Chapter 5: America and Horror: This World is Too Dangerous
The show looked more and more like Supernatural.
Danny used to be a horror enthusiast who'd watched countless films and TV shows, including the long-running series about two brothers hunting monsters across America.
The Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, traveled from state to state in their black Impala, investigating everything from vengeful spirits to demons.
Though the content of the show didn't match his memories exactly, it contained disturbing implications—hauntings didn't only exist in America.
Similar phenomena existed in other regions and countries.
Among them, Japan had a particularly large number of urban legends about ghosts and vengeful spirits—The Grudge, The Ring, countless others.
Currently, Danny's most urgent task was checking U.S. news. He clicked on a website dedicated to paranormal research, which contained numerous claims and videos of varying credibility.
There were video recordings and legends from various locations.
For example, there was a horror legend about a small town shared by someone named Judith, concerning Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist from the 1940s who'd been murdered by the townspeople.
Some commenters believed it, while others were skeptical.
Danny, however, believed the legend was true because he recognized that nursery rhyme.
"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw, she had no children, only dolls..."
Dead Silence. Another horror to avoid.
There was also a small town where child disappearance and death rates were six times the national average.
A female exploration team had vanished in a cave system.
A psychiatric hospital in California was reportedly haunted, with all staff mysteriously disappearing.
Population disappearances on remote highways.
Possessed doll murder cases.
Entire families slaughtered in their homes on Halloween night.
Danny couldn't be certain, but based on the information available, he could tentatively identify suspected incidents from Child's Play, Halloween, The Descent, Hellraiser, Paranormal Activity, Sinister, It, The Possession, and more.
This was only what he'd seen so far—he didn't know how many more were hidden.
Originally, he'd felt somewhat safe with two Hillickers as backup, but now it seemed that if he encountered any of these incidents, he could easily die.
The Hillickers might be fine against ordinary people or even serial killers.
But once the threat level increased—demons, possessed dolls, supernatural entities—the mutants would likely be torn apart instantly.
Just as Danny felt a chill down his spine, a soft, warm body pressed against him.
Jessie hugged Danny from behind and glanced at the computer screen.
"Babe, why are you looking at this kind of stuff?"
It was already almost midnight outside, pitch black. Having just escaped death, Jessie was understandably scared.
She needed Danny's comfort—or rather, they needed to comfort each other.
"Just curious." Danny quietly closed the website, turned his head, and looked down to find Jessie wearing only a bathrobe with nothing underneath. No wonder the sensation against his back felt so immediate.
"It's time for bed, Danny." Jessie breathed warmly against his ear, her meaning crystal clear.
Neither of them were kids—they were both adults.
It was normal to need stress relief.
Danny turned, and Jessie kissed him. Her bathrobe slipped away, and Jessie, like a graceful serpent, traced her lips down Danny's neck.
From Danny's perspective, he could see an enticing view, though he knew looking into the abyss meant the abyss looked back.
Danny tilted his head and stroked Jessie's hair, like petting a devoted pet, only with more pressure and more frequent guidance...
The next day.
Except for Chris, who woke early, the other four all overslept without exception.
When they gathered in the hotel lobby,
the group went to the police station for updates, only to learn the investigation was still ongoing and the patrol officer who'd gone to investigate yesterday had lost contact.
Hearing this, Danny knew the unlucky cop had most likely already been killed.
As for going back to search for Saw Tooth while it was still daylight—he decided against it.
That forest area was too vast, and there was no point wasting time.
Danny, Jessie, Scott, and Carly were preparing to return home. After this incident, none of them had any desire to continue their trip.
Compared to West Virginia's backwoods, Massachusetts felt relatively safer.
Their vehicles were all damaged, so they had to rent a new one.
Danny paid for it. There was nothing else to do—the inheritance his parents left him was substantial.
Even before recovering his memories of horror films, he'd lived comfortably without worrying about money.
On the drive home, Scott was behind the wheel again, but this time he was far more cautious, his eyes constantly scanning the road for obstacles.
Wrong Turn had clearly left a lasting impression.
Danny, however, was relaxed, enjoying the sun with a beautiful woman beside him. This trip was, for him, ultimately successful.
His primary objective now was containing ghosts and evil spirits.
Because the Hillickers could only defend against people, not intangible supernatural entities.
Without proper protection, he was vulnerable to accidentally stumbling into a horror scenario whenever he went out.
The journey was smooth.
Until late afternoon, when the car passed a certain property, the temperature suddenly plummeted.
Danny's constitution had always been good—he could handle winter without heavy clothes—but here it was so cold he wanted to put on multiple layers.
The fence surrounding that property was very high.
With his enhanced vision, Danny could see clearly. There seemed to be a figure standing inside the gate, but in the blink of an eye, the person vanished.
His heart sank. No way...
Danny pulled out his cards and saw the entire surface covered with blood-red text.
[Traces of containable entity detected: Rose Red Manor!]
[Traces of containable entity detected: Rose Red Manor!]
[Traces of containable entity detected: Rose Red Manor!]
The repeated warnings filled him with dread.
Even though it was still daylight, Danny couldn't feel a trace of warmth.
"Scott, floor it!"
Danny roared, startling Scott into stomping the accelerator. The car instantly accelerated, and only when they'd put significant distance between themselves and the manor did Danny's mood settle.
He looked back and saw the manor had disappeared from view.
What the hell!
Danny didn't respond to Jessie's concerned questions. He just wanted to get as far away as possible.
That manor resembled Rose Red—the Stephen King haunted house that consumed people, growing larger with each victim it claimed.
Danny would rather die than set foot in such a place until he'd contained a King or Queen-level entity—maybe not even then.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey was uneventful.
The manor seemed to have appeared only by chance—or perhaps it let them pass.
The four successfully returned to Salem.
Danny parted ways with Jessie and the others. Although he and Jessie had spent a pleasant night together, they hadn't become a couple.
Their situations and ages weren't compatible for a serious relationship.
Jessie had tried to pursue something more, but Danny had refused. He could enjoy company, but a girlfriend required serious consideration.
After returning to his house—a large property his parents had left him—he immediately searched online for information about Rose Red Manor.
At the same time, his cards lay nearby. If any trace was detected, he'd immediately close his laptop to avoid accidentally triggering something.
He did find some references when searching online.
Information about the secrets of haunted mansions that grew and fed on human souls.
This world was far more dangerous than he'd imagined.
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