After the unspeakable tragedy of last year, Charlie Pruitt never would've guessed she'd leave her sunny safe haven in California and return to that mountain. A mountain tainted with loss, horror, and unknown death. Thrown back into a group of friend...
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"JESUS MIKE. THIS PLACE IS SHIT UGLY," Charlie suppressed a laugh, the pair ascending a staircase donned with crumpled red carpet. The flashlight in her hands scanned the perimeter, a white beam illuminating broken walls and dusted pillars. "And creepy too."
"Yeah, agreed," Mike huffed, leading the way with a stoic expression. "I would've have come in here if it weren't for..."
His voice staggered out, but he didn't need to finish. Charlie knew what name he was going to say. She contemplated asking him about the crimson-cheeked, peppy blonde. If he really had feelings for her. But she almost instantly rejected the idea, knowing it wasn't the time or the place.
"Here, this way," Mike nodded with his head towards a dark hallway that loomed ahead, making the uneasy sensation deepen in Charlie's gut.
The Pruitt girl followed him diligently, until a glaring object near her feet caught her eye. "Hang on," she called, crouching and running tentative fingers over the wooden, carved object. "Is this...a totem?"
Mike shuffled towards her curiously, shining his light onto the object as she grabbed it. "Yeah. I've been finding a few of those in here."
"Interesting," she murmured, turning it over and staring into the emptiness of the painted creature's mouth.
DEATH TOTEM Found in the Sanatorium by Charlie
Charlie's standing eerily still in the great room, hollow and fearful eyes kept on the creature that loomed a few feet away from her. Her chest was tight with indecision, until she finally burst into a sprint, running for one of the wooden pillars to hide behind.
But the Wendigo was faster, its claws digging into her torso. The Pruitt girl let out an agonizing scream as talons pierced her chest, impaling the girl's flesh while the other paw ripped her head off her neck in one clean swipe.
"C'mon," Mike beckoned, impatience wearing thin on his stubbled face. "Let's get moving."
The pair entered a larger room the hallway fed into, lined with more dirt and rubble. Charlie eyed the smaller rooms snuggled between individual arches, which had been caged and locked. Even if the place had been brand new, the architecture made it entirely too disturbing.
"Holy shit," Mike gawked at the empty room. "Where are the wolves?"
Charlie blinked, her chin jutted out with surprise. "Wolves? There are wolves in here?"
"There were," he nodded wearily, patrolling the empty space with attentive eyes. "I actually befriended one, so I don't think we have to worry too much."
