Wendigo

Day 4:

One should think that you lose track of time staying indoors for a while. Most likely that would have happened to me too, if there hadn't been this tiny crack in the solid rock wall above me, letting in the slightest hint of sunlight. Of course my calculation could be off since I don't know how long I was unconscious before my counting started. I felt how a single drop of water formed on my forehead, ready to roll down. I tilted my head a little bit upwards and parted my lips as the drop found its way down over my brow, my nose and finally into my mouth. I swallowed hard and prepared myself for another 90 minutes or more of waiting for the next drop. It wasn't much, but a) a single drop every few hours was better than no water at all and b) it was something I could focus on. The water came trough the same crack as the light did, dropping down on my head, although it got less over the last 2 days, probably because it stopped raining. I let my head fall down again and whinced at the sudden pain that soared through my shoulders and arms. I told myself once more to resist every urge to move or stretch myself to stay painless. My hands were held together by some sort of cloth, twisted around my wrists several times, which was attached to a hook in the ceiling of the cave with an iron chain, so high that my feet couldn't reach the ground. The feeling in my fingers and hands was long gone, the ache in my back and shoulders was inexpressible. I was trapped, hanging like this for 4 days now, without any chance of escaping. Of course I tried. I tried to tear the hook down or get trough the cloth somehow, but no matter what I tried, nothing would work. Trying to break the chain on a possible weak spot turned out to be lost effort as well, so all I could do was either wait for a miracle or accept my fate. At the moment, latter seemed more likely. 

I had arrived in Lost Creek, Colorado, about 5 days ago. As always, it was John who had led me here. His disappearance two weeks ago still left a deep, hollow feeling in my gut. It wasn't unusual for him to leave for a couple of days, but usually I was with him... or at least he called if a job required a bit more time. But now... the journal he left at the police-station clearly said 35-111, so I went there first, hoping to find him. When I overheard the young girl at the ranger's hut, complaining about the authorities not searching for her lost brother and his friends, I knew that something was wrong. So I packed some supplies and made my way to the location the coordinates pointed to. It didn't take me long to find strange tracks and a turned over campsite, including torn tents with traces of blood on them. I wasn't quite sure what I was hunting, but I wanted to make sure it didn't live to see another day. I had my shotgun loaded and ready, but it was too quick. If I had known that I was dealing with a Wendigo, I would have brought a flamethrower or something similar.

"Wendigo is a Cree Indian word. It means "evil that devours". They have human origins, and turn into a monster after eating man-flesh. They are driven by an unquechnable hunger and prefer living in woods, where they preyed on miners, soldiers or nowadays on hikers. They seem to appear in different shapes, once more like a very tall and skinny human, at other times like the carcass of an elch. However it looks, what they have in common is a heart made out of ice. That's why neither a gun nor a knife will do them any harm - you have to fight it with fire. The heart thaws and you will be able to kill it. It's very hard to find it though, thanks to its ability to turn into a shadow-creature, and hunting it down turns into getting hunted down. It can survive many years without feeding, but when it awakes it snatched several people to feed on them over an extended period of time."

These were all the information I could still remember from John's journal and my own research I did some years ago. Didn't do me any good though. The moment I realized I was dealing with a Wendigo it was already to late. After I tried to shoot it, it only got angry and jumped at me. I hit my head pretty hard on the ground and everything went black. Next thing I knew I was hanging here, next to 3 other people. I tried to free myself of the bonds, as did the others, but it was no use. It came back for us the morning after... No doubt it was hunting all night. Luckily I was located at the far back of the cave in some darker corner. When it came in, the guy nearest to the entrance started crying for help, shouted at it to go away, buldging and wiggling in an attempt to get free. Then his shouting turned into screams, as the Wendigo tugged its claws into his skin. I couldn't avert my eyes, only stare as it tore huge chunks of flesh out of this poor mans body. The sobs and high-pitched screams of him echoed through the cave. I closed my eyes as the creature reached for his head, smashing it with a cracking sound. I kept them closed as it ate the rest of him. When I finally opened them again, it was gone. I exchanged an anxious look with my fellow prisoners before one of them started crying and dropped his gaze. I tried to stay calm, to breath steadily - the last thing I needed now was a panic attack. And then I started thinking... thinking about how I could get out of this mess. But nothing would come to my mind, at least nothing I could do on my own. Since noone safe for John knew of my location, I was pretty much screwed. The next morning it came back, devouring the guy hanging next to me. His name was David... had been David! I wish I could have closed my ears just like my eyes, but his screams would follow me into another night full of nightmares and calls for help. And today it would come either for me or for the other boy... 

Another drop found its way down my face until it hit my lips, where I hungrily licked it off with a dry tongue. My stomach cramped badly again, craving for food. My body got tense with attention when I heard a familiar tapping sound, accompanied by a deep growling. It was back. The first I saw of it were its red eyes, glowing in the dark. My heart almost jumped out of my chest, for I was sure that it would come straight to me for his next meal. But as it entered I recognized that it dragged 2 bodies behind it. It began chaining them up clumsily, as it had done with me a few days back. Judging by their physique it was a boy and a girl - he probably in his late twenties, she in her early. That's all I could take in as my vision narrowed and everything faded to black again.

Sam and Ben had followed the trail that Dean had left them, all the way to the entrance of an abandoned mine. They had started searching for Ben's brother and his friends yesterday: They were missing for 3 days already and according to John's journal something wasn't quite right, since there was a reoccuring pattern of several people going missing around Blackwater Ridge every 23 years. They had started out as a group of 5 people: Hayley and Ben, the siblings of the missing Tommy, and their hired guide Roy, along with Sam and Dean. Sam still wasn't sure about the coordinates that their father had left them, but now that Dean was taken by that Wendigo, there was no turning back. He wasn't the biggest fan of being a hunter again but Dean was his brother and he wouldn't abandon him. Sam swallowed hard and switched on his flashlight. "Stay right behind me!", he said to Ben and entered the tunnel. The young boy followed close behind as they made their way deeper under the earth, the light beam dancing this way and that along the walls and the floor. Several tunnels opened up to their left and their right, but following a hunch Sam stayed on the way right in front of them. It didn't take them long to find that the tunnel ended in a big cave, where Sam broke into a sprint. "Dean!", he hissed as he could make out his brother, dangling from the ceiling by his wrists. Dean groaned and murmured something close to "Son of a bitch" before he seemed to comprehend where he was. "Damn, Sammy, get me out of here!" Sam gave the flashlight to Ben and produced a knife from one of his pockets. He cut the bonds that held his brother, who landed on the hard ground with a thump. Dean grunted something as he rubbed his wrists - the bonds had left rather nasty red marks. While Sam also cut down Hayley, Ben called: "Guys, look over here!", - they didn't bother whispering anymore, their cover was blown anyway. In a corner they fund the dufflebag, complete with all their guns, stakes and ammunition. There were even more, probably from the other victims. Dean gave Sam a triumphant smile as he held up a pair of flare guns. "This will show this sucker!" Hayley had gathered her feet by then and sprinted off to another person hanging a bit further off. "Tommy!", she cried out as she ran over to him and checked his vital signs. "He's still alive!", she exhaled relieved. Sam helped her get him down as Dean quickly loaded the guns they had found and handed one of them to his brother, before taking the flashlight out of Ben's hand. "Let's get out of here before daddy comes home for dinner!", Dean hissed and ushered them out of the cave, into the tunnel. Ben and Hayley were carrying a still unconscious Tommy between them, Sam and Dean followed close behind, when a noise made them stop short in their tracks. Dean turned around and pointed the flashlight in the general direction where the whimpering sound had come from. As he lit up the area his jaw dropped. 

At first I thought I was dreaming. But when the light beam was followed by voices I slowly believed that someone had gotten down here and hope was rekindled within me. The two boys and the girl were freed and there was some talking. I tried to cry out for help, but only a hoarse croak escaped my lips. I started breathing faster, my heart raced as the light pointed towards the tunnels again. They were leaving! Panic rushed through me as I tried to get their attention, tears started filling my eyes. Then the light beam stopped midtrack and once more I wanted to shout something, but only a quenched sob would come out. Then the light started coming towards me, fell first on my body and then on my face. My eyes burnt like fire after the long darkness and I closed them, turning my head to the side. "Emily?", a familiar voice asked. 

I looked in his direction, directly in his astonished face, my eyes slowly getting adjusted to the light. Sort of a smile formed on my lips as I recognized his face, still in utter shock. "I'm the luckiest bastard on this green earth!", I thought to myself. Of all the people finding their way down here to help me, it had to be a Winchester. Then again, who else? It should have occured to me earlier that John gave the coordinates to someone else as well. "Sam, help me quickly!", Dean shouted towards the darkness. Sam... so he had managed to bring his brother back on board. Good. We could need a couple hands more on this job. Sam hurried over and gave me a surprised look. "You? But how..." "Ask questions later, we have to get out of here!", Dean interrupted. Sam nodded and motioned Dean to get closer. Then he cut my bonds. The sudden relief of tension on my arms caused me to let out a groan, with the sudden weight on my legs I would have collapsed, if Dean hadn't caught me. He laid my still bound arms around his neck and slung his right arm around my waist, picking me up like a child. Then both of them turned and hurried for the tunnel, to leave this death trap for good. My head resting on his shoulder, I took in his familiar scent, consisting of sweat, rain and his leather jacket. It was hard to keep my eyes open now, my arms and shoulders were on fire. I dropped in and out of consciousness for quite some time, until everything went dark again. The last thing I remember was a rocking motion and the smell of earth. 

That was unexpected! He had been dragged into this mine, for the purpose of being eaten by a Wendigo, and now he fled out of them again, carrying Emily in his arms. Dean heard a splashing sound right of him and spun around. "Sam!", he called, holding Emily with his left arm now and pulling the flare gun from his pocket. He cocked the gun and braced himself. Sam stood two steps behind him, covering his left side. Then he saw it: A soft glow from the daylight outside poured into the tunnel as a shape materialized out of the shadows. It looked a bit human, but there wasn't much of it left. Before it could come any closer the brothers pointed their guns at it and pulled the trigger. Dean's bullet hit the wall and sparks lit up the area, but Sam hit the hissing beast right in the stomach. The Wendigo spluttered and screamed as it was consumed by the flames. A second later only a whisp of smoke was left of this nightmare.