Chapter 18: Ravens Fair
Small town, puppets, ripped-out tongues...
These keywords reminded William of a movie—Dead Silence.
In the original work, even the protagonist didn't survive in the end. It was the childhood nightmare of many people.
William recalled the plot of the movie:
A long time ago, in the town of Ravens Fair, there was a famous ventriloquist named Mary Shaw.
The puppets she made were exquisite and lifelike.
Coupled with her perfect voice mimicry, the puppets seemed almost real, attracting many people to watch her shows.
But during one performance, an audience member questioned Mary Shaw's act.
Although no one paid much attention at the time, that audience member disappeared shortly after.
Not long after that, Mary Shaw also died unexpectedly.
Following her will, the townspeople buried her along with the puppets she had made.
But since then, murders began to occur in the town.
Without exception, the victims all had terrified expressions and their entire tongues ripped out.
At the same time, a nursery rhyme began to circulate in the town:
"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw."
"She had no children, only dolls."
"And if you see her in your dreams,"
"Be sure you never, ever scream."
With the population dwindling and accidents occurring frequently, Ravens Fair gradually became desolate.
...
"It seems that 'screaming' and 'puppets' are the necessary conditions for Mary Shaw to attack."
William pondered silently.
"They're just a bunch of cultists. When the Lord's holy light shines, they'll have no choice but to scurry away like rats..."
Luen was showing off his "authority" in front of the group.
Just like a character in most movies who is about to die, he was setting up death flags before anything even started.
After speaking, he glanced at Olivia.
But she was seriously studying the commission documents, ignoring Luen's behavior completely.
Seeing this, Luen had to think of another way. He turned to stare at William and Ren.
"You guys come from a small place and haven't seen these types. Their behavior is cruel; you can't handle them!"
"Did you hear about the last expo? A senior member of the Church took action and crushed their sacrificial ritual. Only a clergyman of that caliber can handle them."
"Although I am slightly inferior to that senior, as long as you two do as I say, I will naturally ensure your safety."
William and Ren looked at each other.
"We will rely on you for this commission," William immediately played along.
Standing up against him right now would not be a wise move.
Anyway, with this guy taking the lead, William could just play it by ear.
Ren thought the same, but he had more plans.
"If I hook up with this guy, maybe I can get promoted to the Diocese."
So Ren used all his skills to praise Luen to the skies.
Having spent years at the grassroots level, dealing with a greenhorn like this was a piece of cake.
Olivia frowned slightly, feeling disdainful of the scene.
"Two more sycophants," she thought.
She had seen too many people like this along the way.
If it weren't for her father's orders, she wouldn't associate with these people.
"Mm, complete the mission quickly tomorrow and leave the same day!" Olivia decided secretly.
The Next Day.
William got up earlier than usual.
After completing his daily spiritual practice as usual, he dragged Ren out of bed.
Then the two drove to a supermarket in town.
By the time they returned, Luen and Olivia were just waking up.
"Let's go."
Luen stretched, looking relaxed, as if he were going on a spring outing.
A few hours later, there were fewer and fewer cars on the road.
The four of them soon arrived at a large bridge.
This was the entrance to the town of Ravens Fair.
Standing at the bridgehead, they could see a cluster of buildings on the other side.
Silent, gray, lifeless.
Like a dead city.
Or like the end of the world.
"Stop for a moment," William said suddenly.
The other three looked at him.
Although Ren didn't understand, out of trust in William, he did as he was told.
William got out of the car and went to the edge of the bridge, where there was a sign.
"This bridge was built 80 years ago..."
William looked around.
"Although it's been exposed to the elements for so many years, it shouldn't break suddenly."
He checked the surface of the bridge for signs of excessive corrosion.
To avoid the news of the bridge breaking suddenly after entering the town, leading to them being trapped inside.
This kind of case often appeared in a certain elementary school detective anime.
However, just to be safe, William threw some holy artifacts onto the beams under the bridge.
This would at least prevent destruction from monsters and evil spirits.
"What are you doing?"
Luen got out of the car and walked over, asking curiously.
Olivia also stared at William.
"Worried that the bridge is unstable and will collapse after we cross, so I'm placing some holy artifacts for protection."
William told the truth.
"Pfft, hahahaha..." Luen laughed, clutching his stomach.
Olivia also had a "Are you serious?" expression, then shook her head.
Ren was used to it; his buddy just had this habit.
"You really are a coward!"
Luen acted as if he had heard something hilarious.
"The bridge collapsing? It would be more plausible to say the car broke down."
Clearly, he thought William was making a mountain out of a molehill.
"Speaking of the car breaking down..." William rubbed his chin. "I've made preparations for that too."
Then, under the astonished gazes of Luen and Olivia, William opened the car trunk.
It was piled high with spare gasoline, spare engine belts, spare tires...
The two young people from the Diocese were stunned on the spot.
Just like that, the group continued forward.
On the way, William made similar arrangements in the middle and at the end of the bridge.
Luen didn't stop him; he just found this hillbilly comical, bringing some fun to the boring journey.
Olivia felt a bit emotional. These small-town priests had never received orthodox exorcism training.
They simply didn't know what true exorcism was.
Nor did they know that everything they were doing was useless.
After finishing with the bridge, the group of four entered the town.
Because the place was too big, and Luen and the others were there.
William didn't have the chance to set up a Demon-Trapping Array around the entire town.
If he were alone, he might have spent a few days finishing the perimeter defense work first.
Then advance step by step in an encircling manner, striving to eliminate hidden dangers on every inch of land.
...
"Stop here for a moment."
William got out of the car for the umpteenth time.
He took a can of gasoline from the trunk and placed it in a hidden spot by the roadside.
He and Ren had gone to buy these things in the morning.
According to the consistent style of American horror stories, when you are in a dangerous environment, your car can have problems at any time—no gas, flat tire, broken belt...
So William specially bought spares and placed them near the town exit.
This way, if they really encountered the above problems, they could find replacements in a short time.
In the back seat.
Luen kept shaking his leg.
He was getting impatient.
It had been a full 30 minutes since they arrived at Ravens Fair.
But the entrance bridge was still only 10 meters behind him!
In other words, they had spent 30 minutes and hadn't even fully entered the town!
And it was all because of this hillbilly priest!
Did this guy have a persecution complex? He had to make arrangements even when passing a patch of grass!
At first, Luen thought it was funny, but now it was just torture.
He would rather have a good fight with cultists!
Even being caught by an evil spirit was better than staying here!
But this priest's reasons were perfectly logical: "To protect the safety of you two! This way, it's easier to explain to the Diocese."
He naturally didn't need to listen to William, but if word got back to the Diocese...
Luen wanted to scream right now:
I'm carrying 5-year-old holy artifacts! Fighting an evil spirit or demon is a piece of cake! Do I need protection?!
On the other side, Olivia was also suffering.
She even suspected that this priest was possessed by an evil spirit.
But Olivia searched through the names of evil spirits in her memory, and none had this kind of fetish.
Her father had praised her—"Patient and meticulous in exorcism, possessing the demeanor of an Archbishop."
But compared to this priest, she was like a child.
Olivia even wanted to beg him: Just get in there! I'll protect you!
Ren, however, felt a full sense of security.
"Being with Brother William is so reassuring!"
Another 10 minutes passed, and William finished the arrangements at the entrance.
The car finally drove into the town.