The remaining two windows sit nearest the porch.
My jaw tightens as Camera Four triggers.
The wolf stands in full frame now, close enough to see the thickness of its neck and the heavy slope of its shoulders. It moves with control, not frenzy. It slows beneath the tree and looks directly at the lens before leaping.
The image shakes. Cuts out.
Only one feed remains.
Camera Six flickers red.
The wolf stands twenty feet from the porch.
Up close, it’s enormous. Its head nearly reaches the midpoint of the doorframe when it lifts its muzzle. The fur along its back is coarse and dark, the body too large to fit the proportions of any documented gray wolf.
It stares directly at the lens.
Then the screen goes black.
The cabin settles into silence, but outside something shifts across gravel. The sound carries through the walls—slow, deliberate steps.
A low growl vibrates through the porch boards.
I close the laptop and set it aside. No point watching empty frames.
I grab the bear spray from the counter and move toward the door. Another scrape across the wood answers me, claws dragging along the porch.
“Hey,” I call through the door, voice sharp. “Back off.”
The growl deepens.
I slide the deadbolt back and pull the door open.
Cold air hits first. Then the wolf.
It stands at the far edge of the porch, body angled toward me, head level. In the porch light, its size is unmistakable—coal-dark fur, heavy shoulders, chest broad enough that it blocks most of the railing behind it. Its eyes catch the light and reflect it back.
“Back,” I say again, raising the spray.
The wolf lowers its head slightly, lips peeling back just enough to show teeth.
I fire.
The orange cloud bursts between us, coating its muzzle and eyes. The chemical bite hits my own throat instantly, sharp and metallic.
The wolf doesn’t retreat.
It surges forward through the spray, muscles bunching beneath thick fur. Its weight slams into the porch railing and the wood splinters under impact. The entire structure shudders.
“That should have stopped you,” I mutter, stepping backward.
I fire again, holding the trigger longer. The aerosol hangs thick in the air, burning my lungs. The wolf blinks once, shakes its head, and advances.
Its paw lashes out and connects with my shoulder.
Pain jolts down my arm as I crash into the porch post. The railing cracks beneath my weight. The bear spray canister wobbles in my grip.
The wolf closes the distance in two strides.
