Chapter 3: Hillicker vs. Hillicker
Contain, release, extract, fuse.
Containment worked like sealing an entity away.
Release was straightforward: he could summon Three Finger again, and once contained and re-released, the mutant would obey him completely.
Like summoning a creature from a deck.
However, if a contained entity suffered fatal injuries and couldn't be recalled into the card in time, it would still die. And those severely wounded wouldn't recover quickly.
Without this restriction, it would be a completely broken system.
As for extraction, it meant drawing one ability from the contained entity's capabilities. For fusion, the card system didn't provide many details.
Danny guessed it was similar to demonic possession, or directly transforming into one of the Hillickers? Or perhaps fusing with other contained entities to create a new hybrid monster?
All of this would require testing.
Danny stepped outside and chose to release Three Finger from the Two of Hearts card. Soon, the tall mutant materialized in the empty space. Compared to his previous near-death state, the re-released Three Finger was clearly in perfect condition.
Three Finger stood there vacantly, showing little reaction even when seeing Danny, just waiting for the next command.
Danny then experimented with fusing the card.
He didn't transform into the disgusting appearance of a Hillicker as he'd imagined, though it seemed he could if he wanted to.
Instead, his strength at least doubled or tripled, his pain perception decreased significantly, his vision became sharper, and his physical durability and recovery increased substantially.
This mutant was Three Finger, the middle brother among the trio.
He was the most skilled with weapons—particularly the recurved bow and barbed arrows. Now those weapons were back in his possession; the other two brothers clearly couldn't use them as effectively.
A Two of Hearts card plus one Hillicker had this much effect. What would the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers be like later?
Or rather, what kind of entities would be worthy of those higher-tier cards?
Danny couldn't fathom it yet, but he'd confirmed that contained entities could still use their original weapons and weren't reduced to mindless automatons.
For example, if he ordered someone killed.
Without additional instructions, Three Finger would kill the target using his own preferred methods.
Danny chose not to remain fused but took Three Finger with him, returning the bow and arrows to the mutant and telling him to stay hidden nearby. Then he prepared to find Jessie and the others.
The entire Hillicker family represented valuable combat assets. He didn't want to let any of them escape.
Danny held the shotgun while Three Finger, with his bow and quiver, followed Danny into the forest.
At that moment, the woods cast eerie shadows under the twilight, like an ominous omen.
Meanwhile.
In the darkening forest.
Scott, one half of the young couple who'd come with Chris, was now running frantically through the undergrowth, occasionally glancing back in terror.
He'd gotten separated from the other three. The two remaining Hillickers seemed to be toying with their prey, following at a leisurely pace behind him.
Suddenly.
A large hand covered Scott's mouth and nose. He began struggling frantically, fear flooding through him.
"Shut up!"
A quiet, rough whisper brought Scott back to his senses. When he saw it was Danny, his eyes couldn't be described as merely surprised—it was like seeing an angel.
Danny stared into the jungle. Behind another tree, Three Finger had his bow drawn and arrow nocked, watching his two brothers intently.
Suddenly, the rumble of their truck in the distance attracted the two mutants, and they immediately turned and rushed back toward the cabin.
Seeing the Hillickers leave, Scott leaned against a large tree and slumped down.
"Thank you, Danny. If it weren't for you, I'd already be dead."
"Don't mention it. Tell me what happened after you got separated."
As Scott explained, Danny was surprised to learn the guy had actually sacrificed himself to distract the mutants while the others escaped.
As someone who prioritized survival, Danny appreciated such selfless people.
If most people were like Scott, how much better would this world be?
Scott was halfway through his story when he suddenly seemed to realize something, saying urgently, "We have to go back and save Carly and the others! With you here, we can definitely take down those freaks!"
After sunset.
The mountains fell into darkness, silent.
Until a fire tower burst into flames, like a beacon in the darkness, growing brighter and brighter.
On the fire tower, Chris, Jessie, and Carly were trapped. Going down meant facing the mutant cannibals, but staying meant burning to death. Chris looked at the surrounding trees and thought of their only option: jumping onto the branches near the tower.
Jessie was already regretting everything. She should have just followed Danny back the way they came. The worst part was that Carly seemed to have given up, crying and refusing to move.
This made the two Hillickers below even more excited.
But they didn't notice Danny and Scott quietly approaching from behind.
"Oh, fuck!"
The moment the tree branch under their feet snapped, all three who'd jumped onto the tree fell hard to the ground.
Seeing Saw Tooth about to pounce on him, Chris scrambled away in terror.
BOOM.
With a gunshot, the shorter mutant immediately bolted into the jungle to hide.
At that moment, illuminated by the firelight, Jessie clearly saw the situation: Scott had fired the shot, but he was now being held by the largest Hillicker—One Eye. Just then, a barbed arrow pierced One Eye's arm. The mutant roared in pain and released Scott.
Danny walked out of the shadows. He was baffled by Scott's aim—absolutely terrible, and the guy was American, for Christ's sake.
Carly, who'd been having a breakdown moments before, burst into tears of relief when she saw her boyfriend was alive.
"Scott!"
"Danny." Jessie was equally relieved. Danny was the only man in this group who made her feel safe.
Danny looked at the largest of the Hillicker brothers, pumping his shotgun.
One Eye forcibly pulled the arrow from his arm, then charged toward Danny, but in the darkness, Three Finger collided head-on with his former leader.
One Eye seemed confused, looking at Three Finger's relentless attacks with bewilderment, as if trying to awaken his brother's loyalty.
But under Three Finger's frenzied assault, One Eye roared in pain and began fighting back.
At this moment, Jessie, Chris, and the others were stunned. The mutant cannibals were fighting each other? Like rabid dogs turning on their own pack?
Against the nearby raging fire, the two monsters crashed into each other, swinging massive fists at each other's heads. A normal person would've been killed instantly by such blows, but the Hillickers only grunted in pain.
Their reduced pain perception meant they fought without fear of death.
Three Finger was still noticeably weaker than One Eye.
Jessie grabbed Danny's hand and pulled him. "Danny, while they're fighting, let's run!"
"Jessie, where exactly would we run to out here?"
They wouldn't even make it a mile before being hunted down. Danny pulled free from Jessie's grip, pumped his shotgun, and aimed at One Eye. Under his mental command, Three Finger moved aside.
BOOM!
Danny shot One Eye in the chest. The mutant didn't fall but charged toward him. Danny fired several more rounds at his knees until the creature could only crawl using his massive arms.
Danny watched One Eye dragging himself across the ground but didn't kill him. Instead, he had Three Finger drag One Eye into the darkness.
The shotgun was empty, and Danny tossed it aside.
The fire tower's flames still burned bright.
Though no one understood why the two deformed cannibals had turned on each other, everyone was relieved to have survived the night.
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