[center]Chapter Two[/center]

"Jesus Christ!", Chief Kent yelled immediately he entered his office. "Larry gaddammit!".


Another young man in Uniform suddenly made his way to the office, wide eyed and anxious. "Yes chief".


"What the hell is that thing doing on my table?".


Larry opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.


"What?", Kent hissed. "You can't talk now?"


A lady then pushed her way past Larry at the door way. Her eyes settled with relief when she saw what was on Kent's table.


"There you are Sassy", She cooed, as she quickly made her way over and picked up her cat from the table. "I've been looking all over for you".

Kent gave her an incredulous look as she made her way towards the door.


"Now Helen", Kent said. "We talked about bringing pets to the station".


"I know chief", Helen moaned as she moved close to him and tried to hide her surprise when he moved back a bit. "...But Rick is at work and the kids are at Camp, I can't just leave her at home all by herself".



She then raised the cat higher to her face and began rubbing her nose on its fur. "You're a good girl...goood girl", She cooed.



Kent watched her with an expression on his face. It was like she was trying to kiss a poisonous cobra right in front of him. He tried to hide his disgust as he grimaced.


"Get that thing outta my office, Helen", Kent waved.


Helen turned at gave him a deadpan look, pursing her lips and shaking her head at the same time, then she faced the cat in her arms and a smile returned to her face. "Oh Come on Sassy, let's go", She cooed, before she looked up to Kent sternly. "...before the mean old ogre eats you up".



"Ha-Ha", Kent uttered as he made his way to his desk. "Very funny".



She gave him a mischievous smirk as she headed out the door way, with cat held up to her chin.



Kent sat down and then realised Larry was still at the door way. "Larry".


The young man jumped and moved his gaze from Helen's back side to face the chief immediately.


"Sir?", Larry uttered.


"Coffee, Please", Kent said.


Larry gave a curt nod and disappeared, giving way for a female officer who made her way through Kent's door way.


"Chief?", the female officer called.


"Yep", Kent uttered, his eyes concentrating on a file infront of him.


"Brent and Donovan just called", She said. "They want you over at the old wilson's farm".


Kent shot up and gave her a surprised look.


"What the hell do they want me there for?", He Protested. "Wilson called me last night and I told Donovan and Brent to take a check this morning. Why the hell do they want me there?"


The woman shrugged with a wry smile. "They said you have to see this for yourself".


"Goddammit", He hissed as he slammed the file shut and then he waved at the female officer.


He sat and watched as she made her way out of his open office and back to her sit.


Larry walked in immediately with with a mug of coffee in his right hand. He moved towards Kent's table with a nervous grin on his face. "Here you go Ch-".


"Put it in a flask", Kent growled as he got up from his seat and grabbed his hat and and jacket and met Larry's wide, confused eyes. "You and me are going over to the Old Wilson farm".



Even from the distance, as Kent made his way out of the car, He saw the crowd and knew, whatever it was, it had to be something.


"Do I wait in the car sir", Larry asked.


Kent spun to face him. "Boy, get your ass outta that car", He hissed.


Larry quickly stepped out of the car without hesitation, jamming the door behind him and quickly walking over to catch up with Kent who was already making his way to the scene.


"You're a Police officer", Kent growled. "You don't stay in the car when you're supposed to be at a crime scene".


Larry said nothing. He just quickly nodded in response.



As the two officers got closer, the reality of whatever happened began to hit Kent hard. He stole a glance at an old woman, farmer wilson's wife, crying on the shoulders of her eldest son. He then shifted his gaze and saw farmer Wilson. He looked distraught, with his hands on his waists. Kent could tell he was oblivious to whatever questions the deputies were asking him.


"What the hell is going on?"


Donovan spun and saw Kent coming over and began to move towards him. Farmer Wilson followed the deputy's gaze and began to move towards Kent too.


"What's going -".


"I-I have nothing Left", The Old farmer sobbed as he went over and grabbed the collar of Kent's Uniform. "I have nothing left, they killed them all".


Kent stared into the bloodshot, tear filled eyes of the old man with Confusion.


"Ca-Calm down Steven", Kent uttered. "Calm down".


"They Killed them all", The old man sobbed as his words became shaky and then he Collapsed to his knees. "They killed them all".


Kent stared down at the crying old man beneath him in shock. He had known Steven Wilson for over forty-years, but he had never ever seen him like this. Broken. Crying.



Kent then moved his attention to the crowd ahead as Larry and Donovan bent down to the ground to console the old farmer.



As Kent got closer, her could make out three colours. Green, White....and Red stains.



Kent pushed his way through the small gathering and felt his heart leap as his eyes fixated on the heart crushing sight before him. He heard himself give out a low gasp.



"My God".



Pieces of what used to be a herd of Sheep, scattered all over the floor. Below him, blood stained shards of flesh scattered all around the green meadow.



Kent was so stunned, He didn't even know when he had moved closer to the shredded animal carcasses. He had to stop moving when he almost stepped on the severed head of a sheep, staring up at him with its wide eyes and it's tongue hanging out of its open mouth.



Kent cringed when he saw the the intestine of one of the animals dragged out at least half a meter from its decapitated body.



"Christ".


Growing up in a farming dependent town like Cherrywood, Kent was use to seeing Animals butchered for meat and all ,but this, this was barbaric, even for an animal. He looked at the scattered carcasses and wondered who, or what could have done this.

The Chief spun to look into the faces of the people standing behind him. They all had the same expression. The same look of Horror. The same look that Kent himself had. Kent recognised some of the onlookers. Some of them were butchers who sold meat at the local market, but they still had the same look everyone there had. The same look Kent had. The Look of disbelief.

Kent could tell that no one, not even the butchers had ever seen anything like this before in their lives.


Kent then noticed that there were two other Carcasses, half eaten, far away from the scene of the main Carnage.


He moved further down the meadow and found the severed leg of a sheep farther away and that was when he realised that the carcasses were all placed in form of a trail that led to the Woods beyond.



Kent gave a sharp sigh and swallowed hard.



"Brent!", He called out and then spun to see the officer running towards him.



"Chief?",Officer Brent called.



"Get Patrick down here now", Kent order.



"Sure", Brent said, then he hesitated a little. "Wh-What do you think it is Chief?".



Kent spun to him with his jaws clenched. "I don't know Brent, that's why I said for you to call Patrick here godammit", Kent hissed through gritted teeth.



Brent gave quick nods and scampered away.



As Brent ran off, Kent could see Larry hurrying over to meet him.



"I just got a call from Helen, Chief", The young officer mumbled as he managed to catch his breath.


"And?", Kent's eyes still on the severed leg.


"She said Colorado University officials called", Larry Swallowed. "Three of their students are missing".


"What the hell has that got to do with us?", Kent asked, still focused on the carcass.


"They were camping up at West Point Valley".


Kent immediately spun and faced Larry. He could not hide his shock.


"What?", He uttered.


"They were on an Ecological camping trip or something. All the students reported back, except the three that Camped up at West point", Larry said.


Kent said nothing. He slowly turned to face the large expanse of trees and hills in the distance. Larry Could tell he was lost in thought and didn't bother to utter another word.


Kent quickly spun to face Larry. "Get Donovan over here", He said.


Larry nodded and quickly ran back to the gathering of people.


Kent just stood there and slowly shifted his gaze to the hills and the large blankets of vegetation. The cold early morning breeze hitting his face.


The Mangled carcasses of a local farmer's herd of sheep was all over the floor below him. Decapitated. Slaughtered. Eaten. He didn't know how many sheep were killed, but he could swear they had to be more than ten from the looks of it.

Now, he was just being hit with the news of three College students going missing in his town. Three kids going missing after camping in a place that was not more than half a mile away from where he was standing.


A farmer's herd gutted and slaughtered.


A group of college kids missing.


These were two things that had not happened in Cherrywood Valley in thirty years. He was the town's Chief of Police, He would know, he had the records.


But here they were, happening on the same day.


"Jesus", Kent sighed as he raised his hands and rubbed his neck.


As he looked up at the large expanse of hills, trees and forests before him with the breeze hitting his face, he just couldn't shake the feeling that things in Cherrywood had just changed with these two occurrences, and that a dark Cloud may have just settled over his peaceful little town.