Shadow of the Wind - Chapter Eight: A Half Truth
Title: Shadow of the Wind
Subtitle: A Half Truth
Author: dracox-serdriel
There was a fire burning on earth.
Others were drawn to it. Phoenixes and shifters sparingly approached the gathering. Less daring monsters hid up trees or perched on distant vantage points, called to this site by nothing more than the silence that emanated from a marked moment in time. It was as if witnessing the flame somehow made each of them present a part of it all.
Somewhere in Michigan... May 17, 2008.
Alastair arrived after Meg, who had gathered up a handful of lackeys. She had become a good soldier since her father died.
"I've got quite a lot of work ahead of me," Alastair said. "Tell me about Lilith."
The first lackey spoke, "Both Winchesters and an old man were there."
"What about that demon whore, Ruby?" Meg asked.
"No sign of her," another lackey replied.
"At some point, someone else arrived," the third minion said. "A powerful someone."
The first minion added, "Whoever it was crossed every barrier the Winchesters had established against demons and had a blade powerful enough to incapacitate Lilith."
"You mean the demon-killing knife?" Meg asked.
"No," Alastair replied. "That would only weaken Lilith. It must've been something else."
"She was wounded or killed," the second minion said.
"Which is it?" Alastair demanded.
"We don't know," the first replied.
"You don't know?" Alastair said. "Huh."
Meg smiled as he tore the demons to bits.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. May 17, 2008.
Bobby Singer was having the worst day of his life. He couldn't find the boys or any trace of them. From the looks of the house, the fight with Lilith had been grueling.
They were both probably dead.
He called every hunter he knew, but none answered. He left messages, but no one called him back.
Someone pounded on his door.
"All right, I'm coming!"
"Let me in!" Rufus yelled.
"Ah, hell, what're you doing here?" Bobby asked as he opened the door.
"No time to explain, we gotta demon-proof the hell outta this place," Rufus replied as he pushed inside.
"What? Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"Wait," Bobby said, his mind finally catching up. "You're being chased by demons, and you're solution is to, what? Lead them straight here?"
"I figured you have that panic room, right?"
"Balls!"
The next day in Sioux Falls...
They managed a half dozen exorcisms on demons stupid enough to get trapped, but everything had gone quiet hours ago. Bobby didn't like it.
To fill the silence, Bobby asked, "You ever gonna tell me what this is all about?"
"I guess I should, seeing as how you saved my ass again," Rufus replied. "I hooked up with this other hunter in Spokane. Alison Greenly. Thought it was a vampire nest, but it was demons."
"How bad?"
"Very bad. Alison and I ran for it. We had to split up, you know, to get reinforcements or something. Damn things followed me. Totaled my car for my trouble. Got most of my guns in the process, too. So I had to keep running, I'm - "
"Hush," Bobby interrupted. "You hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Something's coming!"
They pointed their shotguns at different entry points to the room.
Someone cocked a third shotgun.
"Drop them, boys," Bela said.
Somehow, she'd managed to come in behind them both.
"Bela. Still alive?" Bobby asked.
"Do be a dear and tell me where the Winchesters are."
"Hell if I know," he said. "Mind telling me where the hell you've been? Last I checked, you've been off the map for weeks."
Alva, Oklahoma. May 17, 2008.
Bela woke up in an old warehouse. She was near a grungy man on his computer.
"Oh, hey," he said. "Name's Ash. You're Bela, right?"
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Nothing. I was asked to help you out, make sure you didn't get dead in the next few days. I pulled your car in for you."
"You mind if I get some things from my car?"
"Go fer it," Ash said. "But I got your starter, so don't even try to drive off."
Bela took the talking board from her trunk. The last thing the trench coat man said to her was that there was chaos in the supernatural world. Maybe she'd been too busy for the past month to notice.
The talking board channeled many voices, and they all said the same thing: DANGER.
"What kind of danger?" Bela asked.
THEY'RE OPENING THE GATE. YOU MUST STOP THEM. DON'T LET THEM DO IT.
Bela asked, "Why not?"
DEATH. TOO MUCH. HELL WILL COME TO EARTH. DON'T LET THEM.
"Anyone with that kind of power can't be stopped by me."
YOU STOLE THE KEY TO THE DOOR BEFORE. YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN.
Bela hesitated to ask, "Who am I stopping?"
WINCHESTERS.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. May 18, 2008.
Bela pointed the gun at Bobby. "There's no time for a history lesson," she said. "I need to know where the Winchesters are because they're about to do something very stupid. Even more stupid than usual."
"I told you, I don't know," Bobby said. "I've been looking for those boys for over a day. For all I know they're captured."
"Or dead," Rufus added.
"They're not!" she yelled. "So why don't you - "
BOOM!
"That's one of our traps," Rufus said. "Bela, either run or kill us, because there's no time for anything else."
"He's right," Bobby said, aiming his gun. "Don't start, Bela, you're not worth my bullets. Not when we got demons at our doorstep."
"Damnit!" she said, crouching behind the desk for cover.
Somewhere in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Sam and Dean were trying to convince Ruby to join the cause. With Lilith dead, Ruby was nothing more than a demonic traitor, Hell's own turncoat. Her only chance was with them.
She shrieked and wailed, cursing them for killing Lilith. The Winchesters had to trap her and tie her down before they could get a word in edgewise.
Castiel took the opportunity to slip away and summon Gabriel.
"What up, homeboy?"
"You need to return the modern Winchesters to the real world. Demonic activity is on the rise," Cas replied.
"Seriously? You do know what those two knuckleheads will do, right?"
"No, and neither do you."
"The answer is still no."
"If you don't, I'll tell Anna of your existence. It won't take long for the entire Garrison to find out, and from there, even Michael will know," Cas said.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"I can make you disappear."
"Yes, you could. So, what next? The Winchesters returned, me contacting Anna, or me disappearing?"
"Seriously?"
"Those were the options, were they not?"
Gabriel sized Cas up.
"Fine. They're back with that crotchety man they brought with them to fight Lilith. You happy now?"
"No."
"Oh, baby," Gabriel said with a knowing glint in his eye. "I think you are, snuggles."
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. May 18, 2008.
Sam and Dean Winchester were currently detectives in dark sunglasses making smarmy comments over a dead body.
Then, suddenly, they were dropped into the middle of Bobby Singer's living room. Blood and guts were everywhere. Devil's traps were scrawled around the house.
"Sam? Dean? Where the hell have you two been?" Bobby asked.
"TV land," Dean replied. "Don't ask."
"I say we put them in the panic room," Rufus suggested. "Till we figure out if they're Sam and Dean."
"Rufus?" Sam asked. "This place is a mess. What's going on?"
"I can ask you the same thing," Bela said. She was covered in something thick and chunky.
"You bitch," Dean said.
Somewhere in Michigan... May 18, 2008.
"Alastair, I have a location," Meg said.
"From where?"
"Talking boards. Apparently several spirits are concerned about the Devil's Gate in Wyoming."
Alastair smiled. "We've got an army just for this," he said. "And they're ready for some bloodshed."
"There is one problem: one interstate Devil's Trap."
"That was destroyed over a year ago."
"It's been repaired," Meg said. "It must've taken months, but the last repair was quite recent. I've venture a guess and say it was days old. Prevented us from catching it sooner. I'm almost impressed."
"Don't you dare fail me."
"I said almost impressed," Meg replied. "Isn't it just my luck, the king of the crossroads dropped off the map. Haven't been able to find him for days. Without Crowley around, all those contracts are up for grabs. Which means we've got a lovely pool of expendable assets we can tap into right now."
"Use 'em up and let them burn," Alastair commanded.
Somewhere in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Crowley was visibly uncomfortable. "This is a terrible idea."
"Perhaps," Cas replied.
"So, what? You bullocks up the first foolish plan, and now you're scrambling for a quick fix?"
"We did have over a year to prepare for Plan B," Cas explained. "We restored the iron tracks to repair the Devil's Trap that covers the Gate. We added warding and traps to the railroad lines and an alarm system to alert us when those protections are breeched."
Crowley had been gradually changing color from pale to bright red with anger.
"Plan B?" he repeated. "Plan B? You had a plan B?! So you knew this could happen?"
"It was a... concern."
Before the former demon could respond, Dean and Sam dragged Ruby over.
"We've gotta split up," Sam said. "Crowley, you and Ruby are with me."
"Why?" Crowley asked.
"Because we're gonna need a few things so we don't die horrible deaths," Dean replied.
"And it's gonna take time to get Ruby in past all our safeguards," Sam added. "It takes two humans to get it done."
"Crowley?" Ruby asked. She looked at the Winchesters. "You weren't just pulling my chain? You made him human again?"
"Don't look so happy, love, it's not a great experience."
Dean spoke loudly to ensure everyone's attention. "All right! Step one, shut the hell up and survive the next day."
"Right, we meet up in the graveyard by the Gate before dusk. That gives us six hours," Sam said.
"Don't be late," Dean said.
Next Chapter: >>>
Chapter Nine: Garden of Good and Evil
<<< Previous Chapter:
Chapter Seven: Two for Sympathy
Subtitle: A Half Truth
Author: dracox-serdriel
There was a fire burning on earth.
Others were drawn to it. Phoenixes and shifters sparingly approached the gathering. Less daring monsters hid up trees or perched on distant vantage points, called to this site by nothing more than the silence that emanated from a marked moment in time. It was as if witnessing the flame somehow made each of them present a part of it all.
Somewhere in Michigan... May 17, 2008.
Alastair arrived after Meg, who had gathered up a handful of lackeys. She had become a good soldier since her father died.
"I've got quite a lot of work ahead of me," Alastair said. "Tell me about Lilith."
The first lackey spoke, "Both Winchesters and an old man were there."
"What about that demon whore, Ruby?" Meg asked.
"No sign of her," another lackey replied.
"At some point, someone else arrived," the third minion said. "A powerful someone."
The first minion added, "Whoever it was crossed every barrier the Winchesters had established against demons and had a blade powerful enough to incapacitate Lilith."
"You mean the demon-killing knife?" Meg asked.
"No," Alastair replied. "That would only weaken Lilith. It must've been something else."
"She was wounded or killed," the second minion said.
"Which is it?" Alastair demanded.
"We don't know," the first replied.
"You don't know?" Alastair said. "Huh."
Meg smiled as he tore the demons to bits.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. May 17, 2008.
Bobby Singer was having the worst day of his life. He couldn't find the boys or any trace of them. From the looks of the house, the fight with Lilith had been grueling.
They were both probably dead.
He called every hunter he knew, but none answered. He left messages, but no one called him back.
Someone pounded on his door.
"All right, I'm coming!"
"Let me in!" Rufus yelled.
"Ah, hell, what're you doing here?" Bobby asked as he opened the door.
"No time to explain, we gotta demon-proof the hell outta this place," Rufus replied as he pushed inside.
"What? Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"Wait," Bobby said, his mind finally catching up. "You're being chased by demons, and you're solution is to, what? Lead them straight here?"
"I figured you have that panic room, right?"
"Balls!"
The next day in Sioux Falls...
They managed a half dozen exorcisms on demons stupid enough to get trapped, but everything had gone quiet hours ago. Bobby didn't like it.
To fill the silence, Bobby asked, "You ever gonna tell me what this is all about?"
"I guess I should, seeing as how you saved my ass again," Rufus replied. "I hooked up with this other hunter in Spokane. Alison Greenly. Thought it was a vampire nest, but it was demons."
"How bad?"
"Very bad. Alison and I ran for it. We had to split up, you know, to get reinforcements or something. Damn things followed me. Totaled my car for my trouble. Got most of my guns in the process, too. So I had to keep running, I'm - "
"Hush," Bobby interrupted. "You hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Something's coming!"
They pointed their shotguns at different entry points to the room.
Someone cocked a third shotgun.
"Drop them, boys," Bela said.
Somehow, she'd managed to come in behind them both.
"Bela. Still alive?" Bobby asked.
"Do be a dear and tell me where the Winchesters are."
"Hell if I know," he said. "Mind telling me where the hell you've been? Last I checked, you've been off the map for weeks."
Alva, Oklahoma. May 17, 2008.
Bela woke up in an old warehouse. She was near a grungy man on his computer.
"Oh, hey," he said. "Name's Ash. You're Bela, right?"
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Nothing. I was asked to help you out, make sure you didn't get dead in the next few days. I pulled your car in for you."
"You mind if I get some things from my car?"
"Go fer it," Ash said. "But I got your starter, so don't even try to drive off."
Bela took the talking board from her trunk. The last thing the trench coat man said to her was that there was chaos in the supernatural world. Maybe she'd been too busy for the past month to notice.
The talking board channeled many voices, and they all said the same thing: DANGER.
"What kind of danger?" Bela asked.
THEY'RE OPENING THE GATE. YOU MUST STOP THEM. DON'T LET THEM DO IT.
Bela asked, "Why not?"
DEATH. TOO MUCH. HELL WILL COME TO EARTH. DON'T LET THEM.
"Anyone with that kind of power can't be stopped by me."
YOU STOLE THE KEY TO THE DOOR BEFORE. YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN.
Bela hesitated to ask, "Who am I stopping?"
WINCHESTERS.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. May 18, 2008.
Bela pointed the gun at Bobby. "There's no time for a history lesson," she said. "I need to know where the Winchesters are because they're about to do something very stupid. Even more stupid than usual."
"I told you, I don't know," Bobby said. "I've been looking for those boys for over a day. For all I know they're captured."
"Or dead," Rufus added.
"They're not!" she yelled. "So why don't you - "
BOOM!
"That's one of our traps," Rufus said. "Bela, either run or kill us, because there's no time for anything else."
"He's right," Bobby said, aiming his gun. "Don't start, Bela, you're not worth my bullets. Not when we got demons at our doorstep."
"Damnit!" she said, crouching behind the desk for cover.
Somewhere in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Sam and Dean were trying to convince Ruby to join the cause. With Lilith dead, Ruby was nothing more than a demonic traitor, Hell's own turncoat. Her only chance was with them.
She shrieked and wailed, cursing them for killing Lilith. The Winchesters had to trap her and tie her down before they could get a word in edgewise.
Castiel took the opportunity to slip away and summon Gabriel.
"What up, homeboy?"
"You need to return the modern Winchesters to the real world. Demonic activity is on the rise," Cas replied.
"Seriously? You do know what those two knuckleheads will do, right?"
"No, and neither do you."
"The answer is still no."
"If you don't, I'll tell Anna of your existence. It won't take long for the entire Garrison to find out, and from there, even Michael will know," Cas said.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"I can make you disappear."
"Yes, you could. So, what next? The Winchesters returned, me contacting Anna, or me disappearing?"
"Seriously?"
"Those were the options, were they not?"
Gabriel sized Cas up.
"Fine. They're back with that crotchety man they brought with them to fight Lilith. You happy now?"
"No."
"Oh, baby," Gabriel said with a knowing glint in his eye. "I think you are, snuggles."
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. May 18, 2008.
Sam and Dean Winchester were currently detectives in dark sunglasses making smarmy comments over a dead body.
Then, suddenly, they were dropped into the middle of Bobby Singer's living room. Blood and guts were everywhere. Devil's traps were scrawled around the house.
"Sam? Dean? Where the hell have you two been?" Bobby asked.
"TV land," Dean replied. "Don't ask."
"I say we put them in the panic room," Rufus suggested. "Till we figure out if they're Sam and Dean."
"Rufus?" Sam asked. "This place is a mess. What's going on?"
"I can ask you the same thing," Bela said. She was covered in something thick and chunky.
"You bitch," Dean said.
Somewhere in Michigan... May 18, 2008.
"Alastair, I have a location," Meg said.
"From where?"
"Talking boards. Apparently several spirits are concerned about the Devil's Gate in Wyoming."
Alastair smiled. "We've got an army just for this," he said. "And they're ready for some bloodshed."
"There is one problem: one interstate Devil's Trap."
"That was destroyed over a year ago."
"It's been repaired," Meg said. "It must've taken months, but the last repair was quite recent. I've venture a guess and say it was days old. Prevented us from catching it sooner. I'm almost impressed."
"Don't you dare fail me."
"I said almost impressed," Meg replied. "Isn't it just my luck, the king of the crossroads dropped off the map. Haven't been able to find him for days. Without Crowley around, all those contracts are up for grabs. Which means we've got a lovely pool of expendable assets we can tap into right now."
"Use 'em up and let them burn," Alastair commanded.
Somewhere in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Crowley was visibly uncomfortable. "This is a terrible idea."
"Perhaps," Cas replied.
"So, what? You bullocks up the first foolish plan, and now you're scrambling for a quick fix?"
"We did have over a year to prepare for Plan B," Cas explained. "We restored the iron tracks to repair the Devil's Trap that covers the Gate. We added warding and traps to the railroad lines and an alarm system to alert us when those protections are breeched."
Crowley had been gradually changing color from pale to bright red with anger.
"Plan B?" he repeated. "Plan B? You had a plan B?! So you knew this could happen?"
"It was a... concern."
Before the former demon could respond, Dean and Sam dragged Ruby over.
"We've gotta split up," Sam said. "Crowley, you and Ruby are with me."
"Why?" Crowley asked.
"Because we're gonna need a few things so we don't die horrible deaths," Dean replied.
"And it's gonna take time to get Ruby in past all our safeguards," Sam added. "It takes two humans to get it done."
"Crowley?" Ruby asked. She looked at the Winchesters. "You weren't just pulling my chain? You made him human again?"
"Don't look so happy, love, it's not a great experience."
Dean spoke loudly to ensure everyone's attention. "All right! Step one, shut the hell up and survive the next day."
"Right, we meet up in the graveyard by the Gate before dusk. That gives us six hours," Sam said.
"Don't be late," Dean said.
Next Chapter: >>>
Chapter Nine: Garden of Good and Evil
<<< Previous Chapter:
Chapter Seven: Two for Sympathy