Disclaimer: This is part 7 of an ongoing story. For part 6, click here:

“I can’t do this anymore,” Amy cried, running upstairs.

Hannah chased after her. “We have been through so much and for what?” 

“Amy I-”  Hannah chased after her. “We need to stay strong. We’re all scared, but we need to stay calm. That’s what I’m taking from this.” Amy pushed Hannah away, taking her place on the couch. 

The others made their way upstairs, Sam taking the window along with Jacob. Jeremy paced around and around the living room, Hannah sitting by Amy. 

Jeremy snapped. “No, we’re done sitting here. We’re done being scared. If we’re gonna end this, we need to do it, because we’re running out of time.” 

Hannah blinked, startled. “Jeremy…”

“Jeremy’s right.” Jacob shook his head. “That thing killed my friend. It killed Fritz, and it’s been torturing Sam for days. We’ve been running, hiding, panicking… for what? For it? If we keep staying here-” He paused, sighing. “Then it’s gonna kill every last one of us.” 

“Jacob–” Sam approached Jacob, her voice gentle. “Look at me.” He didn’t at first. He kept shaking his head, kept holding onto anger because it was easier than fear. But eventually, he met her eyes.

Sam placed her hands on his. “I know you’re angry,” she said softly. “I am too. We all are. I know you want to do something, but panic isn’t a plan. Anger won’t save us.”

Jacob’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t pull away. “You’re right that we need to act fast,” Sam continued. “But we can’t run into this blind. That’s what it wants. Iv’e learned that it  desires chaos, confusion, and fear. We have to be smarter than it. We have to work together.” 

Jacob slowed his breath, feeling a little bit more at ease. “But it killed Fritz.” He whispered. “He was my friend, I should have done something.” 

Sam remained calm. “You couldn’t have saved him, none of us could. But you can help save the rest of us. We need you, Jacob. I need you to think clearly, ok?” 

Jacob swallowed hard, blinking back tears he didn’t want to show. “Okay,” he said, his voice rough. “Okay. So what do we do?”

Jeremy interrupted. “We prepare. We get the house fortified. We figure out how this thing works. We fight smart.” Jacob straightened, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He still looked shattered, but steadier.

“Yeah,” he said. “Then let’s get ready.”

Jeremy thought for a moment, looking back at Sam who still had her hands placed on Jacob’s. “Do you know if there is any possibility of entering your visions and getting some answers?” 

 Hannah exhaled shakily. “Yeah, we know about you being pulled into them, but what if you choose to go in yourself?” Amy looked up.

“I can try. But I’m gonna need help.” Sam hesitated.

Jeremy’s confidence boosted. “Amy and Hannah. Make barriers, lock all doors. As for Sam, we will make you a bed that you can use to hopefully enter your vision.” Everyone began collecting piles and piles of blankets and pillows.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Sam?” Jacob asked concerningly. 

“I will do whatever it takes to make sure we are safe.” Sam took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m ready.” 

Jacob laid Sam down gently, crossing her arm across her shoulder. “For Fritz.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating on the task at hand; entering the vision and getting closer to the truth.

Moments passed until she found herself in the black void again, greeted by the figure of light from before.

Welcome back, Sam. 

While Sam was in the vision, Jacob stayed beside her the entire time. He moved her hand into his and just held it, making sure she was calm and safe. Sam squeezed his hand, signifying she successfully entered. 

“She’s in.” Jacob signaled the others to start barricading the air bnb. They set traps and closed all the blinds. They locked all the doors, planning their attack schemes while Sam remained in her unconscious state.

“Light, I need your help.” The light appeared and Sam’s chest tightened. “I will do whatever it takes to end this for me and my friends. I want to make it out of here alive.”

You say that with courage, the light replied, but courage is only half of what you need. What comes next is not strength of body, but strength of understanding.

Sam frowned. “Then tell me. Please. What am I missing?”

The void around them rippled, small waves of darkness attempting to enclose around Sam, spreading outward like disturbed water. The Light brightened in response, pushing the shadows back just enough for Sam to feel safe.

Your visions are not predictions… they are connections. Threads. Pieces of what the Wendigo has touched. You can follow these threads, but you cannot control where they lead.

Sam swallowed. “But I need something. Anything that can help us fight back.”

The Light’s glow softened at her desperation. There is one final thread left for you to walk. It is the most dangerous one. The place where the Wendigo was first bound. Where its hunger began. If you choose to step forward, the vision  will take you there.

Sam’s breath caught. “And if I don’t?”

Then you will wake… and face the creature tomorrow with only what you know now.

“We can’t lose anyone else,” Sam whispered. “I won’t let that happen.” The Light spread warmth over Sam’s face, grounding her.

This is the only way the bond between you and the visions becomes strong enough to guide you.

Sam hesitated, “I’m ready.” She looked around at the void, which stretched infinitely ahead—silent, cold, and waiting. Her heart pounded. She took a breath, and prepared to step forward. 

Know that I will be with you Sam, every step of the way. However, I can only help you so much, the rest is up to you. Use what the vision is showing you to your advantage. Sam nodded her head, about to step forward. 

Wait! The light waited a moment, then finally moved closer to Sam. It hugged her. You’re ready.

Sam took a deep breath, stepping forward. The void shattered like black ice, pieces drifting away until the darkness gave way to a blinding rush of white.

Then she was back in the forest. She heard Fritz’s screams again. “Fritz!” She held back tears and watched his death again. “What am I missing?”

Sam suddenly remembered what the light had told her before it went away. Use what the vision is showing you to your advantage As much as it hurt her, she continued looking for answers. She looked at the trees, which twisted with symbols cut deep into the bark. A cold wind dragged through the branches, carrying whispers Sam couldn’t quite understand.

She thought about what she could have possibly been missing. “Think Sam, think!” She begged herself. Then, it hit her. she wasn’t standing on dirt, but on a massive circle carved into the earth. The grooves glowed faintly “It’s… a picture of something.” The Light appeared beside her, dimmer here, almost strained.

I am using what I can to help you, Sam. This is the first binding place where the Wendigo was trapped long ago… and where it can be ended.

Sam stared at the glowing circle. “So this is how we kill it?”

The Light pulsed, slow and deliberate. Not kill, but Contain. Starve it, and silence its hunger. The trees shuddered, as if reacting to the light’s words. Sam’s breath fogged in the cold. There are three steps. If even one is wrong, the creature will break free… and… 

“And what?” Sam yelled, begging for an answer.

I won’t be able to promise the survival of you and your friends. Sam nodded quickly, her heart hammering.

Listen Sam, and listen good. You must complete these in order. First The circle must be completed. A glowing outline spread to show the missing pieces—the ones carved into the trees, the ground, the stones. These marks must be restored. The Wendigo has weakened them over time.

Sam swallowed. “We can carve them again.”

The Light shook its head flickering sharply. Second: Its name must be spoken. Not the name it stole… but the name it was given before it became what it is. You will hear it before this vision ends and you are sent back to reality. Remember it and do not say it aloud outside the circle until the moment comes.

A chill crept into Sam’s bones. “And the third?” The forest darkened. The trees leaned in. Something moved far in the shadows. The Light dimmed to a whisper of glow.

The Wendigo must be lured into the circle willingly. It cannot be forced. It cannot be trapped from the outside. Something it wants must cross the boundary first.

Sam froze. “That’s… me.” Sam sighed. The Light didn’t deny it.

You carry the visions. The connection. You are the thread it follows. You would be its focus… and its weakness.

Sam’s stomach twisted. “So I have to be bait.”

Not alone. The Light brightened again. Your friends will complete the circle and you will speak its name. Together, you end this. The ground trembled. Your vision is ending. Remember the name. From the darkness, a voice rose; ancient, broken, almost human.

Ahnidak. The name throbbed through the air, vibrating in Sam’s chest. The Light reached for her. Wake up, Sam and tell them only when the time is right. Everything collapsed into white. 

Sam awoke so violently she nearly fell backward, but Jacob caught her just in time. Jacob leaned in, anxious energy already humming off him. “What did you see? Did it tell you how to stop this thing?”

Sam hesitated, the echo of the Wendigo’s true name still ringing in her head. The Light’s warning pulsed through her: Do not speak it outside the circle. Not yet.

“I saw the place where it was bound,” Sam said slowly, gathering the right words. “There’s a circle out there. It’s old, really old. That’s where the Wendigo was trapped before. And that’s where we can stop it again.”

“How?” Hannah whispered.

 “We have to restore the markings. The ones in the forest. The carvings, the symbols. They’re damaged. But if we fix them, the circle will reform.” Sam looked around.

Jeremy frowned, rubbing his hands together. “But what about actually getting it into the circle? From what we know it’s fast, and very strong. It can mimic our voices. How do we force it inside?”

Sam swallowed hard. “We… can’t force it.” She met their eyes one by one, feeling their breath hitch when she spoke again. “It has to enter willingly.”

Jeremy’s face went pale. “Willingly? And what, we just hope it decides to stroll in because we asked nicely?” 

“No,” Sam said softly. “It’ll follow what it’s hunting. It will follow me.” The room fell silent, heavy and cold. “I have to be the bait.

Jacob’s fists clenched. “You’re not doing this alone.”

“I won’t be,” Sam steadied her voice, though her heart thudded hard in her chest. “Your job is to fix the circle. Mine is to… bring it in.”

Jacob took a deep breath. “Then we’ll do it fast. We’ll do it right. And we’ll end this,” Sam agreed, but all she could think about was the name. She knew that no matter what happened, she couldn’t say it. Not yet, at least. It sat heavy on her tongue, burning like heat and ice at the same time.

Amy had completely lost it. “Forget it. Tomorrow will be coming soon. If I’m loosing my life, it’s gonna be my decision. I’m not fighting this thing.” Amy ran. “I don’t care anymore.” She yelled, opening the door to leave. She bumped into something clocking the way out, and when she looked up all she saw was the distorted face of the Wendigo. She froze, screaming. It picked her up, and well…. you can probably guess how that went.

“Amy!” Hannah ran over to the door, but only saw the remains of Amy’s body which at this point had been… ripped in half.

“It’s time. Ready yourselves, prepare the defenses. We’ve run out of time,” Sam yelled.

Until next time…