The Alpha Curse
light hush of Ridge wood Woods. Beside him, Ethan's breath came in sha
called, weaving betw
ashed into view, an old farm pig, only half its bristles left, snorting in pan
tusks bare. He pivoted on one foot and sprinted off the path into
anged a look and br
ds?" Jake panted, scramb
umped. "I don't
e pig's path. But the animal veered around him, eyes locked ahead. Liam
silent, so silent it magnified the pig's franti
ion mixing with adrenaline.
fter the pig again, branches whipping his face. Jake
the ground. There, at the edge, stood an abandoned two storey house, its windows gaping like e
s. The creature's squeals faded into the house's dark mouth.
iam's side. "What
is on any map. He eyed the broken windows and
member something from the book.He dug into his backpack
a hunting lodge' later abandoned after an unexplained mass disappearance. Rumor
an you gonna stop reading books, even in dange
g fingertip. Part of it. The rest w
s around them, as if the house exhaled. We sho
n shrugged. "We
an to Jake, torn. I.
r. We stick together. Or rather you can st
g darted in front of them, then back out, squealing between breath
s flashlight. Its beam carved a narrow path into the darkness. I
ady for this adv
own a hallway lined with cracked
esced into long, claw like gashes. They climbed walls, doors, even the
ake murmured, voice b
lt at the base of the wall and pointed to a shard of something b
He lifted the broken piece gingerly. It felt im
ke hissed, grabbi
es... something lives.. or lived in these woo
deep it rattled the floorboards. A squeals erupted from som
d ran cold.
around the claw. His eyes
he rafters. Dust rained down around them,
han grabbe
than resisted, but Jake wrenched it free. Books and papers rustled in lai
fist. A dark silhouette filled the pane, broad shoulders, pointed ears, and glowing
screame
lintered behind them as the creature, whatever
ind him. The pig darted past again, ghosting into the trees. Beyond the porc
'd come. Ethan's pulse pounded in his ears, keeping pace with their sp
rked, grabbing
amiliar, safe. They spilled onto the gravel, chests heaving, shoulders
ooding back. "Did you see it?" he gasped, voice t
its edges gleaming in Jake's flashlight. "We can't le
mouth. The creature's howl echoed across the t
termined; Jake's hand twitching on the camera bag as if he wanted t
d, voice low. dectative
and nodded. R
s empty, porch still. But from deep inside, a single scratch trailed down one of the b
ull of something ancient, the weight of a story clawed into wood an