Forgotten Lands | LVA [Anthology]

It's in the blood (LSU)

"Life is in the blood." I replied to my neighbor who was worried about the warning signs in the town, because he couldn't understand, how can a creature like that exist? He just looked at me confused and told me that the police had found the body of a woman who had disappeared a week ago. Her body was in the depths of the forest, lying on the ground with her arms outstretched, her chest slashed and her organs torn out with fierce bites. My neighbor wondered if that could have been a wendigo; he was wrong, a bear was most likely. So, I went home to read my old books, books that my grandfather had given to me by my father, but that he later gave them to me after his funeral. When I read them, I can have them inside me, a very familiar feeling, as my father told me on his deathbed, "It's in the blood."

The next day's news had reported another body, this time that of a young guy. They found his body completely open with only the flesh, since his bones had been stolen, they were perfect. I went about my day as normal and cleaned up the basement a bit as my neighbor started to notice the sweet smell and it would get his attention. Although maybe I'll let him in to see the big surprise I have for my son for his birthday. After all, youth is in the blood.

The days passed, the police knocked on the door of my house and they questioned me about the whereabouts of my neighbor, since he had not returned home in two days and his wife was worried. I was just honest and told them that the last time I saw him was when he came to help me for my son's next birthday. The police decided not to bother me anymore and warned me to be careful, because the town is starting to believe that there is a wendigo around. How ridiculous, but I couldn't ignore their recommendations, so I took them into account. Any information is important, because knowledge will always be power, and power will always be in the blood.

Finally, the day came, it was my son's birthday and I could see his sweet smile that filled me with satisfaction. We had a very special day, although he was discouraged that his friends had not come to our big celebration, the town was terrified of this 'wendigo' that everyone mentions. What a pity, but quite useful, still I tried to cheer him up a bit, I told him that grandpa was with us and that mom would be back soon. His eyes lit up with joy, because he had been waiting for mom's return for a long time, so we ate the delicious flesh that our neighbor gave us and I took him to the basement.

The great surprise dazzled my son. After going down the stairs he soon knelt before the pile of corpses and carefully took the bone totem that I had been carving for hours. I simply smiled and pulled back a black curtain at the other end of the basement, revealing a beautiful woman pinned to the wall, her imposing crimson halo, her completely torn skin, his erratic movements, her dark sockets, her short hair as black as night, her beautiful bone wings which I had been perfecting for months. Both my son and I were excited, mom was about to return and my son was ready, just like me, my father, and my grandfather.

Wendigos? They are just legends and horror stories. True immortality is in the blood, as is power, youth, and life. Well, as my father once told me, "My son is me, and I am my son", and my son it's from my blood.