1.21 Salvation

In Blue Earth, Minnesota, Pastor Jim Murphy is reading the Bible at his altar when Meg enters, ostensibly seeking solace. The priest encourages her as "Salvation was created for sinners." She begins to confess her sins to him, including the fact that she slit someone's throat and ripped his heart out, before she reveals her black eyes. Pastor Jim says he knows what she is, before he retreats in horror to an underground office fitted out with the tools of a Hunter, with research and runes spanning the walls. Meg follows him, kicking in the barred doors. The priest throws a knife at her, but Meg catches it. He demands, "What do you want?" She demands the location of John Winchester, whom he refuses to betray. She slits his throat with the knife.

In Manning, Colorado, John is sharing his research of the last 20 years with Sam and Dean of all he knows. He explains the demon trail he has been following the past year was the demon going after families with six month old babies. Sam feels guilty at being the cause of the death of both Mom and Jessica, and it turns into pain and anger; however, Dean does not allow him to wallow. John is never able to arrive in time to save the families. He explains the telltale signs that crop up the week before - cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. They happened in Lawrence before Mary's death, and in Palo Alto before Jessica's death. Next, it will hit Salvation, Iowa.

John's pickup takes the lead with the Impala behind, and they reach Salvation. Abruptly, John pulls over. He has had a call from Caleb to say their friend Pastor Jim is dead from his throat being slashed and he bled out. It looks like the demon may know they are close, so they need to hurry. They plan to split up and check hospitals for infants who will soon be six months old, for that is where the demon will strike next. Sam points out it could be dozens of kids, but John is determined to check them all. Right before they get back on the road, John mourns his friend. Dean asks, "Dad?" and John cannot put it into words. His resolve hardens, and he tells the boys, "This ends, now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes." They climb in their vehicles and drive off.

John puts on a fake badge and enters the Salvation Women and Children's Hospital, looking for records. Sam checks on birth records at Salvation Medical Center. Dean chats up a receptionist at the second hospital, masquerading as a cop, to check records.

As Sam leaves the medical center where he has been researching birth records, he has a vision of the demon's next target. He has a vision of a kid's room, a woman with her baby, the demon, and the sound of a train as the woman looks out the window. Sam pulls out a map and tries to figure out where the house is he saw from the sound of a train. He is jogging in the park when the vision hits him again. When it is over, he looks around and realizes the house in directly in front of him, with the mother and child from the vision directly outside. Sam goes over and chats with the young mother Monica and her daughter, Rosie, claiming to be a new neighbor. He finds out that Rosie is six months old today. Unable to warn her, Sam tells Monica to take care of herself and walks away. Just then, he has another vision, in which Monica is killed by the demon in the same way his mom and Jess were!

Sam returns to Dean and John at the hotel, and tells them about his vision. John is angry that Dean had not told him before about Sam's visions. Dean points out John's unresponsiveness from previous phone calls - calling from home, calling when Dean was dying - and angrily states he would have had better chance of winning the lottery than reaching his father on the phone. John agrees reluctantly. Interrupting, Sam's phone rings and Meg, whom they thought dead from a seven story drop, demands to speak with John. Sam, at first, claims he does not know where Dad is, but she demands to speak to him now so reluctantly, Sam puts his dad on. She informs John that she knows his boys and that she murdered Jim Murphy yesterday. Today she is with another friend, Caleb. She allows Caleb to talk briefly with John as proof, before demanding the Colt. In desperation, John plays dumb and Meg promptly kills Caleb. She tells John that he declared war, and war has casualties. John threatens to kill her. She will keep killing all his friends, anyone who has helped him, given him shelter, anyone he has loved, until he hands over the Colt. Capitulating, John agrees to meet her at a warehouse in Lincoln. She tells him at midnight for the trade, but he protests he cannot make it. She tells him his friends die then, and if he does decide to show up, come alone. The boys protest handing the gun over, but John has a plan: they will use a substitute gun picked up at an antique store since Meg does not know what the real one looks like. He only needs to buy a few hours for Dean and Sam to kill The Demon and save that family. In an emotional revelation, he admits again that he needs this job to finally be over: to stop losing people they love, for Sam to go to school, for Dean to have a home, and for Mary to be alive.

When Dean returns with the fake Colt, he points out that it is a trap, although John promises he has a whole arsenal. Dean pleads with John to not throw his life away, as he is no good to them dead. John tells them to do the same. He hands over the real Colt, reminding them they only have four bullets and to make every shot count. He is not going to be in this final fight, so the task of killing the demon is given to the boys, to finish the job he started. Saying they will see each other soon, John drives away in his pickup.

John arrives in Lincoln, Nebraska, to meet Meg. He cases the territory for escape routes, through access tunnels, possible traps, and he finds a reservoir to bless.

Dean and Sam talk while watching the Holt house. Sam wonders if they could get the family out by saying there is a gas leak, or by telling the truth. Dean reminds him they can only wait for The Demon to show, and get it before it gets the family. Dean would feel better backing Dad, while Sam would feel better if Dad was backing them up.

John hides while Meg looks around, and after she leaves he climbs the water tower. He opens the hatch, pulls out a rosary, and blesses the water.

Sam says it does not seem real that they are finally facing The Demon. He thanks Dean for everything, because Dean always had his back and he could count on his brother, just in case anything happens to him. Dean gets upset, not wanting to hear it. He says nothing is going to happen to anyone- not them, not the family, nobody - except The Demon!

John confronts Meg, who expresses sarcastic sadness over not killing anyone else, and comments she thought he would be... taller. John does not respond to her needling him, and disappointed, she asks for the gun. Back and forth they go, trying to get the upper hand verbally, before John mentions shooting her. She invites him to, telling him there is more. A taciturn demon named Tom walks from the shadows to join Meg. John asks who he was, and Meg tells him he is not as much fun as her, and demands the gun. John hands the gun to Meg and she in turn hands it off to Tom, asking if he thinks it is the real thing. Without warning, he shoots Meg. She is pissed but she does not die. In shock and anger, Meg rounds on John now that it is obvious the gun is not the real Colt. John pretends he did not know the gun was not real. Meg claims she is not in the mood because she has just been shot, and John tosses back that it is a good thing the gun was not real. Meg tells him that was funny, and threatens to strip the skin from his bones. Steam escaping distracts the demons momentarily, and John makes a run for it! He races through the access tunnels he had previously cased. As he dashes down one, he stops and opens a valve, thereby spraying the holy water he prepared earlier. Tom and Meg cannot pass through it. Meg calls out that the holy water is real cute. John smiles at them, and takes off.

Dean tries calling his dad, but there is no answer. Sam notices the radio static. The wind has whipped up, and lights on the street are going on and off. The Demon is here! The boys make a dash for the house.

Outside the building, John runs back to find his truck's tires have been slashed. He glances around, then takes off running once more down a different alleyway, looking for some way to escape or hide.

The boys break into the house in attempt to save Monica and Rosie, but Monica's husband, Charlie, attacks them thinking they are burglars. Dean takes care of Charlie, pinning him against the wall trying to calm him down. Instead, Charlie calls up to Monica to get the baby! Dean knocks Charlie out, and heads outside. Monica heads for the nursery and interrupts The Demon, who slams her against the wall and pushes her up to the ceiling. Racing to the nursery, Sam faces The Demon over Rosie's crib. After hesitating for a second, Sam fires off a shot, but The Demon vanishes too fast. Sam quickly grabs Monica and drags her out, assuring her that Dean has the baby, while Dean grabs Rosie just before her crib bursts into flames.

John finds himself in a dead end and tries to make a cell call, but is pinned to the wall by Tom. John struggles, yelling in frustration and pain, as he is slid up the wall. Tom, smiling, stands in front of him. John is caught!

The nursery window explodes outwards in a fireball, as Sam with Monica come coughing out of the front door. Charlie demands they get away from his family, as Dean with Rosie joins the family on the front lawn. Monica declares they saved them, and takes Rosie from Dean, thanking them both. The boys turn dejectedly back to the house, and Sam looks up and sees The Demon within the flames. He wants to go inside and fight it, but Dean pulls him back, declaring it is suicide. Sam, however, does not care - but Dean does. The Demon disappears.

Back at the hotel room, while is Dean is anxiously trying to contact John, Sam is angry that Dean stopped him from going after The Demon. Dean confronts him about his desire for revenge and self-sacrifice, stating that if it means Sam getting himself killed, he hopes they never find it. Sam reminds Dean that it killed Jess and Mom. Dean replied that it does not matter what they do, Jess and Mom were gone and are never coming back. Sam's anger boils over and he pushes Dean into the wall. Dean quietly tells Sam an emotional confession, that he is barely holding it together, and the three of them is all they have. Shocking Sam into the present, his focus shifts back to Dad, and he releases Dean to try his father's phone again.

This time, Meg answers. She tells Dean that they screwed up, and promises, "You're never going to see your father again." Dean looks at Sam with determination, while Sam returns the look with panic.

To Be Continued...