Stick To It

Game Of Life Or Death

We immediately take off sprinting as the creature skitters about with its strange style of movement. Never keeping in one place and never sticking in one direction. "What the fuck is that thing?!" I scream as we keep running. "It's a wendigo! They're people who ate people and became monsters!" Sam answers. Time seems to be going slower than usual, my adrenaline must be making me hyper-focused.

All of a sudden Chris trips on a sudden root. "Shit!" I quickly yank the shotgun from Sam's grip and I can feel time go even slower as I pull the trigger, pelting the wendigo with a slug. Fortunately not hitting Chris in the process. "Get up!" Mike grits as he darts back and quickly gets Chris on his feet. We continue running but Chris now has a noticeable hobble, one Mike is trying his best to help him with.

The cold air continues biting at our skin, the frigid atmosphere fogging our hurried breaths as another wendigo enters the fray. "There's 2 of them?!" I exclaim. "Jesus fuck, what sick god made these things?!" Mike says, looking at the equally disturbing newbie.

The new wendigo had gotten ahead of us, trying to cut us off from our exit route. It dives towards Sam, but she manages to dive forward and roll out of the way. I give the wendigo some frontier justice in the form of hot lead as it gets sent flying away. "Why the hell is the shotgun not doing its job?!" I cry out in shock, as I notice both wendigos chasing after us, looking as fine and dandy as they can.

"That guy said their skin was like armor! You have to burn it off first!" Sam strainfully exhales as the winter air is more like knives in the wind-pipe than air. "Is there anything else we should know?!" Mike says frustrated. "Yeah! They can only see movement! So if you encounter one, don't move!" Chris asks exasperatedly, "You're only saying this now?!"

Wendigo #1, then goes in for a quick swipe at Mike and Chris's should height. Fortunately, Mike manages to force him and Chris down in time to avoid the razor-sharp nails. I can see them suck in a longer breath than usual as the Wendigo misses. Wendigo 2, however, has different plans for the two and also dives toward them. I don't have a good shot, but they are screwed if I don't nail this.

I resolutely raise my gun level and fire as they scramble to the sides. Luckily, we make a pretty good team. They managed to avoid my shotgun blast and I managed to pelt that wendigo. I cock the shotgun once again before asking Sam, "Do you know how many shells were in this thing?"

"You just, um, shot the last one..." Is Sam's embarrassed response. Despite this horrendous oversight in the ammo supply of a pump-action shotgun, the lodge is clearly in view now. The door must be like a 20-second run away.

I can hear the others sigh in relief as they figure they've made it... but I know. A lot can happen in 20 seconds.

The eery screeches of the wendigo echo the forest. The familiar trees of blackwood mountain instead look like towers. Laughing at our fates to nature's mockery. The snow danced in delight. The 2 wendigos form a sort of half-circle around us. "Mike. Do you still have that revolver you hit Josh with? Cuz we are going to need it." I aim my shotgun at one of the wendigos and sure enough, it clicks with no shots fired. I see him quickly pat himself down. "Shit! I must have dropped it in the goddamn shed!" The wendigos skitter about, encircling us. Almost like they are playing.

I quickly dip to the side as once takes a swipe at me casually. My breath catching. We're all going to die at this rate... "Fuck it! Get inside guys!" I try to tackle the one blocking the path to the door, I surprisingly managed to knock it down. Maybe because it didn't have a very stable stance. But charging into this thing, I can tell.

It's as solid as a rock. I, of course, don't hold it down for long as it swiftly kicks me off of it, sending me flying across the snow. It didn't even hit me in the solar plexus yet it feels like the wind got knocked out of me. "Trenton!" I hear Chris call out to me. I can see Mike hurriedly drag him to the front door as Chris feels the urge to run after me.

I can see Ashley quickly let the 3 in as they watch wendigo number 1 approach me, they close the door guiltily as I get up on my feet. The wendigo goes for another, ever familiar charge. I block the brunt of the blow with the now useless shotgun, but still, I get knocked off my feet from the force of the blow. I struggle once more to live, my breath running short and ragged as I yearn for oxygen to fill my lungs and give me the strength I need to move, let alone live.

I manage to block another blow with the shotgun, but the shock from the blow makes me drop it finally as my back hit a tree. Pure instinct takes over my body as I grab the only thing on my person I think could be useful. The beast grabs me by the collar and lifts me up. Reveling in its victory over me. I quickly take the tactical flashlight out of my hoody pocket and activate its flashing light feature directly into the creature's face. It drops me, blinded. And I quickly take my chance to hide behind a tree, out of sight.

I then remain as still as possible. I limit all my breathing to shallow breaths, as the creature stalks around the spot where it last saw me. I get a close-up of its face. It screeches towards my face, trying to get a reaction out of me.

My body does not even react to the rank breath of the beast. It seems its time had run out as the other wendigo starts fighting it. 'They aren't friends?' Or maybe... maybe they just attack anything that moves...

I look at my flashlight, reluctant to part with it, but I definitely need to catch their attention away from here. Or they'll accidentally find me. I ever so slowly grab the button from Dr. Malagrene out of my pocket. Doing one last S.O.S signal, I toss it out when the wendigos eyes aren't on me. I throw it into the woods. Away from the lodge.

They stop fighting for a moment as they flit around to where the button landed, before resuming their combat when they naturally find nothing. I guess luck is on my side for now. The wendigos drifted further and further from my location.

I wait until I don't hear any more snarls. Before I head back to the door. It's locked, of course, and nobody is in the living room. I look around for a way in, not really wanting to break the glass. I think during some small talk I had with Chris earlier he mentioned he had to climb into a window to get into the lodge? Something about the front door being frozen shut. That seems like a good place to start.

I quickly run along the edges of the lodge until I find the window in question. It's closed but there's an obviously moved cabinet in front of a big window. Chris always was a thinker. The window is not locked so I slide it open and tumble inside before closing it. All of the tension and adrenaline leaves my body as I slump into a wall and close my eyes. A tingle flows across my body as I truly realize what I just went through. I could have died so easily.

After recollecting myself, beating myself up, and praising myself for my actions, I walk out of the storage-looking room and head into the lodge to look for the others.