Outside the lumber mill…
Sam sat atop the impala as another car drove up and parked behind him. Bobby exited, studying the lone worried Winchester with furrowed brows.
"Howdy, Sam."
"Hey, Bobby. Thanks for coming so quick."
"Well…" The older man nodded as he came to a stop in front of Sam and looked around curiously, "I, uh, get why Ang isnt here but where's Dean?"
Sam sighed heavily, "We thought it'd be better if one of us stayed with her." He frowned, "She's not doin' too good."
Bobby frowned, "The hallucinations started yet?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah, a few hours ago."
"How we doing on time?"
"We saw the coroner about 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, so, uh… just under two hours. What about you? You find anything?"
Bobby handed him a book with Japanese text, "This uh, encyclopaedia of spirits dates to the Edo period."
Sam looked it over curiously before turning back to him, "You can read Japanese?" Bobby narrowed his eyes at Sam before answering him in Japanese, a little snarkily, "Guess so, show-off."
"Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy. It infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."
"It say how to kill it?"
"Same as usual." He shrugged, "Burn the remains."
"Wonderful." Sam put the book down as he heaved another exasperated sigh, "Uh… is there a Plan B?"
"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear. Hell, it is fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear."
"So we have to scare a ghost to death?" He nodded, making Sam scoff, "How the hell we gonna do that?"
At the hotel…
Angel's eyes snapped open from her nap at the sound of a cell phone ringing. Fear once again struck her hard in the heart and she bolted up into a sitting position. She wasn't sure how she even fell asleep in the first place with how she's been feeling. Her attention was caught by Dean, who was irritatedly whispering into his phone not looking one bit happy.
"Dean?"
He tensed at her voice as he turned around and forced a smile, "Yeah, just hurry up Sam." After hanging up he brought a glass of water over to her and sat beside her, "How ya feeling?"
"The same." She grimaced at the cloudy looking water before putting it far away from herself on the table, "What'd Sam say?"
"He said…" He looked away from her, which she took as a terrible sign, "Just to try to stay calm and ride out the trip because they have a plan."
"A plan?"
"A good plan."
"Well, what is it?" Even at the good news panic was filling her and making her unsure, "What's the plan?"
"Just… a good plan. A plan that's gonna work. You're gonna be fine." He nodded as he cleared his throat and patted her knee, "It's a good plan."
Back at the lumber mill…
Bobby grabbed his shotgun and scoffed at Sam, "This is a terrible plan."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"I know I said, 'scare the ghost to death' but this?"
"Hey…" Sam chuckled as he shook his head, "You got a better idea, I'm listening."
Bobby rolled his eyes and motioned for Sam to go on as he shut the trunk. Sam entered the mill slowly when a hand came up behind a glass window that showed Luther's reflection.
Back at the hotel…
Angel had been trying immensely to do what Dean said to remain calm. Unsuccessfully, of course. Every waking moment was going by agonizingly slow. Every sound she heard had her jumping ten feet in the air. She even had to force Dean to sit down when the sound of his boots stomping around was spiking her anxiety and making her heart beat erratically. The feeling of her heart on the verge of explosion was getting worse and worse. Her head whipped around as the sound of growling and barking filled her ears.
"Do you hear that?" She squeaked, "It's- it's-"
"It's just the door, Ang." Dean walked over to answer the rattling door she mistook for barking Hellhounds, "I'm sure it's-"
The door rattled a few seconds more before breaking off its hinges. Angel screamed and stood as the Sheriff barreled inside and immediately engaged in a fight with Dean. He reared back and used the gun in his hand to hit Dean across the face and knock him out. Much to Angels horror.
Angel backed up when he took several steps toward her, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Why are you looking into Luther Garland's death?"
Angel bulked at the distorted way the Sheriffs voice sounded before her eyes fell to his bloodied right arm.
"Hey, hey, you're- you're sick." Angel pointed frantically at him before showing her own arm, "You're sick just- just like me, okay? You gotta relax."
Her words fell on deaf ears as the Sheriff bolted forward and punched her in the face. Angel whimpered in pain as she hit the wall from the force.
"Frank O'Brien was my friend. So he made a mistake. So I didn't bust him." Angel turned to him as she pulled herself back up to stand by the window, "So what? And you're gonna bring me down over that?!" He pointed the gun right at Angel's face, "I dont think so."
In a panic Angel slapped the gun out of his hands before he could pull the trigger. As it clattered to the floor the Sheriff attacked her. He wrapped his hands around her throat as he slammed her up against the wall. Angel clawed at his eyes and face before she noticed his face was distorted and his eyes were black. Terror filled her and she kneed him in the groin before punching him and then pushing him with all of her strength. He stumbled back before landing directly on the coffee table and groaning.
As the Sheriff heard his own hallucinations talking he started to hyperventilate, "Get away from me!"
"Sheriff!" Angel watched in horror as the man grabbed at his chest, "Sherriff, you have to calm down!"
Her eyes widened as she watched the man grasp his chest in pain before taking his last breaths.
"Oh, God…" Angel whimpered as she stumbled back into the wall and the realization set in that she was next, "Oh god, oh god…"
As hysteria began to set in, Angel slid down the wall and scratched at her arms. Her eyes momentarily flashed to Deans unconscious body but as he started to distort before her she clamped her eyes closed. Sam's voice echoed in her head.
"You're going back. It's about damn time too."
Barking filled the room as the walls around her began shaking. She screamed as her hands clamped around her hair tightly and she began to cry and whimper loudly. When everything stilled and quieted around her she looked over and stumbled to her feet upon realizing who was in the room with her now. Sitting next to her was the little girl Lillith last possessed.
"No, no, no, no."
"Hi, Angel." She grinned widely as she stood, "It's me, Lilith." She ran over and embraced a shaking and terrified Angel, "Oh, I missed you so much. It's time to go back now."
"You- you-" Angel shakily broke free of the hug as she shuddered, "You are not real!"
"What's the matter, Angel?" Lilith frowned, "Don't you remember all the fun you had down there?" Angel met her eyes as a whole new wave of tears started, "You do remember. 4 months is like 40 years in hell. Like doggy years. And you remember every second."
"You're not real." Angel gripped her chest and fell to her knees as a sharp pain started to form, "You are not real."
"It doesn't matter." Lilith grabbed her face and made her look up at her as her eyes changed to white, "You're still gonna die. You're still gonna burn." She giggled and let her go, "Listen to your heart."
Angel groaned at the escalating pain, "Wha-"
"Baboom, baboom, baboom, baboom."
Angel fell onto her back as the bursting pain escalated with each 'baboom.' Black spots filled her vision and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. A terrified sob broke free as Lilith came to stand above her, smiling as Angel struggled to take her last breaths.
Back at the lumber mill…
Bobby spoke over their walkie talkie, "Any luck?"
"I don't know what's wrong, Bobby. Last time he came right at us. It's almost like he's, uh…" Sam sighed as he put down his shotgun, "Like he's scared."
"So now what?"
"I guess I got to make him angry. Hey, Luther!" As Sam started to tear up more drawings the machines turned on around him, "Come on, Luther! Where the hell are you? What are you waiting for?"
When Sam turned, Sam was standing right behind him. Before the hunter could react, Luther picked him up and tossed him across the mill. As Luther walked back over to him Sam turned onto his stomach to crawl towards his fallen shotgun but didn't get to it in time. Luther grabbed him and flipped him over to slam him over and over again against the ground. Sam managed to retrieve the long iron chain behind him and hurriedly wrap it around Luther's neck.
"Bobby, punch it!"
Bobby floored the Impala and pulled Luther's spirit across the road until he disappeared.
At the same time, a now nearly dead Angel gasped and coughed as she began breathing again. Her eyes widened when she saw Dean above her instead of Lilith near tears at the fact that he nearly saw his sister die in front of him again. He sagged in relief before grabbing her up into a bone crushing hug. Angel hugged him back as she caught her breath and also noticed her raw and haggard arms were now back to normal.