26. Cain

"Holy. Shit."

Thanks to the intel we got, we find Cain's burial grounds. Cas and I are in a clearing, filled with dozens of freshly made graves.

"Well, if this isn't Cain, then Illinois has a serial killer on the loose," I say, trying to not step on the dirt mound. I whistle lowly. "They've got to know."

Cas nods, dialing Dean's number as we slowly walk among the graves. He makes sure to put it on speaker.

"Hey, where you at?" is Dean's greeting.

"Illinois," says Cas.

"Is Jo with you? I tried reaching her, but she hasn't gotten back to me."

"I'm here, Dean," I say. "Cas recruited me, got me out of the bunker."

"Guys, we got a lead. Cain abducted a Texas death row inmate named Tommy Tolliver."

"He's dead," I say, bending down. I find a white sneaker with initials 'TDJC' on the bottom.

"What? How do you know?"

"Call it an educated guess. Cain has been very busy."

"Okay, where are you? We'll come to you."

"Cas," I whisper, looking around, through the trees. "We're not alone. Someone's here." I can feel it. It's a dark presence, so thick that it feels like it's suffocating me where I stand.

"We'll call you back," Cas says, ending the call.

I stiffen, backing up towards Cas as who I presume to be Cain steps into view. His hair, from on his head to facial, is gray. His gaze looks like it's been frozen in the murderous stare. I feel a fleeing fear in the back of my brain, but I suppress it. This is the guy we've been looking for since Dean received the Mark. If anyone knows how to get rid of it, it's him.

"Hello, Castiel," says Cain. "Who's your friend?"

"Josette Winchester," I say boldly. "You might know my older brother, Dean. You know, the one who you passed off your mark to." I cross my arms.

Cain chuckles. "Oh, you sound like a Winchester all right. But a demon? Isn't that a twist?"

"What have you done?" Cas asks him in horror.

"These bodies? Just cleaning up a mess I made a long time ago."

"Cain, I know what you were. But you'd resisted for so long."

"What can I say? I got the taste back." Cain steps closer, which makes me tense up even more. "With Abaddon's army gunning for me, I had to take up arms again, and I liked how it felt."

"Those were demons. These..."

Cain bends down to pick up a muddy, stuffed teddy bear. "Humans. Eh, the Mark thirsts for all kinds."

"This is a massacre."

"And you thought what I did was bad?" I mutter out of the corner of my mouth. Cas gives me a severe look.

"Yes," says Cain, answering Cas. "And soon it'll be a genocide." He drops the bear to the ground. "My children, my whole poisoned issue. A lot of them out there right now...killers, fighters, thieves, some more peaceful than others. But they still carry it...the disease. If the Mark wants blood, I'll give it mine."

"You'll kill them all?" asks Cas. "You are Adam and Eve's firstborn. Your descendants are Legion."

"At most, I'm culling...one in ten."

"Of everyone."

"I've got time. How's Dean, by the way? I hear he did good, took Abaddon down. He's not well."

"Even with the First Blade hidden, Dean is losing his fight against the Mark," I say steely. "If we don't find a cure..."

"There is no cure. I'm living proof of that. But don't worry about Dean. I'll get to him, in due time."

My jaw locks, and I brandish the angel blade in my hand. I'm prepared to fight Cain, even though there's a good chance I'll probably die.

"Sorry, Castiel, Josette. You're not on my list." In the blink of an eye, Cain disappears.

"Well, Cain's up there on my Douchebag list," I say to Cas. "But I think Metatron takes the crown. We better head back to the bunker, tell Sam and Dean to meet us there."

"You do that." Cas looks forlornly at the massive gravesite we're standing in.

"Jo, what happened?" Dean asks the minute I get him on the line.

"We had a visit from Cain." I frown.

"You two okay?"

"Yeah, we're, uh, we're fine. Just...forget meeting us in Illinois. Head back to the bunker, we'll meet you two there."

"Jo, are you sure nothing happened?"

"Yes, Dean, nothing happened." I grit my teeth. "We'll explain once we get there. We'll see you later." I end the call. Cas seems captivating by the haunting sight. "Cas, hey." I go to him, touch his arm. "We gotta go."

I have to practically drag Cas out of the homemade gravesite to get back to the truck.

* * *

"I'm sorry we couldn't bring better news, Dean," Cas apologizes.

"It's not your fault, Cas," Dean says.

Sam and Dean are moving around in the bunker library, Dean and I examining files while Sam goes to the laptop.

"All right, the sheriff gave me a few more names, some preliminary I.D.s on the bodies," says Sam.

"And?"

"And it seems to fit their story. I mean, there's no way to tell the relation to Cain, obviously, but he's wiping out entire families, one after another."

Dean sighs. "So who's next? Is he done with the Tollivers?"

"Uh, I think so. I mean, Leon didn't have any siblings or any other children I can see, and Tommy was never married, so I...Oh, come on. Damn it."

"What?" I ask.

"Tommy did have a son, estranged, who lives with his mother in Ohio, uh...Austin Reynolds, twelve-years-old."

"Is the kid still alive?"

"As of an hour ago, yeah. He updated his status. But, I mean, come on. It's a kid. You don't really think Cain would..."

"Yes, he would," Cas says gravely.

"There were old men in those graves, Sam, women," Dean says. "I mean, you heard Cas and Jo. It's a fire sale. Everyone must go."

"Hey, where are you going?" I ask Dean.

"We know where Cain's gonna be. The kid's in danger."

"Okay, so what, we track him down to Ohio, and then what?"

"Then I'll do what I have to do. I'll kill Cain."

"Wait, Dean!" I drop the file onto the table and run after him, hearing Cas and Sam behind me. "That's insane! Look, that dude freaks me out. You don't honestly believe that's a good idea, do you?" We enter Dean's room, and he starts packing a bag he sets on the bed, pulling a gun from the wall.

"When he gave me the Mark, Cain said that this day would come, that after I killed Abaddon, I would have to come and put him down," Dean explains.

"Great. So you're taking orders from a madman," says Sam.

"No, he wasn't mad then. Cain resisted the Mark for a long time, then I came, kicking up trouble about the Blade. I sent him down this path. This is on me."

"It doesn't mean you have to be the one to go after him."

"Yes, it does. And there's only one thing that can kill him."

"The Blade," I whisper.

"Dean's right," says Cas. I sidestep to let him in.

"Dean, wielding the Blade against Cain himself..." Sam trails off. Dean has his hand over the Mark. "Win or lose, you may never come back from that fight."

"I know."

"It's not worth the risk."

"If it ends him, why wouldn't it be? How is that any different from what Jo is doing, huh? With us allowing her to remain how she is?"

"Hey, I didn't ask to be pulled into the conversation," I snap. "This is in no way the same thing, Dean. I have a better grasp on my condition than you do with yours. Oh, and you're forgetting one thing: the Blade itself. We don't have it, Crowley does."

"Then I'll call him up and have him bring it to us."

I roll my eyes. "This whole thing is insane. We're all insane for doing this."

"Our world has always been insane, Jo," Sam mutters. "None of us have really said it out loud."

"All right, uh." I rub my face. "I guess we'll meet out by the car, then, and go save a kid from a psychotic serial killer."

**Everyone seems like so surprised by Jo. And Jo's just like, 'yeah yeah I'm a Winchester, big shocker, can we move on?' Gotta love her.**