Chapter 5 The Stranger In The Woods

• “This is getting out of hand,” Mayor Vic whispered to his son.
• “What do you mean by that, Dad?” Liam asked, his heart pounding so loudly he could barely hear himself. “A lot of people are injured including Sandra… Do you know what the hell is going on here?”
• He grinned. “The end of the world... It’s my time to regain power, boy. Whatever this is or whoever is doing this—must need something very important.”
• His smile stretched too wide, his teeth flashing unnaturally bright.
• Liam blinked, his brow creasing in confusion. “So what will happen to us now? What will happen to Black Hollow?”
• “Boy-y… hey, listen up.” Vic pointed toward the Alien Dome, his hand trembling slightly. “Don’t go near that thing, okay? Whatever happens… stay calm. I can’t afford to lose you like I lost your mother.”
• “Dad, cut the crap! You let Mom leave! You sent her away…. with your f*cking greed and behaviour!”
• “Shut the f*ck up and listen!”Vic snapped. “I ain’t gonna leave you. I’ll protect you with my last breath. We’ll rule Black Hollow again, boy.”
• Mayor Vic stepped forward, facing the civilians.
• “Alright, everyone gather around and listen up! We are in the middle of a very serious situation right now. And I want you all to cooperate and do exactly what your leaders say. It’s for your own safety. I really care about y’all, so from now on….keep your heads down. No one must go near that…”
• Uproar erupted in the crowd.
• Sheriff Smith shoved through the civilians, eyes wild.
• “Don’t listen to him!” he barked. “That man will drive you to your grave quicker than this dome! We have sinned, and this—this is our judgment! No one’s escaping death.”
• He ripped out his pistol and fired it into the air.
• The deafening blast echoed off the buildings. People screamed, scattering in terror.
• A toddler cried. A woman fell. Someone dropped a bag of groceries and didn’t pick it up.
• Drake stepped forward, voice steady but urgent.
• “Hey, hey man don’t do this. Please. Now drop the gun. You’re only making folks more scared we have seen enough terror today.”
• Tears welled in Smith’s eyes, his jaw clenching hard.
• “Shut the f*ck up! And who the hell are you, huh? Never seen your face before.”
• “It doesn’t matter. Just drop the gun. Let’s talk this out peacefully.”
• Smith turned the pistol on Drake.
• “Back off, or I’ll trigger this right now.”
• Drake raised both hands and took a careful step back.
• “Alright, man. Alright…”
• Then, suddenly, Smith spun and fired at the dome.
• The bullet screamed through the air only to rebound like a slingshot.
• It whistled backwards, piercing Smith clean through the chest.
• His body jerked like a puppet before crumpling to the ground.
• Drake sprinted toward him, fast enough to leave a blur. He dropped to his knees, caught the sheriff in his arms.
• “Call the medics! Now!”
• He tore off his shirt and pressed it to the wound.
• “Don’t die, man. Stay with me! Anybody f*cking call the ambulance, right now?!”
• He heaved Smith over his shoulder, muscles burning, and dashed toward the nearest car.
• He spotted the Sheriff’s vehicle, threw the door open, hot-wired it, and sped off tires screeching, hearts racing.
• Everyone else stood frozen, too shocked to move.
• Mayor Vic’s shoes clicked sharply on the concrete deliberate and intimidating.
• His lips twisted into a fake-friendly smile, but his eyes burned with something bitter.
• He muttered under his breath:
• “Who the hell is this man?”
• And in that moment, as the black clouds rolled deeper and the dome pulsed again Mayor Vic realized he might no longer be the most dangerous man in Black Hollow.
• ****
• Drake was shocked when the doctor revealed Sheriff Smith’s death in the emergency corridor.
• Terror gripped him not instant, but slow, creeping... too familiar.
• “I can’t breathe in here,” he gasped, each inhale dragging.
• He rushed outside the hospital, trying to ease the pressure building in his chest. His voice cracked, murmuring to no one.
• “What the hell is happening... He can't just die like that. Man-n, I must get the f*ck out of this damn dome. No… I must find a way... I must.”
• He kept pacing, wild-eyed.
• “I knew it, man-n... this damn town is cursed,” he muttered, voice heavy with sorrow and determination.
• Still, something pulled him. He moved forward in a fast pace toward the woods drawn like gravity, like fate had a leash on his soul.
• ****
• Hollow Woods Reserve.
• It wasn’t far from the edge of town maybe just a few blocks past the streetlights. But what lay inside was an entirely different world.
• Whispers of missing people, strange lights, and unreported crimes kept the townsfolk away. Everyone knew someone who never came out.
• The trees stood tall like silent witnesses, their bark scarred with secrets.
• A distant thud, then nothing. Then... another.
• Drake's heartbeat grew louder, ticking like a countdown. Gut twisted not with fear, but the bone-deep knowledge that something was coming. He pressed deeper toward the dome, eyes scanning, hands itching. He searched as if expecting the surface to reveal a hidden exit beneath a tree, behind the shimmer, somewhere.
• And then he froze.
• “This wasn’t here yesterday…” he whispered, reaching out.The dome’s surface pulsed like muscle. Warm and wet under his palm it breathed.
• “This place is alive…” he muttered.
• Then footsteps. Not his. A rhythm that didn't belong to his body…
• ****
• Meanwhile, Back at Lena's Apartment.
• Lena Harper had just returned home from work. She dropped onto her soft couch, sinking into it like it was the only safe place left in the world. Sleep took her in seconds.
• “Don’t say goodbye,” she begged, gripping his sleeve, the fabric damp from tears.
• “I loved you in silence baby… for too long.”
• “If you walk away now,” she said, trembling,tears dripping down her chick…..
• BOOM!
• Sirens. Screaming. Chaos outside.
• She jerked upright.
• “Oh gross it was just a dream.” She smiled, wiping her eyes.
• At 27, Lena had carved out a name for herself as a fearless local journalist at “The Hollow Post”, one of the only surviving news outlets in Black Hollow. Her career was her life, and her purpose: exposing corruption, telling the truth, and staying just one step ahead of the danger that shadowed this town.
• It wasn’t easy… crime, fear, and injustice clung to Black Hollow like fog on cold glass. But she had held on striving to survive…
• “Where there's life... there's hope,” she would always tell herself.
• She slipped into her clean corporate dress, pressed and smart, looking as professional as one could in a town falling apart. She flew down the stairs, long brown hair brushing against her sun-kissed skin and soft curves as she raced into the chaos.
• With only scraps of information, she leaned into her journalist instincts.
• The alien dome had disrupted the city’s rhythm. Rumors filled the air like smoke hard to catch, but choking everyone anyway. The government had picked up the event and were scrambling from the outside but inside the dome, Black Hollow was on its own.
• Holding her pen and notepad tight, Lena scribbled notes as she maneuvered toward the scene.
• There, civilians were crowded around victims… some dead, others barely clinging to life.
• The coppery smell of blood hit her nose like a slap. “Is that a… body?” she asked, the coppery smell of blood hitting her nose like a slap. Goosebumps prickled across her arms.The air felt like wet wool soaked in cold.
• She steadied herself.
• “I need to investigate the cause of this. Before I even think about a way out.”
• Approaching an older man standing near a body:
• “Hello… sorry to disturb you,” she said carefully.
• “Do you recall how... I mean, how that shining thing got here?”
• She pointed at the dome. “And why are people why are they crying?”
• The man turned and stared at her with sharp disdain, scanning her up and down like a slab of meat.
• She felt like prey about to be torn apart.
• “Oh my bad, sorry…” she muttered, backing away quickly.
• A girl leaned in from behind and whispered:
• “That man just lost his wife... the most beautiful woman in Black Hollow.”
• “Jeez…” Lena gasped. Her palms slicked with sweat. “And where is she now?”
• The girl pointed toward the dome.
• “Outside there… they were separated when that thing came down.”
• “When did this happen?” Lena asked, voice cracking.
• “Girl, are you even alive? You must be new.
• You look like one of them walking dead from that zombie show.
• Seriously you don’t know sh*t.” She rolled her eyes.
• “Relax, it’s just a question!” Lena snapped moving towards the alien dome.
• The girl laughed.“Hey… dummy you're deaf too? They said nobody goes near that alien thing. Not if you wanna stay breathing.”
• Lena blinked. “Wait….. who said that?”
• “Mayor Vic, and some handsome muscular dude that looks like he eats bullets for breakfast.”
• “Vic? That ignorant piss of sh*t? He’s not even handsome”
• “Well, that other guy? He’s been saving dumbasses left and right. I’ve been falling for him already,” she giggled.
• Lena shook her head. “This lady’s brain is melting…”
• “Do you know his name? Where he went?”
• “Pfft. Wanna stalk him? I bet you will be begging for a one-night stand,” she said, walking off.
• “He went that way, into the woods. Don’t forget to pack your extra life, dummy!”
• Lena rolled her eyes but pushed forward toward the infamous Hollow Woods Reserve.
• ****
• Drake was still there. Tired. Searching. Pacing. No escape, no answers. His chest tight, questions and confusion on his face.
• He stared at a tree like it might offer a solution.
• Branches cracked.
• Lena crouched behind thick grass, spying.
• “This man must be involved,” she whispered. “Why else would he be here?”
• He turned sharply.His gaze locked, sharp and ready. Her heart pounded like war drums.
• “I shouldn’t be here,” Drake murmured. “It’s watching me.”He began walking quickly back toward the street. Lena followed quietly.
• He paused. Something didn’t feel right. The air had that wrongness to it. Too still. Too quiet. Too watched. He reached for his pistol.
• The air shimmered around him like heat from asphalt. He turned suddenly.
• “Hey! Who the f*ck are you? Come out now, or I shoot your ass down!”
• Lena raised her hands, stepping out slowly.
• “No... no, please,” she pleaded. The thick scent of panic filled her nose.
• His eyes scanned her cold, stormy, calculating.
• “And who are you?” he asked.
• “I don’t mean harm… I’m just here to….”
• He tucked his gun away, but his tone stayed rough.“Girl, you stalking me?”
• “I should be asking you! What are you doing here deep in the woods?”
• “You don’t value your life, huh? This place is death wrapped in trees,” he said, voice steady but intense.
• Lena’s lip curled into a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. And then…. a loud rustle behind them.
• a snarl, low and close.
• They both turned, slowly like a zombie.
• A figure stepped from the shadows its eyes glowing like burning coals. But it wasn’t alien.
• It was human.
• And it knew Drake.
• “Drake...” the figure growled, voice gravel and venom. “Dr. Keira Sun..”
• “You really thought you could run from what you are?”
• Lena gasped.
• “What… the hell are you?”