vox mortem; the conjuring

тωσ; мιяяσя, мιяяσя

"We were able to hear the flute play, just like they said. But what happened after, none of us seems to remember. When I came to, I was sitting by one of the windows that had broken, Lorraine said she was standing on the stairs outside the front door. We don't know what happened, but what is even more unsettling, is that the sound of the flute did not record on either of the tapes. And we set up three."

As the car rode shaking and bumping over the old Sheffield road, Jane sat still in the backseat, her entire attention consumed by the recollections Ed and Lorraine retold from their first night at the Arden Residence. She had barely spoken a word after leaving the Institute, and although the excitement was keeping her body alert and her eyes watchful, it felt as though a piece of her had remained back in the high stone walls, leaving behind an empty hole of unbearable silence.

The day she had been admitted, the gentle girlish voice of Annie kept her company during the most terrifying hours and the spirit had not once left her side during those incredibly long six years. Jane had learned that Annie, before her death, had been inhabiting the room she was admitted to for eight entire years, when the girl figured she could not go on any longer. At the age of sixteen, Annie had broken the window in a fit of panic and jumped out head first.

The room lay on the third floor. There had been only concrete to catch her.

Annie had never been hostile. But upon hearing Ed's story, Jane started contemplating if her decision had been too fast, after all.

"Lorraine also tried making contact with the spirits during the time of their peak activity, but it was like something - or someone - was blocking the connection."

"And you think that by giving them a voice, the something, or someone, will let them speak freely?"

Jane could see the man nod his head. "In any case of possession, entities are able to wield more power with the use of a physical body as it narrows down the line between our world and theirs. Especially when it comes to spirits who are not yet ready to leave behind the human world - whether it's because of matters they weren't able to take care of, or a very clear denial of their death - having the opportunity of using someone's body brings them a step back towards life."

"Hm." Repeating Ed's words in her head, Jane turned to the window on her left side. They had now reached a seemingly less populated area of Sheffield, passing by old houses with unkept gardens and overgrown fences. She became aware of the car radio faintly playing a collection of Elvis Presley hits.

"Hey, uh, if you don't mind me asking.", Ed's voice sounded yet again, making Jane look back to the front. "What did you do to be put in that place?"

At his words, Lorraine gently slapped his arm from the passenger seat. "Ed!" Her voice was a rather exasperated whisper, but the man merely turned to her for a second, shrugging. Jane watched the interaction, her expression and posture not changing in the slightest. But inside, something had stirred at the question.

"I set Ms. Greendale's car on fire."

After that, the rest of the car ride passed in thick silence.

It was to the relief of all three of them that the gloomy house finally came into sight. Jane had her face almost entirely pressed to the window to catch a glimpse of the facade, in awe at how majestic it looked. The photographs she had seen were by far not able to picture its entire beauty, but at the thought of what resided inside, her insides churned ever so slightly. She chose to look down onto her lap instead.

The car came to a rattling halt on the front lawn before the building. Jane watched as the pair exited, Lorraine giving her a small encouraging smile before leaving the car. The girl let out a breath, pulling a hand through her hair. Only then she realised the oddity of the situation she had found herself in. Merely hours earlier, after all, she had been cowering in her accustomed room with thoughts of stepping into Annie's footsteps coursing through her head, whereas now, she was in the car of two practical strangers to investigate possible demonic activity. She could understand why everyone had always deemed her as not right in her mind.