Chapter 264: The Clown in Town
William turned to the bottom of the file and took out a document titled "Supplementary Investigation."
This contained records of police inquiries with the children of Derry town during their visits.
The cover bore a special mark—For reference only, does not hold actual evidentiary weight.
Judging from this sentence, the police obviously didn't take the children's statements seriously.
William shrugged.
This could be said to be a classic trope in American Horror, but important clues are often hidden within these overlooked pieces of information.
He naturally wouldn't make this kind of mistake.
"...There's a monster in the town, with no eyes, rotting all over, just like a zombie! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"...I saw a floating red balloon and followed it, but then I saw someone hanged in an abandoned train yard, but that corpse came back to life..."
"...Mom and Dad seemed like different people. That thing was clearly right in front of them, but they seemed like they couldn't see it..."
"...I saw a clown by the playground. It seemed to be talking to Betty. I just turned my head, and Betty disappeared, and there was blood there..."
"...I saw the weirdo in the painting come alive! I ran madly, but the more I ran, the bigger that guy got..."
William rubbed his chin.
Judging from the cases described in the documents, all these children had encountered abnormal phenomena to some extent.
Among them, the description of the "clown" caught his attention the most.
If he remembered correctly, in the original work It, there were indeed many children who mysteriously disappeared.
They were dragged into the sewers by the clown in various ways.
Ultimately either becoming the clown's food or becoming one of the "decorations" in the clown's lair.
As for whether this commission was related to this work...
There were other clues in this "Supplementary Investigation" that could prove it.
For example, "the more I ran, the bigger that guy got..."
In the original work, the clown Pennywise fed exactly on fear. The more afraid someone was, the stronger its power became.
William remembered that this monster seemed to be some kind of entity from a higher dimension, although it wasn't described much in the original movie.
Besides this, there was a third piece of information to corroborate it.
Zombies, hanged corpses coming back to life, figures in paintings running out...
These seemingly unrelated descriptions that sounded like children's babble were actually exact manifestations of the clown's abilities.
It could appear in the form of what humans feared most in their hearts, thereby forcing them to generate more fear.
In this way, with several pieces of evidence overlapping, it was almost enough for William to confirm his inner guess.
Otherwise, a small town having both zombies and monsters from paintings...
If this really happened, this place would have long become famous across North America.
But the necessary preparations still had to be made. Just in case it really was those guys from the "Wings of Vengeance," he wouldn't be caught off guard.
William then flipped open some local reports.
"...In the last nine months, more than 5 disappearances have occurred. Among them, a boy named Georgie, and another girl, Betty, disappeared near the sewers..."
"The town of Derry has announced the reinstatement of the curfew policy from 27 years ago. Residents are requested not to go out alone after 7 PM..."
"...The town of Derry will officially begin the holidays this month. Currently, some families have decided to spend the holidays out of town..."
William sighed inwardly.
Narrow, dark, unknown, flowing water...
These children who disappeared in the sewers must have experienced endless despair.
Just imagining such a scene was suffocating.
"Even without monsters, letting children go out alone during the holidays is extremely dangerous. North America's safety education knowledge really needs improvement..." William marveled inwardly.
And those families choosing to go to other cities during the holidays...
If it were in the past, William might have approved of this behavior.
But given the recent situation in North America, it seemed one could encounter supernatural incidents anywhere they went.
"Truly living in deep water and scorching fire..."
After reading the materials related to the disappearances, William opened the Church's investigation into this incident.
According to the description, after Holy Clergy Members went to the scene, they found that some residents had experienced phenomena of "soul detachment."
Even by the time they arrived, some people's souls still hadn't fully reattached.
The Holy Clergy Members believed this was very likely the reason causing the town residents to experience hallucinations.
In addition to this, abnormal energy fluctuations were also found in places like the town's restrooms, sewers, and abandoned alleyways.
Through tracing with Holy Arts, these places all had residual abnormal energy fluctuations.
These substances were different from evil auras, yet still dangerous.
The report indicated that when a Holy Clergy Member approached these powers, they experienced brief fainting and mental confusion.
According to the accompanying members' descriptions, that Holy Clergy Member had shouted the word "Deadlights" while unconscious.
Regarding this, no relevant clues were found in the subsequent investigation.
And after that Holy Clergy Member returned, they also underwent a detailed purification ritual.
During the process, he threw up a puddle of pale golden liquid.
Although these unknown substances were quickly purified by magic arrays, multiple Holy Clergy Members present stated that they heard some kind of sound from that liquid...
"Good fellow... it really is the clown," William clicked his tongue.
Although the Church's investigation mentioned this matter was very likely related to the "Wings of Vengeance"—after all, those guys had also used summoning rituals to conjure up some unknown monsters last time.
But William was already certain this commission had nothing to do with them.
"It seems... the power behind the clown has also appeared in the town." He revealed a thoughtful look.
This type of power often used consciousness invasion to control humans, so William decided to prepare more relevant exorcism supplies.
These were all the existing materials; next, William had to rely on himself to investigate.
However, since it was specifically requested by the Acting Dean, he naturally wouldn't let this good opportunity to "seek assistance" slip by.
Besides asking Archbishop Matthew for some high-quality holy artifacts, the latter also promised that if William encountered a very tricky enemy, he would dispatch Sister Bettis to provide support.
After completing the acceptance process with Sister Flora in the Commission Room and returning the "Guild Silver Coin Token" she had lent him previously.
William finally returned to the House of Rest.
Considering that Judy had already been exposed to quite a few low-difficulty commissions.
This time he decided to take the young girl along.
The Church's rating for the commission was "Danger," but in William's view, if the enemy was only the clown, the danger would be at most "Erosion."
But if the power behind it was added, then the "Disaster" rating might even be judging it too low.
However, William only intended for Judy to handle some basic work. Once the problems that needed dealing with became tricky, he would have Judy leave early.
Thus, on a bright and sunny morning.
William and Judy left the House of Rest together with their bags.
Derry Town, Maine.
Monday, 9:00 AM, Heavy Rain.
There were almost no pedestrians on the street.
The sky was heavily overcast with dark clouds, and the rain washed the asphalt road, making the already clean ground look even newer.
Splash... Splash...
The rapid water flow gathered along the curb, flowing all the way towards the drain.
"Sissy! Where are you!"
At this time, a tender shout rang out on the street.
A girl wearing a conspicuous yellow raincoat walked alone on the street.
She carried a bag in her hand, containing a can with a cat's head printed on it, and also a cat teaser wand with a bell tied to it.
The girl took out the cat teaser wand, waving it a couple of times occasionally, calling out the name "Sissy."
"Sissy... you must be soaked. I will find you, don't be afraid!"
The girl wiped the rainwater off her face, encouraging herself alone.
She looked around.
Empty streets, the pattering sound of rain, the rainwater flowing by her feet...
The girl suddenly realized it seemed she was the only one here.
She couldn't help but recall the town's rumors and her mother's instructions—try not to walk alone in the town.
A slight fear surfaced in her heart.
But thinking of her beloved pet getting soaked, she still didn't choose to turn back.
The girl walked forward along the road and soon approached a sewer drain.
"Meow~"
Suddenly, a cat's meow rang out.
"Sissy?"
The girl revealed an excited look, hurriedly came to the drain, lay down, and looked inside.
The sewer entrance was very large, even wider than the girl's shoulders.
And inside was only darkness.
The gathered rainwater was like falling into an abyss, all swallowed by the sewer.
The girl was still calling her pet's name.
But the next moment, she was suddenly stunned.
She saw a pair of eyes glowing with yellow light appear inside the drain.
Immediately after was a human face painted with white pigment and bright red lips.
The girl's body stiffened, and she slowly backed away.
"Are you looking for this, Tammy." The strange face called out the girl's name.
It was holding a gray and white kitten in its hand. At this time, the kitten had its back to the girl, its fur already soaked, motionless.
"Yes... sir." The girl nodded obediently.
"Oh~ Sissy is really an obedient kitten." The strange face giggled, pretending to stroke the kitten's body.
"Could you... give Sissy back to me? She is my most important friend," Tammy whispered.
The strange face said: "Of course you can. But Sissy has fallen asleep. Can you come a bit closer and hold her."
"O... okay."
After speaking, the girl got a bit closer to the drain again, reaching her hands inside.
"Sir... I can't reach."
"Oh~ then you have to come a bit further forward. I wouldn't want to wake Sissy up."
"O... okay."
The girl leaned forward a bit more, her entire head almost entering the drain.
"That's it~ You really are a good child." The strange face's tone inexplicably became somewhat excited.
The girl's attention was entirely on the kitten, completely not seeing the strange face aside opening its mouth.
Two rows of sharp teeth were revealed, densely growing on the gums, inner walls, and even the throat.
It wasn't until this moment that the girl realized that strange face had already approached her arm.
"Ah!"
The girl trembled all over, momentarily unable to move.
Just as the strange face was about to bite down on her arm, the girl's body jerked backward.
Immediately after, she saw two people holding umbrellas standing in front of her.
One of them was a girl like her, holding a crucifix with a vigilant face.
The other gentleman wearing a black robe was grabbing the back collar of her clothes.
William put the girl down, then took out a bottle of Holy Water and threw it into the sewer opening.
Only a beast-like roar of anger was heard.
Immediately after, it seemed something had fallen down.
His hand movements didn't stop, placing some more holy artifacts around, using magic arrays to purify the abnormal energy nearby.
A moment later, William packed up his things and took Judy and that girl under a roof's eaves.
"On a rainy day, lying alone at a sewer drain, are you trying to drown inside?" William said.
Just now he had seen a yellow figure lying on the ground from far away.
At the same time, unusual energy fluctuations were drifting near there.
Almost without any hesitation, William used [Holy Steps] to arrive behind the girl.
He naturally also noticed the thing inside the drain, but the other party reacted very quickly and was in an advantageous terrain.
Therefore, William prioritized protecting the little girl.
"I... I was looking for Sissy." The girl lowered her head and spoke.
William saw the things in her bag.
He crouched down, his tone serious: "You felt there was someone inside the drain... is this normal?"
"And if you fell down, have you thought about how to get out? Where would your family go to find you?"
These questions made the girl momentarily speechless. Only then did she realize how dangerous her behavior just now had been.
At the same time, William was also somewhat speechless.
Whose drain would be built this wide... without even a basic safety guardrail.
Isn't this clearly telling others—Want to explore the dangerous and mysterious sewers? We've already widened the entrance for you...
"You too, if you see this kind of dangerous facility in the future, absolutely do not approach!" William turned his head and said.
Judy nodded seriously: "Okay! I won't."
The rain fell heavier and heavier, seemingly with no intention of stopping.
To avoid other accidents, William first escorted the girl home.
Only then did he take Judy to the town church.
This was their temporary residence this time.
The person in charge of the church was named Donald, a typical middle-class white man.
At the same time, he was also a staunch supporter of the Old Testament, still retaining some dogmatic rules in the church.
For example, children born into Church families must memorize obscure Bibles, and must undergo coming-of-age ceremonies...
Donald came from a family of believers, but was not a Church Holy Clergy Member; instead, he held the position of "Rabbi."
This was a role similar to a volunteer.
Responsible for community religious work and teaching Church etiquette.
But William came from a parish church and was personally appointed by the Archbishop; these decaying rules naturally couldn't restrict him.
After settling their accommodations, William sought out Donald to inquire about the situation.
Although the other party worked under the Church system, he knew very little about evil or the town's supernatural incidents.
He only knew that the Church had sent an honorable guest this time, requiring the church here to fully cooperate.
Facing this situation, William could only look for other ways to obtain clues.
During the time waiting for the rain to stop, a little boy named Stanley came to the church.
The latter was Donald's son, required to live according to the rules of the Old Testament since childhood.
Seeing outsiders present, Stanley stood aside with his head down. But William noticed this kid would sneak peeks at Judy from time to time, seeming very curious about the latter.
Facing this situation, he duty-boundly stood between the two, blocking the kid's line of sight.
"Stanley, we have distinguished guests today. You should go to my office and complete your theology coursework," Donald said.
The boy revealed a hesitant look upon hearing this.
"But... Father, there's that painting in the room..."
"How disgraceful! As an orthodox believer, you are protected by the Lord, yet you are afraid of a painting!"
William raised an eyebrow: "Mr. Donald, what painting is it?"
"Oh, it's a gift a friend once gave me. It's just that the painting's style leans towards expressionism, so the child is a bit afraid," Donald said.
"But... every time I pass by that painting, it falls down, and that woman... looks like she's about to come out of it," Stanley whispered.
"Shut up! You really bring shame upon me," Donald reprimanded.
William smiled and stepped in to smooth things over: "Mr. Donald, I came this time exactly to find some clues. Maybe Stanley really discovered something."
Then he turned his head and looked at the little boy.
"Can you take me to see it?"
"O... okay, Father."
The group of four quickly arrived at Donald's office.
There was a painting hanging on the wall.
On it was a woman wearing a black robe, her entire body contorted, looking quite eerie.
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