Philip, ashamed and red faced, dusted himself off and grabbed what he thought was one of the bags with infrared cameras and a display monitor. There might be time to set up some of the cameras and at least have something of an idea if things started going 'fucky.' He looked at the others in their turn, "I haven't seen Max," he said shyly, "I... i don't know what to think," then he turned and jogged to catch up with TJ. 

    The forest was getting darker by the dusky evening but surprisingly there were no sounds of birds or insects. Philip's eyes shot from bush to bush, unsure if he saw movement, the only noise the crackle of leaves under his and TJ's boots. "I'm sorry I freaked out," he said, steeling himself, "you're right, we need to focus and remain rational. This is just.. this is my first.." he swallowed the lump in his throat, "I've never encountered anything real like this, only the reading. I thought I was prepared, but it's different when things happen that are like [i]magic[/i]." 
 
    He adjusted the bag to a more comfortable position on his shoulder, "I've read a lot about demons and the like, and I know they feed off negative energy, they like when people are afraid and suffering, it seems to give them... I don't know, it's like food maybe. I think the witch who was here might've summoned something that protects the land. I don't know why it doesn't just take us all unless it's limited on how much it can do at one time or maybe it's playing with us. It might've been saving the energy to take Joe and possible Max for a century, I just don't know." Philip looked serious, "I think maybe the strength you and Denise showed might have scared it away, or taken its battery away, which was me, I was feeding right into it." He looked back down at his feet as he walked. 

    "I'll keep a cool head, I promise," he said, "and if I have any thoughts that might be helpful I'll share them. I'm sorry I fucked up, I'll keep it together from here on out." He stepped resolutely, assured by his own pronouncement that he was going to do better.