V2Ch51-Demonology

Mina knocked on Detective DaSilva’s door. The floorboards creaked where his heavy footsteps landed. Then the door opened. He looked surprised to see them.

“Ladies, what brings you here?” he asked.

“We need to talk about the murders,” Mina began.

Then DaSilva moved slightly to the side, so that Mina could see into the room behind him. There, on the unused bed beside DaSilva’s, sat Cara. She looked poised. Confident.

But as Mina looked at her, Cara’s eyes narrowed. Cara turned to look at Mina, and Mina realized that she had stopped talking mid sentence at the sight of Cara.

“I didn’t realize you were here, Cara,” she said, just to say something. Her mind raced, searching for the right words to talk her way out of this. James would’ve known just what to say, she thought. But her brain felt frozen.

“Oh, I just wanted to ask the Detective about something. Jean and I were worried that this killer might come after us at some point, since we discovered the first body. He might think we know something. I was thinking we could use some sort of protection.”

Mina seized on Cara’s words.

“You know, that connects with what I was thinking about. I was telling the Detective earlier that I thought the violence in the last challenge might have been the killer trying to take some more of us out. By disguising it as inter-team rivalry, the murderer could kill people he meant to target while also increasing hostility among the surviving groups.”

Detective DaSilva’s eyes widened at Mina’s lie, but his back was turned to Cara. Mina thought there was no obvious tell from his posture that would give away his reaction.

“You were just telling the Detective that, eh? It’s funny he didn’t mention that to me. It would have validated my fears instead of dismissing them.” Cara’s tone had turned icy.

DaSilva turned around to look at Cara. He replied in an even voice, “I didn’t want to scare you, Cara. And I still don’t believe that Mina’s theory is correct. We can’t blame every bit of violence that occurs in these challenges on the killer. We have no reason to assume they’d be so brazen. Killing people out in the open like that would be out of character for a murderer who was this careful up until now.”

Mina suppressed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness the Detective has good control of his voice.

“You have a point, Detective,” Cara allowed. Her tone switched to playful, almost teasing. “Mina, what do you think? Should Detective DaSilva be providing Jean and me round the clock protection? If you believe the killer was active in the last challenge, surely you must admit that we have a valid security concern. I would just feel so much safer if we spent the rest of Orientation under the Detective’s watchful eye.”

Mina found her mouth was suddenly very dry, and she took a deep breath before answering. Her mind was working double time now to lie and obfuscate.

“I think you’re not wrong to be afraid. But what about me?”

“Hm? What about you?”

“Yes. What about me and Yulia and Adelaide? We’ve all been helping the Detective in his investigation, so we could all reasonably be targets. There’s no reason to think the killer would come after you and Jean first, when he’s left you alone ever since that first day. All of us are in the same pickle as you, and it’s not as if we can all sleep over in Detective DaSilva’s room every night.”

“Well, that is true,” Cara said thoughtfully. Her lips molded into a thin smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I guess your superior logic wins again, Mina.” Cara rose from the bed and strode briskly toward the door where Mina and Yulia stood. Mina had to order her body not to flinch as Cara drew close.

Cara spoke her next words almost eye to eye with Mina, still smiling tightly. “I’ll leave the two of you to talk to the Detective, then. I hope neither of you will do anything too reckless, since none of us can receive the Detective’s protection all the time.” She put her arms around Mina and gave her a very firm squeeze.

It was more of a crush than a hug, with a grip that reminded Mina of how physically fragile she was compared to Cara. To DaSilva and Yulia, though, Mina imagined it just looked like a display of affection. “I’ll talk to you later,” Cara whispered into Mina’s ear. And then she stepped past Mina into the hallway.

Mina let out her breath slowly, still trying not to give any outward sign that she was nervous. She stepped into DaSilva’s room with Yulia following closely behind. DaSilva closed the door after them.

As the sisters sat down on the other bed that Cara had just vacated, Mina got a look at Yulia’s face. It was a hollow mask. Mina could feel that Yulia was bottling up some intense emotion. Sadness? Fear? Anger?

Mina couldn’t tell, and for now, she couldn’t pay it any heed. The situation was bad.

“Could one of you tell me what this is all about?” DaSilva asked quietly. “I’m getting a little freaked out here. Please just be straight with me this time.”

Mina didn’t respond to him, didn’t even look at him. She got up and stalked over to the door she’d just come through. After a moment’s hesitation, she yanked it open and stuck her head out into the hallway.

No one there.

Not satisfied with that, she walked down to the staircase and descended. No one on the stairs or in the common area of the inn. She couldn’t even ask anyone if they’d seen Cara walk outside. It’d only been a few minutes, but Cara was fast.

She’s gone, Mina told herself.

Then she ascended the staircase again and reentered DaSilva’s room.

She found him pacing.

“You’ve got me going out of my mind,” DaSilva said. “Please tell me what's going on.”

“Cara and Frank are the killers on our team,” Mina replied in a tiny voice. “I was just making sure she was gone before I told you.”

“What?!” DaSilva sprang toward the door and closed it firmly behind her. “How do you know?”

“First, I know Cara has already killed two people right in front of me. Back in the maze.”

“Why didn’t you mention this before?” he asked in a tone of flat, cold anger.

“Because she did it in defense of me,” Mina replied. She could barely meet his eyes.

“I see.” His voice softened. “This was related to your unplanned premature birth?”

Mina nodded, not trusting her voice.

“You said ‘first,’” he said after a long pause. “What was second?”

“I used the Investigate Skill on her and Frank again. Frank’s Status showed that he’s a Wendigo, straightforward as that. With Cara, it was more complicated.”

“How so?” DaSilva asked a bit impatiently.

“I read her Status, and it was exactly the same as the last time.”

He scratched the side of his head. “What was complicated about that?”

“Her Status was the same as it was when I checked it during our team breakfast before.”

“Oh. Yeah, I think I see.”

“She must be using some Skill to conceal her real Status,” Mina said. “It didn’t reflect the levels we all got from this challenge or the maze, or any other progress in any of her abilities. You got those levels too, right?” She waited for DaSilva to nod before continuing. “So, my guess is she put up a fake Status screen a while ago, in case anyone had the ability to look at them. But since we didn’t mention we were Investigating the team’s Statuses, she assumed no one had checked it. So she didn’t think to update it with a natural rate of progress for her Skills.”

“Jesus,” DaSilva murmured.

“Also, if this makes any difference, my Job leveled up when I used Investigate on her. As if the System recognized I was having a breakthrough in the case. So I’m ninety percent certain she’s the person who tried to kill you before. More certain, even.”

“Alright, you’ve persuaded me,” he said, nodding to himself. “And I know what we need to do next.”

“That’s a relief to hear,” Mina said.

“Do you know about Wendigos, Detective?” Yulia asked.

“No, but I know the next best thing,” he replied. “I know where we can find a real expert.”

That was what I was hoping you’d say, Mina thought. Out of everyone she’d met since arriving here, DaSilva was the best connected person in camp. As a policeman who everyone trusted, he ended up solving, or at least being asked to address, a lot of problems. From murdered people to missing food, from scarcity to weather issues, he was at the center of much of the group’s life here.

As the sisters followed DaSilva to his expert, she allowed herself to contemplate life post-Orientation. In particular, she wondered where DaSilva would fit into the community as it would exist after the System’s arrival. She doubted the local police department would be in any kind of position to enforce order anymore, let alone to continue employing him.

He’s a bit of a de facto leader here, Mina thought, but he’d never want any actual position of leadership. She knew him well enough now to be certain of that. DaSilva was made to be someone’s right hand man. He was most comfortable with executing decisions, not making them. That was why he’d once tried to suggest that Paul, the self-appointed leader from the first few days, wasn’t a bad sort. Even though that same person had just tried to turn the whole population’s frustrations on Mina and Yulia.

DaSilva preferred to have someone in charge rather than to take charge himself, even if that other person was someone he didn’t particularly like. He seemed to realize that about himself, on some level, which was why he’d never sought promotion beyond the level of detective.

I wonder how he’d get along with James.

Mina knew her husband. James would seek and embrace opportunities for power. He would be on the lookout for competent people who didn’t mind playing second fiddle to him. People like DaSilva. Things to address later, when it’s safer.

The trio walked through knee high snow, which continued to fall in thick clumps all around them. Mina supposed someone must be clearing it periodically, or the path wouldn’t be navigable. Mostly, she tried to ignore the snow, and the deep cold that seemed to be settling into her bones.

They moved toward another challenge winners’ building. Then they climbed a set of stairs. Finally, they arrived at a particular door.

Well done in not only knowing so many people, but also knowing where they live, Mina thought. If DaSilva and Yulia weren’t here, she doubted she would even talk to someone every day. Compared to her, DaSilva was a true social butterfly.

He knocked on the door.

“Hey Professor,” DaSilva said, “it’s me, Detective DaSilva. I have a couple of young ladies with me. We have a question about Native American myths, and we were hoping you could help us.”

The person on the other side of the door must have been quite spry, because the door was flung open almost as soon as DaSilva finished talking. Mina and Yulia each took a small step back at the sudden movement. But they immediately stepped forward again.

The man who stood in front of them wasn’t intimidating. A neat, well-groomed figure of average height wearing a long sleeved button-down shirt and a bow tie. He looked like he was getting ready to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant, or perhaps heading out to deliver a lecture. His hair was a short silver-gray, and he was ruddy-complected, with slightly round cheeks. Around his early forties, Mina guessed. He had a kindly face and intelligent eyes.

His attire reminded Mina that she was still wearing a dress with a few wayward drops of baby spit and breast milk spotted along the area just under her chest. She self-consciously crossed her arms in front of herself. Then she used Investigate, which confirmed the Professor was not afflicted with Wendigo Contagion, or if he was, he was concealing it somehow.

“A pleasure to meet you young ladies,” the Professor said, speaking with the slightest trace of a southern accent. “My name is Adam Davies.” He extended his hand to Mina.

“I’m Mina. And the pleasure is all ours, I’m sure,” Mina said. She reluctantly lowered her arm from where it covered the stain on her dress, so she could shake hands with him.

“I doubt that very much,” he said, smiling cordially. He turned and shook Yulia’s hand as well. “Nice to meet you, too, young miss.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Yulia said with a seriousness of tone that surprised Mina slightly. “My name is Yulia.”

I guess she’s adapting to his demeanor. Or still digesting the news about Cara and Frank.

“Can we come in, Professor?” DaSilva asked.

“Oh, of course, where are my manners?” he said, pulling the door open.

His room was identical to DaSilva’s, and an exact mirror of Mina and Yulia’s. The System was nothing if not systematic in housing construction.

Mina explained what was going on, omitting a few key details including the fact that they had identified two murderers in their own team.

“So that’s why we need your help,” she finished. “We need to know what to do about Wendigo Contagion. Detective DaSilva explained that you might know something about this area.”

“Yes indeed,” Davies said slowly, expression troubled. “I know as much about Wendigo folklore, at least, as your average anthropologist in this area. I can’t know for sure if the Wendigos we’re apparently dealing with in real life follow the folklore, though.”

“We need to assume that they do,” Mina insisted. “Otherwise we don’t have a single clue. So how do we treat this? Is there a cure?”

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” he said. “But I’m afraid not. The traditions tend to say that you don’t treat Wendigo Contagion. Even if you try, it’s generally not successful. Historically, when people are believed to be afflicted with this ailment, you kill them.”

Mina’s face fell. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

“Let’s take a step back for a minute,” DaSilva interjected gently. “Let’s discuss everything Professor Davies knows about this disease.”

After a moment, Mina nodded. Any ray of hope would be welcome.

“Well, the tradition is that a Wendigo is an evil spirit. A bit like what the Middle Eastern religions called demons. These spirits were usually associated with cold weather and famine. Sometimes environmental destruction. The spirit would possess a particularly greedy or hungry person who was willing to consume human flesh. Usually someone desperate.

“The victim becomes possessed by the Wendigo, and they eat the flesh of man. But their unnatural hunger cannot be satisfied. Some legends stated that they grow larger with every person they eat, so that their hunger only grows with time. Other legends would make them gigantic monsters with frozen hearts. Different folklore gives them different attributes. There’s endless hunger, monstrous strength, physical emaciation, an unpleasant odor that’s often compared with the smell of death, and an inhuman tolerance for pain, to list examples. It’s sometimes unclear if the possessed person remains human. For instance, in one story, they chop off the Wendigo’s limbs, and when they return later to see if he’s still alive, he remains capable of holding a normal conversation.”

“Um, cures, Professor?” Mina asked as gently as she could. She was struggling to remain patient. Davies was a little too warm to his subject. Perhaps he was excited that his anthropological knowledge was now of much more practical use than it had ever been before. But he wasn’t saying much that she found useful. It was more like sharing scary campfire stories.

“Oh, yes. People have attempted to treat Wendigos in the past. Cree folklore recommends feeding them fatty meats and animal grease to keep their hunger at bay.”

“Do you think that would work?” Mina asked. “If we could capture them somehow and bind them in place?”

DaSilva, she noticed, was giving her a hard look as she spoke, but she ignored it.

“Honestly, no,” Davies said. “In real life, we don’t know if it’s ever worked, but the typical result of someone having Wendigo psychosis was death. This is something that hasn’t been well-studied scientifically, you understand. We’re almost in the realm of demonology.”

“That’s a fair way of putting it, but is there another treatment?” Mina asked a bit desperately.

She really wanted to save Cara if she could, she realized, although she hadn’t parsed through all the reasons for that in her own mind. Maybe it was because Mina didn’t want blood on her hands. Maybe it was because the other woman had looked out for her, back in the maze. Perhaps before then as well; it was hard to say.

“No,” he replied grimly. “You just have to kill them. Burn the bodies. And destroy their Heart of Ice. You mentioned that was one of the traits you observed in the Wendigo Contagion sufferers. If that’s true, then failing to destroy that could lead to the Wendigo recovering. And destroying the heart might possibly free the human possessed. There are some stories where the human would somehow survive the process of the Wendigo’s destruction, but that’s not the norm. Those are usually the more fantastical myths.”

“Thank you,” Mina said, smiling slightly. It was small, but the tips were something.

“Of course,” Davies said, smiling a bit woodenly. “Happy to be of service. I don’t suppose you could tell me if there are any Wendigos on my team?”

“Have you had any food stolen?” DaSilva asked. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I suspect the teams that have had food stolen from them probably have Wendigos in their ranks. There were a total of thirteen teams who lost food before now, and I think that’s the telltale sign. They have a trait called Limitless Hunger. I’m guessing they can’t resist food, even when stealing some is a bad idea.”

That’s extremely sound logic, Mina thought. He’s not a Detective for nothing.

“No,” Davies replied with a sigh of relief. “No, our team hasn't had that problem.”

“Okay, then you’re probably in the clear,” DaSilva said. “You should keep this to yourself, by the way. We’ll be going for now. We’ll come back around once we’ve made a game plan.”

Davies nodded. “Stay safe,” he said.

Mina, Yulia, and DaSilva left the Professor’s room, descended the stairs, and made the cold trudge back to their inn.

“Well, what do you think we do next?” DaSilva asked as they walked, snow falling more heavily than before all around them.

“I might suggest we restrain Cara and Frank, and try the animal grease cure on them,” Mina said a bit hesitantly.

“Mina, really?!” DaSilva’s voice was incredulous.

“Yes, really!” Mina replied defensively.

“You’re a practical person. I know you well enough to know that about you by now. Where did that practical person go? This is crazy! You want us to try and restrain two of the Wendigos, monsters with superhuman powers who have been slowly killing us off one by one. Then we somehow find some animal fat we can feed them in this camp that’s starving, and while we force feed them that, we just hope the rest of the monsters don’t figure out what we’re doing and go on a rampage. Does that about sum it up?”

Mina’s cheeks colored slightly. “When you put it that way, I admit it sounds like a terrible plan.”

DaSilva turned to Yulia. “Yulia, what do you think of this plan? Please. Be honest.”

Yulia let out a long breath that steamed the air in front of her. Then she shook her head twice. Gentle but firm movements.

“I don’t think we can save them, sis. I’m sorry. I know Cara helped you in the maze, but either she or Frank already tried to kill DaSilva before. Not to mention loads of other people.” She looked at her feet.

“I know, but they’re possessed or something,” Mina said weakly.

“They are,” DaSilva agreed. “But the Professor mentioned that there was an element of consent. The person had to be willing to consume human flesh. Even if that wasn’t the case, we have no way to free them from that possession.”

“That’s true,” Mina admitted. “It just feels wrong to go after someone who helped me.”

“I get it,” he said. “You’re a loyal person. But this isn’t the place for that. I wouldn’t normally show anyone the same grace that you’re trying to show Cara here, and this Orientation is even worse than normal circumstances.”

“You’re right,” she said. She felt hollow as the words left her throat.

“Okay. Do you have a better plan?”

“I guess we go from building to building and identify who the Wendigos are. Do you have a list of the teams that had food stolen?”

“I do. The pad is in my pocket.”

“Okay,” Mina said. They had arrived at the door to the inn. “If we’re going to walk around in the snow any longer, though, I need warmer clothing.”

DaSilva looked down, saw the thin dress she’d been wearing thus far, and winced.

“Yeah, you do,” he agreed. “I’ll wait down here.”

“I’m dressed warmly enough,” Yulia said. She wore a long burgundy sweater that hung down to below the seat of her jeans. It was one of James’s hand-me-downs that the sisters shared. “See you soon.” She tried to smile, but the look froze on her face, half formed.

They all had too much on their mind for smiles just then.

The trio entered the common area, and Mina walked up the stairs and over to her room.

As she approached the door she reached into the pocket of her dress for the room key. But her hand came out empty.

That’s strange, she thought. Yulia had the other key, so they certainly wouldn’t get locked out. But she didn’t remember if she’d actually locked the door. Maybe not.

She tried the handle, and it turned in her hand.

The door opened. Then Mina stepped across the threshold and froze.

There was a chill in the air, though Mina was certain she hadn’t left the window open.

“Come in, come in,” came Cara’s voice from inside the room. “If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead. Come in, Mina, and close the door behind you.” Her voice turned at once deep, bitter, and mocking. “I’m not going to eat you.”