The Psychic Next Door

[First Draft] Chapter 21: Strategy

I staggered as I pulled myself up off the ground. I wavered for moment, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Lillian was still alive and had been masquerading as my landlady. Had Mrs. Malik ever been a real person? If she had, what had Lillian done to her? Whatever she had done to affect the appearance of her, she had used it to fool Luc and successfully infiltrate the apartment, which had been our only protection against her. And once inside, the barrier no longer had an effect on her magic and she was able to summon that horrendous beast to her, ready to use the malicious spirit to finally finish me off.

But Luc's quick thinking saved my life. He had used his powers to send me flying out of the room just before Lillian attacked. He had trapped her inside with him, knowing that once Lillian and the creature were inside and I was out, the barrier would now act as a cage.

 As I reviewed the facts in my head, the confusion cleared and realization struck me. I immediately launched myself at Luc's front door. My fingers clawed and wrenched at the handle and my fists pounded the solid facade as I tried with all my might to force myself in. I knew Luc had pushed me away to save me, but I couldn't just sit back and do nothing—let Luc stay in there, with that thing, with Lillian! I couldn't let him die for me.

And Polly! Wasn't she still in there too?

"NO!" I screamed, tears spilling over and splashing down my face. "LUC! NO! POLLY! LILLIAN YOU BITCH, YOU BITCH, LET THEM GO!"

"Was it Luc who did that?".

I turned around, surprised. I hadn't noticed anyone else land next to me, but there was Polly, standing in the rain where I had just been; I had escaped unscathed, but she looked like she had already seen battle. The raindrops mixed with the tear streaks on her face and her clothing was torn and shredded in places. There were several sets of four long scratches along her right forearm... I assumed that was because in her right hand she held a tangled mass of blonde hair. She must've torn it right out of her sister's head when Luc sent her flying from the room.

Her sister's hair... It dawned on me suddenly. If the Beast was now trapped in Luc's apartment with Lillian, then... my apartment was empty. Empty... except for everything we would need to seal away Lillian forever. The materials from the spell were still inside. We could end this, we could save Luc.

"Polly! Come with me!" I shrieked, bolting from my spot towards my apartment. "We can't stand around and do nothing. I have an idea!" Polly watched me for a second, confusion scrunching her features, but she followed me anyway.

I flung open the door to what had once been my home and was shocked by what I found. The suite had been completely destroyed. Deep gouges marred the once shiny hardwood floor, gashes patterned the wall and what was left of the furniture wasn't even enough to call kindling. The damage was the worst where the two apartments met—it seemed that the creature had tried to gnaw and tear its way into Luc's apartment.

But there was one part of my former home that had survived intact. The circle the candles had formed for our ritual had formed some kind of sacred barrier that stopped the thing from destroying anything within it—not unlike the barrier that protected Luc's home. Almost everything we needed was there: the candles and the doll... but the book—where was the book?

I looked at Polly; her face was blank with shock. I wanted to explain to her what my plan was, but in my flustered state the words wouldn't come; so I just pointed primitively at the sacred circle. The horror on Polly's face from seeing how damaged my apartment was was quickly washed away with comprehension when she laid her eyes on the spell's set up. She looked from the clump of hair in her hand to me and she smiled wickedly.

"Let's roast this bitch," Polly said viciously and ran past me into the apartment.

"We need to find the book first!" I cried. It was a hope in hell that it had survived this amount of destruction, but I had to hope—I wasn't about to give up on my once chance to save Luc.