"What if there's nothing out there? What if you made all this up so you can play whatever sick game you're playing?" the man said, still suspicious.
Henry looked at him for a moment before answering. "That's a fair question. But nobody here is playing a game, and we're not trying to scare you for fun." He gestured toward the others.
"I'm Henry. That's Dean, Sam, and Ash. We're four unlucky people who got dragged into this mess because of one book." He pointed toward the Necronomicon sitting on the table.
"We don't expect you to believe everything we're saying. Just wait and you'll see for yourself."
He pulled out a chair and sat down. "If you want to go outside, I'm not going to physically stop you. But based on what we've already seen, there's a very good chance you won't make it back."
The man stared at him. "You're serious?"
"Yeah."
Dean stepped in before the argument could go further. "Nobody's asking you to trust us. Just don't do something stupid because you're scared."
Sam looked toward the windows. "We don't know what's out there or where it is, so going outside right now would be a bad idea."
"If your friend is still alive, running out there without knowing what we're dealing with could make things worse."
The woman looked toward the door, clearly worried. "But we can't just sit here."
"I know. But we need to think before we move."
The man still looked unconvinced. He glanced at the door, then at the three armed men and Ash. "You expect me to believe that something out there killed my friend?"
"No," Dean said. "You don't have to believe us yet. Just stay inside and see what happens."
Henry leaned back in his chair. "Give it a few minutes. If there's nothing out there, you'll have your answer."
The cabin became quiet as everyone listened.
Then a loud crash came from somewhere outside.
The woman flinched. "What was that?"
Dean immediately stood and reached for his gun. "That wasn't a tree falling."
Sam moved toward the window but stayed away from the glass. "Something's moving out there."
The man finally stopped arguing and looked toward the door. A low growl came from the woods, followed by the sound of something heavy dragging across the ground.
Dean looked at him. "Still think we're playing a game?"
Suddenly, a severed hand came crawling through the doorway. Nobody had time to react before it scuttled across the floor and shot straight toward the man, grabbing him between the legs.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
The man doubled over and grabbed at the hand, stumbling around the cabin in panic. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
Dean stared at him for half a second before wincing. "Ouch."
Sam grimaced. "Yeah, that's gonna hurt."
The woman stood frozen with her mouth open. "How is that thing even moving?"
Ash raised his shotgun but hesitated. "Don't ask me. I've seen worse tonight."
The man continued running around the cabin, screaming as the hand refused to let go. "GET THIS THING OFF ME!"
Henry backed away. "Yeah, I'm not doing that."
Dean looked at Sam. "Okay, who wants to save the guy?"
Sam stared at him. "Seriously?"
"You're the one who likes helping people."
"That's not how this works."
The hand tightened its grip.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
Sam sighed. "Fine."
Dean grinned. "That's my boy."
Sam grabbed a nearby broom and tried to knock the hand loose, but it dodged the swing and crawled higher. "Dean!"
"I'm thinking!"
"Think faster!"
Henry looked around the cabin. "Just pull it off."
Sam grabbed the man's jacket and tried to hold him still. "Stop moving!"
"I'm trying!"
Sam reached down, grabbed the severed hand, and pulled. It clung tighter. "Come on!" He pulled harder.
"AHHHHH!"
"Sorry!" Sam braced his foot against the floor. With one final pull, he ripped the hand free.
The man collapsed onto the floor, clutching himself and gasping for breath. Sam was left holding the severed hand.
Everyone stared at it.
The fingers suddenly curled around Sam's wrist. Sam's eyes widened. "Oh, come on."
The hand scratched at his sleeve and tried to crawl up his arm. Dean immediately pointed his gun at it. "Sammy, get that thing off you."
"I'm trying!"
Ash raised the shotgun. "Want me to shoot it?"
Sam looked at him. "Not while you're pointing that at my hand!"
Henry grabbed the hand by the wrist and yanked it away from Sam. It immediately started clawing at his arm. "Okay, this thing is seriously annoying." He slammed it against the wooden floor once, twice, then a third time until it finally stopped moving. He dropped it.
The cabin went quiet.
Dean looked at the hand lying on the floor. "Anybody else think we should leave this place?"
Ash slowly raised his hand. "Yep."
Dean nodded. "Good. We're all on the same page."
"So, now you believe there's something strange going on?" Henry asked, looking between the two of them.
The woman nodded immediately. The man gave a reluctant nod as he continued rubbing his bruised groin. "Yeah. I believe you."
Henry nodded. "Good. Then let's start with introductions."
The woman took a breath. "I'm Annie." She gestured toward the man beside her. "He's James."
Annie looked around the cabin, still trying to process everything. "So what exactly are we dealing with?"
Dean glanced at the severed hand lying on the floor. "That's the million-dollar question."
*****
🔥 For Advanced Chapters Join My Patreon 🔥
👉 patreon.com/DeathNote4455
🚀 Get early access to 24 Advanced chapters.