All Over Again

Pestilence

I look up. I couldn't tell time very well, everything is blurry and confusing. I feel around and find a wall. I pull myself up a little. Sam and Dean are on the floor, the same as me. I look up as a man speaks. 

"You boys don't look well. Not even you princess." He says looking at me last.

I don't feel any better than before, but I'm more use to it.

The man stands up. I fall back, face on the floor. Blood spilling out of my mouth. My whole body aches, it's almost numb. There's not doubt that that is Pestilence.

"It might be the, uh, Scarlet fever. Or, uh, the meningitis. Oh!" He laughs. "Or the syphilis."

We look up at him. I use most of my strength to glare at him. 

"tsk tsk. That's no fun." He says, my head hitting the floor again as all my strength leaves me again.

He grabs Sam's hair and pulls him up a little. "However you feel right now? It's gonna get so very, very much worse. Questions?" He asks, dropping Sam.

He walks around. "Disease gets a bad rap, don't you think? For being filthy. Chaotic. But, really, that just describes people who get sick."

I can still hear him talking as I cough up more blood. I close my eyes because my vision is spinning. "Disease itself... Very...Pure...Single-minded. Bacteria have one purpose --divide and conquer."

I hear a crushing sound and open my eyes. Pestilence is stepping on Dean's hand. Dean was reaching for the knife.

He keeps talking. "That's why, in the end...It always wins. So, you've got to wonder why God pours all his love into something so messy...And weak!" He yells the last part. "It's ridiculous. All I can do is show him he's wrong, one epidemic at a time." He puts his glasses on.

I groan as pain fills my body again. "Now... On a scale of 1 to 10, how's your pain?" Not a second later, the door is kicked open. I turn my head. It's Cas.

Dean groans. "Cas."

I can hear anger in Pestilence's voice. "How'd you get here?" He demands.

"I took a bus. Don't worry, I.." Cas starts coughing and fall to the floor. Under normal circumstances I would help the poor guy, but at the moment I can't even help myself.

"Well, look at that." Pestilence says happily. "An occupied vessel, but powerless. Oh, that's fascinating. There's not a speck of angel in you, is there?"

Then Cas jumps off the ground with a knife. He grabs Pestilences hand and chops his fingers off, along with the ring. I can hear him screaming.

"Maybe just a speck." Cas says. I feel better already. The nurse/demon tackles Cas, but is stabbed by the knife.

I pick myself off the ground. The others do too. Dean grabs the ring. Although we all still feel like crap, we can at least stand. We all turn to Pestilence.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late." He says, then in a gust of wind, he's gone.

****************************

We get to Bobby's. Dean tosses the ring on the desk in front of Bobby.

"Well, it's nice to actually score a home run for once, ain't it?" Bobby says. We all give him a look. "What?"

"Last thing Pestilence said. "it's too late."" Sam says.

"He get specific?" Bobby asks.

"Nope" I say emphasizing the 'p'

"We're just a little freaked out that he might have left a bomb somewhere. So please tell us you have actual good news." Dean says tiredly.

"Chicago's about to be wiped off the map. Storm of the millennium. Sets off a daisy chain of natural disasters. Three million people are gonna die." He says.

"Huh." Dean says. I lay my head back down. We're all so tired. It seems like forever since I last slept.

"I don't understand your definition of good news." Cas says blankly. I sigh.

"Well...Death, the horseman.... he's gonna be there. And if we can stop him before he kick-starts this storm, get his ring back..." Dean interrupts him.

"Yeah, you make it sound so easy." He says sarcastically.

"Hell, I'm just trying to put a spin on it." Bobby replies.

I look at Bobby, a new thought coming to me. "Bobby, How'd you put all this together, anyways?"

Bobby shrugs. "I had, you know...Help."

We hear a clinking and pouring sound. I turn my head to see Crowley, helping himself to some liquor.

"Don't be so modest. I barely helped at all." Crowley says. I look Bobby in the eyes. Please don't tell me he did what I think he did.

"Hello, boys. Pleasure, et cetera. Go ahead. Tell them. There's no shame in it." He goes on. Sniffing the liquor, than realizing that there's holy water in it. He sets the glass down.

"Bobby? Tell us what?" Sam says, trying to keep his cool.

"World's gonna end. Seems stupid to get all precious over one little...Soul."

I stare at him. "You sold your soul?!"

"Oh, more like pawned it. I fully intend to give it back." Crowley says.

Both Dean and I speak at the same time. "Then give it back!"

"I will."

"Now!" Dean yells.

"Did you kiss him?" Sam says out of the blue. Why would he even think about that?

"Sam!" Dean and I yell.

"Just wondering." All three of us look at him. Did he?

"No!" Bobby yells. Crowley pulls out his phone and shows us a picture, of them kissing. We all look at it. "Why'd you take a picture?" Bobby yells.

"Why do you have to use tongue?" Crowley counters. Sam, Dean, and I all look at Bobby mortified.

Dean shakes it off and stands up. "All right. You know what? I'm sick of this. Give him his soul back now." He demands.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

"Can't or won't?" I say, standing next to Dean.

"I won't, all right? It's insurance." He blurts out.

" What are you talking about?" Dean asks.

"You kill demons. Giganto over there has a temper issue about it." He says pointing to Sam. "But you won't kill me... As long as I have that soul in the deposit box."

"You son of a bitch." Bobby says.

"I'll return it. After all this is over, and I can walk safely away. Do we all understand each other?" Crowley yells. Great, I think. Just great.