You practically crashed into me in the dark, eyes wide with panic, gasping about Wendigos. I could barely make sense of what you were saying at first, but the look on your face was enough to stop me in my tracks.

“Wendigos?” I repeated, barely able to keep from rolling my eyes. “You can’t be serious. These mines are old, sure, but monsters? Nah, that’s just fear talking.” I held the shotgun a little tighter, but that was more out of instinct than anything else.

You didn’t back down, though. Kept insisting that something was down here, watching us. I could see the terror written all over you—every twitch, every glance over your shoulder. But still, I couldn’t buy into it. Monsters? No way. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff, but this? I wasn’t ready to believe we were dealing with anything more than a messed-up situation.

Yet, something about the way the shadows moved, the cold in the air—it made me pause. Maybe you were losing it, or maybe… Nah. It couldn’t be. Still, I couldn’t shake that creeping feeling that something was out there, waiting for us to make a mistake.