Chapter 2: The Mysterious Town

As I boarded the plane to Helena, my heart danced with anticipation, yearning for the excitement that awaited me. The journey started by plane, but the second step would be a three-hour trip by bus to Missoula. There, a driver would pick me up and take me to Ravenwood, a small town at the edge of the Kootenai National Forest.

I found my seat on the plane, sat down, and plugged in my headphones. I randomly selected some music from my phone and picked "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins. As I looked out the window, the crowded streets faded away and were quickly replaced by sprawling landscapes and majestic mountains.

'Wow, that's magnificent', I thought every time I saw a glimpse of a mountaintop breaching through the clouds. I couldn't wait to trade my high heels for hiking boots and my buzzing phone for the melody of birdsong.

Alysha planned my trip perfectly. The transition from plane to bus worked effortlessly, and before I even realized how fast time passed, I had arrived at the bus station in Missoula.

Stepping off the bus, my senses were immediately greeted by the significantly crisper and cleaner air compared to the city. I searched for the taxi Alysha had arranged to pick me up. A middle-aged man with a friendly smile approached me, holding a sign with my name.

"Emma Turner?" he asked, his voice warm and inviting.

"Yes, that's me," I replied with a smile. There weren't many people at the station, and I stood out with my business chique blouse and pants.

"I'm John, your driver. Welcome to Montana! I hope your journey has been pleasant so far."

I nodded, grateful for his friendly demeanor. "Thank you, John. It's a relief to finally be here."

John chuckled as he took my suitcase and loaded it into the trunk of the taxi. "Well, we still got a bit of a way to go, but you're in for a treat, Miss Turner. Ravenwood may seem like your typical small town, but we have our fair share of legends."

I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. "Legends? Like ghost stories?"

John laughed full-heartedly when he held the door open for me to get inside the car. "Ghost stories? Well, I guess, kind of."

I furrowed a brow in slight confusion but got inside the back of the car. John closed the door behind me, got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and headed for Ravenwood. I noticed that he looked inside the back mirror to check on me a few times. Was something wrong with my outfit? Or had he simply found an interest in me? I looked out of the window in an attempt to ignore his staring.

Within minutes, we had left all traces of society behind us and were driving through a thick pinewood forest. The spring was finally here, and I could only see small traces of snow patches on the side. The birds had already returned.

A few minutes of silence passed, and John began to chat again. "So, I heard you´ll be working with Mr. Black."

I kept looking out of the window. "Ravenwood must be in fact very small if this information has already gotten around."

John grinned widely. "Oh, yes. We´re all very close, and people talk. They say Mr. Black plans to improve the town's economy by creating more workspace."

I sighed unnoticeably. "Yes, that is what we are hoping to do."

Another few minutes of silence. And again, I noticed in the corner of my eyes that John was staring at me through the back mirror. It made me feel uneasy.

Straightforward as I was, I decided to confront him. I looked straight out at the rear mirror, fixing his gaze. "Is everything ok, John?"

Like a child who had just been caught stealing candies, he winced and looked away, focusing so intensely on the road that it seemed unnatural. "Of course, Miss."

He stopped staring, but I could still feel his gaze on me every once in a while. What was up with this guy? The silence made me feel uncomfortable.

"Is there anything I should know about Mr. Black?" I tried getting the conversation going again.

"He is great!" John said, a little too overjoyed. I looked closely at his expression, but it did not reveal anything. I couldn't help but feel like there was something he was not telling me.

I laughed a little. "Alright, so no dark secrets I should not know about before I seal the deal?" I tried keeping it lightly, but I was eying him like a hawk. The slightest hesitation would not go unnoticed.

John tried to hide it, but I noticed him inhaling sharply. Was that it? My clue that there were indeed secrets associated with Mr. Black? Or was I simply exaggerating his reaction?

At that moment, I noticed something in the corner of my eye. My head snapped to the side, staring out of the window.

It was a wolf.

Not just a regular wolf. It was gigantic. Majestic. I had never seen a creature so enormous and magnificent with piercing ice-blue eyes and a dark brown mane. It was as if its eyes were staring right into my soul.

"Stop!" I screamed.

With a hard break, the car came to a complete stop in the middle of the road, causing the seatbelt to restrain my lungs violently. I had to catch my breath.

Adrenalin rushed through my veins, and my hands were shaking when I unbuckled my seat belt and opened the door. I turned in the direction we had come from and looked for the wolf.

It was gone. Vanished into thin air.

'What the hell just happened?!' I thought, still feeling the sharp pain in my lungs from the seat belt.

"Miss Turner?" John had gotten out of the car and was standing beside me.

I had to catch my breath before I could speak. "John, what the hell was that?"

John laughed a little nervously. "What was what, Miss Turner?"

I turned toward him, the shock across my face, staring straight at him. "Are you seriously telling me you did not see that?"

He looked a little apprehensive and tried to avoid looking back at me.

"You are hiding something!" I took a step closer toward him, and he flinched immediately. Anger surged in me. What the hell was this guy not telling me?!

"Miss Turner", John spoke slowly and calmly, "I think you're a bit in shock. It's ok. We're in the middle of a forest. There are wolves everywhere. That's nothing out of the ordinary. There's a whole pack that roams these parts."

My face turned expressionless. I realized I wouldn't get any valuable information from John. My pulse had returned to normal after a few seconds and many deep breaths. I turned around and got back into the car.

The majority of the trip afterward was silent. It took about 30 more minutes until the car entered the driveway of the hotel parking lot through an old iron gate. Tucked among trees, the old hotel looked like it had been a luxurious place once upon a time. The red brick exterior of the building was slightly weather-worn, but I could tell that somebody lovingly took care of the place. Ivy roots climbed up on the sides of the building, creating the illusion that the hotel was part of the green and stretching forest surrounding it.

"We're here", John uttered. He proceeded to get out of the car and unloaded my luggage from the trunk. I grabbed my coat from the seat beside me, pushed the door open, and exited the car.

I walked toward him and slowly stretched my hand out to hand him a $5 bill as a tip, looking at his face. When he grabbed the bill, I froze.

"John", I said, forcing him to lock eyes with me. "I never mentioned a wolf."

John froze. His face turned pale immediately when he realized his mistake. Now I was sure - he was hiding something. But what was it? Did it have something to do with the missing hiker? Was this town dangerous? Were there multiple incidents associated with these wolves?

John's hand was still holding on to the $5 bill. He was at a loss for words, staring into my eyes. His expression was filled with shock and fear, and he swallowed heavily, still not saying a word. I released my grip on the money, and he took it. Quickly and shakingly, he packed it into his pocket.

"Good luck with your business with Mr. Black", John stuttered. Then he turned around instantly, almost ran to the car, and threw himself back onto the driver's seat. He slammed the door shut, turned on the growling engine, and accelerated so fast that the tires lost their grip for a second.

After watching the car disappear through the iron gate and back into the depths of the forest, I turned toward the hotel building. I was resolute in uncovering the mystery that shrouded this town, determined to reveal its secrets.

'Whatever you have to hide, Mr. Black, I will figure it out.'