Desolation Comes Upon the Sky

The Devil's Cure

July 1st, 2014
Rexford, Idaho

A month passed, and the summer months reached its peak in Rexford. Alex and Castiel remained in the town, whose community seemed to welcome their arrival with open hands. At least that's how it felt, the ex-angel had mused, with Greg around.

The kindly old preacher had sought to make their transition into the world of the working and the mundane as easy as possible; not only had he insisted that they remain in his house rent-free until they were able to pay him back, but he had even gone out of his way to get the two ex-celestials jobs around town.

Their living wasn't half bad, Alex thought as she pushed her way in through the front door of Lucky Chin's Chinese Palace, and she glanced up as the bell cried out, announcing her entrance to all inside. Between her gig here and Castiel's — Steve, as the locals knew him — job at the nearby Gas N' Sip, they were doing well.

"Maxine!" A loud, giggly voice came from behind the front counter, and Alex turned to see a tall brunette sitting there, a wide grin on her face and blue eyes sparkling in humor. "It's about time you're back."

"Sorry, Mel." Alex crossed over to her coworker Melanie and dropped her plastic bag onto the counter. "I got those supplies you were asking for. Anything else?"

"Ah! Thank you." Melanie pawed through the cleaning supplies Alex had picked up from the 711 down the street. "You can bring these back to the kitchen. Oh, and garbage needs to go out," she added as Alex nodded. "You work 'till ... when?"

"Six thirty." Alex gathered up the bag, casting a quick look at the clock on the wall. "So, another twenty minutes or so." Movement from the kitchen caught her attention. "Is Tommy working today?" The footfalls on the tile floor sounded heavy enough, but the ex-angel still felt blind and fettered without her celestial senses.

"Yeah. Connor left while you were out." The door behind them swung open with a ding, and Melanie called out, "Welcome to Lucky Chin's! How can I help you?"

Alex took the greeting as her call to leave, and she slipped behind the counter and into the kitchen. The smell of cooking oil hit her full force, and she gave Tom a weak smile as something deep within her chest tightened painfully. Alex drew in three deep breaths, trying to breathe the pain away as she carefully pushed back any semblance of panic. The symptoms had been recurring over the past two or three days, starting with the telltale shortness of breath and pounding heart within her chest. Dr. Chase had warned her about such signs, and Alex was following his advice very carefully; deep breaths in, slow breaths out. Keep her heart rate under control. So far, it had been working, but Alex was worried about the future time when just careful breathing wouldn't be enough.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the tightness vanished, and Alex gathered up the trash, holding it up high to avoid tripping over the black polyethylene that was stretched thin by the weight of its contents. She wrinkled her nose up against the smell of old grease and half-smoked pot. She would have to talk to Connor again about what exactly belonged in the establishment's trash and what didn't.

She dropped the bag next to the big green dumpster and leaned up to throw back the plastic lid. Then she flung the trash up and into the empty garbage, half-listening to the satisfying thud it made. The vibrations sent the lid crashing back into place, and Alex flinched at the bang.

She gave Tom a small nod on her way back in, and she slid onto the counter. Melanie was still on her stool, and Alex peered around the restaurant for the customer that had entered before she left. "Pick up," Melanie explained as she pulled out her magazine.

"Ah." Alex nodded. The restaurant around her was empty, save for the old couple in the back booth who ate there twice a week. "Looks like we're winding down for the night, then."