Chapter 9

Adam looks around, his eyes wide with fear. Almost instantly he starts running, taking off down the hall without a second thought. Everyone just watches him go, no one sure what to do about it.

Finally, Dean speaks. "Guess I better go find him," he mutters.

"Not until you boys explain what the hell is going on," Ellen replies.

"Yeah, hold that thought," Sam says. "Someone's gotta go get our brother."

"I will," Samandriel volunteers.

"Alright," Dean agrees reluctantly. "Just... Don't freak the kid out, okay, Alfie?"

Samandriel nods slightly before walking away, leaving everyone else in a very uncomfortable situation.

"There's something very wrong here," Balthazar observes. "See, I was just stabbed in the back with an angel blade, and I sincerely doubt my afterlife would be with any of you people, whatever afterlife angels have."

"We ain't got one," Gabriel replies.

Balthazar looks at him in surprise. "Gabriel? The archangel?"

Gabriel nods. "The one and only."

"This is fun and all, but what the hell is happening?" Ellen asks.

"God just brought you guys back to life and now we're all stuck in the Men of Letters bunker until he decides to stop messing with us," Sam explains.

"Because not weird," Jo says sarcastically.

"We're hunters," Dean reminds her. "Weird is what we do."

"But I'm not a hunter, and I would like to know why I was dragged into your mess," Balthazar says.

"Because your dad is a dick," Dean replies simply.

Balthazar nods. "Yes, well, that does sound like him."

"So who are you guys?" Ellen asks, looking around. "I know the boys... Bobby... John?"

John nods solemnly, a wave of memories hitting him at the sight of her. "Hi, Ellen."

"John Winchester, you bitch!" Jo yells, attempting to charge at the man only to be grabbed by the arms by her mother.

"Jo, stop," Ellen commands her.

"But Dad —"

"I know," Ellen replies. "But we can deal with that later. Right now, I could go for a beer. Huh?"

And with that, a bunch of bottles of beer are sprung into existence for the strange mix of hunters and hunted to enjoy.

~~

Samandriel wanders the halls of the bunker, not sure where he's going but knowing he can't be too far. The building is only so big. There's only so far he can go until he'll have to have found the boy.

He hears some distant sobbing and follows the sound, walking slowly and quietly to avoid scaring the boy away. Sure enough, not far from where Samandriel was is a boy curled up in a ball, crying. His head is buried in his knees, revealing only his blond hair. His arms wrap around his legs tightly, hugging them to his chest.

Samandriel stops in his tracks and looks down at the boy, curious as to what has happened to him to make him this way. Who is this?

"Hello?" Samandriel says to the boy softly.

His head whips up, his eyes finding the angel immediately. He looks around for an escape, but the only path is the one Samandriel stands in. Instead, the boy whimpers, attempting to move farther from Samandriel though he's already pressed against the wall.

"It's okay," Samandriel coos. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Adam whimpers again, hugging his legs closer.

"My name is Samandriel," he introduces in a kind voice. "Or you can call me Alfie. Everyone else does."

The boy lets his head fall to his knees again, squeezing his eyes shut as his hair falls in his face.

"What's your name?" Samandriel asks.

The only response he gets is another whimper.

"It's okay," Samandriel assures him. He steps closer to the boy slowly. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

It's clear by how much louder the boy's sobs get that he doesn't understand this.

Samandriel steps away from him. "Is this better?" he asks. When he gets no response, he decides to keep talking and hope he'll contribute something. "Hi. So, um, I'm an angel. Okay, that doesn't look like it's helping. What's wrong? Why are you scared of angels? Most people beg to meet us. Do you not want to talk to me? Apparently not. Okay, um... What if I get Sam? Or Dean? You're their brother, right? Would that help?"

He doesn't get a response. Wow, it's like talking to a brick wall.

"Is that a no?" Samandriel asks. "Okay... Is there anything I can do for you?" No answer. "Please talk to me. I won't hurt you. I'm just trying to help you."

"No," he murmurs.

"I'm sorry?" Samandriel replies, unable to hear him.

"No," he repeats, slightly louder.

"No what?" Samandriel asks. "You don't want my help?"

There's no response.

"Are you okay?" Samandriel asks worriedly. "I can help you if you let me. I'm an angel; I can heal you."

"Don't hurt me," the boy says softly. "Please don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Samandriel says cautiously. "What happened to you? Talk to me, please. I want to help you."

"I don't want to go back," he mutters. "Don't take me back. Don't make me go back."

"Back where?" Samandriel asks worriedly. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't send me back there," he murmurs. "I can't go back."

Samandriel crouches down to he's closer to the boy's height before moving closer to him. "Tell me what's wrong," he pleads. "Please. I want to help you, not hurt you."

The boy looks up when he notices Samandriel's close proximity. He begins screaming, his voice hoarse from clearly doing a lot of it. Instantly, Samandriel backs away. He can tell he did something wrong.

"It's okay," Samandriel assures him from a much farther distance. "Shh, it's okay."

The boy stops screaming, but his gaze remains on the angel, waiting for a sign to start again.

"It's okay," Samandriel repeats. "Really."

The sound of footsteps approaching causes both of them to turn away. Sam is running to them, a look of worry on his face.

"I heard screaming," Sam says. "Is everything alright?"

The screaming begins again as soon as Sam comes into sight. Samandriel frowns and turns to Sam.

"This may not be the best time for you to be here," he says.

Sam nods. "Yeah. Seeing that. Um... What are you planning on doing about Adam?"