Miranda is sitting next to Sam in the Impala. He's reading a giant book, trying to find a way to save Dean. Miranda is leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she tries to fall asleep.
Sam's phone rings and he answers it
"Hello." He puts it on speaker.
"Hey, Sam." Bobby greets.
"Hey, Bobby."
"What ya doing?"
"Oh, same old, same old."
"You buried in that book again?" He asks. "Sam, you want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book."
"Then where, Bobby?" Sam asks.
"Kid, I wish I knew. So where's your brother?" Bobby asks.
"Polling the electorate." Sam says.
"What?" Bobby asks.
"Never mind."
"Well, you kids better pack it up. I think I finally found something."
Sam and Bobby hang up.
"You wouldn't happen to love me enough to... to, uh..."
"Nope. Get your ass out there." Miranda says, sitting up.
"Randi." He begs.
"Just keep your eyes shut and you won't see anything." Miranda says.
Sam huffs and reluctantly gets out of the car.
~ ~ ~
"Let me see your knife." Sam says as Dean drives.
"What for?" Dean asks.
"So I can gouge my eyes out." Sam says.
"It was a beautiful, natural act, Sam." Dean says.
"It's a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean." Sam says making Dean chuckle.
"Hey, I appreciate you giving me a little quality time with the Doublemint twins."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Really? Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something."
"No, not at all. You deserve to have a little fun."
"Well, I am in violent agreement with you there. What's Bobby got?"
"Not much. A crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Uh, could be demonic omens--"
"Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem."
"Yeah, but it's our only lead."
"Any freaky deaths?"
"Nothing Bobby could find. Not yet, anyway."
"It's weird, man. I mean, the night the devil's gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"
"17."
"17. You'd think it would be Apocalypse Now, but it's been five days and bubkis. What are the demons waiting for?"
"Beats me."
"It's driving me crazy. I tell you, if it's gonna be war, I wish it would just start already."
"I don't know, man. Be careful what you wish for." Sam says.
+++
They pull up to a farmhouse where Bobby is waiting for them. They get out of the Impala, hearing cicadas.
"Hear those cicadas?" Sam asks.
"That can't be a good sign." Dean says.
"No. No, it can't." Sam says.
"So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?" Bobby asks as they walk to each other.
"Well, I sold my soul. Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol." Dean says.
"So, Bobby, what do you think? We got a biblical plague here or what?" Sam asks.
"Well, let's find out. Looks like the swarm's ground zero." Bobby says.
They walk up to the door and Dean pounds on it.
"Candygram!"
They don't get an answer, only able to hear the cicadas chirping. Dean picks the lock, the four recoiling in disgust at the smell they're greeted with.
"That's awful." Sam says.
"That so can't be a good sign." Dean says.
They walk in and quietly make their way through the house. They stop when they hear screaming from another room.
"You hear that?" Sam asks.
They kick the next door open, going into the living room, the screaming coming from the TV. Miranda winces, covering her mouth and nose at the horrid smell.
"Oh, my God." Sam whispers. Bobby walks in from a different entry. "Bobby, what the hell happened here?"
"I don't know." Bobby says.
"Check for sulfur." Dean says.
"Yeah." Bobby nods.
The four look around the room for any sulfur. Dean whistles, motioning for them to split up and look around since he heard a noise. They split up, each going to investigate different parts of the house.
+++
"Jenny! That is a beautiful name. That's my sister's name, actually." Dean says to the woman over the phone.
"Honey? Where's the Palo Santo?" Isaac asks.
"Well, where did you leave it?" Tamara asks.
"I don't know, dear. That's why I'm asking." Isaac says.
"Palo Santo?" Sam asks.
"It's holy wood from Peru. It's toxic to demons like holy water. Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them." Tamara says. She pulls a large, pointed stake out, giving it to Isaac.
"Thank you, dear."
"You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me."
"So, how long you two been married?" Sam asks.
"Eight years this past June." Tamara answers.
"The family that slays together..." Isaac says.
"Right. I'm with you there." Sam says.
"How long you two been together?" Tamara asks.
"Oh, uh... little over two years." Sam says, Miranda nodding. "Not-- not married, though, just-- just dating still."
"And pregnant." Miranda says.
"Ah, congratulations." Tamara tells them.
"Thanks." Miranda smiles.
"So, how'd you get started?" Sam asks. The couple share sad looks, awkward silence filling the room. "I, uh, you know... I'm sorry. It's not-- that's none of my business."
"No, no. It's-- it's all right." Tamara says.
"Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an... appletini." Dean makes a face at the drink. "Yeah. Call you." he hangs up. "That was the coroner's tech."
"And?" Sam asks.
"Get this -- that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up." Dean says.
"But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away." Bobby says.
"Right. What's this, a demon attack?" Sam asks.
"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty." Bobby says.
"Well, what now? What should we do?" Dean asks.
"Uh, "we're" not gonna do anything." Isaac states.
"What do you mean?" Sam asks.
"You guys seem nice enough, but this ain't Scooby-Doo, and we don't play well with others." Isaac says.
"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together." Sam says.
"No offense, but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the devil's gate get opened in the first place." Isaac says.
"No offense?" Dean asks.
"Isaac. Like you've never made a mistake." Tamara says.
"Oh, yeah, yeah. Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though." Isaac says.
"All right. That's enough." Dean says.
"Guys, this isn't helping. Dean--" Sam tries.
"Look, there are couple hundred more demons out there now." Isaac says. "We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us -- all of us."
"Okay, that's quite enough testosterone for now." Tamara drags her husband out.
+++
After going to a crime scene at a store earlier, the four split up into two groups, the couple with each other and Bobby and Dean together.
Sam and Miranda walk up to Bobby's car that's parked outside of the bar. Sam motions for her to be quiet before he loudly pound on Dean's window, scaring both of the men inside.
Dean and Bobby jump, turning to them, the couple laughing at their reactions. Sam opens the door.
"That's not funny!" Dean grumbles.
"Yeah." Sam says, pushing Dean's seat forward and holding it so Miranda can get in the back. He gets in the back after her. "Uh, all right, so John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."
"The night the devil's gate opened?" Dean asks.
"Yeah." Sam nods.
"So you think he's possessed?" Dean asks.
"Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?" Sam asks.
"Those demons that got out at the gate. They're gonna do all kinds of things we haven't seen." Bobby says.
"You mean the demons we let out." Sam says.
"Guys." Dean calls. They follow his gaze to find the guy they're looking for go into the bar. "All right. Showtime."
"Wait a minute." Bobby says.
"What?" Dean asks.
"What'd I just say? We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure." Bobby says.
"Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?" Dean asks.
"We're no good dead! And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is." Bobby says.
"Hey, Bobby? I don't think that's an option." Sam says.
"Why not?" Sam nods, the other three turning to see Isaac and Tamara going into the bar. "Damn it!"
After failing to get into the bar, they get back in the car and Bobby reverses through the wall. The four get out and fling holy water at the demons, burning them.
Sam drags Tamara to the car while yelling for Dean hurry up. Miranda gets in the car with the three and Bobby gets in the driver's seat. Dean traps a demon in the trunk before getting in the car.
"Go! Go, go, go, go, go, go!" Bobby speeds out.
+++
"--And I say we're going back! Now!" Tamara shouts.
"Just hold on a second!" Sam yells.
"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" Tamara yells.
"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back." Sam says.
"Fine. Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar." Tamara says.
"I'll go with her." Dean says.
"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam yells.
"So what? I'm dead already!" Dean retorts.
"How you gonna kill 'em? Can't shoot them. You can't stab them. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!" Sam exclaims.
"I don't care!" Tamara screams.
"We don't even know how many of them there are!" Sam yells.
"Yeah, we do." Bobby walks over. "There's seven. Do you have any idea who we're up against?"
"No. Who?" Dean asks.
"The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh!" Bobby yells.
""What's in the box?"" Dean grins. "Bradd Pitt? Se7en? No?"
"Shut up, Dean." Miranda tells him.
Bobby tosses a book to Dean.
"What's this?" Dean asks.
""Binsfeld's Classification of Demons." In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins -- not just as human vices, but as actual devils." Bobby says.
"The family, they were touched by Sloth. And the shopper..." Sam says.
"That's Envy's doing -- the customer we got in the next room. I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony." Bobby says.
"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops! I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!" Tamara shouts.
"We already did it your way. You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened! These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, Dark Ages! We've never faced anything close to this!"
"So we are gonna take a breath... and figure out what our next move is!" Bobby shouts. "I am sorry for your loss." Tamara storms out.
They go back into the room with the demon.
"So you know who I am, huh?" Envy laughs.
"We do. We're not impressed." Bobby says.
"Why are you here? What are you after?" Sam asks.
"He asked you a question. What do you want?" Dean asks. Envy chuckles. Dean splashes him with holy water making him yell out in pain.
"We already have... what we want." He says, panting.
"What's that?" Dean asks.
"We're out. We're free." Envy says. "Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am legion, for we are many. So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun."
"Fun?" Sam questions.
"Yeah. Fun. See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides... on their outside." Envy says.
"I'm gonna put you down like a dog." Tamara sneers.
"Please." Envy laughs. "You really think you're better than me. Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a-- a walking billboard of gluttony and lust." Dean nods. "And Tamara. All that wrath. Ohh." He tsks. "It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it? It's so much easier to... drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago."
Tamara harshly smacks him twice before Dean and Bobby hold her back. Envy laughs.
"My point exactly. And you call us sins. We're not sins, man. We are natural human instinct. And you can repress and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny... greedy... hungry... violent animals. And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals, too. The others -- they're coming for me."
"Maybe. But they're not gonna find you... cause you'll be in Hell." Dean says. "Someone send this clown packing."
"My pleasure." Tamara says before starting the exorcism while the other four walk out.
"I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them." Bobby says.
"What does that mean?" Sam asks.
"I think maybe this joker's right. They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy." Bobby says.
"You guys, why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills? I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time." Dean says.
"You're insane, Dean. Just forget about it, okay?" Sam says.
"Sam's right." Bobby says.
"There's six of them, guys. We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We'll be dead by dawn." Dean says.
"Maybe, but... there's no place to run that they won't find us." Bobby says.
"Look, if we're going down, we're going down together, all right?" Sam says.
"Well, let's not make it easy for them." Dean says.
The house shakes as the demon screams. The house stills and Tamara walks in.
"Demon's out of the guy." Tamara says.
"And the guy?" Sam asks.
"He didn't make it." She coldly states.
~ ~ ~
Miranda stands in a salt circle and has a gun.
"Are you serious?" Miranda questions her boyfriend.
"You're pregnant." Sam says.
"Oh, come on. There's barely a baby in there. I can still fight and make sure nothing happens to the baby." Miranda says.
"Stay in the circle." Sam tells her. "Please."
Miranda huffs.
"If I hear you scream bloody murder, I'm leaving the damn circle." She says.
"Deal." Sam says.
"You're gonna get more annoying, aren't you?" Miranda questions.
"Mm-hmm." Sam smiles and nods. Miranda gives him a bitch face and he leans over, kissing her on the nose. "Love you." He gently squeezes her cheeks in his hand for a moment, shaking her head.
An old radio sparks to life, a song beginning to play.
"Here we go." Dean cocks his shotgun and stands up. The brothers look through the boarded up window.
"Tamara!" They hear Isaac scream from outside. "Tamara! Tamara! Tamara! Help me! Please!" He shouts. "Tamara! I got away, but I'm hurt bad! I need help!"
They hear a pounding on the door and know it's Isaac.
"Baby! Why won't you let me in? You left me behind back there. How could you do that? We swore... at that lake in Michigan. Remember? We swore we would never leave each other! You just gonna leave me out here? You just gonna let me die?! I guess that's what you do, dear! Like that night those things came to our house... came... for our daughter! You just let her die, too."
"You son of a bitch!" Tamara screams.
"Tamara, no!" Bobby shouts as she opens the door, breaking the salt line.
Sam and Dean immediately run off so they can spread the demons out.
One of the demons walks towards Bobby who backs up until his back hits the wall, only a few feet away from Miranda. The demon smiles as Bobby's cornered. He tries to move closer, but an invisible wall stops him. He looks up, seeing the devil's trap on the ceiling. He looks back at Bobby with a pleading expression.
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son." Bobby says before beginning to exorcism him.
+++
Sam and Dean pile the corpses of the demons into a shallow pit. They pour salt and fuel over them. Miranda stands back. Tamara is a little bit away and made a pyre for Isaac, watching the flames burn.
"Think she's gonna be all right?" Sam asks.
"Would you be?" Miranda questions, Sam staring at her.
"No." Sam quietly answers after a few moments. He reaches out and grabs her hand, tightly squeezing it.
"Well, you look like Hell warmed over." Dean tells Bobby when the older man walks over.
"You try exorcising all night and see how you feel." Bobby retorts.
"Any survivors, Bobby?" Sam asks.
"Well, the pretty girl and the heavy guy, they'll make it. Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still..." Bobby says.
"That's more than you can say for these poor bastards." Dean says.
"Bobby, that knife... what kind of blade can kill a demon?" Sam asks.
"Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing." Bobby says.
"I'm just gonna ask it again... who was that masked chick? Actually, the more troubling question would be, how come a girl can fight better than you?" Dean asks his brother.
"Three demons, Dean. At once." Sam says with a small chuckle.
"Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal." Dean says.
"Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you." Sam says.
"What's that?" Dean asks.
"If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?" Sam asks.
"You're right. That is troubling." Dean says. He gets a matchbook and lights it, tossing it onto the bodies.
~ ~ ~
The fires have gone out, the group getting ready to part ways.
"See you gents and lady around." Tamara says.
"Tamara?" Bobby calls. "The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful."
"You, too." Tamara gets in her car and drives off.
"Keep your eyes peeled for omens. I'll do the same." Bobby says.
"You got it." Dean says.
"Wait, Bobby." Sam stops him. "We can win this war, right?"
"Catch you on the next move." Bobby says after a moment. He gets in his truck and drives off.
"So, where to?" Dean asks.
"Uh, I don't know. I was thinking Louisiana maybe." Sam says.
"Little early for Mardi Gras, isn't it?" Dean asks.
"Yeah. Listen, I was talking to Tamara and she mentioned this hoodoo priestess outside of Shreveport that might be able to help us out. You know, with your-- with your demon deal." Sam says.
"Nah." Dean denies.
""Nah?" What does that mean, "nah?"" Sam asks.
"Sam, no hoodoo spell's gonna break this deal, all right? It's a goose chase."
"Yeah, but we don't know that, Dean--"
"Yes, we do. Forget it. She can't help."
"Look, it's worth--"
"We're not going and that's that. What about Reno, huh?"
"You know what? I've had it. I've been bending over backwards trying to be nice to you and... I don't care anymore."
"That didn't last long."
"Yeah, well, you know what? I've been busting my ass trying to keep you alive, Dean, and you act like you couldn't care less. What, you got some kind of death wish or something?"
"No, it's not like that."
"Then what's it like, Dean?"
"Sam--"
"Please, tell me."
"We trap the crossroads demon, trick it, try to welch our way out of the deal in any way? You die. Okay? You die. Those are the terms. There's no way out of it. If you try to find a way, so help me God, I'm gonna stop you."
"How could you make that deal, Dean?"
"Cause I couldn't live with you dead. Couldn't do it."
"So, what, now I live and you die?"
"That's the general idea, yeah."
"Yeah, well, you're a hypocrite, Dean. How did you feel when dad sold his soul for you? Cause I was there, I remember. You were twisted and broken. And now you go and do the same thing to me. What you did was selfish."
"Yeah, you're right. It was selfish. But I'm okay with that."
"I'm not."
"Tough. After everything I've done for this family, I think I'm entitled. Truth is, I'm tired, Sam. I don't know, it's like there's a-a light at the end of the tunnel."
"It's hellfire, Dean."
"Whatever. You're alive. I feel good -- for the first time in a long time. I got a year to live, Sam. I'd like to make the most of it. So what do you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?" Dean smiles, walking to the Impala.
"You're unbelievable." Sam says.
"Very true." Dean smiles and he gets in the car.