FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The big campfire was burning bright as they sat in the logs surrounding the fire. She was an old native woman. The years had not been kind to her, but that seemed to be the case for most natives. Her face was furrowed all over, but her eyes still shone bright. She took out a small pipe and started to stuff it with some sort of dried weed.

“You should not…”

Said the equally old looking male sitting next to her. She looked at him and continued to stuff her pipe.

“You may be the sheriff, but you do know that in the tribe I am way above you. So let an old girl have her pipe.”

She hissed at him before taking a small branch from the fire to light her pipe. She took a few deliberate puffs before blowing a big plume of smoke into the night sky. He looked at her in disbelief and shook his head.

“So she is back… again?”

He asked, watching the smoke mingle with the smoke of the big fire. The old woman nodded.

“I am certain. When a soul gets completely corrupted by rage and vengeance, it gets trapped between the worlds and slowly changes to become a Wendigo. Consumed by its rage and its drive for vengeance, the Wendigo will only ever find peace after its rage is satiated.”

She explained and took another puff from her pipe.

“But she was killed 250 years ago and swore never to rest, until all white men are driven off this continent. She's never gonna rest.”

He stated in a soft tone and she looked at him, sighing deeply.

“It looks alot like it. The pattern looks like hers.”

She answered with a slight nod. Now he sighed and kneaded the bridge of his nose.

“I thought we had banished her for good the last time.”

The old woman shook her head and looked into the flames.

“We are lucky that she only comes out on really hot summer nights…”

It was one of these hot and stuffy summer nights, when you wanted to lose everything you wore, even your skin, when it only helped to cool you down. The Sun had burned down the whole day and now the badly insulated hut they were in was more of an oven than a sleeping quarter. They would have opened the window, but that had simply invited the mosquitoes in and would have done nothing else to ease their situation. And so the air got stuffier by the minute.

She lay in her bunkbed, sweating profusely. She was wearing short pyjamas that were drenched in her sweat already and clung to her slender body like a second skin. She would have loved to take them off, but since she was in summer camp, sleeping naked with 14 other girls in one room, even if enticing, was just not an option.

She had gotten rid of her blanked and lay spread-eagle on the mattress marinating in her own sweat. There had been ceiling fans at one point in time, but they had been defective for so long, someone had taken them off. But those would have done nothing but to stir the soup.

How can those girls sleep in those conditions?

She thought as she could hear them breathing slow and quiet. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down in the hope of catching some Z’s herself. She breathed slow and deep, as she had done time and again to ease herself into sleep. It was not that she wasn’t tired. They had had camp Olympiade that day. Had been running, jumping and swimming all day in the burning mid-summer sun, and now she was beaten and dead tired.

She opened her eyes again and took another deep breath. There was no way she would be sleeping here and now. The bed was drenched, she was drenched, it was uncomfortable and the air was all too stuffy. She would rather risk being eaten alive by mosquitoes than suffocate in here.

Imagine the headlines: Girl drowned in her own sweat…

Only her restraint prevented her from laughing out cynically. She sat up and looked around in the big, dark room. The others were fast asleep and she seemed to be the only one awake. She sighed softly, grabbed her pillow and scooted to the ladder, slowly climbing down from her bunkbed.

When she was down on the floor she took another look around, but she was certain that the others were still deep in their dreams. It was not too far to the door that led to the corridor, but she knew some of the floorboards were a bit creaky. Careful not to wake any of the girls she crept out of the room. When she gently pulled the door shut and looked down the corridor it was all quiet and dark. None of the staff were still awake, and everyone else seemed to be in Slumberland as well. She looked around and breathed deeply before sneaking towards the front door.

As she crept along the hallway she came across the door to the girls bathroom. It was slightly ajar and the moonlight seeped throught the crack. She stoped and listened. Was someone else awake too? Did she overlooked any of the girls? But there was still complete and utter silence surrounding her. After a short while she stepped up to the door and carefuuly pushed the door open. The bathroom lay in silence and the cold blue-ish light reflected of the white tiles. She stepped in and carefully closed the door behind her. Looking at the washingtables she slowly padded over, the sound of her steps echoing of the walls.

She looked into one of the mirrors above the bassin and looked into her tired face. She was drenched in her own sweat. Her shoulderlong dark brown hair stuck mostly to her head and neck, and what did not stuck to her stood awkwardly off her head. Her skin, normally quite tan, looked sickly pale in the moonlid reflection, and the cold sheen of her sweat did not help either. She looked down at her chest and body. Her thin white shirt clung semitransparent to her petite physique and left little to the imagination and her shorts, usually cut wide for extra comfort stuck equally wet to her hips and bottom.

She turned a bit in front of the mirror and judged herself. She was well build, perhaps a bit on the slender side and would have loved to have a bit more to her bosom. But all in all she was happy with her body.

Well could have taken them off too, would not have made that much a difference... I look as if I have just won a wet T-shirt contest...

She thought before tugging at her shirt to pull it away from her chest. She combed throught her hair in an attempt to get it back in order before turning to the showers.

A shower would be nice now...

She thought, but discarded that notion again immediately, as it would wake up the staff and it would mean a lot of trouble. Slightly dissatisfied she turned back to the door to resume her initial plan of sneaking outside and finding a place for the night there. Carefully she opened the door, making sure to make no sound, and stepped back out into the corridor. She looked towards the messhall and the front door.

Still there was no one in sight and everything remained silent. On silent toes she continued to sneaked along the hallway towards the door.

There is a big recliner at that old shack… there should at least be better air out there… I just need to be back before the others wake up…

She thought to herself as she passed through the messhall. That would be the smallest problem, she had always been an early bird. As she reached for the door handle she looked around once more. Everything was quiet, not one soul there to see her. She opened the door and stepped outside. Standing on the porch of the main building she took a deep breath. The air outside was considerably cooler than inside, but still pretty stuffy.

After taking a look over the campgrounds in front of her, she carefully pulled the door shut behind her and took off towards that old, abandoned shack. It wasn’t far away, just on the other side of the campgrounds. The ground was still pretty hot and she had no shoes. She ran over to the disheveled hut and found the object of her desire.

Someone had at some point used some of the wood from the shack to build a pretty big recliner and left it on the porch of the shack. It wasn’t exactly comfy, as they all had sat on it at one point or another, and had found it to be just too big for a normal person. But sleeping on it for one night would be feasible, at least that was what she thought.

She climbed on it and reclined the backrest as far as it went and placed her pillow on it before laying down.

“Fuck that pillow is completely soaked…”

She swore silently and turned it around once, in the hope that the other side may be at least somewhat dryer. She had no luck. Grumbling, she lay her head on the damp pillow and breathed deeply. At least the air was cooler and not that stuffy out here.

She lay on the chair and looked up into the night sky. Even though it was a clear night, and no clouds were to be seen, it still hadn’t cooled down that much. She watched the almost full moon, as it looked down at her with its smiling face. Its light was so bright, it outshone most of the stars in the nightly sky. She tried to find an at least semi comfortable position and shuffled her body left and right until she found a spot that suited her small behind and her back.

Once again she closed her eyes and tried to calm down. She took a few deep breaths and finally felt herself drifting away. Her body felt heavier and her mind slowed down. With one last deep breath she finally slipped through the veil.

When she opened her eyes again, she was dreaming. She immediately knew. The atmosphere felt off somehow. The night was much more colorful now, gone was the pale blue-ish light of the moon. Everything looked so much more vibrant, yet it was still very much in the middle of the night and she could see the moon standing high in the sky. In addition to that there were so many more sounds around, as the crickets seemed to have a party. Their chirping was almost unbearably loud. She sat up and took a deep breath. The air was cool and tasted fresh.

Yepp, definitely dreaming…

She thought to herself and took a look around. Still everything was quiet, if one would ignore the crickets, but there was no one to be seen. She was still on the summer camp’s premises, sitting on that big recliner. But something felt different. The buildings looked much newer; less dilapidated. She looked behind herself. The shack looked intact, not abandoned.

What is this dream…?

There was no concern in that question, just curiosity. In the end it was a dream, what could happen? She slowly got off the chair and took a few steps into the middle of the campgrounds, where the big fireplace was. She felt safe enough, there was no unpleasant feeling scratching at the back of her mind.

“Hello?”

She asked softly at first, but as she got no answer, she asked again.

“Helloohoo?”

Already she laid more strength into her voice. Yet again she got no answer. She shrugged her shoulders and went to the main building, where all the sleeping quarters were. Once more she looked at the building. It looked positively new. She shook her head and climbed the three steps to the porch and reached for the door handle. She pulled the door open and looked inside. The whole interior looked as if no one had ever set foot in there. Everything was brand spanking new, even those god-awful curtains that screamed 70s were looking as if they had just been hung up on the windows.

“Anyone here?”

She shouted down the hallway, but other than her own echo, she got no answer once more. There was a slight feeling of queasiness creeping up on her, but she shook it off. It was a dream. Even in the nastiest nightmare, nothing could happen to her. She would wake up and everything would be over.

On the positive side, I am already drenched in my own sweat, so that box is already checked.

She told herself and went forward to explore the deserted building. She left the messhall, where normally all attendees would gather for meals, or announcements, or games, or whatever and entered the hallway leading to the sleeping quarters. One positive thing was, the further she got into the building, the quieter the chirping of the cicadas became.

The corridor was already pretty much silent, surprisingly brightly lit, but still empty. Carefully she took one step at a time and approached the first door. It was the counselor's office. She opened the door and took a look inside. Here too, everything seemed to be brand new, but otherwise, totally normal. Even that awful mothball scent new fabric sometimes had was present. She shook her head once more, it was all so weird.

She had visited this camp at least six times now. This would be her last time, as she got too old to participate. Maybe she would volunteer as a staffy next year. But in all her years, she had never seen this place in such a shape as it was now, in her dream. She knew this camp was roughly 50 years old, so this must’ve been how it had looked when it just got opened.

She closed the door again and went down the corridor to the next door. That would be the boys bathroom and shower. She blushed slightly when she thought about peeking into that, even though she was pretty sure it would be empty too. She grinned and held back a girlish giggle as she reached for the door handle. Carefully she opened the door, but as she had already guessed, it too was completely deserted. Only the moonlight tiles in their brand new smoothness gleamed back at her.

“Bummer…”

She caught herself saying it before she could stop herself. She pulled the door shut again and shook her head, feeling her cheeks glow.

As if there ever was any boy under the attendees, who had ever been good enough for you…

She thought before whispering:

“Well for some making out in the bushes… who knows…”

She giggled softly and chastised herself for having such frivolous thoughts in her dream. She looked down the hallway. The other rooms would surely be empty as well. She contemplated if she even wanted to go and take a look.

Well what else am I to do? Can’t sit down and wait to wake up again.

It went through her head and she took off towards the girls room. She passed the staff's bedroom and stopped shortly to listen if there was any sound, but other than the constant chirping of the cicadas outside, nothing was to be heard. She tore herself away from the door and continued her way down the hallway.

When she finally reached the door of the girls bedroom she hesitated. She did not know why, but it felt wrong to look into that room.

“T’is but a dream, pull yourself together!”

She scolded herself and reached for the door handle. Slightly trembling, she depressed it and pushed the door open. Much to her relief, the room was just as empty as all the others had been. She breathed in deeply the stale smell of brand new curtains and sheets that hung in the air, then she sighed slightly as she entered the room. She took a look around, just to make sure she was really alone. No one was there and the room lay in total serenity, not even the cicadas were to be heard anymore. By now, she was too far into the building for their sounds to still reach her.

She passed by the rows of bunkbeds, each and every one still clean and new. Not a single scratch on them; no carvings of silly names and memes, like: Jake + Mandy, or Hearts, or anything else. The wood was pristine and the sheets were as white as freshly fallen snow.

It was all so surreal and she let her hand brush over the odd bed frame, until she ambled towards her own bed. She had selected this bed, as it allowed an overview over all the other beds in the room, and it was pretty much in the middle of the room, equal distance from the window and the door, offering both escape routes in case of an emergency.

She touched the bed frame and it felt off somehow. She could not explain it, it just felt off. She shook her head softly, as if she needed to get it out of her mind before she reached for the ladder to climb up. She had always loved bunkbeds for the opportunities for fun and pranks they offered. And she was aware that in most cases the one sleeping on top was the one getting pranked. She didn’t mind that much, it was part of the game and it was fun.

She carefully climbed up to “her” bed. When she laid eyes on it, it was completely rumpled and the sheets were soaked in sweat. She found the pillow to be missing and realized without any shadow of doubt that this was her bed.

Why is it just … yeah right … gonna be that kind of dream … ain’t it…?

She thought and shrugged her shoulders before climbing back down. If she’d had any doubts about this being one of those meager, slow-cooking nightmares, they were gone by now.

“What a shame… I was contemplating on lying down in my bed and having some fun… now you ain’t gonna be watching me doing that…”

She said spiteful, as if someone would be listening to her, guiding her through her nightmare. Back down on the floor, she let her hands roam her body for a short moment. In a way she was in the mood, but then again... this was a dream. It wasn't as if it would do her any good if she would indulge in this right now, would it?

She slowly straightened up again and headed for the door. She wanted to be outside again. The eerie silence of the room, paired with her bed being the only one not being fresh and new, had had a more drastic impact on her than she wanted to admit at first. She went by the beds again, not batting an eye for any of them. She came to the door and looked back into the room one last time. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong about the whole room. It almost felt like someone or something was watching her out of the shadows. That nagging feeling in the back of her head was making itself felt ever more. She shook her head and left the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her. The “click” of the lock falling shut was unnaturally loud in the silence that surrounded her.

She turned to look back down the hallway towards the front door. Somehow the corridor that seemed so brightly lit on her way in did not look that bright anymore, now that she was heading out again. A slight shudder crept up her spine, making her tilt her head.

“Ok, I get it, you want me to stay in here… yeah fuck that thought in particular…”

She said angrily, like she wanted to pep herself up and began to walk down the corridor. She almost counted on one of the doors opening and revealing some sort of horror creature or something, but nothing happened. She reached the front door and on her way there, the cicadas were back with their endless song of chirpity chirp. She looked around once more and reached for the door. Still nothing, not a single thing.

Honestly, I am disappointed. So many opportunities and nothing happened.

She thought and opened the door. The gust of fresh air that welcomed her as she left the building was invigorating. Out here everything still looked bright for the middle of the night and the noise of the cicadas was also again almost unbearable. But it was still better than that eerie silence back in that stuffy bedroom.

Maybe I’ll go to the lake…

She contemplated and turned towards that small body of water the camp called their lake. It wasn’t a real lake, more a big pond that allowed for “some” swimming and cooling down. They had dug it out, as every summer camp that was worth its money needed a lake. She knew from a few girls and boys that skinny-dipping was frowned upon, since the lake was too close to the camp and could be watched from the main building's porch. Many a frivolous teens had already been caught and reprimanded for doing so at night.

“Not that the staff minded seeing naked boys or girls engaging with each other. We both know that the staff likes to watch… it is all for insurance reasons…”

She said calmly and crossed the open space between the building and the little pier that led a little way over the water. She looked at the wood construction. This too looked like it was just built yesterday. The wood didn’t even creak as she stepped on the planks and walked to the end of the pier. Stopping right at the edge of it, she almost expected for something to come out of the water and grab her, but again… nothing happened.

She sat down and let her feed dangle over the water. The water had never been especially clear in the lake, it was too small to form a good working ecosystem to keep the water clean. She knew they pumped out the lake a month or two before camp season and filled it with fresh water to keep the water somewhat bearable. Therefore, there were no fish or anything bigger than the average frog in it.

“Booooriing…”

She called out and looked around.

“If this gonna be a nightmare, you gotta step up your game.”

She really shouted it out, but her call rang out unanswered, as always. She took a deep breath and stood up again. She stood at the pier and looked back to the camp. She hadn’t noticed till now, but she felt a little bit out of breath. Needing to breathe with more effort than usual. She did not give it too much heed, but counted it to this being a nightmare. She walked back over to the middle of the camp, where the big fire pit was situated. When she got there, she felt herself being progressively more out of breath. This was concerning, even if she was certain that it was a nightmare and nothing could happen to her in real life, her brain kicked into survival mode and flooded her system with adrenaline.

It wasn’t that the air was not breathable, but she felt as if she could not breathe. At least as if she could not take deep breaths. It was like something was constricting her chest, making it harder and harder to expand her ribcage. By now she felt her heart rate quickening, making the whole situation only worse instead of better.

She needed to lean against a post using it to brace her arms against it and use her muscles to be able to breath deeper. But it was of no use as her breaths became shallower with every breath.

She began to feel lightheaded and her peripheral vision blurred. Her breathing was laboured, even if the breaths were only very shallow and soon she felt her knees giving in. She was unable to hold herself upright anymore and sank, first to her knees and then sitting down completely. Her head felt numb, as felt her legs and hands, and there was a sour taste on her tongue. Her heart beat up in her throat as it tried to pump more blood through her lungs to gather every last bit of oxygen.

“....hrnnnn…”

She wanted to say something, wanted to mock her tormentor for the lamest way to kill a victim in a nightmare, but she simply couldn’t, she hadn’t had enough breath for that anymore.

Fuck… normally one gets killed in some quick and easy way…

She thought and fell over, as her body was no longer able to support her. Lying on the ground she looked at the night sky, gasping for air. The stars seemed to dance before her very eyes and the song of the cicadas only came muffled to her ears. She wasn’t able to move anymore and her vision grew dim.

She heard her heartbeat thrumming in her ears as it got slower and slower. She stopped breathing. And then slowly everything faded to black.

She died then and there…

“Haaaaargh…”

Her eyes shot open and she drew in a big lungful of air. Or more likely, she would have drawn in a big lungful of air, but she couldn’t. Instantly she was in a panic.

Why… why can’t I breathe… I woke up, the nightmare is over…

Her thoughts were racing. She wanted to sit up, wanted to breathe, but that too was impossible. She was completely incapable of moving. Her eyes widened.

Fuck… I heard about that… sleep paralysis… that’s what they call it…

She tried to draw in another breath, but still she was barely able to breath. It was as if…

... something is sitting on my chest… I can feel it… there is weight on my chest…

She panicked hard as she opened her eyes wide and tried to look down. But there wasn’t anything… it was all dark, she couldn’t see all that well. She tried to move her hands, but they were neatly tucked against her body and she couldn’t move them at all. It was as if someone or something was holding them where they were.

No… no, no, no… I am not gonna die here like in that dream… no bloody chance!

She shook her head, or at least she tried to shake it, but she was only capable of very little movement, if any at all. But that movement sufficed to give her a glimpse of her surroundings. She was indeed awake, as the summer camp was back in its dilapidated state, and the sky was dark, and there was a shadow sitting on her…

Wait… what?!

Her eyes widened and her panic rose to astronomical heights. Something was sitting on her chest. She could not really see it, as it was just a shadow. Semi-transparent, and only by seeing its edges distinguishable from the night sky. She doubled down on her efforts, trying to move, to breath, to scream.

Now a jolt went through the shadow and it was as if it turned to her, as if it had sat on her backwards and only now turned towards her head. Still she could not really see what it was, but the glowing red eyes and the rows of crooked teeth were a clear indicator that it was now facing her way. It made no sound, but it came closer to her and its glowing red eyes seemed to burn themselves into her very soul.

A primordial fear took hold of her, a fear she had never known. Her brain, already in full panic mode, switched into overdrive, flooding her system with adrenaline and cortisol. She wanted to scream so badly. Scream and flee, but she simply couldn’t. More than a hoarse whine did not escape her throat, while she struggled to free herself from whatever that thing was. But no matter how hard she fought, she was unable to free herself.

That thing grinned at her, showing her even more of its crooked teeth. It did not make a sound at all, but its eyes and grin conveyed a murderous intent. She looked at it in utter panic.

What is that thing… what does it want… I need to get away… help… HELP…!

Her mind was quickly losing control and she was unable to claw it back.

That creature bent down to her and she felt how it was wrapping its claws around her neck. She strained against it, tried to move, to scream, but nothing happened.

Fuck… fuck, fuck, fuck… it’s going to kill me… I’m going to die here!

The creature began to laugh out loud. It was an old, evil laugh and then it began to squeeze. Immediately she felt how it constricted her throat. The pain was sharp and agonizing. What little air she got before was now even more restricted. Her panic welled up even more, overwriting all her thoughts with basic survival. The adrenaline rushing through her system made her ears ring and her heart race, consuming what little air there was even faster. Her body tried hard to mobilize her last ressources and gave her strength and endurance like what she never knew before. She was by no means weak, not for her age and height, but she was no match for that thing. That creature had her pinned down on that recliner and she was unable to move.

In the back of her mind she thought that by laughing so loud, someone must have heard it and would come to her rescue. But so far, no one had shown up.

She felt how the creature slowly but sure tightened its grip around her throat and squeezed ever harder on her airpipe, making her eyes bulge out. It continued to laugh its booming laughter that echoed back from the surrounding buildings, while her head turned a reddish purple. She gasped for air, fighting for every breath she was able to draw in.

Other than before in her dream, she now felt the threat, felt the pain. It was by all means a life altering experience. Her legs began to feel numb and she wasn’t able to strain against that beast with them anymore. Then she felt how she wet herself. The feeling of that hot liquid running from her middle down and pooling on the recliner she was laying on was embarrassing, but on the other hand, who cared for that, she was dying. For real this time.

Her overstrained muscles cramped and she lost sensation in her hands. It was creeping up on her. Soon she would lose control over her arms, and then it would be over.

There was the taste of blood in her mouth, as she had bitten her lips bloody in her throes and that sour taste from the dream was back. She knew, her muscles were over acidified, as they did not get enough oxygen anymore. Not only her muscles. Her field of view narrowed again and her vision blurred at the edges.

Strangely, she seemed to get a better glimpse at the monster now, as it seemed to gain more substance as her vision blurred further. It was hideous. Some sort of winged demon. It had a leathery skin with scales at some parts and its head was elongated with a long snout, filled with sharp, pointy yet crooked teeth. She wanted to close her eyes, but she could not tear them away from that monstrosity.

She felt something give in her throat and suddenly she could no longer breathe. The pain was excruciating and she knew, now there was not much time left. Already she could feel how her consciousness slowed down and the edges of her being became fuzzy.

Please god… help me… I am dying… killed by some godforsaken beast… someone… anyone… HELP!

She pleaded in her mind. She would take the help of anyone, even that slimy staffer that always stalked her. But no one came. She was alone with that thing that sat on her, strangling her to death.

Her vision grew dim again and she heard her heartbeat thrumming in her ears. There was that high pitched whine in the background that someone had told her was her subconscious. But nothing mattered anymore. She would die. She was certain of that.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her consciousness slowly fade away.

Mommy… I don’ wanna die… mo…

At that point her brain simply stopped working in coherent ways. All her being concentrated on a singular point. All she could see was the creature's crooked teeth and red glowing eyes. All she could hear was its booming laughter. All she could feel was fear and pain, and even those faded as her consciousness faded into darkness.

Distantly she felt her heartbeat slowing and the normally always present buzz of her subconscious quiet down.

While her body had already accepted her death, her mind tried to cling to this meager existence, but it was to no avail.

She died a second time this night.

It was as if she was able to see herself and that creature cowering on her, strangulating her with its huge paws. The eyes of her lifeless body were wide open, her face distorted in pain and fear and the creature was still laughing. Seeing it now, from that different angle, it looked strangely familiar. She was unsure where she had seen it before, but what did it matter anymore? She had died, and now her soul was floating above her dead body. It was a strange feeling, it was like floating away from herself.

And then the creature snapped its head around looking at her.

“AAAAAAAARGH…”

She screamed and sat up in her bed, almost hitting the ceiling of the stuffy bedroom she was in. She surged for air and coughed hoarsely as she clasped her throat in a panicked state. Her lungs pumped the air in rapid and huge gusts, trying to flood her body with live giving oxygen. She did not pay attention to her surroundings for the moment, as her mind did try to grasp what had happened.

She realized she was back in the bedroom, with its stuffy hot air, and she sat in her bed, drenched in sweat and… she did not care for the moment, as her eyes caught a movement in the corner of the room. It was only a fleeting moment, as the shadow vanished into the darker shadows behind the bedroom’s door. There was a faintly glow of red before it vanished completely. Then the room burst into a frenzy of sound and movement.

The girls jumped out of their beds and ran towards hers. They shouted incoherently and all at once. She was not able to react to any of it, as she was still gasping for air and trying to realize she was still alive.

It had been a nightmare like nothing she had ever experienced in her short life. Nothing had even come close to it. Sure, she’d had many nightmares before, she had died many times in her dreams. But nothing had ever felt so real. Nothing had ever hurt so much and had ever carried over to wakefulness as much as this dream.

She could still feel its grasp around her neck, could still feel its weight on her chest. Sure she could breathe again, but even that felt laboured and painful.

“Nats? Nats? Hey, are you alright? Nats?”

One of the girls shouted at her from the bunkbed next to hers. She did not react. She was so preoccupied with herself, she was unable to give heed to the ones surrounding her.

Then a piercing scream rang out beneath her.

“Hiiiiiiiiaaaaa… Nicky is dead!”

Someone screamed and Nathalia was torn free from her thoughts. She looked around and only now seemed to realize that everyone was awake and staring at her and the bunk below hers.

Nicky?... who… wait… no…

Her brain tried to compute the information, but got stuck midway through it. She tried to move, to look over the railing and see what was going on, but her chest and spine hurt with her every move.

“What the…”

She stuttered and pulled up her pyjamas, while below her, all hell broke loose. Her whole chest was marked with hematomas, as if someone had broken her ribs. She looked at them in utter disbelief.

“Oh my god Nats, what happened to your neck?”

The same girl asked, who had shouted at her before. Nats slowly turned towards her and felt her neck and throat.

“What do you mean?”

She asked, but never got an answer as the door of the bedroom flew open and some of the staff spilled into the room. When the lights were flicked on, it hurt Nat’s eyes beyond belief.

“What the heck is going on here?”

Bellowed one of the staff members and stomped into the room.

“It's supposed to be sleeping time!”

He barked and looked around.

“Nicky is dead…”

Some girl screamed in a panic, and the others joined in.

“What the…”

was his reaction as he rushed forward, his face, until now, flushed in a deep red of anger and frustration, quickly lost its chue and changing into a sickly, pale green-ish color.

The night was over at that point, quite understandably so. The girls were brought into the messhall while the staff closed the door and waited for the police and the paramedics to arrive. They tried to calm the poor girls with hot cocoa and assurances that everything will be fine, but no one, not even the staff itself believed in that.

Nats was brought to the camp’s nurse; an old native woman she’d known for six years now, she always seemed to be there. At first, it had been very embarrassing lifting her top to the nurse, but in the end, she was a nurse, and she was a woman, so nothing she hadn’t seen before. Calmly the old woman inspected Nat’s injuries.

Nothing had ever seemed to phase that woman until now. Over the years, they had brought in broken bones, deep cuts, concussions and whatnot, nothing had ever elicited more than an annoyed sighed and a calm response of:

“Sit down, lemme see… ah yes… we gonna fix that.”

But now she was in an uproar. Her usually calm, dark-brown eyes were wide open and she was constantly murmuring something Nats did not understand. Carefully the old nurse felt the bruises on her chest.

“Who did this to you?”

She asked and Nats did not know what to answer. She couldn’t tell her that a monster had done that to her in her dreams. She took a deep breath and tried to rearrange her thoughts to give her an answer that at least made some sense, but the old woman beat her to it.

“No, don’t tell me lies. I want to know the truth. All of it.”

Her voice was surprisingly stern. She never had heard such a harsh tone from her. Nats looked at her and tears welled up in her eyes. Her lips began to tremble as the memories of her nightmare overcame her again.

“It… it… nightmare… monster… strangled…”

She began to stutter before tears began to flow down her cheeks. The nurse slowly nodded and continued to murmur. Nats began to shudder and tremble as she relived her nightmares once more.

The old woman in front of her slowly pulled her shirt down and stroked her cheek.

“Calm down, child. It is over. Show me those marks on your neck once more.”

Demanded the nurse in her soft-spoken voice and Nats, still shaken by silent sobs, lifted her head slightly, giving access to her neck. The nurse inspected the marks once more and then nodded.

“Good girl. It is over, you have survived…”

The nurse began, but did not get any further before there was a knock at the door. The nurse turned on her stool and looked at the door.

“You may enter.”

She called out before the door was opened quietly. The county's sheriff entered the small infirmary. He was native just like the nurse, except he looked a hundred years older than her. His weathered skin was scored by deep furrows and his deep set eyes looked tired.

“Aah, good you are here.”

The nurse called out and the sheriff nodded. He looked at Nats and saw the state she was in. It was as if he did not need to say anything, but already knew everything there was to know.

“Looks like she’s back.”

He said in a calm and collected tone, and the nurse only nodded.

She stopped her car right at the gate and shut off the engine.

Her psychiatrist had proposed to her, in order to “fight her demons” that she should visit the place of her trauma. Now that she was almost 20 years older, she would be able to discern reality from imagination.

She had long since capitulated to try to explain to her shrink that it never was imaginative. That there really had been a monster of sorts. She had no name for it, no description, as she had been the only survivor to ever have been able to tell.

In the aftermath of the “incident”, as it was called later, she had learned that there had been some other cases similar to hers in the past. None of which ever had been solved, as never there had been any witnesses. And now there was one completely terrified young girl who claimed to have seen a monster vanishing into the shadows.

No one had ever believed her, only the old nurse and the sheriff did at least not dismiss her as totally coocoo.

So now she was here, back at the old summer camp. Here to confront her demons. She sat in her car and took a deep breath. She looked at the dilapidated gate and sighed.

They had closed the campsite for good after that last incident and those 20 years since then hadn’t done the camp any good. It had completely fallen into disrepair and the once nice and colorful gate hung crooked in its frame.

She got out of her car and closed the door. It was a nice day in the early autumn. The sun stood high in the sky and the temperature was pleasant. There were no clouds anywhere to be seen and the slight breeze helped to keep the temperature on that nice level.

She took the first few steps towards the gate, while she still felt mostly alright. She felt a bit queasy, as it was the first time she had come back to the campsite in all this time. She had told her partner that the psychiatrist had proposed the trip and he had offered to accompany her, be at her side to give her strength, but she had declined.

“I have to take that stand alone, if I ever want to get rid of that nagging problem.”

She had told him, much to his dismay. But in the end they had agreed to a compromise: He would stay in the Motel and she would drive out to the site and when she was done, they would celebrate her success.

With that she had been OK. She licked over her lips. Only a few more steps and she would be at the gate.

Nothing to worry about, just an old gate…

She encouraged herself and took the last steps to the gate. The only thing that still held the gate in place was the heavy chain and padlock they had used to close down the camp. Carefully she touched the gate. The touch alone send waves of memories through her mind. Not all of them nice, but most at least pleasant enough… until that one memory struck her and she pulled her hand back with a gasp for air.

Ever since that fateful summer, she had to carry an asthma spray with her, as she suffered from occasional fits of breathlessness. She felt for her pocket, assuring herself that the spray was there while her other hand reached for her neck. She touched her neck softly, running her fingers along the slight shadow that ran around her neck. The marks from that night had never fully faded away, as were the marks on her chest.

She took another deep breath and looked beyond the gate.

“No. No you do not have any control over me. I am over it.”

She spoke it out loud, as if it would give her more strength. She ducked under the chain and squeezed through the gate and onto the premises of the camp. Naturally, the whole campgrounds were completely overgrown by now. Most of the buildings had collapsed over time, but one could still make out where each one stood. There was the main building with its messhall and the bedrooms. Over there were the smaller huts for the workshops, and there was that infamous shack with its recliner.

She felt her throat constricting at the sheer thought of it. She closed her eyes and took slow, deep breaths to calm herself down. After a few breaths the feeling faded mostly. She opened her eyes again and went forth between the ruined buildings towards the pond.

The little pier looked still somewhat sturdy. She slowly approached it and looked at what was left of the pond. The small artificial lake had completely dried down and was overgrown by greenery. Carefully, and step by step, she walked over the pier, until she stood at the very end of it and looked down into the crater that once was the only real good thing about that camp.

“So, now I am here. Trying to fight my demons. Or more precisely, my demon, as you were a single entity. Weren’t you?”

She asked into the air, not really expecting an answer.

“I see, you have outgrown your fear of the darkness…”

She heard a dark voice in the back of her head and her bruises began to hurt like they were on fire. She grasped her throat and gasped for air. Her hand fiddled with her pocket, but she was unable to get that damned spray out of it…

“You can never truly banish a Wendigo… You can only keep it at bay for some time until it surfaces again…”

Said the old native woman as she took a long puff from her pipe while she looked into the fire.

The End...

Concept and Idea by

Nathmurr

Nate

&

El Poyo Diabolo

Written by

El Poyo Diabolo

Characters by

El Poyo Diabolo

Edit by

El Poyo Diabolo

&

Nathmurr

Published by

El Poyo Diabolo