In the Dead of the Night

Chapter 1 - Nothing Good Ever Comes From the Forest

LEE IS A STRANGE GUY who came from strange places. He was born and raised here, in the town. Nested just south of Denmark, in the middle of nowhere that he bet wasn't on any map, they were often forgotten.
The town, known as Winchess, hadn't had the best history. It was a prime picking during the witch trials, and perfect for vigilantes to hide out in. Now it's mostly used as a dumping ground for some murders.
Lee has gotten used to the idea that he isn't special, he isn't some superhero that could save the day. He isn't someone that would find anything in Winchess, and he got used to that idea right off the bat. He could leave, maybe, no one ever leaves Winchess.
So instead he works at the restaurant in town, called the SnowBank. He serves plates and deals with people's complaints. He cooks food and makes enough money to live in the small one-story house that creaks and leaks and lets the cold in.
It doesn't bother him, the not doing anything, he's content. Maybe that's just because he doesn't know any better. He hasn't gone on adventures, he hasn't gone exploring in the woods, even if it is just in his backyard.
That is about to change.

....

LEES DAY AT THE SNOWBANK is the same as they are everyday. He has the same people, the same dishes, the same complaints, the same conversations. Talking about the weather (that never changed, it always stayed the dreary grey that looked like it was about to snow), about his school (he dropped out three years ago), about his life (he didn't do anything worth mentioning.).
The only difference is that he left early. It's the day of the winter solstice, it's the day that everyone hid. No one knows what, exactly, they hide from, but if Lee was asked, he could guess.
Lee remembers a distinct memory from his childhood, one of his father slamming a chair in front of the door, holding a bat in one hand and telling Lee to never open it. He stayed awake all night to make sure he didn't go out. Never go out after dark, not on the night of the full moon, he would say. The things you find out there are things of nightmares. Lee was taught to keep the curtains tight and to lock the door, so he did just that.
The streets were empty, the wind whistled through the air, the sun dips in the sky, and the moon wavers. It wants to rise badly, it wants to bring a night of pain and heartbreak. But it has to wait, it has to be patient and it has to let the sun set first. But it could wait as long as it needed to, because for the people of Winchess, the night has already begun.
Lee walks up the road, he left the town square and houses became more frequent, if one was to continue walking, the houses would become rare, a passing few that are mostly abandoned. Cabins for tourists that forgot they exist. At the end of the path, which is overgrown and rough, with rocks sharp enough to pop a tire, there would be the house of the Witch.
The Witch, the townspeople call him. Oliver, as Lee's dad calls him. Maybe Stranger, as Lee calls him. Oliver definitely is that, he's reclused, living in the small cabin at the end of the path that no one goes to. He doesn't work, he doesn't come into town for groceries, he doesn't go to school, even though he would have been of age when he moved here. That's another thing, no one moves here. Unless you were running from something. And then his nightly treks to the Patch Woods, where the Daemon lived.
Well, calling it a demon was a stretch. No one has actually seen it, but there are stories. Horrifying ones that made Lee have nightmares for years. No one jokes about it, parents don't use it as a fear tactic for kids to be good. But it's there, no matter what people did, or didn't, see.
It's just another thing for the town to focus on, to add the growing rumor mill.
Reaching his house, Lee pets the stray cat outside his door, then takes out his key, fumbling until he finds the right one. Tonight would be easy, it always is. Even though his dad wasn't here, he'd be doing the same thing he always did. He sets his bag on the table and starts preparing for the night.

....

LEE DOES HIS THRID ROUND of the night, crouching in front of the window and checking the Zip-Ties he put there. The house creaks and groans, wooden planks bending beneath the weight of the fresh snow. He glances up, wondering if it were possible for snow to knock down a house.
The fire crackles and Lee feeds it more logs. He pours the hot water he prepared into a mug and adds some tea leaves. He fills the pot again, water hissing as it lands at the bottom. Then he sits on the couch and grabs his book, the smell of the fruity tea filling the air.
Things were going perfect so far, the night was quiet, no sounds from outside, or shaking. They sometimes dared to get close enough to touch the windows.
And then he hears it.
Lee jumps, the book falls from his hands and lands on the carpeted floor, making a soft thump. A scream sounds from outside, high-pitched and chilling. Lee shudders, it happens again. He races to the door, reaching for the black zip-tie holding it in place. Pausing, he remembers what his dad always said, to never go out, no matter what.
Maybe I should wait, see if it happens again, then I can decide what to do from there, Lee thinks. Then he doesn't have to go out, he's probably imagining it, he had a glass of whiskey earlier, probably more than he should have.
But something nags his brain, he never drank, the last time was with his dad when he turned old enough. Lee hasn't touched the bottle he gave him since he left, it's still wrapped in his bandana, hidden in his boot where he didn't think Lee would look.
Dad put the rules in place for a reason. He isn't stupid, Lee isn't stupid, going out would be suicide. But, someone could be in trouble. Dad also said to help where he could.
When Lee hears the third scream, it makes up his mind. He grabs the shotgun from the closet and pulls on his boots. Shrugging a coat on as he cut the Zip-Tie with his knife. Lee prepares for the worst, but when he opens the door nothing happens. A cold breeze bites through his clothes, settling in his bones.
He notices that two sets of footprints lead to the woods, walking closer, tromping through the piles of snow. One is some sort of animal, big, from the size of its paws, the other is a person. Maybe they're the ones in trouble, although he doesn't know how you could be with such a big animal protecting you.
Lee follows the prints, they aren't too hard to find, however, snow has covered parts of them. His finger is resting on the trigger of the shotgun, he doesn't quite trust the night yet.
He follows the footprints for about five minutes until he realizes where he's going: into the Patch Woods.
The Patch Woods border Winchess. It is a dangerous place, where people disappear, only to be found dead in the river. Some kids went in there, they came out a week later white as snow and didn't talk for the rest of their lives. Then some hunters went in, their bodies were found the next day.
Things were in there, bad things that people hid from.
Lee learns from others' mistakes, he isn't going to repeat history, he knew he would die if he went into those woods, yet if someone else entered, they would die too.
Lee trudges on through the snow.
The atmosphere changes as he crosses the threshold of the woods, he no longer feels safe, that feeling of knowing where he is and that he could run if he needed to, fled. Lee is in unfamiliar territory, he has to be cautious and careful because he's alone, he knew no one was coming to save him, that no one would think that he would be stupid enough to come into this haunted place.
Of course, that's his specialty, doing the unthinkable.