Hunted by the Beast

rred before her eyes. She didn't stop, not until she reached her front door. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the keys, he

aze back toward the woods. That man. His intense, almost predatory gaze. And the way he h

the door, her heart still thudding wildly in her chest. Her fingers gripped the doorframe as if she

was th

far away, lost in the chaos swirling around her thoughts. She hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary in Maple Creek for years. Sure, there were occasiona

everything

rowl. The man w

. The dark sky outside pressed against the windows, as if it was closing in on her. Was she

e an explanation for all this. Maybe it was an animal, some kind of wild predator. But the howl... No animal Emma knew could make that sound. A

making her uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling t

just scared. You heard a weird sound and freaked out.

wed at her. Emma didn't believe in monsters, didn't buy into ghost s

from her thoughts. She stared at the screen for a mome

running earlier. You seeme

just happened. It felt too... unreal. What could she even say? That she though

uick reply, trying

had a scar

her finger hovering over the send button

rge to confess, to tell someone what she'd heard a

owl. It didn't sound like anything I've ever heard b

g she wasn't ready to face, even to herself. But as the message was sent, Emma couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Lily w

came almos

m. It's probably just an animal. Maybe a coyote?

h, m

ow. We'll talk.

she'd heard something, and her mind had just run wild with it. That man-he coul

e the feeling that she was missi

I'm getting any

as still. The houses across the way stood silent in the darkness, and the trees that bordered the fore

ng between the walls of her skull. She cou

e glanced out toward the woods. The darkness between the trees seemed to

he lights in the living room, trying to force he

I suppo

desperation in his voice, as if he knew something she didn't. Was he part of all this? Had he be

ons, filled her mind, and

ders, trying to push back the images of the man and the sound of that beast's cry. She had to sleep, to shut off her mind

outside made her start, her heart racing all over again. She squeezed her eyes shu

her eyes, the image of those glowing

she had barely scratched the surface o