The elevator doors opened with a series of soft clicks. Father Anderson stepped out and once again felt countless eyes following him from the underground bar. The conversations behind him remained quiet until the hidden entrance closed and separated him from the supernatural guests below.
"Father Anderson."
Todd stood behind the convenience store counter and bowed respectfully. Anderson nodded before glancing across the shelves. He picked up several loaves of bread and placed them beside the register.
"Todd, has anything unusual happened lately?"
Todd scanned the bread while considering the question. The bright fluorescent lights made his dark skin appear even deeper in color.
"There have been more unfamiliar faces recently."
"Is that so?"
Anderson's expression remained calm but his thoughts returned to the demon that had claimed Satan was searching for him. Supernatural incidents had become more frequent over the past several months. New creatures and independent exorcists were also appearing in places that had once been quiet.
"Yes, Father."
Todd packed the bread into a plastic bag and pushed it across the counter.
"One dollar."
Anderson placed a fifty-dollar bill beside the register and took the bag.
"Keep the rest."
Todd looked at the money before bowing again.
"Thank you, Father. Have a safe trip."
Anderson waved without turning back. He crossed the parking lot and opened the driver's door of the black Ford Raptor. The backpack landed on the passenger seat before he climbed inside and shut the door.
Although his body showed no signs of exhaustion, Anderson rubbed his face and opened one of the loaves.
"Time for a review."
He ate while organizing everything he had learned. The habit came from his previous life as a doctor. After difficult cases he always reviewed his decisions and examined what could have been handled better. Years of clinical work had turned the process into instinct.
"If the connection began through Maurice Theriault in another country, then the demon still shouldn't be able to use its full power here."
Anderson tore away another piece of bread and slowly chewed it.
"Otherwise, Lorraine wouldn't only be surrounded by an ominous aura. She would already be under direct attack."
That did not mean she was safe. The force connected to Maurice had shown intense interest in Lorraine and had already entered her psychic visions. It had also used Ronnie DeFeo's spirit and the Amityville haunting to reach her again.
Its influence would likely grow with time.
Anderson finished eating and reached two conclusions. He needed to wait for Father Mike's investigation into Maurice's past. He also needed to watch for any new information from Lorraine and Ed.
There was nothing else he could do tonight.
He stuffed the empty wrapper into the compartment beside the seat and glanced toward the rear. Annabelle and the other cursed vessels remained silent after enduring several hours of consecrated Scripture.
Anderson started the engine and pulled away from the convenience store.
He had already decided to deal with the demonic nun. The mission reward was part of his reason but not the only one. A man needed ambition and Anderson had no intention of allowing an unknown demon to torment people connected to him.
Stamford stood in southwestern Connecticut and was much closer to New York City than Boston. The return trip to St. Michael the Archangel Church took far longer than forty minutes, but the nearly empty overnight highways allowed Anderson to make good time.
He reached home before dawn and carried every haunted object into the underground armory.
The weapons and exorcism equipment already occupied most of the basement. With the new additions, one corner now resembled the Warrens' occult museum. Old clocks, knives, toys, and other vessels sat together beneath the dim lights.
Annabelle's glass cabinet stood at the center.
Anderson wrapped consecrated cords around each object and secured crucifixes above the shelves. He added several extra restraints to the doll's cabinet before stepping back to examine his work.
His underground storage room was far more secure than the Warrens' collection. Entire shelves held consecrated crosses and sacred ammunition. Holy water and blessed equipment filled locked containers nearby. The divine pressure alone was enough to suppress the weakened entities.
Annabelle sat motionless behind the glass.
"You can stay here and treat this place as your new home."
Anderson patted the side of the cabinet.
"I don't mind."
The entity inside offered no response. Its presence had become extremely weak after the long drive and repeated Scripture recordings.
Satisfied, Anderson turned off the basement lights and returned upstairs.
Before sleeping, he recorded the results of his latest experiment. Three Spirit points had maintained the sacred effect of the Bluetooth speaker for roughly three hours. Based on the current evidence, each invested Spirit point provided about one hour of effective playback.
He then allocated the half point earned from his daily prayer.
[Vitality Increased: 124 → 124.5]
Anderson dismissed the system notification and went to bed.
The rest of the night passed without incident.
Anderson woke the next morning feeling completely refreshed. His enhanced body could remain active without sleep for far longer than an ordinary person, but he still preferred to rest each night. Sleeping marked the end of one day and the beginning of another. Without it, time seemed to lose its natural rhythm.
[10:21 A.M.]
After washing and changing clothes, Anderson went to St. Michael the Archangel Church.
Robert's presence had not transformed the parish overnight. The same familiar believers entered throughout the morning. Some wanted advice about family problems while others brought children who needed comfort or guidance.
Anderson listened to every concern and offered what help he could.
No random mission appeared.
The church had still changed in smaller ways. Even a minor change could spread outward and reshape everything around it.
The most obvious difference was the noise coming from the churchyard. Robert's daughters played outside and filled the grounds with laughter and arguments. Anderson's enhanced hearing made every shout painfully clear but their energy often drew a smile from him.
The second difference arrived near lunchtime.
Beth brought him a homemade meal.
The container held meat, vegetables, and several side dishes. Steam rose when Anderson opened it and the smell immediately caught his attention.
He looked across the yard toward Robert's family. They sat together and ate while the children talked over one another. Their laughter carried across the church grounds.
Anderson remembered how close Robert had come to losing everything.
He had saved that family.
"This looks good."
A small smile appeared on Anderson's face as he tasted the food. The seasoning suited him and the meal was far better than the simple food he usually prepared for himself.
He had eaten half of it when his phone rang.
Anderson paused and looked at the caller's name.
"Ed?"
His earlier prediction immediately returned to mind. He answered while picking up the food container and walking toward the main building.
Ed began speaking about the nun before Anderson could ask what had happened.
This time the entity had not appeared to Lorraine.
It had visited Ed.
Like his wife, Ed had dreamed of the demonic nun. His vision had been far clearer than Lorraine's brief psychic impression and the details remained fixed in his memory after he woke.
"Father Anderson, I drew what I saw. Do you want me to send it?"
"Yes. Send it now."
"I will."
The call ended.
Anderson entered his office and sat in his usual chair. A message arrived moments later with an image attached.
He opened it.
Ed's drawing showed a figure dressed in the traditional habit of a Catholic nun. Her skin was corpse-white and looked as though it had spent days submerged in cold water. Deep shadows surrounded her face while her eyes and lips were completely black.
Malevolence seemed to radiate from the image.
It was not an ordinary ghost wearing religious clothing. The figure had deliberately taken the appearance of a nun to mock the Church and corrupt a symbol of faith.
Anderson stared at the drawing.
The entity's appearance matched the demonic nun that would one day be known as Valak. Yet Anderson still lacked the name and history needed to confront it.
For the first time since hearing Lorraine's account, genuine interest stirred within him.
"This one looks dangerous."