I looked at his outstretched hand, in his palm lay a little bottle with red powder
"Think of that as a magical powder, when poured, it burns anything it touches. So be careful," he explained
"So it's basically a flame in powder form," I asked, analyzing the bottle in my hand
"Sure" is all he said, making Anson chuckle
I watched as he poured his on the heart, and I followed suit by pouring mine all over the corpse. As soon as we were done, a flame emerged, eating at both in blazing deep red that seemed like it was made of blood. We watched as it ate away the flesh of the corpse silently, but it seemed to be taking its time with the heart
Anson used the opportunity to continue his healing on his brother, who still had his eyes on the flame. After about thirty minutes, the corpse was fully turned to ashes, but it carried on taking every last bit of the creature with it, the heart still burnt severely charred but not yet in ashes. I watched in awe and worry, awe for how quickly the flame had worked and worry because the heart was taking too long for comfort, but to my relief, fifteen minutes later, all was gone, every last bit of the Wendigo, but surprisingly, the ground was not scarred
"We need to go back, that thing made a lot of noise, people must have heard it, and if they did, they probably already alerted the sheriff's office, they might not risk coming when it's dark but they'll be here as soon as the sun is up" I said picking my bow
Anson helped his brother up, who only rolled his eyes, "You do know I'm much better now."
"Yes, but you lost a lot of energy, so I'm helping you."
We made our way back to the Airbnb using the back door, yes, we had conveniently stolen the keys. It was now up to one of them to return it, how they even took it, I didn't want to know, I was just glad we were done with our purpose here
We spent the rest of the day getting some much-needed rest. I awoke later, covered in sweat, the image of that forsaken skull face and sharp claws haunting my dreams, even though I knew it was just a dream and the thing was already gone, fear still choked me. I opted for a cold shower, though it was chilly, I needed to calm down, my hands were still shaky, and my blood was pumping too loudly in my ears
I winced as the cold water bit me, causing goosebumps to crowd the surface of my skin. Winced again when it touched my knee. I hadn't even noticed my knee was scraped; it must have happened when I fell as the Wendigo chased me. The image clawed at my mind again just as that beast's claws were ready to dig into me. I was just a meal, a way to add to its power. I gulped and ran my finger through my curly hair, stopping at the tangles caused by my restless sleep
I wondered if this was the fate of those humans who had my ability long ago, were they always exposed to such danger, or were the times better then, did those scary creatures also haunt them for their flesh, or was I just the unlucky one?
I grabbed my comb and did my best to untangle my hair, humming one of my mother's comforting rhymes. I wondered how she would react if she ever found out what I truly came to do here. That I had pierced the heart of such a despicable beast, would she be proud that those archery classes had helped, or would she scold me for being reckless, then later engulf me in an embrace, tears streaming down her face from my possible death
I got into some loose clothes and walked to the brothers door but stopped short before I knocked, it was better to let them rest they were certainly more exhausted than I was and they both needed to heal from their wounds so I turned and went back to my room burring myself into the covers realizing I had not even called or texted anyone since we arrived, I sighed and retrieved my phone.
I had several calls and texts, mostly from my mother and Brea. I sent them both a quick text, reassuring them that I was fine and that I just hadn't had the time to reply from all the activities and fun I was having. My mother shot me a quick okay with a warning not to do it again, while Brea replied with a threat that she would scold me when I got back
I smiled sadly. If only they knew everything was far from what they expected
A knock on the door pulled me from the movie I was watching to distract myself. I opened the door to find Anson standing before me, hands in his jacket pockets. He smiled lightly at me, and I noticed the damp strands of hair dropping onto his face. He must have just gotten out of the shower
"You been up for a while?"
"Yeah, I woke up a little more than an hour ago."
"Oh, you should have called me."
"You needed more rest than I. How's your brother?"
"He's much better, his wounds are now healed up, and the scarring will be gone in no time, but he's still asleep."
"Hmm, come in."
He quickly scanned the room before settling on the movie still playing on my phone
"You know, this part of your world still amazes me, your technology is really something."
"You don't have this in your world."
"We have gadgets, just not like phones or TVs"
"I'm guessing you also learnt to use a phone in a week."
He chuckled, his smile turning a bit brighter, "It was easier than the car"
"Seems right, the sheriff sent some men to the forest. I heard some people gossiping outside when I went to get a snack."
"What were they saying?"
"Many think the sounds were of a wounded animal, but some superstitionists believe they were wails of evil spirits."
He laughed at that, "Well, they're not too far off."
"So when are you going back?"
"I…well, probably after we bring you back home."
"I see, well then it was great meeting you guys, although I didn't appreciate almost dying, but you two aren't so bad."
"So you've finally warmed up to us, even my brother, I'd say we're great company then."
I rolled my eyes at the bit of arrogance, "I should have just shut up."
"You can't take it back," he smirked briefly, then asked in a more serious tone, "How are you feeling, though?"
"I'm okay, I mean it'll take a minute to forget the night's event, but I'll be fine."
He approached me, scanned my face then hugged me. The hug was warm and friendly; it eased me, reminding me that all was well now, that we had succeeded, and the creature was dead and would never return. I welcomed the hug and the assurances it brought, and hugged him back before pulling away
"Thank you" is all I could say