The Warrens' house vibrated with a malignant energy, the walls creaking under an invisible pressure from outside. Cassian, Mary Ellen, Judy, and Daniela were caught in a whirlwind of paranormal chaos. The Hellhound pounded on the front door, its growls echoing through the hallway, the wooden boards splintering under its claws. The air filled with the stench of sulfur and burnt flesh, while in the artifact room, the sealed objects trembled in their display cases. The chains of a samurai armor rattled by themselves, an ancient mirror cracked within its frame, and a cursed monkey toy clashed its cymbals with a frantic rhythm that pierced their ears.
Judy pointed to her room, her voice trembling as she clutched her teddy bear to her chest. "It was under my bed… Annabelle came out of the sheets and turned into something horrible."
Cassian turned to her, his gaze steady. "What exactly did you see?"
"It was the doll," she replied, pale, her hands shaking as she spoke. "But then it twisted, grew taller than me, and had horns and glowing red eyes. It tried to grab me—its hands were black, like coal."
Daniela, still trembling from her mistake, confessed between sobs, kneeling on the floor. "I just wanted to talk to my dad… I used the Mourner's bracelet, and everything unraveled. I touched things I shouldn't have—I'm sorry, I didn't know this would happen…"
Cassian raised a hand, cutting off the panic with a firm gesture. "There's no time for blame, Daniela. Stay close—I'm going to stop this."
A loud crash shook the basement, a thunderous sound that made the ceiling lamps tremble. Daniela screamed, pointing at the stairs. "I still have the keys! It's down there—I went earlier and saw a television… it showed things, like my future, and that monkey chased me down the hall!"
Cassian nodded, drawing his blessed dagger and checking its edge with a quick motion. "Let's go down. Annabelle is awakening everything, and we need to seal her before it gets worse."
They descended into the basement, the air thick and cold, the stairs groaning under their feet as if they might break. The walls were damp, covered in mold that seemed to shift as shadows passed. The television in one corner was on, showing Daniela being dragged by dark figures, her face frozen in a silent scream that looped endlessly. The monkey toy leapt from a shelf, its cymbals clashing inches from Judy's face, the painted eyes glowing with an unnatural red. Cassian crushed it to the ground with a sharp strike of his dagger, the metal crunching as it broke, and the cymbals fell silent.
Mary Ellen gasped, pointing to a dark corner. "There!" The Ferryman emerged, a hooded figure with coins gleaming in its empty eye sockets, the sound of an invisible boat creaking in the air as it extended a bony hand toward her. "It wants my soul," she whispered, backing up until she hit a wall.
Cassian raised his crucifix, sprinkling holy water in a wide arc. "Stay away from her." The Ferryman retreated, its cloak billowing as if pushed by the wind, but the floor opened beneath Mary Ellen, a black pit exhaling a freezing breath that smelled of death. She collapsed to her knees, her breathing cut short by her asthma, the inhaler out of reach in the car parked outside.
"Judy, stay with her!" Cassian ordered, turning toward Daniela, who screamed as the Bride possessed her. Her body convulsed, her eyes turning white, veins bulging in her neck as an inhuman moan escaped her throat. Cassian sprinkled holy water over her, forcing the spirit back, but the samurai armor came to life in the hallway, its sword slicing through the air toward Judy with a metallic whistle. The ghost of the priest Judy had seen at school appeared, his torn cassock floating, and deflected the blow with a wave of his skeletal hand, his black eyes fixed on Cassian before guiding the girls toward Annabelle's display case.
Cassian faced the doll, which lay in the center of the basement atop a pool of ashes, surrounded by demonic hands emerging from the ground, black claws writhing with a life of their own, some with broken nails dripping a viscous liquid. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus!" he roared, his voice echoing against the stone walls. The demon inside Annabelle emerged, a twisted-horned figure with cracked skin, its red eyes glowing like embers, its mouth opening in a scream that made everyone's ears bleed. Cassian sprinkled blessed blood from a vial on his belt, and the demonic hands burned, dissolving into black smoke as he advanced, the crucifix casting a blinding white light that stunned the entity.
Mary Ellen, recovering, helped Judy drag Daniela, still possessed, toward the display case. Cassian continued the exorcism, raising the crucifix higher. "In nomine Domini, claude hanc portam!" The doll trembled, the demon screeching as its form twisted, limbs elongating before being pulled back into its prison. Judy found the key among the ashes on the floor, her hands trembling as she lifted it, and with a final effort, closed the display case, sealing Annabelle inside. Silence fell, heavy and absolute, the artifacts still once more.
But then the house shook, a deep rumble rocking the walls, the floor vibrating beneath their feet. The lamps swayed, falling to the ground and shattering into shards of glass. The display cases in the artifact room rattled, some opening slightly before snapping shut with a click. A guttural roar echoed from the basement, rising up the stairs like an invisible wave, and the windows cracked, the glass fracturing in irregular patterns. A freezing wind swept through the room, extinguishing the remaining lights, leaving only the faint glow of the crucifix in Cassian's hand.
"Something's coming!" Judy shouted, clinging to Mary Ellen, her wide eyes searching for Cassian in the dimness.
He turned, dagger in one hand, crucifix in the other, sprinkling holy water in all directions. "They will not cross," he said, advancing toward the center of the room, his steps firm against the trembling floor. The rumbling grew louder, the walls groaning as if about to collapse, and a deafening crack came from the ceiling, dust raining down on them. Daniela, freed from possession, collapsed to her knees, gasping, while Mary Ellen held Judy tightly.
A deep voice filled the air, a murmur that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, resonating in their heads. "It is useless to keep fighting. When 'he' comes, it will be the end of everything." The words faded, and the shaking stopped abruptly, leaving an oppressive silence that weighed on their lungs. The lights slowly returned, flickering before stabilizing.
Cassian remained motionless, the papal crucifix in his hand, his eyes fixed on the darkness of the hallway. Mary Ellen approached, her voice trembling. "What was that? What did it mean?"
"I don't know yet," he replied, sheathing the dagger in his belt, the crucifix still firmly gripped in his fingers. "But it wasn't Annabelle. Something bigger is behind this."
Days later, Ed and Lorraine returned, finding Cassian, Mary Ellen, Judy, and Daniela exhausted but alive in the main room. Daniela, tears in her eyes, apologized to Lorraine, her voice breaking. "I just wanted to talk to my dad…" Lorraine hugged her, whispering a message from her father that made her sob with relief, her trembling hands nodding in gratitude.
That night, in the kitchen, while Judy celebrated her birthday with friends, laughter filling the air for the first time in days, Mary Ellen approached Cassian, her green eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, Cassian… without you, we wouldn't have made it." She leaned in, her hands gently touching his face, and kissed him passionately, her warm and urgent lips pressing against his. He let her linger for a moment, then pulled back with a faint smile.
"You're brave, Mary Ellen. Take care of Judy. I need to leave soon."
She nodded, blushing, as he stepped out onto the porch, the papal crucifix still in his hand, the words of the murmur echoing in his mind like a sound he couldn't silence.