Chapter 4

A tense atmosphere in the village of Tirtov

Popescu continued to observe the surroundings, and once he confirmed that it was safe, he quietly sneaked out. In the darkness, he started pulling out the Wolfbane plants little by little. Popescu worked until 5:00 in the early morning, and after completing his task, he immediately left the area.

All the villagers were asleep, and when they woke up from their slumber, they still hadn’t noticed anything different. Mrs. Martha and Mrs. Regina met in front of the market.

“Where is the grocery vendor from yesterday?” Mrs. Martha questioned.

“I don’t know. Could it be that he hasn’t arrived yet?” Mrs. Regina asked.

“That’s unlikely. It’s already midday, and he still hasn’t shown up,” Mrs. Martha replied.

“Let’s wait until 1:00 p.m. Maybe he will come by then,” Mrs. Regina suggested.

They both returned to their homes, but even by 1:00 p.m., Popescu still hadn’t appeared. They walked to the market, which was only a few meters away from their houses.

“Oh, it seems the vendor didn’t come after all,” Mrs. Martha remarked.

“Then we’ll go to the city tomorrow to buy household supplies,” Mrs. Regina responded.

“Alright,” Mrs. Martha agreed.

They were unaware that Popescu’s trade was just a disguise, and after that, a horrifying event would soon unfold in the village.

Meanwhile, at the Smirnov family’s house, it was quiet. Five minutes later, Mr. Gregory had just returned from the city with Thomas, and Mrs. Pat had just finished sewing clothes for their neighbors’ orders. She quickly stood up to welcome her husband, who had bought plenty of pastries and various essential supplies for the month.

“Jeremy! Help bring all these items inside!” Mr. Gregory called out.

“Yes, sir,” Jeremy replied.

He immediately carried the shopping bags inside with Thomas, and shortly after, Mrs. Pat came out of the kitchen with a cup of hot coffee for her husband.

Mr. Gregory slumped onto the sofa, looking very tired. After taking a sip of coffee, he began to speak.

“Earlier in Bravelin City, the residents were buzzing about something horrifying,” Mr. Gregory said.

“What were they talking about?” Mrs. Pat asked.

“Two children from one of the residents went missing,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“How did they go missing?” Mrs. Pat inquired.

“They disappeared while they were in the Voya forest,” Mr. Gregory answered.

“Why didn’t their parents prohibit the children from going there?” Mrs. Pat asked curiously.

Then Mr. Gregory explained that before the two children went missing, they had asked their parents for permission to go to the dangerous forest. However, the children broke that prohibition by secretly going there while their parents were away in the city.

Upon hearing her husband’s explanation, Mrs. Pat’s face tensed up. She couldn’t believe that the children were so brave to go there.

“Then what are the villagers planning to do?” Mrs. Pat asked curiously.

“They are planning to go to the forest in a group,” Mr. Gregory answered.

“But how is that possible, considering it’s a werewolf’s lair?” Mrs. Pat questioned.

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Even my friend, Brad, asked for my help,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“What can you do to help him?” Mrs. Pat inquired.

“He knows that I am the son of a hunter, so he assumes I have some knowledge about the situation in the Voya forest,” Mr. Gregory answered.

“Yes, that’s true, but I don’t want you to go there,” Mrs. Pat said.

“Indeed, although I used to accompany my father to the Voya forest when I was a child, I stopped going there as a teenager,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“Why did you stop going there?” Mrs. Pat asked.

“Because I was nearly killed by a tiger,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“Oh my God!” exclaimed Mrs. Pat.

“That’s why I have some reservations about going to the Voya forest,” Mr. Gregory explained.

“It’s better for you to abandon your intentions,” Mrs. Pat said.

“But I will try to help them as a guide,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“Why do you want to help them when your father died there?” Mrs. Pat asked.

“I feel sorry for that family,” Mr. Gregory answered.

“It’s up to you,” Mrs. Pat said, sighing.

As the night approached, the atmosphere in the village of Tirtov became eerily quiet, and the howling of wolves could be heard once again. The wolves howled in response to each other, causing the residents to feel anxious and haunted by fear. Inside the Smirnov family’s house, Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Pat were still conversing with their two loyal servants.

“Tonight feels incredibly quiet,” Mr. Gregory said.

“That’s right, sir. It’s very unsettling,” Thomas replied.

“I’m getting scared,” Jeremy said.

“Yes, it’s indeed strange tonight,” Mrs. Pat responded.

A minute later, they heard shouts coming from several houses in the village. Mrs. Pat then heard the sounds of agonizing screams and the wailing of women and children. Mr. Gregory heard the chaotic howling of werewolves. They quickly stepped forward to the window to see what was happening outside. Mrs. Pat saw their neighbor, the Sterling family, running out of their house.

Several werewolves were chasing them. Mr. Gregory was about to go out to help the family, but Mrs. Pat stopped him.

“Don’t go out, sir. It’s very dangerous!” Mrs. Pat shouted.

“I feel sorry for the Sterling family,” Mr. Gregory said.

“It’s even more dangerous for all of us, sir!” Mrs. Pat insisted.

Fortunately, in the front yard of the Smirnov family, there were many dense Wolfbane plants, which saved them from the rampage of the werewolves. Thomas and Jeremy stared at the frightened and panicked villagers from inside their house, unable to help them. The hundreds of werewolves attacked anyone they encountered, resulting in the death of all the villagers.

However, suddenly, ten minutes later, Thomas and Jeremy also turned into werewolves. After their transformation, the wolf pack immediately left the village of Tirtov and ran toward the Tarpova mountains. Once they were gone, the Smirnov family felt relieved, but anxiety still lingered on their faces.

“We have to move from this village as soon as possible,” Mr. Gregory said.

“But where should we go?” Mrs. Pat asked.

“We’ll move to the city and take all the belongings in this house with us,” Mr. Gregory answered.

“All right, then,” Mrs. Pat replied.

“We’ll always be with you,” Thomas said.

“Of course, we consider you as our own family,” Mr. Gregory replied.

That night, they packed all their belongings in the house, and the next morning, Thomas went to the city and rented a large truck to transport all the Smirnov family’s belongings. Once the truck arrived to collect their belongings, the family moved away from there.