NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Night Visit
Chapter 8 - Night Visit
As Sister Irene used her heightened senses, it felt as though an invisible wave pulsed outward from her body.
After a few moments, her eyes snapped open.
She lifted a finger and pointed to one particular headstone.
"Father Burke is there!"
The moment she spoke, Roy hurried over to the headstone she indicated.
Sure enough, Father Burke's name was engraved on the epitaph.
Looking at the area, Roy spotted a shovel, half-buried.
He grabbed it and began digging.
Each spadeful of soil came loose easily, and before long, he unearthed Father Burke.
"Cough, cough…"
Father Burke spat out clumps of dirt, gasping for fresh air.
"Father Burke, are you alright?" Sister Irene asked anxiously.
Still catching his breath, Father Burke wordlessly shook his head.
Roy couldn't help frowning.
In the movie, Father Burke had indeed been buried alive in the cemetery, but he'd been locked in a coffin.
Valak tormented him inside that coffin without killing him outright.
Now, however, Father Burke had been buried directly in the earth.
If Sister Irene and Roy had arrived even a little later, he might have been done for.
Valak was no longer leaving anyone room to breathe.
Every attack came with deadly intent.
After Father Burke recovered a bit, the three returned to the room.
Once settled, they sat around, and Sister Irene finally spoke up, unable to hold back her questions any longer.
"Father Burke, Mr. Roy…please tell me what's happening here!"
The unsettling events of the day had opened Sister Irene's eyes; clearly, this was no ordinary monastery.
Seeing her earnest expression, Father Burke glanced at Roy, then they told her everything.
***
After listening, Sister Irene fell silent.
But instead of reacting with the despair Father Burke had shown earlier, she clasped her hands together.
A determined look shone on her face, and she gazed at Father Burke and Roy with pleading eyes.
"Father Burke, Mr. Roy," she began. "Please, help me send Valak back to hell. Although I may not be much help, I'll do my best."
"As servants of the Church, we can't let the villagers lose their lives for nothing, nor let those nuns at St. Carta Monastery have died in vain."
Her words clearly moved Father Burke.
She might not have been a formal nun, but her kindness and sense of responsibility made even a veteran exorcist like him feel humbled.
He remembered how he'd reacted when he first learned the truth—he couldn't help but feel shame.
Roy, on the other hand, displayed little emotion.
In truth, even without Irene's plea, he would have attempted to banish the demon nun.
It was tied to his own purpose in this world.
The system that granted him the stigmata had involved him in this supernatural conflict, and escaping it no longer seemed like an option.
Completing the mission was the only path forward.
"Don't worry, Sister Irene," Father Burke said, recovering his composure. "As an exorcist, it's my duty to stop Valak."
Sister Irene then turned her grateful gaze on Roy.
She knew Roy wasn't a formal member of the Church.
He had stigmata but if he chose to walk away right now, nobody could fault him.
Roy gave a faint smile. "I'm in, too."
"Thank you, Mr. Roy!" Sister Irene exclaimed, clasping his hand.
"May God be with you!"
Roy felt a twinge of guilt under her sincere gratitude.
He wasn't driven by any lofty ideals of saving lives.
He simply needed to complete the mission, to deepen his connection with the stigmata, and hopefully protect himself in this world.
"All right," Father Burke checked the time,
"It's late. Let's get some rest. This was only Valak's initial test. We'll need all our strength for whatever comes next."
Given that Father Burke had almost died outside the monastery, the perils they'd face inside were sure to be worse.
Yet none of them wavered. They parted ways and returned to their respective rooms for the night.
Father Burke, having dealt with numerous exorcisms over the years, soon fell into a sound sleep.
Roy, however, lay awake.
His right palm throbbed incessantly, the same unsettling sensation he'd experienced ever since they neared the monastery.
It felt like a warning—some kind of inner alarm telling him to be careful.
He had almost drifted off, finally getting used to the persistent pulse in his hand, when—
Knock, knock, knock…
Soft, rapid taps echoed from the door.
Roy bolted upright.
Who would knock at this hour?
Was Valak already planning a late-night scare?
Creepy nighttime visits were commonplace in horror films, after all.
Steeling himself, Roy recalled that Valak was still partly sealed; the demon could likely only manifest illusions, not wield its full power.
That meant she couldn't outright kill him yet. Realizing this, Roy felt more annoyance than fear.
If she's just going to haunt them in the middle of the night, maybe it's time to give her a taste of the stigmata.
He looked at his palm and got out of bed.
Counting silently to three, he flung the door open and thrust his right hand forward, ready to strike.
He froze at the last second when a startled yelp rang out.
Blinking away the haze of adrenaline, Roy saw not Valak, but Sister Irene, standing at the threshold in a pale-white nightgown.
Her face looked drained, yet tinted with bashfulness under the moonlight.
"S-Sister Irene?" Roy stammered.
"What are you—?"
Seeing Roy lower his hand, Irene exhaled in relief.
She pressed her lips together, her cheeks reddening.
"Mr. Roy…I…I can't sleep…"