Then she turned away just as fast, bringing the mic back to her mouth like she was narrating a nature documentary—the subjects, of course, being the festivalgoers rather than the creature itself.
“The Gloamstrider,” she said in her best radio voice, “is described by witnesses as fae-adjacent, antlered, and tall enough to scrape the boughs of the longleaf pines. It’s said to travel with the mist, and—according to one interview I did earlier this morning—‘devours the souls of the disrespectful.’”
She clicked the recorder off again.
“So basically, a southern Slenderman with better PR.”
I couldn’t help grinning. “You get all that from Miss Francine?”
“Not all of it,” she said. “Miss Francine doesn’t believe in Slenderman.”
We’d spent the morning and most of the afternoon strolling around town, talking to locals and visitors alike, asking any and all questions Noelle could come up with about the Gloamstrider. She was deeply skeptical—and if I was being honest, so was I. Sure, there was a lot of weird shit that happened in Willow Grove, but this in particular…I’d never believed it.
“So do you believe it?” Noelle asked as we turned the corner toward the shop. We’d been around town long enough that Milo needed a walk, and Noelle had offered to tag along. “In the Gloamstrider, I mean.”
I hummed. “You know…nah, I don’t. Spent long enough in the woods around these parts, and I ain’t never seen some kinda bipedal, scaly, antlered monster. Well, other than my brother Whit.”
She huffed a laugh at that. “How many brothers have you got, anyway?”
“Four.”
“And you’re…?”
I sighed. “Smack dab in the middle. Gimme a second—I’m just gonna grab Milo, then we can head out toward the trails. There’s a waterfall out there you might like.”
She gave a short nod and stepped aside to let me unlockthe shop’s front door. I whistled once, and Milo came barreling around the corner like he’d been waiting all day for this moment. I’d hardly managed to get his leash on him before he was dragging me toward Noelle, tail wagging so hard his whole body wiggled.
“Jesus,” she said as he skidded to a stop in front of her. “Does he have an off switch?”
“Only when he’s asleep.”
She let him sniff her hand, then crouched down and scratched behind his ears like they were old friends. I watched them for a second—how easy she was with him, how naturally he leaned into her touch—and something warm crept under my ribs.
Noelle stood up and adjusted the strap of her bag. “So…are trails an absolute necessity, or could we stay in town?”
I took a moment to look at her, cocking my head to the side. Her eyes darted toward the trees—the grey sky making it seem a little gloomier than usual.
“You scared of the woods?” I asked.
“No,” she said too quickly. Then, she scoffed. “Okay—maybe a little.”
I couldn’t resist the urge to needle her. “Afraid the Gloamstrider’ll get you…?”
She gave me a flat, serious glare. “No,” she said, “but now you have me nervous.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “Just sayin’. Hedoesprefer skeptics.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t walk away, so I took that as permission to go on our usual route. Milo circled us twice, his leash wrapping loosely around my legs before he set off toward the woods.
And the decision was made for us—by Milo, a dog with the survival instinct of a tin can.
Noelle heaved a heavy breath, squared her shoulders, andthen she came up beside me and walked with me into the woods. There were a few other people around—unusual, but expected for this particular weekend. We got all kinds out looking for the Gloamstrider, carrying their binoculars and their cameras. Noelle snapped a few photos with her phone as we wound through the trees, Milo’s leash dragging ahead of us.
“Alright,” she said, adjusting the strap of her bag after capturing a shot of a couple adjusting a satellite dish out in the woods like they were going to get in touch directly with the aliens. “You wanna know the truth?”
I looked down at her. “Only if you want to tell it.”
She swallowed hard. “Well…when I was a kid, I actually saw something. It’s what got me started on this whole kick. I was looking for an explanation.”
