The Executioner of Horror Films

Part one.

*On behalf of Mark*

The movement was ... unusual, from a noisy train, and zombies clogged with wagons to the foggy, oppressive forests of Sweden. It was like moving from a horror movie marathon to a documentary about nature, with a dark plot, of course.

The air was saturated with the smell of pine and wet earth, a chilling aroma that set me up for the psychological torments that I knew were waiting for me.

The danger of this world was low, but it was also ... High.

There was something ancient and evil here, darkness that seeped into the very fabric of this place.

The system in its usual mysterious manner gave me a rather vague directive to "stabilize the psychospiritual anomaly", which in simple English meant dealing with something that bothers your mind, not your body.

The point of all this was to avoid the tragedy that happened to other adventurers. It was pretty stupid, if you want to know my opinion.

It was the day before the main group of "mourning" friends decided to go camping in the wild, according to the System, and I had some free time before I had to act.

It's time to improve some of your skills before dealing with this ... thing.

I checked the system storage by reviewing the options, and stopped at what was very necessary.

"Mental strengthening," the description said. "Increases your resistance to mental manipulations, mental attacks and illusions."

It seemed important for everything I was going to face in this forest. There was something in this ability that resonated with me, as if I felt it before, in a past life, in distant memories.

The purchase price was a miserable 1500 points. I was using the interface I hated, and pressed the button, watching my balance drop from 2000 to 500 points. It was enough for a couple of additional abilities, but I was sure that this was the most important update I could get. My strength of spirit was already huge, but the best thing was to prepare.

The update overwhelmed me like a wave, strengthening the walls of my mind, strengthening my protection from any external influence. It was like adding an extra layer of steel to the fortress, making my thoughts stronger, my will more indestructible.

Now I could feel the mental flows of this place, a subtle whisper of something ancient and evil, and it did not affect me in any way. My mind was a fortress that could not be cracked.

I found a small secluded glade, a circle of trampled grass among tall trees. It was peaceful, but at the same time it was like a portal to another world.

I dissolved in the shadows, testing my ability to move between the physical layers of the world, and I was like a ghost drifting among the trees.

I did it just for fun; it was an interesting ability that could have been useful for my mission.

I decided to watch the "heroes", those poor people who are about to run into the nightmare of this world. I found them in a small pub in the neighboring town, they were drowning their grief in pints of ale. The main character, Luke, was sitting alone in the corner, looking as if he was already halfway to a mental breakdown, his face was written with guilt and sadness. It was with him that the System wanted me to interact first, and this time I had to be polite.

I materialized in the shade and appeared in the corner, near his table, and became visible. He looked scared, his eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and anxiety. It was like he saw a ghost or something like that, and I'm sure he started to doubt his own sanity.

It seems that you could use the company - I said in a low roaring voice that blocked the noise of the pub.

- Or, you know, someone who knows this forest by heart.

He stared at me, his eyes were full of distrust, and he probably wondered if he had gone crazy.

Who are you? - he asked in a trembling voice, and I felt his anxiety.

Call me Mark," I replied with a sardonic smile. And consider me your... adventure companion. Looks like you're going on a trip. A very, very unsuccessful trip. And I'm here to make sure you don't get lost.

Metaphorically, of course. I sat down on a free chair at his table, watching him carefully.

*On behalf of Luke*

There was an atmosphere of smoke and sadness in the pub, the air was saturated with the stale smell of beer and the weight of unspoken grief. We were all there, trying to drown our memories in cheap ale, trying to drown out the pain that followed the tragedy. A trip, a hiking trip, it was supposed to distract attention, honor the memory of Rob. But it was more like a slow progress towards another disaster.

I sat alone in the corner, staring into my glass, feeling how the weight of guilt falls on my shoulders, like a physical burden. I could see the others, their strained laughter and smiles, but I couldn't bring myself to join their attempts to behave normally. The world turned into a blurred, distorted image, and I couldn't seem to find my way to where I was before. I was broken and didn't think I could be fixed.

Then he appeared. It was like a failure in the matrix, a sudden shift in the structure of reality. At one moment I was alone, immersed in my thoughts, and the next he was there, sitting at my table, as if he was always part of this place.

I blinked, guessing if the beer had finally affected me, or I was about to go completely crazy.

It seemed that he materialized from the shadows, his figure materialized in the dim light of the pub, as if he was born in it. He was tall and thin, with a sharp, almost angular face and dark disheveled hair, framing his features like a halo of darkness.

He had sharp facial features, a strong chin line and a slight grin that gave him the appearance of a person who knew something I didn't know. He was energetic, but also ... incredibly handsome, and although I didn't like guys, I couldn't help but admit his attractiveness.

He had such eyes, the most amazing, bright red eyes I've ever seen. They seemed to glow like coals in the dark, and they had a strange intensity that both disturbed and mesmerized. He looked like he was a character in a gothic novel or a dark romantic fairy tale.

He was so inappropriate, but so charming.

It seems that you could need the company," he said in a low, even roar that blocked the noise of the pub. Or, you know, someone who knows this forest by heart.

I stared at him, my mind tried to realize the absurdity of the situation. Who was this guy? Where did he come from? Was he real at all? He was probably some random local resident trying to start a conversation with me. It happened before in several pubs that we visited before, and I couldn't even make myself worry.

- Who are you? - I asked, my voice sounded a little rougher than I wanted, and I began to wonder if it was all a dream. He was so handsome that it seemed like you were looking at an angel or something like that, although he was clearly a guy.

Call me Mark - he said with a sardonic smile, which made my heart skip the beat.

I just stared at him, trying to understand what I was looking at. It was supposed to be local, and it should be. Perhaps he was a guide who tried to establish some business, it was something that was not something unheard of in these places.

He seemed to know the forest by heart. It was all too strange, it was too unreal.

- How do you know about the hike? I asked, still trying to understand this guy.

- Oh, I know this place like the back of my hand," he said, winking. I'm a local, a native of these forests. I saw things, you know, things that would make your blood freeze in your veins. But don't worry; I'm not one of those things.

He said the last part with a strange accent, and I didn't understand what he meant. He was certainly local eccentric, but at the same time very irresistible, and I couldn't stop staring at him. He was so handsome that it was hard to look away.

Then he just sat looking at me, and I felt that he knew all my innermost secrets. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that this guy was not just a random local, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that something big was about to happen.

Perhaps he could help us in this hike, someone who knows this forest wouldn't hurt.