American Noise

13. Gods and Monsters

ABANDONED CHURCH

People were hanging from chains. One man was bound to a chair, bleeding slowly into a goblet. Footsteps approached and Michael cut a small slice in the man's throat, which bled grace into the goblet full of blood. Michael took the goblet and nodded approvingly. "A little of this... a little of that" he added more grace from a vial, "...and..." he swirled the goblet, then forced the man in the chair to drink. "Yes. Good boy."

Michael watched as the man choked and gasped, then flamed out. "Hmm. Too much "that". How disappointing." Michael dragged the man's body from the chair and dropped it on the floor. There was a pile of bodies. He nodded, then looked to the line of people in chains, spun his knife, and cheerily said, "All right. Who's next?"

BUNKER

Mary and Bobby were going over weapons.

"Who goes to Duluth in October. Sure Michael didn't touch down in Orlando?" Bobby asked.

"Jo was pretty specific. Duluth," Mary replied.

"Yeah, well, angels ain't exactly known for their veracity."

Mary cleared her throat and looked behind Bobby, as Castiel entered. "No offense."

"None taken. I tend to agree with you," Castiel answered.

Mary handed a gun to Sam, who was at his computer.

"Here you go," Mary said.

"Thanks," Sam replied.

"Hey, what's that?"

"So I've been searching through police reports in Duluth. Cops just turned up a pile of corpses that was dumped near some train tracks just north of town and their eyes were burnt out."

"So Michael. We should go now," Castiel said.

"No. This isn't just Michael we're talking about."

"It's Dean," Bobby replied.

"Yeah. Cas, you know why you can't come with us, right?"

"My angelic presence would be sensed by Michael, thereby nullifying your hopes of a sneak attack," Castiel said.

"Yeah, sorry."

"And, you need us to stay here and babysit Nick, Jayci and Jack."

"It's not babysitting, Cas."

"Only in the sense that they're not infants, but they each have to be supervised. Jack is lost without his grace, Jayci will do anything to protect her her brother, Nick is... he's just a mess."

"Well, it-it's not his fault. Cas, Nick was housing, you know. He-he deserves a shot at rebuilding his life."

Castiel pursed his lips. "And yet every time I look at him, all I can see is the supreme agent of evil."

Jack entered, followed by Jayci. "You talking about Jayci's and my dad again? Look, I understand. Being around Nick - it's hard for us, too."

"Uh, Jack, Jayci, we're going to need you to sit this mission out. Not a permanent thing," Mary told him.

"I know last time, I sucked when it mattered, and I need to improve. So... that's what I'm gonna do. Jayci and I will do something fun."

"All right. Okay." Sam cocked his gun. "Let's move."

BUNKER - DUNGEON

It had been made up as a bedroom, with a Devil's Trap on the floor under the bed in the center of the room. A man sat on the bed with his back to the door. Nick flashed back. Lucifer killing with a snap in the Apocalypse World, Lucifer killing the desk agent in Hammer of the Gods (5.19). Nick held his head in his hands, breathing heavily. Lucifer killing Gabriel in Hammer of the Gods. Nick's flashbacks were interrupted by Castiel knocking on the door.