Chapter 4 : The Warning
476 Words
Lena Graves didn’t believe in curses.
She didn’t believe in monsters, ghosts, or any of the whispered legends about Black Hollow.
But standing in the sheriff’s office, flipping through the crime scene photos, she had to admit—something about this wasn’t normal.
The victim’s name was Mark Delaney, a hiker from out of town. His ID had been found in his torn-up backpack, half-submerged in the river. He had checked into the Black Hollow Inn three nights ago, told the front desk he was looking for adventure.
He’d found it.
Or it had found him.
Lena set the photos down, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You know what this looks like.”
Sheriff Daniel Crowe sat across from her, arms crossed, his face unreadable. “Go ahead and say it.”
She hesitated. It sounded ridiculous, even in her own head. “An animal attack. But not a normal one.”
Daniel leaned forward. “The claw marks are too deep. The bite radius doesn’t match any known predator. The organs are gone, Lena. Like something took them.”
She exhaled. “Maybe a bear scavenged the body after—”
Daniel cut her off. “No. The kill was fresh. Too fresh.” He hesitated, his jaw tightening before he spoke again. “And there’s something else. The body wasn’t found where he died.”
Lena frowned. “What do you mean?”
Daniel slid another photo toward her. This one showed the drag marks leading from the clearing near the river to where they’d found the body.
Something had moved it. Something big.
A chill ran through her. “You think it’s—”
“I think it’s happening again,” Daniel said quietly.
Lena went still.
The last time this had happened, she had been a kid. She remembered the fear in town, the way people locked their doors at night, the way whispers spread like wildfire. And then—just like that—it had stopped.
Because he had left.
Cade Mercer.
Lena shook her head, trying to push the old memories aside. It wasn’t possible. It had to be something else.
Before she could respond, the door to the office swung open.
Cade stood in the doorway, his presence like a stormcloud rolling in.
His eyes met Lena’s, and for a brief second, something passed between them. Recognition. Wariness. A flicker of something deeper.
Then Cade turned to Daniel. “If you’re looking for answers,” he said, voice low, “you won’t like what you find.”
Lena felt the weight of his words settle over the room like an oncoming storm.
Because for the first time in her life, she wasn’t sure if she wanted the truth.
She was afraid of it.
And deep down, she knew—this was only the beginning.
- Writer
