THE WOLF AND THE SERPEPNT

Chapter 2: The Red Omen

LISA

The morning air was cool against my skin as I walked down the narrow dirt path toward the bus stop. My bag felt heavier than it really was, maybe because of the pouch my mother slipped inside. I could almost feel its weight pressing against my ribs, as if reminding me of her worried eyes and the way her lips trembled when she said goodbye.

Part of me wanted to skip, to laugh, and to let the excitement spill out…I was finally going to Silverbrook City. I had dreamed of this since I was little, staring at the maps and posters that hung in the small shops back home. The city meant freedom, a new start, maybe even a piece of the world that belonged only to me.

But as I continued walking further, another thought kept tugging at me…my father. I couldn’t remember his face exactly, and I wondered if he was Pharell or Maxwell. Mother never spoke of him, at least not much. Now that I was grown, I wished I could see him…even just once. If he was alive, I had to find him. If he was dead, then at least I deserved to know. Deep inside, I felt something telling me, that I should not doubt it…he’s alive. I held on to that feeling as tightly as I held the strap of my bag.

When I reached the bus stop, the place was already awake. Vendors were setting up baskets of fruit and bread. The smell of roasted groundnuts carried through the air. A few travelers waited nearby, some yawning, some hugging their coats tighter against the breeze. The bus approached, its engine roaring loudly like a lion in the jungle.

I stepped closer, and my heart was beating faster. The driver, a thick man with tired eyes, waved us in. I climbed the steps and found a seat by the window. I pressed my palm against the glass, watching the small town blur in the morning light.

Silverbrook City was waiting for me, so was my father’s truth. And I promised myself I would not stop until I found him.

The bus ride was long, but I didn’t mind. I pressed my cheek lightly against the glass as the trees and small houses rushed by. The sun was rising, and I could see my reflection in the glass…my own nervous smile staring back at me.

In the row ahead, a little boy stood on the seat, waving a toy bus in the air. When he leaned too far, his mother quickly pulled him back and scolded him softly. I couldn’t help but think of the story my mother had once told me. I was nine then, full of restless energy. She said I jumped off a bus before it fully stopped, thinking I could land like some hero from a movie. Instead, I slipped and scraped my shoulder badly on the edge of the door. I still carry the scar.

Without thinking, I reached my hand under my sweater and touched it. The skin felt rough, a reminder of my own recklessness. I sighed, whispering to myself, “I was just stupid back then.”

The bus was filled with different voices, stories flowing like the air itself. Across the aisle, two men were talking in low voices.

“I swear,” one of them said with his eyes wide, “I saw it last night in Bloodwood Forest. Something huge. Walking on two legs. It dragged something… I think it was a body.”

His friend shook his head. “You’re lucky you made it out. People have been disappearing there for years. Everyone knows that forest is cursed.”

I tightened my grip on my bag and frowned. A werewolf? Really? It sounded ridiculous. Yet, the way they whispered about it made the whole bus go quiet for a moment. My heart beat a little faster, but I shook my head and thought, “No, that’s just a myth. People love to scare themselves.”

Hours later, the tall buildings of Silverbrook City rose into view, shining in the afternoon light. My stomach fluttered with both nerves and excitement. When the bus finally stopped at the station, I stood, adjusted my bag on my shoulder, and walked out into the noisy, busy streets.

I pulled out my phone and opened the map. My new apartment was in Sunnyside Complex, Apartment 27B. I bit my lip, staring at the tiny blue dot moving on the screen, then I raised my hand to wave down a taxi.

A yellow cab screeched to a stop, and the driver, an older man with gray beard and kind eyes, leaned out the window. “Where to, miss?”

“Sunnyside Complex, Apartment 27B,” I said, trying to sound like I wasn’t new in the city.

He nodded with a smile. “Ah, nice place. Hop in.”

I slid into the backseat, clutching my suitcase close. The city outside was busy as we drove off, my heart beat louder with every passing street. I was finally here…Silverbrook City. And somewhere in this city, I believed, was the answer about my father.

My eyes stayed on the window as the taxi rolled deeper into Silverbrook. Everything felt new, and alive. I watched rows of shops with bright signs, small restaurants where people laughed over breakfast, and night clubs with posters still shining from the night before. My lips curved into a small smile. Maybe one day I’ll work in a place like that, I thought, pressing my forehead lightly against the glass.

After a while, the driver slowed down and pointed ahead.

“We’re here, Sunnyside Complex,” he said in a calm voice.

I quickly checked my phone screen to confirm the address. “Yes... this is it.” My voice came out almost in a whisper, I was both nervous and excited.

I handed the driver the money with shaky fingers, thanked him softly, then stepped out, dragging my suitcase onto the concrete. The taxi pulled away, leaving behind the little smell of fuel and a sudden quietness.

I wrapped my fingers tighter around the suitcase handle and started walking. The afternoon air was cool, carrying the smell of roasted chicken from somewhere nearby. I couldn’t believe that from now own I’ll be living alone, not with my mother anymore, at least I was old enough to take care of myself. When I spotted the number on the door…27B, I let out a small sigh.

“This is it, Lisa. Your new start.”

The keys were already waiting in the lock, just as promised. My hands trembled a little as I turned them. The door creaked open, revealing an empty apartment.

The inside was quiet and bare, but at least someone had cleaned. The floor was swept, the windows were open, letting a little breeze move through the rooms. The walls echoed with each of my steps, making the place feel both strange and mine.

I pulled my suitcase across the small living room and into the bedroom. Dropping it with a soft thud, I finally let myself fall back onto the bed. The mattress was stiff, but it felt like heaven after the long trip. I stared at the ceiling, whispering, “So… this is where it begins.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and scrolled quickly, searching for part-time jobs. Restaurants, clubs, coffee shops….names and addresses filled the screen. Then I paused when one caught my eye. Tinny’s Coffee Shop.

My heart gave a tiny skip. I remembered seeing its sign from the taxi window earlier. It looked friendly and hopeful.

“That’s the first place I’ll go tomorrow,” I told myself, nodding.

But first, I had to settle down. I pushed myself off the bed and went back to the living room. The first thing I did was open the curtains wide. Light spilled into the room, chasing away the empty silence.

“Let’s make this place feel alive,” I whispered with a small smile.

Charles Marvin (In his office at Tinny’s Coffee Shop)

I stared at the screens in front of me, each one flashing with images of smiling faces and steaming mugs. Tinny’s Coffee shop looked so harmless from the outside…beautiful lights, soft music, the smell of roasted beans…but to me, it was a net. Every chair and every corner was watched. My cameras didn’t just catch faces; they measured heat. Human’s body temperature was normal, while Werewolves was much higher.

I leaned forward, tapping one screen where a couple laughed over cappuccinos. They were harmless and looked ordinary. But I kept watching. In the last two weeks, I had cornered Xander Graywolf and his wife, Tabitha. Their laughter and their lives…it had all ended in my hands. I smiled at the memory, knowing I had helped in making the city safer from predators. They had fought well, but they weren’t clever enough to escape me. Thanks to Freya, the witch I work with, the police would never know as we have leaved no evidence for them to start digging.

But Sage… nobody knew where he went. He was Xander’s son, and he had slipped through me like smoke. I knew he was a werewolf too, but I couldn’t find him. And that made me sick knowing there was a werewolf walking around in the city.

My eyes drifted to the phone on my desk. Freya was supposed to track him. She always reported by now. I drummed my fingers against the wood, imagining her name flashing across the screen, imagining her voice telling me where the boy was hiding.

And then I heard a little knocking sound on my door, and it broke my thoughts. My head snapped up. “Come in,” I said.

The door creaked open. Freya stepped in, and her dark eyes looked much darker than usual, like she hadn’t slept. She slid into the seat across from me, tucking her hands into her lap.

“You look troubled,” I said, forcing a smile.

“I had a vision,” she murmured, and the way she had said it, I knew something was off.

I leaned back, folding my arms. “About Sage?”

“Not exactly.” She looked at the screens, then back at me. “As I was tracking him, something else pushed into my sight. Something powerful has entered Silverbrook.”

I could feel the hairs of my skin rise. “What kind of powerful?”

She pressed her lips together before she answered. “Whatever it is…is not a witch. Not even a werewolf. Something… different.”

I frowned, leaning forward. “Explain.”

Freya became silent before she started, and she acted like she was seeing the vision for the second time.

“Charles… the vision I had was strange. I was standing on an empty street in Silverbrook City. It was daylight, but the whole road was quiet, like the city had no people in it.

Then I saw someone. They wore a long red cloak, the hood hiding their face. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. Silver chains were wrapped around their body, and I saw steam rising from their skin. Their hands were burning with fire, but they didn’t seem scared of it, or even to notice.

They walked like they were lost, like they didn’t even know who they were. But when they stopped at a sign that said Silverbrook City, they smiled. It wasn’t a normal smile…it was almost… relieved, like they had finally reached the place they wanted to be.

Charles… they never saw me watching…maybe they didn’t care.”

As Freya spoke, I listened carefully, every word sinking into me like a stone. A figure in a red cloak. Silver chains burning their skin. Fire in their hands. Looking lost, yet smiling when they saw the sign for Silverbrook City.

Her voice trembled, but what shook me more was the vision itself. My gut told me this wasn’t just a dream. This was a warning.

“Freya,” I said slowly, tasting each word before I let it out, “whoever that figure is, they’re not just passing by. Chains of silver don’t bind an ordinary soul. And fire…” I clenched my hand, trying to calm my thoughts. “Fire in the hands of someone who doesn’t even know themselves… that’s dangerous.”

She looked at me with wide eyes. “But, Charles, they smiled. Like they were happy to be here.”

I took a deep breath. “Happy or not, if they’ve come to Silverbrook City, it means trouble. And I can’t shake the feeling that this… whoever they are… they have to be found and kept away. We have to protect Silverbrook at all costs.”Top of Form

Freya took in a deep breath before she continued. Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

“There’s good news and bad news.” She held her knees tightly. “The good is that its powers are bound as it is chained. The bad thing is that it’s coming for you.”

I froze after hearing that.