by Joshua Grove
“Sweet Jesus,” Anna said.
“I need to bless them,” Matthew said, then shrugged. “I know, we have things to do. But this needs to be done.”
“I agree,” Anish said.
As Matthew performed last rites, Anna thought she heard something above them.
Thud!
Thud!
“You’ve got to be fucking joking!” Simon yelled.
“Anna? Anna are you there?” a voice called from above.
“Do you think there could be more than one Wendigo?” Anna asked Anish.
“I don’t know,” he said matter-of-factly. It was not the answer she wanted to hear.
Suddenly a face appeared above them. It was Geraldine.
“Oh, thank God!” Geraldine shouted. “I didn’t know whether I should run to my car, or stay here.” She was borderline hysterical.
“It’s okay, Geraldine. Just stay there, we’re on our way up. Here, I need your help.” Anna took the Wendigo’s head and lifted it up to Geraldine, who took it without complaint.
When Matthew had finished, he turned to Anish. “I will climb the ladder, then reach down and help you bring the Wendigo and the other bodies into the cellar.
“I can help, too,” Sam said.
“Thanks,” Geraldine said. She was feeling better now that she felt safe. The group worked together to hoist the bodies into the wine cellar, then up the stairs and into the kitchen.
Anna grabbed her radio.
“Janet, come in, Janet.”
“Sheriff? Oh, Anna! Thank God!”
“Is everything okay there, Janet?” Anna asked, praying her other two children were safe.
“Everything is fine. We’re scared shitless, but other than that, nothing much has been happening.”
Anna looked at Sam. “I’m surprised no one has called, especially the ones who ran screaming from the house.”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Sheriff?”
“Yes, Janet, just stay put and keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll be back soon.”
“Who was it?” Janet asked. Anna turned her radio off. She simply couldn’t think about anything other than what had to be done in that instant.
“What do we do with the bodies?” Matthew asked.
“We put them in my cruiser,” Anna answered without inflection.
“In the cruiser?” Geraldine cried. “Is that really the best idea?”
“Do you want to stay here with them?” Anna shot back.
“Well, no,” Geraldine said softly.
“Then they go with us. I’ll be damned if I’m leaving them here.”
“Isn’t that a violation of protocol?” Sam asked.
“To hell with protocol,” Anna retorted. “Besides, the coroner won’t be at the morgue to receive them, will he?”
Sam looked at David’s body. “Guess not.”
“Okay, then,” Matthew interrupted. “Let’s do this.”
They loaded the bodies into the back of Anna’s cruiser, then stood back and looked at the Explorer as if it were the Wendigo itself.
“Geraldine, I need you to go back to the station,” Anna ordered. “Make sure Michael is okay, and fill him in on what happened. Gather the rest of the force and keep them at the station. We will be there shortly and we’ll figure out how to explain all this shit.”
“Sounds good,” Geraldine said as she separated from the group and climbed in her car.
With the Wendigo and bodies in tow, the others loaded into the Explorer and drove down the driveway.
“I’ll never look at that house the same way again,” Trevor said as he looked out the back window.
The Brickton Estate seemed to almost be alive with movement and darkness.
* * * * * *
2
Anna shivered in the frigid air as she stood in the cemetery, watching for any possible visitors, human or otherwise. She could hardly feel her feet, having been treading through water and mud under the Brickton Estate. As her breath whirled around her in the night, she tried to focus on the growing mounds of dirt around her.
The cemetery behind St. Mark’s boasted graves spanning more than two centuries, making for a surreal experience. As Matthew, Trevor, Simon, and Sam dug fresh graves for the Wendigo, Anish appeared with a large axe.
“Where the hell did you get that?” Anna asked, perplexed.
“I brought it with us,” he answered. He ran his fingers along the edge of the glistening head of the axe. “Pure silver.”
“Good thinking,” Anna said. “Tell me the truth, did you anticipate that this was a Wendigo?”
“I thought it might be, which is why I came prepared with silver. This is the only effective, way to ensure that the Wendigo does not rise again.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Anna said, then laughed. “Or whatever.”
“Or whatever,” Anish repeated with a rare grin.
Anna couldn’t believe she was joking after all that had happened. She looked down at the Wendigo, imagining what it would be like to chop it into pieces.
“This isn’t going to be pretty,” she said as she watched Anish lift the axe.
Swish!
The axe glided through the air, cutting off the Wendigo’s arm. Anish proceeded to cut off the remaining limbs, then gestured to the holes that were being dug. Anna nodded.
“How are those holes coming along?” she said to the others.
“Almost done,” Trevor said, working on a second hole.
A horn sounded in the distance, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. It was like they were frozen in a cryptic portrait of gravediggers. When it was clear that no one was driving up the hill toward the church, they resumed their respective chores.
Anna looked cautiously around the cemetery, silently agreeing with what Simon had said under the house. It did seem anticlimactic. Almost too easy.
After the ordeal was over, and the dirt was once again covering the now buried limbs, torso, and head of the ancient creature, Anish performed one last ritual over each of the shallow graves.
“That should about cover it,” Anish said, smiling at the irony. Suddenly, he froze and spun around to face the entrance to the woods at the far end of the cemetery.
“What is it?” Anna asked, fear filling her body.
“I thought I saw something,” he said slowly. “And I can feel a presence.”
“I do, too,” Matthew agreed.
“There!” Sam shouted. “Behind that huge headstone!” He pointed to a large, cement angel that crouched over the grave of the Brickton family plot. Everyone strained to see in the dim moonlight.
“We could use some of those moonbeams, Anish,” Matthew urged. “Any hope of that happening?”
Before anyone, including Anish, could say a word, a large shadowy figure emerged from behind the angel. It was too dark to discern who it could be.
“This is police business!” Anna shouted as she flashed her light toward whoever was approaching them. “Stop now, get down on your knees, and put your hands behind your head!”
The shadow put two hands in the air, as if preparing to back off, then pushed both middle fingers into the air.
“Don’t move,” Anish said, pushing Trevor and Simon behind him.
“Who is it?” Matthew asked Sam.
“How the hell should I know?” Sam huffed.
After a few seconds, the figure finally became visible.
“Jesus Christ!” Anna shouted. “You’re dead!”
“Not quite,” Alan Brickton retorted with a chuckle. “Although I am sure it seemed that way to you.”
Everyone stood in shock as they watched Alan approach.
“Is he a ghost?” Anna asked Anish, not sure what to think about what was unfolding.
“No, he is very much real. But he is not alive,” Anish answered.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she retorted.
“It may not be Alan,” Anish warned. “We
cannot be sure who – or what – this is.”
Alan put his face in his hands, and the grotesque sound of shifting bones filled the cold air. When he faced them again, he had become Thomas Blackwood.
“Dad?” Trevor asked, hoping against hope that his father had returned. He uttered a silent prayer in his mind that his father could overcome whatever evil had possessed him.
“It is not your father,” Anna reminded him.
“Are you not happy to see me?” Thomas asked. Anna was unnerved by seeing her husband. It looked and sounded exactly like him. It was uncanny and downright terrifying.
“HELP ME!” a voice cried from the woods beyond the cemetery.
“Oops, I thought I killed him,” Thomas chuckled.
“Don’t anyone move,” Sam said slowly. “We need to take him down.”
“You would kill your own husband? What kind of woman are you?” Thomas put his hands on his hips, grinning widely.
“It is a Wendigo,” Anish whispered to the group.
“Another one?” Matthew gasped. “Is it possible for two to coexist?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say we coexisted,” Thomas said. “I’ve been here much longer than his brother,” he said as he pointed to Sam.
Anna turned to Sam. “Your brother?”
Sam sighed, then nodded. “Alan Brickton was my brother. I was adopted.”
Anna put her hands in the air, confused and still frightened by the image of her missing husband standing in front of them.
“What?” Trevor asked, then stood back and pointed a gun at Sam.
“Put that down,” Sam said with a huff. “I will explain later. Right now I think we have other shit to deal with.”
Anna pointed her gun at Thomas, then pulled the trigger.
Click.
“No more bullets?” Thomas mocked.
Out of the blue, Anish pulled several small stones from his pockets. He quickly dropped them around the group, forming a circle. As he moved, he chanted and sang.
Thomas sprinted toward them, but when he reached the stones he was thrown backward. He shrieked in pain, and his body convulsed as it began to shift again. When he stood up, he was nearly seven feet tall. Long white dreads hung from his head, matted with blood and dirt. His eyes were large, blood red spheres, and his teeth yellow. One tooth was obviously missing. He began to sharpen his claws against the headstone beside him, breathing heavily and grinning.
As the Wendigo looked at the moon and began to shriek again, Anish suddenly broke the stone circle and sprinted toward one of the fresh graves. The Wendigo immediately fell upon him, biting his shoulder. Anish made no noise, but the creature grunted gleefully with madness.
“I think this is our chance,” Sam whispered.
“Our chance to do what?” Anna asked.
“I think I know what Anish was doing. He was trying to reach that,” Sam said as he pointed to the pile of dirt five feet from Anish. On top of the mound was the silver axe.
“I got it!” Trevor yelled. Before Anna could grab him, he jumped over the stones and ran toward the commotion. Simon, not wanting his friend to be in danger, also ran toward the axe.
“Oh, hell!” Anna cried, as she and Sam chased after them, Matthew close on their heels.
The Wendigo didn’t seem to notice that Trevor had run past it. It was too engrossed in ripping flesh from Anish’s shoulder. Just as it was about to deliver a fatal blow to his neck, the Wendigo jumped up from Anish and quickly turned on Anna and Sam.
“Shit!” Sam yelped as he stopped as quickly as he could, slipping in the moist grass. It only took a fraction of a second for the creature to jump him. As he did, Anna grabbed her gun and swung it as hard as she could, striking the Wendigo on the side of the head. It growled at her, then shrieked, nearly piercing her eardrums.
“Yo, ugly mother fucker!” Trevor yelled from a few feet away. The Wendigo growled and stood up, turning to face Trevor.
It seemed to rotate in slow motion, whizzing through the air and striking the creature in the chest. The silver axe Trevor threw had hit its mark with a sickening Thump!
“May your heart of ice be shattered by the blessed silver of this weapon!” Anish bellowed, startling everyone around him. He stood up and ran toward the Wendigo.
When the creature dropped to its knees, a small silver knife rushed through the air, nearly striking Anish’s injured shoulder. It ripped through the demon’s forehead, dark blood immediately spraying in all directions.
“Nice shot,” Anna said to Sam, who was still in the throwing stance.
“Just in case the axe didn’t hit his heart,” Sam said to Anish.
Anish looked all around him, making sure a third Wendigo was not on the prowl. One by one, each member of the group joined him to stand over the near dead creature. Sam then grabbed the handle of the axe and pulled it out of its chest.
“We never die,” the Wendigo promised.
Sam walked around to the side of the body, then heavily swung the axe again. With a deafening thud, the axe hit the headstone under the Wendigo’s now severed head.
After chopping off both arms, Sam wiped his brow and looked at Anish. “Please tell me there aren’t any more of these fuckers running around the woods.”
Anish laughed. “I wish I could, Sam, but alas there are always creatures of darkness in the world.”
“Jesus, dude, you could have just humored us for once,” Trevor complained.
“Are you okay?” Matthew asked Anish as he looked at his shoulder.
Anish pulled another pouch from his pocket, sprinkling powder on his wound. He hummed and chanted, then winced at the pain. Amazingly, the bleeding stopped and his skin was once again whole.
“You have to show me how to do that,” Sam said.
“Time to dig a few more holes,” Anna said to the group. “But before we do, Sam, I have a question.”
“I know,” Sam said as he raised his hands. “I knew my family came from Crimson Falls, which is one of the reasons I returned. I apologize for not telling you that, but I had no idea I was connected to the Brickton family.”
“When did you figure it out?” Matthew asked, genuinely curious.
“When Jake was reading the diary, I saw a book about the genealogy of the Brickton family. There, plain as day, was the name of the unwanted child of Alan’s parents.”
“How do you know it was you?” Anna asked.
“Because my birth mother had only one request. Whoever adopted me had to name me Samuel. Plus, my adopted last name was also listed, so that made it pretty clear.”
“Damn,” Anna said. “Looks like you just inherited a shitload of wealth.”
“And an f’ed up house,” Simon added.
“We’re burning that shit down,” Sam sighed. “And I’m giving that money to charity. I’ll be damned if I keep it. Literally.”
“My department could use the money,” Anish joked. In the midst of the death, blood, and damnation, they had to laugh at the joke.
“Can I ask a question that may sound stupid?” Trevor said.
“What’s that, honey,” Anna answered.
“Who was that Wendigo? I mean, I sort of understand that Alan was the first Wendigo. But the second one?”
Anna and Anish exchanged glances.
“It is impossible to know, Trevor,” Anish answered. “But given the ease with which he spoke and shifted, I would say he was at least a century old.”
“Oh, that will do.” Trevor smiled and everyone knew what he was thinking.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
New Beginnings
1
The drive back to the station was quiet. Sadness ran like blood through Matthew’s mind, his hand throbbing from the multiple fractures and broken bones. Although grateful to be alive, he knew the guilt he felt over Amy’s death would haunt him forever.
As they got closer to the station, Anna broke the silence. “By the time we get back to the station, we have to figure out a story,” An
na said. Her heart began breaking as she had time to reflect upon Tim, Aaron, and the others. They hadn’t deserved to die this way. But then again, who does? Other than Alan – and her husband.
“I assume Geraldine let Michael know what happened,” Sam answered. “We need to pin this on someone, but how could we do that? I can’t imagine that people would believe this story.”
“What did they do twenty years ago when all that shit went down?” Simon asked.
Anna sighed heavily, angry that Sheriff Kelly had not given her the full story.
“Well?” Trevor pushed when no one answered.
“They covered it up,” Matthew answered, feeling somewhat validated. “But we can’t do that this time because too many people have died. Important people. Cops.”
Anna sighed again. “It will be a cold case.”
“A frigid one,” Sam agreed.
* * * * * *
2
When they arrived at the station, Lisa was standing outside. She rushed to the cruiser, taking Sam into her arms as he stepped out.
“Easy, Lisa,” he laughed. “I’m doing just fine.”
Anna smiled, and took Trevor’s hand as he and Simon climbed out of the back. Damien ran up to her, along with the remaining officers on the force.
“We have our fallen friends in the cruiser,” Anna explained. “Let’s take them out and lay them in the break room. Respectfully.” Slowly and sadly, they did as they were told.
When they walked into the station, Janet screamed in a strange combination of horror and delight.
“I am so glad you’re alive!” Janet yelled. Thankfully, the phone began ringing. Janet gave the switchboard a look of death, then answered it with a pleasant tone. Her face contorted in nerves.
“What is it?” Anna asked.
“It’s the state police. They’ve received calls that something was happening in the woods.”
“Tell them to come on down. I’ll debrief them,” Anna said. “But at the moment, I need to see my children.”
Anna, Trevor, and Simon walked to her office, grateful to be alive and once again reunited with Tommy and Trisha.
“It’s about time!” Tommy yelled in frustration. “We had no idea what was going on, and that dumb bitch out there wasn’t any help. I know, I know…language”
