Alex finished explaining the situation to the group of detectives.
An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air.
"That's bullshit!" Grant finally broke it. "What is this, some kind of prank?"
Alex looked up at him, his face pale with disbelief.
"P—p—prank?" he mumbled.
Then his voice exploded. "Prank!?" He shot to his feet and swung a heavy punch square on Grant's face.
"You son of a—" Grant staggered but quickly regained balance, raising his fists to retaliate.
Before he could, Victor and Rob rushed in, grabbing him and shoving Alex back to separate them.
"Do I look like I'm joking!?" Alex roared, chest heaving. "Is there a smile on my face? Maya is gone!" His voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes. "She's gone! That thing ate her, and there's nothing I can do about it!"
His knees buckled, and this time he didn't hold back his sobs. He crumpled to the floor, crying like a broken man.
Rob crouched beside him, speaking gently. "Hey, it's alright, Alex."
Grant jerked free from Victor's grip, straightening his clothes. "This is a waste of time," he muttered.
"Maybe it's worth checking out," Victor chimed in.
Grant scoffed. "What?"
"Remember the roars from the video footage? And the wall breaking down?" Rob added. "Alex's monster might be the culprit."
Grant exhaled sharply. "So you're telling me some tentacled, stick-limbed creature ate all the missing students? That's ridiculous. And on top of that, we didn't see anything leave the villa. A creature like that would be hard to miss on camera."
"You've seen the destruction inside the house," Rob countered. "Do you have another explanation for what caused that?"
Grant opened his mouth but hesitated. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. We'll go check it out."
They disappeared into their rooms and got prepared. When Victor returned, he was tucking a pistol into his waistband. "Gotta go prepared," he muttered.
They piled into the Jeep. With Alex still shaken, Rob took the driver's seat. The engine rumbled to life, headlights slicing through the darkness as they drove down the forest path.
The silence was deafening. The usual rustling of trees, chirping of crickets—gone. Only the sound of tires grinding against dirt filled the air.
Alex sat stiffly, occasionally glancing out the window like he expected something to be lurking in the shadows.
Then Grant spoke up. "Come to think of it—why are you still in your formal clothes?"
Rob didn't look at him. "I slept in them."
"With the coat, shoes, and everything?" Grant pressed.
"I was really tired."
Suspicion flashed in Grant's eyes. "Are you hiding something?"
Rob's hands tightened on the wheel. "No. I'm not."
"You are, aren't you?"
"Are you deaf? I said I'm not," Rob snapped.
Grant's face darkened, but before the argument could escalate, Victor intervened. "This isn't the time for bickering."
Grant let out a frustrated grunt, crossing his arms and sinking into his seat.
Silence reclaimed the Jeep.
Alex glanced out the window again.
"You guys feel it too, don't you?" His voice was hushed, uneasy.
"Feel what?" Rob asked.
"That feeling—like we're being watched." Alex swallowed his saliva. "It was the same back in the woods with Maya. That thing was in the shadows, watching."
No one responded.
"You brought guns, right?" Alex asked.
Only Victor answered. "I brought my pistol."
Alex shook his head. "That won't be enough." He pointed ahead. "Take that turn. It'll lead to the reserve station. There are more firearms there."
Rob nodded and turned the wheel.
Grant muttered under his breath, "I doubt we'll need it."
Soon, they arrived at the station—a modern yet modest building with a small porch. A wooden table and chair sat outside, and a solar panel rested on the asphalt roof.
They hopped out of the Jeep, the sound of closing doors and their footsteps echoing unnaturally loud in the quiet forest.
Alex led the way inside, flipping the light switch. The glow from within made the building stand out like a diamond in a coal mine. The interior was compact but functional, containing all the essentials.
He moved toward a corner where a heavy trunk sat. With a click, he unlocked it, revealing two shotguns and two tranquilizer guns.
Grant immediately grabbed a shotgun, running his hands over it before cocking it with a practiced motion.
Victor took the other shotgun and a tranquilizer gun, then handed the tranquilizer to Rob. "You ever used a gun before?" he asked.
Rob took it, weighing it in his hands. "I have some experience."
Alex stood near a table, staring down at a framed photo he had picked up. It was of him and Maya—one of their last memories together. His grip tightened on the tranquilizer gun in his other hand.
Rob's voice cut through the silence. "She must have been really special."
Alex turned slightly, his lips forming a soft, bittersweet smile. "She was. I was planning to propose. Bought the ring months ago, but I only just worked up the courage." He let out a shaky breath. "Told myself I'd do it tomorrow."
Rob met his gaze. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Alex exhaled, nodding. "It's fine. We should get going."
Gently, he placed the photo back on the desk. Without another word, they left the station and climbed back into the Jeep.
Like a strike force, they stormed through the forest, headlights cutting through the darkness.
"We're almost there. Just up ahead," Alex announced.
Rob nodded, keeping his hands steady on the wheel. But something caught his attention.
The tire tracks.
All this time he could see the tire tracks of when Alex drove the Jeep down the path to get to the villa.
But now they were gone.
No—not gone.
He squinted his eyes as he focused. The tracks hadn't disappeared naturally. They had been wiped away.
But by what?
A chill crept up his spine.
They arrived at the site where Maya had been taken.
One by one, the men stepped out, weapons in hand.
Ready.
almost immediately Rob stepped out; he scanned the area for footprints. But there were none.
'What the heck is going on here? If Alex's story is true—which I know it is—his and Maya's footprints should be all around here,' he thought.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Rob asked.
"This is the place; this is where Maya was eaten."
"Looks empty." Victor muttered.
"Where's her body?" Grant asked.
"There is no body; I think she was eaten whole."
"You think? Oh, for the love of—I knew this was a waste of time." Grant scoffed. "What do you mean she was eaten whole? There are no anacondas in birchwood." He expressed.
Then they heard it—a delibrate tap-tap-tap.
"What was that?" Rob asked
"We're in the middle of the forest." Grant said. "It's probably some animal, like a fox or something."
"That's the thing; the animals have been nonexistent lately, and no animal I know of makes a sound like that." Alex explained.
Then they heard a voice—a woman's voice. "We should head back."
It wasn't just any voice.
It was Maya's.
"M—Maya?" Alex's voice wavered with hope, his breath catching.
Grant scoffed. "Well, what do you know? The broad's alive."
The voice spoke again.
"We're on edge. Probably just the win—wind—we should head back."
The voice was clearer this time; it was not right; it sounded unnatural, uncanny.
"No, that's not her." Rob warned.
Alex clenched his jaw, his voice shaking. "You're right. What was I thinking? I saw her get eaten. That's the monster! That's got to be it!"
Grant threw his arms up in frustration. "Enough of this prank! Woman, come out here! Show yourself!"
Alex shot him a glare. "You're still saying that?"
"G-Guys," Victor's voice wavered.
They turned.
"What is it?" Grant asked.
Victor's trembling hand pointed. "Something moved over there."
Immediately, they raised their guns in the direction he pointed.
Then, behind them—a thud in the trees.
They all looked up.
A small stone tumbled to the ground, as if it had been thrown.
Before they could react, their guns were yanked from their hands—except for Rob, who jerked his weapon away just in time.
"What the—?!" Grant gasped.
Rob's sharp eyes darted around, hoping to spot the monster.
And they did.
There it was, thin dark and slender.
It loomed above Alex, tentacles extending from an opening in its abdomen.
It pounced.
It almost seemed calculated; Victor and Grant were looking in another direction; it wrapped Alex up with its tentacles, one covering his mouth so he could not scream, and the others wrapping him in a way he could not struggle. In a flash, it dragged him towards the trees.
—Bang!—
Rob fired his gun, barely missing the thing before it vanished behind the trees.
"What was that?!" Grant's voice cracked with fear.
Rob didn't answer—he darted toward the tree Alex was dragged behind. He looked.
Nothing.
Unbeknownst to him, behind another tree, the creature coiled and shifted, folding its body impossibly thin. Hidden. Silent.
It devoured Alex.
Tentacles stuffed him into its mouth, compressing his struggling body, forcing the large man into its impossibly thin form like an anaconda swallowing a deer.
It was so unnaturally still, so expertly concealed, that even an act as gruesome as this remained unseen.
"That's impossible. I saw it. It was right here." Rob said.
He turned back to Victor and Grant.
Rob's was surprised. "I saw it; it was just right here," he said. By the time he turned his attention to Victor and Grant, there it was again, already at the other side, about to snatch Victor.
"THERE!" he shouted.
The thing was already behind Victor, about to snatch him next.
Rob had no clear shot—it was too close to them.
Victor spun and slammed the handle of his gun into the creature's face.
It staggered back.
Grant, seeing it now, stumbled and hit the ground, screaming.
Now Rob had a shot.
His palm ignited. A fireball formed in his hand. Like a projectile it hurled through the air, colliding with the creature.
'Ah sh*t, reflex.'
Flames erupted, the creature screeching—a sharp, deafening wail—the same sound from the video footage.
It thrashed, rolling frantically to put out the fire.
Grass and shrubs beneath it caught on fire.
Tap. Tap. Tap!
With its long stick-like arms, it pounded the ground in a panic.
"We—we—we should head back—probably just the wind—we're on edge."
It mimicked Maya's words, but the voice was distorted and inhuman.
"Well, the cat's out of the bag." Like a bullet out of a gun, he leaped towards the creature faster than Victor and Grant's eyes could follow. Fist ablaze, he swung at the creature, but it dodged, retreating into the shadows once again.
Rob's flaming punch hit the ground, fire spreading outward in a wave.
"Dang it." He blurted.
The fire was spreading fast around him; embers began to float in the air and the smell of scorched earth was now faisable.
'Don't want to start a forest fire,' he stomped his foot.
A shockwave rippled outward, putting out the flames instantly.
Silence.
When he turned back, Victor and Grant were staring at him, jaws slack, eyes wide.
Rob sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah… I can explain."
Grant was the first to snap out of it.
"Explain?" His voice pitched higher than usual. "You just shot fire from your hands!" He wasn't his usual grumpy self—he was shocked. Afraid.
Rob exhaled. "Look, I'll explain later. For now, let's get in the car and get out of here before that thing comes back."
They hesitated; seeing what they saw him do, it was hard to trust him. But staying in the dark forest where that thing could appear again at anytime wouldn't do them any good, so they agreed.
They hurried to the Jeep, Rob in the drivers seat. He started the engine, hit the gas, and they took off.
"Don't you have some explaining to do?" Grant reminded.
Victor wasn't talking. He just stared at him, his demeanor more serious now.
Rob sighed "Alright, you guys weren't supposed to find out, but since we almost got eaten alive, I guess we're past keeping secrets."
He met their eyes through the rare-view mirror. "As you know, I'm a private detective. But not the regular kind. I handle supernatural cases—warewolves, ghosts, missing students that were actually eaten by a slenderman wannabe tree monster. Stuff like that."
Grant blinks twice. "What?"
Victor finally spoke, his voice low. "And the fire thing?"
Rob held out his hand and a flame appeared in it. He moved his hand around and the flame rolled around his hand like a magnetic ball rolling around a piece of metal. Then it vanished as quickly as it came.
"It's called Ember Flux Mastery," he said. It's a martial art that lets me control fire.
Grant ran a hand through his hair. "Control fire, huh? I knew you were hiding something from us." He let out a shaky laugh.
"How long have you been doing this?" Victor asked.
Rob hesitated. "A while, not long after I came back to Birchwood.
"I can't believe it; this is crazy." Grant said. "I just witnessed you fight off a monster with firepowers.
"And you didn't think to mention it sooner? I thought I was your best friend." Victor said.
"I thought it best not to tell you, my life is dangerous and you knowing about my powers could put you in danger too." Rob replied.
Victor smirked slightly. "This really is crazy. My cousin is some sort of supernatural arsonist."
A smirk crept on Rob's face. "Supernatural arsonist?"
"How are you so calm?" Grant asked.
"I don't know; I guess I think it's just kind of cool that my cousin can shoot fire from his hands.
Rob's hands gripped the wheel tighter.
His mind drifted back to the thing in the woods.
'Could it be...?'