The sound of crackling electricity filled the air as Ethel''s body convulsed with each surge of the current that arced across the fencing she and Kyle were shackled to. A new man entered the basement, his dirty brown beard braided in the middle, he moved toward the control panel, its unreliable dials seemed tiny under his calloused fingers.


    "Thing''s old," he grumbled, watching them twitch. "Sometimes it''ll fry ''em too much, and you just die, still twitching long after your heart quits."


    Kyle, despite the pain, managed a grin. "I''d appreciate a little less voltage if it''s all the same to you. This level is hell on my hair."


    Ignoring Kyle''s attempted joke, the man leaned closer, looking him in the eyes. "Where''s le vent d''hiver? Talk, or I''ll saw one of you in half. I''ve always been curious how far your healing goes." his french accent was thick.


    Before either could muster a retort, an older woman strode into the dimly lit chamber, her gaze piercing as dismissed the man with a wave of her hand. Turning to Ethel, her voice was like gravel. "Where is the Wendigo?"


    Ethel''s lips pressed into a thin line, she wasn''t going to tell this woman she didn''t know what she was talking about. The woman''s eyes narrowed, settling on Ethel with a mix of contempt and recognition.


    "Alors tu ne vas pas me parler?" she spat, shaking her head. "You may not talk, but this one—" She gestured at Kyle, "—he loves the sound of his own voice."


    "You should hear me on karaoke night," Kyle managed as another intense round of jolts flowed through him.


    Without warning, the woman produced a blade and, with one quick movement, severed Kyle''s right finger. He let out a sharp hiss of pain as she drove the digit, claw-first, into the wooden floorboards. "I''ll only ask you nine more times," she said, her words icy as she walked away, leaving them in agony.


    ---


    Meanwhile, in the dense woods outside of Waterloo, Zack''s breath came in heavy gusts as they hiked down the winter trail. Rob trailed behind him, feeling a chill sweep over him as they approached a small cave.


    "Zack we''ve been searching for that creature for days now," Rob started, watching Zack head for the cave entrance. "Maybe we scared it away or something,"


    Peering into the darkness Zack froze in place. "It didn''t leave... I think we just found where it lives," Zack turned back to Rob, looking shocked. Rob rushed forward to get a better look at the cave.


    Laying across the cave floor were shredded clothing and old toys, it smelled like death with rotting animal carcasses near the back. Zack crouched down, running his fingers over the torn shirt, he had felt the same aura back at the car.


    "It''s one of the daughters," he confirmed, his voice low, it was all the evidence he needed.


    Zack''s fingers traced the outline of the cave entrance, his heart pounding as another familiar aura from that night filled the air. "It''s here," he murmured, his gaze darting from tree to tree behind them. "And it''s angry."


    Rob followed Zack''s gaze, trying to spot the creature. "Shouldn''t you—"


    "Transform?" Zack finished for him, giving him a look of disproval. "I would, but you know I''ve been having problems controlling it. So we''re going to need backup on this one." He pulled out his phone and dialled Lindsey, explaining what they found.


    "Zack, are you sure the shirt belongs to the kids?" Lindsey''s voice crackled through the speaker, her skepticism as clear as day. "You''re telling me there really is a creature stalking those woods? Like some kind of wendigo."


    "Of course, why didn''t I think of that," Rob interjected, shaking his head. "This thing can stalk us without being seen, leaves no tracks and make animal noises... it''s a wendigo."


    "Wait I''ve heard about those, don''t they eat people?" Zack asked, now looking worried. "If this is a wendigo, that would explain what happened to the Winters family. It also means we have to stop it."


    "This is starting to sound like the plot of a terrible horror movie," Lindsey huffed, they could hear her getting up over the phone. "But fine, I''m on my way."


    As they waited for her arrival, Zack tried to keep his eye on the aura. He blinked and he was no longer in the cave but standing over Angela, his vessel form towering above her as she begged for him to stop. His claws were raised, ready to strike, when the vision shattered like glass. He came back to reality at the sound of his name.


    "Zack!" The sharp voice of Spencer came from the tree line. Beside him stood Officer Christina, looking every bit as concerned as Spencer was irritated.


    "What the hell are the two of you doing out in the woods at this hour?" Spencer growled, his glare drilling into Zack.


    "We were just out on a hike, and we found this cave with clothes in it," Rob began, trying to sound believable.


    "We heard Lindsey requesting backup over the radio," Spencer interjected, fixing Lindsey with a pointed look as she arrived on the scene. "It''s just odd that every time we get a weird call, I find you two at the scene."


    "They were just following their duty to report," Lindsey countered, her gaze never wavering from Spencer''s challenge. "Or would you prefer cases go unsolved?"


    "Alright then, let''s check out this cave," Spencer conceded, pushing past Zack. "Hopefully this isn''t a waste of our time."


    "Charming as ever Spencer," Lindsey retorted as she followed behind him.


    They stepped carefully past the entrance of the cave, it was clear something had been living there for a while.


    Spencer leaned against the moss-covered stone, his gaze sweeping over the old clothes and then back to the photo of the Winters family. "The shirt matched the one in the picture, It belonged to Janelle Winters" he began, his voice steady and solemn, "At least the grandparents can get some closure on this now. We''ll keep a close eye on this cave, I''m thinking a bear may be responsible for this, when it gets back, we''ll put it down."


    His eyes locked onto Zack''s as if telling him he was lucky the bear didn''t come back while he was there. Zack could feel the sweat building on his forehead, there was no bear. Spencer was going to end up in a standoff with a possible wendigo, which he had no chance of winning. As terrible as Spencer was, Zack knew he needed to do something. "We''ll just get out of you''re way then, It''s pretty dark and there is a bear out there, do mind walking us back?" he asked innocently.


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    "Of course we will," Christian said, looking over to Spencer, "We can come back out here in the morning to get a better look at things." They filed out with Zack knowing all he did was buy them some time.


    ---


    The next morning, tired students finished their first classes of the day. As they shuffled out of the lecture hall, Rob hunched over his phone, showing Deb the map he''d pulled up. "Here," he said, pointing to a spot where multiple trails intersected. "Some hunters in the area claimed they felt like they were being followed in this area. Busy trails are prime hunting grounds for wendigos."


    "Right but no one has gone missing in that area since the Winters family," Deb murmured, adjusting her glasses as she peered at the screen. "If this wendigo is a killer, where is it getting its victims from?"


    "I know, from the looks of it, it''s eating animals," Rob added, pocketing his phone. "But still we found the clothes of the kids in the cave, so it must have got them,"


    "I''ll look into it," Deb said, her voice low. "I know there is a ton of wendigo lore in the demonology book."


    Farther down the hall, Angela approached Zack, her dark eyes flickering with nervous excitement. "Zack, I did some research on the astral plane for you," she stammered, rummaging through her bag only to come up empty-handed. "It''s... I had it just..."


    "Angela," came a voice from behind them, and both turned to see Prof. Benowitz, charging down the hallway. He was waving a stack of papers around and finally handed them over to Angela as he reached them. "You forgot these at home—the research for that boy you like."


    Colour flooded Angela''s cheeks, and Zack could barely suppress a grin. Angela handed the papers over to Zack, unable to bring herself to make eye contact with him.


    "Thank you," Zack said, giving a clearly embarrassed Prof. Benowitz a half smile, Angela just remained silent. "I''ll see you around Angela," he said before heading to his next class.


    "Alright, everyone, settle down," Prof. Sureborn announced as he strode to the front of the classroom. "Today we discuss ''Catch 22.'' Rob, would you start us off?"


    Rob stood reluctantly, but as his eyes met the text, the letters swirled and converted into ancient symbols from the stones. Panic flashed across his face and started to shake. Zack sensed his aura and was by his side in an instant, guiding him out of the room, and ignoring the murmurs of confusion from their classmates.


    "Zack, I''m sorry" Rob gasped once they were tucked away in the restroom. His breath came in short, sharp bursts. "I need to know if this is a dream, right now!"


    "Look at me, Rob," Zack urged calmly, his blue eyes locking onto Rob''s frantic ones. "You''re awake. Count your fingers. Focus."


    Rob extended his trembling hands, counting one to ten aloud. Gradually, his breathing steadied, his reality affirming itself with each digit.


    "Thanks," Rob muttered, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips as his heartbeat returned to normal. Zack nodded, but he couldn''t mask his obvious worry, Rob was getting worse.


    Rob caught Zack''s look of concern, his hands balling up into fists, his eyes a pool of defeat. "We can''t stop the wendigo like this," he muttered, looking over at Zack. "You can''t transform, Deb can''t aim, and I''m—I''m just losing it."


    Zack took a deep breath, he put his arm around Rob. "We''ll be okay," he insisted, looking at their reflections in the mirror. "We''ve faced worse, Rob. We can''t give up, we''ll close the doors. We''ll stop the wendigo. That''s what we do."


    As the young men reassured each other, the English lecture concluded with a reminder for the next week''s reading. When the classroom emptied, Angela, her indigenous heritage evident in her poised stance, noticed Rob and Zack''s backpacks were still by their desks. With a frown creasing her forehead, she gathered them up and headed down the hall.


    A guttural growl echoed off the white-bricked halls, stopping Angela in her tracks. The Wendigo, elongated and monstrous, emerged from the shadows, its aura pulsing and compelling Angela to look away. Fear took over Angela as she sprinted towards the nearest hiding place, a bathroom. Books and bags clattered to the ground as she dove inside, the beast hot on her trail.


    The door crashed open, splintering wood flying as frost crept across the mirrors, the wendigo''s breath chilling the air as it crawled inside. Angela, heart hammering in her chest, squeezed herself into the last stall, praying it wouldn''t find her.


    Her prayers were answered when Zack arrived, barreling into the bathroom just as the wendigo lunged. Tapping into his telekinesis, Zack shoved the stall wall onto the Wendigo, sending it sprawling. The wendigo let out an enraged snarl before retreating out the bathroom window, its exit leaving a chill in the air.


    "Are you okay?" Zack asked as he helped Angela to her feet. They both looked over the damage done to the bathroom.


    She nodded, her breath still ragged, but she seemed fine. As they gathered the fallen belongings, Angela kept glancing over at Zack, she still wasn''t sure how he caused the stall to move like that.


    ---


    Meanwhile, in the dim confines of the torture chamber, Kyle winced at the persistent electric shocks coursing through his body. His eyes locked on his severed finger that taunted him from the floor.


    "Could someone please just put my finger on ice? I''d like to reattach it when this is over," Kyle shouted at the guard.


    "Quiet!" The guard snapped, his attention diverted by the sound of glass shattering somewhere above them. A shadow flitted across the ceiling, followed by more breaking glass. He raised his rifle, firing blindly into the wooden slats overhead. Bullets sprayed, and shell casings rained down along with a mountain of dust.


    Suddenly, the door buckled inward under a violent force, and a woman''s hand shot out to snatch the guard''s gun. His fist swung wildly, but she countered with the butt of the rifle, striking him with a precision that sent him tumbling to the ground, unconscious.


    Kyle watched, with an amused expression, as the woman tossed the gun aside. He was unsure if he should be excited or concerned by this new development but watching the guard get what was coming to him, made his day.


    The shadowed figure stepped forward, her scared face becoming visible in the light on the single bulb above them. Nicole''s eyes, weary yet unwavering, locked onto Ethel and Kyle as they hung from their electrified chains.


    "Nicole?" Ethel gasped, looking shocked to see her.


    "Thought I was dead?" Nicole quipped, making her way over to the control and turning off the power. Her power over luck guided her to the keys, she unlocked the shackles binding Ethel first, then Kyle, whose gratitude seemed to war with confusion.


    "I thought Greed killed you," He stammered.


    "What can I say, I got lucky, they missed every vital organ," she explained curtly, "Now let''s get moving, I''ve been paid a lot to get you out of here Ethel." Her gaze slid over Kyle with measured indifference. "Not you, though. Danny didn''t say anything about you,"


    Kyle rubbed his wrists, eyeing his severed finger on the floor. "And you work for the guy who did that to your face because...?"


    "Because a girl''s gotta eat," Nicole shot back, her scars stretching with the movement. She offered no further justification, instead, she headed straight for the door.


    Moving quickly, Kyle snatched up his dismembered digit and pressed it against the bleeding stump. A faint glow emanated from the wound as flesh knitted together.


    "Time to go," Nicole announced from the doorway, looking back at them.


    But Ethel didn''t move, she looked across the room at another locked door. "I can''t leave without what we came for."


    "You don''t even know if it''s actually here," Kyle insisted, flexing his newly reattached finger.


    Ethel remained silent, eyes still locked on the door.


    ---


    The urgent clatter of animal control officers'' footsteps echoed off the walls of UWaterloo''s art building hallway. Lindsey walked alongside them, her mind racing with the implications of having so many witnesses to the attack. She spotted Rob among the crowd and stepped away to talk to him.


    "If this wendigo hurts someone, we''ll have no choice but to put it down," Lindsey stated, her tone clinical, detached.


    Rob looked concerned, he knew Zack would never let that happen. "Look wendigos are people possessed by an evil spirit. That means there''s a person in there somewhere."


    "Person or not," Lindsey countered, trying to get him to see the reality of the situation, "I can''t just let it go around killing people, it''s too dangerous,"


    "I know," Rob said, "But Zack thinks we might be able to turn them back, just give us a little more time."


    At the other end of the hallway, Zack remained unseen, listening to the witness reports of a rabid bear. Rob glanced back and murmured just loud enough for him, "Zack, you''re sure we can change them back?"


    A subtle nod was Zack''s only response, confirmation enough for Lindsey to relent.


    Nearby, Angela clutched her book bag, her father''s concern washing over her in gentle waves. "Are you ok, that thing didn''t bite you did it?"


    "I''m fine," Angela said, her cheeks colouring with embarrassment. "It never got close enough to do anything. I''ll be ok, but I should thank Zack next time I see him. He scared it off and saved my life."


    Zack''s ears picked up the tender admission, a soft smile breaking across his face as he watched Angela and her father walk away.