Grayson Buckley stared at his reflection in the pool of blood. Not the first bloody attack he’d witnessed in the last week, trouble loomed on the horizon. He had his suspicions about the origins. And if those suspicions proved correct, this would be the beginning of the end. At least for him and his family. If not the world.
Shadows moved behind him and he twisted to glance over his shoulder.
“What do you think, cousin?” Alexander inquired, sidling next to him and staring down at the mess below them.
“Nothing good,” Gray muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets with a sigh after raking one through his thick brown hair.
“This is the third one this week.” Alexander cocked his head at the scene, his thick eyebrows arching.
“And it won’t be the last.” Gray spun away from the bloody carnage and kicked a stone across the ground. It sailed through the air and thudded against the grass a few feet away, rolling to a stop near a grazing cow.
“Something’s wrong,” Alexander said in his crisp British accent.
“That’s obvious. Three cows slaughtered from some unknown source in as many days.”
“Have you spoken with the Sheriff?”
Gray rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yes, I’ve managed to convince him it must be some sort of animal attack. Told him we’ve been hearing wolves again on the estate.”
Alexander cut his gaze to his cousin. “Did he believe you?”
“I think so. He’s setting traps. I don’t know what we’ll do when this continues and there are no wolves to be found.”
Alexander focused on the dead animal lying in front of him. With a slash across its throat and blood pooling under it, it made for a gruesome scene. “Or if he manages to catch one and the attacks don’t stop.”
“I’m not sure which is worse,” Gray said as he stared at the dark clouds filling the sky.
Alexander flicked his gaze to the gray skies overhead. “What’s causing this?”
Gray crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the dead animal in front of him. With a sigh, he admitted, “I don’t know. But it’s not good.”
