Permission for an exorcism was finally granted by the Catholic church and a priest experienced in performing the ancient ritual was chosen for the job.
Father Sean Nolan was a broad-shouldered, muscular man who stood six feet three inches tall. He maintained the exact same physical fitness regimen he had followed when he was in the Marine Corps.
When he was asked to perform the exorcism of the Snedekers' home, Father Nolan immediately began a week-long preparation— training, of sorts—that consisted of three days of constant, private prayer, followed by three more days of fasting and study. When he did eat, he stuck mostly to fruits and vegetables, and increased his exercise program.
He knew that his physical, mental, and, most important, his spiritual resources would be needed for the coming battle. Because that was exactly what it would be: a vicious, all-out battle. He'd been through several exorcisms before this one and was well aware of the danger to an exorcist during a confrontation with pure, naked evil.
He knew the risks he was taking—profane and humiliating assault and a hideous death—but he also knew that only the Lord could save him...if his mind was clear and his faith in God was strong. So he worked hard to prepare, using prayer the way an athlete might use exercise, using Bible study the way a boxer might use weights.
Because Father Nolan knew that, once the exorcism began, it could not be called off...no matter how much he might want it to stop.
Meanwhile, as the day of the exorcism drew nearer, Al and Carmen Snedeker began to grow concerned.
Very early one morning, just before dawn, after both of them had awakened and were unable to go to sleep, they sat at the dining-room table facing one another over tea.
The children and Laura were still asleep, as was John. Chris was in the bathroom taking a shower.
"Do you really think it's gonna do any good?" Al whispered groggily.
"Well...guess we don't have much choice, do we?"
"Yeah, but what about the other things? The blessings. The Mass. They just seemed to make it angrier. What's an exorcism gonna do?"
"If it gets worse, I guess we could always move."
"With what? How? We can't afford to move!" he hissed. "We're barely gettin' by now, Carmen. We're still suffering from all those medical bills. If our insurance had been better, yeah, sure, we could probably move now. But our insurance stinks. We're still paying off most of those damned bills."
"Please, Al, don't talk that way. It had to be done. Poor Stephen was...he didn't get cancer on purpose, you know."
Al bowed his head and sighed, "Yeah, I know. Dammit. Poor kid. Hope he's doin' okay."
They had visited him regularly at first, calling him often. But after a while, he started refusing their calls. Then he said he didn't want to see them and one of the doctors told them it might be best if they stayed away for a little while; Stephen was going through some intensive therapy, he explained, and that could be very taxing, but extremely beneficial.
"We could always call it off," Carmen said. "The exorcism, I mean."
"Oh, yeah, and how would that look? Like we were a bunch of fakes who'd changed their minds under pressure, that's how it would look. No. We'll go through with it."
"And if things get worse afterward?"
"Well..." He shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to deal with that if it happens, huh?"
Before the day of the exorcism, Father Nolan asked Al and Carmen to remove Michael and Stephanie and Peter from the house so that when he arrived, only Al and Carmen, Laura, Ed and Lorraine, and the two remaining researchers, Chris and John, were there to meet him.
Father Nolan came to the house wearing street clothes—a pair of black slacks, a powder-blue shirt and a gray sportcoat—and carried a small black suitcase, only slightly larger than a briefcase, as he headed up the walk toward the door.
It was just a little after noon on a warm, bright, and sunny day. But when Father Nolan walked into the house, winter surrounded him.
It was much colder than a house should have been in the summer. It was darker in there than it should have been, too, in spite of the fact that the drapes were open and the blinds were up.
There was a charge in the air, far worse than static electricity, a malignant energy that made every inch of Father Nolan's body tingle sickeningly.
He knew immediately that he was dealing with something much worse and much stronger than he'd anticipated, something that had been in this place far too long and had managed to take root, like an ugly, strangling vine.
"We're not sure what you need us to do, Father," Carmen said as they stood in the hall, "but we're willing to do whatever you ask."
"That's very kind of you," Father Nolan said, giving her a warm smile as he touched her arm. "For one thing, we need a sort of makeshift altar."
"Will a coffee table do?"
"It will do perfectly. For another thing, I think everyone present who is of the Catholic faith should confess their sins and be given absolution."
"I think everyone here is Catholic."
"Then that's fine. I am going to change my clothes, then we'll begin."
"Um, Father, if you don't mind my asking...why did you come like this?"
"Well, I thought it would be better for you. You've had enough priests come to your house lately and, this way, your neighbors won't ask a lot of embarrassing questions."
It had not even occurred to Carmen, but she smiled appreciatively and said, "Thank you."
"Where can I change my clothes?"
She directed him to the master bedroom at the end of the hall, where he closed the door behind him.
When Father Nolan came out of the bedroom, he was wearing a white robe and a purple collar.
The altar was set up on the coffee table in the living room, which still had mattresses spread over the floor.
Private confessions were made to Father Nolan by each person present and absolution was given. Once the confessions were made, Father Nolan blessed the house for the third time.
Then everyone gathered in front of the makeshift altar in the living room.
"First," Father Nolan said, "I would like to say a Mass to cleanse us all...and the house as well."
Everyone agreed immediately and, a few moments later, Father Nolan began the Mass.
Once again, as during the previous Mass, those present began to have silent struggles with the presence in the house. Carmen began to feel a cold hand lightly moving over her body, fingers probing and prodding in intimate places. She squirmed and shifted her weight from one foot to another, but remained focused on the Mass and fought to ignore it.
A finger began to poke Laura in the eyes, first the left, then the right, again and again, then both eyes at once, until she finally closed them tightly and bowed her head in what appeared to be an act of reverence, rather than self-protection.
Al began to hear a voice. It did not come from anywhere around him, but from inside him, in his head. It was, however, just as loud and just as clear as if the speaker were growling angrily in his face:
"What fucking good do you think this will do, Allen? You think this God will help you now? Why? He hasn't helped you before this, has He? Well...has He?
Al took a deep breath, locked his eyes on Father Nolan, and after a while, the voice went away.
But Al's discomfort did not.
Ed Warren began to experience a curious feeling in his chest. It came and went, but it was a familiar one. It was a tight, constricting feeling, not unlike what he'd felt in 1985 when he'd suffered from a heart attack.
Lorraine was experiencing white flashes behind her eyes, as if there were a sluggish strobe light inside her head. Within each of those bright white flashes was a picture: a naked corpse on a table...rough hands on bluish-white breasts...a living male body atop the corpse, face locked in wide-mouthed passion...
And deep in Lorraine's head, she heard the sound of distant, echoing laughter...cruel, mocking laughter....
And then the Mass was over.
Father Nolan faced them and sighed, smiling.
"Now," he said, "I would like to begin the exorcism. But first, I'd like to say a few things."
Everyone was attentive. The demonic harassment had stopped.
"First of all," Father Nolan said, "this may go on for some time. For hours, perhaps. And I want to assure you,"—he chuckled—"no one's head is going to spin around. If you saw that movie, I know what you must be thinking. This may not be easy. We might very well meet with some retaliation, but it won't be like that. It could, however, get unpleasant. It could get rough. I just want you to be prepared."
"How long did you say it could take?" Carmen asked timidly.
"Hours. It could take hours. It just depends on what happens."
Everyone nodded slightly.
"So," Father Nolan said quietly. "Are you ready to begin?"
"Yes," Al and Carmen said simultaneously.
Then Carmen added, "Please."