Rise of the Supernatural: Hunted

## Book 1: Hunted

The first book in the series is titled 'Hunted' and is set in 2013 in the fictional locations of New Quays and Saltwood Forest. It consists of 23 parts (a prologue and 22 chapters) which are now available to read on Wattpad. It is the re-write / improvement of original 14 chapter story 'The Field Trip' also written by Jack.

## Synopsis:

A group of a high school students from New Quays embark on a weekend long school trip with their teacher Michael Adamson. Their destination - Saltwood Forest. However, what they think is a peaceful isolated heaven is actually a dark, mysterious and eerie place. It's been a known location for creature sightings and people disappearing yet none of the teens know about this. Throughout the first night and day of the trip, they begin to experience strange occurrences such as screaming animals, abnormal weather and some even see a strange man wondering the woods who knows the history of Saltwood's dark past. On the second night, all hell breaks loose as the teens are stranded and left to fight a herd of blood hungry, killing machines - a herd of Wendigo. Not too mention the appearances of the strange man lurking around as well as mysterious hiker Kellan Montague, it becomes a fight for survival.

### Prologue:

The prologue is set in 1948 and follows two frightened people, Linda Shirling and Theo Handerson, trying to outrun an unknown creature that is pursuing through the forest of Saltwood. They flee to an old cabin and think they're safe. But they're dead wrong when the creature kills Linda in mere moments and closes in on Theo as his screams echo through the forest.

### Chapter I: The Weekend Away

The rest of the book is now set in 2013. In the small town of New Quays, Canada, winter has struck badly and this means bad news for the ten students and their teacher who are set to go on a field trip away to Saltwood. In this chapter, were introduced to the central characters and some of their personalities.

Jack James is putting things away in his locker when his best friend, Cat Hillsbery, startles him by arriving as she gives him a small tap on the shoulder. After discussing what items Jack has packed, Cat is annoyed when Jack reveals that he didn't bring any alcohol as the rest of them have. Olivia Silverman, Jack and Cat's friend, shows up with a suitcase. Olivia asks the duo if they're excited and after Jack finishes speaking, Cat starts to pressure Jack into coming out but Jack brushes it off, stating he doesn't like boys. But then Cat brings up Charlie McCall, a close friend of Jack's who also happens to be gay, and she asks Jack if he feels completely nothing for him given how close they are. Jack tells her that they're just friends. Just then Beth Vigilante and Jai Parker who are also friends with the others arrive, with Jai acting very excited for the trip. He makes a quick joke about how the girls have brought suitcases and this results in Cat snapping at them. Beth then instructs the group to start heading to the coach so they aren't late.

Meanwhile, a fancy sports car pulls up in New Quays High School parking lot and out steps Lance Scottsford and Alice Swenson - two of New Quays most popular and hated students. Lance starts to complain as he was forced to go on the trip or else he'd by cut from the football team. Alice promises him that they'll have their own private fun whilst on the trip and Lance smirks at this. The two then head down to the coach.

Next, were introduced to Stacey Dernbridge who is talking to her friend Hunter Falls about strange things she has found out about Saltwood revolving around it's history and links to some supernatural sightings. Hunter tells Stacey that it's nothing but she also informs Hunter that she has been having dreams of what happened to Linda and Theo back in 1948 but doesn't know who they are or what they're running from but she does know that it's linked to her bad feeling about Saltwood. Hunter suggests that Stacey should let it go. Once he departs, Charlie McCall, another student going on the trip joins Stacey. They talk about how Stacey is a wingwoman for Charlie so he can finally get with Jack. Konnor Andrews, the final student on the trip, angrily storms up to Stacey and demands to know why she kept him awake with pointless texts of information about Saltwood. Stacey apologizes and the trio then head down to the coach area.

Once all the students are there, Michael Adamson (the Geography teacher) informs them of the rules and warns Lance to behave. As the students are boarding, Michael pulls Jack to one side and tells him that he can tell Michael anything no matter what. Jack appreciates this and then joins his friends on the coach, ready for the weekend.

### Chapter II: Road Trip to Hell

The class are still traveling to Saltwood and have nearly reached the cabin their staying at. On the coach, Stacey is still busy looking at the strange information she found out about Saltwood and doesn't hear Charlie or Konnor discussing a surprise birthday party for their friend Shannon. Konnor snaps at Stacey and asks if her if she has any ideas to which she say's no. Annoyed, Konnor turns back to Charlie as he suggests something but Konnor cuts him and tells him that they're aren't camping out for her birthday. Charlie goes quiet. Konnor decides to have a nap so he doesn't have to put up with Stacey or Charlie. Charlie then looks back at Jack and winks at him, making Jack blush. Lance however offers his input and begins to verbally assault Charlie. Stacey stands up and defends Charlie, forcing Lance to be quiet.

Alice then kicks off at Lance privately as the recent dispute is going to make them look like horrible people and no one will speak to them for the rest of the weekend if they, mainly Lance, continue to bully everyone else. Lance just sulks in the corner and looks out of the window, ignoring Alice.

Cat is busy complaining about how cold it is on the coach when Olivia jokingly tells her to quit bitching and then goes on to talk about how drunk they are going to get on Saturday. Beth agrees, wanting to get extremely drunk to the stage she has her head in the toilet. Jai says he can't wait to take cool pictures, explore and what not. Beth once again agrees, telling her friends that she wants them to get loads of pictures of them together. Cat sharply and snappily agrees with Beth, which slightly annoys her. Cat switches the conversation and tells the group that they can all try new things over the weekend and this is mainly aimed at Jack as he likes Charlie but won't admit it and also Olivia and Jai due to their chemistry with each other. Beth tries to stop Cat from making it uncomfortable but Cat jumps right into it and straight up asks Jack how much he likes Charlie. Jack once again denies that he doesn't have feelings for him or that he's gay and this gets Cat annoyed. To make Jack feel better, Jai tells him that he think's its cute how much Charlie looks out for him and how he looks at him and Jack agrees and accidentally blushes. Olivia chimes in and agrees with Jai, leading to the two sharing some eye contact followed by Beth telling them to get a room as a joke.

Michael stands at the front and tells them that they'll be having a quick bathroom break at a small lodge. He also tells them that they're about an hour away from the cabin. The lodge is very old and worn down, looking quite abandon. After inspecting the inside, Michael and the teens are surprised when they can't find the owners. Jack goes to the bathroom but has a vicious run in with Lance who calls him homophobic names as well as calling Jack disgusting. Jack exits the bathroom really hurt and stunned as to what Lance has just said to him. To Lance's shock, Konnor overheard everything and threatens Lance that if he dares bully Jack again he'll regret it. This definitely knocks a bit of sense into Lance.

Olivia asks where the owners are and just then two elderly people come out from a room and reveal that they're the owners of the lodge. Michael goes with them to the front desk and tells the couple that he was wondering where to pay for the gas but the man warns Michael that there is a stranger who wanders the woods at night, mostly in the winter. The woman, who's name is revealed to be Ellie, adds that she thinks this stranger had something to do with some disappearances back in 2011. The man tells her to shut up before introducing himself as Max Boyd and that Ellie is his wife. Michael also introduces himself and then starts to head away from the desk and towards the exit with his students behind him. He is startled and slightly hurt when a hiker accidentally opens the door into Michael's face. The hiker, who is called Kellan Montague, apologizes. Michael tells him that it's OK and then asks what's Kellan's business out here in the middle of winter. Kellan briefly explains that he is just looking for something and Michael knows that something is off but lets it go. He says farewell to Kellan and then boards the coach along with the class. Kellan watches them drive away and feels bad as he knows something they don't.

### Chapter III: Welcome to Saltwood

This chapter begins with Stacey having a really vivid and realistic dream of herself watching another blonde girl being attacked by the Wendigo. In the dream, something causes an explosion which prevents Stacey from saving whoever it is. Konnor then wakes Stacey, asking if she's OK. Although she is deep down terrified and freaked out by her dream, she just tells him it was a bad dream so he doesn't have to worry about.

The coach then arrives at the cabin which seems old and run down but inside its rather luxurious, elegant and modern. Verne, the coach driver, tells Michael that there may be some trouble with the return trip on Sunday due to severe weather warnings. Michael then tells Verne if it helps that he can just pick them up on Sunday afternoon to which Verne agrees to and then departs. Once inside, Michael explains that the teens will have to share room with someone of the same sex but two students will have a room to themselves due to it being 5 boys and 5 girls. He also tells them that they'll start their first task after they've chosen a room and unpacked. He splits the teens into two groups for the task: group 1 is Charlie, Jack, Cat, Alice and Olivia while group 2 consists of Lance, Beth, Konnor, Jai and Stacey. He then lets them go choose a room.

Alice and Beth choose a room near the bathroom due to Alice's demands. Alice finds Beth's secret stash of alcohol and promises that she won't tell if Beth tells her why she is friends with Cat. Beth tells Alice that she knows Cat but Alice continues to say that Cat is manipulative and fake and then offers Beth to join her little clique. Beth does take this into consideration.

Jai and Konnor arrive in their room which has a balcony. Jai asks Konnor why he didn't share with Charlie and Konnor explains how its part of a plan to finally get Charlie and Jack together. Jai agrees excitedly, stating that its about time someone did something about their obvious chemistry. Konnor asks Jai why he's OK with sharing a room with him and then Jai says he and Jack aren't the most closest people in their group but he's hoping this weekend will change it. Jai then accidentally reveals his attraction to Olivia to which Konnor cheers for himself as he won a bet against Stacey. Jai also says how he finds Alice extremely attractive too and Konnor tells him that nearly all boys do. Michael then calls everyone down into the living room and so the boys follow and make their way down.

Whilst walking into the living room where everyone is waiting, Jai accidentally steps on Alice's foot which results in Lance threatening Jai. Michael shouts at them for being immature and dramatic. He then goes on to explain the rules of their task and gives them a curfew. The students then head off into the forest.

Verne is driving down the high way and is about half an hour away from the cabin when his engine stops, causing him to pull over. After a few moments of looking at it, he becomes startled when low breathing and rustling can be heard in the bushes near him. He inspects, thinking its a few teenagers pulling a prank but when he returns to the coach he is horrified to see that his engine has been torn to shred, claw marks all over it. Scared, he runs back inside and tries to reach someone on the radio but has no luck. He then see's the Wendigo not too far from him in the woods and so he ducks down. The Wendigo gets onto the roof and drags its claws along the metal, purposefully trying to scare Verne. Thinking its gone, Verne gets up but the Wendigo smashes through the windshield and rips Verne's throat out with its claw and then drags his body away.

### Chapter IV: Noises

This chapter begins with Lance, Jai, Beth, Konnor and Stacey walking through the forest looking for things to take pictures of when Beth asks Jai if he thinks Cat is manipulative. Jai doesn't know how to respond, assuming it is a trick question but Beth reveals that Alice told her that she thinks Cat is fake and manipulative. Jai tells Beth that Alice cannot be trusted as its part of her personality to cause drama and then proceeds to make a sexual joke which grosses Beth out.

Konnor asks Stacey what's wrong with her and she reveals that she had a strange dream on the coach. Half way through explaining she realizes that the girl in her dream was Alice which only freaks her out more. Konnor assures Stacey that its just a dream but Stacey knows that there's something strange about all these dreams. Lance then turns back and shouts for them to stop talking and hurry up. Jai attempts to relax Lance but this results in Lance threatening Jai once more. A screech then echoes around them and Jai begins to freak out, thinking its a bear. They all return to the cabin completely out of breath. When Michael asks what happened, Beth tells him how something screeched in the woods and Michael tells them it was just a deer but Beth is extremely freaked out so Michael and Jai take her into the living room. Michael once again promises it was a deer before leaving. After he's left, Beth reveals to Jai that she overheard Ellie telling Michael about the disappearances in 2011 and how some strange man is seen in Saltwood in the winter at night and Beth thinks it was him that was watching them. Jai, who is scared straight, tries to comfort her by saying it might have been Kellan.

Meanwhile, Alice, Jack, Cat, Olivia and Charlie are at the waterfall and writing away in their books when Alice begins to complain about how long they have to stay because she's cold. Olivia then snaps at Alice, causing the two of them to argue. Cat joins in, telling them both to shut up and then the three girls start bickering at each other. Charlie and Jack have a slow wander off from them, wanting it to be peaceful. Charlie asks Jack how's life going and Jack just says school is getting him stressed to which Charlie agrees. To Jack's surprise, Charlie asks if Jack has a girlfriend and Jack denies it. When Charlie asks why, the boys make intense eye contact and Jack reveals he's fallen for someone. Charlie leans in to kiss him but Jack backs out and walks back to the girls, stating they should start heading back. The group arrive back to the cabin and Konnor tells Alice that Lance is upstairs and she goes up along with him. Stacey then explains that Michael's left to take some photos and Cat shouts at her, saying that no one asked her to speak. After a bit of a dispute, Stacey walks out of the cabin annoyed. Konnor goes after her and when he catches up, Stacey reveals that it's not Cat's attitude its the fact that she's acting like this only because she became friends with Beth and Olivia and they took Cat away from her. Konnor reassures Stacey, telling her that she's lucky not to be friends with her anymore. As they're about to return, Stacey see's something in the bushes and so when she investigates, the duo are horrified to find a human skull. They run back to the cabin and are even more terrified when screeching can be heard once more. They get to the door but its locked and no one is answering. The chapter ends with Stacey seeing something emerging from the forest.

### Chapter V: "You found what?"

It starts with Konnor and Stacey still banging on the door for help. Stacey is suddenly yanked inside by Konnor after Michael opened the door for them. After they lock the door, Michael demands to know what has happened and Stacey blurts out that they found a skull but she knows that none of them will believe her or Konnor. Beth and Jai wander in just in time to hear Stacey repeat herself and this news scares them both. To try and soften the situation, Jai asks Stacey if she's OK but she tells them that she needs to be alone and dashes off upstairs. Konnor becomes quickly agitated when Michael insists that it was once again just another animal related incident. But Beth then reveals the information she overheard at the lodge and this alerts Konnor. Michael explains that Max and Ellie seemed weird to begin with before collecting the work and leaving the room. Annoyed, Konnor storms off upstairs to find Stacey. Jai and Beth are both confused and shocked at what has just been revealed. Jai starts to get worried, asking Beth if they should tell the others but Beth tells Jai that they'll keep it to themselves.

They rejoin Cat, Olivia and Jack in the living room. Jack is talking about a book he's busy writing and Olivia is asking questions. Jack becomes annoyed when Cat cuts him off, beginning to talk about her ex boyfriend and asks her friends ways to get back at him. Olivia suggests posting a picture of her and a boy with a flirty caption but Cat declares that she's done that twice with Jack already. Jack asks whats wrong with that and Cat states that Jack likes boys so it would not have worked. Konnor arrives just in time to see Jack shout at Cat for always bringing the same topic up and that its really something he'd not like to talk about. Cat tries to speak but Jack stops her, continuing to kick off. Cat asks her friends to defend her but no one says anything. Konnor tells her to leave them out of it which leads to Cat shouting at Konnor, stating that no one wants him in the room. Jack calms down, telling Cat he doesn't want to fight. He reveals that he is confused before running out of the room. Konnor defends Jack, shouting at Cat saying its horrible that she does this to him as he's extremely confused about a lot of things.

Jack runs into his room and begins to sob until he hears Charlie. Scared, he tuns around so Charlie cannot see him crying and Jack begins to frantically wipe away the tears. Charlie asks Jack what happened and when Jack replies with 'nothing', Charlie asks again as he doesn't want to see Jack upset. Jack breaks down, revealing that he is so confused, his feelings are all over the place and is thinking that what he is feeling could be wrong. Charlie shushes him and pulls him into a comforting hug and assures Jack that he is perfect and that nothing matters as long as he is happy. He then promises that Cat will get whats coming to her. When they pull away, Charlie becomes even more sad at the sight of Jack as his eyes are glassy and his cheeks are stained of tears. Jack thanks Charlie and Charlie tells him its OK as he's always there for him and the two hug once more. Just as Charlie is about to leave the room, Jack pulls him back and kisses him. The two kiss for a few seconds before Jack pulls away, feeling incredibly awkward and stupid. He then rushes out of the room and Charlie falls onto his bed with a smile.

Kellan is hiking through the woods and finds strange markings on the trees. He then finds footprints in the snow which are fresh. Just as Kellan is about to follow them, a twig snaps not too far from him. When he shines his torch and finds nothing, Kellan grows more scared. A screech echoes through the forest and this forces Kellan to run until he runs into a man in a gas mask wielding a machete and walking towards him. Terrified, Kellan sprints away and comes across a small shack which he enters. He see's a barrel of gasoline, metallic objects dangling from the walls and a box of matches. Another noise scares him and so he ducks down, remaining silent. The chapter ends there.

### Chapter VI: Discovery

It starts off with Saturday morning and Michael enters the kitchen after having just woken up. He turns on the radio and begins to make some coffee when the broadcast catches his attention. The reporter reveals that a break-in happened at Max and Ellie's lodge last night and that they are no where to be found. Scared, Michael decides to turn it off and not tell his students about it as he doesn't want to cause a panic.

Stacey is in the shower washing and when she gets out she see's Olivia and Cat talking by the sinks, giggling and joking on with each other. Feeling awkward, Stacey goes to the other end of the sinks to start getting ready when Olivia exits the bathroom leaving Stacey and Cat alone. When Cat tries to talk to Stacey, she cuts her off, stating she is done with Cat and her bullshit. She then tells Cat to go back to her gal pals before walking out angrily.

Jack wakes up and instantly remembers that he kissed Charlie the previous night. Not wanting to face him, Jack quietly retrieves his bathroom bag before heading to the door but is stopped when Charlie calls for him as he's just woke up. Charlie insists that they talk about last night before it gets awkward and Jack begins to ramble before telling Charlie to forget it as he walks out. Charlie gets a little frustrated. He hears laughing and complaining in the hallway and so decides to get ready and go downstairs.

He enters the kitchen to find Beth, Jai and Konnor. Konnor demands to know what happened last night and at first Charlie is confused until Jai tells him what they mean. Charlie lies about the kiss and instead tells them that it was just a normal night. The others express their disappointment. Michael then waltzes into the room carrying a bunch of thick booklets and a box of stationary. He tells them that after breakfast they'll spend the day working on an exam paper.

After breakfast Michael gathers everyone in the living room to explain what they're doing. He then reveals who'll be working with who: Jack and Jai, Charlie and Alice, Konnor and Olivia, Beth and Stacey, Cat and Lance. He sends them around the cabin to complete their paper.

Beth and Stacey are sitting in an old study room in silence doing their paper when Beth tries to talk to Stacey. Stacey doesn't bother answering and continues to do the paper. Beth then says that she doesn't know why Stacey's so mad but tells her she's done nothing. Stacey erupts, stating that Beth and Olivia took Cat away from her and poisoned her mind, making her a nasty person. Beth defends herself and explains to Stacey that Cat has always been that kind of person but only to people she doesn't like. Stacey realizes this and apologizes to Beth. The girls then continue to do their work.

Cat and Lance are sat in the hallway, with Cat sprawling out on one of the couches and draping her legs over Lance. Sat near them is Alice and Charlie. Alice has been glaring and keeping an eye on Cat and Charlie tells her to relax but she denies anything is wrong. Cat is enjoying how its making Alice feel and so she begins to make passes at Lance who rebuffs her. Charlie tells Alice instead of glaring she should confront them and so she does, storming over to the other two. She shouts at Cat and tells her to back off. Michael walks in and is annoyed at what is going on and so he orders them both to grow up.

Later, Michael then calls everyone back in the living room and tells them that their task is over and they can relax for the rest of the evening. However before they get to do their own thing, Michael warns them to be considerate and tells Lance and Alice not to have sex.

A few hours later Alice and Lance are in Lance's room kissing when Alice brings up what happened earlier with Cat. Lance tries to reassure her that he rejected her and only has the hots for Alice however she doesn't believe him. The two then have a brief argument and so Alice storms out.

As she is storming through the corridors, Alice bumps into Stacey and tells Stacey to watch out and continues to walk off. Stacey then composes herself and finds a new study room which is a lot more older and creepier. She finds government papers, confidential files and photographs that date back to 1942. She also comes across a log from what seems to be a science expedition. While reading it, she finds out that a group of scientists stayed in the exact same cabin during December 1942 under the protection of WW2 soldiers. It reveals that they came under attack and were trapped within the cabin. As she reads more, she is horrified to learn that all of the scientists disappeared without a trace apart from one scientist name Professor Razner who revealed that he ate his deceased colleagues out of severe hunger. Stacey collects the log as well as a few other important things from the studying before returning to her room and deciding to keep it to herself.

Jai, Olivia, Beth and Cat are all sat in the conservatory. They're listening to Olivia share her worry about school, not wanting to fail an upcoming test and risk getting kicked out of school due to her already being kept back one year. Jai and Beth both comfort her and reassure her that everything will be OK. After Beth then decides to tell the others about her and Stacey's encounter during the mock test and it annoys and also confuses Cat while only infuriating Olivia. Cat remains calm and tells the others that she'll go and speak to Stacey. Olivia mistakes it and thinks Cat is going to fight her but Cat tells her to stay put, annoying Olivia.

Meanwhile, Charlie is pacing nervously around the bathroom door waiting for Jack to come out so he can finally talk to him. When Jack exits the bathroom, Charlie pulls him into a closet and apologizes for what happened in the previous night. Jack then also apologizes for sending mixed signals and being confusing for Charlie. Charlie then asks him if he's gay and Jack just tells him that it's still very confusing for him but promises him that when he does figure things out, Charlie will be the first to know. Jack then kisses him on the cheek and exits the closet. After Charlie leaves, Konnor emerges from the shadows and is extremely angry that Charlie lied to him and Stacey as they're meant to be close friends.

Kellan is still hiding out in the small building he found and still hadn't moved, not wanting to risk giving away his location to whatever and whoever was pursuing him. He then hears something outside and so prepares himself, loading up his gun and leaning against the windowsill ready to shoot. He is spooked when a deer runs out from the bushes, causing Kellan to jump back and fall over. His gun slides across the floor as Kellan sits and laughs about him being scared, He stops laughing when he hears the floorboards creaking behind him. When he turns around he see's the man standing on Kellan's gun. Kellan warns him to stay away before throwing himself out of the window. After a few moments of running, he falls through the ground and onto spiked poles, clearly a trap set by the man. He is killed within seconds as the man covers up the mess and heads towards the cabin the teens are at.

### Chapter VII: Wanna Play a Game?

Cat knocks on Stacey's door but doesn't wait for Stacey to respond as she just throws the door open, making papers fly everywhere which annoys Stacey. Cat demands to know why Stacey started with Beth but Stacey doesn't dignify her with an answer and instead tells her to leave. Cat shouts at Stacey for being rude but Stacey gets angry and lists Cat to be a "air headed, fake, manipulative, immature little girl" which makes Cat wince. Cat tells Stacey she hopes she gets eaten by wolves followed by her storming back out. After Cat leaves, Stacey collects the papers that are lying out of place and figures that everything she's found links back to two dates: 1942 and 1948 but she doesn't know why.

Jack is walking slowly through the corridor, following the music and light laughing. He doesn't realize how ever that he is being watched by something outside which then dashes away just as Jack looks out of the window. After seeing nothing is there, he enters the living room to find that Olivia, Jai and Beth have all moved from the conservatory and made themselves comfortable in this room. Olivia is tipsy and asks Jack where he's been. Jack vaguely tells them he was with Michael but Jai points out that Michael was just with them and didn't mention being with Jack at all. Nervous, Jack tells them to just drop it. He then asks what they were talking about and Olivia tells him that they were just laughing at the time when Beth got caught on the door handle. They shut up when Alice walks in and joins them, sitting next to Jack. She asks whats going on and when Beth tells her, she doesn't pay attention and then asks Jack what he thinks of their biology class. Jack shows his hatred for it, stating that their teacher doesn't have a clue what they're teaching about space. Jai then points out that space is from physics and he asks what happens in biology. Alice explains that since they don't like anyone else in the class, they tend to work together and surprisingly make a good team. They are then startled when a strange howl echoes around outside. Cat scares them by accident, asking what was the noise. Her and Alice then have a brief moment of conflict before something bangs outside, catching their attention. Olivia tells them that that was not a coyote. They become startled once again when Lance makes his presence known by asking what he missed. Alice sourly asks him what he's doing there and he admits he came to apologize for being a douche to her. The two then embrace and kiss, making Cat gag before she takes a seat. She asks the group what they want to do and Lance suggests a game of truth or dare. Olivia rejects his idea but Cat agrees, thinking it could get very interesting. Cat then orders Jai aggressively to go get the others.

As Jai is wandering around looking for everyone else, he comes across a conversation taking place between two boys. He doesn't know at first who its between but is shocked when he learns that its Charlie and Konnor and that Charlie had been lying to his own friends. He walks in and tells them about the game. Charlie agrees and quickly escapes the room followed by an annoyed Konnor.

Jai then makes his way up to Stacey's room and is confused as to what Stacey is doing. But she tells him that no matter what, he wouldn't believe her. He then asks her if she wants to join the game but Stacey is reluctant. Jai then explains to Stacey that things could get interesting and so Stacey agrees. As they're heading downstairs, they run into Michael who puts Jai in charge and warns him not to let things get out of control. Michael then goes back to his laptop which has a news article up about how a creature sighting happened in November that year and that everyone is advised to stay away during the Winter. The chapter ends with him dropping his head in his hands out of regret and terror.

### Chapter VIII: Truth or Dare

Starts of with the teens sitting around the coffee table waiting for Jai and Stacey to return. When they come back, Lance snaps as he wants to get on but Jack tells him to shut up. Just as Lance is about to retaliate, Konnor mouths 'don't you dare' over to him as a warning. Alice picks up on the tension and demands to know what it was about but Lance just tells her its just the same old.

Alice announces she'll be going first and decides to target Jai. Jai picks truth and so Alice asks him if he has a crush on anyone. Jai admits yes and Lance gets angry, thinking it is on Alice but Jai reassures him that he doesn't like Alice and this slightly offends her.

Charlie goes next, picking Olivia for his go who chooses dare. He dares her to chug her full glass of alcohol. Konnor mocks him and so Charlie flips him off. Olivia complies with the dare easily. Lance comments that it shouldn't be normal for her health for her to do that but Beth promises him that she normally does that.

Before anyone can say anything, Lance claims its his go and decides to pick Cat who goes with truth. He brutally asks her if her ex really cheated or if it was her who cheated. Cat becomes outraged but is told by Konnor to get on with it. She tells the group that it was her ex who had cheated.

Olivia chimes in and tells the group she's going next. Cat whispers something in her ear and seconds later she chooses Charlie. Charlie becomes nervous and goes with truth. Olivia asks him if he's in love with anyone. Charlie admits he is and when Olivia asks who he just tells her that its someone who makes him happy and he wants nothing more for the person to be happy. He says this while looking at Jack. Jack goes red and stands up. Jai jumps over to him and tries to pull him back but is shook off. The others start to get up to try and stop Jack from storming over and doing something he'd regret. Jack manages to push past Stacey and the boys come face to face. The chapter ends there.

### Chapter IX: Check It Out

Jack pulls Charlie into him and they kiss in front of everyone, shocking and surprising a lot of them as they expected a fight. The boys continue to kiss for a few more seconds. Lance says 'finally', showing his appreciation for the boys finally getting together. After they stop kissing, Cat makes a sly comment and so Jack finally erupts with her and the two have a fiery argument which leads to Jack stating he doesn't want to be friends with her anymore. He grabs Charlie's hand and pulls him out of the room. Konnor shows his agreement with Jack and Cat tells him to shut up so they can continue the game.

Jack and Charlie reach their room and begin making out quite heavily. They take their tops off but before they can proceed anymore, Charlie says he saw someone outside just then. Angry, Jack opens the window and starts to shout at whoever it was, thinking its his friends. Suddenly they see something in the woods moving and Charlie suggest they sneak out to go look at it. Jack protests but Charlie manages to convince him to go. They start sneaking downstairs and see that Michael is on his laptop with ear phones in so they continue to sneak outside and run around the side of the cabin. Charlie points out that its too quiet and suddenly something runs across the forest floor and the boys turn and run back to the cabin but the front door is locked. They then run around the porch and start to bang on the kitchen door to be let in but Michael cannot hear them. The chapter ends with it finally coming out of the shadows as Jack screams.

### Chapter X: 1942

It begins with Jack being pulled inside by Charlie and they lock the door. Michael is angry and demands to know whats going on. Charlie lies and says they took a walk but Jack got scared by a deer. The others come into the kitchen to witness the slight shouting. Michael orders everyone apart from Charlie and Jack to go back into the living room. He sternly warns them to not do anything like that again or else there'll be consequences. Michael collects his belongings and leaves the room. Jack then asks Charlie why he lied and Charlie explains that Michael wouldn't of believed them since he isn't believing anything anyone says. Jack states that something is wrong with Saltwood. Charlie soothes him by pulling him into a hug. Stacey walks in and reveals she was listening to their conversation and that she believes them because she's also found things out that no one will believe her about. She then tells them she'll take them to see it and on the way there, they run into Jai who ends up accompanying them. Once there, Stacey explains the incident in 1942 and admits that she thinks something killed the soldiers back then. Jai thinks they need to tell Michael but they persuade him out of it, knowing no one would even believe it. Jack then asks Stacey what her idea is.

Cat takes Konnor privately on the other side of the living room and demands to know what his problem is. Konnor brutally tells her that she's the problem and calls her a few names. Lance walks over to see what's going on and Konnor tells him that what he thinks of Cat and Cat becomes even more infuriated when Lance sides with him so Olivia tells Lance to shut up. Alice threatens Olivia and when Olivia goes to retaliate, she drops her glass onto the floor and it shatters. Michael comes storming in and starts to shout and express his disappointment at his students. When they try to apologize, he shuts them down knowing they don't mean it. The lights suddenly go off, leaving them in darkness.

### Chapter XI: Lights Out

They stand around in the darkness for a few seconds, confused as to what caused the power. Jai, Charlie, Jack and Stacey all join them just in time for Michael to tell them to find candles while he goes down to the basement to look for the fuse box. Before he leaves, he see's the alcohol bottle near the couches and asks who has been drinking it. Olivia puts her hand up to admit it and Michael promises he'll deal with her later but for now, she has to help find candles.

Michael goes down into the dark basement and begins to hunt for the fuse box. However, when he finds it he see's that it's been clawed open and the wires within have been deliberately cut. He becomes scared and notices a noise in the basement. He looks around to see the basement door leading outside into the forest is open. He looks out and see's that its beginning to thunder slightly and when he turns back, the Wendigo is behind him. It picks him up and Michael begs for help but within seconds, it killed him by impaling him with its own arm.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen Jai, Charlie, Jack and Stacey have managed to light candles when Jai once again thinks they should tell Michael about what Stacey discovered and Charlie quickly shuts him down. Jack then expresses his concern for Michael and on how long is he taking to get the power back. Charlie comforts him and then notices Stacey looks zoned out. Stacey had a sort of vivid daydream where she saw a man breaking into the cabin and he pulled out a gun but before she could see what happened next, Charlie shook her back to reality. She explains what she saw and Jai thinks it could be a premonition. They all become further worried. Michael's laptop suddenly beeps and the four go over to it and begin investigating it. They are shocked and frightened to read an article Michael found that something lethal was on the loose in Saltwood.

Alice is in the hallway lighting candles when she's Beth, Cat and Olivia walking towards her. Lance joins them and catches Olivia when she trips which angers Alice. Before Alice can say anything, Lance tells her he only caught her because she was going to fall and get them into more trouble which none of them wanted. They all then hear something scratching at the door. Worried, Lance says he'll go and see where Michael is and so the girls are left alone.

Back in the kitchen, they hear what sounds like Michael shouting for help outside. Although they can't see anything, they know they have to help him but Jai shows that he's too scared so Stacey starts to venture out by herself. Jack tells them it probably isn't a good idea.

### Chapter XII: Shattered

The girls are stood in the corridor in front of the main door and they are still very spooked. Olivia tells them that she saw something but Alice points out Olivia is drunk and is probably just seeing things. Suddenly, something bangs against the door but they can't see what. The girls then hide around the corridor and wait to see what happens next. Growls and moans could then be heard followed by the sound of something being dragged across the wood extremely hard. The noises shortly stop, letting the girls relax as the Wendigo has vanished once again. Alice goes over and opens the door, revealing nothing there but Alice see's something on the door that terrifies her. Before its revealed what it is, Lance returns and tells the girls about how there is no sign of Michael and that he found blood, glass and the messed up fuse box. Lance then suggests they escape but Alice cuts in, telling him its not a good idea due to what's on the door. They all go over and see deep claw marks on the door from the Wendigo.

In the kitchen, Stacey is continuing her venture outside to look for where Michael is shouting from. She puts on her phone torch to try and help and so she walks even further out. Jai calls for her to come back and tells her its not safe. However Charlie explains that they can't leave Michael out there alone. Jack reveals that Michael stopped shouting for them the minute they opened the door which only scares them more. Stacey see's something on the ground. Upon further investigation, she finds strange non-human footprints in the ground and also finds a small puddle of blood. She tells the group to get ready to lock the door. The Wendigo then jumps out from the bushes and begins to pursue Stacey who is now sprinting towards the cabin. Sadly the Wendigo beats her, landing on top of Stacey and picking her up into the light. Within seconds, Stacey is torn in half and instantly dies. Her screams alert everyone else who run in just in time to see everything unfold. Jack locks the door but the Wendigo throws Stacey's separate body parts through the glass, allowing it to get inside. The group split up around the cabin, hiding from the Wendigo.

Jai, Olivia and Beth are hiding within one of the old study rooms on the second floor. Olivia begins to panic, not wanting to go outside and Jai's attempts to calm her down don't work very well. Jai then suggests taking off and leaving the others to which Olivia agrees and Beth doesn't stating they should not leave their friends behind. Just as Beth and Olivia begin to have a slight loud disagreement, the Wendigo screeches from outside the door. Beth orders Jai to shut up Olivia as she continues to cry and panic. The Wendigo then punches a hole through the door, forcing the trio to hide. As it easily breaks down the door, it starts to search the room. Jai notices from his hiding spot that Olivia is planning to make a run for it. Jai tries to prevent it but fails as Olivia tries to run to the door but she fails as the Wendigo pounces on her and drags her out of the two-story window and through the forest, her screaming echoing. Jai knows he must go get her and Beth decides to accompany him, feeling slightly guilty for the Wendigo taking her.

Cat and Konnor have somewhat barricaded themselves in the conservatory. Konnor is wiping the tears off his face and glasses, still reeling over Stacey's death. When he looks up he see's the man that chased Kellan and Konnor begins to panic, thinking he's evil and that they need to escape. The man begins to walk towards the cabin, heading straight for the conservatory. As Konnor and Cat work to get the door unlocked for them to escape, one of the windows blows open. Cat tells Konnor to go lock and so he does. When he turns back, the door is open and Cat is gone. Konnor then runs out, going a different way to than where Cat was going.

Jack and Lance are hiding in Stacey's room and are looking through the endless sheets of information, photographs and other stuff she found to hopefully find some way to kill the creature or at least escape. Jack expresses his frustration and Lance tells him to quit complaining which results in him exploding with Lance. Lance makes another comment stating they haven't got time for drama and reeling and so Jack grabs him by the collar and tells him to show some respect. As Jack pulls off him, something is knocked over and the boys noticed something that could definitely help them. It's a way to stop the Wendigo at the bunker and so the boys make their trek to the bunker where Jai and Beth are also headed.

### Chapter XIII: Trails

The chapter starts with Charlie coming back into the kitchen, silently sobbing at the sight before him. He is devastated that Stacey is now dead but knows he must look for a way out and to also regroup with everyone, specifically Jack. He goes over to Michael's laptop but when he opens it it's revealed to have been severely damaged by the recent events and out of anger, Charlie pushes the laptop causing it to fall. He wanders over to it and see's that its even more broken. He then see's something sticking out of Stacey's pocket. Once he pulls it out and opens it, its a photograph of an old shack (the same shack Kellan hid earlier) and on the book is written: SAFE HERE. Charlie grabs a sharp kitchen knife and makes his way into the forest alone, looking for the shack.

Beth and Jai are running through the forest still trying to find where the Wendigo took Olivia. They come to a stop when Beth points out they've been going in circles. Jai then begins to panic, fearing for Olivia's life but Beth promises him that they'll find her. They then see the old World War 2 bunker and so make their way over to it. Once there they see that its extremely old and rusted. They are also surprised to find an old high school bus there that looks even older. Beth manages to open the doors into the bus but she's the seats have been torn up and there's dry blood and glass. She calls Jai in and they both know that they're not the first ones to have been attacked by the Wendigo. They hear a familiar screech and take cover, knowing the Wendigo is coming.

Meanwhile, Jack and Lance are wondering through the forest too completely lost and alone with no clue as to where anything is anymore. Jack notices Lance is extremely worried so he comforts him Lance becomes teary eyed talking about Alice and the danger she may be in. He then thanks Jack for comforting him. Then to Jack's surprise, Lance apologizes for his behavior the past few days. Jack accepts the apology and the two set things right. Jack then asks Lance why he went down into the basement right before things started going crazy. Lance explains that he went to see what was taking Michael so long but all he found was blood and the broken door. Jack states that that can't be possible as he, Charlie, Jai and Stacey heard Michael outside. This freaks Jack out but Lance calms him down and they start making their way over to the bunker.

### Chapter XIV: Radio Warning

It starts with Olivia finally starting to wake up, not knowing where she is. She can't move very much as her body is heavily injured. When she tries to establish where she is, she founds that she's lying on skulls and bones which terrifies her. She then see's something on the wall but can't make it out just yet. She then closes her eyes once again.

Alice is running through the forest when she finally see's the road. She runs out onto it and is relieved that she's finally out of the forest. Continuing to move, she finds the coach she was on but upon further inspection she's what's happened to the engine and the windshield as well as no sign of Verne. She knows what has happened to him. She then hears rustling behind her. She goes closer in to see the noise but is startled when birds fly out of the bushes.After they fly away, she falls back and ends up getting something stuck in her leg which causes it to start bleeding. She pulls it out thinking its glass but see's that its actually a piercing tooth which freaks her out even more. Suddenly, radio static booms from the coach and so she races on board and finds the radio. She proceeds to call for help but at first the response is really static and she cannot make anything out. But after a few seconds, the message is clear. A man is telling her that they're coming for her. She becomes ecstatic and begs for help but the man remains creepy and mysterious by telling her that no one is coming aside from those wishing to kill her and her friends. Growing more frustrated and confused, she demands to know why he can't get help but he tells her the bloodsuckers won't stop until they are all dead. She ends up throwing the radio down and instead finds a flare gun with two flares with it. She exits it the bus and heads towards the lodge they visited the day before.

Jai and Beth are still hiding within the bus but after checking they see the coast is clear. They leave the bus and quickly go inside the bunker. However its extremely dark and they're only able to see a few feet in front of them. They also notice how bad it smells but don't want to find out whats causing the smell. They head down one of the corridors and Beth walks into a small item on the floor, causing a load noise. Jai scolds her and she begins to search the box, finding two torches but only one of them work. They walk ahead until they come across a table. As they are looking, they find a gun. Jai then officially freaks out, knowing things are getting too scary and serious for him as he's always acted like such a kid. Beth gets him back on track and when the two turn the corner, they see a strange message.

Cat is rushing through the forest but growing weaker and colder by the minute. She eventually exits the forest and see's the lodge. She runs over to it and goes inside, unaware that the Wendigo is following her.

### Chapter XV: A Cry For Help

Alice is still trekking along the road looking for the lodge. She's beginning to feel really tired and cold but turns the corner and finds. She knows she has to become a strong girl now so she runs off inside.

Konnor has tried to keep up with Cat but knows he's lost her and probably went the completely wrong way. Suddenly the Wendigo bursts out of the bushes and screams in his face. He turns and runs away but after a few moments of running, he gets caught in a bear trap causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The Wendigo jumps out but doesn't see him and instead runs off. Konnor then manages to break open the trap and stumble his way to the small shack Kellan was previously at a few chapters earlier. Once there, he finds a radio and manages to get rescue for them. He turns around and is spooked to see Charlie there. Charlie breaks down and Konnor pulls him into a hug. Charlie expresses his concerns about possibly losing Konnor or Jack. Konnor comforts him. He then tells Charlie that rescue is coming. Just then, the Wendigo screeches outside and so the boys hide behind the desk and hope it doesn't find them.

Meanwhile, Jack and Lance reach outside the World War Two bunker and see the footprints. Jack says they're going in but Lance hesitates. Jack then explains that its the best lead so he goes off inside and Lance knows he's going to regret it but does end up following him inside.

### Chapter XVI: Don't Move

Cat walks into the back room behind the reception in the Boyd Lodge and see's that its already been mostly trashed. She begins looking for a radio or phone to help get rescue but something outside of the room smashes, alerting Cat. However when she opens the door, she walks into Alice and the girls scream. After calming down, they talk about how they don't know where anyone else is (which is a lie for Cat) and have no idea what happened in the lodge. Alice also explains the strange man on the radio back in the coach. They then team up to look for stuff in the room and just as Cat gives up, she comes across an extremely odd list that has a bunch of names on it and two of those names is Stacey Dernbridge and Hunter Falls. The girls then grow confused as to why they're names are on there but know that it can't be good. Just then they hear the Wendigo screech and so walk over to the window and see it staring right at them. Alice tries to pull Cat away but the Wendigo see's the moving and so charges over and smashes through the window. The girls then flee the back room and run into the boiler room, shutting the door behind them.

Jai and Beth are freaked out by the message on the wall read 'don't move'. Beth thinks it could mean to not move at that moment in time but Jai thinks it could mean that the Wendigo can't see them if they don't move. Beth thinks that that theory is a little far fetched and so they continue their journey to find Olivia.

Jack and Lance are nearing a pitch black stairwell when Lance stops them, stating that they aren't going to find to any of their friends down there. Jack begins to cry and so Lance pulls him into a hug listening as Jack tells him he doesn't want to lose Charlie and Lance promises him he won't. Suddenly, they hear a voice shouting hello not too far from them and Jack recognizes it as Jai's voice and so he sets off and starts to run to the direction of the voice with Lance right behind them. However, the strange man emerges holding his machete. The boys end up running off into different directions and when Jack turns a corner after running for a while, he runs into something and falls to the ground.

### Chapter XVII: Do or Die

Alice and Cat are quietly sneaking around the boiler room in the Boyd Lodge, trying to hide from the Wendigo which is still outside hunting for them. The girls then hide in a narrow passage way surrounded by flammable tanks, pipes and wires. The Wendigo then breaks into the room and begins looking around for them. Cat begins to cry and Alice tries to silence her. The Wendigo then goes silent leading the girls to think its gone but when they go to look, it comes crashing down from the ceiling and starts scratching at the pipes and wires. They flee the narrow passage way and start to run down the corridor for the exit. The Wendigo picks up something large and launches it, causing it to destroy pipes and causing gas to leak out. As they near the exit, the Wendigo is gaining on them and so Cat pulls out her lighter and has an idea. As soon as they reach the door, Cat throws the now lit lighter to the gas which causes a massive explosion, destroying most of the Lodge and separates the girls, covering them in debris.

Jack finally comes to, everything still a bit blurry as to what happened in the last few minutes. He is awoken to find Jai and Beth standing over him. They inform him that he ran straight into a concrete column and knocked himself out. Jack then tells the two that he was running from the strange man who had a machete but he thinks him and Lance lost him. Beth asks what he means by 'we' and he tells them he was with Lance. Jai then says they're going to get Olivia before they escape and Jack is happy to oblige. They start looking for her and after following cries and coughs, they finally find her laying in a pile of bones. They're shocked and terrified at the room she's in, especially spooked by the blood message. They then begin their escape to which Olivia leads as she remembers which way the Wendigo dragged her in. The Wendigo then catches up to them and starts to pursue them and Jai can't manage to carry Olivia while running. Jack and Beth go back and take Olivia off of him and they escape. Just as Jai turns the corner he trips on some bricks and comes face to face with the Wendigo. Just as its about to kill him, the stranger breaks through the wall and tells Jai to run and he does. The stranger then sets off a grenade and throws it at the Wendigo before fleeing the bunker. It explodes and destroys that corridor of the bunker and presumably the Wendigo. The four then help each other out of the debris and start to make their way to the cabin.

Charlie and Konnor are still trying to think of ways to escape the small shack that is currently under attack of another Wendigo. Konnor finds a belt of smoke grenades and so he sets them and throws them into the room the Wendigo is in and then him and Charlie make their escape out of the window and into the woods.

### Chapter XVIII: Memory Lost

Charlie and Konnor are still fleeing through the forest, following the trail that leads back to the cabin. They are stopped when an eerie man emerges from the shadows holding a sharp dagger. Konnor asks who the man is but he doesn't tell them, saying the only important thing is the thing he seeks. He then becomes hostile, knowing about the Wendigo and mistakes Konnor for being someone else and thinking he is evil. The man then lifts up the dagger up into the air but Charlie tries to separate but the man throws Charlie over, causing him to fall onto the ground. He scrambles around and finds a pole and without thinking he throws it at the man, impaling and killing him instantly. Charlie gets up and tells Konnor he had no other choice but when he faces Konnor he see's the dagger stuck in his chest. Just as Konnor falls to the ground, Charlie catches him and after a minute of final talking, Konnor dies in his arms. After a few minutes of crying, Charlie searches the dead man's body and discovers he is called Bob Newcomb. He then also finds a list with names and he only recognizes one of them - Alfredo Montague. He then flees the area, following the trail once again.

Lance is running in the woods following the smoke in the air. He finally comes out of the woods to find the Boyd Lodge completely destroyed, with only a few standing beams of wood and walls. He looks around, worrying Alice may be somewhere within the wreck. He hears coughing but finds Cat, much to his dismay. Cat further deepens his worries when she tells him Alice was with her and that a Wendigo was chasing them so she blew it up. Together they team up to find her and eventually come across her. When she comes to, she tells them that she can't remember what had happened in the last few hours, the only last thing she can remember is being at the cabin when the Wendigo began to come for them for the first time. Cat then says they need to move as the smoke will attract more Wendigo and they set out to the cabin.

Once they get there, they are happy to see Charlie there. Cat tells something isn't right and she then notices that Charlie has dry blood on his hands and instantly realizes that another one of them is dead. She asks and Charlie reveals it was Konnor.

### Chapter XIX: Theo Handerson

Lance asks how and what happened and Charlie tells them it was a Wendigo that killed Konnor and this confuses the trio. Charlie explains that it was some lunatic who was going to kill them both but he was too late and could only save himself. When Lance asks where Bob went, Charlie breaks down and reveals that he killed him. Charlie then remembers that rescue is coming for them and he tells them, helping lifting the mood slightly. He says that a helicopter is coming to evacuate them from the Old Mill Waterfall and they all become ecstatic.

Jack, Beth, Jai and Olivia are still fleeing through the forest and are near the cabin. Olivia stops and cries, stating that they aren't going to make it out alive. Jai comforts her and then Jack urges them to continue. After a while of more walking, they finally reach the cabin and are shocked to see the lights on. Jack then see's Charlie from the living room window and rushes inside. Charlie hears his name being called and is happy to see Jack running into the room. The boys hug, slightly crying at being reunited. They then kiss. After they kiss, Jack says he's happy to see that they're all OK, failing to notice Konnor's absence. Beth, Jai and Olivia join them in the room, looking happy to see one another. Jai notices Konnor isn't there and he asks about it and when Charlie, Cat, Lance and Alice all look around sadly and nervously, it hits them that he's dead. Just as people are about to react, a crashing from outside happens alerting them all. They are shocked and scared when the machete-wielding man walks into the living room. He doesn't look as threatening anymore. He then reveals himself to be Theo and that he was the same man in the prologue who went through a previous Wendigo attack. He tells them that there were eight all together but there's now six and they're coming for the teens. He tells them about the 1948 incident vaguely and when Beth asks about the disappearances in 2011, he claims that those disappearances were by something far more sinister but they shouldn't worry about that. He reveals that he knows about their escape and then tells them that there is an old truck waiting outside for them to drive to the Old Mill Waterfall to get to the helicopter. Some of them are reluctant but some of them are eager. Eventually they all agree to it and Theo tells Lance that he drives and Lance asks what about Theo himself and Theo just says that he isn't leaving until the Wendigo are all dead. Suddenly loud creaking and rattling can be heard upstairs and Theo says that the six Wendigo are already there for them.

### Chapter XX: A Way Out

Theo orders the teens to slowly and quietly make their way over to the door one by one. But it's too late as the ceiling crumbles and the Wendigo fall through it. Theo shouts for them to run and they do, leaving himself behind to fend off the beasts.

They get to the truck and Jack and Lance decide to sit up front while everyone else climbs in the back, arming themselves with guns from a crate. They begin their escape to the evacuation point but after shooting at the Wendigo for a while and escaping near deaths, one of the Wendigo manages to get onto the roof of the truck and plucks Olivia up, killing her. In the front, Jack manages to shoot at one of the Wendigo but Lance looks away from the road and fails to notice a Wendigo jumping through the air, smashing it's hand through the windshield and impaling and killing Lance. Jack watches in horror as Lance's body is ripped from the seat. Jack tries to grab the wheel but is too late and the truck is sent into a fiery crash, exploding everywhere, leaving everyone's fates unknown.

### Chapter XXI: Gone

Alice and Jai begin looking for Lance, unaware that he was killed, Cat is a mess crying over Olivia and Charlie and Beth are still rocked by the whole ordeal. Charlie begins to get extremely worried when they find no sign of Jack anywhere but Beth promises him they'll find him. As Jai was about to shout over to them, he hears coughing and moving and beckons for everyone to head over to it. They all dig through the debris, each hoping to find one of their friends alive. After looking they find a fatally injured Jack. Jack informs them about Lance's death and it ruins Alice as she throws herself into Jai's arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Charlie then begins suggesting ways to help Jack get to the evacuation point but Jack states he isn't going anywhere and then points to his chest. Charlie shifts the remaining debris out of the way and is horrified to see Jack has been impaled on a rusted piece of metal through his chest. Charlie cries but Jack promises him it doesn't hurt anymore and tells Charlie he needs to get everyone to safety. Jack then tells Charlie he loves him before closing his eyes and becoming still. Charlie breaks down and everyone cries watching another one of them die. Beth makes Charlie promise not to do anything stupid but Charlie doesn't agree, only focused on escaping. They all flee the crash.

They make it to the evacuation point and there are a few worries in the air that make them think they could've missed the helicopter. Theo emerges from the bushes looking banged up but still alive. Theo says that he has only three grenades and a revolver left along with a machete and tells them to prepare for the final battle. As they arm themselves as best as they can, they notice the Wendigo slipping out of the forest and into the clearing.

### Chapter XXII: The Last Stand

As the group arm themselves, Cat points out that the helicopter is coming down. The group then begin attacking the Wendigo and trying to kill as many as they can. Jai struggles a bit with the fight and so Theo rushes over and takes down one of the Wendigo that was going to get Jai. Charlie shouts for them all to run to the helicopter as they have to leave instantly. Beth is the first one to run followed by Charlie.

Alice pushed Cat so they could start running but Cat stopped. Alice demands to know what the problem is but Cat swears at Alice and then punches her in the chest. Alice flies backward and hits her head off a rock, becoming unconscious. Cat then began running towards the helicopter. At the moment, Jai witnesses Cat's actions and shouts at Cat, promising she'll get what's coming to her. He then rushes over to Alice and picks her up and begins making his way over to the helicopter.

Cat is still sprinting across the clearing and she turns her head to see Jai and Alice and feels a tinge of guilty but dismisses it. During this, she fails to notice that a Wendigo has slipped out of the forest and landed in front of her. She falls back and screams for help but no one comes for her. The Wendigo then grabbed Cat, lifted her into the air and began violently smashing her skull of the rocks until she goes limp and stops moving.

Everyone else manages to get onto the helicopter and Charlie shouts for Theo to join them but Theo doesn't and instead pulls all the grenades at once and he explodes just as the Wendigo all pounce on him, sending a fiery wave of fire into them, killing the beasts. The helicopter then lifts off from the ground and flies away from Saltwood.

Sometime later, Alice awakens in a hospital and is nicely surprised to see Jai there. Jai explains everything and Alice promises that they'll get through it, together. They then sit and cry and mourn everyone they've lost.

## Characters

Below is a list of the characters, whether they're main, recurring or guest and how many parts they appear in.

 Jack James
 Cat Hillsbery
 Olivia Silverman
 Beth Vigilante
 Alice Swenson
 Lance Scottsford
 Konnor Andrews

 Jai Parker
 Michael Adamson
 Theo Handerson

 Ellie Boyd
 Verne Spaulding
 Hunter Falls
 Kellan Montague
 Linda Shirling
 Bob

## Trivia

* Hunted is the re-write / improvement of the 2016 mini novel 'The Field Trip' which followed a similar story line with similar characters.
* Konnor Andrews was originally meant to live instead of Jai Parker. Both Konnor and Charlie were meant to stop Bob and escape while Jai was meant to die moments after he had saved Olivia from the WW2 Bunker. If this had have happened, Konnor was also going to die in Haven at the end.
* Hunted is heavily inspired by the 2015 horror game Until Dawn which also features an isolated cabin, a few friends and they are stalked and killed by Wendigo.
* Jack, Cat, Olivia, Konnor and Stacey are all inspired by real life friends of Jack while the character Jack is somewhat inspired by Jack himself.
* Hunter was originally supposed to have a much larger part in this book but this was exchanged in favor of properly introducing him in Haven.
* There was an epilogue written that would've shown Jack being rescued by Luca Matthews, his vampire boyfriend from Haven, and taken back to the Haven but this was scrapped to save the reveal of vampires for the second book.
* In The Field Trip, there are characters called Tim, Lucy, Pete, Niamh, Corina, Luke, Ellis and Caitlin. During the development of Hunted, all of these characters were removed, with some of them being bases for some of the new characters; Tim became Jai, Caitlin became Beth, Luke became Charlie.
* In The Field Trip, Michael Adamson, the teacher, never has a first name. He's just referred to as Mr Adamson. His name was added for Hunted.