After Samantha and Mike learned the truth about the fate of Hannah and Beth, who had gone missing a year ago, Samantha couldn't hold back—she broke into loud sobs, burying her face in Alex's shoulder. Listening to her grief-stricken cries only strengthened his resolve: he had to save Hannah and restore her humanity.
But one question remained: would Hannah remember that terrible year spent in the body of a Wendigo? Alex disliked intruding into someone's memories unless absolutely necessary. The only exceptions were enemies, whose minds he would read in ways that were painful and merciless. If Hannah retained memories of her deeds, he would erase them. If she remembered nothing, he'd invent a believable explanation for why that year had vanished from her mind.
Once Samantha calmed down, Alex reminded himself they had to keep moving. The Wendigo's lair was only a few steps away. They had to descend once more into the icy underground pool. Mike jumped in first, shivering violently as the cold seized him. Alex followed, and Samantha again climbed onto his shoulders to stay dry.
Already waist-deep in the water, Alex caught a familiar voice. Josh—muttering incoherently, repeating Hannah and Beth's names over and over. Alex realized the medication for depression Josh should have been taking only made the hallucinations worse. But he said nothing aloud—how could he explain that he was hearing a voice through the stone walls?
Wading through the freezing pool, Alex discreetly scanned the shadows, hoping to catch sight of Hannah. With Samantha perched on his shoulders, he couldn't turn his head much, and he didn't want to draw suspicion. Still, his instincts told him Hannah was close, watching them.
They climbed out onto a ledge. Alex helped Samantha up first, then Mike. The only path ahead led to an old, rusted iron door.
"Alex, are you okay? Not frozen?" Samantha asked, glancing at his soaked clothes.
"I'm fine. Once you get used to it, the water isn't that cold," he replied calmly.
"I'm alive too, Sam, thanks for asking," Mike added, shining his flashlight at her.
Samantha gave an awkward smile, and Alex only shook his head. He could still hear Josh's voice behind the door—and felt relieved at least that he was alive.
The rusty latch seemed fused to the metal, but Alex, careful not to reveal his strength, gave it a tug and swung the door open. The screech of rusted hinges echoed through the cave, and at once, a rush of freezing water burst through, flooding their legs. With it floated the half-gnawed head of a bear.
Samantha and Mike recoiled in horror, but after a moment they realized it was only an animal.
"Shit. Just a bear's head… my heart nearly stopped," Mike exhaled, bracing himself on his knees.
"'Just' a bear's head?" Samantha let out a bitter laugh. "And whoever dragged it here might still be nearby."
"There are no Wendigos around. Peach is quiet," Alex noted calmly, nodding at the wolverine on Samantha's shoulder.
They exchanged glances and agreed: if no Wendigos were near, their chances improved. Otherwise, escaping back through the frozen pool would be almost impossible.
Alex peered into the darkness. While Mike and Samantha were distracted, he spotted movement in the water. Just below the surface lurked the face of a Wendigo, like a predator waiting to strike. Alex narrowed his eyes and recognized her—Hannah. The butterfly tattoo was still faintly visible on her shoulder.
But what he saw beneath the monster's shell made him smile: Hannah's soul had only been partially consumed by the curse. That meant she could still be saved.
Sensing his gaze, Hannah dove back into the depths.
"Am I the only one hearing that?" Mike asked warily.
"No, me too…" Samantha replied, straining to listen. "It sounds like a man's voice. Very… very much like Josh's."
"It is him," Alex said firmly. "We're close to the lair. From here on, we move fast and careful."
Samantha and Mike agreed with Alex: caution was crucial. No one knew how many Wendigos might be lurking inside. They remembered Alex's warning—Wendigos dragged a victim into their den, starved them, and then fed them human flesh, turning them into one of their own.
Alex was the first to step into the cave, carefully scanning his surroundings. The first thing that struck him was the countless bones scattered everywhere. Old, bleached with time. Among them lay a mix of animal and human remains.
Seeing the horrific sight, Samantha covered her mouth with her hand and pressed herself against Alex, seeking protection at his side. Mike, his face grim, held up the flashlight, illuminating the dark chamber where bones littered the ground.
Even Alex hadn't expected this. He thought there would be fewer human remains in the Wendigo's lair. But the reality was far worse. It only confirmed that far more people had died on Blackwood Mountain than in the timeline he knew.
Alex gently took Samantha by the hand and led her forward, making sure she stepped only where he did. With each step, bones crunched and snapped underfoot, the sickening sound echoing off the stone walls and amplifying the eerie atmosphere. Yet through the brittle cracking of bones, Josh's familiar voice grew clearer.
"Wait… I think I saw something. Look," Mike whispered, pointing his flashlight through some wooden beams into another part of the cave.
Alex and Samantha followed his gaze and saw Josh. He stood in a wide section of the mine, muttering to himself, repeating over and over that he wouldn't listen to anyone anymore.
Alex didn't have to guess: in his hallucinations, Josh was seeing Hannah and Beth—his dead sisters, accusing him of their deaths. The darkness of the cave only fed his delusions, pushing him closer to the brink of madness.
Alex pitied him deeply. The guy was already in a terrible state, and the antidepressants prescribed by Dr. Hill had only worsened his condition. Samantha's face showed compassion; she knew about Josh's diagnosis and understood what he was going through. But what weighed on her most was the tragedy with Hannah and Beth.
Mike, too, looked at Josh with sorrow. Once, he had blamed him for Jessica's death, but after learning the truth, he regretted it. He still felt guilty for leaving Josh alone in the shed, where the Wendigo had taken him.
Deciding not to waste time, they began cautiously moving closer.
"Hey, Josh… Josh, buddy. Can you hear me?" Mike called carefully.
"No, no, no, no… It's not my fault. It's not my fault, I didn't do it…" Josh muttered, as if unaware of their presence.
"Josh, snap out of it. It's us, your friends. Come with us. There's nothing for you here," Samantha said gently, trying not to startle him.
"No! I'm not going with you! I won't listen to you anymore! You're not real! Stop coming to me!" Josh screamed, backing away, clutching his head in both hands.
He looked at Mike and Samantha as if they were monsters. And in his eyes, that's exactly what they were—the figures of his dead sisters, reaching for him and blaming him for their deaths.
Samantha and Mike tried to step closer, but Josh only retreated further. With a heavy sigh, Alex suddenly lunged forward. He grabbed Josh's arm and forced him to the ground, holding him down.
"No! Get away! It's not my fault! You're dead! Stop it!" Josh cried, thrashing and struggling.
"That's enough, Josh. Stop. You're not alone. Calm down. Close your eyes and breathe. I'm here. Just breathe," Alex said firmly, covering Josh's eyes with his hand.
Samantha and Mike started to move in, but Alex raised his hand, signaling clearly: don't interfere. Josh kept squirming, but Alex spoke to him softly, instilling calm, while at the same time discreetly casting a pacification spell. His palm glowed faintly, but since he was sitting on top of Josh, Samantha and Mike didn't notice.
Gradually, Josh began to quiet down. His breathing evened out, and his body went limp. Alex lifted his hand from his eyes and stood up.
Josh blinked, looking around in confusion.
"You… you're that private detective Sammy mentioned. Alex, right?" he said, frowning.
"That's right, Josh. What's the last thing you remember?" Alex asked, helping him to his feet.
"I remember my friends arriving… Sammy was mad that I didn't turn on the boiler… and then nothing. Why are you asking? And where are we?" Josh muttered, looking at him bewildered.
"You don't remember anything? Not your stupid pranks, not how you faked your death? Not how you tied Chris and Ashley to a chair?!" Mike snapped, grabbing him by the collar.
"No… it's all a blur. What happened to you? Why do you look like this? And why are we in a cave?" Josh asked, not understanding why Mike was angry.
"Mike, stop. Josh doesn't remember anything," Alex interrupted. "Josh… we found traces…"
At that moment, someone's hand suddenly covered Samantha's mouth.
Hearing that Samantha was about to speak, Alex reacted instantly — he covered her mouth with his hand. Josh stared at her in confusion, clearly trying to understand what she wanted to say. Mike also realized what was happening and mentally agreed with Alex's decision — Samantha could not be allowed to speak.
Alex acted quickly: he didn't just stop Samantha, but also gently suppressed Josh's mind, causing him to momentarily lose memory of his actions and intentions. Samantha looked up at Alex with a silent question, not understanding why he had stopped her. Alex just shook his head, signaling that it wasn't the right time to reveal what they had learned about Hannah and Beth. All she could do was nod and swallow the words she hadn't spoken.
"What were you going to say, Sammy? What traces did you find? And explain already how we ended up in this cave and why you all look like this?" Josh asked, confused.
"Well," Alex quickly improvised on the spot, "I came across some strange tracks in the forest and decided to tell Samantha about them. Then, when I went to your house, one of the creatures knocked you out and dragged you here. Chris tried to help but got injured in the leg. We had to go through the old sanatorium, which was full of those creatures. Eventually, we tracked you and found you in this cave."
"Are you serious? Is this some kind of joke? If it is, it's a terrible one! Why did you even bring me here?" Josh snapped, not believing Alex's words.
"Josh, he's not lying," Mike intervened. "There are Wendigo living in this forest. One of them kidnapped Jess… I saw her body. It's all real."
"Damn… damn, damn!" Josh muttered, visibly paling. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible before those things come back."
"We would have left long ago if it weren't for one thing," Mike said grimly. "We don't have the funicular keys."
"Josh, the keys are with you, right? You took them from Mike," Samantha asked hopefully.
"Yeah… I think so…" He hurriedly searched his pockets and pulled out the keyring. "Here they are."
"Good," Alex immediately took the keys. "Then let's go. We'll return to the basement, and from there we'll move on."
"Josh, are you sure you can walk?" Samantha asked, looking at him closely.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I can manage," he nodded quickly.
"Great. Let's go, you crazy psycho," Mike said, patting him on the shoulder.
Josh only became more confused by his words. Everything he had heard didn't make sense to him. Memory gaps tormented him: he only remembered turning on the boiler with Samantha and then going upstairs… After that, nothing. Everything else seemed to have been cut out.
Samantha watched him anxiously, then glanced at Alex as if demanding an explanation. He just shrugged — the only thing one could assume was a brief case of stress-induced amnesia.
They moved on. Returning to the cold pool, Alex suddenly stopped and lowered himself to the edge of the ledge.
"Don't move," he said firmly.
"What's wrong?" Mike tensed, gripping his shotgun. "Wendigo nearby?"
"Maybe it's the one that dragged me here?" Josh asked nervously.
"Shh…" Samantha whispered, pressing a finger to her lips.
Josh immediately covered his mouth with his hands, afraid to make a sound. All three froze as Alex squinted, studying the water. Beneath the surface, hiding in the depths, a Wendigo was watching them. It was Hannah.
Alex slowly removed the rope he had taken from the Blackwood sanatorium and fashioned an improvised lasso. His movements were deliberate so as not to scare the creature. Samantha, Mike, and Josh watched in disbelief, unable to believe he intended to catch the Wendigo with his bare hands.
Tying a hook to the end of the rope for weight, Alex swung it and threw it into the water. The lasso sank beneath the surface with a splash, and a second later he yanked the rope sharply. The loop wrapped around the creature's body.
The Wendigo surged from the water, thrashing and roaring. Josh recoiled in horror and fell to the ground. Alex, however, pulled the rope with all his strength, not letting the creature break free. After several seconds of struggle, he dragged the Wendigo onto the shore and quickly tied it up.
"Hold her!" he commanded. "It's Hannah."
"Hannah?.. That can't be… Alex, what's happening?" Samantha whispered, terrified.
"Questions later!" Alex barked. "Mike! Josh! Damn it, hold her! Otherwise, Hannah's already lost!"
Josh couldn't believe his eyes. The writhing creature in their hands couldn't be his sister. Hannah had disappeared a year ago — she certainly couldn't have turned into this monster. But the more Alex shouted, forcing them to hold the Wendigo, the less room there was for doubt. Finally, obeying his commands, Mike and Josh grabbed the monster by its limbs, while Samantha pressed down from above, pinning it to the ground.
At that moment, her gaze fell on the creature's shoulder. Through the gray, cracked skin, a butterfly tattoo was visible. Samantha froze, then whispered in a frightened voice:
"This tattoo… Hannah had exactly the same one… It's… it's Hannah… Oh God, it can't be…"
"Hold on tight!" Alex yelled, gripping the Wendigo's head. "The hardest part is about to begin. She'll try to break free."
"What are you planning?" Mike asked hoarsely, struggling to hold the creature's legs.
"Isn't it obvious?" Alex said coldly. "I'm going to save her. I need to rip the curse out from inside. Whether she comes back depends entirely on luck."
"And if she doesn't? What happens to my sister then?" Josh asked, his voice trembling.
"Two outcomes," Alex replied. "Either she returns to her human form, or she disappears. Either way, it frees her."
"Alex, hurry! I can't hold her any longer!" Mike shouted, struggling to restrain the Wendigo, which thrashed violently on the ground.
Alex nodded shortly.
"Alright. Get ready. I'm starting."
He closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice:
"Misereátur tui omnípotens Deus, et dimíssis peccátis tuis, perdúcat te ad vitam ætérnam. Amen."
To Samantha, Mike, and Josh, it sounded like incoherent Latin mumbling, but the prayer was only a cover. The real work was deeper. Alex separated the Wendigo's darkness from Hannah's soul, extracting the curse from her essence. At the same time, he touched her memories — and realized she remembered everything: every moment of fear, every step through the dark tunnels, and how, to survive, she had eaten Beth's body.
Alex sighed heavily. He couldn't allow Hannah to wake up with that burden. To protect her mind, he erased the most horrifying memories — leaving emptiness in place of nightmares.
At that moment, the Wendigo roared and thrashed with doubled force. Samantha, Mike, and Josh barely held it, listening to Alex's Latin mumbling. Then suddenly, the monster froze, as if drained of strength. Its body began crumbling to ash, starting from the legs, and through the decaying shell, a human silhouette emerged.
Alex stepped back, lighting a cigarette, and leaned his head back, letting the smoke drift into the darkness of the mine. The others released the creature's limbs and stared in shock at the miracle. Within moments, Hannah lay on the cold stone floor.
She looked thin, pale, with dark chestnut hair falling to her shoulders. Her clothes were torn, her skin deathly white, but she was no longer a monster. She was Hannah again, just as they remembered her a year ago.
Samantha crouched beside her, trembling as she touched her nose with a shaky hand. She felt a faint but steady breath.
"She's alive…" Samantha whispered, unable to believe her eyes. "She's really alive…"
"I told you," Alex replied calmly, exhaling a stream of smoke. "She was a Wendigo only for a short time. She could be saved."
"But… how did you do it?" Mike breathed out. "You said yourself you weren't sure it was possible to lift the Wendigo curse."
Alex smirked and shrugged.
"Wendigo is the embodiment of hunger. I decided that a prayer for forgiveness would work. And I wasn't wrong. But instead of asking me, rejoice: Hannah is back. That alone is a miracle."
Mike nodded, speechless. He was ready to accept it as divine intervention. Josh stood frozen, unsure if it was a dream or reality. He crouched beside his sister and reached out. His trembling fingers brushed her cheek, feeling faint but real warmth.
Alex broke the silence:
"I don't want to sound cold, but you'll celebrate later. We need to leave before the other Wendigos come back. Mike, you'll carry Hannah. Josh can barely stand on his own."
"Alright," Mike nodded. He understood it was his duty.
"But…" Josh began, unwilling to give his sister into someone else's hands.
"No 'buts'," Alex cut him off harshly. "You can't carry her. And we may have to run. So you have no choice."
He lifted Hannah from the cold floor and began tying her to Mike's back with rope so she wouldn't slip.
Josh wanted to protest, but Alex didn't even glance at him. Instead, he helped Mike carefully place Hannah on his back and quickly wrapped the rope, securing her in place. Mike checked the knots and nodded to Alex, who simply patted Josh on the shoulder — now was not the time for scenes.
Then Alex gently shook Samantha by the shoulder, helping her regain composure. She took a deep breath, her eyes reflecting both horror and a strange admiration for Alex — what he had done could only be called a miracle.
When everyone was ready, Alex was the first to jump into the icy water. He allowed Samantha to settle on his shoulders and then helped Mike descend — he was barely able to support Hannah on his back. Josh came down last, his gaze fixed on Hannah's lifelessly tied form the entire time.
They followed the same path they had taken to get here. Alex moved ahead — if a Wendigo decided to appear, he would meet it first. He couldn't shake the thought that Hannah's screams in her monstrous form might have attracted the others.
Reaching the ledge, Alex helped Samantha climb up, then pulled himself up. He and Samantha helped Mike with Hannah, and Josh climbed up last. All that remained was to return to the house, where Emily, Ashley, and the wounded Chris and old man Jack were waiting. Alex led the way again, clearing the path. Peach confidently guided the group through the maze of tunnels, but the tension in the air only grew.
Alex stopped, listening intently to the echoes. Even Peach froze, ears pressed back.
"Wendigo?" Samantha whispered, noticing Alex tense.
"No, it sounds more like…" he began, but was interrupted.
A piercing female scream rang out through the tunnel, echoing wildly.
"Jess!" Mike exclaimed, instantly recognizing the voice.
Another scream followed, bouncing off dozens of walls. Alex didn't hesitate for a second — he darted toward the source of the sound. The others sprinted after him.
At a fork, Alex paused to listen again. The new scream clearly came from the left tunnel. Wasting no time, he turned in that direction. Samantha, Mike, and Josh hurried after him, trying not to fall behind.
The farther Alex ran, the louder the screams grew. Finally, he burst into a wide passage and saw Jessica and Matt. They were huddled inside a metal cage — once used by miners to store tools, now serving as their shelter. But it was no salvation: Wendigos swarmed the cage, stretching their bony hands toward the teenagers.
Without hesitation, Alex charged forward. With a powerful kick, he knocked down the first creature, then grabbed it by the head and smashed the back of its skull into the stone wall. A sickening crunch sounded as the Wendigo's head exploded, sending a crack across the stone.
The other monsters turned on him with a roar. Alex grabbed his axe, ready for the attack. The first Wendigo lunged at him, but the heavy blade sank into its head and stuck. At the same moment, the handle let out a pitiful snap and broke, leaving Alex with only a sharp wooden fragment. The blade remained embedded in the monster's skull as it writhed on the floor in convulsions.
Alex twisted into a predatory grin, gripping the sharp fragment.
"Tough luck… for you," he hissed, catching the next Wendigo that leapt straight at him.
Another Wendigo, having avoided the first strike, lunged at Alex. He stepped back, pressing his back against the cold stone wall. In his hand was only a fragment of his axe — a sharp piece of the haft. Alex swung it sharply, driving it into the rock. The wood wedged into a crack, the tip sticking out like a bait for fate.
The Wendigo jumped again in the next moment. Alex caught it midair by the head. With a spin, he slammed the monster's skull into the wall — right where the wooden fragment protruded. The wood drove into the back of its head, and the creature's body convulsed violently.
But another monster — the one with the axe tip still lodged in its head — was regaining consciousness. Alex didn't give it a chance. He lunged forward, knocked the Wendigo off its feet, and pinned it from above. His fists pounded the distorted face of the creature with such force that each hit sounded like breaking bones. Seconds later, the monster's head was nothing but a bloody mash of bones, flesh, and rotten brain matter.
Jessica and Matt watched in shock. The darkness made it hard to make out exactly what was happening. All they could see was a swift shadow crashing into the Wendigo, and all they could hear were the horrific sounds of the fight: cracking bones, tearing flesh, muffled thuds.
Suddenly — hurried footsteps. A flashlight beam flickered in the dark. Samantha, Mike, and Josh appeared, running toward them.
"Jess!" Mike shouted, speeding up to reach his girlfriend.
"Mike! Help! We're trapped!" Jessica's voice broke, filled with desperate relief.
Mike dashed to the cage, helping to free Jessica and Matt. Meanwhile, Samantha approached Alex. He was already standing off to the side, smoking a cigarette, as if the entire slaughter was just another ordinary day for him. Her eyes scanned the scene: one Wendigo lay in a pool of blood with its skull crushed, another was pinned to the wall, impaled on the wooden fragment, and the third sprawled at Alex's feet, disfigured by his blows.
Jessica, meanwhile, ran to Mike in tears, wrapping her arms around him, trembling all over. But her relief quickly turned to shock as she saw Hannah tightly strapped to his back. Hannah — the one everyone thought was dead. Panic and disbelief reflected in her eyes: the living Hannah, returned from a nightmare, as if from the very depths of hell.
Alex drew deeply on his cigarette and exhaled heavily. His gaze swept across the group — everyone was alive. Even Hannah, restored to her human form with his help. For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself a small breath of relief. His work here had been flawless: he had saved everyone and even brought back the one who seemed lost forever.
To be continued...
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