Feeling the cold marble floor beneath him, Dean still felt the betrayal from Alex, who had treacherously kicked him in the back. Still lying on the marble floor, Dean heard the doors slam shut behind him. Turning his head, Dean saw that the Red Door through which he had been treacherously shoved had dissolved into the air like a mirage.
At that moment, Dean doubted Alex's words about this being the most suitable place for their conversation. When the Red Door disappeared, Dean was able to properly look around and saw a rather spacious-looking hall that resembled the main hall of any museum. Turning around, Dean saw Alex in front of him, who was extending a hand to help him up.
"Are you going to lie there much longer? Time waits for no one. Especially not us," Alex said, extending his hand toward Dean.
"Where the hell did you bring me?" Dean asked, grabbing Alex's hand and getting up from the floor.
"This is my museum. There are some very interesting exhibits here," Alex said with a smile, pulling Dean toward him.
"Like your naked statue? Or maybe giant golden statues in your honor?" Dean said with a look of disgust on his face as he got to his feet and began looking around.
"Ew. It's even creepy to think about that… This is a collection of cursed items from different worlds," Alex said, stepping aside so Dean could see the corridor in front of him.
"Other worlds, yeah… Now that's the strangest thing that's happened today," Dean said, rubbing his forehead, thinking he was finally starting to lose his mind.
Alex looked at Dean with amusement as he tried his best to cope with the headache after the memory transfer process. Alex once again reminded himself that he should first cast a mind-calming spell before transferring such a large amount of information.
But what really amused Alex was how relatively calmly Dean had accepted this kind of truth. Giving Dean some time to come to his senses, Alex lit a cigarette and sat down on the reception desk while Dean continued to stand in the center of the museum hall. Slowly swinging his legs, Alex watched Dean with interest.
Dean himself was trying to process everything that had happened to him that day. He couldn't deny that this had been the most eventful day of his life. First the incident at the police station, then Chuck's sudden appearance and his words. And to top it all off, the memories Alex had shown him.
All of this piled on top of each other, causing him a severe headache. At the same time, Dean began thinking about the truth Alex wanted to tell him. His inner feelings told him that this truth would somehow be connected to Amara and Chuck.
And it seemed to him that this was the very truth he had already begun to suspect after talking with Amara. But Dean's thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream of pain and pleas for help coming from the street. Dean sharply raised his head, looked toward the doors, and then shifted his gaze to Alex, who was sitting carefree on the reception desk.
"Don't even think about it, Dean," Alex said in a calm tone, jumping down from the reception desk.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Dean asked, frowning as he looked at Alex.
Alex looked at Dean wearily and realized he should enlighten his friend about this place. Approaching Dean, Alex suggested he follow him. Beckoning Dean to follow, Alex headed toward a large stained-glass window. Dean continued to frown as he heard the screams coming from the street.
Following Alex, Dean approached the large stained-glass window, and his eyes immediately widened at what he saw. Dean saw a spacious street filled with black-and-red buildings of various sizes, as if the buildings themselves were made of similar material. Stone, metal, and glass looked as if they had been soaked in rust and dried blood.
Everything was in a dark red blood-like shade, even the sky and the clouds. Dean's gaze wandered along the street, through the creepy dark alleys that even caused him a strange feeling of anxiety, as if some creature far worse than anything he had ever encountered in his hunter life was lurking there. Raising his gaze to the crimson sky, Dean saw a black sun and a red moon hanging in the sky.
But Dean's contemplation of such sights was once again interrupted by a scream for help coming from the street. Lowering his gaze, Dean saw a man covered in wounds running out of an alley, holding his stomach with one hand, from which his guts were spilling out. Seeing the man's condition, Dean wanted to help him. After all, his job was to save people from monsters. But as soon as he twitched, he felt Alex's hand on his shoulder.
"I said, don't even think about it," Alex said, looking straight into Dean's eyes.
Dean saw such a look from Alex for the first time and frowned deeply because he didn't understand what Alex was trying to achieve in this situation. Sighing, Alex pointed his finger at the window, suggesting Dean continue watching. Still frowning, Dean shifted his gaze back and looked at the blood-covered man who continued running as far as possible from the alley. And a moment later, Dean's eyes widened again when he saw who the man was running from.
A very familiar clown jumped out of the alley with a cheerful bouncy gait. A white costume stained with dirt and blood, red pom-poms instead of buttons, red hair, and white cracked makeup on his face. Dean definitely wouldn't have been able to forget such a creature even after many years, let alone a few months after he had personally participated in killing this clown.
"What the hell is Pennywise the Clown doing here?" Dean asked, pointing at Pennywise, who was chasing the bloodied man with his usual cheerful smile.
"I already told you that what's on the other side of the Red Doors is a world where nightmares live. And now Pennywise is one of them. As for the one he's chasing… That man deserved it," Alex said in a carefree tone, shrugging slightly.
"Listen, all this half-truths is starting to piss me off. Maybe you can finally explain what the hell is going on here? What the hell is this creepy world? What the hell is Bobo doing here? And what the hell are you?" Dean began, poking his finger into Alex's chest.
"Of course, Dean. Follow me. On the way to the right place, I'll answer your questions. Except the last one," Alex said, suggesting Dean move on.
Dean frowned at Alex's answer but still nodded. Watching as Alex walked away, Dean turned his head toward the window and saw Pennywise dragging the bloodied man into the alley. The man screamed loudly, clawing at the asphalt with his nails and leaving bloody streaks on the ground.
At the same time, Pennywise continued to laugh with his usual disgusting laugh, dragging the man along with him. Dean continued to watch until Pennywise dragged the man into the dark alley. And at the very last moment, before disappearing into the alley, Pennywise sharply turned his head back and looked at Dean.
A wide smile appeared on Pennywise's face, as if he was glad to see Dean again. He slowly raised his hand and waved at Dean, as if greeting an old friend. Dean's face twisted with irritation, and he raised his middle finger toward Pennywise. The clown only laughed, dragging the man away with him.
"Fuck, was that really the drink of the gods or some kind of crap. And now I'm hallucinating, and in reality they're pumping me out in a hospital," Dean muttered, looking away from the window and following Alex.
"Of course, I'm so bored that I decided to drug my friend and send him to the hospital," Alex's cheerful voice sounded from the other side of the hall.
"Don't eavesdrop, you bastard. This is all your fault for this madness," Dean shouted, raising his middle finger toward Alex.
"Then don't voice your thoughts out loud, dumbass… And let's hurry up. I need to enlighten you enough before the planned meeting," Alex said, taking out a pocket watch.
"What meeting? Did you decide to arrange a date for me with a ghost girl?" Dean said sarcastically, staring at Alex.
"You're not their type," Alex replied, shrugging and dismissively waving his hand at Dean.
Looking at Alex's dismissive gesture, Dean barely restrained himself from starting to swear loudly. Suppressing his irritation, Dean sighed and approached Alex, showing that he was ready to listen to all the bullshit Alex wanted to tell him. Patting Dean on the shoulder, Alex led him along.
Walking next to Alex, Dean looked around and finally became convinced that he was in some kind of creepy museum. Seeing Dean's interest, Alex began to explain the reason why this museum had been created. Listening to Alex, Dean almost rolled his eyes upon hearing such a stupid reason for creating a museum with creepy exhibits.
Dean even thought that it was quite in Alex's spirit to do something so absurd. Entering one of the halls where cursed items were stored, Dean began examining the exhibits. At that moment, Dean felt like a teenager who had been dragged to a museum tour against his will.
"Alright… The museum is clear. But what is this place, a city, a world, or whatever it's called?" Dean asked, examining a cursed item and raising his gaze to Alex.
"This dimension has many names… But those who know about the existence of this place call it the Red City," Alex said, wiping a display case containing a cursed book inside.
"You don't say… And I probably didn't notice that everything outside the window was red. Buildings, roads, and even the damn sky was red… How could I not have guessed," Dean said with undisguised sarcasm, looking at Alex as if he were the last idiot.
"Oh, I'm glad you're so observant. Want me to give you a scout badge for observation?" Alex replied with the same sarcasm, throwing a rag at Dean.
"I'll pass. So, what is this Red City? All I know is that it's some kind of nightmare world, and that the clown we killed lives here… Or, fuck, didn't kill," Dean said, throwing the rag back at Alex.
Dean looked at Alex and made it clear that he really wanted to know what this place was. This city seemed so strange and unnatural to him that it caused a strange feeling. Dean didn't even deny that this city looked even worse than Hell, where he had been more than once.
And even putting together the fragments of information he had received from Alex, Dean still couldn't figure it out. And what was important, Dean had never heard any mention of the Red City in any book or journal in the Bunker.
Looking at Dean, who was demanding answers, Alex smiled and took a cigarette out of his pocket. He was pleased that even in such a situation Dean was behaving calmly, albeit irritably.
"The Red City was not created by any specific monster. Its creator was humanity itself," Alex began to explain in a calm tone, lighting a new cigarette and beckoning Dean to follow him.
"Humanity? What is that supposed to mean?" Dean asked, frowning as he followed Alex into the corridor.
"Every time blood was spilled in the world of the living or someone went mad from despair, this outburst of mental filth seeped into the underside of reality," Alex continued, walking along the corridor next to Dean.
"And all this mental filth ends up here?" Dean asked, walking beside Alex with his hands in his jacket pockets.
"You could say that. Only it's a little different. Solitary nightmares are locked behind Red Doors, but when there were too many of them, the walls between them collapsed. Thousands of personal hellish worlds merged into one endless, pulsating crimson metropolis. This place is the totality of the personal hells of thousands of desperate people," Alex said, pointing to the window so Dean could look outside again.
Dean looked at the streets of the Red City again, and now he noticed the inconsistency in the architecture that he had previously ignored. He noticed that the houses looked like they were from different decades, some new, some old. And what Dean couldn't help but notice was that the street outside the window was completely different.
Approaching the window closer, Dean looked in the direction they had come from and didn't see the alley where Pennywise had dragged the man. Feeling even more strangeness from this place, Dean came to one logical conclusion in his current situation. He realized that he didn't even need to look for logic in this place, because there simply wasn't any.
A dimension created from the despair of thousands of people was not a place that would submit to logic. Shaking his head, Dean decided not to think about the logic of this dimension anymore. Turning to Alex, Dean nodded, showing that he was ready to listen further.
Alex led Dean further down the corridor, telling him more about the Red City, including how he used this city. Hearing that Alex had literally turned this place into his personal Hell, Dean understood why Alex had asked him not to interfere.
"So, are you like the god of this dimension?" Dean asked after listening to everything he had been told.
"No, my wife rules this dimension," Alex replied with a cheerful smile, opening the doors to let Dean through.
"Wife? What kind of woman can rule this creepy place?" Dean asked, walking past Alex.
"A very nice woman, even if not the most sociable. Although you've already met her, even if you didn't notice," Alex said, closing the doors behind him.
"Let's skip this part about your wife, who I supposedly saw but maybe didn't… Where are you taking me? And where are we now? Are we in a tunnel?" Dean said, waving it off as he looked around.
Looking around, Dean saw only a long tunnel stretching in both directions. In Dean's eyes, everything in this tunnel looked like a scene from a mass accident: cars crashed into each other, dim light from ceiling lamps that flickered on and off. Dean had seen enough creepy places, so he wasn't worried at all about what he saw in front of him. And having learned the truth about how the Red City was created, Dean was only interested in what had actually happened in this tunnel and what had caused such a mass accident.
Looking around, Dean heard only the echo of footsteps. Turning his head, Dean looked at Alex, who had already walked ahead. Following Alex, Dean climbed onto a wrecked car and looked around again. And even climbing higher, Dean saw only an endless long tunnel with dim lamps and endless rows of wrecked cars.
"Let's go, we're almost there," Alex said, opening another door.
"You still haven't said where you're taking me," Dean said, jumping off the car and approaching Alex.
"To meet someone. I've already told you that more than once. And now stop asking questions and go through the doors," Alex said, pointing to the open passage.
"To hell with all this. Maybe then explain why we're going such a strange way instead of walking down the street. You said your wife is in charge here," Dean said in an irritated tone, walking past Alex.
"Some of the local inhabitants are too friendly and clingy. That's why we're taking roundabout ways," Alex said, walking through the doorway after Dean.
"Are you serious? Creatures you can only see in nightmares, and you call them friendly and clingy. Don't you find that funny yourself?" Dean asked, turning to Alex.
"It's a long explanation. Alright, we just need to pass this school corridor and we'll be there," Alex said, pointing his finger forward.
"Yeah, not a creepy school corridor at all. Not creepy in the slightest," Dean said in a dry tone, feeling dozens of invisible gazes on him.
Dean looked at the long school corridor with wide windows through which classrooms with children studying could be seen. But what made Dean consider this school corridor creepy were the sheets of paper taped to the windows with eyes drawn on them.
And it seemed to Dean that these eyes were watching him. Shaking his head, Dean shifted his gaze to the window leading outside, and he saw a spacious school grounds. But what caught Dean's attention was a tall building in the distance, and the black sun seemed to rise above that very tall building.
Still feeling the unreality of what he saw, Dean once again reminded himself that this place really was a hell created by human hands. Dean snapped out of his thoughts after feeling a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head to Alex, Dean nodded, showing that he was ready to go further.
Following Alex through the creepy school corridor, Dean constantly felt intense gazes on his back coming from the classrooms. Passing by another classroom, Dean froze when he saw a classroom full of ghost children. But what really surprised him was that these ghost children were studying.
"Ghost children go to school and study," Dean voiced his thoughts, watching what was happening in the classroom through the window.
"For ghosts this is home, for people this is hell. Isn't it logical. You weren't even surprised that their teacher is a Kasa-obake," Alex said, pointing his finger toward the teacher's desk.
Dean frowned upon hearing Alex's words and shifted his gaze in the direction he was pointing. Dean momentarily thought that since ghost children were studying in the school, the teacher should also be a ghost. And so he hadn't paid much attention to the place where the teacher should be.
And as soon as Dean turned his head, his face froze in shock. What he saw made Dean rub his eyes in surprise. Dean saw an umbrella the size of a human, with one eye in the middle, a wide mouth from which a tongue protruded, and a human leg instead of a handle. Rubbing his eyes again, Dean saw how this living umbrella used its very long tongue to hold chalk and write on the board.
Turning away, Dean looked at the ghost children, who were behaving like the most ordinary children. Some were bored, some were taking notes, and some were drawing in their notebooks. And Dean looked again at the teacher, who was a living umbrella. Dean had seen a lot in his life, but he had definitely never seen anything like this before.
"It's an umbrella… A literal umbrella with one eye and a hairy human leg," Dean said in a blank tone, staring at the peculiar teacher for the ghost children.
"Yeah, an umbrella spirit. And if you're done being surprised that even ghosts go to school, then let's go," Alex said with a chuckle, grabbing Dean by the collar and dragging him along.
Dean didn't even resist Alex dragging him. He was still staring at this strange umbrella playing the role of a teacher. The Kasa-obake shifted its gaze to Dean and waved its tongue at him, causing Dean's eyelid to twitch. Slightly shuddering from such friendliness, Dean looked away and slapped Alex's hand, letting him know that he would walk on his own from here.
Releasing Dean, Alex walked on. Reaching the doors, Alex opened them, suggesting Dean enter. Seeing a closed toilet stall in front of him, Dean looked at Alex with a blank gaze. Rolling his eyes wearily, Alex pushed Dean forward and followed. Dean pushed the closed toilet stall and stepped out into the restroom.
Seeing the condition of the restroom, Dean was surprised that it looked really normal compared to everything he had seen before. Even his own reflection in the mirror was normal. Feeling curious, Dean approached the sink and turned the faucet handle. A moment later, ordinary clear water flowed from the faucet.
"Do you need to wash your hands?" Alex asked, looking at Dean with interest.
"No, I was just curious what flows from the faucet in this place," Dean said, turning off the water.
"And what did you expect to see? Blood? Or rusty water?" Alex asked, heading toward the exit from the restroom.
"Both. Isn't it strange that in a place like this normal water flows from the faucet and not blood or at least rusty water that should really stink… Someone's clearly slacking," Dean said with a chuckle, exiting the restroom after Alex.
"I won't argue with that. But since you're here as a guest, normal water will flow from the faucet for you. And your reflection won't be distorted," Alex said, closing the doors behind him.
Hearing the word "guest," Dean laughed at the fact that he was a guest in this place. If he had known where Alex wanted to take him, he would definitely have refused back then. Shaking his head, Dean once again looked around to understand where they were. And he saw a spacious hall resembling the lobby of a residential complex.
Standing in the middle of the hall, Dean was surprised only by the fact that this hall looked the most normal out of everything he had seen. Hearing the sound of the elevator, Dean stopped looking around the hall. He entered the elevator after Alex. Getting into the elevator, Alex pressed the button for the top floor.
The elevator jerked slightly, emitting a sound signal, and the elevator doors closed. Relaxing music began playing from the speakers, causing Dean to raise an eyebrow and look at Alex. Shaking his head once again, Dean was already tired of being surprised by everything he saw. Dean raised his gaze, beginning to watch as the numbers on the elevator display continued to change one after another.
"Dean…" Alex spoke without turning his head.
"What?" Dean asked, looking away from the floor indicator.
"What comes next… will greatly change your life and your view of life," Alex said in a serious tone, looking Dean in the eyes.
"And why are you saying this only now?" Dean asked, sensing that there was much more hidden behind Alex's words than it seemed.
"I'm just reminding you. You've probably already started to guess that not everything is as simple as it seems. Especially how you reacted to Chuck," Alex said, turning his head toward the elevator doors.
Dean looked intently at Alex, trying to comprehend the words he had said. Dean tried to understand his feelings and why anger had flared up inside him when he saw Chuck. And as soon as Chuck disappeared from sight, all those emotions vanished.
During this silence in the elevator, which was broken only by the sound of calm music playing from the speakers, Dean really began to think to sort out everything that was happening inside him. The first thing Dean thought was that his anger at Chuck was caused by his own feelings because of all the shit he had gone through. And that these feelings had been amplified thanks to his connection with Amara.
But he quickly rejected these thoughts when he remembered his conversation with Amara, where she had said that their connection didn't work that way. Very quickly Dean began to experience another headache from his reflections. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Dean heard the sound signal indicating that the elevator had arrived at the right floor.
"We're here. So, I think it's time to have a real heart-to-heart talk," Alex said, looking at Dean.
"It's about time. I'm not against tours, of course. But not at times like this," Dean replied with a dry laugh, looking at Alex with a smile.
"Well, I could show you more. But, as I said, we're already expected," Alex said, nodding toward the elevator doors.
Hearing from Alex again that they were expected for a conversation, Dean was ready to open his mouth to ask who was waiting for them. And when the elevator doors began to open, Dean couldn't help but show shock on his face. On the other side of the elevator doors was a spacious rooftop, in the center of which stood a table and several chairs, two of which were occupied.
A woman in a red dress with very long hair that touched the surface of the roof was sitting on one chair. And opposite her sat Amara in her usual black dress, calmly drinking tea in the company of Zhang Ya. Hearing the sound of the opening elevator, Amara and Zhang Ya turned their heads and looked at Alex and Dean.
A tired smile appeared on Amara's face when she saw the expression on Dean's face. Setting her teacup on the table, Amara waved lightly at Dean, inviting him to come over. Alex patted Dean on the shoulder and exited the elevator. With a smile on his face, Alex approached Zhang Ya and kissed her on the cheek, causing Zhang Ya to squint cutely.
"Dean, stop standing in the elevator, come here," Alex said, calling Dean over.
Still frowning, Dean exited the elevator, and the elevator doors immediately closed behind him. Standing still for a bit, Dean looked at Amara, who continued to look at him with a smile. Dean's gaze shifted to Alex, who was trying to drink tea from Zhang Ya's cup.
Completely confused about what was happening, Dean decided to act as always: brazenly demand answers to his questions and, if necessary, punch Alex in the face. With heavy steps, Dean approached the table and looked at Amara. Amara smiled and patted the chair next to her, inviting Dean to sit. Looking at Amara's gesture, Dean sighed and sat down on the chair.
"Why are you here, Amara?" Dean immediately asked, looking at Amara, who continued to drink her tea.
"You wanted answers, Dean. You will get them. And I'm here as a guest. As you can see, I'm drinking tea in the company of my friend's wife," Amara said, pointing her cup at Alex and Zhang Ya.
"When did you manage to become friends?" Dean asked, frowning as he shifted his gaze from Amara to Alex, demanding answers from both.
"Remind me when that happened?" Amara asked, looking at Alex and setting her teacup on the table.
"In Bright Falls, when I destroyed one of the shards of your power and in return gave you another so you could recover faster," Alex said while Zhang Ya used her hair to prevent him from drinking tea from her cup.
"Indeed. It seemed to me that more time had passed… Well, never mind. Does this satisfy your curiosity, Dean?" Amara said with a smile, turning her head toward Dean.
"Not even close… So you've known each other all this time. Then what was all that during all your meetings?" Dean said in a gloomy tone, shaking his head to show that this information wasn't enough.
"It's called acting, Dean. You should take a few lessons yourself… And before you ask any more questions. Wait for the last participant in our conversation," Alex said, pointing to the empty chair.
Dean looked at the empty chair that stood between him and Alex. Dean couldn't understand who else they were waiting for and what the conversation was supposed to be about. But he had already heard that Alex and Amara had known each other. While Dean's thoughts raced from one to another, he heard the sound of the elevator doors opening. Shifting his gaze toward the elevator doors, Dean once again experienced shock.
Because Castiel stepped out of the elevator in his usual beige coat, with his hands in his pockets. Alex waved at Castiel, who responded with a slight smile. Castiel shifted his gaze to Dean and smiled weakly. He had already imagined what kind of reaction Dean would have to the whole truth that had been hidden from him for so long. Without stopping, Castiel sat down between Alex and Dean with the same calm expression on his face.
"You're the very last one this time, brother," Alex said in a cheerful tone, propping his cheek on his palm as he looked at Castiel.
"Because of your plan, I had to go very far. And you didn't say that your friend is not the most talkative person," Castiel said in a dry tone, giving Alex a blank look.
"Such is life… And now it's time to bring Dean up to speed on our plans to destroy the parasite," Alex said, clapping his hands with a smile on his face.
"Wait… Before all this starts. What is this bullshit about brother and all that," Dean said, raising his hand and cutting Alex off mid-sentence.
"Isn't it obvious, Dean? Cas and I are brothers… Answering your next question. No, I'm not an angel. Yes, Castiel is an angel… And this is not the Castiel you knew… And your last question that's on the tip of your tongue right now. You will get answers to all your questions," Alex said, quickly answering all the questions that were in Dean's head at that moment.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Dean groaned, grabbing his head.
Amara looked at Dean and gently patted his hand in consolation. She felt all his emotions at that moment thanks to their connection. And what was happening inside Dean right now could be called one continuous chaos of emotions boiling within him. Alex and Castiel exchanged glances and nodded to each other.
Castiel raised his hand and placed his palm on Dean's head. A moment later, all the chaos of emotions that reigned inside Dean was replaced by cold calm. Taking a deep breath, Dean raised his head and looked at Alex with a serious gaze that directly said he wanted to know everything, from the very beginning to the end.
Dean didn't know what had happened to him and why his mind had cleared, but that wasn't what worried him right now. All he wanted were answers — all the answers that interested him. Seeing Dean's serious gaze, Alex nodded and began to slowly tell Dean what he was about to learn.
To be continued...
(So, next on our list, Dean learns the truth. He goes through all the stages of shit in his life. Like I said, Dean learns the truth first, and then Sam, but he learns this truth after everything is over. So after Dean learns the truth, he will understand why Alex acted the way he did and what he wanted. Dean is not a whiny teenager who will scream, "You lied to me, I believed you," and other whiny crap. Well, yeah, Dean might hit Alex, but hey, that's normal. But this is a conversation about acceptance, and so on. And I'm going to go eat. Peace, love, and wash your hands, so they wash.)
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