Chapter 1

An Eerie Discovery

May

“Do you think it was a werewolf, like that kid always said it was?” Tracy asked her husband as she carried an armload of cut wood to their small utility trailer. The other stacks of wood in the trailer rattled as she dropped in the new load. She pulled up the zipper on the spring work coat she wore, the air still holding a chill as the last bit of snow melted away in the forest. Across the clearing, Michael swung his axe down hard on a log, splitting it in half with a loud crack. The clearing was starting to come together. They’d inherited the house from Michael’s uncle, Robert Stuart, and after a lot of work over the past three days the clearing was finally looking less like a wild forest and more like a respectable yard. This project was their latest effort to make a series of connecting trails behind their new home. It was one way to keep Tracy from going completely crazy.

“Trace, I know you want to believe everything you see and read online, but I thought someone like you would perhaps be a bit skeptical about monsters and werewolves. I mean, come on. Don’t you think maybe you’re obsessing about this just a bit too much, hun?” He picked up the two pieces of wood from the loamy forest floor before turning towards Tracy. “I mean, I know you want answers. Hell, don’t you think I want some too? Uncle Bob was my favorite uncle. His murder is something I’ll never be able to just forget. But I don’t want to pretend it was some kind of supernatural monster when the obvious answer is that it was some psycho that took him and Aunt Nancy.”

“I know, but there are just too many things that don’t add up, Mike. Whoever, or whatever, killed them escaped by the window. Why would a person do that? And by the way,” she glared at him with her hands on her hips. “Just because you think you know everything, doesn’t mean you actually know everything.”

Mike picked up another piece of wood from the dwindling pile to his right and placed it on the chopping block.

“Good enough, but at least I’m not wasting my time with crazy talk while the case isn’t solved.” He regretted it as soon as he said it. He looked up to see her already walking away. “Hun, come on. You know what I mean.” She was shaking her head no as she walked away from the small clearing.

Tracy hadn’t been sold on the idea of leaving the mainland and her career as a legal assistant at Monroe Law Offices. She was now six months into her year-long sabbatical and still didn’t know if she wanted to stay on Oakwood Island or return to her job in the fall. Luckily for Michael, he was able to work from anywhere as a stock analyst, so he didn’t have to sacrifice his career when they inherited his uncle Robert’s house on the island when his aunt and uncle were murdered five years earlier. It had taken four years of vacationing at the home on the island, just to convince Tracy to at least give living here a try. It was a great spot, away from the hustle and bustle from the mainland, and he had always craved returning to the simple life. Convincing his wife Tracy to live here full time, though, had been difficult. He ran to catch up with her on the trail they had created that led to their new home.

“I’m sorry, Tracy. I know what you mean, and I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you.” He reached out to touch her arm with his left hand. She stopped walking and turned to face him. Tears streamed down her face.

“I know, Mike. I’m just so scared. I wish I could get it out of my head, but I keep thinking about how they were found, their bodies mutilated and ripped apart. We sleep in the same room where this happened! What person could do that? Here, of all places, too!” She took off her oversized work gloves and wiped at her tears. Her emotions were taking over and he knew he had to help her. He had never seen her struggle so much, and he knew he was partially responsible.

“I know, babe. It’s not something we can just ignore. But we need to keep our heads clear and focus on what we know as facts. The police and Detective Burke that handled their case did everything they could to find answers. Even now, five years later, the case is still open. Maybe one day we will get answers. Until then, though, we need to live our lives, hun. I want us to really try our best here, even if it gets hard at times.” He wiped the rest of the moisture away from the dark circles that had grown larger under her eyes since their move here.

“Can we just take a break? Please?” She let out a deep and slow breath as she finished speaking. Michael nodded in agreement and took her hand to lead her into the woods, off the trail.

“Come on. Let’s go for a walk.” He pulled her lean body closer to his side, wrapping his free arm around her waist. “Let’s go see if there is a spot we can build that meditation hut you were talking about.” He smiled at her and she tried to smile back as best she could.

“Fine. But don’t think I don’t believe in monsters, ‘cause I still do. Jerk.” She elbowed him in the ribs, chuckling a bit, trying her best to lighten her mood. They walked in a straight line, mostly, for about twenty steps, before both stopped at the same time.

“Mike, do you see what I see?” her voice came out in a barely audible whisper. He nodded and took a few steps closer to the pile of bones that were stacked as high as their knees. She grabbed Mike’s plaid work jacket by the left sleeve, forcing him to stop moving. “Don’t touch it, Mike. You don’t know what those are, or whose. We shouldn’t touch anything.” Her voice trailed off as he turned to face her, looked in her eyes and took her hand to reassure her. “It’s okay, Trace. I won’t touch it. I just want to take a closer look, is all. Go to the four-wheeler and get my cell phone. We need to call animal control or something. Most of these are small animals, maybe a deer or two. I’m not sure why they’re all piled up like this though.”

“Don’t you get it, Mike? Don’t you see? Whatever killed your aunt and uncle is what did this!” Her tears came back as her voice rose into a panicked cry. “This is why I don’t want to be here anymore!” She cried harder as she turned around and ran towards the main trail they had cleared in the woods.

“Just get the phone, Trace. Everything will be okay.”

He felt horrible. He knew he had pushed her into coming to live on the island. He knew she was unhappy here yet he wanted to live on the island. As she ran to get the phone he turned back to the pile of animal carcasses and focused on the one that had caught his attention, and the reason why he had sent her away from the scene. Moving in closer he knew for sure now what he was looking at. The femur that protruded from the bottom of the pile was clearly human. Knowing he couldn’t let her see this, Mike turned from the stack of bones and ran after Tracy.

Animal control arrived within an hour, and the police shortly after. A lone crow circled the area above the Stuart’s house and its new occupants. The island shuddered in the cool wind as a new wave of darkness cast over the skies above.