Ayla Thorn drove fast, the trees rushing past in a blur. Fog covered the road, thick and white, swallowing the edges of her headlights.
"Still creepy as hell," she muttered, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.
Ten years. It had been ten years since she left Ashpine behind. And now here she was, called home by a single phone call.
"Your grandmother's gone," the voice had said. "It looks like… an animal attack."
Ayla had gone still when she heard it. "That's not possible," she whispered, filled with disbelief. "She knew those woods. She practically raised the trees."
"I'm sorry, Ayla," the caller had replied. "You should come home."
Now the truck arrived at the last hill. The small town appeared below, deep in the woods. Same cracked roads. Same buildings with peeling paint.
It was like the place had never moved forward.
"Still a ghost town," Ayla said aloud, trying to shake the weight in her chest.
She parked outside the old general store. It was closed, though the sign said opened. A figure across the street pulled down their blinds when she stepped out.
She frowned. "Okay. That's not hostile at all."
the moment her boots hit the ground, she felt strange.
She froze.
The air was wrong.
Heavy. Watching.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Cassia, her childhood best friend.
Cassia: Heard you're in town. Meet me at the station before you go to the house.
Ayla stared at the message. Her thumb slide on the screen, but she didn't respond.
"Sorry, Cass. I have to see it first." she mumbled to herself.
The Thorn house was just outside town, hidden in the trees. It looked smaller than she remembered. The windows were dark. The porch sagged under years of rot and weather. She pushed the gate, it creaked open like it remembered her.
"Home sweet haunted home," she muttered.
Inside, dust covered everything. Her boots left clear tracks on the old hardwood floor. She stared at the empty chair near the fireplace.
Her voice caught as she whispered, "You used to sit right there... and tell me stories."
Wolves. Curses. Ancient bonds.
Ayla had never believed them.
But now?
Now, those stories didn't seem so crazy.
She moved slowly through the house. Her eyes captured on small things, like the broken clock, the empty tea cup, the faint scratch marks on the inside of the door.
"Wait…" She stepped closer.
Deep, rough lines ran across the back door, like claws had ripped it open.
She sucked in a breath. "What the hell?"
Her chest tightened. A chill crept up her spine.
Then her phone buzzed again.
Cassia: Seriously. Come to the station. There's something you need to see.
Ayla didn't hesitate this time. She grabbed the keys and left.
~~~~
The sheriff's station sat at the edge of the square. Cassia was already waiting outside, arms crossed. Her red hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, her badge shimmered.
"You look like hell," Cassia said, pulling Ayla into a quick, one-armed hug.
Ayla snorted. "You look like you've been sleeping with one eye open."
"I have," Cassia said dryly. "And trust me, it hasn't helped."
They stepped inside. The station was too quiet. Even the air felt still.
Cassia pulled a folder from her desk. "This is the autopsy report. It's short. Real short."
Ayla opened it. Her brow furrowed. "Cause of death: animal attack," she read aloud.
"Bullshit"
"I know," Cassia said. "I pushed for a real autopsy. They shut it down. Fast."
"Why?"
Cassia met her eyes. "Because something's off, Ayla. And people are scared."
"Scared of what?"
Cassia hesitated, then said quietly, "You."
Ayla blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"Since your grandma died, the town's been... shaky. People think something followed you back."
"But I wasn't here," Ayla said, frowning.
"Doesn't matter," Cassia said. "The way she died. The stories she told. Your name... they're talking."
Ayla laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You can't be serious."
Cassia's voice dropped. "Do you remember what she used to say? About the blood debt?"
Ayla's stomach turned. She whispered, "A debt of blood will always be paid in full."
Cassia nodded. "Exactly."
"Cass…" Ayla began, but her friend was already moving.
"There's something else."
They entered the evidence room. Cassia pulled a lid off a metal table.
Ayla's breath caught.
Her grandmother's coat, it was torn and stained with blood.
She stepped forward, voice shaking. "God…"
Cassia pointed to the collar. "Look."
Burned into the fabric was a symbol.
A crescent moon wrapped in thorns.
"What is that?" Ayla whispered.
"You tell me," Cassia said. "She had this on her when we found her. Know what it means?"
Ayla shook her head. "No. I've never seen it."
Cassia narrowed her eyes. "Liar."
Before Ayla could respond, a low, husky howl echoed through the station.
Cassia went pale. "That's not a wolf, is it?"
The lights flickered. Once. Then again.
"Lock it down," Ayla said.
Cassia didn't hesitate. She slammed the emergency button. Steel shutters dropped over the windows with a loud clunk.
Ayla moved to the door. Cassia grabbed her arm. "Don't be stupid."
"I'm not," Ayla said, pulling free. "I'm being me."
She stepped into the fog outside, her heart hammering.
Another howl but this time it was closer.
Then a shape. Moving fast.
A blur of black fur and muscle slammed into her. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of her lungs.
A massive wolf loomed above her. Black fur. Gold eyes. Fangs bared.
It didn't move.
It stared.
Then it sniffed her arm.
Ayla couldn't breathe. Her eyes locked with its. And then, it licked the cut on her arm.
The wolf froze.
It's golden eyes widened. Shifted. Almost... human.
Then it turned and vanished into the fog.
Ayla lay there, stunned, then she looked down at her arm.
The cut glowed.
A symbol burned into her skin.
A crescent moon wrapped in a thorny vine.
Her eyes widened. "What the hell...?"