The nightmare begins

The girls pack up all their gear, Jo Ann still freaking and almost unable to touch Dylan’s stuff. Frank was still saying that they should stay right there. “We need to call for help, is what we need to do.” Catharine said. Shots are heard in the woods and the girls can only hope Wayne killed the beast. They should have gone with him. They keep packing what they can, Frank begrudgingly joins in. Soon Wayne comes back to camp, a little bloody. The girls run to him and hug him. “Did you get it?” Jo Ann asked “Is it dead?” “I…think so.” Wayne said “I don’t know.” He wipes the blood from his head and goes to the first aid kit in his tent. “Are we seriously going to pack up and leave?” Frank asked. They all glare at him as Wayne bandages himself. “Yes, asshole!” Wayne says. “We’re heading back to the car and we’re calling the rangers and we’re going to ask for a search party.” They finish packing the rest and head to the cars. When they reach the trail they had parked on, they find both cars wrecked. Frank finally freaked out. Someone had trashed his baby.

“We have no choice now.” Wayne said. He pulled a map from his bag and pointed to a spot down river “There’s a ranger cabin here, a few miles away.” “A few miles?” Catharine asked “How are we going to make it a few miles?” Jo Ann followed up. “By getting a move on now.” Wayne said. The girls kept close to him while Frank walked behind, grumbling along. Catharine picked up a big stick. It wasn’t as good as a gun, but it was still a weapon. They kept walking, keeping close to the water. Or at least in visual range of it. A rustle in the trees spooked them and Jo Ann shrieked. The deer bonded away and they breathed a sigh of relief. Frank was getting more annoyed. He still hadn’t seen anything and his car was totaled. How would he explain this to the insurance company? They had walked for a long time and were getting tired. Jo Ann asked to stop for a second so they did by a cluster of trees. Frank dropped his bag and went off in a huff. They were annoyed but they didn’t care enough to go after him. Jo Ann grabbed a water bottle out of her bag and tipped it. It was empty. She went down to the river to fill it. A far off bird called out while she was at the water and things seemed calm for a bit. She thought she heard her name whispered and looked around. She couldn’t see anyone. Now she was scared. Where was the group? Which way did she come? She heard a splash in the water and turned just as a hairy hand grabbed her head. She screamed and the creature licked her face with evil intent.

Wayne came running toward the scream and saw the thing finishing its newest meal. He fired at it till his gun was nearly empty but saw it only made the beast angry. He did the only thing he could do, he ran back to the rest spot. Catharine jumped up when he came back and quickly noticed he was alone and showing a great deal of fear. She didn’t bother to ask “Oh my god.” She said as Wayne grabbed her bag and tossed it to her “Where the fuck is Frank?” he asked as he grabbed his own bag “Who cares, let’s just get out of here.” Catharine said. They came out of the cluster of trees, Wayne re-loading his gun, even though it didn’t seem to do any good. They ran between some trees and right into Frank. They all jumped and screamed. Frank looked at them not understanding what was going on “Jo Ann’s dead.” Wayne said, Frank looked at them “Where’s my stuff?” The other two rolled their eyes “Back there.” Wayne said “You want it, go get it. We’re getting the fuck out of here.” And they took off. Frank stood stunned for a second as he debated but ran after them.

As they ran they started getting out of range of the river, Wayne took out the map and flashlight and checked their position. It was hard to tell now. “How much farther?” Frank asked “You got us lost, didn’t you?” Wayne slugged him, Frank fell to the ground and touched his bleeding lip “We are lost?” Frank said “Shut up.” Catharine told him. “We keep heading south.” Wayne said once he composed himself. Snow was starting to come down now, the wind picking up. They trekked on, down small cliffs and over fallen trees.

They duck under low branches and wade through a shallow river then over rock. Just through the trees they see a ranger cabin. The three rush forward, Wayne almost trips on a root but catches himself. Frank bangs at the locked door, Catharine looks around with fear in her eyes. Wayne and Frank bust the door in. Of course, it’s empty and the lights are off. The three go in and look for food, finding none. Frank goes over to the radio and tries it, but like everything else, it’s not working. He looks frustrated “There has to be a generator.” He says. He goes out and looks around. Wayne throws some wood in the fireplace and starts to work on getting it started. Catharine rubs her arms to warm her body, she looks to the door and sees the storm blowing. She breaths into her hands and thinks of something “You know…” She said. Wayne looked up from his barely started fire. “What?” he says. “That story he told. About the wendigo.” She said “Frank?” “Yeah. He tells that story about a wendigo and we just happen to be attacked by one.” “What are you getting at?” He asked, but he seems to know what she’s driving at. “He said the creature could be human. And he’s never around when that thing attacks.” Wayne stands and thinks for a second. He looks to the door, it shouldn’t take this long to find a generator. He looks to Catharine “I know you don’t like him, and neither do I. But that’s a pretty wild theory. Normally I would say, there is no such thing as a coincidence but Frank? A wendigo?” The power came on and they looked to the light shining above them and smiled. For a while only the wind is heard then suddenly Frank screams, they could see him running for the door before a grey blur swoops him away.

They run to the door and close it, instantly remembering they broke it in. They start moving furniture around to block the door. Outside they hear Frank pleading with the beast as it toyed with him, they didn’t dare look out the windows. Wayne tried the radio again and got nothing but static. He cursed the storm and fiddled with the dials until a faint signal was heard.

From what they could tell, the storm was dying off and it would soon be morning. The Wendigo was no longer stalking the cabin but he was close. They could hear it breathing. Wayne and Catharine waited, trying the radio over and over. They would have to get a clear signal soon. Wayne checks his ammo for the tenth time and the fire dances, casting shadows on the wall. Catharine fiddled with the dials some more “Hello?” they heard and Wayne jumped to the radio. “Yes, please. You have to send help.” Catharine said into the radio. They heard more static and a thump at the wall. The Wendigo was back, trying to get in. It banged at the door more “Please!” Catharine screamed “Whe…you? What is….” and the radio sputtered some more. Wayne hit the side and looked to the door. Their barricade was giving way. Wayne grabbed a flaming log from the fire. The desk in front of the door scrapped as the door was bashed in, a hairy grey arm reaching in, breaking the wood. The door bashed and broke and splintered as the freakish beast made its way through. It growled and roared. Catharine grabbed the chair and swung it at the arm, the beast yelped and pulled back but kept trying to get in. The two backed away as the desk knocked forward and the door was opened. The wendigo snarled from the doorway. Wayne chucked the flaming log at it and opened fire, emptying his gun to little effect. The seemingly un-killable beast hunched forward, clutching its chest and growled. It was hurt after all. Wayne through the useless gun down and looked around. The beast sprang and as a reaction, Wayne grabbed the radio and swung, cracking the animal in the jaw, it finally went down. At least the radio was good for something. Catharine ran out the door with Wayne close behind. They didn’t know where they could go now, they just knew they needed to get away from there, quick.

They ran through the woods in the direction they were already going. Following the trail the rangers used, they came to the main road, just missing a car going by. Catharine waved franticly as they watched the tail lights disappear. They hear a low howl behind them and Wayne tells Catharine to run. She’s hesitant at first and screams out to anyone who will hear. The hairy beast emerges from the trees, its eyes glowing. It creeps forward and growls at them “Go!” Wayne ordered Catharine. He charges, tackling the freak and takes it down. Catharine screams and cries again but does as she was told. Wane and the wendigo roll around a bit and Wayne finds a large wooden spike still in the beast’s side. He twists at it and the monster cries out. He pulls it out and stabs it in the heart. Or at least where he hopes the heart is. He stabs over and over, the beast yelping more as he does until it backhands him away. Wayne rolls from the hit and loses his weapon, the monster stands and roars. Wayne roars back. They collide against each other and the wendigo drives its claws into Wayne’s chest.