Chapter Ten: Recognition

CRACK! Matt winced as the sound vibrated through the air. Jessica fell to the ground with a thud, crumbled in the snow. He had gotten ahold of a shotgun abandoned in the lodge. The abrasive crack he had heard was the sound of the bullet hitting the creature, before it dropped Jessica into the snow. She looked stunned, dazed, but alive. Mike had run over to her and grabbed her while the monster made a bee line towards Matt. "Run!" he yelled. His heart was exploding out of his chest. He felt himself slipping over the shattered glass he had shot through to get the wendigo. They had to make it to the basement, then they would be safe. He prayed the others outside could make it inside before the wendigo got them. The sound of footsteps pounding overhead was at least a good sign that everyone made it inside. They all regrouped in the basement, their hearts pounding a million miles an hour in their chests. Matt noticed the look in Jessica's eyes, fear. Undiluted, pure terror, but before he could get to her, Mike did, placing an arm around the pretty blonde's shoulders, letting her press her head into his neck. He knew surviving a near-death experience was exhilarating, the adrenaline continuing to pump through the veins until exhaustion finally overtook, causing the victim to collapse. This is why it took him so long to navigate the mines, the sheer exhaustion overtaking his body.

Everyone sat in silence, expect for Jessica who let out the occasional sob. Matt could look around the room and see the comfort everyone took. Chris and Ashley were together, their hands interlocked, neither looking like they would let the other go any time soon, Sam pacing the floor, moving from person to person, keeping a mental note of everyone's condition. Emily was looking at a wall. Sighing, he made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I almost died here, you know?"

"Hmm?" Matt looked around. It was the safest part of the house. No wendigo was likely to find them here.

"I got bit, right? Ashley freaked the fuck out and convinced Mike to pull a gun on me. He didn't shoot, but I could see in his eyes he could have. One little flick and I'd be dead." Matt took a breath. The night was stressful. He wasn't there, so he couldn't defend or antagonize the decisions of everyone. "Chris was no help. He was cowering in the fucking corner, and Sam... I don't know. She could have taken the gun away." He didn't know what to say. He had faced death, but never from someone he would call a friend. "I'm sorry I'm such a bitch, Matt."

He kissed the top of her head. The insecurities she must have been feeling for her to admit she was wrong... "I know."

She turned around to face him, the most genuine look he had ever seen Emily make was plastered on her face. "Why do you even like me? I'm a wreck!"

Matt tried to think about why he liked her. She was a challenge girlfriend, needed constant reassurance and always had to be right. She usually was, though. She was smart, loyal to those who treat her right, and won't bother with those who screw her over. She was beautiful and made him happy, even though other times he wanted to pull his hair out with her. "Honestly, Em? I can't quite say, but I do know that being with you has completely changed me." She sunk into him and he felt his heart speed up. "Hey, we'll get through this."

She nodded. "We'll try, at least."

"Guys," Sam's voice cut through the quiet tones in the room. The look in her eyes made her look like she had been betrayed, like that dumb prank had been played on her instead of Hannah. Matt recognized that look because it was the same on Hannah had in her eyes when they were discovered. "I don't want to say it, but we blew up most of the wendigos, or they were still trapped in the sanatorium. Why was one attacking us?"

"They got loose?" The remark Matt heard Emily give beside him made her start to sound more like her old self. "Does it really matter why we're being attacked? We need to get off the mountain and back home!"

Sam glanced at Chris. He seemed to know where Sam was going with this. "I'm going to be frank. That wendigo looked a lot like Josh."

Matt shook his head. He heard Ashley muttering in the corner. Mike was whispering profanities. This was unreal. Why would Josh be a wendigo? Of course Sam and Chris would have noticed. They were Josh's best friends. Matt thought back to the wendigo. The graying skin and skeletal features could hardly resemble a human. There was a large scar cutting across the wendigo's face. How would Josh have received that scar? He closed his eyes, adding color to the eyes, adding life to the body, ignoring the monstrous teeth that almost tore into Jessica, and he could see it. The wendigo was, without a doubt, Josh. "What should we do?" he was surprised to hear he was the one to call out. "Should we just stay here until dawn? These things, wendigos, are active at night. As soon as the sun comes out and drives them away then we should be able to get away from here!"

"And go where?" Emily had spoken. They had just had such a nice moment. She was already so eager to fight with him? "Why the hell are we here in the first place? Can we even away from this place?" The nightmares that plagued his dreams were coming true. He knew what Emily was saying, that it was pointless to leave, but why shouldn't they try? He shook his head. He would never be able to leave, not really. He went back every time he closed his knew this was just another nightmare he had to get through.

Let me know what you think by shooting me a review! Special thanks to the beautiful Candice who created the new cover for this story. It's so good! It "gives me the willies, and not the good kind of willies…"