Prologue

Officer Martinez steps out of his cruiser to observe an empty log cabin in the woods. Everything was quiet and dark; his younger partner even said so, urging him to leave without checking, writing up the report as a prank call. But the older man knew in his gut that something was wrong.

"We're already here, might as well check," he said.

Officer Lagos rolled his eyes but stepped out of the vehicle, clicking his flashlight once to illuminate the house and its surroundings. His partner informed the 911 operator that they arrived at the reported scene. He swung his light right to left as he walked towards the nearest window to peek inside. But the glass was dusty, and the heavy curtains, drawn. The young officer touched the windowpane, and he collected a significant amount of dust, cementing his belief that the cabin was empty.

"Nobody sets foot in here in a while, Marty," he called to his old partner while shining a light on the ground. There was crumbling mud everywhere. It covered the floorboards. Everything was undisturbed.

"Don't be lazy, Lagos," Martinez said as he examined the ground. "Go check the back."

Officer Lagos begrudgingly agreed while the older man walked up to the front door and gave it a few knocks.

"This is the police, open up!"

Martinez listened intently for a few seconds before thumping hard on the door again.

Meanwhile, Officer Lagos followed a muddy trail towards the back of the property. It always rained in this part of the sleepy town and he hates it. He constantly dreamed of living somewhere warm, dry, and by the beach; he couldn't wait to get out of this place.

The wind blew, and Lagos shuddered a little with the cold… and that was when he caught the smell of wet iron and rust. He picked up the pace until he reached the backdoor that was conveniently swinging back and forth by the wind, almost yanked out of its hinges.

"Hey, Marty," he announced at his mic. "Found a way in. Come out here at the back!"

When his partner answered in affirmative, Lagos unclipped his gun from its holster and inched inside the house. He illuminated the floor to walls to the ceiling; he realized it was the kitchen. It was dark, damp, and eerily cold. Everything was dirty, things were strewn about everywhere. He coughed a bit from the musty smell and dust that attacked his nostrils.

"What the hell happened here?" he mumbles to himself.

Just then, something moves in front of him, and he took his gun out.

"Who's there?" he called out, alarmed.

He heard a low growl and Lagos could only stand where he was, hyperventilating.

"No, no, no, no!" Officer Martinez heard his partner yelled before he heard multiple gunshots and a scuffle. He took his gun and hurried to Lagos' aid, but just as he reached the backdoor, it swung open and hit him in the face.

When the other officers interrogated Marty, he swore up and down that he saw a black dog-like figure dash out of the house... with Lagos' head on its hand.

-LLE