The air was thick with tension as Mark and Ethan moved toward the growing crowd. Mark held his shotgun close, his other hand gripping Ethan tightly as if anchoring himself in the chaotic sea of fear and anger. The crowd was buzzing with confusion, panic, and a rising thirst for blood. People shouted over one another, demanding answers, demanding action. Mark’s heart raced, but he kept his eyes forward, determined to keep Ethan safe.
As they approached the crowd, Mark was about to ask what had happened when an old, gravelly voice cut through the noise. “Calm down, all of you!” Old Man Stan stepped into the center of the gathering, his presence commanding immediate attention. He held up the tracker, its persistent beeping a reminder of the danger lurking beneath the lake’s surface.
“Everyone needs to listen!” Stan’s voice was firm, almost pleading, as he tried to quell the rising tide of panic. “That thing out there isn’t just some big fish. It’s a monster, and if we don’t handle this right, more people are going to die!”
But the crowd was restless, their fear turning to anger. One man, his face red with frustration, shoved his way to the front and shouted, “What do you know about this creature, old man? Why should we listen to you?”
Stan turned slowly to face the man, his calm demeanor melting away to reveal a deep, simmering rage. His eyes locked onto the man’s, and for a moment, the only sound was the beeping of the tracker. “What do I know?” Stan’s voice was low, filled with a pain that silenced the crowd. “I know more than anyone here. You see these scars? These injuries?” He gestured to the visible scars that marred his face and hands, his voice growing louder, filled with raw emotion. “I got these from that thing out there. I spent my life hunting monsters in these waters, creatures that could snap a man in half without breaking a sweat. And I never failed—until that damn thing.”
The crowd fell silent, the anger and bravado draining away as they looked at the man who had once been a legend. The once-rowdy group now stood in awe, the realization settling in that if Stan, the best monster fish hunter ever, had been bested by this creature, then they were in far more danger than they had imagined.
Mark and his friends stood on the edge of the crowd, watching as the situation unfolded. Mark felt his blood run cold as he listened to Stan’s words, his grip on Ethan tightening. He had heard stories about Old Man Stan, stories of his legendary feats, of the creatures he had dragged out of the depths. To hear that this monster had done that to him, to see the haunted look in Stan’s eyes, was enough to make Mark’s confidence crumble.
Ethan could feel the shift in Mark’s demeanor, the way his body tensed and his breath quickened. He glanced up at Mark, seeing the fear etched on his face, and realized that for the first time, Mark was truly terrified. “Mark…” Ethan’s voice was soft, laced with concern.
Mark swallowed hard, his throat dry as he leaned closer to Ethan. “Ethan, that man… Old Man Stan… He’s not just some fisherman. He’s a legend around here. People say he’s caught things that could kill a man with a single swipe, things that make your worst nightmares look like child’s play. And he never failed… until now.” Mark’s voice wavered, his usual calm replaced with a growing fear. “If that thing did this to him, I don’t know if anyone can stop it.”
Ethan’s heart sank as he looked at Mark, his own fear mirrored in Mark’s eyes. The strength and confidence that Mark usually radiated were gone, replaced by a pale, almost ghostly appearance. He could feel Mark pulling him into a more defensive position, a subtle but telling gesture that Mark was preparing for the worst. Ethan knew Mark well enough to understand what this meant—if Mark was this scared, then things were about to get very, very bad.
Ryan, who had been standing close by, noticed the change in Mark as well. He had known Mark since childhood, and he knew that if Mark was frozen like this, it wasn’t just fear—it was a premonition. Ryan had seen it before, that uncanny ability Mark had to sense when something was about to go terribly wrong. And from the look on Mark’s face, Ryan knew that whatever was coming, it was going to be unlike anything they had faced before.
