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Darkness. It envelops him like a blanket, except not as comforting. Monsters hid in the darkness, waiting to strike at the slightest sign of weakness. His definition of the word had changed. It used to be what the Winchesters hunted. Now they were what hunted him.
Leaves crunch underneath his pounding footsteps, the only noise identifiable to humans in the air. The beating of wings could be heard in the distance, which meant that they were gaining on him. He wouldn’t last long in this maze of a forest. The forest was so thick with trees he could barely slip through them. His vessel’s heart was pounding in his chest,
Castiel was on the run.
Heaven’s wrath was upon him, the beings he had once called his family were after his head. Now, his family were the Winchesters.
All of a sudden, the darkness around him disappears, and blinding light pushes it away.
“Castiel,” a solemn voice rumbles, and Castiel squints to see the angel that has come to stop him.
“Sariel,” Castiel replies, his deep voice carrying heavily through the air.
“Surrender, and no harm will come to you.”
In response, Castiel lets his silver blade slip from the sleeve of his trenchcoat.
“I am sorry, brother,” he says genuinely, stepping forward without hesitation.
The other angel moves towards him, blade shining even through the light that surrounded them. Castiel raises his blade before the Sariel can move away, silver sinking into his vessel. A scream tore from Sariel’s throat, his angelic light bursting out of his eyes and mouth. Once the light faded, Castiel let his body slump to the ground.
Back to running.
To Castiel, running like this, trees whipping past him, air swirling around him, reminded him of flying. This must be how humans feel. Flying, but grounded. Free, but confined.
Quite the paradox.
Castiel pushed his thoughts away; he didn’t have time to think. Only to run, to keep moving until he couldn’t anymore. He had a mission, and even if it was a selfish one (Was it really selfish? He always asked himself this.) at this point, he wasn’t going to abandon it.
Sam Winchester was in Hell, and Castiel was going to get him out.
That was, if Heaven didn’t get him first.
A long time ago, it had been established that humanity was to be protected. God had made it the mission of Heaven. Now, that message had long deteriorated into hatred and jealousy of humanity. Angels no longer stood for the protectors of humanity. No, they were the ones who destroyed it.
And, to Castiel, the start to protecting humanity was to keep every Winchester alive that he could.
If that meant going to Hell and back, Castiel would gladly do it.
Twice, now.
And the selfish part? Castiel needed the Winchesters. Most of all, he needed Sam. Desperately. Dean needed Sam. And if Sam wasn’t alive, then there would be no world to save the next time around. Castiel knew Dean couldn’t save anything or anyone (himself included) without Sam.
Castiel needed Sam Winchester.
But the biggest reason was that Sam was what kept him going, kept him sane in this world of madness. And if he was honest, he knew that Sam was keeping him alive.
So, maybe he was selfish.
Because he couldn’t live without Sam. Because a world without Sam wasn’t a world at all. Because even though he raised Dean from perdition, Castiel loved Sam Winchester with everything he had.
And so, Castiel ran.