"Are you sure you're ready?" Ezra questioned more to remind Sam that he was with him than to question the hunter's capabilities. What he really wanted to ask was if Sam how he was feeling, but thought the inquiry would seem ill timed following the bloody aftermath they had just witnessed a few hours ago. After the scene at the bar, Sam seemed more accepting of Ezra's odd way of praying and uncanny way of being right. He guessed that was more than enough cause to be thankful. Yet, occasionally Sam questioned the priest with a barrage of questions. At the moment the young man was quiet and Ezra couldn't help feeling a bit ill at ease. "I have faith things will not be easy, but we have a higher…"
"I've practiced…" Sam interrupted. "…the Archangel Michael's exorcism and I know Dean has the seal on him, now if I just find what it is and keep him from turning me mad and keep him from hurting anyone else and keep Dean alive and keep…"
"Then you are ready." Ezra noted to stop the rambling thoughts coming out of Sam. "Once Dean arrives, we will spring our trap and seal the Rider to rest."
"Still not sure purifying the Rider by baptism is going to be easy." Sam's thoughts lingered back to the drive from Jolly Darcy's. Sadly, he tried not to think about anything and half listened to the preacher go on and on about what they had to accomplish. However, Ezra seemed to sense Sam's lack of focus and repeat his "divine knowledge", or so the man called it, several times. Sam would have felt better if he or Dean thought this hair brained idea up.
"It's not easy, but necessary. I wish we were promised easy, but God did promise this trial was necessary for both you and Dean."
"That doesn't make me feel better."
"Just keep your emotions under control- All of them. And unfortunately, we must remove the tainted part of the Rider and then we will use the archangel's exorcism to return him to his slumber until the time is due. If we send him back without purifying him…" Ezra sighed "...The seal was not meant to hold evil. It will not hold if we do not remove the demonic influence."
"I feel much better." The sarcasm laid thick and heavy on Sam's words.
"I do have some small measurement of comfort for you." Ezra beamed, holding a gold glistening necklace in his palm- Dean's amulet. Sam gasped a slight breath, but reached out tentatively. "I found it by your side the night I found you. The Rider had no use for it and left it behind."
"Why? Why would he take it off? It's just junk I gave Dean a long time ago… It's worthless." Sam spouted holding the item with an unyielding pressure now.
"I would say the value is priceless to two people in this world. Who knows? One day it may provide you with solace in the most trying of times."
"Doubt that."
"One thing I am sure of…the smallest of things can lead you through the darkest of fires, lead you back home, or remind you of who you are when you are most lost. I think for now, Dean would want you to keep this safe for him."
Sam shoved the cord over his head and the weight of the amulet fell next to Sam's heart. For a brief instance it felt warm, but that sensation faded in less than a flash. "Yeah, Dean will want this back." Sam's voice shook, but he evened it out with a rhetorical question. "You sure the Rider will come here?"
Patiently, Ezra answered again. "Yes. I only wish I was sure our plans will be successful."
"Pray harder."
"Praying perpetually since we got here." The priest reassured Sam.
Looking across the empty playground, Sam's gaze froze, ever watchful. Of all the places they had been that were too dark, too evil and too creepy to mention, the emptiness of the swings, the spinner, the monkey bars, and the teeter totter surpassed them all. Somehow without children the joy of this place was gone. Just an hour ago the place screamed of childhood and life.
He managed to scare off most of the parent and children pretending to be the EPA, quoting something about the effects of lead paint and assuring the crowd if anything was found they should tune into the local news. Tomorrow the scam would be discovered and they would be long gone. He would have been proud of the scam now had he not noticed her. A young girl, barely 13 by Sam's estimation crossed the grounds. "Son of a bitch." He said without thinking. "Oh sorry, father."
"In this particular moment I think any swearing will be absolved."
"I've got to get her out of here." Without waiting for Ezra to acknowledge the statement Sam rushed over to the young woman, wondering what the best excuse was to get rid of a teenager quickly.
A gust of wind blew in from the east, blowing her raven hair across her pale white face. Sam could see that the girl dyed her hair, a sure tell by the blonde roots showing. Her face held ultra green eyes that almost uttered I can take care of myself and who is this jerk coming towards me. Her catholic school girl uniform shifted as she crawled to the top of the money bars and perched, watching Sam's approach. Her legs dangled down over bar ledge, swinging back and forth like a toddler would.
A stronger gust of wind blew across her face again suddenly she stopped swinging her legs and scrunched her nose. A faint smile appeared across her plush lips. "Move along, perv," she definitely ordered Sam.
"I'm not a perv…uh… Amy…" Sam read her name from a school ID badge on the label of her stark white pressed shirt.
"It's Chalice."
"Chalice?"
"It's my name, Sasquatch."
"Your ID says Amy."
"I like Chalice better." She noted sarcastically.
"Look it's dangerous to be here, there's some toxic exposure in this park."
"Yeah…. I'm sure…. You might fool someone with half a brain."
"I'm trying to be nice here, I think it would be safer for you to emote somewhere else."
"I'm Goth, not emo. Again, if you had half a brain you would know the difference. Whatever your deal is, I really don't mind. I'm just skipping Sister Agnes' class and not taking that risk of dying from boredom."
Sam sighed, hoping a different approach would yield better results. "She sounds like my fourth grade English teacher, Ms. Edison. Listen, I know this a great ditch spot, but something really serious is going down and I…"
"What's that smell?"
The wind brought the scent of something, pungent and strange. When it blew once again, Chalice coughed, pinching her nose while burying her head into her arm. "EWWW! What the hell is THAT smell?!" she blurted out. She struggled off the bar, letting herself drop.
"Sulphur," Sam muttered. He pushed Chalice behind him. "Just stay out of the way and stay behind me."
"What are you talking about!?" She screamed at Sam, who only pushed her physically behind him.
"When you get a chance run, don't stop no matter what, don't call for anyone to help, don't draw his attention."
She didn't get time to protest as Sam backed her further back as someone began to approach them. "What…" she started.
"Shh…when it starts, run…Run fast…" he whispered. When Chalice spoke again, Sam didn't notice as his focus squarely tuned to Dean. It looked like his brother, it could have been him, should have been him, yet it was not. The walk was different, as was the expression plastered on his brother's features. It was not Dean, but the demonic reaper who filled him. The same dirty blond hair and green eyes, but with a lack of humanity. This man cared about nothing but his own nebulous agendas.
"Sam! Well, look who has come crawling back from death! If it isn't the all too goody brother. I don't know who helped…" The Rider's voice was even more forceful than Dean's. However,
when the demon spotted Sam's accomplice, Ezra, moving from behind one of the garden walls, he answered his own question. "I should have known. Father Ezra, are you saving me the trip?"
"Actually, my son, I am saving your host the trip. Leave him now and await your time. Let not the powers of hell use you."
"My mission is clear."
"Your purpose has been twisted, but you just cannot see it."
"My vision is clear."
"Then you will face us and fail."
"Do you believe you can win?"
"Our odds are more powerful than you know. It is tenfold to the power you can imagine."
"No matter. More await my embrace." Dean didn't wait for a invitation, delivering a tremendous right cross to the side of Ezra's head Another fist connected with his older man's cheek and a knee found its mark to a soft stomach, sending the unskilled fighter to the playground's pavement.
Shortly, Dean whirled and seemingly floated at least twenty feet in the air and landed right in front of Sam, who jumped back and grimaced as he took a punch to the ribs. He would not have taken such a blow, had he not been covering Chalice from the demonic reaper's grasp.
Sam saw the next strike approach and took the charge out with a spinning roundhouse kick. He couldn't wait for the preacher to get back up, so he began to speak his part and only hoped Ezra rejoins the fray to do his. "Rinceps gloriosissime cælestis militiæ, sancte Michaël Archangele, defende nos in prælio et colluctatione, quæ nobis adversus principes et potestates" Sam voice recited relaxed, watching his brother's frame flinch as the words spilled forth. "…adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiæ, in cælestibusus."
While his mouth spouted his rehearsed incantation, his fists continued the fight. On arm guided Chalice safely behind him and the other punched furiously. The Rider drew back a hard right to Sam's jaw. Small white lights popped in Sam's eyes as he rubbed his sore jaw. Dean's face was contorted with fury and his fists were clenched, looking ready to punch Sam again.
Sam scrambled up, only to launch himself at the Rider. ARRRGGGHH!" He ran headlong into his possessed brother. The force behind the move, knocked both men to the multicolored playground spinner. "Veni in auxilium hominum, quos Deus creavit inexterminabiles, et ad imaginem similitudinis suæ fecit," he spouted holding the Rider's shoulders under his knees.
The effect on the creature inside of Dean was evident. He twisted strangely as if the next jerk could snap Dean's head off his neck. That was when Sam saw a new band of metal holding the oddest looking of medallions, strapped to Dean's wrist. "Et a tyrannide diaboli emit pretio magno. Præliare hodie cum beatorum Angelorum…."
Dean twitched for a moment, but the Rider was not ready to let Sam stop him. Suddenly the Rider felt a trickle of water drop on his face. Above the spinning circle, Dean could see Father Ezra standing, but it was the holy man's words that damaged the Rider the most. "Si non es baptizatus, ego te baptizo in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Exi ab ea, immunde spiritus, et da locum Spiritui Sancto Paraclito." The demon felt a pull from multiple fronts- from Sam, from Ezra, and from Dean.
When Sam's and Ezra's voice merged, spouting different incantation in Latin, the Rider harnessed his unearthly energy. He punched hard, using all his strength to send Sam crashing backwards, landing with a large thud at Chalice's feet.
She stood dumbfounded, staring at the battle until this particular moment. "Run," she whispered, repeating the command Sam gave to her earlier. The shock of witnessing the battle finally wore off and she suddenly bolted off in a full run.
Meanwhile, the Rider jumped from the spinning contraption and attacked Ezra. The holy man flew even further than Sam. He landed as the young girl fled, coming directly into Dean's path. "Time to even things up." Internally Dean taunted his possessor, trying his damndest to help Sam. The rider had not anticipated any resistance.
As the teen passed close, he grabbed her. The rider's face creased into a scornful smile, and he twisted Chalice into a painful arm lock. Chalice's gaze was strangely deep, emotions seething from tear-stained eyes. "I don't understand." she whispered, before struggling, trying to tear her arm away from his. "I have nothing to do with his."
"Shh…" the demon coaxed. The free hand traced along her cheek line. "It will all end for you soon….shh." Then he stroked her hair, let his fingers twirl in the black locks. He leaned closer, smelling the fruit scent in her hair. As he did these motions, Dean bulked, subconsciously screamed and tried to gain some control. His hand ignited with the flames of madness, ready to claim this young victim.
"NO!" Sam screamed, running towards his brother. He knows he can't make it in time to save her, but he will try anyway. But there was a sputter in the strange glow on Dean's hand. At first he thought it signified the demon was about to take the young girls capacity for peace, but then he noticed a softness in Dean's face- a begging for help. Dean was holding the demon at bay, waiting for Sam to do something to stop him. Yet, Sam stopped, reminding himself of the anger he felt during the first attack and scared by it now. He had fought so coldly against the only person he had and it wasn't enough to stop the Rider. Sam wondered if the only way was to kill. They had to kill so many other hosts. It seemed only fair the universe repaid him in such a way. Sam didn't know how he had gotten this far from feeling human. And now, karma made him pay for the humans that died under his watch. He had seen so many now, he had grown hard. He didn't even flinch when he killed the young girl that was possessed by the crossroad demon. Now, he wanted to scream what have I become at the top of his lungs.
Dean wanted to scream too, but he wanted to tell his brother to end this. As it was, he held on for a few more seconds, making himself say please. Chalice moved and grabbed her captor's
arm, trying to cause him enough pain to free herself. She was almost successful, but at that precise moment Dean lost his control.
Sam didn't move, but he watched as Ezra pulled something from a leg strap at his ankle. He whipped the throwing knife out the holster and threw it at the Rider. The knife stuck right in the center of the thigh. When the knife impacted, the demon let go of the woman, who ran to Sam for safety.
"Accipe signum Crucis tam in fronte, quam in corde, sume fidem cælestium præceptorum: et talis esto moribus, ut templum Dei iam esse possis" Ezra said as the demon bore his gaze on the holy man.
The rider felt the first taste of fear. He pulled the knife from his leg and whirled it back as his attacker. The knife whipped and flew into Ezra's arm. The wound began to close.
At least the interaction awoke some need in Sam, who again lunged at his brother. But, the demon was no longer concerned with winning. He had an eternity to accomplish his mission. For now, he needed the priest and this hunter out of his way. He didn't wait for Sam to reach him before he bolted, running in retreat. The next time he faced them, the odds would be overwhelmingly in his favor.
Sam took after him for several yards, chasing the demon without any clue on what he would do if he caught up. He might have chased him all night had Chalice not screamed. She was standing above a struggling Ezra. By that time, Dean was nowhere to be seen.
Quietly he returned, bending down to assess the knife wound. He yanked the blade, noticing it was deep but not life threatening. Sad eyes glare up at him from the ground, telling Sam without words he is sorry. Sam swipes the sweat from his forehead and it comes away bloodied. Yet, he doesn't feel anything other than dread. "This is not over. It never is."