SUPERNATURAL

THE PARCAEX RITUAL

Note – Here's the second chapter of my story, cheers =D

Chapter Two

Sam and Bobby strode through the lonesome streets of Arkansas, heavily on their guard as they searched the neighbourhood houses thoroughly for any possible weaponry.

The smallest creak of a floorboard, or slightest scuttle of some small animal was all it took to send fear and adrenaline flowing through their veins at a phenomenal rate. It was in no sense an unusual situation for either of them, but the absence of any form of protection was unnerving.

A few bags of sulphur and four litres of holy water later and the fearful tension had eased slightly. After raiding a local store for the salt, and using Bobby's Christ key-chain to manipulate the water's value, the two of them finally had the basis for a little retaliation.

Sam relaxed for a moment, content. He knew it would be of very little help if they managed to find themselves confronted by Lilith, but at least now they were protected from any other unwanted visitors that may be unveiled in the darkness.

After a short discussion concerning the useless shell of a once-working car, Sam and Bobby decided to release the Impala's handbrake and push it somewhere safer.

After a quick deduction on the most secure place to hole up, they decided upon a small basement beneath one of the larger houses on the district.

With the Impala parked upon the footpath directly above them in front of the house, Sam and Bobby dragged their supplies down the staircase and spread salt across every possible entry – they weren't going to be taking any chances.

'Do you think they'll come?' He seemed relatively calm, but Bobby knew that inside, Sam was shaking with fear - and after what he'd been through, it's to be expected.

Bobby was also quite edgy, 'I don't know Sammy,' he replied, 'What troubles me most is that they didn't attack us when we first arrived in town. We were easy targets; it wouldn't have taken much effort to wipe us out.'

'Unless they want us to go to them,' Sam deduced, slowly working his head around the conclusion. 'Perhaps they're waiting for us,' he shrugged, 'You know, toying with us, while we play right into the fingers.'

'Perhaps.' Bobby whispered, sitting on the cemented surface and staring at the wall in front of him. After a moment Bobby frowned.

'Something up?'

Bobby shrugged, 'I just don't get the way these Demons minds work.'

Sam forced a laugh, 'Do any of us?'

'Well, the situation we're in is no mere hunt. This is a war, Sam, and we're much more than just a few steps behind the enemy. They're unpredictable – something we can't deal with, especially in a time like this.'

'And what exactly is this time? To be honest, Bobby, I have no idea what's happening anymore – and I don't mean with the Demons. You're not helping this situation by keeping things from me, you know.'

'Get some rest, Sam. We're going to need our energy tomorrow, whether to fight off an army of vengeful Demons, or travel on foot to Lawrence. Either way, we will need all the strength we can muster. I'll wake you when it's your turn to keep watch.'

Sam didn't bother arguing. He had been fighting with himself to stay awake, and knew that he wouldn't be able to resist any longer. He doubted his ability to wake up when Bobby was done keeping watch, but lay down and closed his eyes anyway. It was barely two minutes before he'd fallen asleep; now completely and utterly unaware of anything that could sneak up on them in the night.

****

Sam would come to envy the man who's sleep remained untroubled, for as Bobby sat in his chair, cleaning the barrel of a pistol with a cocked sawed-off rifle beside him, staring ahead for any intruders, voices began to echo through Sam's mind. They tormented him, tearing through his brain with their shrill sound, until the wailing ceased and visions of his past began to flash before his eyes.

He could see the face of Azazel piercing his memory, the golden eyes and white smile torturing him. 'I have plans for you, Sam. For you and people like you.'

'Only one of you crazy kids is gonna make it out of here alive.'

It all looked so real, picture perfect in every possible sense of the phrase. 'I'm looking for the best and brightest. You're tough, you're smart, and you're well trained. Sam, you're my favourite.'

The terrible agony of repressed memories being pulled from his mind and resurrecting themselves in this terrible nightmare was excruciating, a pain beyond anything Sam could bear – but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

'Dad told me something, before he died.' Dean's face swam into view, tears leaking down his cheeks, 'He said that if I couldn't save you… I'd have to kill you, Sammy.'

'So what? Am I supposed to go dark side or something?'

'I don't know…' The words of Dean faded into the distance.

Blinding flashes of light cut across his vision, and many different voices echoed through his mind at once, voices of the damned, before their deaths.

'Hi, I'm Ava.'

'Sam… I saw you die. I had to warn you.'

'This is a competition. Only one of you crazy kids is going to make it out of here alive.'

'Screw you, buddy. I'm getting married in eight weeks, and I'm not part of anything, okay?'

'My name's Andy.'

'I can make people do things, anything I want. It was like a gift, you know?'

'I'm Jake.'

'I killed you! I cut clean through your spinal cord, man! You can't be here, you can't!'

'See that Ava girl was right. Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn.'

Sam, consciously aware of the flashes of memory streaking before his eyes, tried to call out to Bobby – to wake him up, pleading for him to save him from this nightmare. But he couldn't; he couldn't seem to make any sound at all.

Then Bobby's face came into clear view. 'There's a war coming, and you boys, you're smack in the middle of it.'

'In 1845, Samuel Colt made a special gun. They say this gun can kill anything.'

He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing – it was as if a higher power was trying to tell him something, but it all moved much too fast.

'Damn it! Bella stole the colt!'

'Her name's Lilith. She's the one that holds the contract.'

'I don't have to answer to puppy chow. Sick 'em, boys!'

With a final blinding white light, the scene was thrown into total darkness, but through the shadows Sam could make out a feint sound, becoming louder by the second.

'Bastards, no!'

'Help me somebody!'

Growing louder.

'Help me!'

'SAAAAAAAAMM!'

'No! DEAN!'

Sam awoke with a start, short of breath and wincing from the lingering twinge of pain in his head as he sat up in his makeshift bed to see a familiar face leaning over him.

Bobby looked quite distressed, 'Sam?' Relief swept across his face, 'Thank God. You were having a fit, or something – what came over you?'

Sam strained his mind to remember what it was that he had dreamt. The face of every one of the 'chosen' children struck his mind, the memory of each and every one of their deaths haunting him – and he knew they would forever.

They had just been regular people after all, undeserving of their fate.

Bobby scrutinised him closely, and Sam pulled himself up to stare into Bobby's eyes, who seemed to be fixing a conclusion in his mind.

'You had another vision, didn't you?'

'I don't know, Bobby… I mean, it wasn't like any other I've ever had.'

Bobby looked concerned, 'What happened?'

Sam gulped and took a deep breath before replying.

'I heard him.'

'Who?'

'Dean.'

Bobby stared, 'You're not kidding, are you?'

Sam shook his head, 'I heard him, Bobby; I heard him calling out to me.'

'But... Well, you know, It might not actually be-'

'Not be what?' Sam spat, 'Real? Bobby, when have my visions ever been wrong?'

'But you said yourself, it wasn't like any regular vision.'

Sam sighed, 'I know… But that last part, where I heard Dean… It felt much too real to be fake.'

Bobby said nothing.

Sam pulled himself to his feet, gazing at the staircase leading out of the basement, a new determination burning inside him. 'We're got to save him, Bobby. Whatever it takes, we must get Dean out of there.'

Bobby nodded, 'Don't worry, we'll– Sam?'

Sam had dropped to his knees, clutching his temple and screaming in pain. His head felt as if it was about to split in two, a burning sensation overcoming his senses and the world before him dropped out of sight as an alternate view met his eyes.

It was in a familiar graveyard, shrouded in the darkness of night and the only light to be seen was the moonlight above. Tombstones dating further back than any living memory, engraved with ancient markings that Sam could not decipher littered the ground before him, and trees that once swayed in the wind sat burnt and deadened; their life drifting away with each passing breeze.

Right in the centre of this ancient cemetery, overshadowing the headstones with its ferocious height, stood a mausoleum of unspoken menace, a crypt withholding the most terrifying evil known to man.

For this chamber held no mere grave. No. Behind those gates, a pit of burning stakes and senseless destruction await any being to walk beyond them.

The Devils Gates.

And beneath its doors, a young girl stood - her eyes pearly white and her facial features implying an anxious heart.

She had been waiting for a long time.

The man was much older than the girl, but the look on his face portrayed a mind that was utterly terrified to be in her presence.

'Did you retrieve it?' The voice of that little girl echoed throughout the clearing, projected with an unnatural volume.

This was no ordinary girl.

To the casual observer, they would never suspect that the next figure to arrive was little more than a servant for the little girls bidding. But Sam, who was, of course, not simply the casual observer, knew otherwise. In fact, by the light in her eyes, Sam recognised the little girl as Lilith – the Demon who had possessed Dean's crossroads contract before he'd bitten the dust.

The man nodded, and gestured behind him as he was joined by another two men, their eyes emptier than space itself, black under the light of the moon. They carried between them a large object, wrapped firmly in cloth. They set it at the feet of Lilith, who smiled menacingly as they backed off.

'And the Ancient Manuscripts,' she demanded, 'What have you found on those?'

The first of the Demons stepped forward reluctantly. 'We know where it is hidden,' he replied, 'It was very difficult – it's tracks were hidden very well. But we found it. As for retrieving it? No such luck. The house is thoroughly protected against us.'

This angered Lilith, but she replied quite casually, 'We are so close to achieving the Parcaex, and we cannot let our goals be hindered by such an avoidable hindrance. There will be another way. Find it.' She looked down at the object in front of her, then back to the three Demons, 'Now. About the Winchester boy and the colt?'

'Good news on that.' The same demon stepped forward and pulled the gun from his jacket. 'We traced the colt back to an old friend of the Winchesters, Bella Talbot. She just happened to have struck a deal with the one who dwells at the crossroads, ten years ago. She died a week before we could reach her, but it was not very difficult to find where she had hidden the colt. These people are so predictable.'

'Speaking of predictable,' a second Demon stepped up, 'Sam Winchester, with the help of an unknown accomplice, has escaped from our grasp and taken off again. But we had kept track of him since, and he just happened to cross the border into Kansas no less than six hours ago. And again, he wasn't alone.

'Where are they now?'

'They have taken refuge in an old basement beneath Arkansas City. They haven't come into contact with our guys yet, but we're setting up our allies around the area. We can't take any chances with these guys.'

'No.'

The words of Lilith were cold and harsh. 'Leave them; let them come. I may have some use for them.'

'Use?' the Demon looked confused, 'What if they do not come at all?'

Lilith smirked, 'Oh they will. Not only do we hold the body of dear Dean Winchester,' she gestured towards the object before her, 'But I've had the honour and privilege of chatting to one of their most valuable companions.'

After acknowledging the puzzled looks etched upon each man's face before her, Lilith strode to the far end of the cemetery and beckoned them over.

Supported by chains attached to her wrists, pinned to the back of an abnormally large tombstone with her feet dangling two feet above the ground, was-

'Ruby,' Lilith announced. 'A bitch so infamous she needs no introduction. You've been a very naughty girl, I must say. I mean, who ever heard of a demon rebelling against her own kind? You truly are unique in your own way – the amount of trouble you've caused be is indescribable.'

There was only sheer hatred etched into the lines on Ruby's face, and she glared down her nose at the small figure standing directly in front of her with a burning passion. 'I'm no Demon, bitch. I'm nothing like you. And you won't get away with what you-'

All it took was a flick of her wrist, and Ruby was rendered incapable of speaking. Lilith smiled sarcastically, 'I didn't ask you to speak.'

She turned back to the three Demons behind her, surveying each of their expressions closely before coming to a decision. Ruby continued to stare, listening with wide eyes at the next statement.

'Let Sam Winchester come. For our plan to succeed, we are going to need him. When at last we have him,' she smirked, 'it shouldn't be long before the Parcaex Ritual succeeds.'

****

'Ancient Manuscript?' Bobby inquired, frowning, 'Did they say what it was for?'

Sam rubbed his head, which was still throbbing painfully. 'Not specifically, no. But they're waiting for us to go to them, rather than attack us whilst on our guard.' He sighed, 'Lilith said that once they have me, they will be able to do it.'

'Do what?'

Sam hesitated, 'Perform the Parcaex ritual.'

Bobby said nothing at this, but sat and stared in Sam's general direction, clearly contemplating whether they should turn back from their path after hearing of this new ploy.

After a few moments, Bobby looked up. 'Weren't these visions supposed to stop when Azazel was killed?'

This was a question that puzzled Sam as well. 'I don't know, Bobby. I've got no idea what is happening or why this is happening to me again – But I am sure that, whatever it is, it's connected to Lilith somehow.'

Bobby nodded in agreement, 'Anything else?'

'Well, she confirmed out suspicions about the Demons having stolen Dean's corpse. They have Ruby, too. In the time since that phone-call and now, it seems that the Demons had found her, and she's hung on an old tombstone of some sort.'

'Well, considering the duration and lack of information in that phone call, I'd say she was already captive when she made it.'

'There was a building, too' Sam continued, his head searing with sharp pain, 'Bobby, they're at the Devils Gates.'

'The Devils Gates?' Bobby looked concerned, 'But… the Gates are in Wyoming! It was on a hunt only last Tuesday evening that I specifically caught wind of a plan in Lawrence…'

Sam shrugged, 'Well I haven't a clue. But they did say something about the Manuscripts being in a place they couldn't enter. They said it was protected against them – Devils traps and the likes. I think their 'need' for us included going into a place that they could not.'

Bobby sneered, 'They can't honestly think that we would willingly play right into their hands, and deliver them an item that somebody, clearly, did not want them to get their hands on. They truly are out of their minds,' Bobby leaned back against the stone wall with his head bowed down. 'Anything else?'

Sam closed his eyes and delved into his memory. Like regular dreams, the details were quite difficult to catch during the following wakeful moments, and it was a strain just to remember this specific piece of information. 'They said they needed the colt.'

Bobby sat up quickly, 'The colt? But what use could they possibly have for a demon-killing weapon? I mean, it's understandable to prevent us from using it on them by stealing it, but why would they need it now? Unless…' his voice trailed off for a moment.

Sam pressed for him to continue. 'Unless what?'

The next words he whispered were barely audible, and it was only by the movement of Bobby's mouth that Sam managed to catch what he said. 'They're going to open the Devils Gates.' He looked up, 'Sam, I think I know how we can save Dean.'

'What?' Sam was instantly alert, standing up and walking over to where Bobby sat, an anxious look etched into his face. 'How?'

Bobby sighed, 'If I'm right, then what the Demons are planning is both a blessing and a terrible curse for us. Those Manuscripts, if they are what I think they are, then they are of major importance with the Parcaex Ritual. I didn't know they were still around, I believed – as many other hunters did – that they had been destroyed centuries ago. But your Dad - he didn't believe it, of course. He was under the impression that the Manuscripts were still out there somewhere. He was searching for those scripts for years before his death, but he never gave me any clue as to how successful he was in his searches.'

'Do you think he found them?'

Bobby shrugged, 'I have no idea – But I wouldn't doubt John's ability for a second. If they are still around, I think that there is a good possibility that he found them, knowing him. But after what the Demons said, I think we can be quite certain that John was right after all.'

Sam sat down beside Bobby. 'The Demons said that the documents were hidden within a house somewhere. Do you think,' he gulped, 'Do you think they meant our old house in Lawrence? Maybe that's why Lilith told them to let us continue. They must think that we'll collect the scripts for ourselves and then bring them out into the open, where they can take them from us by force.'

'Maybe.'

'Bobby,' Sam sighed, 'you haven't told me what the hell is going on around here, yet. How do you expect me to be able to help, if I'm being kept in the dark about all of this? What do the Manuscripts do? And how will they help us save Dean?'

'I'm sorry, Sam, for not telling you before. I had to be sure that I knew exactly what was happening before you found out – If I was wrong, it would not have been necessary to tell you what I'd been suspecting.'

Sam said nothing, but waited for Bobby to continue.

'The Manuscripts of Vanatuhi are an ancient myth among all hunters and demons alike. Vanatuhi was the Pagan God of the underworld, who, in Estonian mythology, once rules the depths of Hell. He controlled all the happenings down below, and there is a legend that says – during his reign over Hell – that Vanatuhi was banished from the underworld by its other inhabitants. But Vanatuhi, whose soul was fixed within Hell, couldn't survive in a world like our own, full of life, love and happiness; everything he despised. And so his body decayed, and all that he left behind was a Manuscript of his own.

'In short, it is said that anyone who holds this Manuscript would have total control over all Vanatuhi's former power – would have control over Hell itself.

'Your father believed that he found traces of its existence, and ever since that moment, right up until the time that he died, he had been searching for it. He believed that Azazel had some sort of connection with the scripts, which made him all the more desperate to hunt down the bastard and kill it.'

Sam frowned, 'But why did he never tell us-'

'Tell you?' Bobby interrupted, 'The fact that he didn't tell you about them probably saved your lives, both you and Dean. By that time there were many other things after those scripts – other creatures, who would have torn both you and your brother both to shreds if they thought that you knew something about them.'

'John never intended to use the scripts himself – he knew that he couldn't. Only a Demon could summon the forces needed to control them, and I doubt he would have used them even if he could, even in an attempt to do the world good. It would overcome him quite easily. No, John only wanted to keep them from the Demons, for he knew that if they fell into the wrong hands, the world would fall to its knees, and bow to those that controlled the power at hand.'

'But, you said you knew a way to save Dean!' Sam exclaimed, 'But if only a Demon can use it, then how…?'

'Sam, I know more about you than you realise. Dean told me anything that he thought could interfere with your well-being, and so he also told me about the day Yellow-Eyes came to you in a dream, the day you were stabbed by Jake.'

Sam remained silent.

Bobby continued, 'Correct me if I'm wrong, but Azazel took you back to that day twenty-four years ago when your mother was killed, and showed you exactly what happened. The Demon dropped some of his own blood into your mouth, and it was this that spurred your keening psychic abilities,' he watched for a moment as Sam acknowledged the truth in this statement before finishing: 'You have Demon blood in you.'

Sam was unsure whether this was such a great discovery – demonic abilities gained through such a sick process wasn't his idea of a good personal trait. He understood that he would be able to unleash the powers of the Manuscript, but was it safe? If he had Demon blood in him, then why wasn't he like the rest of them? Perhaps this would be all it took for him to uncontrollably turn to the dark side…

'Sam, you can control the Manuscripts. You have the power to bring Dean back. Now, if what you saw in that dream of yours was true, then for the moment we're safe, and it sounds like we have a free ride to Lawrence.'

He pulled himself to his feat, brushing cement-dust from his pants. 'Pack your things, we're leaving.'

'Bobby,' Sam grabbed him by the arm, 'Come on, you haven't told me everything yet! What have the Manuscripts to do with the Parcaex Ritual? What will happen when the Ritual is complete?'

Bobby stopped moving for a moment and considered Sam's question, not particularly wanting to reveal this particular fact just yet. But he knew that it would do no real good to wait much longer. He sighed, and gave in. 'Apocalypse. Consider that for a moment.'

'You mean like… The four horsemen kind of apocalypse?'

'Well, in general.'

Sam shrugged, 'Basically a Christian terminology for Judgement Day, or the end of the world.'

'Exactly.'

Sam was confused.

'The Parcaex Ritual is basically like any other Demon-summoning ritual,' Bobby began, 'The only major difference is that the Parcaex is the only ritual capable of summoning the most powerful and terrifying creature from hell that the world has ever known. It is an ancient evil; a vicious and vile creature that goes by many names. Lucifer is believed to be its actual name, though he is more widely known as Satan, or the Devil.' Bobby paused, 'I swear to you that, Sam, if he is unleashed, there will be no stopping him.'

Sam stood with his mouth agape, staring at Bobby, disbelieving. 'But… he's just a myth! I've never heard of such a creature actually existing before!'

'Not many people have,' Bobby said sternly, 'But he is real, I assure you.'

'Did Dad know of him?'

'I doubt there was even a possibility that he didn't, but John never liked to concern himself with matters that he knew were much too big for him. He simply kept his mind focused on the task at hand, and up until his death, that task was always to find Azazel, and to look after you boys.'

Sam nodded. 'So… How are we getting to Lawrence without a car?'

Bobby grinned defiantly, 'No problem. Considering how Lilith is so keen to capture us, I'm sure they'll speed our journey for us.'

'What do you-'

'Listen.'

Sam stood in silence, listening intently as he watched Bobby, who urged him to keep silent while they waited for whatever it was.

And then, at last, he heard it.

Outside the house, on the curb where they had pushed the Impala after its sudden breakdown, Sam and Bobby heard the deep rumble of an engine starting.

Sam continued to stare at Bobby, now with an amazed expression on his face. 'Bobby, either there's something you're not telling me, or that was just one major coincidence.'

Bobby laughed forcefully, 'Sam, after all these years, do you still believe in coincidences?'

'Then what just happened? How did you know that the car would start?'

But in the silence that followed, Sam knew the answer before Bobby told it to him, but that didn't make it any easier to take in.

'They're watching.'

Thanks for reading

I hope you've enjoyed it so far =D

23 Chapters in total (not including Prologue/Epilogue)

I'll post them as soon as they've been re-written [original version was terrible =P]

Review, Cheers!