The Wheels On The Bus Chapter 33

Tw: emetophobia

Adam wakes up with a jolt, unfortunately too weak to quickly get up as he feels the bile rising up his throat, so he ends up turning on his side and being sick right there.

Jack rushes to his side, helping him fully turn over so he doesn’t accidentally fall off the edge of the bed. When he’s done, he lays back down on his back, breathing hard.

Everything is spinning.

“Adam?” Jack asks, quietly.

“It’s Michael,” Adam wheezes out, so softly he’s not even sure he’s said it out loud. “He’s - he’s here. He’s hurt.”

Jack pales, eyes widening slightly.

“You can feel him?” he asks.

Adam nods weakly.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Adam says. “But - he’s hurt. I think - I think it’s the Grace - ”

The Grace woven into his soul, the very thing that made sure he wouldn’t go insane in the Cage and in the transition from Hell to Earth, the thing that might have saved his life earlier.

It burns.

A sudden tremor runs through the room, rippling from the outside and into the gym. Jack looks up. Overhead, the lights flicker.

“What’s going on?” Adam asks.

“Angels,” Jack says.

“Angels?” Adam asks. “Wasn’t Dean - “

“Chuck interfered,” Jack says.

Oh.

Adam nods. He looks away to the side. “Fuck,” he says. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Jack says, unable to say anything else. What the hell was there to say?

“Help me up,” Adam says, already trying to push himself up.

“Adam - “

“I can fight,” Adam says, and with every ounce of willpower he has, summons his Grace to surface, silver armor suddenly coating one of his arms and helping him sit. Jack hesitantly steadies him as he turns and swings his feet down to the floor.

“Are you sure?” Jack says.

“I’m not gonna let you fight alone, you’re just a kid,” Adam says. “Besides - it was supposed to be all four of us, right? Just a couple of bastards working together?”

Jack pauses. He laughs, sadly. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”

“Let’s go, then,” Adam says.

Another tremor, this one strong enough to actually make Jack stumble a little bit. Adam holds on to the edge of the bed to avoid falling. Outside, the sounds of gunshots and screams.

“It’s started,” Adam says. “We need to get ready.”

“I’ll go out front,” Jack says. “You keep watch on everyone here?”

Adam looks around. They’re in the commentator’s booth, he realizes. It’s been turned into an impromptu infirmary.

“Yeah.” He nods.

Jack gives his arm one last pat. “Good luck,” he says.

Adam smiles. “Yeah,” he says. “To all of us.”

-

Michael’s never felt sick before, but right now his head aches, his muscles burn, and all the blood sticking to him is making everything feel disgusting. He’s trembling all over, both from the pain and the anxiety, and his tears still haven’t stopped.

He wonders, idly, if this is what Lucifer had felt like, the day he’d gotten kicked out of Heaven.

Michael laughs, and then promptly chokes on the blood that he’s coughing up. Lucifer had thought that their father had loved him too, and then when he’d questioned the plan for humanity, he’d gotten kicked out. How ironic, that their father had embraced the very same mindset, millenia later.

Like father, like son, he supposes.

He wonders if he can even stand, or he’s supposed to choke on his own blood right here. He wonders if the others even know what’s happening to him.

He’s tried his best, hasn’t he? Fighting against his own father - the man who had made sure he even knew how to fight, who crowned him Prince of the Heavenly Hosts and appointed him as general of Heaven’s armies, the man who knew his every move and skill - it had been a lost cause from the very beginning. That had been why he’d never engaged his father and only kept him running after him, letting him get close but very truly catch him, egging him on to keep him interested.

He wonders what’s happened to the others. Something must have. Belphegor was supposed to close the Cage. Are they all alright?

Michael gags on his blood, violently coughing and failing to get everything out since he can’t move much. Could he even die if he chokes on it? Or would he just die from the pain of his wings being ripped out?

Maybe he’s going to find out, he thinks, as his vision starts to blur and his eyelids start to droop, the fatigue getting to him. Above him, he can barely see the light of his father, ascending to the impossibly-high mouth of the Cage. Once he’s out, it’s all over.

Michael closes his eyes. He’s so tired.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

There’s hands, several pairs, grabbing him. Someone violently shoves him to his side and he coughs, spitting out the blood in his mouth. It takes all of his strength to open his eyes, watching the blood hit the ground of the Cage.

“Never took you for the giving up type, Michael,” someone says.

“It’s probably the depression. This is one hell of a situation to find yourself in,” someone else says, laughing.

They flip him onto his back, and he grunts as the wounds on his physical form hit the ground.

And then he blinks, once, twice, as he stares at the people above him.

Gabriel grins. “What’s the matter, big bro?” he asks. “Did you miss us?”

-

Another tremor hits the school. Jack holds on to the railing in front of him to steady himself. Below him, the crowd of civilians gasp, putting their hands over their heads or holding onto their loved ones. It must be one hell of an experience, to be caught in the middle of a second supernatural attack but this time knowing exactly what’s going on.

As the shaking starts to stop, he can hear quiet sobbing.

It must be terrifying, to be human, to be completely helpless against things like these and yet still be expected to survive and coexist with everything in the midst of it all.

But while he understands why Hunters insist on things being kept under wraps, he thinks everyone knowing is also for the best. For one, they know to let the Hunters do their jobs, and for another, Jack can see the quiet determination on their faces. He spots several people with canisters of salt, having taken them from their homes. A few people have also volunteered to guard the gym along with him, standing at various points with angel blades in hand, with those who know how to shoot armed with guns with angel-killing bullets.

They’re terrified, but they’re determined to survive. The town has taken all of the bullshit that’s happened in stride.

That’s always been the thing about humanity, he thinks. They’re so fiercely determined. It reminds him of his mother, so convinced he could change the world that she would give up her life for it.

The shooting is sounding like it’s getting nearer. Jack tightens his grip on the railing.

Behind him, a door slams open. He turns, meeting the eyes of a panicked Adam.

And an extremely pissed Belphegor.

-

“Gabriel? What - “

There’s a loud explosion above them. Gabriel ducks and raises his arms on instinct, covering his head. The shockwave of the explosion shakes the Cage.

“There she goes,” Gabriel says, whistling as he looks above.

Michael does his best to squint upwards. There’s a mass of what looks like black smoke and Grace that’ exploded.

Wait, is that -

Another explosion. This time Michael forces himself to lift a hand to shield his eyes.

“Amara?” he breathes out, disbelieving.

“What are you, slow?”

Michael turns towards the angel standing beside Gabriel, still achingly familiar even after all these years.

“Lucifer,” he says.

His brother doesn’t look too pleased to be here, but forces on a fake smile anyway. “Hello, shitface.”

Raphael smacks his shoulder. He hisses.

“You look like you’ve seen better days,” Lucifer says.

“What are you three doing here?” Michael asks.

Lucifer gives Raphael an exasperated look. “He really is slow.”

“Dean-o made a deal with the Empty. Or so I’ve been told, anyway,” Gabriel says, crouching. Michael tries to sit up to face him better, and Gabriel helps him up. “Just so happens dear old dad resurrected the entirety of Heaven too.”

“And you…”

“I talked to Raphie.” Gabriel nods towards Raphael, who looks stoic and displeased, but otherwise gives a nod. That must have been one hell of a conversation. “Ran into Luci.”

“And he…” Michael side-eyes Lucifer. “Helped?”

“Out of the goodness of his heart.” Gabriel slaps both hands over his chest. “Can you believe it?”

“Shut up.” Lucifer smacks the back of Gabriel’s head. “I just fucking hate the old man.”

“And well, enemy of my enemy just happens to be my brother so I might as well just help him because I get my revenge and I get to say I told you so and all that,” Gabriel says.

Lucifer smacks the back of his head again.

There’s another explosion above them as Amara and Chuck clash.

Raphael holds out a hand to Michael to help him stand. He takes it. Gabriel steadies him.

“How did you know I was in here?” Michael asks.

“Some demons told us,” Lucifer says.

“Shedim,” Raphael corrects.

Michael raises an eyebrow.

“We were on our way to a school, actually. I think that was where the Winchesters were,” Gabriel says. “But they told us to come here, come make sure you’re okay.”

“And apparently, if we hadn’t, you would have just dramatically laid there and pretended to choke and die,” Lucifer says.

“Be nice to him, he’s injured,” Gabriel says.

“But was he dying? No.”

“Lovely reunion,” Raphael says.

“Look, we have to focus,” Gabriel says, looping an arm around Michael’s shoulders and swinging the other to grab Lucifer and bring him in close. Lucifer growls, baring teeth. Gabriel ignores him and hooks a foot around Raphael’s calf so she can stand close too. “It is the war of the century, Heaven versus uh, some hunters, and I just got here and I’ve only gotten the cliff notes version of what’s going on, but we know one thing for certain: Dad’s gonna reset creation and we need to stop him, because this place is pretty nifty.”

“He did this to himself,” Lucifer mutters.

“Played himself like a fucking fool, yes, yes,” Gabriel quickly says, just to butter him up. “So we’ve gotta do something about it, ‘cause I like the booze and the casinos and Michael’s got his paramour and you like flowers and Raph, uh – “

Gabriel turns to Raph. “I mean, I know you like something.”

“Heaven is in shambles,” Raphael says, turning away. “And it is…certainly something to wake up to find that our father has lost his way.”

“That,” Gabriel says, nodding. The ground shakes again as Amara and Chuck fight. “So, what do you all say? We’re getting the band back together?”

Michael looks at his brothers, looking not with his vessel but his true sight. He hasn’t seen them in so long.

“Yeah,” he says. “Why not?”

Gabriel smiles so wide his face almost splits open. “Perfect.”

Another explosion. It’s followed by an enraged scream from Chuck. They all look up.

“I was right, though,” Lucifer says. “I fucking told you. I fucking told you.”

“Yeah, whatever, Lucifer,” Michael says.

“And now look what he’s doing, trying to reset the fucking universe, like I didn’t tell him before.”

“I know. Shut up.” Michael rolls his eyes. “Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

Raphael sighs. “I hate this family.”

-

“Belphegor?” Jack stares. The demon still looks like he’s about to collapse at any time – skin ashy and dark lines underneath his eyes, but his irises are glowing bright, and the look on his face is colder than Jack has ever seen. It looks wrong. Belphegor’s never been a serious person. It looks terrifying.

“Belphegor, you have to rest,” Adam says, trying to pull him back.

“They’re getting killed out there,” Belphegor says, gently – or perhaps weakly, but that can’t be right, because he still manages to pry Adam’s hand off his arm. “You two stay here and protect the civilians. I’ll send every hunter I can back in here.”

“But you - ”

“I’m fine,” Belphegor says. He doesn’t smile, his tone isn’t light or reassuring, it is sharp and steady and so undeniably angry that Jack has to wonder what it would have been like if Belphegor had been on the other side of the board.

He starts walking, nearly stumbling for a few times, but eventually his legs start to cooperate, and he starts to go down the stairs, weaving his way through the crowd. Jack and Adam share a look before going after him.

“If you actually go unconscious, your control of Hell might break,” Adam says. “Belphegor, we can’t afford that right now.”

“We won’t have to worry about that,” Belphegor says, still continuing on forward. “Trust me.”

“But – “

“It’s fine, Jack,” he says, and his voice does go a little softer this time. “Everything’s already gone fucked up. We might as well give it our best shot.”

“But what are you planning to do?” Jack asks.

There’s a rather loud gunshot. Jack flinches. It’s too near.

“The Shedim are angry,” Belphegor says. “The angels killed one of them, the one I went to Hell with.”

“Oh,” Adam says, just as Jack says, “Wait, what?”

“They want revenge,” Belphegor says, not bothering to explain, still marching forwards. “I say, give them what they want.”

They’re nearing the doors now. Belphegor appears to be speeding up with his steps, and as the guards at the front recognize him (and see the look on his face), they let him through. Jack and Adam run after him.

“Belphegor – “

“It’s a bloodbath outside,” Belphegor says. “And there will be more. Keep the humans in here.”

“But are you gonna be okay?” Jack asks.

“’Course I am,” he says. “I’m too much of a bastard not to be.”

All three of them turn a corner. There’s someone on the ground, lying in their own pool of blood, their head nothing but a mess of bone and flesh. There’s an angel in a blood-splattered grey suit standing right by the body.

The angel turns as soon as he spots them. Belphegor clicks his tongue and flicks his hand to the side, sending the angel crashing out through a window via telekinesis.

Jack makes sure to stay away from the window.

“Regular weapons won’t work against them, but the Shedim are powerful,” Belphegor says. “We’ve got this.”

“Are you sure?” Adam asks.

“Definitely,” Belphegor says, and stops and turns, facing both of them. “But in case some of them get through our defenses, then someone needs to hold down the fort for the humans. Do you understand me?”

Jack and Adam share a look. The three of them are all this school has in terms of supernatural power, and Belphegor has the advantage of having Hell at his disposal.

Adam sighs. “Yeah,” he says.

Jack nods.

“Good,” Belphegor says, patting their shoulders. He smiles, finally. “Go get ‘em, boys.”

“Don’t suddenly act like you’re wiser than us, dipshit,” Adam says, laughing.

“It’s weird,” Jack says.

“Let me have my dramatic speech, you fuckers,” Belphegor says. “Now go.”

“Stay safe,” Adam says.

Belphegor nods, eyes still glowing bright, and he turns away, striding down the corridor with purpose in every step. The shadows around him seem to thicken as he gets further and further away, and Jack and Adam watch as they gather close, until finally, they see hands and arms crawling out of the darkness, dragging their torsos and then their full bodies out of the shadows. They follow Belphegor as he walks, lifting themselves up to stand right by him.

The Shedim.

“Ah,” Adam says. “You know what they say, it’s always the quiet ones.”

“He’s not quiet, though.”

“It’s always the dumbasses,” Adam corrects himself. “But come on, we still have a job to do.”

He and Jack turn back towards the gym, taking off running to return to their posts.

This is their last shot.