Chapter 2 – Strange Happenings

Dexter woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. This was unusual for two reasons: first, because almost nobody called him, and second, because it was 7:30 AM—a time Dexter had only theoretical knowledge of.He groped blindly across his nightstand, knocking over an empty energy drink can and a paperback copy of Cryptids of the Pacific Northwest, before finally grabbing his phone."'Lo?" he mumbled."Dexter! Have you seen the news?" The voice belonged to MartinEsh, the only other member of the local Cryptozoology Enthusiasts meetup group. Well, the only member besides Dexter. They were also the co-founders, president, and treasurer. Meetings occurred biweekly at the library, in a room they had to share with a knitting circle."Martin, it's seven—""There's something in Millbrook Park. Multiple sightings. Animal Control's been called. There's a whole thing happening."Dexter sat up so fast his blanket tangled around his legs. "What kind of thing?""Nobody knows! That's the point! People are saying it's big, it's fast, and it doesn't match any known animal. Dexter, this could be it."Fifteen minutes later, Dexter was dressed, caffeinated, and barreling down the street in his sedan, which made a concerning rattling sound whenever he exceeded thirty-five miles per hour. He exceeded it anyway.Millbrook Park was the largest green space in town, a sprawling area of walking trails, playgrounds, and a small pond that local kids claimed was "definitely haunted" despite zero evidence. When Dexter arrived, a small crowd had gathered near the eastern trail entrance. He spotted news vans, curious onlookers, and—most annoyingly—Derek Finch.Derek Finch was everything Dexter wasn't: tall, confident, and employed by an actual newspaper. He wrote for the Millbrook Gazette, mostly covering city council meetings and high school sports, but he'd recently been assigned to "human interest" stories—a beat that apparently included humoring local weirdos who thought Bigfoot was real."Dexter!" Derek called, waving him over with a smirk that suggested he found the entire situation amusing. "I had a feeling you'd show up.""What's happening?" Dexter asked, scanning the crowd. "Have you seen it?""Nobody's seen anything clearly. But there are tracks, damaged fencing, and Mrs. Kowalski swears something growled at her Pomeranian during her morning walk." Derek flipped open his notebook. "Animal Control thinks it's probably a bear.""A bear," Dexter repeated flatly."Or a large dog.""When has a large dog ever made the news?"Derek shrugged. "Slow news week."Dexter pushed past him and approached the trail entrance, where yellow caution tape had been strung up. A bored-looking police officer stood guard."Excuse me," Dexter said. "I'm a cryptozoologist. I'd like to examine the scene."The officer stared at him. "A what?""A cryptozoologist. I study—""Trail's closed, buddy.""But this could be a significant zoological discovery—""Trail's. Closed."Dexter opened his mouth to argue, but a voice interrupted."He's with me."Both Dexter and the officer turned. A young woman stood there, holding a professional-looking camera and a press badge that read Millbrook Gazette – Intern. She was maybe twenty-two, with dark hair pulled into a messy bun and an expression that suggested she'd rather be anywhere else."Isabel Reyes," she said, flashing the badge. "We're covering the story."The officer hesitated, then waved them through with a tired sigh. "Don't touch anything."As soon as they were past the tape, Dexter turned to her. "Thank you, but I don't think we've—""I know who you are," Isabel said. "Derek talks about you. Says you run that cryptid blog.""Quinn's Cryptid Chronicles," Dexter said, a bit defensively. "It's a serious investigative platform.""You posted a picture of a deer last night with the caption 'The Deer Was Nice.'""That was... context-dependent."Isabel almost smiled. "Look, I'm only here because Derek has food poisoning and my editor needed someone to cover this. I don't care about cryptids or whatever. But if you actually know what you're looking for, maybe you can give me something useful for my article."Dexter considered this. "Deal."They walked down the trail together, passing joggers who'd been turned back and a family arguing about whether to stay or leave. Eventually, they reached a section of torn chain-link fence near the pond.Dexter knelt down immediately, inspecting the damage. The metal was bent outward, as if something had pushed through from the inside. Near the base of the fence, the ground was disturbed—deep impressions in the mud that didn't match any animal Dexter immediately recognized."These aren't bear tracks," he murmured, pulling out his phone to take pictures."How do you know?""Wrong shape. Too narrow. And look at this." He pointed to a set of claw marks on a nearby tree trunk, about six feet up. "Whatever made these was tall. And strong."Isabel crouched beside him, her camera clicking. "Could it be a person? Someone messing around?""Maybe." But even as he said it, Dexter didn't believe it. The marks were too deep, too uniform. And there was something else—a smell. Faint but distinct, like wet fur and something sharper, almost metallic.He stood up, scanning the tree line. The forest beyond the park stretched for miles, thick and tangled. If something was hiding in there, it would be nearly impossible to find without a proper search."Did Mrs. Kowalski say where she saw it?" Dexter asked.Isabel checked her notes. "Near the pond. Around 6 AM."They made their way to the water's edge. The pond was still and dark, reflecting the gray morning sky. At first, Dexter saw nothing unusual. Then Isabel grabbed his arm."There," she whispered, pointing.On the far side of the pond, partially obscured by reeds, was another set of tracks. These were clearer, more defined. Four-toed prints, each one the size of a dinner plate, leading into the water—and not coming out.Dexter's pulse quickened. "It went into the pond.""Or it's still in there," Isabel said quietly.They both stared at the water. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, just barely, Dexter saw it: a ripple, moving against the wind. Something breaking the surface for just a second before disappearing again."Did you see that?" he breathed.Isabel's camera was already up, rapid-fire clicking. "I saw something."They waited, frozen, but the water remained still.By the time they returned to the parking lot, the crowd had grown. News crews were interviewing witnesses, Animal Control had arrived with nets and tranquilizer guns, and Derek Finch was back, looking pale but functional."Get anything good?" he asked Isabel."Maybe," she said, already scrolling through her photos. "Tracks, damaged fence, and something in the pond.""Probably a beaver.""Beavers don't leave four-toed prints the size of dinner plates," Dexter said.Derek raised an eyebrow. "You're really going with 'mystery creature,' huh?""I'm going with 'unknown animal.' There's a difference.""Sure there is." Derek clapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck with that, Dex. Try not to get eaten."As Derek walked away, Dexter turned to Isabel. "Do you believe me?"She looked at him for a moment, weighing her answer. "I believe there's something weird going on. Whether it's your thing or just a really lost bear, I don't know yet.""That's fair.""But..." She hesitated. "I want to come back. Tonight. With better equipment. If you're serious about figuring out what this is, I want to document it."Dexter blinked. "Really?""Really. But only if you promise not to get us killed.""I promise to try not to get us killed."Isabel sighed. "Good enough. Meet me here at nine."As she walked away, Dexter stood in the parking lot, heart pounding with something he hadn't felt in years.Not hope. Not exactly.But close.That evening, Dexter returned to his apartment and immediately began preparing. He laid out his gear on the kitchen table: night-vision goggles, flashlights, his voice recorder, waterproof boots, and a new addition—a wildlife camera he'd ordered online six months ago and never used.His phone buzzed. A text from Martin."Dude. Are you seeing the town Facebook group? Everyone's talking about the park."Dexter opened the app. Sure enough, the Millbrook Community page was exploding with posts."My neighbor's cat has been missing since yesterday. Could it be related?""I heard growling near Maple Street last night. Thought it was a dog but now I'm not sure.""This is obviously a marketing stunt for that new horror movie."And then, buried in the comments, one post that made Dexter's blood run cold:"My grandfather used to tell stories about something in the woods. He called it the Millbrook Shadow. Said it came around every few decades. Never thought it was real."Dexter screenshot the post and saved it.The Millbrook Shadow.He'd never heard of it. But he would find out everything he could.He opened his laptop and started searching: local legends, historical records, old newspaper archives. Most of it was useless—ghost stories, urban legends, the usual nonsense. But then, buried in a digitized newspaper from 1952, he found it."LOCAL FARMER REPORTS LIVESTOCK ATTACKS – MYSTERIOUS CREATURE SUSPECTED"The article was brief, dismissive, attributed the attacks to "wild dogs or coyotes." But the description the farmer gave matched what people were reporting now: something large, fast, with glowing eyes.Dexter sat back, mind racing.This wasn't random. This wasn't a bear.This was something real.And tonight, he was going to prove it.End of Chapter 2