Releasing a sigh as Katy turned to lay on her left side, she groaned internally. She couldn't fall asleep, and on top of that; her stomach felt like it was exploding from the inside out. After another 5 more minutes of staring at the innocent sleeping body in front of her-which was Tonya-she sighed heavily and sat up, rubbing at her eyes and stretching her arms above her head.
Figuring she'd maybe walk around the campsite to hopefully find some sleep, she slowly stood up, careful as to avoid waking up her companions. Zipping the tent closed once she was outside again, she released a sigh, smelling the calm night air.
Katy hoped walking around would help suppress her raging stomach pain. She began to walk past the ashes of the fire from hours earlier. She glanced up at the dark night sky, it was hard to see the stars through the trees, but she able to make out a few. Katy assumed it was around 3 am, considering where the moon was positioned.
Katy smiled, she only learned how to read time with the sun and the moon cause she had gotten bored one day, Sam had gone out of town to visit family, so her life had become boring at the time.
Katy began to space out, remembering a sudden memory, where Katy and Sam started a food fight in the cafeteria, they had gotten in so much trouble that day, by not only the teachers but their parents. But it was worth it. Sam had started it by joking the "What if there was a food fight" scenario, and Katy being her rambunctious self, threw her half eaten sandwich at Sam's face, which Sam retaliated with her bag of chips, soon all the kids joined in.
Katy stopped and leaned against a near tree as she suddenly felt herself about to vomit. Good lord what was wrong? Her brain felt fuzzy as she sat down, knees to her chest. Couldn't she just relive a pleasant memory without pain interrupting her?
"Follow me."
Katy's nauseous feeling suddenly vanished as she quickly stood up and began walking; she didn't know where she was going, but something felt like it was pulling her-calling her even. It was a silent calling, seemed she was walking back to the river.
Before she even realized what she was doing, she was in front of the dead woman's body. Katy gasped and walked backwards, her stomach gave out an awful shot of pain, she collapsed, holding her hands around her torso, the pain would not stop. Tears started streaming down her face, but she could barely even feel that salty water, everything was focused on that unbearable sharp pain in her stomach.
Katy glanced up upon hearing a twig snap, maybe it was Sam, or even Tonya. God she hoped it was either of them so they could help her.
Boy was she wrong.
It wasn't even a human, she looked on in horror at the monster in front of her, it was none other than the Wendigo. But how is that even possible? It's just an old Indian tale told to kids to not commit to cannibalism or they'll turn into a vicious monster, seen before her.
Katy watched in horror as the figure watched her pathetic form curled onto the ground in utmost pain, Katy couldn't escape, She couldn't move, every time she moved any limb it felt like a gunshot. She couldn't tell what the being in front of her was planning, but she knew it wasn't good.
Then it suddenly moved, Katy's breathing stopped in anticipation, watching it's long bony arm move to the dead body. With inhuman strength it ripped the woman's arm clean off like it was nothing, making a sickening crack sound. Katy tried to look away, but, she couldn't. It's not like she felt pain when she moved her head, only when she tried to move her arms or legs did she feel pain. Katy didn't know why she didn't want to look away, but it was behind her now as the figure threw the arm towards Katy, landing right in front of her.
"Try it."
It was at that moment she knew this being was that voice she's been hearing since she got here. But now that it spoke in front of her, instead of inside her head, it sounded horrific, it was deep and intimidating, almost like Batman, but if Batman took steroids for his voice. It was truly scary.
Katy refused to move, she didn't know what it meant. Try it? As in like, trying to rip the arm apart? Or throwing it at it? She figured her confused face must've gotten the creatures attention, because it chuckled, god that sound was beyond words could explain, she felt her quivering form shake.
"I mean, eat it."
Katy's eyes widened, eat it? What the actual-her thoughts were cut off as her stomach growled. Even her body was betraying her mind.
"I-I could never." Katy spat, cringing at how she stuttered and how afraid she sounded.
"Your body won't accept any other form of food. You've figured that out for yourself. Just try it, it's much better than it looks." As it said that, it took a bite out of the woman's other arm. Katy looked away, tears flooding her eyes. She didn't want this.
But the creature was right, every time she ate normal food, she'd end up throwing it up. She began thinking, maybe if she just ate meat, she'd be fine, the chicken noodle soup wasn't too bad, as long as stuck to eating the chicken. Without coming to a final conclusion she noticed her arm was already reaching for the dead arm in front of her. Katy tried to stop herself, but she lost control, she was glad that her moving didn't come with any pain, but also horrified as she watched herself grab the arm. Katy glances at the creature, it was just watching her with its blood red eyes, she looked away quickly. She grabbed the arm, god it was so cold and pale. Katy felt like she was a puppet, the Wendigo being the puppeteer, making her commit to cannibalism.
The arm was inches away from her face, the hand was facing away from her, so she was going to be forced to eat where the shoulder once connected to the torso. It looked like pure red mush, but she did see the bone. Before she could fully stop herself, she had taken a bite out of the arm, and was now chewing it, painfully slow.
Katy instantly wanted to vomit it out, and rinse her mouth out, but she kept chewing. She stopped trying to force herself back to control when the flavor had hit her. It was unlike anything she had ever had before, heck it was better than her favorite burger.
Quickly she continued eating at the arm. Devouring it until nothing was left but bone, Katy wandered over to the rest of the corpse, and dug at the woman's organs. She felt like an animal, eating at it's prey, and it felt refreshing. Her stomach had calmed down, content with what it was being fed.
Soon enough, she felt full, she had to have eaten a quarter of the body before the creature had graciously finished it off.
"Welcome to North of Nowhere my fellow cannibal." The Wendigo said. Katy smiled, and nodded at the creature, a silent agreement. It walked off, leaving Katy sitting in the sand against a rock, blood dripping down her face. Her stomach had finally relaxed, as long as she ate a few humans it wouldn't be too bad. Besides Sam and Tonya didn't need to know. Katy watched peacefully at the sun rise against the clear water.
The sun had risen, and Sam sat up, realizing Katy was gone and not beside her, she slowly crept out of the tent, perhaps she was starting breakfast. Upon poking her head out, she was not met with the blonde girl, Sam frowned, but brushed it off as maybe she had to use the bathroom. So Sam got out of the tent and decided to make breakfast herself, closing the tent behind her, she turned around and was met with a young boy with spiked hair, the same boy she saw last night.
"Oh uh, hello where are your parents?" Sam spoke, mildly alarmed at the sudden presence.
"That's funny," the boy said smiling, Sam was confused but before asking anything he continued. "We're at camp, my parents are at home, and you're supposed to teach me how to fish today."
"Uh..." Sam froze, what did he mean?