Without enough strength, getting too close to Jennifer Check was practically asking for trouble.
She might still be an ordinary woman now, but Alaric Thomas knew a demon would eventually enter her life, and anyone caught near that event could die without understanding what happened.
Jennifer was like a beautiful rose that hadn’t grown its thorns yet, which made keeping some distance the sensible choice.
That was also why Alaric had chosen Sam’s cave expedition over Jennifer’s invitation.
Before setting out, however, he needed to make proper preparations because he remembered enough of The Descent to know there wasn’t just one creature underground.
Reliable lighting, protective gear, ammunition, and weapons capable of stopping something with a physical body were all necessary.
In Alaric’s opinion, monsters made of flesh were far easier to handle than ghosts or demons.
Creatures like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees were exceptions because normal rules barely seemed to apply to them, but most physical monsters could still be injured or killed.
The cannibals from West Virginia had already proven that abnormal strength and pain tolerance didn’t make something invulnerable.
The next day, classes ended early for the approaching break.
Sam took Alaric to meet the rest of the expedition team, and just as he remembered, every other member was a woman.
Seeing their faces together confirmed that this really was the group from The Descent.
Sarah Carter had lost her husband Paul and young daughter Jessica in a horrific car accident one year earlier, leaving her emotionally devastated.
The expedition had partly been organized in hopes of helping Sarah reconnect with her old friends and move forward after the tragedy.
She seemed calmer now, but Alaric could still see the exhaustion hidden behind her expression.
Juno Kaplan was the organizer and unofficial leader of the expedition.
She was confident, athletic, and experienced enough that the others naturally listened when she discussed climbing or cave exploration.
Alaric knew from the movie that she was also hiding far more than anyone here realized.
Beth O’Brien was one of Sarah’s closest friends and the most levelheaded member of the original trio.
Holly was Juno’s newer friend, a fearless thrill seeker who loved BASE jumping and had the unfortunate habit of rushing ahead before considering the consequences.
In Alaric’s opinion, she possessed exactly the personality most likely to get someone killed in a horror movie.
Rebecca was an experienced climber and caver who preferred caution over recklessness.
Sam was Rebecca’s younger sister and had enough medical knowledge to be especially useful if someone was injured underground.
Together with Sarah, Juno, Beth, and Holly, they formed the six-woman group Alaric remembered from the movie.
Juno’s first reaction to Alaric joining them wasn’t particularly welcoming.
“You’ve never done a serious cave expedition before, and this isn’t exactly a beginner hike,” she said while looking him over.
“Adding someone inexperienced can slow everyone down or put the whole team at risk.” Alaric didn’t argue with the logic.
Instead, he offered to cover the cost of replacing and upgrading much of the expedition equipment they were already planning to rent.
Juno’s resistance weakened considerably once she realized he wasn’t merely showing up empty-handed and expecting everyone else to take care of him.
Good equipment was expensive.
Alaric could afford very good equipment.
After some discussion with Rebecca, Juno finally agreed to let him join.
Alaric also arranged additional protective equipment for himself through legitimate contacts he had made while learning firearm safety after his encounter with traces of Valak.
He wasn’t planning to enter a creature-infested cave armed with nothing but optimism and a flashlight.
Several days later, the remaining equipment arrived.
Alaric had chosen durable outdoor clothing, hearing protection, a sturdy pack, multiple flashlights, climbing gear, a compact emergency tool, and other supplies suitable for a long trip underground.
He also carried two legally owned handguns as backup weapons, securely holstered where they wouldn’t interfere with movement.
The entire setup had cost him a considerable amount of money, but Alaric didn’t care.
Once everything was worn together, he looked far more prepared for trouble than the average recreational caver.
Add a helmet and face covering, and he looked closer to someone preparing for a tactical rescue than a college student going on vacation.
One thing wasn’t with him yet.
His rifle.
Carrying it openly through town while dressed like this would attract exactly the kind of attention Alaric didn’t want.
He had therefore arranged to transport it with the rest of his secured equipment rather than walking around in public with it.
There was no reason to make himself look like he expected a war before they even reached the mountains.
When Alaric arrived at the meeting point outside town, Juno and the others stared at him.
Holly was the first to laugh.
“Alaric, we’re going underground, not invading another country.” Rebecca looked over his equipment more seriously.
“She’s joking, but she has a point.
Too much unnecessary weight in a cave can become dangerous, especially in tight passages.” Juno nodded beside her and added that mobility mattered far more underground than looking prepared for every imaginable disaster.
Their advice was reasonable.
Alaric still wasn’t giving up his equipment.
“Relax.
I brought normal caving gear too, and I’ll switch what I need depending on the terrain,” he said.
“You’ve already seen that I can keep up physically, so I won’t slow the group down.” Taking away every layer of protection was impossible in Alaric’s mind.
At the moment, his only Containment Targets were Saw-Tooth and One-Eye, both useful against physical enemies but nowhere near strong enough to make him feel invincible.
Until his collection grew, equipment and firepower were the easiest ways to compensate.
If caves weren’t so easy to collapse, part of him would have preferred something much heavier.
Juno glanced toward Rebecca again.
The experienced climber thought for a moment before finally giving a small nod, and Juno sighed.
“Fine, but once we’re underground, you follow instructions.
If Rebecca or I tell you something isn’t safe, you listen immediately because one stupid decision can endanger everyone.” “No problem,” Alaric answered.
Whether he would obey every instruction without question was another matter.
While Juno and Rebecca returned to checking the equipment, Sam moved beside him.
“Don’t take it personally.
Juno can be intense, but they’re genuinely worried about safety,” she said.
“We’re going somewhere most people never visit, so there won’t be anyone nearby to rescue us if something goes wrong.” “I know.” Alaric gave her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Sam.
I’m not planning to make your job harder.” The seven of them eventually loaded everything into two off-road vehicles.
When Juno checked the secured gear in Alaric’s vehicle and discovered the rifle case, she slowly turned toward him with an exhausted expression.
“You actually brought a rifle?” “Just in case.” Rebecca laughed.
“What exactly are you expecting to find underground?” “Hopefully nothing.” Holly snorted.
“You might be the most cautious person I’ve ever seen.” Alaric merely shrugged instead of arguing.
Holly didn’t know what was waiting beneath those mountains, and trying to convince her would only make him sound insane.
If everything followed the movie, she would understand soon enough why he preferred being overprepared.
Sam came to his defense before the teasing continued.
“It’s his first real cave trip, so he prepared more than necessary.
Give him a break.” Her explanation was reasonable enough that the others finally dropped the subject and focused on loading their own gear.
Their official destination was supposed to be Boreham Caverns, a mapped cave system in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
It was the destination the group had planned for and the location anyone outside the expedition would expect them to visit.
Alaric assumed that was exactly where they were going.
Juno had other plans.
She thought exploring an already mapped cave was too ordinary and had secretly chosen an unknown cave system instead.
If the expedition succeeded, she hoped they could claim its discovery and perhaps even name the system in Sarah’s honor.
Her intention was partly to give Sarah something meaningful after the darkness of the previous year, but the risk she was taking without telling the others was enormous.
Juno kept the secret completely to herself.
Even Alaric didn’t notice.
He remembered The Descent well enough to know the general story, but not every road, mountain, or geographic detail from the movie.
Because of that, he believed their destination really was Boreham Caverns as the vehicles traveled deeper into North Carolina.
Only when they reached the remote mountain region did Alaric begin feeling that something was wrong.
The Appalachian ridges stretched endlessly in the distance while the roads became progressively rougher and more isolated.
By the time they turned onto a narrow dirt road covered with fallen leaves and dead branches, there were no tourists, signs, or other vehicles anywhere around them.
It didn’t resemble the approach to a known recreational cave.
Eventually, they reached a rustic cabin near the forest.
Alaric stepped out and studied the surrounding trees.
The mountains looked untouched, peaceful, and strangely ancient beneath the darkening sky, while the little cabin appeared almost completely cut off from civilization.
What bothered him most was the silence.
He couldn’t even hear birds.
Alaric frowned as he looked toward the forest.
“Is this really the right place?” Before anyone else answered, Sam walked over while the others began unloading equipment.
“Don’t worry.
We’re staying at the cabin tonight and heading into the mountains first thing tomorrow morning,” she explained.
“It’s getting too late to start now, and we still have some distance to cover before we reach the cave.” Alaric looked toward the clouds gathering over the ridges.
“It’s just too quiet out here.
I would’ve expected to hear something in the woods.” Sam glanced around and didn’t seem concerned.
“Hardly anyone comes this far out, so being quiet isn’t strange.
Stop overthinking everything and get some rest because you’ll need the energy tomorrow.” “Yeah, maybe.” Alaric nodded and followed her toward the cabin, but his eyes remained on the dark forest for several more seconds.
The isolation, the mountains, and the unnatural silence were all becoming increasingly familiar.
Instead of reassuring him, Sam’s explanation had confirmed what he was already beginning to suspect.
He had come to the right place.