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p_r_i_s_c_aTitle: Angels & Demons
Fandom: The Faculty / Supernatural
Rating: R
Words: 3325
Finished: October 2023
Note: The story is based on one of my favorite episodes of Supernatural, so if you are familiar with this TV series, you might discover some analogies.
The night was dark and foggy; the street bathed in a faint moonlight. Trees and bushes flew by like dark and mysterious shadows. Halloween. A night made for all creatures from hell. But Casey was not afraid. He was safe, well wrapped up into a thick blanket Zeke had given to him. They were alone on the street, and Zeke was driving at full speed. The radio was playing good old rock. Zeke looked concentrated, but his fingers were tapping on the wheel to the music. Casey smiled. He always did this when he was driving.
Driving fast to bring them away from Herrington, from Ohio. No one would ever separate them again. They belonged together … even if Casey's parents were unwilling to accept that. When his father found out about him and Zeke some days ago, he locked him in his room and threatened that he would send him to Idaho to his uncle's farm.
Casey smirked when he did remember. Almost six months too late. The best months of his life. Zeke was the only one who could understand him. The only one he would ever love. And nothing would ever come between them. That night, he had made a decision. He sneaked out of the house with nothing than his camera and a small backpack. It didn't take long to persuade Zeke to leave Herrington.
And now they were on their way into a new, thrilling life. Casey smiled. „I love you,“ he said.
Zeke turned round to him, a warm smile on his face he didn't show anyone else.
The next he noticed was the dark, gigantic shadow in the middle of the street. Appeared from nowhere right in front of the GTO. Casey could hear himself crying; Zeke was cursing. Tires were screeching when he tried to avoid a collision, fighting for control over the GTO. The shadow flew by, dreamlike. Casey noticed a pale face staring at them. Eyes full of hate. And the GTO started to crash down the steep slope, quick and quicker, with a giddy spin. There was no way to stop, no way to get out. Zeke finally gave up, turned to Casey, and put his arms around him to hold him, to protect him. Casey was much too confused to feel scared. The hard impact when the car finally reached the ground, the almost unbearable pain … darkness …
+++
Two young men on their way through the night. They had almost reached their destination.
„I hate this night,“ murmured the younger one.
„What makes it so unique,“ the other one, the driver of the Impala, asked.
Silence. The younger guy closed his eyes as if he tried hard not to remember. Finally, he gave up. „The other children in kindergarten always got so excited about Halloween. They talked about their costumes and how many treats they would get all day. I didn't even know what they were talking about. But then … one year, Dad came back earlier. He told us that we should go with him this night.
I was so happy, for the first time I was allowed to go out with you and dad. But then … the things I've seen … I will never forget this ghoul ... I'm still dreaming about him, you know.”
„It was time to grow up, Sammy.“
He turned to his brother and stared at him for a long time, keeping quiet.
„I was five, Dean,“ he finally said.
„Yeah!“
Dean nodded, still looking detached.
„I was barely older when I carried my little brother out of a house in the middle of the night. The house where our mother was burning to death. It's our fate, Sammy, and Dad only did what he thought was best for you.“
Sam opened his mouth for an answer but he was interrupted when Dean suddenly slammed on the break, the Impala slid on the slippery road, but Dean gained the control back in an instant. Sam noticed a slight surprise on his face and knew something was not going as expected. He turned to the side window. And there he was.
A small young guy, his denim and shirt were torn, blood was running down his left leg, but he didn't even seem to notice. With both hands, he searched for hold of the Impala, gasping for air, too breathless for words. But his eyes, so deep blue like Sam had never seen them before, were wide open.
“Help,” he finally wheezed. “Help. Zeke, my friend...”
Then he fell onto the ground. Dean cursed slightly. Sam opened his door and jumped out, knelt beside the young guy.
“Zeke,” he stammered again, reaching for Sam's arm with his remaining power. “An accident. Please, help.”
Sam took him into his arms, he was as light weighted as he looked like, and carried him over to the Impala. Dean frowned when he put him down onto the passenger's seat, staring at the guy's dirty denim. But he kept quiet.
„Hey, it's okay,“ Sam tried to calm him down. „What's your name?”
„Casey.“
He tried to jump up, but Sam held him back. “Okay, Casey, can you tell me what has happened?”
“We have no time to lose. Zeke. He's still in the GTO. He … he doesn't move … It was an accident. The guy on the street ...”
“What guy,” Dean asked.
Casey shook his head, shaking at the thought of this horrible moment. „I don't know. A guy, he was big and … strange. It happened too quickly. Suddenly, he was there, right in the middle of the road. It … it was not Zeke's fault. Please, can we go back? He needs help.”
Dean nodded.
“Yeah, let's go.”
Sometime later, they reached the place of the accident. Casey was still shaking, but the first one jumped out of the Impala.
“Zeke,” he yelled. “Can you hear me? Are you okay? Zeke, I'm back. I got help.” He rushed toward the steep slope, ready to tumble down, back to the GTO, where Zeke awaited help. Sam grabbed his shoulder to stop him. He tried to shake him off, but the young man's grip was firm.
“Hey, wait,” he said with a soft voice. “Calm down.”
Dean was the first to reach the slope. One glance was enough; he slowly shook his head. Casey gasped for air. “No,” he cried. “No.”
Finally, he jerked free, ran over to Dean, and … stopped death. Blinked once … twice … the slope was deep and dark, but the faint moon threw enough light on the scenery to notice trees, coppice, rocks … no GTO … no Zeke. It was evident that no accident had happened here during the last hours. Casey stared down into the darkness and tried to understand. He had been so sure … the sharp curve on the road, the big tree on the left side … this was the right place.
“Zeke,“ he whimpered. “Where are you?”
It felt like a nightmare. Where was the GTO? A car couldn't end in smoke, not to mention that it had been a total loss. It was a miracle how Casey could escape out of it almost unharmed, despite his hurt leg and the laceration at his temple. But he had felt nothing, no pain, no fear … the thought of Zeke had driven him forward … he was still there in the GTO …. his eyes had been closed, his leg twisted, and he didn't move … but Casey had noticed him still breathing … he was still alive, and Casey needed to get help for him. He couldn't say how he had been able to climb the steep slope without any help … and now … it had all been in vain.
The world started to spin around, but two warm hands grabbed him, holding him tight. Zeke's hands. Casey smiled. Everything was okay. He was in a motel room with Zeke, just a bad dream, and Zeke was there to hold him until he could fall asleep again.
The next moment, the hell broke free.
Zeke … no … no, it was a stranger ... Sam, suddenly Casey could remember his name. He was torn away from him. Casey searched for hold and blinked, confused at the sight before him. Sam was lying on the ground, fighting with a … what was it? It looked like a guy, big, blurred, but somehow strange. Old-fashioned clothes, haggard, long, greasy hair, a pale face with deep-dark eyes … He looked familiar to Casey, though he couldn't say where he had met him before.
In an instant the creature had gained control over Sam, his hands searching for his throat, he choked him merciless, ready to kill. Even if Sam looked much healthier and stronger, he had no chance to escape. Helplessly, he was struggling against the guy, but his movements went weak and weaker with every second.
Then … an ear-battering detonation echoed through the night. The creature in front of him collapsed in slow motion, a big hole in his back. Sam coughed and pushed the dead body away. Slowly, he got back onto his feed.
“Fuck, Dean, that was close.”
“Sorry.” His brother shrugged and lowered the gun in his hands. “He took me by surprise. But at least it's over now.” His eyes rested on Casey thoughtfully. “Well … almost.”
Casey shuddered at his words. He didn't try to understand anymore. All this was … Halloween. It was the most perfect Halloween night he could imagine. A nightmare. Horror. Fear. Death. Suddenly, he started to laugh. He was going to lose his sanity.
His eyes wandered from the slope where the GTO should be to the slumped-down figure on the road. Dean was there with a canister in his hands. The liquid he spread over the guy before him smelled like gas. What he was doing was so obvious. Casey looked at him and felt … nothing.
Insanity. That it had to be. And in a way, it felt reassuring because it meant that all that had happened tonight was just a product of his imagination.
Sam's voice reached his ear. “We don't need to do this,” he said. “At least he deserves a chance.”
Dean looked up and smirked. “Oh, Sammy, how often did I tell you not to get so emotional? One day, this will get us into serious trouble.”
Sam kept quiet for a moment. “Sometimes you scare me. It is as if you can enjoy what we are doing. He did nothing wrong, Dean, he is confused and scared but he did nothing wrong.”
“No, he's just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Go ahead, Sammy, do what you need to do. But I will keep an eye on him.“
Sam turned back to Casey, who was still standing there, paralyzed. “All this must be pretty confusing for you,” he said, his voice gentle. “We need to talk.”
Casey blinked as if finally waking up. “He did kill him,” he murmured.
Sam shook his head. “Actually, not. Ground rock salt. The best way to destroy a ghost. The fire will do the rest, just to ensure he will never return. Better for him, one hundred years can be a long time when you are full of grief and hate.”
A ghost? Hundred of years full of grief and hate? Rock salt? Casey let it sink in, and to his surprise, he didn't feel shocked or disbelieve … only curiosity. As if Sam could read his mind, he continued.
„It was a Halloween night. No one should leave the house during a night like this. But his child became sick, with a high fever. His wife knew no one would come to help her, so she took the baby to bring it to the doctor in town.
It was foggy and dark. She didn't even see it coming. The carriage appeared out of nowhere, and the horses knocked her down. And the coachman didn't even stop to look after her. She died … and the child in her arms, too.“
„That's sad,“ whispered Casey.
„Yeah, a tragedy like that is often the beginning,“ Sam agreed. „He couldn't get over it. On the day of their funeral, he went into the barn, and he hung himself from a beam.
But his pain was too big. He was not ready to go. Every year at Halloween, he comes back and visits this road. The place where his wife and child died. And every year, he took a life. Until today.”
Casey felt tears stinging in his eyes. Then a realization hit him. The guy … the ghost … he had been the one on the road. He did remember his dark eyes, full of hate. Every year, he took a life, Sam had told him, until today.
“Zeke is not dead,” he whispered. “He was still breathing when I left him.” Panic filled him. “No! No! I need to go. I need to look for Zeke.”
He jumped up, ready to fight everyone who tried to stop him. He noticed Dean stepping closer from the corner of his eyes, the gun in his hands. Sam grabbed for his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “You are right. He's not dead.”
Like in slow motion, the words reached Casey's ears first, then his mind. “He's not dead,” he repeated haltingly.
“No.” Sam shook his head. “When they found him next morning he was in a really bad state, but alive. He still holds you tight in his arms, wanted to protect you.”
“But ...” Casey swallowed hard. “Next … morning?”
Sam nodded. “It's ten years ago, Casey,” he said.
Casey huffed slightly. “What's this, a Halloween joke? Zeke and me, we left Herrington last night. I just need to find him, and we will go far away. Somewhere where no one will find us. Where we can be together. He loves me. He would never leave me alone here.”
“You know the truth,” Sam said and smiled weakly. “It's about time to accept it. Zeke's place is here on earth, yours not. Not anymore. You are the one who died in that night.”
+++
“I want to see him!”
“No way!” Dean shook his head.
“What?” Casey jerked around, looking at him with sparkling eyes. “You think I would put him in danger? Hurt him? What? You don't know anything about us. Zeke is the love of my life. And I can't leave him behind without knowing he's okay.”
Sam finally stepped in again and took him to the house. The small suburban home with the neat garden looked almost too ordinary, but the red Camaro in the driveway made Casey smile. Some things would never change; Zeke had always been nuts about fast cars. But when he noticed the toys on the grass beside the house, he felt tears burning in his eyes.
Zeke had a family? A wife and children. But he had promised never to leave him alone. They had made future plans. How could it be, that he had been able to forget all this and move on? Without him!
The house door opened, and a guy stepped out into the garden. A good-looking guy of about thirty years, tall, with dark hair, black denim, and a red shirt. Casey almost stopped breathing when he recognized him. Zeke! Yes, he was it. Changed, but still the same. Beautiful as ever, alive and kicking. A young woman stepped behind him, talking to him. Zeke turned to her, smiling, then bent forward to kiss her cheek.
Jealousy was rushing through Casey. Yesterday, Zeke had kissed him. Today, he was married and had two children. Then he did remember. Not yesterday … for Zeke, it had been ten years.
The door closed behind the woman and Zeke turned to the driveway, looking around. Suddenly, a little girl dressed up as a Wicca popped out from behind the car. Zeke cried out and stumbled backward.
The little Wicca laughed out loud. “Daddy. It's me, Casey!”
All Casey could do was stare at the two in front of him. Zeke had pulled the little girl into his arms, swirled her around, and she laughed again. When Zeke put her down again, she grabbed his hand, talking to him; he nodded and followed her down the street.
It took some time before Casey regained his ability to talk. “He named her Casey,” he whispered.
Sam nodded. “Yes. A part of him will never forget you. He had some hard times after the accident. When he got to know about your death, it almost broke him. But one day, he realized that he had to make a decision. To move on without you … or to end like this poor guy on the road.”
Casey shuddered at the thought alone. Zeke, doomed forever, full of hate and desperation, lost without any chance. Hunted by guys like Dean, shot, and burned. He calmed down again when he thought about the little girl with his name.
“He made the right decision,” he said and smiled. “I want him to be happy. She seems to be nice. And his little daughter … she's cute. He loves them both ... I can see that."
Sam nodded. “Yeah. His place is by his family now. You should let loose, Casey.”
“I can't get him back, right?”
Sam hesitated before answering. “Not here on earth, no. Not in this life.”
Casey blinked. “Will there be another life for us? Will I see him again? One day? When I was a little boy, my Grammy told me stories about the angels in heaven. She said it's the most wonderful place one can imagine. A place where you can meet all the ones you love again. But that's just a fairy tale.”
Sam shrugged. “Is it? When there are demons and ghosts, why not angels? Maybe it's time to do the last step and find out.”
Casey looked back at the house and the red Camaro. He could hear a baby crying and a mother singing to calm it down. Zeke was there like he did remember him, with a warm smile on his lips, deep brown eyes, hair disheveled, and a long-sleeved shirt and denim. Casey could even see the little mole on his shoulder. His lips, forming words. I love you, Casey. Then he started to dissolve.
Casey slowly turned back to Sam and nodded. “I guess, I'm ready now.”
+++
Dean looked at his younger brother with a smirk on his lips. „You are such a liar, Sammy. Angels? Heaven? Bullshit.“
Sam shrugged. „We don't know much, Dean, about what is out there.“
„I know what I see every day. Demons, ghosts, vampires … a lot of dark creatures coming from hell. All the years I'm fighting them, I've never met an angel.“
„Maybe they have just learned to hide well. Did you notice the bright light when he said that he was ready to go? I like the idea that there is more than darkness, pain, and torture. A place to give us hope that one day the world may change for the better.“
Dean opened his mouth to answer, but then he decided differently and turned to the Impala. „Get in. I guess we will find out when the time is there.“
+++
„Casey! It was such a long time. I've started to worry that you might take the wrong road.“
He was pulled into a hearty embrace and smiled. No need to open his eyes. He knew that he had arrived.
„So good to see you again, Grammy,“ he said. „I've missed you!“
Fandom: The Faculty / Supernatural
Rating: R
Words: 3325
Finished: October 2023
Note: The story is based on one of my favorite episodes of Supernatural, so if you are familiar with this TV series, you might discover some analogies.
The night was dark and foggy; the street bathed in a faint moonlight. Trees and bushes flew by like dark and mysterious shadows. Halloween. A night made for all creatures from hell. But Casey was not afraid. He was safe, well wrapped up into a thick blanket Zeke had given to him. They were alone on the street, and Zeke was driving at full speed. The radio was playing good old rock. Zeke looked concentrated, but his fingers were tapping on the wheel to the music. Casey smiled. He always did this when he was driving.
Driving fast to bring them away from Herrington, from Ohio. No one would ever separate them again. They belonged together … even if Casey's parents were unwilling to accept that. When his father found out about him and Zeke some days ago, he locked him in his room and threatened that he would send him to Idaho to his uncle's farm.
Casey smirked when he did remember. Almost six months too late. The best months of his life. Zeke was the only one who could understand him. The only one he would ever love. And nothing would ever come between them. That night, he had made a decision. He sneaked out of the house with nothing than his camera and a small backpack. It didn't take long to persuade Zeke to leave Herrington.
And now they were on their way into a new, thrilling life. Casey smiled. „I love you,“ he said.
Zeke turned round to him, a warm smile on his face he didn't show anyone else.
The next he noticed was the dark, gigantic shadow in the middle of the street. Appeared from nowhere right in front of the GTO. Casey could hear himself crying; Zeke was cursing. Tires were screeching when he tried to avoid a collision, fighting for control over the GTO. The shadow flew by, dreamlike. Casey noticed a pale face staring at them. Eyes full of hate. And the GTO started to crash down the steep slope, quick and quicker, with a giddy spin. There was no way to stop, no way to get out. Zeke finally gave up, turned to Casey, and put his arms around him to hold him, to protect him. Casey was much too confused to feel scared. The hard impact when the car finally reached the ground, the almost unbearable pain … darkness …
+++
Two young men on their way through the night. They had almost reached their destination.
„I hate this night,“ murmured the younger one.
„What makes it so unique,“ the other one, the driver of the Impala, asked.
Silence. The younger guy closed his eyes as if he tried hard not to remember. Finally, he gave up. „The other children in kindergarten always got so excited about Halloween. They talked about their costumes and how many treats they would get all day. I didn't even know what they were talking about. But then … one year, Dad came back earlier. He told us that we should go with him this night.
I was so happy, for the first time I was allowed to go out with you and dad. But then … the things I've seen … I will never forget this ghoul ... I'm still dreaming about him, you know.”
„It was time to grow up, Sammy.“
He turned to his brother and stared at him for a long time, keeping quiet.
„I was five, Dean,“ he finally said.
„Yeah!“
Dean nodded, still looking detached.
„I was barely older when I carried my little brother out of a house in the middle of the night. The house where our mother was burning to death. It's our fate, Sammy, and Dad only did what he thought was best for you.“
Sam opened his mouth for an answer but he was interrupted when Dean suddenly slammed on the break, the Impala slid on the slippery road, but Dean gained the control back in an instant. Sam noticed a slight surprise on his face and knew something was not going as expected. He turned to the side window. And there he was.
A small young guy, his denim and shirt were torn, blood was running down his left leg, but he didn't even seem to notice. With both hands, he searched for hold of the Impala, gasping for air, too breathless for words. But his eyes, so deep blue like Sam had never seen them before, were wide open.
“Help,” he finally wheezed. “Help. Zeke, my friend...”
Then he fell onto the ground. Dean cursed slightly. Sam opened his door and jumped out, knelt beside the young guy.
“Zeke,” he stammered again, reaching for Sam's arm with his remaining power. “An accident. Please, help.”
Sam took him into his arms, he was as light weighted as he looked like, and carried him over to the Impala. Dean frowned when he put him down onto the passenger's seat, staring at the guy's dirty denim. But he kept quiet.
„Hey, it's okay,“ Sam tried to calm him down. „What's your name?”
„Casey.“
He tried to jump up, but Sam held him back. “Okay, Casey, can you tell me what has happened?”
“We have no time to lose. Zeke. He's still in the GTO. He … he doesn't move … It was an accident. The guy on the street ...”
“What guy,” Dean asked.
Casey shook his head, shaking at the thought of this horrible moment. „I don't know. A guy, he was big and … strange. It happened too quickly. Suddenly, he was there, right in the middle of the road. It … it was not Zeke's fault. Please, can we go back? He needs help.”
Dean nodded.
“Yeah, let's go.”
Sometime later, they reached the place of the accident. Casey was still shaking, but the first one jumped out of the Impala.
“Zeke,” he yelled. “Can you hear me? Are you okay? Zeke, I'm back. I got help.” He rushed toward the steep slope, ready to tumble down, back to the GTO, where Zeke awaited help. Sam grabbed his shoulder to stop him. He tried to shake him off, but the young man's grip was firm.
“Hey, wait,” he said with a soft voice. “Calm down.”
Dean was the first to reach the slope. One glance was enough; he slowly shook his head. Casey gasped for air. “No,” he cried. “No.”
Finally, he jerked free, ran over to Dean, and … stopped death. Blinked once … twice … the slope was deep and dark, but the faint moon threw enough light on the scenery to notice trees, coppice, rocks … no GTO … no Zeke. It was evident that no accident had happened here during the last hours. Casey stared down into the darkness and tried to understand. He had been so sure … the sharp curve on the road, the big tree on the left side … this was the right place.
“Zeke,“ he whimpered. “Where are you?”
It felt like a nightmare. Where was the GTO? A car couldn't end in smoke, not to mention that it had been a total loss. It was a miracle how Casey could escape out of it almost unharmed, despite his hurt leg and the laceration at his temple. But he had felt nothing, no pain, no fear … the thought of Zeke had driven him forward … he was still there in the GTO …. his eyes had been closed, his leg twisted, and he didn't move … but Casey had noticed him still breathing … he was still alive, and Casey needed to get help for him. He couldn't say how he had been able to climb the steep slope without any help … and now … it had all been in vain.
The world started to spin around, but two warm hands grabbed him, holding him tight. Zeke's hands. Casey smiled. Everything was okay. He was in a motel room with Zeke, just a bad dream, and Zeke was there to hold him until he could fall asleep again.
The next moment, the hell broke free.
Zeke … no … no, it was a stranger ... Sam, suddenly Casey could remember his name. He was torn away from him. Casey searched for hold and blinked, confused at the sight before him. Sam was lying on the ground, fighting with a … what was it? It looked like a guy, big, blurred, but somehow strange. Old-fashioned clothes, haggard, long, greasy hair, a pale face with deep-dark eyes … He looked familiar to Casey, though he couldn't say where he had met him before.
In an instant the creature had gained control over Sam, his hands searching for his throat, he choked him merciless, ready to kill. Even if Sam looked much healthier and stronger, he had no chance to escape. Helplessly, he was struggling against the guy, but his movements went weak and weaker with every second.
Then … an ear-battering detonation echoed through the night. The creature in front of him collapsed in slow motion, a big hole in his back. Sam coughed and pushed the dead body away. Slowly, he got back onto his feed.
“Fuck, Dean, that was close.”
“Sorry.” His brother shrugged and lowered the gun in his hands. “He took me by surprise. But at least it's over now.” His eyes rested on Casey thoughtfully. “Well … almost.”
Casey shuddered at his words. He didn't try to understand anymore. All this was … Halloween. It was the most perfect Halloween night he could imagine. A nightmare. Horror. Fear. Death. Suddenly, he started to laugh. He was going to lose his sanity.
His eyes wandered from the slope where the GTO should be to the slumped-down figure on the road. Dean was there with a canister in his hands. The liquid he spread over the guy before him smelled like gas. What he was doing was so obvious. Casey looked at him and felt … nothing.
Insanity. That it had to be. And in a way, it felt reassuring because it meant that all that had happened tonight was just a product of his imagination.
Sam's voice reached his ear. “We don't need to do this,” he said. “At least he deserves a chance.”
Dean looked up and smirked. “Oh, Sammy, how often did I tell you not to get so emotional? One day, this will get us into serious trouble.”
Sam kept quiet for a moment. “Sometimes you scare me. It is as if you can enjoy what we are doing. He did nothing wrong, Dean, he is confused and scared but he did nothing wrong.”
“No, he's just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Go ahead, Sammy, do what you need to do. But I will keep an eye on him.“
Sam turned back to Casey, who was still standing there, paralyzed. “All this must be pretty confusing for you,” he said, his voice gentle. “We need to talk.”
Casey blinked as if finally waking up. “He did kill him,” he murmured.
Sam shook his head. “Actually, not. Ground rock salt. The best way to destroy a ghost. The fire will do the rest, just to ensure he will never return. Better for him, one hundred years can be a long time when you are full of grief and hate.”
A ghost? Hundred of years full of grief and hate? Rock salt? Casey let it sink in, and to his surprise, he didn't feel shocked or disbelieve … only curiosity. As if Sam could read his mind, he continued.
„It was a Halloween night. No one should leave the house during a night like this. But his child became sick, with a high fever. His wife knew no one would come to help her, so she took the baby to bring it to the doctor in town.
It was foggy and dark. She didn't even see it coming. The carriage appeared out of nowhere, and the horses knocked her down. And the coachman didn't even stop to look after her. She died … and the child in her arms, too.“
„That's sad,“ whispered Casey.
„Yeah, a tragedy like that is often the beginning,“ Sam agreed. „He couldn't get over it. On the day of their funeral, he went into the barn, and he hung himself from a beam.
But his pain was too big. He was not ready to go. Every year at Halloween, he comes back and visits this road. The place where his wife and child died. And every year, he took a life. Until today.”
Casey felt tears stinging in his eyes. Then a realization hit him. The guy … the ghost … he had been the one on the road. He did remember his dark eyes, full of hate. Every year, he took a life, Sam had told him, until today.
“Zeke is not dead,” he whispered. “He was still breathing when I left him.” Panic filled him. “No! No! I need to go. I need to look for Zeke.”
He jumped up, ready to fight everyone who tried to stop him. He noticed Dean stepping closer from the corner of his eyes, the gun in his hands. Sam grabbed for his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “You are right. He's not dead.”
Like in slow motion, the words reached Casey's ears first, then his mind. “He's not dead,” he repeated haltingly.
“No.” Sam shook his head. “When they found him next morning he was in a really bad state, but alive. He still holds you tight in his arms, wanted to protect you.”
“But ...” Casey swallowed hard. “Next … morning?”
Sam nodded. “It's ten years ago, Casey,” he said.
Casey huffed slightly. “What's this, a Halloween joke? Zeke and me, we left Herrington last night. I just need to find him, and we will go far away. Somewhere where no one will find us. Where we can be together. He loves me. He would never leave me alone here.”
“You know the truth,” Sam said and smiled weakly. “It's about time to accept it. Zeke's place is here on earth, yours not. Not anymore. You are the one who died in that night.”
+++
“I want to see him!”
“No way!” Dean shook his head.
“What?” Casey jerked around, looking at him with sparkling eyes. “You think I would put him in danger? Hurt him? What? You don't know anything about us. Zeke is the love of my life. And I can't leave him behind without knowing he's okay.”
Sam finally stepped in again and took him to the house. The small suburban home with the neat garden looked almost too ordinary, but the red Camaro in the driveway made Casey smile. Some things would never change; Zeke had always been nuts about fast cars. But when he noticed the toys on the grass beside the house, he felt tears burning in his eyes.
Zeke had a family? A wife and children. But he had promised never to leave him alone. They had made future plans. How could it be, that he had been able to forget all this and move on? Without him!
The house door opened, and a guy stepped out into the garden. A good-looking guy of about thirty years, tall, with dark hair, black denim, and a red shirt. Casey almost stopped breathing when he recognized him. Zeke! Yes, he was it. Changed, but still the same. Beautiful as ever, alive and kicking. A young woman stepped behind him, talking to him. Zeke turned to her, smiling, then bent forward to kiss her cheek.
Jealousy was rushing through Casey. Yesterday, Zeke had kissed him. Today, he was married and had two children. Then he did remember. Not yesterday … for Zeke, it had been ten years.
The door closed behind the woman and Zeke turned to the driveway, looking around. Suddenly, a little girl dressed up as a Wicca popped out from behind the car. Zeke cried out and stumbled backward.
The little Wicca laughed out loud. “Daddy. It's me, Casey!”
All Casey could do was stare at the two in front of him. Zeke had pulled the little girl into his arms, swirled her around, and she laughed again. When Zeke put her down again, she grabbed his hand, talking to him; he nodded and followed her down the street.
It took some time before Casey regained his ability to talk. “He named her Casey,” he whispered.
Sam nodded. “Yes. A part of him will never forget you. He had some hard times after the accident. When he got to know about your death, it almost broke him. But one day, he realized that he had to make a decision. To move on without you … or to end like this poor guy on the road.”
Casey shuddered at the thought alone. Zeke, doomed forever, full of hate and desperation, lost without any chance. Hunted by guys like Dean, shot, and burned. He calmed down again when he thought about the little girl with his name.
“He made the right decision,” he said and smiled. “I want him to be happy. She seems to be nice. And his little daughter … she's cute. He loves them both ... I can see that."
Sam nodded. “Yeah. His place is by his family now. You should let loose, Casey.”
“I can't get him back, right?”
Sam hesitated before answering. “Not here on earth, no. Not in this life.”
Casey blinked. “Will there be another life for us? Will I see him again? One day? When I was a little boy, my Grammy told me stories about the angels in heaven. She said it's the most wonderful place one can imagine. A place where you can meet all the ones you love again. But that's just a fairy tale.”
Sam shrugged. “Is it? When there are demons and ghosts, why not angels? Maybe it's time to do the last step and find out.”
Casey looked back at the house and the red Camaro. He could hear a baby crying and a mother singing to calm it down. Zeke was there like he did remember him, with a warm smile on his lips, deep brown eyes, hair disheveled, and a long-sleeved shirt and denim. Casey could even see the little mole on his shoulder. His lips, forming words. I love you, Casey. Then he started to dissolve.
Casey slowly turned back to Sam and nodded. “I guess, I'm ready now.”
+++
Dean looked at his younger brother with a smirk on his lips. „You are such a liar, Sammy. Angels? Heaven? Bullshit.“
Sam shrugged. „We don't know much, Dean, about what is out there.“
„I know what I see every day. Demons, ghosts, vampires … a lot of dark creatures coming from hell. All the years I'm fighting them, I've never met an angel.“
„Maybe they have just learned to hide well. Did you notice the bright light when he said that he was ready to go? I like the idea that there is more than darkness, pain, and torture. A place to give us hope that one day the world may change for the better.“
Dean opened his mouth to answer, but then he decided differently and turned to the Impala. „Get in. I guess we will find out when the time is there.“
+++
„Casey! It was such a long time. I've started to worry that you might take the wrong road.“
He was pulled into a hearty embrace and smiled. No need to open his eyes. He knew that he had arrived.
„So good to see you again, Grammy,“ he said. „I've missed you!“