Spirits of The Lonely Places

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

A boy named Oliver lived in a remote area in Northern Michigan near Gaylord, he often played in the woods as there was not much else to do since the only children his age were miles away and he was an only child. His parents did not care that he would play in the woods, but they had a rule…. never go near the neighboring cabin in the woods just beyond their property line. His parents Arthur and Molly never explained why he was not to go near the cabin, but they warned him of the consequences he would have if he decided to not listen and trust me when I tell you that it was not worth finding out!

One day he grew bored with the same routine forced to live and his curiosity started to grow about the cabin, and he wondered if he could get his best friend Jessica to go and explore the abandoned property with him. His excitement mounted as he considered the thrill of breaking the rules and what he would find inside! It could not be that bad! Oliver started to contemplate and planned on how he was going to get Jessica to come over and how they would manage to evade his parents with out them growing suspicious, he was going to need to be very discreet and gathered his supplies and hid them under the maple tree bordering his property line. As Oliver gathered fallen leaves to cover his stash, he found himself thinking about Jessica and her long silky black hair. He could not help but smile as he pictured her and all the precious moments they had shared together. She was beautiful and from the Algonquin Native American tribe. She had dark skin and brown eyes and seemed to be wiser than any other 12-year-old he ever met. He was the opposite of her with his short light blonde hair, sea blue eyes and scrawny arms. She also was older than him by a staggering 5 months and Oliver could not wait to see her.

The next day Oliver’s mom Molly was cooking pancakes for breakfast, she hummed softly to herself as she poured the batter into the pan. Molly tucked a lock of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and wiped the flour from the batter on her apron that complimented her slim figure. Oliver observed her and determined that his mother was more likely to say yes than his father and with forced happiness he walked into the kitchen, ran to his mom, and kissed her. “Mom, you look absolutely fabulous today and those pancakes are making my mouth water.” Molly furrowed her brow and squinted her blue eyes at Oliver and a smile spread over her lips.

“Thank you, sweetie.”

“Mom, I was wondering if Jessica could come over tomorrow and spend the night? I wanted to set up the tents and we can sleep separate. Please!”

“Honey, you know that every Friday your dad and I go fishing and I do not think that her dad would be comfortable with you two sleeping outside in the tents. You two must be in before dark and she will need to sleep in the guest room.

“Thank you, mom! I am going to phone the reservation now and ask!” Oliver smiled as he ran to the phone, he knew that his parents went fishing every Friday night and that was precisely why he planned to have her stay Friday. His parents would have no idea that he was going to disobey them, and he would be back long before they returned. He dialed the number for the Native American Reservation that Jessica and her family lived on. Her Dad answered the phone and Oliver grimaced, he was a little scared of Jessica’s Dad, he seemed to not be a man that you wanted to pick a fight with, and he was extremely strict. Oliver took a deep breath and in a cheerful voice said “Hello Mr. Tatanu, I was wondering if Jessica could come stay the night tomorrow, we were going to have a bonfire and watch some movies, but my parents said we must be inside before dark. My parents go fishing and will be gone for a few hours, but I promise to behave and keep her safe until they return.”

Mr. Tatanu responded, “Your parents will be gone?”

“They go fishing every Friday, but they only are gone for an hour or so.” Oliver crossed his fingers awaiting his response.

Mr. Tatanu paused and considered, “I suppose so, Jessica has been asking me for weeks now to come see you and I expect you both to be responsible and behave yourselves.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tatanu! I promise that we will be behave and I will make sure that no harm comes to her.” Oliver smiled as they exchanged their farewells and hung up the phone.

Now the only thing Oliver needed to do was convince Jessica to explore the cabin and wait for morning to come. The following morning Oliver was up and dressed early and he rushed outside when he heard the car pulling in the gravel drive. Oliver’s dad had picked up Jessica and Oliver could hardly wait to see his best friend, it seemed so long since they had played together.

Jessica smiled and jumped out of the jeep. “Hi Oliver, I have missed you!!” Jessica hugged him and they excitedly whispered together as they walked away.

Oliver turned around and thanked his dad for picking her up. His dad looked worried or maybe even sad and he seemed to not be listening, but he changed his expression when he noticed them staring at him and smiled. Arthur was tall and built from his years of service on the police force and had brown eyes and brown hair. His worried expression was starting to show in his face and several gray hairs were starting to appear near his hairline.

“You kids go have fun and get the fire lit, I have some errands to go run before your mother and I go fishing.” Arthur jumped back into the Jeep Cherokee and pulled out of the gravel drive.

Oliver and Jessica walked towards the old horse barn, that no longer housed any animals but did nothing but house their equipment, and the overly priced antiques that his mother insisted on buying that did nothing but collect dust. It also housed the supplies for all the many outdoor activities that Oliver’s family did throughout the years. Just two years ago Oliver and Jessica managed to replace the warped nails and rotting wood that led to the overhanging loft above the barn and made their own secluded secret hangout, that no one else knew about. As they climbed the ladder into their hideout, Oliver contemplated the precise words to convince his overly cautious best friend that their upcoming adventure was not “to dangerous” or will not “get them in too much trouble.”

They took a seat on a folded quilt that lay against the far wall of their loft, where they also had an antique dresser drawer that they flipped upside down to provide as a tabletop for their lantern and their journal of their many explorations and polaroid photos of them that they took along the way. “Hey Jessica, I was thinking that we should do something different than I mentioned and go investigate that cabin down by the river. You know the one I am talking about, the abandoned cabin near the reservation; the one not too far from black rock.”

Jessica looked alarmed and responded vehemently. “Absolutely not! Have you not heard the stories of that land, we don’t go there, that is dead man’s land, beside all the disappearing people that has occurred in the area it is enough to make me stay away from there AND if for some reason we survived it, and my dad found out, he would MURDER us when we got back home anyways!”

Oliver gave her a stern look and said, “actually we are going, I haven’t heard any stories, and do you really want to listen to my dad’s old radio that only gets half of a signal half of the time. Besides, I have prepared all the necessary supplies and hid them under the maple tree down by our fort before I even asked your dad if you could come.”

“Well Oliver you are going to hear the stories because if you are going to lead us to our death, then you are going to know what you are leading us into. Jessica took a deep breath and readied herself to tell the story makes her stomach churn. This legend has been passed down through many generations of my people just like the stories that White People pass down about the coming of Jesus Christ. Legend has it there are beings my people refer to as “Spirits of the Lonely Places,” the White man knows them to be the Wendigo.” Theses creatures are evil, and they dwell in the dark lonely places of the Great Lake Forest. They bring with them famine and death, first the land dies then the animals and then the insatiable hunger. They are monstrous and intelligent creatures that choose their victims precisely. They take control of the man’s mind, and an intense burning pain will overcome them which has caused men to run naked through the woods, claiming to have been burned with the Wendigo fever. Once the pain of the fever breaks the mind of the man, the creature is then able to implant evil thoughts causing man to crave human flesh.

Oliver laughed, “are you serious? You do not actually believe all that hocus pocus, do you?”

“You may call it hocus pocus but to our people it is fact not fiction and it is how we survived on this land so long. We know our place and we never forget it. Have you not heard why that cabin you want to explore has been abandoned since 1878? That cabin used to be in our reservation not on the other side of the border. In 1878 a man named Swiftrunner lived in that cabin with his wife and six children. It was a terrible year for famine and many of our people starved. Swiftrunner’s youngest son suffered terribly from the famine, and everyone sadly knew the outcome when no one seen his presence at the ceremonial dance. The Ceremonial dances are important to my people and in restoring balance to the land. Swiftrunners youngest son suffered by losing his life. It is said that the spirit of the lonely places brings famine and death. Which is exactly the fate that was bestowed upon Swiftrunner and his family. After the famine consumed his son, he was said to have gone mad and was said to have run naked through the forest, withering in pain from the fever. Later that night, sadly Swiftrunner murdered and ate his entire remaining family and forever condemned himself to be cursed as a Wendigo, searching in never ending darkness to consume the human flesh with a never-ending instable hunger.”

Oliver noticed the fear emanating from Jessica as she told the story. He could see the blood pulsing ferociously in her neck. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he tried his best to play it cool and not show her that he was a little more than freaked out. He responded with only a slight quiver in his voice, “well we better get going, before it gets too dark, and we better bring Thor since he is the best retired K9 on the force. Legend or no legend, Thor can track a deer from two miles away and will sniff out anything long before it gets anywhere near us.”

Jessica sighed and threw her hands in the air, “I can’t believe I am doing this with you but there is no way I am going to let you do this by yourself!” The jeep pulled up the drive and Oliver’s dad got out and Thor trailed behind him. Arthur headed towards the barn glancing over both shoulders several times and looking behind him as if he were checking to see if he was being followed. Oliver and Jessica quietly crept to the edge of the loft as the loud door scraped the pavement opening the barn door and a sliver of sunlight shone through the crack, leaving them temporarily blinded as their eyes adjusted to the change.

Arthur walked towards his tool bench and bent down and moved his tool bag and pulled out a rusted old ammunition container, he reached into his pocket and pulled his keys and fumbled with them momentarily until he selected a small key and slid it into the padlock securing the ammunition container. He pulled out several boxes of ammunition and shoved them into his bag and then reached down and grabbed his bullet proof vest and slid it on as he pulled out a gun from the bag and inserted a clip into the gun. Then he placed the gun securely in his weapon belt and started mounting the hunting knives in his waistbelt. Oliver had not seen his father dress this way since he was discharged the police force. Arthur reached up to the top shelf above the work bench and grabbed a rope and a used roll of gorilla tape and shoved them into his hiking pack. Arthur never left the house without his hiking pack, he claimed that it was necessary to always be prepared for anything in the wilderness.

The hairs on the back of Oliver’s neck raised as an uneasy feeling came over him. Why was his dad really packing all those supplies for a fishing trip and what was the real reason he carried his hiking pack everywhere? The door swung open with a deafening bang as it hit the wall behind it, startling Arthur so he did not notice his keys fall and slide under the work bench. Jessica and Oliver stared at each other with matching expressions of horror on their faces as they listened to the scene unfolding in front of them, as closely as possible while remaining unnoticed.

Molly stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and said, “come on Arthur lets get going, you know that the hunt might go better this time if we get set up before dark. Plus, I don’t want the kids to grow suspicious, I want to leave while they are still setting up the tents.”

Arthur spun around and glared at Molly with a look of anger that surprised her. “Tents Molly? What do you mean by setting up the tents? I thought we agreed that we did not want Oliver outdoors while we are hunting?”

Molly responded “I do not see why they can not set up the tents for a while, but I made it clear that the kids must be inside before dark. Plus, one day Oliver is going to carry on our tradition, and do you not agree that a good first step is being able to maintain your own camp.”

Arthur sighs and responds reluctantly “all right but I only agree to this if we leave Thor behind to babysit and that means that we are not going to have his nose to trail the prey and it is going to be harder to pick up the scent.”

Molly looked at Arthur with a crooked smile and said, “I think we can manage tracking our prey without Thor one time, we have gotten pretty good at it. Molly walked over to the huge antique area rug that was in the middle of the barn floor. Oliver always wondered what the purpose of the expensive rug was if it was going to be thrown on a dusty barn floor. Molly grabbed one edge of the rug and pulled it back to reveal a hidden trapped door beneath it that Oliver was stunned to see. Molly bent down and tugged on padlock securing the trapped door ensuring it was secure and brushed her hands off. “Just wanted to make sure, now hurry up and let’s get going before the kids pop up and see something they should not.” She replaced the area rug and bustled Arthur out of the barn. As they walked away, Oliver heard Arthur whistle for Thor and tell him to find Oliver.

They then watched through a small, cracked window in the barn as Molly and Arthur headed to the edge of their property where they stored the fishing boat and trailer with the tackle boxes. Oliver doubted that they were going to grab the fishing supplies and he doubted even more that they were going fishing.

An unsettling feeling hung in the air as they exchanged expressions of horror and shock. Jessica broke the silence first, “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!”

Oliver took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly, I do not know, but did you see….”

“…the keys?”

They both looked at each other and hurried down the ladder to retrieve the keys that hopefully held answers to the family secrets that was burning a hole in Oliver’s heart. Oliver leaped down the ladder halfway down and hurried for the keys with every intention of going straight for the trapped door and finding out what was in there until Jessica grabbed his attention as she said, “Hey Oliver come look at this.” Jessica held a worn piece of paper that she removed from the ammunition container. Oliver reluctantly took a step away from the trapped door and moved closer to Jessica, as he wondered what could be more interesting than finding a hidden trapped door in his family barn. Jessica turned and handed the paper to Oliver, the first thing Oliver noticed was the Police force logo stamped on the top and he intuitively knew this was from his dad’s Police department that he no longer worked at. Oliver began to read the paper.

Notice of Discharge from Gaylord Law Enforcement

This notice serves as a formal and final decision regarding deputy Arthur Macontow. Following the findings ordered by the 12-week psychiatric evaluation that was ordered for Deputy Macontow after exhibiting strange behavior that was reported by fellow colleagues. Deputy Macontow failed to prove competent to remain as an active Deputy finding that the psychiatric evaluation has determined him to suffer from prolonged hallucinations and strange behavior that was alarming to others and others safety. Deputy Macontow completed the required evaluation and mental health counseling that was offered to him as required by law. This decision is final, and Deputy Macontow is hereby permanently relieved and discharged from serving on the Police force.

Oliver’s hands shook as he tried his best to understand this and why his dad has lied about why he left the Police Department. Arthur revolved his whole life around being a deputy and took his job very seriously, why would he fail a psychiatric evaluation and jeopardize his impeccable reputation he had on the force? “Jessica, I think we should look through the rest of that container and see if we can find out anything more to try to make sense of all of this.” Oliver reached into the container and pulled out several missing person flyers of local people that have been reported missing in the area. Sadly, the last Oliver heard was that none of the missing people have been found. Oliver reached inside and pulled out several items: a turquoise earring, a ripped and blood-soaked shirt, and the last item was by far the most disturbing as Oliver opened his fingers to reveal a tooth! A human molar! Oliver squealed as he dropped the tooth and he held back the need to cry as he looked to Jessica waiting for her to say something.

“Oliver, I think we should find out what is beneath the trapped door and get going before we find something we do not want to see.” Jessica grabbed the keys and slid the small brass key into the padlock securing the trapped door and pulled as it released. Oliver seemed frozen and Jessica grabbed the handle on the door and pulled open to reveal a small bunker used for tornados or a bomb shelter. It was dark but Jessica bravely grabbed Oliver’s hand and started to descend the down the ladder and flicked on the light switch and they gasped when they seen the contents of the room. A strange medical table centered the bunker with straps that were used to restrain people. Strange weapons hung on the walls and missing posters from the last decade were taped to the bulletin board.

Oliver broke the silence and seemed to snap Jessica out of the trance she was in, and she tried her best to not look like she was going to be sick. “Jessica, I think I have seen enough, and I just want to get out of here and forget about this for a little while. Thor barked from the top of bunker and Oliver jumped. “Hey buddy I am glad mom and dad left you behind.” Oliver and Jessica climbed the ladder and closed the trapped door and replaced the area rug that hid the door. Oliver and Jessica walked outside and started heading out to the trail that led to black rock and the cabin…. Not knowing that it was only going to get worse, much worse.

Thor trailed ahead of them on the path as they came to the maple tree that Oliver previously placed the supply bag at. Oliver seemed distant and Jessica did not know what to say to cheer him up let alone make sense of the strange things they had discovered about Arthur and Molly just moments before. Jessica did her best to sound cheerful and said, “Oliver I am sure there is some explanation for all of this, your parents are kind and I do not believe that they could possibly be responsible for the missing people in the area and just because your dad wasn’t honest about his discharge from the police department does not mean that he is guilty of anything.” Jessica looked expectantly at her best friend waiting for him to respond as they heard a deafening wail in the distance that sounded like Thor.

Oliver started to run and called out to Thor, “Here boy, come here!” The woods seemed deserted and desolate of wildlife, a thick fog lingered in the air and a horrible smell wafted around them. Oliver continued to call for Thor, but he did not come to the command and Oliver started to get a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Jessica, we need to split up and look for Thor, he always comes when I call him, and I am worried he is hurt, and we have to find him.”

“Okay Oliver but I do not like the idea of splitting up and do you smell that?” A rotten stench became stronger as they moved down the path and it made Jessica want to vomit.

“Jessica, we have to find him and if we do not find Thor soon, we are about to be defenseless in the dark out here alone and that is something I do not think we both want.” Oliver reached into the backpack and pulled out the walkie talkies and a flashlight, he handed one of the walkie talkies to Jessica and then handed her the flashlight. “Here take this and put it on channel A and if you see anything or find him then radio for me and we will meet at the cabin. I will go to the left of black rock, and you go to the right, and we will rendezvous at the cabin.”

Jessica’s hand shakily grabbed the walkie talkie and flashlight and gave Oliver a big hug. “Oliver I am scared.”

Oliver hugged his best friend and said, “Jessica you are one of the bravest and smartest people I have ever met, and I know you can do this!” Just as they were about to part from the embrace Oliver caught movement out of the corner of his eye and he swung around and called out, “Thor?” Oliver could have sworn he saw a pair of red eyes glare at him through the trees. The silence seemed to make the tense situation feel even more ominous. “Jessica maybe you are right, I am sure Thor is just off hunting a rabbit or something and he is probably fine, lets stick together and if we do not find him on the way to the cabin than we can split up and look for him on the way back.”

The dense fog hung in the air and Jessica kept them going by taking their attention away from Thor and Oliver’s parents by telling the legend of the cabin and talking about Swiftrunner’s family and the traditions of her family that kept them safe throughout the decades. “They used to have a way of keeping the famine away and the Spirits of the lonely places by offering things to the spirits and they would light a candle in the window to tell the spirits that their offerings were there. It is said that the night Swiftrunner was cursed no candle was lit and no offering was provided to the spirits, making him cursed to be Wendigo. We still do animal offerings every month to keep away the famine and not be hunted in the woods.”

Oliver listened intently and was starting to think that these legends were more than hocus pocus used to frighten children while telling their campfire stories. They rounded the corner and came to the Cabin, but the dense fog made it hard to see the structure. A putrid smell hung all around them and Oliver felt droplets hit his shoulder. “Is it supposed to rain today?” Jessica was staring at the cabin with her mouth wide open and didn’t answer Oliver.

Oliver wiped the moisture and looked down at his fingers to see a crimson red color. He then looked up to find the source and to his horror he saw his dog Thor hanging from the tree covered in blood. His body was nearly ripped in half and his intestines were hanging from his mangled body. Oliver screamed in horror and started crying hysterically. A flash came from inside the cabin as the door slowly creaked open. Oliver fell to his knees and wept in sorrow for his dog that had been viciously murdered. Jessica was no longer standing in front of the cabin and Oliver finally noticed what she was staring at. Oliver wiped his tears and stood up and in a faint voice he called out to his best friend, “Jessica?” Jessica was no where to be found and the door to the cabin was open swinging with the wind, Oliver could not help but gasp as he seen a candle burning in the window of the abandoned cabin.

All Oliver wanted to do was go home and forget about all the horror he had experienced and simply watch a damn movie with his best friend! Oliver knew that he could not leave Jessica and he was not exactly sure how he was going to find the courage to walk into the cabin, but he made a promise to Mr. Tatanu and he was not going to let this monster hurt his best friend, he already killed his dog. Just then Oliver remembered that he had given Jessica a walkie talkie and he quickly pulled his out of his pocket and hit the call button on his radio. “Jessica, it is me Oliver, please tell me you are okay and please just come back so we can go home! Jessica you were right, we should have never come here, and I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to you!”

Oliver took a few steps towards the entrance of the cabin, and he was now close enough to see through the entrance since the thick fog made it difficult to see anything beyond a foot in front of you. Oliver peered into the cabin and the worst smell he had ever smelt in his life wafted into his nostrils; it was the smell of rotting flesh. Oliver heard a scraping sound coming from the cabin and he was terrified, but he managed to take another step towards the cabin, he could now see inside, a long hallway that led to a single door at the end. Oliver called out again, “Jessica?” Just then Oliver heard a menacing growl or maybe even a laugh come from the cabin and then he seen the monster that murdered his dog and kidnapped his best friend. It was the worst and most horrifying creature, and it was far worse than anything he could have imagined, this was a Wendigo. The legends that Jessica had told him about were true and he led them right to it.

The Wendigo was huge, maybe 8 feet tall and had blood red eyes and white sunken skin, it had long pointed talons that could easily rip flesh from bone and the smell… The creature smelled like death and then it smiled at him, showing him sharp pointed, yellow teeth. Oliver in normal circumstances would have passed out from fear or ran for his life but he then felt something surge inside of him and he got angry. “Where is my friend you creep?” Oliver then did the dumbest thing he had ever done, and grabbed his pocket knife out of his bag, closed his eyes, and ran straight for the creature. What happened next could not have shocked Oliver more than it did as he heard a familiar voice from behind the creature shout, “NO, NOT MY SON!”

Oliver seen his dad appear from the door behind the creature and he stood frozen still holding his pocketknife, unable to speak or move. His dad spoke to the creature again, “you have already murdered our dog and you have the girl, but you will not touch my son!” The last thing Oliver seen before someone yelled, (“Oliver, duck!”) was his mother appear from the woods holding a rifle and firing the gun directly towards the creature. Oliver peered up from the ground and seen that the creature was not just horrific in appearance and smell, but the creature was fast, like super-fast. It moved and disappeared behind the door and what happened next was terrible, the gun his mother just fired hit his dad and blew straight through his abdomen splattering the walls with blood. Then red eyes appeared from behind the door and long talons wrapped around Arthur and dragged him down a flight of stairs as Oliver heard his dad’s body going thump, thump, thump.

Molly screamed and called out in horror, “Oh no Arthur, not my Arthur! Arthur??” Oliver looked desperately at his mom and all he could manage to do was grab her rifle and go save his friend and kill that monster before anyone else ended up dead. He could not cry or think about his dad or Thor, because if he did, he was not sure that he was going to be courageous enough to go inside and save Jessica. Molly wept kneeling on the ground with her hands covering her face and they both did not notice a figure approaching from the trees behind them. Oliver turned as he heard a loud thump as someone hit his mother over the head knocking her out. Oliver then got hit and everything went black.

Oliver awoke tied to a chair in what appeared to be a basement in a dimly lit room. He must be in the cabin, he tried to ignore the searing pain coming from his head and then looked around to see his mother also tied to a chair beside him with her head hung, still unconscious from the blow to her head. Blood was gushing from the wound, and he noticed that she was still breathing, and relief flooded through him, at least she was still alive. Then Oliver noticed the blood stains remaining on the floor from where his dad must have laid, but Oliver could not see the remains of his dad’s body anywhere in sight. Oliver also did not see the Wendigo and his heart sunk as he could only imagine what had happened to his dad and his body. Oliver peered through the darkness and then relief flooded through him as he seen Jessica slumped forward also tied to a chair in the opposite side of the room. “Jessica? Jessica?” Oliver continued to call her name as she finally started to stir and she responded, “Oliver, where are we?”

“In the basement of the cabin, you were right Jessica. Everything you told me about the spirits of the lonely places and the Wendigo was true and I should have listened to you. Now we are probably going to die, and it is all my fault! The Wendigo killed Thor and my dad and if my mom does not get help soon, I do not think she is going to make it, she is bleeding badly, and she has not woken up. Jessica I am so sorry I got you into this and I wish I could have just listened to you.” Oliver slumped his head down and started to cry. Before Jessica could respond, a voice from the stairs said, “Absolutely Oliver, this is all of your fault and now you must die!”

A figure appeared and Jessica said, “dad?”

Mr. Tatanu stood at the bottom of the stairs looking angry. He looked at Oliver and spoke, “you see Oliver, since you disobeyed me and endangered my daughter and your family now, I cannot save you or your parents from the Wendigo. I have protected my people from the Wendigo for decades by offering it sacrifices mostly animals but sometimes a human tribute was required to ensure it would not attack my people. I bring the sacrifices here to the cabin and light a candle in the window to alert the Wendigo that its offering was here, but when you interrupted the tribute, you became the prey and now your dog and father are dead and had I not of intervened Jessica would be dead as well.”

Jessica spoke, “why dad??” If you love me than let us go and help us to get away from that monster! Please dad, Molly needs help and has lost a lot of blood and Oliver is my best friend! You can not do this! You are responsible for all the missing people in the area, aren’t you?” I had known that you were up to something, but I never imagined that you were responsible for this evil!

Mr. Tatanu looked regretfully at his daughter but before he was able to speak, Oliver interrupted him. “I thought my parents were the ones who was responsible for the missing people, I found the missing flyers and I found the hidden room full of weapons and even a human molar! It doesn’t make any sense, they were talking about hunting and have been lying about the fishing trips, and my dad’s discharge from the police department. What do they have to do with this?”

Mr. Tatanu glared at Oliver and responded, “it appeared as if your parents were responsible, and I was the one who made several complaints to law enforcement that led to your father’s discharge. I regret the outcome of your parent’s fate, as they only had intentions of killing the Wendigo, but I could not allow law enforcement to suspect me of the missing persons.”

Oliver was so distracted by the events that were unfolding that he had forgotten that the pocketknife was in his back pocket and since his hands were tied behind him, he might be able to retrieve the knife and cut himself free. Hope surged inside of him, and Mr. Tatanu must have noticed the change in his expression because he then seemed in a hurry to leave.

Mr. Tatanu then spoke and kneeled in front of his daughter, “My dearest sparrow, you have brought much joy to my life, and you remind me so much of your mother. I am sorry of the outcome of your friend and his parent’s, and I am even more sorry that you will be joining your mother with the great spirits.” He kissed her forehead and without another word he flicked off the light and climbed the stairs and exited the cabin, but before he left, he made sure to relight the candle in the window.

Jessica sobbed and it was the only sound other than Oliver trying his very hardest to retrieve the knife, but his fingers were just out of reach. Then Oliver joined Jessica and started to cry as they both knew that they were all going to die and suffer a horrendous death. Oliver knew that he was not going to let them die in such a horrific way and once the Wendigo came and he was able to retrieve the knife, he knew what he was going to do.

Oliver spoke to Jessica, “Jessica do you remember when we were little and we found that frog by the river that had a broken leg, I was afraid to go near it, but you picked it up and bandaged its leg and nursed it back to health. You didn’t give up on it, even though it was just a frog and against all odds you saved it and then released it back into the wild. That was when I knew that you were good and was always going to be my best friend, I love you Jessica and I don’t want you to be afraid. I want you to close your eyes and think about the happiest memories you can remember, and I want you to stay there. It will be over soon; we are together, and you are not alone.”

Oliver silently cried and he closed his eyes and tried to also recall the happiest moments of his life. A putrid smell filled the room and then came the sound of something descending the stairs.

No one ever seen Jessica, Oliver, or Oliver’s parents alive ever again. The candle in the window was still burning when the police arrived at the cabin and discovered the blood-stained room with only human bones remaining. Thrown in the corner of the room was blood-stained clothes that matched the description of Oliver, Jessica, Arthur, and Molly. A pocketknife was also found near the bones, open and dried blood covered it. A DNA analysis was done on the knife, and it came back as a match to Jessica, Molly, and Oliver.

THE END