"I took this picture with my iPhone last month after I heard about this weird guy wandering around town. Just like my buddy said, he didn't have a mouth. Like, what the hell? I didn't stick around too long. The guy seemed agitated and I didn't want to get too close." -Mr. Johnathon Waller.
"Barbara Renolds's son, Josh, died during what was described as a botched exorcism. Josh, 13, began acting strangely in the Spring of last year. He was taken to multiple doctors, but nothing could be found wrong with him. When other abnormalities began to occur around the house, Barbara, a devout Catholic, thought something sinister might be targeting her son. She was visted by two priests, neither of whom could exorcise the demon they believed to have possessed Josh. That was when Barbara grew desperate. She was doing research on her computer when she found out about a man who could supposedly do what no orthodox priest could. She contacted him right away.
"He was called Lucas by his partner, Isaac Partway, the one I spoke to the most. He never mentioned a last name, and now that I think about it, they could have been using fake names. I was really desperate at the time; I just wanted my son back. Mr. Partway asked for a fee of 1000 dollars, and, stupid me, I paid it. When they came over, this other man, Lucas, never spoke. He kept his face tucked into a scarf and didn't make eye contact. I got the feeling that there was something off about him, but I didn't pry. Mr. Partway asked that no cameras or phones be used to record the exorcism, which I thought was a bit odd, but I agreed. Now that I look back on it, the whole thing was just too fishy. I led them to my son's bedroom. We had to tied him to his mattress at this point, because he'd just become too violent. He wasn't my boy anymore. From the moment the silent man entered the room, I could hear Josh screaming. I couldn't just stay downstairs and listen to it, so I ran up to see what was going on. By the time I got there, that man, Lucas, was standing over my son. Josh was dead. That man, that monster, had killed him. I'll never forget that horrible face. They left quickly, before I could even call the police. I later received my 1000 dollars back, in an envelope left on my doorstep. But I'll never get my son back.""
"Father George Walter, an experienced exorcist for the Catholic church, speaks about the new rise of freelance exorcisms.
"The church is aware of this phenomenon, but there's little we can do to stop it. These people are not trained by our schools; we don't know where they get their training from. And, unfortunately, sometimes these people can bring tragedy into the homes of the people they are trying to help. Do I think this young man we've been talking about is a murderer? No, I don't. I think he may have honestly intended to help these people. But, this isn't the type of thing to play around with. We've tried to reach out to him several times, but he remains silent on all accounts. It seems that, whoever he is, he doesn't want help.""
The folder held only three sparse leads. A fuzzy photo and a brief description, a report from a batty old woman, and some Peter Popoff wannabe talking about demons and exorcisms. The boss wanted a video mini-documentary on this particular story. He was out of his damn mind. There was almost nothing to go off of, and it sounded like poorly written trash fiction. It didn't go without saying that the folder sat on the assignments desk for a few days, untouched.