Even though the light of victory seed right in front of them, everything that followed went frustratingly wrong.
First ca the campsite managers.
Because Misha had previously made a false police report, the managers already had little trust in her. On top of that, Arican high school students had a reputation for being noisy and fond of pranks. Andy was a new manager and still rather inexperienced—after hearing Everly’s explanation, he imdiately panicked. But the other manager, Benjamin, had worked there for a long ti. He had seen plenty of how troubleso these little devils of teenagers could be when they went wild. So, just like the other campers, Benjamin’s first reaction to hearing that Malin and Paula had died was that it was so kind of prank.
Even when Everly showed him photos from the cri scene, Benjamin still refused to believe it.
Well… fine. That was perfectly in line with how authority figures usually behaved in horror movies.
Benjamin happened to know so police officers. In order to gain his trust, Everly had no choice but to take both managers back into the forest to see for themselves.
However, this ti Old John couldn’t go with them. Once the two managers left, no one would be guarding the office area. anwhile, the back of Old John’s Jeep had an open cargo compartnt filled with firearms and ammunition.
Although the killer didn’t use firearms to kill people, there was still the possibility that he might steal the weapons or sabotage the vehicle. Because of that, Old John had to stay behind and keep watch over the jeep.
The old man crouched quietly inside the jeep—whose windows had been reinforced with bulletproof glass—holding his gun while keeping alert in every direction.
He hadn’t even seen the shadows of Everly and the others returning yet when he instead encountered the group of young people who had been sent to fetch the cars.
“Grandpa John, where are the others?”
At the front was Lily, the girl among the nine campers who was closest to Misha. Behind her trailed the other three, all looking dejected. Although the four of them had been assigned to get the cars, they ca running back instead, and there was no sign of any vehicles.
Seeing this, Old John frowned, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
“What happened to the cars?”
“Soone punctured the tires, and the engine seems to be broken too. The cars won’t start at all. Grandpa John… do you think the killer did it?”
“That’s very possible. On the way here, Everly and I ran into a large tree blocking the road. Judging by the marks, it had been deliberately sawed through. It was lying right across the road, and cars couldn’t pass at all. If we hadn’t brought a chainsaw with us, we wouldn’t have been able to get into the campground.”
Lily looked increasingly panicked. “Then what do we do? The way out is so far away—without cars we can’t escape. The killer might catch us halfway!”
“Don’t panic. Let’s wait until the others co back, then we’ll all go check the cars together. I know how to repair vehicles. As long as we have enough materials, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Old John’s Shepherd Jeep originally had a load capacity of 750 kilograms. However, during the modifications, the newly installed parts were all relatively heavy, so the vehicle’s actual carrying capacity was now around 650 kilograms. The weapons and ammunition stacked in the rear compartnt also took up part of that weight allowance.
Because of that, the jeep could carry at most seven or eight adults. There was no way it could fit all eleven people. If they wanted everyone to evacuate, they needed at least two vehicles.
After calming Lily down, Old John waited there with the others.
Not long afterward, the group Everly had taken into the forest also returned. The rules distilled from horror movies seed to work quite well—since everyone had consistently kept their numbers above three, this group hadn’t been attacked by the killer either.
At the very front were the two campsite managers. Their faces were pale, and Andy’s hands were still trembling, clearly shaken by what they had seen in the forest.
“We need to call the police—imdiately!”
Upon seeing the office building, Benjamin quickened his pace and hurried to the door of the manager’s office, unlocking it with his key.
The campground was fairly remote, and there was no mobile phone signal. The only way to contact the outside world was through the landline inside the office. However, when Benjamin picked up the phone to call the police, he was shocked to discover that the telephone line had been cut at so point.
The break was on the outer wall of the building. The saboteur had been quite cunning—rather than simply cutting the phone line, they had removed an entire arm-length section of the cable. With such a large piece missing, the remaining wire wasn’t long enough to strip the insulation and reconnect the copper with pliers.
“When did this even get damaged… Could it be…?”
Benjamin cast a suspicious glance at Old John. Earlier, so people had gone to get the cars and others had gone to look at the bodies. Old John had been the only one left here, which ant he had plenty of ti to do sothing like this.
Old John’s response to that suspicion was simple: he took out his satellite phone and placed it in front of the two managers.
“….”
With a device capable of contacting the outside world sitting right there, there was obviously no reason for him to cut the phone line.
The baseless suspicion faded. Benjamin picked up the phone and dialed 911.
“Let the police handle the investigation,” he said. “We’re just ordinary people—protecting ourselves cos first. Let’s go check the parking lot next.”
The city of Viska was quite far from the campsite. It would take the police at least half a day to arrive. In that amount of ti, who knew what might happen? It was better to leave as soon as possible.
The entire campsite lay along the edge of a lake and was shaped like a crescent. The parking lot was located at the innermost corner of that crescent—a large triangular open space.
Late June wasn’t peak camping season yet, so only four vehicles were currently parked there: two belonging to the campers and two belonging to the campsite managers.
Old John and Everly both knew how to repair cars. They split up and carefully inspected the four vehicles. It quickly beca clear that all of them had been deliberately sabotaged. The tires had all been punctured. When they opened the hoods, they found the battery cables had been cut, and the fuel pump fuses in the engine compartnts were missing.
The tires and cables weren’t a major problem. Whenever Old John traveled long distances, he habitually kept common repair tools in the vehicle—things like tire sealant, an air pump, a jack, and electrical tape.
With those tools, the tires and cables could be fixed. Manager Benjamin often drove as well, so he could handle these small repairs too.
The only real problem was the fuel pump fuse. This wasn’t a part you kept around for regular use—you’d either have to buy one at a specialized repair shop or take one from another car that hadn’t been damaged. Without it, the vehicle simply couldn’t start.
“I rember there are a few houses nearby. We could go ask if anyone has a spare fuse,” Andy suggested.
Old John shook his head. “No. First, fuses differ depending on the car model—you can’t be sure a neighbor’s will fit. Second, getting there ans passing through a narrow forest path, which is perfect for an ambush. Third, soone would have to stay behind to guard the cars and prevent further damage. Splitting up now would only increase the danger for both groups.”
“What do we do then?” soone asked.
“I, Grandpa, and Misha—we’ll drive to the nearest gas station and get the fuses we need,” Everly said.
Her words imdiately drew objections from several people.
“No! You ca here to get Misha. What if you leave and don’t co back?”
“Your cars are empty and can carry a few more people. Can’t you just drive us out instead?”
“You’re ard, and you’re the most capable people here. If you leave, who’s going to protect us?”
Most of the objections ca from the two managers and the three students from other schools, led by the red-haired boy. The other campers from Everly’s school, knowing her character well, wisely stayed silent.
Although Everly’s main plan was to grab Misha and leave if things went badly, she genuinely wanted to help the others. Her kindness and good intentions shouldn’t beco leverage for others to manipulate or threaten her.
Seeing that the debate was going nowhere, Everly raised her gun, flipped the safety off, and pressed the barrel against Andy’s forehead—the one closest to her—keeping a blank, expressionless face as she leaned in.
She had a very beautiful face, and her pale blue eyes were often said to resemble the sea and the sky. But few people knew that when Everly was angry, those sa light blue eyes could beco like glaciers in the polar ice—cold, sharp, and piercing, cutting straight into the hearts of anyone who t her gaze.
Pressing the hard barrel of the gun against Andy, she turned her eyes toward the others who had opposed her. Each word was slow, deliberate, and cold:
“I’m not asking for opinions. I’m telling you. If you have sothing to say, try talking to my gun instead.”
As soon as she spoke, the entire parking lot fell into complete silence.
Both the act of drawing a weapon at the slightest disagreent and the detached, almost godlike way she looked down on everyone exceeded anything people considered normal. Even though it was clear Everly was trying to scare them, no one dared risk their life by testing whether she would actually fire.
Andy trembled violently, a cold sweat running down his forehead.
“Good. That settles it,” Everly said. She lowered the gun and gestured to Misha.
Under the shocked, fearful, and resentful gazes of the others, the three of them climbed into the Jeep. Once everyone was seated, Everly rolled down the window and poked her head out halfway.
“Watch the cars carefully while we’re gone. Wait patiently for our return. No matter what happens, don’t go off alone. There’s only one killer, and he’s nowhere near as strong as you imagine. As long as you stay together, he won’t dare attack before dark.”
And this was true. According to the Blood Camp setting, the killer Gary grows stronger with each murder. In the earlier films, because he had killed fewer people, his power was only slightly above normal human levels—far weaker than in the later movies. Considering this is a prequel, there was no real reason to fear Gary’s strength.
With Everly holding a gun, everyone nodded obediently like quail, too intimidated to argue.
“Alright, we’re heading out to buy the fuses. Listen carefully—stay here and keep watch over the cars. Mr. Benjamin, fix any tires or cables you can while you’re at it, okay?”
The group nodded repeatedly, like a chorus.
“Good.” Everly smiled faintly and raised her hand, tossing her Glock 19 and Misha’s satellite phone in front of them. “There are fifteen bullets in the gun—use it to defend yourselves. If anything happens, use the satellite phone to contact . The number is written on the sticker. With so many of you, surely soone here knows how to handle a gun?”
Benjamin, along with two of the boys in the group, nodded in unison.
“Then we’re off.”
With that, Everly rolled up the window.
Old John pressed the accelerator, and the Jeep roared to life. Through the rearview mirror, Everly saw the people left in the parking lot frozen in place, not daring to move. It wasn’t until the Jeep had driven quite a distance that Benjamin finally hesitantly stepped forward and picked up the gun from the ground.
Hmph… they looked like a timid bunch. Hopefully, they’ll stay put and not run off.
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