Forrest, Canada, 42 hours after the initial outbreak. The sun is slowly rising into a star-filled sky, as a young girl stands on the roof of her house in a now abandoned neighborhood. When the screaming started, she hid, just like her parents told her. But her parents never came back. ‘Please please please see me… help me!’ Amber shouts, waving her arms about as she sees a jet approach through the sky. She waited and waited but help never came. But finally, she heard the plane, and that meant help was here. ‘Help…’ Amber utters, before gasping ‘Oh, no’ as the plane screeches and moves low into the neighborhood. Amber races back through the window into her house, screaming as the jet slams into her house. She hasn’t cried since she realized her parents were dead. She doesn’t cry now, mostly because she doesn’t want to - but because she knows it will attract the monsters - and as the jet with a large “X” on the tail explodes into flames, Amber knows that no one is coming to save her.
(One hour earlier)
Inside the X-Jet, Storm a.k.a. Ororo Munroe pilots the craft and asks Rachel Grey if there is any luck with Logan. ‘No’ Rachel replies, adding that there is too much psychic spill, and she can’t make out anything but screams - a lot of them. ‘Why would a town be screaming?’ Jean-Paul “Northstar” Beaubier asks as he hovers, arms-folded, inside the jet. Rachel tells Northstar that she doesn’t know, and explains that it is more like animals howling. ‘Please. Try not to be too helpful’ Northstar snipes.
‘Does he always fly when he flies? I mean, inside a jet, not outside, obviously he flies when he’s flying by himself. I mean -’ Angelica “Firestar” Jones remarks Bobby “Iceman” Drake bangs on the bathroom door as he tries to pull it open and tells Firestar to forget about Northstar and help him with the door. ‘It’s like someone locked it from the inside’ he complains. ‘Ugh, you should have gone before we left’ Firestar tells him. ‘I did!’ Bobby replies, adding that he thought, ‘Hey, the X-Jet has a bathroom, too, I can just pee in there!’
Seated nearby are Kurt “Nightcrawler” Wagner and Piotr “Colossus” Rasputin. As Colossus stares silently forward, Kurt asks his dear friend if he is all right. ‘Da’ Piotr replies. Kurt tells him that it is good to see that despite is time in X-Force, he is still a terrible liar. Colossus does not respond, so Nightcrawler adds ‘You said your powers had become unreliable… are you worried?’ Colossus replies that he doesn’t worry for himself, but for the first time in his life, he worries for Logan.
(50 minutes ago)
Forrest, Canada: ‘Come on! Come on!’ Logan a.k.a. Wolverine growls as he slices his way through several Wendigo who lunge towards him - but one of the Wendigo grab him and slams him into a wall. Blood drips down as Logan hit’s the ground, ‘…on second thought…back the hell off…’ Logan mutters. A Wendigo growls and leaps towards Wolverine, when suddenly, there is a burst of energy that knocks the creature aside. Logan gets to his feet and looks confused. ‘Eh, Logan…’ a voice calls out. ‘You gotta be kidding me’ Logan snarls at seeing two of his old friends standing before him. ‘…I bet you’re happy to see us, Eh?’ Eugene Judd a.k.a. Puck asks as he stands on one of the fallen Wendigo, and energy crackles around Elizabeth “Talisman” Twoyoungmen, who is wearing her recent Omega Flight costume.
(40 minutes ago)
Brandon, Canada, 9.24 miles from Forrest, civilians race out of their cars and run for their lives down a busy street, as a reporter announces that there are reports coming in of attacks reaching as far as Brandon.
(35 minutes ago)
Several Wendigos race through that once busy street, as the reporter tells listeners that if they are in the city of Brandon or one of the outlying communities, they are urged to head south.
(30 minutes ago)
A barricade has been erected at the perimeter of the affected areas to aid in the evacuation process, as large trucks, police cars and military officers are in position. The reporter states that up-to-the-minute reports show no signs of danger at those checkpoints.
(25 minutes ago)
‘Incoming!’ a soldier shouts as he sees civilians rushing to the barricade, followed by many savage Wendigos.
(20 minutes ago)
At St. Vincent, Minnesota, the US/Canadian Border, troops on the US soil are ready as civilians approach the border. ‘For those of you headed to the US border, be prepared for heavy delays’ the reporter announces. One of the officers orders men on top of the wall every five feet. ‘If anyone touches that barrier you are to shoot first and ask -’
(15 minutes ago)
The reporter reveals that the US government has sent its own military forces to guard against the spread of the outbreak. Captain America and Thor approach one of the commanding officers, and Thor calls out ‘Clear a path for these people, or Thor, God of Thunder will!’ He reminds the soldier that he is tasked with saving innocent lives, not sacrificing them. ‘No chance. I only take orders from the US Military!’ the soldier replies. ‘Get your priorities straight, soldier!’ Captain America calls out.
(10 minutes ago)
The reporter announces that an update on Brandon is coming in, as the officer tells Captain America that his orders are to keep this threat on the Canadian side of the border at all costs. ‘Those people aren’t a threat and their only chance at staying that way is us. Now open that blockade!’ Captain America orders. ‘Yes, Sir!’ the officer replies.
(5 minutes ago)
Brandon, Canada, flames sweep through the city, and the reporter announces that Brandon has been overrun. ‘We repeat… Brandon has been overrun…’.
(4 minutes ago)
Inside the X-Jet, the X-Men listen as the reporter announces that Forrest and Brandon have both been lost. ‘If you can hear this report, head south…your best chance to escape that threat’. As the heroes look at a holographic projection of a map, Firestar covers her mouth in shock. ‘Oh my God… what happened there? They’ve been overrun by what?’ she asks, before Storm informs her teammates that they have company, and as she looks out the side window of the X-Jet, she sees a military fighter plane. ‘Unidentified craft, you are in a no-fly zone!’ the pilot announces. ‘We are here to help with the current situ-’ Storm radios back, but the pilot instructs her to gain altitude and return to her point of origin immediately. ‘Please, you don’t understand, we’re -’ Storm begins, as the pilot tells her that he knows who she is, and explains that he is trying to save her life. ‘You’re flying too low, you have to pull up, he urges. ‘Do you hear me? Pull up!’ he shouts,
(3 minutes ago)
A Wendigo leaps onto the fighter craft and smashes open the windshield, while the pilot ejects from the craft, into the air, the aircraft is set on fire and starts to plummet to the forest below. ‘No no no no!’ Firestar exclaims. ‘Kurt, the pilot -’ Colossus calls out. ‘I see him’ Kurt replies as he teleports out of the X-Jet. However, in the meantime, a Wendigo has leapt into the air and grabs the pilot, who releases himself from the parachute, and starts to free-fall to the forest.
(2 minutes ago)
Several Wendigo rampage through the forest, as the X-Jet flies very low. The creatures see the jet and start to howl - but the X-Jet pulls up, and inside, Storm asks Rachel if they are clear. ‘There’s so many of them…’ Rachel replies. ‘Are we clear?’ Storm asks again, raising her voice.
(1 minute ago)
Nightcrawler teleports back into the X-Jet, with the screaming pilot. Kurt tells the pilot not to be alarmed. ‘You are quite…safe?’ he asks, before an alarm starts to sound - on the underside of the X-Jet, a Wendigo has managed to grab hold and starts to tear apart the underside of the jet. ‘Now I have to pee’ Firestar mutters. ‘Yeah… I just went’ Bobby tells her. ‘Here we go again’ Kurt remarks, while the pilot continues to scream. ‘Storm…’ Rachel calls out. ‘Let me guess. We were not all clear’ Storm replies.
(Now)
Amber peers out the window, ‘See me… please… please, help me…’ she utters as she stands on the roof of her home as the X-Jet plummets towards it. ‘It’s not working!’ Firestar exclaims. ‘Thank you for stating the obvious’ Northstar mutters as they are both forced against the roof of the jet as it propels downwards. ‘FIRESTAR!’ Iceman calls out. ‘This better not be about the bathroom, Bobby!’ Angelica snaps. ‘It’s not! I have an idea, I need your help! I think I can -’ Bobby begins, as the jet strikes low across two of the rooftops, before exploding in a burst of flames. But, from the fire, a large iceberg can be seen - hissing against the flames, inside it, the X-Men and the pilot are safe - and as Firestar melts the ice around them, they gasp for breath. ‘Everyone okay?’ Firestar asks. ‘Breathing! Breathing is good!’ Rachel mutters.
Storm goes over to Bobby and tells him that she now understands why Charles made him an X-Man. ‘Thanks’ Bobby smiles, before Storm informs everyone that they need to look for survivors. ‘I… I don’t think there are any’ Rachel announces. She reports that everyone is gone or dead.
‘Oh no. Storm… we’re in trouble!’ Rachel exclaims, and an instant later, several growling noises can be heard as the X-Men and the pilot are surrounded. ‘Can someone please tell me what this is?’ Firestar calls out. ‘This is why we stay out of Canada’ Storm replies ‘Wendigo!’ The creatures lunge forward. Storm, Northstar, Firestar and Rachel take flight and battle the Wendigo from above, while Nightcrawler teleports about, Colossus engages them on the ground and Iceman rides on an ice-sled. ‘Keep them back! Do not let them touch you!’ Storm tells her teammates as she casts forth a bolt of lighting that strikes one of the creatures.
‘Holy crap! Did all of Canada go Cannibal? I thought there was only ever one or two of these things!’ Iceman remarks as he blasts one of the Wendigo with ice. ‘Canadians eat people?’ Firestar enquires. ‘They do now’ Northstar, a Canadian himself, replies as she speeds through the air, knocking two Wendigo down. Nightcrawler grabs the pilot and pulls him to safety, while suggesting that something has happened, for no one incident could cause the Wendigo curse to spread like this. Colossus raises his arms and points out that they are being overrun. ‘Perhaps we should survive first, and delve into the mystery later, da?’ he suggests. ‘I missed this… did you?’ Nightcrawler asks. ‘Not really’ Colossus responds.
Firestar screams as a Wendigo pursues her - but a blast of powerful magical energy comes to her aid. ‘Is this what normally happens? Firestar asks, as the Wendigo that was struck suddenly reverts to human form. ‘No. no it is not’ Storm replies, before a voice calls out ‘Normal went out the window a while ago, Jones’. The X-Men turn to see Wolverine standing with Puck and Talisman. He explains that, lucky for them, Talisman can get normal back with some magic. ‘A crap load of it to be precise’ Puck adds. ‘Logan…are you -’ Storm begins, but Logan tells her not to worry about it. ‘I’m just peachy’ he claims. Wolverine then informs his teammates what the situation is. ‘I’ve been fighting these things for as long as I can remember. The Wendigo are as strong as the Hulk but way nastier’. Logan explains that it is all to do with some kinda magic curse - if you eat human flesh on Canadian soil, you turn into one of them. He adds that he doesn’t know what happened or why, but an entire town turned, and everyone that got scratched or bit, they turned, too.
Logan points out that these are men, women and children, every one of them innocent people and they are going to tear their way through Canada unless they are stopped. Wolverine continues: ‘Police, military, super heroes…none of it’s going to mean anything against this. Talisman’s our best shot. All we have to do is hold these monsters back until she’s done’ Logan explains. ‘Piece of cake…’ Iceman remarks, while Talisman reports that she has found a powerful counter spell to the curse some time ago, during another infestation - nothing of this scale, but that in theory, it should work. ‘Only one way to find out’ Puck points out. Talisman levitates and energy swirls around her. ‘Should we hold hands or something?’ someone calls out. ‘If it makes you feel better’ Talisman replies. Storm asks the young sorcereress how long this is going to take, to which Talisman explains that it is magic, not science, so it will take as long as it takes.
The heroes form a circle around Talisman, and Nightcrawler remarks ‘Let’s hope it takes less time than a hundred Wendigo earting us all, ja?’ He then calls over to Logan, asking him if he thinks they are that lucky, when suddenly, Wolverine collapses. ‘Goddess!’ Storm gasps, as a brilliant light surrounds Talisman, who announces that it is happening, she can feel it working. ‘The spell is -’ she begins, when suddenly, she gasps, and goes wide-eyed, gasping for air as blood spurts from her mouth, Wolverine howls - he has been transformed into a Wendigo and his claws are lodge through Talisman’s stomach. ‘Logan…’ Storm utters as she, the X-Men and Puck look on in horror….
