USA.
New York, Upper West Side, Manhattan.
In an ordinary classroom, the man seated at the lectern furrowed his brows, apparently troubled by something. Nevertheless, as the class ended, he did not forget to say, "Thank you, students."
As a teacher, he indeed felt grateful to those who attended his lectures attentively.
Just a simple acknowledgment for the students' attention was enough for him.
Although the students didn't really care, merely packing up their bags and textbooks one after another, leaving the classroom in succession.
Josh felt this indifference, exhaling a heavy breath before saying, "See you tomorrow, and don't forget to bring your homework."
Once all the students had left, Josh couldn't help but stretch and massage his temples, his lips somewhat pale.
It was only when he was alone that he allowed himself such overt gestures.
Just then, his cellphone on the desk suddenly rang.
Josh's gaze instinctively shifted, and upon seeing the caller, a flicker of avoidance flashed in his eyes.
The series of eerie incidents at home had instinctively made this burly teacher want to escape.
He dreaded going home so much that he had chosen to stay at school until late evening before returning.
However, as the head of the household and especially since today was the appointed time to meet with Elis, Josh still took a deep breath and answered the phone.
"Hello, dear."
Elsewhere in the same district, in a standalone villa.
A tired-looking woman sat on a bench on the street, making a phone call.
In front of her was a stroller with a baby lying inside.
"When will you get off work?" Riley's voice sounded weak.
This made Josh feel sorry for her.
"I can come home now, just wait for me there."
This time, he no longer wanted to run away.
Riley's voice came through the phone, and she pursed her lips.
"I'm outside right now."
Josh was taken aback, then quickly understood. Like him, his wife also did not want to go home.
"Mom's at home taking care of Dalton." Riley added, "I took Daris out to buy some stuff, just at the supermarket nearby."
Josh fell silent for a moment.
At that moment, both understood each other's feelings, falling into a wordless accord.
"Someone responded to my request for help." Riley mentioned something else.
"He said he's from the church and could offer us help."
"The church?"
Josh frowned, inherently skeptical. "Riley, wait a bit longer! Mom said Elis is about to come, and I trust mom more than some stranger online."
"I know, I trust mom too," Riley replied.
"But it's good to have more options, just in case Elis can't solve it, we still have another layer of security."
Riley's words echoed in Josh's ear, tightening his already furrowed brow even more.
At that moment, Josh felt that his wife was desperately grasping at straws, willing to cling to any offered help, unwilling to let go.
Thinking this, Josh opened his mouth to say something, but found he could say nothing. Finally, he just said,
"Alright, I'll come home now, and you come back soon too."
As he spoke, Josh glanced at the wall clock.
"It's almost time for our appointment with Elis."
"Mhm." Riley sounded exhausted, then hung up the phone, looking at her phone, tapping here and there until the screen showed a page of her posted plea for help.
Throughout this torturous period, she had been seeking help online, hoping to find someone who could solve the supernatural occurrences through the vast network.
Unfortunately, until the moment Elis's team came to check, no one had paid any attention to her numerous posts and comments.
People did respond, but most were mocking or disbelieving comments.
Just today, when she wanted to breathe some fresh air to escape the gloomy atmosphere always looming in their home,
suddenly, a comment offering help appeared, and it was from someone affiliated with the church, complete with proper credentials.
This made her hesitate for a moment, but after verifying the person's identity, she agreed to meet.
Compared to Elis, she somehow trusted the church folk more.
"When will you come over?" Riley typed into the private chat window.
It wasn't long before the chat window buzzed.
"Getting ready, we'll be there soon."
Seeing this message, Riley felt her tightly wound nerves relax for a moment.
Miraculously, this made Riley exhale a heavy breath, regaining her composure, typing on her phone screen.
"Okay."
After sending the message, Riley stood up, grabbed the stroller's handle, and started heading home.
The Upper West Side of Manhattan, where life and transportation were convenient and safer than other riskier areas.
To the west along the river, to the east adjacent to Central Park, the area housed many New York-style old apartments and row houses.
As a
middle-class family, they lived in one of these standalone row houses, usually patrolled by police, ensuring safety.
But this security did not protect Riley's deeply unsettled mind.
It might seem like nothing; she wasn't in immediate danger, but the pervasive eeriness and oppressive atmosphere still made her feel extremely suppressed.
It was like seeing a looming danger, a lethal threat, with nowhere to hide, forced to watch it approach, waiting for it to claim the lives of her and her family.
Seeing the villa in front of her, the home she currently resided in, Riley felt almost breathless, tortured to the point of being unable to face it any longer.
Thus, Riley stopped at the gate, hesitant to enter.
Just then, a scream came from inside the villa.
"Ah!"
It was her mother's scream. Riley's heart tightened, and she could no longer care about anything else, rushing through the door.
Inside, she needed to know her mother and beloved elder son, Dalton, were okay.
Pushing the stroller aside at the doorway, Riley rushed into the house alone.
However, she only saw her mother bustling about in the living room.
Riley paused, followed by a suffocating wave of fear.
"Huh?"
Perhaps alarmed by Riley's loud entrance, the elderly woman making coffee in the living room turned around, looking puzzled at the visibly anxious Riley.
"Back already?"
But the old woman, Morena, noticed the unusual pallor on her daughter-in-law's face, and hurried over.
"What's wrong? Riley, you look awful. Are you okay?"
Hearing this, Riley's expression stiffened, barely managing to ask.
"What are you doing?"
"Um, making coffee," Morena replied, still puzzled.
"What's wrong? Where's Daris?"
The old woman noticed something was amiss.
Remembering the scream from before, Riley's mind nearly collapsed, casually replying.
"He's at the door."
Morena blinked, looking towards the door, indeed spotting the stroller.
Just then, the partially opened front door was pushed open by a hand, startling both Morena and Riley.
"Huh? Why are you all standing here?" The person who opened the door was Josh, just returned from school.
He grabbed the handle of the stroller, frowning.
"Why did you leave Daris at the door?"
Saying so, he pushed the stroller inside.
"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Josh noticed Riley's pale face.
Riley, feeling resigned, spread her hands and headed towards the stairs.
"I'm going upstairs to check on Dalton."
Leaving the mother and son looking at each other in bewilderment.
"What's wrong with her?" Josh watched Riley's retreating figure, then turned to his mother.
"I don't know," Morena sighed.
"She's probably just too tired lately."
Saying this, Morena looked at her son. "She's dealing with more than we are."
Hearing this, Josh fell silent, his gaze following Riley as she disappeared at the door, his thoughts unknown.
Meanwhile, Riley had entered a room on her own.
The room was filled with toys and covered with drawings.
This was a children's room, and in the center, on the bed, lay a child hooked up to an IV.
This was her son, her most cherished, Dalton.
Ever since he had started to fall unconscious, he hadn't woken up even once.
Numerous hospital visits had yielded no explanation.
Many renowned doctors had been baffled by her son's condition.
According to them, after numerous tests, everything seemed normal.
They apologized.
Riley sighed, sat down by the bed, and took her son's hand in hers, resting it against her cheek, murmuring.
"God, are you trying to see how long I can hold on before I break down?
Please, Dalton, I'm begging you to wake up. I'm scared, I can't hold on much longer..."
At that moment, she sensed someone entering the room; it was Josh.
Josh, seeing this scene, silently approached his wife and gently patted Riley's shoulder.
"Trust me, we'll resolve this today, and Dalton will wake up."
Riley didn't respond, just held her son's hand tighter, kissing the back of his hand.
Outside, the elderly woman Morena stood by the door, silent for a long time.
...
The appointed time had arrived, and the Josh family all sat in the living room waiting.
"Don't worry, Elis is usually very punctual," Morena reassured her son and daughter-in-law, sensing their unease and impatience.
Josh glanced at his wife, Riley, who sat with her arms crossed, about to speak when a knock on the door sounded.
His heart stirred, and he quickly stood up.
As he did, Riley and Morena were not far behind, following close behind Josh.
Josh opened the door, surprised by the group of people he faced.
There were
six people standing before him.
To the side stood Kex and Tuck, whom he recognized since they had previously visited to inspect and gather evidence.
Glancing at the man who resembled him somewhat and the elegant-looking woman, as well as the man carrying various bags and equipment behind them, Josh focused on the figure in front.
An amiable elderly woman, her golden hair faded, showing her age.
"I wasn't sure if the doorbell was working, sorry about that," Elis apologized with a smile.
"No problem, please come in," Josh shook his head, stepping aside.
"Thank you!" Elis maintained her smile, nodding before she was the first to enter, followed by Kex and Tuck who exchanged glances with Josh, then Warren and his wife and assistant Drew, who had been observing since their arrival.
"Ms. Elis!" Morena was excited about Elis's arrival.
"You've finally come!"
Before, she had experienced similar supernatural events, and her son Josh had also been unconscious, only for Elis to step in and help.
"Ms. Morena," Elis nodded slightly, her expression already solemn as she unconsciously glanced back at the Warren couple following her.
Noticing Elis's gaze, Rolin nodded slightly.
She too had seen elements of the world of the dead.
Elis suppressed her thoughts and began introducing the Warren couple to Josh's family.
"This is Mr. Ed Warren, a renowned demonologist. They are the specialists I've specially invited to assist us."
Ed looked at Josh, who bore a slight resemblance to him, and was the first to extend his hand.
"Hello."
"Hello," Josh nodded. "Thank you for coming."
Ed scanned Josh's family briefly, then released his hand.
"It's nothing."
"This is Mrs. Rolin Warren, Mr. Ed's wife," Elis continued.
"Hello, Mr. Josh," Rolin seriously examined Josh, who resembled her husband slightly, her gaze discerning, but she also extended her hand to Josh.
This handshake made her feel something was off; the man's hand was unusually cold.
"Hello, Mrs. Rolin, thank you for coming," Josh showed no change, continuing to watch Drew set down equipment, waiting for an introduction.
"This is their assistant, Drew," Elis introduced.
"And my assistants, Kex and Tuck, hold similar roles."
"Hello, Mr. Drew," Josh extended his hand.
"Thank you for coming."
Drew grinned and shook Josh's hand briefly.
"Don't mention it."
With everyone's identities known to each other, Elis scanned Riley and Morena once more, then glanced at the ceiling, speaking in a firm tone.
"Let's start, Kex."
At her words, everyone's attention shifted to Kex.
Kex adjusted his glasses and nodded…
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As the first person to arrive here for the inspection, Kris knew the condition of the house better than anyone else.
It was also appropriate for him to report to everyone, including the Josh family and the Warren couple.
Thus, Kris stepped forward, facing everyone's gaze, and began to speak.
"We've checked the electromagnetic fields throughout the entire house—every wire, alarm clock, radio, oven, television, record player, and fuse box. Everything appears to be normal."
As he spoke, Kris did not forget the house where Josh's family had previously lived.
"Including their previous residence, there was nothing unusual, um, so..."
Kris paused for a moment, then continued.
"It's only in this house that we've started to detect some changes in the magnetic fields and saw some grimy stuff, which is unusual under normal circumstances."
The normalcy yet emergence of grimy stuff began to confirm that there was a problem with this house.
This was something everyone already knew, so their expressions didn't change much.
Only Riley seemed a bit shaken, covering her mouth and leaning into Morena's embrace.
"So, how do we resolve this?" Josh asked gravely.
Iris glanced at Rowan. What these people without mediumistic abilities couldn't see was that the house was filled with a dark, gloomy mist.
For someone like her, a medium, this kind of cold mist was all too familiar.
Because these visible manifestations were typical of the environments found in the world of the dead.
This indicated that the house had a certain connection to the world of the dead.
Rowan noticed Iris's glance, and her gaze shifted to the second floor.
Seeing this, Iris, during her inspection, followed Rowan's direction with her eyes.
Sure enough, the source was on the second floor, where the mist was denser and continuously spreading.
Thus, without answering Josh's question, Iris simply asked.
"Is Dalton upstairs?"
At this, the Josh family members looked at each other.
"Yes," Josh took a deep breath, his tone very calm.
"So, is this related to Dalton?"
"Probably."
Iris looked deeply at Josh, remembering past memories.
"May I take a look at the house first?"
Josh replied, "Yes."
Iris smiled kindly, nodded, and after also nodding to the Warren couple, started heading towards the kitchen.
"Tucker, did you bring the sketchbook? I need you to draw the scenes I describe."
"Yes, I have it," Tucker replied, pulling out a sketchbook and a pen from his bag.
It was surprising that a burly, bearded man could draw.
This left Drew, also an assistant, somewhat astonished, glancing inadvertently at the always calm Ed.
Ed, walking behind his wife Rowan, softly said.
"Every medium has their own style. Miss Iris's approach is to let the victims know that something is lurking beneath the darkness, eyeing their souls."
With that, Ed added.
"We have our own style, no need to learn theirs, especially since you can't draw."
Drew felt a blow to his pride, his cheek twitching slightly as he looked ahead and chose to keep quiet.
But inwardly, he couldn't help but complain about his boss: "If only you spoke more."
Then, he suddenly saw Rowan turn and give him a warm, reassuring smile.
"Rowan is truly kind!" Drew thought, continuing to survey the environment, still not seeing anything obvious.
At that moment, the group in front paused.
"Here."
Drew instinctively looked toward the sound.
Miss Iris had stopped in the kitchen, staring at the sink, and began speaking.
"Swollen face, hands, feet, wearing tattered pajamas"
Under Iris's narration, Tucker quickly began to draw, his pace swift.
The synergy between the two was evident.
Seeing this, Drew directly looked at Rowan.
Sure enough, Rowan was about to explain to the two ordinary people who couldn't see anything.
"There's a person here," Rowan whispered to Ed and Drew.
"Emits a homeless aura, searching for a way back home."
At this, Rowan paused and sighed.
"Most likely, something attracted it here."
Drew and Ed exchanged glances.
This confirmed their previous discussion and what Miss Iris had mentioned.
The house itself had no issues; the problem was with Dalton, who was unconscious.
The dirty things this family had been seeing were attracted by Dalton's physical presence.
So, no matter where they moved, as long as Dalton was there, these occurrences wouldn't cease; they'd keep seeing dirty things and continue to be tormented.
And this was indeed a disaster, as evil spirits are not benevolent; if they desired, they could also possess ordinary people like Josh.
This ties back to the previous theory.
Evil spirits need to go through three stages to fully possess a human and take control of their body and consciousness.
Summarizing these stages would be:
1. The human enters
its territory, triggering a specific fuse or medium, heralding the appearance of the evil spirit.
2. Once the evil spirit appears, initially, it might make slight noises, like voices or footsteps, even physically tugging at the victim, causing mental distress and pressure.
The harassment by the evil spirit would gradually intensify, further breaking down the target's will.
At this point, the evil spirit would progress to the next stage, possession.
Looking at the situation now...
Ed glanced at Riley, extremely frail.
"The lady of the house is already in the second stage, and when her will collapses, that will be the moment for the evil spirit to possess her."
Thinking this, Ed sighed internally, his expression unchanged, just watching Tucker hand over the rapidly completed drawing to Josh's family.
Tucker's drawing skills were excellent; based on just a few words from Iris, he could depict very specific details.
It looked like a person who had drowned.
This caused a great stir among Josh's family, their complexions turning pale.
But Iris was undeterred; she was engrossed in her work, continuing to lead everyone forward.
After the kitchen, they reached the ceiling above the stairs.
According to Iris's description, someone was hanging there, a more horrifying sight than before.
Ascending the stairs, they stopped in the hallway on the second floor.
In the depths of the hallway stood two pale-faced women, their eyes and mouths pitch black, appearing to have been burned to death.
Then, in other rooms, there were signs of an evil spirit's presence.
All this left Drew feeling terrified, especially after receiving confirmation from Rowan.
He followed the group, starting to suspect every shadow might conceal an unseen evil spirit.
Drew wasn't the only one; Josh's family was already teetering on the edge.
They couldn't believe their home had turned into a true haunted house.
Evil spirits were everywhere.
Seemingly calm mother Morena was incessantly muttering in shock.
Josh's face, too, turned pale.
As for Riley, she appeared calm; compared to the others, she had experienced and seen more disturbances.
Now, these strange and eerie noises had been explained.
Watching Iris head towards Dalton's room, her fear was gone, replaced by concern and unease.
It seemed these issues were somehow related to her son, Dalton.
One drawing after another was made by Tucker, until they reached Dalton's room door, seven drawings in total.
This meant there were currently seven evil spirits in the house.
The group's expressions became somber at this point.
Iris's expression had already turned extremely grave; she looked back at Rowan.
"I see the previous presence here; this place feels oppressive."
Rowan looked at the door, frowning; through her eyes, wisps of dark mist were seeping through the door crack.
Clearly, the source was inside.
Even without this, everything about the house felt oppressive to her.
Now, only the traces left by seven evil spirits were known, but who could say whether there were more evil spirits still hidden, lurking around?
Her feeling was that the house was like a lone boat in the vast ocean, with no land to dock, only the rolling waves.
"Let's go." Iris calmly broke the silence, opening the door and walking in.
However, as soon as the door opened, she slightly tilted her head back as if struck by a huge wave.
At this, the usually composed Iris's face darkened even further.
Iris reacted this way, and Rowan's pupils also contracted.
Since both showed such expressions, and with Iris leading without turning on the lights, the atmosphere quickly darkened, causing everyone to freeze in place for a moment.
"What did you see?" Ed frowned and asked Rowan.
Rowan's expression indicated the situation was tricky.
Rowan didn't respond, but Iris answered Ed's question.
"Tucker!"
"I'm here," Tucker said nervously.
"Tell me."
"The face is," Iris grabbed Tucker's shirt.
"Uh!" Tucker's breathing became heavy.
"What does it look like?"
"A bloody red face, black hands, black feet, a black body, pitch-black eyes, a pair of cloven hooves, and long nails."
Iris said all this in one breath, her body going limp.
At this, Rowan turned on the light to break the dreadful atmosphere.
The light turned on, and the previously dark space instantly filled with light, giving everyone a sense of safety again.
Ed quickly scanned the surroundings.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything.
He lacked the mediumistic abilities to sense what ordinary people couldn't see.
"What is this?" Josh had already taken the drawing from Tucker, speaking gravely.
Iris sighed, walking to the foot of Dalton's bed, looking at the child before her.
"Indeed, all this is a cycle; escaping is only temporary. This is an evil spirit peering at Dalton."
At this, Riley became anxious.
"Dalton? What's wrong with Dalton?"
Iris
sighed and shook her head: "Let's talk outside."
Josh's family could only nod.
But just then, Rowan, who had been quiet, spoke up.
"Miss Iris, I'd like to stay here a bit longer."
Iris was taken aback, but nodded.
"Is that alright, Mr. Josh?" Rowan turned to ask for the homeowner's permission.
After all, no one would trust a stranger to be alone in a room with their continuously unconscious child.
So, Rowan added softly.
"If you're not comfortable, you can leave someone to watch."
Saying this, Rowan gave a significant look to a perplexed Riley.
Rowan's gesture was somewhat obvious, and everyone looked at Riley.
Riley was silent for a while, then nodded to Josh.
"I'll stay here."
Josh exhaled lightly, having no other choice: "Okay, wait for me to come back."
Riley nodded.
Iris and Rowan exchanged glances, seeing Rowan nod, they tacitly led Kris and Tucker out of the room.
Josh glanced at Riley, then at the Warren couple and others, and could only follow Iris's lead with his mother Morena.
For a moment, only the Warren couple, Drew, and Riley were left in the room.
"You asked me to stay, is there something you want to say?" Rowan looked at Ed, who understood with just a glance and began speaking.
"The evil spirit is watching not only your son Dalton but also you, Mrs. Riley."
Riley was stunned.
"Me?"
"Yes, that's how the evil spirit operates; it might not be attracted by you, but its instincts will lead it to act this way." Ed began explaining his theory of the three stages of possession by an evil spirit.
Riley listened, covering her mouth.
At this, Rowan made a move, scanning the room before walking over to the bedridden Dalton.
"Hello, Dalton." Rowan's face showed a hint of gentleness; she had children too.
"You'll be okay."
As she spoke, under Riley's watchful eyes, Rowan took out a cross from her pocket and hung it around Dalton's neck.
It might have been an illusion, but Riley felt the atmosphere begin to shift, Dalton's previously serene face relaxing even more.
"What is this?" she asked.
"A cross given to us for protection by a respected bishop," Rowan smiled.
"As long as this cross is here, no one can enter Dalton's body."
Riley's eyes widened, her gaze incredulous, but she indeed felt a change in the atmosphere, like the persistent chill that had been hovering around seemed to be gone.
"Rest assured," Ed added at this moment, firming Riley's belief.
"It has protected us for a long time, I can guarantee this cross is effective.
If you're still not convinced, you can look up Bishop York John."
Being straightforward can make people more likely to believe, and Bishop York John's credibility was definitely reassuring, but Ed saw Riley pause, then ask again.
"Wait, who did you say? Bishop York John?"
Seeing Riley's surprised expression, Ed puzzledly glanced at Rowan before speaking.
"Yes, Mrs. Riley, do you know Bishop York John?"
Riley pursed her lips, looking at Ed, Rowan, and Drew, uncertainly saying.
"I've posted many pleas for help online, and just today, someone responded to my request. His name seemed to be York John."
___________________
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