Chpt5 Episode 7: "Hunger Games"

Chpt5 Episode 7: "Hunger Games" is an episode in the series: Power Rangers: Omniverse.

Plot
It is the time around Valentine's Day, and people have begin killing themselves in odd ways in a small town, such as a couple who ate each other to death. Hunter and Kurt visit the coroner to check out the bodies and Kurt sees a suspicious man walking past him in the hallway. As the boys examine the hearts of the victims, Hunter notices what he thinks to be an Enochian sigil on both hearts. They show them to Castiel and he agrees, saying that the sigils are a sign that the two people were intended to mate, and thinks that it is the work of a cupid. Which is actually one of the lowester rankings of angel, a cherub. Castiel figures that it's gone rogue and declares that they have to kill it before it kills again.

The trio go to a singles bar and order food. Castiel explains that Cupid will be drawn there by human reproductive urges, as he stares at the hamburger Hunter ordered. Hunter goes to take a bite, but then suddenly decides he's not hungry after all. Kurt expresses disbelief. Castiel reaches over and takes Hunter’s plate since he’s not going to eat and the boys look at him with shock on their faces. Castiel suddenly notices a change in the environment and says that Cupid is there. A couple across their table starts passionately kissing and Castiel points out that they’re who Cupid has struck. He tells the boys to meet him in the back and teleports away. They go out and find Castiel seemingly facing empty air. He tells them that he's tethered the cherub and mutters an incantation to make it appear. A naked Cupid suddenly appears behind Hunter and hugs him, lifting him into the air. Giggling, he runs to embrace Castiel, and then hugs Kurt. Castiel explains that a hug is a cherub's handshake.

Once Cupid has settled down, he asks what they want. Castiel and Hunter accuse him of making his targets murder each other and demand to know why he’s doing it. A shocked Cupid bursts into tears and Castiel ends up trying to apologize. Cupid embraces him and says he doesn't know what happens to his targets after he follows his orders. He invites Castiel to read his mind and confirm that he's innocent. Castiel does so and declares that he’s telling the truth. When Hunter asks whose orders he was following, Cupid explains that Heaven gave him his orders and that some relationships have a very high priority. He notes that the union of John and Mary Winchester was one of his special assignments, and not an easy one since they initially couldn’t stand each other. When he gleefully declares they were the perfect couple when Heaven was done with them, Hunter’s anger boils over and he punches him, to no effect except to upset him again (and injure himself), and he teleports away. Kurt and Castiel wonder why he would punch a cherub; Hunter replies that he punched “a dick.” Exasperated, Kurt asks if they’re finally going to discuss what his problem has been lately, but Hunter refuses and storms away.

The doctor from the coroner calls Kurt to the morgue to alert him of another bizarre death. Albert Finch, a weight-loss surgery patient who formerly weighed 400 lbs., ate himself to death on a "Twinkie binge". The doctor says after he blew out the band around his stomach and could no longer swallow, he shoved more Twinkies down his throat with a toilet brush. The doctor apparently finally affected by this latest suicide, pulls a flask from his lab coat and gulps as Kurt looks on. Outside, Kurt calls Hunter and tells him that Finch didn't bear the mark of union as the others did. Hunter has checked the police blotter and confirmed there have been eight suicides and nineteen ODs in the last few days. They realize there's something more going on than just love. Kurt appears to feel a sudden headache just before he sees the bald man in the suit that he and Hunter passed in the hall earlier exiting the hospital. Kurt is visibly disturbed by his presence, as he was the first time he saw him. He follows the man into an alleyway, jumps him and pins him against the wall. Kurt sneers that he knows he's a demon because he could smell him. He cuts him on the cheek with the Ruby's knife to prove it. The demon hisses the word "Ranger". After a tussle and another cut of the knife, the demon manages to break free and run away, dropping his briefcase. Kurt stands and watches the demon run, panting as though he's trying to pull out of a rage. He stares at the demon blood on the shiny knife and sees the eyes of something else reflecting back at him. He winces and then frantically wipes the blood off.

Kurt takes the briefcase to the motel and he and Hunter try to figure how demons are involved in what is happening. They carefully open the case and a bright white light bursts out. When it fades, Castiel appears and explains that it was a human soul. They're surprised to see that Castiel is eating voraciously from a sack from Big Frank’s Burger Hut. The angel explains that his hunger is a clue that the entire town is not suffering from love-gone-wrong, but from starvation, specifically, Famine, as in the Horseman. Kurt says he thought famine meant starvation from food, but Castiel points out that Famine can apply not just to food but also to love, drugs, attention, or anything that people hunger for, making them rabid for it. Kurt takes on a worrisome look. Hunter doesn’t understand why Cas is affected; since when do angels even eat? Castiel admits his vessel’s appetite for red meat has been activated by Famine.

Then, Castiel takes on a revelationary tone:

And then will come Famine, riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. His hunger will seep out and poison the air.

As Castiel speaks, a black Cadillac Escalade pulls up to a Biggerson’s restaurant. A second vehicle follows and a black-suited team emerges and removes an elderly man from the lead vehicle, places him in a motorized wheelchair, secures an oxygen supply to him, and escorts him inside. Once he enters, the patrons inside begin gorging themselves on food, stealing money, eating drugs, heavy petting, etc. Castiel goes on to reveal that Lucifer has sent his demons to deliver to Famine the souls of those he’s infected so he can devour them. The demons are caring for him to ensure he’ll be ready to “march across the land.” Hunter realizes it was Albert “Twinky Guy” Finch’s soul in the briefcase.

The damage done at the restaurant, flies gather on the corpses. Famine looks up as the briefcase demon arrives and explains that Kurt was tailing him at the hospital, they fought and he managed to grab Kurt's motel key. Famine says, yes, that’s good, but where is the soul of “the one who loves cream cakes so much?” The fearful demon admits that he lost the briefcase holding the soul to Kurt and tries to leave to find another. But, Famine shouts that he’s hungry now and pulls the demon’s soul out of its vessel, as black smoke enters Famine's mouth and consumes it. “Delicious.” Famine says.

At the motel, the boys wonder how they can stop Famine. Castiel asks how they stopped War, and Hunter remembers that they took War's ring by cutting off his fingers, which forced him to flee. Castiel confirms that Famine has also a ring, as he continues eating. In the bathroom, Kurt is breaking into sweats and breathing rapidly, struggling to keep control of himself. He finally emerges and confesses to Hunter that he can't go because Famine has gotten to him--he's hungry for demon blood. Hunter can’t believe it and implores Castiel to teleport Kurt away, but the angel says that it's too late and the infection will go with him. Hunter is at a loss, so he handcuffs him to a metal pipe in the bathroom. Kurt tells him he has to “go cut that bastard’s finger off” and get the ring, but insists that he lock him down first. Hunter sadly obliges and then departs with Castiel.

At the hospital, Hunter finds the doctor's assistant, who gives them the news: Dr. Corman, after 20 years of sobriety, went home that morning and drank himself to death. Castiel confirms that Famine is the culprit and that Corman's soul is still in his body. Hunter figures they can use it as bait and follow the demons back to Famine.

As Hunter stakes out the hospital in the Impala, Castiel teleports in with a another bag of hamburgers and continues to eat, giddy with happiness. He wonders why Hunter seems unaffected by hunger while everyone else in town has fallen prey to Famine. Hunter reasons that he gets everything that he wants when he wants it, so he hungers for nothing. Castiel asks if he means he’s just well-adjusted. God, no, Hunter replies; he’s just well fed. Just then, they spot a man come out of the hospital a with a briefcase and climb into an Escalade and they trail it.

At the motel, Kurt is in the throes of his craving and struggling to break free of the handcuffs Hunter used to secure him to the bathroom sink. He hears the motel door open and the blocking the bathroom door being moved and shakily calls out to the guys that he doesn’t think whatever they’ve done has worked. He is amazed to see two demons enter the bathroom. The female demon says they have orders to deliver him alive, but she bets that they can "break off a few pieces" and motions for the male demon to take care the handcuffs.

Just as he breaks them, Sam punches him and sends him flying backwards across the room into the tub. Sam then pounces on the female demon, stabs her in the neck with a shard of glass and starts to drink her blood as she attempts to struggle. When the other demon attacks Sam from behind, he uses his demon-fueled powers to send him across the room again, and growls at him to wait his turn.

Hunter and Castiel follow the demon to the restaurant and note the others at the entrance. Hunter manages to get Castiel, preoccupied with now-empty hamburger wrappers, to again go over the plan: Castiel is to take the demon knife, teleport in, cut off Famine's ring hand and teleport back. Hunter is clearly dubious of this plan, and after Castiel teleports away and doesn’t return within a minute, decides it's taking too long. He slowly enters the darkened restaurant and finds Castiel has neglected the plan and is instead on his knees devouring a pan of raw meat among the dead patrons. The demons then find Hunter, capture him, drag and restrain him before Famine. Castiel has dropped the knife and is too busy eating to retrieve it.

Famine says he's happy to be in America, where everyone wants more, all the time, but they are all still starving, because hunger comes from the soul, not just from from the body. Hunter defiantly points out that he's not affected. Famine finds it curious that Hunter can walk in his presence untouched and rolls close to him and presses his hand against Hunter's chest, which causes him some pain. Famine notes that there's a deep, dark of nothingness inside of Hunter. How he can feel how broken and defeated Hunter is, knowing that he can't find the answer on killing Lucifer, yet he continues to go through the motions. He's not hungry because inside, he's already dead.

Kurt arrives, his face all covered in blood, and snarls "let him go." Hunter is horrified at the sight of him and screams at him to stop. The demon entourage moves forward to accost him, but Famine tells the demons to stop; no one is to lay a finger on this "sweet little boy". Famine says that he can see that Kurt enjoyed the "snack" that he sent. Famine assures Kurt that he'll never die from drinking too much blood; he is just as Satan wants him. Famine invites Kurt to cut the demons' throats and drink his fill. The demons look distressed. Kurt resists the urge and instead uses his powers to kill all the demons simultaneously while Hunter grabs the knife.

Kurt lowers his hand, opens his eyes as the demon smoke pools on the floor.

Kurt:

No, never.

Famine:

Well...Fine. If you don't want them...then I'll take them!

Kurt wide eyed, as Famine stops the demon smokes from being destroyed then devours all five of the demon essence. Kurt then steps forward and extends his hand toward Famine.

Famine:

I'm a Horseman, Kurt. Your power doesn't work on me!

Kurt:

You're right. But it will work on them.

Kurt then focuses his power towards Famine's stomach as he is trying to destroy the demons that Famine has consumed. Famine yells in pain. Then Hunter sees the opportunity and goes in to cut off Famine's fingers, retrieving his ring.

Kurt's nose bleeds with the effort, as Hunter yells at him to stop. But the demons explode out of Famine as Famine then vanishes. Castiel finally snaps out of his spell while Hunter stares at Kurt, in shock.

Later, Hunter and Castiel have locked Kurt up in Bobby's panic room so that he can go through withdrawal, again. Kurt is heard wailing, screaming and begging for them to help him. Hunter stands nearby, wincing as he takes gulps out of a liquor bottle and listens to Kurt's anguished cries. Castiel tries to assure Hunter that Kurt will be okay once he gets "it" out of his system. But Hunter insists they need to find him a new "Ranger Power", so that he doesn't have to rely on his demon powers ever again.