Having agreed to Samantha's suggestion to go to the country house in the woods with her friends, Alex decided to find out when they were planning to leave and where exactly this country house was located. Following Samantha, who continued talking on the phone with Jessica, Alex found her in the kitchen. Entering the kitchen, Alex saw Samantha leaning against the kitchen counter, holding a mug of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other.
There was a joyful smile on her face because of the upcoming trip. Since moving in with Alex and later to the Bunker, Samantha had been calling her friends quite often, but she hadn't seen them in a long time and was glad to meet them again.
Noticing Alex in the kitchen doorway, Samantha smiled at him, showing that she was still on the phone. Alex nodded and walked over to her, standing on the other side and pressing his ear to the phone to listen to what she was talking about with Jessica.
Listening to the conversation between the two girls, Alex thought about reminding her of what had happened the last time they had all gathered as a group. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Samantha immediately put a finger to his lips, making it clear that he shouldn't even think about ruining anything.
"Don't even try," Samantha whispered, pressing her finger to Alex's lips and not letting him speak.
Samantha understood what Alex wanted to say and had no intention of letting him do it. How could she forget the event that had turned her life upside down — especially the lives of her friends, who had to attend therapy sessions to cope with the traumas they had faced on Blackwood Mountain.
And Samantha didn't want Alex to remind her of it. Alex just rolled his eyes, showing that he would stay silent. Nodding, Samantha continued her phone conversation, arranging the meeting date. Alex, who was listening, almost rolled his eyes when he heard that they needed to be in Portland tomorrow. Noticing Alex's look, Samantha rolled her eyes too, showing that teleporting halfway across the country was a trivial matter for him.
"Alright, I guess I'll book a plane to Portland," Alex said, waving his hand and taking out his phone from his pocket.
Samantha glanced at her wrist to check the time and nodded. She didn't care how they got to Portland — by plane or using Alex's powers. But she didn't mind if they traveled the normal human way, without using supernatural abilities.
Leaving the kitchen, Alex held his phone and ordered a private jet to Portland. From Samantha and Jessica's conversation, Alex understood that everyone would be gathering at the airport. Returning to the library, Alex shared the details of the upcoming trip with the other girls.
Alex wanted all of them to go too, but the girls had their own plans. Lucina had taken on extra work in the Bureau's Analytics department, Wednesday had no intention of spending several days in the company of typical teenagers (as she put it), and Alice, Enid, and Doll were heading to London with Alessa.
"Where's Alessa? Is she still in her room?" Alex asked, sitting down on the sofa next to Doll.
"She's playing surgeon with Thing," Wednesday replied, turning the page of her book.
"I hope the patient isn't Thing…? I mean, he's a hand — what kind of operation can you even perform on him?" Enid asked with doubt in her voice, turning her head toward Wednesday.
"No. Thing is just the assistant. When I played surgeon as a child, Thing helped me a lot. He has quite a lot of experience. Including kidnapping patients," Wednesday answered without looking up, continuing to read her book.
Alex looked at Lucina, wondering who the patient was. Lucina, who was typing on her laptop, looked up at Alex and shrugged, showing she had no idea who was unlucky enough to end up in that role. Alex looked at Alice, but she also shook her head. An hour earlier Alessa had been sitting with them in the library, but she quickly got bored and went to her room, taking Thing with her.
Sighing, Alex decided to check what their daughter was doing and who was unfortunate enough to become Alessa's victim. Getting up from the sofa, Alex went to see what was happening in Alessa's room. Doll stood up from the sofa with Alex, also thinking about checking on Alessa. Leaving the library, Alex and Doll walked down the bunker corridor, and right by Alessa's room they met Sam, who was thoughtfully staring at the door.
"What's up, Sam? Decided to talk to your niece?" Alex asked, walking closer.
"No. I was just passing by and saw this strange sign," Sam replied, shaking his head and pointing at the sign hanging on the door.
Alex and Doll looked at the door and saw a simple sign that read: "Do Not Enter, Surgery in Progress." Alex slightly pursed his lips and looked at Sam, who only shook his head, thinking the same thing. Sighing, Alex decided to see what was happening inside anyway.
Sam wasn't planning to leave either; he was also curious about what his gloomy niece was up to. Carefully pulling the door handle down, Alex began to open the door. As soon as he opened it, a muffled groan of pain came from the other side. Opening the door just enough to peek inside, Alex, Doll, and Sam looked through the gap.
The first thing they saw was Alessa in a black surgeon's coat, standing on a small stool. In the center of her room stood an old rusty surgical table, to which a man was tied, struggling to break free. The man on the operating table was thrashing, trying to escape the restraining straps.
The man's eyes were filled with fear as he looked into Alessa's black eyes, which showed no emotion. Because of the gag in his mouth, he could only whimper. But in his muffled sounds, there was a clear plea and a request to be released.
"Assistant, make the patient be quiet. His groans are interfering with my concentration," Alessa said in a cold tone, shifting her gaze to the side.
Alessa's gaze moved to the instrument table, where Thing stood wearing a sterile glove and a small nurse's cap on his wrist. Hearing Alessa's request, Thing pushed off with his fingers and jumped onto the surgical table. Quickly moving his fingers, Thing reached the man's head, stood on his stump, and delivered a backhand slap.
At that moment there was a loud smack, and the man's groans stopped. But his terrified gaze remained fixed on Alessa, who looked at him with a cold, emotionless stare. Seeing what was happening, Alex calmly closed the door so as not to disturb Alessa. When the door closed, Sam looked at Alex with clear doubt in his eyes.
"Are you sure this is okay?" Sam asked, slightly frowning and pointing at Alessa's door.
"Sam, you remember what Alessa went through and what abilities she possesses, right?" Alex said calmly, looking at Sam.
"You don't forget something like that… But you yourself said that Alessa should have a normal childhood. And this is clearly not what children should be doing," Sam said, shaking his head. He remembered Alessa's story very well.
"Then who do you think is on that table?" Alex asked another question, leaning his back against the door.
"You're saying that on the table is…?" Sam said with doubt in his voice, looking at the door.
"Yes, a member of the Order. Alessa hasn't forgiven or forgotten what they did to her," Alex replied, nodding and confirming Sam's thoughts.
"Didn't they all die? I thought we got rid of all the Order members. And you personally set their own god on them. Or did I miss something?" Sam asked, frowning at Alex's answer.
"Yes, they died. But they're still trapped in their personal hell. And until Alessa forgives them, it will continue. And don't forget — they are not people, not ghosts, but monsters. Every single one of them. We save those who need to be saved. And we kill those who need to be killed. Whether it's a monster or a human," Alex said, patting Sam on the shoulder and preparing to return to the library.
Sam watched Alex and Doll walk away and didn't even think about arguing with Alex's words. He understood that it wasn't his place to judge Alessa for wanting revenge on those who had made her this way. Sam sighed and simply shook his head, deciding to return to his own business.
He considered Alessa his niece, and if this was how she chose to take revenge, then all he could do was silently support her. Sam knew that Alessa was not a monster, because he had observed her and seen that she was an ordinary child who simply craved family warmth. Stopping in the corridor, Sam sighed and shook his head.
"We've caused plenty of problems ourselves," Sam muttered, entering his room to rest a bit and distract himself from such thoughts.
Dean, who at that moment was heading to the recreation room with a beer and a burger in his hands, noticed his brother's strange behavior. He immediately thought that Sam was getting depressed again because all their recent attempts to find a way to deal with Amara had ended in dead ends. Deciding to find out what was going on, Dean approached Sam's room.
Entering Sam's room, Dean asked right from the doorway what was happening again. Sam immediately explained what he had witnessed. Hearing that Alessa was playing surgeon using members of the Order cult, Dean thought for a moment and nodded. Dean said the same thing Alex had said — that Alessa had every right to her revenge against every bastard who had done that to her.
Sam just stared at his brother and sighed, not even trying to say anything. Dean, having figured out why his brother was acting like a depressed whiner again, decided to return to his relaxation with beer, a burger, and his favorite show.
Meanwhile, Alex was already lying on Doll's lap in the library, lazily reading the latest news feed. He wasn't planning to do anything else that day and just wanted to continue resting. The girls also continued with their own activities, taking their time.
And even after learning who had become Alessa's test subject, the girls only shrugged, showing no sympathy. Even Enid, who was the kindest among them, expressed no sympathy for the idiot lying on the operating table. After all, in the past Enid had personally killed several members of the Order when she and the other girls had gone to Shepherd's Glen.
Scrolling through the news feed, Alex turned onto his side, continuing to enjoy Doll's gentle strokes. Squinting his eyes in pleasure, Alex ran his finger across the screen, continuing to read the news.
"Have you already booked the plane tickets?" Samantha asked, entering the library with a satisfied smile on her face.
"I said plane, not tickets. Flying on a private jet is much more comfortable. And without extra noise," Alex said, lifting his head from Doll's lap.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just teleport like you usually do?" Enid asked, turning to Alex.
"Samantha wanted everything to be like normal people. And who am I to refuse," Alex said, pointing at Samantha, who sat down next to Lucina and watched her work.
"True. I want to rest from all this supernatural stuff. No monsters, demons, or anything else. Just fresh forest air and a normal people's vacation," Samantha said, nodding.
"Then you should have gone with your friends and not taken the King of Demons with you. It's hard to call anything normal when he's around," Alice said with a smile, pointing her finger behind her directly at Alex.
"Alice, I know," Alex asked in a tired tone.
"I know, that's why I'm saying it in front of you, Hun," Alice said, laughing cheerfully as she jumped over to Alex and sat on his lap.
Sitting on Alex's lap, Alice grabbed his cheeks and immediately kissed him on the cheek. Alex smiled and stroked Alice's head, causing her to make a contented sound and rub her nose against his cheek. Smiling, Alex held his phone, thinking about what he should take on this trip. After all, this was the first time he would be resting in a place like this, and Alex wanted to fully enjoy the vacation. Alex began making plans for the trip, which would start tomorrow.
While Alice sat on his lap, he decided to ask her opinion about this kind of camping. Hearing Alex's question, Alice happily agreed to help him. Hearing Alex and Alice's conversation, Samantha got up from her seat and came closer so Alex wouldn't buy or take anything he shouldn't.
Doll also showed interest in the conversation, curious about outdoor recreation. Seeing Doll's interest, Alex promised that in the future they would all go on such a trip together. Hearing this, Doll smiled tenderly and nodded slightly. The other girls also didn't refuse Alex's words if it was one big family trip to nature.
While discussing what things to take on the trip, it quickly became dinnertime, and everyone moved to the kitchen. During dinner, Alex told Dean and Sam that he and Samantha were leaving tomorrow to spend time with Samantha's friends.
As soon as Alex said this, Sam and Dean took turns reminding him that anything could be in such forests. After all, they had encountered similar situations many times. But Alex explained that summer wasn't the season when forest creatures came out to hunt for food.
"Hmm… True. It's not the time of year when all that filth crawls out of their holes. But if anything happens, you can call if you need help," Dean said, nodding to show he didn't mind if Alex and Samantha went away for a couple of days.
"And how do you imagine that? Even if I call, you probably won't be able to drive halfway across the country in an hour," Samantha said, looking at Dean with slight sarcasm.
"We'll ask Castiel to drop us off with you. But I think the two of you can handle whatever crawls out of the ground," Sam said, taking a sip of coffee.
Dean also nodded, agreeing with Sam's words. They knew how well Samantha could fight monsters. After all, they had seen her kill several werewolves single-handedly.
Samantha thought for a moment and nodded. Initially, she hadn't wanted to take any weapons and had planned to fully relax. But after this discussion, she decided to take her katana with her after all. Realizing she would still have to stay alert, Samantha just sighed and continued eating her dinner.
"I wanted a proper rest," Samantha muttered, finishing her meal.
"I don't see anything wrong with that. What's stopping you from resting properly? So what if some crap crawls out. Just kill it and keep resting. Big deal," Alice said in a carefree tone, waving her fork.
"In a way, yes. I guess that works too," Samantha said thoughtfully, nodding slightly.
Alex chuckled lightly and stroked Samantha's head. He couldn't resist saying that the vacation would be even better if they killed a couple of monsters together. Hearing Alex's words, everyone laughed, and Samantha rolled her eyes with a smile, hitting him on the arm.
Chuckling, Alex quickly finished his dinner and thought he should pack his bag early. After finishing dinner, Alex and Samantha went to pack their things so they wouldn't forget anything. While packing, Alex thought about taking a hunting rifle to go hunting. But as soon as he mentioned it, Samantha immediately rejected the idea.
Alex didn't even have a chance to argue with Samantha because of her love for animals. So instead of a hunting rifle, Alex was given a fishing rod. Looking at the fishing rod in his hands, Alex tossed it aside, not intending to do something as boring as fishing.
"Don't even think about it. No hunting innocent animals. The only thing you can count on is fishing," Samantha repeated, noticing how Alex had tossed the rod aside.
"If I want to fish, I'll go somewhere better. Like the Pacific Ocean to catch tuna," Alex said, rolling his eyes as he packed his things into the bag.
"It's your choice, Sweetheart… Did you forget anything?" Samantha asked, carefully folding a tracksuit into her bag.
"I don't think so. I think I took everything. We'll buy the rest in Portland… Didn't Jessica say how we're getting there?" Alex said, closing his backpack.
"Jess mentioned that Josh and Chris apparently want to rent a car," Samantha replied thoughtfully, closing and lifting her backpack and moving it to another spot.
Hearing this, Alex looked at Samantha with doubt, skeptical that Josh and Chris could do anything properly. Alex shook his head, thinking it was a rather stupid decision to entrust such a task to Josh and Chris. One was still undergoing treatment for his problematic head, and the other was a half-baked ghost hunter.
Together, those two were no better than a group of idiots capable only of nonsense. Samantha noticed Alex's skeptical look and understood what he was thinking. She also thought it wasn't worth assigning that job to Chris and Josh, but the choice had already been made.
Sighing at the same time, Alex and Samantha placed their things against the wall so they wouldn't have to search for the bags in the morning. After finishing packing, Alex and Samantha left the room and returned to the others to sit for a while before going to sleep.
The next day arrived very quickly. While everyone was sleeping, Lucina pushed Alex off the sofa because his alarm wouldn't stop ringing. The other girls also helped Lucina push Alex off the sofa so he wouldn't disturb their sleep. Landing on the floor, Alex could only sigh and turn off the alarm.
Before he could get up, Samantha stepped on his stomach as she rubbed her eyes and headed to the bathroom to wash up and fully wake up. Turning off the alarm, Alex followed Samantha to the bathroom to wash up. While washing his face, Alex checked the time and noticed that there was still an hour left before their flight.
After washing up, Alex and Samantha began to get dressed. Alex put on a tight black sleeveless T-shirt, baggy white pants, and threw on his haori with red spider lilies. Samantha dressed similarly to Alex, only wearing a haori with a butterfly wing pattern.
Before leaving, Alex kissed the sleeping girls to say goodbye. After that, Alex and Samantha went into Alessa's room to say goodbye to her as well. They took turns kissing Alessa on the cheeks. Then Alex placed his hand on Samantha's shoulder, and they appeared near the airport.
Coming out of the alley, Alex and Samantha had cases with katanas slung over their shoulders, which they had decided to take just in case. Entering the airport, they went to the VIP terminal and presented their FBC agent documents to avoid questions about the bladed weapons. After finishing all the formalities, Alex and Samantha were sitting in the plane waiting for takeoff just twenty minutes later.
"Being a Bureau agent can sometimes be useful," Samantha said, putting her backpack in the overhead compartment.
"I completely agree. And now I'd prefer to sleep for those five hours we didn't get," Alex said with a satisfied smile, stretching his legs forward.
"Maybe we should watch a movie instead?" Samantha asked, sitting down next to Alex and lightly nudging his shoulder.
"And what movie do you want to watch? 'The Cabin in the Woods'? There are plenty of those," Alex asked in a cheerful tone, turning his head toward Samantha.
"No, dummy. Something normal. I'm not going to watch horror movies, especially on a plane," Samantha replied, slapping Alex on the shoulder and rolling her eyes at his suggestion.
Alex just laughed and took out a tablet to turn on a movie they could watch to pass the time during the flight. Turning on the movie, Alex put his arm around Samantha's shoulders, pulling her closer so she would be comfortable. Samantha laid her head on Alex's chest with a smile and began watching the film.
The five-hour flight passed almost instantly, and as the plane began to descend, Alex put away the tablet and stretched slightly. Samantha rubbed her eyes a little because she had dozed off during the movie. When the plane landed, Alex and Samantha took their backpacks and katana cases and left the aircraft. As soon as they exited the plane, Samantha immediately called Jessica to find out where they were.
"Hey, Jessica. Where are you?" Samantha asked, looking around and trying to spot Jessica and Mike.
"We're at the entrance to Terminal B. Where are you? We don't see you," Jessica replied, and Mike's voice could be heard nearby.
"Terminal B? Okay, we'll be there soon. We just got off the plane," Samantha said, pointing in the direction for Alex.
Seeing the direction Samantha was pointing, Alex nodded and adjusted the strap of the case on his shoulder. Taking Samantha's hand, Alex led her toward Terminal B. As they approached, Alex and Samantha saw Jessica and Mike waiting for them.
Alex couldn't help but notice that Jessica was dressed as usual: a light pink jacket, a white T-shirt tucked into tight jeans, and her hair tied in two pigtails. Alex shifted his gaze to Mike, who was dressed like a typical cool guy: dark worn jeans, a leather jacket, and a black T-shirt. Samantha, noticing Jessica and Mike, immediately quickened her pace and approached her.
"Hey, it's Mr. Cool Guy. Long time no see," Mike said, shaking Alex's hand.
"Yeah, it's been a while. I see Jessica packed for a fashion show, not a vacation," Alex said with a grin, nodding toward the three suitcases.
"Something like that. I had the same impression. At least I managed to convince her to leave part of the house behind," Mike replied with a light sigh, pulling the suitcases toward himself.
Alex nodded understandingly and patted Mike on the shoulder. Offering to help with the luggage, Alex took one of the suitcases. Together they followed Samantha and Jessica, who were already chatting away. Once outside, Alex and Mike followed the girls, who were heading toward the parking lot.
Dragging one of Jessica's suitcases, Alex lit a cigarette and began getting into the vacation mood. Samantha had also switched to vacation mode, talking with Jessica. Reaching the parking lot, they stopped, and Jessica took out her phone from her back pocket to check the time.
"Where are the others?" Samantha asked, looking around.
"I don't know. When I called Ashley, Chris picked up and said they'd be here soon. But that was half an hour ago," Jessica said, putting her phone back in her pocket.
"Maybe they got stuck in traffic? Or got lost?" Mike asked, leaning on the handle of a suitcase.
"That's quite possible. And where are Emily and Matt? Haven't they arrived yet?" Samantha said, nodding in agreement and leaning her back against Alex's chest while he hugged her.
"There they are. Looks like Jess isn't the only one who packed for a fashion show," Alex said, pointing toward the airport exit.
Samantha, Mike, and Jessica turned their heads toward the exit and saw Emily and Matt coming out of the airport. Matt had a tired smile on his face as he dragged three suitcases behind him, while Emily walked ahead, carrying a small handbag and constantly complaining about him. Alex and Mike grinned as they watched Matt, who looked like he was dragging suitcases filled with bricks rather than clothes.
Emily, who hadn't stopped complaining about Matt, immediately noticed them and waved with a smile. Emily didn't wait for Matt and quickly walked over to the group. What Alex couldn't help but notice was that Jessica didn't react negatively to Emily and actually looked glad to see her friend.
"Hey guys, long time no see. Where is everyone else?" Emily asked, approaching and raising her hand with a smile.
"They should be here soon. They're always the last ones," Jessica replied irritably, rolling her eyes.
"I'm not surprised those two idiots are late… And now, Sammy, show it off. You've been bragging so much about your ring. I want to see it," Emily said, folding her arms across her chest and looking at Samantha.
Samantha sighed tiredly and extended her hand to show the wedding ring Alex had made for her. Meanwhile, Mike and Alex walked over to Matt, who was wiping sweat from his forehead after dragging the heavy bags. While the girls chatted among themselves, Alex and the guys stood nearby, talking about various topics to pass the time until Chris, Josh, Ashley, and Hannah arrived, who were the last ones.
"I wanted to ask — what was that in Rio? Was that you?" Matt asked, staring at Alex.
"I was there for work. Something happened, and you saw the results yourself," Alex said, lighting a new cigarette.
"I'm afraid to ask what happened there. And how it all ended. Better tell us what you've been doing lately. Samantha mentioned you're a federal agent now," Mike said, shaking his head, not wanting to continue the Rio topic.
"Not only am I a federal agent, but Samantha is too. And I recently returned from London. I was there for almost a whole month, working for one organization," Alex said, exhaling cigarette smoke and pointing the cigarette toward Samantha.
"Are you serious? She's an agent too? What exactly is going on with you guys?" Mike asked in a surprised tone, and Matt nodded in agreement.
"A lot of things. But as you understand, I can't talk about it. Especially not here where random people might overhear things they shouldn't," Alex said, shrugging carelessly.
Mike and Matt looked around and nodded, understanding that an airport parking lot wasn't the place to discuss such things. Jessica and Emily, hearing the guys' conversation, stared at Samantha, waiting for confirmation of Alex's words. Seeing their intense looks, Samantha nodded and showed her federal agent badge.
Alex, Samantha, and the others continued standing in the parking lot talking about various topics when suddenly the sound of a horn rang out. Turning their heads, they saw an RV driving toward them. And noticing that Josh was behind the wheel of the RV, everyone collectively sighed, understanding whose idea it was. The RV stopped in front of the group, and Chris opened the door with a wide smile on his face.
"Hey, Mi Amigos! You didn't wait too long, did you?" Chris said, throwing the RV doors open with a wide grin.
"You've got to be kidding, Chris… An RV, seriously?" Jessica asked, staring at Chris as if he were the biggest idiot.
"There's a lot of us. So we decided to rent an RV," Chris said, giving a thumbs up.
"Oh, why me… Alright, get out of the way. I'm tired after the flight. I want to sit down," Jessica said, pushing Chris aside.
Chris awkwardly coughed and stepped aside, letting Jessica and everyone else through. Samantha and Emily entered after her, while Alex, Matt, and Mike loaded the suitcases into the RV's cargo compartment so they wouldn't have to drag them inside. Passing by Chris, Alex patted him on the shoulder with a smile and entered the RV. Alex didn't know how long they would be driving, so he wanted to continue resting.
To be continued...
(So, here we go, the journey begins. I'll try to combine several plots, as I always do. Even though I said it would be a Cabin in the Woods plot, you know there won't be any monsters. I have other plans, but you already know that. And anyway, as you can imagine, it's time to eat. Peace, love, and this is The Cabin in the Woods. No, this is the same Cabin in the Woods.)
Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter