Sarah was feeling it in her gut. Her instincts were screaming at her, her intuition abuzz. Tensions were rising amongst the people, and it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. Lena's iron fist was gripping the people to the point where they couldn't breathe any more. She was no leader, but a corrupt politician out for blood. It was only a matter of time before Bright Falls completely collapsed under her sovereignty.

She climbed off her mattress and made her way towards the base camp. The town was abuzz: lovers were searching for one another, children crying, men fighting. Lena isn't trying to keep everyone under control at all, she realized. This needs to end.

"Watch it, idiot!"

"What the fuck did you just call me?" A knot formed in Sarah's stomach. She tried following the sound of their voices so she could break them up before something happened.

"Get your head out of your ass, fucktard! MY ENTIRE FAMILY DIED OUT THERE, SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCK OFF?!" There was the sound of a punch being thrown and shattered glass. Oh my god. Sarah pushed through the crowd, and finally found the source of the chaos. Two young men were locked in combat, both out for blood. Rage and hatred twisted their facial features, and for a moment, it scared her.

"STOP IT!" she screamed. The men showed no sign of hearing her, they were too caught up in the fight and their bloodlust. Hurriedly, she grabbed the man dominating the other and quickly pulled him back, only to feel his fist swing into her face, knocking her to the ground. She struck the pavement with enough force that she saw stars. Dammit! Get up, Sarah!

"What the hell is going on here?" Lena strode towards them, two pistols in hand. Authority reverberated off her in waves; she was furious, and Sarah knew she wouldn't hesitate to shed blood. "You two! Cut out this bullshit!" She raised one of her weapons skywards and fired, startling everyone – including the two citizens in question. "Get the hell off of each other. Now."

The prosecuted obliged, albeit reluctantly. There was no sign of shame in their facial expressions, just anger and pure hatred for one another. Lena was just as enraged, if not more, but she was dangerously calm and composed. "Have you forgotten who the real enemy is?" she snapped.

"No, ma'am."

"Then please tell me why the fuck you decided to go on ahead and try to kill one another," she went on. "Enough blood has been shed within this past week, so pull your heads out of your asses before one of you gets a bullet in your head. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Only one of the men responded. Lena raised one of her weapons, aiming it at him. In her eyes, there was no fear. No life. Just immeasurable rage.

"Jake, you're dismissed. Get out." He did as he was ordered, and quickly departed, shoving his way through the crowd. "And you, Christian," she growled. "I know your family has a history of domestic violence. Your father raped your mother on several occasions and eventually killed her, your brother was beaten to death – also by your father, go figure, and it just goes further and further down. I'm a cop, I know these things. I really shouldn't be all that surprised by what happened here, but I am truly disappointed. I thought you could do better."

"Do you expect me to apologize?" Christian demanded. Lena shook her head, not once taking her gun off him. Sarah was terrified – for both Christian's life and what Lena would do as punishment. There was not a doubt in her mind he would receive the death penalty, and she couldn't allow it. She wouldn't, but what could she do? There was a crowd watching the scene, and if something went wrong…

"I have given you several chances," she said, "to own up to all the shit you've done, and you've done nothing but disappoint."

"What the fuck is this?" he yelled. "Is this supposed to be a democracy, because it sure as hell doesn't look like one?"

"We don't have time for democracy," Lena said calmly. "Christian, do you have anything to say?"

"Yes, I do. Go to hell, bitch." For a moment, Sarah thought she saw a hint of a smile on Lena's lips before she pulled the trigger. Christian fell over backwards, his unseeing eyes wide open in surprise. She was speechless – Lena had just killed a man in cold blood without blinking twice. It was several moments before she was able to bring herself out of her shock and climb back to her feet. She stormed towards Lena, grabbing her by the arm.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

Lena jerked herself out of Sarah's grip. "Judge, jury, and executioner. If there's anything that'll keep the people in line, it's fear."

"How many people have you executed?!" Oh God.

"Five within this past week, if you really want to know," she said. "Six, counting Christian. Seven if you don't back off." She lifted her guns to emphasize her threat, and reluctantly, Sarah took a step back. "The world's changed, Sarah. We don't have the luxury of being soft."

"Lena, please. I know you think you're doing what's best for the town, but all you're doing is leading it to social, economic and political collapse."

"Am I?" she retorted. "Where the hell were you all this time, huh? I've been fighting tooth and nail to keep this community intact, while you've been off doing whatever shit you were doing!"

"I've been fighting this war!" Sarah countered. "You don't even know what's out there, do you? You've been down here playing boot camp with the people of this town –"

"For their own good!"

"Really? I'm not seeing it. I see a community on the verge of collapse. Your execution of that man and the riot that almost broke out are proof of that." Lena looked her dead in the eye, her facial expression cold and hard.

"You don't want to fuck with me, Sarah," she warned. "You saw the consequences. I had no qualms killing Christian. Don't think I won't do the same to you."

Sam stole a glance towards his elder brother. Dean lie asleep on the ground, using his jacket as an impromptu blanket. Barry and Alan were at the top of the lighthouse. What they were doing, he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that something had to be done about the Dark Presence's dominance over the globe. He wasn't an idiot; he knew it was risky, venturing outside of the lighthouse, but they were running out of options. They could either let the world burn, or continue fighting. And he wanted to fight, with or without his brother. He knew what he had to do, and his intuition was screaming at him that if all went well, the Dark Presence would be vanquished and he would be dead or lost in the Dark Place.

"I am so sorry, Dean," Sam said quietly, "but I need to do this." He knelt by his sleeping brother and gently stroked his face. His heart clenched in his chest, and tears burned in his eyes. "If I don't do this, no one else will. I love you, big brother. Thank you. For everything." He felt his tears slip down his cheeks. "This is for the best." Without another word, feeling his chest constrict, he rose to his feet, turned on his heel, and departed. It was reckless to go to Cauldron Lake without the Clicker, but Sam couldn't bring himself to care. Not anymore.