July 4th, Maine.
Maine might just be the most overlooked state in America. Tucked away in a remote corner, its only claim to fame—lobster—got hijacked by Boston. That's right, the famous "Boston lobster" actually comes from Maine, shipped out through Boston's ports and rebranded.
So, what's Maine's biggest draw? Being the hometown of horror legend Stephen King. The guy loves setting his creepy novels in his home state, and you've got to wonder what kind of childhood trauma inspired that. His stories have draped Maine in a shroud of mystery, spawning all sorts of local legends.
Still, Maine's a great spot for a getaway. Its high latitude keeps summers pleasantly cool, and with a sparse population, its natural beauty—vast pristine forests and rugged mountains—remains largely untouched.
Ten stunning women stepped off a plane in Portland, Maine's largest city, rented an RV, and set off toward the northwest, where the state borders Canada's mountainous region. Two female guides, taking turns at the wheel, drove them toward their destination.
"We're headed to the White Mountains, a range that stretches into New Hampshire and Quebec, Canada. It's pretty remote, a favorite for hikers. We'll reach the base by evening at the latest," said Lanny, the guide behind the wheel. Mara, the other guide, sat in the passenger seat. Both were seasoned pros who'd trekked the White Mountains before.
"That long?" Ashley groaned.
Long road trips could be brutal, but at least the ten women were in a spacious RV, not crammed into a bus. Still, hours on the road got boring, so Niddy suggested a game.
"We've got ten people—how about Werewolf?"
Heather rolled her eyes. "No way! You and Claire always win. You guess everyone's role, and it's no fun. Let's play something luck-based, like cards."
Niddy was a Werewolf master, manipulating others with her words, while Claire, a psychologist, read micro-expressions like a human lie detector. The two of them playing Werewolf was basically cheating.
Cards, though, leveled the field. Niddy and Claire were still strong players, but luck played a bigger role, giving others a shot.
Amy looked at Heather, puzzled. "Ten people? What card game can we all play?"
Keller chimed in. "Texas Hold'em could work, but we'd need a dealer and a big table."
No way that was happening in an RV.
In the end, they split into three groups for simpler card games. Niddy and Claire went head-to-head, while the other eight played more casually, still having a blast.
By 2:00 PM, Mara popped out of the driver's cabin. "Ladies, we're about to hit the last town before the mountains! We need to stock up on supplies—water and fuel."
The RV rolled into a quaint town called Hubble, its scenery so breathtaking that the women stepping out felt instantly refreshed.
"This place is gorgeous! Reminds me of Twin Peaks," Jennifer said, stretching her limbs. Twelve people in an RV, even a roomy one, could feel cramped.
"It's different, though. Way quieter," Penny added.
Lanny spoke up. "Let's hit the supermarket for supplies, then you can explore the town a bit. We're ahead of schedule by an hour, so we've got some time."
Hubble's midsize supermarket was surprisingly well-stocked, even selling hiking gear. This caught Keller's attention.
"Why's a place this remote got such a big store?"
Lanny explained, "Hubble may be out of the way, but it's the last stop for hikers heading into the White Mountains. Climbers stock up here daily, so the supermarket does well."
That made sense.
While shopping, Claire ran into another group prepping for the mountains—and she knew them.
"Dana?"
A redheaded young woman turned at Claire's voice, her face lighting up. "Claire! What are you doing here?"
The two hugged warmly, clearly close. Dana and Claire were classmates, studying the same major.
"We're here to vacation in the White Mountains!" Dana said.
"Did I recommend this place to you?" Dana laughed, letting go. "Wish I'd invited you along! Want to join us? Holden's distant cousin has a cabin by Black Lake—we're staying there a few days."
Claire hesitated. If she were alone, she'd have jumped at the chance. "I'm with a group."
"Who're you talking to?" Mary approached, then gasped when she saw Dana. "Dana, you're here too?"
"Of course! Vacationing in the White Mountains. Kurt, Holden, Julie, and Martin are here too!"
They were all UCLA students in the same year as Mary and Claire, though in different majors. They'd crossed paths enough to know each other.
"What a coincidence! Where are you headed?" Mary asked.
A buzz-cut guy, Holden, sidled up, staring at Mary. "We're going to a cabin by Black Lake. Want to come?"
Mary caught his gaze and instinctively wanted to say no. "Uh, we're planning to hike through the White Mountains into Canada."
Holden pressed, but a blonde woman, Julie, cut him off. "Holden, chill! Mary, Claire, why not swing by Black Lake? It won't mess up your plans."
Mary and Claire wavered. They were close with Dana and Julie, making it hard to turn them down.
"We've got a big group. Not sure if everyone's on board," Claire said.
"Then ask! Standing here won't help," said a guy puffing on a hookah—Martin.
"Good point. I'll check with the others," Mary said, pulling Claire to find their group.
A burly guy, Kurt, walked over. "Hey, what's everyone doing here? What's up?"
Julie smirked at Holden. "Nothing, just Holden tripping over himself for his goddess."
"Holden's goddess? You mean Mary? She's here?" Kurt asked, surprised but not fazed. He was chasing Julie, while Holden had a thing for Dana, though she kept him at arm's length. Martin, the lone single guy, only cared about his hookah.
"Doesn't Mary have a boyfriend?" Dana asked Holden, raising an eyebrow.
"You mean Roy Black? Guy's been missing for a year. Who knows if he's even alive?" Holden scoffed. In America, thousands go missing yearly—often homeless or drifters, most never seen again. Holden figured Mary was fair game now.
"Whatever, it's your trip," Dana said, shrugging.
Meanwhile, Mary and Claire found their group and explained the situation.
"Black Lake? With guys?" Jennifer tensed. Due to childhood trauma, she avoided men—except Roy.
Mara chimed in. "Black Lake's fine. It's on our route. We can't hike today anyway, so we could spend the night there and head out tomorrow. The lake's got great views."
"Yeah, we could fish or swim!" Lanny added.
The guides' professionalism sealed the deal, and most of the women were sold—except Jennifer.
"It won't delay us much," Niddy said, nudging Jennifer.
"With all of us together, it'll be fine," another added.
Jennifer didn't want to be the odd one out, so she nodded reluctantly.
The ten women even bought swimsuits, ready to enjoy Black Lake. Their group stunned Dana's crew—Holden, Kurt, and even hookah-loving Martin couldn't look away. From glamorous divas to girl-next-door types, the women were a diverse knockout lineup.
Dana and Julie started regretting their invite. They'd planned this trip with certain intentions, especially Julie, who wanted some spicy fun. But with ten gorgeous women stealing the spotlight, the three guys were spread thin.
Holden's eyes were practically glued to them. "Ten women traveling together?"
Martin blew a smoke ring, staring at Mary and Claire.
Claire crossed her arms, glaring at Holden's wandering eyes, then unzipped her vest to reveal a handgun. "Got a problem? Think we're in danger?"
After a year of intense FEA training, Claire was a force. Rumor had it Saltana wanted her to join the FEA as an agent, maybe even take her place one day.
The sight of the gun sobered Kurt and Holden. Martin, still grinning, laughed. "Claire, since when do you carry? Going cop on us?"
Claire pulled the gun, popped a bullet from the clip, and tossed it to Martin. "Want to test it?"
Feeling the cold metal, Martin realized it was real. "Holy sh—! It's legit!"
Kurt grabbed his friend's neck. "Idiot! Of course it's real! You smoke too much or what?"
After the brief drama, both groups finished shopping and headed in two RVs toward Black Lake, a scenic spot in the White Mountains.
Once the RVs left, the supermarket manager slipped into a back room and made a call.
"Hey, this is Hubble Town Supermarket. The targets are headed to Black Lake."
"Oh? They'll arrive tonight?"
"Yeah, but there's a hitch. Ten extra people are going with them."
"No big deal. More sacrifices, the better. Wrap it up quick—we might catch the big show tonight!"
"Heh, no way I'm missing that performance!"
The manager hung up, told his staff he had business and closed early. Small-town supermarkets didn't have strict rules, so the employees happily clocked out.
The manager drove off, and if anyone noticed, they'd see his route matched the RVs'.
Meanwhile, the person who took the manager's call set down the phone, lost in thought—until a low voice interrupted.
"Sitson, made up your mind yet?"
Sitson, a middle-aged man, jumped, then saw a toad-like figure materialize. Red hair, red beard, brown skin—it was Red, no mistake.
Red was a survivor. Despite his shattered hind legs, he'd used the Seed of Silence to heal, escaped the Bay Area, and crossed North America to Maine.
"Damn it, Red, you scared me!"
"Sitson, time's running out. We need to settle this with the sacrifice."
"I know, Red! The organization's all-in on this one. Every other branch's sacrifices failed—only North America and Japan are left. They even sent Mr. W to oversee it!"
"Mr. W's here?"
Mr. W had replaced Red as North America's overseer. Mentioning him brought Red's mind to his traitorous secretary, Emera. He didn't hate Mr. W—he hated her.
"Sitson, I'll handle Mr. W. You just stick to our plan."
"If you've got W covered, we're golden. Though, with these extra variables, we might not even need our plan."
Sitson turned his laptop to Red, who immediately recognized some familiar faces on the screen.
"It's them?"
Guess which movie this is!