Sam, Castiel, Lizziel and Jack had managed to enter Dean's mind and free him from Michael, by locking Michael inside Dean's brain. They had also managed to stop Dean from getting into the Malak box and throwing himself into the ocean.
Currently, the Winchesters, Castiel, Jack and Lizziel were entering a house where the monster they were hunting was residing. Castiel, Jack and Lizziel split up while the Winchesters took the upper floor.
"Oh no", Castiel muttered when he noticed a dead body lying on the kitchen platform, with its chest open and eyes missing.
"He's cooking the body parts...again", Jack informed.
"Why is it so difficult to catch this guy?", Lizziel groaned, running her hand down her face.
"I got nothing", Sam informed, coming into the kitchen.
"Aw, c'mon", Dean whined, entering the kitchen.
"Seriously? How does this keep happening? I thought we had him this time", Sam exclaimed.
"You thought we had him, every single time", Lizziel sarcastically said, causing Sam to give her a bitch face.
"Well, atleast I did some thinking unlike you", Sam said with a sarcastic smile causing Lizziel to smack him on the arm with offense.
"Look at this. He's all cut up. No restraints, like last time", Dean said, examining the body.
"And he was killed recently. I suspect he was very much alive when the cutting started", Castiel informed everyone.
"I don't understand. Why don't any of them fight back?", Jack asked, confusion laced in his voice.
"Yeah. Who would just let themselves be eaten? Hey, I'll say it again. My money's on witchcraft", Dean stated.
"Oh, you", Rowena spoke up, walking into the kitchen, "Always blaming witches".
"Cause a lot of times it's witches", Dean said, defensively.
"Rowena, your tracking spell was supposed to make this easier", Sam said.
"Huh! There I was, in the middle of a glorious rosewater and vanilla oil massage, hidden away at an exclusive desert spa, when you called me, begging for my help", Rowena said, annoyance laced in her voice.
"Can I join you at the spa, next time?", Lizziel asked causing Rowena to nod her head.
"Lizziel, important matter here. We've been chasing this guy for weeks. What's your point?", Dean asked.
"My point, Dean, is that you asked for my assistance, and I obliged. And while the killer eluded us, it certainly looks as if he was here quite recently. I'd call that a success", Rowena stated.
"Oh, yeah, that's a success. Sam", Dean said, before handing Sam the ID of the dead guy.
"Hello, Castiel", Rowena said flirtatiously, causing Castiel to glance at Lizziel and Jack.
"Okay, looks like our dinner guest here, his name is Dennis Barron. He's 43, and this is his house. No signs of forced entry and no restraints", Dean informed everyone.
"It's all the same", Sam stated.
"Well, not everything", Jack pointed out, holding a snake skin.
"Maybe it's his pet", Dean suggested.
"I mean, no pictures in his phone. And, uh, this place doesn't exactly scream snake guy", Sam said.
"He looks too boring to have a pet snake, anyways", Lizziel said.
"Not enough Pantera posters, for one", Rowena pointed out.
Suddenly, Jack started to cough causing everyone to look at him worriedly. Jack looked at everyone and said, "There was some pepper on something. I don't know. I'm fine. I'm not dying".
"Okay, so, what? This guy's some real Houdini?", Dean questioned.
"Well, however he's avoiding us, he's now claimed the lives of at least six people in northern New Mexico", Castiel stated.
"That we know about", Dean said.
"Aye, but this is the first one I've seen in the flesh. Did they all have these blackened lips?", Rowena asked.
"Yeah, or just black patches of skin around their face and neck", Sam told her.
"Yeah, but we've been more focused on the missing eyeballs and cannibalism angle", Dean stated, causing Rowena to give him a disapproving look.
"Do the black lips mean something?", Jack asked, excitement and curiosity laced in his voice.
"Darling boy, everything means something. Be a dear and bring the snakeskin", Rowena replied, before heading towards the front door.
*****
"Hey ya'll, I'm back", Lizziel said, appearing into the motel room with a flap of her wings.
"Where'd you get that smoothie from?", Dean asked her, confusion laced in his voice. He was sitting on a sofa with Jack and Castiel.
"Oh, I was bored so I went to this cute café in Paris and bought a smoothie", Lizziel replied, with a shrug of her shoulders.
"It looks...nice. What flavour?", Dean asked, eyeing her smoothie.
"Berry. Why? You want one?", Lizziel asked, causing Dean to nod his head, "Sorry, this one's mine".
"You're such an asshole sometimes, kid", Dean said, rolling his eyes.
"You still love me though", Lizziel said, causing Dean to ruffle her hair.
"Let's get back to this", Sam said.
"This is like an A.V club presentation", Dean stated.
"What's an A.V club?", Jack asked Dean.
"It's a special group for people who do not play sports", Castiel replied.
"Yeah him. He's A.V club", Dean said, pointing towards Castiel causing Castiel to give him an offended look.
"Excuse me, boys, but this is a bit more pressing than your hilarious banter. I do not know how you tolerate this Lizzie. Anyways, I believe we are hunting a gorgon, an ancient, cursed being with an affinity for snakes and a hunger for human flesh", Rowena explained.
"Snakes for hair? That's like Medusa", Dean said, excitement laced in his voice.
"You know about Medusa?", Rowena asked.
"Oh, yeah", Dean said with a chuckle, "Clash of the titans? Turns guys to stone?".
"Medusa was even there in Percy Jackson", Lizziel pointed out excitedly.
"Oh. That's the exaggerated version. It's not stone. More of a venom induced paralysis. Hence, the blackened lips", Rowena informed.
"And the fact that the victims didn't fight back", Castiel pointed out.
"And the snake skin, which, frankly, was a bit on the nose", Rowena said.
"So we expanded our search based on this new information, and we found 17 unexplained deaths that could fit our guy, last three months, moving west across the southern U.S", Sam said, placing his tab with a map on its screen on the coffee table.
"17 people", Jack whispered, disbelief laced in his voice.
"That's a lot of people", Lizziel stated.
"Yeah. Legend has it, every few months, the gorgon goes on a spree and gorges itself", Rowena explained.
"Like a snake. That makes sense", Dean stated.
"So, is there anything in there that explains why this gorgon keeps eluding us?", Castiel asked.
"Uh...", Sam said, causing Rowena to continue, "Some lore says that a gorgon can tell people's fates, and, by consuming human eyes, they say glimpse the future".
"Yeah. We think that's how he sees us coming", Sam said, a sigh escaping his lips.
"So, then even if we use your tracking spell again, he'll know", Castiel said, an annoyed look on his face.
"So...how do we get him?", Jack asked.
"I don't know", Sam replied, before glancing at the floor with disappointment.
*****
Lizziel, Dean and Castiel were at the crime scene where a man had been found dead in a truck with his eyeballs missing.
"Agents Page and Jones, FBI, this is our Agent in training, Swift", Dean introduced himself, Castiel and Lizziel to the police officer.
"Why is the FBI here?", the officer asked.
"We had a few more of these across state lines", Dean replied and then asked, "Anything unusual?".
"Other than guy missing his eyes?", the officer replied with a chuckle.
"Is this amusing to you?", Castiel asked, anger laced in his voice.
"Uh...no, sir. Sorry. I, uh...I'm just a little freaked out. I've never seen anything like this. And uh. Yes, there is one other thing, a note on the body.", the officer replied.
Dean glanced at Lizziel and Castiel, before asking, "A note?".
"Yeah. It's made out to some guy named Dean", the officer answered, showing the note.
"Can I see that?", Dean asked, causing the officer to hand the note to him, "Thank you".
The officer left to go talk to another member of his team. Once he was out of earshot, Castiel asked, "What does it say?".
"Is it a love letter?", Lizziel asked, amusement laced in her voice.
"Dean, I see you standing alone by the truck reading this note. I see you and the tall man and the red headed witch chasing me. I will always see you. Stop, or I will make you stop. Regards, Noah", Dean read aloud before grimacing, "I'm on a first name basis with some psycho pen pal. That's aces".
"Somehow he knows you. But you're not standing alone. Why doesn't he mention me and Lizziel?", Castiel asked, confused.
"Yeah, that is weird", Lizziel stated.
"Maybe, you guys are not his type", Dean suggested.
"Narcissistic much, Dean", Lizziel sarcastically said, before pointing out, "Maybe he can't see angels".
"Yeah, could be. Let's inform the others", Dean said, before calling Sam.
"Hey, you got something?", Sam asked through the phone.
"Yeah", Lizziel replied, "Apparently, Noah, the gorgon can't see all of us".
"So, Noah can see you, me and Rowena", Dean told Sam.
"For the record, I don't like being included on his little hit list", they heard Rowena exclaim through the phone.
"But can't see Lizziel, Jack and Cas", Dean said, confused.
"It's an odd and glaring omission", Castiel pointed out.
"No. It's our shot. I mean...this guy for some reason, he can't see angels", Sam said.
"I'm not an angel", Jack defended himself.
"Well, apparently you're close enough", Dean stated, to quiet down Jack.
"So, if Jack, Lizziel and I approach Noah on our own, we...we may surprise him", Castiel suggested.
"Yeah. It's risky. But I think it's probably our best play", Sam said.
"Great, time to catch a gorgon", Lizziel said, excitement laced in her voice.
"Rowena, get your tracking spell ready", Dean said, before ending the call.
The three of them quickly got into the impala and started to head back towards the motel.
"Can we please play Taylor Swift?", Lizziel asked Dean from the backseat, "I never get to listen to my songs".
"Ugh fine, here you go", Dean said, putting in the cassette tape containing Taylor Swift songs.
"Yay", Lizziel said, before dancing in the backseat to 'you belong with me'.
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