Rob ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think about why the wendigo would attack Angela. He sat in Lindsey''s office, waiting for her with Zack. He moved to grab a pen from his bag when his hand grazed something cold and smooth. He pulled the small porcelain hand of the doll out of his bag. "It''s the doll," he muttered, showing the hand to Zack. "Angela had my bag, the wendigo was after this."
Zack''s blue eyes narrowed on the small white hand. He could feel the aura around it; it felt familiar yet different like when a person shifts into a vessel. And that is when everything clicked. But before he could tell Rob, the door burst open with such force that it caused the room to shake.
"Where is she?" Officer Christina''s voice boomed through the space, the scent of alcohol wafting in behind her. Her uniform hung loosely on her frame, the buttons mismatched and her shirt only partially tucked. "That damned animal that slaughtered the Winters'' family! I need to talk to Lindsey, we need to put it down!"
Zack stood up swiftly, he could sense the rage pouring off of Christina. He instinctively placed himself between her and Rob, but before things escalated Lindsey appeared in the doorway. Her eyes darted to the officer''s flushed face and glassy stare, and she sighed heavily.
"Christina, you''re not on duty and you''re drunk," she said, her tone firm yet not unkind. "You know you can''t be here like this, it could get the department in more trouble than it already is."
Christina swayed slightly, her anger momentarily replaced by confusion before rekindling. "Oh I''ll go, but I''m going to find that bear, Lindsey," she spat, pointing an accusing finger before stumbling backward toward the door. "Find it before those jackasses at the RCMP do and take the credit."
As the echo of the slammed door faded, Deb''s text vibrated Zack''s phone, he glanced down at it. ''Got it,'' it read, alongside a picture of the tranquillizer gun cradled in her arms. He looked over to Rob, "We''ve got to go. Lindsey try to keep the RCMP busy, we''ll text you when it''s done,"
"I will, you two stay safe out there," She gave them both a look and they nodded as they left her office, heading for the last piece they needed.
By the time they reached Night School, the sun was already starting to set and the faint scent of ancient leather-bound books filled the air. Paulina awaited them, her curly brown done up in a tight ponytail. She held out three small vials filled with a shimmering holly mixture.
"This should weaken a wendigo in seconds," Paulina explained, handing the vials over to Zack. "But I only have three, so don''t waste them."
"Don''t worry, Deb never misses a shot," Zack assured her, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
"Lately, she''s missed every shot," John interjected with a raised eyebrow. He leaned against a bookshelf, his well-kept beard shifting with his frown. "She''s not sleeping, remember? She couldn''t hit the broadside of a barn."
"God, do you always have to be such a downer?" Rob snapped, tired of John''s less-than-helpful attitude. He eyed John''s scarf, an odd choice in the stifling warmth of the room. "We''re here to turn a Wendigo human, some positivity would be nice."
John shrugged, unfazed by the jab. "How do we turn a wendigo back into a human when it hasn''t been a human for years?"
Rob took a deep breath, "It''s Janelle, or at least Zack thinks it is. That poor girl was trapped in that car for a week... no wonder she did what she did," John looked shocked and turned to Zack who confirmed it with a nod.
Zack''s jaw clenched as he thought about what Janelle had to do to survive. "I know we can change her back, I''ve seen shifts controlled before," he declared, recalling how Kyle had once forced his transformation with his aura.
"You think your Supreme abilities will work on a wendigo?" Paulina questioned, giving him a sideways look.
"I think it''s possible, you''ve said it before... we are all connected," Zack countered.
"Right, but right now your shifts are on the fritz," Rob thought out loud, noting the flaw in his plan. "But we know other Supremes, Kenneth and Brian,"
"Jacob broke them," Paulina reminded them, "They aren''t Supremes anymore."
"Still," Rob persisted, "Ahmed keeps in touch with Brian. If anything they can teach Zack how to do it, it''s our best option since Ethel isn''t around." He looked around at everyone, who all seemed uncertain. "Come we have to do something right?"
Finally, Zack made his way over to him, "I''ll give it a shot," with that Rob sent the text, to find out where Kenneth and Brian were hiding.
---
Under the murky light of the safe, Kenneth''s silhouette loomed in the doorframe. Rob''s car pulled in and Zack had just stepped out of the passenger side when Kenneth launched himself at him, his fists like hammers. “You''re having trouble with your shift because to are too scared to lose control,” he snarled, each word punctuated with a blow.
"Give in, become the monster you fear!" Brian''s voice echoed, as he stepped out of the safe house. Catching Rob before he could help Zack.
Zack, reeling from the assault, managed to choke out, "What if I can''t control it?"
"Then it takes over," Kenneth said, his voice grave, stepping back. "You become like that wendigo, an animal... or worse."
"You become Kyle," Brian finished the thought.
The mention of Kyle hit Zack like a physical blow, sending him spiralling back to the night Kyle killed Abby. He remembered the horned figure, the monstrous creature, Abby''s lifeless body. With a primal scream, Zack lunged at Brian, but the ex-Supreme flipped him onto the porch, beginning to pound on his already bloodied face.
"Enough!" Kenneth commanded as he pulled Brian away, leaving Zack lying there, blood streaming down his face. "This will never work if you are too scared to use your full power, you have to fight back,"
"That''s your sage advice?" Rob asked as he raced to Zack''s side, "You two could have killed him, I don''t know what I was thinking coming to you," Rob helped Zack back to his feet, leading him back to the car.
---
Meanwhile, amidst the dense foliage of the woods, Christina tested the unforgiving steel of a bear trap. Her movements were mechanical, driven by her obsession to kill the animal that stalked the woods. With a deliberate push on the mechanism, with a rotting stick, she sprung the trap, its sharpened jaws snapping shut. She smiled to herself, heading back to her car to reload her shotgun.
Just on the edge of the woods, Deb''s fingers trembled as she fumbled with the vial of Holly mixture, having a hard time loading them into the gun. "You sure you can track Janelle''s aura?" she asked, her voice betraying the nerves.
"Positive," John reassured her, his calm demeanour contrasting sharply with the tension that filled the cramped quarters of Deb''s car. "Her aura... it''s kind of strong. Loss, anger and fear leave a distinct trail."
The vial slipped from Deb''s grasp, clattering against the plastic car mat. She let out an exasperated sigh and bent down to retrieve it. When she rose again, the world had shifted, the familiar surroundings of her vehicle replaced by the sterile coldness of the Grand River Hospital Morgue.
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She knew it was a nightmare and she knew she needed to find the door. On the steel table before her lay a body covered with a thin, white sheet. Her hand, seemingly of its own volition, reached out to pull the cover back. The face staring up at her was her own, eyes vacant, skin pale.
"Something wrong with this," Abby said, wearing a doctor''s uniform and pushing her onto the table. Without emotion, she extracted the heart from Deb and tossed it aside like trash. "The rest seems fine, though."
The other doctors encircling the table morphed into exorcists, their once emotionless faces twisting into something malevolent. They raised their knives and plunged them into Deb''s open chest cavity.
"Stop!" Deb gasped, snapping back to reality. She found herself pointing the tranquillizer gun straight at John, who looked at her with alarm but didn''t flinch. "I-I''m sorry," she stammered, lowering the weapon.
"Hey, it''s okay," John said gently, taking her shaking hands in his. Together, they steadied the syringe and loaded it with the Holly mixture. John watched Deb closely, his worry plastered all over his face.
---
Rob''s car hummed quietly as it cruised towards the conservation area, where they planned to meet up with John and Deb. Beside Rob, Zack watched the trees pass in the night, while Ahmed texted Brian about going too far.
"Are we sure about this?" Ahmed''s voice cut through the stillness, he looked over to Zack. "I mean none of you have closed the doors in your minds yet, a lot could go wrong here,"
"I know, but the police are going to be out in full force soon. If we don''t do this, they''ll kill her," Zack replied, his tone resolute. He knew the stakes; they all did.
Christina had just made it back to her car to find Lindsey waiting for her, Lindsey''s frustration was palpable as she dropped a bear trap to the ground. "A jogger found this in the woods," she declared, her blue eyes flashing with anger. "Not many people buy so many bear traps."
Christina''s just looked through her, eyes locked on the tree line. A pair of glowing white eyes were staring back at her. Shotgun in hand, she moved with deliberate steps, pushing Lindsey out of the way as she aimed at the creature. She fired into the trees, the sound echoing through the forest. The creature took off and she chased after it.
As they pulled in next to Deb''s car, Zack heard the shot. Without hesitation, he burst from the car, racing toward the source of the sound. John and Deb were quick to follow, darting after him through the underbrush.
As they navigated the dark trails, each was acutely aware that they were not just pursuing a creature; they also had to look out for a person with a gun.
Rob’s brow furrowed as he and Ahmed lost sight of the others, they both slowed to stop at a fork in the path. They tried to peer into the darkness but neither one of them had the power to see in the dark, they were lost. "Well this is just great," Rob murmured, leaning against a tree. "We are out in the woods with a wendigo and a bunch of on-edge cops, with no vessels to protect us."
"We''ll be fine, I don''t sense anything so at least we know we''re safe for now," Ahmed reassured him.
Farther up the trail, John''s chase was cut short by a sharp crack, followed by a guttural howl of agony. His leg had found one of Christina''s traps, the jagged teeth biting deep into his flesh.
Zack halted mid-stride, the echo of John’s pain jarring him from his pursuit. He turned back, eyes wide with alarm. They could sense something coming their way. John and Zack could feel the overpowering aura of desperation and anger approaching. "Christina," Zack muttered to them.
"Deb," John stuttered, grimacing against the pain. "Tranq Christina, now!"
She flipped on her night vision goggles and levelled the tranquillizer gun, her finger trembling on the trigger. The shot fired, a dart embedding itself into the rough bark of an oak tree, missing Chistina by a mile.
"Dammit," Deb cursed under her breath. John reached out, taking hold of her shaking hand. "Remember why you''re here," he coaxed. "You protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath, the mantra calming her as she repeated it. She closed her eyes to focus and as she did, she heard a creek. Opening her eyes she was back in the morgue, a door to the freezer hanging open. She remembered Paulina''s words and raced for it. She could hear the sound of something moving inside it but she wouldn''t let fear control her this time. She closed the gap and slammed the door shut, locking it. With a click, she was back in the woods.
She took aim and fired; the dart struck Christina''s shoulder, sending her tumbling to the cool earth. That was one problem solved, but they still had the wendigo to deal with.
Back at the fork, Rob flipped a coin and it landed on heads, he turned back to Ahmed. "Well, I guess we go left." They both inched down the path until Rob heard a metallic click from behind him.
As he turned, a gasp escaped his lips. Ahmed stood frozen, a bear trap''s jaws mere inches from snapping shut on his foot, held open only by the pressure he exerted on the trigger.
"Rob don''t panic... all you need to do is find the release," Ahmed instructed, doing his best to not shift his weight. "There should be instructions on the trap,"
"Instructions are for people who can read them," Rob retorted, eyeing the metal contraption with a look of fear. The letters might as well have been hieroglyphs, he knew there was no way he could read them.
"Then forget the instructions," Ahmed snapped. "You’re the problem-solver, Rob! Do what you do best."
Rob nodded, stepping back to get a better look at the situation, as he did he saw something move behind Ahmed. A door was embedded in the tree trunk, hanging slightly open. He stepped around Ahmed, running his hand along the door, with a forceful push he closed it and turned back to the trap.
Studying the trap''s design, Rob''s fingers traced over cold steel until they paused on a prominent screw. With careful turns, he watched as the tension in the spring came undone. "Now!" he shouted, and Ahmed leaped away, leaving the trap to snap shut harmlessly behind him.
"Thank you," Ahmed breathed hugging Rob tightly.
Meanwhile, Zack left Deb and John to track down the wendigo, he made his way through the silent woods until he felt her white eyes on him.
Zack paused, too afraid to transform and give chase. He could feel his worry creeping in as he thought about what Brian had said. He would never be like Kyle, cruel and heartless, he would never turn on the people he loved. He had nothing to fear he told himself, and he could feel the door seal in his mind. with that Pink light blazed from his eyes as he vaulted across the ravine, chasing the wendigo at full speed. His pink barriers sprung up from the ground, corralling the snarling creature.
The wendigo''s growls vibrated through the air, but Zack didn''t show any signs of fear. He reached into himself and filled his aura with his power releasing a force that pulsated outwards.
Back with Deb, John felt Zack''s aura wash over him, the shared power surging through his veins. With a roar, he wrenched the trap from his injured leg, tossing it aside as his leg healed instantly.
"Damn right," Rob whispered, feeling the sheer magnitude of Zack''s powers ripple through him. "That''s what I''m talking about."
The forest air crackled with supernatural energy, the standoff between Zack and the wendigo was over. The spell had been broken, the creature''s body shuddered and began to shrink. Claws retracted, fur receded, and the terrifying beastly features softened into those of a very pretty girl with long blonde hair cascading down her back. Her eyes, once a haunting light white, now looked bewildered and human.
"Janelle?" Lindsey''s voice was tentative, as she broke through the trees to find the pair.
Janelle, now fully transformed and trembling, nodded slightly, her haunted gaze meeting Lindsey''s.
With gentle hands, Lindsey draped her coat over Janelle''s shoulders and thanked Zack. Zack returned to his human self and the three of them set off back toward the parking lot. They met up with John, Deb, Rob and Ahmed, who had the unconscious Christina lying in Deb''s back seat.
Rob, watched from his car as more officers arrived on the scene. He could already see the headlines, Missing Girl Found After Eight Years. He knew Lindsey would get the credit, he just hoped it would be enough to save her job. He watched as Janelle was loaded into a cruiser, he caught Zack watching too, they both wondered what would happen now that she was human again.
---
The next day, at the police station, the aftermath of the case continued to unfold. RCMP agents, including a stone-faced Spencer, were busy dealing with the press. The mayor shook Lindsey''s hand, calling her the future of the police department. She smiled for the cameras, a satisfied look on her face.
---
Elsewhere, in the grandeur of an old mansion, Kyle, Nicole, and Ethel stood before a chest that seemed as ancient as time itself. The sacred stone it was carved from emanated an aura that repelled the supernatural. Ethel reached out, only to withdraw her hand quickly as if stung by an invisible force.
"Looks like it''s not welcoming guests," Kyle remarked dryly.
Nicole''s expression hardened as she eyed the chest. Without a word, she drew a gun and shot off the lock. As the lid creaked open, a cloud of palm ash dust billowed out, forcing them back from the box. Nicole was lucky however, there was a clear path to the box for her, with no ash to block it. She peered inside and extracted a carved cylinder adorned with a pentagram pattern.
"Got it," she said, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. "Now let''s get out of here,"
---
Back in Waterloo, in the shadowy confines of a synagogue basement, Someone in a dark hoodie descended the stairs. The gloved figure navigated the musty shelves lined with ancient books. Selecting an ancient leather-bound one, the figure opened the hollowed-out text to reveal a series of small scrolls. They lifted a faded scroll from the book and produced a small clay doll from their pocket. They carefully placed the scroll across the doll''s head and placed it on the floor.
With the book tucked away under their arm, the figure turned to leave. They didn''t even look back as the abandoned statue quivered. The clay contorted and grew, and sand spewed from its mouth and swirled around it, obscuring the metamorphosis. Then, suddenly, a stone hand burst the torrent of sand, its fingers curling around the edge of a nearby table with a grip strong enough to splinter wood.