Rachael tightens her black boots for the last time and rests her back. She feels like a kid again having to sit in the middle of Amanda and Elma. She wonders what the Otherworld will be like.
Will there be more supernatural creatures than she has seen?
Of course, there will. It's not called the Otherworld for nothing.
Her heart beats faster than a stampede of horses because she has no idea what to expect.
"Samuel, is Gabriel with us?" she asks and he turns to look at her. His eyes are dark and certain, just the feel of his gaze gives her some assurance that everything will be alright.
"Not right now, but yes. He is," he says in a calm tone and she smiles.
He became vulnerable to be with her and it got him killed. If they had let her die that night none of this would have happened, the twins would have gone on living their lives in peace.
Samuel chuckles as he senses her thoughts.
Why does she think we would live in peace? We are immortals and that also means we must have made enemies in our lifetime. It is only a matter of time before an old enemy comes for us.
"I agree," Samuel hears Amanda's voice in his head.
"Boss, I need to remind you. The gate you intend to use is guarded by vampires," Bryan says and looks at Rachael through the rearview mirror, "It may not be a good idea for Rachael to join in," he adds.
"He isn't wrong about that," Elma says.
Bryan stops the car at a traffic light, "What do you mean I shouldn't be part of this? I know you all knew Gabriel long before I did but he means a lot to me. He gave his life for me. How am I suppose to sit back and relax while you try to save him and I do nothing?" she says.
She furrows her brows and clenches her fists. She can't just stay behind because she is a human. Especially now that she has Nightmare, she knows she isn't as powerless as they think she is.
But she may not be as strong as she thinks she is either.
"The journey isn't going to be an easy one. For a human the Otherworld can be a very dangerous place. Everything could be trying to eat you," Amanda tells her.
Elma places a hand on her lap, "Look, nobody is saying it's your fault that Gabriel died or that you can't be of any help but you can't" she says with a grin at the edge of her lips.
"You could die just at the gate when all those vampires smell you and love, you smell tasty," she says.
"I have Nightmare, I can defend myself" Rachael says, trying her best to resist their attempt to drop her out.
"Fuck you," Bryan shouts at a driver who wrongly crosses over before he moves the car.
"Look, I know you want to help but I believe Gabriel wouldn't want you in harm's way," Amanda says.
"Everyone just shut up. She is coming and that is final," Samuel says as he slams his hand on the dashboard.
"I'm not leaving anyone behind again," he grunts.
Amanda taps his shoulder and he turns to see her smiling widely, "What?" he asks, "Nothing," "Fuck you," he says.
"Boss, I still think it's a bad..." "Keep talking and you won't have a head Bryan," Samuel threatens as he leans toward the window. He doesn't plan on leaving her behind. There are too many things that could happen if he left her.
For one, he still feels there is a presence hovering over them. Someone following them and watching their moves. What happens to her if he is gone and someone comes for her?
He doesn't trust Bryan to be able to protect her alone. The last time he left her in his care he found her at the Tremblays and if Gabriel wasn't there she would be dead.
He still beats himself up for leaving Gabriel especially when he knew he had become vulnerable.
Deep down, I know this is my fault. I should have been there for my brother.
None of this would have happened if I just stayed.
They follow the Audi but not too close, after all, one can't be too cautious when dealing with these creatures. Even Dracula failed to end them.
The sounds of foil paper and gnashing gums makes her belly churn with disgust, "You want some," Carter offers Alex a burrito but she immediately grabs it and toss it out the window.
Her eyes are fixed on the car as she follows behind.
Carter mumbles and whines about his burrito but Alex is deaf to his cries. She tries to connect the dots as to where they are going. Working with Dracula gave her access to a lot of intel about New York especially since he became one of the biggest monsters in the city, she had to do a lot of recon.
She knows this route, it has been a long time but she remembers vividly.
I know where they are going.
The uninitiated would not understand these routes but if a supernatural is going where they are going then it is clear; the Otherworld.
"Call Azazel, tell him Samuel Stone is going to the Otherworld. And he isn't going alone," she says.
"Are you sure?" "Just call it in," she snarls at him.
Azazel sits at a table in a small office. The room is illuminated with lights from every corner and a window behind his chair that let's in the breeze and sunlight that brightens his hair.
There is a globe on one side of the table and a pendulum on another side.
He brings out a file with the title "Angels" written on it and the word "Classified" stamped on it in black.
A knock on the door jolts him up and he almost let's go of the file but he holds it tight and keeps it in the table's drawer before ordering his visitor in.
A tall man in long black jacket walks in with a tied up person in front of him. "Ballan," Azazel says as the tall man pushes his tied companion forward. His face is hidden under the covers of a bag over his head.
Ballan's tattooed bald head and stern look creates a dangerous aura about him but even he knows the man in the chair is way more dangerous than he is.
Azazel signals to Ballan to remove the bag over the man's head to reveal the face of a scared man.
"Sir," he starts but Azazel cuts him short.
"Leave us, Ballan" Azazel orders and the humongous man bows before leaving.
"It is good to see you, Warren Peace. You have been missing for a while now," Azazel says. "Where are my manners? Have a seat," he offers and points to a chair for him to sit.
Azazel pulls out a knife from his drawer and stands up. Warren swallows hard as he expects the worst to come but Azazel simply cuts off the rope that binds his hands.
"I had to run. The twins had vampires looking for me and the remnants of the Trackers weren't very happy that their alpha got killed," he says.
With his rugged beards and his tattered clothes he could easily pass for a homeless man.
"Why were you running? I thought you had men in the NYPD," "The NYPD? Against the twins?
They can easily hypnotize anyone I throw at them," "Then send hunters. They aren't so easily manipulated like the rest of your kind. You should have just thrown a few crumbles for them to follow and everything moves on from there.
Didn't you learn anything from our academy?" Azazel questions.
"I'm sorry Sir," Warren says as he watches Azazel roll his eyes and grunts.
He places a hand on his forehead and sighs, "Anyway that isn't why I summoned you," his phone begins to ring and he pauses their conversation to pick the call.
He listens in for a minute before he ends it.
Warren's eyes twitches as Azazel smiles at him, "Don't you just love it when everything falls into place?" he says.
"I guess so," Warren stammers.
"I have a job for you. I want you to steal Nightmare from the girl, Rachael McQueen," Azazel says.
"Rachael McQueen? Sir, there is no way the twins aren't going to be close to her. If I even get as close as a hundred feet to her I would be dead," he says.
"That is a bit of an exaggeration besides Gabriel Stone is dead. You have only one brother to worry about," Azazel says as he walks around and stops behind Warren's sit.
He places his hands on Warren's shoulders, "You bring Nightmare to me and I will bring an end to all your troubles. No more looking over your shoulders.
You will have the full protection of the Lantern," he says.
Warren scratches his beards, "You know you need it after your epic failure in New York," Azazel says.
"She is going to the Otherworld. You will find her there," "Sir, I can't do this alone," Warren says.
Azazel slaps his shoulders and Warren almost jumps out of his seat, "Don't worry about that. You will have help when the time comes," Azazel says as he walks back to his seat.
"How do we know she'll have it on her?" Warren asks and Azazel glances at him terribly.
His chin is down and straight and his gaze is dark and deep as the abyss.
Warren can feel his skin curl, "A human goes to the Otherworld for the first time, a world of supernatural with unforeseen dangers and they know they have access to a weapon that can kill anything.
Where do you think the weapon will be?" Azazel asks with a frustrated gaze.
"With them," "Good, now get out" Azazel commands.
Warren quickly leaves his presence and Azazel is returned to the bliss of quiet.
What is this man up to?