Chapter 12

The skinwalker was upon them and reared back its claw. It was preparing to separate their bodies in one swoop, but something seized its arm. The beast attempted to retrieve their hand but it wouldn't budge. A loud shriek was heard followed by the crunching of bones before it was hurled away.

The skinwalker slammed into a boulder and glared at the culprit. Jordan and Megan saw Cameron standing before them with a cold look in his eyes. He turned towards the skinwalker as his hair gradually changed.

'He w-was dead.' Jordan examined the blood-stained snow.

Cameron walked forward as the skinwalker charged on all four. When Cameron lifted his hand the skinwalker jumped to the side instinctively. It wasn't sure why, but the second it glanced over it skidded to a halt.

The path it was traveling was frozen and crumbled in an instant. There were no more boulders or trees, and a gaping hole was left in the hill. The ground appeared to be covered in crushed ice, and the skinwalker glanced at Cameron.

Cameron's eyes were glowing as an odd insignia appeared over his heart. Enveloping his body was an energy that could only reside in one realm. The others were unable to see this, but to the skinwalker, it was blinding.

While backpedaling the skinwalker fell over a tree root, and immediately began sprinting away. Cameron clutched his hand as icicles erupted from the snow. The attack chased after the skinwalker at incredible speeds, and it was forced to leap to safety.

The skinwalker sprang towards a distorted fissure resting behind the hill as the ice pierced its ankle. It desperately tried to climb through the portal, but only half its body made it before freezing in place. Approaching the popsicle Cameron felt the same aura resonating from the rift.

The rift began to shrink as the distorted area regained its natural state. Its head was gone along with its claws. Hovering above them was a familiar orb that zipped away to reunite with two others before disappearing in an instant.

'That was the same light from earlier.' Cameron gazed into the sky.

Cameron's comrades just caught up and saw the remnants of the monster. He put his hand up for them to stop. Cameron's attempts at reawakening the power were all futile. This was an opportunity he couldn't let slip by.

Cameron closed his eyes and tried to get a sense of his surroundings. The others just watched carefully as they rubbed their shoulders for warmth. An odd euphoria swept Jordan, and he thought the joint was finally kicking in.

'This happened cause I wanted to halt their movements.'

After focusing for a few minutes Cameron could feel the land resonating with his body. He lifted a hand into the air as a beam launched into the clouds. From the beam, an aurora appeared over the California skies briefly.

The areas affected by the blizzard rapidly thawed and returned to their usual temperatures. When the light faded only the ground surrounding Cameron remained frozen. He turned to the others as Megan embraced him tightly.

There were tears in her eyes, and no matter what he tried Megan refused to let go. Watching him lay on the ground they both feared the worst. Jordan was limping over when Megan finally let go.

"Didn't you read the letters? I told you I don't need you here." Cameron said coldly.

Megan began to lower her head when Jordan pushed him. Cameron has always been blunt, but the look on his face was different. Megan may have been annoying, but she was worried about Cameron the entire time.

When Jordan was pinned down Megan could've easily run. After seeing a monster someone panicking wouldn't have been surprising, but she returned to save him. Jordan knew the real reason she returned was to find Cameron, and saving him was to accomplish that.

"She almost died trying to find you!" Jordan scolded.

"And how is that my fault? The letters said it clearly. If anything is gonna get me caught or killed it's you two." Cameron shrugged Jordan off.

They both went silent after recalling Cameron's previous state. Cameron was nowhere to be seen when they arrived. It was also their presence that unsettled the skinwalker.

No matter what they did it was futile, and in the end, Cameron didn't need them. Observing the look on their faces an unsettling, but familiar feeling arouse. Cameron clutched his chest and looked back up in the sky.

'Why does the truth feel wrong?' Cameron gazed at the stars.

"Once they trace it to me you will be the first people they looked for, and if you're not there to answer the questions they will assume your aiding," Cameron stated.

Megan kept her head lowered, but quickly threw a knee. Cameron blocked it, but Megan continued striking. In their typical exchanges, Megan would've struck him by now, but not a single hit came close.

'How is he doing that?' Megan tried to sweep his leg, but Cameron sidestepped behind her.

"We don't have time for this." Cameron walked to the camp.

They were both frustrated with Cameron, but that light would surely draw a crowd. In a group effort, they put everything up and loaded it into the car. Cameron's form had yet to revert, and after nearly breaking the steering wheel Jordan took over.

Cameron sat in the back to avoid another awkward encounter, but Megan joined him regardless. Not long after they returned to the highway tribal police went zooming by. Trailing behind them was a small band of locals armed with guns.

They knew the superstitions tied to the land, but something like that was difficult to ignore. None of them had intentions of going near the ridge tonight. They simply wanted to ensure nothing was moving out.

'They're definitely gonna find my car.' Jordan sighed glancing at the lights in the rearview.

"I'm definitely in this now so no more bullshit," Jordan told Cameron.

"They would've seen me on the footage anyway, and you know I dropped drama class," Megan stated.

"How long did you write those scripts for anyway?" Jordan asked.

"No one would've believed dialogue like that, to begin with." Megan teased.

'I thought they were mad? People will always confuse me.'

"I was pressed for time, and figured the cops in our city weren't the brightest anyway," Cameron replied.

Cameron's hair gradually returned to its former color, but his eyes took a while to revert. Once his appearance returned to normal his previous mannerisms resurfaced. They took notice of the changes immediately but Cameron seemed oblivious. There wasn't even an apology for his previous outburst.