Chapter 15
21 Guns

Chapter name is just a song that I listened to a lot while writing this chapter, it kind of fits what's going in currently.

I'm going to try and post a new chapter every month around the 13th, 14th, 15th, of that month (giving myself a lot of wiggle room as you can see) If you want a new chapter quicker please tell me I'll get on it. Also if you read the last chapter and didn't review for some reason could you please do that I spent a long time making that chapter and I was hoping to get some feedback.

FUN FACT: Because this story has been going on for a while and has evolved so much over time I have almost filled up half of my writing notebook (a notebook of 250 pages) in possible ways for this story to end.

Okay, here's chapter 15.

I felt a goblins teeth plunge into my arm, I screamed in agony, it ripped and my skin and stumbled back as I frantically fired my gun, the goblins were on top of us, grabbing at my clothes, tearing my skin. I fired my gun constantly, blood was dripping down my arms and legs from various wounds. I was only still standing from adrenaline.

I saw a pair of silvery eyes right in front of mine, they were angry, something pierced the back of my leg, I howled. Stumbling back, as goblins tore at me skin, I saw Audumbla curled on the ground, blood covering her face.

I fired my gun in another fruitless attempt to fight them off, then, something happened.

I was on my knees, blood dripping all over my face, my hands shaking I could barely even hold my gun. The goblins stopped, and looked at me, the ones surrounding Audumbla stopped attacking her and faced me. I heard the familiar ring of my phone from my pocket.

The goblins were staring at it, confused. I stumbled and fell onto my side, my legs finally giving out. The goblins stepped back, their eyes big. With one glance at each other, a silent order from someone, they scampered off into the trees once more.

I fell on my back, my heart pumping. I knew I was safe from the goblins but they had ripped my skin to ribbons. I was going to bleed out, I knew it.

I lay on my back, my phone ringing but I could not bring myself to answer. I looked up at the sun. It was lunch time, normally I would be sitting in a diner, eating a cheap burger. But this time, I was on a dirt road, laying in my own blood.

I heard my phone ring once more, then silence.

I sighed, people always talk about dying, and how its peaceful and quick, and you see your life flash before your eyes. Sure, I could see my life, I could see everything I'd done, everything I'd been through already. I thought about all those kids at school, how they pushed me around all the time. I wondered where they were now. Maybe flipping burgers at McDonalds, but they were alive. Maybe they even succeeded and got a career, they were out living their life, maybe they had a family. And they were happy.

Another thing about death, is that it's not peaceful. At least, not for me. I could feel my heart stop beating, I couldn't move any muscles, I just lay there, a rock digging into my back, and the blood in my body running out. It was everything but quick.

That one moment before I lost all feeling, I remembered Dean. How he had helped me become a hunter. I wondered where he was now.

It was November 18, 2005. What was Dean Winchester up to?

There was music playing.

Now the music I listened to, no this was popular music, the stuff that plays on the radio. I recognized the song, it was called Dance, Dance. I thought briefly about who wrote it… Falling Guy, or something like that. It was just at the chorus, Dance, Dance, we're falling apart to half time, Dance, Dance, and these are the lives you love to lead, Dance, this is the way they'd love me, if they knew how misery loved me…

I realized I hadn't even opened my eyes, I just had become aware of the noise. When I did open my eyes I was greeted by a beige ceiling. It was very close to my face, who's house could have a ceiling this low? I glanced to my right, oh, this is a car.

I tried to sit up, big mistake. I winced at the pain in my side, and laid back down. No one was in the car, I couldn't see much through the windows, just a cloudy sky, and the tips of some trees. I lay there for a moment, I started listening to the song again, it wasn't actually that bad.

The radio is on…. That meant something, right? Whoever owns this car doesn't like silence? No, maybe they wanted me to wake up.

I tried to sit up just slightly, I winced at the pain, but other than the pain in my side, I seemed to be doing fine. I could see the car was parked in a diner parking lot, the lights in the diner were on but it didn't seem very busy. I shifted my weight and tried to sit up more, I could see a lot of trees out of the window. I decide that I didn't like trees, they could hide so much. With a jolt I remembered the events previous, the goblins, how they were attacking Audumbla and I, how I laid on the dirt road, and… Died?

I realized I was shaking. How could I have survived? I actually felt my blood run out, my heart slow down and stop. How was I in a car in the parking lot of an old diner?

Then suddenly it dawned on me, I was dead, and this was the afterlife. Maybe this was what I'd always wanted? To be peaceful, go to cheap diners, listen to popular music. That last one was wrong for sure. It didn't seem right, but there was no way I could have survived the goblins attack, even Audumbla was lying motionless, and she was a Goddess.

I breathed in and out slowly and raised my head enough to fully see out the windows, looking around, I could see the diner was kind of in the middle of no where, there was a paved road with no street lights that I could see, a small parking lot with a couple trees and bushes around, not enough to hide a pack of goblins. Do goblins hunt in packs? That is something I'd have to look up.

I mentally slapped myself, I was dead and I didn't need to worry about goblins.

I heard a door open, it must be the diner's. I laid down again and hoped whoever just left wouldn't see me.

I breathed in sharply and held my breath as the car door opened, I didn't raise my head to see what was going on but I heard the other door open and close too.

I decided to stay laying on my face, not risking them knowing I was here, or awake, whoever they were. I wondered briefly if it was worth trying to hide, it would probably end in the same result, whatever that may be.

The song playing was just finishing, "I don't like this song…" a boy's voice muttered, he turned the radio off.

I furrowed my brow, I recognized that voice.

"I don't it," A girl said, I recognized her voice, too.

The boy started up the car and muttered, "When is Cas gonna wake up?"

I couldn't stop myself, my head snapped up and I was face to face with the all too familiar face of Garth Fitzgerald.

"Garth?!" I gasped, I looked to other person, it was Audumbla.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, I sat up slowly.

"This is my car, Cas," Garth said, he was smiling, "It's great you're awake, how are you feeling?"

"Your side hurts but otherwise really surprised of your well being, I did pretty good," Audumbla muttered.

"But…" I started.

"You're not dead, Cas," Audumbla continued, "I healed you, well, kind of."

I stayed silent; I didn't know what to say.

I breathed in, I tried to say something but all I could manage was, "How…?"

Audumbla, spoke up, "As you were doing you're dramatic death scene-"

"I was NOT being dramatic," I retorted.

Audumbla looked at me with a very unamused face, "May I remind you that I can read minds."

I didn't reply.

"Anyway, while you were dying, I was healing myself. I can't die just from scars but goblins have poison in their claws, so I could have died from that if I had laid there for another hour or so. My blood returned to my viens and stuff, then I took your phone, Garth was the one who called, so technically he saved you from the goblins. You had already passed out but you weren't dead."

She took a deep breath, and blinked several times.

"You wouldn't remember but I used the same magic that healed me on you, because its mostly used on Gods and Goddesses, using that magic on a human resulted in that pain in your side. That will be there for about two more days. Anyway, after I healed you I called Gath back, he was calling because he was wondering why you weren't at your hotel room, which you left the door open, by the way. I told him where we were, he trusted me for some reason," she paused and looked at Garth, she said nothing for a while then she suddenly snapped back into reality and quickly said, "You should work on that."

Garth shrugged, "You were on Cas's phone and you sounded like you could be trusted."

Audumbla shook her head and turned back to me, "So he picked us up and you've been there since, that was only like four hours ago. You didn't wake up right away because you're not strong enough for the magic I used."

I stared at the floor, it was a lot to take in.

"Okay," I said.

"What?" Garth asked.

"I said, okay," I repeated.

"You're sure?" Garth continued.

"Yes."

Garth nodded, "alrighty then," and with that, he started the car again and we drove back to the hotel.

The next day was spent buried in books of lore. All three of us trying to find a way to kill goblins. Like Audumbla had said, fire was a way to hurt them, but it wouldn't kill them.

We had been reading for hours now, lunch time was three hours ago, another two until dinner but I was starving.

I glanced at the clock again, "Anything?" I asked, Audumbla and Garth both shook their heads.

Garth was flipping through some books about the Gods, I was looking through general knowledge on Goblins from different mythology. Audumbla was searching on the Internet. We'd been there since 11:00, with nothing to show for it.

Another half hour passed slowly, The pain in my side was slowly going away. Garth turned a page, "Aha!" he shouted.

"Shhhh…" whispered one of the library workers.

Garth winced, "Sorry," he showed us the page, "Look, it says that the norse goblins were killed with a torch blessed by a Goddess, and only a Goddess, not a God or any other monster."

"Great, we can leave now," I sighed, "And that's handy we have a Goddess right here," I said, gesturing to Audumbla.

Audumbla titled her head, "It says a Goddess of Valhalla…"

"Yes? You're a Goddess of Valhalla, right?" I continued as I pilled up the books again.

She shook her head, "I emerged from the ice of Niflhiem, which is kind of the opposite of Valhalla…"

My shoulders slumped, "Well what would be a Goddess of Valhalla, then?"

Audumbla shifted her weight, "It would be a Goddess who is connected to Valhalla in any way, in other words… Connected to Odin."

"So, who?"

"I know one, her name is Ran, she's the Goddess of the Sea, she is connected to Odin and could bless the fire and stuff but… She might not do it."

Ran was a beautiful, tall, thin woman with long black hair that went all the way down to her waist, her skin was tinged bluey green and she had piercing green eyes. She was wearing a long white dress that was soaking wet. She stood on a dark pile of rocks, looking over the ocean.

We stood far behind her, Garth and I to the side, Audumbla stood far enough behind her for her to not notice, but close enough to talk.

"Ran," Audumbla said loudly, Ran turned, she bowed, Audumbla bowed in return.

"Audumbla," Ran said in a harsh voice, "What brings you here?"

"The goblins, we need to bring them down." Audumbla answered.

"And you need ambers blessed by a Goddess of Valhalla, ah yes, I knew you would come."

Audumbla rolled her eyes, "No you didn't, you're just saying that because you're a selfish bitch," she muttered under her breath, the wind carried her voice away so Ran didn't hear.

Audumbla stood tall again, "Yes, though I believe it is fire, not just ambers."

Ran shook her head, "ambers blessed by a Goddess of Valhalla will kill a goblin, all you need to do is find the alpha of the pack and they will be brought down."

Audumbla bowed again, "You are of more knowledge than me."

She paused, "Will you do this for me?"

Ran glanced at Garth and I with a disgusted look, she turned back to Audumbla, "No." she stated easily and turned around.

Audumbla nodded, "Told you," she muttered, I gasped, "We're just giving up?"

"There's nothing we can do, she won't do it," Audumbla shrugged.

"We should at least try to convince her it's a good idea," Garth said.

"She's the Goddess of the Sea, she's so full of herself and when she makes up her mind, that's that."

I paused, "Is there any other Goddesses around that could help us?"

Audumbla thought for a moment, "Yes! Lofn!"

"Is she kinder?"

"Yes! Very much, she's a very gentle soul."

"Okay, wonderful," I glanced back at Ran, who had folded her arms and was looking mad, "Where is she?"

Audumbla furrowed her brow, "Chicago, I believe… Is that far?"

Garth and I chorused a sigh, "Yes, yes it is."

Garth turned back to Ran, she was shifting her weight and scoffing, muttering something that was either too slurred for anyone to understand or in a different language.

"Anyone else?" I continued.

Audumbla shook her head, "There is Skadi but she stayed in Scandinavia."

"We'll figure this out…" I muttered.

"The goblins could easily kill anyone you know, Gods and Godesses, too." Garth said, "The whole city could be killed soon enough."

Ran spun around, "Fine, I'll do it for you, mortals and cow. But you will owe me a favor."

We were all surprised by her sudden speech we nodded dumbly even as she stared at us with a pained look that clearly said "Oh my word, they are idiots". After a moment I caught myself and spoke up, "What do you mean?" I asked, "What kind of favor?"

She straightened her back and held her chin high, as she spoke her hands moved brushing against each other, they seemed to shine, I noticed. "Any time I wish, no matter what you are doing, no matter where you are, if I call upon you, you will come. Anything I wish, no matter how small your abilities are, no matter how much trouble it will cause, you will do as you are told. The two mortals will sign." She finished with a wave of her left hand and as she pulled it to the side, a scroll tumbled down from her right hand and she smiled at us.

"Sign here," she said in a voice as delicate as a kitten. She pointed to the bottom of the scroll, two separate lines stood waiting for our signatures. The scroll wasn't even that long, only about the size of two printer papers taped together, only it was one long page.

"Why don't you sign?" I heard Garth mutter, he was talking to Audumbla.

"It's against the law for God's and Goddess's to owe favors to one another, that was enforced after a couple wars," she explained.

Garth didn't reply, I assumed the law of the Gods wasn't one where you could go to jail for, probably something more like the death penalty.

Garth moved up to stand in front of me, "What will happen if we don't sign?" he asked.

"Then you must find another Goddess to bless the ambers," she replied instantly.

Garth shrugged, he pulled out a pen from his back pocket, "I knew this would come in handy one d-"

He shrieked as Ran moves her hand and in one swift moment smited the pen, Garth quickly dropped the pile of dust on the ground and stepped back.

"Sign with blood," Ran said, she paused then continued, "I assume you both have a knife on you, use them."

She pulled out a dark feather from somewhere - maybe nowhere, she was a Goddess after all – and held it out for Garth and I to use once we were ready.

I pulled out a dagger from my jacket and handed it to Garth, "Age before beauty," I muttered with a tinge of humor, but mostly because the idea of signing this menacing contract with my own blood was terrifying.

Garth ungratefully took the dagger and cut his palm with it, he winced and returned the dagger. He stepped forward and took the feather, I couldn't see much from where I was standing behind him, but I could see his shoulders tensing and relaxing with the pain of constantly stabbing your hand with a feather.

Once he was done, he awkwardly handed the feather back to Ran and as soon and it touched her fingers the blood of the tip vanished. Garth moved away. Now it was my turn.

I used to dagger to cut a line down my palm, I bit my lip and sheathed the dagger. I moved forward until I came face to face with the Goddess of the Sea, she looked down on me with disappointment and pretentiousness. I took the feather.

It felt odd, using a feather to write, I knew it was the old way people did it, using a quill and ink, except this was just a feather, it wasn't supposed to be used for writing.

Before I could start with the "C" in my first name Ran suddenly said, "Sign with your real name, Castiel Milson."

I nodded shortly; a little surprised as of no one had ever used my full name since I ran away back in 1999. I dipped the black feather in my palm and began to sign, as I wrote I realized that no one had placed anything underneath the scroll to keep it stabilized; yet I was not struggling with gravity. I pushed the thought out of my head, Ran was a Goddess, she probably has a lot of magic tricks - real magic - up her sleeve. Once I finished I returned the feather to Ran and once again my blood disappeared off the tip, I retreated and stood next to Garth and Audumbla once again.

Ran rolled up the scroll and tied to together with a dark blue ribbon, she whispered something and it vanished into thin air.

"Right," Ran said, surprisingly cheerful, she clapped her hands together, "I've got some ambers to bless."

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