Into the Dark

Chapter 41

I stared into the wendigo's cloudy white eyes, looking up as the thing towered feet above me. It hunched over and glared back, shifting its uneven rows of teeth together every time its head twitched to one side. I began to panic and choked on the air in my throat, but I tried not to move a single muscle. My limbs jerked every once in awhile but it was something I couldn't help. It was pretty hard to keep still when staring death directly in the face.

Its elongated limbs, sunken eyes, razor sharp teeth and claws... all were so intimidating! What was I supposed to do? Run? If I moved, it'd probably get me killed faster!

I watched its eyes drift down to the bandage on my leg and somehow saw the desperate hunger in them. It made some sound that sounded awfully similar to a groan, an aching groan craving for something wicked. I could feel the tension between us tightening and strangling me, like the result of this all was inevitable.

I was going to be eaten.

The thing looked me in the eye as if it were daring me to actually dart to safety... not that there was any. I only swallowed hard and waited for something to happen. I sure wasn't going to be the first one to break the stillness.

My head staying still, I glanced over at the other wendigoes who were slowly starting to close in on us. They crawled to the forest floor and stood up like the other, appearing taller than when I first saw them and twitching their awkward, slim bodies. I really started to panic and drip with sweat when they ignored everyone else and came to me. Their eyes were curious and they watched the other one as if to ask, "why haven't you eaten her yet?".

It quickly looked at them and let out the most deafening screech I had ever heard, that being because it was directly in my ear, and it sounded like the combination of a human scream and the squeal of a train braking against tracks.

I flinched and momentarily closed my eyes that were tearing up with fear. When I opened them, I jumped at the horrid face sitting inches in front of me. I didn't mean to gasp, but when I did the wendigo let out another one of those screeches and splashed my face with its saliva and putrid breath. I cringed and turned my head away from it, but my eyes remained focused on its teeth. So frightening...

They all looked at each other like they were debating something. They seemed confused... out of place. It was almost as if they couldn't decide whether I was to be eaten or not. When I looked at the others, they watched them with the same puzzlement the creatures did me.

I was startled again when the wendigoes started screeching at each other. Some of the noises sounded angry, while the others sounded confused or upset. I was sure my ears were starting to bleed from the notorious hollers.

Eventually all the cloudy eyes set on me again and stayed like that for awhile. All the wendigoes were huddled just a few feet away but one stepped closer to me. It screeched again, only this one was just a little lighter than the last few.

Was it trying to communicate with me?

I didn't have time to test that theory out because something came barreling through the woods, screaming with a familiar sound that I couldn't directly recall. It jumped into view in a black blur, tackling one of the wendigoes and clawing at its chest.

A ghoul.

This was a different one because I was sure Odis left behind no life of the last one. I was unsure why it was targeting the wendigo... but a random, and totally stupid plan popped into my head just then.

The other wendigoes screeched at the ghoul but they didn't do anything to help their buddy. It was like they were too afraid of its attacker. Although they were taller than it, the ghoul seemed way stronger based on its bulging muscles.