Return one human from hell. Just like everything nice Crowley ever came up with, it seemed too good to be true. It was also, to their frustration, too good for the Winchesters pass up.
Crowley handed over the spell with a smile and a flourish. A win-win, he had called it. He would get one of his minions back downstairs, while Dean and Sam could free a tortured soul. Repeat as desired.
The spell was straightforward enough. They found a quiet, abandoned parking lot and painted the symbols almost as large as a basketball court. Next, they caught themselves a demon. He was a little guy, dressed like a librarian, but a demon is a demon. They left the poor bastard chained in the center of their artwork while they performed the spell.
Of course they were not naive enough to think Crowley had been completely honest. They were armed to the teeth, figuratively of course, in preparation for whatever the catch turned out to be.
"Please, stop," the skinny man cried. He had pulled himself up to a kneeling position, his hands still shackled behind his back. He looked genuinely afraid as Sam continued reading. The boys were used to this reaction; they'd done their share of exorcisms. All three flinched when a bolt of lightning struck the ground at the edge of the parking lot.
Sam and Dean exchanged a look. Dean nodded, and Sam read on. The possessed man blubbered and sobbed as another flash of electricity lit up the symbols on the ground around him. Sam spoke the last line of text from the stiff, yellowed page, and the brothers both braced themselves for whatever was about to go down.
Wind sped around them. Dean held up an arm to shield his eyes. Neither of them could see the man at the center any longer. One huge clap of thunder, and the brightest flare of lightning yet, then it all went still.
They rushed in to check on their test subject, not sure what sort of mess they would find. He was gone. Sort of. In his place was a woman. She wore a pastel yellow dress in an outdated style neither of them could place. Her head hung down, her light brown hair hiding most of her face. She was in the exact spot and position they had left the man; her hands were even shackled the same way. They slowed their approach, but her head jerked up at the sound of their feet. Her eyes were wide and unfocused. Dean stayed a few feet back, weapon readied behind him. Sam inched forward. He held out a cautious hand toward her. "Maam... are you alright? Can you understand me?" She stared at him, breathing hard, visibly trembling. Sam half-turned to his brother. "Uh, any ideas here?"
"Not really," Dean hissed back. "I guess she's in shock?"
While they spoke, the woman pulled her gaze from Sam to Dean. She stared at him, her expression blank for a moment, then something clicked in her memory. Her eyes went wider still.
Sam turned back just in time to notice this change. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe." By the way she turned to look at him, he was convinced she understood his words. He just couldn't tell if she was shaking her head in response, or just shaking. Before he could find out, her eyes rolled up, and her body went limp. He caught her just before her head hit the pavement.
Author Note: I've had this plot bunny pestering me for a long time. I'm not sure how long it will be yet. Please let me know what you think so far, and thanks for reading!