Chapter 18: Ravens Fair
A small town. Puppets. Torn-out tongues...
These keywords immediately reminded Gideon Black of an old horror film—Dead Silence.
In the original, the protagonist ultimately failed to escape their fate. That movie had become a childhood nightmare for many.
Gideon began recalling its plot:
Long ago, the town of Ravens Fair was home to a famous puppeteer named Mary Shaw.
Her handcrafted puppets were exquisitely lifelike. Combined with her uncanny ability to mimic voices, they were so realistic that many swore they were watching living beings on stage.
Crowds came from far and wide to witness her performances.
But during one particular show, a skeptic in the audience publicly questioned her act.
At the time, no one thought much of it.
Then that skeptic mysteriously vanished.
Not long after, Mary Shaw herself died under strange circumstances.
Following her last will, the townspeople buried her along with all her puppets.
But from that point on, a series of gruesome murders began to haunt the town.
The victims all shared the same horrifying fate: wide-eyed with terror, and their tongues violently torn out.
Around this time, a nursery rhyme began to circulate in Ravens Fair:
> Beware her gaze.
She speaks through dolls.
If she visits in dreams—
Do not scream.
With a rising death toll and a wave of disappearances, the population dwindled. Ravens Fair slowly became a ghost town.
---
"It seems that screaming and puppets are the key triggers for Mary Shaw's attacks," Gideon mused to himself.
"But in the end, it's just another cult. When the Lord's holy light shines upon them, they'll scurry like rats…"
Luen strutted confidently in front of the group, putting on a show of authority.
He was exactly the type of character who sets up a death flag before anything actually starts.
After boasting, he snuck a glance at Olivia.
But she was focused entirely on the mission briefing, ignoring him completely.
Seeing that, Luen turned to Gideon and Huang Ren, trying a different angle.
"You two are from some backwater, right? You haven't seen what these freaks are capable of. They're sadistic—way out of your league."
"You remember that exhibit last month? A senior priest from the Church personally crushed their sacrificial ritual. That's the kind of power it takes to deal with them."
"Now, I may not be quite on his level, but as long as you follow my instructions, I'll keep you safe."
Gideon exchanged a quick glance with Huang Ren.
"Then we're counting on you," Gideon replied smoothly, his voice full of feigned respect.
This wasn't the time to provoke anyone. Besides, with Luen taking the lead, it gave him a perfect excuse to stay alert and act if things went south.
Huang Ren had similar thoughts—but his were more ambitious.
If I can get close to him, maybe I'll land a position in the diocese.
And so, he went all in, heaping praise on Luen like his life depended on it.
After years of surviving the Church's lower ranks, flattering a cocky rookie like Luen was second nature.
Olivia, meanwhile, frowned slightly in disapproval.
Another pair of bootlickers, she thought.
She'd seen plenty of their type along her journey.
If it weren't for her father's orders, she would never associate with people like them.
I'll finish this mission tomorrow and leave the same day, she decided firmly.
---
The next day.
Gideon woke up earlier than usual.
After finishing his daily spiritual training, he dragged Huang Ren out of bed.
The two of them got into the car and drove to a local supermarket.
By the time they returned, Luen and Olivia were just getting up.
"Let's head out," Luen yawned, stretching casually as if he were going on a picnic.
A few hours into the drive, the traffic thinned. Cars became fewer and farther between.
Eventually, the group arrived at a large bridge.
This was the entrance to Ravens Fair.
From where they stood, they could see the clustered silhouettes of buildings on the other side.
Silent. Grey. Lifeless.
Like a city of the dead—
Or the very edge of the world.
"Wait," Gideon suddenly spoke up.
The other three turned to him, puzzled.
Huang Ren, though confused, trusted Gideon enough to comply without question.
Gideon stepped out of the car and approached a sign by the bridge.
"This bridge was built 80 years ago…" he murmured, inspecting the surroundings.
"Judging by its age, it's weathered a lot, but it shouldn't collapse anytime soon."
Still, he carefully examined the structure, looking for signs of corrosion or instability.
He didn't want to end up trapped in the town if the bridge were to suddenly collapse—a classic trap he'd seen countless times in certain mystery anime.
Just to be safe, he also tucked a few blessed relics under the bridge's support beams.
At the very least, this setup would protect the bridge from supernatural sabotage.
"What are you doing?"
Luen had stepped out of the car and walked over, curiosity written all over his face.
Olivia was watching Gideon as well.
"Just a precaution," Gideon replied honestly. "If the bridge collapses after we cross, we'll be trapped. I'm placing holy relics to reinforce it."
Pfft—HA!
Luen burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
Olivia shot him a "Seriously?" look, then simply shook her head.
Huang Ren, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. He was used to his friend's habits by now.
"You're such a coward," Luen chuckled, clearly entertained.
"A collapsing bridge? You'd be more believable if you said the car might break down."
He clearly thought Gideon was being overly paranoid.
"Well, about that..." Gideon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've prepared for that too."
With that, he popped open the trunk.
Luen and Olivia stared in stunned silence as they saw the contents: spare fuel, extra engine belts, a backup tire—everything meticulously packed.
The two young clerics from the diocese stood frozen, unable to respond.
---
And so, the group continued forward.
Along the way, Gideon repeated the same setup at the midpoint and far end of the bridge.
Luen didn't bother stopping him. He just found the backwater priest's antics amusing—a bit of comic relief for an otherwise dull trip.
Olivia, however, felt a hint of sadness.
Priests from small towns like this... they never receive proper exorcism training.
They didn't know what real exorcism looked like.
They didn't realize their actions were utterly meaningless.
---
Once the bridge was secured, the four finally entered the town.
The place was vast, and with Luen and Olivia present, Gideon had no chance to set up a proper Demon Entrapment Array across the entire area.
If he were alone, he might've spent a few days building a perimeter first—carefully sealing off the outer zone and then advancing inward step by step, eliminating threats one inch at a time.
---
"Stop here," Gideon said again, for what felt like the twentieth time.
He got out of the car and grabbed another canister of gasoline from the trunk, hiding it in a discreet spot by the roadside.
This was what he and Huang Ren had gone out to buy that morning.
In horror stories—especially American ones—there were always vehicle problems: no fuel, flat tires, snapped belts…
So Gideon had come prepared. He'd scattered backup supplies at key exits around the town.
That way, if they ran into car trouble, they'd have replacements nearby.
---
In the backseat, Luen bounced his leg impatiently.
He was growing frustrated.
It had been 30 full minutes since they arrived at Ravens Fair.
And yet… the bridge was still only ten meters behind them.
Which meant they had barely entered the town.
And the cause of this delay?
The countryside priest who insisted on stopping every five steps to plant relics like he was some kind of holy gardener.
At first, Luen found it mildly amusing.
Now it felt like torture.
He would rather fight cultists head-on.
Hell, even getting possessed by a spirit sounded more fun than this.
But of course, the priest always had a reasonable excuse:
"It's for your safety. We need to report this to the diocese if anything happens."
Technically, Luen didn't have to listen to Gideon.
But if word got back to headquarters…
He wanted to scream:
"I brought five years' worth of relics! I could solo an archdemon! What 'protection' do I need?!"
---
Olivia was just as miserable.
She began to wonder if the priest had already been possessed.
But no demon she knew of had a fetish for compulsive planning.
Her father once praised her:
"You're meticulous, patient, and disciplined—true archbishop material."
But standing next to this man, she felt like a child.
Part of her wanted to plead:
Please, just go into the town. I'll cover you! I swear!
---
Huang Ren, on the other hand, felt nothing but peace of mind.
"Man, I feel so safe with Brother Gideon around…"
---
Ten more minutes passed.
Gideon finally completed the final setup at the town's entrance.
And at last, their car crossed the threshold—into Ravens Fair.