vox mortem; the conjuring

ρяσℓσgυє

1979 - Sheffield, England

Upon taking sight of the building, Ed and Lorraine Warren felt as though they had gone back in time.

The old mansion stood rather offside at the edge of a forest, the countless windows built into the gothic facade appearing rather gloomy and repellent in the light of the summer evening. The dim glow of old lamps was breaking through the glass and inside, the pair could see silhouettes of people shuffling around from one room to another. It was quiet - like a calm before the storm, and as they took off towards the front door, the man could see his wife growing uneasy.

"Already feeling something, honey?"

His tone of voice was lighthearted in an attempt to brighten the already heavy atmosphere, but seeing Lorraine's worried face made him realize that indeed, something was already lingering around them.

"It's- it's different." Lorraine's voice was close to a whisper. "I-I can't tell... This is bad, Ed." The woman's head was already pounding, her field of vision flashing with unexplainable dark stains that disappeared once she tried to capture them directly.

Ed sighed, turning his head to look back at where he parked their borrowed car. He could barely see the opened trunk and Drew Thomas rummaging through it, taking out and assembling their recording equipment.

"How about you stay there with Drew, I'll go talk to the family-"

"No.", Lorraine firmly interrupted. "I am not having this discussion again. Together, no matter what."

Ed knew that arguing was pointless. Choosing to protest only in his head instead of saying it out loud, he put an arm over Lorraine's shoulders and kept her close as they approached the house. Yet even he, not possessing any psychic abilities, was able to sense that something in this area was seriously wrong.

Lorraine was the one to knock at the door. For a moment the pair stood still in heavy silence, before the muffled sound of footsteps approaching came from inside the house. A key was turned in its lock and right after, the door was opened by a middle-aged woman. She had a smile plastered onto her face, but Lorraine instantly knew that it was only there to mask the woman's worry and fear.

"Good evening, Miss Arden, we hope the church has announced-"

"Oh- yes, yes- the Warrens.", the woman interrupted hastily, her eyes darting from Ed and Lorraine's faces to the street behind them. "Please, come inside, I made some stew, we- we can talk over supper, please-"

Alice Arden motioned the pair inside, intensely eyeing the yard and street from left to right once more, before closing the door and making effort to lock it. Taking a quick glance back, the Warrens were surprised to see not one, but in fact three locks and a heavy chain to secure the door. They let their eyes meet for a brief moment - no lock was efficient if an inhuman force was present.

It seemed that the family had made attempts of lightening up the interior of their house, but even with pictures and colorful children drawings plastering the walls, the corridor appeared just as gloomy as the outside facade.

"Please, leave your shoes on, the dining room is just the first turn left-"

A hard gasp of pain made Miss Arden fall silent. After only a few steps into the house and one look at the floor, Lorraine squeezed her eyes shut and bent over at the sudden piercing pain in her chest. Ed next to her watched in shock, holding on tighter to keep his wife upright.

„Lorraine? Darling- what's wrong?" His voice was hushed - after years of working on cases of terrified families, he knew better than to make his own panic more visible than necessary. It was not the first time Lorraine had started feeling worse during an investigation - yet never as soon as this time.