Losing Hope | {BOOK 4}

66| The Sun is Dying

Rowena headed outside to meet Amos and put her and the other witches' part of the plan in play. Thunder crashed outside as they worked on weakening him along with the demons. After a tense few minutes, Amos staggered through the door, breathing heavily. His black suit was ripped in a few places and he had a few cuts and bruises. I automatically started to move toward him, but Dean held me back.

"Hello, brother," Amos spat at Chuck, panting. "You cheated. Again. But-"

He was cut off as Lucifer charged up behind him and speared him through. Amos cried out, and Lucifer pulled out the spear, preparing to stab him a second time.

"Ah! Son!" Chuck stopped the archangel.

Amos whimpered as Lucifer backed off and I made a move to go to him once more, but Dean's grip on me was too tight. Chuck walked over to his brother, crouching down in front of him.

"I'm sorry. For this, for everything."

"An apology at last," Amos said, breathing heavily. "What's sorry to me? I spent millions of years crammed into that cage alone and afraid-"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head at his words.

"- wishing, begging for death because of you! And what was my crime, brother?"

"The world needed to be born!" Chuck shouted. "And you wouldn't let me! Amos, you give me no choice."

"That's your story. Not mine. The real reason you banished me, why I couldn't be allowed to exist- you couldn't stand it. Yeah, we're equals. We weren't great or powerful because we only stood in relation to each other. You think you made the archangels to bring light? No. You made them to create lesser beings, to make you large."

Amos struggled to his feet then.

"To make you Lord! It was ego! You wanted to be big!"

"That's true," Chuck stood up. "But it isn't the whole truth. There's a value, a glory in creation that's greater and truer than my pride or my ego. Call it grace, call it being! Whatever it is, it didn't come from my hands. It was there, waiting to be born. It just is, as you and I just were. Since you've been freed, I know that you've seen it."

He glanced over, nodding at me.

"Felt it."

Amos also looked over at me, and I looked down, pressing myself closer to Dean.

"It didn't have to be like this," Amos said. "I loved you, brother."

Chuck at least had the decency to look remorseful.

"Well, you've won again," Amos laughed bitterly. "Finish it. Kill me."

"I'm sorry," Chuck apologized.

Amos looked down in shock as the Mark began to burn away from his wrist. Behind me, Dean let go, grunting in pain as the Mark moved to his forearm.

"No. No! No!" Amos shouted.

"I'm so sorry," Chuck told him.

"No. Not again!"

Amos lunged forward, grabbing his brother by the throat and hoisting him aloft.

"Not ever again!"

Yelling, Lucifer charged him from behind again, but was flung into a pillar by Amos's powers.

"Goodbye, nephew," he said, banishing Lucifer.

"Cass!" I cried when I saw the broken black wings on the vessel's back.

I rushed toward Amos, but he flung me away easily.

"I'd die a million times and murder you a million more before going back there!" Amos spat at Chuck as the Mark disappeared from Dean's arm and reappeared on his wrist. "Tell me, if you won't change, why should I?"

"Amos, no!" I yelled as black tendrils rose from the floor at his feet.

He spared me a glance before going back to focusing on Chuck. The black tendrils continued to hit Chuck repeatedly, each wound a spot of brilliant light.

"Sorry, brother," Amos apologized.

Pretty soon, the light got too intense for Sam, Dean or I to look at. And then Chuck's body thudded to the floor and we all stared in horror.

"No," I breathed. "Amos, what have you done?"

"He's dead," Sam said. "God's dead."

"No," Amos shook his head. "He's dying. My brother will dim and fade into nothing. But not until he sees what comes next. Not until he watches this world, everything he created, everything he loves turn to ash. Welcome to the end."

He disappeared, leaving us alone with Chuck and Cass's unconscious bodies. Dean walked over, helping me up while Sam checked on Chuck.

"Cass, hey," I greeted the angel as he roused against the pillar.

"Lucifer is gone," he stated. "Amos ripped him from my body."

"To where?" Dean asked.

"I don't know."

"Come on," Dean held out a hand, helping Cass to his feet.

We made our way over to where Sam was kneeling next to Chuck.

"Are you, uh... H-how do you feel?"

"Ohh," Chuck groaned. "You know when you're driving and a bug hits your windshield? I'm the bug."

"So, what Amos said about you..."

"Dying. Yeah, whatever he did to me, I can feel my spark, my Light fading. And when it's gone..."

"Okay, well, t-tell us how to fix you," Dean said.

"You can't," Chuck shook his head. "I-I-I suppose he could, maybe, but that's never gonna happen."

A door slammed, followed by footsteps and Dean automatically drew his gun, pointing it in the direction of the noise as Rowena joined us. Chuck was leaning heavily into Sam's side as we all looked over at the witch.

"So that was a gun in your pocket," she said.

Dean rolled his eyes, pocketing the gun once more as Crowley spoke.

"Well... that was complete and utter dog's breakfast, wasn't it?"

"I didn't know dogs had breakfast," Cass said.

"Cass is back," I stated unnecessarily.

"Just curious- has anyone bothered to look outside?" Rowena pointed back at the door.

A siren wailed in the distance as we all made our way out of the power plant and looked around. Rowena tapped on Dean's shoulder, directing us to look up at the sky. We all looked up seeing the sun burning brightly, the sky around it a bright red-orange as if it was on fire.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"It looks like the sun is-" Sam continued.

"Dying," I finished.

"Why would Amos do that?"

"The sun is the source of all life on earth. Without it, everything just... just wastes away," Chuck explained.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

Chuck snapped his fingers and we were all transported to the war room in the Bunker.