Half-Soul

Chapter 11: A Lakeside Reunion

10:00 PM Thursday September 3rd, 2015

E and R Radio, Chicago, Illinois

How did this happen?

Lulu had been helped into a chair in the recording studio, slouched and staring blankly at the dark wall in front of her. Since Selkie's appearance, the power had been off for the entire station and the only source of illumination was that of her phone. She had been sitting alone for the past five minutes in complete silence and despite her best efforts she was dwelling on what had occurred with Clementine.

It all happened so fast..... One minute I'm getting to know her, a real sweetheart without a mean bone anywhere in her body. Then Mrs. Schulz gives me that... cryptic warning and information before cutting the call short.

And then..... Selkie..... And then.....Clementine gets...possessed....

A rumbling of thunder went off outside the station, making her tremble a bit as she could do nothing but relive that terrible moment over and over again. She felt more powerless than she ever had, placing her head in her hands and racking her brain.

"Come on.... Come on Lulu..... Get it together.... You can't fall apart now....." She whispered while trying to build herself up, taking a deep breath and repeating her mantra.

"Five......Four.....Three..... Two..... One...." Lulu whispered while smacking her cheeks, tapping her foot as she did so to relieve some of the anxiety that was slowly creeping into her mind. There would be plenty of time to beat herself up later, but right now she had to focus.

Okay..... In order this is what we're going to do.

We're going to call 911 and get an ambulance over here for Cynthia and Dante. Then we're going to head out there to look for Clementine and..... Whatever happens, happens.

She's possessed and I'm the only one who can help her. I know the demon's name is Selkie so maybe if I stay strong and keep trying, I can command it. Remember, they lie all the time. And somehow, when Agares was in my soul I was able to banish him and destroy the idol.

Maybe I can do the same thing this time. Maybe that's how I got rid of Aziz too. There's a lot of unknowns here, but I feel like I'm beginning to understand the bigger picture here. Somehow these three are connected to each other, and to this Black Supper thing that Mrs.Schulz mentioned-

Schulz.....

Despair gripped her again as she placed her hands on her knees, her eyes narrowing in sadness. She'd just lost Turgenev, she'd missed her chance to ask the man what had happened so many years ago. The memories Agares had forced her to experience had led to questions she had wanted answers to, but she had been afraid of what she would learn. So she had hidden herself away, procrastinating and withdrawing to the safety and comfort of her apartment and had locked herself away from the rest of the world. There had been a part of her that didn't want to know, a small piece of her that had wanted to remain in blissful ignorance.

And now I've lost my other expert, the only other person who could help me understand what's going on. God damn it, why do I do this to myself? Why do I sabotage myself? Is Cynthia right? Am I really looking for closure, or am I being led around by something else? I could've known everything I wanted to, but instead I waited too long and now.....now....

Now an innocent girl is going through the same thing I did.

And Schulz.... My expert on demons..... She won't be helping me anymore.... I already know when...if I make it out of this, that she won't be home. How? How could I have been so stupid? The way she knows so much, the cult probably had her watching me this whole time.