Gone

Chapter Twenty-Three: Confronting Bad Company

This was it. Everything was coming to a head and the three of us were going to be in the dead center of what ever horrors lay past these deceptively peaceful hills. Too many have died because of the ignorance and lack of action from the people all of us once trusted.

Matt was the first to get up to his feet. He closed his eyes and took a long breathe, as if this would be the last time he'd be able to. "Kid, it's been a hell of a journey. You may have just been included into this frightening and alien world less than half a week ago, but the weight of the past two years now rest on us getting this right-" He turned his head back, staring at Alice and myself as we stood up with him as well, "... and you, Bones; whatever happens tonight, others outside of your handlers will be aware of the truth. Be that myself and Elysia, the media, or a locale poking his nose where nobody wants them to, somebody will know the truth." He gave a sincere grin and turned his gaze back to the hills his body was facing.

I placed one of my hands on my waist as I shook my head slightly with a grin as well. "So yeah, no pressure or anything, Ace Detective." Alice and him have a short chuckle.

Softly, Alice looked at the two of us before speaking her piece now. "You boys better know the most important part of this ordeal," her lips formed across her pale cheeks. "We're gonna get out of here together, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, understood?" Matt and I nodded in agreement, both of us saying "right" in sync, inadvertently of course.

And then, the mood began to sink back into the reality around us. Matt in a direct and calm demeanor, beckoned that I use my gift to try and guide the way. Slowly, I stepped in front of where he was, crouching down and examining the area for any signs of movement that was abnormal in any way or shape. For a moment, there wasn't much to find. Eureka! As luck; or misfortune if looked at a certain way, would have it there indeed was something that I could use. A dug in footprint of something that could just barely be counted as human was dug into the ground. After a quick glance at the shell of the downed Wendigo from earlier, it's foot was similar enough to fit the bill. Meaning we could follow this particular trail of bread crumbs all the way back to it's home. With a trail found, I began the process once more. This time though, something felt different, and without realizing, I began to speak before finishing my preparations.

"The endgame is upon us now. The monster we've been pursuing has made it's location known to us. It stood here for what felt like days, only ever retreating when it needed to feast or when the light threatened it's infernal blaze over the the horizon. Within the last day, it finally left for good. The shell of man; being manipulated by the horrors of the inner demons he held, has retreated deep into it's home. It awaits us. The trail, while not fresh, remains deep enough to follow. The sins of this being forever push down on the name that the monster once called itself."

"Howard Smith..." I collapsed to the ground. That was more than just my gift, something else was there. Matt and Alice rushed over and placed their hands on my shoulders, lifting me slowly back up to my feet. Matt was holding a look of determination now. The only way I could describe how Matt's appearance looked now was alive. As if all of his doubts and suspicions had been burned away with a roaring fire inside. As should be expected, Alice had a much different feel to her now. One of worry and confusion.

Guess you noticed that too, huh?

"Absolutely," her thoughts echoed my own. "That was something else. Whether it was an upgrade to your gift or anything really, that was more than I think any of us were expecting to know. Still though, can you still see the path..?"

I simply nodded, then guided their attention with my right index finger, weakly holding up my hand while my body was still recovering from that experience.

"That way... The bastard is so close now..." Using all the strength I could muster out of myself, I launched myself forward from their arms, hand dropping down to my side as I did so. Taking the lead, Matt and Alice quickly followed after. It wasn't just the last of the Wendigos causing trouble here, it was the man that took everything from me himself. My rage that I've had buried for so long felt ready to explode. All that changed when a sudden, frost like feeling encompassed around me. It wasn't like it suddenly got colder. It almost felt like the equivalent of a coat of snow blanketed around me, but from the inside. It was only then did I notice something was off. The trail had already ended, and yet I still knew exactly where to go.

It wants us to go there. Hearing my friends trailing close behind though brought my mind back to focus on the task at hand. Let's not disappoint it then.

Shortly afterwards, the dark forrest surrounded us again. We were further up when finally the stench of death struck the three of us hard. Though I didn't feel sickly this time around. Rather, it made me feel contempt almost. The smell reassured me that this would be the last time I'd ever have to take its awful scent with me again. If we succeeded anyway.

There's a lot riding on our shoulders now. It says much about the world that it took another tragedy to right the previous one. The trail was gonna take us a while longer, but every fiber in my being screamed that this was the end of the line for this journey. That said, this pursuit of the ghost from the past has won't just close the book on this matter, but it leads me to wonder what's next for us. For me. My latent abilities have been getting more profound, more... Bizarre. Truth be told, I never expected that I would use them. For a while, I didn't even know if I could to such an extent. The nightmares I always tried to justify as simply trauma, but now I can use them without needing to be unconscious. There's just one thing bothering me about it all. Everytime I've used it unconscious or not, it's only ever been through the perspective of the monster, the Wendigo itself. I know not as to why just yet, perhaps it's because of a connection to the overwhelming supernatural I've been thrust into, or because it's my father who has become one of these creatures. I can't say as to why, but the end of this journey will determine that and what use these will bring me in the future.

None of that matters now though, for now, we move. I know we were getting closer. The site where the campers were slaughtered carried a feeling of overbearing uncertainty. Not for us- not the living, but for the ones who lived no longer. It felt like even in the afterlife, the Wendigo still remained, forever feasting on their souls. With the putting down of my father, hopefully that feeling would lift.

Then, we arrived. That feeling of confusion amplified, feeling more like pressure bearing down on my body more so than an atmosphere like before. It was so intense I felt myself getting tensed up. It was a struggle to keep moving up that steep hill, as we reached the source. I'm not sure what living conditions of the ones who feasted on men I expected were going to be, but it was frightening in how... Human it very much was. Before us was a cave that assuredly descended into a chasm of which we would have to brave, but what was unnatural about this formation of nature circumstances, were the ever artificial exterior to it. We were greeted not by an open mouth of a cave simply, but by a fenced off structure around the wall.

It was crude, it was simplistic, but it was man-made. I glanced over to see Matt as he took a step back, firmly putting his hands into his pockets. It frightened him. Without needing to say a single word, he made a statement that he would not dare touch anything built by these husk of men with his own hands. I pivot my head to set my sights on Alice. Unsurprisingly, she didn't seem to think one way or another of it. Perhaps this sight was nothing new to her. I would have believed that, had it not been for the fact she was as still as a statue. If I wasn't watching it would be easy to think she had even stopped breathing. I couldn't blame either of my friends for their reactions. I was terrified. Not for what lied ahead, not for their lives, not for my own either. To me, a nameless fear had settled it's way into my soul, and it whispered to me simply.

"Welcome home."