Deep in the Alaskan wood, gold miners are exposed to the elements and unforgiving wilderness. Though they expect the unexpected, an unknown danger lurks in the forest, hellbent on revenge and destruction. Ranger Alice Frost is assigned to investigat...
A deep, thunderous roar rips through the passage from behind them, the volume so loud that it reverberates off the rock walls and vibrates their bones. Alices gasps, instinctively covering her ears with flashlight and gun still in hand. She doesn't notice when Hanson moves into the cavern with her eyes squeezed shut, so Jake takes his weapon and light in one hand, wrapping the other arm around her and carrying her quickly out of the way. They stand inside the beasts den, hiding on either side of the opening. Hanson looks across to them and clicks his light off. Her and Jake do the same, and the dark is so thick that Alice feels as if there is something standing in front of her. She begins to pant nervously, tears swelling in her eyes, heart thudding loudly in her ears. Jake feels her panic building beside him. He leans down to her ear and whispers lightly, "shhhhhh..." while placing his large warm hand on her chest above her heart. "In for four, out for four," he breaths. She forces herself to copy his breathing, counting in her head, blowing the breath quietly through tight lips.
Beside her she feels a presence, a cold draft from the passage opening brushes her skin causing it to tighten and prickle. Her heart picks up again, pounding violently. Jake feels it and tenses, keeping his hand on her chest and pressing. He wishes he could press hard enough to melt her into the rock and cover her so she is untouchable and safe. A huff of breath is exhaled in front of them, and Alice stifles a scream, sure that the wendigo is standing inches from their hiding spot, smelling them.
Hanson suddenly makes a lot of noise, dropping his bag on the ground and unzipping it. Shuffling from in front of them, moving toward the noise Hanson makes, is sudden. Two heartbeats later there is a shatter, a whoosh, and a bright burst of yellow light as Hanson throws a molotov cocktail against the cave wall opposite Alice and Jake.
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The entire space is illuminated with flames, the wendigo in the middle flinches, crouched with his claws open, tense and ready to lunge. Up close, the beast is terrifying. Its size alone humbles Alice as she takes it in. Its ribs poking through its skin, torn in some places showing the dirty, black insides that shift with each breath. Its teeth wet with blood as it snarls, a steady growl rumbling low from its chest. It looks between Hanson on its right, and Jake shielding Alice on its left, and lets out another guttural roar. They all resist the urge to cover their ears, the sound amplified in the small space, as the beast strikes. It swipes a long arm tipped with razor sharp claws at Jake, who ducks to the side, dragging Alice to the ground with him. They both skitter out of the way as it swings the other arm, catching purchase on the sleeve of Jakes shirt. It tears and blood leaks out of his skin.
"Ow, fuck!" he yells, clapping his hand over the wound, blood seeping from between his fingers.
Behind the creature, Hanson gives a quick, loud whistle through his teeth as he aims a loaded shotgun at the beast. The shot is louder than the roar, and Alice lets out a shriek, her ears ringing. The buckshot hits the beast in the back and it arches, howling as it whirls back on Hanson, running at him. In synchrony, Alice and Jake lift and load their guns, aiming at the back of the beast as it closes in on Hanson. They fire multiple shots, emptying their clips into the beast but half the shots miss and the ones that don't miss the creature hardly feels in its angry pursuit. In seconds it reaches Hanson, and he manages one more buckshot at his face before the beast snarls and grabs him by the throat, raising him up into the air. He rips at the clawed hand, gurgling and gasping for air in its grip.
