The dawn painted the sky a pale red when the silence of the cave was shattered by a guttural roar. The cannibals—Sawtooth, One-Eye, and Three Fingers—burst through the entrance, their deformed silhouettes outlined against the growing light. Jessie, Carly, and Francine screamed, backing into the damp walls, but Cassian rose to his feet with glacial calm, unsheathing his ceremonial dagger. His eyes, cold as ice, locked onto the monsters as he raised his voice in resonant Latin: "Exi, immundi spiritus, per virtutem Crucis!" He cut his palm with a precise movement, letting blood drip to the ground, a sacrifice that amplified the power of his words.
Sawtooth was the first to attack, wielding a rusty machete. Cassian dodged with inhuman precision and plunged the dagger into his heart, the blade piercing rotten flesh. Sawtooth's body sizzled, black smoke rising from the wound, and he collapsed dead with a final gurgle. One-Eye charged next, but Cassian spun on his heels and slashed his throat with a clean cut; black blood spurted like a geyser, and the body crumpled, sizzling as it hit the ground. Three Fingers, more cunning, tried to drag Jessie by her hair, but Cassian intercepted him, knocking him down with a blow to the back of the neck and decapitating him with a cold, swift motion. The head rolled toward the waterfall with a wet thud.
Silence returned, broken only by the girls' ragged breathing. Jessie, trembling, approached Cassian, her voice choked.
"Are they… are they dead? Is it really over? I can't believe we survived this."
Cassian wiped the dagger on his sleeve, his face impassive as he replied.
"They're dead. Whatever inhabited them is gone. But evil never truly dies; it only retreats. Come on, there's no time to stay here."
Carly, still sitting against the wall, looked at him with glassy eyes.
"How do you do it? We're shattered, barely able to move, and you… you're so calm. Don't you feel anything after all this? Killing them like that, as if it were nothing?"
Cassian sheathed the dagger, his tone serene but firm.
"I feel what I must feel. I've been trained for this since I was a child. Fear, doubt—I leave them behind. You're alive, and that's what matters. Now get up; I'll get you out of this forest."
Francine, tears streaming down her face, struggled to her feet.
"Thank you… thank you for not abandoning us. I thought Evan… I thought we'd all end up like him. What were those things? They weren't human, not entirely. I saw it in their eyes."
Cassian looked at her, his expression softening just slightly for a moment.
"They were shells, bodies possessed by something ancient. You don't need to understand; just know they won't chase you anymore. Come on, their truck is nearby. It'll take us far from here."
He led the group out of the cave, the fresh morning air filling their lungs. They found the cannibals' stolen truck among the trees, and Cassian took the wheel, driving with precision toward the abandoned gas station. Upon arrival, he got out of the vehicle and entered the dilapidated building, where Maynard watched him from a corner, his dull eyes filled with fear.
"You shouldn't have come back, boy," the old man stammered, backing away. "You killed them, didn't you? The devil's children! Now they'll come for me, I know it."
Cassian ignored him, tearing the maps off the wall with a sharp movement. He pulled a lighter from his bag and lit it, tossing the flame onto the gasoline-soaked floor.
"They won't come for anyone. Stay or run; I don't care," he said coldly, stepping outside as the flames began to devour the place. Maynard's screams echoed behind him as he returned to the truck.
From the backseat, Jessie looked at him with a mix of awe and gratitude.
"You burned that place… why? What was on those maps that you didn't want anyone to see?"
Cassian started the engine, his voice calm but authoritative.
"Routes to hell that they used. No one else needs to find them. Now rest; I'll take you somewhere safe."
He drove to a clearing in the forest, where the rising sunlight bathed the dewy grass. The girls got out of the truck, exhausted but alive, and looked at him with newfound intensity. The tension of the night transformed into something visceral. Jessie took the first step, approaching Cassian with bright eyes.
"I don't know how to thank you," she said, her voice low and charged with emotion. "You saved our lives. I don't know what would've happened to us without you. You're… different from anyone I've ever known."
Carly joined in, her tone softer but equally intense.
"Yes, Jessie's right. You kept us alive when everything seemed lost. I don't know what you are, Cassian, but… thank you. Truly."
Francine, timidly, added:
"I never thought I'd make it out of that forest. You saved me when I thought it was over. I don't have words for this."
Cassian looked at them, his serenity intact but with a flicker of something deeper in his eyes.
"You don't need words. You're here, breathing. That's enough."
Jessie moved closer, her hand brushing Cassian's arm before leaning in and kissing him hungrily, her warm, urgent lips pressing against his. He responded, still calm but yielding, letting passion break through his icy facade. Carly and Francine joined in, shedding their torn clothes with awkward but determined movements, adrenaline transforming into raw desire.
Jessie pushed him onto the clearing's ground, her firm body pressing against his as she stripped him, tearing his shirt off with eager fingers. Her breasts brushed his chest as she straddled him, her hips moving in a frantic rhythm, her moans echoing in the crisp morning air. Cassian gripped her waist, guiding her with controlled strength, penetrating her deeply as she arched her back, her hair cascading over her sweaty face.
Carly approached from the side, kissing Cassian's neck as he slid a hand between her thighs, his fingers exploring her wet heat. She gasped, clinging to him, and soon mounted him as well, her body trembling as he entered her. Her sharp moans mingled with the morning birdsong as he fucked her with serene intensity, his thrusts precise and deep, making her scream as she climaxed, her nails digging into his shoulders.
Francine, shy at first, knelt beside him, her trembling hands caressing his chest. Cassian pulled her close, turning her around to take her from behind, his firm body pressing against hers as he penetrated her with a slow but relentless rhythm. She moaned, her nails marking his back as he quickened his pace, his hips slamming against hers with a wet sound, pushing her to the edge until she collapsed, panting, her body trembling with pleasure.
The scene erupted into a frenzy of passion, their bodies entwined in an orgy of sweat and gasps. Jessie returned to him, riding him again while Carly and Francine kissed each other, their hands exploring one another. Cassian took them all, one after another and together, his inhuman stamina contrasting with his serenity, fucking them with a mix of devotion and dominance until the clearing was filled with their cries of ecstasy. The sun rose higher, bathing their naked bodies in golden light, a brutal contrast to the violence of the night.
Finally, exhausted, the girls collapsed around him, asleep on the grass, their heavy breathing filling the silence. Cassian dressed in silence, adjusting his crucifix with steady fingers. He murmured a prayer in Latin—"Domine, custodi animas eorum"—and looked toward the horizon, his face impassive but his eyes gleaming with renewed purpose. Evil had been defeated here, but he knew his next mission awaited him somewhere beyond.