Chapter One _ The Quiet before the storm

Elliot.

There was nothing more heartbreaking than working on the anniversary of your fiancee’s death.

I stood by the kitchen window, my eyes fixed on the mountain view bathed in the early morning mist. The peaks loomed over the small town like silent guards, offering both protection and isolation.

Taking another slow sip of my coffee, I noticed its warmth doing little to thaw the icy emptiness I’d felt for years.

It had been five years since Janice’s death, five years of the same numbing routine, writing hollow stories for the local paper, and pretending everything was fine. My life had shrunk down to this quiet, empty existence in the shadow of the mountains.

Most days, that was exactly how I liked it.

“Harper, where’s my damn article?” A voice rang through the phone sitting next to me, breaking the quiet.

Shit.

I grabbed it, already rolling my eyes as I saw my editor’s name on the screen. I pressed the answer button. “Good morning to you too, Frank.”

“No time for pleasantries. I need that piece on the roadwork finished today. The mayor’s been breathing down my neck about public safety since the logging trucks started using the main street. And don’t even get me started on the wildfire complaints”

Frank was always the sweet one. And I enjoyed talking to him.

“Roadwork? Exciting stuff.” I said dryly, leaning against the counter.

“You’re a journalist, not a comedian. Get me the draft by noon, will ya?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

Frank hung up without another word, and I set the phone down, rubbing my temples. I could already feel the headache coming on.

Small town life was predictable. Every story was the same, the infrastructures, town meetings, and local fairs. Absolutely nothing to stir the blood.

I might as well get started with my work.

I opened my laptop on the kitchen table and started typing. I was barely a few minutes in when something caught my attention. From the corner of my eye… movement in the woods just beyond my house.

I paused.

And there it was again, a shadow darting between the trees. Something definitely larger than a deer.

What the fuck?

It was probably a coyote, or one of those mangy mountain lions people kept reporting about. The wildlife had been coming closer to the town lately, and I was sure that was due to the logging.

I rolled my eyes at myself. How could I let something so silly spook me.

“Focus, Elliot.”

By noon, the roadwork piece was done, and sent off to Frank with a message that said. “Try not to fall asleep while reading.”

I didn’t expect a reply.

The next thing to do rather than mope around like a degenerate was to put on my jacket, and take my usual afternoon walk around the town. The streets would be quiet, most people inside or off in the woods trying to prepare for the hunting season.

I waved back at Mrs Pritchard, a local who worked at the diner, and had her usual friendly smile plastered on her face.

“Not coming in for your usual today, Elliot?” She called out through the open window.

“Maybe later. Got some things to check on.”

“You be careful, now,” she said, her voice dropping in concern. “Weird things have been happening around here. Saw a few more of those claw marks near the ridge this morning.”

That made me take a pause.

“Claw marks?”

She nodded, her face losing its cheeriness. “Deep ones too. Not bear, if that’s what you’re thinking. Bigger.”

“Mountain lions, maybe?”

Mrs. Pritchard shook her head. “Maybe… but I’ve lived here my whole life. Ain’t no lion that makes marks like that.”

That sentence was enough to have my curiosity roaring. If this was not mountain lions…..

“I’ll take a look. Thanks.”

I continued down the road, my steps a bit faster now. I had heard the stories before… the strange tracks, the missing pets, the eerie howls at night. But in a town like this where rumors spread faster than fact, I had learnt to keep most of my thoughts to myself.

I was nearly back home when my phone rang again.

Frank.

Why was he calling again?

“Harper, we’ve got a real story for you,” Frank said, sounding more animated than usual. “The Mayor's office called…. wants someone to look into the strange happenings around town. They’re sending some wildlife experts next week, but in the meantime, it’s all ours. Front page stuff.”

I couldn’t help the eyebrow raise, my interest more than raised. “Do you mean the claw marks? Weird animal sightings?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“That, and more. People are talking about seeing something big moving through the woods at night. Whatever it is, it’s scaring the hell out of everyone. I want you to get on this right away. Talk to the locals, take some pictures, see if you can find any solid evidence. We need something to calm the town down or get them worked up enough to sell papers.”

“So, the usual ‘scare them senseless for the sake of a headline’ approach?”

“You’re catching on,” Frank said. I could hear his grin through the phone.. “Think you can handle it?”

And for the first time since this cursed day started, I smiled. “Yeah, I’m on it.”

“Good. And Harper…. watch yourself. Don’t go poking around where you don’t belong. We don’t need another mess like last time.”

My stomach twisted at the reminder. Last time. The accident.

I swallowed the lump in my throat hard, shaking it off. “I’ll be fine.”

“Sure you will. Keep me updated.” Frank hung up, leaving me alone in the silence of the streets.

I looked toward the dark line of the woods that loomed at the edge of town. Whatever was out there, it had the town on edge, and if the locals were freaked out, then it had to be something huge.

It wouldn’t be bad to check it out right now.

I pocketed my phone and started toward the trail leading into the forest, following the tug that kept on pulling me in.

This better not be one big prank.

The deeper I went into the woods, the more unsettling the atmosphere became. The usual sounds of the birds and smaller animals I had gotten used to were gone, replaced by some sort of heavy stillness that seemed to press on me from all sides.

“Come on.” something in me kept on pulling at my gut, tugging me even deeper.

I kept on walking, the sounds of the leaves crunching under my feet my only companion,

Then I saw it.

Long, claw marks like the one Mrs Pritchard had mentioned.

Deep gouges in the bark of a massive pine tree, easily over six feet high. I couldn’t stop the frown from forming on my face as I ran my fingers along the grooves.

The marks weren’t fresh, but they were recent enough to send a chill down my spine.

The growl that followed nearly had me peeing in my pants.

I froze, panic clawing at my throat. I turned around slowly, searching the shadows between the trees for the animal that was large enough to leave those claw marks.

But I found… nothing.

The growl came again, louder this time, closer. My breath quickened as my eyes darted around, trying to locate the source.

Then I did.

A figure.. Tall, broad, and shrouded in darkness. It stood just at the edge of my vision, its eyes gleaming a faint amber in the fading light. The thing was huge, bigger than any animal I had ever seen.

I didn’t know when I took a step back, my heart hammering hard enough to escape out of my chest. “Holy shit..” I didn’t make it far before the figure lunged.

In a blur of motion, too fast for me to comprehend. I heard the deep snarl and felt the air shift as the creature came at me, teeth bared.

Dying on the same day Janice died was just too poetic.

I stumbled back, tripping over a root, and falling hard onto the ground.

The creature loomed over me, its breath hot and heavy in the cold air. It was an animal, but also not. My mind screamed at me to move, to get out of here, but my body remained frozen in place, my muscles tensed as they were paralyzed by fear. The best I could do was scramble back, my fingers digging into the dirt as the beast crouched, ready to strike.

Oh my goodness, oh my gosh…

I was about to die.

And there it was again, a loud howl echoing through the forest, cutting through the air like a knife.

The creature’s head snapped up, eyes wide with something that looked almost like fear, hesitating for just a moment, before turning and bolting into the darkness, leaving me gasping for my breath on the forest floor.

Frank would never believe what just happened.

I stayed there for what felt like forever, which was a dummy move in hindsight, my heart pounding in my chest, as I tried to process what just happened.

“What the hell was that?” I whispered to myself.

Then, without warning, my phone buzzed.

It was Frank again. “Harper, get out of there now. I just got a tip… there’s something dangerous in those woods, something not normal. I’ll explain later. Just get the hell out of there before…”

The line went dead.

I sat up, my body shaking with adrenaline. Sparing a glance at the direction where the creature had gone, my mind was still racing with questions.

What was it?

And why had it run at the sound of that howl?

I didn’t wait for an answer, not after hearing the howl for the third time. Forcing myself onto my feet, and sprinting back towards town was the best thing for me.

If I was still interested in staying alive.