Wendigo
Two young men lounged within their sleeping bags, are caught in competition. Their eyes are trained on the Gameboys clutched tightly in their hands. Sound effects, dings and little soundtracks can be heard throughout the tent.
"Dude, you're cheating." The one losing chimes.
"No, you just suck." He scoffs in response.
In another tent a man no older than 25 has settled in for the night. He has a portable lantern stashed and lit in a corner. He shuffling around and lifts up a small satellite phone and presses play.
"Hey, Hailey, Day six. We're still out near Black Water Ridge," he gives chuckle and continues, "We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry. Talk to you tomorrow." He sends the videos and settles in, never noticing the black shadow dart behind his tent.
In the other tent, the teen on a losing streak, has had enough and shuts his game down. He tosses the system across the tent onto the floor, before standing up and heading for the tent flap.
"Hey, where you going? My moment of victory." The other boy cockily claims.
"Nature calls." Annoyed with being called out he yanks the flap open by its zipper and haughtily stalks outside, reaching the edge of the clearing he unzips and slips to do his business. He is there for only a few seconds when a sounds reverberates from the trees.
Screams rip through the camp as tents are destroyed and bodies are dragged.
Somewhere Outside of Stanford
Dean and Alex are sitting within the impala, every so often Alex spares her brother Sam a glance. His face is scrunched up, he was obviously in distress, and it physically hurt seeing her brother in so much pain over jess's death. His eyes are twitching under his lids and his body is sort of curling in on itself he was practically whimpering. It quiets down when suddenly Sam is shooting upwards with a scream.
Alex incases her arms around her brother from the backseat.
"Sammy?!" worry coats her voice.
"You okay?" Dean is more subtle but his eyes give away the worry and sadness.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The lie from Sam is shaky and hard to believe.
"Another nightmare?" Alex rubs her hands into his shoulder.
Dean gives a glance before making an offer "Want to drive for a while?"
"Who are you and what have you done with Dean, ALIEN?" Alex has jumped away as far into the backseat as she could, her back pressed tightly against the door and window. Deans levels her with a hard glare.
"In your whole life, you never once asked me that." Sam was just as confused and credulous.
"Just thought you might want to. Never mind, and you shut up Alex." He gives a disgruntled whine and begins to pull out of the parking lot.
Sam gives a sigh "Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay."
"All right, man, I get it," Alex just gazes at Sam with sympathy.
"Where are we anyway?"
Alex answers, "We are just outside of Grand Junction on our way to dad coordinates."
"You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." Sams hands twitch and he glances around nervously.
"Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. Hell eve Alex didn't get any of her weird Mojo shit." Alex hurls one of her shoes at the back of his head.
"It's not weird, I can't help it!"
"You're the one who went full on panic mode on me, while we were leaving stanford, you felt something go wrong, hell SIS, Your eyes were glowing like damn purple LEDS."
Alex was shocked, "my eyes were glowing?"
"yea, like a fucking 50 watt lightbulb….but ive never seen them go purple before, only red."
Alex slouches into the backseat, she was more confused than ever. Sure she had never been exactly normal, but her eyes were flashing more and more. Her body healed from being hit by the impala like it never even happened.
"Anyways Sam- If you want to find the thing that killed Jessica we Got to find dad first, hell, Dad disappearing, and this thing showing up again after 20 years? It's no coincidence."
Alex speaks up, "he is right you know."
"Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do."
"It's weird, man. These coordinates he left us, this Black Water Ridge."
"What about it?"
"There's nothing there. It's just woods. Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"
"So Black Water Ridge is pretty remote."
Alex scoffs making them turn to her, "its more remote than pluto"
Sam shakes head bemused with her joke "It's cut off by these canyons here -rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place"
She settles into the back seat planning to nap away the rest of the trip.
"Alex, check out the size of this friggin' bear."
"Holy shit, did they give it steroids or something?"
Sam walks up with the local ranger, there conversation going in one ear and out the other. She was so focused on the bear photo, 'god damn.'
"You kids aren't planning to go out near Black Water Ridge, by any chance?"
"Oh, no, sir." Deans quick to answer
"We're environmental-study majors from U.C. Boulder- just working on a paper." Sam quickly interjects, he spares Alex a glance confused with her silence. Then Dean opens his big mouth.
"Recycle, man." The ranger stares at the brothers unconvinced.
"Bull. You're friends with that Hailey girl, right?" Sam and Dean immediately jump on the opportunity.
"Yes!"
"Yes, we are. Ranger Wilkinson." Alex speaks up quietly startling the three men because of how quiet she had been.
"Well, I will tell you exactly what I told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Black Water until the 24th. So it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it? Tell that girl to quit worrying. I'm sure her brother's just fine." Alex spares the man a withering glare. Isn't it his job to look into it anyway?
"We will." Sam calmly answers
"Well, that Hailey girl's quite a pistol, huh?"
"That is putting it mildly."
"Actually, you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date." The lie was mediocre at best and Alex briefly worried her brother broke their cover.
The three of them leave the office with the permit in hand and the location of this Hailey girls home.
"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?"
"What do you mean?"
"The coordinates point to Black Water Ridge." Sam was getting annoyed and fired up.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's just go find dad. Why even talk to this girl?"
"Sam I cannot believe that just left your mouth, are we sure I am actually the youngest here?"
"I don't know, Alex is right we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it."
"What? Since when are you all "shoot first, ask questions later" anyway?" Alex was done with her brother attitude.
"Since now."
"Bullshit"
After a visit to the hailey girl, we were able to get our hands on a video of the girls brother, Sam had seen something within the background and had asked for a copy of them. Alex had seen the way Dean was staring at the girl though. Hailey was a cute little thing, just a bit older than Alex.
Alex wished her brother could function with his upstairs brain instead of his little downstairs brain, but dean is dean, and he wouldn't be her brother without his quirks no matter how annoying.
"So, Black Water Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic- local campers mostly- but, still, this past april, two hikers went missing out there." Sams voice is exasperated and tired. "They were never found."
"Any before that, Sammy?"
"Oh Yeah." Alex cuts in, "a whole lot more"
Sam takes back over the conversation, "In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And, again, in 1959, and again, before that, in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork."
"Ok so Alex downloaded tommy's video onto the laptop, check this out." Sam runs through several of the frames, a black shadow passes in the background outside the tent.
"Do it again."
"That's three frames."
Alex drags her chair closer to examine the frames "Whatever it is guys, its moves faster than sam after he sees a clown." Sams hand flies up and lands against the back of her head effectively shutting her up.
"I told you something weird was going on." Dean ignores their little spout but he hides the smirk of amusement on his face.
"Yeah. Alex and I got one more thing. In '59, one camper survived the supposed grizzly attack, just a kid barely crawled out of the woods alive." Alex and Sam give a quick high five hand the article to Dean.
"Is there a name?"
2 hours later
She was livid, Sam and Dean once again left her behind to go play park ranger, they let her go to haileys house by saying she was in training, why was this any different?
'Sam never would have found that article without me' annoyed and upset she storms into the motel bathroom slamming the door behind her. She stands in the middle of the room calming her enraged breathes before leaning over the sink.
Her inhales were ragged and she wheezed with rage, whats wrong with her..shes never been so angry it feels like its ripping at her mind, she can see her reflection, her eyes are bright red, they look like to cherry hot embers, scorching through her soul. She just stares, she was…scared….of herself, 'why is something so small setting me off'.
She shakily wraps her hand around the faucet and fills the sink with cold water, leans down and begins scrubbing her face, attempting to calm whatever beast had stirred within her. When she looks back up after he breathing had calmed. Her heart stops and her voice catches midway scream.
The reflection staring at her was there for a blink before it was gone. The eyes had been pitch black and empty like a black hole. Her skin had had a grey tint to it with black crack running up the left side of her face, there was glowing blue veins spread across the right side of her face and, oh god, its smile…it promised death and misery for all that saw it. The eyes were so empty but that smile held everything with blood dried and flowing down her chin,
Her body sinks to the floor, all her previous anger gone and replaced with terror. That had been her, that horrid and haunting thing in the mirror was her….was she a monster? What was she…?
When he boys returned they could tell something was wrong, she was quiet and just staring off into space. Their sister had never been this way before.
"Hey pipsqueak, you ok?" no response, her head just turns to them and she then turns her back on them and lays down.
Sam and dean share a glance before slipping into bed, they were going hiking tomorrow, and if they were going to find out what was bothering there sister, they needed rest.
Alex could see Hailey next to a car along the tree line of the forest, she was arguing with an older male with white hair. She could hear bits and pieces of what being said, the man wanted the younger boy to stay home while Hailey refused. Alex could understand the guys reasoning, but it was their brother missing, the younger one had every right to go.
She could partially feel the unease rolling off her brothers, they had been glancing at her when they thought she wasn't looking and the atmosphere in the car on the way here had been on edge and thick, filled with tension, she hadn't said a word since she awoke. The image in the mirror still haunting her.
She stayed silent as the approached the small group.
"You guys got room for three more?"
"You want to come with us?" Hailer looks us over wih surprise.
The older guy butts in, "Who are these guys?"
"Apparently, this is all the park service could muster up."
"You're rangers?" the man was skeptical of our story.
"That's right. Except little missy here she's in training"
"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Alex smirked, she liked this girl.
"Well, sweet heart, I don't do shorts."
"Oh, you think this is funny? It's dangerous backcountry out there." Once again the old crone cuts in trying to act all superior.
"Believe me, I know how dangerous it can be. We just want to help them find their brother. That's all."
They had been walking for a few hours now, Alex had begun to feel a little better, going as far to chat with the younger boy as they walked. They got to talk about favorite bands and movie genre, she felt a bit bad for making her brothers worry, but last night was so new to her, and even being raised a hunter, she had never been so terrified, especially of herself.
The walk had been pretty quiet and peacefull until Dean decided to rag on the callous normal huntsman.
"Roy, you said you did a little hunting."
"Yeah, more than a little."
"What kind of furry critters do you hunt?"
"Mostly buck….Sometimes bear."
"Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?"
Roy is quick to grabs Deans shirt and yanks him back violently.
"What you doing, Roy?"
Roy picks up a stick and slams it into the ground, a metal twing sounds before the trap snaps shut on the twig snapping it in half like toothpick
"You should watch where you're stepping ranger." His smirk is arrogant.
"It's a bear trap." Deans voice is light and slightly embarrassed as he continues walking.
Alex can see Hailey storm up to dean and start firing off questions, the little hell cat had caught onto our lie and wanted to know what our deal was. Sam and I share a glance before continuing along the path. Dean can handle her, its not long before Hailey rejoins the group dean not far behind. He sends a nod our way letting us know our cover is safe for now.
Black Water Ridge.
"What coordinates are we at? You hear that?
"Yeah. Not even crickets."
"the hell, It is so quiet, forest aren't supposed to be silent." Alex was unnerved, she had never been somewhere so quiet, not even a breeze or a rustle of leaves, everything was still and sient.
"I'm gonna go take a look around." Roy spouts of ready to tredge on alone.
"You shouldn't go off by yourself." Alex grabs his sleeve.
"That's sweet. Don't worry about me. Little girl like you should be more concerned about yourself." His eyes quickly rake over her form, she was wearing a tank top and carbo pants along with her signature jacket, it was black with writing on the back that said, 'property of hell, if found please call: 666-***-****'. Alex was ready to clock him in the face, but dean beat her to it by grabbing her arm and dragging her off.
"All right, everybody stays together."
"Let's go."
They search around a bit before Roys voice calls out.
"Hailey! Over here!"
"Oh, my god." Alex felt for the girl a bit, the sight of the camp was a mess, the tents were destroyed blood splattered the ground and there a satellite phone destroyed in the grass.
"Looks like a grizzly." Alex's stare bores into his back, how the fuck did this look like a grizzly, they would be bodies and a lot more blood.
"Tommy? Tommy! - Tommy!" Hailey's screams rips through the silence Sam and I panic, my hand lands on my gun while he grabs the girl and covers her mouth.
"Shh Shh, Something might still be out there."
"Sam, Alex" Dean jerks his head signaling us over.
"The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here, the tracks just vanish."
"That's weird." Both Sam and dean nod in agreement.
Sam speaks up his tone uneven "I tell you what. It's no skin-walker or black dog."
"Hey, he could still be alive."
They look around camp for just a bit longer until a shout comes from the distance.
"Help!" The yells for help continued and kept growing further away as they raced toward them.
"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Alex nerves were strung tight.
"Dean we should go back, this aint right" he nods," Everybody back to camp."
When they return to camp all of the bags are gone, including our duffel carrying our weapons.
"Our packs! So much for my GPS and my satellite phone."
"What the hell's going on? It's smart."
Alex snaps, "No fucking shit Dean." The brothers stare at their sister slack jawes, she had never snapped at them before.
"I need to speak with you two in private." Sam drags Alex and Dean out of earshot.
"Okay, let me see dad's journal."
"All right." Flipping through it sam stops on a page and shows it to us.
"Check that out."
"Oh, come on." Dean looks skeptical.
"You sure Sammy, Wendigo's are in the Minnesota woods or Northern Michigan. I don't think one has ever been this far west." Alex shakes her head.
"Think about it, guys - the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice."
"Great. Well, then this is useless." Dean shakes his gun and lets it drop by his side angrily.
"We got to get these people to safety." Alex nods tersly in agreement.
"All right, listen up. It's time to go. Things have gotten more complicated."
"What? Whatever's out there, I think I can handle it." Roys cocky attitude was going to get hi, killed, and after that sexist comment earlier Alex could care less, let the wendigo eat him.
"If you shoot this thing, you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave now."
"One, you're talking nonsense, two, you're in no position to give anybody orders." Things were getting heated, and Alex never got in between one her brothers fights you just let that shit run its course.
"Relax, Sam"
"We never should have let you come out in the first place, all right? I'm trying to protect you."
"You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you good night." IT felt like a slap to the face, Alex hated hearing anyone use their mother in an insult, it disgaces her memory.
"Yeah. It's a damn-near-perfect hunter. It's smarter than you.
And it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here."
The fight was escalating and quickly, Sam and roy lunged for each but dean got in the way held sam back by his chest. Alex was disappointed, she had been rooting for sam to kick some ass.
"Everybody just stop. might still be alive."
"And I'm not leaving here without him." Hailey adds her two cents and slides down to sit on a nearby log.
"It's getting late."
"This thing is a damn good hunter in the day, but at night its unstoppable" Everyone except her brothers stare at Alex a thick tension coating the air. "We'll never beat it -not in the dark."
"We need to settle in and protect ourselves."
"How? - One more time. That's?
"Anasazi symbols. Alexs voice echoes in the camp
"It's for protection. The wendigo can't cross over them." A sardonic laughs barks out from the far side of camp.
"Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy."
When the girl and her brother have settled down for the night with roy keeping watch, Dean takes his chance to interrogate his siblings. He drags the two of them to the edge of camp and sits the down.
"You want to tell me what's going on in those freaky heads of yours?"
"Dean"
"No, you're not fine. Especially you Alex"
"You're like a powder keg, man, and pipsqueak you've been like a damn ghost since we got back yesterday, It's not like you two."
"I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember? And Alex is the sassy smart ass."
"Dad's not here. I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?" sam was desperate, he needed dad so he could find jesses killer.
"Yeah, you're probably right. To tell you the truth, I don't think dad's ever been to Lost Creek."
"Then let's get these people back to town, and let's hit the road Go find dad. I mean, why are we still even here?" Even alex stared at Sam bewildered, leave the girls brother to die, be eaten like a damn thanksgiving feast, nuh uh, no way.
"This is why This book. This is dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off." He pats the books and waves it lightly.
"You know, saving people, hunting things The family business."
"That makes no sense. Why- why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?" He could barely get the question out his voice wavering, Alex sighs and leans into his side, she feels his arms wrap around her in thanks.
"I don't know. But the way I see it, dad's given us a job to do, and I intend to do it."
"I agree sam, these people need help."
"Guys no. I gotta find dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about."
"Okay. All right. Sam, we'll find them…..I promise."
Dean turns his attention to Alex, before she can make any protest his gaze has her faltering his eyes were steel and cold, " Ecplain yourself Alex whats going on."
Its quiet for a few minutes and then she speaks quiet and broken.
"am I a monster?" the question has botherher brothers faltering, what brought this on, sure she wasn't normal but she wasn't a monster, never.
"Alex what happened." She starts crying the tears run down her face silent and fueled by her misery.
"I-I don't know whats happening to me, yesterday I saw myself in the mirror and it was horrifying, my eyes were so empty and smile, oh god its was terrifying. ,y reflection was covered in blood and I just…whats wrong with me?" Sam and Dean were horrified, their little sister was snapping and fast.
"Now you listen to me, Alexandra Lucifire Winchester, you are not a monster, you are our little sister, a funny, sassy firecracker that doesn't take shit and has a mean right hook." Alex is crying afain as Dean drags her into his chest as she sobs. Sam rubs her back, they stay like this until a familiar shout comes from the woods.
"Help me! Please! Help!"
"It's trying to draw us out. Just stay cool. Stay put." The three of them are on their feet prepared for a fight, Alex wipes the tears from her and gives her brothers nod, she would trust her family, and stay strong for them.
"Inside the magic circle?" everyone was getting real tired of roys shit.
"Help! Help m-ouaggh" the scream for help ended with a piercing roar, which sent shivers down her spine.
"Okay, that's no grizzly."
"No shit asshole" Alex flips him the bird, refusing to crumble under pressure.
"It's okay. We'll be all right. I promise." Hailey was hugging her brother close to her chest.
"It's here." A gunshot rings out followed by a pained squeal.
"I hit it!"
"Roy, no! Roy! Don't move."
"It's over here."
"Ugh! Roy?!"
Morning
"So, we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch." Sam seemed to finally calm down from his downward spiral, and Alex was feeling much better after their talk, the image probably forever haunt her, but she would deal, because she is a Winchester.
"Well, hell, you know I'm in."
"Wendigo is a Cree Indian word. It means, "evil that devours" They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man, sometimes an Indian or other times a frontiers manor a miner or hunter."
"How's a man turn into one of those things?" Alex walks over to hailey and dean, shes stuffing a rag into a beer as she answers the question.
"it's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp." Haileys face betrayed her disgust.
"Like the donner party." It was the first time the boy had spoken since their chat on the trail.
She continues, "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities- speed, strength, immortality. If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less-than-human thing. You're always hungry."
"So, if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?"
Dean answers her this time, "You're not gonna like it."
But her will stays strong, "Tell me."
"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time. When it's awake, it keeps its victims alive. It stores them so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe, and we got to track it back there."
Alex sighs at Hailey's horrified gasp, she demanded to know, it's her own fault.
"And then how do we stop it?"
"Well, guns are useless- so are knives. Basically we gotta torch the sucker."
As they walk Sam approaches the three of them and drags dean away looking worried. Their talking for maybe a minute when suddenly Alex is knocked to the floor with the breath slammed out of her lungs. Something heavy and lip had fallen on her from the trees, she is buried under the weight for a moment until its flung off and dean is hauling her up.
"You okay? Its roys body, His neck's broken." They stand in silence with Alex shivering in disgust from being that close to the fucker, dead or not, when a familiar growl shakes the air.
"Run, run! Go, go, go, go, go! Come on."
Hailey's younger brother trips but Sam catches him, "I got you. I got you."
"Hailey! Dean! Alex!" The three of them were nowhere to be seen.
Dream Scape:
She was back in the black abyss, it had been weeks with nothing happening in her dreams but here she is back again, only this time, there no soul crushing heart ache or encompassing sorrow.
The cold buzz running along her skin was soothing and a familiar hum resonated in her head. She was beginning to relax the feeling of cool hands running along her arms becoming more apparent, when she was going to open her eyes she is suddenly and violently jerked.
End Dream.
Her head swam, arms dangling towards the ground as her vision spun. And her ankles stung….when she gathered her wits she was pissed. She was upside down, the thing had tied her upside down. "oh come on, why is everyone else the right way up."
She hears a snicker to her left and see Sam trying to untie her ankle bonds and dean is laughat her from the corner. Hailey and her little nrother are balancing a man between them who she can only guess is Tommy. When she is finally let down the feeling of the blood draing from her head has her light headed and she sways on her feet.
"Alex listen, youll go with Sam, we founf some flare guns but we only got two shots," he kisses her forehead and pushes her to Haileys group, a loud growl echoes in the cave.
"Looks like someone's home for supper."
"We'll never out run it."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"All right, listen to me. Stay with Sam and Alex. They're gonna get you out of here."
"What are you gonna do?" Dean just smirks and bolts down the opposite tunnel.
"It's chow time, you freakin' bastard! Yeah, that's right! Bring it on, baby! I taste good! All right, come on. Hurry! Hey! Hey, you want some white meat, bitch?! I'm right here!
"Alex, Get them out of here."
"Sam, no."
"Go."
"Sam! Come on."
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Go! Get behind me." As the five of them bpush back against the wall, the beast gets closer, with each step the nerves grow.
"Hey Ugly!" it whips around just in time for Dean to fire the flare and set it ablaze. Its body fades to ash and crumble away into nothing.
"Not bad, huh?" Alex laughs as her brother blows on the gun like a pistol and twirls it on his finger, idiot.
Flashing red and blue lights surrounded them as they leaned against the impala, Haileys little brother was telling a story to the cops while, Tommy was loaded into an ambulance.
"That's when it circled the campsite."
"I mean, this grizzly must have weighed 800, 900 pounds."
As sam and Dean make there way back to the car, Sam is tossed the keys and Alex slides into the back seat…she'd had another dream about that place…and it felt like someone was stroking her…was it the man with blue eyes? Her questions keep growing and all she wants is answers, Maybe dad will have them, he always figures out everything.
They drive of in the impala, on their way to their next hunt, possible lead for their father, who knows…but tomorrow is tomorrow and all they needed was to worry about today.
% $%
And that's Episode 2, look at all that angst for Alex, And you guys learned her fullname. Next chapter should be up soon.
Kitty
