Chapter 5: Ghostbusters

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"Now I know what a ghost is:
Unfinished business, that's what."
― Salman Rushdie

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

"So did he look like an angel?" Sam hung onto every word as he sat at Bobby's kitchen table.

Dean shook his head darkly, standing a few steps off with crossed arms. "No fluffy wings, no halo, no harp music. Strong though. Superpowered."

"He just looked like some average guy," Alex added from across the table.

A faintly accusatory glance came her way from Sam. "I still can't believe you guys didn't tell me what you were doing last night."

That was rich. Alex gave him a withering look. "Well maybe if you hadn't snuck off, we might've t—"

"I didn't sneak off, I was trying not to wake you guys up!" Sam's defensiveness seemed telling. "Why do you always assume I'm the bad guy?!"

"Touchy," Alex muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up you two morons, I'm trying to think." Dean rubbed at his temples, getting tired of the tension between his siblings. "Maybe he's some kind of super demon."

Sam was skeptical. "A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing."

Getting even more agitated Dean huffed, beginning to pace. "Well don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?"

"Yeah. You just did, Dean."

Dean's expression went incredibly wan at his brother's suggestion.

Adding to Sam's theory, Alex hesitantly put out a few wild ones of her own: "I mean, maybe angels haven't walked the earth since ancient Biblical times, or maybe they erase memories of the people they encounter, or—"

Dean's glare cut her short. "Really, you guys? Really? I'm not gonna believe this thing's a freaking 'angel of the Lord' because it says so! It has to be something else, okay?"

"You three chuckleheads wanna keep arguing religion, or you wanna come take a look at this?" The three Winchesters went quiet at Bobby's interjection. He'd been so quiet in his study that they'd forgotten he was there. He held a volume up and tapped on it. "I got stacks of lore—Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

That information caused a brief, startled silence in the room. Then Dean recrossed his arms, unwilling to be convinced. "Okay, but what else could've done it?"

"Airlift your ass outta the hot box? Far as I can tell, nothing."

Beside Dean, Sam was encouraged. "Guys, this is good news. For once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe Dean was saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

Alex's eyes slid at her twin brother sidelong. After meeting Castiel, she wasn't sure if angels were the good guys. He seemed dangerous. And the look in his eyes had shaken her like no other look ever had.

Dean scoffed. "Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"Geez Dean, can we just figure out angels first, then God?" Alex posed her question playfully enough, even though she kind of meant it. Her rattled mind wasn't ready to open that can of worms.

"Fine," Dean agreed grudgingly. "So what do we know about angels?"

Bobby smirked and picked up a tall pile of ancient books, setting them down with a loud thunk on the desk in front of Dean. "Start readin'."

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