A NOT SO MERRY XMAS

\\.CHAPTER SIX.//

LUCAS

Lucas was baffled, to say the least. He gawked through the back window of Coach Timi's black car, trying to process what just happened. But he couldn't.

Coach Timi walked over to the fallen Wendigo, knelt by his headside side and touched one of the long silver horns before saying that word again. "Fascino!"

The Wendigo shuddered vehemently, then stilled.

Coach Timi barked at him. "Up on your feet!"

Suddenly, the Wendigo sprang up. The speed of the action made Lucas's heart skip a beat. But his Coach looked unfazed.

"Now that you're under my control," Coach Timi glared at the creature. "Apologize to Lucas."

When the creature's hollow eyes locked on Lucas, they sent a chill down his spine. To his surprise, the Wendigo grunted. "I...am...sorry...Lucas."

"Good!" Coach Timi stood akimbo. "Now, tell me who sent you."

"My sender..." The Wendigo's voice was dull, soulless, lacking that bloodthirsty edge it had a while ago. "... He called me from darkness. I perceived not his form, only his flashing green eyes... and the many whispering voices around him."

Coach Timi's smile bent into a frown that creased his forehead. He looked like he just saw a ghost. "Well," Only the night's cold breeze was heard during the pause. "Forget everything that happened tonight, and go as far away as possible from where you met your Sender."

Immediately, the Wendigo strolled away from the parking lot. Lucas watched the slow procession until he heard the driver's door swing open.

Coach Timi hopped in and started his car. "Stay put, we need to get you home safely."

Lucas clenched the edges of his seat, afraid that this man who he once thought was a normal person now sat only inches away from him. What if he hypnotizes me too?

He reached for the door handle but remembered that Coach Timi made the Wendigo apologize. Curiosity got the better of him, and he relaxed a bit longer. "Why did you protect me?"

"Well, it's my specialty."

"I thought that was Basketball?"

"Basketball was a hobby until I retired and decided to focus on it full-time. Tell me, did you find that medallion?"

Lucas leaned forward, mind yearning to make sense of that entire night. "What just happened?"

"I asked first, did you find it?"

"Yes, and I left it at a corner store! Gimme some answers, eh?" His voice cracked. "I'm losing it here."

His Coach pulled the car out of the parking lot and turned on the headlights. "I figured you'd find it." He drove further away from the School. "Things might get uglier from here on out. Hope you have those Latin words at the back of your mind?"

"Are you serious?" Lucas snapped, his blood boiling. "How is Latin going to solve anything? Did that Wendigo speak Latin? Why do-"