Chapter 351: Beating Annabelle to a Pulp
In the Warren household, there was a dedicated storage room used specifically to house paranormal artifacts.
Many supernatural enthusiasts who admired the famous demon-hunting duo had come to visit and see their rare collection.
Ed and Lorraine had a daughter named Judy. From birth, she inherited her mother's medium abilities and, having grown up in this environment, developed an extraordinary calmness when facing paranormal events.
Upon learning that her parents were delayed and couldn't return home, Judy invited a few neighborhood friends over for a sleepover.
"Judy, can we take a look at the haunted stuff in your house?"
One of the girls boldly asked.
After all, most families in their neighborhood were skeptical about exorcisms and the supernatural.
I mean, what normal person runs into ghosts? Most ordinary people could live their whole lives without ever encountering anything paranormal.
After all, most spirits were like air—unable to manifest in the world of the living—and over time, they would gradually dissipate into the world.
"Sure, that's fine."
Judy gave a stern warning: "But don't touch anything. It could be extremely dangerous. My parents aren't home, and there's no one here who can handle an emergency."
"Got it, we'll just look."
"Don't worry, we know how to behave."
"You'll be with us the whole time, so nothing will go wrong."
With their repeated assurances, Judy didn't press the issue any further and led her friends upstairs to the storage room.
She retrieved the key from beneath the carpet.
When she unlocked and pushed open the door, what greeted them were objects of all shapes and styles.
A suit of medieval armor, a set of samurai gear from Japan, a vintage pocket watch, an ordinary-looking table lamp... and especially, the doll locked inside a glass case.
"Is that Annabelle?"
"Yes," Judy replied.
The plain-looking doll seemed so cheap in the eyes of the girls that it didn't even spark their curiosity. It looked just like something discarded by the side of the road in a slum.
"Annabelle is a vessel possessed by a demon. Plenty of people have died because of her. That's why she must be locked in a glass case blessed by a priest," Judy explained.
Each of the haunted objects—commonly referred to as cursed relics—would bring misfortune if touched.
"Don't touch that!"
Judy shouted as she saw one of her friends reaching for a crystal lamp.
Startled by the sudden warning, the girl turned around in confusion and accidentally knocked loose the latch on the glass case.
"That's the Nightmare Lamp. Anyone who touches it will be trapped in a never-ending nightmare."
Judy quickly pulled her friend away from the room. "If you leave it by your bedside, you'll keep dreaming without ever waking up."
As they exited the storage room, the Annabelle doll inside the glass case slowly turned its head to look toward the door.
And in the dark corner of the room, a shadowy demon suddenly emerged.
"It's getting late. We should wash up and get ready for bed."
After they finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom—
The three girls froze in place.
Annabelle was now lying on the sofa.
They had been together the entire time. No one had the chance to pull a prank.
The only plausible explanation… was that the doll had come out of the storage room on its own.
"Don't be scared."
Judy mustered her courage, walked up, picked up Annabelle, and forced herself to stay calm. "As long as we put her back in the case, it'll be fine."
The other two girls, facing a real paranormal event for the first time, were already terrified beyond reason and didn't dare move.
At that moment, the house lights began flickering wildly.
"Ahhh—"
"There's something behind the sofa!"
The next moment, the two girls ran for the bedroom, hoping to hide under the covers and avoid the demon's assault.
Just as Judy was about to run, in the flickering light, a pair of pitch-black hands suddenly grabbed both her legs.
In that instant, fear devoured her rationality.
She was just a middle-school girl. No matter how calm she seemed day to day, she couldn't possibly stay composed like her parents when actually facing a supernatural threat.
When her parents were home, she never feared the paranormal. After all, to a child, parents were like divine guardians.
"Got you."
A chilling voice echoed beside her ears, as if someone were whispering directly into them.
Judy's breathing grew rapid, her face overcome by raw terror.
BANG!
Suddenly, the door was kicked open with brute force.
Both Judy and the demon turned toward the sound.
Three figures barged in without hesitation and began a violent assault.
"Jump him!"
An arrogant roar rang out.
Before Judy could even process what was happening, the three unfamiliar adult men were already surrounding the demon and unleashing a brutal beatdown, looking for all the world like thugs mugging a homeless man on the street.
These newcomers were none other than Allen and his two companions.
By sheer coincidence, they had arrived just as the demon was on the loose. Allen had blessed Bruce and Barry with priestly powers—normally, their punches and kicks wouldn't hurt a demon, but now every blow landed with real impact.
As the lights in the house stabilized, the three continued to pummel the demon mercilessly.
"Stop."
Allen raised a hand, and Bruce and Barry reluctantly halted their beating.
The demon lay on the ground, barely breathing. It was clearly on the verge of death, a dazed and hopeless look on its face.
It had only just escaped its confinement and was preparing to exact revenge on the Warrens in a grand showdown.
Instead, three total strangers had burst in and given it a savage, senseless thrashing.
Allen looked at the girl and casually asked, "You okay, Judy?"
"Who… are you?" Judy, now composed, asked cautiously. "How do you know my name?"
"We're the Exorcism Trio. Your parents sent us to pick up the cursed artifacts. Good thing we got here in time."
Allen lied without batting an eye.
Their real goal in coming to the Warrens' house was, of course, to take all the supernatural items and craft anti-demon gear.
"I see." Judy nodded, seemingly convinced. "Uncle, I'll take you to the storage room."
Honestly, haunted items weren't worth much, and no one wanted to keep them—people were terrified of the bad luck they might bring.
Many of the artifacts had been brought to the Warrens precisely so they could be disposed of.
So when Allen said he was here to collect them, Judy didn't have the slightest suspicion.
He pulled out a nylon sack made of urea-based fiber.
First thing he did—stuffed Annabelle into the bag.
With Judy leading the way, the three men entered the storage room.
"Take everything. Don't leave a single piece," Allen ordered.
Bruce and Barry stuffed everything into the nylon bags without hesitation.
"This book is my dad's notes."
"That lamp really is just a lamp."
"That chair's not haunted."
"Please put the picture frame down—it's literally just a picture frame."
"..."
Watching the three of them act like a gang of looters, Judy immediately pointed out the non-haunted items.
Soon, six full nylon sacks were filled to the brim. The trio left with satisfied grins.
Riiing...
Less than a minute later, the house phone rang.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Judy, it's Mom. I just had a bad feeling you might be in danger, so I called to check."
"Mom, I'm fine now. Thank goodness for the three uncles you sent—they really saved us."
"Three uncles?"
"Yes! And they also took away all the haunted stuff in the house."
"..."
After a brief conversation, Judy realized she had been tricked.
She ran out the door in a panic—only to find that they were already long gone.
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)