The End | {BOOK 5}

24| Apocalypse World

We managed to get the Seal of Solomon after a very weird encounter with a god from another universe. So, all we were missing was grace from an archangel. Ketch ended up showing up with Gabriel, who apparently had been being held hostage by Asmodeus. Using all the ingredients, Sam finally was able to open a rift, which would only be open for 24 hours. Dean, Ketch and I headed through the rift, leaving Sam behind.

"Ah, well... here we are," Ketch said.

"Yeah," Dean said, looking around in confusion.

We had landed in an area we hadn't seen the last time we were here, the ground covered in snow.

"You do know where we are, don't you? Because, not to nag, but we only have 24 hours before..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dean snapped. "Just give me- give me a minute."

"... the rift closes."

"Look, we just got spin-cycled through space and time, okay?" I glared at Ketch. "And yes, this is... different from Dean and my last drop-by. And what's this 'we' crap, hmm? You came here to save yourself, so... go save yourself, somewhere else."

"Well, actually, I thought I could help."

"What?" Dean and I chorused.

"Find the boy. And your... mother. She's in danger. I owe her that."

"You know, she sees you, she'll probably kill you," I said. "Again."

"Perhaps, but you don't know where you are or what's out there or even... You get the picture. Would having a little bit of backup really be so bad?"

"Dean and I have each other. We don't need your help."

We started walking alongside a river, Ketch following us despite our continued protests.

"Well, this is quite the vacation spot, isn't it?" the Brit tried making small talk.

"Yeah. If you had your heart set on Mai Tais, well...sorry," Dean quipped. "Down. Down. Down. Down. Down."

We crouched, looking up at the bridge we were passing under. I gasped at the sight, not really paying attention to what was being said. The men on the bridge were clearly angels, but not like the angels I was used to seeing in our world. They had a glowing blue light around them and black wings like I was used to seeing on normal angels. It looked like they had fiery white halos around their heads. I could still somewhat make out the vessels, but the glowing form was really distracting.

One of the angels used his powers to execute a human woman who was also standing on the bridge.

"Freakin' angels," Dean murmured.

He started to reach for a weapon, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Not smart," I whispered, still staring wide eyed at the angels.

"Ellie?"

"You know how I can see angels' wings in our world?"

"Yeah?"

"They look different here."

"What?"

The angels executed another human before moving on to a third. When the hood was removed from the third prisoner's head, Dean and I both stared in shock.

"No," I breathed.

"Wait," the lead angel said.

"Charlie?" Dean gulped.

As we watched, the angels took Charlie away, the lead angel saying something about Michael wanting to interrogate her since she'd interacted with the Nephilim and the other-worlder, Emilie. So, we started our journey back up, trying to find the 'Northern Camp' that the angels took Charlie to. While we walked, Ketch kept disappearing, choosing to sneak instead of just walk with Dean and I.

After yelling at Ketch for taking so long, we started to move again, when suddenly Ketch grabbed me and pulled me behind a tree. I started to protest and Ketch put a hand over my mouth, keeping my quiet as a man shot Dean in the arm. My eyes widened as the man grabbed Dean and started to fasten his arms behind his back.

"Oh, you're a strong one!" the man said. "Angels'll pay double for you. Most of the slaves is a mite scrawny."

Letting me go, Ketch ran and tackled the man to the ground.

"Where were you going to take him? You do want to live, yes?"

I helped Dean up, grabbing a gun as the man ended up holding a knife to Ketch's throat. I fired the gun in the air and the man leapt up, holding his hands in the air.

"You heard him," I growled. "Where were you taking him?"

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

I lowered my gun, shooting the man in the leg.

"Aah!"

"Let's try that again," I growled.

"The silo," he replied.

"What silo?!" Dean asked.

"P.O.W. camp. Four, five hours from here. Follow the road."

"Thanks," I smirked.

Dean punched the guy, knocking him unconscious, then winced and clutched his injured shoulder.

"Let me see," I told him.

"I'm fine. Let's get going."

We started on the road, Dean continuing to baby his arm as we walked.

"That hunter may've been a bumpkin, but his weaponry is cutting-edge. These I don't even recognize," Ketch held up a bullet from the man's gun.

"Yeah, that's angel-killing bullets," I nodded. "Might want to hang on to those."

"Ah," Dean winced again.

"You don't look good," Ketch informed him.

"Yeah, well, you're not my type, either," he quipped. "I'm fine."

"We'll take a break. Your wound may be more serious than we thought," Ketch said.

"Aw, he barely hit me. Come on, we don't have time for this."

"Eh, by all means. What was it with the two of you and this Earthly 'Charlie', anyway?"

I opened my mouth to respond as Dean suddenly collapsed.

"Dean! Oh, God, you're burning up. Let me see."

"No, no, I'm fine," Dean continued to protest. "We gotta keep moving."

I ignored him, ripping open his shirt to reveal a festering wound on his shoulder.

"How's it look, Doc?"

I swallowed, looking from him and back over my shoulder at Ketch. While I sat next to Dean, the Brit jumped into action, mixing up a remedy for my husband.

"Taro root, trace of arsenic... basidiomycota... and..."

"Why don't you just skip the bird seed, give me the flask," Dean quipped.

"Shh," I shushed him, carding my fingers through his hair.

"Your shortness of breath and delirium are symptoms of a poison the Men of Letters use to disable monsters in the field," Ketch informed Dean.

"Of course it is."

"My guess is that the bounty hunter used a similar toxin to coat his bullets to hobble his prey... at first."

"What do you mean, 'at first'?" I asked, my hand stalling on Dean's head.

"Well, if- if the antidote isn't administered, then the victim dies a particularly gruesome death."

"You guys are such dicks," Dean groaned.

"Yes. Well... guilty."

Ketch came over, preparing to administer the antidote.

"Now then... this will smart. There we are. Good lad. Good lad. Good lad."

Dean held his breath, groaning and clutching my hand in a death grip.

"Here we go, just a little more. Right? There we are."