BLACK SHEEP ❂ SUPERNATURAL

i

The rumbling Dodge Challenger came to a rolling stop in front of the dark, dense forest in Lyons, Oregon. It was four in the morning, and the middle aged hunter turned the key and removed it from the ignition as she tried to take in her surroundings. She reluctantly let herself out of the vehicle, and fumbled for the flashlight that was tucked in the inside pocket of her jacket. She flicked it on, and shone the dull beam in the direction of the woods. There was a tiny opening, which was where she had to go. She slid the keys into her pocket, put her phone on vibrate and checked that she had her hunting knife and a fully loaded revolver. And with everything intact, she was off into the unforgiving woods.

The woods were deadly silent, which wasn't an unusual thing given the circumstances. All Sutton Rowland could hear was the infrequent crunching of leaves beneath her feet on the narrow dirt trail. She had no idea where she was supposed to be headed, and was oddly tense for someone who's been dealing with evil for the past seven years of her life. She ducked under a looming branch, and listened to the leaves rustle against her hair. The girl cringed slightly, trying to keep it down as much as possible, knowing that the creature she was tracking down could be anywhere, and most definitely had the upper hand.

Using the flashlight in the pitch black woods was already a huge risk to be taken, but she couldn't afford to wander blindly through a place like this. For reassurance, she held the hunting knife tightly in her hand, ready to strike at anything that could jump at her. She half expected to hear voices, but knew that it wasn't a possibility since there was nobody she knew that could be used to lure her into the right spot. It was both relieving and aggravating.

Sutton stopped when she came to a rocky area, with a water stream running down the smoothed surface. She looked down, and saw it went a ways down, feeding into a shallow stream, not to steep, but a pretty far drop. The path was taken out by the little waterfall, though it was hardly a waterfall, and her only way across was to brave the four foot long patch of wet rock, that was bound to be slippery as hell. She sighed, and figured she should turn back, find another way in. She checked the time on her phone, it read four twenty three, and swore under her breath. By the time she went back, and found another back entry, the sun would be due to start rising. She should've gone straight to the woods once it got dark, but then the stupid tall, handsome guy she met at the bar earlier just had to catch her interest enough to have her put it off a couple hours came along.

She contemplated her options, and figured the stream wasn't too much to handle, after all, Sutton Rowland didn't do easy. She tossed her phone across the stream, it landing on the other side, with a quiet little thump. If she were to fall, at least she wouldn't destroy another phone. Just as she was about to take a step forward, she heard a loud rustle in one of the trees above. She instinctively shone the light upwards, and was greeted with a three large birds diving right at her from above. She shielded her face, as one of them collided right into her arm, and sent her off her feet, right off the edge of the path, down the hill towards the stream. She tumbled down the hill, taking out bushes, snapping the weak little trees that could barely hold onto the sparse, rugged surface, bumping her head on rotting tree stumps, the soft, damp wood chips tangling themselves in her hair. Then she stopped with a thud at the bottom of the hill.

❂

Jade Rowland sat in a fifties themed diner in the small town of Hastings, Nebraska. It was six forty five in the morning, and the girl had just finished her second cup of coffee. She was twiddling her thumbs anxiously, waiting for seven o'clock to roll around, so she could make her way to the nearby phone booth to call her sister back. All she wanted to do was tell her that this whole plot was a terrible idea, that the Rowlands were better off separated than together. The sun was already shining through the diner cars windows, and the only other tenant had just slapped a bill down on the counter, causing the twenty seven year old to jump. It was weird for her to be so on edge, there was truly nothing for her to be afraid of, the town was absolutely normal. That could possibly be the reason why she was on edge, no town is ever completely normal, it almost felt safer when she knew what lurked in the shadows.