Chapter One
Devin Miller peered through the darkness as the rain battered down on the windshield of his trusty Audi, the wipers doing little to get rid of the rain and give him some much-needed visibility. He had been driving for six hours now, and he knew that at the speed he was going, it would take another five to get to the other side of the mountains and to the town where his new apartment was located. The journey shouldn’t have taken him more than five hours in total, but a freak rainstorm had ruined his carefully planned drive, his hands gripping the wheel tight. At least his car’s headlights were working just fine, and the road itself was alright, not a muddy slip and slide strip like he had half-feared. So he wouldn’t reach her destination tonight. Okay, change of plan. Get through the mountains, find a decent motel on the other side, and continue his journey tomorrow. “Good thing I wanted to come early,” he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a dark shape leapt from the bushes on the left side of the road, and Devin automatically stepped on the brakes and steered to the right in an attempt to avoid hitting the animal. It didn’t look too big, maybe a wolf or a small deer? His heart felt like it would burst out of his chest when his car kept sliding on the wet road, and when the car’s front dipped down and Devin could only see trees and bushes, he thought for a moment that he was gonna die, his car hopelessly out of control as it slid down a mountainside.
The car stopped suddenly, sending Devin jolting forward, slamming his forehead into his steering wheel. Devin sat frozen for a moment, wondering what had happened. Gripping the bridge of his nose he felt a small bit of blood drip down onto his hand. Groaning he lifted his head and looked over his hood to see what happened. He hadn’t hit a tree--although one was awfully close to his bumper. He opened the door, breathing with relief when he saw the road, only to kick his tire when he realised his car was in a ditch. His legs were still trembling from the shock as he got out to see how stuck he was. “Damn…” both front wheels were stuck in the mud, and he knew that in this weather, with his car, he’d only end up burying them even deeper if he tried to drive back out. He wiped a few wet strands of auburn hair out of his face, and dove back into his car, shutting the door. He grabbed his cell phone, swearing when he saw that he had no reception. A tow truck was out. He should’ve rented a Jeep or something else that was actually made for mountain roads! But it was too late for that. “You tried,” he said, patting the dashboard. He had driven past a set of cabins on his way here. When had he seen the last one? Five minutes ago? Ten? He had to walk to the nearest place he could and ask for help. Sighing he looked at the time and shook his head. “I’m just going to walk for a bit to see if there is a cabin around....maybe I’ll get lucky....” picking up his phone and a few other items he started walking down the road as his car sat buried in the mud.
The stormy night was nothing out of the ordinary up in the mountains. Rains were heavy this time of year. The nights cold. Whatever lurked in the woods in this weather must be durable. The beasts that lurked in this night were up to something no doubt. Whatever had caused Devin to swerve out of control was still there; watching in the roar of the rain. The eyes of the culprit waited. As Devin began to move, for a moment the beast had not. Whatever had been watching would remember. A loud howl followed Devin closely behind after the car was far out of view. The sound of padded paws and heavy pants were heard rather close by, but nothing was seen. A light could be seen a few ways off along with a sign that read, ‘Wolve’s Den Cabins’ across it along with a smaller lettering for a sort of symbol on the front behind the words. A road led out the back, and parking spots had cars in them. Hell, the roads were just as empty.
Inside this cabin, a man sat quietly. His hair was light, with a blue streak down the front. His eyes were piercing blue, and he was rather quiet as he read through what seemed to be old newspapers and worn books. The man wore a long sleeved button up white shirt. The collar was spiked up, and the buttons rather loosely done. He had heard the howls that echoed in the night nearby. The man stood and walked towards the door. He stood a towering 7ft no doubt. He was broad in the shoulders, intimidating. The howls had him curious, and peeking his head out the door, “Now what?”
Devin was shaking, the rain now felt like tiny needles piercing his skin as it hit him. He was absolutely soaked but he wasn’t expecting to break down in the rain so he didn’t have the most fitting clothing for the weather. The sounds of the woods normally calm him on a good day but right now he felt like his mind was playing tricks on him. The wind sounded like wolves howling and there was an echo to his footsteps making him hear an extra set of feet moving close behind.
He was starting to lose hope until he noticed on the ridge a nice warm light emanating down. He would have to climb up a muddy slope to get there but with a determined look on his face he planted his feet on the most stable spots and started to inch his way up the side. He ended up slipping a few times getting covered in mud for the most part but his wallet and mace were okay. Looking over the sign that sat in front of the little cabin community he smiled a bit “that’s a cute name...kind of endearing....” moving he started up the steps before knocking on the main cabin door hoping he wasn’t disturbing anyone sleeping. Devin felt embarrassed. He was always taught to not swerve for animals but he knew either way his car would end up busted. Using the only clean parts of his shirt he wiped his face then hands. He didn’t want to get anything too dirty around him.
