It looks like an exorcism. And, in a way, I guess it is.

Lucifer contentedly sticks another skinny metal pin into the red doll, this time aiming for its head. Alastor reacts to it by succumbing to a series of uncontrollable convulsions, no longer able to fight against the chains bound around him or against the voodoo power eating away at his soul. His entire being is (literally) in Lucifer's hands.

Just then, as I'm watching Alastor's eyes scintillate white, I hear a tired groan from below me. I almost jump with shock at the unexpected sound. Looking down, I see Vaggie-who somehow got into a sitting position-rubbing her eyes. "What's happening? How did I pass out?" she asks nobody in particular.

"Vaggie!" I reach down to help her up, and she takes my hand. Once she's standing, I engulf her in a tight hug and keep my arms wrapped around her neck for a long time.

When I pull away, she still looks confused, but the harshness in her eye has melted away. "Hey, Dani. What happened?"

"I'll explain everything in depth later," I say before pointing at Alastor (who is still being cleansed or whatever) and Lucifer (who looks high on power). "But, right now, Alastor's being purified."

"Oh shit," Vaggie whispers, following my gaze.

Charlie doesn't notice that Vaggie's awake, for she's too busy staring bug-eyed at the scene before us.

What looks like a skinny black snake slides out of Alastor's mouth. I cringe at the sight-it's awfully disgusting, actually. The creature resembles a sleek, slime-covered worm. Lucifer snaps, and the creepy little thing explodes in the air, splattering black goo everywhere. Bits of its black insides land on the furniture, the carpet, the walls, even on Lucifer and Lilith.

"What was that?" I ask Charlie. A bit of the splash got on my shoulder, and I flick it off, shivering at how gross it is.

"That was all of the toxic stuff in his soul."

So that's what they meant when they said they were going to purify him. Using voodoo to take everything bad out of his soul.

"Are you surprised?" Charlie asks, glancing at me, completely unfazed.

I frown, unable to look away as Lucifer snaps again, the chain vanishing from Alastor's body, allowing him to fall to the ground. I'm not surprised, but I'm not not surprised either. "I don't know," I say in response as Lucifer pumps his wings one last time before landing gently on his feet. He inattentively hands Lilith the doll, too focused on the limp demon's body before him to even look at his wife.

Despite everything, I find myself worried for Alastor's well being. Whatever just happened looked super unpleasant. And who will Alastor even be without the toxicity in him? Most of his personality was made up of that sticky black stuff.

"Oh Heavens, Vaggie! You're awake," Charlie yells, finally noticing her friend's consciousness. The girls hug, and I leave their company to see how Alastor is.

He is down for the count, lying on the ground uselessly. His eyes are closed, and his smile is barely there. I hate to admit it, but he looks kind of adorable, just sitting there sleeping like an innocent little deer boy.

"Your partner won't be very much help to you now," Lucifer says to me, his face scrunched up with suspicion. "But... why were you working with him?"

"I wasn't." I think that, since Alastor has finally been "purified", he won't need me to be his pawn. So there's no need for me to lie about being his associate. "He forced me to work with him for a while. He used me, but said that I would be his queen once he completed his plan. I never really tried to help him though."

Lucifer just looks at me. "I see. In that case, if you don't mind me asking... why are you here?"

"Because I... wait, what?"

Why am I here? What is that supposed to mean?

He steps closer to me, his eyes narrowed to little yellow slits, like he's trying to examine something on my face. Once he's standing right in front of me, he grabs my chin with two fingers and tilts my face up to match his. I feel my heart skip a beat at the close proximity. "What are you doing in hell?"

I hesitate before whispering, "I don't know what you mean."

My eyes are trained on Lucifer's pearly orbs, unable to tear themselves away. I notice Vaggie and Charlie approaching us, their shadows standing just within my peripherals like little fuzzy blobs, the colors of them blending in with their surroundings. "Daddy?" Charlie asks softly, probably confused as to why her father's hand is on my face. "What are you doing to Dani?"

Lucifer ignores Charlie. "Why did you come here and how did you get here?" he rephrases, his words firm with irritation.

I don't know how to answer his question. I died, and I was unconscious the entire time Alastor brought me in from the woods, and I just ended up in Charlie's infirmary. "I don't know. I died and just... ended up here."

Lucifer scoffs, clearly baffled. "What are you talking about? You aren't dead. Tell me please, how did you get here?"

"I-I'm telling you, I died," I insist, my heart rate quickening. Lucifer must be wrong, because I'm sure that I died. My car fell off that cliff... it was most certainly a deadly event. Plus, how could I be in hell if I'm not dead?

"You aren't dead."

"Um, I think I am."

Lucifer shakes his head. "Wake up."

"Huh?"

"I said wake up."

My chest restricts in a way that makes me feel like I'm choking. I try to deepen my breaths, to get more air, but I can't. No more air comes, but instead my throat clenches.

Lucifer takes a step back, and now I can see the remorse in his eyes. "I am awake," I barely choke out.

Lucifer does nothing.

Vaggie steps forward angrily. "Dude, what are you talking about? Look at her, you're scaring the poor girl." She wraps an arm around my shoulders, and although it was meant to comfort me, it only makes me feel distant and hollow, like a black hole or a cave.

"Lucifer, I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about," I find my voice again, but I am unsure of even my own thoughts now.

I am dead, right?

Charlie just lets her mouth fall agape, her eyes glistening with something sad. "Oh my God," she says with realization. Her tone only scares me more.

Vaggie lets go of my shoulder and walks in Charlie's direction shouting something back at her with a snappy tone, but I can barely hear the words that she's saying-all I can hear is my heart beating and my lungs struggling to get air. My vision goes dark around the edges, and I'm suffocating, suffocating...

I feel cold. Shivers are raking down my spine, leaving me uncomfortable and nauseous. "V-Vaggie," I stutter, grabbing her arm. It feels hot-too hot. I pull back to prevent my palm from being burned.

She glares at my hand, then back up at me.

When I see the fear in her eyes, I finally realize that this is serious.

"Why do you feel so cold?" she asks me, and although I can still hear her, it sounds like she's talking to me through a wall.

I try to tell her that I don't know, but my throat has closed. I reach up, grasping at the invisible hand that's choking me.

Lucifer. His hand is outstretched in my direction, surely suffocating me. "I'm sorry, Danielle. You have to wake up."

I don't want to wake up.

My vision fades away.