p class="MsoNormal"Her breath ripped through her mouth and her legs burned as Mercy ran around the shop, looking for something, anything, to staunch the bleeding on Jo's left side. Running her hands across everything she came across, Mercy frantically scanned every level, leaving nothing unchecked./p
p class="MsoNormal""Mercy, now would be a great time to find something!" Ellen near enough screamed in desperation. Said woman glanced over her shoulder to fill with dread at the frighteningly ashen complexion of the youngest hunter./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm looking! It's not like we chose the best shop to hide in!" Mercy shouted back. Frustration building with each useless item she came across./p
p class="MsoNormal""I've reached Bobby!" Dean shot over the panicked women./p
p class="MsoNormal"A vicious bark caused Mercy's steady hands to flinch at the unneeded reminder of the imminent danger on the other side of the salt lines. She cursed under her breath and continued to race through the aisles./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal"Not that either./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shit./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal""Fuck yes!" Mercy screamed when her hand came into contact with travel sized sewing pack. A quick glance at the next shelf gave her a handful of Tooth Floss and she sped back to the two other women on the floor./p
p class="MsoNormal"With practiced hands, the tattooed woman bent the needle, thread the floss through the eye and began stitching the flesh back together. She ignored the whimpers of pain and the whispered reassurances, and focussed solely on the task at hand./p
p class="MsoNormal"Blood quickly coated her hands and soaked the hems of her plaid shirt as she began; the sight of red blood, yellow fat and pink flesh barely registering from the years of seeing the same beneath her own skin. She hadn't a clue if the blonde had any internal or organ damage and just hoped that her stitches would be enough./p
p class="MsoNormal"Her hands steady and eyes hard as she pushed the curved needle in and out of the skin, almost rhythmically, hypnotising./p
p class="MsoNormal"She quickly cut the floss once the first (and largest) gouge had been closed and wasted no time moving onto the next. Mercy silently thanked god that there were only three wounds and that they were distantly placed apart./p
p class="MsoNormal"The second was trickier as, unlike the first, it veered into another direction almost half way down, and left a flap of skin to dangle uselessly, too torn to be of use in the stitching. She had just about finished it when her ears pricked up./p
p class="MsoNormal""You need explosives?" She questioned, eyes never leaving her hands. She didn't wait for an answer before pulling out a couple of grenades from under her shirt and shoving them in the directions of her brothers. "There should be plenty of crap in here to set up a trip wire trap."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Mercy I love you so much." Dean exclaimed before pulling a wide eyed Sam to set up said trap./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ellen snorted as she continued to pet her daughters head in an attempt to calm her. "You carry around explosives, but not a first aid pack?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy ignored the accusing tone of the older woman, acknowledging that the mother was simply stressed and scared at the thought of losing her daughter. The only family she had left./p
p class="MsoNormal""I did have one, but the hairy fucking piles of hell shit out there tore it off me." Mercy spoke as she pulled the last stitch tight. In no time, she had ripped her top layer to shreds and wrapped the wounds./p
p class="MsoNormal""Done. Now Jo, is there any chance you can walk, even if you need support?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy couldn't say she wasn't expecting the shake of the girls head, but it sure wasn't what she wanted. She could hear the tell-tale sounds of the boys finishing the salt bomb trap and took a deep breath./p
p class="MsoNormal"No choice then./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ellen, help me get Jo on my back."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The injured blonde weakly fought back, trying to explain that she wasn't going to survive anyway and they may as well leave her there to make sure the mutts were taken care of./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'll only slow you down. I'm a liability you can't afford to have. I'm going to die anyway."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy growled deep in her throat, sick of the girl's weak excuses. She grabbed Jo's chin and forced her to look into her eyes, forcing the blonde to understand./p
p class="MsoNormal""Jo. Look at me. I am not going to leave you to die here; you'd have a better chance of convincing your mother. Now listen. There are no Reapers anywhere near you; do you know what that means?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"More tears were added to the tsunami raging down Jo's face. Mercy took a deep sigh of relief as the girl nodded and began to hook herself onto the elder's back, looking like a sick sloth, dark circles around the eyes included./p
p class="MsoNormal"The eldest Winchester clenched her jaw as she stood, unwilling to show any sign of strain under the dead weight despite her muscles groaning. Ellen grabbed the guns and supplies, taking the burdens of the two younger women as her own./p
p class="MsoNormal""Boys! Now would be a great time to get out of here!" Ellen shouted over the rising noise of hellhounds getting closer and closer to entering./p
p class="MsoNormal""We're all done." Sam called as the two men made their way towards the women. The four healthy and relatively unburdened hunters surrounded the two huntresses as the group progressed to the roof./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy desperately tried to control her breathing, thankful that Jo had passed out as she would have definitely noticed Mercy's exhaustion. Her joints were becoming liquid and her muscles screaming to drop the excess weight, not that she ever would; even if it cost her life. She couldn't even consider the thought of asking one of the others to carry Jo, they were the heavier hitters compared to her. And with the way her legs were shaking, they'd be better shots if anything did appear./p
p class="MsoNormal"*BOOMFSH*/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy stumbled slightly at the shockwave, grinning when her ears cleared enough to detect the whimper and whines of the hellhounds mixed within the rain of glass and debris./p
p class="MsoNormal""Try chasing us now, you fucking mutts." Mercy muttered under her breath, staggering to keep up with the rest of the group./p
p class="MsoNormal"-/p
p class="MsoNormal"It didn't take long to get to the Impala, apparently the explosion was larger and more distracting than they had anticipated. A strange coincidence, not that Mercy was going to tempt fate. Nor lady luck for that matter./p
p class="MsoNormal"The situation was bad enough without her provoking the manipulators of life./p
p class="MsoNormal""Get Jo to a hospital as soon as possible." Mercy ordered as she placed said injured girl into the back of the Impala. "My stitches aren't gonna hold for long, and god only know what kind of infection she's managed to pick up from those hounds."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Got it." Ellen replied, not bothering to be offended. "You three sure you're gonna be fine?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you worry Ellen. You just make sure Jo gets help." Dean spoke confidently despite the situation./p
p class="MsoNormal""We'll handle it from here." Sam added./p
p class="MsoNormal"The woman gave a long and hard look at the three Winchesters, before getting into the car, obviously seeing the determination they all held./p
p class="MsoNormal""Kick it in the ass. Don't miss." Were her parting words./p
p class="MsoNormal"The three turned, trusting the Harvells to look after themselves as they made their way to the literal King of Hell./p
p class="MsoNormal"Jesus Christ, Mercy thought, what has my life become?/p
p class="MsoNormal"-/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy could feel her heart pounding, racing as she held her body taught, forcing her body to relax ever so slightly, ready for anything. She, along with her brothers, took slow measured steps with a gun secure in the hold of both hands./p
p class="MsoNormal"Deep breaths, she reminded herself./p
p class="MsoNormal"A quick glance at Sam and Dean told Mercy everything she needed. Like her, their brows were furrowed in a mix of concentration and fear, a deep frown on both their faces which she was sure they weren't aware of./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a slight tremor to Sam's walk, but she was reassured by his steady hands. Likewise with Dean./p
p class="MsoNormal"In a moment of fear filled randomness, Mercy had to liken their approach to a trio of wolves stalking towards a great brown bear. Instincts howling at them to leave, run and never return, because this was a beast they had very little chance against./p
p class="MsoNormal"But they were hunters. They couldn't turn tail and run from a threat this large./p
p class="MsoNormal"The three Winchesters flinched violently at the harsh shlick of a shovel. It took only a few more carefully placed steps to finally lay eyes on the Prince of Darkness Himself./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy shivered at the feeling of fingers scuttling up her body at the sight of him. Well, not quite the sight of him./p
p class="MsoNormal"From what her eyes saw, he was just an average man. Fairly well built and suspiciously digging a hole, but on the whole looking like another human./p
p class="MsoNormal"Her instincts on the other hand, her hunter instincts that had been honed and grown over her lifetime, could see oh so much more. There was something inherently wrong with him, different to demons. He had a sicklier feel. As though he wasn't supposed to be on this earth./p
p class="MsoNormal"He made her feel sick and scared and frustrated and stressed and just strongemspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"Wrong./span/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"A signal from Sam snapped her out of the sudden daze. The two older Winchesters nodded and separated from Sam. Letting him take the lead and be the distraction, with Dean in charge of the Colt, and Mercy as the backup. Not that she really could do anything if it all went to shit./p
p class="MsoNormal""You wanted to see me?!" Sam shouted, raising his shotgun to the calm back of the Devil./p
p class="MsoNormal""Now Sam." The fallen angel turned to face his vessel. "There's no need for guns. You know you could never really hurt me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy only just suppressed another shiver at the sound of his voice. And not a pleasant shiver either. Rather than smooth, or erotic, it was just plain slimy and sinister. Though whether that was because she knew his true nature or just how he generally sounded, she wasn't sure./p
p class="MsoNormal"She held her breath as Dean appeared behind the blond, obviously making use of his blind spot as he inched closer and closer./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, well I'd hurt you." Dean declared. "So suck it!" He wasted no time in shooting the Colt into Satan's forehead just as he turned to face the middle Winchester./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was rather anticlimactic how quickly the body fell, slumping to the ground, and how little of a fight Satan put up. The mirrored look of confusion on Sam and Dean's face let her know that they felt the same./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy swiftly made her way to the boys, ready to drag them out of the town and put all the crap behind them, only to freeze barely a few feet away from the whining Devil. Three identical looks of mortification appeared on the siblings faces./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ice dripped through her veins as Satan pulled himself to a stand. A look of mocking confusion plastered on the stiff face as he stared at the Colt in Dean's hand./p
p class="MsoNormal"No. Don't./p
p class="MsoNormal""Where did you get that?" He asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"Without giving Dean a chance to speak, the Devil pointed at him, smacking him across the field and into a tree. Mercy followed his flying body with her eyes, a scream of terror choked back as he rag-dolled to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, don't feel too bad Sam. It just so happens, that out of all the beings the Colt can kill, I happen to be one of the five."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Oh, okay. Mercy took a few shaky breaths, subconsciously noting that she was doing that too often that day, and let herself think./p
p class="MsoNormal"He was ignoring her, either thinking she was too scared to move or thought she wasn't a threat in the slightest./p
p class="MsoNormal"Okay./p
p class="MsoNormal"We can use this./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy set her mind free. Skating through idea after idea, searching, scrabbling for some clue to create a plan. She silently thanked and cursed her youngest brother for running to check on Dean, leaving her closest to their enemy./p
p class="MsoNormal"She near sighed in relief when he simply went back to digging, though the tension in her body seemed to have no intention of leaving at all. She subtly rolled her joints, trying in vain to loosen her body ready for combat, and testing to see if the archangel before her had any caution towards her./p
p class="MsoNormal"Apparently not./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy wasn't sure whether to be thankful or insulted by the lack of response to her presence./p
p class="MsoNormal""Mercy, now would be a great time to find something!" Ellen near enough screamed in desperation. Said woman glanced over her shoulder to fill with dread at the frighteningly ashen complexion of the youngest hunter./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm looking! It's not like we chose the best shop to hide in!" Mercy shouted back. Frustration building with each useless item she came across./p
p class="MsoNormal""I've reached Bobby!" Dean shot over the panicked women./p
p class="MsoNormal"A vicious bark caused Mercy's steady hands to flinch at the unneeded reminder of the imminent danger on the other side of the salt lines. She cursed under her breath and continued to race through the aisles./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal"Not that either./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shit./p
p class="MsoNormal"No./p
p class="MsoNormal""Fuck yes!" Mercy screamed when her hand came into contact with travel sized sewing pack. A quick glance at the next shelf gave her a handful of Tooth Floss and she sped back to the two other women on the floor./p
p class="MsoNormal"With practiced hands, the tattooed woman bent the needle, thread the floss through the eye and began stitching the flesh back together. She ignored the whimpers of pain and the whispered reassurances, and focussed solely on the task at hand./p
p class="MsoNormal"Blood quickly coated her hands and soaked the hems of her plaid shirt as she began; the sight of red blood, yellow fat and pink flesh barely registering from the years of seeing the same beneath her own skin. She hadn't a clue if the blonde had any internal or organ damage and just hoped that her stitches would be enough./p
p class="MsoNormal"Her hands steady and eyes hard as she pushed the curved needle in and out of the skin, almost rhythmically, hypnotising./p
p class="MsoNormal"She quickly cut the floss once the first (and largest) gouge had been closed and wasted no time moving onto the next. Mercy silently thanked god that there were only three wounds and that they were distantly placed apart./p
p class="MsoNormal"The second was trickier as, unlike the first, it veered into another direction almost half way down, and left a flap of skin to dangle uselessly, too torn to be of use in the stitching. She had just about finished it when her ears pricked up./p
p class="MsoNormal""You need explosives?" She questioned, eyes never leaving her hands. She didn't wait for an answer before pulling out a couple of grenades from under her shirt and shoving them in the directions of her brothers. "There should be plenty of crap in here to set up a trip wire trap."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Mercy I love you so much." Dean exclaimed before pulling a wide eyed Sam to set up said trap./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ellen snorted as she continued to pet her daughters head in an attempt to calm her. "You carry around explosives, but not a first aid pack?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy ignored the accusing tone of the older woman, acknowledging that the mother was simply stressed and scared at the thought of losing her daughter. The only family she had left./p
p class="MsoNormal""I did have one, but the hairy fucking piles of hell shit out there tore it off me." Mercy spoke as she pulled the last stitch tight. In no time, she had ripped her top layer to shreds and wrapped the wounds./p
p class="MsoNormal""Done. Now Jo, is there any chance you can walk, even if you need support?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy couldn't say she wasn't expecting the shake of the girls head, but it sure wasn't what she wanted. She could hear the tell-tale sounds of the boys finishing the salt bomb trap and took a deep breath./p
p class="MsoNormal"No choice then./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ellen, help me get Jo on my back."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The injured blonde weakly fought back, trying to explain that she wasn't going to survive anyway and they may as well leave her there to make sure the mutts were taken care of./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'll only slow you down. I'm a liability you can't afford to have. I'm going to die anyway."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy growled deep in her throat, sick of the girl's weak excuses. She grabbed Jo's chin and forced her to look into her eyes, forcing the blonde to understand./p
p class="MsoNormal""Jo. Look at me. I am not going to leave you to die here; you'd have a better chance of convincing your mother. Now listen. There are no Reapers anywhere near you; do you know what that means?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"More tears were added to the tsunami raging down Jo's face. Mercy took a deep sigh of relief as the girl nodded and began to hook herself onto the elder's back, looking like a sick sloth, dark circles around the eyes included./p
p class="MsoNormal"The eldest Winchester clenched her jaw as she stood, unwilling to show any sign of strain under the dead weight despite her muscles groaning. Ellen grabbed the guns and supplies, taking the burdens of the two younger women as her own./p
p class="MsoNormal""Boys! Now would be a great time to get out of here!" Ellen shouted over the rising noise of hellhounds getting closer and closer to entering./p
p class="MsoNormal""We're all done." Sam called as the two men made their way towards the women. The four healthy and relatively unburdened hunters surrounded the two huntresses as the group progressed to the roof./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy desperately tried to control her breathing, thankful that Jo had passed out as she would have definitely noticed Mercy's exhaustion. Her joints were becoming liquid and her muscles screaming to drop the excess weight, not that she ever would; even if it cost her life. She couldn't even consider the thought of asking one of the others to carry Jo, they were the heavier hitters compared to her. And with the way her legs were shaking, they'd be better shots if anything did appear./p
p class="MsoNormal"*BOOMFSH*/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy stumbled slightly at the shockwave, grinning when her ears cleared enough to detect the whimper and whines of the hellhounds mixed within the rain of glass and debris./p
p class="MsoNormal""Try chasing us now, you fucking mutts." Mercy muttered under her breath, staggering to keep up with the rest of the group./p
p class="MsoNormal"-/p
p class="MsoNormal"It didn't take long to get to the Impala, apparently the explosion was larger and more distracting than they had anticipated. A strange coincidence, not that Mercy was going to tempt fate. Nor lady luck for that matter./p
p class="MsoNormal"The situation was bad enough without her provoking the manipulators of life./p
p class="MsoNormal""Get Jo to a hospital as soon as possible." Mercy ordered as she placed said injured girl into the back of the Impala. "My stitches aren't gonna hold for long, and god only know what kind of infection she's managed to pick up from those hounds."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Got it." Ellen replied, not bothering to be offended. "You three sure you're gonna be fine?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you worry Ellen. You just make sure Jo gets help." Dean spoke confidently despite the situation./p
p class="MsoNormal""We'll handle it from here." Sam added./p
p class="MsoNormal"The woman gave a long and hard look at the three Winchesters, before getting into the car, obviously seeing the determination they all held./p
p class="MsoNormal""Kick it in the ass. Don't miss." Were her parting words./p
p class="MsoNormal"The three turned, trusting the Harvells to look after themselves as they made their way to the literal King of Hell./p
p class="MsoNormal"Jesus Christ, Mercy thought, what has my life become?/p
p class="MsoNormal"-/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy could feel her heart pounding, racing as she held her body taught, forcing her body to relax ever so slightly, ready for anything. She, along with her brothers, took slow measured steps with a gun secure in the hold of both hands./p
p class="MsoNormal"Deep breaths, she reminded herself./p
p class="MsoNormal"A quick glance at Sam and Dean told Mercy everything she needed. Like her, their brows were furrowed in a mix of concentration and fear, a deep frown on both their faces which she was sure they weren't aware of./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a slight tremor to Sam's walk, but she was reassured by his steady hands. Likewise with Dean./p
p class="MsoNormal"In a moment of fear filled randomness, Mercy had to liken their approach to a trio of wolves stalking towards a great brown bear. Instincts howling at them to leave, run and never return, because this was a beast they had very little chance against./p
p class="MsoNormal"But they were hunters. They couldn't turn tail and run from a threat this large./p
p class="MsoNormal"The three Winchesters flinched violently at the harsh shlick of a shovel. It took only a few more carefully placed steps to finally lay eyes on the Prince of Darkness Himself./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy shivered at the feeling of fingers scuttling up her body at the sight of him. Well, not quite the sight of him./p
p class="MsoNormal"From what her eyes saw, he was just an average man. Fairly well built and suspiciously digging a hole, but on the whole looking like another human./p
p class="MsoNormal"Her instincts on the other hand, her hunter instincts that had been honed and grown over her lifetime, could see oh so much more. There was something inherently wrong with him, different to demons. He had a sicklier feel. As though he wasn't supposed to be on this earth./p
p class="MsoNormal"He made her feel sick and scared and frustrated and stressed and just strongemspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"Wrong./span/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"A signal from Sam snapped her out of the sudden daze. The two older Winchesters nodded and separated from Sam. Letting him take the lead and be the distraction, with Dean in charge of the Colt, and Mercy as the backup. Not that she really could do anything if it all went to shit./p
p class="MsoNormal""You wanted to see me?!" Sam shouted, raising his shotgun to the calm back of the Devil./p
p class="MsoNormal""Now Sam." The fallen angel turned to face his vessel. "There's no need for guns. You know you could never really hurt me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy only just suppressed another shiver at the sound of his voice. And not a pleasant shiver either. Rather than smooth, or erotic, it was just plain slimy and sinister. Though whether that was because she knew his true nature or just how he generally sounded, she wasn't sure./p
p class="MsoNormal"She held her breath as Dean appeared behind the blond, obviously making use of his blind spot as he inched closer and closer./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, well I'd hurt you." Dean declared. "So suck it!" He wasted no time in shooting the Colt into Satan's forehead just as he turned to face the middle Winchester./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was rather anticlimactic how quickly the body fell, slumping to the ground, and how little of a fight Satan put up. The mirrored look of confusion on Sam and Dean's face let her know that they felt the same./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy swiftly made her way to the boys, ready to drag them out of the town and put all the crap behind them, only to freeze barely a few feet away from the whining Devil. Three identical looks of mortification appeared on the siblings faces./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ice dripped through her veins as Satan pulled himself to a stand. A look of mocking confusion plastered on the stiff face as he stared at the Colt in Dean's hand./p
p class="MsoNormal"No. Don't./p
p class="MsoNormal""Where did you get that?" He asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"Without giving Dean a chance to speak, the Devil pointed at him, smacking him across the field and into a tree. Mercy followed his flying body with her eyes, a scream of terror choked back as he rag-dolled to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, don't feel too bad Sam. It just so happens, that out of all the beings the Colt can kill, I happen to be one of the five."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Oh, okay. Mercy took a few shaky breaths, subconsciously noting that she was doing that too often that day, and let herself think./p
p class="MsoNormal"He was ignoring her, either thinking she was too scared to move or thought she wasn't a threat in the slightest./p
p class="MsoNormal"Okay./p
p class="MsoNormal"We can use this./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy set her mind free. Skating through idea after idea, searching, scrabbling for some clue to create a plan. She silently thanked and cursed her youngest brother for running to check on Dean, leaving her closest to their enemy./p
p class="MsoNormal"She near sighed in relief when he simply went back to digging, though the tension in her body seemed to have no intention of leaving at all. She subtly rolled her joints, trying in vain to loosen her body ready for combat, and testing to see if the archangel before her had any caution towards her./p
p class="MsoNormal"Apparently not./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mercy wasn't sure whether to be thankful or insulted by the lack of response to her presence./p