THE MONSTER
An Interactive Horror Novel.
Designed by Orbin Walcott
[[Prologue]]It had been a month since your mother’s accident. Last week, Dad tried his best to make your twelfth birthday as special as she would have made it, but he knew he could never compete with the bond you and Mom had.
“Your mom is singing happy birthday to you from Heaven, Kiddo,” Dad said as he tucked you in that night.
It was a comfort but temporary.
[[Start Game]]
[[References]]
[[Click here]] for Images and SoundsThe house had a foul musty odor. In the living room, all the furniture was covered with sheets dirty with years’ worth of dust. With each breath you took, specks of dust tickled your throat, so you covered your nose and mouth with the inside of your elbow. This was your new home, and it was already looking like a disaster.
“Dad,” your big brother Nicholas calls out as he dragged a finger across the dust covered ledge of a picture cabinet, “how long has it been since anyone lived here?”
Your dad was carrying two suitcases inside when Nicholas asked him. Dad put the suitcases down, he rested one hand on his hip and scratched the back of his head with the other.
[[Continue]]“Uh, about a year? It’s been in our family a lot longer. I just never had time to come back and tidy things up after the last family I rented the house to had left.”
“Great. And now we’re cleaning up after them…” Nicholas mutters to himself.
“Hey, Jamie, I need your help,” Dad says. He pointed towards two medium-sized boxes sitting at the foot of the staircase, “you see those boxes?”
You nod.
“The box labeled 'Books' needs to go up to my office. The other one that says 'Miscellaneous' needs to go to the basement. Take your pick.”
[[Books]]
[[Miscellaneous]]“Books,” You say.
Dad picks up the box and gently places it in your hands, making sure it’s not too heavy for you to carry before you make your way upstairs.
“Nicky,” Dad calls out, “Come on, we need to get some more boxes off the truck.”
[[Go upstairs]]“I’ll take the box that says ‘missa-whatever,’” You say.
“Atta-boy! Nicky, come help me finish unpacking the truck.”
Dad picks up the box and gently places it in your hands, making sure you can carry the weight. He goes back outside. Nicholas passes you as he follows behind:
“Try not to run into the boogeyman while you’re down there, or ghosts.” Nicholas says with a grin as you watch him exit through the screen door.
[[Go to the basement]]You hear the screen door close behind Dad and Nicholas as you make your way towards Dad’s office. The office is spacious when you walk in. Dad had spent the previous day moving his work stuff into the new digs. It was the cleanest room of the house. With several small boxes placed on one side of the room. You place the box labeled “Books” along with the others when something catches your eye.
One box is open, and you catch a familiar face peeking out from under one of the flaps. It’s the framed photo your family took at Disney World, standing in front of EPCOT – the last family vacation before the accident. Tears begin to well up in your eyes.
“Jaime…” a faint voice calls out. It catches your attention.
“Hello…?” you respond, wiping the tears from your eyes.
“Jaiiimeee,” the voice calls out again, sounding sweet and soft.
“Who’s there?” you ask before putting the photo back in its box.
[[Follow voice]]You walk out of the room, looking for the voice.
[[Check Dad's room]]“Is someone in here?” you ask with hesitation but get no response. You check the private bathroom but find no one there either. All that’s left is the bedroom you’ll be sharing with Nicholas.
[[Check your bedroom]]You walk in – it’s your first time seeing your new room. You find remnants of the previous inhabitants: a pair of twin sized bedframes with the mattresses missing, a dusty bookshelf, and some Lego pieces strewn about. Natural light peers in through the sheer curtains adorning the windows facing out to the backyard.
You notice a buzzing sound, like nails scratching a chalkboard. It’s faint at first but noticeable, growing louder and louder the further you walk into your bedroom, gnawing at you.
[[Go back downstairs]]
[[Look out the window]]You run back downstairs as fast as your legs can take you and join your father and brother outside by the truck.
[[Later that night]]You slowly approach the room. The noise in your head turn into the faint sound of a woman’s voice.
“Jaiiiime,” the voice says, "come closer."
You peer out of the window, looking at the tool shed sitting along the back fence. You're frozen, almost in a trance, staring at the shed until a harsh voice calls out to you.
“Jaime!” Nicholas screams at you.
You jump at his voice and turn around, notice that the buzzing noise is gone now.
“Didn’t you hear Dad calling you?” Nicholas asks, “We need your help with the other boxes.”
“Did you hear that noise?” you ask him.
“What noise? You know what? I don’t care. Now come on, the sooner we unpack the truck, the sooner I can take a shower!”
“Okay…”
Nicholas shoots you a look before shaking his head and walking away. You take one last look back at the shed before leaving the room.
[[Later that night]] You turn back towards the basement and swallow a gulp. The door slowly creaks as you try to open it with your foot. You look inside, there’s barely any light coming in from the windows below. You take one step down the stairs; a heavy thud on the wooden step reverberates with the acoustics of the basement. You continue down until you reach the bottom. The basement is dustier than the living room and filled with cobwebs in every corner. You find old, wet boxes as well as some extra chairs and some old furniture. You set the miscellaneous box on top of a dresser you find under a window.
[[Explore the basement]]You look around and explore the basement, trying to learn the history of the previous residents through any interesting item you can find: a weight bench with a treadmill next to it, a guitar inside of its case, a baby’s crib. You continue exploring until you find an old photo album. You open it, the pictures seem at least a decade old and faded.
There’s a picture of a family of five at the beach: a husband and wife with their 3 children – a pretty daughter of at least 17 years of age, a son maybe 3 years younger than his older sister, and another girl of kindergarten age. They look happy. You turn the page and find three more photos: one photo of the eldest daughter in a soccer uniform, holding a trophy; another of the son at his school’s science fair; and a photo of the baby just after she was born.
THUNK!!
[[Turn around]]You hear something fall and turn. Suddenly, you see the silhouette of a man waiting in a dark corner, you scream. Dad and Nicholas soon run down into the basement where they find you hiding in a corner.
“Jamie, what’s wrong?!” Dad asks as he walks over.
“There’s someone in the basement!” you cry out.
“Where!?”
You point in the direction of the man. Nicholas flips on a light switch at the bottom of the stairs and runs towards the man, tackling him to the ground.
“Uh… Dad?” Nicholas says.
“Yeah?”
“There’s no one here.”
Nicholas walks back, carrying a life-size cut-out of a ‘90s-era basketball player of Michael Jordan, “The big baby got spooked by Michael Jordan. If he’s going to be freaking out like this, I want my own room!”
[[Say nothing]]
[[Defend yourself]]You run past your dad and brother and up the stairs out of the basement.
[[Later that night]] You lash out, “Shut up, Nicholas, I’m not a baby! I heard a noise!”
Nicholas walks over to where you set the box, it’s now somehow on the floor.
“You mean this box that you obviously didn’t place on this dresser safely?
You’re at a loss for words. You storm past your dad and brother and march your way back upstairs
[[Later that night]] The night air was cool and crisp. Dad had decided to open all the windows in the house to air out the smell of dust and mold as well as let in some cool air to dissipate the day's heat inside.
After finishing a pizza dinner, Dad went to the garage to unpack some boxes while Nicholas went upstairs to talk to his friends on the phone. You decide to sit outside on the backporch and play with your race cars. You stop and take in your surroundings: a big backyard with tall grass and the toolshed along the backfence. Next door, the neighbor's farm property is twice the size of yours, with a two-story WWII-era home and a large barn behind it.
Something catches your attention. You notice a pair of floating red orbs through the open crack of the door. You can't make out what they are but you can't help but feel you are being watched.
[[Go to bed]]
[[Check out the shed]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="night sounds.mp3"></audio>You toss and turn in your bed twin-sized bed, pulling your race car sheets over you. Something is keeping you up, it's the buzzing noise again. Finally, you open your eyes and sit up. You turn to look at Nicholas fast asleep in the other twin bed. You look towards the door, it's been left open a crack. The moon illuminates the hallway and something catches your attention - the flowing outline of a white dress.
You get out of bed and leave the room to investigate. The house is quiet. As you step out of the room, you barely get a glimpse of a woman in a white dress slowly gliding down the stairs.
[[Follow the woman]]You put your toys down and are compelled to walk over to the shed.
"Hello?" you say, peeking through the crack. No answer.
It's dark so you step further inside.
"Is somebody in here?" you ask, your voice shaking.
"Come closer," a voice beckons you in a faint whisper.
"Who's there?" you ask.
"I can't see you," the voice answers, "turn on light."
You feel along the nearby wall until your hand finds a light switch.
[[Turn on the light]]
[[Leave the shed]]You turn on the light and find a grotesque creature waiting on all fours at the far end of the shed. It's large, covered in fur like a wolf. It opens it's mouth, almost in a grin-like manner, revealing very large, sharp teeth. The beast stands on it's hindlegs, standing over six feet.
"Hello, Jamie," the beast says.
You barely get a scream out when the beast suddenly lunges at you, tears you to shreds with it's large claws, killing you.
Game over.
[[Title Screen]] You quickly back out of the shed and slam the door shut. You run straight into the house, leaving your toys behind. You lock the backdoor and head upstairs to your room, passing Nicholas as he comes downstairs.
[[The next morning]]You and Nicholas sit at the breakfast table. He reads the label on a box of Apple Jacks as he eats a bowl of cereal. Dad serves you a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch.
"Here you go, bud," Dad says.
You don't respond. You stare at the table.
"You okay, Jamie? Did you sleep well?"
"Huh?" you finally say.
"I said did you sleep well?"
[[Tell Dad about last night]]
[[Lie to Dad]]You follow the woman, careful not to make any noise on your way downstairs. She glides to the kitchen and stands in front of a window, staring out to the backyard.
"Hello?" you say in a soft voice.
The woman turns around, it's your mother. Her face is pale, bloody tears run down her face.
"Jamie," she says, "My sweet boy. Come to Mommy."
[[Hug your mother]]You hug your mother. She embraces you tightly.
"You will be the instrument for my return," she says.
Suddenly, everything turns to black. Minutes later, you wake up on the floor in the middle of the garage with the light on. You find an open toolbox next to you with some tools strewn about on the floor, and a small wrench in your hand. You're confused as you look around. You drop the wrench and quickly leave the garage.
[[The next morning]] "I saw Mom last night," you say.
"What?" Dad says in disbelief.
Coffee mug in hand, Dad takes a seat at the table.
"What do you mean 'you saw Mom last night?'" Dad asks.
You continue, "I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a lady in a white dress. She was floating down the stairs and into the kitchen, and she stood at that window - just staring at the shed in the backyard. When she turned around, it was mom. She was crying blood."
"Then, what happened?" Dad asks.
"Oh, come on!" Nicholas chimed in, "You're not really buying this, are you, Dad?!"
[[Continue talking about last night]]"I had a dream that Mom was here," you tell Dad.
"Oh. I know you miss her, kiddo," Dad says, "I do too."
"I remember hugging her and it felt so real," you continue.
"You know," Dad says, "they say that if a loved one passes and you see them in a dream, it means they're trying to tell you something important. Maybe that's why you dreamt of her."
"I dunno, it felt really weird."
"I wouldn't dwell too much on it," Dad says with a smile, "it's a bunch of hogwash anyway.
[[Later that afternoon]] "I hugged her and then I woke up in the garage," you tell Dad.
"You were sleepwalking," Nicholas says, "there - problem solved."
"I wasn't sleepwalking, Nicky!" you tell him, "Dad, I'm serious!"
"Look, Jamie," Dad says, "I know you miss Mom. We all do. And sometimes when we lose someone and miss them a lot, we start to think we're seeing them in places when they're really not there. That's just the grieving process, son."
"But I did see her," you say, holding back tears.
Fed up, Nicholas suddenly slams his hand on the table, startling you.
"STOP!" he blurts out, "Mom is dead! You hear me? She's gone and she's never coming back!
Nicholas storms out of the kitchen.
[[Later that afternoon]]Later that afternoon, you help Nicholas rake up the leaves in the front yard.
"Nicky?"
"What?" he asks.
"Do you really think Mom isn't coming back?" you ask him.
Nicholas stops, he sighs, "Mom's dead, Jamie."
"But what if she could come back?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Because... I really did see her last night."
Nicholas tosses his rake to the ground, "Look, Jamie, I don't know what kind of sick joke you're playing right now, but you better knock it off!"
[[Press on]]
[[Drop the subject]]"It's not a joke," you tell Nicholas.
"You know Mom died because of you, right!?" Nicholas says.
"What...?"
"Mom died looking for your birthday present," Nicholas continued, "She was searching high and low to try to find you that stupid drone you begged for all year. She took me to football practice that day, but as soon as she got down the street, some drunk asshole ran a stop sign and slammed into her car on the driver's side - killed her instantly. I saw the whole thing so, no, I don't think Mom's 'coming back.'"
Nicholas marches into the house. Soon after, you hear your Dad call you from the garage.
"Jamie!"
[[Go to the garage]]You walk in, "Yeah, Dad?"
"What happened to the model I was working on for my client?" he asks, pointing to a what was once a landscape model of a real estate project, now destroyed.
"I dunno, Dad."
"Didn't you say you were in the garage last night?"
"Yeah, but I didn't do it!"
"Jamie," Dad sighs, "This is my work. This model was supposed to be a major project that was going to bring in a lot of money, and I'm supposed to present it tomorrow. Why would you destroy it?!"
"Dad, I swear, it wasn't me!"
Suddenly, you both hear Nicholas yell from out front. Dad runs out to check on him.
[[Follow Dad]]You follow Dad as he runs out to the sidewalk. You both find Nicholas on the ground, grabbing on his left arm. He's fallen off his bike with the front wheel having rolled a few feet away from him. Nicholas writhes in pain.
"Nicky, what happened?" Dad asks.
"I don't know," Nicholas says wincing, "I was riding my bike and next thing I knew the front wheel came off and I feel right on my shoulder!"
Dad checks his shoulder, "Can you move it?"
Nicholas tries moving his arm, "No, it hurts really bad!"
"Why would your bike come apart like that?" Dad says.
"I dunno. It's been in the garage since we got here."
Dad turns to you, "Jamie, did you do this?"
[[Deny it]]Put off by Nicholas' reaction, you decide not to pursue the topic and continue raking until he drops his rake and marches into the house. A few minutes go by as you rake up the leaves when you suddenly hear your father call out from the garage.
"Jamie!"
[[Go to the garage]] "I didn't do anything, Dad. I swear!" you tell him.
"You said you were in the garage last night!" Nicholas yells at you.
One of the neighbors across the street steps out of their house and watches you and your family argue.
"Argh! I was gonna try out for the football team soon as we started school here," Nicholas says as Dad helps him up.
"I know, son," Dad tells him, "But that's going to have to wait. Come on, let's get you to a doctor. And you, Jamie, you're grounded."
"Why am I grounded?!" you yell in protest.
"When we get to the hospital," Dad continues, "I'm setting an appointment for you with a therapist. Until we can figure out what's gotten into you, no TV, no internet, and no video games! Now c'mon, bring Nicky's bike to the house."
[[Get the bike]]Dad helps Nicholas walk back up the driveway. You hang your head down as you walk over to pick up to loose wheel and drag your brother's bike back to your house. Something catches your attention. You look up and notice the woman in the white dress watching you from your bedroom window. She smiles, her eyes glowing red.
"Dad!!" you call out.
"What?" he answers.
You point up at your window. Dad follows your gaze but the woman is gone.
"I don't have time for your games, Jamie. Let's go!" he says as he and Nicholas get in the car.
[[Two days later]]The therapist's office is large and kid-friendly. There are pictures hung up on the wall: pictures of kids looking happy with their families, being active in sports, and enjoying the arts. You assume they are stock photos bought in some department store. To the side is a space with some toys such as building blocks and model trains on tracks.
Your therapist, Dr. Farber, is a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and round-framed glasses. She's friendly and patient as you sit across from her.
"Jamie," Dr. Farber says, "why don't you tell me about the woman you saw in your new house."
[[Stay quiet]]
[[Talk about the woman]]
[[Talk about your mom]]"What do you want to know?" you say.
"You can tell me anything."
"She had on a white dress and was crying blood."
"Did she remind you of your mom?" Dr. Farber asks.
"Yes. But my mom had lighter hair."
"And what did this woman say when you saw her?"
"She said that I was the instrument of her return," you say softly.
"What does that mean?" Dr. Farber asks you.
[[Answer Dr. Farber]]"My mom told me about these kinds of places," you say, "she said this is where kids come to see if they have to live in a hospital."
"Do you think you'll be sent to live in a hospital?" Dr. Farber asks.
You shrug, "I don't think I'm crazy."
"No one thinks you're crazy, Jamie."
"Then, why did my Dad ground me?"
"Your father believes that you have been behaving out of character."
"Do you think I'm behaving out of character?" you ask.
"I've just met you."
[[Continue talking]]"It's okay if you don't want to talk about her," says Dr. Farber.
You stare down at your feet as you kick them back and forth against your chair. She notices.
"We can talk about school. Do you have a favorite subject?"
"Science," you mutter under your breath.
"I like science too. In fact, what I do here is considered science."
You say nothing else and you both spend the rest of the hour in silence.
[[End of therapy session]]"I think it means Mom's coming back," you tell her.
Dr. Farber writes down in a notepad sitting on her lap.
"Is that why you destroyed your father's work and loosened the wheel on your brother's bike? Because doing so would bring your mother back?" Dr. Farber asks, resting her head in her hand as she leans back in her chair.
"I didn't do that!"
"Your father said you admitted to being in the garage the night before, where both the model and the bike were," Dr. Farber says.
"Because I woke up there!" you blurt out.
Dr. Farber jots down another note.
"Jamie," she says, "I believe that you are using the 'woman' as a reason to act out your grief over losing your mom because you have no other outlet to do so yet."
"But I don't even remember going to the garage!"
[[End of therapy session]]"I miss my Mom..." you say.
"What was your mom like?" Dr. Farber asks.
"She was the best. Every Saturday night, she would pop popcorn and we would watch movies together. Or sometimes we would build forts. She was the coolest."
"Sounds like you got along well with her," Dr. Farber says.
Dr. Farber writes in a notepad sitting on her lap.
"Jamie," she then says, "what can you tell me about the model your dad made that got destroyed, and about your brother's bicycle coming apart, causing his injury."
"I didn't do it!" you blurt out.
[[End of therapy session]] Dr. Farber sighs, "Jamie, what you went through -- losing your mother -- is a very traumatic experience for a boy your age. And from what I know, you two shared quite the mother-son bond. I have a son about your age, so I understand the relationship you had with your mom. It's okay to miss her and to want her back. It's okay to even lash out once in a while, and to cry. But sabotaging your brother's bike or your father's work is serious stuff. Unfortunately, our time is up, so we will have to discuss it at our next session."
Your father walks into the office and you leave with him.
[[The next day]]You step out of your house to sit on the front porch on a breezy late afternoon. You notice Nicholas, arm in a sling, tossing a football around with the neighbor's son, Tommy. Tommy is similar to Nicholas in age and built like a football player. You overhear them talking.
"The people in town call this the 'Wendigo House,'" Tommy says.
"What's that mean?" Nicholas asks.
"Supposedly, your house is haunted. The family that lived here before, they claimed they saw a creature roaming the property. It looked like a dog or something but with antlers."
"Sounds like crap," Nicholas says.
[[Keep listening]]
[[Head back inside]]"I take it you haven't seen it yet," Tommy says.
"A half-deer, half-dog? Definitely not," Nicholas says.
"The oldest daughter who lived here," Tommy continues, "said that she kept hearing a buzzing noise coming from the shed, then one night she saw the ghost of her best friend in the basement."
"I thought you said a Wendigo looked like a dog."
"That's the thing, first they show you the person you've been missing the most - like a dead relative - to make you weak enough to possess you. Then it makes you kill your whole family. The family left within a few days with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The family before them weren't so lucky..."
"Yeah, well, nothing like that has happened to us," Nicholas says, tossing the football back to Tommy.
[[Chime in]]You decide to head back inside the house. You see your dad in the kitchen making dinner so you go upstairs to his bedroom. You search the room until you find your tablet in his nightstand drawer. You turn it on and open the internet browser. You search "Wendigos."
Your search leads you to images of a grotesque dog-like creature standing on hindlegs with antlers on it's head. It unnerves you but you tap on one of the images, leading you to a webpage. It's a blog entry written by a ghost hunter. You read the blog entry, only one thing stands out: "it tries to agitate you with a buzzing noise that only you can hear before taking on the shape of a loved one to lure you into a false sense of security and then possessing you. Once possessed, the Wendigo will make it's victim kill those the victim cares for."
[[Keep reading]]"I heard the buzzing noise," you say, walking down from the porch.
"Shut up, Jamie," Nicholas tells you, "we weren't even talking to you!"
"But I did, Nicky! I hear it every night when I'm in bed. I even saw two red eyes staring at me from the shed the other night."
Tommy turns to Nicholas, "you're the oldest right?"
"Duh!" Nicholas answers.
"Interesting," Tommy says, his brow furrowed.
[[Midnight]]You continue reading the blog entry until your father suddenly walks in.
"Jamie," he yells, "you're grounded - that means no sneaking into my room and using your tablet!"
"But Dad, I think I know what's going on -- !"
Dad snatches tablet out of your hand and puts it on a high shelf in his closet.
"That's it, go to your room!" Dad says, pointing to the door.
You hang your head down and leave.
[[Midnight]]It's the dead of night. The house is dark and quiet when you walk into the kitchen. You grab a glass off the dish rack on the counter and get a drink of water from the tap. As you sip the water, you hear the buzzing sound. It's faint and tolerable. You look out the window and towards the tool shed. After a moment, you make a decision and put the glass in the sink. You walk out the back door to the yard.
It's chilly outside. You feel compelled to walk into the shed.
You hear the voice call out to you again, ever so sweetly, "Jaiiiimeeee..."
You turn on the light in the shed, it's empty inside save for a bunch of power tools and boxes. You look up on the wall, staring at a ball hammer hanging next to a tooth saw.
"Be a good boy," the voice says, "and make Mommy proud."
[[Ball hammer]]
[[Tooth saw]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="low buzz sound.wav"></audio>You reach up and grab the ball hammer from its hook.
"That's a good boy," the voice says.
You turn around and slowly walk out of the shed.
[[Go into the house]]You reach up and grab the tooth saw from its hook.
"That's a good boy," the voice says.
You turn around and slowly walk out of the shed.
[[Go into the house]] You walk back into the house, leaving the door open behind you. You walk through the kitchen then the living room. You walk to the foot of the stairs, each step creaks under your footsteps and you slowly make your way up to the second floor. You turn the corner at the top and walk to the middle of the dark hallway.
[[Go to your bedroom]]
[[Go to Dad's bedroom]]You enter your bedroom. You stand over Nicholas and watch him as he is deep in his slumber. You hear The Voice.
"Do it, Sweet Jaime," it says, "kill for your mommy!"
Your breathing starts to get heavy as you stare at your brother. You slowly raise your weapon above your head when Nicholas slowly opens his eyes.
"Jaime?" he asks, squinting through the darkness.
Nicholas notices your weapon just before you bring it down for a death blow, but he reacts quick enough to block it and grabs your arm. You both struggle.
"DAD!!" Nicholas yells, "Help!!"
Your dad rushes into your room. He sees you and Nicholas tussling but Nicholas kicks you away and towards a dresser before your dad can do anything. You bump your head against the dresser and are knocked unconscious.
[[The living room]]You walk into your dad's bedroom. You stand over him, watching him sleep. You hear The Voice, "Kill you father, Jaime. So we can be a family again."
You slowly raise your weapon above your head but your dad is suddenly jolted awake.
"Jaime?" Dad says, "What are you doing? Give me that!"
You bring your weapon down for the death blow but narrowly miss his head. Dad jumps out of bed, grabs your arms, and pins you hard against his closet door. Moments later, Nicholas walks in.
"Dad?" Nicholas says, wiping the sleep from his eyes, "What's going on?" I heard a loud noise."
With your dad distracted, you bite his arm forcing him to free you. You lunge at Nicholas who instinctively moves out of the way and sucker-punches you, knocking you out.
[[The living room]] Jamie lies unconscious in the middle of the living room floor. His arms and legs tied together while his father and Nicholas watched over him.
"How long until your friend gets here?" Nicholas asks.
"Should be a few more minutes.
"Why do you think Jaime's acting this way, Dad?"
Jaime's father took a deep sigh, "This house is haunted by an evil spirit, Nicky. A wendigo."
"A wendigo?" Nicholas says, "Tommy, the kid next door, said that everyone in town called this the 'Wendigo House,'"
"Yeah," Jaime's father says, "it terrorizes anyone who lives here. I thought we got rid of it after my family bought this house a long time ago."
[[Dad and Nicholas continue talking]]"The Wendigo possessed my older brother," Jaime's dad continues, "he died not long after we exorcised the demon."
Nicholas hung his head down, taking the information in. Then, he realizes something.
"Wait," Nicholas says, "Tommy said the Wendigo possesses the first-born child of every family who lives here. Why didn't it possess me?"
Nicholas' father considers his question for a moment, "That's because you're adopted, Nicky. Your mother and I believed that we couldn't have children. We tried so many times but nothing happened. But we wanted to be parents so bad that we decided to adopt you instead. Then, one day, your mother was suddenly pregnant with Jaime. Our 'miracle baby.' So technically, he is our first-born."
The revelation hits Nicholas like a ton of bricks when his father's cellphone suddenly rings.
"Yeah?" Nicholas' father says answering the phone, "Okay, come on in. We're in the living room."
[[Exorcism]]Father Patrick, a young priest in his early-30s from the neighboring town, enters the house with a backpack. Nicholas' father greets him with a hug.
"Brian!" Father Patrick says with a smile, "It's been too long."
"How've you been, Patrick?" Brian says.
"Oh, you know, can't complain 'long as the Lord is with me. You must be Nicholas. So good to meet you.
Father Patrick extends his hand and Nicholas shakes it.
"I'll be honest, Brian, I've been dreading this call for the last 20 years."
Father Patrick rolled up his sleeves, "You both are aware of the risks that come with an exorcism, correct?"
[[Exorcism continued]]"Yes," Brian says, "Please, Patrick, just save my boy."
Father Patrick nods. He sets his backpack down and pulls out a small clear vial and his bible. He opens the bible and passes it to Brian, "Read out loud from here and do not stop until I tell you to. Nicholas, I need you to hold your brother down no matter what.
Father Patrick begins chanting in Latin as Brian read the bible passages. He flings holy water at Jaime from his vial. Lights flicker and a loud rumbling noise is felt throughout the house as Jaime's body writhes in agony. Then, suddenly, Jaime's eyes open - crimson red like the eyes he has been seeing every night.
"LET GO OF ME, DISGUSTING HUMAN!" the wendigo says through Jamie in a demonic growl, "OR I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOUR LIMBS ARE TORN APART SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY!"
[[Click]] for growling sound
"Do not listen to it, Nicholas!" Father Patrick says.
The Wendigo shoots out an energy pulse, knocking everyone against the walls.
[[Continue exorcism]]Father Patrick quickly gets up, "Hurry, don't let get loose! Brian - keep reading!"
Nicholas and Father Patrick rushed to pin Jaime back to the floor.
"THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!" Father Patrick chants repeatedly.
"Nicky," the wendigo says, sounding like the boys' mother this time, "why are you doing this, honey? You're hurting your brother."
"Shut up!" Nicholas screams, "You're not my mom!"
The wendigo let out a growl as it struggled to get free.
"He's gotten stronger," Father Patrick says, "We need to break through and reach Jaime somehow, encourage him to fight the demon's spirit."
[[Nicholas speaks]]"Jaime!" Nicholas says, "If you can hear me, I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you all these years. I was just jealous because you had all of Mom's attention ever since you were born."
Father Patrick notices Jaime starting to resist the Wendigo.
"It's working! Keep talking to him, Nicholas!"
"I don't hate you, Jaime!" Nicholas continues, "I'm glad I have you as my brother. You're smart, you're patient with me even when I give you crap. You're the best brother I could have asked for!"
Suddenly, the Wendigo lets out a primal scream before it's spirit shoots out of your body.
"I'LL BE BACK!" the wendigo says, "THIS HOUSE AND ALL WHO LIVE IN IT BELONG TO ME!!"
The wendigo spirit disappears.
"Dad?" you say before Nicholas unties you. You family hugs you as tears run down your Dad's face.
[[Several days later]]You struggle to carry the last of the boxes out of the house. Nicholas notices and walks over, "Here, let me help you with that, little bro."
He takes the heavy box off your hands and loads it onto the moving trailer attached to his pickup truck. Tommy, football in hand, walks up the driveway as your Dad locked up the moving truck.
"Leaving already, huh?" Tommy asks.
"Yeah, the simple life just isn't for us, I guess," Nicholas says.
Tommy chuckles, "Yeah, after all the commotion from the other night, I can't say I blame y'all. Don't be a stranger, guys."
"We won't," you say.
"We're moving back to the city," Nicholas says, "if our schools play each other, maybe we can grab a bite after or something."
[[Goodbye]]"I'd like that," Tommy says as she shakes yours and Nicholas' hands.
"C'mon, guys," Dad says, "We gotta hit the road."
You and Nicholas wave Tommy good-bye then jump into your father's truck. Tommy watches as the truck pulls out of the driveway and cruises down the road.
Tommy's eyes suddenly turn crimson red as he smiles, watching the back of the moving trailer slowly shrink over the horizon until it's finally gone.
The End.
[[Title Screen]] Images:
DracoLumina17. (2020). Wendigo Wintery Forest. photograph.
FFDUMMINGS. (2007). Harold Osborn Family Farmhouse. photograph.
Public Domain. (2017). Spooky Woman in White. photograph.
Sounds:
2008. low massive buzz sound. [WAV file] Available at: https://freesound.org/people/alexbird/sounds/46508/
2009. demonic growl 2. [MP3] Available at: https://freesound.org/people/IFartInUrGeneralDirection/sounds/66860/
2008. night sounds. [MP3] Available at: https://freesound.org/people/IFartInUrGeneralDirection/sounds/60968/
[[Go back.|Prologue]]<img src="farmhouse.jpg">
<img src="wendigowinteryforest.jpg">
<img src="womaninwhite.jpg">
<audio autoplay>
<source src="night sounds.mp3"></audio>
[[Go back.|Prologue]]<audio autoplay>
<source src="demonic growl 2.mp3"></audio>
[[Go back.|Exorcism continued]]
↶↷THE MONSTER
An Interactive Horror Novel.
Designed by Orbin Walcott
Prologue