Mind's Echo

Shelly

Shelly had watched in amazed silence as Alex had once again changed personalities on them, jumping down Quincy's throat after he asked them what had happened to her nose. She had wanted to intervene but hadn't known how. She had looked at Eva, who had been freaking out silently. Shelly had shook her head at the other woman, and had tried to convey some sort of comfort with her gaze. When Alex had started laughing in Quincy's face, Shelly had known something bad was about to happen. She didn't see Quincy as the kind of guy that took that sort of shit lying down. Sure enough, Quincy had come back at him, pinning Alex to the wall and brandishing his weapon. Shelly had thought Alex was really going to get it in that moment, and she'd felt more helpless than ever. Then Mark had stepped in and basically saved the day by knocking Alex out. The move had shocked Shelly and she'd screamed at Mark in shock, but she'd understood why he did it, why it needed to be done.  

She had watched quietly as Mark and Quincy pulled the unconscious Alex into an empty room and cuffed him to a pipe. She had felt sorry for him, but with Mark talking about possession, she wasn't going to intervene. She and Eva had followed the men. She hadn't wanted to leave Alex alone. She was genuinely worried about him. She was worried about all of them.

Now, she looked on as Mark pulled out white emergency candles and sat them around Alex. She'd heard of spiritual cleanses but had never performed or witnessed any. Mark lit his smudge stick and Shelly inhaled the earthy aroma of the sage. 

"So, what exactly happens, Mark?" She asked. 

She was totally upset now, her nose throbbing, her body tired, and she was thirsty and hungry. She could barely concentrate as Mark explained to her what he was doing. Something about forcing the evil spirit to vacate Alex's body by filling Alex with positive energy. She nodded absentmindedly as she looked at Eva and Quincy, who were standing off to the side, looking like they didn't really know what to do either. Alex was mumbling in his sleep, and she felt even more sorry for him. He really was acting bizarre! 

Her mind kept going back to that damn picture she first saw in the lobby, the one with the doctor performing the lobotomy. She saw the nurse and the orderly, the patient and the man standing off to the side. Why was she thinking about the picture now? Why was she seeing it so plainly in her mind, especially those particular participants?

She felt the bandage on her nose, and thought she really should change it. Her nose was swollen, and it needed ice badly. She could also use an anti-inflammatory. She needed to have it checked by a doctor to see if her septum was deviated at all. 

Suddenly realizing what she was thinking, she shook her head. What the fuck am I thinking? Deviated septum? What did that even mean?? Am I losing it like Alex? 

As if he read her mind, Alex began to mumble, and as she looked over at him, he opened his eyes, looking straight at her. She saw something in his eyes that she recognized. 

She knew him ... she knew him from ... before ...