Losing Hope | {BOOK 4}

68| Walking Ticking Time Bomb

Everyone was gathered back in the Bunker, looking dejected. Sam and Dean had gotten back from collecting ghosts from Waverly Hills, but according to Cass, the angels refused to help and Crowley's stash had been raided while he was indisposed.

"Mama?" Zep tugged on my arm while the others were discussing what to do.

"What?" I looked down at him.

"I can help."

"What do you mean, bud?"

Instead of answering, he walked over and picked up the stone Rowena had fashioned to hold the souls. Everyone had stopped talking, watching awestruck as thousands of souls started streaming into the room and were sucked into the bomb, the stone glowing brighter and brighter as they entered it.

"What the hell?" Dean asked when it had stopped.

"That's one special kid you got there."

Sam, Dean, and I all drew our weapons pointing it at the reaper who had just appeared in the room.

"Billie?" Sam asked.

"Who's Billie?" Rowena asked.

"Reaper," I bit out. "Wants us dead. Tons of fun."

"Hey," Billie shot at Crowley.

"Wait a second," Dean said. "H-how did yo- What are you doing here?"

"I saw you boys at Waverly Hills, and call me a curious kitten, but with, you know, credits about to roll, I was wondering why you were busting ghosts. Then the kid just sucked a couple hundred thousand more souls into that stone, so I gotta ask. What's going on?"

"Why do you care?"

"Dead folks- kinda my thing," Billie glared back at Dean. "So spill."

"We were collecting the souls to build a bomb," I informed her.

"To blow the Darkness to Hell."

"Okay."

"Okay? Uh, what does that mean, 'okay'?"

"Means ways things are going, I'm about an hour away from reaping God himself."

"Wait... did you say Zep just put a couple hundred thousand souls into the bomb?"

Billie nodded her head, looking down at the young boy.

"Like I said, special kid you got there. I'd keep an eye on him if I were you."

I swallowed hard, trying to process what was happening. Zep stared up at Billie and then turned and handed the loaded bomb to Rowena while Billie started to make her way out of the Bunker.

"See you around," Dean called after the reaper.

"Yeah. You will. Just hope it's not today. Crowley."

The reaper disappeared and the focus shifted to Rowena.

"Well, now we have the bomb, so we just got to find Amos," Dean said.

"I can track him," Chuck replied. "He's not warded any more. Why would he be? He won."

"Okay, so?"

"We need somebody to get close to him, someone with a... personal connection," Cass stated.

All eyes immediately went to me. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that not only could my son apparently summon souls from the Veil, but the reaper who wanted to make sure my husband, brother-in-law and I stayed dead had said we should keep an eye on him. I blinked, swallowing hard as I realized what Cass had just said.

"Well, what are we waiting for? How do I smuggle this thing?"

"We could always shove it up your-" Crowley began.

"Hey!" Dean cut him off, casting a pointed look at the two youngest members of the group.

"I mean, you could," the demon muttered.

"You won't carry the bomb," Rowena informed me. "You'll be the bomb. I'm gonna take what's in there... and put it in here."

Her hand moved to hover over my chest.

"Once you get close to him, you press your fingers together like so-" she pressed her pointer and thumb together to demonstrate, "boom."

Behind her, Sam and Dean exchanged a distressed look.

"Okay," I swallowed, nodding my head.

Holding the bomb in her outstretched hand, Rowena began reciting the incantation. As she finished, she pushed her other hand toward the bomb and me. I groaned and hunched over in pain as a steady stream of light exited the stone and went inside me.

"Mama!" Maddie and Zep chorused.

"Eleanor, are you okay?" Cass asked me. "How do you feel?"

"Like my insides just got flame-broiled," I grimaced. "Is that normal?"

"Sweetie, we're so far past normal. You've got an hour, maybe a wee bit more, then you're literally a walking ticking time bomb."

⁘

At my request, we made a pitstop at my parents' graves before I went to confront Amos.

"Ellie, you know, you don't have to do this," Dean told me.

"'Course I do," I replied, squeezing Zep's hand in mine.

He and Maddie both were crying and clinging to me like I was a lifeline.

"I just have to get close," I continued. "I can do that, okay? I can do that."

"You know, if this works, um, that bomb goes off..."

"I know."

I let go of Maddie and Zep, stepping closer to Dean and kissing him before grabbing Zep's hand once more and leading him back over to the rest of the group. Maddie and Dean followed close behind.

"You cool with this?" I asked Chuck, who was leaning on Rowena for support.

"No," he replied. "I- Even after everything he's done, Amos's still my brother. He's my family. I can't- I don't want to see him dead, but... Yeah?"

"Eleanor," Cass said.

"Cass."

The angel stepped forward, embracing me.

"Okay. Okay. Alright," I smiled sadly as I returned the hug.

"I could go with you."

"No, no, no. No, I got to do this alone. Listen, if- when- when this works, Dean- he's gonna be a mess. So look out for him, okay? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Of course."

I turned away from him, facing Sam next.

"Ellie..."

"Hey, you better help keep Dean in line, too. Maddie and Zep don't need to lose both their parents."

"Yeah... Yeah, okay."

"Come here."

There were tears in everyone's eyes by now. I pulled away from Sam, crouching down to give Maddie and Zep the same treatment.

"Don't go, Mommy," Zep begged me.

I let out a choked sob, pressing a lingering kiss against both his and Maddie's heads.

"I have to, baby," I said. "Hey, you both be good for Daddy, okay?"

"It's not fair," Maddie chimed in.

"I know... I know. I love you guys. So much."

I stood up, pulling away from them and Sam and Dean stepped forward to grab them while I turned to face Chuck.

"Okay. Let's do this."

Chuck snapped his fingers and suddenly I was in a park. Looking around, I spotted several dead flowers and then I stared up at the sky, letting out a slow breath through my mouth.