Branches whipped at their faces as they tore downhill, every breath a ragged burn in their lungs. The woods seemed to close in tighter with every step, shadows stretching long and hungry. Somewhere behind them, the Wendigos had given chase — their guttural shrieks carried through the hill, sharp and inhuman, making the ground itself feel alive with dread.
They weren't close enough to strike, not yet, but close enough that every snapping branch and every pounding footstep behind them screamed of death gaining ground.
Leo stumbled over a root, Mason caught him by the arm without slowing, yanking him forward. Ivy's face was pale, hair plastered to her temples with sweat, but her eyes burned with raw determination. Vera's camera swung wildly at her side, every so often catching a glint of pale flesh darting between trees.
The road was just ahead — faint headlights bleeding through the branches like a lifeline.
Still, the Wendigos were closing the distance.
The mountain dropped away beneath their feet, the slope steep and treacherous. Snow slid in sheets where their boots tore through it, sending powder spraying into the freezing air. They weren't running so much as half-falling, momentum dragging them faster with every step.
Behind, the Wendigos shrieked. Their cries were carried on the wind, sharp and guttural, echoing across the bare white expanse. Pale shapes pursued in loping strides, arms and claws gouging into the snow for grip as they closed the distance.
Leo risked a glance over his shoulder. His chest clenched. The creatures weren't slowing — they were gaining. One bounded low, its limbs flailing like a spider on the hunt, throwing up drifts of snow with each landing.
"Keep going!" Mason roared, his voice hoarse, boots slipping but never stopping.
The slope offered no cover, no trees to weave between, only endless white rolling down into blackness. The Wendigos thrived on it — one sprang forward, landing with a crunch so close behind that icy powder sprayed up into Vera's face. She gasped, wiping it away as she stumbled forward.
"They're right on us!" Ivy's shout cracked into the night.
Another scream — this one almost human — split the air as a creature lunged, claws grazing so near that Leo felt the cold sting of snow spray against his neck. His legs burned, but adrenaline drove him on, feet pounding, slipping, catching.
The slope stretched endlessly, every step a fight not to tumble headlong. The howls behind them only grew louder, closer, more frantic.
And then — a break in the white below. A long, dark ribbon cutting across the mountain base. A road.
And there — headlights. Faint at first, then brighter, swaying closer through the dark.
But the creatures weren't stopping. They were closing in, fast.
At last, the steep slope of the mountain began to level, the endless white snow stretching out into a gentle incline. A thin ribbon of black appeared in the distance—a road, flanked on both sides by dense lines of trees that stretched like silent sentinels. Relief flickered across their frozen faces, but the forest still held dangers, and the Wendigos were close behind, their pale forms just visible among the shadows.
The group plunged into the trees lining the road, moving as quickly as their legs could carry them, snow spraying with every desperate step. Branches scraped against coats, and the crunch of boots was the only sound breaking the cold stillness. Finally, they burst from the treeline onto the asphalt itself.
A car sat ahead, its headlights cutting through the fading gray of the mountain evening. Three teenagers scrambled around it, laughing nervously and fumbling with the doors, unaware of the peril approaching.
"Get in! Drive!" Ivy shouted, her voice sharp and urgent. The teens froze, eyes wide at the strangers forcing their way into the vehicle.
Mason and Leo squeezed into the backseat first next to one of the teenagers, boots scraping against frozen metal as they slid in. Vera practically collided with the seat, and Ivy, with no other choice, pressed herself tightly beside her, knees and shoulders almost impossibly crammed into the small space. The four of them barely fit, bodies pressed against each other, breaths heavy in the confined space.
The teens fumbled with the keys, panic spreading across their faces, hands trembling. "Just drive!" Ivy yelled again, slamming the dashboard. Tires spun against icy asphalt before the engine roared to life, and the car lurched forward, carrying the group onto the narrow road.
Behind them, the Wendigos emerged from the trees, pale shapes bounding over snowbanks, claws scraping against the edges of the road. The group clung to each other and to anything solid, hearts hammering as the car sped along, the creatures chasing them relentlessly.
The car jolted over a patch of ice, sending snow spraying along the edges of the road. The teens' hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, eyes darting between the road ahead and the pressed-together passengers.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of the teens shouted, panic and confusion tangled in their voice.
Ivy didn't even glance at them, her voice cold and commanding. "Does it matter? Just drive. Fast."
Leo leaned forward slightly, pressing his hands against the back of the front seats. His breath came in ragged puffs. "No time for introductions! If you don't get us out of here, they're going to catch us!"
The teen driver swallowed, nodding shakily, and slammed the accelerator down. The car skidded slightly on the icy road, but it gained speed. Outside, the pale shapes of the Wendigos grew closer, their claws scraping and bodies lunging with unnatural speed.
Mason's jaw tightened as he glanced back. "Hold on. They're gaining!"
The tension inside the car was suffocating—cramped bodies, racing hearts, and the relentless chase behind them, the snow-strewn mountain echoing with the Wendigos' pursuit.
Leo leaned closer to the teens, his voice urgent but controlled. "Listen, we're not here to hurt you. We just need your help—get us to the nearest car station. That's it."
The teen in the passenger seat swallowed hard, glancing at the road and then at the snow behind them, where shadows moved too fast and too eerily to be natural. "Are… are those things chasing you?"
Ivy didn't bother answering. "Yes. Just drive. Don't stop. Don't ask questions."
The driver's hands trembled, but he nodded. "Okay… okay, just… tell me where!"
Leo exhaled sharply, pressing back into his seat. "Just keep going straight. Any station, any road out of here. Please, just get us out of this mountain."
Mason glanced back at the approaching shapes, jaw tight, and muttered under his breath, "They're faster than we thought…"
Slowly, as the car gained distance, the Wendigos began to peel away from the snowy road. Their limbs scraped against the snow as they crawled back into the trees, disappearing into the white-blanketed forest. As if some invisible boundary kept them from straying farther down the mountain. A tense silence hung in the car as the group realized the immediate danger had passed, but every crunch of the tires kept their nerves taut.
_ _ _
Soon, they arrived at a small car station, hearts finally beginning to steady after the relentless chase. One by one, they tumbled out of the cramped car, snow crunching beneath their boots. Leo turned to the teens, his voice tight with gratitude. "Thank you… for everything."
The teens nodded, still shaken, and watched as the group disappeared into the warm glow of the station's store. Inside the station's store, the group approached the clerk. "Can we… use your phone?" Mason asked, voice still strained. The clerk nodded, and each of them quickly contacted someone they trusted to come pick them up. The hum of fluorescent lights and the faint scent of coffee offered a small comfort after the biting cold and terror outside.
They exchanged silent glances, a wordless acknowledgment of everything they had endured together. No one spoke of what had happened; words could never capture the horror, and they knew no one would believe them anyway. Wounded, broken, haunted by what they could never understand, yet alive, each stepped back into their lives, carrying the memories like scars that would never fully fade.