Lakeview Falls, Michigan

October 9th, 2025

The autumn morning stretches forth with fingers of every hue. From the summer-hearth and winter sun comes the gold of sunny days. A soft breeze of serenity carries colorful leaves  with mixtures of brown and fireside red consuming the road of Gun Hill Lane. As local news vans arrive in front of Lakeview Falls' Sheriff Department, a loud commotion of angry deputies echo throughout the main lobby. Eyes fixated on the mounted television, the officers stood numb watching the LIVE nationwide news coverage reporting horrific and brutal murders unfolding all over the state of Michigan.

Interrupted in the middle of an important phone call with the local town commissioner, Sheriff Mills swiftly exits his office and notices deputies missing from their work stations. A husky middle-aged divorcee with two adult sons, the six-foot-two head chief has been Lakeview Falls' enforcer for over ten years. His work ethics were praised in the beginning of his career but soon turned for the worse when he found himself under harsh scrutiny for his inability to solve recent mysterious deaths surfacing around town. The only way to clear his reputation as slumchief of the falls is to work hard at regaining the trust of his residents again. Loved by so many, Sheriff Mills couldn't sit around anymore and allow innocent people to die on his watch. If anyone could make the town safe again it would be him.

Swarmed by the erratic outburst coming from down the hall, Sheriff Mills scowls storming past the empty cubicles. His anger from within comes like an impossible built up steam. "Where the hell are these idiots?" He mutters.

When he reaches the main lobby, his fists stays firmly by his side while he taps his foot against the hard marble floor glaring at his squad engaging in deep conversation. He advances towards them, and observes three deputies staring out the double glass window where a female reporter and her cameraman assembles their equipment in front of the department.

"Jesus Christ! What in God's name is that woman doing? Those damn 666 news reporters need to get off my ass!" He hollers, extending his hands, thrusting the front door open.

Exiting the station, the crisp autumn air entwines its soft fingers through his silk chestnut hair as he inches closer the reporter, "Hey! You can't park your equipment shit in front of my building! I've already spoken to the media about the investigations."

"I'm sorry, Sheriff Mills but we needed to speak to you as soon as possible. Our news center confirmed more murders circulating in Lakeview Falls," The female reporter replies with a grim expression testing her ear mic.

Her long wavy auburn hair blows while she grasps her microphone firmly in here right hand, staring into the camera, "Are we all set, Hank?"

The cameraman nods, raising his left hand up,  "We are good to go Susan—in five, four, three, two, one."

"Good afternoon, this is Susan Kerbs with 666KR news, and we are here live in Lakeview Falls where horrific mass murders continue to plague this eerie small suburban town. One by one, middle-class families slaughtered in their homes, and from each family, a son missing or flayed. None of this makes any sense Sheriff Mills; are there any answers to why the abductor is taking only young males all in their late teens and early twenties and wiping out the rest of the family's?" Extending the microphone up to the Sheriff's mouth, the reporter impatiently waits for a response.

He brushes his hands over his salt and pepper beard while staring into the camera, "At this time, we have in counting about twenty young males missing in the past 48 hours. We are working hard to hunt down the abductor that is still on the loose; I promise you, so help me, god, we will find this son of a bitch!" He said while his eyes fixate on the camera lens.

Suddenly a loud static noise coming from the sheriff's hands-free walkie-talkie startles him. On the other end of the line, a deputy frantically shouts in a high pitched tone.

 "Sheriff Mills, you have to come down here! We've got hanging bodies all over the place! Lots of them!" The deputy said, disappearing from the other line.

Speechless, Sheriff Mills' eyes search for any officers outside of the department. He then notices Deputy Matthew Scott patrolling at the corner of Fearman Lane. The twenty-six-year-old Mexican American joined the Sheriff's department eight months ago as a rookie assistant working alongside Sheriff Mills. Matthew, who is usually called Matty or Matt by his friends, is five foot eleven with dark brown eyes and a muscular toned body that compliments his height.

Wearing his jet black hair in a wavy crop with a fade, Deputy Scott always kept a sharp well-kemp appearance. Dressed In a two-tone colored uniform that consists of a light khaki button-down short sleeve shirt and dark brown pleated pants matching with his polished brown men shoes, Matt always looks professional at all times. Fixing his seven-point-metal badge with a gold nameplate that read, "Scott," Deputy Matthew Scott stood patrolling the area when he suddenly sees a frantic officer scurrying over to Sheriff Mills.

"Sheriff Mills!" The young male deputy exclaims as sweat drips down his forehead, "We just received an emergency call about those missing boys," with a frightened expression, the officer's breathing becomes more rapid.

"We have to go now, Sheriff!" He demands as he heads back to his patrol car.

Clicking on his walkie talkie, Sheriff Mills contacts an officer at the crime scene, "This is Sheriff Thomas Mills. What's your twenty? Copy that."

"Sheriff Mills, location intersection 402 Deerfield; Roger that," A female officer responds on the other end.

"Ten-four, on my way," Sheriff Mills responds, ending the conversation.

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer any more of your questions at this time, " Sheriff Mills said to the reporter while putting on his tinted sunglasses, walking away from her.

"Sheriff Mills, is it a lead on the missing boys?" the female reporter asks, holding onto her microphone while chasing Sheriff Mills to his patrol car with her cameraman following behind.

"I can't comment on that, excuse me," he replies, slightly snubbing the camera guy out of his way.

Forming an A shape with his index and middle finger, Sheriff Mills places them in his mouth, releasing an ear-piercing whistle getting his rookie assistant's attention.

"Deputy Scott! Get in the car right now!" Sheriff Mills hollers while sprinting towards his patrol car.

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"But sir, I'm still on a stakeout," Deputy Scott said to Sheriff Mills.

"Get in the damn car Scott!"

"Yes, Sheriff!'' Deputy Scott responds as he hops into the patrol car.

Checking his rearview mirror, Sheriff Mills turns his siren on and drives off, heading to the rural Holloway interstate in a small town called Deerfield.

❊❊❊

Deerfield Michigan

Arriving at the crime scene, both Sheriff Mills and Deputy Scott's jaws drop in horror as they see Ten dead bodies of young men hanging from each light pole naked with their skin stripped off. The deputies can tell the bodies were rotting for a few days due to a yellow-green slime trickling down the masses from the horrendous smell that fermented the entire interstate, making it unbearable to breathe.

"What in the hell," Sheriff Mills mutters in disgust, noticing some officers regurgitating on the side of the road.

The sight, so revolting, made Deerfield's local lieutenant Mitch Macmore cover his mouth as he approaches Sheriff Mills' patrol car handing him a face mask.

"Good Afternoon, Sheriff, you might want to put these on; this isn't a pretty scene," he said to him, looking over at the passenger side.

The lieutenant notices Deputy Scott's fingers trembling rapidly, "Son, are you sure you're up for big boy work? This scene isn't for the faint of heart."

"I'll be fine lieutenant, I can handle anything," Deputy Scott replies with a side-eye.

"Sure thing, tough guy, suit yourself; don't say I didn't warn you," Lieutenant Macmore said to Deputy Scott as he walks away from the patrol car.

"Are you ready to go, Deputy?" Sheriff Mills asks as he opens his car door.

"Yes, Sheriff Mills," Deputy Scott responds swiftly, putting his mask on.

"Here," Sheriff Mills said, handing him an extra face mask.

Both men exit the patrol car. The smell instantly hits their nostrils like a thick cloud of smoke, "Jesus Christ! That smells awful!" Sheriff Mills said, making gagging sounds as he walks towards the crime scene.

Walking under the yellow "Do not cross" sign with Deputy Scott, they advance towards the first hanging body.

"Christ!" Sheriff Mills exclaims, staring at the mutilated corpse, "What kind of monster would do such a thing?"

"Sheriff Mills!" A male police officer calls out, rushing over to him, "Thank you for getting here; this is the first break we've had in a few weeks."

Slowly walking past each hanging body, Sheriff Mills's stomach churns; he looks downwards, avoiding eye contact with the dead, "So are we assuming that these are the young men that have been reported missing?" Sheriff Mills asked the officer.

"Yes, Sheriff, we are one hundred percent sure that these are the same young boys."

"Who found them?" Sheriff Mills asks, releasing a slight cough.

"We received an anonymous call from someone in the area complaining about the smell," The police officer said, flipping through his white notepad.

Suddenly from across the road, an old homeless-looking woman lurking around the bushes comes running towards the officers in a cloaked dingy white cotton gown screaming in a loud voice.

"The Shifters have woken!"

Sheriff Mills stares at the deranged woman with a disturbed expression painted all over his face, as she walks towards Deputy Scott with a possessed look on her face.

"They are coming for her, and they won't stop till they find it!" The older woman said, sneering at the young deputy.

"Get her out of Here!" Sheriff Mills angrily hollers, waving to other officers around.

Deputy Scott stood frozen with his eyes wide open as the woman inches closer, whispering in his ears with a wicked smirk exposing her brown stained rotted teeth with two missing on the bottom.

"She who holds the stone will put everyone's lives in terrible danger! You're going to die a very, very terrible death, I can see it."

Two officers immediately run towards the old woman and quickly pulls her away from Deputy Scott, "Excuse me, ma'am, this is an official crime scene you have to leave right now!"

"They will find her, and you will all be dead!" The older woman gives off an unearthly yell scurrying into the bushes.

"What the hell was that about?" Sheriff Mills asks, walking towards Deputy Scott, "Are you okay, Deputy Scott?"

"Yes, Sheriff," Trying to act brave, Deputy Scott sounded like he is on the verge of tears. "That lady was super creepy."

"Tell me about it. It was like watching an episode of the walking dead," Sheriff Mills said to him with a haunted expression.

Sensing a sudden vibration, Deputy Scott feels his cell phone go off in his pants pocket. Pulling it out, he sees the call is from his girlfriend of eight years, Gabriela Santos.

"I'm sorry, Sheriff, I have to take this call," he said, quickly excusing himself.

"Sure, but make it fast. We have a lot of work ahead of us," Sheriff Mills said as he walks over to speak to another officer.

"Hey, babe! I'm sorry I didn't get to call you. It's been a little hectic at work; some crazy shit is going down on the other side of town." Walking away from the scene, Matt stands by the patrol car.

"That's okay, Matty," she replies on the other end of the line, watching Trey struggle to hang a welcome home banner on the wall at her family-owned restaurant at Lakeside diner.

 "Trey, you have it slanted," she scowls.

"Gabby, this is a bad idea," Trey clicks his teeth, rearranging the banner, "you know Crystal is going to hate all of this," Trey said, taking a step down from the booth.

Trey Delgado is one of Crystal's childhood friends. A gay rights activist at Lakeview Falls University, Trey is a mixture of Jewish and African American. Five-foot-seven, with light brown eyes, full lips, and dark brown short curly hair, Trey portrays both the masculine and feminine side. Revealing that he was a proud gay man a few years ago, Trey embraces his sexuality through his blunt sassiness.

Placing paper plates one by one on each table, Trey releases a sigh, "Gabby, do you think that Crystal is up for any of this after what happened last year to her parents? I have this feeling that she is not going to be happy about this."

"Trey, why are you so paranoid? Crystal deserves to have a night to unwind with friends that care about her."

"Gabriella, I don't think a party is the smartest idea; plus, you know Crystal loathes surprises."

Overhearing Trey on the other line, Matt tries to talk Gabriela out of hosting the party.

 "Seriously, Gabby? Trey is right; I don't know if throwing a party for her is the right thing at this moment. I'm pretty sure she's not thrilled to come back to this shit hole of a town."

"It hasn't been easy for her Matt, Crystal has been through a lot since her parents died," Gabriela said to him while fixing mini red velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting on a silver tray.

"Exactly my point, that's why I don't think it's a good idea Gabby, maybe Crystal needs some time to adjust to being back home."

"Matty, a small party with close friends isn't going to ruin Crystal's night. If anything, maybe it will make her feel better."

Meanwhile, at the crime scene staring at Matt with his hands on his hips, Sheriff Mills clicks his teeth in annoyance, "Get off your goddamn phone, Scott! Or I'll have your ass patrolling parking meters!"

Startled, Matt removes the receiver part of his cell phone away from his ears, "Yes, Sheriff!" he responds to Sheriff Mills.

"Ok, babe," holding the phone to his ears again, "I gotta go. Sheriff Mills is losing his shit. I hope Crystal doesn't get pissed about this party. Oh, and before I forget, I'm going be a little late coming to the diner; there are a few things I have to do with the Sheriff before I leave. There is some crazy shit going down in Deerfield; we have some psychopath on the loose slaughtering young guys all over town. Crystal couldn't have picked a better time to come back home."

"That's awful; please be careful, Matty," Gabriela said with a sense of uneasiness.

"Gabby, baby, I'm going to be fine. You worry too much. I will call you as soon as I'm on my way to the restaurant. I'll see you later; I love you."

"I love you too, Matty, and don't forget to pick up Crystal's cake at Delia's bakery before you come to the party."

"Yes, of course, babe, I won't forget."

Ending his call with Gabby, Matt looks intensely at the carnage hanging off the poles while deputies line up number cards in front of each deceased body.

"Sheriff Mills! How are we going to get these bodies down?" A female deputy asks, holding her hands up to her face.

"Dammit! Call the fire department and the coroners!" He orders.

"Hey! Listen up, everyone!" Sheriff Mills shouts, striking his hands together, alerting the deputies at the scene.

"We've got a long day ahead of us. I will be issuing a curfew for the entire county, including Lakeview Falls. We will have to close down a few roads like Fall Park Lane. I think you all should take a safer shortcut to get home," Sheriff Mills announces.

Listening to Sheriff Mills' announcement, Matt could not help but feel worried his once wholesome town had falling prey to a serial killer or supernatural being. Not only would these tragic events scare the entire village, but they will also affect the people in his life, including his girlfriend Gabriela and his closest friends. He can only hope that whatever is out there doing these horrendous murders will be stopped before it gets worse.

"Sheriff," Deputy Scott says, approaching him, " I know this might not be the best time to ask you this, but—May I leave, sir? I have a surprise party to go to."

Sheriff Mills interrupts him, "Are you shitting me, Deputy?"

"I'm sorry, Sheriff, it is just that Crystal's coming back home tonight and..."

"Francois?" Sheriff Mills asks with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, Sheriff," Deputy Scott replies.

Surprised by the sudden news, Sheriff Mills remembers the fatal event that occurred a year prior. Determined to solve the Francois case, Sheriff Mills promised Crystal and her younger sister that he would catch the person that murdered her beloved parents.

The gleaming sun hits Sheriff Mills' eyes, forcing him to turn the opposite direction, "I didn't think Crystal would be back so soon after— you know?"

"I didn't expect it either, Sheriff. I'm not sure how she will handle everything that's happening right now. This town is always full of surprises and not the good ones," Deputy Scott said as he walks towards his car.

"Hey! If you see my son's, tell them curfew is in effect and get their asses home by 8 pm," Sheriff Mills said, watching Deputy Scott enter his vehicle.

"You got it, Sheriff," Deputy Scott responds before driving off.

Drenched in sweat, a rookie deputy advances towards Sheriff Mills by the side of the road, "Sir, the fire department is here now," The deputy informs him.

"Great, let's get these bodies down, boys!"