Witching Hour | Winchester

Forty

The hunters begin their long walk along the river. They remain silent, and Roxanne would normally be uncomfortable in it. But her mind wanders, and she has other things to worry about rather than the tension between the brothers. Suddenly, Dean stops.

"Hey, hey," he calls as Sam and Roxanne stop and look at him. "Think I know what Meg meant by 'Sunrise.'"

The two follow Dean's gaze and see an apartment building. People walk down the steps, passing a sign that says "Sunrise Apartments."

"Son of a bitch," Dean swears as they move forward to get a better look. "That's pretty smart. I mean, if these demons can possess people, they can possess almost anybody inside."

"Yeah, and make anybody attack us," Sam frowns.

"And so we can't kill them... A building full of human shields."

"They probably know exactly what we look like, too. And they could look like anybody," Roxanne sighs.

"Yeah, this sucks out loud."

"Tell me about it," Sam groans. "Alright, so how the hell are we going to get in?"

Dean looks over at the building, and Roxanne can practically see the gears turning in his head.

"Pull the fire alarm, get out all the civilians."

"Okay, but then the city responds in, what, seven minutes?" Sam frowns.

"Seven minutes exactly."

- - - -

Roxanne and Dean wait, hidden outside, as Sam goes in to pull the fire alarm. Within minutes, people come out of the building in droves. Dean waits for the right moment, then leads Roxanne out of hiding. They walk along the sidewalk, and Roxanne looks up, eyes widening. She lightly nudges Dean, and they pick up their pace, rushing up to a fireman.

"Hey, what's happening? Is it a fire?" Dean asks.

"We're figuring that out right now, sir. Just stay back," he responds, motioning them back toward the crowd.

"Well, we've got a Yorkie upstairs, and he pees when he's nervous," Roxanne chuckles, raising her eyebrows.

"Sir, ma'am, you have to stay back."

Sam watches the fireman lead them away, keeping an eye out for other firemen. He slips between two trucks, searching for a compartment. When he finds one, he picks the lock.

As the three slip into the gear, Roxanne huffs.

"There's no way I'm gonna pass. You couldn't even find one small enough."

"I'm sorry! I found the smallest one I could."

She frowns, putting on her helmet and breathing apparatus. She turns to Dean, hands held out.

"Well, how do I look?"

"Not quite the costume I had imagined, but-"

"Dean," Sam scoffs, scrunching his nose.

"You'll pass. Just tell 'em it's your first day."

After making their way into the building, they walk down hallways scanning the doors with Dean's EMF.

"I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up," Dean grins.

"You never told me that," Sam frowns.

The EMF spikes, and the three stand before the door, glancing at each other. Dean bangs on the door, but there's no response. He waits for a moment, then knocks on it again in rapid succession.