Chapter 19: Massachusetts: A Land of Talent and Character
Noon.
Jennifer, still emotional from their intimacy, didn't feel like going out. She didn't even want to go home and suggested moving in together.
In such a situation, the demon would most likely follow. Danny told her to behave and insisted they check her house first before considering other requests.
So, the two of them headed out under the bright sun.
The warm sunlight still provided a great sense of security.
Danny and Jennifer paused for a moment as they stepped onto the street, but quickly got used to it. Massachusetts had its own brand of weirdness.
A disheveled man was arguing with a parking meter, insisting it owed him change.
Beside him, a street performer wearing at least five jackets despite the heat was breakdancing next to a obviously fake homeless veteran with a cardboard sign.
Someone ran out of a nearby convenience store with an armful of beer, yelling something incoherent as the owner half-heartedly chased after him before giving up.
The elderly neighbor from next door, wearing only swim trunks, was washing his car with a garden hose in the middle of the street. Deputy Joe also arrived in his cruiser, but unfortunately hit a pothole so deep he bottomed out and had to radio for help.
There was also a clearly intoxicated college kid standing perfectly still on the sidewalk, swaying slightly like an NPC from a video game.
One might think he was frozen if they didn't know better.
All of this might seem bizarre to people from other states.
But this was Massachusetts, and Salem in particular had always been known for its... unique history and residents.
So nothing was really strange here. Danny might have been a bit confused when he first arrived, but now he was somewhat used to it.
Salem was neither too big nor too small.
It was a typical New England town, with colonial-style houses and historic architecture that resembled settlements from centuries past.
Danny's house was basically a few minutes from the school, while Jennifer's home was in the suburbs.
On the way, Jennifer was still a bit reluctant to take Danny to her house. Compared to his property, hers was clearly a modest suburban home.
Danny didn't express much opinion on this. He'd never valued such things.
Following Jennifer to the small house in the suburbs, the area was sparsely populated compared to downtown, with only a few households nearby, mostly elderly residents.
A small tree was planted in the yard.
Inside, the living room featured a beige fabric sofa and dark wood furniture, with family photos hanging on the wall. The bedroom used older furniture and decorative quilts, while the kitchen had off-white cabinets and laminate counters.
A very common layout in American small towns.
After Danny looked around and sat down, Jennifer asked him what he wanted to drink.
"Water's fine," Danny wasn't picky. While Jennifer went to get it, a card appeared in his hand. Demons are invisible to the naked eye, and they often take a long time to manifest.
[Traces of containable entity detected: Demon]
[True name unknown]
Demons usually have a true name. Generally, if their true name is known, they can be banished back to hell.
Here, the card only detected traces of a demon, which Danny could understand. He observed the house and found no abnormal traces.
That left only one possibility: Jennifer had just been targeted, and there were only preliminary signs of an invasion.
This was very difficult to deal with.
Every demon is different. Some demons prefer to target those who are alone.
Some demons will attack you even if you're in a crowd.
This point brought to mind The Conjuring series.
So being in a crowd doesn't necessarily mean safety.
Moreover, ordinary people can't detect it in the early stages. Even if they notice something abnormal, they'll just rationalize it away.
In the later stages of a true possession, unless a demonologist and an exorcist are present, they can only wait for death.
But are there really no ways to detect something wrong in the early stages?
There are. The simplest method is to get a dog.
Animals are very sensitive to the presence of demons, evil spirits, and similar entities.
This was demonstrated in the first Conjuring movie.
When the Perrons moved into their farmhouse in Rhode Island, their pet dog was reluctant to enter because it sensed the demonic presence.
It even barked wildly to warn its owners, but unfortunately, they were ordinary people and didn't understand.
The dog died in their yard the next day.
Danny had also thought about getting a dog. After all, dogs are the most loyal animals to humans, and they can make life less lonely.
But dogs are too fragile against demons. They basically just die if they encounter one.
Danny didn't like the idea of raising a dog he loved, only for it to be killed one day due to his involvement. He wasn't cold-blooded and would still be affected.
If only containment objects could fuse with animals.
Unfortunately, they couldn't.
"Babe, do you want to watch TV, or play some video games?" Jennifer asked, bringing the water and sitting next to Danny.
Danny nodded: "Sure, let's watch some TV."
He couldn't just wait like an idiot for the demon to show up.
The two relaxed on the sofa, watching random shows. Danny flipped through channels—reality TV, cooking shows, true crime documentaries.
As dusk approached,
the house gradually grew cold as twilight enveloped it.
They'd spent the entire day together and hadn't seen anything unusual.
Perhaps this demon preferred to target those who were alone?
Eight PM.
Jennifer kissed Danny and said, "I'm going upstairs to take a shower. I'll be right back."
Danny hummed, not paying much attention, and continued watching TV. Some shows were interesting—though the content was more explicit than he'd expected.
A reality show testing couples, where the participants were increasingly provocative.
"Ah!"
A scream erupted upstairs.
Danny instantly fused with the alpha crawler and leaped to the second floor. Jennifer, dressed in a thin nightgown, rushed over and hugged Danny, pointing at the bathroom.
"Just now, I saw that door suddenly open by itself. All the windows were closed, so there couldn't have been any wind. When I came out, it looked like someone was hiding behind the shower curtain."
Jennifer finally knew fear. She'd seen the curtain billow and, when it fell, it seemed to outline a person, scaring her into screaming. In a blink, it vanished.
Now she somewhat believed in the things Danny spoke of.
It was fear of the unknown.
Danny went to the bedroom and bathroom, checking everywhere, but found nothing. This meant this demon might prefer to target those who were alone.
"It should be gone now."
"How about we go to the nearest hotel for the night, or to your place?" Jennifer clutched Danny's arm, not daring to leave his side. She'd been psychologically traumatized.
"It's fine. We'll just invite more people over for a party. You can call your friends, and I'll call some people."
How could Danny leave? Jennifer was the one being targeted, so changing locations was useless. He could only try a different method: invite more people to share the risk, and hopefully provoke the demon into manifesting.
When Danny first detected traces of Valak with the cards, he'd held gatherings at home every day or went to the busiest places in Salem, surrounding himself with crowds.
Safety in numbers—that statement wasn't just empty words.
The demon couldn't possibly keep targeting just one person, right?
Jennifer's emotions calmed upon hearing this. Having people over for a party, with more people in the house, would surely make her less afraid.
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