Chapter 2 ONGOING

The crisp October air nipped at Emma's cheeks as she hurried down Main Street, her arms laden with a box of new releases. The early morning mist clung to the colorful leaves scattered across the sidewalk, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere. As she approached Willow Reads, Emma couldn't shake the feeling that something was... off.

She fumbled with her keys, glancing over her shoulder at the deserted street. The town seemed unusually quiet, even for this early hour. Shaking off her unease, Emma pushed open the door and stepped into the comforting embrace of her bookstore.

As she busied herself with unpacking the new arrivals, the bell above the door chimed. Emma looked up, surprised to see Old Joe, one of the local farmers, standing in the entryway. His weathered face was pale, his eyes wide with barely concealed panic.

"Morning', Emma," he said, his voice gruff. "You got any books on, well... wild animals? Predators, like?"

Emma blinked, caught off guard by the unusual request. "I'm sure we have something in the nature section. Is everything alright, Joe?"

The old farmer's gaze darted around the shop as if checking for eavesdroppers. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Found two of my sheep torn to pieces this morning'. Never seen anything like it. Whatever did it... it wasn't natural."

A chill ran down Emma's spine, but she forced a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it was just a coyote or maybe a stray dog. Let's find you a book that might help identify the tracks."

As she led Joe to the appropriate section, Emma couldn't quite shake the image his words had conjured. She'd heard whispers around town of other attacks, but she'd dismissed them as exaggerations. Willow Creek had always been a peaceful place, where the biggest excitement was Mrs. Peterson's prize-winning pumpkins at the fall festival.

After Joe left with a stack of books on local wildlife, Emma found herself unable to focus on her usual tasks. She kept glancing out the window, half-expecting to see some monstrous creature loping down the street. Don't be ridiculous, she chided herself. It is just animals being animals.

The day passed slowly, punctuated by hushed conversations with customers about the recent events. It seemed everyone had a story – chickens disappearing from locked coops, strange scratches found on barn doors, eerie howls echoing through the night.

As evening approached, Emma's friend Lily burst into the shop, her usual exuberance dampened by obvious worry.

"Em, have you heard?" Lily asked, her voice pitched low. "They're saying it might be a pack of wolves. Can you believe it? Wolves, here in Willow Creek!"

Emma frowned, closing the book she'd been half-heartedly attempting to read. "Wolves? That's impossible. There haven't been wolves in this area for over a century."

Lily shrugged, perching on the edge of the counter. "I know, but what else could it be? Mr Harrison swears he saw glowing eyes in the woods behind his property last night. And the howling... God, Emma, it's terrifying."

"I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation," Emma replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "Wild dogs, maybe, or coyotes are driven closer to town by the early cold snap."

"Maybe," Lily conceded, not looking entirely convinced. "Just... be careful, okay? Don't stay too late at the shop. Who knows what's out there after dark."

After Lily left, Emma found herself unable to shake off the growing sense of unease. She tried to lose herself in a new mystery novel, but every creak of the old building made her jump. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the empty shop, Emma decided to call it a day.

She locked up quickly, her eyes darting up and down the eerily quiet street. The walk home had never seemed so long. Every rustle in the bushes, every snapping twig underfoot sent her heart racing. By the time she reached her small cottage on the outskirts of town, Emma was practically running.

Safe inside, she leaned against the closed door, breathing heavily. This is ridiculous, she thought. I'm letting my imagination run wild. Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal.

But as night fell, Emma found sleep elusive. She tossed and turned, her mind conjuring images of snarling beasts with glowing eyes. Just as she was finally drifting off, a sound pierced the silence – a long, mournful howl that seemed to come from just beyond her backyard.

Emma shot up in bed, her heart pounding. That couldn't be a coyote... could it? The howl came again, closer this time, followed by another answering call. She scrambled out of bed, peering cautiously out the window. The full moon cast an eerie glow over her frost-covered lawn, but she could see nothing moving in the shadows.

As the night wore on, the howls continued intermittently, keeping Emma on edge. She huddled on her couch, a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders, jumping at every sound. When dawn finally broke, she felt exhausted and jittery.

The morning light seemed to chase away some of her fears, making the events of the night feel almost dreamlike. As Emma walked to work, the town appeared normal – people hurrying to their jobs, children waiting for the school bus, and the tantalizing smell of fresh bread wafting from the bakery.

She had almost convinced herself that she'd overreacted when she spotted a small crowd gathered near the town square. Curious, Emma approached, overhearing snippets of worried conversation.

"...biggest tracks I've ever seen..."

"...claw marks on the statue..."

"...what if it comes into town next?"

Pushing through the group, Emma gasped. The proud bronze statue of Willow Creek's founder, which had stood in the square for over a century, was marred by deep gouges. At its base, partially obscured by fallen leaves, were unmistakable paw prints – far larger than any dog Emma had ever seen.

"It's just vandals," she heard herself say, though her voice sounded faint and unconvincing even to her ears. "Someone playing a prank to scare us all."

A few people nodded, seemingly eager to latch onto any rational explanation. Others looked skeptical, their eyes darting nervously to the woods that bordered the town.

As Emma continued to her shop, her mind raced. There had to be a logical explanation for everything – the attacks, the howls, the tracks. Willow Creek was a small, ordinary town. Things like this just didn't happen here.

But as she unlocked the door to Willow Reads, a nagging thought wormed its way into her mind. What if, just this once, the fantastic stories that filled her beloved books had somehow split over into reality? What if there was something out there, something that didn't belong in their quiet little world?

Emma shook her head, pushing the unsettling thoughts aside. No, she decided firmly. Whatever was happening, there was a perfectly natural explanation. She just had to stay calm and think rationally. After all, real life wasn't like the stories in her books. No monsters were lurking in the shadows, no supernatural creatures stalking the night.

Were there?

As she flipped the sign to "Open," Emma couldn't quite suppress a shiver. Despite her best efforts to remain skeptical, she couldn't shake the feeling that Willow Creek was on the brink of something... extraordinary. And whether she was ready for it or not, she was about to be pulled into an adventure, unlike anything she'd ever read about in her beloved books.