I think the mood I’m in today can be described as strained optimism. My brother has somehow managed to get some locals from the town over interested in coming by for a job interview, so there's a chance we're gonna have some more hires soon.

We went to talk to the Bannik last night. Cas was super nervous, but when the spirit proved to be supportive, he was pleasantly surprised. This time, the little old humanoid was even outgoing enough to show himself. He’s quite the droll sight, what with his wide mouth and the long beard that he stumbles over every time he gets up.

After introducing my little brother, we sat down together, the Bannik crossing his skinny legs on one of the benches. I cleared my throat, speaking up in what I hoped to be a steady and open tone. “I’ll be frank. We’re here because there’s something we need your help with. So before we ask for it; is there anything we can do for you?”

The old man grinned and shook his head. When he spoke, Cas and I had to concentrate to make out the words. ”You have been keeping me perfectly content in these four walls, my dear.”

“That’s good to hear. Now, I’ve been faced with a bit of a problem lately…"

"I know all about the issue already. A mutual friend of ours told me everything about it when he came to bathe last night."

"You don't mean the—"

"The wood-demon, oh yes."

"I wouldn't exactly call the Leshy a friend. So, is there anything you can tell us?"

"Someone's been playing you false," the spirit replied, idly combing his beard with his fingers. "That much you must know by now."

"Yeah, we figured," Casimir remarked glumly. "Can you tell us who?"

"Not exactly, I'm afraid. I only see bits and pieces of the future, not full visions, and not of the presence. But I do have something to share with you."

I leaned forward. "Honestly, I'm glad for any advice whatsoever right now."

"Oh yeah, we're desperate," Cas added, nodding eagerly.

"Go to the old black mill. You'll find answers there."

I froze up like someone had poured a bucket of icy water over me.

"The black mill?" Cas repeated, eyes darting from the spirit to me. "Isn't that where Jacek used to live?"

"I don't want to talk about Jacek!" I hissed.

The Bannik let out a wheezing laugh that quickly turned into a coughing fit. "I'm aware that something happened at the mill, Fiona. You wouldn't believe how many visions I had of you at the time. I don't need to know the details to understand that you made a major fool of yourself. You acted like that sixth sense I presented you with was taking a vacation, along with all your other higher faculties."

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. "I don't want to talk about Jacek," I reiterated with stern emphasis.

"Well, you'll simply have to, if you want to secure these woods. And doesn't the Leshy have your word on that?" The old man cocked his head. "Remind me what he'll do if you don't follow through."

Here it comes. The promise I made to the wood-demon. No use in keeping it to myself anymore.

"I have until the end of the twelve nights between the years to fix this mess. If after that another unauthorized trespasser makes their way into the forest somehow, the Leshy…" My voice trailed off as I lifted my head to meet the spirit's gaze. "He'll have me. I guess he'll drag me to hell or wherever his leafy ass is from and I'd have to be his servant for all eternity. Or he'll eat me, like he did the other guy." I felt weirdly disconnected from these possible outcomes when I listed them to my brother.

"Why the fuck would you tell him he could do that?" Casimir sounded incredulous.

"He saved my life! He'd have gobbled me up on the spot if I had denied him!"

"I know you're worried, wench. But let me assure you; the Leshy does not want you to fail. And he'd take no pleasure in punishing you," the Bannik chimed in.

"I don't know about that," I muttered.

"Take my word for it. I can't tell you why, but he needs you to succeed."

We said our goodbyes on that note, concluding that we would head for the black mill the next morning.

The black mill used to be a relatively safe place back when Jacek was living there. Now that it's abandoned, though, there's bound to be some unpleasant creatures squatting inside. I normally go into the woods unarmed—weapons are an unnecessary provocation—but today, I'd decided that both Cas and I would be taking handguns and cleansing salt. We were walking side by side in silence, any attempts on my end to strike up a conversation remaining unsuccessful. When I finally asked him why he was giving me the cold shoulder, he merely grumbled something about me digging my own grave by submitting myself to the wood-demon.

"What was I supposed to do?" I demanded. "Hey, I'll be fine. I'll fix this, the Leshy will be happy, and everything is going to be just perfect." I patted him on the shoulder a little too hard, and we continued on our way, sloshing through the snow.

The twin lakes looked so peaceful. They had frozen over completely sometime during the last few days, a thick layer of ice having congealed them to shining, stiff mirrors. I could have mentioned the gristmill already when I recounted Cas' encounter with the mavka, but I really didn't want to think about that place.

The old mill is a decrepit ruin by the side of the smaller twin lake. Technically, it has never truly worked, not by natural means—there was no stream around that flowed strongly or quickly enough to turn the water wheel. When Jacek had been living here, the mill had nevertheless been in constant use. When we laid eyes on it today, it rather made the impression of a structure built to rot; a place that had never seen life before and never would. Its black walls and roof were riddled with holes and blades were missing from the water wheel which was hovering a few feet above the frozen surface of the lake.

"Man, this place is giving me the creeps," Cas murmured. "It's changed a lot, hasn't it. Did you ever hear from Jacek again after… you know, the thing?"

"No. And I don't wanna talk about Jacek."

"You keep saying that," my brother grunted. "So you fucked up, what's the big deal?"

"I'm not you. I didn't make a habit of it," I shot back, and Cas threw me an irritated glance. Before he could respond however, a howl sliced through the winter air, disrupting the relative silence. We both stopped in our tracks. It had undoubtedly come from the old gristmill.

"Oh dear God," Casimir muttered, instinctively reaching for my hand. I allowed him to grasp it, drawing myself up and puffing my chest out, summoning my courage. Suddenly, it was as though we were kids again; two solitary figures, soft and vulnerable before the ominous structure looming above us.

Casimir and I slowly proceeded towards the building. Despite its state, the black paint on the walls was clinging to them as strongly as ever. Rounding the corner, we found that most of the windows had been smashed in. Even more unsettling were the scratchmarks around the frames. They couldn’t have possibly been made by an animal. Judging from how high up they were, the creature must have stood at easily the same height as my brother. I had to let go of Casimir’s hand for a second to wipe off the sweat lacing my palm. We slowly made our way over to the front door, finding it barred.

“Guess the window will do,” I mumbled.

“Can’t we figure out what’s been howling in there before we go inside?”

“And how do we do that?” I retorted, walking up the closest window and starting to pluck away the glass shards that were protruding from the frame like teeth. I was nearly done when another one of those hair-raising wails rang out from the inside. Casimir jumped, and I admittedly almost suffered a heart attack myself, but I hid my unease, every bit the big sister. I slowly maneuvered my body and dress through the relatively small opening before gesturing to Casimir that it was safe to follow. Not much was left of what had once been Jacek's furniture. The charred remains of an armchair and a table told a story of smoke and fire. Big, dark spots on the walls indicated the places where the flames had been licking at them.

“What happened here?” Casimir whispered.

“Jacek was angry when he went away. He probably went pyro on his things,” I explained. “The building itself can’t be destroyed entirely; that’s probably the only reason it’s still standing.”

“Is that something he’d do?”

“Absolutely. Come on, there’s gotta be more.”

We started poking around the rubble, moving about as quietly as possible, knowing very well that we were not alone. We kept nervously glancing over at the broken-down staircase in the corner that led up to the second floor. Half of it was caved in, presumably because of the fire, so we wouldn’t be able to access the upper story of the mill. Occasionally, we'd hear the floorboards creaking above us; the sound of someone or something pacing to and fro. Each little noise sent a surge of fear through our bodies, but we kept our mouths shut, masterfully managing to stifle gasps and startled screams.

It was Cas who found the trail camera. He picked it out of a dusty pile of burnt "something or other" in the corner. It was broken for sure, contorted and covered in scratches and alarmingly deep teeth marks. It had nearly been bitten in half. Something must have torn it off wherever it had been mounted; most likely the same creature that had taken up residence on the upper floor.

"Shit," I whispered, giving my brother an approving nod. "That's gotta be it!"

"You sure? It's, like, super banged up; I don't think we can get any footage from it."

"We don't have to!" I said breathily. "What, do you think I put up trail cams around the woods? Hell no. Whoever did this has got to be the snitch, and this is probably not even the only cam! We'll show this to the employees, look for other cams; we can really do something with this!"

"Okay." An enthusiastic smile of pride began to spread on my brother's face. "Okay, cool! What now?"

I frowned, pointing at the staircase. "Let's bail."

I didn't have to tell him twice. Casimir headed straight for the window, squeezing through and beckoning for me to join him on the other side. Of course, my retreat was, as per usual, a little slower than his. Struggling with my skirt, I tried to duck through the opening when my stupid fucking cape got caught inside. Groaning, I leaned back to discover that it had somehow gotten snagged up on a rusty old nail sticking out of the wall. I started tugging on it, but that didn't work with the glove on, so I had to pull it off first.

"Hurry!" Cas hissed.

"Jacek's house kinda doesn't want me to leave, I think," I answered, forcefully tugging on the fabric. Finally, it tore, and I was sent tumbling out the window, cutting myself on either the nail or a glass shard in the process. I cursed under my breath, but the thump of my fall had not gone unnoticed.

The same howl we'd heard before pierced the air. Floorboards started creaking and cracking inside the mill, accompanied by the sound of fast, heavy footfalls dashing down the broken stairs.

"Oh shit! Okay, go, go, go! Don't look back!" I yelled, pushing my brother forth as we began staggering through the snow, back into the direction we'd come from. Casimir tossed me the busted camera as he got out his handgun.

Another howl, then the sound of wood splintering. This fucking thing was following us. Cas was smart enough not to use his weapon right away. There was still a chance we could lose this beast—whatever it was—among the trees.

Things were starting to look dire, though. Soon enough, we could hear it running up behind us, panting and growling. Both my brother and I were starting to grow slower, our breaths coming out shallow and ragged. Casimir was red-faced and wild-eyed, struggling to resist the urge to look over his shoulder. "It's catching up!" he cried out.

"Keep going! We can make it!" We totally couldn't. Not at that rate.

Another blood-curdling howl, then, strangely enough, a bark.

I recognized that sound. I came to a skittering halt, and so did the creature. Casimir had stopped a few feet ahead of me, screaming at me what the hell I was doing.

"Don't shoot!" I warned him, raising my hands. "It's okay! I think… I think this is kind of a misunderstanding."

Slowly, I turned to face the entity, letting out a soft gasp upon laying eyes on it. It was a black, shaggy wolfdog the size of a man. One of its eyes was missing, as was part of its ear. It was only skin and bones, and it reeked like a whole-ass sewer.

"Hey, I know you," I said softly, taking a hesitant step towards it. "Do you remember me?"

The dog sat down in the snow, lowering its dripping snout and proceeding to press it to my neck, sniffing fiercely. I stood still as a statue, my eyes shut, trying to ignore my mounting panic. The beast could rip my throat out right then and there, but deep down, I knew it wouldn't. Finally, it drew away, huffing as it got to its feet—or rather paws and turned to trot off.

"Wait! Ain't you starving?" I called after it. "I have food at home, I could—"

The dog ignored me, walking away with its head held high. I pressed my lips together, feeling the sting of rejection.

"I thought Jacek took his dog with him when he left," I remarked.

Casimir just looked at me in pure bewilderment. "That's what that was?"

"It's waiting for its master."

"Oh." My brother gazed after the creature. "Am I supposed to be relieved now?"

"Ten years. It's been ten years and that dog's still waiting for him." I sighed. "You think it'll let me feed it? Did it seem angry to you? 'Cause I think it's still angry at me."

Cas shrugged. "I'd sure be mad. You're the reason its human up and left, aren't you? Wait, was Jacek human?"

"I don't want to talk about Jacek. Let's just go home."

X

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15