Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 They left a note for Uncle Walker in case he woke up and realized they were gone. Daniel carried the walkie-talkie, Abbi carried the flashlight, and Lydia hung the night-vision binoculars around her neck. They were ready! Daniel had seen the mysterious creature by the stream where they'd seen the paw prints earlier. When they reached the area, Abbi shone the flashlight slowly over the ground. "Nothing," Abbi said. "Maybe it was farther downstream?" "Wait, what's this?" Lydia said. She gestured toward a spot a few feet away where

the grass turned into mud from the stream. Abbi carefully drove over, making sure to keep her tires on hard ground. Her chair could easily sink into mud! Getting stuck would be a nightmare. Thankfully, even from the safety of the grass, she could see what Lydia had spotted. It wasn't a paw print, but… "It's a boot print!" Abbi said. "Look, it's the same kind of mark that Uncle Walker's

work boots leave on the welcome mat when they're muddy." Daniel leaned down for a closer look. "Who could be out here this time of night?" "How do you know they're from tonight?" Lydia asked. "Maybe they're from days ago!" Abbi shook her head. "Remember how much it rained earlier? If there had been any prints here then, they'd be washed away by now. Could it have been the crew? Maybe they came this way?" "Yeah, maybe!" Daniel said. He paused, staring at the footprint again. "But why wouldn't they have said they were here?"

It was still early, but the woods suddenly felt extra dark. Scary in a way Abbi had never felt before. As if they were being watched. Her skin prickled. "Let's look for more boot prints," she said. "If the crew did make them, we'll run into

them eventually." The twins nodded at Abbi's plan. They moved slowly, scanning their surroundings carefully. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Abbi noticed some strange markings on a nearby tree trunk. "What's that?" she said as she drove toward it. Four long, jagged lines were carved into the bark. Abbi gasped. "They're claw marks!" She leaned forward and reached out to touch them. Halfway down the first claw mark, she noticed something stuck to the scratched- up bark. A tuft of tawny-colored fur! She plucked it from the tree trunk and held it close to the light. "It's fur."

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