Chapter 9.2

When her phone rang, Sara answered it happily, “Hello, love. How are you this morning?”

“Tired,” Kevin admitted.

“Why? Couldn’t you sleep?” Sara asked.

“I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you last night and being angry with you,” Kevin told her. “I have slept through calls from you before while I was away for work. You never got mad at me. After what you have been through, you need as much sleep and rest as you can get, whenever you can get it, and I should not have gotten mad at you for that. I’m sorry.”

Sara gently told Kevin, “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. You were worried about me when I didn’t answer the phone. That came out as anger when we spoke. I see it all the time in the ER. The family members are scared, nerves are stretched, they’re tired, and that all comes out as anger because they don’t know what else to do.”

“That may be, but I am still sorry for how I acted. I know none of this is your fault, and I should not be angry with you. I’m not mad at you. It’s like you said, that’s just how all my fear and worry came out last night.”

“I know. That is why I am telling you to stop worrying about it. There is nothing to be sorry for.”

“Alright then!” Kevin laughed. “I’m not sorry. Let’s change the subject.”

Sara laughed, “Fine with me.”

“What are your plans for the day?” Kevin asked.

“Well, considering the storms are still here, I will be hiding in my little log bomb shelter and reading Herschel’s journal,” Sara answered as she felt thunder shake the ground. “What else am I going to do?”

“Nothing,” Kevin replied. “Have there been any big revelations in that journal so far?”

“Well, I found out that Herschel’s wife Sarah also liked to read scary stories and ghost stories. He also called her brave. I feel like if we had lived at the same time, we would have been friends.”

“She sounds like you. The two of you having the same first name is a little eerie,” Kevin told her. “Now that I think about it, your entire trip has been downright strange. It started with you meeting Steve at the store and all the info he gave you about the Lost River State Forest. That was followed up by the deer pushing you off a cliff. And then, if that was not enough, the deer leads you to that cabin, where you find the journal of a man whose wife had the same name as you. Don’t you think all of that is weird? Not even a little bit?”

Sara admitted, “Okay, yes, I think it is a little weird. At least the deer/cabin/journal part of the story.”

“What about Steve?”

“I think meeting Steve was all a coincidence. It is not the first time I have had that happen, and I am sure it will not be the last. Most people who work in sporting goods stores use what is sold there in some capacity. Are you going to tell me that you have never gone to the store for gear and spoken with someone who knows about the area you are planning to visit?”

“No, you’re right. I have had that happen before. I’m glad you gave me the phone number he gave you, you know, just in case Steve does turn out to be some crazy lunatic who is after you.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Sara said sarcastically. “I have met enough creeps that I can recognize one a mile away, and Steve is not one.”

“I know he isn’t. To tell you the truth, if I need to come and get you, I am calling him to see if he will guide me to you,” Kevin told her. “Some of the best advice I have gotten about trips has been from people working at the stores where I bought my gear.”

Sara said, “I have the feeling that if you asked him to help find me, you could blindfold him, and he would still be able to walk straight here. He was right about everything. I was looking forward to seeing the rest of the sights he told me about. I guess those will have to wait until you and I come back. But next time, if the forecast says there will even be a cloud in the sky, I am not coming. I do not want to get stuck like I am this time because of storms.”

“Deal!” Kevin agreed. “Hey, Babe, I’m sorry, but I have got to go. I still haven’t gotten out of bed, and I need to get to the office early this morning.”

“Oh, of course,” Sara answered. “I need to eat breakfast anyway, so it’s no problem. Just remember that I love you as you pour over all of that paperwork.”

“I will, and I love you too. I will send you a text of the forecast for your area in a little while. It looks like that system should be out of there in the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours.”

Sara sighed, “Well, at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel now that is not an oncoming train.”

“That’s how I feel about it too. I love you, Babe. Talk to you later. Bye,” Kevin told her.

“Bye,” Sara replied before hanging up.

Sara placed her phone on the table and looked at it. Another wave of guilt washed over her. She had communication with family and friends. She had a way of knowing what kind of weather was going to be in the area. Those were things that Herschel and Jim did not have, and they gave her a colossal advantage.

Sara picked up the journal and ran her fingers over the smooth leather cover. There were so many things she wanted to know about the man who wrote the book in her hands, as well as all the people Herschel mentioned in it. She opened it to her spot and continued to read.

December 8, 1879

The thing was here again last night. It was on the roof, and I think it was trying to bother the chimney. I stoked the fire and got it as hot as I could. I think whatever it is tried to grab the stovepipe because I heard the pipe move a little, and then that thing let out a scream like nothing I have ever heard before.

It woke Jim, and he said it was a wendigo. He said he had heard them before during the winter as a boy and would never forget that sound. I do not think Jim is lying about what he believes it is. I am just having a hard time believing that is what it is. I do know it is something that I do not recognize. I cannot believe that it is a monster out of a legend.

I am waiting for Jim to wake again so we can have breakfast. It will be a little fry bread and the pot of stew I have on the stove. That will be what all of our meals will be until one of us can get out and get something else for us to eat. Right now, it looks like Jim is healing faster than I am. I hope he is. That means he is not hurt nearly as bad as I had suspected he might be.

Jim is beginning to stir. With luck, he will feel good enough to help me with the fry bread again. I do alright with the stirring. Forming it into flat pieces to fry is the part that is hard for me. It is a lot easier to do when you can use both arms and hands instead of just one.

December 8, 1879

Second entry. Jim did help me make breakfast. We made enough fry bread to last the day. It was easier for both of us to do it that way.

Jim ate well and sat for quite a while before lying down again. I am beginning to think he might make a full recovery. Jim had me worried when the rock slide happened. I really did not believe he would make it through the first night. Jim is a lot stronger than I thought he was. He is also a lot stronger than I am, without a doubt.

My shoulder is not any better. It has been over a week since the slide happened, and as Jim heals, I think I might be getting a little worse. The bruising is the same or worse. I am having trouble with my hand. It keeps feeling like it is asleep, and it is cold all the time. I am a little worried that gangrene might be trying to set in, but I have seen that before, and it does not look like this. That is the one consolation I have.

Sara stopped reading and began to run the list of symptoms through her head. There were multiple possibilities, including fractures, dislocations, and even possibly compartment syndrome. There was something blocking nerve function or blood flow, causing the issues with his hand. It did not matter which one of the injuries it was. All of them would have to be treated by a doctor, which Herschel did not have access to. 

Sara got up and moved her pot of noodles to the table. She stirred it, the steam hitting her hand, which she had burned earlier, making it hurt. Sara wrinkled her nose as she sat down to wait for her food to cool while she continued reading.

December 8, 1879

Third entry. Jim has been asleep for some time. I am waiting to bank the fire one more time before I try to get some sleep. I can hear those footsteps outside again. Dear God, that thing is massive. I can almost feel the cabin and ground shake with each step it takes. I have to keep the fire hot so it does not yank this stovepipe out. We will die if it does. 

Maybe it wants us to die. I don’t quite understand this wendigo thing that Jim thinks it is, but perhaps that is what it wants. They eat human flesh. Does it see us as food? Is that why it is stalking around the cabin? Is it waiting for us the same as we would wait for a deer? I am going to tend the fire and then try to get some sleep.  

Sara shivered as she marked her place in the book. The fear that Herschel must have felt was unimaginable to her. Any part of their situation would be difficult. The combination of injuries, low food supply, the blizzard, and the thing stalking the cabin was beyond comprehension.

She moved her pot of noodles, setting it in front of her, and began to pick at them. If her husband was correct and the storms were going to last another two to three days, she did not need to worry about conserving her food in any way. She had enough supplies to last four times that, and she would be hiking back to her car and going home as soon as the weather cleared. Yet, she felt like she needed to conserve what she had out of respect for Herschel and Jim. It was silly to feel that, but Sara couldn’t help it; she did.

Sara pushed the pot of noodles aside and began snacking on her trail mix. She would eat a full meal later. For now, she had lost her appetite.