A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Wrought iron creaked loudly in the dead of night while a series of footsteps made their way through the main entrance. A decent sized rock was placed in front of the gate so that it wouldn't slam shut, for a cold, wintry wind was blowing through the barren trees. Flashlights flickered on, and pale, yellow light illuminated the expanse beyond.

Old stone towered in the air, and pieces of it had fallen to the ground. Dust would've been present in greater quantities had the passageways not been frequented so often: both by visitors and by its resident. A camera with night vision recorded it all, hoping to catch something on its film. The only noise in the area came from the visitors, however.

These visitors happened to be another team of paranormal investigators. They were eager to film what they thought to be the work of a demon, and if they were lucky, the being itself. Like the ones before them, they wished to be the first to record the mystery of Cankerfell Tunnels and live to tell the tale of it.

The tunnels carried a high death toll, but that didn't stop the eager and curious. Then again, no one was ever entirely certain that anyone had died entering the tunnels since no bodies were ever discovered. It was only that no one left the tunnels once they entered. Death was merely assumed to be the outcome, especially with the bodies that were found around the tunnels.

In the past month, there had been three cases, each a horrific sight in its own right. For the whole year, thirty bodies had been discovered, yet this still didn't dissuade any from going into the forest. Perhaps, it was the cash reward associated with the killer of all of those people, for it had been determined that no animal could've left the bodies in those conditions. It might've been also the fame that came with the solving of mystery. The tunnels were discussed so frequently on the news that whoever found the killer would become a national hero.

No one believed the murderer to be human, though. Armed measures had been taken to apprehend the perpetrator of the heinous acts, but all of those individuals went missing or were found dead. Some believed the killer to be more than one, but there was an identical mark on every single body: five puncture wounds to the heart at the exact same angle every time. These puncture wounds couldn't be identified to belong to any weapon either.

People were warned not to enter the woods around the tunnels or the tunnels themselves, but the reward remained in place. If the threat was removed, it would be better for everyone in the general vicinity. It would be beneficial to those outside of it as well since the killer could potentially move locations and reign bloodshed on another spot of land.

This team of investigators believed themselves to be the lucky ones. They would learn the truth of the tunnels. All of them knew that they weren't equipped to detain the killer, or paranormal entity in their minds, but their main objective was to simply record and leave the tunnels with their lives. Even some evidence on the murderer earned a pretty reward.

All of them stopped, though. Their breathing hitched in their throats, and flashlights were dimmed. They moved closer together, and some took a few steps back. The cameraman moved the device back and forth in a somewhat mad frenzy.

Chains rattled against the stone floor, and the noise echoed around them. It continued for a few more seconds until it went silent. That was the case until metal clanged against the stone. One of the investigators jumped and clung to their nearest teammate. Soft footsteps followed, and they could barely be heard in comparison to the chains' movement, but they were going in the opposite direction from the team.

Realization struck one of the members, and they were about to run forward. They were too late, however. A loud slam resonated throughout the tunnels before they heard the gate being locked. "You brought your lock picking set, right Nick?" they asked quietly, green-hazel eyes praying that he answered positively.

"Yes, but we should wait before I try to unlock it. That thing is probably waiting for us to go there, Laura," he whispered back as his brown eyes stayed focused on where the gate was. The faint footsteps started up again before they were masked by the deafening chains. This booming noise faded as the owner of the footsteps presumably went to their right.

"It probably already knows that we're right here," the second woman remarked, fear and excitement both present in her voice. She released her hands from the cameraman's right arm and pushed a few strands of black hair behind her left ear. "There's no use in us hiding. We should just keep our distance, follow it and see if it left anything."

"I agree with Tara. If it gets too dangerous, we'll unlock the door and leave, but if we find even something from it, we can get some money and recognition. We'll all be promoted in the paranormal world, and we all want that." Brent adjusted the camera some and blew a few red bangs out of his face.

Brushing his hands through his dyed blonde hair, Nick nodded his head. "Fine, but we make sure to keep our distance. We may want better status in our career industry, but none of us desire five puncture wounds either."

"No need to worry. I don't plan on running towards it," Tara commented, chuckling quietly. She moved a few steps away from Brent and started to walk back towards the gate. Her ponytail swung back and forth with every step, but it halted its movement along with her feet. Dark brown eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her flashlight.

Its light shone on a thick, red line ahead of them, but the crimson wasn't what made her wish to vomit. It was as though someone had been dissecting an animal and had decided to dump its contents on the floor before they had dragged them across it. Her urge to be sick vanished, though, when terror replaced it. The other group members moved in closer but hesitantly.

More light highlighted the gruesome picture. Painfully slow, the small intestine was pulled to their right. Nick rested a hand on Tara's right shoulder and moved his lips close. "We need to back up now. We'll circle around and come back." She nodded just as slowly as the organ's movement.

Laura and Brent presented no disagreements, and the four were on their way further into the tunnels. They had mapped out the area, and they followed those plans. If they took a right turn, facing away from the gate, they could loop back around to it. All four increased their pace until they rounded the next corner and slowed down only slightly.

Tara was still recovering from the scene while Brent looked rather pleased. He had after all caught that entire event on camera, and money amounts were forming in his head. His estimates kept his fear at bay as well. Laura gripped her flashlight and moved a little bit ahead of the group. That sight didn't go away, and she kept seeing it on repeat. She had read the frightening accounts of the bodies found in the woods, but she had thought that it couldn't have been that bad. A mere picture truly didn't capture the horror of witnessing it in person.

She adjusted her glasses and pushed her sandy blonde locks back. Nick looked over to her but remained quiet. His mind was elsewhere as his conclusions about the killer weighed more heavily on it being a demon, but he didn't rule out that it could be something else, something unknown. Whatever the case, being footsteps within proximity to it wasn't an option. It never had been, but he had a feeling that Tara or Brent might break that rule, Brent more so than Tara. Even now, he could see the dollar signs in the male's light brown eyes.

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted as something flew past them. A fork, the ends colored crimson, slid across the stone. Near soundless footsteps moved closer to the four. Brent turned and aimed the camera in that direction. His mouth opened, and he took steady steps backwards. All of them stared down the hallway where the camera was pointed. To them, it was pitch black, and none of them immediately raised their flashlights.

Behaving like a snail, Tara lifted hers. The light pinpointed the source of the footsteps. Lips twitched up into a smirk. Fingers extended out to the wall, and the creature advanced. Like nails on a chalkboard, screeching filled the entire tunnel and soared through others. Tsking reached their ears when the figure stopped. Their left index finger pointed towards them all before it fixed itself on Brent.

Palm facing upwards, the creature motioned for Brent to come forward. No such command was followed. Instead, he broke into a mad run. The other three sprinted right along with him as the creature faded back into the darkness. With more knowledge of its home than them, it turned to its right and headed down the path at a casual pace. Clearly, they had assumed that it had lacked intelligence.

Smirk morphing into a sickening grin, the creature could hear their footsteps vanish as they ran further away. Little did they know that the way they were going had been modified. Others had tried that path in the past, so some measures had to be taken. Another easy meal had been delivered.