500 Years

The Mystery of the Missing Girls

They walked for what felt like forever before they started to see lights ahead. The closer they got, they realized they were torches mounted on the walls, not electric lights. They stepped into a large room with iron cages lining the walls on two sides. All but one cage was filled, the women inside asleep. Dean motioned for Cas to stay quiet. If they woke up they could get loud, panic, and draw the dragons.

"Oh...Dean..." Cas looked around at the women in dismay. They all had swollen bellies.

"Shit," Dean hissed softly. One of the women stirred and sat up.

"Shh!" Dean immediately hushed her. She looked up at him with large eyes full of fear.

"Who are you?" she asked softly. Cas stepped up to the cage and crouched down so that he was eye level with her. He recognized her as Sister Marie from the convent.

"My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord. I have come with my friend Dean to rescue you." He explained, keeping his voice low. "Do you know where your captors are?"

She pointed to a door at the opposite side of the room. "They go through there each night after they bring a new girl back. They brought someone back tonight."

"I am aware of that. How many are there?" he asked.

"Three. Are you really an angel?"

"I am, and your prayers have been heard, sister. We will take you back to the convent here shortly," he told her.

"Thank you, thank you!" She sobbed and reached through the bars to grab his hand. "Thank you!"

He offered her a small smile. "You must remain quiet and stay back from the doors. Your captors, they are not human and they are an abomination. We must kill them. Do you see Dean here?" He pointed at the hunter who was listening both to their conversation and to the room itself for any signs that the dragons were returning. Marie nodded at him.

"That is the righteous man, chosen by God himself to do his will. There is no soul on Earth brighter, and he will do everything within his power to help you, but you need to help as well. We need you to be silent. If your captors hear you, they could overwhelm us," he explained.

"We're your only rescue party. Cas was tasked with answering your prayers, so if you don't listen to what we tell you, there won't be another angel coming to your rescue. We're it, sister. So keep quiet, and keep your fellow sisters quiet," Dean said seriously, keeping his voice low. Marie's eyes widened and she nodded.

"Wake them, but do so as quietly as possible. Make sure everyone stays quiet," Cas told her.

He stood up and turned back to Dean. "How do you wish to handle this? They're most likely in there raping that poor girl right now."

"We can't take on all three of them at once. Maybe if we had Sam with us, but we're currently outnumbered. Our best chance of getting the upper hand is the wait for them to come through the door and attack. Remember, they can burn things with their touch, and you don't want to let them leave their human form. Kill them before they can change. Once they're airborne, they can escape faster and attack harder. Don't hesitate. Just swing," Dean told him. Cas nodded and moved to one side of the door while Dean moved to the other. The women were all awake now and Marie was whispering as loudly as she dared to, explaining the situation to the women in the cages on the other side of the room. More than a few of them had dropped to their knees and Cas could hear their prayers. He blocked them out, focusing on the task at hand. He needed to protect Dean as much as he did these women.