The engine of the Ford F-150 Raptor was already running outside the Warrens' home. Both doors on the passenger side remained open while Father Anderson loaded the cursed objects into the back.
He had learned the most important details about Lorraine's first encounter with the demonic nun. After considering the matter for a short time, he decided to leave at once.
Ed watched him place a heavy case filled with haunted vessels onto the rear seat. Anderson then carefully secured Annabelle's glass cabinet beside it.
"Father Anderson, we have several guest rooms," Ed said. "You could stay tonight and leave in the morning."
"Yes, Father," Lorraine added. "We already prepared a room for you."
"There's no need."
Anderson shut the rear door.
"I still need to investigate the nun. There's also another place I want to visit before going home. Cases like this rarely wait for a convenient hour."
Ed and Lorraine exchanged a look. Both remembered what Anderson had told them about hidden supernatural locations and the true scale of the Church's influence.
"Are you going to one of those secret places you mentioned?" Ed asked.
"Yes."
Anderson turned toward the couple and smiled.
He genuinely liked the Warrens. They were kind people who followed the rules and faced supernatural dangers without demanding rewards. Despite being ordinary humans, they continued helping families that had nowhere else to turn.
Even Ed's dangerous collection had begun with good intentions. He had taken the cursed objects because he feared their destruction might release the entities attached to them.
"Don't worry about the nun for now," Anderson said. "I'll deal with her as soon as possible."
He looked toward Lorraine.
"Her current influence appears limited. She can enter dreams and psychic visions. She can also frighten or manipulate people through those connections. I haven't seen evidence that she can directly attack you here."
Emotion passed across the Warrens' faces. Anderson was still trying to reassure them even though the danger had entered their lives through one of their own cases.
"Thank you for helping us, Father," Lorraine said.
Anderson waved away their gratitude and climbed into the driver's seat.
"That settles it. Contact me whenever you encounter another paranormal incident."
He shifted the truck into gear. His voice became firm as he looked through the open window.
"Wherever evil appears, I will be there."
Before the Warrens could respond, Anderson pressed the accelerator. The Raptor surged away from the house and disappeared into the darkness.
The couple stood in silence.
Lorraine looked at her husband after the taillights vanished.
"He's gone, Ed."
Father Anderson's declaration still echoed inside Ed's mind. He tightened his hand around Lorraine's.
"Darling, we need to work harder."
Lorraine understood what he meant and nodded.
Ed smiled and led her back toward the house.
"It's getting cold. Let's go inside."
"All right."
The Raptor left the wealthy neighborhood and entered a nearly empty highway. Its engine roared through the darkness as Anderson drove with one hand.
He had finished making his dramatic exit and was ready to relax.
Anderson reached toward the center console. He planned to play "Midnight City" while allocating the points he had earned that day.
A scratching sound came from the back seat before his finger touched the screen.
Scrape. Scrape.
Anderson paused.
The highway ahead appeared endless. No other vehicles were visible. A strange pressure settled over the truck and made the empty road feel detached from the normal world.
An ordinary driver might have dismissed the change as imagination.
Anderson knew better.
The cursed objects had started causing trouble less than five minutes after leaving the Warrens' home.
He glanced into the rearview mirror.
The zipper on the heavy case had opened halfway. Annabelle's glass cabinet had also shifted and now rested at an angle across the seat.
Anderson clicked his tongue.
He withdrew his hand from the music controls and reached into the backpack on the passenger seat. After opening it, he removed the consecrated Bluetooth speaker that had worked so well in Amityville.
"Let me play something for all of you."
He tossed the speaker into the back seat and connected it to his phone. Then he selected the recorded exorcism prayer.
A solemn chant filled the truck.
"We cast you out, every unclean spirit. We cast out every demonic power and every invader from Hell. Depart from this place beneath the authority of the Lord."
Sacred energy began gathering inside the vehicle.
Terrible screams erupted from the back seat.
"Aaaaaah!"
The cursed objects trembled as the consecrated recording pressed against the spirits attached to them. Their cries blended into a savage chorus.
Anderson grinned.
The screams were more entertaining than any song he had planned to play. It was a performance given by evil spirits and every member of the group had joined in.
He allowed the recorded prayer to continue while summoning his status panel.
The Amityville mission had rewarded him with five points. His unallocated daily prayer reward added another half point.
He had 5.5 attribute points available.
Anderson first placed one point into Constitution.
[Attribute Allocation Successful]
[Constitution Increased: 34 → 35]
He assigned the next point to Spirit.
[Attribute Allocation Successful]
[Spirit Increased: 83 → 84]
Another point went into Magic.
[Attribute Allocation Successful]
[Magic Increased: 166 → 167]
The remaining 2.5 points were assigned to Vitality.
[Attribute Allocation Successful]
[Vitality Increased: 121.5 → 124]
The improvements spread through Anderson's body.
His muscles tightened beneath his clerical clothes. Fresh energy entered his mind while his magical capacity expanded. His heartbeat grew stronger as the increase in Vitality settled through his body.
Anderson released a long breath.
The sacred chant continued behind him. The spirits' screams became weaker with every passing minute.
Their suffering made the sensation of growth even more satisfying.
"That felt great!"
His voice escaped through the open window and vanished into the night.
Half an hour later, the Ford Raptor stopped outside St. Lutz Church.
The sensation from the attribute increase had already disappeared. Anderson picked up his phone from the center console and paused the recording.
The chant ended at once.
Silence filled the truck.
Anderson looked toward Annabelle and the other vessels in the rear seat. The spiritual presences inside them had weakened during the journey.
"I don't know whether you understand human language, but listen carefully."
His gaze settled on the doll behind the glass.
"Behave while you're under my care. Don't cause problems inside my truck, home, or church."
Anderson smiled.
"Otherwise, I'll place this speaker in front of you every day. You'll receive a personal lesson about the glory of God from morning until night."
Annabelle was the strongest entity among the cursed objects. Yet after enduring the prayer throughout the drive, the doll no longer looked quite as frightening.
Its fixed expression almost seemed aggrieved.
"I'll take your silence as agreement."
Anderson chuckled and stepped out of the truck.
St. Lutz Church stood before him beneath the darkness. No light came from its windows, but Anderson knew Father Lutz lived somewhere inside the parish complex.
Priests often became targets for demons and occult groups. Living inside a consecrated church offered far more protection than an ordinary home.
A priest's sacred abilities were also strongest within his own church.
[12:31 A.M.]
Anderson approached the entrance and raised his fist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The heavy wooden doors shook beneath the force of his thirty-five-point Constitution. Dust fell from the frame with every strike.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pounding echoed through the silent street.
Lights soon appeared behind the church windows.
Anderson saw movement inside and stopped knocking. A smile appeared on his face as someone approached.
The door opened.
An elderly priest stood there in pajamas. His gray hair was disordered and exhaustion covered his weathered face.
He leaned against the door and looked up at the man towering over him.
"Anderson? What are you doing here?"
"Father Lutz. It's been a long time."
Anderson glanced past him.
A middle-aged nun stood farther inside. Two Church knights had appeared beside her in dark robes with longswords secured at their waists.
Father Lutz's face twitched.
Anyone awakened after midnight would have reacted the same way.
"You didn't pound on my door at twelve thirty just to tell me that."
"Of course not."
Anderson watched the old priest's expression.
"I came to ask about Maurice Theriault."
Father Lutz's pupils changed for a fraction of a second.
Anderson caught it.
"Maurice's possession and the entity connected to him have targeted my friends. Ed and Lorraine Warren are now involved."
Father Lutz looked up at him.
"How did you learn about Maurice?"
"The Warrens showed me the recording of his psychic examination. Lorraine first encountered the demonic nun while making contact with him."
Anderson's voice remained calm.
"I need the complete story."
Understanding appeared on Father Lutz's face. He released a tired sigh.
"I see. This is partly my fault. I should have investigated the case more carefully before involving them."
His words confirmed that the matter contained more than the Warrens knew.
Father Lutz stepped aside.
"Come in. Since you drove all this way, I'll explain everything."
"All right."
Anderson entered St. Lutz Church and nodded toward the nun and the two armed knights. Their presence followed standard Church procedure.
The nun handled many daily parish duties. The knights protected Father Lutz from supernatural or human threats.
St. Michael's had been offered similar personnel in the past.
Anderson had refused them.
The nun and both knights bowed as he passed.
Father Lutz closed the entrance and gestured toward them.
"Go back to bed."
"Yes, Father."
They bowed again before heading toward the annex.
Father Lutz noticed Anderson watching them.
"Are you envious? You only need to contact headquarters. Even the bishops who dislike you would still send staff to St. Michael's."
"No."
Anderson shook his head.
"I'm used to living and working alone."
Father Lutz understood enough not to continue.
"Then you may continue being unconventional."
He turned and led Anderson toward the main nave.
"Come with me."
Anderson followed.
St. Lutz Church was newer and grander than St. Michael the Archangel Church. Its decorations were polished and expensive. Rows of spotless pews faced the crucifix while soft candlelight gave the nave the peaceful atmosphere of a pilgrimage site.
Anderson silently compared it with his own church.
His lips tightened slightly.
Father Lutz noticed the reaction but said nothing.
"Sit here. I need to retrieve something."
"All right."
Anderson sat on a pew beneath the crucifix. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands before his chest.
A new day had begun.
So had his daily prayer.
Father Lutz looked back and saw the towering priest sitting beneath the image of Christ. Anderson's expression held complete devotion.
The old priest shook his head before walking toward the side passage.