"Drew, come help me with this."
Ed Warren's voice drew the young investigator away from Father Anderson. Drew hurried over with clear excitement still on his face. He picked up one of the equipment bags and followed Ed into the house.
"Father, Drew has wanted to visit St. Michael's for a long time," Lorraine said as she watched them leave. "I think he admires you."
"Admires me?"
Anderson looked toward Ed and Drew. His attention soon shifted to Theodore Tracy and his family who were waiting near the entrance.
"I'm not suited to be anyone's idol. Still, he would be welcome at St. Michael's. A generous donation would also be appreciated."
Lorraine smiled as though she had expected that answer.
"I'll ask Ed to give him some time off."
"I'll be waiting."
Anderson turned toward the house. A strange and oppressive atmosphere surrounded the building.
"The more important question is what happened here."
Lorraine handed him the case file she had been carrying.
"These are the interviews and evidence we collected during our investigation."
Anderson opened the file and removed the first report.
"Around a year before the Tracy family moved here, another family was murdered inside this house," Lorraine explained. "Ronnie DeFeo killed his entire family at ten o'clock at night. He later shot himself in the hallway."
Anderson examined a crime-scene photograph. Bloody footprints covered the hallway floor.
"That would explain why the family hears footsteps every night at ten."
Lorraine nodded.
"That is our current theory."
Anderson turned to the next page. He was mainly reviewing the evidence to confirm that the case met the Church's standards. The last thing he needed was another bishop accusing him of ignoring procedure.
The first stage had already been established. A violent death had created the event that allowed the haunting to begin.
The next step was determining how the entity had attacked the family.
According to the interviews, the Tracys first heard footsteps at ten each night. The sound began far down the hallway and moved closer with every passing day.
Eventually, the footsteps reached the bedroom door.
A deafening gunshot followed.
The experience would have terrified almost anyone. The family could not see the approaching figure. They could only listen as it crossed the hallway one step at a time before the blast erupted outside their room.
Anderson glanced at the Tracys.
Their faces were pale. Dark circles surrounded their bloodshot eyes. Each looked exhausted and physically weakened.
He returned to the report.
After the first gunshot, the haunting became more aggressive. The footsteps continued each night at ten. The family locked themselves inside a bedroom, but the doorknob began turning from the other side.
Then came the knocking.
It continued for fifteen minutes before suddenly stopping.
When daylight arrived, the family left the room and found a line of blurred footprints in the hallway. They led directly to the bedroom door.
"Things are escalating quickly."
Anderson examined the attached photograph. A reddish footprint stained the floorboards.
The interviews and physical marks were still not enough for formal Church approval. Ordinary people could fake photographs, footprints, and damaged doors.
Church procedure also required investigators to rule out mental illness before declaring an event supernatural. Since Theodore, Tracy, and Abbott had all experienced the same disturbances, a shared delusion seemed unlikely.
Anderson continued until he reached the most important piece of evidence.
The photograph showed the same empty hallway.
A mirror hung on one wall. Reflected inside it was the mutilated figure of a man with part of his head missing.
Anderson studied the image for several seconds. He then returned it to the file and closed the case.
Lorraine accepted the folder from him.
"We believe the spirit tormenting the Tracy family is Ronnie DeFeo."
"I agree."
Anderson looked toward Ed and Drew. They had returned outside and were speaking with Theodore.
"We'll begin the exorcism tonight."
"All right."
Lorraine nodded. She glanced toward Ed and watched the man she loved. A troubled expression passed across her face.
She hesitated before speaking again.
"Father."
Anderson had started walking toward the others. Lorraine's voice made him stop.
He turned and saw worry across her face.
"What is it?"
Lorraine drew a deep breath.
"When I tried to sense the spirit, I saw something during the psychic session."
Anderson studied the dark presence surrounding her. It had become much stronger since their last case.
"What did you see?"
"I entered Ronnie DeFeo's final memories. I heard voices speaking to him."
Fear appeared in Lorraine's eyes.
"They kept tempting him. They told him to kill the people in front of him. They wanted him to murder his own family."
Anderson remained silent and allowed her to continue.
"I tried to find the source of the voices. Something pulled me away from Ronnie's memories and took me somewhere else."
Her breathing became uneven.
"I saw a nun."
Lorraine swallowed.
"She showed me Ed's death."
"A nun?"
Anderson's attention sharpened.
The ominous presence attached to Lorraine might have originated from the entity wearing that form.
"Yes."
Lorraine forced herself to continue despite the fear rising inside her.
"I don't know whether it was a warning or a threat. Something is watching us. It may have controlled Ronnie that night and driven him to kill his family before taking his own life."
Once she began speaking, the thoughts she had suppressed poured out without restraint.
Lorraine did not notice that her body had started trembling.
"Her eyes and lips were completely black. Her skin looked like a corpse. Everything around her felt filled with death and despair."
Her voice weakened.
"The moment I saw her, I understood how close Hell could feel."
The memory dragged Lorraine back into the vision.
Darkness closed around her. Static buzzed inside her ears as the world in front of her began to fade.
A calm voice broke through the illusion.
"Lorraine."
She looked up.
Father Anderson stood before her with a reassuring smile. The darkness surrounding her thoughts disappeared.
"Let's deal with the spirit inside this house first. After that, you can tell me everything else."