SrCuervo
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🕑 Added 2025-06-05 10:35:16 +0000 UTCA simple priest... Or so I thought
Chapter 2 – The Smile
"This is quite a risky mission..." Jonathan murmured as he walked toward a secret room where he kept some of his weapons.
What appeared before his eyes now was one of those abilities that surfaced from time to time. He took on some missions and ignored others; it all depended on the context.
This ability also helped him identify early on whether something involved a supernatural event or not. After all, Jonathan hated wasting time.
And the reason he accepted missions where money wasn’t the main reward was because the rewards themselves made him stronger. Whether it was a blessed object or a new ability, Jonathan benefited greatly from every case he worked on.
One example was the bells tied to the wooden stakes outside the church—one of the many blessed items he had earned as a reward.
If these bells were placed in a specific arrangement, they could trap supernatural beings within a barrier that covered the entire church and kept everything happening inside hidden from the outside world.
Jonathan didn’t often come under attack, but the last werewolf who tried to visit him was caught by this beautiful barrier.
As for this mission, it didn’t remind him of any story he was familiar with. But if she was seeing smiles, the supernatural being disturbing her had to be very powerful.
This was one of those strange cases—those that were related to known stories, but where no recognizable events occurred—only the supernatural entity itself.
And if it was the cursed spirit known as Slime, then this mission was extremely dangerous.
Jonathan remembered the Slime monster’s curse, which could manifest as anything but a harmless ghost. However, if it could manifest, then bullets could hurt it.
Also, because Jonathan couldn’t be affected by illusions due to his spiritual strength, he had the upper hand against that infectious disease caused by the entity—one that made people commit suicide.
According to this supernatural being, if a cursed person took their own life and there were witnesses nearby, the curse would continue spreading from person to person.
The maximum survival period was between four to seven days. During that time, the victim would suffer from strange hallucinations.
At first, it was possible to break free from the illusions. But as the days went by, the cursed individual would no longer be able to distinguish between reality and delusion, giving the cursed spirit full control over their actions.
But not everything was hopeless—Jonathan had two viable options to break the curse.
One was to commit suicide so the curse wouldn’t pass on.
The other option was to find a new victim: if there were witnesses, kill someone in front of them. That way, the curse would transfer to the witnesses, and the killer would be freed.
This curse might not seem that threatening, but it was hard to detect—because the hallucinations could only be seen by the person who was cursed.
Others couldn’t empathize with the cursed individual and naturally found it difficult to believe them.
…
Jonathan was truly afraid of that curse, but he believed its abilities were not alarming at all. If the cursed person wasn’t him, it wouldn’t affect him—unless the spirit took control of the victim and used them to hurt him.
Another possibility was manifestation, but Jonathan believed that was just an illusion seen by the cursed person before dying.
"That should do." Jonathan placed glass vials filled with holy water into a leather pouch strapped to his belt.
He took his revolver and also, just in case, a shotgun loaded with blessed blank cartridges.
Blank shotgun shells are rounds designed to mimic a real shotgun blast, but without a projectile. Their main function is to produce the sound, flash, and gas discharge similar to a real shot—without launching pellets or solid projectiles.
These were very effective against cursed spirits. Jonathan often used them, and if the situation called for it, he would use real ammunition.
But since this was an incorporeal entity, this would be more than enough.
In addition to that, he wore a necklace with a cross on his chest. Even his wrists and ankles were wrapped with the same tiny cross.
These were the vulnerable points of the human body. In old footage of priests attacked by supernatural entities, it was common to see them grabbed by their limbs or even tripped.
That’s why Jonathan prepared this way.
At the same time, he hid a pocket Bible inside his clothing, right above his heart.
There was another thicker book at the church, which only contained parts of the original.
For others, the pocket Bible was just a book of scripture.
But under the influence of his ability, the words Jonathan read from the Bible carried a touch of sacred power.
“That’s everything.” Jonathan, now ready, left the room, ignoring all the higher-caliber weapons.
Henry and Judy had been waiting for him for a long time. When they saw Jonathan wearing the same clothes but now with a leather pouch on his belt, they thought this priest was taking things seriously.
Jonathan locked the church door and tucked one of his hairs into the crack. “Alright, let’s go.”
Then he walked to the street where a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro was parked. “Hurry up—if your teacher has been affected by her special condition for too long, she doesn’t have much time left.”
Judy never imagined a priest would own a car like that, but since her desire to learn about her parents' world outweighed her common sense, she followed Jonathan without saying much.
…
According to the kids, Laila’s house was about three kilometers from the church. On the way there, just to be sure, Jonathan asked Henry for more details.
“We found out that, besides Miss Laila’s abnormal behavior, there have been frequent suicides in the nearby neighborhood over the past two weeks.”
“So far, all incidents have happened within that area.”
“I want you to mark it on the map—no mistakes,” Jonathan said while driving.
A few minutes later, they arrived at Laila’s house, and Judy asked, “So, Father… Can we come with you?”
“Wait.”
At that moment, the three of them stood on the road.
Miss Laila’s house was at the other end of the street, 300 meters away in a straight line.
They had arrived and had been standing there for about fifteen minutes, but Jonathan remained silent and didn’t move forward.
Henry was a bit puzzled. Was there a malevolent spirit nearby?
Judy also tilted her head. She didn’t feel anything strange.
Could it be… that this priest is afraid?
That must be it!
After all, he’s like her mother—living among the victims, facing the evil spirits personally, and then destroying them!
This is a true exorcist!
Thinking this, Judy looked up fearlessly. She had even dared to enter the horror museum in her own house!
Jonathan didn’t know what the others were thinking, as he was focused on something else at the moment.
There might be more than one cursed person. If the evil spirit escapes, that thing will no doubt come for them later—and it would be terribly unfortunate if it happened while he was carrying something or taking a bath.
Stripping naked is uncomfortable—he’s never done it and hopes he never has to.
That’s why, in order not to be affected in his future life after each mission he takes on, Jonathan makes meticulous preparations.
Thinking about how he should prepare, Jonathan pulled some small bells out of his leather bag and handed them to the kids.
Looking over the map, the shape of the house, and what needed to be considered, he marked the spots where the bells should be placed.
“Please help me place these bells in these spots. This is very important for Miss Laila’s safety and so that we’re not disturbed later.” Jonathan seemed far too serious about it.
The truth was, he could’ve done it himself—but last time, a possessed grandmother had hit him so hard he thought his spine had shifted. Besides, he didn’t want to expose himself too much.
“I should hire you two as assistants. I’d pay a dollar an hour,” Jonathan added, feeling a bit embarrassed by the looks the neighbors were giving him.
“Sounds awesome!” Henry seemed excited.
“No, thanks,” Judy quickly declined, unless she was looking to get punished by her parents.
Right now, Judy seemed much more anxious about finishing what Jonathan had asked her to do than about any future paranormal encounters.
Meanwhile, Jonathan leaned casually against a tree beside Laila’s yard, sucking on a lemon lollipop.
“Nice job! You worked hard!” When he saw the two kids returning, he kindly handed them each a bottle of water and advised them to eat fewer sweets.
After a short rest, the three of them walked toward Miss Laila’s house.
Before the formal visit, Jonathan had even walked around the house and mapped out his escape route in case things went horribly wrong.
Then he walked up to the door, which was decorated with a few ribbons.
Knock, knock, knock.
A short time later, a man opened the door.
“Who are you looking for?” the man asked, alert.
“You must be Nelson. We’re just here to speak with Miss Laila. Kids, say hello,” Jonathan said, nudging the children forward so the man—who had dark circles under his eyes—could see them.
“It’s you two,” Nelson said, visibly relieved when he saw the kids. He knew Laila’s students often came over to play at her house.
“Why are you with a priest?” But just as Nelson asked that question, a loud scream came from inside the house.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!”
“Ahhh…”
Nelson and the two kids ran inside.
Jonathan took the opportunity to wedge the door open with a stone. Keeping it open was the smartest thing to do in case he needed to make a strategic retreat.
Making sure the escape route was clear, Jonathan calmly walked into the living room.
“Laila! How could you do this?! This is too much. This isn’t funny at all.”
When Jonathan arrived, there were several people gathered. And on the table… lay a dead raccoon. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on one person—Laila—whose hands were covered in blood.
Laila looked lost and kept shaking her head. “It wasn’t me, I swear.”
Jonathan, watching the scene, thought: Too graphic for the kids...
When she saw her boyfriend arriving, Laila seemed to find a glimmer of hope and walked toward Nelson to try to explain.
But Nelson looked at her with disappointment and instinctively took a step back.
He shook his head and explained to the others, “Sorry, Laila’s been acting a little strange lately...”
Seeing that the person she loved didn’t believe her, Laila became even more distressed.
“Miss Laila, we’ve brought the best exorcist in the country to help you with your condition,” Henry gathered the courage to approach and comfort her.
Judy curled up to one side, trembling slightly from all the blood. “That’s me, I don’t charge much—I mean, did you see anything just now?”
At that moment, someone spoke behind her. The firm voice immediately calmed her. Judy turned around and saw that the strange voice belonged to the priest.
“Father…” Judy was about to speak, but she fell silent instantly.
She had seen something.
“This place is full of evil forces. There’s definitely something unclean here—and I’m not just talking about all the blood,” Jonathan said, placing his hand on Judy’s disturbed head before walking toward Laila, who was still trembling.
Jonathan’s voice was unusually powerful. Even though he was almost whispering, everyone in the room could hear him.
Laila began to calm down and saw everything more clearly, which soothed her nerves.
Judy was a bit shocked—she felt the same thing! Could this priest be a real exorcist?
Jonathan’s voice had caught everyone’s attention.
“Why is there a priest here?” asked an older woman, who seemed to be Laila’s mother.
Nelson, too, remembered the uninvited guest standing in his living room.
Jonathan introduced himself and said that the two children had hired him to perform an exorcism. “I will cleanse Laila of the cursed spirit that’s tormenting her.”
“Cursed spirit? You think we’re all demons now?”
“We won’t be fooled by such sly liars!”
“You look more suited for a circus job.” Laila’s mother and father’s comments were full of contempt.
Nelson also stepped forward and spoke harshly. “Hey, listen, whatever tricks you’re trying to pull on this family, you’re not welcome in my house.”
After saying that, he turned to Judy and Henry. “Listen, if you’re coming to play with Laila, you’re welcome. But if you ever bring these weirdos to my house again—you don’t need to come back at all!”
Those words were serious, and the kids instantly fell silent, unsure of what to do.
Jonathan stepped forward and stood between them. “Hey, watch your words—they’re just kids.”
Nelson knew he had gone too far, but he couldn’t back down now. “Please leave.”
The three of them were escorted to the door.
Henry was clearly distressed. “Can’t you see? Miss Laila is suffering!”
Judy looked down. She had felt that sensation before.
Jonathan remained calm—he had seen situations like this many times before.
Just as Nelson was about to shut the door, a crashing sound came from the living room.
Nelson rushed back in, and the kids, just one step from the door, followed close behind.
Jonathan had been about to leave, but after hearing the sound, he couldn’t help turning back.
When they entered the room, they found Laila collapsed on the floor in a twisted position.
Her body was tense, her mouth open, and her face frozen in terror.
Everyone reacted differently to the scene.
“Laila, honey, what’s wrong? We need to take her to the hospital!”
That was the scene everyone else saw in the living room.
But Jonathan… was seeing far more.
