As the Clouds Roll In

“Argh!” Chris screamed out in pain as he hopped on one foot out of the water and lowered himself onto the smooth pebbles that lined the stream bank. Abby ran over to him as he held his bloody foot. She touched the small cut and Chris let out a wail.

“Ow! Fuck! I think there's something stuck in there! Abby pull it out please! It burns!”

Abby panicked for just a moment, then she threw down her pack, and the half-open pouch then pulled out a pair of fresh socks. She cleaned her hands with some hand sanitizer then instructed her fiance to flex his foot. When he complied, she wiped away the fresh blood and could see the tip of something white just barely poking out of the skin. She put the other sock in Chris's mouth.

Abby looked into Chris's eyes and whispered to him, “This is gonna hurt a lot. I can barely see it and I am sure I will have to dig it out a bit.”

Chris's eyes widened and he rapidly shook his head yes. With a series of quick breaths, Chris gave the thumbs up and Abby dug her index finger into the wound before wrapping her finger around something hard. As she pulled it out, Chris's eyes watered and he let out a muffled scream, but it was Abby who turned white as a ghost as she looked at what she found.  

Chris shot her a confused look as she handed him the bloody quarter-sized object. The small, sharp, and white bones were bound together with a piece of tree bark to form what looked like a children's jack. He winced when Abby tightly tied the sock around his wound and sent the little spike flying.

Just then, the hair on the back of Chris's neck stood up. And yet again it was as if all nature suddenly ceased to exist and all that could be heard was the trickling of water.  

Chris hopped up and forced his foot back into his boot. It hurt but it was better than walking barefoot. Abby put his arm around her shoulders and helped him hobble his way to the other side of the stream. This greatly confused Chris, but there was no time to protest. 

Feet sopping wet, Abby continued dragging Chris along until they reached the wooded area on the opposite side of where they felt the presence. There was a slight hill hidden in fallen leaves, first Abby lost her footing and the next thing they knew the pair had tumbled down onto another trail. 

Chris looked at Abby with questions burning in his mind. He had never seen her scared like this. He furrowed his brows before Abby started talking.

“We should be safe for now, it can't cross running water.” 

Chris had  it with all these mysterious words and behaviors from his girl. He grabbed both her shoulder's and gave her a little shake. “Tell me wtf is going on and how you know that! Please Abby. I am so, so confused right now.”

Abby appeared to be looking straight through him. “Witikow,” she mumbled.

“Witi-what? English please babe.”

“Witikow. In English, people call it the Wendigo. The Cree believe it used to be a greedy hunter who stayed out on a trip far too long and during the harsh snow and freezing wind resorted to eating human flesh when hid supplies dwindled.  Witikow is said to gain powers from each person that it eats. That trap you stepped on was probably…”

Abby was interrupted by a loud snapping sounds as if a tree was falling. Seconds later a loud impact could be heard before branches right in front of them were crushed by a rolling tree. The two dived out of the way just in time to avoid the crushing roll of the tree.

Abby scrambled to her feet and put Chris's arm over her shoulder. “We have to hide. It's mad. It's throwing those trees at us so it can slow us down long enough for it to cross a dry spot in the river bed.”

“Abby, that's impossible, no one can really pick up a tree and throw it like that.” Just then another tree went rolling down the same way. Chris pressed his lips together in disbelief as rain drops began hitting his sweaty brow. The two hurried along the trail for what felt like hours. Soaking wet from the rain, they finally stopped at a small stone overhang.

The two stripped off their clothes in silence and Chris pulled out their small camping stove and started boiling some water. Lastly he carefully took off his boots to find black liquid leaking out of his wound. Abby's eyes got big.

“You've been marked babe. That means the Witikow will be hunting you as his next victim.’

“How do you know so much about this?”

Abby paused, “Promise you won't laugh?”

Chris shook his head.

“When I lived on the reservation Nohkom (grandma), told me stories about Witikow. She had a huge scar across her face that she claimed was from that. Her and one of her siblings were playing in the woods when they got lost and suddenly felt like they were being watched. Everyone in the Rez knows that if you are in the woods and you hear someone call your name or call for help you are not supposed to look back to try and find where the voice came from, but her little brother did just that. A creature wearing a deer skull as a mask crept out of the shadows and slashed her across the face before her father who had been looking for the two shot it in the chest with his shotgun. The thing didn't die but ran off into the woods. I always thought she was making it all up, but maybe it was all true.”

Chris wasn't sure what to believe but he had just witnessed something he thought was impossible so he stayed quiet. “Its ok Abby. Let’s eat something then maybe you can rinse out my cut?” 

Abby smiled, “Sure.”

She opened up the pack she had found and took out the small leather bound journal. When opened, the name of the owner was scribbled in the corner of the page, “Property of John S., 2025”.

She scrolled through the pages that were all dated entries from the beginning of the year that talked about mundane things like what the person did that day or what they ate. She flipped about halfway through the book when she finally reached a date that was about two weeks before the current date.

October 3rd 2025:

I'm super lost. I have literally no idea where I am, but i've decided to continue to travel East. I hear there is a reservation some 20 miles from the start of the trail. Maybe if I make my way there someone will see me and help me out. I heard someone crying and screaming for help off the trail, but when I went to investigate I couldn't find anyone and lost sight of the trail. 

I'm feeling really creeped out right now and don't want to set up camp, but it started to rain and I don't want to get soaked and freeze. I can feel something watching me, and I can tell that it isn't friendly. Thankfully I have my shotgun with me, otherwise I'm pretty sure that whatever it is would have already attacked me. After I started my fire I think the thing ran off. I don't feel that sense of danger anymore but maybe I'm just too exhausted to feel scared. I think I'm going to try and go to sleep now.

On the next page

October 4th 2025:

It came back. Whatever it was is following me again. I haven't seen it yet but I have feel its eyes boring into my skin. I think it's getting bolder, coming closer to me when my back is turned. I'm having some bad luck today. Some psycho put traps in the forest. When I stepped on a fallen branch, some kind of spike tied to a branch released and dug pretty deep into my calf. It looks like some kind of bone tool.  It doesn't hurt too bad now, but it's definitely slowing me down. I need to hurry and get out of here before things get out of hand. 

It's nighttime now. I think I made some decent distance today, but that really doesn't matter all that much to me right now. I saw it! The thing that's been stalking me! It's some kind of freak who was wearing a deer skull as a mask. I can see its eyes glowing while it's looking at me in the dark. I gotta keep this fire going or it’s going to get me.  

October 5th, 2025:

I couldn't sleep at all last night. Not with that thing right there watching me. I'm tired, but I'll live. I just hope the town is closeby. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up though because I think my leg is infected. It keeps leaking out something foul….

Abby was interrupted by the loud whistle of the tea kettle. She better eat and drink while she has the chance. Chris poured water into their cup noodles, and some into cups for tea. The two sat in silence, stressed and overwhelmed by their situation, as they waited for their meal to warm.