The bus came to a stop and Lucas disembarked. He made his way to the apartment building down the broad street.

Snowflakes gently lighted on his face as he approached it. This is going to be a long night, He thought with a smile.

The sun was dipping behind buildings far west and everywhere had this orange glow. When Lucas was about to enter the apartment building he spied a figure walk out of the small space between two hotels to the left of the apartment and stared directly at him. The figure was wrapped in a dark trenchcoat and a tilted black hat that cast a shade over his facial features. A cold shiver ran down Lucas' spine. He could sense a deep darkness from the stare and he wasn't sure why.

Bolting inside the complex, he shut the door behind him and made his way up the stairs as quickly as possible. All the way up to the sixth floor and its familiar orange wallpaper. Panting, he began to slow his pace, getting closer and closer to his family's apartment until he finally reached it.

He tried the door and it didn't open. He frantically twisted the handle a couple more times to no avail.

Slowly, his eyes flicked to the flower pot beside the door. After a quick sweep of his surroundings, he reached into the pot and unearthed the spare key. "They should've taken it inside when they came back," he thought out loud. "Unless...they aren't back yet."

The door unlocked with a twist of the key, creaking open. "Mom?" He slowly entered. "Dad? Jenny?"

There was darkness, he moved his hand to where the switch should be and flicked the lights on. Everywhere was quiet, empty. The abnormal scenario didn't sit well with Lucas. He locked the door before checking the rooms.

After five minutes of inspection, he confirmed he was alone. Walking into the living room, he took a deep breath. "They probably got caught up in traffic." He tried to deduce a logical explanation. But they were always home before six. "Hmm, or maybe they went to the ice rink without me. I did come back pretty late."

The growling of his stomach switched his focus. "Dang, I've got to eat something." He made his way to the fridge. After grabbing a packet of ketchup chips, he wandered back to the living room and flopped on the couch. Tearing the bag of snacks open, he munched it till the pack was half empty. With hunger subsided Lucas took out his phone and opened Instagram.

Those he followed were already posting pics with ugly Christmas sweaters at homes that were touched up with the seasonal decor. He scrolled through them, his eyes twinkling as that warm fuzzy feeling began to stir. After he had caught up, he kept scrolling until a certain post caught his attention. It was Fantasio Inc.'s official page that posted a picture of a large silver tarp over a massive object. The background was dark but the area around the veiled object was illuminated with spotlights. The silhouette resembled a suit of armour, and if that was truly the hidden object, then it was the biggest armour Lucas had ever seen. The caption of the post read 'Gearing up for another Santa hunt'.

It made Lucas scoff.

This organization must've been some kind of expensive joke. The kind that went as far as establishing branches across the country and accumulating tons of resources. Maybe it was a Ponzi scheme in the works.

Lucas continued eating his snack with one hand while the other tapped on the comments. He was curious to know what people thought of Fantasio Inc. these days.

"Hey Fantasio, I saw a huge creature in my backyard last night. It was really hairy, I'm sure it was bigfoot. The place was dark though so I was unable to confirm."

Lucas snorted. It caught his attention that Fantasio Inc. replied to that comment.

'Remember to follow the contact guidelines on our website whenever you come across a cryptid. Most importantly, post a picture with your location then tag us and we'll be there in no time.'

"One day," thought Lucas. "This house of cards will collapse."

A stretch, a yawn and another stretch later, he drifted off into sleep. And then he immediately woke up in a raging blizzard.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he took in the terrain; an unending field of snow with icy mountains erected all around. The howling wind and the dangerous chill in his bones were problematic. More so because he had this pricking feeling that this was not a dream.

A ferocious roar shook the mountains and in the distance, through the thick of falling snow, Lucas could barely see two people running his way. Their pursuers were not far behind; two other figures--more massive in size--thundering down a mountain, nearly at the base.

"Fiona!" One of the two people being chased screamed out. "Try to keep up, they're gaining on us!"

It was hard to place the voice given the great whistling of the blizzard but it sounded a tad bit similar to that of Clyde's. The other person stopped running. "Let me form a blockade to buy us more time!"

That was surely Fiona. And what did she mean by 'form a blockade'?

Suddenly, Lucas became aware of a huge snowball--the size of a boulder--hurtling through the sky towards him. He stood frozen in shock until it came crashing down.

"Ahh!" He jumped off the couch of the apartment, eyes wide awake, body fully agitated. That 'dream' had felt different, so real in fact.

He recognized he was shivering uncontrollably, teeth chattering along too. His whole body was freezing as if he really had been in a blizzard.

The fact there was no logical explanation for that scared him. It must have been the weather today he tried to convince himself. Maybe the fever kicked in coincidentally at this time.

He buttoned up his jean jacket and rubbed his shoulders for a bit. The promise of cozy blankets had never been more enticing.

"I've go-got to...go to my room."

*****

Lucas swung his room door wide open, breathing in the scent of the cologne he might or might not have over-sprayed before going to school; Part of his preparation to finally confess to Fiona.

Funny how that turned out.

Clyde and Fiona in a blizzard. He pondered. What was that all about?

Lucas wished he could dismiss it as some random dream. But he experienced it like he was there in the flesh. The only relatable experience was when he 'dreamt' about that monster in the dark earlier.

Was he losing his mind? Hallucinating? He remembered how his conversation with Coach Timi ended; him saying he needed to rest and thinks he's going crazy. Coach Timi replying with "I couldn't agree more."

Lucas wondered which of his two statements the Coach agreed to. And when his gaze fell on his bed, he was even more certain it was the second one.

Lying on his red checkered bedsheets was a medallion just like Clyde's; a chain of gold and silver, the pendant itself, white as snow, engraved with a rose that had intricate patterns around it.

He stumbled back and hit the cream-coloured wall of his small room. Then he remembered what Coach Timi said about finding the missing medallion. The encounter will just scream 'strange'.

"No way..." Lucas gasped. Mustering the courage, he began to slowly approach his bed, unsure if he was seeing clearly.

Leaning in at his bedside he concluded he was either having hallucinations coupled with his fever, or someone snuck the medallion into his room. Could it be a gift from his parents? And why weren't they back yet?

He huffed and seized the medallion in his grasp. It felt so smooth and dense. Then his brows furrowed when it dawned on him that Coach Timi's prediction might not be a coincidence. Since Coach Timi often gloated about how he was one of the last staff members to leave school, Lucas' next course of action was clear; head over to school, hand over the medallion, and get as much info about it as possible. If he was lucky, he might just learn Clyde's secret in the process. Because he was certain Clyde's frequent disappearances were connected to the similar medallion he wore.

His gaze was fixed on the strange object he was clutching. This might get dangerous, he reasoned. Or it could be a good way to kick off Christmas.

A heavy sigh initiated the plan. He brought out his phone and sent his Dad a text;

I came home earlier. Leaving now to return something to a teacher. Be back soon. You guys at the rink already?

Lucas stalled for a few seconds and reluctantly tucked away his phone.

*****

Once he was outside his family's apartment, he locked up and slipped the key into his pocket before speed-walking to the elevator.

During the swift ride to the ground floor, he fiddled with the medallion. Clyde said his medallion was a gift, but he never revealed who gave it to him. Now Lucas wondered if Clyde even saw the 'giver'.

"Coach Timi will have the answers." He calmed himself. "I just need to get to his office."

The elevator dinged open and Lucas stuffed the medallion inside his pocket and proceeded to the door. A doorman held it open as the boy stepped out into a cold twilight. The further down the road he went, the fewer the number of people were.

He wasn't a block away from the apartment building when a figure jumped out of an alley to his left and blocked his path. It was the stalker who was clad in a black hat and draping trenchcoat. His towering presence sent shivers down Lucas's spine. The face of the man looked insanely malnourished and his eyes weren't sunken, they were hollow.

"Lucas Marcus," He hissed and Lucas took a step back.

"Hey, man. I don't want any trouble." He continued backing up.

"Stop where you stand, child." The man snapped. "I have orders to bring you in. Do not resist if you want to see your family again."

"Someone help!" Lucas screamed and took to his heels. He darted across the street--barely dodging a speeding car--and barged into the first shop he spotted. It was a small brightly lit supermarket. Lucas panted and stared through the glass doors, scanning for the threat. His heart almost skipped a beat when he spotted the man taking slow strides in the direction of the supermarket. Then the weirdness got cranked up to the next level. With every step, the man's height increased. Suddenly his ears morphed into thick long horns that were embedded with thin spikes. The fingers on each hand became three long bony claws which were used to rip the trenchcoat off his body and fling it away. His true form was a thin ashly grey beast with skin so pale, they barely wrapped around his ribs and joints.

Lucas took it all in; hollow eyes, monstrous horns, extremely pale skin, incredibly tall form. His stalker was a wendigo; a creature that shouldn't be real.

The wendigo snarled and launched at the glass doors.