I reach for the doorknob of Sister Agnes's room, my heart pounding in my chest. As I push the door open, the scene that greets me is far from what I expected.
Sister Agnes stands in the center of the room, her frail figure silhouetted against the morning light streaming through the window. Before her, on a small table, sits a towering stack of documents - folders, loose papers, what looks like old journals. The sheer volume is staggering.
But it's Sister Agnes's face that truly catches my attention. Tears stream down her wrinkled cheeks, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and desperation. Her lips tremble as she whispers, barely audible, "Help me."
That's when I notice her raised hand, fingers trembling as they clutch a single match. The realization of what's about to happen hits me like a physical blow.
"Sister Agnes," I say, my voice calm despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. "Put the match down. Whatever's controlling you, you can fight it."
Her eyes meet mine, and for a brief moment, I see a flicker of recognition, of the woman she once was. But then it's gone, replaced by a vacant stare that chills me to the bone.
"I... can't..." she chokes out, her arm jerking towards the documents.
I lunge forward, desperate to stop her, but I'm a fraction of a second too late. The match ignites, and in one swift motion, she drops it onto the pile of papers.
"No!" I shout, as flames begin to lick at the edges of the documents.
Behind me, I hear a cacophony of screams - the young nuns who've followed us, the officers who've come to back me up. But their voices fade into background noise as I focus on the task at hand.
With no time to think, I act on pure instinct. I rush forward, shoving Sister Agnes away from the growing fire. She stumbles back, caught by one of the officers who's just entered the room.
Without hesitation, I throw myself onto the burning pile of documents. The heat sears through my clothes, and I can smell my hair singeing, but I don't care. These documents could hold the key to everything - I can't let them burn.
I roll on the table, smothering the flames with my body. Someone - I'm not sure who - is shouting for a fire extinguisher. The acrid smell of smoke fills my nostrils as I continue to pat out the flames with my hands.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity but is probably only seconds, the fire is out. I push myself up, wincing at the pain from the burns on my hands and chest.
As I catch my breath, I survey the damage. Many of the documents are singed around the edges, some have holes burned through them, but a significant portion appears to have survived.
I turn to see Sister Agnes slumped in a chair, surrounded by officers and nuns. She's sobbing quietly, the vacant look gone from her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whimpers. "I'm so sorry. It made me do it. It wouldn't let me stop."
I approach her cautiously. "Sister Agnes, it's okay. You're safe now. Can you tell me what 'it' is? What was controlling you?"
She looks up at me, fear etched into every line of her face. "The voice," she whispers. "The one that promises salvation but brings only darkness. The one that Choi serves."
A chill runs down my spine at her words. I'm about to ask more when Han bursts into the room, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene.
"What the hell happened here?" he demands.
I gesture to the scorched documents. "We almost lost everything, but I think we managed to save most of it. Han, we need to secure these documents immediately. And we need to get Sister Agnes somewhere safe."
As the chaos in the room begins to settle, a sudden, bone-chilling scream cuts through the air. All eyes turn to Sister Agnes, who has begun to tremble violently in her chair.
"Sister Agnes?" I approach her cautiously, my heart racing. "What's wrong?"
Her eyes, wide with terror, lock onto mine. "It's coming," she gasps, her voice barely above a whisper. "It won't let me... won't let me tell..."
Before anyone can react, Sister Agnes's body goes rigid. Her back arches unnaturally, and a guttural sound escapes her throat. The room falls into a stunned silence, broken only by the sister's labored breathing.
"Get a medic in here now!" Han shouts, snapping everyone out of their shock.
I reach out to Sister Agnes, but the heat radiating from her body stops me short. To my horror, I see wisps of smoke beginning to rise from her skin.
"No," I whisper, the realization of what's happening hitting me like a physical blow. "No, no, no!"
Sister Agnes's eyes meet mine one last time, filled with a mixture of fear and... is that relief? "Forgive me," she manages to say before her entire body erupts into flames.
Screams fill the room as everyone recoils from the sudden inferno. The young nuns fall to their knees, praying frantically. Officers shout for fire extinguishers, for water, for anything to put out the flames.
But I stand frozen, unable to look away from the horrifying scene before me. Sister Agnes makes no sound as the flames consume her, her face a mask of eerie calm amidst the chaos.
The fire burns with an unnatural intensity, far too hot and fast to be normal. Within seconds, there's nothing left of Sister Agnes but ash, the chair she sat in reduced to smoldering embers.
As quickly as it started, the fire extinguishes itself, leaving behind an acrid smell and a room full of shell-shocked witnesses.
Silence falls, broken only by the soft sobs of the young nuns and the heavy breathing of the officers. I feel Han's hand on my shoulder, steadying me.
"What... what just happened?" he asks, his voice uncharacteristically shaky.
I shake my head, unable to form words. The image of Sister Agnes consumed by flames is seared into my mind, a horrifying testament to the dark forces we're up against.
As the shock begins to wear off, replaced by a grim determination, I turn to Han. "We need to secure this room immediately. No one comes in or out without my express permission. And get forensics in here as soon as possible."
Han nods, already barking orders to the stunned officers around us.
I turn back to the pile of ash that was once Sister Agnes, a chill running down my spine. Whatever secrets she was about to reveal, someone - or something - was willing to go to extreme lengths to keep them hidden.
As the shock of Sister Agnes's horrifying death begins to subside, I snap back into action, my mind racing with the urgency of our situation.
"Listen up, everyone!" I call out, my voice cutting through the stunned murmurs filling the room. "We need to move fast. Those documents are our priority now."
I turn to a group of officers near the scorched table. "You three, start carefully collecting every single piece of paper. Treat them like they're the most fragile evidence you've ever handled. Burnt edges, ash, everything - it all comes with us."
They nod, quickly donning gloves and beginning the delicate process of gathering the documents.
"Han," I say, turning to my partner. "We need to get all of this back to the station immediately. We can't risk losing anything else."
Han nods grimly, already pulling out his phone. "I'll call for a secure transport. We'll treat this like it's the most sensitive material we've ever handled."
"Good," I reply. "And we need to start reviewing these documents as soon as we get back. Whatever's in them, it was important enough for... for this to happen." I gesture vaguely at the pile of ash that was once Sister Agnes, unable to fully process what we'd just witnessed.
"Agreed," Han says. "I'll set up a secure room at the station. Only our most trusted team members will have access."
As Han steps away to make the necessary calls, I approach the young nuns huddled in the corner of the room. Their faces are pale with shock and grief.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," I say softly. "I know this is difficult, but we're going to need statements from all of you. What you saw here today... it's crucial to our investigation."
One of the nuns, her eyes red from crying, looks up at me. "Will this help? Will it stop... whatever did this to Sister Agnes?"
I meet her gaze steadily. "We're going to do everything in our power to get to the bottom of this. Your cooperation could make all the difference."
She nods slowly, and the other nuns follow suit.
I turn back to the room at large, watching as officers carefully pack the documents into secure containers. The forensics team has arrived and is meticulously documenting every inch of the room.
Han approaches me, his face set with determination. "Transport will be here in five minutes. I've arranged for a police escort back to the station."
"Good," I nod. "The sooner we get these documents somewhere secure, the better."
As we supervise the careful removal of the evidence, I can't shake the feeling that we're on the verge of uncovering something monumental. The church, Choi, the voices - it's all connected, and the answers we've been seeking are hidden somewhere in those charred papers.