The Prophet

Chapter 24: Wendigo

We were walking through the woods with our map and some food (M&Ms because that is what Dean Winchester did and M&Ms are good.)

"Hold on," said Ethan "listen." At first I had no idea what he was talking about but then I heard a man yelling.

"Jen? JENNY?" It was somewhere behind us. I took out my flare gun.

Wendigos can imitate human voices.

I relaxed when a man walked into sight. He looked worried.

"Hey! you ok?" Yelled Alfie. The stranger, who apparently hadn't seen us yet, nearly jumped out of his shoes.

"No... I- My wife and I were camping and... I... She-" and then he broke down crying and leaned against a tree. We stood there awkwardly. What do you do if a random stranger starts crying?

"Hey we can help just tell us what happened."

"She said she had to go to the bathroom and... Then I heard her- I heard her screaming... And I can't find her... She might be- oh god."

"You should go home and call the police." I said.

"Jenny-"

"Needs a park ranger to find her." I said. "Not for you to get lost in the woods." Thankfully he agreed.

"Where's your car?" I asked.

"About 2 hours that way." He pointed in the direction opposite of the wendigo cave.

"Here." I handed him one of the flare guns "it's a flare gun if anything... Comes after you shoot it."

He looked at me oddly "Thanks..." Then he left.

"You know if he gets attacked by a wendigo he probably won't make it." Alfie said.

"Well thanks Mr. Optomist." I said sarcastically "but hopefully he doesn't have to try and fight off a wendigo. Let's keep moving it's getting dark."

:::time skip brought to you by Spencer Reid in a Frankenstein costume:::

"Suns down!" Declared Jason. We drew Anasazi symbols in a circle and lit a fire.

"Do not leave the circle." I said.

"We know, Maria" said Jason " we all saw the wendigo episode."

"Well just be careful" I muttered "Anywaaaay I'm not sleeping tonight."

:::timey skip brought to you by bananas:::

Snap

There was a noise in a nearby tree. Then we heard a scream. It sounded human.

Ethan stood up.

I yanked him back down by the arm.

"It's just the wendigo stay in the circle." I said.

"What if it's not the wendigo though?" Asked Ethan.

"Then they're being attacked by the wendigo and we absolutely cannot face a wendigo at night running blindly into the trees." I said. His heart was in the right place but I couldn't risk my friends life over the off chance that was really a human out there. Maybe it was even selfish to choose my friends life over whoever that might be in the trees, but given a choice between some stranger and my friend, then the stranger can die. Screw morals.

:::time skip brought to you by a talking squirrel:::

I noticed the sunlight peeking through the trees. The screaming had stopped earlier. Now it was time to get moving. We dumped sand on the fire but left the markings.

We ate more M&Ms. I wish I had known exactly how long it would take to find the cave. Then I would've packed more food.

"The caves over this hill." I said "keep the flare guns out."

Ok so you know how in the wendigo episode of supernatural it was an old mine thingy and not an actual cave?

This was an actual natural cave with the bumpyness and random water on the ground that makes it slippery. A legit cave.

So we went into the mouth of the legit cave flare guns drawn. We came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Should we split up?" Asked Alfie.

"No the victims are this way," I said not even pausing to look.

"How do you remember?"

"Do not question my awesome powers mortal." I said patting Alfie on the head.

We went quiet after that. The only noises were our footsteps and those random little water droplets dripping from the cave ceiling. We walked. And walked. And walked. You get it a lot of walking.

Then we stopped walking.

'Why?' You may ask.

Well a better question is 'why am I thinking like people can hear my thoughts?'

Well we stopped because we had come to a room in the cave that smelled like rotting meet and there were skeletons and 3 dead humans hanging from the ceiling.

I shined the flashlight around the room. No sign of the wendigo. I went to one of the humans. A woman. The other 2 captives were guys so I assumed this was Jenny. I checked for a pulse.

"She's breathing" I pulled out my pocket knife and cut the ropes off her wrists.

"It's coming... Back" she mumbled. She could barely stand and was leaning on me for support. This was difficult for me because I am a considerably-small-not-very-strong-person.

"But we," I said "are going to get you out of here."

There were 2 more prisoners. We got them down too.

"We should get them to safety and come back to kill it afterwards." I decided.

If it doesn't find us first.

I really just had to jinx it didn't I?

I aimed the flashlight down the hall.

There stood a gigantic humanoid form. It's bones were visible through its pale greenish skin. It had sharp claws. It's yellow crooked teeth were barred and it's red merciless eyes were staring right back at me.

I totally could've shot it with my flare gun.

But I had put the flare gun away to cut away the ropes and help Jenny.

Smart move genius.

"Guys," I said.

"Shit." Marcey said.

And then nobody could get a good shot because it was running at us. So naturally we ran too.

"Jenny?" I asked

"Yeah how-"

"Can you run without my help?"

"Yeah I think so." She let go of me and stumbled a little and slowed down but she seemed ok.

I reached for my flare gun. I face-planted. The ground was wet and I was running. It happens.

Jason was running behind me and helped me to my feet. The wendigo was right behind us.

I came to a complete stop. It was gaining on us and I needed to shoot it before it got to us.

I pulled out my flare gun.