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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.