Chapter 12

Old Friends

An elevator lift came to a halt. The metal gates were pulled back and Johnny, Sam, and Dean stepped out from the hanger and into a spacious living quarter. The place was old and carried a grunge vibe in its decor. Dust lined most of the furniture, appearing as if its tenant hadn't been there in a while. Motorcycles were out on display around the apartment, some smashed and beaten up, while others under dusty sheets. Piles of books lay scattered across the floor near the back of the room – all antiques. The walls displayed carnival posters of the great Blaze family and their daring stunts. Mechanical tools and equipment were also seen around the room, making it look more like a garage than a home. Sam and Dean looked around in awe.

"You live here?" Dean asked with genuine admiration.

"Indeed I do. You know, it's funny. The cops have been after me for a long time, but they never thought I'd be dumb enough to stay in one place." Johnny hopped up on a platform at one end of the room where a small TV and sitting area was laid out. He reached over to the coffee table between chairs and grabbed a jar full of jellybeans. He held it up to the Winchesters. "Anyone for a jelly?"

Dean snickered and jaunted over to join him. "Yes, please."

Johnny turned to a cabinet and brought over two martini glasses which he filled with said jellies. Sam rolled his eyes and wandered over to the stack of books that held his interest far longer than food. Dean and Johnny clinked glasses before taking a sip of their jellies while Sam picked up a couple of books and started skimming.

"Sumerian Mythology, Grimorium Verum, The Goetia? Johnny, where did you get all of these?" Sam asked while studying the titles of the various books.

"Stolen, mostly, from libraries, churches, random emo freaks, you know. Ever since I made my deal... I wanted to know what I was up against," Johnny replied.

Johnny plopped down into one of the high-back armchairs and turned on the TV. A black and white comedy came on starring Abbott and Costello. Dean followed suit, and soon the two were feet up and relaxing, cackling at the riotous jokes like two peas in a pod. Sam continued to rummage through the books, all the while simultaneously envious and annoyed by the other two, both so easily able to forget their problems and enjoy the little things in life.

"It's scary how much you two are alike," Sam muttered, but neither paid much attention. A thought came to Sam, darkening his mood. "Guys, don't you think we should be figuring out this demon thing? I mean, now that we know the Yellow-Eyed Demon is involved, shouldn't we be taking this more seriously?"

The other two just laughed at the TV in unison.

Sam marched over to them, determined, and stood in their line of sight by the TV.

"Play time is over, kids," Sam scolded.

Dean turned to Johnny.

"Sam's right. Maybe we should start doing something. Make a plan, or whatever."

"Aw, but this is the best part!" Johnny whined.

Sam gave him a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me stare. Knowing he was overruled, Johnny clicked off the TV.

"So, now what?" Johnny complained, still mimicking a frustrated child who was just told to go to bed.

"I think we should call more hunters," Sam suggested.

"Wait, what?" Dean rebuked.

"This is huge, Dean. Even with Johnny, this may be too big for the three of us – and I know you've been thinking it too. These demons are powerful, and now they're working with the Yellow-Eyed Demon..."

"Might be. We don't know that for sure."

"Either way, we know there's more of them. And if Yellow-Eyes is involved, we may be that much closer to ganking the thing that killed mom."

Dean went silent at the mention of his mother. Things were finally in perspective for the Winchesters.

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter from the bedrooms down the hall.

"Did you guys hear that?" Sam asked.

All three looked in the direction of the noise. Before any of them had time to react, another bang was heard. The three made their way slowly down the hall, guns drawn. Johnny put a hand on the door knob.

"Behind door number one..."

He turned the knob and the door opened.

There was silence and blackness. They waited to see what was there.

Just then, a body rushed out at Johnny and threw him to the floor, its teeth gnashing, and its fingernails clawing at him. It took him a minute to acknowledge what was happening as it all happened so fast. By then the Winchesters had grabbed the creature by its elbows and yanked it off their friend. As they struggled to restrain it, Johnny took a moment to look up to see what it was, and a lump caught in his throat.

"Mack?"

The creature with grey skin, sunken in features, and scabs of rotting flesh did, in fact, resemble that of his old manager and best friend. His eyes were red and his teeth were yellow and rotted. Rather than looking like his best friend, the creature looked more dead and zombie-like than anything else.

Dean took the butt of his pistol and clocked the zombie Mack over the head, knocking him out cold.

Johnny rose to his feet and shook his head in sorrow.

"Oh, Mack. What happened to you?"

The creature began to stir, and as it moved it realized there were limitations. It looked down to see rope bound around its torso and arms, restraining it to the chair it sat on. Looking up it came face to face with Johnny, bearing a somber expression. Sam and Dean stood either side of him with weapons in hand.

"You in there somewhere, Mack?" Johnny asked, a little less than hopeful.

Zombie Mack growled and tried to wriggle its way out of its binding. Johnny bent down to level with his former friend.

"Please, Mack. I need to talk to you," Johnny pleaded.

Zombie Mack looked at him, and in that moment, its eyes, once red and filled with rage, softened to resemble that of a human; that of his former best friend.

"You want to talk?" Mack growled, his voice still less than human. "Yes, let's talk about how I gave everything I had to you and your show! I did my best by you, and what do I get for it? I'm dead!"

"I know, and I'm sorry! If I- If I'd have known that Blackheart was there I'd-"

"You'd still have left me for the girl," Mack finished.

Johnny had to look away then, knowing he was right. He was never a good enough friend to Mack, and he knew it. With everything going on in his life, he was never able to live in the present and see the good he had in his life. But he also knew that, inevitably, his demons would have come back to haunt him, and Mack would have been killed either way.

"Mack, I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can say but 'I'm sorry'. It's my curse. It kills anyone I love, and always will. You didn't deserve this, buddy. I just wish you had never known me. But I'm glad to have known you."

As he said this, the brief flash in zombie Mack's eyes that hinted some remains of his humanity wavered and returned to blood-red rage. Johnny stepped away from Mack, turning his back to him in shame, and allowing the Winchesters to take over.

"Who did this to you?" Dean asked.

The humanity was then gone and the creature that Mack had now become was in full force.

"I think you know exactly who did this. And, he has a message for you," Mack hissed, dangling the information like bait.

After no reply Dean asked, "You gonna tell us what that message is?"

Zombie Mack gave a devilish smile that gave the others a haunting chill. In that instant, Mack sprang from his chair, ropes split apart by his sudden burst on inhuman strength. He lunged at Johnny, and once again toppled him to the ground. This time, instead of trying to harm him, Mack held his lips close to Johnny's ear. The Winchesters tried to pull Mack off Johnny, but he did everything in his power to stay close long enough to whisper the message.

"The end is near. A war is coming. And it all starts tomorrow. The full moon. The graveyard. They'll be waiting."

The brothers then, finally, pulled Mack off of Johnny and tossed him to the floor. The creature hissed, showing off his rotting teeth and blood red eyes. Dean took the opportunity and thrust his machete down upon Mack's throat.

"No!" Johnny cried, but it was too late.

Mack's zombie head, now as lifeless as an undead creature could be, rolled across the floor and stopped at a wall; staring back at Johnny with dull red eyes.

Sam and Dean looked to Johnny with sympathy.

"I take it you two have history," Dean concluded, making way for a further conversation where they could get some answers only Johnny could provide.

"Yeah. Randall Mackenzie. He was my manager and a good friend. Blackheart killed him. I couldn't save him," Johnny explained as he rose to his feet.

"Must have been Murmur," Sam noted, keeping things in the present. "Demon of Resurrection. Makes sense."

"What doesn't make sense is why they brought back Mack," said Johnny.

"To mess with you? Those sarcastic sons-of-bitches will do whatever they can to screw with you; throw you off your game," Dean explained.

"Well they sure did that. Just reminds me of everything I've lost. Everyone. Because of this stupid curse."

Johnny's words hit home with the Winchesters, for they, too, had lost a lot in their lives due to demons and the supernatural world they were thrown into.

"What did he say to you?" Sam asked suddenly. "At the end. He whispered something to you."

Johnny took a seat in his high-backed suede armchair and resumed eating from his martini glass of jellybeans. After a moment he responded, "He said a war's coming. Starts tomorrow at the graveyard." He paused to take a sip of his jellies. "Oh, and I think he hinted that we're all gonna die."

Dean looked down at the severed head he had just decapitated from the resurrected creature and responded, "No. They're the ones that are gonna die. This crap has gone on far too long. It ends tomorrow."

He looked back to Johnny, who had a sassy smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He raised his glass of jellies and looked down at the head of his twice deceased friend. "This one's for you, Mack."

Sam chimed in, "And for mom."

And Dean, "And for dad."