The Lurking Man

Cailean has been giving into a demon of her own since she was a small girl, a voice within her that brings out the worst version of herself while also destroying the lives of everyone around her. She has tried to resist the voice, but the voice also seems to have power over her body and her will. Is this demon a supernatural entity that has latched onto her, essentially transforming her into a puppet. Finding herself at death's door, she finally tries to find empathy for others, as she reminisces the key moments in her life when she obeyed the voice within her and proceeded to commit horrendous acts which brought misery to her parents as a child and then to her husband and son once she was a grown woman. Cailean sees herself as a victim of child abuse, a broken home with a father in jail after murdering her abuser and a suicidal alcoholic mother. As a grown woman, Cailean is now separated with a son she seems to love and yet she's constantly allowing her inner demon to mistreat her own child and even causing him irreparable harm. Cailean tries to fight back, pouring every bottle in her house down the drain and becoming a more responsible parent. However, this force within her is far more powerful than she can handle and her erratic behavior eventually leads her into death's domain. Cailean's alcoholism and sociopathic behavior are not figurative demons residing within her, but rather an actual demonic force which feeds from her own misery. Sariel, the angel of death serves as guide, jury and judge and performs the part of a sponsor. When Cailean tries to attend and alcoholic anonymous meeting the sponsor tells her that if she lives the meeting, she won't be safe out there, something which Sariel repeats to her when Cailean finds herself "in the light", a place of power within Limbo where Sariel is master. Sariel serves, in a way as the best counselor that Cailean never had in life, he's someone who Cailean can't get away from, someone she can't shut-out or abuse the way she does others. And so, her trial begins as well as her exorcism. She's confronted with horrendous truths about her past and present, which reveal her as a monster and not as the victim she thought to be. Once Orthon is expelled from her body, Cailean faces the darkest version of herself, one that has done everything in its power to destroy her life and the lives of her loved ones. Cailean had been incapable of love up to that point and now that she's free of the demon's grasp, she must make her own choices. On the other hand, Sariel is a wry and tired elemental spirit charged with guiding souls through the underworld, but he's been at it for too long, and like Caelian he too is looking to get rid of the overwhelming burden he's been carrying with for centuries. Sariel reveals himself as an individual capable of selfishness and wanting things for himself. Not as different from Cailean.