Emma placed the last kerosene lamp in the middle of the living room. Altogether, she had managed to find ten: three in the living room, two in the kitchen, two in the back bedroom, one in the bathroom, and two in the back bedroom. While it seemed like an excessive amount to her, she also did not complain.

Luis had tended to the fire, feeding it as much paper and wood as he could find. Heat radiated off it in thick waves, and the wood blackened as large, orange flames curled around the log’s bark.

“Is this enough?” she asked.

Luis turned back from the fire to check. Emma watched him mentally count, and then he gave her a quick nod. “Should be,” he said.

“This is going to work, right?” Emma asked.

Luis smiled at her and nodded. “It’s a good plan. It’ll work,” he said.

The creature was still lurking outside of the cabin. They could hear it sniffing. Every now and then it would scratch or tap as the it tested the integrity of the wood with a clawed hand. Luis and Emma resolved to whisper as much as they could. To her surprise, it seemed to work.

The only part of their plan that they had not discussed was who would stay behind and light the fire. Luis had warned her that they would need to get away as fast as they could – once the kerosene ignited, it would cause a large explosion. Emma had tried to ask him how they would light the fire, but Luis had insisted she continue to collect lamps, that they would talk about it later. She could see in his eyes that he intended to stay behind, but she didn’t know how to confront him about it, nor if it was her place even to do so.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go over the plan again. I’m going to push the couch out of the way and shoot the window over there.” He pointed at the side window to their left. “You’ll jump out of it while the wendigo enters the back one. Then, I’ll shoot the lamps and follow you. With any luck, it’ll burn this bastard to a crisp.”
“You promise?”

“What?” Luis asked.

“You promise you’ll follow me?”

Luis paused. “I promise,” he said. He looked her in the eyes before continuing. “With that thing dead in here, we’ll make our way into town and wait for your brother, your mother, and Rose.”

The creature continued to tap against the wood with its claws. Sniffing. Getting closer.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Emma said.

Glass exploded into the cabin as the wendigo leapt through side window, as if it had been waiting for the perfect moment. Maybe it had just been biding its time, Emma thought.

Luis kicked into action, even as mortal fear carved its way into his countenance. He grabbed Emma by the hand and pulled her toward the back window. He grasped the couch and pulled it down, groaning in pain as he did.

The wendigo screeched as the couch hit the floor with an explosive thud. It dashed at the two of them. Luis pushed Emma out of the way, and she banged into the wooden wall.

It tackled Luis to the ground. Emma sat up and watched as shock cemented her to the ground. He unleashed a ferocious growl as he grasped the wendigo by the throat. His knuckles grew white and his biceps flexed as he clenched the creature’s neck tightly. It shrieked in anger and brought a clawed hand down, slashing Luis across the face. He shouted in pain as blood splashed the wooden floor, but managed to lift his leg. He kicked the monster backward. It hit the fireplace, and unleashed a skull-splitting screech of pain before regaining its balance.

The wendigo moved on all fours, rushing toward Emma. Luis scrambled to his feet, blood streaming down his mangled face. His bottom lip had been cloven in half, and his right eye was full of black-red blood.

“Run, Emma!” he yelled.

It shrieked and adjusted its course, barreling toward Luis. It tackled him with surprising force, and they both tumbled out of the broken, back window.

Emma forced her mind to remain calm. Breaking free from the paralysis that held her to the ground, Emma jumped to her feet and sprinted toward the kitchen table. Luis had placed a revolver there. Just in case, he had said.

Before logic could seep into her mind and stop her, Emma bellowed at the top of her lungs.

“No, Emma!” Luis yelled from outside.

It was too late. The wendigo leapt through the back window, its bloody claws pulling the couch’s fabric apart with ease. It turned its head upward and stared at Emma with its crimson eyes. The wendigo bared its teeth, and Emma could make out bits of flesh lodged in its mouth. Fresh blood was dripping down its chin. Then it began to run toward her on all fours, moving fluidly, like a river’s current.

Emma pulled the hammer back on the revolver and took a deep breath.

If you’re out there, mom, John – I love you. I miss you.

The front door crashed open, banging against the wooden walls with tremendous force. The collision produced a ringing crack, which caught the creature’s attention. It looked in the direction of the noise.

Her mother entered the door, the rifle pushed against her shoulder. Her face was haggard and tired; blood was visible on her legs and arms; her dress was tattered and discolored. She pulled the action down on the rifle, which crunched as it chambered a round.

“Get away from her, you bitch!” her mother screamed.

The wendigo screeched in response.

Mary began to fire her rifle. Once. Twice. Three times. Four times. The wendigo squawked in pain as Mary walked forward, moving closer to its gray body. Pulling the action down. Firing. Pulling the action down. Firing.

Emma yelped as a strong hand grabbed the back of her dress. She recognized the hand as Luis’s as he pulled her out of the side window. He grasped her hand and pulled her away from the cabin, sprinting toward the woods ahead. Rose was beside him, fear filling her eyes.

Emma turned back and looked through the window at her mother. They caught each other’s gaze, and Mary smiled at her.

I love you, she mouthed.

Then Luis pulled her forward.

Next Chapter: Mary