Eyes of the Wendigo

20 -

The cold was biting, but Sarah barely felt it. The thick snow crunched beneath her boots as she pushed through the forest, her breath coming in ragged bursts, her hands trembling. The wind howled through the trees, but its icy claws were nothing compared to the storm raging in her mind. Her thoughts were consumed by one thing, by one person—Elias.

She had to find him. She had to make him answer for what he had done.

The village had dismissed her, called her mad, but Sarah knew the truth. She knew Elias was at the center of everything—Rob's death, the disappearances, the growing madness that had gripped White Pines. The photograph she had found, the strange notes Rob had written in his journal—it all pointed to Elias. He had been part of Rob's life long before they came to this village, and now, Sarah was convinced that he had manipulated everything, pulling strings in the shadows.

Her mind raced with dark thoughts as she hurried through the trees, her breath hitching in her throat. She had seen Rob again last night, standing just outside her window, watching her with those same haunted eyes. He had been trying to tell her something, trying to warn her. She was sure of it. And now, she was finally going to confront Elias, force him to confess, make him pay for what he had done to Rob.

The hidden cabin wasn't far. Sarah had overheard the whispers in the village, had pieced together enough clues to know where Elias had been hiding. The villagers didn't trust her, but they had been careless in their hushed conversations, and Sarah had been listening. Always listening.

As the trees thinned, the small, weathered cabin came into view, half-buried in snow, its roof sagging under the weight of the storm. A faint light flickered from inside, and Sarah's heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of fear and determination driving her forward.

She stopped at the edge of the clearing, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps as she stared at the cabin. Elias was in there. He had to be. She could feel it in her bones, the same way she had felt it the night she had seen Rob outside her window. Elias had been hiding from her, hiding from the truth, but now, there was nowhere left for him to run.

Her hands shook as she stepped forward, her feet sinking into the deep snow with every step. The wind howled around her, carrying with it faint whispers that sounded like Rob's voice, urging her on, pushing her toward the door.

She had to know. She had to hear Elias say it.

Sarah reached the door, her heart hammering in her chest as she raised her fist and pounded against the wood. The sound echoed through the clearing, but there was no response.

"Elias!" she shouted, her voice trembling with fury. "Open the door! I know you're in there!"

Silence.

Sarah's breath hitched in her throat as she pounded again, harder this time, the cold biting at her fingers. "Open the door! I need to talk to you!"

Still nothing.

Her pulse quickened, a knot of frustration and fear tightening in her chest. She wasn't going to wait any longer. Not after everything. She shoved the door open with a burst of strength, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps as she stepped inside.

The cabin was dimly lit by a flickering lantern, its weak light casting long shadows on the walls. The air inside was thick, heavy with the smell of damp wood and sweat. Papers were scattered across the floor, the small table overturned, as if someone had ransacked the place in a frenzy.

And in the middle of it all, sitting hunched over on the edge of the bed, was Elias.

He looked up as Sarah entered, his eyes wide and wild, his face pale and gaunt. His hands trembled as he gripped the edge of the bed, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his entire body trembling with a kind of feverish energy.