean grabbed a bottle of beer out of the mini fridge and cracked it open handing it to his brother. Sam gave him a small smile and accepted the drink. They sat in silence the rest of the evening, combing through local news reports for any other potential weirdness. The brothers were no nearer to finding an answer or even a clue when they finally gave up sometime after midnight.
Dean's phone rang early the next morning. "Agent Marley?" Dr. Corman's gruff voice instantly made Dean regret those last two beers from the night before.
"Yeah, doc you got something for me?"
"Mmmhmm, two more DB's. Suicides this time. Better hurry the lady Agent's already here and we're going out to lunch." Dean and his brother changed back into their suits and drove to the St. James Medical Clinic. The brothers passed a tall, pale man in a black suit carrying a large briefcase on the way down to Dr. Corman's exam room. Dean didn't spare the man a second glance, figuring him to be a mortician. Sam on the other hand felt as if time slowed down as the man walked past him. He couldn't identify the strange feeling that came over him as the man almost brushed his shoulder.
"You ok?" Dean asked. Sam snapped his attention back to his brother. Dean's green eyes showed the same faint worry and distrust they had since Sam had broken the last seal.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam mumbled. The brothers stopped outside the black swinging doors and looked through the small glass window. Dr. Corman was bustling around the room talking animatedly to a shorter, red headed woman that stood over one of the dead bodies. Her hair was up in tight bun at the crown of her head, she wore a black form fitting suit jacket and an a-line skirt that came above her knees. Dean could see a faint bulge on her left thigh and figured it as a gun holster.
"She looks like a naughty librarian from this angle. You think she's wearing glasses?" Dean muttered to his brother.
Sam shook his head, "How are we going to play this if the real FBI is here?"
His older brother shook his head, "I don't know we'll wing it." He pushed the door open so he and his brother could enter.
"Agent Cash, this is Agent Marley. He said your field commander called him in when you forgot to send in the right signature page with your report," Dr. Corman nodded at the men as they walked in. The woman standing over the exam table pulled her gloves off and turned to face them.
The corner of River's coral pink lips curled into a small smile. "Oh…yeah. Something with my internet service around here. Nice to see you Agent Marley…and you're Agent Cliff, right? I think we met at the Christmas party last year." She stuck out her hand. The brothers shared a quick look before shaking it. "You all done, doc?" she said turning back towards the doctor.
He nodded, "You sure you don't want to go out for lunch. Annie's has a lunch time happy hour."
River shifted on her high heeled feet, god she hated heels but they made her look more the part. "I'd love to, Dr. Corman. But I told you the Bureau has a policy against fraternizing and drinking before 2 pm."
"Your loss," he smiled at her.
"Do you mind if we examine the bodies?" Sam asked.
Dr. Corman removed his white lab coat and hung it on a hook by the door. "They're all yours Agents. I already boxed up the organs and sent the tox screens." He opened the large steel refrigerator that housed the catalogued organs of the two newest victims. "Just refrigerate after opening, kids…and Agent Cash if you change your mind you know where to find me." The doctor waddled out of the room, leaving the double doors swinging in his wake.
"What the hell are you doing here, 'Agent Cash'?" Dean asked as soon as Dr. Corman was gone.
River sighed, "I'm working a case, Dean. I was here first. So why don't you two skedaddle?" She sat heavily on a rolling stool, removed one of her heels and rubbed the arch of her foot.
"Yeah? You were here first? How 'bout no?" Dean answered pulling the white sheet off the first body.
"You got any ideas about what the hell is going on here?" Sam asked.
River replaced her shoe and shrugged out of her jacket, "No not really. I was thinking Witches…but no hex bags, no charms, nada except four dead people." She handed the brothers each a plastic apron and put one on over her own clothes. She and Sam unloaded the fridge of the organs as Dean inspected the bodies. "Dean…Dean!" River suddenly doubled over at the table grimacing. Dean dropped the scalpel he had been holding and rushed to her side.
"Hey, sweetheart what the hell is it?" he kneeled in front of her.
"I think there's something wrong with my stomach," she groaned and shoved a plastic bin containing one of the victims dissected stomachs towards him.
He jumped back, "That's not funny."
River and Sam broke into loud laughter. "Oh come on, Winchester it's hilarious." Dean grumbled again under his breath and sat down next to his brother. River put the lid back on the plastic bin and smiled at Sam. He smiled back before turning his attention to the heart in front of him. "I guess thats an improvement," she thought to herself. There was a dull ache that had settled in her chest since laying eyes on Sam and Dean. She just wanted to be near them, to laugh and joke and pretend like they were ok. Despite what she had told Dean, she was lonely and a big part of her did need them. She pulled the other heart towards her and squinted at the muscle for several seconds, turning it this way and that under the bright fluorescent light. Finally she got up and searched her discarded suit jacket until she found her glasses. She pushed the black rimmed glasses up her nose and sat back down.
Dean looked up from his pile of intestines and once again thought of a naughty librarian. This thought would have led down a rabbit hole of pornographic thoughts just a few months prior. But now all Dean felt was that familiar feeling of emptiness and hollowness that had been plaguing him off and on since his escape from Hell. "Sammy-Sam, sorry," River gave him a half smile, "What the hell do you think this is?" She pushed the heart towards him and pointed to a strange imprint near the left ventricle. Sam looked at the heart then checked the heart from the other victim, he turned it over so it mirrored the one River had been inspecting.
"It looks like…," Sam bent lower to the muscles.
"Enochian?" River answered and Sam nodded. Dean bent over the hearts and wrinkled his nose.
"So you think it's like the tagging on our ribs?" he asked.
Sam shrugged, "Dean, I don't know."
"What tagging on your ribs?" River asked.
"I'm gonna call Cas, you can fill her in," Dean stepped away from the table and pulled out his cellphone while Sam quietly told River about Castiel marking their rib cages with Enochian sigils and effectively masking them from Demon or Angels. Suddenly Gabriels necklace seemed very low tech. "Hey, Cas it's Dean."
"Why the hell does Cas have a cellphone?" River asked. Sam explained to her that the Enochian sigils Cas had bestowed upon them made them invisible to all Angels including him.
"Hello, Dean," Cas answered with his deep gravelly voice. "Where are you?"
"31-C, basement level, Medical center," Dean said as he paced the small room. A light breeze ran through the room and River turned around.
Cas had appeared before Dean, still holding his cellphone to his ear, "I'm here Dean."
"Yeah, Cas. I can see that." Dean shook his head and tucked the phone back into his pocket.
"I'm going to hang up now," Cas said as he hung up his own phone and tucked into his trench coat. River swallowed thickly and shifted in her seat, the room that had been ice cold just a moment prior suddenly felt much warmer. The Angel turned and looked down at River, his jaw tightened and she stood up clumsily on her high heels peeling her latex gloves off and flinging them onto the table behind her.
"Hi, Cas." She stepped towards the Angel and Dean, who looked at her like she'd suddenly grown two heads. River's cheeks were a bright red and she nervously pulled the apron off and let if fall to the floor also.
"River," he said shortly nodding his chin once.
She stepped closer and ran a hand down his blue tie, "Is this a new tie?" Cas raised an eyebrow and stared questioningly at Dean. "I think Dean has a new tie too. I mean I've never seen him wear this one before." She lightly ran her fingers down Dean's stripped tie as well.
"River?" Dean said quietly. She still had each of their ties between her fingers and was caressing them lightly. She seemed lost in thought her lower lip between her teeth and the corners of her lips twitching into a smile.
She blinked several times and dropped their ties, "Hmm?"
"The hearts?"
"Oh yeah…." she tucked a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear, "Cas I think there are Enochian sigils on these hearts." River pointed to the dead lumps of tissue on the table. Castiel picked up the first heart with his bare hand and inspected it closely.
"You're correct this is Enochian. I'm sure you'll find similar marks on the other victims hearts," Castiel told them.
"So, what are they? What do they mean?" Sam asked his lips downturned in disgust as Castiel set the heart back in the plastic tub.
"It's a mark of union," the Angel answered, "This man and woman were intended to mate."
"What the hell marked them?" River handed Cas a towel to wipe his hands clean.
"Your people call them 'Cupid'," he said drying his hands on the towel.
"What?" Dean asked.
"Humans have created the myth of 'Cupid' from what is actually a lower class of Angel," he continued, "Technically it's a Cherub, third-class."
"A cherub? Like the fat little kids in diapers?" River asked smiling. She had a sudden image of a baby Castiel, small black wings barely strong enough to keep him afloat and bright blue eyes shining with wonder.
The Angel turned to face her, "They're not incontinent." River suppressed a laugh when another image of Gabriel trying to wrangle a fledgling Cas to change his diaper popped into her head. She was still warm and her stomach suddenly growled loudly. The brothers looked at her and raised their eyebrows.
"Hungry?" Dean asked smiling.
"I am fucking starving all of a sudden," she replied.
"Good. You should eat. The zombie apocalypse look doesn't look good on you."
"I don't think you realize the severity of this issue," Castiel cut in, his voice deep and serious, "This a rogue Cherub and we must stop him before he kills anyone else."
Sam smiled, "Naturally."
"Of course we do," Dean said nodding.
Rivers stomach growled again, "Can we eat first?"
They drove around town for a while, stopping at several restaurants. Each time Cas would disappear from the car for a few seconds before returning. He would shake his head and Dean would drive away. "Cas, what the fuck dude? I need to eat." River grumbled after they drove away from the third diner.
"I need to find a place that the Cherub would be drawn to." A few minutes later Dean parked the Impala at a restaurant advertising candle lit dinners and specials for couples. "This will do," Castiel told them after reappearing in the backseat next to River.
"Finally, I'm about ready to eat Sam's arm off," River grumbled climbing out of the car. Her skirt rode high on her thighs as she climbed out of the car. Castiel stared for a moment, transfixed at the pale white skin. He suddenly had an unfamiliar urge to run his hands up her leg until they disappeared under her black skirt. He desperately wanted to know if she had cartoon characters on her underwear. "Cas, are you coming?" she barked at him as the three hunters walked towards the restaurant. He shook his head to dispel the strange sensation and got out of the car.
Thankfully they were seated quickly and the waitress took their orders. River shifted in her seat every couple of minutes, bouncing her legs nervously. She couldn't shake the feeling of being overheated, her eyes drifting to Dean and Cas's lips. Shit, even Sam looked especially nice tonight. "Why are we here Cas? Whats special about this place?" River finally asked. she needed something to distract herself.
"This is a nexus of human copulation," the Angel answered. The waitress returned with the plates of food Dean, Sam and River had ordered. The waitress, a young blonde woman stared at Dean for a few long seconds before walking away. Dean didn't spare her a second glance, his focus as on the bacon cheeseburger she had just delivered. Castiel also stared at the burger Dean was now squirting ketchup on. River had begun to devour her veggie burger, making obscene noises and eating like she hadn't seen food in weeks. Dean sniffed his own burger then set it back down on the plate. He realized he wasn't hungry.
"You're not gonna eat?" River asked, eyebrows raised.
Dean shrugged, "Not hungry."
"How 'bout the chick that was just eye fucking you for thirty seconds?"
"Not my type," Dean answered. River looked across the table at Sam who wore a similar confused look on his face.
Castiel hadn't yet pried his blue eyes away from Dean's discarded food. "So you're not gonna eat that?" He reached across the table and picked up the burger. He took a tentative bite and licked his lips. River sat her own burger down and watched the Angel take another bite and smile. He stopped mid chew and dropped the burger on the table, "He's here."
The hunters turned in their seats and stared around the crowded restaurant. "There-" River pointed to a far corner, "I see wings…I think" she ducked her head around trying to follow the glinting shadow.
"Meet me in the back." Cas growled and disappeared. River and the brothers stood up quickly and made their way to the back alley of the restaurant.
"Cas where is he?" River whispered. They found the Angel in the alleyway, his brow furrowed and arm held out directly in front of him.
"I have him tethered, Zoda Khama Moharana…" he muttered. "Manifest yourself!" The lights in the alley flickered and Cas lowered his hand.
Dean cleared his throat, "So where he is?"
"I'm right here!" A giant, very naked man appeared behind Dean and scooped him up in bear hug. He jiggled Dean several inches off the floor like he was a toddler and not a 6'2'' man.
Dean swung his head around, trying to get a look at his assailant. "Help me!" he grunted at River and Sam. Sam stood frozen in place, watching the huge man that had his brother trapped. River has trying with great difficulty to not double over in fit of laughter. The angel had wings so small and fluffy they looked more like useless accessories than functional appendages. Cas stared at the Cherub, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Help is here! Yes it is!" the man cried jovially before dropping Dean back on his feet. Dean sneered in surprise as the naked mans ass bounced past him. "Hi Brother!" the Cherub yelled happily when he set his eyes on Cas. "Come here you!" He took the Seraphim into a similar hug, squeezing him. Cas's mouth disappeared into a thin line. He set Cas down and turned back towards River and Sam.
"Me next! Me next!" River yelled, hands outstretched towards the Cherub. The large man ran giddily towards her and picked her up, swinging her around like a small child. He placed her back on the ground and she slapped his naked ass. He let out a 'tee-hee' and stepped away from her towards Sam to complete the round of hugs.
Dean jumped out of the way, fists raised and yelled at Cas, "Is this a fight? Are we in a fight?"
Cas shook his head, "This is their handshake."
"I don't like it!" Dean said angrily.
"No one does," Cas replied.
"I do," River smiled gleefully as Sams head bounced back and forth from the Cherub's swinging. The Cherub finished his hugs and walked back towards his brother, his small soft penis swinging slightly with each step. Dean made another disgusted face and tried to find something interesting on the wall to focus on.
"What can I help you with, brother?"
Cas rolled his shoulders back and pulled himself to his full height, the Cherub still stood several inches over him, "Why are you doing this?" The Cherub's face fell in confusion. "The people you are marking are slaughtering each other!"
"What? I don't understand." The Cherub looked between the stern faces of the hunters and then back to Cas.
Dean sighed loudly and watched the large man as he began to snivel, "Listen, birthday suit, cut the crap. We know you've been flitten' around town, shooting poor saps with poison arrows."
The Cherub's lower lip jutted out and began to quiver, fat alligator tears dropped from his eyes, "You think I had something to do with…with hurting people?" He turned to look at River, his large eyes wide and shining. "I would never."
River held out her hands to the giant, naked man, "Oh come here big guy!" She wrapped her hands around him as he cried into her shoulder. "You two be nice!" she admonished at Dean and Castiel.
The Cherubs shoulders shook with sobs, "I love love. I wouldn't hurt anyone! Ever."
"Ok, it's ok." She patted his back and stared daggers at the Angel and the green eyed hunter hunter. "Of course you do! But we need your help. We need to know whats happening to these people."
The Cherub stood up, sniffed loudly and wiped tears off his face. "I was just on my appointed rounds. Following orders. I didn't hurt anyone….read my mind!" he said suddenly turning towards Cas. "Brother, read my mind. Then you will know I'm telling the truth."
Cas stepped forward and stared up at the Cherubs wide hazel eyes. "He's telling the truth." Castiel reported after several silent moments of intense starring.
The hunters shared a quick look. "You said you were following orders. Whose orders?" Dean asked, still concentrating very hard to not let his eyes fall below the Cherubs shoulders.
The Cherub laughed heartily, "Why Heaven, silly."
"What the hell does Heaven care if Harry screws Sally or not?" River asked.
"Well certain destinies, certain blood lines…" the Cherub said. "Take you two for instance. You were destined to bear Dean Winchesters children but the state you were in….there's no way you would have had sexual relations with anyone. We had to help you lower your guard so to speak, to allow Dean in and everything else is history so you humans are fond of saying…"
"Oh yeah Dean got in alright," River sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.
The Cherub noticed River's frown, "Hey there pretty girl, we didn't make you two fall in love. You did that on your own. All we did was soften things up, gave you a little push in the right direction. Not like their parents, oh no! The union of John and Mary Winchester was a very big deal" He turned towards the brothers. "Top priority for upper management. Nothing left to chance. They had to meet, fall in love. That was no easy feat! They couldn't stand each other at first! When we were done with them-perfect couple!"
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, "Are you telling me you played match-maker to our mom and dad?"
The Cherub nodded, "Well not me personally but yes. Oh…they were perfect together. Hardly an argument or disagreement. You two are much more volatile…"
"Our parents were perfect together? They're dead you asshat!" Dean said angrily punching the Cherub in his jaw. Dean immediately regretted his rash decision, his fist felt like it slammed into a steel plank. The Cherubs face contorted again as if he were about to cry and then he disappeared.
"Hey buddy, come back! The big meanie didn't mean it!" River yelled after him. "Good job you big jerk. Whats wrong with you, anyways?"
Sam let out a long breath, it had taken River only a few hours to call Dean out on his attitude. He had sat and watched his brother become more withdrawn and angry over the last several weeks. "Maybe we should talk, Dean, about whats going on with you…. Or not."
"Or not," Dean grumbled leaving the alley. They drove back to the motel in silence. River, being her normal lucky self was of course staying at the same place just a few doors down. Her key card wouldn't work when she tried to get into her room and after several minutes of cursing quietly at the door she stomped to the office.
"My cards not working," she said sliding the plastic card across the counter at the man sitting at the front desk.
"That's cause you should've paid for an extra day if you wanted to stay. Lucky we didn't throw your shit out yet. It'll be $85 for another night plus the late fee." River sighed, rolling her eyes and pulled her wallet out of her bag.
"I got $50 right now. I'll give you the rest before 10pm if you let me in my room so I can get some stuff," She held the cash out to the man. He nodded, took the money and fixed her key card. She found the telephone book in the nightstand, flipped quickly to the section she wanted and found the address to the closest strip club.
A quick conversation and her last $20 to the house manager and she was given the ok to get dressed, or undressed as it were. Her stomach growled again and she thought longingly about the candy bar filled vending machine at the motel. She finished piling her hair up in a sexy-ish ponytail and gave herself one last look in the mirror. She was still way thinner then she'd been in years and disliked the way her collarbones stuck out. For being early evening on a Wednesday the club was packed. It was standing room only around the dance area, men cat called and hollered at each of the women on stage. Money was being thrown from every angle as well as a few wedding rings, watches and anything else of value. Men were begging and pleading with some of the Dancers to come home with them, to marry them, or just to fuck them right there in front of everyone. River danced for less than an hour and walked off the stage with several thick wads of cash. "Is it always like this?" she asked one of the girls in the dressing area. She threw a lose Green Day shirt on over her bare chest and didn't bother putting her jeans back on. The tiny black shorts would do until she could get back to her room and take a hot shower.
"I've never seen so many guys here. Father Sean, the priest over at St. Lucia's gave me a hundred bucks to put my titties in his face." The stripper bent over a thick line of cocaine and snorted loudly. Some of the other girls in the dressing room were drinking freely from pilfered bottles of alcohol, one seemed to be utterly entranced by her CandyCrush game and still another was booking a redeye flight to Vegas and mumbling to herself about 'putting it all on black'.
River shook her head. "What the hell is going on in this town?" she thought to herself as she drove back to the motel. She paid the man at the desk and ignored the lascivious way his eyes slowly took in her pale legs. Once back in her room she paced restlessly. She had a huge stack of cash, so much money that she almost felt guilty. What if those stupid douche bags at the club had families? What were they thinking throwing this much money at a half naked stranger? Her stomach rumbled and she remembered the candy bars she had day dreamed about earlier. She peeled a few dollar bills off the top of her pile and headed for the vending machine.