The Cabin Is Always Hungry

FINDERS KEEPERS

Part 10

Once I followed the demon into the cabin (and placed my corpse inside the cellar), a new prompt appeared from my periphery.

[Congratulations! You reaped a lifetime total of 16 essences.]

[You have gained a Special Action: Glean.]

Huh. What’s that about? Curious, I opened up the prompt to see what it was, and it expanded to the center of my vision.

Glean

Sense the surface thoughts of your delvers, which will glow with a purple aura. Limited to only one target at a time, you cannot read the thoughts of your monsters or those who are unconscious. You can jump to other (individual) thoughts until the spell ends.

(Costs 2 Power) Duration: 1 minute.

“Like mind reading?” I said out loud. The demon looked at me curiously. “Uh, nothing. Continue what you are doing.”

“Alright. Almost done,” said the demon. She positioned my body in the new room as big as a broom closet, propped at the south wall and hidden by a bookcase. It’ll take a perceptive delver to find it. And, of course, the bookcase was trapped.

“Are all of these demonic things really necessary?” I pointed at the symbols the demon drew around the chamber, recreated the sigils during my ritual, and placed my corpse in the middle of the infernal circle.

I purchased two dozen candles that never melt to illuminate the space. I also bought a [Death Touch] spell to prevent my body from rotting for the next thirty days. I already looked like hell, but fortunately, it was the middle of Autumn, and the weather was cold. I still looked fresh-ish. I knew it was a waste of crystals to buy the spell, but I wouldn’t say I liked seeing my body rot away like that. Call me sentimental, but I wanted to preserve my old form like a fun (and macabre) accessory.

“One thing I learned from watching humans for hundreds of years is you are obsessed with the idea of Hell, much more that you include it through your religious iconography and texts. Fear that has been ingrained in your society for thousands of years. This will greatly exploit that subconscious fear and weaken their Resolve.”

“Seems like you’ve thought this through.”

“I’m a demon, lord dungeon. We spent our entire lifetime thinking. After all, we must be cunning to survive the other Greater Demons.” The demon stepped out of the room and pushed the bookcase closed. “All done. What of our lone delver?”

I closed my many-eyes in the cellar and quickly teleported to one perched on a tall tree. I saw a form running from the distance. The fog was gone (I couldn’t summon it for another hour), and Leo looked like he recognized where he was going now. He hadn’t stopped running for twenty minutes since the fog dissipated—the stamina in that guy. I couldn’t help but be impressed.

I got back to the cellar. “Still running. The Goliath and Old Growth are not far behind. You think you can catch up?”

Demon Maxine smiled. “Oh, please. I have the incorporeal trait. I can sense the next living creature, and I have my ways of catching up.”

“Two monsters against one seems like an overkill, don’t you think?” Especially when it’s the Goliath and Old Growth.

“Oh no, definitely not. This is your first delver who has lasted in your dungeon for almost three hours, and not once has his Resolve dropped crimson. That’s something to celebrate! Goliath, Oldie, and I agree that this is the type of work we crave.” The demon suddenly wiped something under her eyes. I didn’t know if she was pretending like she was tearing up or if it was real. “Brings tears to my eyes.”

“Really?”

The demon dropped her hand, grinned, and gave me a lazy shrug. “I don’t know. I can’t help but root for him to survive this night. He’s already closing in on two hours of the chase, and he’s not stopping. I can’t help but feel proud of what we’ve done for him. He must be so scared out of his mind. Ah! Such a glorious night!”

I frowned. “Well, I’ll check up on Goliath and Old Growth. He’s nearing the border, and then I can no longer affect him.”

“So, you think he’ll escape?”

I paused. “If he does, I fear what he will do next. Too bad I can’t predict the future.”

“You can still send Oldie and the Goliath after him.” Then, the demon shifted uncomfortably.

“What? You know something I don’t?”

“Well…If Goliath and Oldie die outside your borders…then that’s it. They die. Gone. No cooldown. Can’t be revived.”

“But I can build them up again, no?”

“Yes. But it won’t be the Goliath anymore.”

“You mean…you guys have souls?”

“Everyone has souls, master. Even demons. Even abominations. Corrupted, sure, but souls nonetheless. And yes, if we die outside the dungeon’s borders, we die for real.”

“Uh, you seem so calm about that.”

“The mortal realm is just one of many, lord dungeon. Death is not the end. Sometimes, it’s the beginning of most.” Demon Maxine climbed out of the cellar and out of the front door. “I won’t keep you waiting out here, master. I’ll get this troublesome delver back into your arms. Who knows? I might be able to switch that pesky Resolve of his to something more…delicious. I reckon five essences? Maybe six? Want to bet?”

I shook my head. “Go ahead, demon. Do what you will, but I don’t want to get in the habit of betting on people’s lives.” Not unless they deserved it. “Bad enough that I’m basically torturing them.”

“Okay. Oldie already told me Leo would drop four essences, but I bet for ten! Aim for the outlier! He’s already proven to be so crafty. If I win, I get Oldie’s den in the woods for a week!”

“Well, good luck with that.”

The demon flinched. “Bah, I don’t need luck. I have skills.”

I left the cabin and flew toward the northern borders of my dungeon.

Once I got back to Leo, I tried to distract him by activating [Strange Noises], but that only spurred him to go faster. I noticed he always takes two-minute breaks, hiding behind a tree or in a ditch, trying to catch his breath before he sprints off again. I even tried the [Luring Trance] and maybe got him back in the direction of the cabin, but even though I’ve met the Dread requirements, Leo’s Resolve was too high.

He was in his element.

I didn’t know what kind of training Leo got during his time in the military, but I am getting the picture. He wasn’t panicking or scrambling to get away from the Goliath. He would often pause to listen and observe his surroundings for a few seconds, crouched behind the bush or hidden behind a tree, and when he detected something he didn’t like, he’d go the other way.

The Goliath kept a close tail, waiting for Leo’s Resolve to go down so that he could bring the killing blow.

But that moment never came.

The Goliath tried to cut off his path by throwing the axe over his head, but Leo quickly ducked and ran in the opposite direction. The Goliath even hid behind a tree, waiting for him to pass before he lunged at him, but Leo quickly wrestled his way out of the Goliath’s grip and darted away. Not once did he scream or sob. He controlled his breathing, forcing more air into his lungs, and kept a steady pace.

This was the first time I saw Goliath run out of breath and look thrilled. I realized he looked forward to reaping Leo’s essence. Since the delver lasted this long, it must be high. The Goliath kept toying with Leo for my benefit, wanting to feed me the best essence since I turned into a stone.

He was getting closer and closer to the border.

[Unnerving Fog is now ready to activate.]

Once the prompt showed up, I immediately triggered the environmental effect. Thick mist seeped out of the earth and expanded all across North Cedar Lake. Leo immediately noticed it when it formed around his ankles, halting him in his tracks.

The aura around his head snapped purple.

Pulling up [Glean], I went inside Leo’s head.

[Power: 6/10]

No, not again, he thought. Not again!

He ran faster, like his life was on the line.

I reckoned he already considered that there must be something supernatural going on around the lake. He shot the Goliath more than a dozen times and watched him bleed to death, and yet he still got up, shrugging those bullets, and managed to kill two of his friends in the process. Then, the disorienting fog got him lost in the woods, a place he knew with the back of his hand.

But once it was gone, he found himself back on track again, recognized the various landmarks, the odd trees, the creek, and the trail, which all pointed him toward the ranger station. I already threw weird voices at him, adding to his suspicions.

What brought it home was that the cabin (and the road leading toward it) had never existed the day before. He knew this area better than anyone.

The fog chased after him, creeping closer and closer. Yet Leo managed to get one step ahead, the mist grazing his heels.

Shit. He’s almost at the border.

I triggered [Telekinesis] and swiped at his ankles.

[Power: 5/10]

Leo yelped and fell over face-first on the dirt. He almost hit his head on the rock but brought his arms under his body and rolled over. Leo looked around, trying to find whatever force seized him, but no one was there. Scrambling back to his feet, he continued down the path again.

I grabbed his right ankle and dragged him deeper into the woods before he could get back up. Leo screamed as the fog swallowed him. He managed to grab hold of an exposed moss-covered tree root, but Leo couldn’t get any traction on its surface and slipped. I could only drag him for fifteen feet, stopping for a second, and grabbed his ankle again for another fifteen feet until the timer ran out.

Leo crawled away from me, heart pounding against his ribcage.

What the fuck was that? He thought.

Old Growth hopped over one tree to the next, perched on top of the branch mere thirty feet above Leo. He must have heard the branches creak under the monster’s weight because he quickly looked up and squinted through the darkness.

Nope.

Leo wasted no time finding out what was waiting up there because he darted back to where he came, determined to get out of there. Old Growth jumped from one tree to the next; each creak was like a jolt to Leo’s senses.

Faster! Faster! Leo exclaimed. It’s behind you!

Old Growth hopped onto the ground and dashed after him. Each thud of his limbs like hammers against the dirt, getting closer and closer, and closer…

Old Growth reached out, inches away from grasping Leo’s shirt.

Come on! Leo roared.

Leo burst through the fog, and my connection to his mind snapped shut, sending a visceral shockwave like crawling ants around my brain, biting through bone and matter.

“Crap!” I cringed, trying to shake off the awkward feeling all over my form.

Old Growth quickly reeled its arms away and disappeared into the fog. Leo continued running across the clearing when he suddenly realized the mist no longer surrounded him and stopped in his tracks.

Leo looked back to the strange towering wall of mist sixty feet high, which stopped dead on its tracks at the dungeon’s border. His mouth hung open for a brief moment. He pivoted his heels, ran into the woods, and out of my influence.

The Goliath stepped up behind me and made way for the border.

“Stop,” I said. “I know what happens if you go out there. The demon told me.”

The Goliath tilted his head as if saying, “So?”

“Well, now that I know what happens, it’s too dangerous. Plus, I can only be an observer out there. I can’t help you with my telekinesis or any of my special actions.”

The Goliath raised his axe while Old Growth crept up and sat beside him. He looked at the plant creature, gave it a nod, and stepped out of the border.

“Goliath?” I called out. The Goliath stopped and turned around. “Drag him back here. His essence would be a waste out there,” I decided.

The Goliath nodded and took after Leo’s trail. Old Growth wasn’t far behind.

Leo reached the fire watch station, a seventy-foot-high tower standing near a twenty-foot-deep gulch. Given a faint light source from the top (from an oil lamp), Leo grinned, took the ladder’s first rung, and started climbing.

I could no longer tell if Leo’s Resolve was still high or if it went back to green now that help was so close to his reach. For the first time, I felt like I was not in control of the situation. Another mile or so, I would have lost sight of Leo altogether with my many-eyes.

I flew to the top and saw the fire watcher was already buried under his sleeping bag on top of a rickety cot, stripped down to his wifebeater shirt and boxers. His forest green uniform hung on the locker, the name tag dangling from the front pocket read: BRIAN.

Brian looked like he was in his late forties. On the hangar, I noticed two pictures: one was him kneeling over a buck while a much older gentleman (who looked like his father) crouched beside him. In the back of the photo read: DAD AND ME. MOUNT RAINIER, 2018.

The other photo was of a much younger Brian in his early thirties, arms wrapped around a beautiful woman his age with red hair and with two younger red-haired girls who looked like his daughters. At the back of the photo, read FAMILY TRIP, 2009. I immediately recognized the background as part of Universal Studios from California in their backlot. They looked so happy, but I noticed the same self-help book I saw earlier about dating in your forties and fifties sitting on the table next to a bulky ham radio. I didn’t even see a wedding ring on his finger.

Leo reached the top of the ladder to a landing platform underneath the observation deck. He quickly took the shorter ladder to get to the locked hatch above, put as much weight into his fist, and banged the door. “Open up! Open up!”

Brian awoke with a start, scrambling out of his sleeping bag, and grabbed his glasses on the nightstand, confused about what’s made the ruckus this late at night. He glanced over the clock: 4:13 AM.

“Open the fucking door!” Leo begged.

Old Growth latched onto the tower’s support pillars and slowly climbed up. Leo failed to notice it.

Brian put on his pants and slowly moved toward the hatch. He grabbed his heavy metal thermos bottle from the table, planning on chucking the thing if the person yelling behind the door was a threat.

“Who the fuck are you?” Brian shouted back.

Leo paused. “Brian? Is that you?”

Brian paused but still held the thermos bottle over his head. “Uh…Leo?”

“Yeah! It’s me! Open up!”

“As in the Leo Grady?”

“It’s me, alright? Now, open the fucking door!”

“Okay, okay!” Brian put down the bottle and turned on the lights. He then walked over to the door. “I’m coming! Give me a sec.”

Still, Leo continued pounding his fist on the door, stopping only when he heard the latch opening and Brian lifted the hatch. Leo scurried inside the cabin.

“Close it. Close it!”

“What?” Brian hurriedly closed the hatch and locked it. “What’s wrong, man? Is…is that blood? Are you hurt?”

Leo tried to catch his breath. Brian crouched down and reached for his shoulder, but Leo flinched and crawled away from his touch. “N—no. Not mine.”

Brian went rigid. “Then who is it then? Is it Danny’s? Is he hurt out there?”

“Danny’s not with me.” He looked up at Brian’s face. “The radio. You still got the radio?”

“Uh, yeah. Of course, I got—”

“—Call for help,” Leo interjected.” Get the sheriff out here, man. The state police, the fucking national guard. Everyone! There’s something in the woods! I don’t know what the fuck they are, but one is not human, man! It’s been chasing me all through the night!”

“Okay, calm down, Leo. You’re not making any sense.”

Leo grabbed Brian’s arm and drew him closer, his face inches away from his own. “There’s something out there that’s fucking trying to kill me, man! It killed my friends!”

“Okay, okay. Sit tight. I’ll call HQ. They can call the cops from there.” Brian sauntered over to the table where the ham radio sat. “Where’d you say your friends were?”

“Cedar Lake. Near the summer camp.”

Brian nodded and switched the device on. The radio crackled to life.

“But not in the camp, but somewhere north of the lake. We found this cabin…”

“A cabin?”

“Yeah. Pretty weird. I’ve never seen it before. Have you?”

Brian furrowed his brows. “There’s no cabin around there. At least none that I’ve heard of.”

“Well, it was fucking there, and we went in, and then…and then they came.” Leo went quiet, shivering.

Brian studied him for a moment. He didn’t know whether to believe Leo’s story, but given his shirt was covered in blood and that he didn’t find any severe injuries told him he’d instead take his word for it. He still had to report any suspicious activity around the area, just as he was trained to do.

I watched from the window when Old Growth grasped the bottom rung of the deck’s rails, peeking out from underneath to see Brian turned around to face the radio.

“I read you, tower ten. What is it, Greeley? Did you spot anything? Over,” a woman’s garbled voice filled the deck.

The voice spurred Leo up to his feet. “Tell her. Tell her about the thing in the woods!”

“Leo, give me a moment to answer, okay? Why don’t you sit back on the bed, and I’ll talk to Susan.”

Leo hesitated, but he dared not make a move.

Old Growth had already climbed up on the deck when it spotted the ham radio’s cord running through a small hole in the wall and into the electrical panel outside the observation cabin.

Brian grabbed the microphone. “Morning, Susan. Um, I’ve got a slight emergency—”

Old Growth struck the panel. Sparks flew, and all the lights inside the observation deck went out, including the ham radio.

Brian recoiled back. “Uh, Susan? Susan, can you hear me? Hello?” He tapped on the radio, but it wouldn’t turn back on. “Ah, shit. Hold on a minute. I gotta switch to the backup batteries,” he said over his shoulder, trying to reassure Leo.

“No, no. It’s here. It’s here.”

Brian whirled around. “What’s here—”

Brian gasped, catching sight of Old Growth standing outside the window and right behind Leo with all four limbs about to burst through the glass. Brian dashed over and pushed him out of the way. Leo fell over the bed as the window shattered behind him.

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