Chapter 13: Revelation
They went down into the basement where Mike was waiting to lead them deeper into the remnants of the old motel the lodge was built on top of. It soon became apparent to James why the lodge smelled; the gutted body of a pig had been hung up in the old hotel's kitchen with bloody tools deposited in the sinks. They went even deeper into the old hotel and Mike brought them into a fenced-in room that looked out over where Chris and Ashley had been tied up. The place had been turned into a sort of control center by Josh. Computer monitors displayed various parts of the lodge, and there was a corkboard covered with blueprints, marked photos of locations on the property, a map of Blackwood Mountain, and pictures of everyone's faces sans James.
Mike shut the gate behind them, "The hell happened out there?" He demanded as they packed inside. The stranger was still slung across James shoulders and was grunting and wheezing in pain.
"T-the wendigo!" Chris gasped as he limped over to rest on a table, "It almost tore us apart!"
James turned and walked towards a large desk propped against the back wall. With his free hand, he tossed the chair aside and swept the lamp and books off it.
"Help me!" He demanded.
Ashley and Sam came over to help him lower the stranger onto the desk. The man hissed and groaned as they lowered him onto his back.
"What happened?" Sam demanded.
"His leg!" James growled.
"Let me see!" She demanded and shoved herself next to him. The stranger, who was holding his leg with a grimace, allowed his gloves to be gently pried away by Sam.
Ashley gasped and covered her mouth when they saw all the blood pouring from the injury.
"Jesus!" Sam swore before she jumped into action, "Okay…okay, we need to hold it at a level above his heart. Get his leg up! Ashley, give me your belt! I'm gonna need to apply pressure." The girl froze for a minute before complying. Sam turned back to the stranger, "I need something to cut his pants. Anyone got a knife?"
"Here…" Came the pained rasp from the stranger. The man held the knife he'd pressed to James' throat out to her in a shaking hand, "Left pocket…" The man hissed, "Flask…"
James reached around and felt about the man's coat until he pulled out a scuffed metal drinking flask. Sam snatched it out of his hand and unscrewed the cap to sniff it. She coughed when the smell of strong alcohol hit her nose and smiled grimly, "Good! James, hold his leg up. Mike, get over here and cut his pant leg open. Be careful!"
The boys instantly complied while Sam poured a splash of the booze into her palm and rubbed her hands together to disinfect them.
"I meant for me…" The stranger complained when he saw what she was doing. He winced when James held his leg further up and Mike gently began cutting away at his pants.
"I'm going to disinfect your wound." Sam said to him.
"This ain't my first rodeo, girl; it'll make things easier. Now, give it here!" He told her gruffly and reached out for his flask. Sam hesitated a moment before she handed it over. The stranger snatched it and took a few greedy sips. He let out a sigh and said, "There's a roll of bandages in my bag. I left it upstairs. One of you run up and get it."
"I-I brought it with me." Came Emily's timid voice. The girl reached under the table with all the screens on it and pulled out said bag before emptying it onto the counter. A book fell out, along with a roll of gauze with a couple safety pins. She brought the roll and some of the pins over quickly and placed it on the table beside Ashley's belt.
"You know first-aid, Sam?" Emily asked.
Sam nodded, "Things can happen on a farm. I wanted to make sure I'd be prepared."
Mike finally cut away enough of his pant leg for Sam to see five puncture wounds oozing blood, and her stomach dropped at the sight. She blinked when the flask was shoved under her nose.
"I think you're gonna need this more than me, blondie." The stranger said gruffly.
Sam took the flask, and after a second's hesitation, sighed and took a swig.
"Atta girl." He approved as she coughed.
Chris had hobbled up at this point and stood by his head, "You're gonna be okay, man." He promised. The man seemed to find what he said funny because he huffed a laugh and rested his head back against the wood with a resigned sigh.
Sam picked up Ashley's belt, "Guys, give me some room." She looked at their impromptu patient, "Ready?"
The man nodded, grit his teeth, and closed his eyes. Sam emptied the flask onto his leg, washing away some of the blood and making him hiss in pain. Quickly, she looped the belt above his wound, took a steadying breath, and tightened it. The stranger immediately grimaced and cried out in pain as blood gushed from the holes in his leg and James and Mike helped hold him still. The man reached out and seized Chris the arm to squeeze while Sam pulled the belt as tight as it could go.
She began barking out orders a second later, "Emily, unroll that gauze; I need it on his leg fast! Ashley, get over here! I need you to poke a hole in the belt with the knife."
Ashley hurried over and took the knife that had been placed to the side. James and Mike moved to make room for the smaller girl so she could stand next to Sam. Carefully as she could, Ashley worked the tip into the belt while Sam held it tight.
"Got it!" Ashley cried out a second later and stepped back so Sam could loop it through the strap and pull it tight.
"Emily, gauze!"
Emily took Ashley's place with the some of the bandage unrolled and ready, and Sam snatched it out of her hands, "Hold him still." She told the boys as she began winding the gauze around the bloody punctures. The stranger jerked in place and growled in pain. All the while, he had Chris in a death grip, but to his credit, Chris gripped the man's hand right back with a grim determination. Sam used up the entire roll in her quest to stem the blood and secured it with the safety pins.
"I don't think his femoral artery was hit." She said shakily a moment later, "If that was the case, he would have bled out already. We still need to keep his leg elevated. Find something to prop his leg on!"
Ashley and Emily glanced around before spotting the filing cabinet tucked in the corner, and it was tall enough to rest his leg on at an angle that Sam approved of. The sound of the two dragging it across the concrete made the stranger look up tiredly to see the girls prop it up against the desk and watched the group of youths maneuver his boot on top of it. He released Chris to grab his flask which miraculously hadn't been knocked off the table in his struggles, "This is the worst first-aid I've ever seen in my life." He groaned and emptied what droplets remained down his throat.
"Could be worse, man." Mike muttered. The man shot a glare at him that made Mike's lips zip shut before he peered at him oddly. After a moment, he asked in a low, confused voice, "…Is that my jacket?"
"Uh…" Mike floundered, "No?"
The stranger exhaled tiredly and slumped against the table, "I'm not even gonna ask."
"You're definitely gonna need a hospital, but I think you're gonna be okay for now!" Sam declared as she examined her work. She let out a shaky laugh and finally let go of the man's bloody leg. Her own hands were soaked with his blood.
"You hear that, flamethrower guy? You're gonna live!"
The man looked at her for a long moment before looking around at all of them. He sighed and stared back at the ceiling, "My name's Jack." He introduced himself after a pause, "Jack Fiddler."
"Nice to meet you, Jack." Sam panted with a tired smile.
Jack winced as he shifted slightly, "Figured you all might as well know it in case I don't make it through the night."
"No, you're getting out of here alive; we all are!" Sam affirmed. She went to swipe the hairs that had fallen in front of her eyes but paused when she saw the blood staining her fingers red. With a shaky exclamation of breath, she wiped them on her jacket and pants and stepped back. A moment passed where the eight young adults stood in silence around the wounded man.
All except James.
The werewolf suddenly stumbled as a wave of vertigo overtook him and he fell back against the fence with a groan, rattling the links.
"James?" Sam cried out.
"I-" The young man choked out before a spasm rocked his body and he cried out in pain. His legs gave out from under him and he hit the cold ground.
Chris straightened in alarm, "Guys?" He called.
James tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a quite growl. His mind felt fuzzy and his heart was pounding in his ears and he knew what was about to happen but ohgodwhynow? Why? Why now?
"What's happening?" Ashley cried out.
James lifted his head up to look at them, revealing eyes that were once again wolfen orange. The sight was familiar to the group at large, and they all began to step back with horror spilling into their hearts. The Animal howled in the back of his mind, the scent of fresh blood making its presence swell.
Mike's eyes went wide, "Oh fuck…" He hissed.
"B-but he took the wolfsbane, right?" Emily cried out.
"H-he said he dropped it…" Mike said as the group backed up from the werewolf, "When Josh jumped him…"
Sam fell to James' side with his necklace in hand. He looked at her with panicked eyes and reached out to grab the it, but the second his skin made contact, he yelped and dropped it. The scent of burnt flesh filled the air as smoke curled from his skin. James grimaced and looked up at them in absolute terror.
It was too late.
"Run!" James whimpered, fear filing his voice and eyes wet and wide as he felt the transformation coming, "R-RU-!"
A pouch was thrust in front of his face. A familiar, drawstring pouch with a scent that made the transformation pause. James followed the bloody glove holding it up to the scared visage of Jack. The older man was holding it out to him from his place on the table with a grimace.
James stared at him in shock before he reached out with shaking hands and snatched it. He nearly tore it open and tipped it into his palm, and the sight of the violet petals falling into his hand made him nearly sob in relief. Without a second thought, James popped one into his mouth. The familiar numbness followed by a burning throat and hacking cough was sweet, sweet relief to him as he collapsed onto his side, retching and shuddering. When the fit finally passed, he was helped upright by Sam, who stared at him with wide eyes.
James stared right back, still shaking and feeling sick, "I…" He croaked miserably. Tears of panic dripped down the sides of his cheeks as the realization of what had almost happened hit him full force, "I'm sorry!"
Sam pulled him into a hug. Her breath came out in shuddering gasps against his ear and James forced his weak arms to hug her back.
"Dude?" James looked up at Mike who was watching him warily, "You okay?" He asked. James figured he must have been still reeling from the wolfsbane because that almost sounded like genuine concern in Mike's voice.
"Yeah." He rasped, "I'm okay, now."
"James, didn't you take it?" Sam questioned, "Where's your wolfsbane?"
"I…I was about to take the next petal but then Josh…" He exhaled a shuddering breath as he cradled his head and shook from the aftershocks, "When he knocked me out, I dropped it. When I woke up, I smelled blood…heard screaming…I didn't think, I just ran."
"He's right." Mike affirmed.
Emily straightened from her place by the monitors. A sudden realization had lit in her eyes and they were locked on Mike, "Mike?" She asked in a small voice, "Where's Jessica?"
Mike turned to Emily who was staring at him with eyes that were wide with shock. She hadn't been there when Mike had screamed it in Josh's face, but when he said it this time, his words were quiet, sorrowful, and sad, "Jessica's fucking dead."
When he nodded, the girl stepped back like she'd been punched, "Oh…" She whimpered and seemed to curl in on herself.
Mike stared at the ground and ran a shaking hand through his hair, "The wendigo grabbed her. It must have followed us to the cabin."
Sam pulled away from him and stood up to look at Jack, "Why did you have that?" She asked the wendigo hunter, pointing to the wolfsbane pouch.
The older man looked at her with tired eyes before looking around at the rest of the group, who were now staring at him suspiciously, "I found it in the snow out back." He said gruffly and looked at Mike, "You said Washington's boy attacked him?"
Mike and James nodded.
Jack asked, "Why?"
"Well, he kinda turned out to be a psycho." Mike quipped.
Jack looked from Mike to James, and then to the rest of the group. Then, he let out a groan and said, "I knew that boy was up to something. For the last few months I've seen him around the property setting things up. I had no idea what he was doing. Didn't ask why, either."
"Why?" Ashley asked.
"I was busy." Jack grunted.
"You've been watching us." James declared from his place on the floor.
Jack winced as his leg throbbed with pain. His bandages were soaked red and his movements were sluggish, but he still kept talking, "Aye. I was. Always have been since the Washington's built this place and you kids started coming up here."
"Why?" The question came from Emily.
Jack had to turn his head to see her with his good eye, "Because I'm the only one keeping this mountain safe."
"From the wendigos?" Ashley asked.
"Well, it sure as hell ain't from werewolves." Jack slowly rotated his head to look at James, who stiffened and looked back at him with cautious eyes. Jack's eyes narrowed and his voice took on an indignant edge when he asked James, "You…where the hell have you been?"
James stared at him, "What?"
"Why the hell have you taken this long to get here!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" James snarled in confusion.
Jack's face fell, "You…you're not the one they found, are you?" He said solemnly. The man swore and rested his head against the desk with eyes shut tight in a grimace, but this time not from pain, "Oh damn…"
Everyone stared at the wendigo hunter with various degrees of confusion. He muttered something angry under his breath before he looked at James, "You…you were bitten?"
Slowly, James nodded with wide and confused eyes.
"And the one who bit you?"
James shook his head, "I…I don't know."
Jack stared at the ceiling again and glared off into space, "God damn it…" He growled before he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as more pain shot through his leg, "I knew it! I knew something went wrong!"
"Hey, uh, Jack? You mind clarifying things for the people who aren't in the loop here?" Mike asked.
Jack glared at Mike before he looked around at everyone staring at him, "How much," Jack hissed as he shifted to look at Mike, "Do you know about this mountain?"
"Aside from the fact that something really bad happened at the Sanatorium?" Mike fired back with a raised eyebrow. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "I'm guessing the wendigos? I bet it has something to do with the missing miners."
Jack stared at him, "How-"
"We followed you to the sanatorium." Mike answered and stepped closer to him with eyes cloudy with anger and tossed a nod to James, "We thought you were the one who killed my girlfriend."
"Well, that wasn't me." Jack reaffirmed and his face twisted into a scowl, "It was the Makkapitew."
"…The what?"
"It's Algonquin…" Everyone turned to look at Ashley who was staring at Jack Fiddler with wide eyes, "It means…it means one who has big teeth. I…one day at work, we were talking about evil spirits. Waupun told me that name. She never went into detail, but I figured it was something bad."
Jack damn near shot up off the desk, "You're Wapun's student?" He asked incredulously as he stared at Ashley in astonishment.
Ashley stared at him in surprise, "You know Waupun?" She asked, just as surprised.
"Oh, I know the Three Crows…" Jack said with a faraway look in his eyes, "They helped me, long ago, before all this…how's Viranica doing?"
"She's, uh…she's good?"
Jack's smile might have looked a bit fond, "Good." He said quietly. His eyes once more roamed over them before settling on James, who was being helped to his feet by Sam, "They helped send me on the path I needed to travel. Sent me here. There's to this mountain than meets the eye." He said firmly.
James swayed on his feet slightly, sent a thankful look at Sam, and turned to Jack. He stared at the wounded hunter for a long moment before he asked, "What's the council?" He asked in a tired voice.
"The council of elders." Jack replied softly. His voice had lost its gruff edge and he was more tired with every sentence.
The wound was taking its toll on him and his body demanded sleep, but he would not. Not before he told these kids the truth, and by god he would! Even if it was the last thing he did! There was hope, now! Hope for Blackwood Mountain…he just needed to stay awake long enough to speak.
"They're the descendants of the Cree tribes that lived here, long ago. We never wanted the Washington's living here, not only because it's sacred land, but because the curse roams free. They were trying to protect them."
"We? You're a Cree?" Ashley questioned.
"On my grandfather's side." Jack answered.
"What does this have to do with me? What does any of this have to do with me?" James demanded.
"It's a long story; a legend only the Cree know. The wolf has always been special to this mountain…" Jack's eye bored a hole into James before he took a few panting breaths. He was losing strength with every word. The boy needed to know how important he was, but his friends needed to know what happened just as well. They all needed to know the truth of this cursed mountain, "Listen to me, all of you…you all need to know the truth. You kids," Jack looked around at the others, "You need to know what happened to your friends last year."
Everyone suddenly became very still.
"Hannah and Beth?" Ashley asked softly.
Jack nodded and grimaced, "Aye. Those girls…" Jack trailed off for a moment before taking a deep breath and began his tale in earnest.
"Many years ago, my grandfather hunted those possessed by the curse, but there was one that eluded him. The fiercest of all; the Makkapitew! It was a terrible thing, and my grandfather could not defeat it. Sometime after, the prospectors came to mine this mountain until a cave-in trapped the men and woke the curse again. There were dozens of men with no food, no light, and in that blackness the hunger came. They were consumed by their abominable cravings and driven mad. Murderers. Cannibals! Eating human flesh…And if you kill this monstrous thing, the spirit is released and swirls the mountain like an evil wind waiting to possess again. You best not kill them, I have tried. You can only trap them! Taunt them with fire…And after all these years, after many moons and many hunts, the Makkapitew still roamed free out of my grasp beyond my reach! Until one night, a year ago, I was finally able to get him in my sights! But we were not alone in the woods that night. While I was tracking the Makkapitew, it was tracking something else. The Makkapitew forced your friends over the mountain. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't save your friends…but I could avenge them. I hunted the wendigo down and I doused it with fire! The Makkapitew was dead."
He trailed off as he thought of all the monsters locked in cages, chained and screeching at him in rage, hate, and hunger. Once good men, now man-eating monsters that stalked the mountain for decades until he came. Jack slumped back against the table with a sigh that was both pained and relived. The screams of those two girls as they fell was something that would haunt him until the end of his days, especially after what had become of the one who survived. At least now these kids had some clarity. At least someone knew the story of an old hermit on a mountain who dedicated his life to hunting monsters. All of them were staring at Jack with expressions that were so many levels of grief, shock, anger, and even relief that it was enough to break his heart. But he had to focus. His eyes were getting heavy and he struggled to keep them open.
Jack forced himself to look at James, "Listen to me." He said and reached out to grip his arm, "Beyond the Sanatorium there's a clearing. You must go there. Follow the bow and arrow. Look for the totems…follow them…" Jack's eyes fell heavy and he slumped back against the desk with a deep sigh. Sleep overtook the wendigo hunter, and he dreamed of white butterflies that swarmed the mountain with the coming dawn.
James shook the man and checked for a pulse. His heartbeat was slow but steady, and his breathing came out in deep gusts. James slowly stepped back from the wendigo hunter and stared down at him with frustration and concern building inside him, "He's asleep." He said and turned to the rest of the group. Ashley was in Chris' arms, Emily was crying silent tears, Mike was staring at the floor with shellshocked expression, and Sam was shaking. He walked towards her and touched her fingers with his. Sam looked up at him with wet eyes. Without another word she threw her snaked her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest.
"Hold me? Please?" She asked in a deceptively steady voice.
James didn't need to be told twice. His mind felt fit to burst with all the madness of this night. The shock of nearly transforming made him feel sick and weak, but the shaking girl in his arms bolstered him and made him realize he had to keep it together. None of them were safe yet.
He called softly, "What time is it?"
Ashley extracted herself from Chris as he moved to take out his phone, "It's, uh…it's almost five o'clock." Chris answered.
"Okay, I….wait, five o'clock?!"
It had been five hours since midnight, and well past the last time he'd eaten his last petal.
He should have transformed in the sanatorium out there with Mike!
Why…why hadn't he transformed yet?
"James?"
He looked down at Sam, who was staring up at him worriedly.
"We need to get off this mountain. I think…I think it's affecting me. Affecting the Animal."
Mike seemed to have realized it, too, "We were down there for hours." He muttered.
"And who knows how long I was out after Josh got me." James said.
James looked down at Sam and drew strength from her bright green eyes. He pushed away all distractions and focused on getting out of here alive; forced himself into survival mode.
"How long until dawn?" He asked aloud.
"I don't plan on waiting that long." Mike declared and began walking around and checking the various entrances and exits, "Are these all the doors?" He asked.
"Yeah." Sam answered as she gently pulled herself from James' arms.
"Are you sure?" Mike asked as he checked every entrance and exit.
"What are you looking for?"
"Another way out." Mike answered as he walked up to the monitor screens and began examining them.
The others, sans Chris walked over to speak with him.
"Mike, I really don't think that's a good idea. We should stay put, right here, until dawn! At least we're safe down here!" Sam tried.
"Oh? Yeah? All wrapped up like a little Christmas present with a bow on top for that thing to tear us apart on Christmas morning?"
"I'm with Mike." James said, "We're not safe here if that thing gets in."
"People will come for us! In the morning!" Sam tried to convince them.
"You don't sound so sure." Mike told her.
"That is what'll happen," Sam said hesitantly, "Right, Em?"
"Y-yeah, I mean…right?" The girl answered.
"Well you can wait. I'm leaving." Mike said.
"Mike, there's no key for the cable car." Emily said, rubbing her shoulder.
"Josh!" Mike realized, "He's gotta have it!"
"Josh?" Sam questioned.
"One of his dirty little tricks." Mike muttered bitterly.
"Great. Great!" Sam declared dully.
"If that fucking thing got a hold of Josh…then…we're shit out of luck."
After a second of silence, Emily spoke up, "I don't know Mike, it's possible."
"What's possible?" Sam asked her.
"It may have taken him down to the mine."
"What?" Mike asked.
"I saw some horrible stuff down there." Emily said, turning around to face the corkboard, "I think it's where that thing lives and…huh…"
"Em?" Sam called as Emily reached picked up Jack's book.
Mike looked at James, "You coming with?" He asked.
James gave him a single nod.
Mike nodded back and said, "Good. We're gonna get that key. Right from that thing's goddamned bedroom and then we're gonna get us all the hell out of here!"
The girls were busy rummaging through the stranger's things and stuff on the corkboard. Curious, the boys and Ashley walked up to see what had them so interested.
"Em, what is all that?" Sam asked.
"It was in his bag." Emily said and motioned to the unconscious man who was now snoring softly on the desk.
"Is that a map?" Mike asked when he saw what the book was wrapped in.
"Looks like he was prepared for anything." Sam said.
Mike spared a glance at the guy in question who was still lying unconscious on the table, "Not quite." He added.
The girls began spreading it out onto the table to reveal a detailed map of the mines and the mountain combined. It looked like it was the whole area of this portion of Blackwood Mountain condensed onto the ratty piece of paper. James leaned over Emily's shoulder to read sections that were labeled in Jack's familiar handwriting. Large words like FRESH WATER, CAPTURED 11/2/92, COLLAPSED JAN 9, SIGHTING 10/4/21 were scrawled across the paper, but a single word in the middle of the map where the mines were located held his eye.
NEST.
James eyes narrowed, "Mike, you seeing this?" He asked.
"What is this place?" Sam wondered.
"Oh my god." Mike said under his breath.
"Wait, wait, wait. Wait is that?" Sam questioned them further.
"We were down there. It was horrible." Mike said.
"You were?" Sam asked them.
"What he said was true. About the miners?" Mike said, nodding towards Jack's unconscious form, "Some of them survived, but like…fifteen of 'em didn't make it. I found these plans-they knew the mine was a death trap, but they let the miners keep working anyway." Mike shook his head, "The rest must have turned into wendigos. I think they were experimenting on them at the sanatorium. They all escaped eventually. Place was torn apart." Mike said and made a confused frown, "It doesn't make any fucking sense!" He muttered to himself.
"What doesn't?" James asked.
Before Mike could answer, Emily cut him off, "Michael. I'd like to maybe focus on how we're going to get the fuck out of here please?" She snapped.
"I'm just saying it's weird how much crazy shit's gone on up here." Mike told her.
"What's weird is that there's a tunnel leading from the lodge to the sanatorium, see?" Emily said and pointed to the section of the map that was circled in red by the sanatorium.
"That's how we got back here." Mike said.
"I saw this when I was down there." Emily said, "That's where it lives."
"Em…Em, what is that?"
"Huh?"
"What. Is. that?"
Everyone looked to see Ashley backing away from Emily and pointing to her shoulder where bloody gashes marred her skin.
"Ash…" Emily trailed off.
Ashley began to panic, "Em, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She moaned.
"It's nothing!" Emily spoke over her moaning, "It just-it bit me and-"
"It bit you! What bit you?" Ashley demanded.
"The uh…the wendigo." Emily said hesitantly.
"The what!" Mike demanded.
"It's nothing, really, it's not a big deal-"
"Shit." Mike hissed under his breath.
"You okay?" Sam asked her.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, really!" Emily reassured her and glanced at her shoulder, "It's…it's not that bad."
"Em…" Mike began slowly, "If that thing bit you…"
Mike glanced at him but stepped back when Emily stepped off the desk and walked up to Mike with her hands held out pleadingly, "I-I know what you're thinking, and I'm fine!"
"Are you?"
"Yes!"
"Emily, at least let us check it out." Sam asked her. James silently agreed and nodded at Emily. The girl said nothing, and a moment of tense silence passed.
A pang of sympathy shot through James, and despite her reassurances, he stepped forward and asked her with his hands held up, "Emily? Can I see it, please? I just want to look."
Emily looked at him with distrust clear on her face, "Why?"
"James…" Mike warned.
James looked at him sharply, "Just wait a minute!" He demanded, "I know how it feels to get bit by something, okay! I just wanna check it out!"
"I'm fine!" Emily declared once more, but there was a hint of panic in her voice and her legs had begun to shake.
"Yeah, I know! That's why I'm worried!" Mike shot back, "If the wendigo bit her…she could turn into one of those things!"
Ashley's fear turned to panic, "He said it from eating each other remember, he said that! It happens if it bit you!"
"Eating! Not biting, Ashley!" James shouted at her, "I…I don't think this is like me!"
There girl wasn't listening and began babbling, "You're gonna turn into one and then you're gonna turn on us just like you did!" She aimed that last part towards James before she backed away with a string of, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Leaving her mouth.
James' face twisted into a grimace and he shut his eyes as the frustration and guilt came, but this time, he wasn't the one being backed into a corner by words again.
It was the frightened girl behind him.
A surge of aggression flared inside him, and James bellowed, "STOP!" As loud as he could. Everyone jumped and flinched, Ashley went silence, and Mike's mouth closed with a click.
No one saw the brief flicker of orange in James eyes when he had yelled.
James stood protectively in front of Emily with shoulders heaving, "Just…stop." He said through clenched teeth. His eyes darted around the room amidst everyone's surprised and afraid stares before they landed on Jack's book lying on the desk. A thought provoked him, then, and he remembered his own journal tucked neatly in his bag. Ever since he'd become a werewolf, he'd documented his travels and transformations diligently, not only to keep himself focused, but to also perhaps find a pattern, a clue, anything that could perhaps help him in his quest for control over his life again. Why wouldn't this man, alone in the mountains hunting horrifying monsters for what seemed like decades do the same?
He reached over and snatched up the small book.
"James?" Sam questioned as the others watched him cautiously and with a lot of confusion.
Jack's capital lettering covered the pages along with drawings, taped pictures, and notes. The man was quite the artist and had detailed descriptions of the monster's he hunted. As he flipped, James' eyes scanned the pages hungrily until four underlined words caught his eye.
THE BITE IS HARMLESS
James sighed in relief. Thank you, Jack!
"Here!" James said and thrust the book towards Ashley, "Here, it says the bite is harmless!"
Cautiously, the girl crept forward and took the book from James' hands.
James stepped back to stand by Emily as Ashley read the page. She let out a shuddering sigh a second later, "Y-you're gonna be okay, Em!" She told the girl.
Sam sagged in relief, as did Mike and Chris.
"Thank god." Said the blonde boy, who had been mostly silent throughout everything that happened.
"I told you I was fine!" Emily yelled.
"I-I'm sorry!" Ashley whimpered. Her grip on the book shook and she let out a small sob as she began to curl in on herself.
"Ash…" Chris rose from his place on the desk and limped over to wrap her up in his arms.
James felt like sobbing himself. Jessica's and Matt's deaths, Josh's madness and betrayal, the state of the others, the inhuman monster he'd just fought outside…hell, his body was still shaking from almost transforming. He pressed a hand to his face and covered his eyes as Ashley's stressed cries echoed in his ears. They had to get out of here. This mountain…it was wrong. Wrong in a way he couldn't place, but somewhere deep inside him screamed that this place was just…tainted.
Across from him, Mike was glaring into the monitors harsh light lighting the gloom. His eyes clenched shut and he grimaced, shaking his head, before he looked over at James.
"James?" He called, "We need to go."
James looked back into Mike's tired but determined eyes and nodded.
"I dropped the shotgun upstairs." Chris spoke up. He looked at the two boys and shrugged with Ashley still buried in his chest, "Don't know how many bullets it has left, but you guys should take it."
"I'll get it." James offered.
"I'll come with you." Emily said and stepped away from the desk with her arms wrapped around her torso. There was a bitter undertone to her voice and she purposefully didn't look at anyone, "I need some air."
James watched her walk past him and out into the gloomy underbelly of the hotel with her shoulders shaking slightly and her face a cold mask. He exhaled before looking back at the others, and to Sam, "I'll be quick."
"You better." She responded.
James gave her a small smile in reassurance before walking out after Emily.
XXX
James & Emily
They moved through the dark and musty hallways in relative silence until they reached the section where the hotel became the lodge.
On their mad dash into the basement, Chris had stumbled on a broken step and dropped the shotgun, and droplets of Jack's blood dotted the ground to make a trail over to the foot of the concrete steps where the weapon lay. With a sigh, James bent down to pick it up and gave it once over. Mike had seemed competent enough with a pistol, so he'd give it to him. Hopefully Mike would know how to use it because he sure as hell didn't.
He turned around looked over to where Emily stood hugging her shoulders and staring off into space. The girl hadn't made so much as a sound and her expression was still hard and stony, but James could see the minute shaking of her shoulders and the trembling of her lip. For a moment, he debated just staying silent and leaving her alone. The two of them rarely interacted, let alone spoke to each other, and still eyed him with trepidation and wariness. James knew she could be abrasive and mean, and he had a feeling she'd just snap if someone asked about her shoulder again, but James knew what someone on the verge of a breakdown looked like, and the sight of those bloody gashes on her shoulder made his own scars throb.
"Has the bleeding stopped?" He called softly.
Emily's dark eyes snapped to him before she looked away and shrugged her uninjured shoulder.
"I told you, I'm fine." She hissed through gritted teeth.
"No, you're not." He told her, equally soft. She opened her mouth with narrow eyes, but James held up a hand and said, "Emily, none of us are okay right now."
Her mouth clicked shut and she went back to staring off into space.
James took another stepped forward and gestured to her shoulder, "I know what it's like-"
Her eyes snapped to him and she cut him off with a harsh shout, "Don't try to make me feel better!" Her voice was angry and shaky like she was on the verge of either crying or exploding with rage. Probably both.
"I'm not! I just want to make sure you're not bleeding out."
"What, you think I'm gonna turn into a monster, too?" She spat.
James hesitated for a moment before pulling off his shredded, bloodstained, filthy, and utterly ruined coat that was barely holding together. He dropped it to the floor and tugged enough of his undershirt to the side to show her the scars where the werewolf's teeth tore his flesh.
Emily's eyes went wide at the sight.
James swallowed hard as he thought back to that dreadful night where his and his friends' blood had stained the earth, and began to speak slowly, "When I…when I got bit, I was so scared. I was running and it was so, so fast…and strong. When it got me, it felt like I got hit by a car. Next thing I knew it was just clawing and biting me. I thought I was gonna die." James let go of his shirt and rubbed the scars underneath, saying, "Sometimes I can still feel it; the teeth, the claws…" He exhaled a long breath and looked into Emily's dark eyes, "Look, Emily…I know you're not gonna turn into one of those things. These things aren't like me. They're…they're worse. And if we're gonna get off this mountain, we need to look after each other."
Emily snorted, "Yeah, how about you do me a favor and go tell that to everyone else after they wanted to kick me out! They were gonna fucking leave me for dead, are you serious?! Mike was gonna…" Emily let out a strangled growl of anger, fear, and frustration, and turned around to look away from him.
"They're scared. We're all scared." James told her.
"Scared enough to want me dead?" Emily asked him over her shoulder in a harsh voice.
James swallowed and shrugged his shoulders, "Well…that's how you guys were with me."
Emily turned around to look at him with a confused expression, "We didn't want you dead-"
"People do dumb things when they're scared." James spoke over her, "That's the point I'm trying to make! We're all scared. I'm scared, Emily. Each of us has been through helltonight! We…we need to stay focused." He sighed and ran a shaking hand through his hair. Dried blood was flaking off his skin and his scalp felt gritty with dirt and dust, "People do dumb things when they're scared," He repeated, "And you're being dumb right now by not letting us check that out." He finished and pointed to her shoulder.
Emily stared at him for a moment with her mouth slightly parted. After a moment, she sighed shakily and turned slightly to the side, shrugging her good shoulder, "Fine." She said in a small voice.
James gave her a thankful smile and walked over to Emily. Carefully, he pulled away the shredded leather of her jacket and frowned at the torn skin underneath. The wendigo's teeth had rent long gouges in her flesh, but they didn't look too deep and her blood had begun to clot.
"Looks okay." James said, "It's not bleeding. Definitely gonna scar, though. Just try not to move your shoulder too much."
Emily scoffed in annoyance, "Great."
James huffed a laugh, "We'll match." He said and tapped at his own shoulder.
Emily snorted as he stepped back, "You took First-Aid, too?" The girl asked him.
James made a face and shook his head, "No, but I've been carved up enough to guess what could be fatal for a…" He shifted uncomfortably, almost using the word human but settling on, "A normal person."
"Oh." Emily said in a small voice.
"Yeah." James sighed. His hands idly went to his side where the wendigo's claws had pierced him. The wound had healed in seconds, but the memory of the pain came back to him in that instant and made him shudder, "We should get back." James said.
Emily gave him a small nod and silently trailed after him as they began the trek back to the others.
XXX
"You got it?" Mike asked when they returned.
James walked over and handed him the shotgun.
"Check how many bullets it has." Chris called from his seat on the desk.
Mike did so and sighed when he saw only one shell left in the chamber, "One." He declared flatly.
"Great." Chris groaned.
Emily stomped past the others and curled up by the corkboard with her head in her knees without so much a glance at the others.
James gave her a worried look
"It's better than nothing." Mike said with a shrug. He idly glanced at the unconscious form of Jack Fiddler and then to Emily before grimacing and looking back to James, "Ready?" He asked.
James inhaled a deep breath and readied himself. For a moment, his mind flashed back to everything he's gone through this past year from the moment he had agreed to that camping trip, his first transformation, through all the blood, pain, and heartache, all the way up to where he'd first locked eyes with Sam, met everyone else, and then up to this point. He then looked around at the people that were in this room with him; these frightened souls who could very possibly die if he and Mike did not succeed.
His hands curled into fists as a sudden sense of implacable determination swelled inside him. He was going to make sure each and every one of them survived. Even if he had to die trying, he would not rest until they all saw the dawn! The Animal, even though it was supposed to be suppressed by the wolfsbane, shifted in the back of his mind before his necklace began to make his skin tingle, and it was gone.
For once, panic did not flood James' gut at the feeling. Instead, he focused on Sam's green eyes watching him from across the room.
"I'm ready." He said lowly, "Let's go."
Mike gave him a fierce nod, "Okay. No one leave. Stay here!" Mike addressed the group, "It's not safe out there. We'll be back soon."
James gave them all a departing nod before he and Mike and James shared a look. Then, together, turned and jogged off into the dark. There was a looming sense of dread in the air, and they both felt it.
They were beginning to feel like they were running out of time!
I'm back. This has been a rough start to the year and I haven't been in the mood for writing to be honest, but, I managed to finish this chapter. Next we will return to the Sanitorium where WWE Round 2 commences! Also, going to be splitting chapter 11 in two, so this should read as chapter 14. Thanks guys, let me know what you thought and PM me if you have any questions or comments. I'm always happy to answer them! See you next time.
