Warren Paranormal Investigators: The Curse of the Wendigo Island.

Prologue.

In 1982, George Edgar Warren, a Canadian millionaire and owner of Warren’s Mining and Logging, met a woman named Hama Kharzai and her son Ahmed during a visit to the United States. Hama and Ahmed Karzai were both refugees from Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. George Warren hired Ali Kharzai to serve as a chef at his home, Warren Manor. Ahmed lived with his mother at Warren Manor and developed a close friendship with Warren. Hama Kharzai died of cancer in 2003, when Ahmed was 30. In 1993, George and Ahmed founded Warren Private Investigations Inc. with a slight focus on the paranormal, and the two of them worked as partners until Warren’s death in 2013. After George Warren died, Ahmed Kharzai would greatly expand WPI’s resources and hire more personnel as time went on. To date, the company has four members: Ahmed Kharzai, Edward Montauk, Matthias Silander, and MacLaren O’Dale and soon one more.

Chapter 1.

A cool autumn breeze blew through the town of Thunder Bay, Canada. In a small office building on the corner of Arthur St. and May St, Ahmed Kharzai was sitting in his office when the phone on his desk began to ring with fervent vigor and buzz. Ahmed picked up the receiver and answered.

“This is the office of Warren Paranormal Investigators Inc, the best paranormal investigators in Canada. How may I help you today?”, he said into the phone. A woman’s voice answered his own.

“Bonjour? My name is Emilie Hunter. I need your help. My husband went missing while on a camping trip. He should have been back by now, but I haven’t seen or heard from him for the last 2 weeks. I went to the police but they failed to find him. You are my last chance. I live in Yellowknife. If you come over, I’ll explain everything. Please, help me find my husband.” She forced the words out while simultaneously trying to hold back tears.

“I understand. We’ll be there as soon as we can, ma’am. We’ll find your husband.” Ahmed replied. With that he hung up the phone and walked out of his office and into the lobby, where his colleagues were. Edward was sitting at the front desk, reading a comic book. Matthias was lounging on the couch, twirling a small dagger. MacLaren was cleaning the front window. Ahmed looked at his friends and then knocked on the door frame to get their attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and sat up to focus on their boss.

“Alright, guys, pack your gear. We got a job”, he stated with a firm voice.

“Where are we going?”, asked MacLaren.

“Yellowknife.”, Ahmed answered, “Let’s get the Dragon ready. We’re going to need it.”

The four detectives drove down to Thunder Bay International Airport. After arriving at the airport, they presented their badges to the security team at the gate. They were allowed to pass, and they drove to the hangar where the Dragon was stored. They approached the hangar where their plane waited. The Dragon, a large Japanese Kawasaki C-2 cargo plane painted to look like a red Chinese dragon, loomed in the space of its shelter. Large and imposing, its golden eyes stared menacingly at the men as they approached. It carried all the vehicles, weapons, and equipment that the detectives of Warren Paranormal Investigators Inc. used to do their job.

MacLaren and Matthias climbed up the side of the Dragon and entered through the side door. Climbing into the pilot’s seat, he began to prepare the plane for departure. While the engines slowly began to stir, Ahmed and Edward checked the gear and vehicles. When everything looked ready, MacLaren signaled for the hangar doors to open. They did and the Dragon began to be taxied out to the runway. As soon as everyone took their seats, MacLaren began to get the plane into position for takeoff. Once everything had been set, Mac punched it and the Dragon began to ride along the runway, before pulling up for takeoff. With that, they set out for Yellowknife, ready to fulfill their promise to Mrs. Hunter.

Chapter 2.

After an eight hour flight in the Dragon, the boys finally arrived at the Yellowknife Airport. The men disembarked from the plane and stepped out onto the tarmac. As the Dragon was towed into a hangar, the men walked into the terminal building. They looked around for Mrs. Hunter, and when they couldn't find her, Ahmed pulled out his cell phone and called her. She picked up and explained she was out front in a red Chrysler 300. After hanging up, the four of them went out of the front entrance and found the red Chrysler 300 in the nearby parking lot. Standing by the driver-side door was a woman. She was fair-skinned, with dark red hair being covered partially by a purple winter cap with a white poof. She was wearing a thick brown fur coat and black gloves. Her eyes were covered by large rose colored sunglasses, faintly hiding her emerald green eyes. Ahmed and his friends walked up to her and began to speak.

“You must be Emilie Hunter?”, he asked.

“I am.” she said confidently. Ahmed gave her a simple wave. He introduced himself and his company, “It’s nice to meet you, madam. I’m Ahmed Kharzai. These are my colleagues: Edward Montauk, Matthias Silander, and MacLaren O’Dale. We are Warren Paranormal Investigators. How are you?”

“Get in”, she said, “There's a Tim Horton's not far from here. We'll talk when we get there." They all got into Emilie' car and drove to the nearest Tim Horton's. Once inside, they found a table next to the window by the drive thru lane. After they sat down, Emilie removed her sunglasses, took out her phone and began scrolling through her photos.

“This is what my husband looks like.”, she said, showing the picture to the four men. Ahmed took the phone from her and looked at the screen inquisitively. The picture was of Emilie with a man holding hands with her. He was much taller with long black hair and distinct Native American features. Both he and Emilie were wearing clothes and coats that were suited for outdoor activities. There was a Winchester rifle hanging from the man's shoulder. Both he and Emilie were wearing coonskin hats. Ahmed passed the phone over to Matthias sitting next to him.

“What is your husband’s name?”, Ahmed asked.

“Wise Hunter.”, she replied, “Seven weeks ago, my husband went camping on Great Slave Lake. There’s an island he goes to every year.”

“Ok. When did he leave for his trip?”, Ahmed asked.

“He left on March 3rd. He should have been back on March 10th. It is now March 25th. It has been fifteen days since he went missing.”

“Did you go to the police?”, Ahmed asked.

“Yes, I went to the police. I gave a report two days after he was supposed to come back. They sent three officers to investigate but I haven’t heard anything from them. They closed their case, saying it couldn’t be solved. I was absolutely appalled, but I knew why they closed the case. The police and Mounties don’t give a damn about Indigenous Peoples. That and they’re uselessly incompetent in general. But I refuse to leave this mystery unsolved. I need to know if he’s alive or not”, Mrs. Hunter said.

“I see,”, Ahmed replied, pulling up a map of the lake on his phone, “There’s at least a thousand islands in Great Slave Lake. Do you know which one they went to?”

“Yes.”, Mrs. Hunter said, “There’s a small island in the Slave Bay of the lake known as Web Island. That’s where he goes every year for his annual hunting/fishing trip. He normally stays for two weeks. But it’s been way too long. He should have been back by now.”

“What is your husband’s name?”, Ahmed asked.

“Wise Hunter. He’s an Algonquin Native American”, she replied. Mrs. Hunter showed them the location of the island on the lake. Ahmed marked the location on his Google Maps app. He then shared the information with his crewmates. Emilie picked up her empty coffee cup and plate to throw them out.

“Come on”, she said to the detectives, “I’ll drop you off at the airport.”

With that, they all got back into Mrs. Hunter’s car for the drive back up to the airport. Once there, MacLaren went up to the hangar to get the Dragon ready. Once their plane was ready, Ahmed and the boys said their goodbyes to Mrs. Hunter as they set off. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Hunter, we’ll find your husband.”, Edward said before he boarded the Dragon. The Dragon then took off and began the hour-long journey south towards Web Island in the Great Slave Lake.

Chapter 3.

The wind rocked the Dragon back and forth as the men neared the island.

“Land on the shoreline. If something goes wrong, we’ll at least have an escape route.” Ahmed told Maclaren. The plane landed on a large beach between the forest and the water. The men gathered in the cargo bay and went over the information given to them by Mrs. Hunter.

“So we know that there is at least one man out here.”, Ahmed started, “The island is all forest and, at least to our knowledge, uninhabited. Ed and Matt, you two will take the duck boat and scour the water. MacLaren and I will stay here and survey the land with the drone. Keep in touch with your radios and alert us if you see anything. We’ll do the same here. Let’s move out.” The cargo bay door opened and Ahmed and MacLaren stepped out. Edward and Matthias followed right behind in a DUKW duck boat, a boat with wheels and a propeller for amphibious travel. Ahmed and MacLaren stepped out of the way as the duck boat crawled across the beach and slipped into the water. All of them were armed with AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles, Glock 19 handguns, machetes, and combat knives. Ahmed shouted to his colleagues on the duck boat, “Make sure you guys are back before dark.” Ed and Matt gave him the thumbs up before they rode off.

“How’s that drone coming along, Mac?”, Ahmed asked.

“Almost done, sir.”, MacLaren replied, “Just need one more moment and there we go.” The drone blipped loudly as it came to life, its rotor blades whirring wildly. MacLaren launched it into the sky as the camera feed began to appear on the remote’s screen. For five minutes, there was nothing but trees and dense forest for miles. Suddenly there was an insanely loud rustling sound and the sight of trees being jostled and flung about down below. MacLaren maneuvered the drone closer to focus on the movement. There was something large moving through the forest. Mac tried to focus on it but the thing was obscured by the thick canopy of branches and leaves.

“What the hell is that?”, MacLaren muttered as he stared at the screen. Just then the radio screamed awake. Ahmed picked it up and answered it. It was Edward.

“This is Ahmed. Go ahead Ed.”, he said into the radio.

“Just thought you should know this, boss.”, Ed started, “We found what looks like a dock of some kind. It’s at the north end of the island. I think you should come see it.”

“Well have we got a surprise for you too. We just caught something big on the drone camera. I think you should come see it as well,” Ahmed quipped.

“Alright, we’ll be coming back to pick you up in five minutes so get ready.”, Edward said over the radio.

“Gotcha.”, said Ahmed, shutting off the radio and turning to MacLaren, “Get that drone back here quickly. Matt and Ed are gonna be here soon.”

“On it,'' Mac replied promptly. The two pairs met up and regrouped at the beach. Ahmed and Mac got on the duck boat and showed the drone footage to Ed and Matt. It raised more questions than it answered. As they were reviewing the video, a loud blood curdling scream ripped across the forest, shaking the trees and sending chills up everyone’s spines.

“What the hell was that?”, Matthias asked in fear.

“I don’t know. Doesn’t sound like a bear or a wolf, or any other animal that I know of.” Ahmed answered, “Let’s go find that dock of yours before we get murdered or something.” With that, Edward started the duck boat and they all set off towards the north end of the island.

Chapter 4.

As the four private eyes made their way around the island in the duck boat, none of them could shake the feeling that they were being watched. Finally, they made it to the dock that Matt and Edward had found. It was an old, decrepit, and run down structure that looked as if it had seen 1000 years of disrepair. The men drove their vehicle onto the shore and hopped off. It was close to sunset now and the trail leading from the dock into the forest looked eerie and uninviting. The men each grabbed their weapons and a flashlight. They moved steadily up the path, each one uneasy with anxiousness and hesitation. After three minutes of walking, they came across an even more decrepit looking cabin.

“Stay close guys. We’re going in. Two groups and no one should lose sight of their partners.”, Ahmed said as they neared the cabin. The sun began to dip below the horizon as they walked toward the entrance. Soon they were inside. The cabin wasn’t very large, consisting of an average- sized sitting room, a kitchen area, and a sketchy looking bedroom. Between the bedroom and the kitchen was a door that led to a dark basement. The place was a mess: demolished furniture, blinds and curtains ripped off the windows, holes in the walls, pieces of glass, wood, and metal were strewn about. The kitchen sink was littered with broken dishes and window glass, and the bedroom was completely trashed. Bedsheets, broken furniture, and other personal objects scattered every which way. To top it all off, there was a foul, musty, and unmistakable odor of death and blood. It was an uncomforting and disturbing sight. Ahmed and his colleagues moved forward with utmost caution. Ed and Mac went into the basement, while Matt and Ahmed took the first floor. They surveyed the house well into the dark. Eventually Matthias found a destroyed section of a wall in the bedroom. Inside it was a picture of a man holding a hunting rifle, standing next to a large dead moose.

“Hey, boss. Take a look at this.” Matt said to Ahmed, showing him the picture.

“Interesting,'' Ahmed quipped. Both were instantly interrupted by the sound of MacLaren shouting at them from afar, “Hey guys. I think I found something.” Immediately, all both men rushed over to the basement door where his voice was coming from. It reeked of death so badly they all covered their mouths as they descended the stairs to join him and Ed. MacLaren was staring into an open area of the basement when his friends got down there. He turned to face them as they arrived.

“Over here guys.”, he said, ushering over to them, “I think I found our missing Hunter.” He then pointed his flashlight to the floor. The light revealed four corpses, all of which were literally torn limb from limb. Blood and guts were smeared all over the floor, walls, and ceiling. Matt and Ahmed walked over to the corpses. Their observations revealed that they were indeed human men. Three of them were wearing what appeared to be the red garb of the Canadian Mounties. The fourth was dressed in more drab and muted clothing.

“Yep. These are people, alright.`` Ahmed said, “But how did they die?” As the two of them continued examining the bodies, Edward began searching the room for more clues. He walked over to the left wall and came across what looked like a large hole.

“Look! This guy appears to have bite marks on his neck, Matt said.

“So does this guy.”, Ahmed replied, “But they don’t match the teeth of a bear or a wolf. They’re much too big”

“This dude’s got a huge gash on his chest.”, Mac stated, “But they don’t look like a bear either. And this guy looks like he was strangled and then disemboweled.”

“That’s Wise Hunter! Emilie’ husband.”, Matt shouted, pointing to the body that Mac was studying, “She’s not gonna be happy about this.”

Meanwhile, Edward, who was still examining the hole he found, thought he began to hear what sounded like human breathing. It sounded like it was coming from the hole.

“Hey guys! I think there’s something in this hole.”, he said. Suddenly, the sound of growling stopped everyone from speaking. They all looked up and stared at the hole now. Edward shined his flashlight into it. A pair of glowing red eyes jumped out of the darkness to meet his gaze.

“Guys, there’s definitely something in this hole!” he shouted while taking several steps backward. At this point everyone was making their way towards the stairs when the owner of the red eyes crawled out of the hole and revealed itself to the boys. It was tall as it stood on its hind legs, its thin and emaciated body in the form of a man, but its head was that of a deer, complete with antlers. Its body was covered in thick shaggy fur that was soaked in blood. Its hands and feet looked human as well. The creature stared the men down with a look of bloodlust in its eyes. For what seemed like an eternity, both man and beast were engaged in a standoff of deathly stares. Suddenly the beast broke the silence and let out a deafening roar that shook the foundations of the cabin. Ahmed recognized it as the exact same roar that had ripped through the trees mere hours earlier. It then hit him what this creature was.

Chapter 5.

“Run!”, Ahmed yelled, pushing his friends up the stairs. The beast snarled and lunged at them as they all ran upstairs and out of the house. Ahmed aimed his rifle at the beast and let off a couple of rounds. The sting of gunfire immediately caused it to back off.. This gave them enough time to make their escape. The four investigators kept running until they had reached the duck boat. They all stopped to catch their breath once they were inside.

“What was that?”, MacLaren asked.

“That was a wendigo.”, Ahmed responded, “A beast of Algonquin Indian legend that craves human flesh. It was once a man, but after resorting to cannibalism to survive, it was transformed by the gods into the monster that nearly ended our lives. They are extremely clever and can travel at an inhuman speed. Once they smell man flesh, nothing can stop them from pursuing their quarry. We need to leave! Now!” Edward started the engine up and began to roll the tank into the water. Suddenly the eerie silence that had overcome them was shattered by the crashing of trees and brush. Everyone looked toward the forest as the wendigo leapt off the ground and into a large spruce tree. It roared at them before it jumped down and charged their vehicle.

“Get us out of here, Ed!”, Ahmed shouted, “You two, get your guns ready. If we’re going out, we’re going out guns ablazing. Fire at will!” Mac, Matt, and Ahmed each aimed their rifles and opened fire on the wendigo. The hail of bullets managed to stop its charge but did little to no damage. Fortunately, it was enough of a diversion for the men to slip away unscathed.

Chapter 6.

The men all drove until they reached the shore of the lake. Suddenly, the duck boat began to rumble and shake violently. Matt immediately stopped the duck boat and looked down at the side. He cursed a little under his breath before getting up. “We got a flat, guys”, he said disappointingly. Ahmed ordered everyone to get out. They all inspected the rest of the tires and found one more on the passenger side. The shoreline they were standing on was wide with three trailheads leading into the forest. There were also several thorn bushes located near the shore.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do.”, Ahmed said, “We’ll dig a circular trench and fill it with flammable materials. Wendigos are weak to fire, so that will slow it down significantly. When that thing comes into sight, we’ll light the trench. We’re also gonna collect as many thorn bush branches as we can find. We’ll use them to build a perimeter wall behind the trench. Matt and I will keep an eye on the forest. Mac and Ed, you two will keep an eye on the water. Wendigos can swim and they’re terrifyingly good at it. The duck boat will be placed by the wall nearest to the waterline. If that thing breaches our defenses at any point, we jump into the water and swim to shore. Let’s get to work.”

Chapter 7

Night had fallen. The preparation of the defenses had taken up all the available daylight. The four men stood stoically at their positions: Matthias and Ahmed stood by the trench, their eyes fixed on the trees before them. The thorn bush wall was to their back. It stood some ten feet tall, with a small opening for access. MacLaren and Edward stood outside the water entrance to their impressive fort, their gazes frozen silently on the water. All of them had their flamethrowers primed and ready. Their AKs were slung on their shoulders, not that they would do the men any good. All of them were wearing the night vision goggles they had brought with them. But each one was wondering whether these defenses and precautions would be enough. After all, were they not facing a being of supernatural qualities?

Each twig snap and rustling branch made the men jump and twitch, but they held their nerves somehow. They all knew their foe would come; but not when it would arrive. Eventually the silence was broken by the sound of splashing water; followed by heavy footsteps in the sand being accompanied by a disgusting wheezing breath. The men knew what that sound meant. Their quarry was nearby. Ahmed gave the signal. All four men lit a match and threw it into the trench; before swiftly and silently retreating into the imagined safety of the thorn wall. They covered their entrances with a large sheet of metal plating. They then climbed up some ladders they had set up as makeshift watchtowers. They also removed their night vision goggles; they would no longer need them. The trench’s cocktail of gasoline, kerosene, dry wood, and other flammable substances burst with a brilliant light that rivaled the light of the full moon.

There, in the shadow of the great pine trees, stood the wendigo. Only its face was visible, but its eyes glowed a bright and hostile red; and its bared teeth glistened in the firelight. The wendigo then decided to cast off its fear and approach the fort. Matt and Ahmed were the first to see the beast’s full form. It towered over the wall of the thorn fort. Its antlers appeared to pierce the sky. Its blood-soaked fur shone a deep reddish-brown. Had the trench not been there, it would have clambered over. They stood firm as it sauntered closer, a look of fierce hatred on its face. Then it stopped. Everyone knew why: the flames in the trench. The sight of them made the wendigo pause briefly, as if it was deciding on whether the Warren Investigators were worth the effort. For what seemed like an eternity, the two sides stood and stared at each other. No-one wanted to move, for fear that moving would express weakness. For what seemed like an eternity, no-one knew what to do.

“What are you thinking?”, Ahmed thought as he stared at the wendigo, “What are you planning? What are you doing?” As if it heard his thoughts, the wendigo began to march right towards Ahmed with malice. Ahmed aimed his flamethrower, ready to fire once his foe was in range. The wendigo marched right into the light, and Ahmed let loose a shower of fire upon it. The wendigo jumped back and glared at the spot where the blaze had landed. Its pyrophobia seemed to return. But then the wendigo appeared to snap out of it. This time it charged at the thorn fort with full force. The men readied themselves, they knew that a great battle had begun. As soon as the wendigo crossed into range, Ahmed, Matthias, MacLaren, and Edward unleashed a torrent of fire upon it. The scene around them lit up as the flames illuminated the ground around them. The beast was covered in fire, and at once it stopped its charge to thrash in pain. It then ran back into the water.

Chapter 8

The fight was not yet over. The wendigo emerged from the water. Its flesh was charred and black in some places; in others fat and muscle was clearly visible. But this bath of flame did nothing to quell the creature’s onslaught. Enraged, the wendigo raised its head skyward and let out a defiant roar. That same roar shook the trees yesterday morning. It turned to face the fort. Ahmed stared down and met its gaze. He raised his flamethrower. The wendigo charged again, and Ahmed once again bathed it in flame.

“Ed, I need grenades,'' he shouted. Edward immediately dove into the duck boat and fetched the bag of stick grenades they kept for moments like this. He tossed the bag to Ahmed, who proceeded to pick one out and lobbed it at the wendigo. The grenade landed under the beast and went off instantly. The wendigo was thrown back; but the blast did little damage, if at all. Edward, who was still in the duck boat, rummaged frantically for a weapon. He stopped once he found a particularly massive gun. It was Ahmed’s M1918 Tankgewehr Anti-tank rifle. Edward then remembered the box of 13.2 mm silver bullets, which the crew kept on hand for situations just like these. He found the box, but was slightly disheartened to find it only had three bullets. As Edward made his preparations, disaster struck for his comrades.

The wendigo had put itself out again, and this time, it was done being cautious. It leapt up against the fort, clearing the trench and landing on the wall. Fighting through the pain of the thorns, it began to clamber over the wall. Ahmed and Mathias jumped out of the way just before, their flamethrowers nearly slowing them down. Ahmed, Matthias, and MacLaren began dousing it with more fire. But that did nothing. The beast was determined to finish the men off for good. As it landed within the enclosed space, Edward readied the rifle and took aim. He then pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the barrel and grazed the wendigo in the back. The wendigo around and began to advance toward Ed. Edward immediately scrambled to reload the rifle. Ahmed caught onto Edward’s strategy, and in that moment, he had an idea.

“Guys, help me distract that thing!”, he shouted, “We need to make sure Ed has a clear shot to its heart!”. Upon hearing their orders, Matthias and MacLaren immediately began shouting and bathing it in fire until their flamethrowers ran out of fuel. Ahmed did the same. It worked at breaking the wendigo’s focus on Edward, allowing him to reload the Tankgewehr quickly for another shot. He took aim again, but waited until his friends had got the wendigo to face him. Ahmed got the wendigo to chase him by running in circles around it until he got it to face the duck boat. Edward took his chance and fired. This time the bullet flew into the beast’s face, missing his heart completely.

“Aim for its heart, Ed!”, Ahmed shouted while also dodging one of the beast’s blows, “That’s the only way to kill it!”. Edward reloaded and aimed for the wendigo’s heart. This was it: his last shot. He had to make it count. But this time the beast had moved away from the duck boat, and began chasing Matthias. Edward was once again forced to wait. Ahmed and MacLaren decided to get the wendigo’s attention by plowing it with bullets. This worked, and the two of them managed to break its focus on Matthias. Matthias threw himself under the duck boat for cover. MacLaren and Ahmed then climbed up the thorn wall, ignoring the pain of the thorns stabbing into their hands. They both reached the top and began shooting the wendigo with their AKs. Then they ran in opposite directions, forcing the wendigo to choose between one of them.

It first went for MacLaren, until Ahmed got its attention by shooting it. When the beast went for him, MacLaren would shoot it to get its attention. They kept this up until soon they had it running back and forth between them. The two men ran towards Edwards position on the duck boat, while simultaneously keeping up this distraction trick. Soon they reached the boat and hopped in. They had succeeded in getting the beast to face the duck boat and Edward’s rifle barrel. Edward smiled, aimed for the charging wendigo’s heart, and took the shot. The bullet flew for ten seconds until it found its mark. The force of a 13.2 mm caliber silver bullet slamming through its chest and heart tossed the wendigo back, completely stopping its charge. For a moment, it stood there; stunned, and motionless. Then, breathing very heavily, it dropped onto its ugly clawed hands. It gagged and coughed up an obscene amount of blood before finally slumping over onto its side. The detectives kept absolutely still as they listened in both horror and disgust, to the wendigo breathing what they hoped would be its final breath. The wendigo’s chest rose and then fell, then rose no more.

Ahmed, ever the cautious type, shot a few rounds of his AK into the beast. There was no reaction. He then jumped down and bravely approached the creature. He poked it with his rifle, first gently, then very firmly. He then kicked it as hard as he could, just for good measure. But he knew what everyone had already figured out. He turned and ran back to the duck boat.

“It’s dead, you guys, it’s dead!”, he shouted. Edward and MacLaren jumped down cheering in delight. Matthias crawled out from under the duck boat and joined them. After a brief celebration involving celebratory gunfire and soda, Ahmed told Edward to fetch his flamethrower. He did and handed it to Ahmed, who used the remaining fuel to burn the wendigo’s carcass until it was nothing more than a black charred husk on the sandy shore. By now, the sun was beginning to rise, and the men could see the shore and the Dragon, their ride home. It was untouched and its dragon paint job gleamed brightly in the light of the new morning. It had been a long but triumphant night, one that none of the four Warren detectives would ever forget.

Chapter 9.

After five hours of sleep, the four men woke up and spent the remaining morning repairing the damages and assessing the losses they incurred from last night’s absolutely insane battle. Ahmed and MacLaren had dismantled the thorn wall and picked up any trash they could find. Their hands were still wrapped in bandages from their climb up the thorn wall. Matthias and Edward replaced the duck boat’s flat tire. Edward’s shoulder still hurt from taking the force of an anti-tank rifle three times. Only Matthias had escaped the entire fight unscathed. It was noon by the time the men finished their clean-up and repairs.

Matt and Edward took the duck boat to retrieve the bodies in the house. After half an hour they came back with the bodies and as much evidence as they could find. Soon all four of them were heading for the mainland with their evidence, including the dead wendigo’s charred remains. Soon they were back at the Yellowknife police station. Mrs. Hunter was already there, waiting for them.

“I’m sorry.”, Ahmed apologized, “Your husband didn’t make it. He was dead when we found him. We couldn’t save him.”

“I understand.”, Mrs. Hunter said as tears welled up in her eyes. She then wrapped her arms around him and burst into tearful sobs.

“Thank you. You still kept your promise. You brought my husband home, so at least I can bury him. At least I won’t have to spend every night awake wondering if he’ll ever come home again. Thank you for giving me that closure”, she muttered through her sobs. Mrs. Hunter then said her farewells and left the station. Ahmed returned to his colleagues who were waiting in the lobby.

“The commissioner has taken our reports and evidence. He’s going to be giving us a nice bonus. Maybe even enough to recover our losses. Mrs. Hunter will wire us our payment by tomorrow.”, Ahmed said, “Well boys, I think our work here is done. Let’s go home.” As the four hunters of Warren Paranormal Investigators Inc. then got up to leave the station, a voice cried out to them: “Hey! Wait up!” The boys all turned to see who it was. Mrs. Hunter ran up to them and asked to speak with them for a moment.

“I wanted to thank you for your service. But unfortunately, with my husband gone my life will never be the same again.”, she explained, “I don’t know if I can cope with him being gone. But he did leave all his wealth and possessions to me, including half a million dollars he got from his stock market investments. And since you helped me, I decided to return the favor. I’ll pay for everything you spent fighting that thing.”

MacLaren’s eyes bulged and lit up like spotlights. “You would do that?”, he squealed.

“Of course I would.”, Mrs. Hunter replied, smiling rather slyly, “On one condition.”

Chapter 10.

A cool autumn breeze blew through the town of Thunder Bay, Canada. In a small office building on the corner of Arthur St. and May St, Ahmed Kharzai was sitting in his office. “Everything seems to be in order. Your resume is perfect and you’ve agreed to the terms. Looks like you’re one of us now Ms. Hunter”, he said as he got up to shake her hand, “Welcome aboard.”

“Please,'' she replied, returning the kind gesture, “Just call me Emilie.” Ahmed got out of his chair and began to walk out of his office. Emilie got up and followed him out. They walked out to the lobby, where the other members of Warren Paranormal Investigators Inc. waited. The five of them gathered around a small table that had a cake and some cans of Sprite on it. Ahmed passed the Sprite cans around until everyone had one. After everyone had opened their cans, Ahmed began to speak.

“Today, it is with great honor that I formally welcome Miss Emilie Hunter as a formal member of Warren Paranormal Investigators Inc. Over the years, it has been a great privilege to work with you all. We’ve been through many great and terrible things together; but through it all, we have never lost faith in one another. And just as I put my faith in you four in the past, I now also put my faith in Emilie. I am confident that she will live up to the ideals and character that we strive to uphold here at WPI. And I hope her presence and contributions to this endeavor go a long way. To Emilie Hunter!”, Ahmed said proudly.

“To Emilie Hunter!”, the other three men said as they all raised their Sprite cans in the air as a toast. After finishing their soda, they cut the cake and began to celebrate both their newest member, and their latest victory. They shared stories about their earlier adventures of hunting monsters, sang songs of camaraderie, and feasted long into the night. Suddenly, Ahmed’s cell phone began to ring. He told everyone to quiet down, then he answered the call. After a conversation lasting no more than ten minutes, Ahmed hung up. He then looked at his crew with a look of annoyance.

“Well guys, looks like the party’s over. We got another job.”, he said dejectedly. His crew answered him with a collective groan. “I know. I know. It sucks, but we gotta pay the bills somehow.”

“Do we have to leave right now?”, asked Edward, the dissatisfaction clear in his voice.

“No”, responded Ahmed, “I told them that we’ll be there in two days. For now, go home and get some rest. You’re gonna need it for this mission. We’re heading to Arizona.”

Matthias’ eyes gleamed with joy. “Ay! That’s my home state!”. He then turned to the others and joked, “Better pack your sunscreen, fellas. The desert sun ain’t gonna be kind to snow babies like you.” A small chuckle rose from the men.

“Alright. We’ll clean up, and then I want everyone outta here in 30 minutes.”, Ahmed said, “I want you all fully rested when we leave.” They all got to work straightening the place out.

“Looks like you’re gonna get your first taste of what we do.”, MacLaren said to Emilie as they were sweeping the floor.

“Yep”, she responded, “I wonder what it’ll be like to fly a Kawasaki? I’ve never flown one before.”

“I think you’ll like it. She flies nice and smooth if you’re nice to her.”, Mac said in jest. After 30 minutes, they had finished cleaning and locking the doors. Everyone got in their cars to go home, knowing that when they returned on Monday that they would be embarking on another mission to kill another monster.