The night sky was a mixture of stars, clouds and the moon, giving the town a serene atmosphere. Police cars could be seen arriving at the mouth of the woods. Officers got down to sweep through the area in hopes of finding something, the sounds of rustled leaves being trampled on echoed through the forest.

On the other side of the woods stood a bungalow at the end of dense woods, surrounded by a blanket of darkness that enveloped it in an eerie silence. The only sound heard was the occasional hoot of an owl in the distance and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The bungalow was a small, quaint structure with a sloping roof and wooden shutters that creaked softly in the wind. The windows were dark and empty, offering no glimpse of the interior, and the door was solid and imposing, with an old-fashioned brass knocker that seemed to glimmer faintly in the moonlight.

The bungalow was surrounded by a well-manicured garden, with neatly trimmed hedges and a scattering of wildflowers that added a touch of colour to the darkness. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and the faint aroma of wood smoke that drifted from the chimney.

Despite its isolation and the eerie stillness of the woods, the bungalow had a welcoming charm that was difficult to resist. Its cosy, inviting atmosphere made one imagine themself settling in for a quiet evening with a book and a cup of tea, watching the shadows dance against the walls as the night deepened around them.

Scott was in one of the rooms performing push-ups and sit-ups. Brushing his teething and freshening up, one would think he was on his way out when all he wanted to do was sleep in preparation for the following day.

Staring at him was his reflection; a longed-faced image with brown eyes and a patch-like stain in a lighter shade just on the circumference of his iris. With curly-bushy hair and a pointed nose, he was average in terms of looks.

Hearing strange sounds from the balcony, he picked up a hockey stick and proceeded towards the likeable source of the sound. Looking around, he could barely see anything out there without a source of light. As he neared the edge of the balcony, a figure climbed onto the balcony, unaware of the presence of Scott. Turning around, the said being turned to face Scott and screamed

"Aaaah"

"Aaah"

Scott followed suit. He brandished the hockey stick dangerously before calming down to take a look at the familiar silhouette.

"Stiles?"

"Yeah... it's me. You almost killed me " Stiles said panting.

"What the hell are you doing here ?"

"You haven't replied to my messages and why are you holding a stick ?"

"You can't head towards the unknown unprotected, it could have been a wild animal," Scott said gasping noisily

"Look I know it's late, but my dad just called for dispatch and every officer in Nirvana is going. "

"So ?" Scott asked uninterestedly.

"A body was found in the woods."

"A dead body ?"

"No, a body of water...yes a dead body. "

"Well if the body was found, what are we looking for ?" Scott asked trying to avoid going into the mysterious woods so late in the night.

"That's where things get interesting, the victim's legs are missing." Stiles smugged.

"Well the police are already on it, why should we get involved?" Scott asked still trying to stay out of the woods. It gave him the shudders merely thinking about the horrors that could be hiding and waiting to ambush anything considered prey.

"We're going..." Stiles flatly replied.

***

Arriving at the other side of the woods, Scott and Stiles stepped out of Stiles' jeep and onto the ground littered with decayed leaves

"Are we really doing this?" Scott asked, fear evident in his voice.

"Yes we are, you are the one always bickering about the fact that nothing ever happens in this town," Stiles responded patting Scott on the shoulder and walking ahead.

"We need to rest for the practice tomorrow."

"Not if we continue warming the benches." came a sarcastic reply from Stiles

"I'm gonna make it this time, I am getting on the first eleven."

"Good dream."

The two continued their walk through the woods unaware of a pair of crimson-red eyes stalking them from a distance.

The eerie silence of the wood was making Scott uncomfortable as he wished to be in bed dreaming away.

"What if the killer's still out there ?"

Stopping in his tracks, Stiles had no reply to that and moved on.

"Well I never thought about that"

"Good to know that this suicide mission was well planned out." Scott replied shivering from the cool breeze.

They reached a point where the land rose to form a semi-hill. Crawling to the top, Stiles and Scott noticed flashlights in the distance.

"The police force," They said in unison.

Stiles burst into a sprint leaving Scott in the darkness. Scott ran after him not wanting to be left alone but soon gave up due to exhaustion.

On Stiles's end, not knowing and looking at where he was going, he bumped into a figure and landed on his back.

"Hold it right there," the figure ordered

"It's alright he belongs to me, he is my son" came the voice of Sheriff Stilinski.

Stiles stood up facing his dad smiling mischievously

"How are you doing Dad?"

"Where's your partner in crime? We are going to talk about what I call the invasion of privacy and you listening in on my calls when we meet at home."

Being the son of the sheriff came with its perks. Stiles could go into any room in the station without restriction. It gave him the chance to 'steal' one of the 'DualForce Pro'.This meant he could get updated on the town's happening and relate it to his 'Partner-in-crime'.

"Well, I only listen to the boring ones, and Scott is at home getting a good night's rest for the first day at school and tomorrow's practice. " Stiles retorted cheekily, out of breath for running for so long.

Not believing him, Mr Stilinski called out for Scott, flashing his flashlight around trying to catch any movement that could hint where he was. Not receiving any reply, he got a hold of Stiles' arm, squeezing it and dragging him.

"I'll walk you to your car and when I get back home, we are having a discussion. "

Alone in the dark, Scott began wandering around trying to find a way out of the woods and maybe come across the body. The woods was wide and vast and one could get lost in them without a guide or a map. Several people have gone missing after stepping into it late in the night and no one knew why, and Scott wasn't planning on getting added to the list.

Stopping in his track, he heard some movements behind him but disregarded it blaming it on his stressed mind. The sound of quick steps made him realise his mistake. He was about to break into a run when he felt a sharp pain in his waist. Looking down, he saw the inflictor; a spider-like device with sharp teeth replacing the mandibles. The teeth were deep in his skin and due to the fact that he was in shock, he couldn't utter a sound. The spider dissolved and went into his open wound from the bite.

"Ahhhhhhh"