The Fifth Archangel

25: Time Is Ticking

Lois and Manda had left the cellar after they imprisoned me in the Holy Fire. Dean woke up in about a half hour, when I managed to throw a rock at his head. He sat up. "Wha- what happened?" He rubbed his head where the rock hit him.

"We were captured by possessed witches." I explained.

He looked at his hands, which were bound, as well as his feet. "Okay, uh, let's get out of here."

"Not that simple, unless you have a way extinguish this Holy Fire." I pointed out.

"You have a knife concealed somewhere? Something I can break these bonds with?"

Lois and Manda had taken almost all of my weapons. Thankfully they hadn't found a dagger in my boot. I pulled it out threw it to him. The blade clattered to the floor next to his foot. Dean smiled and grabbed it. He began to saw at the bonds on his feet, then worked on the ones on his hands. When they broke, he stood up.

"You look horrible." He stated.

"Well thanks, Dean, real confidence booster there."

"No, I mean, your vessel looks like it's had better days." He tossed the dagger back to me. Then he went over to Lois's desk and picked a small mirror up. He gently tossed it over the flames so I could use it.

He wasn't lying. My vessel did look horrible. My face was almost completely covered in red blotches, and my neck was rimmed with different colored bruises. It wouldn't be long before my vessel disintegrated. I had less than a week, if that.

"Oh God." I breathed. "This is bad."

"You don't say." His eyes flashed with concern. "How long do you have?"

I shrugged. "At most, a week."

"We need to get you out of there, now." He looked around the room, then settled on the desk. He braced his hand on the edge and lifted. The desk overturned easily, and it fell over the ring of fire.

I stepped out of the circle, using the table's underside as my makeshift bridge.

Dean eyed me wearily. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I answered, confused at his confusion.

"Well, your vessel- does it hurt?"

I shrugged. "The only thing that hurts is the weight of the fact that I'm slowly killing it- and that it will be gone soon."

"No, we'll find a way to fix you."

"Don't be so sure." I passed him and tried the door. It was locked, of course. Dean got out his lock pick, but I stopped him. "Stand back," I commanded. Then, I raised a hand and blasted the door in with light.

This Grace had its uses.

I tossed Dean my knife and we went through the broken door frame, Dean in the front and me in the back. We crept up the creaking stairs.

At the top, Dean swung open the door and burst into the room. I followed, but only to the doorway. There was a clear liquid all over the floor, probably Holy Oil.

"Dean!" I stage-whispered. "There's Holy Oil on the floor. I step on it, it can kill me."

Dean's eyes flicked to the floor, and back to me. Then he dashed away, leaving me standing in the doorway. I could only assume he was going to find me a way to get out.

Suddenly I heard a sadistic British voice from in another room. "Wonderful, Lois, Manda. Thank you kindly."

Lois's voice then, "you're very welcome, Mr. Crowley. We have them in the basement." I heard footsteps coming my way, so I backed away from the door frame and eased the door closed. I locked it and pressed my back against it.

More footsteps, closer to the door this time. "Nice touch with the Holy Oil." Crowley commented as they neared the door.

The door rumbled under my back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Crowley, we don't usually lock this door."

The rumbling stopped. "You mean you left them in a room without locking the door?!" Crowley asked angrily.

"No, no, there's another, metal, door at the end of the staircase." Lois explained quickly.

The door rumbled again and the doorknob jiggled. "Well, do you have a key? I'd hate to have to destroy this beautiful wooden door."

If it was possible, I heard Lois's nervousness. "We, um, actually don't."

"Don't what?" Crowley was obviously impatient.

"Have a key."

Crowley sighed loudly. I ran down the staircase, back toward the metal door. Behind me, the wooden door was blown off it's hinges.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Crowley asked, the smirk evident in his voice. I turned around slowly. In that instant, Crowley's smirk disappeared with a look of alarm. "What on Earth happened to you?"

I assumed he was talking about the state of my vessel, not the fact that I had been imprisoned for the past hour or so.

Crowley didn't give me a chance to finish. "That's the effect of all that Grace, isn't it?"

I opened my mouth to retort, but Crowley waved me off.

"Anyway," Crowley said, "I've caught word that you and your little assembly are attempting to close the Devil's Gates. Is this true?"

I nodded slowly.

Crowley sighed. "I'm disappointed, Keistelle. We could rule together! The King of Hell and the Anti-Christ! We've worked together before, we could do it again."

"Crowley, the last time I worked with you, you left me to die.  And I did die. Why on Earth would I work with you now?"

He didn't even get to answer, because Dean appeared at the top of the staircase, Gabriel at his heels. I ran at Crowley, which he was not expecting. I barreled over him and out the door. Dean had put towels all over the floor so I could get out. The three of us dashed out of the house.

Once we were outside and out of the wards, I grabbed Dean's hand and teleported back to the bunker.

When we arrived, everyone was silent. Bobby looked like he was going to be sick. Kyle and Gail looked at me, their faces a stricken stare of horror. Cas wasn't even trying to hold back his shock, his mouth was hanging slightly opened and his blue eyes were wide. Sam looked like he was about to cry, he was staring at the ground, moving his foot slowly in a circle.

"How long do you have?" Bobby asked quietly.

"Less than a week at most."

"And at least?"

"Two days."

No one knew what to say to that. We had no way to get rid of my excess Grace. I was dying. I was wasting the gift my father had given me. I wouldn't be able to stop this. I wouldn't be able to avert the apocalypse.

There was only one way: to take all of my Grace out, again. I didn't think that I could bear to lose my mojo again. It would be unbearable.

But was I willing to do it to save my vessel and my mission?

So, a new chapter!! Yay! Thanks so, so much for reading!! If you enjoyed, or if you're having a great day, please vote and comment as it would help me out so, so much!!