A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great week! Enjoy this new chapter. We are getting close to the end.
Chapter 10: In Which Everyone Plays Their Part
The air in the forest was quiet and still as the pair of teens headed towards the location in which they were to set up for the spell. Puffs of cold moisture came out with each breath they took.
"Man, these bear traps are heavy," Alfred whined, shifting them from arm to arm.
Vlad rolled his eyes. "Of course they are. They are made of pure metal."
"Do you think they'll even help us anyway?" The American questioned. "I mean, what if the thing completely misses stepping in them? Worse yet, what if Gil steps in one of them?"
"Well, surely the idiot albino will pay close enough attention and not get his leg crushed. We don't need another maimed person. As far as the Wendigo, it should step in them no problem if everyone is in the proper spots."
Both grew quiet as they came upon the clearing where all of their problems had started. The grass in the area looked as if it had died from frost bite. Even the leaves on the trees had a whitish tinge to them, as though a thin layer of ice had encased them.
"Why is everything so wintery where the creature has gone?" Alfred asked curiously.
"Wendigos are creatures who thrive in the colder climates. They find it easier to catch their prey when they are partly frozen or hypothermic." Vlad explained. "I assume this one is trying to adjust the climate to what it needs. Lucky for us, I think it is a young one and hasn't fully developed its powers. If it were an adult, I am positive that we would all be dead now."
"How do you know all of this? I mean earlier you had no information and now you have all of this. Seems fishy, man." Alfred eyed the Romanian suspiciously.
The brunette boy frowned. "I just read more about it before we left. You know, when you and Lukas were arguing about who was going to transport Mattie here."
"Well, he is my brother." The American huffed.
"But we needed you here for set up. Besides it's done and over. Let's just get the traps set and get into position before the others show up." Vlad took one of the bear traps from the other teen's hands and placed it on the ground.
Several minutes later the traps were set and covered. Alfred had found a tree on the edge of the clearing that had a clear view of ground zero. Vlad had given him the crossbow and instructed him on how to shoot it and wear to aim when the monster arrived.
"Alright," Lukas said as he picked up the bag. "After we leave, set the timer for twenty minutes. Do not come before the timer runs out. Even though we have the torches to ward off the creature there is a slight chance that if it gets a whiff of Matthew it might try and bypass the flames."
Gilbert and Matthew nodded.
"Also, don't jostle his leg around too much. It might of set the stitching off the muscle, which would give us an even bigger problem."
"Okay, okay." Gilbert said pushing the Norwegian towards the door. "I've got this. You just go get your part set up. I'll take care of Birdie."
"Wait." Lukas stopped in his tracks. Out of the bag he pulled out a flare gun with two flares. "If something goes wrong on your way to the meeting spot, shoot a warning flare, then use the other to shoot the beast. It may buy you a bit of time to get away. Come back here."
"Thanks." Gilbert said taking the flares. "Where did you get these?"
"The cellar." Lukas answered then turned back and headed off to catch up with Arthur and his brother.
They kept a steady pace and stayed alert. Mathias scanned the tree line constantly and held the silver coated ax tightly. Arthur meanwhile held the torch in front of them and elegantly trudged through the path the trees now seemed to make towards the clearing.
"Why haven't we seen more of this creature?" The Dane asked. "It's just been so quiet since it attacked Mattie."
"It knows that Matthew is being protected b
"Why haven't we seen more of this creature?" The Dane asked. "It's just been so quiet since it attacked Mattie."
"It knows that Matthew is being protected by wards. There's nothing it can do at this point. But, it also knows that the wards won't be able to stay up forever and that Matthew can't 'stay in there forever. So, it has been hiding and waiting, like the perfect predator it is." Arthur explained.
Mathias grew quiet for several minutes as though he were deep in thought. When he finally broke the silence, his next question brought a sense of unease upon the other two. "How many are there out in the world? Are we positive that only one came through the rift?"
Lukas and Arthur paused mid-stride and turned towards each other. "I didn't think about that." Lukas swallowed hard. "We would have noticed, wouldn't we?"
Arthur nodded slowly. "Yes. I am sure we would have noticed if there were any extras."
"I guess we'll find out, huh?" The Norwegian shrugged.
"When we get rid of Mattie's, if the barrier goes down then we know we got all of them. If not, we're going to start from square one."
The other two nodded and they continued on toward their destination. When they arrived setting up was pretty easy. Mathias and Lukas laid out the magic powder according to the instruction in Arthur's book. Arthur met with Vlad and they figured out the best points to perform the spell. All they had left to do was wait for the last two to arrive and finish the set up.
Back at the cabin, Gilbert and Matthew watched the timer tick closer to the end. The Prussian could tell that the other teen was growing increasingly nervous. He was fidgeting and stealing quick peeks at the door.
"You don't have to do this," Gilbert said. "We could always…"
"No, Gil." The Canadian sighed. "We aren't arguing over this again. I've made up my mind."
"Okay,okay."Gil held his hand defensively in front of him. "How about this? Once we get out of this and you can walk again, I'll take you to the café for all you can eat pancakes. Then we can go ice skating or something like that."
Matthew smile. "I would like that. It would be a nice get away."
Ding, ding, ding.
"Whelp, there goes the timer. Ready, Birdie?" Matthew nodded to Gilbert. "Up you go then."
After a few minutes of struggling, Matthew was propped up on Gilbert's back, piggyback style. The younger teen held tight around the other with one arm, while using the other to hold up the torch. Gilbert carefully shifted his friend, so he wouldn't jar the wounded leg and cause more damage.
As they set out into the woods, both teens kept a cautious ear out for any unwanted sound. It took them nearly twenty minutes for them to reach the clearing. When they did arrive Gilbert stepped carefully around the bear traps and then settled Matthew into his spots.
After everyone was placed, the time for waiting began.