Day 42

Churchill Downs Day 42: "Keep a look out" Nate voiced behind himself to the rest of the group. "Be ready for anything". There were strange and unfamiliar noises all around the dense forest of the jungle. It sounded like tropical birds and monkeys. Nate was too busy with the moment to wonder any more about how there was a jungle at the foot of this mountain. Let alone where exactly they were. One question was answered however. Where they were in relation to the apartment. It seems as though they had passed the main living room, where the tundra was, and were now on their way into the kitchen. It was the only place that could remain so warm after the thermostat turned everything to ice, because it was so far away from it. At least Nate had that answer. "Wes would have known" He thought. Every step made him remember the unfair end that his brother had received. It filled him with rage. It filled them all with rage. They marched in the only direction they knew, the only one that went away from the mountain. Nate looked around as he walked and marveled at the hundred foot high trees all around him. How did this place ever get so out of control. The foliage was so thick, it was harder to navigate through than the fog of the mountain. Nate held up his fist like he did on the mountain, and the group halted. They grabbed their weapons at the ready in reaction to this command, but it seemed Nate stopped every one for a less sinister reason than wolves or giants.

          Up ahead was something that he hadn't seen since the start of their journey years ago. A small village stood at the foot of a valley clearing, no less than one thousand yards away. "We will travel there, and see if they can help us" Nate commanded. The group agreed. They began to walk in the direction of the village and hoped that whoever resided in those houses was friendly. If not, than the four would take what they wanted from it. It didn't seem to matter anymore to Nate and the others. They walked for hours before they reached the end of the tree line stretching into the village. It seemed while the four were looking at the village, the village was looking at them. A crowd of people came out to meet the group head on. They did not look friendly. They circled the group and singled them all out, and the four drew their weapons and stood back to back. "Well come on then, we don't have time for this" Andy taunted the crowd. It appeared they spoke English, because one said "Very well." They started to charge at the group. The brave four grasped their weapons, waiting for the right moment to start bathing the valley in blood. "STOP!!" A loud booming voice shouted from behind the crowd. The group stopped, and so did the crowd. "What the hell" whispered Mitri. One man shuffled through the crowd of people and stood dressed in what looked like improvised armor from head to toe. "Let them live, I've seen the one with the wolves teeth somewhere before." 

       Nate slowly stepped toward the man. "What is this, a trick? I've never seen you before, and you've never seen me" retorted Nate. "Ahh" said the mysterious man, who looked like a college student, "I've never seen you alone though." The man puzzled Nate. "Tell me" said the man, "What has happened to Wes?" Nate and the others stopped and stared no longer at the sharp points on the spears of the crowd, but instead at the man. "How did you know who my brother was?" Casey said demanding an answer. "We were friends a long time ago. I knew him through two women." Emma and Sam, Nate thought. But he still didn't know who this mysterious person was. "Enough games!" shouted Mitri, "We don't have time for any of this! We need to get to th.." The man finished Mitri's sentence "The heart?" The group stopped. He knew exactly where they were going. "You won't reach it without my help" said the man. "Oh yeah" said Casey, "Why should we trust you?" The man paused for a second. "I guess you can't. But if you do, I can put you in the right direction towards the heart." Nate and the others looked at each other for a minute, and then decided. They put their weapons away and Nate simply said "Ok, but on one condition, dick. You point us in the right direction, and you and your cronies stay out of our way." The man disliked the tone in Nate's voice, for just now saving the group from a hard battle, but even more disliked Nate for his insult. The man didn't even acknowledge what Nate had told the him to do, and began to walk away into the crowd. "Hey wait!" Said Nate trying to get the mans attention back. The only thing he said loud enough to where the group could here him was, "My name, is Ted, and I would appreciate it if you used that to address me from now on. Dick."

Day 41

Churchill Downs Day 41: Nate and the rest gathered around Wes's grave in the ice one last time. They made the monument the day before, and had mourned the loss of one of their own all night. Wes's sword was stuck in the ice, hilt toward the sky, near the ledge where he fell. It was the only thing Nate could manage as far as a grave site. Nate looked at the sword with unbelieving eyes. They all did. "Goodbye, my brother" Nate muttered to him self. "Hard to believe he's gone." Andy voiced aloud, "He was too strong too leave like that." Nate looked back at the group with a more determined face now. "If there was one thing he would have wanted us to do, it would have been finish this job." The others started to look like Nate. Casey looked over to Nate past the grave, "You're right Nate, and you should lead us to destroy this thing." His brother who had been there every step of the way with Nate was now gone, and if there was anything on Nate's mind beside the last words he exchanged with Wes, it was revenge. Nate looked to the group and nodded. Slowly, paying their last respects, they began to head down the peak. Vengeance was Nate's weapon now, and have pity on whatever was dumb enough to get in his way.
          The fog was thicker than they thought down the peak. They could see nothing as far as the bottom of the mountain. It was strange. Before it was clear when they were fighting the giant but had no opportunity to look, but now... it was thicker than storm clouds. The apartment knew what it was doing. It knew that the five had been after its heart since they reached the mountain. Nate wondered what was at the bottom of the accursed glacier like mountain. It could be anything. But that was alright. The four were ready for anything. They were ready to kill anything. Nate looked down the path, and strangely enough, the snow was getting thinner on the ground. "Do you guys see this?" He asked the group. They only looked and nodded with the same puzzled look on their faces as Nate. Whatever the cause, it would be a while before they reached the bottom. Something was happening to the mountain. They could feel it.
          Nate held up his fist to the group behind him. They knew it meant stop. They readied their weapons and their nerves. They waited. The sound of the mountain air and falling snow didn't fool Nate. Something was there. Behind the curtain of the fog. They waited like they were for someone to make a move. He looked back to Casey and flicked his head to the path ahead. Casey knew exactly what it meant and headed to the front. He readied his bow and grabbed an arrow from his back. He drew back and aimed at the fog to wait for anything. A smell, a shadow, that was all it took. Everyone waited for Casey's shot patiently. For a split second he saw a dark figure move ahead and fired. The arrow disappeared into the darkness ahead and high above the shadow, way to the right... Nothing. No noise, no cry out in pain, no more movement. The group was not fooled though, they only readied themselves that much more. From out of the mist stepped a solitary wolf. Then three. Then eight. Then fifteen. They were treading through a den the entire time.
          They could see the wolves jaws dripping with what looked like blood. They were staring at the group and were ready to pounce as soon as they moved, or smelt the smallest amount of fear. But there was none to be found. The group stood stone like, locking eyes with the wolves as they stared back. Casey smirked a little. In fact everyone did, and then started to laugh. The only one that kept his resolve was Nate, staring coldly at the wolves with a look of death. The side of the mountain started to have a sort of collapse. Small rocks were starting to fall, and then boulders made of ice. An avalanche was starting right above the wolves. Casey's arrow had landed in the side of the mountain above the wolves and broken the support of a gigantic rock. The wolves looked up at the rocks pouring on them like rain. Bigger and bigger was the snow and ice that piled on them. Everyone burst out in laughter at the sight of the helpless deaths of wolves, except Nate. Finally the rock slide stopped, and Nate rose as if to waste no time, and the group raised with him. They began to walk over the snow and rock mixed with crushed wolf carcass. Nate walked calmly over their burial site. As he walked, one wolf crawled towards him with the only two legs that weren't crushed by the rocks. It snapped at the air by his ankles violently. Nate glanced down with his still stone stare. He picked the half alive creature up by its throat with one hand  and snapped its neck swiftly. The wolf stopped biting the mountain air, and he threw it aside with its dead kin. "Lets go" he motioned back, and the group still chuckling at the sight of the wolves followed.
         The four brothers continued down the mountain to whatever lay ahead of them. Walking briskly now with the fury of losing a comrade to this place. Whatever was ahead of them couldn't possibly beat them. They were going to find this heart, and even they were afraid of what they might do. The apartments blood bath was coming soon. They saw that the ground was becoming level again, which meant they were near the bottom. The fog started to clear, and they could finally make out what they would face next. The group stopped, and were surprised and more confused than they had been this whole trip. They didn't know what they were looking at, and how it was even here in the first place. "The apartment must be getting more clever" was the thought on Nate's mind. But with his new found courage from the loss of his brother, he looked back at the others, "It doesn't make any sense, but we must keep going." They all nodded, and slowly picked up their pace again. The group all turned and looked up at the mountain once more, and continued into the warm jungle.   

Day 40

Churchill Downs Day 40: The mountain must have stretched all the way to the roof of the apartment! When would we stop walking was the only thought in my head. We were walking for a whole day straight and something strange was happening we weren't used to. Silence replaced the noise of this place we were so accustomed to. It was almost... peaceful. The sky became more and more clear the higher we walked up the trail. It was like nothing we had seen before, but it did not cause one of my group members to speak. They were right not to. As pleasant of a sight that this was, the apartment was evil. If I ever remember anything after all this, I would only want to remember this sight.
          It seemed the ground was becoming flatter now. If that meant anything, it meant we were at the plateau of the mountain! Maybe we reached the top now! Casey stopped the group suddenly. "Look!" He shouted. It was the peak. We had made it after all. My brothers and I dashed towards it as fast as we could. Nate was the fastest, and we all raced after him. What was on the other side? We would find out so soon I could feel it. This journey was ending. The peak was the most beautiful sight I'd ever laid my eyes on. It marked our victory. We would finally win, and as we were racing toward the peak to look over the mountain... something more sinister walked slowly through the remaining fog. 
          We all stopped to look at the figure coming toward us slowly from the fog at the peak. As it drew closer, the very ground began to rumble under it."What... is that...?" Casey asked as he let out a frighted breath. "Nothing good." Andy retorted just as scared. "It smells.... evil" Casey slowly uttered. He started to slowly walk backwards. We all did. The ground began to vibrate even more now, and just like that, it slowly came out of the fog. "Guys... I don't know if a sword is going to hurt that thing" stated Mitri in a ghastly tone. The beast emerged covered in gigantic slabs of ice. It seemed it's what its whole body was made of. Spikes of ice lined its legs and back. Its torso was a solid brick of ice formed to the shape of a chest. It stood no less than 35 feet tall, and the span of its legs over the ground were covering 20 yards with every step. "What now?????" Nate yelled. "Yeah... what now?" I replied.
          The beast was upon us swinging its arms at the ground, trying to crush the intruders. Dodge was the only thing we could do. Casey fired arrows at the beast to just here them ping of the goliath's icy hide. We swung our swords at its feet in an attempt to harm it, but nothing. The ground started to crack under its weight and swings. Was this the end? Would we all die here? I dodged once more to my right and looked at the peak of the mountain we were headed to. An idea started to form in my head. "Everyone! Run for the peak!!!" I shouted as loud as I could to get my brothers attention. They all looked at me and nodded in agreement as though they found my plan out. The giant raised its fists again for another blow, and we all dodged in accordance. As soon as his fists hit the ground we sprinted for the peak. We got as far out on the side as we could. "Now we've only got one try at this, so make it count!!" I yelled. Everyone nodded. Casey fired another arrow at it for its attention. "HEY DUMB ASS!!!" Casey screeched as loud at he could. Oh he got his attention all right.
          The beast jogged toward us furious almost as though he understood the insult. We waited as patiently as we could. "Ready..." I said to my brothers. The giant raised his fist to slam it down again right on top of all of us. "NOW!!!" I shrieked. The giants fist came down and we all bolted under him toward the other side of the peak. The unstable ground began to shatter, and the giant realized the mistake he had made. It worked. We ran as hard as we could past the falling ground and suddenly, at the worst time imaginable, I tripped. The falling ground was catching up to me, and so was the giant. I got back up to my feet as fast as I fell and ran as hard as I could. At the last second when the rest of the ground crumbled, I jumped as far as I could over to the only ledge left on the side of the mountain. My brothers stopped and looked back, and realized that they were a man short. "Wes!!" cried Nate. He raced over to edge and slid just enough toward it so he could grab my hand to pull me up. "I got you!" he yelled at me, "Don't let go!!" He started to pull me up, and then, as if from the air below me, a gigantic icy hand grabbed my body. I looked at Nate for the last millisecond I had on the mountain. Time almost slowed down as I looked at him and whispered, "I'm sorry" with a terrified glare in my eye, and I let go as the giant pulled me down with it. I could see Nate look down with his arm still stretched toward my falling body, and hear him yell my name one last time.

Day 39

Churchill Downs Day 39: I awoke to the smell of something being cooked at the fire. Whatever it was, it was delightful. It seemed my company was already in the front of the cave crowded around what smelled like cooked wolf. I had forgotten what it was like to wake up to a meal being cooked. Mitri yelled down the cave in my direction, "Are you coming or what? Cause if you're not, I'm eating yours." I stood with a hint of stiffness in my bones, got to my feet, and stretched from the slumber my brothers and I had be denied of since our journey had started. "Don't you even think about it!" I yelled back to Mitri. I had a feeling that morning that I hadn't gotten since I came here. The cave felt like home, and I had family here.

          I walked over to the still hot wolf meat and fixed myself a plate. I sat and just looked around at all of the faces that before were all but lost to me. My company didn't speak a word, mostly because of the food they were shoving down their throats like it was their last meal. For all we knew it could be. I glanced over at Nate who looked the exact same as I did though. It was nice to have friends by our sides in the worst situation imaginable. Our eyes met for a second, and I could see the moisture build in his eyes. I smiled back connecting with the same thoughts he was having. We both thought we would die here, and never be thought of again, and through all odds we accomplished something that even defied all logic in our situation. We made the best of the worst times. We struggled for survival and came out on top. But even more importantly than all of that, we found family.

          We stripped the wolf to its bone. We ate until we could eat no more. It was lovely. We gave all of our plates to Emma and Sam who were more than happy to receive them, and they put them in what seemed to be a small crater of the cave filled with water to wash them. "When will we get back on the trail brother?" Asked an almost impatient Andy. I looked at him and spoke, "As soon as Emma and Sam decide they want to go and find the exit. We will leave soon enough Andy. For now enjoy the warmth of the fire, and your first time to sit down since we started walking from your camp." He simply nodded in agreement. Casey looked at Emma and Sam collectively, and pondered, "If you don't mind me asking, why help us in the first place? For all you know we could have been bandits or thieves with Nate and Wes held captive." Emma and Sam answered the question while staring at Nate and myself. "We knew that wasn't the case because of how we saw you all walk together, and besides, we used to do this kind of thing for Nate and Wes all the time, so why stop now?" Casey sat back down and had a look on his face like he was impressed. Obviously Sam and Emma learned much faster than we did from this place. 

          Emma motioned for me to get up and come over where she was. I walked and stood beside her by the small crater. "Sam and I are almost ready to leave to look for the exit, but I wanted to ask you about something first." Her tone lowered so no one could hear but us. "If something happens to one of you, or one of us, this whole effort will be good for nothing. We're all scared of this thing Wes, how do you plan to keep anything from going wro..." I stopped her and looked at her calmly as I could. "Nothing will happen. You and Sam will go find the exit, and my brothers and I will go destroy the heart. It's as simple as that. Everything will be ok. I promise." She looked at me and her worried face turned into smile. She didn't have to speak for me to understand that she believed me. I meant what I said too. Everything would be ok, one way or another.

          Casey picked up his bow along with his other gear, and the rest of us followed suit. He would lead us to where we needed to go. He could smell it. Mitri picked up his massive sword and slung it over his shoulder. Andy was already outside and growing impatient. They all started out of the cave entrance and waited on Nate and myself. We hung back to say our goodbyes when Emma and Sam readied their equipment to go. I looked at Nate and said, "Did you really ever think we would have seen them again?" Nate looked back to calmly exclaim, "Shit yes." We both chuckled a little while we waited. Emma and Sam stepped out from the darkness of the cave ready to leave. Emma was covered in what looked like war paint, and so was Sam. "You've got to be kidding me" I giggled. Emma and Sam stared daggers at me. "Helps scare the wolves" Emma said like she was my mother. "Yes ma'm" I said as I looked down at my boots. "You ready?" Asked Nate. "As ready as we'll ever be" answered Sam.

          We all gathered outside of the cave looking at one another. My group all seemed to say at once, "Be safe!" and both of them nodded. The real start of our journey was about to begin, and for some reason I was more ready than I had ever been in my life. Sam and Emma both approached Nate and I. They both gave us hugs as tightly as they could manage. Emma walked over to me once more and hugged me again. I wrapped my arms around her and spoke in the side of her face. "We'll come back Emma." She only replied with a soft "I know." Just like that we were parting ways, waving to the party behind us. We all looked at the mountain trail once more in front of us, and started up it. We were ready. We would put a stop to this evil place. The five brave souls that had come together to begin this journey were going to end it.  

Day 38

Churchill Downs Day 38: How. It was the only question that seemed to matter at the time. How did they end up here, and why? Emma and Sam invited all of us to sit by their fire and eat an actual cooked meal. I hadn't had one in years. Their introductions to my fellow companions was a long one, but we had time. Who they were, how they knew me, where they met me. Every answer to every question they could have asked. Except one that seemed to fester in my mind, and mine alone. "How?" I asked with startled look. Emma delicately paused for a moment then looked at Sam. "We don't exactly know. One minute we were knocking on your door, the next we wound up on a mountain. So we took shelter here and built a fire." The only other question that really mattered to me would maybe bring a more defined answer. "How long have you and Sam been here?" I said with a hint of demand in my voice. "If I knew I would tell you, but we have no idea. It feels like more than a year. We've had to fight just like you all have had to. Tooth and nail for every little bit of survival we get. We made weapons and learned to use them." 
          She went on about it all. How they managed to stay fed, and how they even made clothing and other supplies. I was almost a little embarrassed by how much better they were doing than us. It seemed as though Casey couldn't hold his tongue and promptly stood and said, "We're on our way to find out whatever secrets this place has, and we all think that they're beyond these mountains." My company looked at him funny for mentioning it so soon. "We know." Said Sam smoothly. "We've known the entire time to be more precise. Even before you approached the cave." Andy stopped her right there. "We've had to kill spies before, I got no problem doing it again." She smirked and reminded him, "Because you did so well trying to sneak in our cave a second ago, were it not for Emma asking me not to, I would have killed everyone except Wes." I pulled Andy down by his arm. I'm pretty sure that Sam wasn't kidding, and we have Emma to thank for it. "How did you know?" I asked in a far more polite tone than my younger brother. "We didn't need to spy the entire time, I just kind of guessed. I didn't think you and whoever you had with you would die so easily. Was I wrong?" 
          It seemed there was truth in Emma's voice, we weren't about to let this place have our last breaths. "Will you come with us?" It seemed that the wooden pipe that Mitri had been smoking out of could no longer hold his tongue. Emma looked at Mitri as politely as she could. "No. We have another matter to attend to. If you all are successful on your journey to destroy this place, and actually manage to kill it, than this whole place will die with it." My company looked surprised at her answer. "Well that is the point is it not? So why will you not join us, we could use skill like yours." Said Nate with a tone in his belly. Emma went on, "That is the point, this place will die and everything in it will be destroyed. Not with a whimper either. Quite violently." I started to understand what she meant a little more clearly now. "You're looking for a way out" I stated. Emma looked over at me with a smile I had forgotten years ago, and all I could do was smile right back. 
          "That's more like it Wes." Emma said softly in my direction. I started again, "What will you do when you find one? Leave?" Sam seemed to be staring at all of us and spoke, "We will wait for you all, and once you've killed this thing you return to us. We will help you escape and put all of this behind us." Now we had a plan. We would do as they said and it would save us all. I trusted them with my life. They would go find a route to esca... "Wait, where exactly is this exit?" I brought it to their attention, and again they both were far more prepared than us. Sam stated with ease, "How do you think those wolves got in." Just like that for the second time, my group and I felt completely unaware to what was going on. They always managed to make me look a little dumb, even before all this. They were doing it again dammit, even in the apocalypse. My company and I laughed our ignorance off, but Sam and Emma didn't find it so amusing. 
          Emma once again began to talk, "We will go and find this exit, and you and your team will go and destroy the heart." We were more than willing to go with her plan, obviously we would need an exit. "One more question" said Nate with a polite tone, "After we've dealt with the apartment, how will we find you both to leave?" As good a question as ever, but it was only met with a cryptic answer. "Don't worry" Sam stated, "We'll have a way to get your attention." The fire started to die, and with it we all became tired. Sleep. Something my brothers and I hadn't had in days. We were always having to fight, and there were never any breaks. The foulness of this place never slept, so we never could.
          I sat by the fire that was close to death while everyone retreated into the blackness of the cave for warmth. I started to think that maybe this could end now. We have a plan and it was going to work. I looked up and saw Emma walking toward me, then sit down beside me. "You know, for a second there, I really didn't think we would see you again. I know what I said earlier, but I thought you were gone." I kept looking at the fire that seemed to be as resistant to letting its last flame go out as I was. "For a second there, you might have been right." I didn't know if that was what she wanted to hear, but it was the only answer I had. 
          "Come on Wes, it's time to rest for a bit, you earned it." We both started back into the cave that became warm. She walked toward an empty spot on the ground with what seemed like hay covering it, and I laid down in another I found next to my company. "Goodnight" she whispered. "I can only hope" I whispered back. Then as easily as I laid down, I fell into a deep sleep. 

Day 37

Churchill Downs Day 37: Up we climb. Into the thick fog and mist of the mountain, unaware of what we would encounter. It has been three days since the start of our climb toward this apartments black heart. We are warm from Mitri's fur, and our stomachs no longer growl because of the various animals we've hunted and killed. We are all quiet now though. All of us must be on our toes at all times, not knowing what we will encounter next. The last thing we came across almost had us all killed. 
          On the first day of our expedition we were passing a cave, and all the sudden a giant hammer was swung straight at all of our heads, and it would have been able to kill all five of us in one blow just from its immense size. Were it not for Andy's reflexes we would be minus all of our heads. We readied ourselves, and out stepped an abomination. Thirteen feet from his scalp to his toes, covered in what seemed to resemble bear pelts, and very angry. It had no words for us, just another swing from his mighty hammer. We all dodged for our lives. Nate rolled under the giant, jumped as high as he could up the giants back, and sunk his razor sharp chin into him. The giant let out a monstrous cry that echoed through the mist blanket of the mountains. I took the sword crafted from Nate's braces and swung at his leg, leaving gash after gash, dodging stomp after stomp. Casey raised his bow and shot the foul beast in both shoulders. The giant was distracted just long enough for Mitri to roll around the giant to his back and climb up Nate who was stuck in the creature like a thorn. He then jumped up to the back of its neck, jumped again from its shoulders, and behead the once mighty giant on Mitri's way down to the ground with one swing from his sword. His body fell soon with his head, and we taunted the creature viciously as it lay dead at our boots. Before we got too full of ourselves, I reminded the group to keep their eyes peeled, it was not as though we didn't almost just die earlier. 
          We continued our journey, and would without interruption for the next day. We would have to make camp by nightfall, and it was approaching quickly. We stopped in a nearby cave. Wood would have to be gathered to make our fire. On our way up earlier we noticed some trees, so Andy and I started back while the others stayed in the cave. The first tree we found was short. It would make good kindling, but that was all. No, we would need to find a large oak. Andy tapped my shoulder and pointed directly at one hanging off the mountain. It did not take long to get to it, and as soon as we did it only took one hack with Andy's ax to completely sever it from its root. Andy was only as strong a thirteen year old girl, but the braces around his ax were crafted by the finest orthodontist in all of Hoover. We noticed something odd however... Whistling. 
          It wasn't any of us, and it couldn't have been Nate and the others, we were too far from our cave... Andy and I were entranced by whatever this was, so we picked up the lumber, and started towards it. Maybe it was someone like us. Trapped in this forsaken hole. We slowly approached a cave. It seemed to be the source of the noise. I would have never believed what I saw were it not for the look upon Andy's face as well. Two women were in the center of the cave around a fire whistling as they worked on what seemed to be clothing. But it wasn't ordinary clothing. These women, whoever the were, were making clothing out of wolf pelts. They were fighters. Andy and I slowly backed away from the cave to go inform our comrades what we had seen. We were upon our own cave in no time. We began explaining our encounter to our company. We put our lumber aside and headed for the cave once more. 
          Using as much stealth as we could, we silently approached the entrance. Before we looked at the only woman in our gaze, I told Casey that whoever she was, she must be another one of the apartment's tricks. No more surprises. He raised his bow and drew back an arrow. He looked at me once more and whispered "I don't know about this, that one smells... human." Before he cast his gaze once more on the unknown target, the woman turned toward the entrance where we stood out of sight and unexpectedly said, "You all can come in if you'd like." We stopped and our stomachs dropped to our feet. We were caught.
          I slowly stepped out into the light, and so did the rest of my company. I shouted into the cave, "For all I know there are only two of you, and five of us, what is to stop us from killing you and taking your belongings?" I could see a smirk come across her still unrecognizable face due to the fire. She calmly exclaimed, "You are unarmed, and we are not." My brothers in arms and I almost started to laugh... and then we looked down for our weapons. They were gone. Even the only things left in Nate's mouth were his gums. He looked over at me and tried to say "Damn that was fast" except it sounded like a dog drinking water. Just like that, I knew that she had been more than three steps ahead of us since Andy and myself peered into the cave. Who was she...? Her friend walked out from the darkness of the cave from behind her and dropped all of our weapons and gear on the hard cave floor. I could see her smiling again. Mitri looked at all of us and said, "This might be weird, but am I the only one with a boner right now?" Nate looked over at him and just said "Nope." I looked to her and her friend, and slowly exclaimed, "You've successfully made fools of my company and I, you have us unarmed and you have the upper hand. What will you do now? Kill us and leave us in the snow?" They both looked at each other from what I could tell from over the fire, and the woman sitting down with a welcoming tone simply said, "Feed you." 
          My fellow man and I looked at one another puzzled. "Feed us?" I asked in an unbelieving tone. We all stopped when the woman by the fire rose and her unknown friend started following behind her. We raised our fists for the only defense we had. The first woman gracefully walked out to where I recognized her immediately. She strutted over and I dropped my fists in amazement. She grabbed me as tight as her frame would let her and whispered behind my neck, "It's good to see you again Wes." 
          Emma Pitts and her friend Samantha Lentz were more than pleasant sights for our tired, battle worn eyes.

Day 34

Churchill Downs Day 34: In front of us lay the base of the mountains, behind us, a war path. Too many wolf and giant corpses to count. Glorious is what it was. Not to mention the dragon guarding the base of the mountain. Were it not for Andy's extremely crooked smile from the lack of braces, the dragon wouldn't have started laughing hard enough to not realize Casey drawing out an arrow that landed directly between its eyes. We've fought and sacrificed much to get here, the only problem is, where now? Where would we climb? All of the sudden Casey started to state that whatever we were looking for was the way he would lead us. 
          Casey was gifted with a nose so big and powerful, that he could make a dog look like Voldemort. So onward we tread, deeper into the heart of the mountain where Casey was leading us. As we started to descend into the mountain, just like that we were outside staring up a path that seemed like it went all the way to the peak. We were just about to start walking when all of the sudden Casey stopped us. "Goblins" he mumbled as he raised his bow. We all stood in a circle with our backs to the middle. Sure enough not even one minute later we began to see them swarm out of the cave we had exited. They began to charge. They crashed on us like the ocean, but we were cutting them even easier than water. Head after head rolled onto the ground. Goblin bodies fell upon our swords and axes, now stripped of limbs. They were no match for us, and it felt good to realize that everything the apartment had thrown us was now dead at our feet. The goblins soon realized this, and retreated back into their cave. 
          The blood glistening off the snow was a marvelous sight indeed. But I was at no point ready to take a break and absorb the pleasant sight. No. We must go up the mountain. We only had one problem. All of our clothes were torn, and warmth from them was non existent. I brought this problem to the groups attention, and like that all of our spirits were dampened just a bit more. Except one. Mitri promptly took up his stone sword and hacked off some of his chest hair. Before it hit the ground, it grew back again with the same thickness as though he had never touched it. "We will make clothes" Mitri told the group. It seemed he was so hairy, that I had thought that whatever fur he was wearing was a wolf pelt before, but it all seemed to be his own. It was either make clothes, or freeze. We each took clumps of his hair and fashioned them into long pants, long shirts, hats, and even shoes. It even stopped Nate's extreme BO that had caused us to tear up the whole way here. It smelled like something had eaten a whole bunch of onions right before it had died on him, rotted, and had enough life to come back and fart. 
          It seemed like hope was showing through on this journey. We started up the mountain, and we all thought that this would finally be over. But even before we could start a pace, we faced a high wall of stone. We had to climb it for any more progress. Just like that Nate stepped forward. "I got this" he told us. He jumped as high as he could, and forcefully jabbed his pointy chin into the ice. Of course! His chin was so bony and pointed that it acted as a type of ice pick. "Climb up one at a time!" he yelled down. So we did, and like that we were back on track again. 
          Up into the sky the mountain stretched. It seemed as though we had a few days hike in store for us, but that was no matter. No more running, no more hiding. Whatever this place is, or has in store for us, we will meet it with sword in hand. We can beat this place at its own game. We will out live my apartment, or die by its hand.