Chapter 212: 412 Ocean Avenue
Amityville, Long Island, New York.
A pickup truck sped along the asphalt road.
Shadows from the trees on both sides stretched across the pavement, and there were hardly any other vehicles in sight.
Gideon and the other two continued driving until they reached the center of town, where they finally began to see a few local residents.
In front of St. Anne's Church.
The church was a modest, rustic-looking building and served as the trio's first stop. Due to recent personnel reshuffles within the Church, the disciplinary hearing regarding Father Delaney had been temporarily postponed.
When they arrived, Delaney was kneeling before a holy statue, deep in prayer.
After learning the purpose of their visit, Father Delaney let out a long sigh.
"I read the information you provided in the commission report," Gideon said. "We came to ask whether there's anything else you can tell us."
Delaney pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you know the history of that villa?"
All three shook their heads.
Father Delaney crossed himself.
"May the Lord protect us. The houses in the Deer Park area were originally built by a group of Dutch settlers."
"They claimed it was for hunting convenience, but in truth, they were involved in… unspeakable acts."
He shook his head and continued.
"This land was once inhabited by Native Americans. Deer Park was their homeland, their means of survival."
"But within just a few decades of the settlers arriving on Long Island, nearly half of the native population vanished."
"No one knows where they went. But some say that screams could often be heard near the lakeshore."
"And that area is now the residential district."
A flicker of surprise crossed Gideon's eyes. He hadn't expected the house to have such a history.
At the same time, he realized something.
Colonizers. Indigenous people.
Those two identities together were almost synonymous with blood and hatred.
He could already guess what had happened inside that house.
In that case… perhaps the Lutz family wasn't targeted by a demon, Gideon thought.
When evaluating the dangers of a commission, threats were usually categorized by nature.
Serial killers or zombies, for example—because their individual threat level was relatively low—could often be dealt with through physical means. These were classified as physical threats.
Supernatural entities such as ghosts or vampires, on the other hand, possessed special abilities and were categorized as paranormal threats. Dealing with them required identifying specific weaknesses.
If demons were involved, the situation escalated significantly. Demonic influence could irreversibly corrupt land itself, potentially triggering a chain of future disasters.
Such incidents were classified as reality corruption, demanding extreme caution from Church personnel.
That was precisely why Gideon had come to the church first.
After the Hans incident, he trusted written reports far less.
He preferred firsthand investigation.
Just like now—if he judged the commission to be excessively dangerous, he would not step foot inside that villa.
After leaving the church, the three officially headed toward the assignment location.
One hour later.
Ocean Avenue, No. 412.
The car was shut off well before reaching the house.
As Lynn was about to step out, she noticed the other two hadn't moved at all.
Turning her head, she saw Gideon and Judy each holding a pair of binoculars, carefully observing the villa in the distance.
"Tell me what you've noticed," Gideon said.
"Umm…" Judy replied thoughtfully. "There's a wide, open lawn with no obstacles. If we need to retreat, the spirit won't be able to block our escape easily."
Lynn froze when she heard that.
They hadn't even gotten out of the car yet—and they were already planning escape routes?!
Judy continued calmly, "The first floor of the villa is spacious, but the second and third floors occupy much less area. That suggests there's likely an attic."
"That's where malevolent spirits most commonly appear. Under no circumstances should we approach it."
Lynn couldn't help opening her mouth in disbelief.
That… actually sounds professional, she thought.
Gideon glanced at Judy. "Anything else?"
Judy tilted her head, clearly drawing a blank. She could only look at Gideon for help.
He sighed lightly. "From the second floor onward, the available movement space becomes much more restricted."
"So when planning reconnaissance, we must factor in escape routes in case of an ambush."
The corner of Lynn's eye twitched.
So it really is all about running…
Gideon said seriously, "At all times, you need to keep the idea of retreat in your mind."
Judy nodded and pulled a notebook from her backpack.
Curious, Lynn leaned over to take a look—and instantly felt dizzy.
'A Catalog of Creative Ways Idiot Teammates Get Themselves Killed'
'Six Clever Tricks for Deceiving Evil Spirits'
She shut her eyes after one glance.
What exactly has this priest been teaching this beautiful young girl…?
Lynn felt as though she had stumbled into a completely new world.
Wasn't exorcism supposed to be about drawing out evil, chanting scripture, demanding names, and then shouting in the name of the Lord for the spirit to depart?
She rubbed her forehead, utterly baffled by the two of them.
Afterward, Gideon drove another lap around the villa.
"The nearest house is several hundred meters away," he muttered thoughtfully. "At least we don't have to worry about supernatural spillover affecting the neighbors."
"There's a lake behind the house, connected to the Long Island Sound."
"In American horror scenarios, underwater undead are rare. That could serve as an emergency escape route—though we'd need to confirm the integrity of any boats."
He committed these observations to memory.
Even if none of it was needed, such details could become lifesaving under the wrong circumstances.
After quizzing Judy a bit more, Gideon finally parked the truck in front of the villa.
Lynn was fast asleep in the back seat.
She had originally intended to help, but after observing them for a while, she realized she was completely out of her depth.
So she chose to rest, planning to make herself useful once they went inside.
This time, when the truck stopped, a woman stepped out of the house.
Kathy Lutz folded her arms nervously and knocked on the car window.
"H-Hey… are you with the Church?"
Seeing two adults in clerical attire—and a child—inside the vehicle, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Kathy, it's me!" Lynn leaned forward.
"Oh! Lynn, you're finally here!"
Recognizing a familiar face, Kathy finally lowered her guard.
"I saw a truck circling nearby earlier. I thought he had come back… I almost hid the children."
Lynn glanced awkwardly at Gideon and smiled apologetically. "Sorry—we got a bit lost."
Kathy nodded. "And these two are…?"
Lynn introduced them quickly. "This is Father Gideon. He's leading the exorcism. And this is Judy Warren—Father Gideon's… student."
Kathy greeted them politely, but her expression soon turned uneasy.
Gideon and Judy were both quietly studying her.
It made Kathy nervous.
Judy tugged on Gideon's sleeve and whispered, "She has traces of malevolent energy on her, but she isn't possessed."
Gideon nodded in approval. That matched his own assessment.
"Is… something wrong with me?" Kathy asked nervously.
Both Gideon and Judy smiled and shook their heads.
Unfortunately, that only made her more anxious.
Thankfully, Lynn had already grown accustomed to their odd habits and stepped in to smooth things over.
"Kathy, let's go inside first. Oh—where are the children?"
Kathy relaxed slightly. "Billy's reading comics. Chelsea should be playing in the attic…"
The two women headed toward the courtyard.
Halfway there, Lynn suddenly stopped.
"Oh—I almost forgot."
She released Kathy's arm and hurried back to Gideon.
"Father Gideon, I'll begin the pre-exorcism assessment."
Gideon narrowed his eyes, puzzled.
The next moment—
Lynn removed all her holy relics, then used a cross to slice open her palm.
Blood quickly flowed down her pale arm, dripping onto the soil.
She then tore a corner from her robe and buried it in the blood-soaked earth.
"Oh my God—Lynn! What are you doing?!" Kathy cried out.
Judy stared in shock, then looked to Gideon for answers.
He frowned deeply. "Sister Lynn. Explain."
While bandaging her hand, Lynn looked at him oddly.
"A blood rite. If the spirit attacks, I'll be the first one cursed. That buys you time to retreat."
She spoke lightly, as if it were obvious.
"That's how the cathedral priests always required us to do it during assignments."
"You… didn't know?"
Gideon's gaze darkened.
He had heard of lower clergy being treated as expendable tools.
But he had never imagined this.
Blood carried powerful personal markers. Exposing it to malevolent entities was extremely dangerous.
That such a ritual—reeking of dark symbolism—existed within the Church unsettled him deeply.
Judging by Lynn's tone, she had done this many times.
Combined with the scars on her back, Gideon couldn't begin to imagine what she had endured.
Without a word, he walked to the bloodied soil.
He placed several holy relics around it, swiftly forming a small isolation barrier.
A ripple of energy passed through the area, and the space brightened slightly.
Gideon collected the soil into a wooden jar, sealed it with a label, and handed it to Lynn.
"When you return to the convent, place this before a holy icon. Recite scripture once, then scatter the soil in the courtyard."
He looked her straight in the eyes.
Lynn accepted it blankly, unsure what to say.
"You don't need to worry," she murmured. "This is my duty—"
Gideon cut her off. "This isn't concern. And I don't need help like this."
His tone was firm, unquestionable.
Yet Lynn felt warmth spread through her chest.
"I understand, Father Gideon," she said softly.
He then relaxed his expression and turned to Kathy.
"Mrs. Lutz, before we begin the exorcism, I'd like to ask you a few questions."
He guided her toward a nearby bench.
Judy followed closely and whispered into his ear, "Gideon—you did the right thing."
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