Howls, Teeth, & Blood
The shadows of Havensport clung to the hunters like a second skin as they stumbled upon another body at the warehouse's gaping maw. Blood, dark and congealed, marked the ground like an ominous threshold into something far worse. Their investigation was cut short by a growl that rumbled from the depths of the dark, a warning too late. The creatures came—half man, half beast, nightmares stitched together by violence. The hunters fought savagely, their survival instincts sharp. But not sharp enough. Kimmy’s leg was ravaged by teeth, and a howl split the night, a bone-rattling scream that deafened her and Miko, leaving them both reeling. Yet, in the heart of the chaos, the hunters showed their mettle, bodies bloodied, but their spirits unbroken.
For some, however, the night’s horrors were not so easily forgotten. Miko and Barney, untested by such raw, twisted monstrosities, felt the sting of something deeper—humanity slipping through their fingers, as if the very essence that grounded them to the mortal world was unraveling, thread by fragile thread. The darkness of Havensport had opened its maw and, in that moment, swallowed a piece of them whole.
Evidence was gathered—photos, footprints, the blood-soaked remnants of the battle. But the weight of the night bore down too hard on Miko, sending him spiraling into a sobbing mess. Barney, avoiding reflection, ventured into the heart of the warehouse, his mind fraying but his body driven forward by something instinctual. Dwight, ever-watchful, followed, ensuring he wasn’t swallowed by the shadows. As they descended, faint sirens cried out in the distance, no doubt drawn by the crack of gunfire and the clash of monsters.
Kimmy, ever-practical, readied their escape, pulling the car around with quiet efficiency. Down in the basement, Barney’s eyes were drawn to a set of wrapped surgical tools, their importance whispered to him by something he couldn’t quite place. Without hesitation, he took them—somehow knowing they were a key to something far more sinister.
The hunters escaped just as the police arrived, disappearing into the alleys, the roar of their car tearing through the silence of the city’s forgotten corners. They stopped briefly at Northlight Cemetery, where Dwight, burdened by the weight of the night's revelations, found solace at his daughter’s grave. Kimmy’s leg, still bleeding, was a reminder of the night’s brutality, but the group, too weary to do more, pressed on to the hospital.
Dr. Olhouser patched her up, though his words were grave: the wound would take time to heal, and time was something none of them had in abundance.
Later, at The Repentant Sinner, Barney and Miko found themselves face to face with Tohmas, seeking his thoughts. Tohmas, stoic and scarred, nodded at their survival, impressed they had only suffered one wound in the chaos. When the conversation turned to Dr. Ephraim Kuusisto, Raven Mallory was quick to interject. "If Kuusisto had wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have made it out alive," she said, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken truths.
And with that, the night receded, though the darkness did not release its grip. It clung to them, winding tighter, pulling them deeper into Havensport’s tangled web.
