The door to Room 217 clicked shut. Everyone returned to their spots like magnets. Clyde took the window, somehow taking out another twinkie from his pocket as he watched the curtain of white. Kyle sprawled over the armchair with a leg over the armrest. Ollie paced between the dining table and the living room, stopping at the edge of the rug below the coffee table. Gale sighed as he sat beside Rachel on the sofa. This scene would probably occur a couple more times.

  "So, let me get this straight. You're telling me, right now, that thing. It's not a wendigo?" Ollie stopped pacing.

  Gale shook his head.

  "Whatever even is actually a wendigo? You know what I mean?" Kyle asked, eyes on the phone, playing a game, not looking up. "Some Native American boogeyman?"

  "Algonquian folklore. The wendigo is a creature based on human greed and hunger. According to stories, it was once a human. During the winter, the man starved and killed other humans to eat them. The act of cannibalism itself in the first nations folklore is taboo, and that act itself will transform humans into monsters with never-ending hunger," Rachel said.

  "Cool story," Kyle mumbled.

  Rachel continued, "They're tall, bulky, and grow antlers. Their faces are of a deer's skull to hide their hideous face. Their hunger can never be satiated, always consuming, never ending search for human flesh. Some stories say that they grow every time they feed off humans. Then this becomes a never ending cycle of starvation, eating, growing, and killing."

  "Well, it sure as hell had the antlers part right," Clyde muttered, turning from the window and wiping the cream off his mouth. "So what the hell was that upstairs? If not a wendigo?"

  "Not a wendigo," Gale said. "I think it's more like a spirit. Think about it. It had the chance to take out Kyle and Rachel both, but it didn't. Just knocked them around a bit. And if it's stronger than a Resonant, like you said, it could've done way more serious damage."

  "Seriously? A spirit? Ghosts aren't real, Gale!" Ollie said harshly.

  "Let's just trust Gale on this." Rachel put a hand on Gale's shoulder. "And that thing upstairs… that was stronger than a resonant if even Ollie couldn't use his telekinesis on the doors. A harmonic, equivalent to a Corrupted. Remember we talked about this in the forest? Monsters have their own hierarchy. They start off as awakened, looking normal and all. But then they become Tainted, Defiled, Corrupted, Pestilent, and then the last known classification is Blighted."

  Blighted? The knight had told him to stop Elliot to prevent the blue moon from becoming a blighted. Holy cow… that was two levels above Ollie and Rachel, and he had the audacity to flip it off before going into the exit rift.

  "What can we even do against a Corrupted?" Gale gulped.

  "Can't do anything with this storm right now. Have to wait until it blows over and get the fuck outta here." Clyde crossed his arms, never moving his head away from the window. "This storm is being funny too. It's not letting up. Weather network said that it's going to snow all week now. Everything is funny here and now it's not funny at all with that thing going around."

  "Snow ploughs aren't doing anything this far up north. We're in the middle of nowhere." Kyle glanced up from his phone. He placed his phone onto the coffee table. "Our car's probably buried in snow by now."

  "Great," Ollie said. "So we're stuck with whatever that thing is."

  "Could be worse," Kyle said. "At least it just wants to play catch instead of eating our livers."

  "So far. Who knows what it really wants?" Rachel said.

  Gale stared at the salt lines across the door threshold. Don't think those things are even going to work against whatever that was.

  "We need to talk to Robert again," Gale said.

  Ollie stopped pacing. "Okay, so we find Robert. Ask him about the sixth floor and the ritual circles. Find out what this spirit wants. Then we can figure out how to deal with it."

  "Or we could just stay in this room until the storm passes," Kyle said. "Let's vote. All in favour of not getting tossed around by ghost-deer, raise your hand."

  Only Kyle raised his hand.

  "All in favour of confronting the problem head-on?" Ollie asked.

  The rest raised their hands.

  "Democracy in action," Kyle sighed. "Fine. But when this goes sideways, and it will, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' while we're all dying."

  "Noted," Ollie said.

  "Shut up, Kyle," Rachel said, putting a palm on her face.

  They walked through the hallway of the first floor. The lobby looked dimmer than usual at 1:00AM or maybe that was just Gale's imagination. The only good thing in this situation was that the entity was not a ghost. Or maybe it was. He didn't know anymore. Then doesn't that mean the only thing good that came out of this situation was that now everyone was a team against the ghost?

  The group reached the empty front desk. No creepy looking old man that would look at you with no emotion and blank eyes like a ghost. No Robert.

  "Where the hell did he go?" Ollie looked around.

  "Maybe he's asleep," Rachel said. "It's literally like 1 in the morning."

  Gale pointed to a door behind the desk marked Employees Only. It was the only room where a mundane signature was. "He might be in there."

  Suddenly, Kyle vaulted over the desk, balling his fist and then knocking hard against the door. "Hey! Old man! We need to talk to you! Got some questions! You in there?!"

  No response.

  Kyle looked back at the group. "Gale, can't you do that magic whatchumacallit sense thing? See if he's in there?"

  Gale face palmed internally. He already did the sense thing though...

  "There's definitely someone inside. Mundane, can't tell if it's Robert or not," Gale said.

  Kyle turned back to the door, pounding harder. "Come on, old man! We know you're in there!" His fist hammered against the wood. "Open up! We just want to talk!"

  Rachel crossed her arms. "Real smooth, Kyle. Terrify the only person who might help us."

  "You got a better idea?" Kyle didn't stop banging.

  "Maybe not sounding like a serial killer?" Rachel said.

  "Robert! I'm not a crazy murderer!" Kyle pounded even harder. "Get your ass out here before I break this door down!"

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  After the last bang, a slight whisper could be heard through the door.

  "Why did you come out after midnight?" Robert whispered. "Why didn't you heed the warning?"

  "We need answers," Ollie called, pushing Kyle aside. "About what's upstairs."

  "Please," Robert whispered. "Go back to your rooms. Lock your doors. Wait for morning."

  "Fuck this." Kyle gripped the doorknob. He yanked hard, twisting and pulling. The lock snapped with a crack of splintering wood.

  The door flew open. Robert tumbled forward, falling flat on his face. Robert looked spooked. His hands shook as he pushed himself up.

  "You're crazy," Robert backed away. "All of you. Crazy!"

  The lights flickered once, twice, then died. Darkness swallowed them for three seconds before turning back on. When the main lights returned, Robert was gone.

  "What the fuck?" Kyle spun around. "Where'd he go?"

  Clyde drew his weapon, scanning the lobby. "That was too fast for an old man."

  Gale focused again, taking in all the information around him. He pointed to the front desk. "There. Under the desk."

  Robert had moved below the front desk's counter, clutching his shoulders together, shivering.

  Ollie moved first, circling around the counter then crouching down to eye level with Robert.

  "Didn't you tell them there was no sixth floor? Then why was there one?" Ollie asked. "And what is the sixth floor anyway?"

  Robert broke eye contact. "I told the girl with dark red hair and the loner boy already. It's a wendigo. Probably playing tricks. Only appears during snowstorms. Usually after 12:14."

  Seriously, did he really have to describe them like that? He wasn't a loner. He was with Rachel at that time. Definitely not a loner. A person that likes being alone is not a loner.

  Rachel moved to where the old man hid, kneeling down slowly. "We need more than that, Robert. That thing attacked us and that wasn't just a trick."

  Clyde rolled his shoulder. "Yeah, did some damage to me, so you better start explaining what's up."

  "You're infected!" Robert's eyes widened at Clyde. He scrambled deeper under the desk. "You must leave this place! You'll eat everyone with your insatiable hunger!"

  "What?" Clyde took a step back.

  "The hunger!" Robert pointed a shaking finger. "Once marked by the wendigo, the hunger grows! You'll turn like the others!"

  Rachel sighed as she stood up. "This is going nowhere."

  Gale stepped forward and knelt down. "Is there any first nations village around here?"

  Robert froze, head clanking to Gale. "What do you know?"

  "Seems like you do. You better tell us right now," Gale said as menacingly as he could, but deflated by Kyle laughing, which was interrupted by Clyde elbowing him.

  Robert's eyes moved between the group members. After a long moment, he spoke.

  "There's a reserve nearby," Robert whispered. "It's been abandoned for decades now. Nobody goes there. Nobody talks about it."

  "Why not?" Rachel asked.

  "Rumours, mostly. There was a conflict. Government people came to the reserve, said they were looking for something. Historical artifacts, they claimed. They stayed as guests for a few months."

  "What happened?" Ollie asked when Robert fell silent.

  Robert rubbed his hands together. "One of the government men killed a woman from the reserve. No one knows why. After that, those government people started disappearing. One by one, every night."

  "Disappearing how?" Ollie asked.

  "Just gone," Robert gulped. "The government sent more people in. Military types. They… they killed everyone. Every man, woman, and child in the reserve."

  "Jesus," Rachel whispered.

  "But that's not the end," Robert continued. "None of those government workers came out alive after the first midnight. Not one. In Greater Sudbury, everyone will tell you the same thing, don't be outside after midnight until the first sign of light. Especially during a snowstorm."

  "That doesn't explain the sixth floor," Ollie said. "Or the ritual circles we found up there."

  Robert squealed before saying, "I don't know anything about rituals. I just know what my grandfather told me. The wendigo hunts in the snow. It takes the form of those it has claimed. It knows your fears, your desires. It plays with you first."

  "Plays with you?" Kyle said. "Like throwing snowballs?"

  Robert's eyes snapped to Kyle, then he crawled forward from under the table. "Yes. Exactly like that. The legends say it tricks you. Makes you think it's harmless. Makes you think it's someone you'd trust. Then it takes you."

  That couldn't be Dyani. It would have already killed him otherwise, and Dyani even looked slightly sad when she had to go back home. If what Robert said was true, it could've easily killed him right then and there. Yet it didn't.

  Something wasn't adding up.

  "If it's marked your friend," Robert pointed at Clyde, "then you should all leave. Now. Before the hunger sets in."

  Clyde touched his shoulder. "I'm not infected with anything. It just knocked me into a wall."

  "That's how it starts," Robert insisted. "First the mark, then the dreams of hunger, then-"

  Suddenly, a crash from upstairs cut him off. Everyone looked up at the ceiling. Dust floated down from a fresh crack.

  "It's awake again," Robert whispered, backing toward the employee door. "Go to your rooms. Lock your doors. Cover the mirrors. Don't come out until sunrise."

  "Wait!" Gale shouted.

  But Robert had already slipped back through the employee door, picking up the door on the floor and slamming it shut relatively well even though it was already broken.

  Kyle walked over to the door. "Want me to break it again?"

  "Leave him. We got what we came for," Ollie said.

  "Did we?" Rachel asked. "Because I'm more confused than before."

  Clyde leaned in front of the window, staring at the snow. Kyle was back in the armchair, leg dangling over the armrest, playing a game on his phone again. Rachel and Gale were on the sofa. Ollie was pacing, hands behind his back.

  "So what now?" Ollie stopped pacing, facing the group.

  Gale cleared his throat. "I need to tell you all something."

  Four pairs of eyes locked onto him. Clyde turned from the window. Kyle stopped fidgeting. Rachel scooted toward him. Ollie crossed his arms, waiting.

  "When I went out to hunt today, something happened," Gale said. "I met someone in the forest."

  Kyle snorted. "Knew it."

  "It was a little girl," Gale said, ignoring him. "First nations. About ten years old. Said her name was Dyani."

  "A child? In this weather?" Rachel asked.

  "Yeah. She just... appeared while I was hunting. Threw a snowball at me," Gale said. "We started playing. Built a snow fort together. Had a snowball fight. She wasn't wearing much, just a first nations looking coat, jeans, boots. But she didn't seem cold at all."

  "How long were you with her?" Ollie asked.

  "Hours," Gale answered. "That's why I came back so late. We played, we talked. She told me the other kids don't like her. She said they call her 'weird' because she... I don't know. When we were saying goodbye, I asked her where she lived. She pointed toward the trees and said 'over there.' I offered to walk her home but she refused. Just ran off into the forest. I should've followed her. Made sure she got home safe."

  "In this weather? How far could a little girl go?" Clyde asked.

  "That's not the point." Gale leaned forward. "Don't you see? The snowball on the sixth floor? It hit Kyle right in the face, just like Dyani did to me in the forest. Same laugh, too. And Robert mentioned an abandoned first nations reserve nearby."

  "There has to be a link," Gale turned his head to Rachel. "Maybe she's connected to whatever's happening here. Maybe she knows something."

  Kyle sat up straight. "I knew it. I fucking knew it. That's why you took so long out there. Wasn't just hunting and gathering, was it? You were with another woman."

  Rachel stood up fast. Her fist connected with Kyle's stomach. He hunched over as air escaped his lungs.

  "She's a child, you ass," Rachel snapped.

  Kyle coughed, clutching his stomach. "Ok. Still though. Fuck you, Rachel."

  Rachel ignored him, turning back to Gale. "Did Dyani feel... normal? When you were with her, did anything seem off?"

  "She felt completely normal. Solid. Real. I picked her up when she fell into the snow. We built a fort together. She ate a chocolate bar I gave her," Gale said. Breath of the Void had categorized her as a mundane signature. "Nothing weird about her except being completely undisturbed by the snowstorm. Not even shivering."

  "Could be a coincidence," Clyde said. "Maybe some kid from a nearby house."

  "Robert said this place has been empty for years. No neighbours for miles," Ollie said.

  "So what's the plan?" Kyle asked, still massaging his stomach. "We track down the ghost girl?"

  "Maybe she'll appear again if Gale goes out looking for her," Ollie said. "But not alone this time. Someone should go with him." He looked around the room. "Any volunteers?"

  Three hands shot up simultaneously: Kyle's, Clyde's, and Rachel's.

  Kyle and Clyde were both grinning, while Rachel maintained her death stare at the twins.