Chapter 7: The Silence Between

Kai sat alone in the station, the faint hum of the overhead lights his only company. The notebook lay open before him, the strange, twisting symbols staring back as if mocking his ignorance. Every theory he pieced together seemed to crumble under the weight of its own impossibility.

He pressed his palms against his temples, fighting the dull ache that had settled behind his eyes. Doyle's warning echoed in his mind: The curse is alive, watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake.

The words felt more like prophecy now.

Kai glanced at the clock on the wall. 8:13 p.m. Outside, the town was blanketed in darkness, the streets eerily quiet. Most of the townspeople were already locked away in their homes, hiding from the terror they didn't dare name.

The memory of the creature in the woods was fresh in Kai's mind. Its glowing eyes, its grotesque movements—it wasn't just a monster. It was something far worse.

As if on cue, the station's radio crackled to life. Kai nearly jumped out of his chair, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun.

"Officer Kai, do you copy?"

It was Sheriff Ray's voice, steady but strained.

Kai grabbed the receiver. "I'm here, Sheriff. What's going on?"

"There's been another sighting," Ray said. "A couple reported seeing something...unnatural near the old mill on the edge of town. They said it was watching them, but when they tried to get closer, it disappeared."

Kai's grip on the receiver tightened. "The mill? That's near the river, right?"

"Yeah," Ray replied. "I'm heading out there now. Meet me at the intersection near Mill Road in ten minutes."

"I'm on my way," Kai said, already grabbing his coat.

---

The drive to the mill was tense. The streets were empty, the faint glow of the lampposts casting long, flickering shadows across the snow. Kai couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, even inside the safety of his car.

When he reached the intersection, Ray was already there, his patrol car parked on the shoulder.

Ray stepped out as Kai pulled up, his flashlight cutting through the darkness.

"Glad you made it," Ray said, his breath visible in the cold night air.

Kai nodded. "What's the plan?"

Ray gestured toward the mill. "We'll check the area, see if we can find any signs of the Harbinger—or whatever the hell those people saw."

The two men moved cautiously toward the old building, their flashlights sweeping over the weathered wooden walls. The mill had been abandoned for years, its windows shattered and its roof sagging under the weight of time.

The river beside it was frozen over, the ice reflecting the faint light of the moon.

"This place always gave me the creeps," Ray muttered. "Even before the curse started."

Kai didn't respond. His focus was on the ground, searching for footprints or any other signs of movement.

They circled the mill in silence, their breaths the only sound in the still night. As they rounded the corner, Kai's flashlight caught something in the snow—a set of tracks leading toward the river.

"Ray, over here," he called.

The sheriff joined him, his expression grim as he examined the tracks. They were large, clawed, and far too deep to belong to any normal animal.

"Definitely not a bear," Ray said.

Kai followed the tracks with his flashlight, his heart pounding as they led toward the frozen river.

The ice was cracked in places, jagged lines spreading out like a web. At the center of the cracks was a dark, gaping hole.

"You think it went under?" Kai asked.

Ray shook his head. "I don't know. But if it did, it's not coming back out through there. That ice would give way under its weight."

Kai knelt beside the tracks, his flashlight revealing something shiny embedded in the snow. He reached out, carefully picking up a small object—a piece of bone, polished smooth.

"What do you make of this?" he asked, holding it up for Ray to see.

The sheriff frowned. "Looks old. Probably human."

Kai's stomach turned. "It's like the clearing," he said. "The totem, the bones—this thing isn't just hunting. It's leaving a trail."

Ray nodded grimly. "A warning, maybe. Or a message."

A sudden noise made them both freeze—a low, guttural growl that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Kai rose to his feet, his hand instinctively going to his gun. "Did you hear that?"

Ray nodded, his eyes scanning the darkness. "Stay close."

The growl came again, louder this time, followed by the sound of branches snapping.

Kai's flashlight flickered as he swept it across the treeline. The shadows seemed to shift and move, as if alive.

And then, they saw it.

The Harbinger emerged from the darkness, its twisted form illuminated by their flashlights. Its glowing eyes burned with an unnatural light, and its jagged claws glinted in the moonlight.

Kai and Ray backed away slowly, their guns drawn.

"Don't shoot unless you have to," Ray said, his voice low. "Bullets don't seem to do much to this thing."

The Harbinger let out a deafening screech, its mouth opening wider than should have been possible.

Kai's instincts screamed at him to run, but he held his ground, his gun trained on the creature.

"Stay back!" he shouted.

The creature lunged, moving faster than anything that size should have been able to.

Kai fired, the gunshot echoing through the night. The bullet struck the Harbinger in the shoulder, but it didn't slow down.

Ray fired as well, his shots hitting the creature's torso. It let out a furious roar, its movements becoming more erratic.

"Fall back!" Ray shouted.

Kai and Ray retreated toward the mill, the Harbinger close behind.

As they reached the building, Kai noticed something strange—the totem from the clearing was etched into the wall of the mill, glowing faintly.

"Ray, look!" he said, pointing to the symbol.

Ray glanced at it, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell is that doing here?"

Before they could react, the Harbinger lunged again, its claws swiping dangerously close.

Kai fired another shot, aiming for the creature's head. The bullet struck its eye, and the Harbinger let out an ear-piercing scream, stumbling backward.

"Go! Now!" Ray shouted.

The two men ran, their boots crunching on the snow as the Harbinger's cries echoed behind them.

When they finally reached their cars, Kai glanced back. The creature was gone, but the glow of the totem remained, flickering like a dying ember.

Kai leaned against the car, his chest heaving. "What was that thing?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't know. But one thing's for sure—it's not just hunting. It's sending a message."

Kai looked back toward the mill, the weight of the Harbinger's presence settling over him.

Whatever this curse was, it was far from over. And the Harbinger was just the beginning.