The motorhome door shut, and the metallic click of the lock echoed through the silent interior.
Julie let out such a long sigh it sounded like she had emptied her lungs completely.
"That was close," she muttered, rubbing both temples with her hands.
Daniel laughed as he walked to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.
"Close to what? Didn't you see the suspicious looks they were giving us? You seriously suck at pretending."
Julie lowered her hands and narrowed her eyes at him.
"That's your fault for making me nervous!" she shot back, abandoning the sofa and dropping into the chair across from him.
Her messy hair and still-reddened cheeks ruined any attempt at looking genuinely offended.
The two ate in comfortable silence, broken only by the quiet clinking of utensils.
After taking a sip of black coffee, Daniel spoke. "By the way, later I'm going to teach you something."
Julie paused with the toast halfway to her mouth. "Teach me what?"
"Surprise." He took another swallow before adding, "Basic survival."
The tone alone made it obvious he wasn't explaining further.
Julie studied him for a few seconds, but realized there was no point insisting.
Daniel had that irritating talent of looking relaxed despite hiding information like a walking vault.
After finishing breakfast, Daniel took the driver's seat. The motorhome rumbled with restrained power as he drove toward Colony House at an almost monotonous pace.
The vehicle parked near the main lawn. The cold morning air still lingered over the damp grass as the two remained inside talking for a few minutes, watching the residents slowly begin to emerge.
Boyd appeared first, walking beside Donna.
Right behind them came the Matthews family and Jade, carrying the notebook tucked under his arm like criminal evidence.
As the group approached the house, Victor stepped out the front door holding his metal lunchbox.
Jade spotted him immediately.
And rushed straight toward him.
"Victor!"
He practically shoved the photograph in front of the man's face.
"Who was this guy? Do you know anything about this journal? And these damn symbols?"
Jade stepped even closer, pressing him. "What do you know? What does this mean?"
Victor recoiled abruptly, nearly tripping over his own feet. The lunchbox thudded against his chest in a defensive gesture, his eyes widening at the photograph.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered nervously. "I don't remember."
"Don't remember, or don't want to talk?" Jade pressed.
"Jade."
Donna intervened with the tired naturalness of someone used to putting out human fires every single day.
"Stop."
"He knows some—" Jade tried to argue, pointing a finger.
"You're scaring him." Her voice came out firm as she stepped between the two. "If he knows something important, he'll tell us. Right, Victor?"
He nodded at once, clutching the lunchbox even tighter against his chest like a child protecting a toy.
Jade rubbed the back of his neck in frustration.
"I'm just trying to figure out what the fuck is happening in this place..."
"Then start by focusing on the tower," Boyd cut in, ending the discussion. "We have work to do."
Daniel and Julie watched the entire scene as they slowly crossed the lawn.
"Damn," Daniel remarked. "Looks like everyone had coffee and rage for breakfast."
The silence that followed killed the joke on the spot.
Boyd only gave him an irritated, suspicious look.
The refusal to explain the physical transformation and the sudden appearance of the gun still deeply bothered the sheriff.
Ignoring the silent hostility, Daniel gave Julie a slight nod. She understood and walked toward her parents while he made his way over to Donna.
"Got a minute?" he asked casually.
Donna looked him up and down, already seeming to expect some kind of problem. "What is it now?"
The two of them stepped a few meters away from the group. Daniel shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket before speaking.
"When I went hunting, I found cages people had scattered through the forest," he said matter-of-factly. "I want to be responsible for checking and clearing the traps. You can leave the killing and butchering to me."
Donna arched an eyebrow, judging whether he was serious.
"You got experience with that? Because if you screw up while cutting, we lose meat."
"Relax. I know what I'm doing," Daniel replied as if it were something trivial.
Technically, that wasn't a complete lie. He himself had only done it a few times, nowhere near enough to call himself skilled.
But the Hunter's Memory he had absorbed earlier had dumped dozens of memories into his head about slaughtering, butchering, and getting the most out of a carcass.
Donna stayed quiet briefly, considering it.
"Fine. Next time we catch something, you do a test run." She crossed her arms. "If you really know how to handle it, the job's yours."
"Deal."
Taking advantage of the moment, Daniel moved on to the second question that had been on his mind.
"Where exactly is that stone barrier the sheriff mentioned? That boundary nobody's supposed to go past."
Donna let out a tired sigh and rubbed her temple.
"It's far. Almost an hour on foot without stopping, depending on your pace." She vaguely gestured to the opposite side of the forest. "The stone isn't on the side you usually explore."
"And how am I supposed to know I've reached it if I don't find the rock itself?"
"You'll notice."
The answer came immediately.
"The trees change near the border. The bark gets way too dark, almost rotten, and the trunks have the same markings as the talismans."
Donna shrugged. "I've never seen it up close myself. Only know because Boyd told me. Most people avoid going that deep into the woods."
So it's basically a circle around the town with that stone acting like an anchor.
After thanking her, Daniel calmly returned to the Matthews group. Jim lifted his head the instant Daniel approached Julie.
Without any ceremony, Daniel grabbed her by the waist and pressed a quick kiss against her lips right in front of everyone, drawing a small surprised gasp from the girl.
"See you later, shorty," he murmured, amused.
Beside his parents, Ethan made an exaggerated face.
"Eww!" The boy covered his own eyes with his hands, earning a muffled laugh from Tabitha and an irritated look from Jim.
Julie felt her face heat up when she noticed everyone staring at her. Even so, she lightly shoved Daniel's chest, trying to look annoyed.
"Be careful out there, idiot."
He only let out an amused breath through his nose before ruffling her hair with that rough, teasing affection that was quickly becoming his trademark.
Turning his back, Daniel headed for the tree line. As he moved farther from the house, the sounds of civilization were quickly swallowed by the silent weight of the forest.
The woods carried that strange stillness that always kept him alert.
He found the first trap near the eastern area.
Before he even saw it, he heard a faint noise among the branches.
The mechanism had triggered successfully. Caught without any serious injuries, a streak-furred goat calmly chewed on a tuft of grass, completely unaware it was probably doomed.
"I admire that ability to ignore existential problems."
The goat kept chewing.
[It clearly possesses superior emotional control compared to yours.]
Daniel rolled his eyes as he continued deeper into the forest.
The vegetation grew denser the farther he advanced. Branches cracked beneath his boots.
Several minutes later, the silence died.
Aggressive grunts echoed through the trees, followed by the heavy sound of leaves being crushed.
At the center of the trap, an adult boar thrashed furiously against the ropes. Its dark fur was covered in mud, and its yellowed tusks looked sharp enough to rip open a human leg without difficulty.
It snorted the moment it saw him approach.
Daniel studied the creature for a few seconds.
His original plan had been to cross the barrier. He was curious to find out how strong those animals Boyd had described as "possessed" really were.
With his current speed, he could probably escape if he ran into something too dangerous.
Probably.
But looking at the boar, then thinking about the goat he'd already caught, he reconsidered.
Today's haul is way too good to abandon in the middle of the forest while I go on a potentially suicidal field trip.
I'll save the brilliant idea of sprinting toward unknown horrors for another day.
Before dealing with the catches, Daniel moved a few meters away and set up two more traps.
Only then did he turn his attention back to the boar.
He scratched his chin while sizing it up.
The walk back was over half an hour. If he killed it now, he wouldn't have enough time to devour the soul.
Better to take it alive.
The boar hung there, scraping its front hooves against the damp earth and snorting heavily, glaring at Daniel with pure hatred.
"Alright, big guy..."
He took off his jacket. With a quick motion, the piece vanished into the air and was stored inside the Inventory.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way."
[Classic phrase usually spoken seconds before catastrophically questionable decisions.]
Daniel lunged forward.
The instant he loosened the main knot slightly, the boar burst forward in a savage charge.
He dodged by mere centimeters, his senses and speed doing the work. A tusk passed close enough to graze his thigh while leaves flew through the air.
Daniel grabbed the animal by its thick ears. Both of them hit the wet ground.
The struggle became a frantic blur of mud, weight, and brute force.
The beast fought like a possessed demon, grunting loudly and forcing Daniel to lock his legs around its muscular torso to keep those tusks from reaching any part of his body.
The muscles in his arms tightened. The weight was absurd, but his enhanced physique endured the pressure without giving way.
With sharp reflexes, he wedged his forearm beneath the boar's jaw and yanked its head back using one ear for leverage, cutting off its airflow.
The beast panicked, thrashing even more violently.
Seconds dragged on.
Gradually, its strength began to fade. Its erratic movements turned into weak spasms before finally stopping altogether.
Soon, the heavy body went limp in the mud.
Daniel slowly exhaled and loosened his grip.
Then he rolled to the side and remained sitting on the ground for a few moments.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, not entirely from exhaustion, but from the aftershock of adrenaline.
A satisfied grin spread across his face.
He wiped a muddy hand across his arm, cleaning off some of the dirt, then wrinkled his nose.
"That smell should be considered biological warfare..."
The animal's musky, damp odor clung to his shirt like a direct chemical assault against his nose.
Not wasting time before it woke up again, Daniel grabbed the thick rope and tightly tied its snout shut.
Right after that, he secured both its front and hind legs, testing the knots twice before stepping away.
Afterward, he gathered several thick, flexible branches scattered around the area.
Using vines and the remaining rope, he assembled a crude stretcher-like sled. The frame was far from pretty, but it looked sturdy enough to support the mammal's weight, which was around seventy kilos.
With relative ease, he lifted the boar and positioned it atop the tied branches, securing it firmly to keep it from slipping during the trip back.
[At this point, you're basically starring in a disturbingly aggressive survival documentary.]
Gripping the end of the support, Daniel began dragging it through the forest.
"So I'd basically be Bear Grylls?"
[Given the number of suicidal decisions and unnecessary risk? Acceptable comparison.]
"Well, can't argue with that."
The branches scraped against the damp ground in a constant rasp as he moved between the trees.
A few minutes later, the boar woke up and started thrashing around on the makeshift sled again, snorting furiously through the ropes tightened around its snout. The sled shook violently, but the bindings held.
When he reached the first trap, he stopped to make a collar for the goat.
Unlike the furious boar, the newly captured prey seemed weirdly at peace with its fate.
The goat followed him without resistance.
The rest of the walk back was marked only by the sound of dry leaves being crushed and wood dragging across the dirt.
As he emerged from the tree line and approached the Colony House grounds, the loud roar of an engine filled the air.
Donna stood with three other residents, cutting down a medium-sized tree with a chainsaw.
Sweat glistened on her forehead, and her plaid shirt clung partially to her arms from the effort.
As soon as she noticed Daniel emerging from the woods, Donna released the chainsaw's throttle.
The engine died with a metallic rumble.
Then she saw the boar. And the goat.
The woman's eyes widened for a brief moment.
"Holy shit..."
Donna walked over while wiping sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
"You got all this today?" She glanced at the catches again in disbelief. "Lately it's been getting harder and harder to trap anything."
Daniel released the sled ropes and rolled his broad shoulders to relieve the accumulated tension.
"What can I say?" A crooked smile spread across his face. "Guess I'm just a good hunter."
He nodded toward the animals. "I figure these two should be enough for your little butcher exam."
Donna let out an amused breath through her nose before studying the animals more practically.
"Look, the boar you can kill, no problem." She pointed at the streak-furred goat. "But that one? I'd recommend keeping her alive. Could give milk for a long time."
The leader crossed her arms. "If you just want meat, you can trade her for one of the town's billy goats."
"Fine by me." Daniel shrugged. "Deal."
Satisfied, Donna handed the inactive chainsaw to one of the residents and motioned for them to resume cutting the tree.
Then she headed toward the house's porch, where Boyd and Jim were discussing something related to the tower project.
After hearing a quick summary of the exchange, Boyd slightly raised his eyebrows.
The sheriff glanced at Daniel for a moment. There was reluctant respect there. But also the usual suspicion.
Even so, he eventually agreed to the goat trade with a short nod.
While waiting, Daniel spotted Ethan running toward him.
Tabitha came right behind, trying to stop her son from doing something stupid involving a live and extremely irritated boar.
The boy stopped a few meters away from the wooden sled.
His eyes practically lit up.
"Whoa!" Ethan cautiously circled the crude transport with excited curiosity. "You hunted all this by yourself?"
"Yep, kid." Daniel rested his boot against the side of the improvised sled with lazy confidence.
"That's so cool!" Ethan immediately lifted his gaze toward him. "Can you teach me how to hunt too?"
Tabitha let out a small apprehensive sigh beside them.
Daniel gave her a knowing look before focusing on the boy again.
"Sure. But first I'm going to teach you some important things."
Ethan tilted his head curiously.
"Like what?"
"Like how not to get yourself killed doing it."
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