11:30:32 PM
The door was locked as they followed their victim close behind. Their victim was still unaware of their presence and continued on like nothing was happening. The victim had been alone for quite some time so they had taken this opportunity to get their chores done. However, whatever had been following them decided that their alone time was the perfect opportunity to do something else. The figure grabs a knife from the drawer without making a sound and as it's victim's back was turned–
"Okay babe. I'll call you once I'm back at the motel. I love you," I say before hanging up.
I was on a case of a Wendigo that Bobby had sent me to. I had to leave abruptly and it worried my partner. At this rate, they should be used to me leaving suddenly without a word. I get it. It's hard being a hunter who's job is always on call but it's hard not being available. I hardly ever get some time to do normal people things like do laundry or sit in my living room with my partner. I had to come all the way back to Minnesota for this case, where I was raised for most of my life. I drive up to the ranger's office, waiting for the new information he had. He was also a fellow hunter and may I say, what a good 'day' job he's got. I grab my duffel bag from the back seat and I make my way inside. The small building was quite impressive on the inside. It seemed like it was a different world.
"I'm glad you were able to make it. Bobby said you're the best when it comes to woods and its monsters," he says as we shake hands.
"The pleasure is mine, Ranger. Mind if I set up camp here?" I tell him.
"Go right ahead. I'm gonna need all the help I can get. It's gonna be one hell of a long day."
I set my duffel bag down before bringing out my map of the woods and my tablet where I had the case. I slide the duffel bag underneath the table and hide it with a torn-up shirt. Can't risk anyone finding that or anyone pointing it out, it could seriously be dangerous to our case. The case was about a small young healthy boy who was out by himself late at night because a group of his so-called friends had dared him to spend the night to get over his fear of the dark. The Ranger marked the last known location of the boy and it was right in the middle of the woods. The ranger admitted to having seen the boy three days ago and since then, he had disappeared.
By looking at the map, there was nothing but trees surrounding him for miles and miles. Wendigos tend to stay within a 50-foot radius of the recent hunt they've captured. I grab a pencil and a compass to mark the circle surrounding the location. Luckily for me, these woods had been part of my childhood so every little crack and crevice was familiar to me. I had even known the sneaky little shortcuts. But it was strange to me that a Wendigo was out this early into the season. Something is happening and it's causing chaos within the monster world. It had been a rare occurrence for people to go missing in these woods. 20 years of good reputation had gone down the drain.
"Y/N, I'm quite scared," Ranger says as I restocked my silver-tipped arrows.
"Ranger, there's nothing to be scared of. It's just an unusual time for them to be wandering about. Let's just hope that that doesn't affect anything," I reassure him.
I didn't even believe my own words. I lied to myself to make him feel better. When Wendigos step out of their unusual time stamp, it's a 50/50 between them being weaker or being much stronger. I just hope that it's weak enough for us to just kill it with fire. The silver-tipped arrows only slow it down significantly. The Ranger's fear was visible on his face. I don't blame the guy honestly; I too wouldn't know how to kill a Wendigo if I never encountered one in over 20 years. It just seemed oddly suspicious to me and the feeling lingered the whole time I was in the office.
"Ranger, are you ready to spend the night in right in the middle of the woods and catch this son of bitch?" I sa as I grab my camping gear.
"To be honest with you, I'm not quite sure. I never killed a Wendigo before. Not even before I was a full-time hunter," he tells me.
"There's nothing to fear. This town depends on us to return that little boy home to his parents."
