Duskwood: the man behind the mask

34. Knowing the fear

Midnight approaches and silence reigns in the hut. Almost everyone has gone upstairs after discussing what to do about Alan and MC, which has created a new rift between them. Phil, Cleo, and Dan think it's better to go into town to investigate, while the others think it's too dangerous and could put MC at risk if Alan feels threatened.

In the end, they couldn't come to an agreement and decided to go upstairs for a break, everyone except Dan, who has been drinking in the living room, and Richy, who is waiting impatiently to see what the hackers will find on Jennifer's laptop.

Jake and Gabe have been working nonstop on that laptop ever since Richy, Jessy, and Phil triumphantly returned with it, and they haven't gotten up from their chairs for a moment. It took them several hours to decrypt the hard drive, but they finally succeeded, and after that, they only needed about thirty minutes to crack the password. Now they're going through the last files Jennifer opened.

Richy: You know, Dan? Those two scare me sometimes...

Dan: The nerdy duo? I think you're safe, Richy, if they wanted to kill you they would have already thrown a laptop at your head or something, hahaha.

Richy: Very funny... Decrypting a drive can take days, even weeks, and they did it in a few hours. It depends on the type of encryption, of course, and maybe this one was easier because it was done ten years ago, but it's still impressive.

Dan: Okay, they're good at what they do, so what?

Richy: Nothing, I just wonder what else they're capable of. They have very... dangerous abilities, especially Jake. Isn't it strange to know that there is someone who can find out everything about you if he wants to, no matter how many barriers you put up?

Dan: Ugh, I don't feel like discussing philosophical thoughts right now... Hey, you two, do you have anything yet? Richy is nervous and he's ruining my relaxation time.

Dan has raised his voice to get the hackers' attention, and Gabe turns to them at that moment, not because of the question, but because he and Jake have found something that has caught their attention.

Gabe: Do the phrases "buck fever" or "wall hanger" ring a bell to you?

Richy: No... why?

Gabe: There's a document in here titled "Buck fever" and it seems that Jennifer opened it quite often. It is a list of dates with two columns next to it: Wall Hanger-YES and Wall Hanger-NO.

Dan: It's hunter slang.

Gabe: Are you sure?

Dan: Some of my acquaintances are passionate about hunting, and listening to them talk I have learned a bit. They call "buck fever" what they feel when they see a prey they want to hunt... something like the adrenaline of the moment. And the "wall hangers" are the pieces that they consider worthy of hanging as a trophy on a wall.

Richy: Shit, that's macabre...

Jake has been listening to the conversation while continuing to check the recent file history on Jennifer's laptop, at which point he comes to a notepad with two links that instantly alert him.

Gabe notices his change in attitude and glances back at the screen, smiling as he realizes what Jake has found, but as he is about to speak, he is interrupted by a clatter of footsteps and screams: Hannah is coming down the stairs at full speed, closely followed by Lilly.

Lilly: Calm down, Hannah, this is not the time!

But she has already arrived next to Jake and yells at him, furious: