Fight, Boy, Fight

Chapter 15

I was watching Dean mess with the music box in the diner we're in.
Sam said" Okay, Bobby, thanks." Dean walked back to the table,
Dean said" What's up?"
" Oh. Bobby found something in Wyoming."
" A job?"
" Maybe. Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half."
" That so unusual?"
" Well, it's how they're not dying. One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice, another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch." I stuffed a chicken nugget into my mouth,
" Capped in the ass?"
" Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point-blank range by a 9mm."
" And he's not a doughnut?"
" Locals are saying it's a miracle."
" Okay."
" It's got to be something nasty, right? I mean, people making deals or something."
" You think?"
" What else would it be?"
" I don't know."
" All right, get that to go. Come on." I stuffed 4 chicken nuggets into my mouth as Sam grabbed my hand. Dean stayed put," What?"
" Sure you want me going with you?"
" Why wouldn't I?"
" I don't know. I don't want to be holding you back or nothing."
" Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was the siren talking, not me. Can we get past this?"
" Yeah, we're past it." I hope they're not fighting the entire time, I don't like it when they fight.
———
I was upside down on the bed, hanging off it on my stomach. My hands keeping me from hitting the floor. Sam came in,
Dean said" Anything?"
Sam said" That cancer survivor? He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug, and now he's taking her out for their 20th anniversary."
" Any sign of a deal?"
" No. What about you? Found anyone dying around here?"
" Not since Cole Griffith. He dropped 10 days ago. It was the last death I could find."
" So, what are you thinking?"
" Maybe it is what the people say it is."
" Miracles? Dean, our experience, when do miracles just happen?"
" Well. There's no deals. There's, uh, no skeevy faith healers. I mean, these souls just ain't getting dragged into the light."
I said" No reapers?" Sam looked at me, I flipped over, and giggled as I hit the ground.
Sam said" Maybe 'cause there's no one around to carry them."
Dean said" What do you mean?"
" Well, grim reapers- that's what they do, right? Shlepp souls? So if Death ain't in town-"
" Then nobody's dying. So what? The local reaper's on strike? Playing the back nine? I don't know, Sam."
" Well, then, let's talk to somebody who might."
" Well, last I checked, huggy bear ain't available."
" No, dude, the kid."
" The kid? The kid's a doornail."
" Exactly. Look, if he was the last person to die around here, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him."
" I love how matter-of-fact you are about that. Strange lives."
I said" Strange biggest brother."
" He still mad at me for getting ketchup on his toy?"
" His name is Rexxy!"
Sam said" Yeah, he's still mad."
Dean said" I cleaned him! He doesn't even smell."
I said" You still spilled ketchup on him! I couldn't-couldn't hold him for a whole day!"
" I'm not having this conversation again."
Sam said" It's the first thing he's gotten attached to, and he couldn't have it for a whole day. He'll simmer down soon."
" Yeah, I know."

It's nighttime, and cold! I was shivering,
Dean said" You sure this is gonna work?"
Sam said" No. But if his spirit's around, this should smoke him out."
" What?"
" This job is jacked, that's what."
" How so?"
" You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up, right? But this? If we fix whatever this is, people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people."
" Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order."
" You're kidding, right?"
" What?"
" You don't see the irony in that? I mean, you and me, we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death."
" Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they?"
" We're no different than anybody else."
" I'm infected with demon blood. You've been to hell. He's been to hell. Look, I know you want to think of yourself as joe the plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. The sooner you accept that, the better off you're gonna be."
" Ah, joe the plumber was a douche."
" You gonna help me finish this?"
Then someone said" Hey!" I turned and saw a man, uh-oh," What are you doing here?"
" Uh, just... take it easy."
" What the hell is this?" I hid behind Sam, holding onto his jacket, getting a bad feeling.
Dean said" Okay, this-this- this is not what it looks like."
" Really? 'Cause it looks like devil worship."
" What? No! No, this is not devil worship. This-This is- This- This is, uh... I don't have a good answer."
Sam said" Look, we're leaving."
The man said" You're not going anywhere... ever again..." The ground started shaking," Sam." His eyes turned white,
Dean said" Alastair. I thought you got deep fried, extra-crispy."
" Nah. Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway... no time to chat. Got a hot date with death." He flung Dean away from us,
Sam said" Dean!" I ran for Dean, then tripped, I quickly got back up.
" Oh, little River." I stared at him, he tried to move his hand but couldn't, I glared at him. I breathed heavily," Oh, you and those little tricks!" I got dizzy, then fell again, then everything went black.
———
I was sitting on the bed in front of Dean, he was laid back, with an ice rag on his head. My knees were pulled to my chest, I'm really sleepy, but don't wanna go to sleep. Sam came in,
Sam said" How you doin?"
Dean said" I'm in pain, that's how I'm doing. I think I have a concussion."
" You want some aspirin?"
" No thanks, House." He sat up," So, demons, huh?"
" Yeah. So much for miracles."
" And what the hell happened with Alastair again?"
" I told you, he tried to fling me or whatever, and it didn't work, so he bailed."
" Well, how come he couldn't fling you? He chucked you pretty good last time."
" Got no idea."
" Sam, do me a favor. If you're gonna keep your little secrets, I can't really stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot, okay?"
" What? Dean, I'm not keeping secrets."
" Mm-hmm. Whatever. So, did you go back and q&a the dead kid?"
" Didn't have to. Bobby called. He did some digging."
" And?" Sam next across from Dean,
" He thinks I'm right. Local reaper's gone. Not just gone- kidnapped."
" By demons? Why?"
" Listen to this. And he bloodied death under the newborn sky- sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured."
" Swanky. What the hell's that mean?"
" Well, it's from a very obscure, very arcane version of Revelations."
" Which means what I think it means?"
" Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon- tomorrow night, by the way- you got yourself a broken seal."
" How do you ice a reaper? You can't kill death."
" I don't know. Maybe demons can. Where the hell are the angels is what I want to know. We could use their help for once."
" It looks like we're gonna have to take care of this one ourselves."
" What are we gonna do, just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?"
" You got a better idea, I'm all ears."
" Dean, reapers are invisible. The only people that can see them are the dead and the dying."
" Well, if ghosts are the only ones that can see them..."
" Yeah?"
" Then we become ghosts." I lifted my head out of my arms to look at Dean, he does have a concussion.
" You do have a concussion."
" Sounds crazy, I know."
" It is crazy. How?"
I said" I don't like this idea." They both looked at me," But you're gonna do it anyways, aren't you?" I dug my face into my arms again, I really don't like this idea, what if something goes wrong?! Like really, really wrong?!

Sam opened the door, Dean went and got Pamela.
Pamela said" I can't even begin to tell you how crazy you two are."
Sam said" Well, Pamela, you're a sight for sore eyes."
" Aw, that's sweet, Grumpy. What do you say to deaf people? Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?"
Dean said" Yo."
" Of course. Chachi." Dean looked at Sam, Sam shrugged," So, let's be clear- you want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?"
" Mm-hmm."
" Do you have any idea how heavy-duty insane that is?"
" Maybe, but that's where the reaper is, so..."
" So, it's nuts."
" Not if you know what you're doing."
" You don't know what you're doing."
" No, but you do."
" Yeah, I do. And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon, soc-greaser crap."
" Look, I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching Judge Judy, too."
" Nice. More blind jokes?"
" You know what I mean. We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing. We need your help."

I was sitting in a chair with my knees pulled up to my chin, I don't like this idea... it's too risky. I don't care if the world ends, I just don't want my brothers to die before it!
Pamela said" Tell me something, geniuses. Even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?"
Dean said" With style and class."
" You're gonna be two walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything. You'll be defenseless hotshot."
Sam said" I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us."
" Yeah, they had plenty of time to practice."
Dean said" Well, then, I guess we got to start cramming."
" Wow, couple of heroes. All right. Lie down. Close your eyes." They laid down, closing their eyes, I still really don't like this idea... I mean, we did run into Alastair and that's never a good sign. I gulped," Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis. Okay, guys. That's it. Showtime." I stared at their bodies, yeah, I really don't like this idea, they're basically meat suits. Empty bodies. Souls detached." All right, so. I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow. Remember, I have to bring you back. I'll whisper the incantation in your ear." She walked to Sam and leaned down, I sighed, and pulled my knees up again.

I was falling asleep, I woke up when Pamela moved, I rubbed my eyes, she walked to the window and closed it. She started walking around, then I was grabbed, my mouth covered, I squirmed, kicking behind me. My neck was squeezed, I got dizzy, I was put down, I breathed heavily, coughing.
I heard Pamela say" Vis, Vis-" I tried to get up, but I couldn't," Ah! Son of a bitch!" She kicked the demon away, the ground started shaking, I breathed really heavily, I stood up, staring at the demon, he couldn't move, I got in front of Pamela, I tilted my head. The demon slung into the wall, then I got really sleepy and dizzy, I wobbled. The demon ran at me and lifted me up, I yelped as I hit the wall at full force. I slid down and my head hit the ground, I couldn't move, then I saw Sam exorcise the demon with his mind, he can still do that? That's not gonna be good if Dean finds out. My body hurt, really hurt, I whined, my eyes closing, I couldn't hear anything, it was all muffled. My body was shook, my eyes opened, I saw Sam,
He said" River! River?!" I was lifted up, and put onto a bed, water was poured into my ear, my head tilted and the water and more liquid came out, I think it was blood, but I was too sleepy to care. My head was laid back down, my eyes closed again, and I fell asleep.

I woke up, when I heard Dean,
He said" Pamela!" I turned my head and saw Pamela dead, the demon must have got her.