Damian was expecting Claudius Stone to be a righteous man. If Hannah had suggested him, he must've been the priest of her church, or perhaps a deacon or some higher up. At the very least, Claudius had to be a man of God. But as he stood across from the man, Damian thought it safe to assume he was none of those things.
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He stood in Claudius' office, which was crammed between a dentist office and a shop that sold crystals. His office was a mess. There were papers all over the floors and spread over every surface. On them were taboo drawings of pentagrams and strange symbols that he didn't recognize. There were pizza boxes, Chinese take out, dirty clothes, and empty bottles of booze all over the place. It was as if he was living out of this place. It certainly smelled like it. The paintings on the walls were crooked and depicted images of places that Damian didn't recognized. The pictures had labels on them that named the places. Waverly Hills Sanitarium, New Jersey Pine Barrens, The White House-- He stopped in front of that one. It didn't fit the vibe of the rest of the pictures.
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"Yup, even the White House is haunted." Claudius said, walking up behind him and resting his arm on his shoulder.
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The man reeked of gin. His smell alone was almost enough to intoxicate Damian. He resisted the urge to hold his nose around the man, he didn't want to insult the only person that could help him. He joined Damian in looking at the picture for a moment, then went back to walking around the room and tidying it up.
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"Sorry about the mess, wasn't expecting guests." the man said as he hid his dirty clothes in a closet.
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"It's fine." Damian said.
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Claudius looked just as shabby as his surroundings. He wore a white button up with a stained collar, black pants that couldn't hide all the food stains, and a black trench coat with cigarette burns on it. His hair was black and messy, he had a scruffy beard, and a pair of the bluest eyes Damian had ever seen. He was willing to excuse the messiness of the man and his office given the fact that he had come to see him at one in the morning.
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"My name is Damian. Damian Warner. I'm here because-" He was cut off.
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"You're here because someone you know is possessed by a demon." Claudius interjected as he finished his half assed effort at cleaning, turning to face him.
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He nodded. He assumed Claudius could sense it on him the same way Hannah had.
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"Tell me about what's been happening, Mr. Warner." He gestured to a seat.
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Damian was hesitant to sit in the chair, it had suspicious white stains on it, and he didn't even want to even think about where they'd come from. Claudius continued to gesture towards the chair, looking at him with a crooked smile. He very slowly sat on the edge of the chair. Claudius walked around to sit at the chair behind his desk. Damian began to fill him in on the situation.
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"It's my wife, Destiny. Awhile ago, we lost our unborn child. We were both grieving, but Destiny took it especially hard."
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As Damian spoke, Claudius rummaged through his desk, looking for something. He seemed distracted, but Damian continued.
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"Then she up and disappears for days and comes back with these powers. Flight, strength, and she can heal. She cut her throat right in front of me and it just healed. She started acting-"
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He was cut off by the sound of Claudius gargling some water. He stopped talking and stared at the man as he continued to gargle the water, reclined in his chair, propped his dirty boots on the desk, and picked his ear. He swallowed the water, flicked the earwax off his finger, then looked to Damian.
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"Go on." Claudius prompted, motioning for him to continue.
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Damian looked at him for a moment, ensuring he was done and was actually listening before continuing.
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"Then she started acting differently. She used to be-"
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"She used to be an angel and now she's acting like the bloody devil? Angry, saying things she wouldn't normally say?" Claudius interrupted and finished Damian's thought for him,"Yeah, you're dealing with a demon. The flying is new though, can't say I've heard that one before; but at least she's not climbing the walls and turning her head around like a damned owl, right?" Claudius laughed, looking to Damian to agree.
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He looked at him blankly. Claudius cleared his throat, clearing the awkward air that he had created.
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"So what do you want me to do?" Claudius asked.
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"Get the demon out of her." He thought that was obvious.
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"Ah, but it's not that easy, mate."
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"Why not?"
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"Can't just cast it out. I'd have to assess the kind of demon and find a new vessel first." Claudius explained.
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"New vessel?"
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"A demon needs to make a deal with a human to get out of the corpreal world, then the demon uses said human as a vessel. If I just cast out the demon all willy-nilly without a new vessel then it'll be free to roam about our world and mess it up how it sees fit."
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"Well, how do we find a new vessel?"
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"Ah, that's the hard part. You see, it's gotta be a living being. Animals won't work, gotta be human. Got any enemies? Maybe a mother-in-law you're not too fond of?"
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Damian shook his head. He didn't realize he'd have to sacrifice someone in order to help Destiny. He remained quiet. Was it right to give one life to save another? This was for Destiny, not some stranger. He'd see the world burn to save her. Even if it was immoral, he had to come up with someone.
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"What about me?" He asked, his voice sounding dry.
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Claudius arched his brow,"Self-sacrificial type, are we? Yeah, that'll work, but are you sure? If you do, I'll have to lock you up. You'll slowly go mad, your soul will be corrupted, you'll lose yourself, you'll be nothing more than a house for a demon. You'll never even get to see your wife again."
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Damian nodded,"I'd do anything for her, even if it means I can't be with her."
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"Better man than me." Claudius wiped away an imaginary tear at his sentiment,"Alright, there's a few things we have to do first. I gotta assess the demon to see what we're working with, we have to learn the demons name cause that's how we control it, and we have to find it's sigil, then we can put it in you."
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"Alright, how do we do that?"
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"You mentioned your wife disappearing. Where does she go?"
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"I don't know." Damian said with a shrug.
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"Right, well, we need to know. It could give us some answers. Next time she leaves, follow her and give me a ring. In order to make a deal with a demon you need their sigil, and she's probably been going to where she made that deal. Demons always go back to their spawning point, gives them energy. We need that sigil to cast the demon out." He picked up a paper that had a pentagram with a weird marking in the middle,"Like this."
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"Alright." He tried to follow along with what the man was saying, "I'll follow her. What do we do until she goes back there?"
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"You're going to invite me over for dinner." Claudius grinned and got up.
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He walked around his desk and guided Damian up, ushering him somewhere.
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"Why?" He wasn't too keen on the idea of having the messy man in his house.
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"Because I have to assess the demon, remember? I need to know if the lass is beyond saving."
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"Beyond saving?"
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"Oh? Did I forget to mention that? If the demon has completely corrupted her soul, we can't help her. Anyways, for dinner I like chicken over beef, and I don't eat pastas, sound good?" Claudius readily skipped past the part about not being able to save Destiny,"Oh, and I only take cash. Have that by dinner as well. Let's say a thousand, eh?"
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"What?!" Damian exclaimed, he stopped walking and turned to the man.
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He'd just been listening and letting Claudius guide him that he didn't realize where he was taking him. Damian now stood outside the man's door.
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"Alright then, see you tonight at, let's say, six. It was a pleasure, mate." Claudius said, then closed the door in Damian's face.
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What just happened? Damian stood there stunned, digesting all the information he had received. He began to knock on the man's door.
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"Hey! Wait! I have more questions!" He peered in through a window, but couldn't see the man inside.
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Great. How professional. He supposed there would be plenty of time to talk later. Now he had to go home and explain to his wife where he had been.
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It was two in the morning by the time Damian rolled into the driveway. He looked at the window, his headlights illuminated Destiny's silhouette standing there, waiting for him. He didn't know what to expect going in there. Would she be furious? He noticed a lump forming in his throat. He had to convince his brain to let go of the steering wheel, and convince his legs to move. He slowly made his way to the door, but before he could unlock it, the door swung open and Destiny lunged at him. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. He could hear sobs coming from her.
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"I was so worried." Destiny said, her tears choking her words.
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Instead of hugging her back, Damian just froze. He was expecting her to lash out in anger like she had the night before, not this. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back, consoling her.
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"I'm okay, I'm sorry for staying out so late." He cooed at her, taking a step back to look into her eyes.
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Big teary doe brown eyes peered back at him. They weren't red like they had been before, and when she hugged him, he couldn't feel heat coming from her body.
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"I'm sorry, I know I'm probably overreacting, I just missed you," She gently pulled him inside and wiped her nose with her sleeve, "Where were you?"
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"I lost track of time at the office and ended up hanging out with a friend after work. I should've called, I was distracted." Damian followed her inside.
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"It's fine, I'm just being a crybaby." Destiny said, flipping on the lights,"We've just been so distant lately, and I thought maybe you just didn't want to come home."
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Damian grimaced, remembering what he had done with Daniella earlier. It was killing him inside having betrayed Destiny like that. It was a momentary lapse in judgment, he told himself. It didn't mean anything. He put his hands on Destiny's shoulders.
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"No matter how bad things seem, I'll always come back to you." He assured her.
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Destiny smiled, putting a hand on top of his, then her smile waned and she sighed, "What happened to us? How did we let everything that's been happening get between us?"
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Damian shook his head. Their love had been so strong before, then they lost their child and those chains weakened.
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"I don't know, but I won't let that happen anymore." He cupped her face in his hands, "I love you."
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"I love you too," She nestled into his touch, "We should do something fun tomorrow, get out of the house and hangout together, just forget everything."
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"What did you have in mind?" He arched his brow curiously.
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She took his arm and lead him to the couch, having him sit down. She sat cross-legged beside him, facing him, a dorky smile on her face. He could already tell she had something cooked up in that head of hers. He chuckled at the amount of enthusiasm she had.
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"I planned for us to have a fun day tomorrow."
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"What did you plan?" He leaned back into the couch.
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She looked so eager to share her plans with him, she smiled at him so tenderly that it melted his heart. He forgot about everything that he had on his mind before seeing that smile. Her contagious giddy demeanor quickly made him excited to spend time with her.
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"In the morning we should go to the movie theater and watch as many cheap morning movies that we can sit through. Then we should go to the park because they're having a little music festival and our favorite food truck is gonna be there, the one with the really good barbecue. Then we can come home and play a bunch of video games and drink like we're kids." She smiled, waiting to hear what he thought of her fun plan for the day.
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"Wow, you put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"
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"Yes, I did. What do you think?"
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He hummed, leaving her waiting in suspense for a moment, "I think we should head to bed because it's late and we have a full day tomorrow."
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Destiny grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You're right, we should be smart and go to sleep so we won't be zombies in the morning... or, we can stay up a little bit longer and start our fun early."
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"I like the sound of that," He grinned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close.
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He lifted her up and carried her to their room. They quickly got tangled up in one another in a fit of heat, sweat, and passion, navigating each other in the darkness. He felt like he had been starving and this was his first meal in days. Like he had been crawling through the hottest desert and she was an oasis. He forgot about everything, about Daniella, about Claudius, about the fact that his wife might be possessed; he could only focus on the sound of her screaming his name, the sweet taste taste of her on his tongue like sugar and honey, the way her smooth skin felt pressed up against his body, making him hot. They barely got any sleep that night, too busy rekindling their passion to close their eyes.
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When they were done, they laid there, her on top of him. They huffed and attempted to catch their breath. Destiny shifted to get off of him and he wrapped his hands around her, pulling her back to him.
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"Don't go. You feel so good," He said, running his hands down her body.
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"I have to go to the bathroom," She giggled, "I'll be right back, I promise."
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She pried herself from him, giving him a kiss and disappearing into the bathroom. He felt cold without her, he impatiently waited for her to come back. The moments she was gone felt like hours. He kept waiting as patiently as he could before calling out of to her.
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"Did you fall in?" He shouted playfully.
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She didn't respond.
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A red light began to pour into the room. Had they been up long enough for the sun to rise? He looked to the window and saw darkness. He sat up, perplexed, and looked towards the bathroom door. The red light was coming from the cracks of the door.
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"Destiny?" He called out.
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No answer.
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He got up and walked to the door, opening it to find Destiny collapsed on the floor. He rushed to her to see if she was alright.
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"Destiny?! Say something, baby."
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He sat her up, looking her over and felt a chill run down his spine, she was smiling so wide it looked as if her cheeks had ripped to make the corners of her mouth meet her eyes, her eyes were crimson red like drops of blood. Damian let her go to get away from her, but she latched onto his wrists, pulling him in. Her touch was smoldering hot, his flesh bubbled and sizzled, he felt his blood boiling beneath his sweltering skin. He tried to pull away from her, but her grip was too tight.
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"Da te mihi.... Da te mihi.... Da te mihi...." Her voice sounded like a snake trying the hiss out words with it's forked tongue.
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He had no idea what she was saying, but she wouldn't stop repeating it. He rose to his feet, still stuck in her grasp, trying to free himself. She opened her mouth, her jaw unhinged and he saw into the black depths of her body. A snake the size of a elephant's trunk slithered up from the bowels of her stomach. He panicked, trying to break free, his breath got stuck in his throat. He couldn't breath. The creature raised its head, still emerging from her, it looked at him with black eyes like gapping holes in its head. He moved towards Damian's face, towards his mouth. He kept his lips vacuumed sealed together, but the creature found it's way in. It forced itself into his mouth, down his throat. He was suffocating on the scaley beast. Tears rolled down his eyes as his screams were smothered. Destiny let him go after the serpent had fully left her and was inside of him. He collapsed to the ground, trying so hard to scream, but all his tongue could do was feel slimy cold scales of the snake as it slithered into his belly.
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Damian woke up breathing like he'd run a mile, sucking in all the air he could. He looked around to see he was in bed. He felt his mouth and throat. Normal. He looked at his wrists. Normal. Sun was pouring in through the windows. Destiny was laying beside him. She had been woken up when Damian jolted up. He was sweating and hyperventilating, looking around to find the snake. Destiny sat up looking at him confused.
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"Baby, what's wrong?" She held his face, getting him to look her in the eyes.
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He jumped out of her grasp, falling out of the bed. He didn't understand. How'd they get here? Where was the snake? Was it inside him? He wanted to rip open his stomach with his bare hands to claw it out of him. Destiny stared at him like he was crazy. He studied her face. Her eyes were brown. She wasn't smiling like a maniac. She got out of the bed and knelt beside him.
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"Hey, it's okay..." She spoke gently, "You're okay, just breathe."
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He looked at her, fear striken, struggling to understand what had happened. He ran a hand through his hair, laying back on the floor and covering his face. It had been a dream. His deep breathing started to turn into hysterical laughter. Destiny watched him.
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"Are you okay?" She asked, reaching out to him.
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He moved his hands away from his face, allowing her to touch him.
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"I'm fine," He said, "I just had a nightmare."
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He stopped laughing. He put a hand on his chest to calm his racing heart. It was just a dream, but it had reminded him of the problem they had. Destiny was possessed and he was going to have to take the demon from her. He closed his eyes and just laid there. Destiny rubbed his arm trying to soothe him.
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His night with her had made him completely forget about all of this demon stuff. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was looking at him with furrowed brows. He sat up, putting his hand on hers.
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"I'm fine, really." He assured her, but she remained unconvinced.
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"I'm gonna go get ready," He said as he got up.
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"Are you sure? We can just stay in today." She stood with him.
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He nodded,"No, I wanna go. I just need a minute."
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He walked into the bathroom, her at his heels until he closed the bathroom door, shutting her out. He turned on the shower to let it warm up. He gripped the edges of the sink tightly, looking at his reflection. His eyes were their normal green shade. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue to examine the back of his throat, checking for the snake. It really had been a dream, but the reality remained, that dream would come to fruition. He found himself shaking. Maybe he didn't have to take the demon from her? If all this demon was going to do was make her angry some times and give her supernatural abilities, maybe they could just live like that. He remembered what Claudius had said, "You'll slowly go mad, your soul will be corrupted, you'll lose yourself, you'll be nothing more than a house for a demon." He knew that she would only get worse. He had to take it from her. He took a deep breath. He would enjoy this day with her to the best of his ability, because it might be their last.
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Damian took a cold shower, and by the time he got out and got dressed he felt a little better. Destiny got ready as well, then they headed to the movie theater. They bought tickets for three movies showing one right after the other, and bought candy and drinks.
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The first movie was a romance. Damian didn't particularly find interest in rom-coms, so he found his attention drifting elsewhere. More often than not, he found himself looking over at Destiny and enjoying the movie through her reactions. She laughed, she gasped, and she cried, and Damian did right along with her-- Well, except for crying, he knew the characters were gonna get together in the end so he didn't see the point in that. At the end of the movie, it was just like he had expected, the two characters overcame all the obstacles and ended up together. During the final scene, when the characters kissed, Destiny reached for his hand and held it tightly. He smiled and squeezed her hand back.
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After the movie, they went to the bathroom and refreshed their drinks then waited in the lobby, looking at posters for upcoming movies.
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"What did you think of the movie?" She asked, looking up at him.
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He could tell from the look in her eye that she was bottling up her opinion until he had given his. He knew she wanted to hear what he had to say before she truly decided whether she liked it or not. He thought for a moment. She seemed to have enjoyed the movie, so for her he would pretend.
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"It was pretty good." He lied.
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Damian was a horrible liar, and she could read him like a book. She punched his arm.
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"You're lying, you hated it. I knew you would. I hated it too."
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He scoffed, "You did not, you were laughing your ass off and crying. You had snot running down your face and everything."
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"I did not! I don't even like romance movies. I only laughed because I could feel you staring at me and I was picturing your annoyed face cause I forced you to watch this dumb movie, and I teared up because of what he said, I didn't cry because I was into it." She said sassily.
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"What'd he say?"
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"When he was apologizing to her, he told her he would do anything for her." She looked up at him with a meaningful glance.
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Damian recalled saying the same thing back when Destiny was laying motionless in bed. He still wasn't convinced she didn't like the movie, he thought she was just saying she didn't like it to agree with him.
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"If you don't like romance, why'd you choose the movie?"
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"Because we're watching three movies from three different genres. Romance, sci-fi, and horror."
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"Why those three? Why couldn't it be action, sci-fi, and horror."
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"Because I knew you hate romance so I forced you to watch it." She blinked her eyes feigning innocence,"I wanted to see you suffer."
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Damian rolled his eyes, playfully pushing her. She giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him.
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"C'mon, the previews should be just about over, I don't wanna miss the beginning of the movie."
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The next movie was, like she said, a sci-fi movie. It was the third in a trilogy that he hadn't seen. It was set in some made up universe with a bunch of alien races, and had some galatical government conflict, like most sci-fi flicks. Despite not being sure what was going on, he was quickly engrossed in the film. The plot was naunced and complex, the CGI was beautiful, and the action was intense. He didn't once take his eyes off the screen, not even to see if Destiny was reacting the same way he was. By the end of the movie he was a fan. They walked out of the theater, and Damian began rambling about what he thought happened in the previous movies, and what he thought would happen in the next. Destiny listened to his ramble, sipping her drink. When he realized he had yet to hear her speak, he shut his mouth.
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"Anyways, I obviously loved it, but what did you think?" He inquired.
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She thought for a moment.
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"Meh." She said with a shrug.
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He resisted the urge to let his jaw hang open. Had they seen the same movie?! How had she not loved it? He nodded, looking away, pouting a bit, then he heard her start to giggle. He looked back to her.
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"What?" He asked.
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"I'm kidding, you should've seen the look on your face. You looked at me like I'd slapped you or something."
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"So you did like it?" He asked, turning red, he hadn't noticed he made a face.
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"Yes, I liked it." She grinned.
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He began to grin too thinking about how childish he had reacted. Now that he knew she actually liked it, he could continue on with his rant. She listened to him, sharing some of her own thoughts, until it was time for the next movie.
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The last movie was the horror movie. It was an old black and white thriller. It was about a man who had gone on vacation with his fiancé to a ski resort. While they were skiing down the mountain they got caught in the middle of a snow storm, found a random lodge, and decided to stay there until the storm passed. Eventually, as time passed, the man caught cabin fever and began to act irrationally. Damian was uncomfortable by the movie. He watched as the man began to gradually go from stir crazy to just plain crazy. The man lifted an axe above his head and chopped his fiancé up. Damian looked away from the screen, feeling uneasy. The screen showed the fiancé's pool of red blood, and he looked into Destiny's eyes and saw the red reflect in them. A chill went down his spine. She didn't look disturbed, she looked like she was enjoying it. For the rest of the movie he didn't look back at her. At the end of the movie, the man found his way back to the resort, and kept expecting people to ask about his fiancé, but they never did. He went to a hotel worker who had seen the man quite often, and admitted to what he had done. The worker was confused. He'd come here alone. The man tried to prove he was telling the truth, but he never did find the lodge again. The movie ended, and Damian was glad to leave.
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"What did you think?" Destiny asked.
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"It was okay." He shrugged.
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"What do you think really happened?"
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"What do you mean?"
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"It was one of those movies where it's left up to your interpretation. What do you think really happened?" She asked, her eyes shimmering, she had a theory she was dying to share.
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"I don't know, he seemed crazy, like he made his fiancé up or something." Damian didn't care too much about the secret of the movie.
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"I think he did it," She said, looking up at him with a smile, "I think he killed her, and no one remembered her because she always left the scene when another character was involved. That could mean he was imagining her and she simply left because no one could see her to interact with her, but she did things that stuck, like when she kissed him and someone acknowledged the lipstick on his face. They only wanted to make it seem like he she was only in his head but she was real." She said.
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"Hmm." He hummed in response, making his way out of the theater and to the car.
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Destinty had to jog to keep up with him.
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"Did you not like it?" She grabbed his arm to get him to slow his pace and walk beside her.
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"It was fine." He said with a shrug, he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
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He looked down at her to see she was looking at him so earnestly. She really had enjoyed the movie, and she wanted him to indulge her in talking about it. He thought for a minute.
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"If she was real then how come he never found that lodge again? Was that also just to make him look crazy?" He humored her which made her smile.
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She gladly explained her theory to him all the way to the park. When they got there, things were still being set up for the music festival. Destiny got a blanket out of the car and laid it out so they could sit on it when the music started. While they waited, they took a stroll around the lake, talking about anything that popped into their minds. By the time they rounded the lake, the music was starting. They found their blanket and watched the show. She sat down and he laid and rested his head in her lap.
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The sun quickly set, and the music never stopped. A few bands came out and sung some songs they didn't know, but for the most part there were only cover bands singing fan favorite songs. Damian watched Destiny sing along and groove to the music. It made him smile. She seemed so happy and at peace. His heart ached. Pretty soon he would be the possessed one and Claudius would lock him away. They wouldn't be able to watch movies, or talk, or see each other again. Destiny looked down at him and knew something was wrong.
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"Are you okay?" She caressed his face.
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He looked at her, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her palm.
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"I'm fine."
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He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, joining her in singing until they both grew hoarse. At least their last real day together would be a good one. The festival ended around eight O'clock, and they made their way back home. Destiny fell asleep in the car ride back, and Damian drove in silence. When they pulled into their cul-de-sac, he saw a man in a black trench coat standing in their driveway. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to have dinner with Claudius at six so he could assess Destiny. He'd been so preoccupied in giving her a good final day with him that he'd forgotten.
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As he pulled closer, he could see the bothered expression on the man's face. Claudius opened Damian's door before the car even came to a complete stop.
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"Good to see ya, or at least it would've been, had ya been here two hours earlier like we fucking agreed." Claudius raised his voice.
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Damian got out of the car and shut the door so they didn't wake Destiny.
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"I'm sorry, I just wanted to spend some time with my wife before you locked me up."
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"I've got news for ya, mate: that's not your wife. She stopped being ya wife the day she made a deal with a devil. You're just wooing a demon playing pretend." Claudius burst his bubble.
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Damian didn't believe him. She had acted just like her normal self before all of this. How would a demon know what she acted like before it got here?
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"Whatever. At least she'll remember it."
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"This is gonna raise the price. Remember, I'm here cause you asked me for help. I couldn't care less if it was her who was possessed or you."
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"Damian?" A soft voice pipped up.
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He turned to see Destiny had woken up and gotten out of the car. She eyed Claudius suspiciously.
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"Who's this?" She walked around the car and hooked her arm around Damian's.
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"I'm a friend from work. A new hire." Claudius answered for him.
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He nodded, "Remember when I told you I was with a friend from work?"
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Destiny looked Claudius up and down, unimpressed. She extended her hand for him to shake.
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"I'm Destiny, Damian's wife."
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"You're as beautiful as he's said." Instead of shaking her hand, Claudius bowed his head.
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"Thank you," She awkwardly put her hand down, "Why don't you come inside."
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"I'd love to." Claudius grinned a crooked smile, brandishing crooked teeth.
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They all made their way inside. Damian felt nervous, but he tried not to show it. He knew Destiny would be able to pick up on his attitude if he acted like something was wrong-- Well, this wasn't Destiny, but he would still put up his best facade.
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"I'll fix us some coffee, how would you like yours, Mr...?" Destiny turned to Claudius.
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"Call me Nick, and I like my coffee with a tea bag, no coffee, and some honey." He said, taking a seat on the couch.
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Damian sat in a chair as Destiny nodded, and disappeared into the kitchen. Damian looked at Claudius with a puzzled expression.
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"Nick?" He inquired.
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"A name is a powerful thing, I don't give it to demons... Bad enough Hannah told you what it was. Never should've slept with her..."
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Damian glossed past that last part, "So what do we do?"
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"I am going to do my job, which you have yet to pay me for, you just act natural."
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Easier said then done. Damian couldn't hide something to save his life. He would just let Claudius do all the talking. Destiny walked back into the living room, setting Claudius' cup of tea on the coffee table, and handing Damian his cup of coffee, sitting on the armrest of his chair.
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"So Nick, what brings you here?" Destiny asked.
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Claudius and Destiny locked eyes, both of their gazes unwavering. The tension could be cut with a knife. It was as if Destiny knew who he was without them having to say. Damian looked to Claudius to see if he was as tense as he was, but the man looked at ease.
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"I was in the neighborhood so I decided to stop by." He answered her with a smile.
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"Do you live near here?" She asked.
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Her hand resting on the back of the couch and her fingers tapping rhythmically, one after the other.
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"No." He answered.
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"What brings you this way? It couldn't have been just to see Damian, I mean, you guys work together and see each other all day, you must be sick of each other by now."
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Destiny watched the man catiously. She asked questions as if she were suspicious of him, hoping to catch him.
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"I go to church near here, and I figured, since it's on the way, I would stop and invite Damian and his lovely wife."
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The second church was mentioned, Destiny's eyes flashed red, but she blinked it away.
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"Oh? Well, thanks for the offer, but we're not religious."
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"Really? Damian was telling me you'd both like to join me some time."
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Destiny's eyes shifted to Damian. He nodded but didn't say anything.
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"Would you like to join me, Damian?" Claudius prompted, trying to get him to go along with it.
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Damian stared at him for a second before understanding.
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"Yes, I think we should go." He tried not to sound as tense as he was.
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Destiny looked uneasy, she cleared her throat, "Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment, Damian?"
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She stood, and grabbed his wrist tightly. He winced as she pulled him up and dragged him into the other room. She looked at him with an annoyed expression.
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"I thought today was going to be our day. Why did you say we'd go to church with him?" She sounded irritated, like she wanted to bite his head off.
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"It could be fun." Damian said with a shrug.
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"I don't want to go." She folded her arms across her chest.
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"You never know, you might like it."
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"I know I won't. And since when were you religious?" She narrowed her eyes.
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"Ever since you gained the ability to throw our couch across the room and fly."
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"That was not an act of God." She said harshly.
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"What else could it have been?"
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She began to rub the temples on her forehead.
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"I just want him to leave so we can go back to our evening." She said with a sigh.
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"I think we should give it a shot. Why are you so against it? We go, and if we don't like it we can leave."
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"I would rather you fucking snap my neck and stomp on my limp body right now then to ever step foot in a church full of righteous pricks." Destiny snapped.
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Her eyes turned red, her voice deepened to a low growl, she hissed out the words and spat them in his face. Damian was shaken, he looked her over, noticing that she was clenching her hands so tightly that blood was dripping from her palms. The blood hit the floor, looking more black then red.
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"I didn't mean to get you all riled up." A voice came from the door to the kitchen.
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They looked over to see Claudius standing there. Destiny froze. She forced a smile onto her face. It looked unnatural, like the smiles plastered onto dolls.
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"You didn't." She said, sounding very riled up.
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She was looked back and forth between Damian and Claudius. Damian didn't look at her and Claudius wouldn't stop looking at her.
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"Well, I can tell when my presence is unwanted, which happens more often than you would think." Claudius said, turning to Damian, "Why don't you walk me out."
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Damian nodded, looking over at Destiny to see that she was going out the backdoor. He walked with Claudius to the front.
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"So what do you think?" Damian said, not looking forward to his answer.
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"She's definitely possessed, and the demon is smart. Most of them would've just lost their cool and tried to kill me. It's trying to impersonate your wife. It's trying to blend in. Getting its name ain't gonna be easy."
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"But it's not too late to save her?"
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"No, I don't think so."
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Damian was a little happy, this at least meant he could take this burden from Destiny. Claudius looked awkwardly at the sad man, catching on to his downcast spirit. He smacked the man's shoulder.
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"Don't lose faith, mate. This isn't my first demon. We'll free her, and she'll be running around here missing you in no time."
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If that was supposed to cheer him up, it had failed miserably.
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"So what do we do? We still don't know the demon's name, or its sigil."
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Claudius pointed up and Damian looked to see what he was gesturing to. He saw Destiny in the air, flying in the direction of the woods behind their house.
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"We follow the demon, and it'll lead us to what we want."
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