Desolation Comes Upon the Sky

Knocking On Heaven's Door

She was alone. The street was dark, lit only by the occasional streetlight, and snowflakes fell through the cold winter air, covering the ground. The young girl pulled her thin jacket tighter around her body, suppressing a shiver. She hated life, and she hated living like she did. They had fought again, and now she had been thrown out of the house for the night as punishment. She kicked at a loose stone, sending it clattering down the street. Stupid foster family. Like they gave a damn about her.

Suddenly there was light. A bright, blinding light that was gone as soon as it had appeared. Darkness surrounded the young girl as the ground vanished from beneath her feet, and the next thing she knew, she was falling.

...

May 31st, 2014
Rexford, Idaho

Alex followed Castiel off of the bus, coughing as it sped away in a cloud of dust and smoke. The thin, sparse clouds did little to hide the summer sun, and the ex-angel uncomfortably adjusted the shoulder straps of her bag. The bus had dropped them off at a small town just north of Idaho Falls, and for the first time in a while, the young girl was ready to quit traveling.

She glanced up at her companion out of the corner of her eye; he was walking down the street, completely oblivious to her gaze upon him. Two days had passed since they left the bunker back in Lebanon, Kansas, and since then the two hadn't spoken a word about ... it.

I know who you really are. Castiel's words echoed through her head, and Alex briefly closed her eyes at the memory. Her cheeks flushed, and as her embarrassment grew, she gave a quick cough to distract herself from her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Castiel looked over at her in concern, and Alex blinked in surprise.

"I'm fine," she quickly promised. Her eyes drifted upwards to one of the shop signs, and she read, " 'Rexford, Idaho.' Seems like a nice little town." Her gaze continued up towards the sky; the sun, though still high above them, was beginning to stretch towards its horizon. "What do you say we find a place to spend the night? I have a credit card or two that should work."

"That's a good idea." Castiel paused on the street corner, peering both ways in search of a place to stay. "I can feel that I'm getting tired again, although for having sat on a bus all day, I'm not sure why."

"Because human bodies are stupid." Alex led the way down the street to an old-fashioned motel. "Take them on a ride, and they're convinced they ran the distance themselves." She pushed her way through the front door of the office, not bothering to stop and explain herself to the confused ex-seraph behind her; it wasn't worth it.

She quickly rented one room for the night, and, after thanking the woman behind the desk and taking the key in hand, led Castiel down to their room. The accommodations weren't bad; having travelled with hunters, Alex had had much worse. "Alright." She dropped her bag onto the only bed before turning her gaze to the maroon walls. "See, this isn't that bad. Better than sleeping another night on the bus, huh?"

Castiel gave a small nod. "Much." He looked down at his dirty green t-shirt that he had acquired during his time away from the bunker, and after a second, he pulled it off. "Do you have another shirt that would fit me? This one is getting dirty."

Alex didn't respond. Her eyes had dropped to his bare skin, where Enochian was scrawled in big, bold letters on his side. "Oh, Cas." She moved closer, a hand going forward to trace over the black-inked tattoo, and her voice grew soft; what danger had he faced that he needed such a mark. "What did you do?"

"It's okay." Castiel's hand went down to cover hers. "It didn't hurt for long. And now I'm warded against angels. So are you," he added, and his hand moved up to rest against her lower ribs. "Now we're both safe." He leaned forward, hesitation in his eyes, and Alex awkwardly turned her head away. Silence clung to the air, and eventually the ex-seraph pulled away and cleared his throat. "If it's alright with you, I'm going to take a shower. It's been a long day."