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As the latest wave of attacks retreated, Jennifer sheathed her execution blade into the floor, reverting to her human form so Niddy could continue purifying her.
No way around it—Jennifer's demon bloodline made purification a slow process, and she had to endure the holy light's damage to her body.
"Everyone, reload in shifts!"
Jennifer's command was sharp and professional, a product of her FEAR commander training. She could lead FEAR troops without breaking a sweat.
The fighting paused, and Kurt cautiously spoke up. "Should we just take the RV and make a run for it?"
Heather shook her head. "It's not that simple. These dark creatures won't let us leave easily. The RV might be worse than staying here. At least the cabin gives us space to maneuver."
Penny added, "Plus, our RV might already be trashed. Don't underestimate these things—they're not idiots."
The cabin's surroundings fell eerily quiet, but everyone knew it was the calm before the storm. The next wave would likely be even more ferocious.
Good news: Niddy successfully purified Jennifer's curse, and everyone reloaded their weapons, ready for battle. Only Martin and his group cowered in the corner.
"Uh, Ms. Jennifer, can we hide in the basement? It feels safer," Martin ventured.
Jennifer glanced at him, unbothered. The five of them were useless in a fight, just mascots cluttering the living room.
"Go ahead. Scream if anything happens."
Kurt and Holden exhaled in relief, quickly ushering Dana and Julie into the basement.
Niddy closed her eyes, sensing the cabin's surroundings. Minutes later, she snapped them open. "They're coming!"
A second later, glass shattered upstairs. As everyone's attention shifted to the staircase, the ceiling above splintered, and a massive white-furred werewolf crashed through.
Caught off guard, Amy and Claire in the inner circle nearly got hit. Jennifer reacted swiftly, transforming into her demon form and tackling the werewolf.
But the chaos gave the other dark creatures outside an opening. They smashed through windows, flooding the cabin. The situation turned dire.
At the critical moment, Niddy stepped up.
Transforming into her angelic form, she unleashed a blinding holy light. Dark creatures instinctively feared it, forced to retreat under its radiance.
This bought the group a precious two or three seconds. Then Niddy's light faded.
"Take them out!"
Jennifer, scorched by the holy light's effect on her demon skin, pushed through the pain and charged.
Finally, the second wave was repelled.
But the women didn't relax. They noticed the variety of dark creatures was growing. It started with werewolves, vampires, wraiths, and zombies, but now wendigos, yetis, and snake demons had joined the fray.
"Rest while you can! We need to hold out until dawn!"
Most dark creatures couldn't survive sunlight. Only a few, like werewolves, could, but their strength would plummet during the day—perfect for a counterattack.
While the women caught their breath, the five in the basement were still trembling.
"The gunfire stopped," Julie said, listening intently. Hearing Jennifer's voice, she relaxed. "Sounds like the monsters got pushed back again."
Kurt sighed heavily. "I regret this trip so much. This is a death trap."
Martin, setting aside his hookah, was unusually clear-headed without the smoke. He started analyzing. "Why are there so many monsters here?"
The question stumped the other four.
Holden scratched his head, a jock not known for brainpower. "What's the big deal about a lot of monsters?"
Martin explained, "Think about it. Monsters are like animals—they have territories. You wouldn't see so many predators crammed into one area; they'd fight each other. Ever hear of two lion prides sharing the same patch of grassland?"
That clicked for everyone.
Dana picked up the thread. "So you're saying it's unnatural for all these monsters to be here together?"
Martin nodded. "I've got a theory. These creatures are being kept here, like someone's raising them. That's why there's so many."
The four exchanged glances, confused.
Kurt asked, "Raised? So what?"
Martin gave him an exasperated look, thinking the supposed brainiac wasn't living up to his rep. "Seriously, dude? Holden, be honest—is this cabin really your cousin's?"
Holden's face darkened, realizing something. "Someone came to me, sold me on renting this place. It's not my cousin's."
Dana and Julie's eyes widened.
"You lied to us?" Dana snapped.
Holden scrambled to explain. "I just wanted us to take this trip together! I said it was my cousin's to make it sound free, so you'd come!"
Anyone with half a brain could see the salesperson was shady.
Dana lost it, lunging at Holden like she wanted to deck him. "Damn it! This is your fault we're in this mess!"
Kurt held her back. "Dana, calm down! Fighting won't help!"
Julie turned to Martin. "What do you think they're after?"
"No idea. Could be anything—feeding us to the monsters, using us for experiments. You've seen the movies, right?" Martin said, scanning the room like he was looking for something.
Dana frowned. "What are you searching for?"
"If someone set this up, they'd be watching us. There's got to be surveillance. Find it, and we confirm it."
"Let's look!"
The five, plus the two guides, scoured the basement for cameras.
Soon, Dana pointed at a deer head wall mount. "Check the eyes on this thing!"
Martin pried at the eye, then ripped open the deer's scalp, revealing a hidden camera.
That sealed it—someone was orchestrating this.
"Damn it! Who's this cruel?" Holden cursed, guilt hitting him hard. His cheap deal had endangered everyone, including the women who hadn't planned to come here.
Mara spoke up. "I'll tell Jennifer and the others."
Jennifer and Niddy came down to check. Seeing the camera in the deer head, they were livid.
"Damn it! No wonder there's so many creatures!" Jennifer growled.
Niddy frowned. "That explains why the satellite phone's dead. There's probably a signal jammer. If we can disable it, we could call FEAR for help."
Maine wasn't far from FEAR's New York headquarters. They might get support from Director Gerald, a stand-up guy who, despite leaving the L.A. branch, still looked out for Roy's crew.
Jennifer and Niddy had a good impression of him.
"You have a satellite phone?" Martin and the others gaped, now suspecting Jennifer and Niddy were some kind of big shots, given their combat skills.
Jennifer ignored them, turning to Niddy. "Can you hack that camera and find their base?"
"Probably, but I need my laptop, and it's in the RV."
They hadn't touched the laptop since leaving the RV, and getting it meant venturing outside—into a forest teeming with dark creatures.
But Jennifer and Niddy decided it was worth the risk. Finding the base could boost their survival odds.
"Niddy, I'll cover you. We'll get to the RV together."
They briefed the other women, who supported the plan.
Jennifer transformed into her demon form, wielding the Alien Queen shield in one hand and the execution blade in the other, leading the way out. Niddy followed, clutching her copy of Genesis.
Outside, the summer night was dead silent—no crickets, no signs of life. The forest around the cabin felt lifeless.
Jennifer stayed vigilant, but surprisingly, they reached the RV without incident, as if the creatures had fled.
Niddy grabbed her laptop, while Jennifer guarded the RV door.
Then the attack came—not from around them, but from below.
Vines shot up from the ground, snaring Jennifer's ankles before she could react.
"What the hell!"
Jennifer, yanked down, cursed as she hit the ground. Niddy, hearing her, rushed to check.
"Jennifer, what's wrong?"
Jennifer was being dragged, barely slowing herself with the execution blade. Its sharpness was a double-edged sword—too sharp to grip the ground properly, letting the vines pull her farther.
Niddy fired at the vines, her sharpshooting snapping them and freeing Jennifer.
But the assault wasn't over.
"Niddy, watch your feet!"
Vines sprouted under Niddy, and since she weighed far less than demon-form Jennifer, they hoisted her into the air.
Niddy clung to the laptop, nearly dropping it. If it broke, their plan was toast.
"Let her go!"
Jennifer, wings flaring with hellfire, glided toward Niddy and sliced the vines.
Both took flight, dodging the growing swarm of vines.
"Where are all these vines coming from?"
Jennifer scanned the forest. More than one treant was likely lurking—a bad sign for them and the others. If treants attacked the cabin, the wooden floors wouldn't hold.
"We need to find their base fast!" Niddy said, lips tight. The situation was getting worse.
"Back to the cabin!"
In the air, the vines couldn't reach them, but then a flock of winged creatures—looking like mythical harpies—swarmed from the sky.
(Harpies)
Jennifer and Niddy rarely fought airborne, so the harpies managed to pin them down temporarily.
Thankfully, Heather and Penny ran outside, unloading four Uzi submachine guns into the sky. The firepower shredded the harpies' feathers, giving Jennifer and Niddy a chance.
But this made Heather and Penny targets for the treants.
"Heather, Penny, watch the ground!"
Their ghost wolf bloodline gave them high agility. Reacting fast, they used their explosive speed to dodge the vines.
"Jennifer, Niddy, get inside!"
Heather and Penny retreated, holding the door for them.
Jennifer and Niddy shook off the harpies, diving back into the cabin. Heather slammed the door shut, and the outside fell silent again, as if nothing had happened.
"How many monsters are out there?" Jennifer panted, heart still racing.
Niddy struggled to her feet. "Forget that—let's hack the camera now."
With deft work, Niddy cracked the basement's surveillance device.
"Wait, their base is right below us!"
"Below?" Jennifer asked. "Is there an entrance in the cabin?"
"Yeah, in the basement. I've remotely opened the passage."
As she spoke, a wall in the basement slid open, revealing an elevator.