Seth jogged into the woods. The trees loomed overhead, dark pillars of shadow that swayed through the mist. The pine straw rustled underfoot, and the cold prickled against his blood-slicked skin. In the darkness, he couldn’t really see where he was going. But it was a fairly straight shot to the campsite. Hopefully, he wouldn’t miss it.

He’d never been an athletic guy, but he ran with ease, his heart pumping like a well-oiled machine. Before, a few minutes of running would make his legs burn and his lungs struggle for breath. But Seth felt completely fine. His enhanced stamina must be a result of that parasite, just like his enhanced strength.

That reminded him, he hadn’t checked on the Inkling system after the fight with Pete. Putting those free points into strength had saved his ass, and he couldn’t ignore the benefits of Inkling any longer. Especially if he wanted to kill David. And even though he’d told Alex he would be careful, Seth still intended to kill that bastard before the night was over.

Seth pulled up Inkling.

Inkling Version 1.0

Name: Seth Mayhew

Stage: 3

First Shadow [+50% Efficiency]

Strength: 25

Reflex: 8

Vigor: 19

Clarity: 13

Integration: 43%

Free Points: 4 [+4 Each Stage]

Wishes:

ChainBreaker [+10 Strength | +5% Integration]

Inkling [+5 Clarity | +25% Integration]

FeelBetter [+10 Vigor | +10% Integration]

Seth recognized his new wish at the bottom. FeelBetter, a lame name, but it was what he’d been thinking at the time. It appeared to be some sort of healing ability. Different from the insane durability wish that Riles and Pete seemed to share. Neither of them had healed their flesh, they just ignored any injuries.

Now that he had three wishes, Seth could start to understand the attributes at the top. Strength was obvious, and increasing it had let him hold Pete’s chainsaw back. Vigor had to relate to health or endurance, and Clarity must be some sort of mental attribute.

The only thing that he wasn’t sure about was Reflex. It was his lowest attribute since none of his wishes boosted the stat. Seth figured it might be speed or dexterity or maybe even perception. Perhaps all three.

In any case, Seth had four free points, and he didn’t want to wait to spend them. Since Reflex was his lowest attribute, he put all four points into it, bringing the number up to twelve.

Seth didn’t notice a direct improvement. Perhaps his legs moved a bit faster, and they found easier footing against the pine straw. And the darkness seemed to abate a little, but that could have just been his eyes adjusting.

Either way, Seth was glad to be done with Inkling for now, and he blinked the stat sheet away.

As he ran, he considered his options. The revolver still hung from his holster, and it knocked against his leg with every step. He’d forgotten about the gun during the fight with Pete. Not that it would’ve helped much. Seth also had the knife, as well as the empty shotgun in his backpack.

It wasn’t much, but that was the other reason he was heading back to the campsite. His odds of finding the key were slim, but there were other supplies nearby. And if he wanted to set up an ambush at the gate, he’d need something with a little more stopping power.

A few minutes later, the gray outlines of tents poked through the fog. Seth crouched low at the entrance of the clearing and kept his eyes peeled for movement. As before, he saw nothing. Though the tents had shown clear signs of inhabitants, they were abandoned for now.

Seth edged around the back of the clearing and found Riles’s body. By now, it was nothing more than a charred hunk of meat. Her clothes were completely gone, and if she had the key, it was probably melted or covered in ash. He knelt by the body and tried to sift through the remains, but he couldn’t see shit in the darkness.

Deciding it was worth the risk, he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. The bright light stung against his eyes, and he squinted as he shoved Riles to the side and checked the ashen ground around her. Nothing.

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Well, he’d known finding the keys was a long shot. He turned off the flashlight, just in case someone might be nearby. The mine shaft stood to the side, and Seth regarded the short brick walls and the heavy metal door. The supplies he had in mind were within, but he decided to save those for later. Instead, he headed deeper into the camp.

The tents bordered the clearing in an orderly circle. All except for one, which was knocked to the side, a heap of canvas and broken poles. The tent that Riles had crashed her ATV into. Seth pulled at the canvas, trying to find a way inside. Eventually, he found a tear in the wall and shoved his way under the canvas.

The tent’s furnishings were scattered about. Seth pushed his way past one of the cots, knocking its old mattress to the floor and nearly tripping over the metal frame. He found what he was looking for in the back, pressed against the canvas. The ATV.

Seth ducked under the sagging ceiling and leaned against the vehicle. Getting it out of here would be a pain, but it would be worth it. Assuming the ATV still worked. He thumbed the ignition, and the engine rumbled to life. Headlights on the front blinked on, spraying bright blue light across the tent.

He quickly turned the vehicle off, and as the headlights began to fade, Seth noticed a table to the side. It was knocked over, its contents strewn across the dirt, but his breath caught at the sight of a small cardboard box. The holy grail.

Seth collapsed beside the box, flipped open the top, and jammed his fingers inside. He pulled out a handful of shotgun shells. The cold plastic rolled against his fingers and dropped back into the box. He leaned back and laughed. Now this was what he was talking about!

Were they the right type for his shotgun? Seth didn’t know shit about guns, but he was about to find out. The backpack slipped from his shoulders, and he swung it around and pulled out the sawed-off shotgun. It only took him a moment to find the latch, and the barrel swiveled down, two shells popping out the back. Seth discarded the spent casings and fingered a new shell into the barrel.

It fit. That was a good enough confirmation for him.

Seth smiled so hard his cheeks hurt. He loaded the second barrel, then snapped the shotgun closed. David may have escaped his revolver, but the shotgun’s blast would be harder to dodge.

Still, the gun only held two shots. Seth grabbed a handful of shells and shoved them in his pocket. The box held a good deal more, so he shoved the rest in his backpack. As he tried to close the zipper, a crumpled piece of paper fell from the bag.

Seth ignored it as he swung the backpack over his shoulders. Probably just some paperwork from one of his classes. But then he remembered emptying his bag before coming on this trip. He’d had to make space for the drone’s bulky case.

The paper lay against the dirt, a crumpled shadow in the darkness. Seth frowned. He reached for the paper and unfolded it. Jagged writing was scrawled across the note, but it was too dark to read it.

It was probably nothing, but Seth’s curiosity got the better of him. Deciding it was worth the risk, he pulled out his phone and flicked on the flashlight.

If nothing happened, ignore this message.

Otherwise, check the floorboards by my bed.

- Jess.

Great. Seth crumpled the note back up and shoved it in his pocket, along with his phone. So Jess had known something was going to happen, and she’d invited Alex over anyway. Still, Seth was glad he’d found the note. It would give the police something to look for after they escaped. Because there was no way Seth was going to prioritize some vague clue over getting the hell out of here.

He didn’t even know where Jess lived anyway. She was part of the Harris family, right? The same farm that owned the slaughterhouse. Perhaps their house would be near the gate. But no, Seth shoved the idea from his mind. All he wanted to do was get out of here. And kill David. He wouldn’t leave that bastard for the police.

With the shotgun shells sorted, Seth set about getting the ATV out of the tent. He tried dragging it backward, out through the entrance hole of the initial crash. There was too much shit in the way. The jostled cots, the table, the fallen wood stove. And the canvas drooped down, catching on everything.

In the end, Seth decided it would be easier to cut a new hole. He pulled out Earl’s knife and stabbed it into the canvas. Then he sawed it around in a wide arc until the canvas fell away. Even with the open hole, pulling the ATV through was slow and awkward. But then Seth was finally free, and with his prize in tow.

That just left the mines. Seth took a deep breath as he regarded the brick building. Even after everything, that mine shaft still creeped him out. He checked his phone. The timer read 27:48. There was still time, assuming that Alex could get the car working.

Seth pushed his way into the mine building. Stale air flooded his nose with the stink of dust and mold. It was even darker than it had been in the tent, and he felt no qualms about using his flashlight in there. No one would be able to see the light from the outside anyway.

His flashlight swept a beam of light across the metal lockers and the old tables. A leather bag rested exactly where Alex had left it. Seth gently lifted the bag and peered inside. Two bundles of dynamite lay within, held together by a net of twine.

Seth grabbed one of the bundles and slowly pulled it out. Flakes of hardened nitroglycerin stung against his fingertips. This shit was old and unstable. He didn’t care. He placed the dynamite back in the bag, then slung the pack over his shoulder, on top of his other backpack. If his movements caused it to blow up, then so be it.

A sharp whistle speared up the mineshaft.

Seth froze. The noise sent a chill down his spine. He turned off the flashlight, then crept against the wall and peered down the descending shaft. The mine sloped down at a sharp angle, quickly shifting from smooth concrete to rough stone. Wooden beams supported the tunnel at regular intervals, dark shadows against the pitch-black abyss.

But deep within that darkness, Seth sensed movement. Distant voices, muffled and disembodied. And there! At first, he thought he imagined it. But after focusing his eyes, he was sure of it. A slight pinprick of light. There were people down there.

What the hell were they doing?

Seth didn’t wait to find out. He fled the building, hopped on the ATV, and thumbed the ignition. Twin headlights knifed into the woods, bright against the fog. Hopefully, there was a way to turn those off. For now, he just wanted to get some distance.

His fingers clasped the throttle, and the ATV leaped into motion. He tore into the woods, fast at first, then slowing into a more subtle cruise. It was time to pay David a visit.