When they arrived at the hospital Sean got out of the car and ran to the other side to help the man get out. When they got inside a nurse had him lay down on a gurney and asked Sean what happened.
"I don't know." He said slowly. "I walked in the store and he was lying on the ground." Luckily, he had always been a pretty good liar, so she believed him. He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do next. His shoulder was throbbing, but he wasn't focused on that. He couldn't believe what he saw. He kept telling himself he was just hallucinating or something, but he knew it wasn't true. He knew what he saw was real.
About a half an hour later, the nurse came out looking for Sean. She said the man he brought in wanted to see him.
"Really? He doesn't even know me." Sean said surprised.
"Well maybe he wants to thank you. He's in room 230." She said impatiently, and then she walked over and helped some old woman at the door. He walked through the halls until He found the room numbered 230. He took a sharp breath and stepped inside. When he saw Sean walking in he sat up.
"Hello." Sean said uncomfortably as he slowly walked towards him.
"Hey." He said shyly. "Could you close the door?" Sean turned towards the door, then back towards him.
"Sure." He said as he walked back to close the door, then slowly turned around.
"So, why did you want to see me?" Sean asked as he sat down in the chair next to the hospital bed. The room was dark. There was one small lamp on the opposite side of the bed. The windows were wide open, and it was cold, but he didn't want to complain.
"I wanted to talk about what happened in the store." He said really quietly.
"Oh. I didn't think you would remember that." Sean said looking down at my hands.
"I just want you to know, it wasn't me. I mean, it was me, but I couldn't control it. I saw what I was doing, but I couldn't stop, I couldn't control my mind. It was almost like I was… never mind." He said as he turned away to the window.
"It was almost like you were… possessed?" Sean asked trying to get him to look back. It worked; he looked at him and tightened his jaw.
"Yeah. I mean, no. I don't know. This kind of stuff isn't real, it's just stories people tell to scare each other." He said anxiously.
"I know, but what else could it have been? When I hit you with that gun it barely slowed you down, or whatever was… possessing you." Sean said as he leaned closer. Then he sighed.
"I'm Sean by the way. Sean Cooper." I said as I reached out to shake his hand.
"Adam Turner." He said while he shook Sean's hand.
"Look, Adam, I'm gonna head back to my motel and do some research, I'll come back tomorrow and tell you what I find." He said as he stood up and walked towards the door.
"Alright, thanks. See you tomorrow." He said as Sean walked out of the room.
When Sean got back to the motel he threw his keys on the counter, his coat on the back of the chair, his bag on the floor next to the desk, and then he fell back onto the bed. He was happy that he could finally get some rest, but then he realized he had to do research. He pulled his laptop out of his duffle bag, placed it on the desk, and turned it on. He had no idea what he was looking for, so he just typed in possession. A lot of stuff came up, like movies and books called possession, and tons of articles about demonic possession and ghost possession. He figured a ghost probably doesn't look like a worm, so he clicked on demonic possession.
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, "fits" and fainting as if one were dying. Other descriptions include access to hidden knowledge (gnosis) and foreign languages (glossolalia), drastic changes in vocal intonation and facial structure, the sudden appearance of injuries (scratches, bite marks) or lesions, and superhuman strength. Unlike in channeling or other forms of possession, the subject has no control over the possessing entity and so it will persist until forced to leave the victim, usually through a form of exorcism.
Many cultures and religions contain some concept of demonic possession, but the details vary considerably. The oldest references to demonic possession are from the Sumerians, who believed that all diseases of the body and mind were caused by "sickness demons" called gidim or gid-dim. The priests who practiced exorcisms in these nations were called ashipu (sorcerer) as opposed to an asu (physician) who applied bandages and salves. Many cuneiform tablets contain prayers to certain gods asking for protection from demons, while others ask the gods to expel the demons that have invaded their bodies.
Shamanic cultures also believe in demon possession and shamans perform exorcisms. In these cultures, diseases are often attributed to the presence of a vengeful spirit (or loosely termed demon) in the body of the patient. These spirits are more often the specters of animals or people wronged by the bearer, the exorcism rites usually consisting of respectful offerings or sacrificial offerings.
Christianity holds that possession derives from the Devil, i.e. Satan, or one of his lessor demons. In many Christian belief systems, Satan and his demons are actually fallen angels.
Sean sighed and went over to the cooler he had brought with him and pulled out a beer.
"Well, this should be fun." He said as he walked back to the computer and kept reading. When he finished reading about possessions he searched, how to exorcise a demon.
Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, draco maledicte. Ecclesiam tuam securi tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.
"Holy crap." He said as he stared at the computer screen. He had no idea what he was reading. He didn't know what language it was, or if it was even right.
"Well, it's worth a shot." Sean said as he wrote it down on a napkin. "Now I just have to figure out how to say it. Should be easy." He said closing his computer. Then he tuned out the light, laid down on the bed, and tried to fall asleep.