They crossed the bridge safely, finding refuge behind several large, elevated rocks. Ches lay unconscious between the two older men seated on either side of him. Across from them sat Andrew, casting wary glances, not only around their surroundings but also at his three unfamiliar companions.


Milo was tending to the injuries on the young men’s face, while Frankie, appearing indifferent, was leaning back with his eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest.


“ I can’t believe I just went through that!” Andrew thought repeatedly, rubbing his chin as if to ground himself. “ Something’s wrong.. Everything feels off”


<< Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not true..>> Milo’s voice snapped Andrew back to the present.


<< Milo, please tell me. Why didn’t you throw the stones?! The spirit was right below us! Why didn’t you recite a spell or a prayer?!>> Andrew burst out.


<< You think it’s that easy?>> Milo asked calmly, focusing his gaze on Andrew. << First, my priority was saving Ches. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have died. There was no time for prayers..>>


<< You don’t believe in their power, then? >> Andrew challenged, searching Milo’s face for answers.


Frankie opened his eyes, silently tuning in to their conversation. Milo took a deep breath, lifting his gaze to meet Andrew’s. << The first step is to make the spirit play by our rules.. and it’s not as simple as it sounds..>>


<< Milo.. this was my first time face to face with a demon, and I was paralyzed.. But you said you’ve been hunting her for years.. And yet, today, you remained…so.. calm..>> Andrew said, his tone laced with suspicion.


The two men exchanged a glance, one that made Andrew subconsciously tighten his grip on his rifle, as if bracing himself for an answer he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear.


<< Andrew, I think it’s time to be honest with you..>>


Suddenly, footsteps echoed in their ears, interrupting the conversation. They went quiet, all attention turned beyond the trees and rocks.


<< She’s watching us..>> Frankie whispered.


<< She can’t harm us now..>> Milo said and looked at Frankie. Both of them stared at Ches and Milo gently covered him, pulling the blanket up snugly to his neck.


Andrew remained pensive. He gathered his long lair into a low bun, fixing Milo with an intense, suspicious gaze as thoughts of doubt took shape in his mind. He stayed silent, hoping Milo might finish his sentence before that eerie noise interrupted them, though the hope felt like a slow burn inside him.


Without making a move or uttering a word, his eyes stayed glued to the fire Frankie had just kindled, its flames warming his body. Yet, at that moment, he needed something more powerful: logic. Logic had always guided him throughout his life, but now it felt as if he’d lost it, slipping into a fantasy story he’d only seen in movies!


For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the company of the three men. There was something inside him, a weight he couldn’t quite explain. He could only hear his thoughts very lightly as they were leaving him also. Andrew felt as though everything around him was a lie. He was certain that sooner or later, he would wake up from the weird nightmare he was living but.. suddenly, the longing to return home, to wake up in his own bed, had vanished. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing a fear so intense that he began to believe he had already fallen into a reality shaped by his own paranoia. That everything was in his mind, and none of it was real. He began to think that the three men weren’t real either. He had created them to accompany him on the one-way path to his madness.. and they, among themselves, seemed to know they didn’t exist. They held a secret, - keeping it hidden from Andrew. 


He felt his mind going away, as though he were losing his grip on reality.. and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was enduring his own private hell.