by Joshua Grove
“Above us?” Anna said.
“Yes, he jumped down beside me, shoved me, then grabbed Jake and ran off.”
“Shit!” Trevor shouted.
Tim, Geraldine, Aaron, and David joined the group, panting. “Jesus Christ, I thought you were going to shoot us,” Tim breathed.
“We need to help Jake,” Anna said. “The Wendigo just took him.”
“The what?” Geraldine asked.
Anna violently shook her head. “Long story. Short version. Alan Brickton summoned a demon. It’s here and has been for nearly twenty years. It’s killing people and has its sights set on killing us.”
Tim, Geraldine, and Aaron simply looked at each other. David nodded in understanding. He walked over to Anish.
“So it is as you feared,” David said. Anish just looked at him.
“Did you know, all this time, what was happening?” Matthew asked.
“Never mind the details,” Anna growled. “Right now we need to find Jake.”
Out of the blue, something landed in the water just in front, splashing them.
“What the hell was that?” Anna asked. She shined her light on the object, and jumped back in horror. It was Jake’s severed head.
“Jesus Christ!” Sam yelled.
“Holy crap!” Trevor echoed.
Anna could hardly believe what was happening. Murders, demons, heads literally rolling – it was almost too much. But she knew she had to gather herself together. She looked at the group, and even in the dim light she could see that their faces had turned white.
“Don’t touch that!” Anna yelled at Sam as he leaned over to touch Jake’s head.
Sam quickly stood up and looked at her, shaking his head. “We can’t have this sitting here, looking at us.” Without warning Sam kicked the head into the darkness ahead of them.
“Dude, what the hell?” Simon shouted, splashing water as he stomped his foot.
“Now he isn’t looking at us,” Sam explained.
“He wasn’t looking at anyone, asshole,” Trevor growled. “Dead men can’t see.”
Everyone looked at Anna. “We can’t turn back now, we’ve come too far. We need to end this, and the only way we can do that is to face this Wendigo creature.”
Anish nodded, along with Matthew.
“There are too many of us down here,” Anna continued. She turned to Tim, Geraldine, Aaron, and David. “I need you guys to go back up into the house. It is easier to pick us off when we’re all standing here.”
“How do you figure?” Tim asked. “It’s better if we’re in a group.”
“No, Anna is right,” Anish interrupted. “It is too fast and there are too many of us. We stand a better chance in smaller groups.”
Anna could tell that Tim didn’t agree, but he did as he was told. Taking his group with him, Anna turned toward where Jake’s head had been tossed at them.
“What now, boss?” Sam asked.
“We follow the trail,” she said simply. They moved forward, hearing splashes of water every few seconds.
“It doesn’t sound too close,” Trevor said, his Beretta in his right hand. He looked at Anna. “Why didn’t you send me with Tim?”
“Good question,” Anna responded. Truth be told, she felt that he and Simon would be safer with her. Although they were probably going to come face to face with the demon, she wanted him close by. Plus, he knew more about what they were fighting than she did. Perhaps it was time to trust her son and his best friend.
* * * * * *
3
“I can’t believe Jake’s dead,” Geraldine said as they walked back toward the wine cellar.
“I certainly can,” David answered. “He was an idiot.”
Tim choked back a frightened laugh. “Well, regardless, we need to get back to the main house and out of this tunnel.”
“I’ll second that,” Aaron said.
Tim felt somewhat confident that the Wendigo, whatever that meant, was not going to chase them. If anything, it would be hunting Anna and her group. They were, after all, the ones that were on their way to kill it.
“So is anyone else a little freaked out by what they were talking about?” Aaron asked. “I mean, a demon, really?”
“Really,” David said matter-of-factly. “I always knew they existed.”
“So Michael was right,” Geraldine said.
“Not exactly,” David corrected. “A Wendigo isn’t a vampire. It’s a demon.”
“I thought vampires were demons?” Aaron said. “Shit, I can’t believe I’m even having this conversation.”
“Believe it,” Tim said. “Yes, it defies logic. But this whole freaking day defies logic, doesn’t it?”
Tim was relieved to see the ladder that led back into the cellar. Just as the relief washed over him, he heard them.
Splash!
Splash!
Thud!
Thud!
“Oh my God!” Geraldine shouted. “That’s the same sounds we heard earlier tonight!”
The group stood still, waiting for the next sound. Tim knew the splashes were immediately in front of them. He wondered how it was possible that the demon could have been on both sides of the two groups, since Jake’s head had been thrown at them from the opposite direction they were traveling.
As Tim looked at David, he saw large, bony fingers creep across his neck. With a horrid twist, David’s head was turned a full 180 degrees.
“Mother of God!” Geraldine cried. She grabbed the ladder and began climbing it. Then Tim saw it lurch forward to grab her. He shot it three times directly in the chest.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
The demon fell backward, shrieking as it did so. Tim almost dropped his gun to cover his ears. So much for small groups, he thought to himself.
Aaron then stood over it and unloaded his chamber into the Wendigo. Unfortunately, he hadn’t shot it in the head.
“Aaron, don’t get so close to it!” Tim yelled, but it was too late. The creature reached up with its long arms, grabbed Aaron’s hands, and jerked him onto the ground. It quickly got on top of Aaron and bit deeply into his neck. Blood squirted in all directions, gushing from Aaron’s wound.
Tim walked up to it, put the gun to its head, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
To Tim’s horror, the gun didn’t shoot. The Wendigo turned his head toward Tim, smiled broadly, and seized the gun from his grasp. As quickly as he could, Tim reached for a second, smaller gun he hid in his jacket. By the time he could reach it, however, it was too late. The creature had a hold of his neck.
Pow!
Pow!
Geraldine was shooting from above, and it struck the demon’s shoulder. It fell backward again, so Tim used the opportunity given to him and took out his other gun. He emptied it into the demon’s face. He began to feel lightheaded, so he climbed the ladder as quickly as he could. Convinced the demon was dead, he collapsed onto the floor beside Geraldine in the wine cellar.
“Tim, my God, Tim,” Geraldine cried. “Your neck.”
Tim felt even more dizzy than he had. He lifted his arm to touch his neck, but his arm seemed incredibly heavy. It was almost like he had a twenty pound weight tied to his wrists. He touched his neck, which was wet. Pain suddenly ripped through his upper body, especially the bottom of his neck. When he looked at his hand, it was covered with blood.
“What the hell?” he asked, but even before he finished speaking he knew he was about to faint.
“Tim, Jesus!” Geraldine cried. Even though she was right in front of him, her voice seemed distant and it echoed distantly in his ears. Tim could now feel the blood pouring from his neck, drenching his jacket and the shirt underneath it. He grabbed his neck again, thinking perhaps he could stop the bleeding.
The last image Tim saw was Geraldine screaming and the demon’s head emerging from the drain.
* * * * * *
4
Anna heard the distant sound of gunshots. She wondered if she had mad
e the right choice, breaking into two groups.
“Do not doubt your decision,” Anish said, as if reading her mind again. “There is no easy way to eliminate a Wendigo.”
“I just hope they’re okay,” she said.
“Look, straight ahead,” Sam said. “Trevor, you got any flares left?”
“No, I dropped the bags way back close to the wine cellar.”
“I do,” Simon said. He pulled a gun from his pants and two flares from his jacket. Jake reached out with his hand, gesturing for Simon to hand them over.
“It is premature to shoot a flare at this point,” Anish said. “We will need them.”
Sam ignored Anish.
Whoosh!
The flare sailed through the tunnel and hit a dirt wall approximately twenty feet in front of them.
“Jesus, Sam,” Anna said. “What good did that do?”
Sam walked ahead of the group and stopped in front of the wall. “Buck stops here.”
“Damn,” Anna said as she joined him. She looked up and saw nothing. “How could this just end?”
“It is an illusion,” Anish said as he approached them. He turned toward the wall on his right and placed his hands on it, closing his eyes.
“Gitche Manitou, baakaakosin,” Anish said. He repeated it twice more. To everyone’s shock, the wall in front of him vanished, revealing a large room. Anish stood to the side and nodded for everyone to enter.
Anna was going to ask what he had said, but figured it must have been magic. She was fine with not knowing. A terrible stench struck them the moment Anish removed the wall. The space was not unlike where they had found the demonic paraphernalia where Michael had been chained. There was a large beam, and attached to them were several more chains and shackles.
There were a few significant differences. In the corner of the room was a rotting pile of carcasses. Some were animals, and Anna swore she saw a few human body parts as well. Bones littered the ground, making it almost impossible to see the dirt floor. Anna breathed through her mouth, trying to avoid the smell. But even her taste buds were affected by the aroma in the air.
“Holy shit,” Trevor gasped. “Looks like we found the Wendigo’s hangout.”
“Indeed,” Anish agreed.
“What now?” Simon asked.
“We wait,” Anish answered.
“What do you mean, ‘we wait’?” Amy asked.
“The creature will return,” Anish explained. “He does not fear us. This has been his haven for quite some time. He will not advocate his lair without a fight.”
“HELP ME! HELP ME!” Tim’s voice cried in the distance. They could also hear the sounds of splashing water.
Sam moved toward the door, but Anish grabbed his arm and stopped him dead in his tracks.
“There is nothing you can do,” Anish said flatly.
“I’m not going to just let him die!” Sam cried.
“What makes you think it’s Tim?” Trevor asked. “Ten bucks says it’s the Wendigo.”
Thud!
Thud!
Anna quickly looked up at the dirt ceiling, half expecting the demon to jump on her from above.
“It’s coming from up there,” Amy said.
“My God! Please! HELP!” Tim’s voice screamed again.
“I can’t stand this!” Amy suddenly screamed. Her glasses fell from her face, and as Sam moved back across the room he stepped on them. Everyone shuddered at the sound of the crunching glass.
“Oh, shit,” Sam said softly. “I’m so sorry.”
Without warning, everyone’s flashlights flickered, then turned off, leaving the group in total darkness.
The sound of raspy breathing filled with the room, followed by a shrill laugh.
“Who wants to play with me?” said the voice of a small child.
Matthew began to pray loudly as clawed hands slid down his body.
Anna shivered as she felt someone – or something – breathing down her neck. An awful crunching sound echoed through the room. Anna was sure it wasn’t Amy’s glasses again.
“Please tell me someone accidentally stepped on something,” Simon said.
Another sadistic laugh filled the room, trailing off with the sound of the footsteps running from down the passageway. The flashlights regained their strength, revealing a terrifying scene.
“Fuck!” Trevor hollered.
Pastor Amy Adler was lying on the floor, her neck twisted and broken.
“What the hell?” Sam asked, turning in different directions trying to find the killer.
“How could this have happened?” Anna demanded.
“It is cunning and calculating,” Anish said. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a large, brass pendant decorated with multiple phases of the moon. Anish held it in his hands and began chanting rhythmically. As he did, small spheres of white light illuminated the room.
Matthew broke his silence, turning to Anish with an angry expression. “We could have used that a few minutes ago,” Matthew said scornfully to Anish.
“I know,” Anish said apologetically. “But we can be sure the Wendigo cannot extinguish this light.”
“How are you doing that?” Trevor asked, still trying to avoid looking at the dead body across the small room.
“I am harboring the energy of the moon.”
Anna looked at Amy’s body, shaking her head as she thought of the many people who had died in a single day.
With the silver light of the moons dancing above their heads, the group waited for the Wendigo to return home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hell on Earth
1
Anna was astonished by the buzzing of the magic in the air. Against the thick dampness and stench in the air, the light seemed surreal.
Trevor and Simon were both thinking the same thing. The Wendigo must have crawled along the walls, dropped down quietly with its legs wrapped around the beams above, snapped the woman’s neck, then made a perfect getaway.
Matthew was trying to hold back the waves of guilt he felt for brining Amy with him on his crusade. He knew she had not been prepared to face such evil. But if he wanted to survive this ordeal, he needed to deal with his shit and push away any emotion that could only compromise his mind.
Thud!
Thud!
“Shit!” Sam yelled, his voice cracking.
Splash!
Splash!
“Look out!” Trevor yelled to his mother. Anna whipped around, just in time to avoid being sliced by the long fingers of her missing husband.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Anna hollered, her fear being replaced by anger and the need to protect Trevor and Simon.
“That is not your husband,” Matthew whispered.
“Ya think?” Anna shot back. She lifted her Beretta and didn’t blink. She shot the image of her husband directly between the eyes. The Wendigo fell to the ground. It began to change shape, growing larger and thinner at the same time. Bones crunched, dark liquid oozed from its multiple wounds. It began to shriek so loudly that Matthew put his hands to his ears.
Quick as lightening, Anna knelt to the ground and placed the nozzle of the gun to the side of the Wendigo’s head. She fired three times. Pieces of skull, brain, and dark blood showered everyone in the room. She reached into her belt and pulled a knife with a six inch blade. Without flinching, Anna began to cut off the Wendigo’s head.
“Jesus Christ, Mom!” Trevor yelled.
“She’s doing what she must,” Anish commented coolly.
“Just cut off the head,” Matthew said. “Then we can take it to the cemetery, dismember it, and bury the pieces.” He looked at Anish, who nodded in agreement.
As Anna continued to slice through the Wendigo, Trevor and Simon knelt beside her in case it sprung back to life.
Matthew stared at Amy’s broken body, tears filling his eyes. In his experience exorcising demons, he never anticipated that a loved one would lose her life in the struggle.
> “People often have difficulty knowing how to react to such violence,” Anish said as he put his hand on Matthew’s shoulder.
“Not that I’m complaining,” Simon said as he stood up and joined them. “But doesn’t this seem a bit anticlimactic? I mean, why didn’t it kill us when it had the chance?”
“Yeah,” Trevor echoed. “It could have killed us all, not just Amy. You never would have had time to do that fancy moon thing.”
“I do not think it anticipated my manipulation of energy,” Anish noted.
“If you weren’t here, we would all be dead,” Anna said without looking up. “We owe you a great debt of gratitude.”
“What now?” Simon asked, embarrassed that he was repeating himself.
Anna looked at the body of the Wendigo. “We get out of here and back into the main house,” Anna said, a bit of authority returning to her voice.
Matthew nodded in agreement. “Then we bury the Wendigo on the church’s property. It’s late enough that no one will hear us or notice.”
Anish and Matthew grabbed the Wendigo’s legs, preparing to drag it back to the house. Anna picked up the severed head, then looked at Amy’s body.
“I’ve got it,” Sam said. He hoisted Amy’s body over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
As they walked out of the small room, Jake’s body was lying in the water. Anna looked solemnly at it, wondering how they could transport his body to the cellar.
“We’ve got it,” Simon offered. Trevor looked at him, then Simon slapped him in the back of the head.
“Yeah, yeah, we’ve got it,” Trevor stuttered.
“I’m sorry,” Anna said to the teenagers who had seen too much. “But we only have so many hands. I don’t know how Tim and the others made out, but I doubt it’s good news. And only God knows where the hell Lionel’s body is.”
When they reached the opening and the rope they had climbed down, Trevor was the first to speak. “We’re going to have to go to the wine cellar. We can’t hoist all this shit up on the rope.”
Anna agreed. The group made their way toward the cellar, half expecting something to attack them. When they reached the ladder that led to the house, they found the bodies of David and Aaron.
