"So this is Portlock Town... Looks lovely enough."
Ben mused to himself as he looked towards the lively town in front of him. He had just recently arrived in Alaska to start his backpacking journey around the world on foot, meet new people, and experience new cultures like the true backpacker that he was.
He walked past the gate which said Welcome to Portlock Town. As he walked into the town, he looked around and saw everyone going about their day. Some of the adults stopped and looked at him. They were most likely wondering why an 11-year-old was all by himself walking around the town, considering the fact that they hadn't seen him before, meaning he wasn't one of the locals.
Ben didn't mind it much as he simply continued walking around and looking at all the different shops. There were grocery stores, small cafés, clothing stores, and a few souvenir shops scattered throughout the town. Under normal circumstances, he probably would have been excited to explore everything, but something about the atmosphere kept bothering him.
"Is it me, or is there something weird about how they are behaving?"
He noticed that the people seemed to be worried about something, as if all of their moods were completely off. No one in the town seemed genuinely happy or even somewhat relaxed. In fact, all of them looked as though something bad could happen to them at any moment. Some people frequently glanced over their shoulders, while others hurried home without stopping to chat with anyone.
They all had the same expression of wariness on their faces.
"This is so weird..."
Ben muttered to himself as he wondered if something was bothering these townspeople and whether he could help them in some way. Just as he was pondering what could possibly be going on, someone suddenly called out to him. Ben turned around to see who it was.
"Hey, kid! What the hell are you doing here all by yourself!?"
Ben saw the sheriff of the town along with another inspector driving towards him in their police vehicle. The patrol car slowly came to a stop right beside him near the footpath. The sheriff leaned out of the window, looked down at Ben, and spoke again.
"Kid, I asked you a question."
"Oh... uhhhh... my name is Ben Tennyson, sir, and... well, me and my family are here for a vacation!"
Ben did his best to lie to the sheriff and his partner and just hoped they wouldn't ask too many questions. The sheriff simply stared at Ben for a few moments as if trying to judge whether he was telling the truth before finally asking another question.
"Okay then, 'Ben.' Where are your parents now?"
"My parents?... Mmmm... they are currently... looking for a hotel!"
"And they allowed their 11-year-old son to wander around town by himself? Must be great parents, don't you think?"
The sheriff asked, making it perfectly clear that he wasn't buying Ben's story at all. Ben immediately started thinking about what he should do next. Maybe becoming a Psychic-type like Alakazam to make the sheriff and his partner forget about him wouldn't be such a bad idea. That actually sounded like a pretty good plan.
"Well... ummm... they don't know I am out yet...."
Ben was becoming more and more nervous. Lying was much harder than he had originally thought. The sheriff frowned the moment he heard that answer before raising his voice.
"Kid! What the hell were you thinking, walking around without your parents knowing!? What if something happened to you? What would your parents think!?"
The sheriff shouted at Ben, who simply stood there and listened as the older man lectured him about how irresponsible it was to do something like this. Meanwhile, his partner simply shook his head from the driver's seat, clearly disappointed by Ben's actions.
Will then spoke up.
"Kid, you should go back to your parents right now. There is a killer on the loose."
Now that immediately caught Ben's attention.
So there really was a killer on the loose?
That would certainly explain why the townspeople looked so scared and wary of everything around them. Maybe he could actually help them with whatever was happening. But first, he still had to deal with the sheriff and his partner.
"Well, how many times do I have to tell you that there is no mysterious killer!? It's just some animal, most likely a bear!"
The sheriff still refused to believe it was some mysterious killer or supernatural entity. In his eyes, it was clearly some kind of wild animal and nothing else. His partner, Will, simply shook his head at the sheriff but didn't argue any further because he already knew the sheriff would refuse to believe anything else anyway.
"Back to the topic at hand, kid. There is an animal on the loose, which is why you and your family should always stay at home, especially at night."
Just as the sheriff was about to continue, the radio inside their patrol car suddenly buzzed, signaling that something had happened.
Ben looked at it curiously before asking,
"Sir, what is that?"
"Nothing, kid. Just an emergency call. And like I said, go back to your parents!"
The sheriff replied before immediately driving off with his partner, leaving Ben standing there on the side of the road. Ben watched the patrol car disappear into the distance before letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but praise his own luck that they had decided to leave him alone.
Now, however, his attention shifted back to the real problem.
What exactly was this mysterious killer... or animal... that everyone in town seemed so afraid of?
Ben smiled to himself.
Guess this would be the very first mystery he would have to solve on his journey around the world.
Last night....
A young boy named David was all alone in his house because his mother had gotten sick, and his parents had gone into town to get a doctor. David's family lived in a much more isolated part of the town, deep inside the woods, meaning they had to drive quite a distance just to reach the town itself.
Because of this, David's father had no choice but to leave him alone in the house.
Before leaving, he had strictly warned David not to go outside under any circumstances, especially with the "killer monster" still out there somewhere. That was why David had made sure to properly lock the front door and every window in the house. He had also promised his father that he wouldn't let anybody inside, especially strangers.
Now all he could do was wait for his father and mother to return home.
David was sitting in his room doing the homework he had gotten from school. Honestly, he would have preferred doing almost anything else besides homework, but his father had strictly warned him not to fall behind in school.
As David quietly worked through his assignments, a sudden knock echoed throughout the house.
Knock. Knock.
David immediately froze.
His pencil stopped moving.
Did...
Did his parents come home early?
But they had told him they would be gone for quite a while.
So how had they returned so quickly?
Fear slowly gripped David's heart.
Could...
Could it be the killer?
The young boy didn't know what to do. He remained completely still for several seconds before another knock came from the front door.
Knock. Knock.
Taking a deep breath, David slowly climbed down from his chair and cautiously walked toward the front entrance. His heartbeat grew faster with every step until he finally stood in front of the locked door.
Swallowing nervously, he spoke.
"Who is there?"
Silence.
No response came from the other side.
David frowned.
"...Hello?"
For another few seconds, there was nothing but silence.
Then...
A familiar voice came from behind the door.
"David... it's me. Open the door."
David blinked.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, son. It's me. Now please open the door."
David hesitated.
"Daddy... but you said you and Mommy would be late?"
"We were, son, but thankfully your mother just had a cold fever, so there's nothing to worry about now. Please open the door."
David looked at the handle but didn't move.
"Daddy... is Mommy with you?"
"Yes, honey, I am here too, sweetie. Now please open the door."
This time, it was his mother's voice.
The familiar voice immediately made David brighten up.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetie. Now please open the door."
Without another thought, David quickly unlocked the front door.
The moment he pulled it open...
He was shocked to his core because...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
No one was there.
"Mommy?... Daddy?... Where are you two?"
Now David was confused.
There was nobody standing outside the front door. Neither his father nor his mother was there. That was what confused him the most because he had clearly heard their voices. He knew those voices. They sounded exactly like his parents.
So...
How had they suddenly disappeared?
Before David could think about it any longer, the telephone inside the house suddenly started ringing.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
David immediately turned around and ran toward it, completely forgetting to close the front door behind him.
He quickly picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
[Hello, David. It's me. How are you doing, champ?]
David's eyes widened.
"Daddy?"
Now David was completely confused.
How was his father's voice coming from the phone when he had just been outside the front door only moments ago?
"Daddy... where are you?"
[I'm currently at the hospital with your mother. I just wanted to check up on you, that's all.]
While his father continued talking, David stood there completely frozen in shock after hearing those words.
If...
If his father and mother hadn't returned from the hospital yet...
Then...
Whose voices had he heard outside the front door?
The door.
"Oh no..."
David suddenly realized he had left the front door wide open because of his confusion and fear.
[What's 'oh no'? David, did you do something wrong?]
David's father called out to him again, but no answer came from the other side.
His father's expression slowly changed.
Worry began creeping into his voice.
[David?... David!? DAVID!? Can you hear me, son!?]
Still...
There was no response.
David remained standing completely still.
His eyes were fixed on the open front door.
Standing there...
Just beyond the doorway...
Was a mysterious dark figure.
David stared at it in a dazed state, unable to move or even scream.
The figure didn't say a single word.
It simply stood there.
Watching him.
[DAVID!? DAVID!!]
His father continued shouting desperately through the telephone.
But David never answered.
As his father's panicked voice echoed from the receiver, the mysterious dark figure silently approached the young boy...
And took David away.
Current day...
Sheriff Jack Blackstone silently read the report about the kidnapping that had happened last night involving a young boy named David. He had received the news while he was talking to that kid named Ben just a few hours ago, and now there was yet another missing persons report filed by David's parents after their son had mysteriously disappeared.
At this point, this was getting completely out of hand.
Whatever this animal was, it was clearly attacking civilians and kidnapping children, most likely eating them afterward. He really needed to find this damn bear and put an end to this creature once and for all before another family suffered the same fate.
"For goodness' sake, who leaves their child all alone in the middle of the woods just to visit a hospital? Couldn't they have taken their child with them?"
Jack sighed in frustration.
Don't get him wrong, he genuinely felt sorry for the parents for losing their son like this, but he still believed it was their own irresponsibility that had most likely gotten that child killed. Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to let a young child stay home alone in the middle of a dark forest while both parents went into town?
Why the hell didn't they just take David with them to the hospital?
It would have been far safer than leaving him behind.
The fact that the parents had actually used David's homework as the reason for leaving him alone was laughable at best. Jack honestly felt like giving both of them a slap across the face for being so unbelievably careless.
"Truly, some people don't deserve to be parents at this point..."
Jack muttered to himself as he continued reading through the investigation report. According to his officers, there was no sign of a struggle and no animal footprints anywhere near the house. Some of the deputies were once again insisting that it had something to do with the supernatural, something Jack still absolutely refused to believe. In his mind, this had to be either some kind of dangerous animal or a serial killer on the loose.
What bothered him the most was the complete lack of evidence.
There were no drag marks.
No blood.
No broken furniture.
Nothing.
Even though David was just a child, he should have at least struggled or tried to run away from whoever had taken him. Instead, it looked as though there hadn't been any struggle at all. It was almost as if David hadn't even been given a chance to react before he disappeared.
"Ugggrr... This is getting frustrating now. I really need to go buy a drink."
Jack muttered to himself just as Will walked into the room carrying another folder.
"Sir, our officers have searched the entire forest, and we didn't even find the body. The only clear indication we have is that this crime matches the previous victims who also disappeared after reportedly being attacked by a mysterious figure."
Jack slowly nodded as he placed the report back onto his desk.
"Well, at least we know it was the same killer who committed the other crimes as well."
Will remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Sir, if news gets out, then there will be a public panic. Should we warn everyone that there's a serial killer on the loose?"
Jack leaned back in his chair and thought about it for a few moments before finally giving his answer.
"You know what... it's probably for the best if we announce that there's a serial killer or some kind of weird animal out there. At least people will be more alert the next time something like this happens."
Will nodded without hesitation.
"Roger that, sir."
Meanwhile with Ben....
"How much does this cost?"
Ben was currently inside a grocery store buying some products that he might have forgotten before he started his journey, along with a few extra supplies that could come in handy later on. The shop owner, a middle-aged man, was quietly reading a newspaper when he heard Ben's voice. He slowly lowered the newspaper and looked at Ben.
For a good minute, he didn't say anything.
He simply kept staring at Ben, which honestly started to creep him out a little before the shop owner finally spoke.
"Where are your parents?"
Ben was already used to this question by now, so he immediately lied.
"They are booking a hotel and asked me to bring some things from the shop."
"They allowed an 11-year-old out on his own? Must be model parents then."
"Firstly, I am 11, and secondly, I can take care of myself."
Ben replied in an annoyed tone while the shop owner simply snorted.
"Sure... whatever."
He began checking all the items Ben had placed on the counter before typing their prices into his calculator one by one. While doing that, he casually spoke again.
"Kid, just a word of advice. Do not go out alone at night in this town."
Ben immediately perked up.
"Is it because of that 'killer'?"
The shopkeeper stopped what he was doing and looked at Ben in surprise.
"How did you know about it? You look like you just arrived in Portlock recently."
"Sheriff talked about some killer or 'animal' and warned me about it too."
The shop owner slowly nodded.
"Sheriff Jack Blackstone is a capable man, but people have been questioning him lately because of this killer... more so because he refuses to believe the locals."
Ben looked confused.
"Believe what? Does he think the killer is not real or something?"
The shop owner shook his head.
"No. Jack refuses to believe that the 'thing' taking children and committing murders is actually... a Skinwalker."
Ben looked at the shop owner for a second before...
"Hahahahahah!"
He burst out laughing after hearing something so ridiculous. The shop owner simply stared at the laughing kid with a completely deadpan expression, waiting for him to finish.
"S-Sorry... I-It's j-just... I don't blame him for not believing this too!"
"Laugh all you want, kid, but trust me. This place is cursed, and it will come for us all."
Ben slowly stopped laughing after hearing that statement. Not particularly because he believed the shop owner or anything, but it did make him wonder about something.
"How long has this 'Skinwalker' been doing the kidnappings?"
"It has been many decades... Usually, people assumed that this monster was just some animal or something, but many also believed that the Skinwalker was real. The only difference is that for many years it targeted people only rarely, especially children, which caused most people to assume they were simply isolated animal attacks. But recently, it started killing almost on a weekly basis, and everyone is... afraid, you could say."
Ben thought about that for a moment before asking another question.
"If this thing only recently started going on a killing spree, then why did you suddenly start believing it's some Skinwalker?"
"Kid, you are young, and you won't understand this... but the survivors always described one thing. They all said the creature is extremely tall and looks like it's completely shrouded in darkness. No one has ever seen its face or what it truly looks like. The only thing they know for certain is that it is humanoid."
"Could be a bear?"
The shop owner looked at Ben as though he had just grown a second head.
"So, an insanely tall entity with long arms, a humanoid appearance, and constantly surrounded by darkness is a bear to you?"
Ben thought about it for a moment.
...Okay.
That definitely didn't sound like an ordinary bear, especially if every single survivor had given almost the exact same description.
Could it be...
Could it be an alien?
That certainly wouldn't be impossible considering Ben's entire life revolved around fighting aliens and other weird creatures. From his own experience, Earth was already full of all sorts of bizarre aliens and freaks, so it wouldn't be that far-fetched if this turned out to be another alien terrorizing the townspeople.
However, from what the shop owner had told him, this creature had supposedly been around for many decades and had only started its killing spree a few months ago.
But why?
If the alien had managed to remain perfectly hidden for decades by attacking only occasionally, making everyone believe they were isolated animal attacks...
Then why would it suddenly expose itself after so many years?
Was this another Ghostfreak incident all over again?
Remembering the time he had to fight Ghostfreak, Dr. Viktor, the Mummy, and the Werewolf was truly horrifying, to say the least. If Ben had to make a guess, then this was probably another rogue alien causing trouble all over again.
Just as Ben was deep in thought, the shop owner finally finished adding everything together.
"Here is your bill."
The words immediately snapped Ben out of his thoughts. He quickly paid for all of his groceries before picking up his bags and making his way toward the exit.
Just before Ben stepped outside, the shopkeeper gave him one final warning.
"Remember, kid... do not go out alone at night under any circumstances."
Ben simply nodded before leaving the shop. Looks like its time to investigate on his own and see whats up with portlock town
_______ x _______
Ok, guys this chapter is also complete and guys My first Story "Stellaris: Legend of of octanima" has now officially got 11 reviews meanig it has official rating! Though a bit low with only 4.47 i don't know if that is good or decent? Let me know because many chinese or AI slop stories have better review around 4.5 or 4.6 but considering those story have around 30 to 100+ reviews maybe thats why they are a bit higher compare to my story which only has 11 reviews so far
So, if any of you guys are interested please go to my other Story and drop a review if you like that story or drop a review here!
Also if any of you noticed that i am trying to add horror element to the story it may not be the best but i am trying because i have been watching horror stories on youtube so you could say i am little inspired by it.
Another news i have Got is from this month i will be trying a new writing format. See my stories have generally around 2k+ words on average and the highest can go upto 6k. I generally upload regularly or at least try because i am maintaining 2 books at once, A job, Playing Apex legend to get chapters out. Can be a bit exhausting which is why i have decided if i am going to produce so little chapters i should at least try to make them as long as possible.
Think about it if i write around 1k+ - 2k+ words every day around 3 to 4 days i can write a chapter worth of 10k words could be higher or could be lower. Again i want to experiment with it to see which method is the best for me and i hope you guys don't have any problem with it!
Anyways thanks for reading!