A New Normal

Chapter 12: Concussions

•enjoy!!•
𖤐𖤐𖤐𖤐

I believe in a lot of things. Things that could have me shipped away and locked in a padded room to live out the rest of my days. I've grown up to believe in the things that exist in horror movies. Things that go bump in the night. I have and always will be a believer. But being here, chased by a creature who wants to feed on our flesh, I'm having trouble believing we're all going to make it out of this.

My chest heaves, making me grimace, I hadn't realized I wasn't breathing. I force myself to take a breath and steady my footsteps. We're almost through this. We're almost out of here. I need to keep my mind from wandering. I stop walking when I hear more growling, letting Sam take the lead and scope out the area before we keep moving.

"Right over here!" I hear Dean's muffled yelling echo through the mines.

I have to keep my feet glued to the ground in order not to sprint in the direction his voice came from.

"All right, come on!" Sam exclaims.

I gesture for Hailey, Ben, and Tommy to follow him before I do. "Hurry!" I hiss as we all pick up our paces. The walls are getting closer together again. I'm feeling claustrophobic and terrified. I honestly wonder if my fear will ever go away. Sam and Dean never seem afraid on these hunts. Either they hide it very well or they genuinely are braver than anyone I have ever met. I push out a slow breath when I hear a very clear and distinct growl. It sounds so close.

We round the corner as Sam checks both ways this creature could possibly come from. He turns back to us, concern etched onto his face. "Get him out of here," he says, locking eyes with mine.

"Sam, no!" Hailey exclaims, beating me to the punch.

"Go," He warns. "Go!" His voice is much louder, making me wince.

I shake my head a few times before taking a few steps back from him. "Come on, let's go," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. I crane my neck to watch Sam fade into the darkness. My mind is running, turning, spitting out every vile scenario that could play out.

Tommy is in worse shape than I originally thought. His leg is badly injured, making him limp against Hailey and Ben. I feel useless, I don't have a weapon and I have no clue where the hell I'm going.

"How're we going to get out of here?" I hear Ben ask.

My eyes search frantically around our surroundings. "We'll find a way out, just hold-" My words leave me when I hear the distinct sound of the flare gun going off.

Keep moving.

"Sam!" Hailey yells.

I whip my head around and shush her, feeling panic begin to flood my body. I shake my head at her with wide eyes. All three of their faces are pale with fear. The realization of what Hailey has done sets in and tears come to her eyes. I pull my knife from my pocket when I hear frantic footsteps approaching us. I can't quite make out the figure coming from the darkness, I can only hear the thudding.

I step in front of them, lying to myself that I could fend this thing off with a three inch blade. Yet, I'll try anyway. At least I could buy them time.

"Come on!" Sam yells as he reaches us. The adrenaline coursing through me subsides just a bit at the realization that I'm not going to have to go hand to hand with a wendigo.

I pull my knife back and blanche at the new set of cuts on his face. Fresh blood leaks onto his cheeks, staining his skin. I refrain from asking if he's okay as he helps Hailey guide Tommy. "Hurry!"

I risk a look behind us and wish I hadn't. The creature is so hauntingly terrifying in the light. The only thing I can compare it to is how vampires used to look in old movies. The pointed ears, the pale skin, slitted eyes, the razor sharp teeth. Only, this isn't an old movie. That thing isn't a vampire. My feet begin moving before I can turn around, as if my body is being repelled by it. I hear a loud snarl echo behind us as the heavy footsteps begin to quicken. Hailey screams, Ben's face is covered in tears. I know this thing can run faster than any living thing on the planet. It's toying with us. Playing a game of cat and mouse before it catches us.