The bunker trembled violently.
Chunks of concrete fell from the ceiling as another explosion echoed above.
The emergency lights switched from red to white.
A computerized voice repeated through the corridors.
"WARNING. SURFACE BREACH DETECTED."
Dean looked at Asterion.
"Can they get inside?"
Asterion nodded.
"Eventually."
Ben checked the shells in his shotgun.
"I really liked this bunker."
Dean smirked.
"We haven't lost it yet."
The four of them sprinted through the bunker.
The deeper they moved toward the main entrance, the louder the explosions became.
Smoke drifted down the stairwell.
The smell of burning wood filled the air.
Ben coughed.
"The farmhouse is gone."
Malach looked upward.
"That was never their objective."
Dean frowned.
"Then what is?"
Before Malach could answer—
A deafening impact shook the entire bunker.
BOOM
A blast door bent inward.
Steel groaned.
Something enormous had just struck it.
Again.
BOOM
Ben slowly stepped backward.
"...That doesn't sound human."
Asterion's face hardened.
"It isn't."
Dean reached the bunker entrance control room.
Security cameras flickered across dozens of monitors.
Most had gone black.
Only one remained operational.
It showed the front of the farmhouse.
Or what was left of it.
The building was nothing more than burning ruins.
Standing in the flames...
Was a single figure.
Tall.
Wrapped in a dark cloak.
Its face hidden beneath a hood.
Around it knelt dozens of creatures made of ash and bone.
Not servants.
Followers.
The figure slowly raised one hand.
Every monster stood.
At the same time.
Ben whispered.
"...Please tell me that's not your brother."
Malach stared at the screen.
His voice was barely audible.
"...No."
Dean looked at him.
"Then who?"
Malach closed his eyes.
As though saying the name itself carried weight.
"...Azrael."
Silence.
Even Asterion lowered his head.
Dean looked between them.
"I thought Azrael was the Angel of Death."
Asterion shook his head.
"Names survive."
He looked at the burning figure.
"Beings do not."
Malach continued.
"This Azrael existed before angels."
Ben blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Malach nodded.
"The angels borrowed his name."
The hooded figure slowly lifted its head.
Although the security camera was hundreds of feet away...
It looked directly into the lens.
Straight at Dean.
The screen filled with static.
Then—
The figure spoke.
Its voice came through every speaker in the bunker.
Calm.
Deep.
Impossible to ignore.
"Keeper..."
Dean's expression darkened.
"...That's getting old."
The figure continued.
"Return the Blade."
Dean slowly drew the Covenant Blade.
Blue light illuminated the control room.
"Not happening."
A faint laugh echoed through the speakers.
"Then you choose extinction."
Every monitor exploded simultaneously.
Glass showered across the room.
The bunker lights died again.
Darkness.
Suddenly—
The Covenant Blade began vibrating in Dean's hand.
The ancient symbols along its blade flared brightly.
Asterion immediately recognized the reaction.
"It's warning us."
Dean frowned.
"About what?"
The answer came from beneath their feet.
A deep metallic groan echoed through the bunker.
Not from above.
From below.
Much deeper.
Ben looked toward the floor.
"...Uh... guys?"
The stone beneath them cracked.
Thin blue light seeped through the fractures.
Malach's eyes widened in horror.
"No..."
Dean looked at him.
"What now?"
Malach dropped to one knee and pressed his hand against the stone.
His face went completely pale.
"...The Gate..."
A pause.
Then he looked directly at Dean.
For the first time...
The immortal Keeper sounded afraid.
"It isn't beneath the church."
Dean froze.
"What?"
Malach whispered:
"The First Gate has always been beneath the Men of Letters bunker."
Silence.
Then another violent crack split the floor.
A blinding blue light erupted from the opening.
Ancient chains...
Thousands of years old...
Slowly began rising from the darkness below.
One of them...
Was already broken.