Jason made his way back to the sanitorium, certain that his friends had probably followed after him, he locked the door behind him before climbing up the stairs. The whole place looked even more trashed than before, if that were possible.
He returned the room where the wolf had been before, only, she wasn't there anymore and it seemed like a portion of the roof had collapsed. Jason searched on, opening the first unlocked gate which lead him outside, to a small cemetery. Not finding anything worth his while, he left to go find another way out. The only other door he could foresee being any help at all was locked, hesitant but seeing no other way, Jason shot the lock right off the door. As he entered the new room, out from behind the rubble Lupa appeared.
"Hey girl." Jason smiled as the wolf neared him. "You ready for an adventure to avenge my girlfriend?" The wolf allowed Jason to scratch between its ears. Jason took that as a yes. "Alright so here's the plan. We need to get to the psych ward, so we can get into the mines. Shoot up some of those wendigos, and find my friend. Got it?"
She shook off her coat of some loose dust and began to lead the way. Jason followed Lupa into the psych ward, he was repulsed by the amount of chains and fences, but then he recalled the time period this was built in. He tried not to let his emotions get in the way of his actions, but he felt on edge, suddenly every sense in his body was on high alert.
He followed Lupa down hallways scattered with broken bits of doors, and open cells that Jason wasn't exactly gung ho about searching. He was pretty sure he understood what had happened, the miners had been turned and whatever had happened to them, now they were less than human.
As they looped around back to the main room the Lupa stopped and stared back into the middle of the main room.
Jason also stopped and waited, he looked down as he heard a sound coming from a hole in the ground, only to look back up and see a Wendigo jumping onto the rumble. Without saying a word, Jason shot the wendigo knocking it off of its perch. He followed Lupa into the closest room, and he barricaded the door with a nearby filing cabinet.
"Oh shit, shit." Jason took large gulps of air, stunned by the silence, he walked back to the door, only to see the glass window shattered by the wendigo's hand. Without thinking he took the machete from his belt loop and stabbed the wendigo with it before running after Lupa into the next room.
He closed the door and locked it behind him. Lupa nuzzled at his fingers, whimpering slightly.
"It's okay girl, we'll make it out of here." He promised, now looking around the room. He saw a shadow appear and ducked down behind one of the many askew desks scattered throughout the room.
He waited as he heard the wendigo retreat back into the shadows, Lupa again took the lead, Jason followed her around the next corner, making sure his gun was still loaded, and ready to shoot at any moment.
Jason felt very off about this room they were in, barred up cells lined the left wall down the whole way, though rubble had piled up and even in some parts broke the cells.
Out of nowhere a hand appeared in front of Jason, causing him to fall back.
"What the hell!?" Jason shouted as Lupa barked at the wendigo, but Jason realized that they were all behind bars. They were trapped, and he began to wonder if this is where that stranger kept all of those wendigos.
Nevertheless Jason continued to follow Lupa, the sooner he left the better it would be. Another hand stuck out of it's cell but Jason had the sense to sidestep and avoid it. As he continued another hand tried to grab his ankle, but again, he avoided this too.
He tried to start running but soon a wendigo jumped out at him, he shot it right in chest and saw it recoil back into its cell, this one seemed to be attached to a collar, that at least kept it from pursuing Jason.
He ran again, this time when he turned back he saw a wendigo that was free of a cell. "Fuck!" Jason cursed when he reached the door, he slammed all of his weight into it, but the door needed more weight. He had no time.
He turned around, facing the wendigo, he shot it right in the head. He noticed a barrel beside him, and without a moment to spare, he rolled it onto the ground and towards the wendigo. But as the beast roused from it's daze, a second one appeared. He slammed into the door behind him, letting Lupa into the next room as he shot the barrel killing the two pursuing monsters. The blast knocked Jason into the next room. He laid there for a moment, Lupa licked his face before he could stand up.
"I've got some moves, huh girl?" Jason asked closing the charred door behind him and locking it.
Jason and Lupa hurried to the next room and walked up the stairs. Jason knew they were close to the exit, just a littler further and they'd be home free.
The two of them wandered through the more decrepit, if that were even possible, part of the hospital. As they reached a long stretch of hallway ending in a door, Jason heard something he didn't like.
"Run!" Jason yelled, racing Lupa down the hallway as another wendigo appeared. Jason managed the blow the lock off the door from a distance, giving Lupa time to run into the room, quickly followed by Jason himself.
With the two safely in the next room, he pushed a set of freeroaming lockers in front of the door before it could attack. He heard the wendigo smash its skull into the door from the other side.
"We did it, Lupa, we made it." He patted her head which turned into an ear scratch too. "Thanks for sticking with this old man for so long." He chuckled at how winded he was.
Lupa started heading towards a different exit than Jason intended to go. She probably knew what Jason was getting himself into and wanted no part of it.
"Thank you, really." He smiled at her as she climbed out of the nearby exit. Jason however hurried towards the next area, luckily there was a drop down, so he didn't have to take the long route. He jumped down and hurried to the door, when suddenly another wendigo appeared behind him, not taking any chances, Jason shot at it, sending the monster flying back down into the basement. But another one dropped down after him, and Jason was left with only one option, to shoot the pile of barrels and kill the two monsters. He fired one shot and ran out of the building, narrowly avoiding the blast as he ran.
When he finally turned around to see the damage he'd done he noticed a sound like shrill inhuman screams. He'd released all of those wendigo spirits, but he felt oddly satisfied, knowing that he'd somewhat helped purge the mountain of those creatures.
He'd gotten his wolf friend out alive, and he was headed straight for the mine, but under his breath he took a moment to give his destruction meaning. "That was for Piper, you sick fucks." He turned back and headed straight into the mines
Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth were walking through the tunnels still actively looking for Jason. But Frank was falling behind, he was weak, tired, and on his last leg. He was starting to realize he really couldn't go on. After the whole locking Percy in the basement thing happened, Frank was feeling weaker and weaker, he wondered what was wrong with him, but he realized it was probably from when he got punched out cold, he remembered hitting the door behind him. And when he had been knocked out again he'd tried to run but busted up his ankle when the killer… Octavian, had grabbed him.
"Guys come on, we've got to find, Jason." Annabeth said, moving forward quickly.
"Hey guys, you go on ahead, I'll catch up." Hazel noticed a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead as Frank said this.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah, I just, I'm tired and I need a minute." He was about to sit down when Hazel stopped him.
"We are not leaving you. This whole night has been a fucking nightmarish horror film Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to call his own. And in horror films you don't split up." She huffed then, "Plus you've saved me one too many times tonight. It's my turn to keep you alive, you've got that?"
"She's right, Frank. We aren't going to leave you behind." Annabeth said, between the two girls they were able to support Frank as they walked through the underground. When they reached the door to the sanitorium Annabeth left Frank with Hazel and tried ramming it open.
"Fucking fuck." She sighed, "It's locked from the other side. We have to find another way in."
From the looks of it there was no other way to go but back, and none of them were willing to do that.
"Hey, what about this?" Hazel asked pointing to the sewer beneath them.
"Yeah, yeah that might work. You good to climb?" Annabeth asked Frank.
"I don't exactly have a choice."
"Then let's go." Hazel and Annabeth lifted the grate off of the top and one by one the three of them climbed down into the sewer. Which really couldn't be called a sewer, it was more like a tunnel or a secret passage. To where? They weren't sure. Hazel was beginning to question why they were doing any of this. Jason was a big kid, he could take care of himself. But she immediately scolded herself for that thought. Jason was like a big brother to her, if they were going to get back they needed to do it together.
They reached the end of the path, the only way out was up, and Hazel definitely knew they couldn't make it, not with Frank being so tired already.
"What do we do?" Hazel asked.
"I think I can make it, I'll climb up you guys go back to the lodge, lock all the doors and stay there until dawn." Annabeth said.
"We aren't splitting up for the last time." Hazel said firmly.
"I have to get Jason. He's out there and he's an emotional mess. He needs me just as much as Frank needs you right now." Hazel looked over to see Frank sat down by the wall of the cave. Hazel sighed looking at him.
"Fine… I trust you, but promise me something."
"What's up?"
"This isn't the last time I see you. You got that?" Hazel felt tears prickling in her eyes.
"Promise." Annabeth said gripping her friend tightly.
"This isn't goodbye, it's see you later okay?"
"Okay, I've got it." Annabeth began climbing up the wall, while Hazel helped Frank to stand up.
"Come on, let's get you back." Hazel said tenderly, she wondered if Frank had a fever or if he was just that exhausted. Whatever it was she helped him hobble back up and out of the tunnel.
As they walked down the hall back to the basement, she could have sworn she heard Piper's voice calling out for help.
Hazel couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Piper was dead, killed by that monster, nobody deserved that fate. And Leo… Leo was gone too. Two of her closest friends gone forever.
"Hazel! Stop crying and help me!" Wait…
Hazel turned around and saw, Piper standing behind her, looking extremely roughed up, but even so she had a tired looking Leo on her back carrying a lantern in front of her. Kind of like a Sacagawea situation, only the baby was carrying a light.
"Pipes!" Hazel shouted, Frank also turned to look and was stuck in a state of disbelief.
"I'm crazy, I've literally cracked." He said.
"No you big oaf." Piper smiled affectionately at him, as Hazel rushed the two of them with a hug.
"How are you alive? Jason said you were dead, and Leo-"
"Well, here we are, very much not dead." Leo said slipping off of Piper's back and onto unsteady feet.
"Thank god you're okay." Hazel sighed.
"Are we close to the house?" Piper asked her.
"Yeah, it's just down this hall."
"Good." Piper nodded heading forward as she led Leo. The two of them reached the locked door before Hazel and Frank could warn them.
"Wait!" Hazel said, but it was too late, Piper had already opened the door, and inside she saw… Percy sound asleep on a counter?
"Percy?" Piper asked walking into the room. "Percy, wake up!" She shook him awake.
"Huh!? What?" He sat up wiping the drool off his cheek.
"Piper stop." Hazel and Frank hung back at the door while Leo took a seat on a free stool.
"Why are you locked in this room?" Piper asked him curiously.
"I'm dead, aren't I… I died, right?" Percy asked looking between Leo and Piper.
"No, you're not dead, you were asleep. Why were you locked in here? Wanted to take a nap while the rest of us fought for our lives?" She asked lightly.
"I've already fought for my life once tonight and it didn't work out so well." He looked at Leo, still not sure whether or not he was alive and real.
"What are you talking about?" Piper asked.
"He got bit, Piper." Frank said.
"The wendigo bit him, and that's why he was in here alone." Hazel explained.
Piper looked between all of her friends.
"Wait Hazel and Frank are dead too?" Percy asked.
"How many bad vampire films have you idiots been watching?" Piper asked incredulously.
"I'm sorry?" Percy asked.
"You don't 'turn' into a wendigo." Piper said, making air quotes around the word turn. "You become one. The only way to become a wendigo is to eat another human being."
"Piper look at me, what do you see?" Percy asked with a humored smile. He was relieved that he wasn't going to get turned into a vicious man eating monster. He was allowing himself the joke.
"A dumbass?" Piper smirked.
"White." He held up his pale hands to circle his body. "I'm fucking white, how the hell was I supposed to know that?"
"Damn Piper, you're like, the angel of good news." Frank chuckled sitting down next to Leo.
"Angels aren't real, that would be ridiculous." Piper snorted.
"Oh, wendigo's can be real, but angels are taking it too far?" Hazel laughed.
"Duh." Piper chuckled. "Angels are supposed to be good, only evil things are real."
Percy stood up from the countertop and hugged Leo. "I'm glad you're alive." Percy pulled back and slapped his shoulder.
"Ow! Bruh." Leo chuckled.
"Don't you ever sacrifice yourself for me ever again. You hear me?"
"Sure, let's hope I don't have to." Leo looked around Percy to Piper. "By the way, what's a wendago?"
Piper sighed, "The wendigo, is a monster that lives on these mountains, it feasts upon human flesh, though even then it will never be satisfied. The wendigo's hunger is insatiable, the more it eats, the more it wants, the more vicious it becomes. The only way to become the monster is to become a cannibal yourself."
"Don't eat your bros, got it." Leo nodded.
"Legend says, the only way to kill it is to burn it to the ground, just as the only way you can destroy the forest is by fire. And the only way to escape its clutches is to be as still as frozen ice." Piper was reciting what her grandfather had taught her many years ago. She almost felt closer to the spirit of her people as she spoke the legends.
"So, kill it with fire huh?" Leo asked standing up. "Fire just so happens to be a specialty of mine. Come on kids it's time to get crafty."
"What are you going to do?" Frank asked.
"Look, if that thing found Piper and I, it can find all of us here, wrapped up like a fucking Christmas present. But I say it's time to fight back. We rig the house with fire bombs, I can set it up so that the nearest light switch to the exit will detonate the bombs. If that thing comes after us before dawn all we'll have to do is blow it sky high."
"This is crazy." Percy says.
"Just crazy enough to work." Piper said softly. "Hold on a minute… Where are Jason, Annabeth, and Octavian?"
There was a heartbeat of silence, while Leo and Piper stared in confusion, Hazel spoke up.
"Well, Pipes, to make a long story short, there was this madman in a mask who, tied me an Octavian up in this shed with a saw blade which we thought killed Octavian, but it didn't. And then he strapped Frank and I to these chairs and he made Frank shoot himself with a blank. And he made Annabeth walk around in a towel for three hours, and then we found out it was Octavian all along, so none of that mattered we weren't in any real danger.
"So we locked Octavian in his room but Leo and Percy had gone for help, right after we thought Octavian had died, and Percy came back alone. Then there was this stranger who told us all about the wendigo and we were going to lock ourselves in here, but then Octavian escaped his room and so that stranger man went after him.
"Then we all came down here and Jason went out looking for Octavian, but then we thought Percy would get turned into a wendigo, so we all left to go after Jason. But Frank couldn't keep going so Annabeth went looking for him alone and we came back, where we ran into you."
Piper shook her head, "That wasn't short at all."
"I told you it was a long story." Hazel shrugged.
"So wait, Octavian was the masked man?" Leo asked.
"Yeah." Frank nodded.
"What a fucking dick!" Leo said, "I got propelled into a mine, concussed, and then taken into the wendibitches lair for that douche canoe."
"Wendibitches? Really?" Hazel asked.
"Do not make fun of them, Leo, they are dangerous creatures. When I was little, my grandfather used to tell me the stories of people who had resorted to cannibalism, people who had even gone so far as to eat their own families. The wendigo's spirit is strong and it is something we need to give proper respect." Piper said solemnly.
"Well, then let's not call them anything. Let's just try to get out of here alive." Frank said.
"I second that." Hazel said.
"We just have to wait until dawn, the rescuers will come for us then." Percy said.
"And how long is that gonna take?" Piper asked.
"Let's see." Hazel took out her phone, "About an hour and a half."
"Alright, you guys go fix up your flaming house party, I'll go look for the others, they don't have any idea what they're up against." Piper was about to back up towards the door when she heard a loud shouting coming from beside her.
"No!" Hazel literally put her foot down. "No! No! No! No! No more splitting up, no more noble heroes, no more self sacrifice! No! No one else is leaving, Piper! You've survived one wendigo attack tonight, I'm not letting you go back out there alone, when Annabeth is already heading after your dumbass of a boyfriend! No! You are staying with us! We are all going to go upstairs, together, and set up this bomb and wait for dawn together, because we are a fucking family and I am not letting any of you get hurt! Am I understood?!"
Hazel was breathing heavily, her face almost purple with rage. No one had ever seen her look so absolutely lethal before. She'd never even raised her voice, even Hazel was somewhat surprised by her blow up. But at the same time, there was no way she was letting anyone else get hurt. Even if it was fake, Hazel had two people die for her that night and she was sick of her painfully selfless friends.
They all needed to survive this, and they had to do it together. Hazel was certain that they could do it. All they had to do was keep their heads and stick together. They would all make it out alive if Hazel had any say about it. And right then she had the only say that mattered.
"You're right." Piper agreed hugging her friend, she was the quickest to snap out of her shocked stupor. The boys were still staring at her like she was a crazy person. And hell maybe she was, maybe they all were. Maybe this was all just some really bad acid trip gone horribly wrong.
Piper continued to speak, "You're so right, we can't split up anymore, we're stronger in our numbers. Annabeth and Jason are the strongest blonde doofuses I know. If anyone can make it out of this with Octavian intact, it's them."
The two girls looked at their absolutely terrified friends, both too hesitant to move.
"Come on boys, we don't have time to waste, let's burn this fucker down." Hazel said leading the way back up to the lodge.
Annabeth climbed the whole way up, not missing a single footstep of hand hold. She was wilding proud of herself when she reached the top of the cliff.
"Fuck yeah." Annabeth marveled at herself for a moment before she turned back, the walk was short lived before she encountered a small drop off, she took a little leap of faith as she dropped down. As she walked forward, suddenly what she had thought was just some loose metal, swung open to reveal itself as a door.
"Holy hell!" Annabeth jumped back, and in came, Jason, looking just as he had before leaving the lodge.
"Hey, Annabeth?" Jason asked helping her stand up. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"
"I came looking for you, it's stupid to be out here alone, and define okay?"
"Alive for starters."
"Then I'm fucking fantastic." She smiled at him.
"I knew you'd follow me. Where are the others?"
She decided to lie to him, no sense in telling him they'd lost Percy. "They turned back to the lodge, Frank is in pretty bad shape."
"Yeah, shooting a blank into your head will do that to you." Jason nodded.
"How are you?"
"Well, I accidentally murdered like six or seven wendigos, but it's all good because a saved a wolf."
"Oh, perfect."
"Yeah, I thought so." The two shared a brief moment, smiling at each other before Jason straightened up. "Alright, well, let's go find Octavian."
"Sounds like a plan."
The two began their descent into the wendigo's lair.