Chapter 171 — The Client
West Virginia, Virginia.
Along the Bear Mountain Road, an old wooden road sign stood crooked by the roadside.
Painted on it in fading white letters were the words:
"Food and Rest Ahead — Welcome to Greenbrier County!"
Not long afterward, a pickup truck came rumbling down the road and passed the sign, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"SCREEEECH—!"
The sound of tires grinding against asphalt echoed through the open air.
The truck came to a sudden halt.
Then slowly reversed… pulling back beside the road sign.
The window rolled down.
Gideon adjusted his sunglasses with one finger and looked across the road.
A roadside diner stood there.
A red brick building.
A wooden signboard hanging above the entrance.
A kerosene lamp flickering loosely by the door.
Gideon retrieved a slip of paper from the storage compartment.
The words written on it matched the sign exactly:
Mountain-side Kitchen.
"Ding—"
The diner's door opened.
Gideon scanned the interior before locking onto a single table.
"Mr. Jack Weber?"
The man lifted his head.
"Father Gideon?"
Satisfied he had the right person, Gideon took the seat across from him.
A young waitress soon approached.
She wore a flannel shirt and a denim apron.
"Are you ready to order, sir?"
Her voice was gentle, and her gaze lingered for a second longer than necessary on the young priest.
Jack hesitated, glancing awkwardly at Gideon.
Gideon immediately understood.
He noticed the dirt on Jack's clothes… and the stains on his face.
"…Go ahead and order."
Jack's eyes lit up with relief.
"Thank you!"
He opened the menu eagerly.
"I'll take the smoked pork neck with apple sauce, fries, and a beer…"
Gideon sighed silently.
Not all clients could afford exorcism fees.
And when they couldn't…
The cost was often shouldered by the seminary and its clergy.
The waitress soon left with the order.
Gideon folded his arms calmly.
"So. Tell me."
"What's so important that it had to be discussed in person?"
Jack nodded nervously.
"Thank you for the meal… I've spent everything I had trying to find Jenny…"
Then he began recounting the story.
"About two weeks ago, I took Jenny hiking here in Greenbrier County.
We entered the nearby forest… and somehow, we got separated.
The local sheriff refused to send officers inside.
They said the forest is cursed.
That cannibals live there…
I heard the Church handles things like this, so I came to you.
At first, a few priests did come to investigate.
But they came back almost immediately.
Their faces… they looked terrified.
The mission kept being reassessed.
First it was 'Disturbance.'
Then it was raised to 'Danger.'
After that… no more priests came."
Gideon frowned slightly.
Most of this information was recorded in the case file.
Based on reports from previous clergy, something strange permeated the forest.
Any holy relic brought inside would lose its power.
Even after leaving…
The effect did not return.
The Church had only ever confirmed contamination in artifacts no higher than five-year quality.
But no evil aura remained behind.
The power had simply been drained… completely.
This alone had caused many priests to back off.
Gideon finally raised his eyes.
"This may be rude to ask…"
"A nineteen-year-old girl lost for over ten days…"
"In a forest full of cannibals…"
"Have you ever considered that—"
Jack suddenly clenched his fists and looked up sharply.
"No!"
His eyes burned with conviction.
"Jenny is alive."
Gideon paused.
That level of certainty…
Jack steadied himself and lowered his head.
"When she was young, I taught her survival skills.
She knows how to protect herself."
Gideon neither agreed nor disagreed.
"You've told me nothing new so far."
"Tell me something I don't already know."
Jack nodded hurriedly.
"Right—right."
"Later I paid a local to dig up more information."
He leaned forward.
"There used to be a paper factory in that forest.
After it went bankrupt, it was abandoned.
But its chemicals polluted the water supply.
Most residents left…
But some families stayed.
They drank contaminated water for years.
Their bodies deformed.
Some… interbred.
Eventually…"
"Monsters were born."
"And that's when people started disappearing."
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
This matched the original storyline almost perfectly.
"Wrong Turn" territory.
Just as expected.
"…After that, I heard a priest once tried to purify the forest."
"But he also fled.
He said the forest was full of traps…
But those weren't the true danger."
"Deeper inside… even Holy relics were useless."
"And there were…"
"Spirits."
"Powerful ones."
"Then the cannibals themselves…"
"They're stronger. Faster."
"Not human anymore."
Jack took a drink of water and glanced toward the kitchen.
Gideon leaned back slightly.
This information…
Was not in the original version.
Meaning:
Something else was at work.
"Your food's here."
The waitress arrived with two steaming plates.
She also set an empty glass on Gideon's side.
Jack stared at the food like a starving man.
Gideon, however, pulled a glass bottle from his bag.
He poured holy water into his cup… and slid it across.
"…I'll just drink the beer."
Jack laughed awkwardly.
Gideon calmly took the beer away instead.
Jack sighed and accepted the salt water.
While Jack ate…
Gideon was already calculating.
Basic Ten-year relics won't work.
That means high-grade corruption—or worse.
Good thing all my stock is twenty years minimum now.
But wandering spirits AND cannibals? Allies?
Before entering… I need to investigate the town first…
His gaze darkened.
This mission was going to be much more than expected.
While driving around earlier, Gideon had already noticed something strange.
Several landmarks didn't match the map at all.
Maybe because of traps… the terrain here has changed drastically, he thought.
He raised his head.
"Where can I buy a proper local map? One that's accurate."
Jack was mid-bite. He chewed hard before answering.
"There's an old bookstore in the town square of Greenbrier County. The owner used to be a hunter."
Gideon nodded.
Before heading in, I need to set up escape routes, he thought.
This area's too large—five contingency paths at minimum.
A few minutes later, Jack finished his meal.
When Gideon saw that Jack showed no reaction after drinking the holy water, he quietly lowered the cross hidden beneath the table.
"By the way," Gideon asked,
"Did anything unusual happen around the time Jenny went missing?"
Jack hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"I remember… we hadn't been in the forest long when we came across a trap."
"Jenny slipped down a slope. When I climbed after her… she was gone. Only her backpack was left behind."
"No other traces?" Gideon pressed.
"Some animal bones. Nothing else," Jack shook his head.
Then his face twisted painfully.
"My poor Jenny… she must have been terrified, all alone."
A strange glint crossed Gideon's eyes.
He placed a thin brown file on the table.
On the cover was a photograph.
A young girl with shoulder-length hair.
Light blue eyes, a small straight nose, and a gentle smile.
She looked very much like Jack.
"According to the report," Gideon said evenly,
"Jenny disappeared on the afternoon of the 16th.
But the police only received a missing persons report five days later."
He stared straight at Jack.
"Why the delay?"
Jack forced a smile.
"In a forest like that, I figured the police wouldn't be more useful than me. So I tried searching on my own first… I only realized later how wrong that was."
The answer sounded reasonable.
Gideon didn't pursue further.
"Father… Gideon."
Jack spoke again, carefully.
"You can bring my daughter back, right?"
The desperation in his eyes was obvious.
Gideon did not offer comfort.
"You need to prepare for the worst."
He closed the file.
"I will search within my ability. But if I encounter something beyond my capacity—"
"My own life comes first."
"I hope you can understand that."
Jack's face fell… yet he still nodded.
"I understand."
"I'll contact you again within five days at most," Gideon said calmly.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Jenny's clothing and disappearance point were already in the file, so he didn't ask again.
"Oh—please take this."
Jack reached into his pocket and took out a pendant.
Gideon accepted it.
It was a diamond-shaped metal charm, engraved with a rose.
"My wife passed away early," Jack sighed.
"This was the only thing she left behind."
"When Jenny sees this, she'll know you're the one I sent."
According to the file, Jenny's mother had died in a disaster years ago.
Nothing more.
Gideon slipped the charm into his bag.
"Last question."
He looked directly at Jack.
"Why didn't you put all this information in the official report?"
"Weren't you afraid I'd refuse the mission after hearing it?"
Jack smiled bitterly.
"Because it was dangerous, I had to leave it out."
"If the report sounded too vague, most priests wouldn't apply."
"But if someone still dared to accept it—"
"That means they were confident."
"And only someone like that… might be able to save my daughter."
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
Jack Weber…
You're hiding something.