27 days

Morning came reluctantly to Stowntown, the winter sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. Kai sat at his desk in the station, nursing a cup of bitter coffee. He hadn't slept. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of that creature flashed in his mind—those glowing orbs, the twisted frame, the way it moved with a predatory grace.

"Long night?"

Kai jolted, nearly spilling his coffee. Sheriff Ray stood in the doorway, eyeing him with a raised brow. His coat was dusted with snow, and he carried the faint smell of tobacco, as if he'd been out smoking before coming in.

"You could say that," Kai muttered, setting the mug down.

Ray walked over, pulling out the chair across from Kai. He studied the younger officer for a moment before leaning back. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kai hesitated. Should he tell Ray about the glowing eyes, the creature in the woods? He had no proof, no photos or evidence, and he wasn't sure if Ray would take him seriously.

"I thought I saw something last night," Kai said carefully. "In the woods."

Ray's expression darkened. "What did you see?"

"I don't know exactly," Kai admitted. "It was...tall. Pale. Its eyes—"

"Glowed," Ray finished, his voice flat.

Kai blinked. "You've seen it too?"

Ray didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cigarette, tapping it against the table. "Not me, personally," he said after a long pause. "But people around here? They've been talking about it for years. Descriptions match what you're saying. The glowing eyes, the way it moves. Some folks call it a demon. Others say it's a curse."

"What do you think?"

Ray lit the cigarette, taking a slow drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I think this town has secrets, and most of them aren't good."

Kai frowned. "And no one's done anything about it? Called in backup? Investigated?"

Ray gave a humorless laugh. "You think I haven't tried? State police, private investigators—hell, I even contacted a couple of big-shot journalists once. None of them stayed longer than a week. And the ones who did? They either disappeared or left so shaken they refused to talk about what they saw."

The weight of Ray's words settled heavily on Kai. He had dealt with strange cases before, but this was different. The fear in Ray's voice wasn't something Kai could brush off.

"So what do we do?" Kai asked.

"We wait," Ray said simply.

"For what?"

"For it to pass," Ray said, standing up. "Whatever this thing is, it always starts on December 1st and ends on the 27th. People disappear, livestock gets slaughtered, and we lose a little more of this town every year. But after that? Nothing. It's like it was never here."

Kai stared at him, disbelief etched across his face. "You're saying we just...let it happen?"

"I'm saying we survive," Ray said firmly. "That's all we can do."

Before Kai could argue further, the station's front door creaked open. A young woman stepped inside, her cheeks flushed from the cold. She wore a thick coat and a knitted scarf, her hands clutching a leather-bound notebook.

"Sheriff?" she called, her voice trembling slightly.

Ray turned, his brows furrowing. "Morning, Margaret. What's going on?"

The woman—Margaret—glanced nervously at Kai before stepping closer. "It happened again," she whispered.

"What happened again?" Kai asked, standing up.

Margaret's eyes flicked to him, then back to Ray. "The bells," she said. "I heard them last night. And this morning, Mr. Hargrove's dog is gone. Just...gone."

Ray muttered a curse under his breath, crushing his cigarette in an ashtray. "Where was the dog last seen?"

"In his yard," Margaret said. "The chain was still there, but it's like something ripped it off. The ground was all torn up."

Kai exchanged a glance with Ray, his unease growing. "I'll check it out," he said, grabbing his coat.

"I'm coming with you," Ray said, pulling his own coat on. He turned to Margaret. "Go home and lock your doors. Don't go out after dark, you hear me?"

Margaret nodded quickly and hurried out, leaving the two officers alone.

---

The Hargrove property was a small farmhouse on the edge of town, surrounded by barren fields and a dilapidated barn. Mr. Hargrove himself was waiting for them on the porch, his weathered face lined with worry.

"Sheriff," he said, tipping his hat as they approached. "Thanks for coming."

"What happened, Jim?" Ray asked.

Hargrove gestured toward the side yard, where a broken chain lay half-buried in the snow. The ground around it was churned up, as if something heavy had struggled there.

"It was my boy's dog," Hargrove said. "Buddy. He's been with us five years, never ran off before. But last night..." His voice broke, and he shook his head. "I don't know what did this, but it wasn't natural."

Kai crouched by the chain, examining it closely. The links were thick, meant for restraining a large dog, but they had been twisted and snapped like wire.

"These are claw marks," Kai said, pointing to the scratches in the ground. "Whatever took the dog was strong."

Ray knelt beside him, his expression grim. "And smart enough to leave no tracks," he said.

Kai looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

Ray gestured around the yard. Sure enough, there were no footprints leading to or from the area. The only disturbances were the broken chain and the torn-up snow.

Kai's unease deepened. "This thing doesn't just take people, does it?"

Ray shook his head. "It takes whatever it wants."

As they stood in the yard, the faint sound of bells echoed in the distance. Kai tensed, scanning the horizon, but there was nothing to see—just the empty fields and the gray sky.

Ray placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on," he said. "We've seen enough for today."

Kai followed him back to the car, his mind racing with questions. Whatever was happening in Stowntown, it was far worse than he'd imagined.

And it was only the first day.