A/N: This is the final chapter for this installment, but I am planning on one more installment in the series entitled Welcome to My Nightmare. The song for this chapter is called Going to Hell by The Pretty Reckless. This chapter also incorporates content from the episode No Rest for the Wicked.
Chapter 28: Going to Hell
Father did you miss me,
Been locked up a while.
I got caught for what I did but took it all in style.
Laid to rest all my confessions I gave way back when.
Now I'm versed in so much worse,
So I am back again, and he said
For the lives that I take, I'm going to hell!
For the love that I make, I'm going to hell!
Gettin' heavy with the devil, you can hear the wedding bells.
Father did you miss me,
Don't ask me where I've been.
You know I know, yes, I've been told I redefine a sin.
I don't know what's driving me to put this in my head.
Maybe I wish I could die, maybe I am dead!
And he said
For the lives that I fake, I'm going to hell!
For the vows that I break, I'm going to hell!
For the ways that I hurt, when I'm hiking up my skirt.
I am sitting on a throne while they're buried in the dirt.
For the man that I hate, I'm going to hell!
Gettin' heavy with the devil, you can hear the wedding bells.
Please forgive me father,
I didn't mean to bother you.
The devil's in me father.
He's inside of everything I do.
For the lives that I take, I'm going to hell!
For the laws that I break, I'm going to hell!
For the love that I hate, I'm going to hell!
For the lies that I make, I'm going to hell!
For the way I condescend and never lend a hand.
My arrogance is making this head buried in the sand.
For the souls I forsake, I'm going to hell!
Gettin' married to the devil, you can hear the wedding bells.
In New Harmony, the three younger hunters followed Bobby's lead as he guided them towards the house that fit the location he'd found for Lilith. They ended up lurking across the street, crouched in the bushes, from a house with a For Sale sign in the front yard. The house had no exterior lights on, making the front yard just a gloomy shadow, but there was movement inside. Sam passed a pair of binoculars to Dean, who used them to look in the second floor windows, focusing on the scene inside. He frowned and silently passed the binoculars to Ty.
Ty focused the view and found herself looking at a young girl with blonde hair sitting at a table while a woman served her a piece of cake. A man also sat at the table with them. As did what was clearly the lifeless body of an older man, his head resting on his plate at an unnatural angle. If it wasn't for the corpse at the table and the magical sight the spell had given her, it would almost look like a happy family enjoying some desert. As it was, Ty grimaced and lowered the binoculars, handing them back to Sam.
"It's the little girl." she reported, "Her face is awful. Even worse than the cop."
Sam took a peek through the binoculars as well. To him, she just looked like a little girl, enthusiastically digging into a piece of cake, but he didn't doubt Ty's observation nor did he miss the dead man at the table, "Alright then, let's go. We're wasting time."
He started to move past the others to head towards the house, but Dean grabbed his arm, stopping him from stepping out into the open, "Wait!"
"For what? For it to kill the rest of them?" Sam demanded.
"Yeah, and us too if we're not careful." Dean hissed back, "Look. See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine PM?"
Dean grabbed the binoculars from him and passed them back to Ty, gesturing for her to take a look at a mailman who was idly sorting the mail at the back of his mail truck up the street. Ty took a look and grimaced again. His face wasn't quite as bad as the little girl's had been, but it certainly wasn't pretty. She paused for a moment to scan the rest of the street.
"Yeah, he's a demon, alright." she confirmed while she looked, "So is Mr. Rogers over there."
She gestured towards a man in a sweater-vest sitting in the window of a house nearby, holding a pipe and a book. He periodically glanced down at the pages, but his eyes kept drifting back out the window, like he was watching the street.
"Perfect." Bobby grumbled, "Guard dogs."
"Ok, fine. We…we…we ninja past those guys and sneak in." Sam said.
"Then what?" Dean asked with a frown. He knew Sam was anxious to take the fight to Lilith. Heck, he was, too. But that was before he'd seen the meat suit she'd chosen, "Give a Colombian necktie to a ten-year-old girl? Come on!"
"Look, Dean, I know it's awful…" Sam answered.
"You think?" Dean interjected.
"But this isn't just about saving you, Dean." Sam continued stubbornly, "This is about saving everybody."
Sam didn't say that if Dean would let him use his powers, he could try and stop Lilith without hurting the girl. He didn't point out that it was Dean who had insisted they rely on weapons that killed the host along with the demon. He didn't say it, but the knowledge weighed heavily in his gut, like a ton of bricks.
"She's gotta be stopped, son." Bobby said softly.
Dean turned and looked at Bobby, a little surprised that he'd agreed with Sam. He turned his questioning gaze to Ty. Ty shifted uncomfortably, but just shrugged in response. Bobby was right that Lilith needed to be stopped and she didn't have any other suggestions.
"Ah, damn it." Dean groaned.
After a quick whispered conference, the hunters split up to execute their plan. Dean snuck across the street, edging around the front end of the mail truck so he could stay out of sight of the demon-mailman. He approached the fence of the house when a rock skittered across the sidewalk, making him freeze in his tracks. The mailman immediately looked over and spotted him. As their eyes met, the mailman's gaze turned black and he launched himself in Dean's direction. Dean immediately ran, rounding the corner of the house with the demon in pursuit.
As the demon turned the corner after him, he ran directly into Sam, who had been waiting with Ruby's knife at the ready. He grabbed the demon, plunging the knife into him, while Dean came up behind him, clamping a hand over his mouth to keep him from sounding the alarm. The mailman's body flashed as the knife pierced deep and when Sam pulled it free, he collapsed in Dean's hold. Dean quietly lowered the body to the ground.
Meanwhile, Bobby knelt next to an opening to the water pipes, holding a rosary. He quickly started reciting the ritual to bless the water before dropping the rosary into the pipes.
At the same time, Ty finished picking the lock on the neighbor's door and silently slipped inside the house. She adjusted her grip on the barrel of the antique gun. She hoped the makeshift silencer Dean had added to the Colt would work.
She cautiously peered around the corner and spotted the demon she'd dubbed Mr. Rogers still sitting in his chair at the window. Ty didn't waste any time taking aim and firing. The shot still sounded louder to her ears than she'd like, but the bullet struck the demon in the back of the head and hopefully the walls of the house would contain the sound. She didn't lower the gun until she moved closer, slowly rounding the body slumped in the chair and saw that the demon was truly dead. Stowing the gun for now, she grabbed the body and started dragging it out of view, just in case, swearing a little under her breath at how heavy he was.
Ty was just heading back to rejoin the others, circling around to approach the house where Lilith was holed up through the trees in the back when she spotted Dean by the fenceline. And right behind him was a demon. Before Ty could call out a warning, she had Dean pinned against the fence. Ty quickly drew the Colt again, moving swiftly towards them.
"I'd like my knife back, please. Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone." the demon growled and that's when Ty realized that it was Ruby. She hadn't recognized her since it was hard to see the human face when the twisted demon one was visible.
Before Ty could reach them, Sam appeared behind Ruby, holding her blade against her throat. Ty slowed, lowering the Colt and as she heard Sam say, "He doesn't have it. Take it easy."
Ruby released Dean and Sam dropped his hand, letting her back away. Sam and Ty both moved to stand next to Dean as she turned to face them.
"How the hell did you get out?" Dean demanded.
"What you don't know about me could fill a book." Ruby scoffed. She turned her attention to Sam, "Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself."
"You'll get it when this is over."
"It's already over." Ruby insisted, "I gave you a way to save Dean and stop Lilith, but you shot me down. Now it's too late. He's good as dead. You all are if you don't start listening to me."
"Uh…guys…" Ty said, concerned this heated conversation was going to attract attention. She looked around, worriedly.
"Try and stop me, and I'll kill you. Bitch." Sam snapped.
"Hit me with your best shot, baby." Ruby challenged.
"Guys!" Ty snapped, louder, since their cover was already blown, "Hey! Have your little catfight later."
The others followed her gaze towards an older man and a boy standing on the porch nearby, staring at them. And, just past them, at the next house, a man holding a briefcase had also stopped in his tracks to stare in their direction. It was hard to tell in the dark, but judging by the look on Ty's face, the brothers were both sure that their audience all had black eyes.
"So much for the element of surprise." Dean said shortly.
Sam quickly turned back towards the fence, yanking open the gate, "Go. Go. Run. Run!"
The hunters and Ruby all ran through the gate as the possessed neighbors started after them. Sam reached the house first and started picking the lock on the door. Ty, Ruby, and Dean came up behind him, looking towards the lawn as more people came running after them.
"What the hell is taking Bobby?" Dean mumbled, eyes scanning for the older man.
"Any day now, Sam." Ty said anxiously as their pursuers drew closer while Sam struggled with the lock.
"I'm trying!" Sam replied.
The demons were swiftly closing in. The first of them had just reached the lawn when suddenly the sprinklers came on. The demon screamed as the water hit her, as did another that had come too close behind her to avoid the spray. The others stopped, glaring across the barrier Bobby had created by blessing the water in the pipes, turning the sprinkler system into a holy water dispenser. Dean grinned across the distance at them as Sam finally cracked the lock and got the door open. A few of the demons even leaned forward like they really wanted to come after them, but the holy water kept them back. Dean couldn't quite suppress a laugh at their expense as he followed the others inside. They might have lost the element of surprise, but so far things were going their way.
Inside the house, Dean found the others had stopped next to a body that was lying on the ground. It looked like it had been there for a day or two, at least. Smile vanishing, he looked soberly over at the others, "You think Lilith knows we're here?"
"Probably." Ruby said shortly, clearly not pleased at how things were progressing.
Dean ignored her and moved around the body to join Ty. He didn't say anything, but was grateful when Ty immediately drew the Colt and pressed it into his hands. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to handle the gun and cover their backs, but the weight and feel of the gun in his own hand was reassuring. He almost felt naked without it.
Sam took the lead moving cautiously further into the house, knife held at the ready. Ruby glared at Dean and inserted herself between him and Sam. Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but followed after her with Ty on his heels. The group moved into a deserted living room, four pairs of eyes sweeping every shadow and corner for some sign of danger. So far, there was nothing, which was perhaps even more disconcerting than a house packed with demons.
They had almost moved through the room when a creaking sound broke the silence. In a flurry of unexpected motion, a closet door flew open and a figure launched themself out of the hiding spot, heading right for Ty's back. Ty reacted instantly, turning to face the attack. She felt the others whirling around towards them, as well, and from the corner of her eye she registered Dean lifting the Colt to aim at her opponent, but her spelled sight told her this was not a demon coming towards her.
"Wait!" she hissed as she grabbed ahold of the man, using his own momentum and her grip on him to twist his arm behind his back.
The man immediately started to fight against her, to try and break free, but then his eyes landed on the barrel of the Colt pointed at his face and he froze.
"Dean, wait. He's not possessed." Ty said quietly but insistently. Addressing the panicked man instead now, she continued in a whisper, "Look, we're here to help, okay? But we need you to be quiet or we're all toast. Got it?"
The man nodded slowly and Dean lowered the gun. Ty relaxed her hold on him, but didn't let him go just yet, worried that he was still too hysterical.
"Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked quietly, guessing this must be the possessed girl's father.
The man's voice was almost a choked sob as he struggled to respond and Ty could tell he was still dangerously close to panicking again, "It's not…it's not her anymore."
"Where is she?" Sam repeated firmly.
"Upstairs. In her bedroom." he finally answered.
"Okay, okay, okay. Listen to me." Dean said quickly, "I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?"
The man immediately shook his head, "Not without my wife."
"Yes, without your wife." Dean insisted, restraining himself from saying that there was a good chance his wife was already dead. This guy was hanging on by a thread as it was.
"No." the man protested.
Dean sighed and unleashed a quick punch to the man's temple that had him sagging in Ty's hold, unconscious. They did not have time to argue about this. Ty grunted in surprise at the unexpected weight and Dean quickly holstered the Colt so he could heft the man over his shoulder. The others were all staring at him, but he just gave them a look back and started walking. He didn't need to explain himself. They should know the dude was better off decked than dead.
While Ty and Dean made sure that the father was safe in the basement, Sam and Ruby started to head slowly up the stairs to find his possessed daughter. Sam once again took the lead with the knife held out in front of him. When they reached the second floor landing, they shared a look before Ruby silently headed for a door on the right side of the hall while Sam started for one on the left. Ruby pulled the door open and disappeared inside. Sam waited a moment, listening closely for any sign of trouble coming from her direction before he turned back to his own door, leaning against it to listen for any sounds inside. After a moment, he cautiously opened the door and slipped inside.
Behind the door Sam found an elaborate four-poster bed with filmy drapes around it. On the bed, the little girl was lying curled against a woman that could only be her mother, apparently asleep. Sam eased around the bed, eyes glued on the pair. He shifted the knife in his hand, reminding himself that he wasn't just looking at a little girl, he was looking at a demon that wanted to take away everything he had left in his life.
Holding his breath, Sam reached out and slowly pulled back the drape between him and the occupants of the bed. A sharp inhalation made him stiffen and his eyes met the woman's. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her body stiff, but when she saw the knife in Sam's hand instead of screaming, she whispered urgently, "Do it!"
Sam tightened his grip on the blade. As terrible as this was, he had to do it. Even this woman understood.
The little girl stirred a little, nuzzling against her mother's shoulder. In a panicked whisper, she repeated, "Do it."
Sam lifted the knife higher, preparing himself to plunge it downwards. Asleep, the girl looked so innocent. There was no sign of the evil hiding inside of her. It wasn't fair that it had chosen her. Sam wished it didn't have to be this way, but what other choice did he have? He'd been backed into this corner…by Dean, the angels, everyone. And it would haunt him forever, he knew that. If he did this, he would always question whether killing this little girl was really better than using the powers a demon had given him.
"Do it!" the mother begged again, almost crying now.
The girl shifted again, perhaps sensing the tension. Her mother grew more terrified as she began to wake, but Sam couldn't stop staring at the girl. It wasn't too late. He could still try to use his power. He might not have the juice he needed, but he could still try and if it didn't work, then maybe he could use the knife and not hate himself. Maybe…
"Do it! Do it!" the girl's mother cried desperately as the girl awoke, eyes fluttering open, "Hurry!"
But it was too late. Sam had hesitated for too long. The girl's eyes opened and when she saw the knife, she screamed. Sam lunged at her, praying he could still pull this off before Lilith unleashed her power.
"Sam, no!"
Something struck Sam hard in the side, knocking him off balance and causing him to plunge the knife into the mattress instead of the little girl. It took Sam a moment to realize what had happened. Eyes wide, he turned his head to look at Ty where she was leaning with one hand propped against the bed and the other on his arm, breathing hard from her desperate move to stop him. Ruby and Dean stood behind her in the doorway.
"It's not her." Ty explained quickly as she tried to catch her breath, "It's not in the girl anymore."
Recovering from the shock of Ty's interruption, Sam straightened and grabbed the knife, yanking it free from the bed and backing away. The girl burst into frightened tears and clutched at her mother, "Mommy!"
"Mommy's here. Mommy's here." the woman immediately replied, wrapping her arms protectively around her daughter. She was clearly confused, but at the moment relief was more important, "It's okay."
The girl continued to cry so the hunters backed out of the room, both to give them some space and to regroup.
"Okay." Dean said quietly, "What the hell do we do now?"
"Well, I hate to say I told you so…" Ruby drawled in a tone that implied she actually did not feel the least bit sorry.
"Ruby, where is she?" Sam demanded.
Ruby shrugged, "I don't know."
"Could she have gotten past the sprinklers?" Sam pressed.
"Her pay grade, she ain't sweating the holy water." Ruby answered shortly.
"Great." Dean grumbled, "So, we lost her?"
Ty frowned and moved down the hall a little ways to look out a window that overlooked the front yard. Glancing back at the others, she called softly, "I don't think so."
Curious, the others joined her to see that there was still a crowd of demons on the street, looking for ways around the holy water spray.
"Would they still be trying to get in if she split?" Ty asked, nodding towards the street.
"Okay." Dean said, nodding quickly as he slipped back into mission mode, "Then, we need to get those people down to the basement and out of the line of fire before she gets tired of hiding."
With that he moved quickly back to the girl's bedroom. He slipped inside and a moment later he returned, shepherding mom and daughter down the stairs. The others trailed after him, glancing around them warily.
Moving quickly, the hunters reunited the family in the basement. Dean made sure the salt line was still intact and called down after them, "Alright, no matter what you hear, you, your husband, and your daughter stay in the basement."
Family secure and out of the way, the group shifted back into the living room.
"This doesn't make any sense." Sam muttered in frustration, "If she knows we're here and she hasn't left, then what's she waiting for?"
Before any of the others could respond, a noise cut the stillness that had them all stiffen anxiously.
"Was that…?" Dean began, hoping maybe he was wrong and maybe some family had just forgotten to let a pet back inside.
"Hellhound." Ruby answered, dashing those hopes.
The howl sounded again, closer. The hunters shifted nervously, gazes roving around even though only Ty and Ruby would be able to see the hellhound.
Somewhere in the house a door slammed.
"It's inside." Sam said, lifting the knife again even though he had no idea if it would be any help against the hound, "Ty?"
"There!" Ty cried, pointing past him at the same time that a low growl filled the air.
Dean followed the direction her finger was pointing, aiming the Colt, but he couldn't see anything. He was about to pull the trigger and just empty the clip into the air until he was sure he'd killed the damn thing, when Ruby yanked him in the opposite direction with a fistful of his jacket.
"Run, you morons!" she yelled just as the hellhound released a snarl and its claws dug into the floor as it launched itself at the hunters.
The group sprang into motion, racing out of the room with the invisible hound on their heels. They poured into an office and Sam and Ty immediately slammed the doors behind them, holding them shut while Dean pulled a bag from his pocket, dumping a line of goofer dust along the inside of the doorway. Even with both Sam and Ty holding the door closed, the hellhound was nearly knocking them back with the force of its impacts against the other side. Thankfully, when Dean completed the warding line, the pounding against the door immediately stopped. The hunters stood still for a second, frozen in the stillness, before Dean sprang back into motion, running for the window to line the sill.
"That's not going to hold it forever." Ruby remarked as she watched him, "Sorry, guys, but this is the end of the road."
"Shut up." Ty snapped, glaring at her, "We'll figure something out."
"Too late for that now, princess." Ruby snapped back, "You guys had your chance, but Sam pussied out and now Lilith's going to decorate this place with your insides."
Ty glared furiously at the demon. They were trapped, undoubtedly right where Lilith wanted them, but there was no way in hell she was ready to give up.
"No. No way." Ty denied firmly. She stomped over to Dean and held her hand out expectantly, "Give me the Colt."
Dean blinked at her in surprise, "What? Why?"
"Just give me the damn gun, Winchester!" Ty snapped, "This isn't over yet."
Dean frowned uncertainly, unsure what she could be thinking, but he pulled out the gun and put it in her hand. Ty closed her fingers around the hilt, then, without a word, spun and ran for the door.
"Ty!" Dean yelled after her, but she didn't hesitate.
She yanked the door open with one hand and pulled the trigger on the Colt with the other. She hadn't taken time to aim and her balance was off since she was holding the gun one-handed, but the bullet struck the monstrous hound that was waiting outside the door in its massive shoulder. The bullet pierced the hound like a bolt of lightning and it howled in wounded fury. Ty raced past it and it whirled to charge after her.
"Son of a…Ty!" she heard Dean bellowing after her.
Ty ignored him. She reached the other end of the hallway and spun back around, leveling the gun once again at the charging beast. It slowed as it saw that it had her cornered, its eyes blazing a fiery red and drool dripping from its snarling fangs as it approached. Ty closed both her hands on the gun, steadying her aim, then fired off another round that struck the hound in its massive head. There was a loud crack as the bullet struck home and the hound's eyes flashed even brighter for a moment before it crumpled. Ty grinned in triumph, her eyes moving past the body to look back down the hall into the office. She was already preparing the words she would yell at the boys, berating them for giving up too soon. Her eyes fell upon Sam and Dean before shifting past them to Ruby, standing behind them. And suddenly she realized that there was something terribly wrong.
Dean was already moving after Ty when she stopped at the other end of the hall and fired the Colt. He paused, knowing from the look on her face that she'd made her shot and taken out the hellhound. He could hardly believe it. Her eyes briefly met his before sliding past him and then a horrified look graced her features that made his blood run cold.
Ty opened her mouth to call out to warn the brothers when a figure suddenly appeared in the hall with her, slamming her against the wall. The force of the impact made her lose her grip on the Colt and the gun clattered to the floor.
"Not so fast, love." the man said in a British accent with a sly grin, his black eyes glowering at her before he smashed her head against the wall again.
Ty struggled to recover, fighting to see even while her vision blurred and darkened. She had to warn them. She twisted free from the demon, but before she could make it a step down the hall, the demon grabbed her by the ponytail and yanked her brutally backwards. At the same time, another monstrous shadowy form stepped into the hall, snarling and stopping the Winchesters before they could run out of the room to her rescue.
"Shit!" Dean exclaimed, backing away from the doorway.
"Sam, give me the knife." Ruby ordered, "Maybe I can fight it off."
"What?" Sam asked in confusion.
"Come on!" Ruby snapped, "You want her to die?"
Sam glanced at Dean. He couldn't let anything happen to Ty. It would destroy his brother. He started to hand over the blade.
"Sam!" Ty screamed from the hallway even as the demon was dragging her away by the hair, "It's not Ruby! That's not Ruby!"
Sam's eyes flicked back to Ruby, but before he could move, she flung out her hand and sent him flying hard into a wall. The knife fell from his hand and dropped uselessly to the floor. Dean lunged at Ruby, but she whirled towards him before he could reach her and flung him backwards, too, pinning him against the top of a table on the other side of the room.
Dean grunted painfully at the impact and struggled against her hold, but only managed to lift his head. He couldn't see or hear Ty anymore, wherever the other demon had dragged her. He couldn't see the hellhound either, but he could hear it, panting just outside the door. He glared at Ruby, "How long you been in her?"
Ruby's entire facial expression shifted and became almost childlike as she smiled at him.
"Not long." she replied. She looked down at the body she was occupying, "But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty."
When she looked back up, her eyes were pure white.
"Where's Ruby?" Sam demanded.
Lilith's eyes shifted back to normal as she answered, "She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away."
She tilted her head from one side to the other, her neck crunching unnaturally with the motion. If there was any doubt that the body she was using would be dead if there wasn't a demon inside pulling the strings, that sound would erase it. She moved slowly over towards Sam.
"Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time." she said as she approached him. Reaching out, she grabbed ahold of his chin and forced him to look at her. Then she leaned in and forced a kiss against his lips, "Your lips are soft."
Sam lifted his head up and to the side, trying to get loose from her hand and away from her lips. He looked down at her and decided that as long as he had her interest, maybe he could bargain.
"Right, so you have me. Let my brother go."
Lilith laughed lightly, "Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."
Dean could almost have sighed with relief that the demon didn't want to deal with Sam. Still, he wasn't about to just lay here. He'd protect Sam if it was the last thing he did.
Dean called out, trying to draw her focus away from Sam, "So, is this your big plan, huh? Drag me to hell. Release the devil. And then what? Become his queen bitch?"
"I don't have to answer to puppy chow." Lilith replied with a nasty smile.
Meanwhile, Ty struggled desperately, her hands flying up to try and pry the demon's hands off, but his grip on her ponytail was too strong. She quickly switched tactics, reaching down and grabbing her knife from her hip. She stabbed backwards, the knife driving deep into the demon's thigh, but he just heaved an annoyed grunt and continued to drag her. She swore, starting to feel desperate. Of course that wouldn't work! She was just hurting the host, not the demon.
Desperate, Ty grabbed the hilt of her blade and yanked it free, ignoring the blood that splattered over her as it gushed from the wound. One hand went back to her ponytail, feeling where the demon's hold was. Without pausing to think about it, she lifted her knife up and hacked through her hair just below his hand. The sharp blade sliced her ponytail off, leaving the demon holding nothing but her hair as Ty scrambled free.
Ty started running back towards the boys. This wasn't how this was supposed to go! She had to do something…but what?
Ty skidded around a corner, but froze in her tracks when she saw Lilith, wearing Ruby's usual skin, standing in the doorway, dragging her heel through the line of goofer dust that was keeping the hellhound at bay.
"Sic 'em, boy." she ordered as the hellhound surged past her and launched itself at Dean.
"No!" Ty exclaimed as the hellhound sank its fangs into Dean's leg, yanking him down to the floor. Dean screamed in pain as the hellhound continued to tear into him with fangs and claws. Ty almost ran straight into the room, momentarily forgetting how suicidal it was to go after a hellhound without the Colt, but she caught herself. She stopped and started searching the hallway frantically for the gun.
"No! Stop!" Sam cried from where he was trapped against the wall, helpless to move a muscle to protect his brother.
"Where is it? Where is it?" Ty hissed, dropping onto her hands and knees to try and find the weapon.
"Stop it!" Sam screamed as the invisible creature opened huge gashes in Dean's chest.
Lilith just smiled as Dean fruitlessly tried to escape the attack by rolling over. The hound ripped open a strip of his back and shoulder before flipping him back over, eager to tear further into his torso and pull out its favorite treats.
Ty searched desperately for the Colt. Dean's screams felt like whips flaying her soul and all she could think about was saving him. But it was no use. The gun was gone and so, she suddenly realized, was the demon that had attacked her. This couldn't be happening.
"No!" Sam cried again, horrified, "No. Stop it."
Dean wasn't screaming anymore and his chest rattled with sharp, painful gasps. Sam could barely see through the panicked tears in his eyes.
"Stop it!" he pleaded. This couldn't be it. After everything they'd been through, this couldn't be how it ended. This was a nightmare. It had to be. He couldn't be watching his brother ripped to shreds before his eyes, "No!"
Lilith finally turned her gaze to Sam, smiling wickedly.
"Yes." she said.
Tears sprang into Ty's eyes when she realized Dean's screams had stopped. She scrambled to her feet, desperate to get to him even if it was hopeless, even if it would just get her killed, too. Ty took one step towards the doorway when she suddenly remembered her conversation with Castiel. He'd said that if she needed him, he'd hear her prayers. Well, she wasn't sure how prayers to real angels worked, but she was willing to try anything.
"Castiel!" she cried desperately, "Castiel, please, we need you!"
Lilith's eyes snapped towards Ty at her words. Her lips curled in a snarl and she held up her hands, one palm held out towards Sam and the other directed towards Ty. Ty closed her eyes, wincing in anticipation of the power that was surely coming. A white light seemed to build, growing so bright that Ty could see it even with her eyes closed, but then another, fiery light burst atop of that whiteness. This second light made Ty's eyes burn even though she had them squeezed shut as tightly as she could and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ty felt arms encircling her. The light still burned just as brightly through her eyelids, but the warm presence felt like it was shielding her, protecting her. Blind and desperate, Ty went with her gut that said she could trust this presence and pressed herself against the solid form.
As the bright white light receded, Sam was shocked to discover that he seemed to be unharmed. He'd fallen to the floor and instinctively lifted his hands up to protect his face. As he lowered his hands and slowly climbed back to his feet, he saw Lilith staring at him, apparently just as shocked.
"Back." she ordered, but Sam could tell that things had shifted. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. Frowning, Lilith repeated, "I said, back!"
Sam knelt and picked up Ruby's knife. As he closed his hand around the hilt, his mind settled on one thought: vengeance.
"I don't think so." he growled.
He pulled his hand back to stab the blade into Lilith, but she threw her head back and smoke poured from the body with a scream before he could finish his strike. The smoke surged up to the ceiling, seeping through the cracks to escape. The body she had occupied collapsed to the floor, dead long ago. Sam took a deep shaky breath before turning his eyes back towards the doorway where Castiel was slowly releasing Ty from his protective embrace. Sam barely even registered the angel's presence. He probably wouldn't have even really noticed Ty except that she was rubbing at closed eyes that were streaming tears and demanding, "Dean? Is he…"
Sam turned slowly, dreading to look but unable not to. Dean's body lay motionless, torn and bloody. Tears building quickly in his eyes, Sam moved towards his brother. It felt like something inside of him broke as he collapsed on the floor next to him, pulling him into his lap.
"No…no…Dean…" he sobbed.
Ty heard Sam's broken sobs and she felt like a ghostly hand was tearing her heart from her chest once again. Her legs suddenly didn't want to support her and she sagged. Before she could hit the floor, that same warm presence caught her and pulled her back against them again. Ty felt like she couldn't breathe, but her mind was racing. She forced herself to drag some air into her lungs so she could speak.
"C…Cas? Is that you?" she asked, her voice a shaky and broken echo of her normal tones.
"Yes, it's me." Castiel confirmed, "There's something wrong with your eyes. My presence is blinding you."
Ty shook her head, dismissing that information as unimportant. The spell to see the supernatural must be showing her Castiel's angelic form and burning her eyes like it had Pamela's. Keeping them closed was delaying the effect and that was good enough for now.
"Dean. Can you help him?" she pressed urgently.
She felt Castiel move away from her slightly, turning to look into the room towards where Sam was cradling his brother's corpse.
"I…" Castiel paused and took a deep, pained breath, "I must tell you…"
"What?" Ty demanded when he trailed off again. She shoved the angel angrily, "What, Cas?"
Castiel stepped back from her. His eyes brimmed with sympathy as he looked from her to Sam although neither could see it, one blind in his presence and the other blind with grief.
"Dean Winchester," Castiel said slowly, "is already in Hell."
Meanwhile, in another place, a place that reeked of misery and burned with pain, Dean hung suspended in agony. He could barely move, but every nerve ending in his body was sizzling with the worst pain he could imagine.
"Help!" he screamed into the abyss even though he knew it was pointless, "No! Somebody help me!"
But there was no help here. There were only more and worse kinds of pain. That was immediately obvious to him as a shadow fell over his form and slowly moved into his line of vision. A familiar face greeted him with a sickeningly twisted version of the grin he remembered.
"Hello, son."
The End