The Conjuring (The Warren daughter)

Chapter 10 (The Signs)

After a small amount of thought, Lorraine agreed much to Ed's dismay. Carolyn had gotten through to Lorraine when she pleaded with her daughters.

"Does this mean we're going?" Diana asked after Carolyn left. "Yes Diana. And you'll have to follow us," Ed said. In Diana's mind, the 19-year-old was punching the air. It had been a while since she got to go on a case.

A while later, the three Warrens turned into the property the Perron's were staying on in their 1968 AMC Ambassador, the house from far away already seemed dark and gloomy, the shadows making it seem eerier than it should.

Carolyn was quick to stand from the living room where the whole family decided to bunk for the rest of their nights. "You guys straighten up? Thanks," Carolyn requested before going to the door where Ed, Lorraine and Diana were waiting.

"Hello. Hi," Carolyn greeted, opening the screen door to let the three Warrens in. Roger was the next to greet the trio with handshakes. Lorraine was smiling but when she looked behind the couple, her smile slipped off her face. "Thanks for coming," Roger thanked and Carolyn invited them into the house. Ed looked to Lorraine to see the smile she had had on had disappeared.

Before Carolyn could tell them about the situation, Lorraine caught sight of the five daughters standing in the living room. "Oh my god, Look at you. Who are all these young women?" Lorraine asked a smile back on her face. She loved children.

"This is Andrea, the oldest, Nancy, Cindy, Christine and April," Carolyn informed and yet again, the smile that had been on Lorraine's face had disappeared. "Mum? You okay?" Diana asked silently.

"No, there's a shadow on their backs," Lorraine told her daughter quietly. "I know, I saw it too," Diana answered. Lorraine frowned at that. "What?" she asked in surprise. "I know right? I didn't think it was possible, but I saw it, mom, I really did," Diana said.

"Girls, this is Mr and Mrs Warren with their daughter Diana Warren," Carolyn introduced, cutting their conversation short. "We're all sleeping down here now. The girls feel safer and it's warmer. I'm constantly turning up the heat, but the house is always freezing." Carolyn explained, gesturing slightly to the bedrolls on the floor. Lorraine walked past each of them keeping a smile on her face as to not scare the girls. The girls only smiled in return, fear evident in their faces.

"It's not a problem with the furnace though, I mean not that I can find," Roger adds. Ed walks around the front area of the house looking around to see if they can make a rational explanation before they resort to it being a haunting. Lorraine was doing the same, but she was sensing the spirits in the house. Diana resorted to talking with the girls.

"Hey, I'm Diana, those are my parents. What happened? I mean you don't have to tell me but I may be able to help if you told me," Diana tried, looking at the girls.

"Your parents brought you with them? How old are you, 12?" Andrea quipped her fear getting the better of her, her sarcasm a defence mechanism. "Actually, I'm 19. But it's okay. I know you're scared. Just tell me what happened if you can and I'll try and help," Diana tried. The girls stayed silent and Diana knew they wouldn't be saying anything anytime soon.

In the meantime, Carolyn went to Ed reporting that the past few nights had gotten worse. "There's this awful smell, like rotting meat. It moves around the house," Carolyn explained. Diana moved to her father's side and Lorraine returned to the foyer. They gave each other a look. Carolyn noticed.

"What?" Carolyn asked.

Ed and Lorraine said nothing. "If you won't say it I will mum, dad," Diana stepped up bravely. "Usually rancid smells could indicate some type of demonic activity," Diana explained. Carolyn gasped in shock. Ed sighed and turned to the door on his right only to find it tied with rope at the handles.

"Oh, that's to keep those doors from banging at night. Otherwise, it's like," Roger said, tapping his hand on the wall three times before continuing, "All night long, just like that."

"Does it come in threes?" Ed asked, his eyes narrowing for a moment. Roger confirmed. "Stops at dawn?" Another confirmation. Ed looks back to his wife and daughter.

"Well, sometimes it's meant as an insult to the Trinity, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," Ed answered. He had to tell them now that his daughter had spilled.

"You know, it's the damnedest thing but we also get all kinds of birds that will just fly against the side of the house and break their necks," Roger began to tell them. "Hmm, really?" Ed said. He was worried. There was a vengeful spirit in this house. He could already tell without having to be a clairvoyant.

"And the clocks stop at 3:07 am," Carolyn adds. "All of them?" Diana asks in disbelief. "Every one," Carolyn confirms.

As they reached the landing Carolyn led them to Andrea's room only to stop when Lorraine caught sight of a family picture lying on one of the shelves. "Oh, we were hanging those along the stairs. Something just kept knocking them down, so we stopped hanging them up," Carolyn explained. In the photo, the family looked so happy with such joy and innocence in their eyes.

"That's, what I was talking about," Carolyn spoke, pointing to the closet in Andrea's room. "It was here when we moved in. There's also a lot of stuff in the cellar."

"Show me the cellar, Lorraine requested. "Why does it always have to be in the basement or the cellar?" Diana mumbled quietly. Ed gave a small smile at his daughter.

Roger proceeded to open the door which led to the cellar. Moments later, Lorraine walked down and stood in the room, Ed, and her daughter behind her. Distorted screaming of women and children echoed in Lorraine's head as she used her gift. "You picking up anything in here hon?" Ed asked his wife.

Suddenly, Diana clutched her ears, screwing her eyes hut and breathing heavily. "Sweetie?" Lorraine asked, breaking from her little trance but not before she heard a woman's voice. "Look what she made me do," the voice whispered. Ed was quick to place his hand on his daughters back, rubbing gently to calm her.

"It's so loud Mom. So, so loud," she whimpered to Lorraine. "Dad, something awful happened here. I can hear it," she began to sob then turned to bury her face into his shoulder. Ed placed a gentle hand on her head, giving slow soothing strokes on her hair to calm her.

"She's right Ed, something awful happened here," Lorraine confirmed, her eyes on her sobbing child.

The Warrens went back up the stairs and the Diana that had been crying in the cellar vanished, leaving her usual self. You couldn't tell she had been crying at all if you didn't look at her puffy eyes and tear stains on her father's shirt.