The Wolf Within

The scent of pine and damp earth filled the air as Seth’s Jeep rumbled down the secluded road. Outside, the endless forest pressed in, its dark silhouettes hinting at unseen life within.
“About half an hour,” Seth called from the front, his voice breaking the comfortable silence that had settled after Ariel’s latest complaint.
You mumbled a quiet hope that the long drive would be worth it, your eyes scanning the trees.
Then you saw it – a large, four-legged figure keeping pace with the car deep within the woods. A dog? No, too big. Your curiosity flared.
Minutes later, the Jeep slowed to a stop. Three black SUVs blocked the road, and stern-faced men in black stood before you, their postures rigid and unwelcoming. The air crackled with tension.
“You’re trespassing,” one of them stated in a flat, toneless voice, and your summer getaway suddenly felt a lot less heavenly.
