November 1999

The entire town had gathered in city hall to discuss the recent trouble. Mayor Jonas Riggs gazed out at the small sea of worried faces before him. The entire population, which numbered one hundred and fifty people, was able to easily fit inside the room.

"Citizens, I know that you are afraid, I'm scared too. So far the police and your city officials have no leads as to what is happening to our town. We will figure it out though. I want to stress that you must not panic, that will not help anything." Riggs let his soothing, cultured voice waft over the room hoping to soothe the frazzled crowd.

A man in the back stepped forward and shook his fist as he yelled, "Why don't you just go to hell, Riggs, how many have you lost to this, eh? Last I heard, your wife and young'un was safe. Who are you to tell us not to panic?"

The room erupted into noise as many voiced their agreement with the man. Sweat beaded on Riggs' forehead as he banged his gavel trying to regain control of the meeting.

"Shuddup ya'll!" Riggs lost his carefully practiced speech in his anger as he exploded, "Billy you ain't got no right to make these folks think that I ain't lost nobody to this ... thing. The fact is, almost everybody around here is a part of my family. We have made an effort here. We called in an expert, she and her team will be here in a few days. We just gotta stay calm until then."

Billy spoke up again, his face reddened with anger.

"A woman! You called a woman? What the hell do women know about huntin' and trackin'? I'd just a soon go and find this thing myself."

He staggered to the door leaving everyone no doubt that he was highly intoxicated. Riggs shook his head and watched him go. He'd never admit it out loud, especially since Billy was his wife's brother; but things might be better 'round here if Billy did get eaten by that thing.

Whatever it was, it had destroyed many houses and eaten the people living in those houses. This wasn't the first time that this particular thing had happened to this town. All throughout the history of the land that the town was built on were reports of a strange beast attacking. The beast itself was never described, just its victims.

The last time had been over a hundred years ago, at that time the land had been a hunting ground for the local Indian tribe. That should have been a clue for the town's founders, if the Indians wouldn't live on such fertile and rich land there was something wrong with it.

This expert better be all that her reputation claimed, if she wasn't then Jonas Riggs was going to be Mayor of a ghost town.