November 20th, 2014, continued.

Sam stood outside the towering building in the middle of the high street, shivering from the cold surrounding it. Or maybe it was the fear kicking in again. Sam didn't know anymore.

He'd left the car he'd stolen a couple of streets away; he wouldn't need it again anyway. He'd also left his bags and laptop in there, too. He'd realised about halfway through the journey that there had actually been no point in packing them. Maybe it had been because Sam felt he had to have something – anything – to cling onto and to take with him. Was the normal? Sam didn't really care at this point. He'd never been normal, and the tradition definitely wasn't going to be broken now, of all moments.

If he thought about it too much, he'd back out. And continue to be the weak man he always had been. Sam steadied himself and walked in and up the winding staircase to the top floor. He didn't know how he knew that Lucifer would be on that floor, but somehow, Sam just knew. He felt a connection drawing him towards Satan, and the closer he got, the stronger it grew.

He wandered into the desolate, empty room and was faced with Lucifer, standing, facing him at the other end of the room. There were no demons around as far as Sam could tell; maybe the Devil knew what Sam had come here to do. The lighting of the moonlight against Lucifer's vessel was unexpectedly...remarkable. The light being emitted from the moon at this time of night was shining on one half of Lucifer's whole body, enlightening one half in pure moonlight and the other in near total darkness. Shadows played on the crevices on his face as Sam saw his expression turn into a smug smirk.

Lucifer was still possessing Nick, although he was hardly recognisable anymore. Nick had been possessed for the last five years, and as far as Sam knew, he hadn't switched between vessels during that time. Poor bastard, Sam thought in empathy, looking at the peeled, cracked skin all over his body. If Sam hadn't known the vessel from when Lucifer has first revealed himself to Sam in the motel room all those years ago, he wouldn't have recognised Nick. He was almost inhuman.

"So," began Lucifer, a hint of amusement playing on his face, "you wanted to see me?"

Sam had never felt so in awe of something and so rooted to the spot in fear simultaneously.

"I..." Sam's voice had come out shaky. He tried again. "I'm here to say...yes."

Lucifer folded his arms in a curious manner and began to walk over to Sam at the other end of the room.

"Yes?"

"That's right."

Lucifer paused to consider this for a moment. "Why now?"

Sam's eyes filled with tears and searched the room as though it held the response he was looking to give. He couldn't find the words.

"Ah," Lucifer replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You've given up? You've finally admitted that I've won?"

Sam looked down, unable to admit defeat but at the same time embracing it like an old friend.

The Devil took his silence for an answer.

"Well, I'd be all too happy to upgrade from this –" he indicated at his present scarred and broken vessel, " – to someone a little bit taller." He smiled cruelly at his own joke. "But there's just one problem."

Sam's head snapped up. "What?" It came out as a whisper.

"You're not ready to take me in yet. You need a few gallons of demon blood before you can take me on, sonny."

Sam let out an audible, shaky sigh as his emotions began to get the better of him. This could not get any worse. Sam felt he had just agreed to the most awful position imaginable, only to find out that it was actually twice as bad as he's anticipated. He felt as if the ground beneath him was ready to swallow him.

"A few...gallons." He was talking mainly to himself and not to Lucifer, but the Devil took it as a prompt anyway.

"If you're serious," he continued, "I have a few in the room next door. Honestly, Sam. It's like I knew you were coming."

Sam let a single tear fall before he could help it, then straightened himself to look Lucifer in the eyes. Was he being the most cowardly he'd ever been or the bravest? He didn't know.

He nodded, unable to form the words.

Lucifer clicked his fingers and around five containers appeared at Sam's feet, all full to the brim with clotted, red liquid.

"Well? You want to die on the winning side, or not?"

"There should be just one safe place
in the world. People get hurt here. People fall down and stay down. And I don't like the way the song goes."