The morning met them with a gray sky and heavy silence. Alexander woke up as one of the first, the faces of the others showed that the night was no better than his. Dark circles under the eyes, nervous movements, avoiding glances - all signs that the monster visited each of them.
The house sat by the extinguished fire, stupidly staring at the ashes. Hutch nervously checked and rechecked the contents of the backpack. Phil was silently chewing an energy bar, and Luke looked especially pale.
- How did you sleep? - Alexander asked, although the answer was obvious.
- It sucky, - the House grumbled, not raising his head. - Nightmares all night.
- Me too, - Luke admitted. - Some bullshit. I dreamed... I dreamed of something I didn't want to think about.
Hughtch laughed nervously:
- Probably a change of scenery. A new place, unusual sounds...
- Yes, exactly, - Phil agreed, but there was uncertainty in his voice. - Just an adaptation.
Alexander knew that it was not just an adaptation, but he was silent. It was useless to tell the truth now - they won't believe it until they see the monster with their own eyes.
"And by that time it may be too late," he thought gloomily.
- Let's get together and move on," he suggested out loud. - The movement will help disperse bad thoughts.
The camp was assembled silently and quickly. The atmosphere was tense, everyone was immersed in their own thoughts. Alexander walked in the rearguard, using his heightened feelings to observe the surrounding area.
The first signs of a malfunction appeared after an hour of walking. Hughtch, who was walking ahead with a map, stopped and frowned:
- Strange. There was supposed to be a fork in the trail here, but I can't see it.
- Maybe you made a mistake in the calculations? - Phil suggested.
- No, it can't be, - Hughtch shook his head. - I remember exactly - a kilometer after the stream is a fork. And we passed the stream half an hour ago.
Alexander came closer, knowing what was beginning. In the movie, the forest began to distort the space, forcing the group to go in circles.
- Show me the map," said Dom, taking away the GPS navigator from Hughtch. - Fuck, it shows that we are going in the right direction, but the path is not the same.
- Why don't we go further? - Luke suggested. - Let's find the next landmark.
They continued on their way, but the situation got worse every hour. The trail disappeared completely, then led in unexpected directions. The GPS began to show contradictory data, and the compass seemed to go crazy.
- What the fuck? - Dom cursed, looking at the devices. - It's impossible. Compass can't lie like that.
- Magnetic anomaly? - Phil suggested uncertainly. - There are mountains here, there may be iron ore deposits...
- Don't talk nonsense, - Hughtch snapped. - I checked the geological maps before the trip. There are no anomalies in this area.
Alexander was silent, knowing that the explanations were useless. They were not dealing with natural phenomena, but with ancient magic.
By noon, they were finally lost. The trail disappeared, the GPS showed complete nonsense, and there was no mobile connection. The group stopped in a small clearing to have a snack and think about the situation.
- We're in shit, - said Dom, throwing the navigator into the backpack. - Full, fucking shit.
- Home, you've been saying this for the twentieth time in the last hour," Hutch said irritably. - We all want to go home.
- Then why are we still wandering through this fucking forest? - Dom snapped. - Maybe you should have listened to me yesterday and turned back?
Alexander smiled mentally. In the movie, Dom was also a whiner, but now his panic seemed even more pronounced. Perhaps Alexander's presence changed the dynamics of the group.
- Calm down, - Luke tried to resonate him. - We'll find a way out. We have supplies, equipment...
- For how many days? - Hughtch interrupted him. - For three? For four? What if we wander for a week?
- Hughtch is right, - Phil supported him. - We need to call the rescue service.
- How? - Dom asked sarcastically. - Telepathically? There is no connection!
The conflict was growing, and Alexander realized that it was time to intervene. He stood up and raised his hands:
- Stop. Everyone shut up for a minute and listen to me.
Something in his tone silenced them. Alexander looked around the group:
- Panic is the worst thing that can happen to us. Yes, we got lost. Yes, the situation sucks. But we have experience, equipment and common sense.
- And what do you suggest? - Dom asked with a challenge.
- First of all, stop relying on electronics, - Alexander replied. - Something is jamming the signals here. Maybe a geomagnetic anomaly, maybe something else. Secondly, you need to find a high point and navigate the sun and the stars.
- Are you a boy scout? - Hughtch asked mockingly.
- No, just a man who doesn't want to die in the forest, - Alexander replied harshly. - Do you want to?
Hughtch fell silent, and Luke nodded:
- Alex is right. You need to act wisely.
- Okay, - agreed Dom. - What else?
- We're going to any hill, - Alexander continued. - We'll look around from there, try to find landmarks. River, road, anything. And we need to find a shelter for the night.
- What shelter? - Phil asked. - We're in the middle of a wild forest.
Alexander felt his sharp sense of smell catching something strange in the air. The smell of rot mixed with something ancient, musky.
- I don't know, - he replied. - But we'll find something.
Hutch stopped and took out the map:
- Let's take another look at our location. There must be some settlement nearby.
They gathered around the map. Alexander carefully studied the area, although he knew perfectly well what was waiting for them ahead. But in the movie, the sequence of events was a little different - Dom was injured there before they entered the forest. Here...
"I don't understand these symbols," Dom complained, leaning over the map.
And at that moment he unsuccessfully stepped on a slippery root. The leg turned up, and the House collapsed to the ground with a howl.
- FUCK! MY KNEE! - he shooled, grabbing his leg.
"So it started," Alexander thought. - "Only later than in the movie, and in another place. Interesting."
- Home! - Gil rushed to his friend. - What happened?
- Knee... - Dom moaned. - I think he tore something...
Alexander sat down next to him and examined the injury. His knee was already starting to swell, and Dom wrowned with pain at any movement.
- Ligaments, - Alexander diagnosed. - Perhaps a partial rupture. It will be difficult to walk.
- How do you know? - Hutch was surprised.
- I did sports, got similar injuries, - Alexander lied. - It's serious, but not critical. The main thing is not to strain your leg.
Hutch turned the map around again:
- Look, if we go this way, - he pointed to the east, - we should go to the settlement. But it's a long way, thirty kilometers through the forest.
- Are there any shorter options? - Alexander asked, although he knew the answer.
- Yes, - Hutch ran his finger over the map. - Here's some kind of road shown. An old forest road, judging by the designation. If we go along it, we should get to the settlement in fifteen kilometers.
- And why didn't we go this road right away? - Dom moaned.
- Because it is marked with dotted lines on the map, - Hutch replied. - This means that the road may be in poor condition or abandoned.
- It's better to have a bad road than none, - Gil decided. - Especially taking into account the condition of the House.
Alexander tensed up internally. He remembered that in the film this "short road" led the heroes to an abandoned hut, where the main horrors began. But he had no choice - he had to follow the script to meet the main antagonist.
- Then it's decided, - he said. - We're helping the House get to this road.
* * *
The next few hours turned into a real challenge. The house rested on an improvised crutch from a branch and constantly complained of pain. Gil and Hutch took turns supporting him, and Alexander walked ahead, looking for signs of the road.
- It's some kind of fucked up, - Dom grumbled. - We got lost in the forest with an injured man. This is a classic horror movie script!
"A coincidence? Hardly," Alexander said mentally.
- Don't screw yourself up, - said Gil. - We're just tourists in an unpleasant situation. This happens all the time.
- Constantly? - Dom asked again. - And tourists often get lost in these forests?
- I don't know, - Gil honestly admitted. - But statistically...
- Fuck the statistics! - Dom exploded. - I'm interested in our specific situation!
Alexander stopped and turned around:
- Home, calm down. Panic is our main enemy now. It is necessary to maintain clarity of thinking.
- It's easy to say to someone who has whole legs, - Dom snapped.
- Yes, it's easy, - Alexander agreed. - Because I understand: the more we panic, the worse our situation will be. We'll find this way, we'll get to people, and everything will be fine.
"I would like to believe that everything will be so simple," he added mentally.
By the middle of the day, the sky began to be covered with clouds. The air has become moist and heavy - sure signs of approaching rain.
- Great, - Hutch muttered. - It's also starting to rain.
- There! - Gil exclaimed, pointing forward. - It looks like a road!
Indeed, between the trees you can see a strip of trampled earth, overgrown with grass, but still distinguishable.
- Finally, - Dom breathed a sigh of relief.
The first drops of rain fell when they had been on the road for about an hour. Soon the drizzle turned into a real downpour.
- Fuck! - Dom swore, trying to hide under his jacket. - And this!
"We need to find a shelter," Gil said.
Alexander looked into the rain curtain, knowing that soon they should see the hut. And indeed, after a few minutes he distinguished a dark silhouette between the trees.
- There! - he shouted. - It looks like a house!
The hut stood in a small hut, away from the road. Old, wooden, but with a whole roof - an ideal shelter from the rain.
- Thank God! - exclaimed Dom.
They hurried to the hut. The door was unlocked, and they burst inside, wet and tired.
Alexander carefully examined the hut from the outside. On the door jamb, he noticed carved symbols, which is a bad sign.
Inside, the hut turned out to be even more sinister. In the center there was a roughly slapped table covered with dark spots. In the corner there is something like an altar with incomprehensible bone decorations. The walls were covered with carvings - runes, images of strange creatures, scenes of sacrifices. On the second floor, judging by the creaking staircase, there was another room.
"Not a five-star hotel, but it will come down," Hutch said, looking around.
"The main thing is that it's dry," Gil added.
- Great, - muttered Dom. - We got into the maniac's house.
- Or a shaman, - Alexander corrected him. - It looks like a ritual place.
- Ritual or not, but there is a roof, - Hughtch decided. - We stay here.
- I'm not sure it's a good idea, - Alexander objected. - This place... strange.
- We have no choice, - Luke said. - It's getting dark outside, and we won't find another shelter.
Alexander realized that it was useless to argue. In the film, events developed exactly like this - the group spent the night in the hut, and it was here that the monster struck the first blow.
They laid out sleeping bags, made a small fire in the fireplace, had a canned dinner. But the atmosphere remained tense. Everyone was immersed in their own thoughts, and these thoughts were clearly not pleasant.
- Guys, - said Luke as they were getting ready for bed, - maybe we should talk about... what's going on with us?
- What exactly is it about? - Dom asked.
- About nightmares, - Luke replied. - We all slept badly last night. And about these oddities in the forest.
- Do you mean there's something supernatural here? - Hughtch asked mockingly. - Ghosts and demons?
- I don't know, - Luke answered honestly. - But something is definitely wrong.
Alexander decided not to interfere. They still won't believe it until they see the monster with their own eyes.
- Just stress, - said Phil. - We're lost, nervous. The brain creates false connections.
- Maybe, - Luke agreed, but he sounded unconvinced.
Alexander studied the situation, feeling the growing tension. This hut was not just a shelter - it was a trap. Somewhere here, in this forest, lived an ancient creature that already knew about their presence.
- Maybe we'll try to make a fire? - Hutch suggested. - There seems to be firewood in the stove.
- Good idea, - Alexander agreed. - We need to dry out and warm up.
They made a fire and settled around the stove. There was a downpour raging outside the windows, and it seemed that the rain would never end.
- You know, - Gil said thoughtfully, - but it's an adventure. When we get home, there will be something to tell.
"If we come back," Dom grumbled gloomily.
- We'll be back, - Alexander said confidently. - We'll definitely come back.
"The only question is whether everything is," he added mentally.
The night came unnoticed. The rain subsided, but there was impenetrable darkness outside the windows. They took turns on duty by the fire, keeping warm.
When it was Alexander's turn, the others were already asleep. He sat by the stove, listening to the night sounds of the forest, and preparing for the inevitable.
Fatigue came suddenly. The eyelds became heavy, and consciousness began to blur. Alexander understood that this was not ordinary drowsiness - it was the influence of something supernatural.
"It's started," he thought and fell into the darkness.
* * *
Alexander woke up in the forest, but not in the fact that he surrounded the hut. Here the trees were taller, older, and a strange fog flowed between their trunks. The air was filled with the smell of wet earth and something ancient, primitive.
- Finally, - there was a voice behind him.
Alexander turned around and froze. In front of him stood something, it was Moder, an ancient creature from Scandinavian mythology. About three meters high, with a body covered with something middle between the fur and the bark. The head resembled the skull of a giant deer with massive branched horns. The eyes were burning with yellow light in the deep eye sockets.
- Moder, right? - Alexander whispered, recognizing the creature from the movie.
- So you know my name, - the creature tilted its head. - Interesting. Very interesting for Satan's servant.
- Satan's servant? - Alexander asked.
- Don't pretend, - Moder's voice was like hitting the borobans. - I can feel his mark on you. Seal Of The Fallen.
Alexander tensed up. He did make a deal with the Devil, but...
- Wait, - he said. - What Satan are you talking about?
The moder froze:
- How is it - about what? Satan is alone. The one with whom we concluded a non-interference pact thousands of years ago.
"Fuck," Alexander understood. - "She's talking about another Satan. About the one that exists in this world. And I made a contract with the Devil from my reality."
- I think there was a misunderstanding, - he said cautiously. - My... employer... maybe not the one you think about.
Moder studied it carefully:
- The mark is real. But there's something strange about it. It's like she's from another world.
- Maybe because it is, - Alexander admitted.
- Interesting, - Moder took a step closer. - Very interesting. But it doesn't change the situation. You and your companions invaded my forest.
- We just got lost, - said Alexander. - We didn't want to disturb anyone.
- Disturb? - Moder, she said a sound in her voice that looked like the crackling of breaking branches. - You don't understand, boy. I'm hungry. Very hungry. And you are a wonderful prey.
- Listen, - Alexander tried to negotiate, - maybe we'll just leave? Will we leave your forest and never come back?
- Oh no, - Moder shook her head. - It's too late. But I'm ready for a deal.
- What deal?
- You will stay with me, - said Moder. - You have a lot of vital energy. It's enough for me for several centuries. In return, I'll let your friends go.
Alexander was fucked up by such an offer:
- Are you serious? Diplomacy?
- I prefer efficiency, - Moder replied. - Why waste energy on hunting if you can agree?
- Why me? - Alexander asked. - Why not someone else?
- Because there is something special about you, - Moder explained. - Your energy is different from human. It's more... nutritious. Besides, you're not an ordinary person, are you?
Alexander understood that she was right. His abilities, his nature - all this made him a more valuable prey.
"I refuse," he said firmly.
- Then you won't defeat me, - Moder replied calmly. - It doesn't matter whose servant you are. I'm all-powerful in my forest.
- Maybe, - Alexander agreed. - But I don't think I have a choice.
- Then I'll kill them one by one, - Moder promised. - Slowly and painfully. I will torment them with my own memories, the most terrible nightmares. Your refusal will doom them to a terrible death.
Alexander felt the rage boiling inside him:
- Bitch...
- Think about it, - Moder said. - You have time until dawn.
The world around him began to blur, and Alexander felt his consciousness return to reality.
He woke up from Hutch's loud scream. A friend was sitting in the corner of the hut, covering his face with his hands, and sobbing.
- Hutch! - Alexander rushed to him. - What happened?
- They're dead... - Hutch muttered. - Everyone is dead... It's my fault...
"Illusions," Alexander understood. "Moder has already started his game."
He got up and looked around. I couldn't see it anywhere at home.
- Where's the House? - he asked Gil.
- I went upstairs, - Gil replied, but his voice sounded strange. - He said he heard something strange.
Alexander looked at the stairs leading to the second floor. There was a quiet muttering from there.
He went upstairs and saw Doma kneeling in front of a strange straw figure. The doll was made of branches and grass, but there was something terribly familiar about it.
The house prayed to this figure, whispering something unintelligible.
- Home! - Alexander called him.
The friend did not react, continuing his prayer.
"Fuck," Alexander thought. - "It's only getting worse. We need to do something, and quickly."
Moder started his hunt, and he understood that time was running out.