Night falls as Dean expected. Things have come to an end. Hailey and Ben came together in front of the fire, and Roy was keeping watch. Dean and Karina were drawing the Anasazi symbols to keep Wendigo away. Every time Roy says a word, all she thinks is stabbing him with her knives.
Meanwhile, Sam was sitting on a log, quiet and full of thoughts in his mind. Karina looked over at him; doesn't feel anything to him except a connection. Dean interrupts her thoughts by walking over to him.
Karina stays close to the boys to keep an eye on them behind the tree. Dean sits by his brother, who is still drowned in thoughts. "You want to tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?"
"Dean..."
"No, you're not fine. You're like a powder keg, man. It's not like you. I'm supposed to be a belligerent one, remember?"
"Dad's not here. I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?"
"Yeah, you're probably right. To tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek."
"Then let's get these people back to town, and let's hit the road... Go find Dad. I mean, why are we still even here?"
Dean kneeled down in front of Sam and showed him an example. John's journal.
"This is why... this book. This is Dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here, and he's passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things... the family business."
Sam rubbed his face, "That makes no sense. Why--why doesn't he just call us? Or Karina? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?"
"I don't know. Even Karina doesn't know... But the way I see it, Dad's given us a job to do, and I intend to do it."
"Dean... No. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about."
"Okay, all right. Sam, we'll find them. I promise. Listen to me. You've got to prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while. And all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long haul. It's gonna kill you. You got to have patience, man."
Sam shook his head, slightly amazed by his brother's words, "How do you do it? How does Dad do it?"
Dean turned his head to the people in front of the fire, "Well, for one, them." Sam followed Dean's eyes, seeing Hailey and Ben warming together. "I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to Hell. Maybe we can help some others. It makes things a little bit more bearable. And I'll tell you what else helps..."
Sam looks at Dean, finishing his last thought, "Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can." The boys smiled slightly at each other.
Karina's head turned away from them, staring at the distance. Not feeling anything after Dean had said. Sure, it was right, but she's empty inside. More like, soulless. She taught herself years and years to stay emotionless after her father's death.
Humanity is a true weakness, she said to herself. Nothing can change that, even her case.
A screaming voice from the distance interrupts the people. Begging for help. More knowingly, the trio knows that Wengido is drawing them by mimicking the voice. People come together, staying inside the circle to protect themselves. Winchesters grabbed their flashlights, and their guns ready for anything.
Karina reminded the people, "It's trying to draw us out. Just stay calm and stay together in a circle."
"Inside the magic circle, lady?"
Karina glared at Roy, wanting to stab him now. The voice is still asking them for help and turns into growling. Wendigo's growl. "Okay, that's no grizzly."
Hailey calms Ben down, and the growling grows intense. It flashes around the circle. Not going in. Roy and Dean kept their eyes on their arms with their weapons. Roy shoots the sound. It didn't make a sound. Another sound appears beside the distance between Karina and Sam. Roy took his shot, and it hit. Roy stupidly ran to the creature while the trio runs after him to stop.
He didn't give up, kept on running until something from above the tree grabbed him. Sam kept his flashlight to where he was. But only that he disappeared from the distance. Leaving the trio in haunted horror and suspension from the Wendigo.
***
In the morning, the people are shaken by an experience they witnessed last night. Sam was taking his time, thinking about what Dean said to him. Looking down at John's journal.
In the clear distance behind him, Karina stands against the tree, keeping an eye on him as promised. While she's staying close to Dean as he talks to Hailey about the shocking scene she witnessed.
"How do you know about this stuff?"
"It kind of runs in the family." Dean looked at Karina as he walked by her. Examining the campsite by the trees.
After that moment, Sam walked toward people with determination on his face. Standing by Karina, "Hey. So, we've got half a chance in the daylight." People stand up to look at Sam, and he takes a quick look at Karina and his audience. "And I, for one... want to kill this evil son of a bitch."
Dean looked pleased to see his brother, bringing himself in. "Well, hell, you know I'm in."
Karina nodded, "Same."
The trio started to tell the origin of the creature they were hunting. Mostly Karina knew all of the origins by memory. Karina starts from the beginning, "Wendigo is a Cree Indian word. Translate to "evil that devours." They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man, sometimes a Native American, or other times a frontiersman or miner or hunter. Pretty much any of us in the same room."
Hailey asked the trio, "How's a man turned into one of those things?"
Dean gladly answered her question, "Well, it's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help--becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."
Ben comments to Sam, who's holding the journal, "Like a Donnor party."
"That's right. Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities--speed, strength, immortality."
Dean walks over to Karina and Sam, finishing the thought, "If you eat enough of it over the years, you become this less-than-human thing. You're always hungry."
"So, if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?"
Trio shared the look, who's going to respond to this question. Karina walk over to Hailey with a grimaced look on her face, "Well, you're not going to like this-"
"Tell me."
"I am telling you... Wendigo knows how to last long winters as Dean said without food. It hibernates for years at a time. When it's awake, it keeps its victims alive. It keeps them so it can feed whenever it wants."
Dean finished Karina's thought, "If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe, and we got to track it back there."
"And then how do we stop it?"
"Well, guns are useless--so are knives sadly," said Karina.
Dean walked over to his pack to grab something, "So what my friend is trying to say, we gotta torch this sucker." Presenting a bottle with rag inside and gas, and what's left is lighter.
***
Now they're off to some killing. They hiked to where Roy disappeared close to the surface. Fresh blood with claws on the trees. Leaving some signs that the Wendigo is still in place. Karina is behind the people in case someone is following them. That is until Sam shouted her name and Dean.
"Dean. Karina." They both followed Sam looking up at the claw marks. They all look up at the claw marks, so many of them with blood. "You know, I was thinking that those claw prints, so clear and distinct... they were almost easy to follow."
The growling went, leaving the people ready for anything. The bushes are moving, and Wendigo flashes around them. People stand guard, and arm, waiting for it to come to them. Then suddenly, Hailey felt something dripping upon her shoulder from above. She looked up and it was the corpse of Roy falling down on her.
She screamed and moved away from the falling. She dropped herself on the ground, and Karina pulled her up. Make sure she's okay. Dean checks the corpse claiming that Roy's neck is broken. The growling of Wendigo went intense and the people ran away from the sound and the ruffles of bushes behind them.
Ben tripped as he ran away. Leaving Karina and Sam to help him get up. They followed back to Dean and Hailey. What was left as they ran faster was Hailey's screaming. Ben shouted Hailey's name, and what was left was a broken bottle of the bomb. No Dean and Hailey in the presence. They were taken by the Wendigo.
Leaving Sam in worry of shouting his name. "DEAN!!"
Sam, Karina, and Ben are searching for their people. Leaving Ben in confusion due to the explanation of the origin of Wendigo. "If it keeps its victims alive, why would it kill Roy?"
"Honestly? I think because Roy shot at it, he pissed it off."
Karina chuckled at Sam's answer, "I think 100% honest is that he was annoying and he deserves it." Sam turns to Karina, softly smiling from what she said yesterday to him. Ben didn't hear her comment and searched for a trail.
"They went this way."
Sam and Karina followed Ben and saw the trail of M&Ms. Coindency from Dean's provision. Sam looks at the trail, smiling at the fact he's near to his brother's trail. Referencing the tale of Hansel and Gretel. They followed the trail of M&Ms, ending the trail of mines.
They all went inside the dark mines, hoping that they were going to find their team. Karina turns on her flashlight, following the train of mine craft. When all of sudden, the growling is heard. Karina turned off her flashlight and backed away with people behind her to keep them hiding at the dark wall.
A tall, gray creature appeared from the distance. It is the Wendigo as Karina has already seen. Ben was close to screaming at the appearance, but Sam caught him. He covered his mouth to not make a sound. It walked away to the distance, leaving Karina to follow it with her flashlight. The boys behind her followed her lead.
When they found out that Wendigo disappeared from the distance in front of them. The crate below them starts to creak. They fall down in the crate, leaving them in pain at the highest surface. People are laying down in pain, and surrounded by skeleton parts. Sam checked the people if they were okay. Then the sound of the creaking rope rose.
Sam and Karina looked around the place, and there were Hailey, and Dean hanging with blood on their faces and their bodies. Ben checked with Hailey and left the rest of the trio to check with Dean. Sam tried to awaken Dean, and he gasped weakly. Knowing that Dean and Hailey are fine.
Karina grabbed her blade from her ankle boot and cut Dean off from the rope. Dean was close to falling down, but Sam caught him. Winchesters carried each other, leaving Dean on the ground to get all together. Ben cut Hailey's rope, leaving her sitting along with Dean.
Dean made a painful groan, it left Karina worried about Dean. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, yeah. Where is it?"
"It's gone for now," replied Sam.
While Dean and Hailey were taking a breath, Hailey looked at the distance. Recognizing something as she looked up. It was Tommy, hanging. He's not moving or breathing at all. Hailey was crying to see the sight of him. Called him his name and comforted him, hoping that he might still be alive. Tommy gasped loudly, getting everyone's attention.
Sam cut Tommy down, and the family of Tommy hugged him. Hailey comforted his brother by getting him home. Dean gets up and grabs something that might kill the Wendigo. "Check it out. Flare guns."
"Those will work." Sam chuckled and Karina nodded at the boys.
Family of Tommy carried him the best they could to get out of the mines. Dean has taken his lead with his flare gun and Sam walked behind him with his own. As for Karina looking behind her to check with the family. They're walking slowly due to their injuries and mostly Tommy's injuries.
The familiar growling of Wendigo gives them tension. "Looks like someone's home for supper."
Hailey is still carrying her injured brother, "We'll never outrun it."
Dean looked at Hailey, and he turned to Sam and Karina. Sharing the same thought. Distraction. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam and Karina agreed with his statement.
He turned to the people, "Alright, listen to me. Stay with Sam and Karina. They're gonna get you out of here."
"What are you gonna do?"
Dean winked at Hailey, leaving her in worry. He begins to shout and run away, "It's chow time, you freakin' bastard! Yeah, that's right! Bring it on, baby! I taste good!!" Dean gave them a signal to leave another way. They did.
They run as fast as they can. Holding on Tommy. Sam is guarding with a flare gun. They can hear Dean yelling from a distance. Words like white meat, and bitch. Growling came from the distance where Sam and Karina are with the family.
Karina turned to the people, "Get him out of here."
Hailey infers, "Karina, no."
"Go. Go now!"
They followed her command, leaving Sam and Karina together on guard. Following the sound. They both hide behind the surface, waiting for it to come to them. Not the innocents. The water starts dripping around them. Then suddenly, a small sound of growling comes close to them. More like, close to them in the same room. They both look up at the above, there it is.
Wendigo loudly growled at them. Karina screamed Sam's name, and he shot at it. It flashed in defense and he missed. Karina grabbed Sam and they began to run to the people. Shouting at them to run. They all run as fast as they can while Wendigo is still on their tail.
They're trapped at the dead-end of the mines. The sound of growling and snarls frighten the people. Sam and Karina back the people behind them. Wendigo walked toward them, with a slow pace of suspension and horror. It roared loudly, showing its long claws.
"Hey!" Wendigo turns to the sound. It was the sound of Dean holding up the flare gun at it. He shot at it and it became a hit.
Wendigo roared with the pain of fire as it flames up and dissolves into ashes. "Not bad, huh?" Leaving the rest of the people smiling at Dean.
Their first mission as the trio is accomplished.
***
Ambulances came to the Ranger Station. The sheriffs are questioning Sam and Ben, telling them it was a grizzly bear all along. Defending the truth of the missing case of Tommy. Leaving Karina and Dean sitting on the front of the car. Hailey gave them thanks for saving her and getting back her brother in her life.
"So, really, I don't know how to thank you." They both smiled at Hailey. She turned to Dean, "Must you cheapen the moment?"
"Yeah!"
"It's fine, guys. Don't mind me. Being the third wheel here." Hailey and Dean looked at Karina. Hailey smiled at Karina and gave her a small hug of thanks. Karina didn't hug her back; she was still keeping her promise.
As Hailey pulled her hug back, Karina sent her a soft smile. The officer walked behind Hailey asking her if she wanted to ride with her brother. She agreed and Sam and Ben walked over to them. The last thing that Hailey did was kiss Dean's cheek and said to her goodbye and hope, "I hope you can find your father."
Hailey said her thanks to Sam and walked side by side with Ben in the ambulance. Finally together as a family.
Sam sat by Karina, and the trio watched the ambulance drive away. Dean decided to speak up to brighten the moment a little, "Guys, I hate camping."
"Me too."
"Ditto."
Dean comforted Sam with a reminder that they were going to find their father. Sam agreed with Dean sadly. But he said one last thing, "But in the meantime, I'm driving." Karina looked at Dean, who is hesitating by looking down.
He tossed his keys to Sam, and he began to smile. Karina called the shotgun, and Dean groaned at her taking it. Now they all sit in different seats. Sam: driver, Karina: passenger, Dean: backseat.
Driving their way to the new adventures miles away.