Anna felt like her scalp was about to explode. She immediately yanked open the car door and dove into the driver’s seat!
It was as if, in that moment, only the sealed environment inside the car could give her a shred of security.
Inside the car, Anna felt like a barrier had been raised between her and the outside world.
Right then, apart from her own breathing, she couldn’t hear a thing.
Nervously, she looked back to where the woman had been standing. The spot was completely empty.
A little while later, a big truck with its high beams on drove past.
Everything that happened before felt like it might have just been Anna’s imagination.
The world was still as peaceful as ever.
Anna exhaled heavily and was about to start the car to go home when she suddenly felt a wave of dread.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white figure sitting in the passenger seat – and she had no idea when it had appeared!
The figure suddenly reached out a hand. Its fingers, thin like bamboo poles, grabbed Anna’s hand as it reached for the keys!
A sharp, burning pain made Anna scream in agony. She twisted her head towards the passenger seat and finally got a good look at that face!
The pale white face had no color in it at all. From its wide-open mouth and its eyes, which had no whites, thick, pitch-black blood flowed!
The shriek it let out instantly drowned out Anna’s voice and shattered the car windows!
But the next second, the female ghost vanished right in front of Anna, as if she had never been there!
Trembling with fear, Anna looked down at her wrist. A strange, burn-like mark had already formed.
In that moment, Anna finally knew for sure. Patricia hadn’t been lying. And her own kids hadn’t been playing tricks.
La Llorona. That female ghost. She’s really targeting me and my children!
Thinking this, Anna forced down the terror in her heart and immediately sped off towards home.
She drove like a maniac, squeezing through any gap she could find.
When she finally got home and saw her two children safe and sound, it felt like all the strength drained out of her. She sank weakly to her knees.
The next day.
Anna sought out the priest at a nearby church.
Father Andrew didn’t dismiss her story as some kind of joke. Instead, his expression was serious as he listened carefully to the whole story from start to finish.
“Does what I’m saying sound like complete nonsense to you?” Anna asked nervously after she finished.
“I used to scoff at things like this too,” the priest shook his head. “Until I personally encountered something evil and strange.”
“You don’t need to prove yourself to me, Ms. Anna. In fact, the last time you came, I already notified the relevant people to come collect evidence.”
“Thank you for trusting me. I just… I don’t know what to do anymore…” Anna said, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“Who is this woman in white, anyway?!”
“La Llorona. In Mexican folklore, she’s the weeping woman in white. A beautiful woman who fell in love with a young, handsome rancher and had two children.
“But one day, she suddenly discovered her husband was cheating on her. Jealousy and rage clouded her mind, and in her frenzy, she drowned her own children.
“When she finally calmed down and realized what she had done, she was overwhelmed with guilt and grief, and she drowned herself in a river.
“But her soul never found peace. Instead, she was cursed to wander the world, forever searching for other people’s children to take as her own…”
After hearing the priest’s words, Anna finally understood who she was dealing with.
“Father Andrew, since someone’s already collecting evidence, when can you perform an exorcism for us?”
“After collecting the evidence, it has to be sent for approval… The whole process takes about two to three weeks.”
Two to three weeks?
Hearing that answer, Anna’s heart sank like a stone.
By the time the Vatican’s exorcism permit arrived, the three of them – her and her kids – would already be bloated corpses floating in a river.
“If you can’t wait that long, I actually have someone else I can recommend…”
“There’s a medicine man I know named Raphael. He used to be a priest, but he has his own unique methods when it comes to exorcisms.
“The Vatican didn’t approve of his ways, so he left the priesthood and opened his own shop.”
Anna nodded eagerly.
She quickly wrote down the address and phone number for the medicine man, Raphael.
Just then, a figure appeared at the church door.
“Excuse me, are you Father Andrew?”
Both of them turned around to see a young man with black hair standing in the doorway.
The church wasn’t exactly brightly lit, but from their perspective, the young man seemed to be standing within a pool of light.
He walked in slowly, unhurried.
“Who might you be…?” Father Andrew asked, a bit puzzled, but he still stood up and walked towards the young man.
“My name is Su Fan. Ed and Jolene ran into some trouble and can’t make it, so they asked me to come in their place.”
Father Andrew nodded automatically at the young man’s introduction.
The young man’s words seemed to carry an incredible, almost magical, power that made him believe them instinctively.
“I see,” Andrew nodded, glanced at Anna behind him, and then explained to the young man.
“The situation has changed. Anna couldn’t wait for the Vatican’s exorcism permit, so she’s skipping the evidence collection step. I’m sorry, but it looks like you might have made this trip for nothing.”
“Father, you’ve misunderstood,” the young man shook his head slowly. “I’m not here to collect evidence for the Warrens. I’m here to solve the problem.”
“Solve the problem? What do you mean…?”
“I’m here to perform an exorcism.”
Exorcism?
Father Andrew was stunned.
This was the first time he’d ever seen such a young exorcist.
Behind him, Anna’s eyes also showed a flicker of doubt.
The young man seemed to notice their suspicion. He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope.
“This is a letter handwritten by Ed.”
Andrew took the envelope, opened it, and saw that it was indeed Ed’s handwriting.
The contents matched exactly what the young man had told him.
The Warrens… looks like they’ve run into some serious trouble…
If just profiling something could hurt Jolene… what the heck happened in Hollywood?
Father Andrew couldn’t help but think this to himself, but he quickly pushed the thoughts aside.
“I understand,” he said.
He turned and went to explain things to Anna.
“Ed and Jolene wouldn’t recommend just anyone. You can trust this gentleman.”
Anna was stunned. She instinctively asked, “What about Raphael, then?”
“Whether you invite Mr. Su here, or Raphael, that’s your choice. It’s up to you, Ms. Anna.”
Raphael was his friend. Su Fan was the exorcist entrusted by the Warrens. Neither of them was a fraud.
As a third party, Andrew had already said everything he needed to say. The rest wasn’t his place to decide.
Anna could only nod.
“Please come with me, Mr. Su Fan.”
She stood up and led Su Fan towards the door.
