Western Woods – Night
Horses are tied. Spencer is seated against a tree. A campfire burns. Derek lies on a blanket, rifle cross his chest, staring to treetops. Leaves and branches shift in the wind and bats fly wildly. "What does it mean…climb donw to the Horseman's soulless place?"
"Let loose his silent shrieking. Who knows, till we work at it? I admit not being anxious to find out." Spencer pauses. "He holds the Horseman's desire will guide his reaping hand. Whatever the Horseman's desire is, other than extinguishing lives."
They hear a snapping branch. Spencer raises his pistol. "Do not move." Spencer tells Derek. Spencer rises. He creeps forward, pistol and lantern forward. Foliage is thick. Crunching leaves are heard. Ichabod crouches, puts down the lantern and picks up a branch. He tosses the branch to the foliage…some animals dart away. Spencer rises, following with his pistol. An animal low to the ground, moving swiftly at Spencer…Spencer spins blindsided. Derek fires his rifle and the animal is knocked down mid-leap, yelping…the beast lands. A mass of grey fur. Spencer comes to stare down. Derek arrives. They both look to the beast, horrified. The creature lies helplessly spastic. A two-headed wolf, with one head blown open to brain and gore. Its living head lifts, mewing sadly, its eyes pleading. Spencer steps up with his pistol and fires. The mewing stops.
"What God-forsaken hell is this?" Spencer swallows back sickness and looks away. Something catches his eye. "Christ."
Through the forest the sky's lit up and there is a distant fire.
Western Woods, Cave Home – Early Evening
Spencer and Derek ride up, confronted by the Crone's cave vomiting flames out all orifices. Spencer approaches. Embers swirl everywhere. The Old Crone's body lies amongst bloodied leaves headless.
Town Square, Outside Hotchner Residence– Night
There is a lot of commotion. A mob in front of the home marked HOTCHNER, PHYSICIAN. Hankel addresses the rabble. "You all stand idle, while this man goes about with a book of secrets and a bag filled with magic. You all stand idle, while the shadow of the Devil falls over our town."
William, Isabella and Lila Archer watcher at safe distance.
"I say, if you do nothing, you share in the blasphemy of Spencer Reid!" Hankel continues.
Patrick on horseback besides Desiree and Thomas rides to one side of the shouting crowd.
"Listen to me! Do you want to save your crops? Or would you rather see your farms go to ruin?"
"How is he saving our farms? How? Spencer Reid has brought into our midst the soulless, moldering corpse of a heretic!"
Inside of the Hotchner Residence, Medical Room – Night
Spencer examines the Crone's neck wound with magnification spectacles. Derek is seated, ledger in his lap. "The wound is neither smooth nor cauterized, but jagged. She bleeds like a fountain." Spencer lifts her dead hand to show bruises and cuts. "She did not go quietly."
Hotchner Residence, Parlor – Night
Aaron wrings his hands. Haley rocks nervously in a rocking chair. The crowd outside roars as a bonfire lights up the curtained windows. The front door is pounded open and angry men enter. Aaron stands, lips quivering. He points insistently to a door.
Medical Room
Angry men break in and Spencer looks up.
"Step aside, Constable. Step aside…"
Spencer is shoved aside, spectacles knocked off. The group grasps the Crone. Derek sands on his chair and clutches the ledger. Spencer grabs one man. "What are you doing?"
The man slams Spencer back. His magnification spectacles are crushed under his foot.
Town Square
Angry men carry the corpse to a raging bonfire. The mob makes way and Hankel cheers them. "Let her burn! Let her burn!"
Spencer comes out, followed by Derek. The Crone's corpse is thrown in the fire. Cheers all around. At Spencer side, a man tries to grab the ledger that Derek holds. He cries out, hanging on the book and Spencer joins the struggle.
Lila watches and her emotions are conflicting.
One man grabs Spencer and another punches Spencer in the face.
Lila rides forward as William calls for her to stop. She leaps down, into the crowd and pulls men off Spencer. "Stop this! Leave them alone!"
A shot rings out and the chaos halts. Everyone turns to see Nathan Harris. He holds a smoking pistol, flanked by Theodore and Glenn. "Let them go." He points his pistol. "Are you going to beat an orphaned child, imbecile?"
Derek is released, along with the ledger. Hankel moves forward, pushing people aside. "Are you Spencer Reid's protector, Nathan Harris?"
"Only for the moment."
"You side with him in this?"
"No. I agree he has only made matters worse. But, that will change, if you listen." He trades with Theodore, pistol for a long rifle. Nathan hefts the rifle, taking a round slug from his pocket. "Theodore, Glenn and I offer to ride each day and night to watch over the Hollow. We will stalk the border of the Western Woods and haunt the Horseman for a change, with rifles like this…and slugs like this…" Nathan brings the slug to his lips and blows. It whistles. "Hollowed out and filled with powder."
Nathan smiles at Lila, who watches unimpressed. "Constable Reid is not the only one who fights with science on his side."
"I fired upon the Horseman and the bullet did nothing."
"You must have missed your mark."
"I hit him square."
"I say…" Nathan tells the crowd. "If the Horseman is solid enough to take the lives of our people, he's solid enough to feel this…" Nathan aims the rifle at a barrel down the road. He fires and the barrel is hit and explodes.
