"Lia," The Warren child's head perked up at the mention of her name, "Sweetie, go get your dad for me please. . ."

Lorraine Warren sat on her own office chair visibly busy going through an entire stack of files, journals, and even labeled tapes. It had been five days since the recent incident, and those days had been worse.

She had her mug beside her, the steam floating around the air and gave the room a wonderful smell of brewed coffee. The clairvoyant's hair was up in curled braids that cascaded down to her shoulders, but had been tangled and undone whenever she scrunched it in distress.

Lia, who noticed the bags under her mother's eyes, could only nod and head out.

She walked around the house, avoiding places she deemed too haunting to explore alone. Her footsteps padded along the ground, echoing throughout the empty halls.

Deciding that no one was around, she ventured out the back where she slowly heard the faint pounding of a hammer. The air had been damp, the smell of stagnant water perpetuated her nostrils and the sound of quietness came loudly knocking.

Their garden was filled with varieties of plants and not just flowers, carnelian grew along the entrails of the porch while peony blossomed in the other. Butterflies were rarely seen, but when they do come, the garden seemed more alive than ever.

Her boots squelch beneath the mud, leaving heavy footprints along the way. The pounding came louder this time, as the coop came into view.

Her eyes landed on Ed, he had been crouching down and fixing of what broke from the coop's gate.

Slowly, she poked his arm. "Mommy asked for you," His head whipped around at the sound of her voice, his tense shoulders softly relaxing by the time he'd seen his daughter's face.

He released a sigh of relief before lowering down his hammer, "You scared me. . ."

Lia kept quiet and watched as he wiped a bead of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Tell her that I'll be there in a minute. I ought to finish this."

She nodded and turned around to head back. Her temptation got the best of her when she glanced on the tire swing. It might be the wind that's making it move. . .but she won't take her chances.

She shook her head and swiftly went inside, leaving her muddied shoes and quietly headed to her parent's office.

She stopped by the door, watching her mother flip a page from the leather journal and take a sip from her almost empty mug.

"He'll be here in a minute."

"Oh, alright. . ."

Her eyes landed on a stuffed bunny, it was hers. Her fingers wrapped itself around the familiar cotton fur, fixing its ears and wiping a stain on its black beady eyes. She stayed by the door, patiently waiting if her mother needed anything else.

Her legs grew tired eventually. She slumped down on the ground, still holding the stuffed animal in her hands. It was a gift from when she was small, its soft yellow coat had been faded over the years.

Still, she played with it. Flapping its small paws and fixing up its bowtie, she was far too engrossed to notice something had been up.

A muffled knock made her jump. Her head slowly turning towards the sound and seeing her bedroom door unlock. Fast, rapid, breaths escaped her lips glancing at Lorraine with anticipation. Though, it seems her mother was in her own bubble.

The trembling child clutched the toy in her hand. She hesitated, standing rather timid and felt the atmosphere shift. Approaching her bedroom door, her hand reached out, inches away from the knob.

Lia looked back to where her mother was in, their office. Light, muffled sounds of pages turning resided in the very room. Looking back at her own door, she swallowed back a sigh and pushed it further open.

Brown eyes scanned the dimly lit room, while her feet slowly led her in. A trickle of sweat ran down her forehead despite the cold temperature that circulated the atmosphere.

Lia stopped right in the middle, curiosity quickly turning into fear hearing something hiss above. She stood rigid, trembling, frozen. . .eyes slowly looking above.

A choked gasp swirled her tongue, fingers stretched and forced to let go of the animal that was once in her clutches. Tears pooled between her pupils as she bit back a cry, staring in those familiar hollow eyes.

She was stuck. eerily unmoving. helpless.

...

Lorraine Warren carried on working. Despite the upcoming feeling of headache, she didn't dare stop fumbling with her research.

She was a stubborn woman, always putting others before herself---especially her family. A million thoughts ran through her head but one made her stop and look up.

A nagging feeling made the hairs on her arm stand, the soft mutters from behind her was now gone. The clairvoyant turned around expecting to face her daughter, but instead was faced with an empty doorway.

"Lia!" By now she stood, leaving behind the stuff she focused half her time on. Coming out the hallway, she looked around before resting her gaze on her daughter's bedroom door.

It was open. fully wide. inviting her to come in.

Quickening her pace, the mother let out a quiet sigh seeing as her daughter was there.

But nothing seemed right. Her brows once again furrowed, she watched as Lia stood there frozen to her spot and eyes wide looking up.

She approached her slowly, "Sweetheart. . .?" She caressed her shoulder, some of her locks gently falling from behind her ear as she leant an inch low.

The child could only gulp, pointing towards the ceiling with hauntingly glazed eyes.

"Oh. . .God," At that moment, she wished she didn't follow her daughter's finger. She wished many things aside from that, but right now, she wished they weren't here.

That grin was all too familiar, that grin could hold death, it could pierce a soul, some traits Lorraine wasn't fond of having right now. Those lifeless eyes might be fast, but Lorraine's maternal instinct was faster.

Grabbing her daughter's hand, they bolted out and ran towards Ed and Lorraine's study, where they then locked themselves in.

They were panting for very different reasons. Holding each other's hand and waited in anticipation.

Silence swirled all around, even a tiny clink made them flinch. They waited, still as pond water. . .eyes frantically searching for a way out or perhaps a weapon.

They weren't prepared when deep rumbling sounds of the door being ripped pulled them from their senses. It was followed by scratches, and a pulsing screech.

The mother, in instinct, pulled her daughter behind her while they watch the door being severely damaged, ripped apart. Palms covering their eyes as splinters spread out all over the room, leaving scratches on their porcelain skin.

It was a minute of silence before something lunged towards Lorraine and grabbed her throat.

...

"Mama!"

She gasped, glancing everywhere until landing on her daughter's face. Her brows were pulled, lips partially parted, and eyes worriedly scanning for explanation.

"I'm. . .I'm okay---"

The clairvoyant was quick to hug her daughter, swallowing to cleanse her dry throat as she realized what just occured.

"Lorraine," Ed came running, hearing his wife shout made his stomach drop. "Are you okay? Wha-What happened? What's. . .what---"

The woman gently let go of her daughter and quickly stood up, leading her husband away from the child's ears. The husband kept whispering questions and she could only nod and shake her head until finally they stopped by the window sill.

"Listen, Ed. . ." A flicker of melancholy in her eyes, "I---I think I know how to stop this."