Rafe Messenger tossed on his cot. The pain in his head was becoming unbearable. Images burst like fireworks behind his eyes and he saw a kaleidoscope of himself, Doctor Haver and Angela mixed with the gory snaps of bodies, and blood bursting from faces. He grasped the rail at the head of the cot and pulled with all his strength.

Angela stopped outside the room, a sudden dizziness overtaking her. She shook her head and cursed to herself. Something was fighting her power and it confused and annoyed her. She gathered her wits and then went into her performance, screaming down the hall, looking terrified.

Two of the maintenance men working the corridor stopped and grappled with Angela, getting her under control.

"Doctor Haver! What happened? What's wrong?"

"My room- Doctor Merker . . . somebody . . ." She swooned and sagged to the floor.

"Get Cline I'll stay with her and check her room." The man lowered her gently to the floor and dashed off down the hall.

Angela sat up, feigning confusion as Peter Cline helped her to her feet, bombarding her with questions. She told him, in a halting delivery, how she had gone to check on Doctor Southall after the meeting and then to her room and found Doctor Merker inside . . . dead.

"We'll have him moved to autopsy. You need to get some rest. You may still be in shock."

"Oh, I couldn't stay there- not tonight- not after . . ."

"Aah, alright- come back to my office and we'll find a spot for tonight. Maybe one of the kitchen staff- anyway we'll see. Can you walk okay?"

"I think so. Thank you, Peter."

He noted the familiarity but let it go, chalking it up to stress and shock.

******

Rafe lost his grip on the cot bar and sank down, sweat-soaked and drained. He fought through the maze blitzing his head, seeking a point of focus, a point he could anchor to preparing for what he knew was coming. Never in the past had he been under such strain when doing these missions.

******

Southall drifted awake slowly. His headache had subsided and he felt nervous and hungry. The hunger surprised him until he realized how long it had been since he'd eaten anything. He saw the empty teacup on the night table and immediately thought of Angela. Past events flooded into his mind and he looked for the rest of his clothes.

The dim lighting in the hallways puzzled him and a young nurse hurrying by told him about what had happened. He stared after her, his head spinning again. Montrose? Murdered! He ran down the stairs two at a time and along the hall to Angela's room. Sliding the window cover open slowly, he could see her form on the large bed and he watched for several minutes, assuring himself she was asleep.

He did the same thing at Rafe's room but the scene was much different. Rafe was groaning and tossing on his cot, the sheets wound around his hips and his bare legs hanging over the edge. Southall let himself in, calling calmly and softly to his patient as he drew closer and bent down.

"Rafe? Rafe, it's Doctor Southall. Can you hear m-"

The hand flew up and grabbed his smock collar causing Southall to lose his balance and topple down on top of Rafe. Their faces were almost touching and the smell of fear assaulted Southall's nostrils.

"It isn't Doctor Haver."

"Rafe, let go."

"It isn't Doctor Haver!"

"What are you talking about? Let go?" He pulled himself free, still holding Rafe's wrists.

"It's Angela, she took over Doctor Haver's mind."

Southall stared in confused amazement. "You- you're talking . . . I mean- I mean you're making sense. Not real sense but you're speaking sentences!" He let go of Rafe and sat back.

"I can explain everything later, right now you have to stop Angela." Rafe, wiped at the sweat on his face.

"From what? What is she doing?" He jerked upright. "Montrose? You mean she-"

"Yes. And she's killed Doctor Merker as well."

"What? Merker? How do you know this?"

"I told you, I can explain everything. Now is not the time. You have to stop her."

"How? What can I do? I don't even know what's going on."

Rafe quickly related the string of events beginning with his admission to White Pine. Southall tried interrupting but was silenced. When he was done, Southall just sat, stunned to silence. Nothing he had ever imagined came close to the mind boggling tale he just heard.

"You have to act, Doctor. She's going after all of you, and she won't stop on her own." He sagged back onto the cot, exhausted, and closed his eyes.

******

Following Rafe's instructions, Southall raced up to Cline's office and entered without knocking.

"Doug, you're up!"

"Uh yeah, head feels better. I just heard about what's happening here. My God, where's uh, Peter." He couldn't help staring at her and he saw her own curiosity over his behaviour.

"Peter's trying to arrange some accommodation for me; I can't stay in that room tonight."

"Oh, no. Of course." He had to remember to call her Kristen.

She crossed the room and placed a hand under his collar, her smile sweet and innocent. "I could have said accommodation was available in your suite, but that wouldn't have been very professional."

Rafe had said to kill her but Southall could not imagine himself killing someone, especially the woman he had strong feelings for.

"Something bothering you, Doug?"

"I guess so. We have a killer loose in the facility and we can't contact the police."

"You're right. Well, I'm going to see who Peter is bunking me with tonight. I'll tell him you're waiting."

She was out of the office before he could stop her. What the hell was he going to do?

******

Angela went straight to the kitchen area and sure enough, Peter was speaking with one of the young women.

"Ah, here he is. Kristen- Doctor Haver, this is Janet. She says you are more than welcome to stay with her. I'll let her tell you the details." He turned to go and Angela caught his sleeve.

"Could we talk, in private for a moment?"

"Certainly." He guided her to a small room off the kitchen proper.

******

Cline put up quite a struggle and Angela had the feeling of losing her strength. She suspected something was interfering with her control and she swore under breath as she hurried down the hall to the lockdown wing.

******

Southall entered the kitchen, asking for Peter and the help told him they had gone around the corner to talk. He found the little room and opened the door. The sight made him gag as he backed away, hand over his mouth. Peter's body lay twisted in the corner, blood leaking out from his throat onto his shirt and tie. Rafe had to do something. He couldn't handle this alone. The syringe he'd loaded and held in his pocket felt slippery in his sweaty palm. He slammed the door and took off for Rafe's cell.

They were facing one another in what looked like a standoff. Both had arms raised and fingers pointing. Southall closed the slide and opened the door.

"Doug, oh thank goodness. He's having an episode." Angela dropped one arm and backed away.

Rafe looked at Southall and queried him with a look. He was sweating and starting to go into a crouch. Angela's breathing was strained as they both fought one another with invisible powers. Southall felt the syringe in his hand and decided this was his chance, maybe his only chance. He took it from his pocket and moved toward Angela.

"What are you doing, Doug?" Her eyes became yellow and he faltered.

"Do it, Doctor, do it!" Rafe cried.

He plunged the syringe into her bicep and pressed the plunger all the way. Angela screamed and turned on him, her hands grappling for his throat. She kept screaming and her face changed into a horrid mask of an evil Southall couldn't begin to describe. The syringe fell to the floor and Rafe began to stand straight once more. He walked toward her slowly and she whined as she lost her grip on Southall.

He gasped as Rafe took hold of a swirl of gelatinous matter released from Kristen's body and moulded it into a flaming ball that he crushed in his hands. The sound was horrific and Southall was lucky he could react to Kristen falling to the floor. He caught her around the waist and settled her across his knee.

"It's over, Doctor. Angela is gone."

"But I saw her sleeping in her room." He lifted Kristen to a sitting position.

"That is the real Angela Lucirk," Rafe began changing into street clothes that seemed to come from his locker.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm done here, I have to return."

"What? What are you talking about?" Southall lifted Kristen to her feet and she managed to stay steady.

"She needs rest; she's had a very traumatic experience. She'll be okay but she should rest." Rafe moved to the room's casement window and pushed it open.

Kristen stared at him and let out a soft moan, her hand at her throat. Southall grabbed her and steadied her and when he looked back, Rafe was gone.

******

A staff meeting ended with the instruction that what had taken place was to remain within the walls of White Pine. The real Angela's mind had been destroyed by the recent events and she was presented as the perfect scapegoat for the murders; the truth would never be known and the police investigation had been satisfied. A government agent reviewed the matter, made recommendations and the incident was filed away.

Douglas Southall sat back and exhaled mightily. His coffee had grown cold answering the questions the police had for him, and then sat while they grilled Kristen. He stayed because of her lingering medical concerns.

"Thank God that's all over." He said.

"I still can't believe it. Angela was never really Angela the whole time, she was this- this demon?"

"That's not the strangest part. Rafe Messenger, his name was really Raphael, and he came as a," Southall made finger quotes, "messenger to heal the real Angela Lucirk."

Kristen made a face. "You're telling me he said he was an angel? An angel!"

"He never actually said it. But whatever he pulled from you in that cell and crushed in his hands was the reason for all the killings. He said Angela, the real one, had such strong resentments over being committed that it left her exposed to being possessed. Hence the demon, Angela."

"Do you believe all that?"

"Kris, the witnesses who swore it was you with Cline and Merker didn't lie. She took over you to do her dirty work. Rafe was overmatched at the beginning and she was able to control him but she spread herself too thin and he got the upper hand finally."

"But an angel?"

"And a demon." He sat up and took her hand. "Let's just be happy the storm ended, the police came and the surface facts have been satisfied. To try and tell them what we know would have us committed as well." He smiled and squeezed her fingers. "It's a shame about Angela but there's nothing we could have done or can do now; her mind is completely gone."

******

Angela rolled over on her large bed and stared up at the ceiling. A small smile tickled the corners of her mouth and she snuggled into the sheet, a sensation of something coursing through her veins causing a welcome moan as she listened to Douglas Southall's remarks in her head.

END