The Moon’s Shadow

Chapter 1: The Hollowing Night

The road leading to Black Hollow was long and winding, and beneath the tall pines, the shadows went on forever. As her car bounced repeatedly over a series of potholes, Evelyn tightened her hold on the driving wheel and the GPS flickered before turning completely dark. Fantastic, she thought. There was hardly any daylight left, no signal, and the middle of nowhere.

 She could hear her editor voice in her head saying, “Evelyn, it’s an easy piece.” Look into the killings of the livestock, gather some quotes, and write about it. No more than a week. Simple? Not very likely.

 The locals she had spoken to over the phone were either evasive or completely contemptuous. While some whispered about “The Beast,” others whispered about coyotes. Black Hollow seems to be no exception to the widespread superstitions prevalent in small villages.

 It was almost evening by the time Evelyn saw the crafted sign welcoming people to Black Hollow. She felt her skin crawl at the weird silence of the streets. A shabby motel’s flashing neon sign provided an eerie glow as she parked into the space for parking.

 The clerk, a skinny man wearing a worn plaid shirt, remarked, “Evening.” Todd was his name tag. He slid a key across the counter, barely looking up. You are in the sixth room. Eleven is the check-out time. Never venture out on your own after dark.

 Evelyn’s eyebrow rose up. “Is this supposed to be an advice or a warning?”

 Todd’s lips drew a stern line. “Both.”

 She thought about pushing him more, but subsequently switched her mind. She still needed to remove her equipment, and exhaustion was beginning to set in. The room had a bed and a lock on the door, but it was as small, musty, and barely lighted as she thought. For now, that would be enough.

 Later, Evelyn reviewed over her notes whilst she unpacked. For months, the attacks had been occurring more frequently. Like the ruins of a horror movie, sheep, goats, and even some cattle had been found shredded apart. The details of the wounds—deep, exact, nearly surgical—were what confused her the most. Coyotes find it too clean, while humans find it too cruel.

 A sense of discomfort engulfed her as night fell. The motel’s thin walls let out all the creaking and moans of the building. She tried to disregard it, putting it on her city girl anxiety, but the feeling continued. At midnight, she was woken by a noise.

 A sound jolted her awake at midnight.

 A howl.

 It was low and melancholy, sounding like a ghostly lament through the silence of the room. With her heart pounding Evelyn sat up and tried to listen to more. There was a rustle outside her window after the sound, and it came closer this time.

 She walked over to the curtains and took a quick glance outside. The parking area was vacant but the woods outside seemed to be alive, with the trees swaying weirdly in the moonlight. Before she began to question herself, her journalistic instincts took over and she picked up her camera and flashlight.

 She went outside, her breath clouding in the cold, the air discomforting. Her flashlight beam penetrated the darkness as she followed the sound towards the forest. The sounds rose in volume as she went farther—rustling leaves, cracking twigs, and the same terrifying scream.

 When she saw it, the rhythm of her heart increased rapidly.

 Between the trees, a big, extraordinarily fast shadow moved. It was too large for a wolf, but it had a distinctly predatory walk. Evelyn grabbed her camera and started taking pictures rapidly but the creature stayed hardly in focus.

 The forest suddenly erupted in chaos. Something roared past her, knocking her to the ground before she could respond to the guttural snarl that was approaching from her left. As the flashlight was pushed away, she gasped and gripped her side. She noticed a thick, black fur, matted with what looked to be blood, in the dim moonlight.

 The creature paused a few steps away and looked at her with its eyes that were sparkling bright. For a second, she feared it may lunge, but then it let out a terrible snarl and mysteriously vanished into the darkness.

 Evelyn lay trembling as the forest fell silent once again.

 Todd had been waiting by the door, his face as white as a sheet, when she finally staggered back to the motel.

 “Did you go into the woods?” He asked.

 Evelyn nodded, too shaking to speak.

 Todd murmured something beneath his breath and shook his head. “You have to go. No matter what you think you are looking for, it is not worth your life.

 However, Evelyn wasn’t prepared to leave at this point.

 It wasn’t just a story, whatever was out there. 

It was something a lot more dangerous, and she was going discover it out.