My name is Ichabod Crane.
I was enlisted in the Queen's Royal Regiment and sent to the American colonies to fight the Patriots.
It didn't take long for me to have a change of heart.
In 1781, I died on the battlefield.
But I was saved by a mysterious spell cast upon me by my beloved wife Katrina.
Now I've been awakened and fate led me to Miss Abigail Mills, a young police lieutenant investigating baffling mysteries.
Lieutenant Abbie Mills to see Jennifer Mills.
I'm her sister.
I believe that we can work together to get some answers, some real answers.
We are now bearing witness to strange events and dark forces.
They foretell that our realm is in danger, and the Apocalypse may be upon us.
Revelation? This speaks of two witnesses.
You were called to something, Abbie.
We both were.
When you wounded the Horseman, your bloodlines merged.
You became linked, bound together by blood.
It's the Horseman who's been awakened, Ichabod and you, along with him.
Sleepy Hollow.
Safe! What?! Are you kidding me, dude?! Way to police the game.
Yeah, that's right.
Blue, I'm a cop.
I'm deputizing you.
Wake up! This is what you do to relax? It's cathartic.
It's baffling.
I'd consider myself a sporting man, but why must you insult that gentleman for citing a rule infraction? I fail to see the point.
What is the point of baseball? Oh, please enlighten me.
All right.
For me, baseball's about three things.
First, tradition.
Rules never change.
You can always count on the grass to be green, the lines to be white.
So no matter how crazy the world gets, it makes you feel safe, like everything's okay.
Second, it's about teamwork.
The players have to have faith in each other and watch each others' backs, because without that, the team don't work.
And what I love is that this sport does not discriminate.
You can be a short long reliever, a long shortstop, black, white, Hispanic.
And that is the American dream.
So, it represents the spirit of democracy.
It's what you guys were fighting for, right? Our pride, our link to the past.
Created by the forefathers, handed down generation to generation.
That's why I scream at the ump.
Open your eyes, sir! Yes, you.
Basket face.
I thought only horses slept standing up! Good, feels good, exercise your hard-fought right, free speech.
Just next time, wait for the ump to make a call.
Right.
I must say, I deeply enjoyed this outing, Lieutenant.
Ugh! For a brief moment, it felt as though, I, too, were home.
You are home, Crane.
One day, I'll take you to a Mets game.
Bad beer, cold hot dogs.
That'll really blow your mind.
Whilst I noted several indecipherable flourishes in that sentence, I look forward to you expanding my horizons further.
You sure you don't need a ride? No, thank you.
I feel I'm beginning to get my bearings around town, so I should like to exercise my freedom with a stroll and some fresh air.
You do that.
I'll see you tomorrow, Crane.
Still is news.
Mama may have.
Papa may have.
May have but God bless the child But God bless the child Miss Mills, this way.
Hello, Miss Mills.
Who are you? I am Katrina Crane.
And this house is an echo of the home I once shared with my husband.
What am I doing here? This is a dream? It's a doorway in which I'm able to reach those who bear witness.
You and Ichabod.
The Horseman you just saw is a manifestation of what is to come.
He will return to Sleepy Hollow by nightfall.
He can only be stopped by the two witnesses.
But I'm afraid Ichabod has been abducted.
What do you mean abducted? I was just with him.
Abducted by who? I do not know.
They've marked his surroundings with a protective shield to block my sight.
That is why I have come to you.
It can't be a mere coincidence he was taken now.
You think he was taken for his blood tie with the Horseman? When I cast the spell on Ichabod to save his life, I had no idea their fates would become entwined.
It seemed irreversible until now.
You found a way? The Sin Eater.
I don't understand.
What's a Sin Eater? We are out of time.
He will know how to guide you to Ichabod and undo the spell.
What do you mean, guide me? How? Ichabod must be sanctified.
Find the Sin Eater before sundown before the Horseman returns, or everything will be lost! Wait I don't understand.
What I'm about to tell you is grounds to commit me.
The thing that killed Corbin and Reverend Knapp the Horseman Would that be the Headless Horseman? Yes.
He's coming back tonight.
I have questions if that's okay? The first one being, how do you know? Crane's wife I believe he mentioned her is some kind of witch.
She visited me.
Crane is linked to the Horseman.
Their blood is mixed together, so now, their spirits are connected.
I'm gonna ask you to clarify that.
It means that we cannot hurt the Horseman without hurting Crane.
That's why they have to be separated.
His wife told me that the only way to break the curse would be to find someone called The Sin Eater.
Now, who or whatever that is apparently has the power to pull them apart so that we can stop the Horseman permanently.
You know, there are two things in life I believe a person should hold onto for as long as possible: Virginity and skepticism.
Surprisingly, I already lost the first thing, so I'm gonna hold onto the second one for as long as possible.
I know him.
I know he wouldn't just disappear.
Now I could pretend that this was just a bad hallucination and let whatever is going to happen, happen.
But that isn't me, and I know that isn't you.
What do you need? To find the Sin Eater.
He'll lead me to Crane.
Which leads me to my next big ask.
Let me guess.
You're planning a family reunion.
Well, look what the cat dragged in.
I got you a 24-hour furlough.
Crane is in trouble.
I need you to help me find him.
You're a cop.
Go investigate.
I am.
You're my best lead, and you know how important Crane is.
To you? Yeah, to me and to you.
You said that you went around the world looking for connections, for things that nobody could explain, things that Corbin was trying to help you understand.
I'm hoping you'll know about one of them.
Have you ever heard of the term Sin Eater? You're right.
We better move fast.
Apologies for the less than civil nature of your seizure.
We didn't believe you would come voluntarily.
The effects of the tranquilizer should be nearly gone.
What am I doing here? Written on these pages is the true account of Ichabod Crane.
An account by whom? We'll come to that.
Will we now Mr.
Rutledge? Should've removed your cufflinks, "J.
R.
" Surname, Rutledge.
The family resemblance is too much to ignore.
You're a descendent of Edward Rutledge, the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
I knew him well.
Here's what else I know: your left palm is callused, suggesting you work with your hands.
Your right finger bears discoloration in the shape of an inverted square and compass, denoting a ring that's been removed, for my benefit perhaps.
Hexes to ward off evil, all telltale signs of Freemasonry.
You claim to be a fellow Mason? I am a Mason.
Now, if we're on the same side, what am I doing here? You will live or die based on the truth of your identity.
I am Ichabod Crane.
Perhaps.
I am.
We've been fooled before.
What does that mean? It means we're dealing with forces beyond the power of man.
Demons, shape-shifters.
Tell me, when did you first hear the words.
"Ordo Ab Chao.
" "Order from chaos.
" They were spoken to me by a dying man.
His name? Arthur Bernard.
When I first heard of him, I fought for the British.
We were sent to his home to capture him.
He was a freed slave suspected of treason.
Arthur Bernard, you are charged with insurrection against the Crown for publication of this document advocating American rebellion.
The author on that pamphlet reads "Cicero.
" A pseudonym, no doubt.
You will be interrogated here until you reveal the identity of the treasonous criminal known as Cicero.
I know no such man.
I think you will find that the king's mercy is without limit.
Crane, come forth.
Sir.
You come highly recommended to me, Lieutenant.
I'm counting on you to coax our prisoner into confession.
Do this, and I'm giving you a field commission as captain.
As you wish, sir.
Give him a chair.
Shackle him.
Lieutenant, a nurse from the local Quaker community requests an audience.
Send her in.
By what right do you hold this man prisoner in his own home, sir? By Royal Assent of the King's Quartering Act, madam.
And his wounds? Did he offer resistance? He is charged with treason, a crime punishable by utmost severity.
I'm certain both sides can agree on that.
Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority agrees.
You fight for no country then? I am a Quaker, sir.
I fight for the conviction that every life is precious.
Now I demand you to allow me to treat his injury.
It's fine, my lady.
I'm in good hands.
Your eyes betray you, the inner voice that wants to show him mercy.
It's called a conscience.
Every culture has their own version of a Sin Eater, a person who has the power to cleanse the wicked of their sins.
It's like a priest? Well, except they don't absolve you.
A Sin Eater reaches inside your soul and swallows your sins, ridding you of evil.
So how do we find one? Corbin doesn't seem to have anything on them.
Corbin was always searching weird blogs or strange phenomena.
He got me hooked.
There was this guy I was chasing for a while who surfaced in Algeria, Japan, Ghana.
He visited death row inmates before they died.
Their last words? All the same.
"I am sanctified.
" Ichabod must be sanctified.
That's what Katrina said.
Yeah, the problem is he just stopped one day.
Disappeared, like, two years ago.
No more sightings.
I don't know why.
I tried to figure it out, but I lost track of him.
Maybe because you were working alone.
Enough! You're released.
Who is Cicero? I can offer you freedom in return for one name.
That's all we need from you.
Would you sacrifice the name of a man one perhaps with a family knowing that you would be responsible for his death and their misery? My captain will not hesitate to kill you.
The love of power is the demon of all men.
And I'll let you in on a secret.
There are demons all around.
Hiding as men among men, turning them against one another.
Join me against them.
I'm afraid the interrogation has broken your grasp of reality.
Has it? You interrogated Arthur Bernard for days, without results.
And then I was called away to stand guard at a local execution.
Three men were found guilty of treason.
Tarleton wanted to make an example of them.
Colonel, with all due respect, I fear these public displays may not yield the desired effect.
You think leniency is more likely to inspire loyalty to the Crown? I feel it may prevent the birth of a new generation of enemies, like that boy who's just witnessed his father's hanging.
Don't make me doubt your loyalty, Crane.
Or perhaps you'd feel better joining the next round of traitors at the noose? I remain faithful, as always.
That was not my doing.
That boy watched his father die.
Think you'll be forgiven just because you didn't pull the lever? What I see I'm afraid I don't understand anymore.
As I said that is your conscience revealing what you've refused to see until now.
We're from opposite worlds, you and I.
Strangers.
And yet I have the oddest sensation That we've known each other all along.
I don't believe in spirits, or destiny You are a terrible liar, sir.
It's quite endearing.
Ichabod.
Ichabod Crane.
Katrina Van Tassel.
And destiny isn't a matter of chance, but of choice.
And what you choose to accept will eventually become yours.
So what is it that you saw? I've heard tales of a secret war.
Between men and Demons.
You saw one.
They were right, you are the one.
Who was right? How do you know this? You possess a gift, the power to bear witness.
Do you realize what it means? How valuable you are in this fight? We need you.
Who are you? Like you, someone who seeks the truth above all else.
Evil gains its strength when good men do nothing.
You are a good man, Ichabod Crane.
This Sin Eater knows how to hide.
Cross-referenced every death row visitor's log.
No name shows up twice.
He's gotta have a name.
No one walks into a max security prison without authorization.
You really care about this guy.
About Crane.
Remember how Mom used to take us to that rug store? They had those extra pieces, the parts of the rug that didn't really fit anywhere.
I always kind of felt like that was you and me.
You know? The remainders.
Two girls holding onto each other so tight because we really did not fit anywhere else.
Then I lost you.
And I felt real alone for a long time, till Corbin.
Then I lost him, too except at almost that same moment, Crane came into my life.
And I guess he made me feel like, for the first time, I had a purpose that I understood.
And someone who I was supposed to find it with.
Anyway Well, the next time you see that witch in a dream, tell her to be more specific.
I mean, her husband's about to be a dead man.
What? Abbie, you gonna invite me to the party? He's a dead man.
James Turcotte, the death row inmate from Huntsville, Texas.
His name shows up on this death row inmate's log.
San Quentin the following year.
He takes on the identity of dead inmates.
That's how he hides.
Not anymore.
We have the last name that he used.
Ian Kellett.
Last listing as a resident in Hartford, Connecticut.
This is Lieutenant Abbie Mills with the Sleepy Hollow Sheriff's Department.
I'd like to talk to you.
Sir, I can hear you in there.
I have a warrant to search the premises.
I need you to open this door now.
We don't have a warrant.
How is he gonna know? What's this about? This is about Ian Kellett.
A dead man whose ID number you used to rent this apartment.
We know your real name, Henry Parrish.
You committed identity theft.
You could be facing some real time, or you could open the door and we could talk.
Mr.
Parrish, I know who you are, what you are.
My friend is missing I need your help.
People always do.
I don't do it anymore.
Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand.
Try me.
Imagine you had a pair of glasses that could see people see through them.
Into their hearts; What they've done.
The parts that are locked down so deep, even they're afraid to see.
But you see them.
And you carried them.
Until the only person you can't see anymore is yourself.
If I didn't stop I would have disappeared completely.
We know what it's like to live with something that no one else has.
No matter what it feels like it's a gift.
You have a responsibility whether you like it or not.
"Let he who is without sin.
" I'm fairly certain that isn't you.
You want to get biblical? "I looked, and there before me was a pale horse.
"Its rider's name was Death, and Hell followed with him.
" Revelation.
The first of the Four Horsemen.
Thing of it is, he's connected to my friend.
Death? Yes.
Connected to your friend how? A curse.
A blood tie linking their spirits together.
And you want me to break the curse to separate the Horseman from your friend.
According to the Bible, a sin is a transgression of divine law.
That is what the Horseman is, an abomination, walking force; pure sin.
You have the power to pull him out.
Where is your friend now? I was told you could tell me.
Maybe.
If your connection with your friend is strong enough, I could use it.
It's strong.
Use it.
Like I said, I don't do it anymore.
You should go.
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute! Abbie! Your friend is underground.
Behind a door marked with a symbol; A square and a compass.
That's the symbol of the Freemasons.
Underground, was it a tunnel? I've told you what you needed to know to find him.
That's all I can do for you.
Please leave.
I had no idea these tunnels were under the town.
Crane showed them to me.
Lot of secrets down here.
Parrish said the door had a compass and square.
You sure that's the Freemason symbol? Like, secret societies, animal sacrifices? I'm pretty sure that part's a myth.
Templar Knights, the Founding Fathers they're the good guys.
If they're the good guys, why do they have Crane? When I returned to the interrogation at Arthur Bernard's, everything had changed.
My sins were about to be revealed.
And where were you? I'm here to continue the interrogations.
The time has passed, and you have failed.
I shall grant you one path to redemption.
One path only: Take this man into the forest, where he will die like the animal he is.
The woman was right.
Katrina.
You are invaluable to the cause.
And what would you have me do, huh? Betray my country, my family, my home? For what? For the unknown? Some sacrifices are worth making.
And if you pull that trigger, you will carry sin inside your heart forever.
You'll invite evil to live inside you till you beg for salvation.
That is what I'm offering you, what she's offering you.
How would you know what she's offering? Pull the trigger, and you'll never find out.
March.
The life you knew will never return.
You are Cicero aren't you? He is all of us.
Find Katrina.
She will guide you to Commander Washington.
And I suspect much more.
Ordo Ab Chao.
"Order from chaos.
" Speak these words to her.
She will know which side your heart has chosen.
I will find you again, my friend.
No! Traitor! Ordo Ab Chao.
I couldn't save him.
Had I acted sooner, he would have lived.
This is my sin and I must bear it all my days.
Brother Ichabod Crane we are humbled to be in your presence and we offer you our trust.
If this ledger confirms my account, and I didn't write it who did? Katrina.
She was your ally.
For a while, her coven was in league with our Mason forefathers, until she betrayed their trust.
How? By secreting you away from wherever you were buried these centuries someplace we could not find.
The Masons my brothers wanted me dead.
That's why Katrina hid me she was protecting me.
At the expense of the greater good.
She knew the inevitable outcome of your tie to the Horseman.
Regretfully, a fate we would've sealed for you long ago and one that we have no choice but to seal for you now.
That's why you had me tell Bernard's story.
He died for the greater good.
In Arthur Bernard, you witnessed a man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Inside this box is the only way to assure The Horseman's reign ends forever.
You know what you must do, Brother Crane.
The square and compass.
Drop your weapon.
That's not how this is gonna work.
I'm a police officer.
Let us in, or we call in the damn cavalry.
Crane.
Miss Mills.
Don't be alarmed, please.
These men are my brothers.
Your brothers? You're a Mason? What the hell is happening? He will not be hurt by our hand.
I want him out of here now! No.
Please.
Allow me to explain.
Would you excuse us? Of course.
What is that? The Masons have been tracking the Horseman.
With his arrival, the threat of the Apocalypse draws closer.
I stopped him before temporarily.
Now I can finish what I started.
My life is tied to the Horseman's, and his to mine.
When he rose, I rose.
Therefore if I die, he dies.
No.
To ensure he never rides again, my life must end.
It's the only way.
No! I am not letting this happen.
I swore an oath to sacrifice my life if necessary so others may live freely, a lesson I learned from someone who did the same for me.
I know a man who can help, someone who can separate you from the Horseman.
Katrina searched and failed.
Katrina's the one who told me about him.
Katrina came to you? Who is this man? Sin Eater.
It's a long story.
But he wasn't exactly cooperative, so I'm gonna bring you to him.
There isn't time.
The Horseman's nearly here.
And even if we could be decoupled, I'd only free him to continue his rampage.
This assures that he won't.
I do not accept that, Crane! You must, if you accept what we've been chosen to do to avert the Apocalypse so humanity can endure, so people can choose their own destinies, just as I must now choose mine.
There's another way.
There's always another way.
Abbie this is the only way.
That's the first time you ever called me Abbie.
I've lived on borrowed time more than any man deserves.
I've seen wonders beyond my wildest imaginings.
And through these centuries, against the impossibility that we would find each other we did.
And I am most grateful for it.
How can you be so calm about this? I'm terrified.
Perhaps it would be easier if you left.
There's no way.
Too many people I never got a chance to say good-bye to.
You are not gonna be one of them.
I'm so sorry.
Crane? Stay with me.
Ichabod, please, stay with me.
Please.
Ichabod, no.
Please stay with me.
I wasn't sure I'd make it in time.
He doesn't have to die.
What do you mean? Not yet! He's almost gone.
Clear the room, all of you.
Thank you.
Everyone out now! This had better work.
Who are you? I have been called many things.
Angel.
Demon.
Until now, I wasn't sure what was true.
For so long, I've hoped for this day.
To find the reason for what I've been given.
And now I know.
The reason is you.
You're the man Abbie told me about.
The one Katrina sent her to find.
I've bought you a few moments before the poison stops your heart.
I can remove it! Along with your sins if we're lucky.
Put your hand on the table.
Yes.
He is in there.
As long as you carry your sin in your heart, it allows the Horseman to be tied to you.
Someone once told me that before.
Who? The man I sinned against.
Whose life I couldn't save.
His name.
Say it out loud.
Arthur Bernard.
Now summon him! With all your heart.
Here! Into this room.
Now open your eyes.
I told you I'll find you again, my friend.
I don't understand.
I did everything you asked of me.
I broke every vow I took to my country.
I betrayed my own blood.
And yet you died anyway.
What more would you have done? Freed you sooner so you'd live.
And if I had? Would you have found your destiny? Found your way to your true home? Your death is on my soul.
No.
My death saved your soul.
Only you chose to see it as a sin.
When all along, it was your salvation.
What would you have me do? Forgive yourself.
The Horseman feeds on your regret.
That is what fuels your blood tie to him.
Let it go, and his hold over you will be broken.
No, I'd only free him so he could ride again.
You'd only free yourself to stop him.
And the others that ride with him.
But you won't do it alone.
Abbie.
Together your combined power will weather the coming storm.
Now do you understand? I do.
Then repeat these words.
I purge the wicked from my blood.
I purge the wicked from my blood.
Our spirits severed.
Our spirits severed.
My soul sanctified.
My soul sanctified.
Death, leave me now.
Death, leave me now.
I command you.
I command you.
I feel him no more.
He's gone.
He is sanctified.
You were right.
There's always another way.
Next time, listen to me.
Okay? I can't go through that again.
My ears shall remain eternally open to your admonition.
I don't know what the hell that means.
Just say yes.
Yes.
The sun has set.
He's awakened, I can feel it.
The Horseman rides.
He'll come for you.
We must prepare.
We'll be ready.
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