.₊꒰ 🪓 ꒱:⩩┆( 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙬𝙣 )⊹.*

𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑅𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁. ☠︎︎    𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩

⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━━━━━━━ 𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑹𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑨𝑵 𝑻𝑶 𝑩𝑳𝑼𝑹. Almost all of them had felt the same when they twisted through the layout of The Sanatorium. The paint was peeling from the walls to expose the brick that had been scratched by a large creature. It was a place of nightmares. Dark and isolated. The cool air was not the only thing making Marlowe King shiver.

"Hey, check this out," Mike encouraged the girl, finding an old film reel. He wound it up, allowing the light to brighten the room far better than the lit torch. The film projected onto the destroyed wall in front of them, showcasing the journey of a man. Tortured and tied down. Frame by frame the man... changed. Escaping from his ties, he crawled along the wall and disappeared from the torturing chair.

Marlowe smacked Mike's arm with her stump, an instinct from previously having her limb. A shockwave of pain was sent through her body but she simply bit her lip. "Doesn't that look like the thing. The Wendigo? Were they making them?"

"What the fuck.... What is goin' on around here?" Mike pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting off the old recording as it replayed.

"This place was here the entire time and the Washingtons never knew about it? They had to have known that this place existed! I mean..." Marlowe spun in a circle with her arms extended, making sure not to bang the torch on the wall or blow out the flame, "it's fucking huge. And there's all these tapes and newspapers. Not to mention the tunnel. Somebody had to have known what they were doing in here ... What they were creating..."

"You think they were creating these things?"

"That man that came to the cabin said that if anyone resorted to cannibalism in Blackwood Pines, the spirit of the Wendigo would be unleashed... right?" Marlowe clarified, "this place has records of people before turning into these things. What if they were feeding them people or something? Maybe it's..."

"Farfetched?" Mike finished her sentence.

"Yeah..."

"Maybe it is maybe it isn't," Mike motioned for the girl to follow after him. "I think I would rather not know..."

Marlowe shook her head while following behind him, "it's fucked up."

She lifted the flaming torch in her hand, holding it above her small height so that she could see above her as well as all around. She didn't know where this thing could be, but she was sure it could climb on the ceiling. Marlowe took the time to observe the area. It was the same as all of the corridors. The air was thick with dust, an air that caused her to cough whenever she breathed in. Her coughs were strained, the fear of whatever was with them filling her every skittish movement. That's what feared her most. That this thing would be hiding around the corner, ready for its meal.

She had cheated death once, but would he have mercy on her soul once more?

A shadow crossed the wire above, casting a shadow by Marlowe's feet. The Wendigo. "Mike!" She hissed, trying to get his attention. "It's here. We need to get down there quick."

They picked up their speed, jogging behind the wolf until it stopped. It began to whine, flashing its teeth as it looked into the opened room ahead of them. Marlowe held the flame around the room. She couldn't find it, but she would always believe a wolf over her own senses. Animals always knew.

"We need to go. Now." Marlowe concluded, looking over at Mike who nodded almost immediately.

CRASH.

Marlowe flinched, waving the torch around to find where the sound came from. A can. Knocked on the floor, it rolled slightly against the destruction from the walls that had found its place among the other rubble of The Sanatorium. In her peripheral vision, she could see Mike lift the gun toward the can, paranoid. He didn't shoot, but kept the barrel on it in case of emergency.

A small, delicate, creature peered out from the can, its long tail dragging on the ground as it scrambled away. "It was just a rat."

Turning to the right was possibly the most frightening thing they could have possibly done, but also the most life saving. It dropped from the ceiling, and the face of The Wendigo was far different but yet so similar. Greyed out eyes, and sharp teeth with skin of armor. This one was different to the one that had nearly taken her life outside of the lodge.

By the time Mike had raised the gun, the creature pinned him to the ground and made him squirm. The wolf was growling and barking at the sight of the thing and it left Marlowe in charge.

"Mike!" She shouted and raised the flaming torch, hitting the creature over the head to divert its attention.

It screeched at her, and bared its teeth, aiming to pounce on her next. Its claw caught onto her jacket, deeply embedding its claws into her shoulder before the powerful blast of the shotgun rang out into the empty room, causing an echo. Marlowe tensed and dropped the torch, extinguishing the flame from the impact.

Upon sending the creature to the other side of the room, Mike scrambled to his feet and ran alongside Marlowe, guiding each other through the darkness of The Sanatorium now that they were without the light. They stumbled up the stairs in a panic, not saying a word to each other while the wolf followed close behind.

Marlowe was ahead of the others, taking a left turn into the first room that she spotted as she waited for Mike and the wolf to catch up. They were there in a matter of seconds, and once she knew all of them were in the room she slammed the door and motioned for Mike to help push the cabinet.

"Mike!" She used her small body to nudge the cabinet as best as she could before Mike grabbed it and forced it in front of the door. The cabinets height couldn't quite reach the hole through the window opening in the door.

Now with nothing in her hand, Marlowe took the opportunity to pull the machete that had been stuffed between her belt and her jeans, keeping it upright as she looked at the gap in the window. Mike peered through the torn wire, believing it was gone.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marlowe harshly whispered at the man, watching his recklessness.

"I think it-" Mike jerked back as a claw tore through the hole and entered the room. When it retracted, the creature stuck its head through and attempted to gnaw at them through the wire.

Marlowe charged forward, swinging the blade and embedding it into the creature's skull before pulling back, hearing the sound of its flesh tear from both actions. It crawled along the walls as it retreated down the corridor. The girl leaned against the nearest wall, dropping the machete as she used her stump to cover the wound that was now on her upper right arm.

"Fuck." Mike dropped the gun onto the nearby table and ran over, peeling her jacket off of her body. He dropped it to the ground and began tearing his own tank top, holding up a large strip of the fabric. Wrapping it around her arm, the girl whined and hit her left elbow onto the wall to divert the pain. "Does it hurt?"

Marlowe was drawing blood from her lips with how hard she bit down, "no, Michael. It feels amazing."

"I was just asking, Lo. I'm concerned," Mike gritted his teeth, waving his arms in the air until he took back his gun, "can I not be concerned?"

His face was covered in scratches from the creature.

Marlowe lowered her head. She knew tensions were high. "Sorry." She chose to leave her jacket on the floor, looking at how destroyed it was. If anything, it was irritating the wounds that decorated her skin and she felt more flexible without it.

"Not taking your jacket?" He asked, finally getting a better look at the toll the night had taken on the girls body as she stood in her flared jeans and grey tank top. Scratches had been engraved from the claws of both the creature and the wilderness, covering her arms and her chest, with a few scattered across her disheveled face.

Marlowe King was the definition of dragged through hell.

She shook her head, "nah. It's dragging me down..." Pausing for a moment, she brought up what was on her mind, "that was a different one."

"Hmm?" Mike turned from the doorway he wanted to use as an escape from the room they were in.

"That Wendigo. It's not the same one from the lodge, Mike," Marlowe whispered, "we don't know how many of them there are."

Mike pinched the bridge of his nose, "fuck. We need to get out of here now. Into the mines, get Josh if we can and get the fuck out of here."

"Agreed." Marlowe nodded.

She left her beloved brown faux leather jacket soaked in her blood in the room. Wolfie followed close behind her, occasionally rubbing at her leg - to which she would reciprocate the new found comfort and give him a well deserved scratch between the ears. The poor animal was overwhelmed with everything happening, a whine here and there. "Hey, buddy... it's okay," Marlowe crouched beside the wolf, "you're doing great."

Without warning, Mike gripped Marlowe's left upper arm, pulling her to the floor behind a bench as the creature that was stalking them leapt from the wall and onto a nearby table, similar to the one they were hiding behind. It's face was almost mummified, a deep slash cut through the center of its face. Weary, Mike had his gun loaded and ready, peering over the wooden barricade while Marlowe clutched the machete that now seemed next to useless against the creature compared to the shotgun. But, she supposed it was better than nothing.

"Don't move," Marlowe whispered, pulling Mike back down beside her as the Wendigo glanced their way. She remembered the words of the man moments before his death.

Leaping from one table to another, the creature shook the bench, causing a bottle from above to roll against the wood before dropping down the edge. Mike extended his free hand, catching it before it smashed and gently placed it upright on the ground.

He looked over at her and nodded to the other bench. Understanding the plan, Marlowe nodded. He crawled over and watched the creature for a few moments before motioning for the girl to come across.

She peaked over the bench before beginning to crawl. Her knee bumped into something on the floor, knocking it over and causing it to smash. The bottle.

"Shit."

A screech. Followed by the creature leaping onto the bench she was behind. Mike angled the gun as the Wendigo grabbed a hold of her body and pinned her to the floor. If he shot, he'd shoot Marlowe, too.

She used her stump to block its clawed hands from scratching her face, coming in with the machete. The blade was embedded into the creature's chest, stunning it as it cried out and moved away from her body.

Marlowe kicked up her legs and sent the Wendigo to the floor before Mike grabbed her, forcing her to her feet. "Shit, fuck. Shit, fuck." They sprinted down a darkened corridor, the wolf leading them through the area built in brick. It seemed like she had cheated death once more.

"Dammit..." Mike cursed, removing his hand from Marlowe and keeping both hands on the gun, looking from side to side, up and down. He could hardly see anything.

"Thank God I kept that flashlight," Marlowe whispered. Pulling it out from her back pocket, the glass was beginning to crack and it still wouldn't turn on immediately. She gave it a few whacks against her open palm until the light filled the corridor.

Mike looked at her, "I am so lucky to have you."

Placing her fingers against her lips, she essentially told him to shut it. She dragged her fingers against her lips in the motion of a zipper, pretending to use a key to lock it before throwing the imaginary key away.

Mike simply ignored her and faced the dark ahead of them. They turned around each corner sharply. Unsure of what would be waiting for them around the corner.

A familiar screech echoed against the walls as a clawed hand reached through an iron bared cage they passed, attempting to score Mike as a meal. Marlowe shone the light at it while he aimed the gun at it.

"Don't." Marlowe whispered sternly, leaving the creature to claw at them behind the bars. "It can't hurt us."

He was beyond paranoid. "Fuck. When will this fucking end. It's like a bad fucking dream..." He moved out of the way as another caged Wendigo extended its arms through the bars.

"I would much rather this be a bad dream and than a reality." Marlowe spoke softly, angling her flashlight in all directions.

Mike flinched at every screech, aiming the weapon at every direction where the noises came from. "Fuck this. One at a time boys. There's enough of us for all a'ya."

"Don't say that!" Marlowe raised her voice, checking over her shoulder. A bony hand reached by Mike's feet. "Watch your feet!"

He jumped over the hand and pointed the gun at the cage. Mike never once lowered the gun —prepared for anything to attack.

Marlowe was unable to believe that all of these creatures had been locked down here. There were so many of them. That man must have been the one to do this. Impressive, really. She retreated back so she was in line with Mike.

The creature around the corner leapt at them, stopped short as the thick, metal chain pulled it back into the open cage. Marlowe laughed. Nothing was funny, but she found it ridiculous. "Oh, so they can tear peoples heads off of their bodies but can't break through a chain? Right, cool."

Echoing from behind, the screech followed them. The pair turned simultaneously. A Wendigo. Not held back by a chain, or behind iron bars. The Wendigo that was stalking them previously was leaping from wall to wall, growing closer. Then. They doubled. There was not only one they had to deal with, but two.

"Oh shit! RUN! GO GO GO!" Mike shouted. The wolf waited at the doorway for them, running ahead when they finally caught up through the messy hallway.

Finally, they reached the end of the corridor. Marlowe placed the flashlight in her mouth as she tried to open the door using the handle. No luck. The door wouldn't budge. "Come on!" Her voice was muffled through the flashlight.

Wolfie stood by her side as she began barging on the door using her body, only getting it slightly ajar. She turned her head upon hearing the screeching getting closer and closer. From the ceiling to the wall, and to the floor they leapt around in a rotation making it impossible for Mike to keep track.

Taking the flashlight and shoving it into her back pocket, Marlowe looked to her left, seeing the flammable logo. She looked back at the Wendigos. "Eat this!" She knocked over the oil barrel and pushed it toward the creatures using her foot, "shoot it, Michael!"

Aiming at the barrel, Mike fired. He hit it dead in the middle and lit the wired corridor in flames, the impact from the explosion sending them and the wolf into the door, knocking it open.

Marlowe held her side as she remained on the floor. She winced with any movement. Every inch of her body felt like it was on fire. But, she managed to push up off of the mucky ground with Mike's help.

He shut the door urgently before hugging her tight. "That was a close one."

"Yeah.. yeah..." Marlowe coughed, holding her side. She just needed to breathe for a moment. Checking her back pocket, a few glass shards were poking through her jeans. Her face twisted as she pulled the broken flashlight out and the remaining pieces of glass.

Mike pulled away from her and looked at the bloodied glass, "shit, Lo..."

"I'm fine! My ass hurts though." She grumbled.

Respectfully, he forced her to spin around so he could check. She was bleeding where her pocket was. "You're bleeding."

"Nothing new," Marlowe began walking, holding her rear, "man I am copping it all. You look like you got scratched once or twice."

Mike's eyes rolled, "let's just get outta here before any more of those fucking these come out to play. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Wolfie already got the idea." Marlowe pointed ahead to the stairs, watching the animals tail disappear around the corner.

He couldn't bear watching the girl limp, so he wrapped a gentle arm around her. Mike helped her up the stairs, still hearing screeching in the distance. One glance over his shoulder, and the creature had already caught up to them. It wasn't one of the ones from the explosion. "FUCK!"

He let go of Marlowe momentarily, using both hands to aim the shotgun at the lock of the door in front of them. He wrapped his arm back around her and pushed the both of them through the door. While Mike shut the door on the Wendigo, Marlowe began using her aching body to push the filing cabinet to cover the entrance, attempting to barricade it.

"Munroe! A little help?" Marlowe was growing increasingly irritated. He helped her push until it fully covered the doorway, then gently took her hand and urged her to the hole in the floor. He jumped down first and placed the gun on the ground.

"I'll catch you, jump down!" Mike encouraged her, and Marlowe glanced behind her. Wolfie waited on the side lines. She leapt into the hole, wrapping an arm around Mike's neck as he caught her and lowered her onto her feet.

The girl glanced up, observing as Wolfie looked down at the hole. "Come on down, buddy! It's okay!" She patted her thighs with one hand.

     The wolf looked down before wandering away, leaving the pair alone in the hole while it went to do its own thing.

"Catch you on the flipside then, I guess," Mike whispered and picked his shotgun off of the ground before facing Marlowe, "are you all good to walk?"

She nodded, "I'll be alright."

Mike ran ahead while Marlowe stayed close by. But, the Wendigo had them exactly where it wanted. Trapped in a corner.

Marlowe pounded on the door that lead outside, seeing the wooden barricade that prevented them from leaving. They were at a dead end. "I guess this is how we die..."

"Not today, motherfucker," Mike spat the insult at the creature, aiming the barrel of the gun and shooting it into a corner. Another Wendigo dropped from the ceiling, but it failed to phase Mike as the aggressive shot rang out followed by the fire.

Marlowe wasn't exactly sure what had happened as she laid in the snow. Her ears rang and she watched the burning building. Mike stood beside her while they watched the flames grow.

But the bony hand stuck through the rubble, engulfed in flames while its skin cracked...

...This night was far from over.

⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━ '' - «🕸»‧₊˚𓍯 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚
╰┈➤ ONE CHAPTER LEFT. this chapter was brought to you by girls on film by MSI and thriller by michael jackson.

also yeah, i didn't kill wolfie in this rewrite 😭 he died in the original.

i will try to finish it this weekend but my grandparents are coming over this weekend so i'm not sure how much time i will have! but it will definitely be finished within 7 days.