After the improvised surgery, Alex sat wearily on a chair, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. His clothes were soaked with the blood of Chris and old Jack, both of whom he had dragged back from the brink of death, tearing them away from the claws of a wendigo. The cigarette smoldered slowly, while Alex stared into emptiness, struggling to process what had just happened. Once again, he had stumbled into trouble simply because he decided to check out a place rumored to be cursed.

And now — here he was, in the basement of an old house. On the table beside him lay Jack, the wounded hunter who had spent decades chasing these monsters. On another table lay Chris, a teenager who had been far less lucky and nearly lost his leg. The more Alex looked at them, the more he thought: with magic, it all would have been easier, faster, cleaner.

But here, he couldn't take that risk. Using magic would raise questions, and in this world, anything supernatural was dismissed as myths and fairy tales. Anyone daring to speak the truth about monsters would end up in a straitjacket behind white padded walls.

Ashley leaned over Chris, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't even imagine what might have happened if not for Alex. He lifted his gaze to her, holding back a sarcastic comment about the "red flag" she seemed to have planted over Chris's head.

Mike sat nearby, brooding, consumed by guilt for once again being useless. Samantha, however, never took her eyes off Alex. He had stitched up two wounded men, but afterward, he hadn't said a word, just sat there motionless, almost lost. Her gaze fell on his shirt, soaked with other people's blood, and she thought he badly needed a change of clothes.

She rummaged through some cardboard boxes and soon found a black sweatshirt — probably Josh's. Walking over to Alex, she handed it to him.

"Alex, I found a sweatshirt for you. You should change. Your shirt is covered in blood," she said softly, though with a note of worry in her voice.

"Thanks, Samantha. But first I need to wash all this off," he replied, standing up and gesturing at his hands and clothes.

"There's a sink over there. Come on, I'll show you," said Samantha, pointing toward a set of closed doors.

"Perfect. And you guys don't go wandering off," Alex threw at the others with a faint smile.

"Very funny," Emily snorted. "Yeah, we're just dying to go for a walk while those things are still out there."

"Well, I know you… who knows what might pop into your heads," Alex shrugged.

He stretched, feeling the stiffness in his muscles, and followed Samantha. She led him into a small room that looked like a storage closet: a sink, some mops, a bucket, and the smell of dampness. Alex turned on the faucet and began rinsing the blood from his hands. Cold water streamed over his fingers, leaving red trails in the basin.

Samantha stood behind him, watching. When Alex splashed his face, she handed him a towel. He dried off, ran a wet hand through his hair to push it back, and for a moment studied his reflection in the cloudy mirror. A tired face, traces of blood, and an ironic smile — with his power, he never imagined he'd be stitching people up by hand. Still, perhaps it was a useful experience. After all, he would need to play the part of an ordinary man more than once.

He began unbuttoning his shirt, pulled it off, and tossed it into the empty bucket. Samantha had stood silently beside him the whole time. She wanted to look away, but her body wouldn't listen. Her eyes seemed glued to his back. The strong, sculpted muscles and the tattoo of strange, alien symbols only deepened her fascination.

When Alex reached out for the sweatshirt, Samantha instinctively placed it into his palm, swallowing hard. He turned toward her, and her eyes involuntarily drifted down his chest and lower, as if trying to memorize every detail. Only when he pulled the black sweatshirt over himself did she feel a faint twinge of disappointment — not even understanding why.

Alex waved his hand in front of Samantha's eyes to bring her back to her senses. The girl immediately snapped out of her daze, looking a little embarrassed — both because she had zoned out and because of the situation itself. Alex only smiled without making any comment.

That was because, in his head, he suddenly heard Brunhilde's coughing through their spiritual link. Alex wanted to say he wasn't to blame. But he also knew that no one in his family would ever believe him — most likely they'd just brush off all his arguments about how he hadn't tried to seduce Samantha or make a move on her.

Alex suggested to Samantha that they return to the others and start thinking about what to do next. He knew perfectly well that if he didn't use magic to heal old Jack, the man would have a hard time making it through the night, considering how much blood he had lost. And Chris, too, badly needed professional help. After all, all Alex had done was stitch up the boy's wounded leg.

Now changed into fresh clothes, Alex and Samantha returned to the others. But the moment they stepped into the room, their eyes were drawn to Mike, who was pacing around frantically as if searching for something.

Ashley sat beside Chris, terrified that something might happen to him. Emily, meanwhile, sat in a chair, watching Mike with growing concern — he couldn't stay still, tossing things aside in his desperate search.

"Mike, what are you looking for?" Samantha asked carefully, noticing his restless actions.

"Another way out," he snapped, checking the walls and the locked doors. "We can't just sit here and wait."

"Mike… please, stop. There's nothing to look for," Samantha pleaded, trying to calm him down. "It's better to wait until morning. At least here we're relatively safe. You saw yourself how it ends when someone tries to go outside."

"Oh, really?" Mike snorted sarcastically. "So your big idea is to sit here until those things get tired of waiting and just break in to feast on us? In case you forgot, Sam, Chris is injured. The old man who tried to help us is injured too. We're literally serving them dinner on a silver platter." He pointed at Chris and Jack.

"They'll come for us. In the morning. They will come," Samantha said quietly, clinging desperately to her hope.

"Are you sure?" Mike smirked, skepticism dripping from his voice.

"They will… Right, Em?" Samantha turned to Emily, searching for confirmation. "You said you and Matt managed to call for help from the radio tower."

Emily looked away."Well… I think we sent a signal… But I'm not sure. I'm sorry, Sam. I really don't know if anyone's coming for us," she admitted, her voice heavy with guilt and despair.

Emily's words hit Samantha like a blow. Mike shot her a look that clearly said: I told you, no help is coming. The girl's heart sank, and she fell into a suffocating silence.

Meanwhile, Alex was rummaging through the room in search of a map. He knew Josh had studied the underground mines and tunnels in detail for his twisted revenge plan. Listening with half an ear to the friends' argument about whether help was coming, Alex finally found a map with marked passages.

He knew the only real way to leave the mountain was the funicular. But the keys had to be with Josh. The problem was that Josh himself had been dragged off by a Wendigo into its lair.

Studying the map, Alex tapped his chin thoughtfully, memorizing the route. But he was also painfully aware of his weakness: like a certain green-haired pirate, he could easily get lost without the map. So Alex pulled out his phone and started taking pictures of the layout.

The clicks of the camera drew the attention of Samantha, Mike, and Emily, who froze, watching him.

Coming closer, they saw the map in his hands.

"Alex, why are you taking pictures of it?" Samantha asked.

"So we don't lose the way. But to actually leave, we'll need the funicular key. And who has the keys?" Alex shifted his gaze to the three of them.

"Damn it!" Mike swore, slamming his fist on the table. "Josh has the keys! Without them, we're stuck here!"

"Great…" Emily muttered tiredly, lowering her head onto the table. "We're screwed: no keys, and no one knows where Josh is right now."

Mike frowned, studying the map thoughtfully as if trying to memorize it. He recognized many of the places — he had been there before. But what struck him most was that the tunnels connected to the Blackwood Sanitarium. It was through those tunnels that he had ended up in this house.

The only thought on Mike's mind at that moment was that the Wendigo might have dragged Josh into its lair. But he wasn't certain. Only two people could answer that — old Jack, who was now unconscious after losing so much blood and Alex's improvised surgery, and Alex himself, the only one who truly understood what a Wendigo was.

"Alex, you're kind of the expert, like that old man… But we're not getting answers from him right now. Is it possible that this creature dragged Josh into its lair? To, I don't know… eat him later?" Mike asked, shifting his gaze to Alex.

"I think that's exactly what happened — this creature dragged Josh into the mine. Down there, I saw terrible things… I think that's where these monsters live. I… I saw Beth's head in that mine. Maybe that's their nest," Emily said in a frightened tone, as if she didn't want to recall what she had seen while trying to escape.

"Fifty-fifty chance," Alex said, tapping his finger on the metal table and staring at the map. His eyes fixed on a note labeled "Nest."

"Why only fifty-fifty?" Samantha asked, looking puzzled.

"Ugh… The thing is, Wendigos can reproduce too. But they do it very differently from what you might think," Alex replied, ruffling his hair.

"And how exactly do these things reproduce? Don't tell me they grabbed Josh to…" Mike smirked crookedly. "Mount him and use him to make more monsters?"

"They catch the victim and drag them to the nest. There, they starve them for a long time. All the while, they make sure the victim doesn't escape. And when the person is on the brink of death from exhaustion, that's when they feed them. And with what — you can guess," Alex said, lighting a cigarette.

"Human flesh…" Mike muttered. "So Josh could still be alive. They didn't eat him yet — they want to turn him into one of them?"

"Exactly. And we need to find Josh — or what's left of him. Without the keys, we can't get out, and just waiting for dawn is a bad idea too. If we don't reach him in time, the Wendigos will return to their nest to rest, and then things will end very badly for Chris and Jack," Alex said, tapping the map again.

"I've been to that sanitarium. I know the way. Judging by the map, you can get from the sanitarium into the mines, where their nest might be," Mike added, pointing to the layout.

"Alright, then the plan is simple: get to the sanitarium… go through it… descend into the mines… find the nest and hopefully the surviving Josh… and then get out. Sounds like a solid plan. Well, I'm going," Alex said, organizing everything in his mind.

"I'm coming with you. I know the way, and it's safer to go together than alone," Mike said, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"I'll go too. If we find Josh, I can help bring him back to consciousness," Samantha said resolutely.

Alex only let out a heavy sigh and muttered something about the irresponsibility of teenagers who go poking around dangerous places. Then, without another word, he left the room. The others assumed he had gone alone. But a few minutes later, Alex returned: in one hand he held a massive chopping axe, and in the other — Josh's clown mask, the one he had once used to scare them all.

No one understood why Alex had brought it. Seeing their confusion, he just shook his head and whistled quietly. In that instant, Peach ran up to him, nimbly climbing his leg and settling on his shoulder. Alex intended to use Peach's keen nose to track Josh faster in the mines, instead of wandering blindly hoping to stumble upon the nest. Besides, Peach could warn them if a Wendigo was nearby.

"Alright, I won't try to talk you out of this crazy idea. No one listens to me anyway. Emily, Ashley, you two stay here. Keep an eye on Chris and Jack, lock the door, and don't make any noise to avoid attracting the Wendigos," Alex said, looking at the girls.

"Why are you bringing an animal with you?" Mike frowned, glancing at Peach.

"Peach will help track Josh by scent. We've got about two and a half hours until dawn. We need to reach the nest and get back — with Josh or at least the funicular keys. Plus, Peach will sense a Wendigo before we do," Alex said, scratching the little creature under the chin.

Peach purred with pleasure, and Mike nodded, acknowledging that it made sense. He clenched an old revolver in his hand, ready to move. Samantha nodded as well, though her eyes betrayed the fear of what lay ahead.

Alex cast a quick glance at Ashley and Emily and nodded at them: lock the door after they leave.

"Alright then, show us the way, hero-lover," he said, looking at Mike. "The sooner we get this done, the better. And Samantha… stick close. In case we have to run."

Mike nodded seriously and moved first. Samantha stepped closer to Alex and cautiously took his hand, showing her fear and concern.

Noticing this, Alex gave her a reassuring smile and, to calm her a little, moved Peach from his shoulder to hers. The little creature settled comfortably by her neck, and Samantha involuntarily felt a bit braver.

With her, Alex followed Mike through the basement corridors. A few turns later, they reached the tunnel Mike had used earlier.

Alex stopped, listening to the sounds in the darkness. His focus was intense, as if he expected the familiar growl of a Wendigo to emerge from the depths at any moment.

"From here, we go that way. The tunnel leads almost directly to the sanitarium. Still, better be careful," Mike said, pointing down the long, dark passage.

"Then let's go. We're right behind you," Alex replied, tossing the axe over his shoulder.

Mike moved first, with Alex and Samantha following. Alex whistled a soft tune, as if a walk through this cursed place didn't bother him at all. Several times they came to forks in the tunnel, but Mike confidently chose the correct path.

From time to time, the tunnel echoed with distant, eerie cries of the Wendigos, and each time Mike and Samantha froze, listening intently. But Peach sat calmly, not making a sound, which meant no enemies were nearby.

After a few minutes of walking, they came to massive iron doors with a faded red inscription: "Danger."

Mike turned to Alex and Samantha. Alex nodded calmly, while Samantha gave a nervous, hesitant nod. Receiving their confirmation, Mike swung open the heavy doors and entered first, holding the door for the others. Once everyone was inside, he shut it and slid the massive bolt into place.

Beyond the doors lay an old service tunnel of the sanitarium. Thick pipes ran along the rusty walls and ceiling, disappearing into the depths of the gloomy corridor.

Their footsteps echoed, and dust and small stones crunched underfoot. The beams of their flashlights caught peeling walls and cobwebs in the darkness. At the end of the corridor awaited a spacious room with a collapsed ceiling. Through the gaping hole, the night sky was visible, and snowflakes slowly fell in the cold moonlight.

Alex stopped, lifted his head, and held his gaze on the sky for a moment.

"We need to keep moving. There's a staircase up ahead," Mike said, pulling him out of his reverie.

Alex lowered his head and nodded. He glanced at Samantha, who stood nearby as if the safest place on this mountain was right next to him. Alex patted her on the shoulder, signaling it was time to move forward. The girl, with Peach perched on her shoulders, responded with a slight nod.

Reaching the staircase, they climbed one by one. At the top, they were met by a massive archway with a crooked sign: "Chapel."

Passing through, they found themselves in a spacious room. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and crumbled walls. Alex scanned the area for anything useful, but his eyes found only emptiness and decay.

Mike moved confidently ahead — he already knew the way. Alex quickened his pace and caught up with him, Samantha following close behind. The next room was larger than the previous one, furnished with a sofa and a couple of chairs.

Alex immediately realized — this was one of old Jack's hideouts. He had encountered similar ones along the way through the forest and mines: places where Jack stored supplies to avoid returning to his main shelter in the sanitarium.

"Damn… where did all the wolves go?" Mike muttered in surprise, looking around.

"You mean there were wolves here?" Samantha asked, frowning.

"Yeah. There were a few. I think the old man tamed them to hunt the Wendigos. But now they're gone," Mike explained, glancing at her.

"Maybe they caught a scent and went to check… Alright, let's look around. The old man might have stored something useful here. My ammo isn't unlimited, and I've already used more than half," Alex said, leaning on his axe.

"I was thinking the same. Maybe the old man left a couple of guns lying around. Honestly, your axe is kind of a questionable weapon against these things," Mike smirked, nodding at the weapon in Alex's hands.

Alex just rolled his eyes at Mike's comment and stayed silent. What could he say? Tell them how he fought a group of armed men with nothing but a brick he found in an alley? Or how he battled Poseidon with that same brick? Any words would sound like the ramblings of a madman.

Starting to search the room, Alex immediately decided to look for old Jack's journal — he was certain that the old man had kept records. While Samantha and Mike rummaged through corners in search of anything useful, Alex spotted a worn notebook on a small table. He picked it up, opened it, and, engrossed, began flipping through the pages. The journal contained descriptions of hunts, Wendigo tracks, old notes, and observations. But on the last pages, it all came down to one thing: Jack was tired. He admitted that the years were taking their toll, and his strength was no longer what it once had been.

"Alex! We found a locked room! I need your axe to break the lock!" Samantha shouted from the other side of the room.

Closing the journal, Alex tucked it into his inventory. The old man would never return for it, but in his collection of trophies and curiosities, such records would have a worthy place. The thought even crossed his mind to someday acquire John Winchester's journal. Smirking at the idea, he made his way to Samantha and Mike, who were standing by the massive iron doors, securely fastened with a huge padlock.

Next to the table, Alex noticed a box of shotgun shells and a couple of old pump-action shotguns. Perfect timing. Leaning his axe against the door, he turned to Samantha, who was still wearing his black coat. And before she could even react, Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a small lockpicking set — the very one Ada Wong had once given him in exchange for a wedding ring.

Squatting down, Alex focused. A few seconds of fiddling with the lock, and there was a soft click. He removed the massive padlock and pushed the door open.

"Ta-da!" he said with a smile, closing the set. "Door's open, and no extra noise. We don't need to invite the local 'neighbors'."

"Not bad," Mike smirked. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Who knows," Alex squinted mischievously. "I haven't tried everything yet. Now grab the shotgun and shells."

Mike chuckled, stepped inside, and picked up the short shotgun and ammo. While the weapon couldn't guarantee a victory over a Wendigo, it certainly increased their chances. Meanwhile, Alex returned the lockpicking set to his coat pocket and stretched lazily.

"You mentioned your family has a 'family business'…" Samantha said, daring to ask a personal question. "Does everyone in the family have skills like yours?"

"No, of course not," Alex smirked. "It mostly applies to my branch. Even within it, we all have different interests: some are into weapons, some medicine, some enjoy exploring, and some just prefer to stay home."

"Your branch of the family?" Mike asked, overhearing the conversation between Alex and Samantha. "You have a dynasty or something? Like in those shows about ancient families?"

"Well… kind of," Alex replied after a pause, thoughtfully scratching his chin. "If you think about it, my family could really be called ancient. Very deep roots."

"And do you have any brothers or sisters?" Samantha asked with curiosity.

"Brothers," Alex said shortly, nodding. "But we live separately and rarely cross paths. Not that we have bad relationships… it's just complicated. Our family is… special."

He fell silent, not entirely sure how to put his thoughts into words, since of all his brothers, he had only ever met Adam. The rest he had never seen, only known about.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Alex moved forward, feverishly thinking about how to explain his family without sounding like a madman. Usually, such conversations ended with even more questions or shock from those who heard the truth.

In the next room, the trio began searching everything in sight for anything useful. Alex had already grabbed a rope, just in case they needed to descend into the mines for Josh — he wasn't sure how deep they would have to go.

"And how complicated are your relationships with your family?" Samantha asked, watching him check the cabinets.

"Hmm… if you think about it, pretty complicated," Alex replied. "The eldest brother lives in the Vatican; they call him Dextra Dei. The second eldest threw the family business to hell and ran away — now he lives in Los Angeles and runs a club and a hotel. The third chose a quiet life and started a family. I've barely crossed paths with the rest. And me — I'm the youngest. You could say I help my father with his… 'business.'"

"'Business'? You mean your family hunts monsters?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no, not only that," Alex smirked. "The main thing is helping people. From small tasks to serious matters. Simply put, I'm hired to solve problems or help fulfill wishes. Like this time: my client collects legends and, before dying, wanted to gather as many stories as possible to publish a book. That's why I'm here."

"And do they pay well for that?" Mike closed another empty drawer.

"Hmm… let's just say one job is enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably until old age. This old man promised a seven-figure sum," Alex said, holding up a finger.

"Damn! Not a bad paycheck," Mike swore, clearly envious.

"True, there's a catch," Alex shrugged. "At any moment, you could end up in the stomach of an insatiable creature. But yes, they pay well."

Mike nodded — money with that kind of risk certainly had its flipside. Samantha, however, looked more intrigued than anything. Her attention was clearly drawn to Alex's strange family, where everyone had gone their own way.

Anyone watching the live feed from the house through Navi, the fairy drone, could barely hold back rolling their eyes. Alex was rambling nonsense again, vaguely describing what he did. But everyone understood perfectly well: if he told the truth, no one would believe him. Even they wouldn't have, if they'd met him for the first time.

After passing a couple more empty rooms, they only found another rope and hook — for a potential descent. And then, in one of the rooms, they discovered a huge hole in the wall leading outside. Stepping through it, the trio found themselves in the central courtyard of the Blackwood Sanitarium.

The first things that caught their eyes were rusted barrels dusted with snow. A little further, wooden crosses jutted out of the ground.

Stepping closer, Alex brushed the snow off one of them and examined the carved name.

"Looks like the old man didn't just hunt monsters, he also buried people," Mike remarked, shining his flashlight.

"And rightly so," Alex replied calmly. "He felt guilty for those he couldn't save. Better to bury them than leave the bodies for the beasts. That way, he gave people a final resting place."

"There are so many…" Samantha whispered, awed by the sight of the crosses.

"This is still just a fraction," Alex shook his head. "Most likely, these are only the ones Jack managed to carry out relatively intact. Wendigos usually leave nothing worth burying."

"I have to admit, I respect that old man even more now," Mike said. "It's terrifying to imagine what he went through all these years."

"Believe me, it was hard for him," Alex said grimly. "Usually, people like him don't live to old age. In the end, hunters often become the hunted themselves."

"Are there a lot of these creatures in the world?" Samantha asked cautiously, taking Alex's hand.

Alex smirked, recalling an old joke:"As one major acquaintance said, instead of wondering if there's a monster in the closet, it's better to throw a grenade in there. Let the creature know whose closet it just barged into."

Samantha stared at him in astonishment, and Mike just chuckled. Alex, however, kept quiet about the most important thing — that this universe was a real dumping ground where someone had thrown all possible horrors for the sake of the "perfect horror movie."

Not lingering, they moved on to the other wing of the sanitarium, located on the opposite side of the inner courtyard. Ahead of them awaited the entrance to the mines, where, in theory, the Wendigos' nest was located.

To be continued…

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