The forest seemed like a cemetery of shadows, the bare and twisted trees rising like silent witnesses to the horror chasing the group. Cassian led the way, his serene figure cutting through the mist rising from the damp ground, with Jessie, Carly, Francine, and Chris stumbling behind after escaping a clearing filled with abandoned cars—rusty relics of forgotten victims. The young exorcist guided them to an ancient watchtower perched on a cliff, its rotting wooden structure creaking under the weight of years. A flicker of hope lit up in the survivors' eyes briefly, but Cassian didn't share their optimism; his senses were alert, catching the faint stench of sulfur still floating in the air.
Chris, limping from the gunshot wound Sawtooth had inflicted on his leg, leaned against a nearby tree, panting.
"Let me go up with you," he insisted, his voice hoarse with pain. "I can help. If there's a radio up there, I know how to use it. Don't leave me down here like some damn burden."
Cassian turned to him, his gaze as cold as frozen steel, silently assessing him for a moment before speaking in a sharp but calm tone.
"No. You stay here. Your leg slows you down, and I can't afford for you to hold us back. If something comes, scream. That's all you need to do for now."
Chris clenched his fists, his face reddening with frustration.
"Scream? Is that all I am to you? Damn it, I risked my life back there! Who do you think you are to order me around like I'm a child? You don't know what we've been through, what we've seen. Scott died for us, and I'm not staying here like bait!"
Cassian didn't flinch, his expression impassive as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder.
"I know enough. I know you're injured, and your pride doesn't change that. If you go up, you put the others at risk. Stay down here, keep watch. It's an order, not a discussion."
Jessie intervened, her voice trembling but firm, placing a hand on Chris's arm.
"Chris, please. Listen to him. We already lost Evan and Scott. I don't want to lose you too. Stay here; we'll be fine up there."
Chris looked at her, his eyes shining with a mix of anger and resignation, before reluctantly nodding.
"Fine. But if anything goes wrong, don't say I didn't try. Climb fast, and for God's sake, find help."
Cassian didn't wait any longer. With a nod, he signaled for Jessie, Carly, and Francine to follow him. They climbed the creaking steps of the tower, the air thick with dust and the smell of rotten wood. Upstairs, they found an old radio on a table covered in cobwebs. Carly, with trembling hands, turned it on, twisting the dials as static buzz filled the room.
"How does this work?" Carly asked, her voice on the verge of panic. "Does anyone know how to call for help? I don't want to stay here longer than necessary."
Francine, still pale and red-eyed, approached the window, looking out at the forest.
"I'm no expert, but I've seen movies. Turn the dial until you find a clear frequency, then say 'mayday' or something, right? Please hurry, Carly. I feel like we're being watched."
Cassian, standing by the door, took out a vial of holy water and held it in his hand, his face serene but his senses alert.
"Speak clearly and quickly if someone responds. We don't know how much time we have before they find us."
Jessie joined Carly, leaning over the radio.
"Let me try. My dad had one of these in the basement." She adjusted the dial with trembling fingers until the static cleared slightly. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? Mayday, mayday, we're trapped in a tower in the West Virginia forest. We need urgent help. There… there are things here, they're chasing us. Please respond."
At first, silence answered, broken only by the crackling of fire that would soon fill their nightmares. From below, the glow of torches emerged between the trees: the cannibals—Sawtooth, One-Eye, and Three Fingers—had arrived. Flames licked the base of the tower, and smoke began to seep through the cracks in the floor. Francine screamed, backing away from the window.
"They found us! They're burning the tower! What do we do now? We're going to die up here!"
Cassian approached the window with deadly calm, opening the vial of holy water.
"We're not dying. Not today." He sprayed the liquid outward, and a stream hit Three Fingers, who roared as his skin sizzled, momentarily retreating. "Prepare that rope," he ordered, pointing to a rotten rope tied to a beam. "We'll jump to that tree. It's our way out."
Carly, tears streaming down her face, clung to the table.
"Jump? Are you crazy? We'll break our necks! I can't do it, not after all this. I'd rather stay and fight!"
Jessie grabbed her by the shoulders, her voice broken but determined.
"Carly, listen to me! There's no fight to win here. If we stay, they'll burn us or cut us to pieces like they did to Evan. Cassian knows what he's doing. Trust him, please. I do."
Cassian cut the rope with his dagger, securing it to the window frame.
"There's no time to argue. Francine, you first. Then Jessie, then Carly. I'll cover you. Move."
Francine, trembling, nodded and clung to the rope, awkwardly sliding down to the nearby tree. Jessie followed, and Carly, after a sob, did the same. Cassian watched from the window, spraying another burst of holy water when Three Fingers tried to climb after them. Below, Chris screamed as he was ambushed by One-Eye; his head rolled across the ground seconds later, his body falling lifeless as blood stained the earth.
In the trees, the girls clung to the branches, but Three Fingers pursued them, his axe gleaming under the firelight. Carly screamed as the cannibal approached, raising the weapon to cut off her head. Before the blade could fall, Cassian leapt from a higher tree, striking the monster with a branch he had blessed with a quick prayer: "Per virtutem Crucis, te expello." The impact sent Three Fingers crashing to the ground, his body smashing against the rocks with a sickening crunch.
The forest burned around them, flames devouring the tower and nearby trees. Cassian led the girls to a cave near a waterfall, the sound of water muffling the crackling fire. Once inside, they collapsed against the damp walls, exhausted. Jessie broke the silence, her voice choked with tears.
"This is my fault," she said, staring at the ground. "This whole trip… it was because of me. My boyfriend left me, and my friends wanted to cheer me up with this cursed hike. Evan, Scott, Chris… they're dead because of me. I don't know why I'm still alive."
Francine, trembling, approached her, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's not your fault, Jessie. Those things… they're not normal. They would've found us anyway. But how do you do it, Cassian? How do you stay so calm after all this? I can barely breathe."
Carly nodded, wiping her tears.
"Yes, who are you really? You saved us back there, but… what were those things? Why did the water do that to them? I don't understand anything."
Cassian sat facing them, his face serene as he put the vial back in his bag.
"You don't need to understand everything right now. Those creatures are more than flesh and bone; they carry evil within them—an evil I've sworn to face. You survived because you're strong, not because fate hates you. Evil doesn't define you. Rest. We're still not safe."
Jessie looked at him, her eyes shining with a mix of gratitude and awe.
"Thank you… for not giving up on us. I don't know what we would've done without you."
Cassian inclined his head slightly, his voice firm but gentle.
"I don't give up. Ever. Now close your eyes. I'll keep you safe until dawn."
Silence fell over the cave, broken only by the dripping water and the ragged breathing of the girls. Outside, in the distance, the eyes of the cannibals glowed in the shadows, their deformed figures regrouping for the next hunt.