“Leif!” I said, “Are you okay?” He breathed heavily after landing and throwing up. He still looked horrified from the chase.

  “Yeah,” he whispered, “yeah, I’m okay.” He wiped his face and stood up, I stood as well.

  We both looked at the barrier. Its blue glow continued to shine just as it had on the other side. We both place a hand on the barrier. It felt very warm, like placing your hand on a glass lamp; it was almost unpleasant. I pushed on it with all my might, I kicked at it, and I rammed it with my shoulder. It still didn’t budge.

  I took off my bag and sat down on the ground, leaning my back against the hot barrier. I wrapped my hands around my knees and pressed my head into them. I wondered, what have I done? I just put me and Leif on the other side. What now? We can’t go back. We have hardly any supplies. How am I supposed to survive out here? Let alone with an eleven-year-old. What about Mom and Dad? What about Alice? Is it really all gone, just like that?

  I began tearing up. “I just wanted to help Mom,” I whispered.

  Leif sat down beside me and looked into the woods. He looked at me and said, “Brother, I don’t know what’s ahead for us - quite literally. But there’s only one way to find out.” He said that still looking distorted from the bear chase.

  “Leif,” I said, “you realize I’m supposed to be the big brother, right?” I chuckled as I stood up.

  Leif stood up with me. “Yeah, and you’re still getting advice from an eleven-year-old.”

  “Yeah, don’t push it. I dragged you away from a bear, I can always push you into the next one.” We both laughed with apparent nervousness.

  I cupped Leif’s mouth, stopping his laugh. Something was watching us. I could see it, ever so slightly. Its face peaked from an underbrush in the distance. Its face had a distorted design of a wolf, but its expression was that of a manic human. It looked eager, like an adrenaline junkie about to get their fix. It was uncanny.

  It pounced from its enclosure; revealing a thin, ragged wolf body. Some of its ribs stabbed through. Its legs were muscular and sharp-clawed, all but one that limped. Patchy fur lined the beast alongside its decrepit spine.

  “Looks like it's round two Leif, come on!” I grabbed Leif’s hand and my bag and began running yet again. The beast ran from the left, so running diagonally to the right ran us away from the beast and progressed us through the woods. The creature wasn’t as fast as the bear - given it had an apparent limp, but it still took a full sprint to match speeds. It seemed to laugh and screech at once as if its agony had found a possible remedy.

  I could see a possible opening to the dense forest ahead. If we make it there, maybe we can run for a safe incline or some shelter, I thought. Maybe we can further use his limp to our advantage.

  Leif tripped behind me. His grip left mine as he slammed hard onto the ground. My speed positioned me and the beast an equal distance away from Leif before I realized he had fallen. Leif’s face looked up at me with primal fear, stunned.

  “Leif!” I screamed, unsheathing my knife and sprinting towards him.

  The abomination beat me there. It leapt in the air prematurely - desperate to secure anything it can. It only reached Leif’s leg, but it wasted no time.

  Leif cried, his voice breaking. The sound made my teeth clench and grind as I screamed and sprinted towards it. If I had the biting power, I would’ve shattered my teeth on this creature and kept biting. No creature hurts my brother, I thought. The devil would know the consequences if he dared try.

  I paid the favor forward and pounced back: opening the creature’s snout and slashing its right eye. I slashed again, slicing above its brow and grazing its ear; it didn’t let up, Leif kept screaming. I flipped the knife and drove it into the side of its rib. It finally detached from Leif’s leg.

  It grunted and frantically rolled on its back, writhing and gurgling. Leif shook and looked away from his leg, clenching the ground. His leg was completely shredded. Skin and bone found new management. I knew the second I saw it, his leg was completely crippled.

  I ran to Leif and knelt beside him, “Leif, this is gonna hurt like hell, but we need to get out of here. I’m going to pick you up. I’m sorry in advance.”

  I grabbed as far up his leg as possible to avoid holding his mangled leg. He winced and cried.

  “I’m sorry, Leif. I’m so sorry. You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay. Don’t look at your leg, just look forward.” It took all I could not to break down. But he needs an older brother right now. I’m the only line of defense between him and that thing.

  I ran for the forest opening again. My breath escaped me; adrenaline drained from my body. A morbid thought came to my mind: this creature seemed to be wandering alone. Despite its wolf-like appearance, it hunts alone. Being in the open might give way to more threats to see us. But what choice do we have? There’s no guarantee.

  I turned to see the abomination on its feet, sprinting towards us. Blood lined the ground in its path. Its face no longer showed an uncanny eagerness to kill: it showed desperation. The thing sprinted at a faster speed; it was quickly gaining on us. Its limp was still apparent, but it didn’t care.

  “We’re not gonna make it!” I shouted, thinking out loud. I looked around desperately: dense forest seemingly covered all directions. Except, approaching to the right lay a wall of rock. It seemed to be the other side of a vast cliff; the rock leading vertically to the peak. The wall led beyond the forest's end. If I get closer to the wall, maybe there will be a cave or some enclosure to lose it, I thought.

  I instantly beelined for the wall. The creature still gained distance despite its wounds. Leif shook and trembled, he was covered in sweat. I could tell it was taking all concentration just to divert his attention from his leg.

  I straightened my path and ran alongside the cliff-side once I got close; looking desperately for something, anything to escape. Then I saw a possibility, a crack in the wall. It opened to around eye level and it went deep, but it would be a tight fit. The remaining wall gave no signs of a better opportunity.

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  “I’ll take it,” I said, running straight towards it. “Leif, I’ve found a spot to hide, but it's tight; the only way you can fit is if you stand.” Leif opened his eyes and stared at me, his skin growing more pale. “I’ll hold you up when inside. Just hold on, Leif. We’re gonna make it.”

  We had little time, the beast was seconds away. Once I reached the crack, I swung Leif off me and landed him on his good leg. I held him underneath his arms, lined us up horizontally with the hole, and shuffled in. Leif’s arm touched the end right as the creature halted at the exit. This is it, I thought. We either live or die, determined purely by a four-foot hole in the wall.

  The beast rammed its jaws through the crack, chomping at air inches from my head; its breath was hot and rancid. It howled and choked back phlegm. My hands were still holding Leif to stabilize him beside me, so I couldn’t cover my ears as the screeches tore at my eardrums. It gave up on its jaws and scraped at the ground. It scraped once at my boot before I quickly pulled my leg further back. It screeched in frustration and desperation.

  Its screeching was a fatal mistake. A massive shadow flew past us, and the abomination was ripped from the crevice. It screamed and bellowed in the near distance. I couldn’t hear anything but its screams. No bounding footsteps. No new growls. Nothing. The beast gave one more shriek before it fell silent over a gruesome crunch.

  And I thought the shrieks were deafening, I thought. This silence is much worse. We stood there for a few minutes, waiting, looking for any sign of danger or movement. We felt nothing. Leif winced and shook behind me, but he was strong enough to remain quiet.

  “Alright, Leif,” I whispered as I mustered up my courage. “I’m going to go check to see if we’re safe. Are you able to stand?” I couldn’t fully turn around, but I was able to see a faint nod as he took his hand off my shoulder and balanced himself on the wall.

  I inched my way towards the exit of the crevice and slowly peeked my head out. Silence. Nothing moved; even the wind lay dormant. We couldn’t stay here much longer, especially in Leif’s condition. I have to take this opportunity while I have it, I concluded.

  I turned back to Leif. He wasn’t moving. Blood flowed down his leg and pooled on the ground. His leg lay ragged and, what was left of the bloody mess, lay disjointed.

  “Leif,” I whispered, choking back dread. I subtly ran back into the hole and pressed two fingers against his neck: he was still alive, but his pulse was faint. “Stay with me, Leif. It won’t be much longer.” He still didn’t respond.

  I need to stop the bleeding, but I don’t know what to do, I thought. There’s no recovering his leg, and I don’t know how to amputate it - if that’s what I should even do in the first place.

  I grabbed him under his shoulders and lifted him out. Once given the space, I cradled him again and began running to the forest opening. I don't know what’s in the clearing, I thought, but whatever it is it has to be better than this.

  Passing the tree line, a small valley led to a pond in the middle. There were still trees beyond it, but a fraction as dense compared to the forest I had run through. The pond lay still with no interference: no animals, no bugs, nothing.

  I laid Leif down near the water, took off my bag, and then kneeled beside him. His heartbeat was still weak, his breath still shallow. Only once I sat down did I see my clothes covered in blood: a combination of dry and wet blood, new and old. I lifted my hands to view: blood dyed my hand's palm to fingertip, adding a noticeable thickness. My hands shook violently from the hours of free-flowing adrenaline.

  I had no strength to stand, nor any interest to do so, but I needed water. Everything ached. I fell over and crawled around Leif, digging my hands into the grass. Reaching the water, the reflection showed a face of blood smears and bags under the eyes. I had never seen myself so tired, so disarrayed; it was both terrifying and fascinating.

  I dug my hands into the water, gripping handfuls of mud. I crawled in. I floated out with my head down in the water. The water cooled the burning pain covering my body. I opened my eyes in the water, and with help from the sun glowing above, I could see glimpses of the bottom.

  I’m so tired, I thought. What if I just… let go; let this be Leif and I’s resting place. What chance do we have of surviving out here? Leif is lying on the shore, bleeding out, while I can hardly move - some brother I am. I don’t know how to fix Leif’s leg; I can hardly stand looking at it, nonetheless fixing it.

  Flashes of Mom and Dad came to mind: us walking through the pastures while Mom held baby Leif. The air smelled of pine and blew a cooling breath. Livestock and sheepdogs roamed and grazed freely.

  I thought, so is this it? Is this my last view, the lake floor? What about Mom and Dad? Trevor and Charlotte? Alice? Leif? Am I… giving up on them? I don’t want to give up on them, but what can I do? Within less than two hours, I’ve plunged myself to the bottom of the food chain. I got Leif in this mess, and I got him hurt, possibly killed. It’s my fault.

  Light began dimming around me. My lungs thinned. I still didn’t move. Below, rocks sat comfortably, everlasting. One rock slid down a small incline and landed near others; it created a loose semicircle.

  What if- my eyes went wide and I threw my head out of the water. I inhaled my lungs’ capacity and looked towards Leif: he still lay there. It is my fault, but I’m not going to give up on him, I thought. Not on Leif.

  I dove down to the bottom, picked up stones, and placed them around Leif. My body ached with every movement. I repeated this process until Leif was surrounded in a large ritual circle. I opened my bag and grabbed my totem inside. All I had was that totem, some money, and now crushed herbs and berries. I placed my totem in the middle, facing Leif. I unsheathed my knife and stabbed it on the backside of the totem. I’m not sure if it’ll do anything, but there’s only one way to find out, I thought. Without a second thought, I began dancing - this time, inside the circle; for this time, Leif and I were the ingredients.

  The rocks began violently rumbling. They began cracking down the middle. Electric sparks pulsed on the surface of the circle, I could feel the heat on my boots. My boots weren’t shockproof, so I could feel the pulse through my whole body, and yet it didn’t debilitate me. I had never felt something like it: it was as if every pulse tore invisible cuts in my skin, but the physical wound dripped into my mind.

  I rotated around the circle, shuffling around Leif and through the electric current. I shook uncontrollably, and yet I felt rejuvenated. Leif remained unconscious. I could see his body was also shaking.

  I felt something squirm in my thoughts. “Yes, I know!” I found myself yelling, “Save his life! Please! Shaman's use ingredients to practice and pray; and you are capable of making our prayers a reality. This is no different! Your practice and ingredients are right here.” I questioned, what prompted this? Why am I screaming?

  I felt it again. It squirmed in my mind. It didn’t hurt me, but it was beyond unpleasant. It was the equivalent of having a maggot-infested wound in a numb limb. I couldn’t understand it, yet I knew how to respond.

  “Yes! Please, just save my brother.”

  -

  I woke up with a start. I wondered, where am I? I sat with my back against a wooden wall. It seemed to be a cabin. Leif laid in the only bed, across from me. There was a small counter and a dinner table with three chairs - two normal chairs and a baby chair. There were no windows, the only light slipped through the closed door.

  Looking down, my body was covered in cuts and scratches. Small drops of blood flowed down my legs and arms; it was as if I had powered my way through a long row of thorn shrubs. And yet, I don’t remember anything. My headache. Even thinking seemed to hurt. My cognition felt sluggish, somehow.

  I slowly stood up, trying to minimize the pain. I walked over to Leif, he was under the covers. I removed the covers to check his leg.

  It was healed: it looked deformed - some areas looked rigid and it looked like he had a cleft foot, but it was healed. That’s all that matters, I thought.

  I put his sheets back on and returned to my spot against the wall. Tears flowed freely down my face as I slid down the wall back to the ground.

  I whispered, “Leif, I got us in this situation, and I don’t know how to fix it. However, what I do know is: that you're not dying as long as your big brother is here.”