His Dog Started Acting Strange and Vanished Into the Woods—After Hours Of Searching, He Returned With THIS...

After Chen logged the core sample into his department’s digital equipment registry, he returned to Dale's garage to gather his bags. "I'll have full spectral results by tomorrow," Chen said, zipping his kit.

Dale barely heard him. He was watching the workbench, where the tools were still gently leaning toward the black rock. In the kitchen, Max hadn't stopped whining. Having the stone inside the house made him worse—he pressed his forehead hard against the glass door, letting out low, pained grunts. "I thought getting that rock out of the ground would fix him," Dale sighed, rubbing his temples. "He's still losing his mind."

"Wait," Chen said, pausing near the window. "Listen." Dale went quiet. It wasn't the sound of the wind or an animal. Through the thick glass, coming from deep within the treeline behind the house, came the distinct, heavy crunch of multiple boots stepping through dry leaves. Someone was out there. And they weren't trying to be quiet.