Making their way through the yard , the group reached the treeline , and before they entered the woods , Crane turned to face the others .

      "Remember , everyone , no one goes off alone ." , he said . "If the demon is there , it will still be dangerous . Even though it seems to be a nocturnal creature , it will most likely attack if it is awakened or cornered ."

      Stopping to adjust the coil of rope she carried on her shoulder , Jenny added , "And I know this is probably going to sound silly , under the circumstances , but if it is alert and ready for us , then try to stay calm. Try to keep your mind clear , and don't give it anything to work with , if you can help it ."

      Everyone nodded their agreement , except Gibbs , who merely looked puzzled . They started moving again , and as they walked , Yanni and Jinxx explained what they had discovered about the demon . Once they had finished , he shook his head and sighed , "Great . Try to keep a demon from reading your mind to come up with the best way to scare you shitless and eat you . Simple enough , in theory , but in practice ... I'm not so sure ."

      "That's what I said ." , CC informed him . 

      The deep , wet snow slowed them considerably , making what should have been a fifteen - minute walk to the old house take nearly three times as long . When they finally stepped into the clearing , Joe almost instantly pointed toward the side of the house , calling out , "Look , guys ! Somebody's definitely been here !"

      They all turned their heads in the direction he'd indicated , and had no trouble seeing the churned - up areas of snow near the rear corner of the decrepit building . As they moved closer , they were able to determine that the crude path originated from the direction that Katie had indicated earlier , while explaining where she lived . 

      "All right , folks , I think we should probably divide up to cover both exits ." , Gibbs stated , his hand already on his weapon . "That way , if it is active , it can't sneak Vance out one way while we're coming in the other ."

      "I agree , Sergeant , but I would suggest one alteration to the plan ." , Crane responded . "As Miss Jenny has come prepared , my recommendation is to form three groups , with two of us accompanying her to the upper floor , in the event that it has taken him up there ."

      Everyone agreed that this was a good idea , and after a brief discussion , Yanni and CC were sent with Jenny , while Gibbs took Alex and Jinxx around the back of the house , and Crane approached the front with Joe and Hawley . As they reached the porch , Hawley scanned the area , and said , "Crane , you know I'm about as head - blind as it's possible to be , for somebody in my line of work , but I've got to tell you , I don't like the feel of this place . There's something about it that's just ...off . I know that probably sounds lame , but I'm not sure how else to explain it. Something here is just not right ."

      "That's what I thought the first time we came here ." , Joe informed him . "It didn't look like anything had been touched since the original owner died . There aren't even any bird nests , or mouse crap , or anything like that inside . It's like the animals don't even want to be there . The whole thing is just creepy ." 

      "That is because an animal's survival depends on them following their instincts ." , Crane replied . "Would that our own species were as attentive to such things . Then , perhaps , situations such as this wouldn't happen ."

      They mounted the steps onto the porch , and opened the door , stepping into the dusty , frigid living room . "Hell , I think it's colder in here than it is outside !" , they heard Alex grumble from the kitchen . "I can't feel my nose now ."

      "I agree , so we need to work fast ." , came Gibbs response . "If Vance Logan is here , he's been in this cold for several hours already . So , even if he's not injured , he's in danger of becoming hypothermic ."

      "If you will search the rear portion of the building , the three of us will check the rooms off of this hallway , Sergeant ." , Crane called . 

      "Sounds like a plan to me ." , Gibbs shouted back .

      The three men moved from the living room into the adjacent hallway , which had three doors leading from it to various rooms . Approaching the single door to their left , they found themselves in a bathroom , decked out in full 1970's decor : mustard - yellow fixtures , paisley curtain on the window , and rust - colored shag carpet .

      "Let's do the Time Warp again ." , Joe muttered , earning a chuckle from Hawley .

      "Couldn't have said it better myself , man ." , he stated . Then , seeing that Crane appeared to be puzzled by the exchange , he snickered again , saying , "When we finish up here , we all need to have a movie night , Professor . It's high time that you experience the , uh , phenomenon that is 'Rocky Horror' ."

      Since it was obvious that no one could be hidden in that room , they moved across the hall to the next door , which opened to reveal what appeared to be a young person's bedroom , with several model cars and airplanes on shelves and dressers , and several yellowed , brittle posters still clinging to the walls , depicting celebrities such as Stevie Nicks , Linda Ronstadt , Farrah Fawcett , and Lynyrd Skynyrd . Assuming that this had been Greg Horton's room , they searched it quickly , but found nothing of interest , so they made their way to the third door .

      As they reached it , they heard Jinxx shout , "Nothing here so far !"

      "Ditto !" , CC's answering call came from the second floor .

      Entering the last room , they saw that it had been an office of some sort , with a large desk , an office chair , bookcases , and a file cabinet . 

      "This must have been the reverend's study ." , Crane said . "Master Hawley , if you will check the desk , and Master Joe the files , I will inspect the bookshelves . Perhaps he left some correspondence , or something else that might shed light on what he planned for his grandson ."

      Each man moved to his designated area and began sifting through old papers and books , and almost immediately , Hawley announced , "I think we may have a winner , boys !"

      Crane and Joe moved to stand next to him , and he pointed to some words scribbled on a sheet of paper inside the desk drawer . Glancing at what appeared to be gibberish , Joe inquired , "So , what's that supposed to be ?"

      "That , my friend , is very old Latin ." , Hawley replied . "Makes what they use in church services look like slang . I know it when I see it , but I can't read it for crap myself . But I bet our buddy Crane can , am I right ?"

      "It is rather archaic , but I believe that I can decipher it , yes . And if this is what I think it might be , it could considerably lessen the time we will require to find the incantation we need to ...!"

      "Got him !" , Gibbs shouted . "He's in the basement , we're gonna need some help getting him up , but he's breathing ! I'm going to call in now , get the EMT's moving ."

      Pausing only long enough for Hawley to snatch the slip of paper and shove it into his pocket , the three men bolted back the way they had come , and dashed into the kitchen , to find the basement door yawning open , revealing the light from Gibb's department - issued Maglite . Making their way down the stairs , they found Alex , Jinxx , and Gibbs gathered around the crumpled form of an exceptionally large man , who appeared to be nearly seven feet tall and massively built .

      "The lady says that you have some medical knowledge , so maybe you should check him out before we try to move him ." , the sergeant said to Crane . "We don't want to make things even worse than they are ."

      Crouching down next to the prone man , Crane quickly checked his limbs , and felt for broken ribs , and then gently lifted his eyelids . "There don't appear to be any broken bones , Sergeant , but I can't rule out a concussion , as he is unconscious . I also have no way of determining at this time whether he may have suffered internal injuries ."

      Then , they heard a faint voice , saying , "Nothing really hurts but my head . Can we get out of here , before it comes back ?"

      Looking down at Vance Logan , they saw that he was beginning to regain consciousness , and they carefully helped him sit upright , while Crane knelt down to inspect his eyes once again . "Can you tell me your name , sir ?" , he queried .

      "Name's Vance Logan ." , he mumbled , his speech slightly slurred , " I need to get home and check on the girls , they're out there by themselves , that thing could go after them , too ."

      "You've got nothing to worry about , Vance , they're fine ." , Gibbs informed him . "That's one smart little girl you got there . When she couldn't find you , she made sure that they were safe until daylight , then she came out to find help . We had somebody pick Gwen up and bring her into town , she's at my house with Donna right now , and Katie is at Mr . Devashar's place , with the chief and some others , waiting for us to bring you back ." 

      After asking a few more questions , Crane determined that the man most likely had at least a mild concussion , but no life - threatening injuries , so they managed to get him to his feet . As they did this , Jinxx and Alex observed a pair of wooden doors set into the far wall , and , with Joe's help , managed to force them open . This eliminated the need to maneuver the larger man up the narrow flight of stairs , and enabled them to exit directly into the backyard . As Gibbs , Crane , and Hawley began making their way through the snow with Vance Logan , Joe , Jinxx , and Alex dashed back up the stairs to let the others know what they had found . 

      However , none of them noticed the sickly green glow of the eyes glaring balefully at them from the furthest corner of the cellar , behind the rusted , inoperable furnace . Nor did they hear the hiss that emanated from the same spot .

      "He was mine ! Now one of you will take his place , and then I will feed ."