Love Without End, Amen

40. The Magnificent Seven

"It's weird, man," Dean said. "I mean, the night the Devil's Gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"

"17."

"17. You think it would be "Apocalypse Now," but it's been five days and bupkis." Sam looked at him, startled while Lexi looked at him curiously. Dean paused. "What are the demons waiting for?"

"Beats me."

"It's driving me crazy. I tell you two, if it's gonna be war, I wish it would just start already."

"I don't know, man. Be careful what you wish for."

The next morning, Dean, Sam, Lennon, Simon and Persie pulled outside a farmhouse. Dean got out munching on a hamburger. The air was filled with the sound of cicadas.

"Hear those cicadas?" Sam questioned.

"That can't be a good sign," Dean commented.

"No," Persie said. "No, it can't."

Bobby walked up and greeted them. "So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?"

"Well, I sold my soul," Dean replied. "Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol."

"So, Bobby, what do you think?" Sam questioned. "We got a Biblical plague here or what?"

"Well, let's find out," Bobby answered. "Looks like the swarm's ground zero."

Lennon shook her head. "Daddy, I don't wanna go in the house."

Persie gave her a light smile. "You don't have to. I'll stay out here with you and your brother, okay?"

"Okay."

Dean pounded on the farmhouse door. "Candygram!"

They picked the lock and opened the door. Dean entered first and Sam behind him with a gun drawn. They covered their noses and disgust.

"That's awful," Sam said.

"That so can't be a good sign," Dean noted.

They crept through the house, stopping in the second room and heard what sounded like panicked screams.

"You hear that?"

They kicked open the next door. The sounds were coming from a television set. A family of three was seated on the couch, several days dead. Sam and Dean recoiled at the increased stench.

"Oh, my God," Sam muttered.

Bobby entered the other side of the room and recoiled in horror.

"Bobby, what the hell happened here?" Sam wondered.

"I don't know," Bobby replied.

"Check for sulfur," Dean suggested.

"Yeah."

The three of them investigated the room. Dean heard a noise out front and signaled to the others that they were going to check it out. Bobby and Sam circled around the other direction.

Out front, Dean exited cautiously, gun drawn, and looked around. As he came around the house, Dean was knocked to the ground by a man with a shotgun; Isaac. His wife, Tamara, came up behind him.

Bobby came up from the other side. "Isaac? Tamara?"

"Bobby," Tamara called. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same," Bobby said.

"Heya, Bobby," Isaac greeted.

Dean raised an arm pitifully from the ground. "Hello. Bleeding here."