Chapter 1: The Howl Vibrates Through The Deep Woods.

Celine parked her car at the side of the road as soon as she spotted the welcome sign which read: 

Welcome to Helen's Creek.

Then she frowned at the slogan;

The howl vibrates through the deep woods.

It was a little strange for a town slogan, but she didn't dwell on it. Not when she had an important mission in this town. 

Celine reached into her bag, retrieved her phone, and sent a text to Monica, her younger sister.

—

I'm in Helen's Creek, Monica. Where are you? 

You promised to give me a tour around the town, and you said there's a hidden waterfall that you wanted to show me.

Please text me back.

—

Of course, there was no reply. In fact, Celine doubted that Monica had read any of her texts since December.

Because Monica had disappeared three months ago in Helen's Creek, where she had been working as a waitress, starting anew after a bad breakup. 

She had sent Celine many texts, pictures, and even videos of Helen's Creek until she just vanished into thin air.

No blood trail, no news, nothing.

Celine filed a missing report on her sister, but after three months of investigation, the police couldn't seem to find any clue. They even told her to just forget about her missing sister, as if an external influence had interfered with the investigation.

So here she was, resigning from her job in Los Angeles and drove all the way to West Oregon just to find her sister. 

Celine rolled her car window down to take a look at the deep woods sitting next to the main road. 

She was just trying to let the realization seep in because she abandoned everything and took all of her savings just to find her sister, her only family…

But she quickly rolled the window up as the drizzle got into her car and texted Monica once more.

—

Is it always so windy and drizzling in West Oregon? 

I prefer sunny California, but I have to find you no matter what.

Please text me back.

—

"Hah, this is so ridiculous," Celine mocked herself. She knew she was just being delusional, but she truly hoped there would be a miracle, and Monica would suddenly text her back, saying she was fine and alive.

"Alive…" Celine muttered. "Please stay alive, Monica. I don't want to be alone in this world…"

Celine closed her eyes, reminiscing about their harsh life, and how they survived with a relapsing, drug addicted mother after their father left with another woman. 

Monica was only three years younger than her, but Celine felt that Monica was more like a daughter than a sibling to her.

They had a special bond, and Celine was willing to go through anything for her. 

As she drove further, she saw an intersection that got her confused on where to go. She stopped for a moment, and checked the maps on her phone, which was significantly slower since this area didn't have a good connection.

As she waited for her maps to pinpoint her location, someone suddenly knocked at the car window.

She turned her head, and gasped as she saw a middle-aged man. He was so pale that Celine thought she saw a ghost.

Celine slowly rolled the window down, just enough so she could hear him, "Y–Yes?"

"Miss, are you going to Helen's Creek?" the man asked kindly with a smile, but she still couldn't shake the eerie feeling in her heart.

"Is it obvious?" Celine asked.

"Very," the man replied. "Or else, why would you stop in the middle of an intersection?" 

"Well, I'm here to meet with… someone," Celine said. 

"Did she not tell you about the rule in Helen's Creek?" 

"Rule?" Celine began to frown. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Well, not exactly, but the sun is setting, so you should meet with your friend as soon as possible," he cryptically said. "And after that, you need to stay inside until dawn."

Was the crime rate in Helen's Creek that high? Celine had never heard of such an early curfew before. Monica only told her the people in Helen's creek believed in some superstitious bullshit, but never elaborated any of it. 

"I… I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much, Sir," Celine said as she felt too disturbed by his eerie smile. She rolled the window up and stepped on the gas, leaving the man who was staring at the back of the car the whole time, with a smile that slowly turned malicious.

"A feast," he muttered while licking his lips. 

**

Celine continued her long drive until she reached the heart of the town. Strangely enough, the street was nearly deserted even though it was only seven in the evening. 

There were men walking about, but they were few and far between, and Celine had not yet encountered any woman on the streets.

Celine thought the middle-aged man she met before was just trying to scare her off, but judging from the empty road, she felt that the superstitious belief and rules must've been deeply ingrained into their minds. 

Nevertheless, Celine had no intention of stopping.

'Not when I have to find Monica, or at least find a way to reach Calhoun.' Celine clenched the steering wheel as she remembered about Monica's last boyfriend, the primary suspect of her disappearance. 'Jaime Calhoun, I knew something was wrong about you, and I will get to the end of this, even if I have to risk my life.'