[Chapter 261: The Curse of La Llorona]
The Curse of La Llorona.
This movie was adapted from Mexico's most terrifying ancient legend.
Legend had it that a woman named La Llorona, driven mad by her husband's infidelity, drowned her two children in a fit of rage. Afterward, filled with remorse, she committed suicide by throwing herself into the water.
She transformed into a vengeful spirit dressed in white, haunting the shadows near bodies of water. Any child who heard her mournful cries would be marked by her. She would stop at nothing to take those children away, drowning them alive to replace her own lost children.
Her presence was often accompanied by mysterious water stains, the stench of decay, and heartbreaking sobs.
"That woman is called La Llorona. She's set her sights on your children," Daniel said quietly, pulling his gaze away to meet the skeptical eyes of Mr. Green. "She'll lure them to water and drown them. The fingerprints on your children's arms -- those are the marks she's left behind."
Mr. Green looked down at the violet scratches on his son's arm, then back up, sizing Daniel up. "Listen, Mr. Cross," he said, loosening his tie, his voice stiffening. "That crying noise earlier was strange, I admit. But this story about a legend drowning children? It sounds insane. There are a lot of homeless people in L.A. -- maybe some crazy woman broke in."
Daniel's expression stayed calm. "Whether you believe it or not, that's up to you. Liv, let's go home."
He took Liv's hand, ready to leave.
"Wait," Mr. Green called out. "You're an Exorcist, right? If you were to handle this, how much would it cost?"
Daniel answered plainly, "One hundred thousand dollars."
"One hundred thousand?" Mr. Green sneered, his eyes flashing with anger, feeling like he was being taken for a sucker. "I could hire the best security team in L.A. for a whole year with that kind of money. Liv, I appreciate you caring about your neighbors, but your friend here... I think he's in the wrong place."
He pointed toward the door. "I'm going to upgrade security and find the best pediatrician, too. You two, please leave."
Daniel shrugged and led Liv out.
Liv was fuming that Mr. Green didn't believe them. She shook her head. "Mr. Green, you'll regret this."
Mr. Green's voice was firm. "Please leave, Liv, before I say something I shouldn't."
...
Back at Liv's house, she hugged Daniel tightly. "Can you stay tonight?"
Daniel smiled. "Of course. That's exactly what I wanted to say."
A brilliant smile lit up Liv's face.
...
Late that night.
In the bedroom, curtains drawn tight.
They had just finished a two-hour-long nightly ritual.
Liv, lightly sweating and utterly exhausted, nestled into Daniel's arms and drifted off to a deep sleep.
Daniel leaned against the headboard, but his Spiritual Sense spread invisibly across the neighbourhood.
Suddenly, from the distance, faint sounds of water splashing echoed -- as if someone was violently stirring the surface of a pool.
Then came a terrified scream.
"No! Stay away! Those are my children!"
Mrs. Green's bloodcurdling scream shattered the quiet night air.
The shrill, desperate cry echoed through the empty streets of the upscale neighborhood.
It lasted only a few seconds before abruptly stopping.
Then came heavy dragging sounds across the lawn, accompanied by intermittent, heartbreaking sobbing.
"Wooo... my children... where are my children..."
Daniel's eyes snapped open, cold and sharp.
Liv woke with a start from the commotion, sitting upright, her face pale.
"It's the Green family! They--"
She stopped -- realizing Daniel looked indifferent, as if he hadn't been surprised by any of this.
Calmly, he said, "Get dressed. Someone will be at the door soon."
"Okay."
Liv obeyed, hurriedly putting on clothes.
...
Just as they finished dressing -- Bang! Bang! Bang!
The front door was pounded on frantically.
"Mr. Cross! Liv! Help! Please, open the door!"
It was Mr. Green's hoarse voice, desperate and tearful.
Daniel looked down from the balcony.
Mr. Green's face was bloodied, and he desperately beat on the villa's iron gate. His pajamas were soaked, and a long scratch on his chest bled thick, black blood.
Behind him, wet footprints stretched toward a swirling mass of black mist.
"Mr. Cross! She took them! Please save them!"
Mr. Green knelt outside the gate, kowtowing desperately toward the security camera.
Daniel led Liv downstairs and casually activated the villa's defensive Ward. A faint, invisible light hummed briefly around the villa, then vanished.
The iron gate creaked open just enough for Mr. Green to lunge forward. His hands gripped the bars tightly, fingernails caked with dirt and blood.
"Mr. Cross! Help! Save Anthony and Emma!" His voice cracked, and tears and snot smeared his face.
Daniel sized him up with an unreadable expression.
Mr. Green's silk pajamas were torn in several places. The scratches on his chest oozed blackish-violet blood -- a clear sign of dark energy's corrosion.
"Please, Mr. Cross, I beg you!" Mr. Green knelt, speaking quickly. "I'll pay! One hundred thousand dollars, I'll write the check right now!"
Daniel's voice was cold. "That was the price during the day."
Mr. Green froze mid-motion.
Daniel raised a finger. "Now, it's one million dollars."
"What?" Mr. Green inhaled sharply, his face twitching.
One million dollars!
Though he could scrape it together, it was a staggering sum, enough to make his heart bleed.
"That's robbery!" he yelled instinctively.
Without a word, Daniel turned and walked toward the house.
Liv stood quietly to the side, watching.
"Wait! Wait!" Mr. Green broke down completely.
A muffled thud sounded from the mansion next door -- a heavy object falling into water, setting his heart racing.
"Fine! One million! As long as you save them, I'll pay one million!"
Mr. Green howled, fishing a wallet from his soaked pocket. His hands trembled like leaves in the wind as he pulled out a personal check.
Daniel stopped and looked back.
"I want the full amount, now."
No room to bargain, Mr. Green hurriedly filled in the number, signed his name, and shoved the check through the iron gate.
Daniel took it, glanced at the amount, then flicked his hand as the check vanished into System space.
"Liv, stay inside. No matter what you hear, don't go out," Daniel instructed firmly. "The Ward is active. As long as you don't leave, no one can get in."
Though pale, Liv nodded resolutely. "I understand. Be careful."
...
Daniel stepped out the gate and motioned for Mr. Green to lead the way.
The two hurried across the street.
Mr. Green's villa gate was wide open, a thick, rotten, fishy stench drifting from the hallway.
Wet footprints covered the ground, and pools of water clung to the floor, speckled with green moss.
In the backyard, the swimming pool glowed faintly in the moonlight, emitting a nauseating, rotten odor.
The water was murky and black, like stagnant water that had sat untouched for decades. Floating on the surface was one person -- Mrs. Green. She wore a silk nightgown, most of her body submerged. Her long hair drifted in the black water like seaweed.
*****
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