Hello everyone!
Firstly, it's been well over a year since I've updated this story and I am incredibly sorry for that. I would like to take a second to thank all of you who have added this story to their favorites or have followed.
Secondly, this is based off of the legend of the 'Wendigo'. I was doing some research on it the other day and I figured it would fit in well this with series. This one shot is slightly darker than the previous. Again, anything that is in bold is a different language.
Lastly, is the disclaimer. I don't own the Secret Saturdays, just simply the plot of the story.
Enjoy~
"There's a couple different sightings recently, Love." Drew Saturday said as her fingers flew across the keyboard in front of her. Currently she and her husband, Doc, were scanning the news for any cryptid sightings. "There's the Algerian Sea Centipede, the Mongolian Death Worm, or a Swamp Ape. Take your pick."
"Hm." Doc pondered, "I've heard the Death Worm is a sight to see."
"That's if you can catch it." Drew teased. Before anything else could be said, the screen in front of Drew began to flash. Hitting a button, a man's face appeared on the screen. He had short black hair was spiked. He also wore a visor.
"Paul, what's going on?" Doc questioned.
"I'm glad to see the two of you. I have a mission for you that's right up your alley." Paul explained.
"Why can't Paul ever go anywhere warm when he needs our help?" Doc muttered to himself as he placed the pulled the hood of his coat up. He was not one for the cold, never had been. Unlike Drew, he had grown up in a snow-less climate.
Drew chuckled at her fiancé's muttering. She leaned towards him and gently kissed his cheek. "Relax my love. Quebec's not that bad. It's nowhere near as cold here as it is in Antarctica, even in the winter." Hitting a button, the door of the airship opened. Pulling up her own hood, she and Doc exited their ship. Dr. Paul Cheechoo was already waiting for them.
"There's my two favorite cryptologists!" He exclaimed as he pulled Drew into a hug. He and Doc exchanged a handshake.
"We're the only cryptologists you know Paul." Drew joked pointed out.
"What do you say we head back to my tent and get out of this cold?" Doc was eager to comply. He took Drew's arm as they followed Paul. Once inside, the two pushed their hood's down and took a seat.
"Okay Paul, so what exactly is happening, you weren't really specific when you called." Drew questioned.
"Ah, well that's the interesting part." Paul began. "You see, I'm not exactly sure what we're dealing with. All I know is that there's something taking my crew. The past couple nights, it's taken six of my team."
"And you have no idea what it is?" Doc questioned.
"Not a clue. We did manage to capture an image of it however." Paul explained as he passed a photograph to the duo. "I was hoping you'd have an idea."
Doc stared at the picture. Taking an educated guess, Doc guessed it was about 7 feet tall. However the figure was hunched over, so there was no telling the creature's actual height. It was very thin and it's skin had a yellowish tint. The beast had large fangs. It reminded him much of the Sasquatch they had discovered weeks earlier. He before handing it to Drew. "I've never seen it before, how about you?"
"I can't say I have." Drew said as she examined it. "Isn't there a local village nearby?"
"Yes. There's a little village not too far from here. We passed it on our way in. I can arrange for someone to escort you?" Paul offered.
Drew smiled as she stood up. "No thanks, I've been wanting to test the new snow mobile."
"Do you want me to tag along?" Doc offered.
"Not thanks, love." Drew said as she kissed her husband. "They're native language's French, and yours isn't quite the strongest."
Doc watched her leave, chuckling to himself. She was definitely something. He'd never understand how he had managed to get such a wonderful woman. He turned his attention towards his fellow scientist. "So, I guess it's just me. I'm going to head back to the airship and see what all I can get on this thing."
Drew gave a content sigh at the scene before her. She was currently leaning against her snow mobile, gazing over the edge. It was such a beautiful sight. The small village was surrounded by forest on one side, and a lake by the other. Drew started the vehicle and continued her way to the village.
"Mommy, who's that?" Drew heard as she came to a stop. She took her helmet off and looked at the small boy that was staring. He was around ten years old with light blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a big fully coat that the older woman beside him, whom Drew guessed to be his mother, shushed the young boy.
"It's not nice to stare, Abel." The mother said.
"It's not a problem ma'am." Drew said as she approached the boy. She knelt down and stuck her hand out. "My name's Drew."
The boy looked towards his mother for approval. With a nod Abel took Drew's hand and shook it quickly. "My name's Abel. It's very nice to meet you."
Drew stood and shook the mother's hand also. "I noticed you speak French, yet you don't seem like you're from around here."
Drew smiled, "My husband and I are here on business. I was curious as to if you have seen any strange creatures around? Or heard of anything recently." Drew offered the picture of the creature they captured. The woman took a sharp breath. The woman nudged her son to go back into the house. The boy waved goodbye before leaving.
"We don't like to talk about it."
"Please, a group of people were attacked and taken in the middle of the night. Any information you have could be very useful." Drew pleaded. Being a very spiritual person herself, she could understand where the woman was coming from. You don't typically talk about the bad legends.
"It's called the Wendigo. Our ancestors spoke of it's legend for generations…"
"How's it coming Doc? Find anything so far?" Paul asked as he approached his friend.
Doc shook his head. "No, nothing. I can't seem to find any information on it. There's nothing that matches it in our database."
"It's called a Wendigo." Drew's voice called as she entered the room. Doc and Paul turned around. "I spoke with one of the villagers. It's an Algonquian native legend. The spirit of the Wendigo is released when a human has resorted to cannibalism. The spirit possess the body of its victim. It becomes much like a sasquatch creature. It leaves it's home to search for food. She said that the mountain to the south was believed to be its home."
Doc turned his attention towards their friend. "You didn't happen to investigate this mountain, did you?"
Paul was silent for a moment. "We only opened up the cave on the lower level. We didn't know that this could have happened."
"It's not your fault Paul. We'll stop it and find your men." Drew said as she placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder. Hopefully there's something left to find.
"And, by food you mean…"
Drew nodded. "Yes, that's right. It feeds on humans."
"How do we get rid of it?"
"I'm not sure. The woman wasn't able to tell me anymore about it. She said that most of the village believed that it was an old urban legend." Drew explained. The group fell into silence as they tried to think of anything that they could do.
Doc sighed as he looked at his watch. It flashed 7:27. The sun was already starting to set. "I say we call it a night for now. We'll take the night and think of some ideas on how to capture this, Wendigo." He knew it wasn't the best idea to go charging into the woods in the middle of the night, without any more knowledge on the cryptid. Drew and Paul nodded in agreement. Before anyone could move they heard a scream. The trio exchanged looks before exiting the tent and running towards the noise.
Doc froze when he rounded the tent. He quickly took Drew by the waist and pulled her backwards. He placed a hand over her mouth to keep her from yelling out. He held out an arm, to stop Paul from continuing any further. He released his hold on his fiancé as he placed a finger over his mouth, signaling them to be quite. They peered around the corner. Drew gasped. The cryptid was standing over one of Cheechoo's men, its fangs dangerously close to the man's throat.
"It looks even uglier in person." Drew commented.
"We have to do something." Paul whispered. Both Doc and Drew nodded in agreement. "I have an idea."
Drew knew that her husband had a plan, but the man under the Wendigo didn't have much time. She noticed that Doc's attention was not on her, and she used this to her advantage. She ran out behind the beast. She kept a good six feet away from it. She was trying to get its attention after all, not become its next meal.
"Hey ugly!" The Wendigo's head snapped in her direction. It let out a feral hiss before it tensed. "Oh boy." Drew muttered to herself as she realized the consequences of her actions.
"Drew run!" She quickly turned and bolted into the forest as fast as she could, the Wendigo not far behind.
"I have an idea." Doc said, taking his eyes off the cryptid. Before he could explain his plan, he noticed that they were one person short. "Where's Drew?"
"Hey ugly!"
"Oh no." Doc turned his attention back towards the cryptid. Sure enough, his fiancé was standing behind it. The beast shifted its attention from the unconscious man beneath him to the white haired woman. Doc watched as it tensed up. He knew instantly that it was going to attack. "Drew, run!" He yelled, but Drew was already gone. The beast hissed before heading in in the same direction.
Doc stared into the forest where his wife-to-be had disappeared into the woods. For the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what to do. The love of his life was alone in the woods with a cannibalistic cryptid that they knew nothing about.
"I'm going to go after her." Doc announced. Paul stood up quickly and placed himself between the scientist and the forest.
"I don't think that's a good idea. We don't know anything about this cryptid."
"Exactly why I can't leave her alone! She needs me!" Doc roared. This was not something he was going to negotiate. He wasn't going to leave her alone. There was no telling what this thing was capable of.
"She's faster than you though Doc." Paul explained. "She'll have an easier time evading the Wendigo than you would. Which is why I'm guessing she went in the first place. There's no point in rushing in unprepared, and getting yourself hurt." Doc's shoulders slumped, he knew Paul was right. Paul placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We just need to have faith."
Drew wasn't sure how long she had been running, or how far away from the camp she was. She slowed her pace to a stop, and waited. She was a very skilled survivalist, whether Doc knew it or not. She held her breath as she listened for any sounds. After a few seconds, she released her breath. She was safe, for now. She took the moment of peace to examine her surroundings. She continued on, at a slower pace than before. After a few minutes, she stumbled upon a cave.
This must be where the spirit was. Drew thought to herself as she entered the cave. She pulled out her flashlight as she went deeper into the cave. It looked like what used to be an old coal mine. There wasn't much room. Drew let out a yelp of surprise when she lost her footing and slipped off the ledge. Reaching out, she tried to find something, anything, which she could grab on to stop her fall. Her thoughts traveled to Doc before her world went black.
Drew slowly opened her eyes. She had a pounding headache. She sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "What hit me?" She asked herself. She looked around. "Oh yeah, that's right." Drew muttered as she remembered her fall. Her flashlight was not too far away. Reaching out, she took ahold of it. She pressed the button, but nothing happened. She let out an annoyed sigh as she shook it a few times. "Come on you stupid thing." She smacked it off the palm of her hand. It flickered on a few seconds later. Drew got to her feet. She pointed the light all around the area. She looked upwards.
"I'm definitely not coming back the same way I came in." She said to herself. She had easily fallen ten feet. She noticed a small side tunnel. Deciding that she wasn't left with many other options she entered the tunnel. The tunnel was narrow. She could make out wooden beams that were bracing the walls.
"This was definitely an older mining tunnel system."
"Hello?!" A voice called out. "Hello?! Is someone out there?!"
"Hello?" Drew called out. She picked up her pace. She could see a faint light towards the end of the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel there was a small room. There was a table with many papers. Drew picked a few of them up and examined them. Some of these have information on the Wendigo. I'm sure these will be useful.
Drew folded a couple of the papers and placed them in her pocket. She continued on, trying to find the source of the voice. She walked through a small passageway. To her right, she found a cage. Inside the cage, sat a male and a female. Drew could tell that they were part of Paul's team. She approached the cage slowly.
"Oh thank god! You have to get us out of here before it comes back!" The man panicked. Drew nodded as she examined the cage. It seemed that the cage was being held shut with an old wooden board. She easily removed the board and pulled the door open.
"Are there any more of you?" Drew questioned as she offered a hand to the pair.
"No… It took them." The woman said sadly. Drew nodded.
"Well then let's get the hell out of here before it comes back."
"It's been over an hour." Doc pointed out. He was currently pacing back and forth outside of the tent. He wanted to be close enough to the forest in case Drew yelled for help. Deciding that he had waited long enough, he pulled his glove over his hand as it powered up. He leaned down and picked Drew's sword up. She'll need this.
"Doc, are you sure about this?" Paul questioned. He didn't want to see his friends get hurt, or worse.
"I'm sure. I can't leave her out there."
"Run!" Drew's panicked voice yelled. Doc turned his attention towards the edge of the forest. A man and a woman appeared first, followed by Drew. They were all running. Doc's eyes grew wide as the Wendigo appeared behind Drew. "Drew! Catch!" Doc shouted as he threw her sword. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Drew caught her sword as the Wendigo swung at her. Drew let out a cry as its claws connected with her lower thigh. She fell to the ground. The beast slowly approached her, fangs ready. Doc knew even if he were to run he wouldn't make it in time to stop it. He held his breath as he watched helplessly.
Drew rolled over and waited. She had her sword pointed at the Wendigo, but it seemed to be too interested in its new meal to notice. Drew waited, as it crawled closer to her. It reared onto its hind legs as it prepared to finish the white haired woman. Using this opportunity, Drew activated her sword's fire ability. She sent a blast of flames right into its chest. The Wendigo was thrown back into the woods.
Doc appeared beside Drew a few seconds later. He ripped off a piece of fabric and wrapped it around her right thigh. She gave him a soft smile before pulling him in for a kiss. "It's nice to see you love."
Doc put on his 'serious face', as Drew called it. Picking her up bridal style, Doc headed towards the medical bay on the airship. Drew placed her arms around Doc's neck as she laid her head on his chest. "That was extremely stupid. What were you thinking?" Doc demanded as he placed her on the medical table.
"Well, I had to do something. He was about to be eaten. And besides, I managed to find two of Paul's team members. Not to mention, I can run faster than you." Drew muttered as she turned onto her side, giving Doc access to her wound.
"This isn't funny Drew. You could have been seriously hurt. Or even worse." Doc said as he wrapped Drew's wound with gauze. "It's not too deep. It'll heal on its own." Doc explained as Drew sat up. He was about to walk way, when Drew stopped him. She placed her hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry I worried you." Drew said. Doc sighed as he rested his forehead against hers.
"This hero phase of yours isn't going to be a normal thing, is it?"
"What can I say, it's just who I am." Drew said as she pulled him into another kiss. She pulled away unexpectedly when she remembered that she had taken some of the papers from the cave.
"What are those?" Doc questioned as he took one and examined it.
"I found them in the cave. They're information about the Wendigo." Drew said as she read the papers. "It says here, that they can only be destroyed by fire."
"That explains why your sword had such an impact on it, and why it hasn't returned yet."
"Exactly. It also says that silver can hold it."
Doc smirked at Drew, "We still have that cage right?"
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Paul asked as he peered around the corner. He and Drew were currently standing behind a tent, waiting. Doc was in the middle of the clearing. There was a large metal cage not too far away from where he was standing.
He was the bait this time. His plan was to have the Wendigo chase after him, then trap it in the cage they had waiting. The snapping of a branch caught Doc's attention. He crouched down, powering up his glove. His eyes scanned the area. Everyone held their breath as they heard the low hiss. Doc remained calm as he waited. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Before he could move, he was tackled to the ground.
"Doc!" Drew yelled in a panic. She limped out from around the corner, sword drawn.
"Stay back Drew!" Doc ordered as he grabbed the Wendigo by its throat. The beast growled as it lifted its arm, ready to swipe. He used his other hand to stop the Wendigo's attack. Using all the strength he could manage, he threw it away from him. Drew used this to her advantage. She aimed her sword and blasted the Wendigo. It flew back into a cage. Doc ran over and slammed the door shut before it could even move. He stuck his arm out protectively as Drew and Paul approached. He didn't want his fiancé any closer to this thing than needed.
"Are you sure about this?" Paul asked as he held a small handheld. "Do we actually need to destroy it?"
Doc nodded sadly. "It's not something I'm happy about, but we can't just leave this creature loose. It's far too dangerous, even if we relocate it." Paul pressed a button on the screen. The cage erupted into flames. The cryptid howled in pain. Drew turned herself away. She knew that they had to do it, but it didn't make it any easier. They waited until it was finished. Drew noticed that the sun was starting to rise.
Doc turned his attention towards Paul, "Okay Paul, everything should be good now. I recommend boarding up that cave and not going back."
"I agree Doc." Paul said as he shook Doc's hand gratefully before walking back to his camp.
"What do you say we go home?" Doc asked.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Drew said as she stretched and let out a yawn.