Gone

Chapter Sixteen: Hunter/Hunted.

I don't think any of us were expecting this outcome. Matt sat on a rock in the cave and stared at the ground with his hands together, thinking. He asked himself if he missed something, or if the media hadn't covered something. After all, they're still under the impression that Howard was innocent, and that Riley was eaten after death by smaller animals like foxes and what not. But I knew better.

It was still very weird for me to have experienced something this intense in terms of supernatural entities. The reality of the situation I was apart of finally started to sink in as the adrenaline started to fade. I took a few heavy breathes and sat down on the floor, holding my legs close to me I looked at Alice and Matt's faces. Low and behold, as I expected, they had a different look in their eyes. Alice showed curiosity and a hint of determination as the reality was no doubt settling into her. Where as Matt on the other hand; showed signs of confusion, but also that look of determination that Alice held within her as well. I didn't need to see my face to know how I looked behind my eyes. Lost and with a hint of terror. I felt worst because now I had to think of how this one encounter would literally change everything, and frightened because I knew very well that the dangers of this new task might be more than I can handle.

"Hey, Ely. I don't think either of them were Howard," that made me pale all over, I turned my head up to meet his gaze.

"H-How do you figure..." I stuttered out the words while forming my question, which caused Alice to tilt her head, she probably knew what I was thinking.

Matt went on, "well for starters the M.O. is off-" I cut him off.

"The M.O. if off? These are supernatural monsters that ceased to share any resemblance to humans, why would Howard's M.O. matter?"

He looked at me with a stern eye, then sighed as he had to stop what he was saying to respond. "Well actually, kid, they're not just mindless killers. That's why they're so good at what they do, they are still human within their mind. They can think, and though rare, communicate with each other, strategize, set up ambushes, create their own traps, lure, mimick other people and the list goes on. And that's because all of them, were human first. Their wants, hopes, dreams, their soul, is stripped from them by the spirit of the Wendigo." I admit, by this point I was kind of lost.

"I thought those *were* Wendigos?" I had asked rather bluntly, but before I could say anything else, Alice stepped in to answer that one.

"Yes, what you saw was a Wendigo, but they were originally human, just as your father was. When a human gives into his cannibalistic nature out in the forest in the upper North here, they have a very high chance of becoming possessed by the Spirit of the Wendigo, which turns them slowly into one. Make sense now or..?" While the question lingered in the air, I began to gather my thoughts on all the information I had. I nodded and spoke once again.

"Okay, I think I understand now. So there's two types of these supernatural being. The Spirit, and the Physical entity we just faced..." I paused and looked up at them, more wonder than confusion in my tone this time around. "... So where did the Spirit come from?" The conversation was cut short when Matt suddenly jumped up and sprinted out of the cave.

"Damnit! I'm such an idiot, the other one is out there right now, and with those injuries we have a trail for us now!" Alice didn't hesitate to follow and I hastily joined up with them.