Losing Lives / Book Six / The Life Series / Supernatural

Defending Your Life

Dad and I were at Rufus' cabin, sitting across the table from each other.

"So, I guess a good promise went to waste," Dad told me.

"You know, technically, I'm still keeping it," I told him. "I mean, I told you I'd only get involved if you guys need help or if I needed to defend my life. See, if I broke your promise, I'd be out there in the field right now, hunting different monsters each week. All right? But we're being hunted, Dad. Literally. You can't expect me to just sit all of this out."

"I don't," Dad told me.

I took a deep breath. "You okay?"

"Why are you asking me?" Dad asked.

"Maybe because your house just burned down, and Cas was your friend, too," I answered.

"I'm fine," Dad told me. 

I gave him an unconvinced look, tilting my head slightly. "Dad."

"What?" Dad asked. "I am. Really. The only times I weren't was when I thought you or the boys were gone."

I nodded to myself. "And I'm the one who needs to start worrying about myself, right? What about you, old man?" Dad gave me a sarcastic look. My phone rang. I pulled it out to see Sam calling, answering. "Sam?"

"Hey, Ness. Listen, I'm sending you some symbols to look up."

~~~~~~  

I had looked up the symbols, calling Sam back.

"Hey, Ness, what do you got?"

"Those chicken scratches? Definitely Egyptian. 'Book of the Dead'."

"So, good news, then." 

"They identify the god Osiris. Real authoritarian type. He gets ahold of you, he's judge, jury and executioner. Lore says that he can see directly into the human heart. He weighs the guilt. If he finds more than a feather's worth? Boom. You're done."

"So, what's he doing in Dearborn?"  

"Well, it seems like he just pops up and does his circuit-judge act, and then disappears again. That's all I got so far. You know what this means."

"Yeah. We've got to find him before he goes underground again."

"No, you dumbass. It means you two got to get the hell out of Dodge. This guy hones in on people who feel guilty. Who does that sound like to you?"

Sam and Dean.

~~~~~~  

It was too late to get them out of town.

Osiris had already taken Dean and put him under trial, and now he was on death sentence.

I was back on the phone with Sam.

"Ness. What do you got?"

"A way to give Osiris a dirt nap."

"Good. We need it."

"Now, as near as I can figure, it ought to put him down for a couple of centuries, at least. It's worked a few times since the Pharaohs were big."

"So it's temporary?"

"Long temporary. I saw we slap that band-aid on and leave finding a cure to some hunter in a space suit. Now, you're gonna need to stab him with a ram's horn."

"A ram's horn? Where am I gonna find a ram's horn in Dearborn?"

"No clue. But make sure it's a sharp piece. He ain't gonna let you stab him twice."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Sam..."

"Yeah?" I sighed, not knowing how to finish. Sam knew what I meant, anyway. "Don't worry, Ness. I'm gonna save him."

Sam had been telling the truth, and he had kept his promise.

Dean was alive and okay.