I have been trapped here for too long.
I can never forget the day I was taken. It was the dead of night. I had just killed my prey, a woman who had been foolish enough to wander into my home. I remember how happy I was that day, that I did not have to hunt, instead the food brought itself to me. If only I had known then, that my delight would soon turn into terror.
The men came into my home and overpowered me. There were three of them. They were large, much larger than the normal men I hunted. Perhaps in different circumstances, I would have killed and consumed them. But I was injured at the time. Not a grave injury, but it impeded me still. I had received the wound a week before, from a particularly resilient man. He had beat at my foot with a rock, damaging my ankle, even as I straddled his chest tearing his throat open. Looking back, I still find myself appreciating the man’s sheer will. But I appreciated his flesh much more.
Even without the injury, the men would have been difficult to conquer. As I said, they were large, but not only that. They were carrying strange metal poles. They were warriors of some kind. The poles fired darts that struck me and made me drowsy. The men threw me into a metal carriage that moved by means I knew not, and still do not know. It was within this carriage I lost consciousness. I awoke, I know not when, in a metal cage. I was still in a slight daze.
There were men all around, all just as large as the three who had attacked me. Initially, I was ecstatic. I was surrounded by food, and I did not see any of the men who had taken me. These ones did not have any metal poles, so they were easy prey. But when I attempted to escape, I found myself unable to damage the cage in any way. I shrieked and roared, and bashed at the cage. The men flinched in fear, and some pulled smaller metal objects from pouches at their hips. I drew myself to my full height, still towering above the men, despite them being larger than the ones I was accustomed to. I felt something hit me in my back, and I turned my head to see another dart had struck me. One of the men who had taken me had been behind me the whole time, on the other side of the cage, and he had fired another dart at me. Once again, I fell unconscious.
When I awoke again, I was in a room. It was larger than the cage I had previously been, ten paces wide and double across. But, this one did not offer the commodity of being able to see out of it. The walls were hard stone, and the door a harder metal. I tried to break out for hours, but I could not. I laid upon the ground, only thinking of my hunger. I was utterly ravenous. Whether it was morning, noon, or night, I had no way of knowing. All I knew was how famished I was. Even if only one day had passed since I had last eaten, it still would have been one day too many without food.
My capture was, regrettably, my fault and mine alone. I had grown complacent. I was situated in a location with much prey, and I stayed for too long. I have lived for hundreds of years, and I have hunted in many places. I have preyed upon men of every colour and creed. I have always hidden my tracks, and never stayed in one place for too long. But I was lulled into a false sense of security. My home, a deep cavern, was one I thought no man would find me in. I should have fled when that woman entered my home. If she could find her way in, of course warriors could. I curse my foolishness, but I must look forward. The past cannot be undone.
All of this happened a while ago. I can only estimate the length of time that has passed. I assume it to be a fortnight. One fortnight, stuck in this prison. One fortnight too many.
The men frequently take me from the room. They always do it the same way. A small part of the door is opened, and meat is thrown in. I devour it, for I am starving, always. I am rendered comatose moments afterwards; they have poisoned the food. In the brief seconds before I am unconscious, I can see the door open and men enter. I always awake in the same room, but in a different position from where I fainted. I know the men are taking me somewhere and returning me. I know not where they are taking me, nor what they are doing to me. The only way to avoid this would be not to eat the meat, and that is no option at all. My hunger will not allow it.
Sometimes, the men try to speak to me. I can speak their simple language, of course. But I say nothing to them. I have no interest in doing so. Most of the time, the men leave me be. Sometimes, if I roar and bellow and strike at the walls too much, five men will enter the room, and hit me with darts. I have attempted to attack them, but their strength is shocking. I have grown weak since I arrived here. The men wrapped my injured foot in something. I am unsure of what it is, or what nefarious purpose it serves.
I live in fear. I fear man. Man, whom I have preyed upon since I was created by the Great Spirit. Man, who have feared me, and indeed feared all Wendigos, now have made me feel fear. I fear their metal poles. I fear their size, I do not know why these ones are so big. A different tribe, perhaps. I am ashamed of myself for feeling this way. It is as if I am their pet.
I often wonder where they get the meat from. It is man meat, without a doubt. They tried to feed me other things, but I can only consume man meat. These men must kill and butcher their own kind to get it. Perhaps they consume other men as well. I shudder at the depravity of it. The thought of killing, or even worse, consuming my own kind, other Wendigos, makes me sick.
I don’t know what the people will do to me. I have heard a story of a Wendigo that was slaughtered by men. They chopped off his legs, then later cut him to small pieces. I imagine they will do something similar to me.
Today, when I awoke, I found paper in my room. So, I write this message. I write it in my native tongue, which only Wendigos know, and is simply nonsensical gibberish to humans. I have no way of knowing where this message will go, but it is my only option. If any of my kind somehow finds this, please. Save me. I will forever be in your debt.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr K. Bowman
The preceding transcript was written by a man named Ned Terrell. Canadian, 2.05m tall, 34 years old. Worked as a dentist. Him and his girlfriend went missing 3 months and 4 days ago, and were presumed dead.
Mr Terrell lived a normal life prior to his disappearance. He received a proper education, was never abused, never had mental health issues, or any sort of violent behaviour. All of his friends and family spoke of him quite highly, until they were informed of his actions.
Those who knew Mr Terrell noted that he had always been quite fascinated with superstitions, legends, and mythological creatures. On multiple occasions, he would go on trips to attempt to find these supernatural beings. He has travelled to Scotland to look for the Loch Ness monster, America to find several creatures including Bigfoot and Mothman, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore to find a Pontianak, as well as several other countries.
His most recent interest was the Wendigo. The Wendigo is a Native American legend, but is quite well known in Canada as well. It is somewhat surprising that Mr Terrell never went looking for the Wendigo earlier than he did.
The stories behind the Wendigo vary quite a fair amount. It is typically said to be a spirit that possesses humans and drives them to cannibalism, but it’s also said to be its own individual creature which consumes human beings. Some sources also say that humans who resort to cannibalism to survive turn into Wendigos. Wendigos, despite often being depicted as anthropomorphic deer-like creatures, are actually traditionally described as giant humanoids, that smell extremely foul, and can cause a chill, and in some iterations, a blizzard, wherever they go.
Mr Terrell went looking for the Wendigo on April the 6th. He went with his girlfriend, Iris Hall, 31. They went to Ontario, and explored deep into a forest that will remain unnamed. They informed their family and friends that they would be gone for at least a week, maybe a few days more. An extreme blizzard hit the area they were in, and their families were worried. After they still had not returned after 1 week and 5 days, they were reported as missing. After nearly a month of searching, they were not found, and were declared dead.
Two weeks after this, it was noted that several children were reported missing from towns near the forest. 20 children in 4 days. They found the bodies of several of the missing children, partially consumed. The worst was a 6 year old boy, who I won’t name out of respect for him and his family. I saw the body and, while I wont go into detail, I will note that the damage was so severe it was presumed that a bear had attacked him.
Wildlife Control was called in to reduce the animal population of any predators in the area. Well over 50 men were deployed and, over the course of the next couple of months, tranquillised and relocated dozens of wolves and bears. But the attacks never stopped, or even slowed. While almost all the missing people were children, a very small number of adults also disappeared. 3 to be precise. 2 men, both aged 23, and 1 woman, aged 21. It is worth noting that all the adults who disappeared were extremely small in stature, and could be mistaken for large children, as opposed to adults.
Finally, three Wildlife Control rangers happened across a cave with several bodies surrounding it. They entered. Upon entering, they found Mr Terrell. He was standing over the remains of a young girl, who has since been identified. She was 12, and was out for a hike when she passed by the cave and was taken. She lived about two hours away from the cave. Once again, I will not reveal her name.
Due to Mr Terrell recording everything he and his girlfriend did on the trip with an action camera, we know exactly what happened. The camera was found in the same cave as Mr Terrell and there are several videos recovered. The severely decomposed body of Iris Hall was also found. The videos are as follows.
Videos 1 to 13: All are simply videos of Terrell and Hall exploring the wilderness. They come across as very likeable, good natured, and simply looking for fun. They kiss a lot, laugh a lot, and really love one another. In videos 8, 9, and 12, they speak about marriage and children.
Video 14: After about a week of exploring, Terrell and Hall are ready to head back to civilisation. Unfortunately, one of the worst blizzards in history occurred on that day. It would last for several weeks. Weather reports cite the temperature as dropping to - 33 degrees celsius. They took shelter in a cave. They are still extremely upbeat, and perfectly composed. They had camping equipment, and still had enough supplies for another few days. They make a few jokes, set up a small camp slightly far away from the mouth of the cave, then turn the camera off.
Video 15: A video of Terrell and Hall exploring the cave. It is quite large. Terrell mentions the Wendigo, and says it might be in there with them. He says that the cannibalism aspect of the Wendigo is what disturbs him the most, and that the very thought of it makes him somewhat nauseous. Hall questions how a human could sink to such depths. The video cuts off abruptly for no reason. Presumably a malfunction.
Video 16: Another video of the duo exploring the cave. Iris suddenly slips and screams. Terrell rushes towards her. He carries her back to the camp. He pulls the camera off his head. It ends up face down in the dirt. The video lasts for several hours before turning off, presumably due to the camera running out of battery.
Video 17: Terrell facing the camera. He is noticeably upset. He remarks that Hall’s leg is severely injured, the blizzard still going on, and their food is gone. He says he doesn’t recall eating any, and Iris doesn’t either. He stares blankly at something off screen for several seconds, then turns the camera off.
Video 18: A goodbye video from Terrell and a barely conscious Hall. Only the upper half of Hall can be seen, due to the lower half of her being covered by a blanket. It is impossible to know the extent of the injury she suffered from. Given how much blood is on the blanket, it can only be assumed it is very severe. The two genuinely think they are going to die.
Video 19: Another video with Terrell facing the camera. He is scarily thin now. Skin like paper, sunken cheeks, blank expression. He says the blizzard has been going on for a long time, and shows no signs of stopping. He remarks that he is starving to death. He talks about the Wendigo, and mutters something under his breath. The word “cannibalism” is barely audible. Once again, he looks at something off camera. He turns the video off.
Video 19 is the final video. But we can easily deduce what happens.
Left with no choice, Mr Terrell cannibalises Iris Hall. He has a psychotic breakdown. He cannot live with being a cannibal, and to save himself, convinces himself that he is not a cannibal, he is a Wendigo, and eating humans is simply something he must do. The blizzard ends approximately 6 hours after this. Terrell begins his murder spree.
I would now like to cross reference the story Mr Terrell wrote with facts that actually occurred. The note was written in French, Mr Terrell’s first language.
Firstly, he calls the people he killed, men and women, despite them all being children. He also said that the men who took him were much larger than the ones he normally hunted. Of course, this is due to the former being adults. He may have done this to lessen his guilt. He hunted exclusively children due to how easy they are to capture.
Upon finding Mr Terrell, the rangers panicked and tranquillised Mr Terrell. Despite being injected with enough tranquilliser to kill an average male, he survived. They threw him into a truck meant for animals, and immediately drove to the nearest police station. He was placed in a holding cell. When he awoke, he attacked the bars of the cell. One Wildlife Control ranger was still present to give a statement to the police. He still had his tranq rifle with him, and shot Mr Terrell yet again, due to the panic he was in. He was not charged for anything, as it was a rather understandable reaction.
After the holding cell Mr Terrell was later transferred directly to our mental facility, and is currently locked in a room just down the hall. The process of getting him in here was a little scuffed, but we made it happen. We had to. He is without a doubt the most dangerous patient I’ve ever seen, but also the most fascinating. We feed him exclusively pork, as he spits out anything else we give him.
I find it rather interesting that Mr Terrell called the tranq rifles, metal poles, and the truck a metal carriage. Without a doubt he knows what guns and trucks are. He seems to feign ignorance about many things. For instance, not knowing how much time has passed. There is a clock in his room. This shows how far his delusion goes. He has convinced himself that he knows nothing about human technology. Why would he? He’s a Wendigo.
He also said that he had a foot injury from being hit with a rock. While he did have a hairline fracture, it was nothing major. We gave him a cast. He doesn’t seem very fond of it.
We do frequently remove Mr Terrell from his room, but only so we can clean him. He won’t do it himself, even though his room has a bathroom. Not to mention, we have to treat his infections and injuries. Living in a cave and eating people for a couple of months is not good for you.
As for the sheet of paper he wrote on, I had it placed in his room today. Why? Sometimes, people write down exactly what’s wrong with them.
Terrell will stay locked up for the rest of his life, and probably die still thinking he’s a Wendigo. Nothing anyone has said or done can convince him otherwise. Myself, other doctors, and his friends and family. At least, the few friends and family still willing to see him. Terrell doesn’t respond to anything we say. He’s pretending not to understand us.
We have come to the end of the story of Ned Terrell. Well, maybe not quite. He’s already turned into an urban legend, and someday someone will probably make one of those serial killer documentaries about him, and after that a horror movie that’ll say “based on true events”. It’ll probably be called The Canadian Cannibal, or something equally as tasteless.
Another thing, Terrell is not entirely unique. “Wendigo psychosis”, a condition which causes humans to resort to cannibalism, has been observed before. To my knowledge however, no case of it has ever been officially studied. I believe Terrell will be the first. Although we should proably rename the ailment to “Terrell’s disorder”, or something along those lines. He is simply an insane man, that is all. Certainly not possessed by an evil spirit of any kind. I mean, come on. Wendigos? There’s no such thing.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I must shut my windows. The temperature just took an absolute dive. It’s rather chilly now. I think there’s a blizzard coming in.