magic,” I read out loud. “Not helpful.” I turn one more page and smile. “Anti-nightmare charms. Now this is helpful.” I write down what I need and search for the closest new-age store, which is about half an hour away.
I change into breeches and a Hollow Creek Stables sweatshirt, intending to go the barn right after. I toss Hunter a handful of treats, check that Romeo has food and water, and head out.
It takes me longer than expected to get to the new-age store, thanks to downtown traffic. I have to park several blocks away, and my mind wanders to the quiet of Thorne Hill as I’m walking down the busy sidewalk. Willow’s Emporium, the store, is more than a little cliché, complete with an Instagram photo backdrop that’s heavy on the Halloween props. Whatever works for marketing, right?
I need lavender, sage, and three black crystals for the charm, but end up leaving with three full bags of witchcraft supplies. My phone rings as I’m loading my stuff into my car. It’s the vet clinic, and I hesitate for a moment before answering.
“Hello?”
“Anora, hey!” Tammy, the head vet tech, says in a voice that’s way too cheery. Yep. She’s definitely asking me to come in on my day off. “Are you busy?”
“Not particularly,” I say and hate myself for not being able to lie. “Is it crazy today?”
“No, not here, at least. A herd of cattle was attacked by coyotes or wild dogs a few miles from here, and the local vet put out a call for help. Dr. Shelly and Dr. Burnette are going out to help with a couple of techs, which will leave us short staffed.”
“Coyotes?” I echo, blood running cold.
“Yeah, crazy, right? People don’t take deforestation seriously. You can’t really blame them, though attacking a herd like that is ballsy.”
“H-how many cows got injured?” I shut the car door and stare straight ahead, eyes wide.
“About a dozen. Three are dead.”
That is not typical coyote behavior. Not at all. Because it wasn’t a coyote. Leslie said she heard multiple “coyotes” around the barn last night, and those weren’t coyotes either.
“Shit.”
“Right? Are you able to come in? I can give you tomorrow off if you come in now.”
“Yeah,” I tell her. “I’m out shopping but can be there in thirty or forty minutes.”
“Great, thanks so much.”
“No!”
I shoot straight up, claws of death still sunk into me. Hunter lets out a high-pitched whine and presses his head against me. My heart is racing, and I can’t catch my breath.
But it was only a dream.
Again.
And again, I’m trembling like I really was running through the cold forest at night, being chased by something I couldn’t see. Though this time, I recognized something, and I passed the old, twisted tree right as the barking rang out in my ears.
“I’m awake,” I whisper to myself and reach down with trembling hands to hug Hunter. He tips his head up almost as if he’s hugging me back, and I feel a bit better. “I’m awake and not being chased through the woods.”
Early morning light glows behind my closed blinds. I forgot to turn off my alarm since I’m not working this morning, and it’s going to go off soon.
“I’ve seen that tree before,” I tell Hunter as I reach over and grab my phone to turn off the alarm. “At the barn. It’s at the very end of the trails, or at least it was. I haven’t taken Mystery that far in years.” The trail through the woods at Hollow Creek isn’t very long, and it used to loop around the big tree. There’s a ravine that gets dangerously slippery after a rainfall, and after someone fell and broke their arm when their horse slipped, Penny, the barn owner, fenced off the last part of the trail.
“That thing went after me at the barn. They seem to still be there, and the cattle farm that got attacked is only three miles from the barn too.” Shivering, I pull the blankets over my shoulders and hug Hunter. “And let’s not forget Bob freaked the fuck out on me recently.” I close my eyes, feeling exhausted as the adrenaline starts to wear off. Whatever the hell is going on…it has something to do with the woods behind the barn.”
I swallow hard, thinking back to that dog-creature in the woods. It spooked Mystery, scared the shit out of me, but it didn’t actually attack me. And it could have.