Cameron Keen never expected her life to become entangled in the horrors of Blackwood Mountain.
Drawn back by a past she can't escape, she soon finds herself face to face with her old friend Josh Washington, a man haunted not just by grief, but...
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TO CATCH A KILLER.
Not long after Chris left, he returned with Ashley and Mike close behind, their faces pale and tense.
Cameron, Josh, Sam, and Emily had remained huddled in the security room of the basement, the only sound being the hum of old machinery and the flicker of grainy surveillance footage.
As soon as they filed into the room, Emily let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Oh my God! What took you so long?" She sighed, relief washing over her.
Mike quickly closed the chain-link door behind them, securing it with a heavy lock. The sound of the metal clicking into place echoed through the space, a temporary reassurance.
Chris leaned heavily against the desk, his chest heaving. "It's bad up there." He managed between breaths, his voice strained.
Cameron's eyes narrowed as she took in his disheveled appearance—his jacket was torn, and dirt streaked across his face. Worse, the old man wasn't behind him. Something had gone wrong. Again.
Sam, standing beside Cameron, exchanged a glance with her, both already suspecting the answer. "Chris, where's the flamethrower guy?" Sam asked quietly, tension coiling between her words.
Chris's gaze dropped to the floor, his fingers drumming nervously on the desk as he stuttered, "Uh... yeah, he... uh."
"He didn't make it, did he?" Ashley's voice was soft, but the panic in her eyes betrayed her growing fear. She realized, with chilling clarity, that without the old man, their best chance of survival was gone. "What happened?!"
Chris clenched his eyes shut, the memory too fresh. "The thing... it tore him apart. Right in front of me." His shoulders slumped.
Cameron's chest tightened with sympathy—he shouldn't have had to watch that.
The room fell into a heavy silence until Mike broke it. "Alright." He muttered, adjusting the grip on his gun as he paced the room, checking the doors. "These are all the exits? You're sure?"
Sam nodded, her voice steady but uncertain. "Yeah, but why? What are you looking for?"
Mike scanned the room before turning his attention to the security cameras. "Another way out."
Sam rushed toward him, grabbing his arm. "Mike, no. We need to stay put. Right here. At least we're safe down here."
Mike turned to her with a sharp, incredulous look. "Oh yeah? All wrapped up like a little present with a bow on top for that thing to tear us apart on Christmas morning?"
