Hazel and Miguel emerged from the closet, finding Grace still seated in her chair, attentively awaiting their arrival.
Positioned at the entrance of the living room, they exchanged glances as Grace inquired, "Are you prepared?" They nodded affirmatively.
Grace rose from her seat and proceeded past them, stopping a few paces ahead. Turning slightly, she glanced back and firmly instructed, "Follow me," before continuing on.
Hand in hand, Hazel and Miguel trailed closely behind her.
Their hearts raced, and the tension in the air felt palpable, suffocating in intensity.
Arriving at the door on the second floor, Grace removed a necklace from around her neck, revealing a skeleton key concealed within.
She inserted the key into the keyhole and locked eyes with Hazel and Miguel. "Do not touch anything," she cautioned, her tone resolute.
With a click, Grace unlocked the door, swung it open wide, and activated the light, gesturing for Hazel and Miguel to enter.
As they stepped into the room, their apprehension gnawed at them, their hearts seemingly ready to plunge into their stomachs.
They were taken aback to discover that the room's interior was more unsettling than any other part of the house had hinted at.
The strong odor of decay permeated the air, and they felt an unsettling sensation, as if unseen eyes were scrutinizing their every movement.
Fear rendered them motionless, their minds swirling with a torrent of anxious thoughts.
Grace closed the door behind them and positioned herself in the center of the room, her gaze falling on their alarmed expressions. "Do not be afraid," she asserted loudly.
Her voice shattered the silence, jolting Hazel and Miguel from their stunned stupor.
"Trust me, and all will turn out well," she added.
Grace directed Hazel and Miguel to take a seat at a round table shrouded with a black tablecloth nestled in the corner of the room.
They complied, pulling out their chairs and settling down.
Once they were seated, Grace joined them and began to outline the night's activities, detailing the three steps she would undertake and the rules they were expected to follow.
With clarity established and no further inquiries from Hazel and Miguel, Grace stood and approached the shelves.
She retrieved a rolled document secured with a red ribbon and a small container of needles situated nearby.
Bringing these items back to the table, she removed the document from the bottle and untied the ribbon.
Placing it on the table, she explained, "This marks the first step. I require your signatures on this contract. Do not concern yourselves with the language; it is in Arabic. I only need your signatures. Who will sign first?"
"I will," Miguel responded without hesitation. Glancing around, he realized there was no writing implement. "Where is the pen?" he asked.
Grace chuckled lightly and replied, "Who mentioned anything about a pen?"
Hazel and Miguel exchanged perplexed looks.
Tentatively, Miguel questioned, "But... how will we sign then?"
"With your blood, of course," Grace answered briskly. "Present your thumb, and I will puncture it with this needle. Rest assured, it is sanitized."
"Alright!" Miguel acquiesced, extending his left thumb to Grace.
Grace opened the container and carefully selected a needle. With a swift motion, she pricked his thumb.
"Ouch!" Miguel reacted, surprised by the sting.
Grace applied pressure until blood welled up, then pressed his thumb against the bottom of the document. She repeated the procedure with Hazel thereafter.
Once complete, Grace rolled the document, secured it with the ribbon, and returned it to the bottle, placing it back on the top shelf.
"We are now ready to proceed to the second step of the process," Grace announced as she returned to the table.
She instructed Hazel and Miguel to rise, sit cross-legged on the floor facing one another, and close their eyes, emphasizing the need to relax and trust her guidance.
They complied, settling onto the floor and shutting their eyes.
Grace removed her robe, grabbed a black robe hanging on the hook on the wall, and wore it.
She tied a red jericho waist cord around her waist and a scarf on her head.
Grace lit three black candles and placed them in a triangle position around Hazel and Miguel, along with teddy bears in the middle of them. One was pink and one was blue.
She leaned her cane against the wall before extinguishing the light and commencing her voodoo ritual, set to last approximately three hours.