Wendigo Island (ONC2024)

Entry 5: The Temple

Day 6/ Marie

We passed the death apple tree that we found the other day. Then another, and another. Blane lifted the collar of his shirt over his face and motioned for me to do the same. It's a good thing he did, because soon the air was thick with whatever diseased pollen the trees produced, and we were surrounded. Every tree was a lumbering omen of death with a red X painted on each. The further we moved, the more fear built up in my veins. I couldn't help but think that those Xs could be painted in blood.

An owl sat on a branch as if the trees didn't bother it. Its eyes followed us from the moment we came across it until we were well out of the tree line behind it. Before us was a clearing, but no light broke through the flakes of diseased bark floating in the air.

A row of gardens before a row of stone huts became visible through the speckled fog. The plants shrank into the ground as we approached. Some even scurried about in the darkness a meer sidwalks-length away. The huts were built like igloos of rock, and we followed the dirt roads leading past three rows of huts before reaching a landing made with a stone border. On the landing was another row of gardens full of living plants.

We passed another three rows of huts and climbed the steps to another landing with even more gardens and huts. Each time, the plants seemed larger and less afraid. We did this a few times before realizing we had climbed halfway up a temple. A structure reminisce of Mayan architecture built into the natural hillside right up until the central pyramid. The stone steps were thick with moss, but we managed the climb without slipping.

At the top was a sacrificial slab of stone surrounded by etched walls on three sides.

"This is how far I made it yesterday. These glyphs seem like they could mean something, but it's just a little too off for me. Plus, we shouldn'tstay here past dark, there's no telling what's in these woods."

"Well, thanks for bringing me."

"Anytime."

The thought of running through this unnatural place all of the way back to the camp from that thing was unsettling and somewhat unbelievable. As if he read my thoughts and finally decided to confort me, Blain added, "we could hide in those stone huts if we have to."

"That was almost reassuring, but it kinda fell short. Why exactly did you wander this deep into a forest of death apple trees, anyway? You know these would not make good firewood."

"There were a dozen people gathering wood. I was following the trail of civilization. Every tree's been marked, every single tree. At some point, you give up on living in this part of the woods and move on to edible fruit trees."

"So, what could they have been building here that was so important?"

"Exactly, and why not build it somewhere easier to get to, unless they didn't want it found?"

That's when I noticed the skeleton laying mostly eaten behind the stone slab. We shared a glance, and both bent to grab something. I picked up a journal with only a page left unmolested, and Blain picked up the man's skull.

I gave him a befuddled look, something I would be getting used to, as he gave the eye socket a piercing gaze with one eye. Then he turned it upside down and shook it. A piece of stone rattled around inside until the spearhead fell into Blain's hand.

"I'm starting to think our civilization might not be very friendly. What did you find?"

"Well, mostly, these should be depictions of seasons," I guestured at the back wall with five glyphs. "we should have crashed near the equator, but this..." I pointed from the book to one of the glyphs.