Ghosts Among Us

"Most eyes were focused on the Middle East at the time. What a lot of people didn't see was that Russia was working overtime to not only spur more fires in the desert but also sow discourse on the state side. They knew that the undeclared war the US was fighting was a dividing point for many people. They used that to recruit individuals to defect with the promise that they were working towards stopping the US involvement. They used whatever sore point they could use. The bombing of innocent children, and the executions of innocent civilians by the various groups demanding the US withdrawal.

Well, one individual who went rogue could have caused a major problem. Dr. Kelly Donner. He had been working with the US Government to better explain the biology of creatures and monsters. He worked with various groups to help with the restriction devices that many of us use today. His work yielded results that we could have only imagined. They only got better as the years went but he was never satisfied. He was kept on a strict leash with his genetic research. He was promised to be let off his leash and that was just too much for him to say no. So he said yes and we were sent in…"

The Russian province of Siberia is an unforgiving region of the world. The further north you go, the more brutal it becomes. It's the perfect place to hide something that no one wants found. Including a lab. A group of soldiers were dropped in under less than favorable circumstances. High winds threw their trajectory off course after already forcing their plane to divert from the original path. It was a miracle that they got into Russian airspace but that bad luck had to go somewhere.

The blowing snow brought visibility down to nothing. Their GPS was the only way they could see where they were going. Six soldiers had to trek the wilderness to a point on a map, find an entrance, and detain their target. That was the end goal to start with. It changes rather quickly after a few days.

It was not planned that this mission was to take more than two days. One day travel, one day of action, and extraction the same day with the VIP. It was always Hunter's caution that he would bring more food than needed. He brought seven days' worth of meals for one person to be packed as tightly as he could get them to fit with his gear. Their weapons weren't as required for this one until they reached the lab. This would and should be the only time they would need to engage in a firefight.

The wind beat them down the first day. The darkness beat them down the second. By the third day, everyone was ready to be done. They were still far off from their target from the botched landing. They camped when they had to at night. Hunter's pre-planning came in handy when things got scarce. Everyone had to limit themselves to one meal a day to try and make it last as long as they could but it quickly ran out. They made it three extra days with Hunter's extra cautious packing.

But once it ran out…

Their best option was just to call for extraction. This wasn't worth walking around blind. In a decision made by the team as a whole, they activated their transceiver to call for pickup. Their radio lit up with chatter as they were bombarded with questions. Without Dr. Kelly Donner in hand, they were not going to come pick them up. It was emphasized that it was imperative that they bring him back. So with that, the group was left behind.

With no food, they had no option but to push forward. Their squad leader did all he could to keep morale up as they moved towards the point once more. After the second day, it didn't matter what encouraging words were said. The empty bellies were screaming louder than he was. They had to do something. Some grace did show itself as they moved along. It came in the form of an old settler's hut. The stone walls seemed to be holding up pretty well. Inside, it was relatively safe from the elements.

The first step was warmth. They had been exposed to the elements for so long that there was a genuine fear of frostbite and trench foot. Hunter volunteered to collect firewood to warm the place. His utility shovel worked well enough to get enough small branches. Hopefully, there is enough of the dead stuff he scrounged to burn and dry out the larger pieces.

His return was met with smiles at the hope of some type of respite. The cold hellscape they had been traversing had taken its toll. Something semblance of normalcy would bring them back from this brink. They managed to get the fire started. As he had hoped, it dried out the larger pieces before burning them. It gave them a night away from the harsh outside. Even if their bellies still went wanting.

Morning came to a stack of smoldering charcoal. It was still hot but to keep it going they would need to keep feeding it. Not only did the fire need feeding, but so did the group. This was going on day three of no food. Things were getting desperate.

Hunter broke out his service weapon. It was going to be used for something he never expected it to be used for. He had to hunt down something. His goal was something large enough that it could feed the six of them. His hunt fell short. His triumphant return the night before was squashed by his failure. At least the fire was still going.

"It was the third morning in the cabin when I noticed that something had started changing…"

The morning came once again but this time the fire was put out. The coals were cold. They had not burnt out like the night before. They were doused. Snow could have fallen off into the chimney. If it was, then no one would have heard it. Getting it started would be a chore. But they still needed food first.

Hunter was forced back into the wild to get some game. He had to come back with something this time. Someone else was tasked with more wood. By the time he returned, he would hope that the fire was warm.

Nothing came across his way. Nothing was leaving him a way to follow either.

"I had already failed once. I couldn't come back empty-handed again. These men were hungry. They were getting desperate."

Hunter returned empty once again. The room carried a worse feeling than the night before. Not at Hunter's misfortune, but at a loss. Four men stood around the bed looking down at the motionless body of their brother-in-arms. He was their radio man, the one who called for help but was denied. The empty stomachs didn't matter anymore. They were filled with a feeling. Dread began to set into the group. The night was filled with silence as the fire crackled. The beacon was still operating, sending their location with no one responding to it.

"It wasn't until morning that we realized the danger we were in."

Morning stirred the group from their slumber. Their comrade was missing, and one more as well. Their squad leader was nowhere to be seen. The four were puzzled as they tried to figure out where one living and one dead person went. The living person didn't take long to find. He returned from the blistering cold patting himself down. It was obvious that everyone had their eyes on him. He looked rather disheveled as he took a seat. "I should have said something. I wanted to make sure Remason got a proper burial."

"It only got worse from there…"

Hunter barely had the strength to go hunting. But a stroke of luck came to him in the form of a Musk Deer. He got his shot killing the animal. Finally, food. It had taken all day but knowing that there was going to be warm food in their bellies gave him some peace. He had to pull the carcass all the way back to the hut. He kept thinking of how he could cook it over the fire to keep himself motivated to keep pushing.

It was in view! But there was no glow of a fire inside. In fact, the whole place looked dark. He stepped up the bath they had beaten into the snow and stopped in his tracks at the sight of someone face down in the snow. He looked to be facing away from the hut with one arm out. He had been there for a while. What little skin that was exposed had lost all color. Hunter grabbed his shoulder to flip him over revealing the horror. His face was mangled with deep gashes. His body armor was torn through leaving him disemboweled. He had used his last bit of strength running away only to die within feet.

Hunter dropped the deer, readying his weapon. He kept low, approaching with extreme caution to the one window. To this day, the image haunts him. His squad leader was hunched over on the floor, tearing into the chest of one of his mates. In the corner lay another, hunched over and stained red from head to toe. It forced a gasp bringing the attention of their former squad leader. He looked around with a crazed look in his eye baring his sharp teeth.

He knew the signs. He knew what had happened. He knew there was nothing more he could do either. The beast went back to its meal allowing Hunter to step away. He raided his late brother for his ammunition before heading back out into the wilderness. It would slow him down, but he couldn't leave the deer behind. This was going to be his only chance at survival.

"The cold kept the meat preserved. I would make a fire once a day to eat and sleep. I just kept following a river until I ran across a town where I could get help. I had to burn my uniform to prevent Russian forces from capturing me. And once I was finally able to make contact with someone, I lied. I had to tell them that the mission had failed. That we were unable to break into the lab. I made up a story about how Staff Sergeant Grentt ordered the retreat staying behind to save two of us after a heavy firefight. I told them the other survivor succumbed to his wounds and I had to leave him in the snow.

They never went back for them. While I hate to say it, that was probably for the best. I could have never found that hut again nor would I want to. Sometimes it's best to just leave things as they are. In this case, it seems karma found me and is making me face it once again.

The stories are brutal. They're not just myths and legends. They are nightmares incarnate. I hate them. I hate them with every fiber of my being. They are monsters born from greed and set upon those in desperate situations. Worse yet, you can't get rid of them. Kill the host and the spirit is released to find another. Keep it trapped and you let someone suffer for all eternity. There is no easy way of taking care of a wendigo."