Sam heard the blast before he saw the fire.
The sound ripped across the motel lot hard enough to shake the parked cars, followed by shouting from the other side of the building. Sam reacted instantly, pulling the demon blade out of his coat.
Ruby stayed standing a few feet away, watching him.
"You did that?" Sam asked sharply, blade raised toward her.
Ruby glanced at the knife, then back at him, calm despite the accusation. "Sam," she said, "if I came here to kill you, do you really think I'd show up empty-handed?"
Smoke was already rising above the motel roof now, orange light flickering against the night.
Sam's grip tightened anyway.
Ruby stepped closer, lowering her voice slightly. "Listen to me. This isn't just random demon attacks anymore. More are coming after your brother. After Henry. After all of you."
Sam didn't lower the blade.
Ruby kept going. "Henry might be special, but compared to what's coming? He's still small." Her eyes stayed locked on his. "You have no idea how much attention you people have now."
Sam's expression hardened. "What are you talking about?"
"The whole of Hell wants the Winchesters dead," Ruby said plainly. "The only reason you're still walking around is because Hell's busy reorganizing itself."
That made Sam hesitate.
Just slightly.
Ruby noticed immediately.
"The new ruler's consolidating power," she continued. "Once she's done, every demon under her command is coming after you."
Sam finally spoke again. "New ruler?"
Ruby's expression shifted at the question.
"Lilith," she said.
"And she hates you," Ruby added quietly. "She wants your head in her hands, Sam."
"This didn't end when Azazel died," she said. "That was just the beginning."
Ruby saw the hesitation in his face and moved carefully, keeping her voice calm instead of pushing too hard.
"You're looking at this the wrong way," she said. "Hunters know how to kill demons. Demons know how demons think."
Sam kept the blade in his hand but didn't raise it again.
"You have enemies moving before you even know they exist," she said. "Deals, traps, movements in Hell—you'll never hear about any of it from Bobby's books."
Sam frowned slightly, thinking.
That part was hard to deny.
Half the time they were reacting, not preparing. Walking into problems blind and surviving by luck more than planning.
Ruby watched him carefully. "You don't have to like me," she said. "But having someone on the inside? That matters."
Sam finally spoke. "And what do you get out of it?"
Ruby gave a small shrug. "Staying alive. After I helped you with the Seven Deadly Sins, Hell branded me a traitor. They're hunting me too." Her eyes stayed on his. "Helping you helps me."
Sam stayed quiet, trying to figure out how much of that was true and how much was another layer of manipulation.
Ruby took a small step back. "So next time we meet," she said, "let's hope you're more open to conversation."
Before Sam could answer, she disappeared.
Sam stood there in the parking lot, demon blade still in his hand, smoke from the burning motel drifting across the night air while sirens grew louder in the distance.
***
On Henry's side, the fire finally died out across his skin, but the pain stayed.
He dragged a hand over his face, wiping away soot and ash while the burned flesh slowly started pulling itself back together. The healing had already begun, raw skin closing at the edges, but it didn't stop the sting.
"Ah, fuck…" Henry hissed through his teeth. "No wonder burn victims lose their minds. This shit hurts."
The remains of the towel hung loosely around his waist, blackened at the edges. His clothes were gone, either burned off in the blast or buried under the ruined motel room still burning behind him.
Footsteps came fast from the other side of the lot.
Dean rounded the corner with his gun raised, breathing hard, ready for a fight—
then stopped dead when he saw Henry standing there among the bodies.
Dean slowly lowered the gun, staring at the half-burned side of Henry's face. "Holy crap," he muttered. "Henry, what the hell happened to your face?"
"Demons," Henry replied.
Dean looked down at the corpses scattered across the pavement, then back at him. "Three at once?" he asked. "Since when do demons start jumping people in packs?"
"Since they showed up planning to kill me," Henry said.
Dean's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the burn again. It was already healing, which honestly made it worse to look at. Charred skin slowly pulling back together wasn't something anyone should ever see.
"You sure you don't need a hospital?" Dean asked. "Because that burn looks nasty as hell."
"Don't need one," Henry said, still rubbing at the side of his face. "Did you check on Sam?"
Dean looked toward the other side of the motel immediately. "Not yet."
He turned and headed across the parking lot, stepping around the flashing reflections from the growing fire behind him. Smoke drifted through the air now, mixing with the sound of distant sirens getting closer.
Sam stood near the edge of the lot, still holding the demon blade loosely at his side.
Dean slowed slightly when he saw him just standing there.
"Sam, you alright?" Dean asked, looking around quickly for signs of another attack.
Sam didn't answer.
Dean frowned. "Sam?"
That finally pulled him out of whatever he'd been thinking about. Sam looked over a second later, expression distant for just a moment before it settled back into place.
"Yeah?" he asked.
Dean studied him carefully. "You okay?" he said. "Because demons are clearly making moves now."
Sam glanced briefly toward the burning motel room, then back at Dean.
"I'm fine."
*****
🔥 For Advanced Chapters Join My Patreon 🔥
👉 patreon.com/DeathNote4455
🚀 Get early access to 24 Advanced chapters.