Hartman family escape from the possessed house

The escape from the possessed Hartman house turns survival into separation. With the main staircase ruined and the night’s violence still close behind them, the family finds a way out through the rear of the house; at the front door, Liz Hartman makes clear that leaving is also a break with Ron Hartman. Their refuge is temporary, their injuries are real, and the story they prepare for the authorities conceals what happened inside.

Background and Stakes

The escape follows a night in which the demon possessing Casey Hartman has made the Hartman house dangerous and physically damaged. After the lights return, Jason Crowder and the others move out of the bedroom in an uneasy silence, like refugees after a battle. They turn away from the ruined staircase, hoping the rear stairs have survived. The passage out is not a return to safety so much as a cautious test of whether the house will let them leave.

Danny Hartman has been injured: blood marks a gouge in his forehead, and he loses his balance. Jason Crowder helps steady him. When Danny decides they should get Casey Hartman and the girls, Casey appears in the doorway with an arm protectively around his younger sister, Carolyn Hartman. Apart from scrapes and bruises, he looks like the healthy, guileless fourteen-year-old he had seemed before the crisis. Liz Hartman, seeing Jason Crowder’s bloodied face, watches him apprehensively as he tries to wipe the blood away with his robe. The family is together again, but the visible injuries and the wrecked house keep the danger present.

The Route Out

The rear staircase has not fallen. The demon either did not consider that route or did not think of it, and the group descends without incident. They creep through the back hallway and kitchen and into the ruined foyer. Jason Crowder expects another threat to emerge; outside, it is still pitch-black, and the night has felt to him like a horror film. The damaged staircase makes him wish they had gone out the back of the house instead, but after a few uneasy moments they reach the front door.

The grandfather clock shows 3:30 in the morning, a time that seems almost impossible after the ordeal. The exhaustion is legible in the group: Casey Hartman and Carolyn Hartman have dark circles beneath their eyes, while Danny Hartman looks as though he needs a drink. Liz Hartman, by contrast, still looks radiant. That contrast does not mean the crisis is over; it marks how differently the survivors meet the moment of departure.

Refuge and Family Separation

Ron Hartman comes out of the darkness behind the others and asks whether they are simply going to leave him there. No one answers. Casey Hartman does not even look at his father. Danny Hartman asks Liz Hartman whether she has somewhere to go for a while, and she names the Tomlinsons, who live up the road. Her friend Sarah can let the family stay without asking questions. Carolyn Hartman asks to sleep in Anna’s room, and Liz assures her that it should be fine. Even in the aftermath, the children’s immediate need for a place to sleep shapes the first practical plan.

Ron Hartman asks whether they should pack belongings. Liz Hartman looks directly at her husband and tells him that he is never going near the children again. He hesitates and moves as if to put a hand on her shoulder, but the exchange does not undo her decision. The exit therefore establishes a new boundary, not merely a temporary change of address: Liz is taking the children away from Ron, and Casey Hartman’s refusal even to glance at his father underscores the distance between them.

Hospital and Concealed Account

Jason Crowder’s hand is badly injured; he points out his missing fingers and jokes that he will never be a concert pianist. Liz Hartman offers to take him to the hospital. Danny Hartman says he can drive, and Liz checks whether he can do so safely. After dropping Liz and the children at the Tomlinsons’ home, Danny drives Jason to Saint Joseph Hospital. Their ride is mostly silent, with occasional remarks from Danny about the storm beginning to ease.

On the way, Danny Hartman and Jason Crowder agree on what to tell the authorities. They decide to keep the account simple: they will tell the truth about the demon possessing Casey Hartman and about Jack Bittner’s suicide, but say that Peter Sutherland killed himself after attacking Jason. Danny calls Liz with this version, and she agrees to repeat it. Since Ron Hartman was not present for the confrontation between Jason and Peter Sutherland, they see no reason to tell him about the deception; Jason doubts Liz would contact him in any case. Once they have settled the account, Danny radios the precinct and they enter the hospital.

The escape thus ends in two kinds of triage. The children are moved to a friend’s house, Jason Crowder is taken for treatment, and the survivors coordinate what can safely be said. The family gets out of the damaged house, but its return to ordinary life is deferred: refuge, medical care, and silence become the immediate terms of survival.