“You’ve come so far in our sessions, and I want you to know that,” says her therapist. “You’ve made fantastic progress, even if it’s hard to see that on a day to day basis. It helps to take stock, every once in a while, to look backwards at where you started and where you are now.”

Sybil wipes the blood from her face and blinks slowly, looks around. Three, no, four bodies? “I have some concerns about this treatment modality,” she murmurs.

Therapist’s voice tinny in her ear buds. “That’s not uncommon midway through the process, once the initial rush of disruption has worn off. But remember that we’re trying to change some very deep-seated patterns of behavior, and that takes time and repetition.”

Another two, their voices muffled behind the door. She wipes her knives clean on the blouse of one of the bodies, takes a deep, centering breath. “I want you to repeat your affirmation,” says her therapist. “Feel the truth of it.”

“I am valued,” says Sybil, and forces herself to smile. “I am loved,” She relaxes her shoulders, rolls her neck, puts her hand on the door handle. “I will get revenge on everyone who has done me wrong.”