Crestwood Investigation

Chapter 32: A Ritual Perhaps

Joshua's voice trembled as he called out, "Are you guys okay?"

Hannah's response came back in a horrified shriek "He's dead!"

Rushing to join them Hannah stepped aside, revealing Lindsey standing frozen in shock and terror her gaze fixed on the lifeless figure hanging from the bedroom ceiling fan.

The group stood in horrified silence their minds reeling with the gruesome scene before them. Michael spoke up first his voice heavy with sorrow "This is terrible, what could lead to this happening?"

Hannah still terrified
"We searched the other rooms and didn't find anything besides a lot of mess, Lindsey came in here first and she went silent in fear and then I screamed as soon as I saw it."

Meanwhile Tyler searching the room discovered a paper on the desk and brought it over his hands remaining steady as he read aloud the contents.

"I couldn't deal with the regret and pain anymore" he recited, his voice filled with sadness "I know I messed up, I let those two use the book, and it caused their own undoing, I thought they wanted inner peace to change around their lives, I didn't think their hearts would contain enough hate to summon Rache the very same demon I locked away many years ago, the demon who nearly killed everyone I've known, the demon that ruined my and Milton's life and took away all the rest, I know he's free now and I knew he would have come for me, to kill me so I ended my agonizing wait and I'm sorry Milton for what fate awaits you, I'm sorry to everyone those two boys would want dead and will now be targets, I'm sorry to the whole world that this monster is unleashed, If anyone finds this letter please find the summoning book at the prison It should be under lost and found items, If the police are finding this please turn the book into a professional expert on demons please don't take this lightly, please hear my cries that Rache must be stopped he'll kill us all if not."

The weight of Juan's final words hung heavy in the air each member of the group grappling with the grim reality of the situation, they knew that their battle against Rache had only just begun and the stakes were higher than ever.

Despite this situation the group had to discuss their next steps Tyler and Emma were the first to speak up both agreeing that their priority should be deciphering the contents of the mysterious book to uncover how to stop Rache.

"We need to find a way to translate this book and learn everything we can about Rache's weaknesses and how Juan trapped him once before." Emma asserted her voice filled with determination.

Tyler nodded in agreement
"I'll accompany Emma to the library like old times, we'll search for translations and any relevant information or books that could help us."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement acknowledging the importance of this task Joshua and Michael on the other hand, expressed their intention to revisit Milton to ensure his well-being and gather any additional information that could aid their cause.

"Me and Michael will go see Milton again and see if he has any more insights that could help us maybe he'll be more eager." Joshua spoke.

Hannah and Lindsey eager to contribute offered their assistance to either group
"We'll tag along with whichever group needs the extra help" Lindsey offered her voice steady despite the situation.

Tyler assured them
"Me and Emma will be fine with the two of us at the library, you should tag along with Joshua and Michael just in case Milton's situation takes a turn for the worse."

As they finalized their plans Emma looked around the room her gaze falling on Juan's lifeless body."We can't forget the gravity of what we're dealing with here, Juan's death is a stark reminder of the danger we're facing."

Michael nodded solemnly "We need to stay focused and make every effort to stop Rache before anyone else gets hurt."

With a collective sense of determination, the group prepared to divide once more Tyler and Emma gathered their belongings ready to head to the library while Joshua, Michael, Hannah and Lindsey prepared to visit Milton once more.

As Tyler and Emma made their way out of the house their conversation was filled with urgency and purpose "We need to find every bit of information we can about Rache" Tyler remarked.

Emma nodded in agreement her eyes scanning the street ahead "I'll search for translations and any references of people getting rid of such demons, we need to cast a wide net in our research."

As the sun dipped below the horizon casting long shadows across the silent library Tyler and Emma remained immersed in their research The computer screens casting a glow over the pages of the ancient tome they had brought with them, its cryptic contents beckoning them into a realm of dark knowledge.

Tyler furrowed his brow in concentration as he scanned the pages his fingers tracing the intricate symbols and glyphs etched into the yellowed parchment, beside him Emma poured over notes and texts her eyes alight with determination.

Suddenly Emma's voice broke the stillness of the library "Tyler, look at this" she exclaimed pointing to an article she had found.

Tyler leaned in closer, his heart pounding with anticipation, the words before them held the key to unlocking the mysteries of Rache's power, but they knew they were only scratching the surface.

"We're onto something." Tyler remarked his voice tinged with excitement.

Emma nodded her eyes gleaming with determination "But we need a bit more information, We need to dive deeper into these texts and uncover every detail."

Outside the library the night enveloped the city in its embrace shrouding the streets in darkness, In the distance, the faint sound of sirens echoed through the night air a harbinger of the challenges that awaited them.

Tyler's eyes widened as he stumbled upon a passage that seemed to hold a clue "Emma look at this I found through translation" he called out

Emma leaned in closer her gaze fixated on the ancient text before them and the computer he typed the message into, the words on screen read

"Thou who wants to stop the demon of vengeance must bring with the essence of heaven's emotions" Emma read aloud with slight confusion "but may not influence thy intelligence, humans and demons be not alike, for a sacrifice is needed to satisfy the presence."

Emma's mind raced with possibilities as she mulled over the implications of the passage. "It seems like another ritual, probably like the one that summoned him." she remarked. "A way to trap or banish Rache maybe."

Tyler nodded in agreement his mind spinning with thoughts of how they could use this newfound knowledge to their advantage "But what kind of sacrifice?" he wondered aloud his voice tinged with uncertainty "And how do we gather the essence of heaven's emotions?"

As they debated the finer points of the ritual a sense of urgency gripped them, time was definitely of the essence and they knew they needed to act quickly if they were to have any hope of stopping Rache's reign of terror.

With newfound resolve, Tyler and Emma pressed on into the night, as the others were about to have a discussion with Milton once more.