FINDERS KEEPERS

Part 8

Leo’s hand twitched, and in a blink of an eye, he pulled out the gun strapped to his belt and fired. Shots rang out into the fog. Eddie jumped behind the door frame and covered his ears. John was too stunned to move as Art pinned him behind the door. Most of the shots hit the Goliath straight on the torso, each bullet sending him a step back until he smashed through the van’s windows, and the Goliath slumped to the ground, seemingly dead.

Silence filled the void.

I floated over to the Goliath.

“Uh, are you okay?” I asked, worried. Did the delvers kill my monster? That was a lot of bullets, and I doubted if his special trait would even carry over—

[Not Quite Dead I is activated. The Goliath is stunned for 1 minute.]

I sighed in relief. “Sorry about the guns,” I said. “Can you handle these guys? I can summon Old Growth as an assist?”

The Goliath shot me a sidelong glance and closed his eyes, pretending to be dead. I reckon that’s a no. He couldn’t move yet.

[Warning: You have one more usage for Not Quite Dead I. Running out of slots will temporarily destroy the monster and trigger a cooldown, which you cannot summon the monster within the given duration.]

Ah. Good to know.

John pushed Art off him and ran to where Scottie lay face-first on the dirt. He turned him over; empty eyes faced the sky. John let out a choked sob. “Scottie…oh, God—”

The others cautiously walk toward John, who cradled Scottie on his lap. His brother’s blood had already soaked his shirt and hands. He tried to brush Scottie’s bloodied hair off the boy’s eyes.

“Is he dead?” Eddie gestured over to the Goliath.

“I shot him twelve times. What do you think?”

“Did you shoot him in the head, at least?” Art asked. “No one can come back from that.”

Leo paused. “I didn’t.”

“Better shoot him in the head then,” Art said. “I learned that in a horror movie once.”

“This ain’t a horror movie, Art.”

Art scoffed. “Yeah, you’re right. We got an axe-wielding maniac. Masked psycho. Cabin in the woods. Creepy forest. Not a horror movie at all, Leo.”

“For Christ’s sake,” Leo hissed and nodded to John. “Scott just died, man.”

“Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Art said, but John did not respond. Art walked away awkwardly and helped Eddie out of the door.

“Can we get the fuck out of here?” Eddie exclaimed, leaning against the porch’s railings. “I need medical attention!”

“Can you stop complaining?” Art hissed, annoyed.

“Hey, this is all your fault for getting us stuck out here!”

“Oh my god, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to take out your other leg,” Art threatened. “Mercer still wants you dead.”

Eddie glowered but said nothing.

Leo crouched beside John and shook his arm. “John. Come on, man. We must get into the van. We’ll help you carry Scottie inside.”

“My brother’s dead,” John whispered as if he couldn’t believe what he was saying.

Leo thinned his lips. “I know. I know. But we have to get out. I need to—” he pointed at Scottie’s pockets, “—look for the van’s keys.”

John closed his eyes and, after a beat, nodded his head.

Leo ruffled through Scottie’s pockets but didn’t find the keys anywhere. “Shit. It’s not here—”

He glanced over to the Goliath. Peeking out of his belt was the unmistakable glint of the van’s keys against the beams of his flashlight, dangling like a carrot. Leo stood up and checked the gun’s magazine.

Only one bullet left.

“Give me the gun, Leo. Let me do it,” John said lowly.

“Huh?”

“Let me shoot this motherfucker in the head.”

“John—”

“I brought Scottie here, Leo. This is all my fault.” John raised a hand and got up.

“No, this is not your fault—”

“It is. We’re supposed to move to Chicago, you know. Leave all this behind. Find honest work.” He looked down at Scottie’s body and held in another sob. “Give me the gun.”

Leo hesitated for a moment before he handed it to him.

“Thanks.” John cleared his throat and sauntered over to the Goliath. His hand slightly shaking from the adrenaline.

“Come on, come on,” I muttered anxiously. The Goliath only had a few seconds left before he could move again.

They would take the van and escape my dungeon if they took out the Goliath. I’m still uncomfortable having people who have seen the cabin and the Goliath. Who knows what they would do? Since they probably had a bunch of criminal records, I doubted they’d go to the authorities and report Scottie’s death since Eddie would just accuse them of kidnapping and assault. Then again, they might kill him just to avoid Mercer’s wrath.

Leo’s too aware that the cabin should not exist in the first place. He might start asking questions about who owned it and discover no property records or a paper trail in city hall. Technically, this was still owned by the federal government.

There was still a sliver of a chance they’d call the authorities anyway. People did stupid things during their grief, and John might do just that. He already felt responsible for Scottie’s death. He might have the brightest idea of turning himself to the authorities to make up for it, leading them to me.

Fuck.

I’m not taking any chances. I’m only a day old as a Dungeon Core and already risking my hide to the outside world. I had to nip this in the bud.

The demon was still not in the area to stop them, nor was it aware we had visitors in the dungeon. I couldn’t count on the Siren since she was supposed to prevent anyone from escaping via the lake, and I didn’t think these men would be near the water for some time. The Old Growth would be the next best thing, but his main job was to stop anyone from leaving via the road.

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I quickly flew over to where Old Growth was and realized it was only a few paces away behind the tree line, perched on the gnarled trunk and twisted limbs of a tree. It appeared no different from the surrounding forest in the dark mist, camouflaged within the shadows.

Its limbs were long and sinewy, resembling twisted vines. It had four arms, the first two ending in a sharp javelin-like appendage, while the last two were made for grasping. The creature had no mouth, only a pair of eyes glowing a malevolent shade of emerald green, and surveyed the driveway below with curious fascination.

Old Growth unfurled its limbs with a sickening thud, stretching them outward as if ready to pounce, and stood around six feet tall. The tree trembled as its massive weight shifted. Slowly and methodically, its grotesque form slid down the trunk like a serpent on the prowl, its gaze scanning between the Goliath and John’s approaching form.

THE OLD GROWTH

Dread Score: 6/10

Creature Type: Plant

Cooldown: 1 week

Special Traits

Multiple Limbs (4) I

The monster has four limbs, providing stability, balance, and efficient locomotion. This enables the monster to navigate diverse terrains (walls, trees, etc.) and improve their hunting tactics. Each limb can grapple, pounce, manipulate an object, and increase speed during a chase.

Javelin Appendages I

The monster carries two javelin-like appendages, which can be used to injure, dismember, and gore a delver. If a Javelin Appendage is severed or destroyed, it will take 30 days for the monster to grow a new one.

Moving Vines (Thorns) I

The monster can control a 30-foot radius, causing vines to emerge and ensnare a single delver. By opting for thorny vines, these tendrils release venom upon entering any open wound, draining the delver's Resolve and incapacitating them at an accelerated rate.

It turned toward me for confirmation.

“The Goliath’s might be in trouble,” I said. “If he gets cooled, you need to take them out one by one.”

It pointed at the Goliath.

“Oh. If he makes it back up, your job is to shed their Resolve.”

Old Growth nodded, crept closer toward the bushes, and disappeared within, curling into a ball and ready to pounce.

John aimed the pistol at Goliath’s head but stopped.

“What is it?” Leo asked.

“I want to know who it is,” John said and lowered the gun. “I want to look at this motherfucker in the eye while I put a bullet through his face.”

“Bah! Just shoot him already and let’s get out of here,” Art said. He limped toward the double-sided axe on the ground and crouched to pick it up.

John bent on one knee and yanked the keys from the Goliath’s belt. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the mask.

The Goliath’s eyes snapped open; his hand twitched into a curl.

It seemed like my luck hadn’t run out after all.

John gasped, startled that the Goliath was still alive. Harnessing [Telekinesis], I wrapped the energy tightly around John’s throat, briefly cutting off his breath. His hands instinctively clawed at the presence, but there was nothing to grab hold onto.

[Power: 8/10]

The Goliath slowly stood up as if the gunshots earlier meant nothing, stained bullet holes where blood seeped out, seemingly closing on their own.

The others’ Resolve drained to a darker orange.

“What the fuck!” Art exclaimed.

“Run! Run!” Eddie shouted and hobbled into the cabin.

I lifted John off the ground, legs flailing. He gasped for air, his face red and veins bulging in his forehead. He aimed the gun at the Goliath’s head.

“Not a chance.”

I flung him across the driveway, and he crashed onto the front porch’s steps. His arm (the one where he still held the gun) bent awkwardly to one side and buried underneath his torso, and the sudden jolt of pain involuntarily twitched his finger around the trigger, and the gun went off with a loud crack.

Leo scrambled away from Goliath and ran toward John, lying on his belly. He turned him over, and blood spurted onto his face; the gun clattered to the side and fell under the stairs.

John’s shirt quickly stained red.

“Fucking…shot…myself—!” John tried to speak, hand clutching his belly as blood poured out of his mouth. He struggled to breathe.

“Don’t talk! Don’t talk!” Leo grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the cabin. “Inside! Inside! Now!”

Art abandoned picking up the axe once he realized the Goliath was moving toward him. Better to get away without a heavy object weighing him down, especially when his ankle still bothered him. He ran to the porch and grabbed John’s left arm, and together, he and Leo dragged John into the cabin.

The Goliath picked up his axe as Leo bolted the door shut.

“How is he alive?!” Art shrieked. “We fucking put a lead on him a dozen times!”

“Doesn’t matter!” Leo shouted as he removed his jacket and pressed it on John’s abdomen. “Art, find me the fucking first-aid kit.”

“I don’t know where that is!”

“Try the kitchen. Look through the cupboards.”

“He’s just standing there,” Eddie whimpered, looking out the bay window. “What’s he doing?”

“Eddie, help Art look for the first-aid kit now!”

Eddie glanced over at him. “That’s not gonna help him much, Leo.”

“Shut up! We can save him.”

Eddie gritted his teeth and sobbed. “Oh, fuck. We’re all going to die out here, aren’t we?”

“I said shut up!”

Art flung open every cupboard in the kitchen, throwing out anything that didn’t look like a first-aid kit. “It’s not here!”

“Try the bathroom,” Leo said, and Art shambled toward the only bathroom. John grabbed his wrist. “Just you hold on, Johnny. Everything’s going to be okay, alright? You’re gonna be fine.”

John forced Leo’s fist open and shoved the van’s keys into it. “You…get…out. Leave…while…you…can.” He struggled to sit up, straining against the pain. “He’ll…come…in…soon. I’ll…hold…him—”

“Johnny, just lay back down.” He put the keys on the floor and continued adding pressure on John’s wound. “Art’s going to find it. Art! What’s taking so long?!”

“Give me a fucking minute! I just got here!” Art searched under the sink and found the first-aid kit I shoved at the very back. He grinned. “Finally. Found it!”

Back in the living room, the fireplace’s logs burst into flames, a bright orange glow casting on Eddie and Leo’s faces. An inexplicable surge of electricity coursed through the cabin, causing every light fixture to flicker to life simultaneously, flooding the entire space with an unsettling glow.

As if possessed, the radio abruptly sprang to life, a crackling sound that pierced through the chaos. “All By Myself” swelled from the speakers as the cabin whirred to life.

Everyone froze where they stood; their Resolve continued to shed.

Yeah. That freaked them out.

The bay window suddenly shattered. The object flew across the room, rolling on the floor until it settled mere inches away from John’s feet.

It was Scottie’s severed head, his lifeless gaze locked onto John and Leo.

John made a strangled scream.

The Goliath peered through the broken window and smashed more broken glass off the frame. He swung his meaty legs around and stepped into the cabin interior, the axe glistening under the hearth’s glow.

Eddie picked up the fire poker and charged at the Goliath, but he stepped into a trap before he could make the swing. The light fixture above him burst, and a thin line of cables wrapped around his neck and hoisted him two feet above the floor. Eddie dropped the weapon and clawed at the wires. The ceiling cracked under his weight, and a small section collapsed on his head. He fell to the floor with the cables hung loosely around his neck, knocking all the air in his lungs.

The Goliath swung his foot and kicked Eddie’s head hard, knocking out more of his teeth and rendering him unconscious. His Resolve remained at a darker orange. Frowning, the Goliath stepped over his body and headed for Leo and John instead.

“Go!” John screeched and pushed Leo off him. Art grabbed his shoulders and forcibly dragged him into the corridor.

“We can’t leave him!” Leo shouted, but Art shoved his body between him and the master bedroom’s door.

“We have to! We need to run!”

The Goliath marched toward the corridor, but John quickly grabbed his ankles. His grapple was too weak. He couldn’t twist his body just enough to gain leverage with the bullet still lodged into his abdomen. He let out a defying roar, but the Goliath merely shook his grip off his ankle, stepped on his elbow, and chopped off John’s lower arm.

The intense pain dropped John’s Resolve into a deep red. He knew it was over. He was injured, and he could barely move. All he could do was stare up at the motherfucker standing over him.

“Leo, Art! Runnn—!”

The Goliath swung his axe, striking John’s shoulder with a sickening thud, withdrawing it before delivering another merciless blow. John’s screams pierced the air with each savage strike.

[You have gained 1 essence: John Kitson]

[You have gained 150 crystals]

Leo stood transfixed as he peered through a narrow crack in the door. In a panic, Art swiftly slammed the door shut and locked it.

“Help me!” Art pleaded as he pushed against the weighty vanity dresser. Leo snapped out of his daze and rushed to assist, combining their strength to barricade the door.

Crash!

Wooden shards exploded into the room, one piercing through Art’s cheek. The axe wedged in the door momentarily before being forcibly removed, and the Goliath’s white-fox mask appeared through the narrow gap.