Inner Demons Part 1-Chapter 3

Instructions

WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of death Do not proceed further if you are not comfortable with the aforementioned things. Halo reached O2 and stopped right outside the tree room. She pressed her back against the wall and slid down, exhaling. She winced at the dull pain in her head. 'Wow. That actually worked. I’m impressed.' “Yeah yeah,” Halo sighed. She rubbed her forehead again. “...alright. I want some answers.” 'Ask away.' “Who are you?” Halo asked. 'I already told you. I’m Abraxas.' “I know that. WHAT are you?” Halo questioned. 'A ghost. Only a fraction of the powerful being I once was.' “Were you an Imposter?” Halo asked. The voice in her head let out a barking laugh that hurt Halo’s head even more. 'Hah! I am not one of you animalistic savages. I am a being of pure darkness. I am the evil that whispers into the ears of those willing to listen. I-' “Alright! I get it!” Halo said. “Okay. Why me?” 'You’re troubled, little Imposter. You needed a little push in the right direction. Besides, I am in need of a... vessel.' “Why?” Halo wondered. 'I am dead. To keep my soul tethered to this plane, I need something or someone to hold it for me. Like a... balloon. I think.' “Hm. Okay,” Halo said, thinking. “And you want me to be this... vessel? Does that mean you would possess me?” 'I could. However, I am not a monster. I will allow you to have control of your body and give you abilities necessary to defend yourself should you be attacked. Or of course, to destroy our enemies. In return, I get to hang around the mortal plane and finish my business here.' “...abilities? Like powers?” Halo asked. 'Yes.' Halo blinked. “What kind of powers?” 'You’ll see. If you say yes, of course.' “...let me think.” Halo said. 'Understandable. In the meantime, there’s a crewmate coming your way.' Halo shot up and peeked around the corner. Yoel was slowly walking down the hallway, focused on his task list. 'Turn off the lights.' Halo blinked. “What?” she whispered. 'You have a tablet, do you not? It’s connected to the systems in the outpost.' Halo fished around in her backpack and found a tablet with a slightly cracked screen. “I didn’t know I had this,” she muttered to herself, powering it on. A number of buttons appeared, showing the systems on a map of the outpost. 'Click the one that looks like a lightning bolt.' Halo found the button by electrical and clicked it. Suddenly, the lights flickered, then shut off completely. Halo gasped. She knew it was dark, but... she could see. “Night vision,” she breathed. How had she not figured this out before? “Hello?” Halo heard Yoel call out. He stumbled past her, feeling the wall for direction. 'Now kill him.' Halo scrunched up her face, remembering Cal. If she didn’t do it, Abraxas would make her. She sighed. Yoel turned towards the sound. “Who’s there?” he asked, his voice shaky. Halo stepped forward, grinning with sharp teeth. She remembered how much she used to enjoy this. A sudden hunger came over her. “Your death,” Halo growled, licking her maw. Yoel stepped back, but before he could run, Halo’s mouth opened all the way and a sharp, black tongue shot out, impaling Yoel through the head. Yoel gasped. Halo returned her tongue to her mouth and Yoel fell to the ground. Halo stepped over to him. 'Very good.' The voice sounded like it was smiling Halo reached for the body, remembering something else. Halo opened her mouth again, then bit down on Yoel’s corpse. '...right. Of course.' Halo stopped eating. She realized the lights were flickering back on. Uh oh. 'There’s a hole next to the tree. I’m pretty sure it connects to a series of tunnels under the outpost.' Halo dropped the half-eaten corpse and ran to the tree room. There was a hole next to the tree. Halo dived in, huddling in the tunnel below. Footsteps echoed above her, and Halo heard a choked gasp. Halo peeked over the edge and saw Liam with Roy and Phae, as well as Phae’s son Erin staring at Yoel’s body, horror clear in their expressions. Liam held up a megaphone, tears in his eyes as he reported the body.